The Materia have never been a band content to sit still. Seventeen years since forming in 2007, the Polish prog metal and djent outfit have built their reputation the hard way: relentless touring, four albums, stages at Wacken Open Air, Brutal Assault, and Euroblast, and a sound that refuses to be pinned down long enough to be categorised comfortably.
Their new single “1984“, released digitally on 4 May 2026, is the latest evidence that they are hitting a creative peak at exactly the right moment. The accompanying official music video, out now, was shot at Yew Tree Studio with a collaborative cast including Oliwia “Dżoli” Piwko, Oliver “Loki” Jakubowicz, and Julia Karwasz.
The track takes its inspiration from George Orwell’s novel “1984“, and the band are direct about what drew them to it. The Piesiak brothers describe it as a call to remain relentless in the fight against an invisible enemy that affects every human being in the world. That framing is not accidental. Orwell’s vision of control, surveillance, and the erosion of individual thought feels less like dystopian fiction and more like a working blueprint in 2026, and The Materia lean into that tension without flinching.
Musically, “1984” sits firmly in the territory the band have made their own: crushing riffs and djent-driven precision locked into a structure with genuine emotional weight behind it. Mixing and mastering were handled by Konrad Janiszewski, whose work with Heresy Denied and Sour Blood confirms he understands exactly what this kind of music needs to hit properly.
“1984” is also a statement of intent. The Materia are preparing their fifth studio album, self-recorded by the band, due for release on 28 August 2026 during the 14th edition of Materiafest. If this single is any indication of the direction, that record is going to be worth the wait.
Watch the video. Then watch it again.
About The Materia
The Materia hail from Szczecinek, Poland, formed in 2008 by brothers Michał and Tadeusz Piesiak and Jakub Marciniak. A demo called “Vandals” arrived in 2009, followed by the EP “Holidays on the Angels Island” in 2011 and their debut album “Case of Noise” in 2013.
Their rise was anything but slow. In 2012 they performed at the Sonisphere festival in Warsaw, sharing a stage with Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. They also reached the finale of a national TV talent show, an unlikely achievement for a band playing technical nu-metal, prog and djent, and one that brought them to a far wider audience than the metal underground alone.
Over more than a decade of activity they have appeared at some of the most significant metal festivals in the world, including Wacken Open Air, Brutal Assault, and Euroblast, and visited Poland’s Woodstock three times. Their third album “The Rising” (2019) was named one of the top 20 albums of the year by Metal Injection.
A fifth studio album is due 28 August 2026 at the 14th edition of Materiafest. “1984” is your first listen.
