Hailing from Florida, Graphite Stain is the metal project from artist Adriano Fernandez, whose highly anticipated debut album Idus Martiae has just dropped. Featuring his past singles since last year, the record is an ambitious work that keeps you on the edge of your seat with each new chord. The eleven-track album showcases Adriano experimenting and having fun with different elements, ranging from sparkling synth waves to hardcore punk with the kind of urgency and intensity that only comes from nu-metal.
Across its forty-minute runtime, Adriano travels to several different places, incorporating screamo into his melodic outputs. Idus Martiae, latin for “Ides of March”, shines with aggressive guitars and attitude, backed by brooding and darkened tones and tied together with poignant lyricism. The record is a reflection on mortality, fully giving in to the haunting questions and macabre melodies that may ensue. Taking inspiration from everyone – from Linkin Park to Nick Cave -, Graphite Stain crafted a refreshing take that expands how far metal can stretch itself.
“Paper Planes” features chanting vocals and epic orchestrations that cohexist alongside the trash metal of “Suicide Note” just as well as the melodic “Supernova”, creating a dynamic experience that holds nothing back. Idus Martiae even surprises you with a few piano-driven ballad-esque songs like “Lake of Glass” and “My Demise”, offering a glimpse of how insanely creative Adriano is in his compositions.
The juxtaposition between serene moments and the dooming guitar riffs really highlight the violence that comes from the natural cycle of life and death, central themes on the album, as a way of accepting the inevitability of the latter while doing his best to enjoy the former. It’s a fascinating duality so humanly explored by Adriano with elegance, going from hardcore to gothic in a matter of instants, resulting in a thrilling ride that keeps on giving.
Idus Martiae is a passionate project, conceptualized in its entirety by the artist himself, turning itself inside out several times as it digs deeper and deeper in meaning and sound. Years in the making, Adriano says that certain elements were written as early as when he was thirteen – like the main riff from stellar “Raining Over Clay”, while others took form over the course of his ever-growing maturity as a person as well as an artist and producer.
Growing up in Cuba, Adriano reflects, really impacted how he writes and views music as the rock and metal scenes weren’t very popular in his hometown. That sense of isolation is very well translated into his current music, contributing to the exploration of the bleakness that permeates the record as a whole.
The album does an excellent job in those explorations of the deepest corners of the human mind, showing that most of the times the darkness actually comes from within. “I immersed myself in what I imagine the mindset of a deeply depressed person might feel like. Each song serves as my interpretation of embracing one’s own darkness, confronting subjects such as death, rage, and self-acceptance”, Adriano says about his inspirations behind the tracks. Blending his personal experiences as an immigrant and taking pages of his own history, Idus Martiae stands as a collection of songs that feel diverse and varied but painted from the same color palette all the way.
The softness of “Reaper, Repeater” arrives as the other side of the aggression and impulsiveness of the metal landscape so carefully navigated by him – it never once feels forced or out of place, it simply adds a new layer to his artistry. The Miami-based musician reaches inwards when creating music, carving a space to let his fire burn with raw, unfiltered, and unhinged impressions of both, himself and the world around him.
Tapping into feelings of not fitting in and having so much bottled-up rage inside, the artist made an album filled with cathartic revelations and spiral-shaped melodies that feel claustrophobic and expansive at once. Adriano goes for the hard feelings on his debut album, paving his own way as a creative force in the nu-metal revival and stretching for the big emotional payoffs, embracing the shadows and allowing the darkness to set him free.
STREAM “IDUS MARTIAE” NOW!
So, here it is — my debut album. Idus Martiae is not just the end result of a long process of self-reflection and emotional processing; it’s also the beginning of my journey to express the darkness within me through my art. And while this is only the beginning, I’ve got much more to give. I’m already at work on a follow-up album, one that promises even more music and even deeper, darker emotions. Stay tuned Graphite Stain
Idus Martiae by Graphite Stain, latin for “Ides of March”, shines with aggressive guitars and attitude, backed by brooding and darkened tones and tied together with poignant lyricism.
Stream on Spotify NOW!
open.spotify.com/album/52Zov2…
— Jpgchief (@jpgchief.bsky.social) 20 de marzo de 2025, 11:12
@jpgchief 🚨#NewMusic🚨 🛑#ListenNow🛑 🔥#DebutAlbum🔥 New Music Debut Album "Idus Martiae" by #GraphiteStain in this post “Supernova” @Jpgchief @Jpgchief @Jpgchief Graphite Stain goes for the hard feelings on his debut album, paving his own way as a creative force in the nu-metal revival and stretching for the big emotional payoffs, embracing the shadows and allowing the darkness to set him free. ⭐LISTEN NOW⭐ #LessThan1000Followers #AlterindieStateOfMind #DebutBandsOffTheRadar #UnknownButEssentials #SickestandDopest #HotStuffMetal #BLOGLT1KF #LT1KF ♬ original sound – Jpgchief
Ver en Threads
Remember to support this project and follow Graphite Stain on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify.
You can find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Alterindie State Of Mind, Debut Bands (Off The Radar), Unknown but Essentials!, Sickest & Dopest, and Hot Stuff Metal.
PS If you enjoy discovering new artists and brand-new music, subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers, and follow the Playlist with all the artists we have presented here!
If you enjoy this track don’t forget to give it a green heart when you’re on Spotify and add it to your favorite playlist. This little action saves the track on your music library helping the artist. You know that the game’s name for us is “support”. Thank you!
FOR MORE DEBUT ALBUMS CLICK HERE
the center didn’t hold