SLC Experience presented a night dedicated to Portuguese metal on May 16th, 2026. The RCA Club was chosen to host the release show for Avir, the debut album by INSVLA, officially released on May 8th, 2026.
Joining them for the celebration were Earth Drive and The Chapter, who helped warm up the night with two powerful performances.
Earth Drive (full gallery below)
At 8PM, Portuguese band Earth Drive, hailing from Montijo, took the stage with an infectious energy that immediately reached the audience. With the venue still filling up — likely due to schedule changes previously announced by the promoter — those already present welcomed the band enthusiastically.
They opened with “The Bridge” and “Four Levels of Consciousness” from the album Light Codes, followed by “Spectra” and “Dharma Throne” from Helix Nebula, before closing their set with “Two Temple Place” from Stellar Drone.
The Chapter (full gallery below)
Next came The Chapter, a melodic doom/death metal and gothic band from Lisbon, known for their dense and melancholic sound, combining heavy guitars with an impressive duality between guttural vocals and clean singing.
The band entered the stage under deep red lights accompanied by an atmospheric intro. The first notes of “Aenima Vipera”, taken from their 2017 debut album Angels & Demons, echoed through the venue before they continued with “Delusion of Consciousness” and “Compos Mentis” from the 2022 album Delusion of Consciousness, the release that also marked the arrival of Tiago Oliveira as the band’s frontman.
The audience responded enthusiastically to their performance. The set continued with more songs from the same album, including “Sentidos a Morrer”, “Vultures”, and “Social Solitude”, before ending with “Halocline”. By this point, the venue had become noticeably fuller, and the band expressed their gratitude for both the invitation and the warm reception from the crowd.
Insvla (full gallery below)
Finally, the most anticipated moment of the evening arrived: INSVLA took the stage for the live presentation of Avir, the band’s debut album.
The audience welcomed the Lisbon-based band with strong applause. INSVLA stand out for blending multiple musical styles, merging metal, pop, electronic, and acoustic music into a unique and atmospheric identity.
For this special performance, the band featured several guest musicians: Manu on drums, César Craveiro on guitar, and Guss on bass, joining original members Sienna, Pedro Antune, and Mário Lopes. Rather than following the album’s tracklist order, they opened with “The Drive (Prelude)” and “Lost Again”, immediately establishing an emotional and cinematic atmosphere. Between songs, Sienna thanked everyone for attending such an important night for the band.
The performance continued with “Sea Witch”, “Salt”, and “Lighthouse Ghost”, songs that highlighted the group’s versatility and ability to alternate between heavier moments and delicate atmospheric passages. Before performing the single “Faith”, Sienna addressed the audience, explaining that the song had been written during a particularly difficult period for each member of the band, reflecting heartbreak, disappointment, and deeply personal emotions. The emotional intensity of the song resonated throughout the room, creating one of the most intimate moments of the night.
Following this melancholic passage, the band continued with “I Bring Them Flowers”. Shortly after, Sandra Carvalho entered the stage to recite the poem featured in “The Drowning (Interlude)”, receiving strong applause and adding even more emotional weight and theatricality to the performance. “The Shipwreck” preceded the entrance of the evening’s second special guest. Tiago Oliveira, frontman of The Chapter, joined INSVLA on stage to perform “The Monstress”, in one of the show’s most memorable moments, where the contrast between both vocal styles blended perfectly.
As the concert approached its final moments, the audience heard “Leviathan” and “Dark Blue”, culminating with “Syren Arya (A Haunting)”, which closed the presentation of Avir in an emotional and immersive way. Before leaving the stage, INSVLA thanked the audience for this special night, expressing gratitude to the guest bands, the staff, and the audience that filled the RCA Club to celebrate this important milestone in the band’s career.
The night promoted by SLC Experience became a strong celebration of Portuguese metal and the sonic diversity currently present within the national scene. From the intense energy of Earth Drive, through the melancholic atmosphere of The Chapter, to the emotional and ambitious performance delivered by INSVLA, the audience at the RCA Club witnessed a night marked by unity, passion, and dedication to Portuguese heavy music.
The live presentation of Avir represented not only the release of a debut album, but also the affirmation of INSVLA as one of the promising projects emerging from the Portuguese alternative scene, leaving strong anticipation for the band’s future chapters.
Earth Drive
The Chapter
Insvla
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