Twelve-track debut from Belgian punk act lands on Burning Fik this Halloween
Maria Iskariot announce their debut album Wereldwaan for release on October 31st. The record will be self-released and distributed through Burning Fik in the Netherlands and Montgrí in Spain. The Ghent-based group writes and performs in Dutch.
Artist: Maria Iskariot
Release Date: 2025-10-31
Genres: Post-punk, Punk Rock
Label: self-released
Description: Maria Iskariot release debut album Wereldwaan October 31st via Burning Fik. Ghent punk band's first LP follows Humo's Rock Rally win.
The band formed in 2022 when Helena Cazaerck and Loeke Vanhoutteghem met at a literary festival. Drummer Sybe Versluys and bassist Amanda Barbosa joined later. Their debut EP EN/EN appeared in 2024. A live video of “Leugenaar” posted online earlier that year accumulated two million views.
Wereldwaan follows the band’s 2024 win at Humo’s Rock Rally, Belgium’s oldest band competition, established in 1978. They also received SoundTrack laureate status, a program run by the Flemish government’s arts agency. Tropical Fuck Storm invited them to support a UK and Scandinavian tour. Between 2024 and 2025, the band played more than 180 shows across Europe.
The group currently works with booking agencies in Belgium (Busker), the Netherlands (Radar), Germany (DQ), Spain (Montgrí), and France (WAPA). A European tour is scheduled for 2026.
The band’s name combines Maria with Iskariot, the Flemish and Dutch rendering of Iscariot. Cazaerck has stated the project functions as a response to what she describes as internal and external pressure, and that the band prioritizes friendship over professional hierarchy. The album addresses social anxiety, personal complicity, and interpersonal loss without proposing solutions.
Wereldwaan contains twelve tracks. The band recorded in Belgium. No producer credit has been announced. The album will be available on vinyl and digital formats.
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