A review of "Diana/No Encores in a Swan Song" by Blind Channel

Blind Channel is one of my favourite bands. I discovered them during Eurovision 2021, and the rest was history. At the time, I was falling a bit out of love with the whole rock/metal scene, so discovering them was a breath of fresh air for me and reignited my interest in these genres.

After their breakout at Eurovision, they have been widely successful worldwide in the subsequent years, until they went on an indefinite hiatus in 2024. Around the same time, one of the vocalist, Joel Hokka, left the band, citing mental health issues. We have lost way too many artists to this type of issues so far, regardless of the music genre, so I was relieved to see him so aware of his issues. As sad as I was because of his departure, if it meant having one less life gone too soon, then it was the right decision.

While he came back in 2025 with a new band named HOKKA, Blind Channel kept their group activities on hold, focusing on their solo ventures. Until the beginning of August, when they released their single Diana/No Encores in a Swan Song, the band's first songs after Joel's departure.

I was honestly taken by surprise, because I knew about the comeback from a random Instagram story. I was watching other stories, then I saw their preview for Diana and I could not believe my eyes.

So, here is my review for each song of their comeback.

Diana

The song is heavy in rythm and dives deep into the rock territory. The scenery of a flower bed in the darkness reminds of Bad Idea.

Niko's style is prominent in the vocal technique, with a very husky chorus with growls and mixtures of rap and growled rap, which was also his signature when he was sharing the vocalist position with Joel. However, this time his range is higher than usual, covering the high notes which were traditionally sung by Joel. He also managed to soften up his voice during the longer note in the bridge.

Vocal-wise, it's clear that there was an effort in trying to maintain the same blend of softer vocals and rap/growl that Joel and Niko created together, resulting in a fairly new and pleasantly surprising evolution of the latter.

Lyrics-wise, the song references the tragic death of Lady Diana Spencer in 1997, where she was killed in a car crash in Paris while trying to escape from paparazzi who were chasing her.

In the eponymous song, Diana is portrayed as a young woman who dies in a car accident while trying to escape "the horrors" that eventually broke her free spirit and kind heart. These qualities are mentioned in the verses

This world sure knows how to break a free spirit

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

and

I don't wanna be Diana
Don’t wanna die young and
Get only sorrow in exchange for my kindness

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

The accident gets explicitly mentioned in the chorus:

Don’t wanna be Diana
Get in the car and
Run from the horrors and the pain that surrounds us

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

It is not portrayed as the cause of her death,but rather as the final item of a list of unspeakable sorrows that she had to go through despite her good spirit. This is highlighted in the verses

Get only sorrow in exchange for my kindness

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

and

Offer my heart out
To see everything I stood for fade into darkness

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

She is also compared to a flower that is only allowed to grow as long as it remains pretty but defenseless.

They let a flower grow just until it's pretty
If it grows any strong, rip it out and kill it

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

This perfectly represents Diana's life: the moment she pulled herself up and rebuilt her life after ending her unhappy marriage with Prince Charles, she got in that tragic car crash, which made her story even more saddening.

No Encores in a Swan Song

This song has the heaviest electronic elements, which makes it completely different from Diana. The scenery is also brighter and more futuristic, reminding of the first Blind Channel releases.

The electronic instrumental has some familiar elements, making it closer to We are no saints.

Vocal-wise, we see another big evolution from Niko. He uses his growl less frequently and softens his voice a lot, trying to approach Joel's softer and higher-pitched voice. It will certainly be interesting to see such a shift in live performances.

Similarly to Diana, the lyrics explore the theme of death, which is being imagined in two moments. First, you see your life flash before your eyes:

All of your life in an IMAX

I've been running away from my past

Just to live it again at the climax

Before you enter the great unknown

Open your eyes, see your life unfold

Source: genius.com/Blind-channel-no-encores-in-a-swan-song-lyrics

Then you experience darkness. That's when you realize that you have just died:

A lone echo in a dark hall
All the love you've known was so star-crossed
And your world collapsed, and you chose wrong

Source: genius.com/Blind-channel-no-encores-in-a-swan-song-lyrics

The minimalist music video with a white, minimal setting also reflects this imagery of a life after death.

The lyrics also mention traditional references to death, such as "Swan song", contained in the refrain and the title, which is an idiom used metaphorically to describe an artist's last performance or work before their death or retirement. (Source: Wikipedia).

This idiom has been cleverly employed together with other terms and expressions the music and celebrity world, furtherly stressed by the association with encores in the title and the refrain and specific verses like "Where will you be when the record stops? / No applause once we've gone cold / Where will you be when the credits roll?" and "All of your life in an IMAX".

Another traditional reference can be noted in the verse "Now they’re throwing you back where you rose from". This verse mirrors this biblical quote:

Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris

Genesis 3:19

which translates roughly to "Remember, human, that you are dust and you will turn into dust again [through death]". These were the words that God used to condemn Adam to a life of struggles and death after the original sin.

This sentence shaped a wide number of death-related idioms used in Christian prayers, such as "ashes to ashes, dust to dust", which can be found in the Book of Common Prayers.

It is not the first time that such a parallel has been made in Blind Channel's discography. Imagery linked to religion and the sacred can also be retrieved in the lyrics and video of We are no Saints.

Recurring elements in both songs

The two songs share some elements in common - after all, they are from the same album. First of all, the lyrics mention betrayal of genuine trust that comes from a place of love and kindness.

In Diana this theme is mentioned in the verse

Don’t wanna die young and
Get only sorrow in exchange for my kindness

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

In No Encores in a Swan Song such genuine trust is hinted to be the cause of death of the addressee:

All the love you've known was so star-crossed
And your world collapsed, and you chose wrong
Now they’re throwing you back where you rose from

Source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-no-encores-in-a-swan-song-lyrics

In the two songs Blind Channel also mention running away:

I've been running away from my past
Just to live it again at the climax

From "No Encores In a Swan Song", source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-no-encores-in-a-swan-song-lyrics

Run from the horrors and the pain that surrounds us

From "Diana", source: https://genius.com/Blind-channel-diana-lyrics

Combined with the mention of death, it is clear that the escape did not have a positive outcome.

Final thoughts

Overall, I'm just so happy to see that Blind Channel are back. While I appreciated both songs, I feel like they still have some work to do to adapt to the new vocal line. Niko is a very versatile vocalist who can sing, rap and growl, which leaves room for immense potential.

His evolution is already evident in Diana, where he explores his upper range, which is not something that we were used to hear from him. However, it's normal for the band to need some time to sort this out a bit more clearly.

Instead, I'm happy that they maintained their original sound. The choice to release two singles, one with more rock elements and the other with more electronic elements, reflects the duality of their sound perfectly and it's a good way to signal that, despite the hiatus and Joel's departure, they are still willing to stay true to themselves.

Now I want to hear your opinion: have you listened to the two songs? Did you like it? Did you already know Blind Channel? Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you so much for sticking around!

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This review has been delayed multiple times due to my fluctuating health, but now that I'm feeling better I'll post more regularly. If you don't want to miss my next articles, subscribe to my profile and follow me on Bluesky @wordsbysimona.bluesky.social