5 years ago, Italian prog metal band Benthos released their first record by the name “II”. Now, in 2026, the quintet is celebrating this special anniversary through a new acoustic version by the album’s closing track “Dissolving Flowers”, which will be released digitally April 23rd, via InsideOutMusic. The band, announced for various festivals and shows throughout summer, is re-connecting their past with their present.
This new acoustic rendition of “Dissolving Flowers”, performed and recorded live in a studio in northern Italy, showcases the range and classical training of the young Italian musicians. Built on classical and acoustic guitars, fretless bass and delicate percussion, the track features Gabriele Landillo on vocals while playing the viola da gamba, an ancient, bowed instrument he studied and mastered at Milan’s Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi. The arrangement bridges historical technique with the band’s contemporary sound, revealing a surprising and intimate side of Benthos.
The band shares about the release:
“Today marks 5 years since we released our debut album, II. To celebrate this event, we wanted to share a more intimate side of its closing track, Dissolving Flowers.
This song was born from a classical guitar, so its acoustic soul has always been there, quietly guiding it. Revisiting it, we immersed ourselves in a space still new to us as a band: recording it live in a studio for the first time, letting it breathe in a new way, and adding a layer of viola da gamba, an instrument we’d never used before, giving the track a different kind of warmth and emotion.
It felt like rediscovering an old memory, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.”
II, the band’s first album, was followed by “From Nothing”, which was released in April last year with InsideOutMusic, including the singles “As A Cordyceps”, “Pure”, “Fossil” and “Let Me Plunge”.
Benthos have recently announced their first shows in the UK alongside appearances at Radar Festival, Arctangent Festival and Midsummer Prog Festival. Additionally, the band will be having live shows in Zwolle, Netherlands, as well as in Cologne, Germany.
Tickets for their shows are available under: https://ffm.live/benthos
Fri, June 19 – Zwolle, NL – Poppodium Hedon
Sat, June 20 – Maastricht, NL – Midsummer Prog Festival
Fri, July 31 – London, UK – The Grace
Sat, Aug 1 – Nottingham, UK – The Carousel
Sun, Aug 2 – Manchester, UK – RADAR Festival
Tue, Aug 4 – Cologne, DE – MTC
Thu, Aug 20 – Bristol, UK – ArcTanGent Festival