San Francisco, CA - Cyborg Octopus, Exuvial, Blighted Eye, and Embrium join forces for the Glacial Ascension Tour 2026, a six-date West Coast run culminating at Glacial Mutilation Fest in Vancouver, BC.

The tour kicks off February 16 in Cupertino, California, and winds its way north through Oregon and Washington before crossing into Canada. Mosahefu of Embrium remarks, “We’re really stoked for this opportunity to journey north to Canada with our friends in Cyborg, Blighted Eye, and Exuvial. It’s going to be an amazing time filled with great metal, and we can’t wait to see you there!”

The Glacial Ascension Tour 2026 Dates include:

FEB 16 – The X-Bar, Cupertino, CA (Tickets)
FEB 17 – Cafe Colonial, Sacramento, CA
FEB 18 – Rockafairy, Medford, OR
FEB 19 – Twilight Cafe & Bar, Portland, OR (Tickets)
FEB 20 – Substation, Seattle, WA (Tickets)
FEB 21 – Glacial Mutilation Fest, Vancouver, BC (Tickets)

Lineup

Cyborg Octopus (San Francisco – Experimental Metal)

Prog metal titans Cyborg Octopus - established in 2011 are riding high off the release of their third studio album Bottom Feeder through Silent Pendulum Records. The five-piece variety act hailing from San Francisco explores death metal infused with genres across the music spectrum ranging from Disco to Classical, Electronic beats to Latin grooves. Nothing is off limits for Cyborg Octopus.

Embrium (San Francisco – Blackgaze Metal)

Following a string of live performances supporting their 2025 album Timekeeper - released to critical acclaim, including positive reviews from Decibel Magazine, Metal Insider and No Clean Singing, and with its single ‘Eclipse’ submitted for GRAMMY® first-round consideration for Best Metal Performance and Best Music Video - San Francisco blackgaze band Embrium continues their ethereal momentum into 2026.

Blighted Eye (Seattle – Progressive Death Metal)

Emerging from the Pacific Northwest in 2020, Blighted Eye delivers a visceral fusion of progressive death and black metal, marked by intricate musicianship and psychological depth. Their debut album, Agony's Bespoke (September 20, 2024), solidified their sound across a sweeping, hour-long narrative produced by Alex Sedin, paired with striking artwork from Caelan Stokkermans. Released via Beyond the Top Records, the album has drawn acclaim for its immersive storytelling and refined intensity, resonating strongly within the extreme-metal community.

Exuvial (Denver – Progressive Death Metal)

Exuvial stormed onto the scene with The Hive Mind Chronicles Part I: Parasitica, their debut on Silent Pendulum Records, praised by No Clean Singing, Music Scene Media, and Metallerium. Their single “Autonomic Awakening” broke into

The Circle Pit’s Top 10 videos of 2024, and now the Denver progressive death metal outfit, featuring touring veterans of All Shall Perish and Apotheon, is taking their genre-bending vision to the stage for the first time as they embark on a new chapter of live performances and creative evolution.

Joining the tour is Katie Lewellyn, a San Francisco–based photographer with nearly two decades of experience, known for capturing the raw intensity of live music with unmatched precision. Her images have been featured by The Black Dahlia Murder, Meshuggah, and earlier in 2025, she served as Aborted’s headlining tour photographer. She will be returning this fall with Aborted in support of Cattle Decapitation, Tribal Gaze & Frozen Soul. Her work has been published by Metal Injection, New Noise Magazine, Heaviest of Art, Sheet Happens, Goldenvoice, Another Planet Entertainment, and more.

Endorsements

Bare Knuckle Pickups, Gator Cases, PRS Guitars, Balaguer, Axis, Sabian, Los Cabos, Foot Blaster, Scorpion Percussion, T-Cymbals, Rattlesnake Cables, Happy Cable Company, Beyond the Top Records, and Silent Pendulum Records.

Cyborg Octopus, Exuvial, Blighted Eye, and Embrium Announce the Glacial Ascension Tour 2026