A Dirty Dozen with LEVINIA – May 2026

Photo credit: Dream Of Mirrors Photography

According to a recent press release: “Los Angeles symphonic‑metal hybrid Levinia has announced the release of their second single and music video of 2026, “Silver Tongues,” the next chapter in a four‑single rollout that marks the band’s most ambitious era yet. The track follows the success of their first 2026 release, “The Thorn.” Founded in 2015 by the rhythmic powerhouse Dylan Suierveld, Levinia emerged as a beacon of melodic metal innovation. With former Aerius guitarist John Pinon at his side, they dared to step away from the familiar landscape of power metal, venturing into uncharted territories of symphonic and classical realms. Enter Kourt Henson, the operatic virtuoso whose vocals added layers of ethereal beauty to the band’s evolving soundscape. Levinia’s journey began with the haunting echoes of their demo EP, Alluring Fear, but Levinia hungered for more. Teaming up with producer Charles “Kallaghan” Massabo, they embarked on a quest to redefine their sound, birthing the spellbinding debut EP, Liberation, released to the world on a fateful Halloween night in 2018. But Levinia’s story was far from over. Weathering changes in lineup and direction, they emerged stronger, more determined than ever. With the addition of lead guitarist Alon Mei-Tal and the arrival of bassist Liam Alexander, Levinia found a newfound synergy, returning to their roots while embracing the future.” We get the band to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Kourt: “Silver Tongues” dives heavily into manipulation, deception, and the power words can have over people. On the surface, it’s a very energetic and cinematic track, but lyrically there’s a lot more happening underneath. It explores how easily charm and persuasion can disguise toxic intentions, and how people can become trapped by pretty lies and empty promises. I think one thing listeners may not fully catch on the first or even second listen is how layered the song actually is emotionally. There’s a push and pull happening throughout the track between vulnerability and empowerment. Some of the lyrics can almost sound seductive or alluring at first, but when you really sit with them, there’s a darker undertone beneath everything. We wanted the listener to almost feel pulled into the atmosphere, the same way the song’s subject matter pulls people in emotionally. I think diehard fans will especially notice how much this release reflects our evolution as a band. Sonically, visually, and lyrically, it’s a much more intentional and mature approach compared to some of our earlier material.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Kourt: My mom always says that I started singing before I could even talk. I used to think that sounded a little cliché, but after watching old family home videos, I realized I really did gravitate toward music from a very young age. When I was about four years old, my parents enrolled me in music classes, piano lessons, and a children’s choir, and from there my love for music just kept growing. However, since multiple music lessons are expensive, I had to choose which one I really wanted to pursue… I chose singing. I could do things vocally that many people around me couldn’t, and I recognized that I had a natural talent and connection to it. From the age of seven to eighteen, I performed competitively, and during that time, I discovered how much joy and freedom I found in expressing myself through music. Whether I was performing an operatic aria or a classical piece, singing became more than just a hobby for me, it became a part of who I am.

Dylan: What got me into music was actually watching Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance on VHS with my parents when I was about 3 years old. I remember being completely fascinated by the biggest instrument on stage – the drums. Something about it instantly grabbed me. After that, whether I was in my mother’s kitchen or at my grandpa’s house, I’d take pots and pans, lay them out like toms, grab wooden spoons for drumsticks, and just play. Not long after, my father bought me my first drum kit, and from there it was off to the races. I think the moment I realized I truly wanted to be a musician was seeing how music made me feel even at that young age. It never felt like a phase or hobby – it felt natural, like something I was supposed to do.

Will: For me, it was definitely seeing a rerun of an early 90’s SNL episode where Skid Row was the musical guest. There was just something absolutely magical about how they carried themselves on stage, and they didn’t just play the music, they PERFORMED it. At that point, I hadn’t heard anything like them before, and still to this day, I still think Slave to the Grind is one of the best metal albums ever written.

Alon: When I was 9, my mom told me I needed to pick a hobby, and I just figured a bunch of kids took guitar lessons, so I would too. She got me lessons and made damn sure I practiced, and after a few years I actually started to like it. By the time I graduated high school, I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do with my life. Thanks mom.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Kourt: My dad raised me on classic rock, so I grew up listening to bands like the Eagles, the Rolling Stones, Joan Jett, and Alice Cooper. Because of that, I was always naturally drawn toward rock music. But the real turning point came when I was around 12 years old and Fallen by Evanescence came out. I remember hearing Amy Lee’s voice for the first time and being completely blown away by how hauntingly beautiful and emotional it was. The heavy instrumentation combined with her vocals created such a cinematic experience, and it opened up a whole new world for me musically. A friend of mine who was a few grades older bonded with me over that album, and one day she burned me a CD and said, “If you like Evanescence, you’re really going to love this.” That album was Comalies by Lacuna Coil, and from there, I just kept going further and further down the rabbit hole of symphonic and gothic metal. Then in high school, EVERYTHING changed. My boyfriend at the time used to make me mix CDs, and one of them featured “The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)” by Kamelot featuring Simone Simons. That song honestly changed everything for me. At the time, I was conflicted about my classical training. I didn’t fully appreciate that I could sing classically because I was so focused on wanting to learn how to belt for musical theatre. But hearing Simone’s vocals on that track completely reframed classical technique for me. I remember thinking, “Wait… I can sing classically and still sound like a total badass?” It showed me a level of power, elegance, and vocal sophistication that completely reignited my love for singing. From that point on, the rest was history.

Alon: I was really big into the Red Hot Chilli Peppers through middle school, and then one day I was in a CD store, back when they had those, and heard Joe Satriani for the first time. It was the album Strange Beautiful Music. I never knew a guitar could be played like that or sound the way he made it sound, and that was it for me. I sought out all the big-name shredders, which led me into metal, and the rest is history.

Will: Alon took the words right out of my mouth here with the Strange Beautiful Music drop. My dad showed me that album when I was about 12 years old, and it really runs the gamut of guitar expressiveness…a criminally underrated Satch album. It was also around the same time I discovered Slipknot, at the other end of the “heavy” spectrum…I suppose if you mix both of them together, then you get something like Nevermore, which shaped a lot of how I think about metal today.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Kourt: I would absolutely love to collaborate with Floor Jansen. Her vocals are incredibly powerful and versatile, and she has such an amazing ability to balance strength with emotion in her performances. I’ve always admired the intensity and control she brings to every song. I’d also love to work with Tobias Sammet. He has a real talent for writing songs that are not only theatrical and dynamic, but also incredibly catchy. I think he would bring his absolute “A” game to a collaboration, and creatively, it would be a really exciting experience.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Kourt: Honestly, I love to read. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, whether it’s through literature, music, or film. Reading gives me a chance to slow down, recharge, and step into completely different worlds for a while. I think it also helps inspire me creatively when it comes to songwriting and character building. I also act, which is a completely different ball game from music. Acting allows me to explore emotion and storytelling from another perspective, and I really enjoy diving into different characters and worlds. In a lot of ways, it’s another creative outlet that keeps me inspired outside of the studio and touring life.

Dylan: When I’m out of the studio or not touring, I like to stay active and work with my hands. I really enjoy building things out of wood and creating stuff from scratch. As well as working on cars. There’s something relaxing about stepping away from music for a bit and focusing on a completely different kind of creativity. I’m also a big fan of going to the shooting range and spending time with friends there. Outside of that, I love unwinding with video games. Between music, building projects, and gaming, I’m usually keeping myself busy in one way or another.

Alon: I do a lot of calisthenic exercise; yoga, bouldering, hand balancing, etc. I think it’s fun to get my body to do cool new things. I got really into DnD during COVID, but then the world opened up again and now I don’t have time for it anymore. Hopefully, one day there will be more epic quests.

Will: I’m in a bunch of different musical acts, and I’m a tech bro by day, so my downtime activity is usually something that lets me completely shut my brain off. Sometimes that’s zoning out on video games or old Simpsons episodes, but lately I’ve been watching a lot of Grand Theft Auto Roleplay trolls on YouTube.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Kourt: I’d describe our music as cinematic, emotional, and heavy all at once. We blend powerful melodies, symphonic elements, and aggressive instrumentation with a lot of raw emotion and storytelling. There’s definitely a theatrical side to what we do, but it still has that modern metal punch behind it. As far as feedback goes, honestly, I try to take all feedback, good or bad, as an opportunity to grow. The key for me is that it has to be constructive. Not everyone is going to connect with your music, and that’s okay. That being said, I remember we had a pretty bizarre comment on a Facebook post promoting “The Thorn.” The caption said, “Every rose has its thorn,” and this guy went on a full rant about women and how horrible they are and how nobody wanted to date him. He literally started the comment with, “Yes. Women, the thorn in my side.” I was definitely a little taken aback at first because it came completely out of nowhere. Looking back on it now, though, especially since the comment has since been deleted, it’s honestly pretty laughable. I am kind of thinking it might have been a bot.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Kourt: I usually cook or order food, while Dylan is the one who brings the beer. Funny enough, I still have some beer he brought over sitting in my fridge from a while ago because I’m honestly not much of a beer person. Dylan’s probably the only one I know who actually likes it that much. I’m usually the one bringing the merlot or prosecco instead. Most of the time, though, as a group we’ll just go out to eat together. It’s a lot easier, especially when everyone’s schedules are chaotic. It’s nice to have that time to just hang out, decompress, and not think about rehearsals, recording, or the business side of music for a little while.

Dylan: I’d say Kourt pretty much nailed it. She’s usually the one handling the food situation, whether that means cooking something or convincing all of us to just go out somewhere instead. I’m definitely the guy bringing the beer, even if apparently half of it ends up living in her fridge untouched for months because she’d rather have merlot or prosecco.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Kourt: I don’t tend to get starstruck very often. I’ve been incredibly blessed to collaborate with musicians that I’ve admired for years, and to me, that’s one of the best feelings in the world, to be viewed as a professional among people you deeply respect and who helped ignite that passion for music in the first place. That being said, the one moment where I kind of “lost it” a little was at the NAMM Show a few years ago. I saw Stevie Wonder and his posse walk right past me. I had to do a double-take because I genuinely couldn’t believe it was him at first. That was definitely one of those surreal moments where your brain needs a second to catch up with reality.

Alon: Two notable ones I can think of off the top of my head. Recently, I played a festival that Symphony X was also playing at. There was an all-star jam in which their drummer and I were both signed up to play a song together, and I was SO pumped for it. Then they scheduled my band’s set for the same time as the jam and I was exceptionally bummed. Still got to meet a few of the guys and chat for a while and that was rad. The other was when I was in my early-ish 20’s, I got offered a garbage gig because the first two guys who were offered it didn’t want it and I almost passed as well until I learned the other guitarist on the gig was Rowan Robertson. He had played guitar on Dio’s album, Lock Up the Wolves. Dio is my hero and I love that record, even though nobody else seems to. I thought Rowan’s playing was top-notch and even though nobody came to that show and I ended up not even getting paid what I was promised, the opportunity to trade solos and shred harmonies together with him was a dream come true.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Kourt: The best part of being a musician for me is the emotional release that comes with it. Music gives me a space to express feelings and experiences in a way that feels honest and vulnerable without having to sit down and verbally explain everything. I’ve never really been the kind of person who is great at openly expressing emotions through conversation, so songwriting and performing became my outlet. There’s something incredibly powerful about being able to take pain, joy, anger, heartbreak, or even confusion and turn it into something creative that other people can connect with. What I love most is when listeners interpret a song through their own experiences. A song may be written from one specific emotional place, but someone else can hear it and relate it to something completely different happening in their own life. I think that shared emotional connection is one of the most beautiful things about music. It reminds people that they’re not alone in what they’re feeling. If I could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, my dream job would be teaching. I’m very fortunate because I already get to do that as my day job, and I genuinely love it. Teaching and music actually have a lot in common; both involve storytelling, creativity, passion, and human connection. I love helping students find confidence in themselves, think critically, and discover their own voices. So if I had to teach forever, I would be completely okay with that, because it’s another career that feels deeply meaningful and fulfilling to me.

Dylan: The best part of being a musician is the feeling of collaborating with your bandmates and creating something from the ground up. You start with different riffs, ideas, melodies, patterns and then suddenly all the pieces seem to come together. Boom! You have a song. That feeling is honestly unmatched. Another huge part of it is performing live and getting to showcase your craft in front of people who genuinely connect with your music. Sitting behind the kit and watching people bob their heads to the beat or lose themselves in the moment is an incredible feeling. The energy between the band and the crowd is extremely hard to describe unless you experience it yourself. If I could no longer be a musician, my dream job would probably still involve creating or building something with my hands. I’ve always loved woodworking, design and hands-on projects, so I could see myself pursuing something in that world creatively and professionally.

Alon: I think for me, the live performance aspect is the best part. As much as it’s fun to write music for yourself, ideally, you want other people to hear it and resonate with it and make a connection with people through it. The live performance is really where that happens best, I think. Or at least where I can see it happening, as I have no idea who may be listening and connecting at any given moment anywhere in the world except for when they’re right in front of me. If I had to choose another occupation, it would be one with a good, reliable income and a set amount of working hours. Pretty much the absolute opposite of what it’s like to be a musician most of the time.

Will: For me, it’s equal parts the “building” stage (i.e. seeing a creative project completely come together from an idea that might’ve started as one little phrase you absent-mindedly hummed to yourself in the shower), and the “honing the performance” aspect of delivering it to the world in the best way you can present it. I feel like those things are kind of activity-agnostic, so if I couldn’t do that with music, I’d still be doing it with software, advertising, or some other Corpo stuff.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Kourt: I think it would be really cool if someone did a genuine “day in the life” style mini-documentary on musicians, especially independent artists. People often only see the final product: the music videos, the performances, the polished photos, or the songs once they’re released. They don’t always see the amount of work, sacrifice, and balancing that goes on behind the scenes. For me personally, it would probably look very chaotic in the best way possible. One moment I’m teaching, the next I’m grading papers, then heading to rehearsal, filming content, writing lyrics, recording vocals, handling band business, or preparing for shows. I think it would give people a much more realistic perspective on what it actually takes to pursue music professionally, especially when you’re balancing multiple careers and creative passions at once. As for questions I’m tired of answering, honestly, I don’t really have one. Every interview is different because every person approaches the conversation from a different angle. I actually enjoy hearing people’s perspectives and seeing what they’re curious about.

Alon: I don’t like questions about gear or equipment. I don’t mind telling people what I use (shoutout ENGL Amplification!), but that doesn’t really interest me as much as questions about the writing or recording process, or anything about the creative side of things, really.

Will: I always hated the “favorite band / artist / etc” types of questions, cause it ebbs and flows pretty strongly for me. I’ll go on a huge power metal kick for a while, then video game soundtracks or Japanese Jazz Fusion, or a whole year of having pop punk dominate my stereo.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Kourt: Absolutely. If I could go back and redo one thing, it would probably be the release of our Liberation EP. At the time, we were a brand-new band and still figuring everything out. I’m still proud of that release because it captured who we were in that moment, and it was an important stepping stone for us creatively. But looking back now, I realize there could have been so much more involved in how we approached the release itself. When you’re first starting out, you don’t always understand the business, marketing, branding, rollout strategies, or long-term planning side of the industry. You’re just excited to finally put music out into the world. I think we underestimated how important presentation and strategy are alongside the music itself. There’s a reason we stepped back for a while. A lot of that time was spent reevaluating who we are as a band, what we wanted our identity to be moving forward, and how we wanted people to experience our music. With these newer singles, we’ve approached everything very differently, from the visuals and storytelling to the release strategy and overall presentation. We’ve become much more intentional, and I think that growth has been incredibly important for us both creatively and professionally.

Alon: There were definitely gigs that were a waste of time or things I invested a lot of effort into that didn’t pay off. But ultimately, most of that stuff still ends up being worth doing if only because I met someone cool on the gig or it forced me to learn something outside my comfort zone or it just forced me to spend some extra hours practicing. If I could have a redo on one thing, it would be to change the lineup of a band I used to be in that was really making some amazing music and on the cusp of great things. We had a member sabotage us and ruin our chances of success. I’d like to go back and fire that guy.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Kourt: I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during the recording sessions for Trash by Alice Cooper. That record is just iconic to me. It had such a massive rock sound, incredible songwriting, and so much personality behind it. Plus, Alice collaborated with so many amazing artists and songwriters on that album, which makes the whole creative process even more fascinating to me. And of course… “Poison.” That song is legendary. It’s catchy, theatrical, emotional, and larger than life all at once. I think what I love most about that era of music is how unapologetically dramatic and entertaining it was while still being musically strong!

Alon: The Last in Line by Dio. Again, he’s my hero and I think that record saw him at his absolute best. Just being there to witness the magic happen would be awesome.

Dylan: There are many albums I’d love to be a part of, but I’d have to say Rubber Soul by The Beatles. Not just because it’s my favorite Beatles record, but because being in the same room with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr during that creative era would’ve been incredible. What really makes that record special to me is the connection it has to my father. It is his favorite Beatles album too, so over time, it became more than just a record I love; it became something tied to memories, inspiration, and the reason I connected so deeply with music in the first place.

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Category: Interviews