Albuquerque's Illumina A.D. headlines Revel on Dec. 8

The hometown metal band, which opened for Butcher Babies at the Launchpad in March, takes a headline date at Revel on a Tuesday in December.

Last March, Illumina A.D. opened for Butcher Babies at the Launchpad. On Tuesday, Dec. 8, the Albuquerque metal band headlines Revel. That's a real step up for a local band, and it's happening in its hometown.

Illumina A.D. plays Revel in Albuquerque on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026, at 7 p.m. Tickets are through See Tickets. The show was announced Oct. 16, and Revel holds 3,000.

If you haven't caught them yet, KUNM's *Studio 505* put it simply when the band came through the station in September 2025: a female-fronted metal band from Albuquerque that blends groove metal with gothic atmosphere. Nepthisis sings, and Alexander Bane and Justin Ennis play guitar. Reviewing their Butcher Babies opening set this spring, The Concert Chronicles heard a "western gothic" streak in it, along with heavy groove and progressive-metal atmosphere.

Groove metal, gothic atmosphere, and a hometown headline date.

On record, the band's album *Days of Blood & Fire* runs eight tracks. The Metalverse's review traced its roots to classic metal, citing Metallica, Slayer and Iron Maiden as touchstones. You can hear the catalog on the band's Bandcamp before the show.

The room is the story here. Local bands in most cities work their way up from bar stages to clubs, and they don't often get to a 3,000-capacity room. That's a big jump, and a chance for the local metal scene to turn up for one of its own.

If you've been to the Launchpad shows, you know the crowd. If you haven't, this is a good night to start: a hometown band, a big stage and a 7 p.m. start that gets you home at a reasonable hour on a school night.

Tickets are through See Tickets now. Go early, go loud, and bring a friend who's never heard them.

Sources: KUNM Studio 505: Illumina A.D. (2025-09-04) (kunm.org); The Concert Chronicles: Butcher Babies stop in Albuquerque to perform at the Launchpad (theconcertchronicles.com); The Metalverse: Illumina A.D. – Days of Blood & Fire (themetalverse.net); Illumina A.D. on Bandcamp (illumina.bandcamp.com); See Tickets (prod-nts-api.seeticketsusa.us); JamBase listing (jambase.com)