LATEST NEWS
24.02.2026
Presave the first single Assassins from the upcoming album Pinocchio.
“One of the most unique instrumental acts around the globe.”
— Post-Rock Essentials
Piano-driven post-rockers We Stood Like Kings are a 4-piece instrumental band from Belgium. During their 15 years of existence, they have navigated the confluence of post-rock, post-metal, neoclassical music and progressive rock, standing out in the broad alternative music scene with their extensive use of the piano. They have toured abundantly across Europe and released six studio albums via German label Kapitän Platte.
“We Stood Like Kings have taken post-rock to a level we didn’t know existed.”
— Rotation 11
Their cinematic projects include a trilogy of alternate live soundtracks for the silent cult films Koyaanisqatsi (Reggio), Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Ruttmann) and A Sixth Part of the World (Vertov). They also rescored the more recent animated feature Away by Gints Zilbalodis, creator of the award-winning Flow. In addition, on Classical Re:works, We Stood Like Kings skillfully created contemporary rock versions of classical music masterpieces like Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or Debussy’s Rêverie.
“Consuming, tumultuous, visceral and inspiring.”
— Echoes and Dust
The band’s latest heavier-than-ever record Pinocchio, with release date set in April 2026, marks a musical turning point in the Kings’ history: “This really feels like We Stood Like Kings 2.0. It might be the record we’ve always wanted to make”, says pianist Judith Hoorens. The 9-track, 50-minute concept album revisits the famous initiatory tale of Pinocchio through the violent lens of betrayal and power struggles. Cinema shows of Pinocchio are accompanied by sublime drawings from Belgian illustrator Carll Cneut, animated by Cartoonbase Studio.
“We Stood Like Kings discovers new emotional heights and depths and seems set for a long career of accumulating acclaim.”
— A Closer Listen
On stage, We Stood Like Kings offers more than just music. The band often transforms live shows into immersive cinematic experiences, bridging two mediums into a shared emotional language while shifting seamlessly between delicate minimalism and explosive crescendos, refusing to settle into predictability and letting each note resonate like a visual memory.
upcoming shows