Month: October 2022

Swiss Black Metallers AARA release “Phthonos”

Shortly before the release of the third part of the Melmoth trilogy, AARA unexpectedly unveil two unorthodox and extraordinaire tracks of melodic Black Metal. The post-Black Metal vibe as well as the calmer, almost Shoegazing moments and the distinct production grant the songs a melancholic and ethereal mood. “Phthonos“, thus, evokes a spectacular play between light and darkness. The digital 2-track-EP is officially released via Debemur Morti Productions and can be listened to in full here:

The Swiss band worked together with an external sound engineer for the first time, namely well-known German producer Markus Stock (EMPYRIUM, ALCEST). Accordingly, “Phthonos” represents a musical experiment and a new approach to AARA‘s Art. Composer and guitarist Berg narrates:

“It was an interesting experience to attempt at creating music outside of the Triade series. We were mainly interested in finding out how AARA‘s sound would work with a different production, and I think it would definitely be an option. If we will work further with that kind of sound remains to be seen. Compositionally, however, we are certainly going in a different direction than what you can hear on “Phthonos” after the completion of the Melmoth series. The whole next concept album is already written, and it is quite different to the Triade albums, the “Phthonos” EP as well as the two previous long players. But maybe we will stick to that ‘more organic’ sound. We will see!“

“Phthonos” is available digitally via the label’s Bandcamp shop.

Switzerland’s AARA was founded in 2018 by vocalist Fluss and multi-instrumentalist Berg to create art highly influenced by atmospheric Black Metal. Sporting an epic, classical feel, their sweeping compositions aim to take the listener through the darkest alleys of human existence.

Soon after releasing their debut record “So fallen alle Tempel” in early 2019, AARA joined forces with Debemur Morti Productions, releasing their mosaic EP “Anthropozän” that same year.

Barely a year after their debut, AARA unveiled a new full-length record in April of 2020. A conceptual look into Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, “En Ergô Einai” sees AARA take their accomplished sound to new heights of mature artistic expression. Opened with a haunting acoustic intro courtesy of Vindsval (BLUT AUS NORD), “En Ergô Einai” is a triumph of fluid melodic euphoria and classical elegance, setting an even higher watermark in a bright, young discography. The third album and beginning of a trilogy, namely “Triade I: Eos“, was released in March 2021. In this epic and dramatic new work of art, AARA are interpreting the Gothic novel “Melmoth The Wanderer” (1820) of Irish writer Charles Robert Maturin. Venturing forth into the next chapters of Maturin‘s work, AARA crafted the second part of their trilogy, “Triade II: Hemera“. The six tracks of brutally melodic, top-tier Black Metal will be released on May 13th, 2022. Recordings for the third and final album of the Melmoth trilogy have already begun.

|| Debemur Morti Productions ||

Website | EU shop | US shopFacebook | Bandcamp | Youtube | Instagram

TERRÖRHAMMER set release date for new OSMOSE album

Today, Osmose Productions announces November 25th as the international release date for Terrörhammer‘s highly anticipated second album, Gateways to Hades, on CD format. The vinyl LP version will follow next year.

Seven years since the first revelation hit the globe and the culminating result of a commitment that lasted four years after the release of the latest EP, Terrörhammer presents Gateways to Hades, a sophomore return to the bestial sounds of dark underground!

Mastered in its own brand of necro speed metal, the second album marks the first release done without any session members, and this time around, Terrörhammer go further in reaffirming the sound they’ve been known for the past 12 years.

Set to be released by the legendary Osmose Productions, the ‘Hammer is ready more than ever to crush the bars and return to the world in terror!

First track premiere to be revealed shortly. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Terrörhammer’s Gateways to Hades

1. March of the Damned – Intro [2:28]
2. At Dawn We Attack [4:13]
3. Gateways to Hades [3:27]
4. Transylvanian Whore [3:55]
5. Blizzard of Blood [3:43]
6. The Interceptor [3:40]
7. Midnight Patrol [4:43]
8. Inside the Nuclear Tomb [3:34]
9. Tronized Goat Master [5:18]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/terrorhammer

www.osmoseproductions.com

OFDRYKKJA set release date for new AOP RECORDS album, reveal first video

Today, AOP Records announces November 25th as the international release date for Ofdrykkja‘s highly anticipated fourth album, After the Storm, on CD and vinyl LP formats. To coincide with the announcement, a brand-new video for the first single “The Mære” is revealed here:

It is no secret that the music of Ofdrykkja has never sounded quite the same. As the Swedish trio strive to keep evolving on a personal level, this is naturally reflected in their music, as well. While 2019’s preceding Gryningsvisor was more of a traditional atmospheric/ambient black metal album, the aptly titled After the Storm ventures away, off the beaten path, and proceeds to distance itself from some of the more traditional elements that are usually prominent in metal music. 

At once recognizably Ofdrykkja and something quite different altogether, the ever-solemn After the Storm plaintively emphasizes the band’s traditional Swedish folk side, along the way incorporating elements of post-rock, neofolk, and even dark pop. Mesmerizing and magical is this blend, but the band’s roots are never far away; in fact, Ofdrykkja argue the spirit of metal is still prominent across After the Storm. Naturally, the somber mood and atmosphere is one thing that has remained constant in their music throughout the years, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon, but never without the presence of hope. After the Storm gorgeously displays this presence, becoming a beam of light piercing through the darkness. Call Ofdrykkja what you will, but even at their quietest and most restrained, their power and poignancy is unchallenged.

 Cover artwork, courtesy of Maéna Paillet, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ofdrykkja’s After the Storm
1. The Light
02. Hårgalåten
3. The Mære
4. After the Storm
5. The Cleansing
6. Själavandring
7. Beyond the Belt of Orion

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/ofdrykkja 

www.aoprecords.de

KRVNA set release date for new THIRD EYE TEMPLE / ANCIENT DEAD album, reveal first track

On December 12th internationally, Third Eye Temple and Ancient Dead Productions are proud to present Krvna‘s highly anticipated second album, For Thine is the Kingdom of the Flesh, on CD format. The tape version will be directly available from the band.

Perhaps laying in wait, below deck on a cursed coffin ship, a vampyric entity stirred and soon spread its black-leather wings in the autumn of 2021: Krvna‘s debut demo, appropriately titled Long Forgotten Relic, introduced the Australian black metallers in a most auspicious manner. However, that demo was but a mere two songs, and a few months later did the band’s debut album follow. Titled Sempinfernus, Krvna‘s first full-length unveiled the full fathom of mainman Krvna Vatra’s vision. At once authentically classic and unblinkered by the past, Sempinfernus was a sparkling gem of refreshingly old (and refreshingly vast) air, their black metal laced with a mysticism and sumptuousness that could only be likened to purple velvet. Not for nothing was it widely acclaimed.

Now, like (cursed) clockwork, Krvna return a full year later with arguably an even greater record: second album For Thine is the Kingdom of the Flesh. Immediately, the aggression is more tangible, more restless, but so is the grandiosity as six equally epic compositions unfold and take flight. Indeed, the sensation of flight is an apt one; racing and roiling with a blastbeaten intensity, there’s simultaneously a hovering – if not entirely ethereal – aspect that plays perfect counterpoint to that emphatic violence. Truly, Krvna‘s attack swarms here, sounds rippling and reverberating across a ruined cathedral, but executed with startling clarity: you’d be hard pressed to find a better-produced authentic black metal record these days. While certainly one can’t dress up a turd and call it a gem, Krvna Vatra’s superlative songwriting prowess receives the proper sonic presentation, and that synthesis of form and content makes all the difference in rendering For Thine is the Kingdom of the Flesh an engaging and engrossing experience on all levels. That the mainman’s lyrical themes delve deeper into philosophical concepts surrounding existential dread, vampirism, immortality, and transubstantiation only give greater weight to making this Krvna‘s defining statement thus far.

In the meantime, hear the brand-new title track “For Thine is the Kingdom of the Flesh”  here:

Cover artwork, courtesy of Greallach, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Krvna’s For Thine is the Kingdom of the Flesh

1. For Thine Is The Kingdom Of The Flesh [7:49]
2. Gethsemane Ablaze [7:29]
3. Veni, Vidi, Vici [7:26]
4. The Flaming Hordes of Basarab [7:08]
5. In The Absence Of Gods… [7:14]
6. …Death Shall Have No Dominion [7:16]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/krvnaofficial 
www.krvna.bandcamp.com

www.thirdeyetemple.com
www.thirdeyetemple.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/thirdeyetemple 

www.ancientdead.com

AMON ACID set release date for new HELTER SKELTER album, reveal first tracks

Today, Helter Skelter Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces November 18th as the international release date for Amon Acid’s highly anticipated second album, Cosmogony, on CD and cassette tape formats. The double-LP vinyl version will be released on February 18th, 2023.

Hailing from Leeds, UK, Amon Acid formed in 2018 to make psychedelic doom metal. It started as a bit of fun between two people, jamming at home, but after self-releasing their first EP, which received a positive response, it became a serious mission. Indeed, the core duo of Sarantis (originally from Athens) and Briony (from UK) are serious, and all it took was one listen to their debut album, Paradigm Shift – released in February 2021 by Helter Skelter to widespread acclaim – to convert unbelievers into fanatics, so hypnotically addicting was their sonic drug. 

Now, arriving nearly two years later is a longer and even stronger full-length: Cosmogony. Indeed, the Devil’s in the details here, as the title surely signals Amon Acid’s headspace across this stultifying 64-minute trip. While trace elements of their sturdy stoner doom remain, the now-power-trio expand their sound into far more cosmic realms, building up a psychedelic experience much closer to classic Hawkwind than, say, Electric Wizard. Truly, to get lost in Cosmogony is an easy feat, as each of these nine world-expanding/eating tracks wraps their purple-velvet wings around you and refuses to let go until the blacklight of your darkest soul turns on and burns out all the stars in your nearest vicinity. Or, perhaps a cursory read of some of the album’s song titles should show exactly what Amon Acid are about now and where they’re going: “Demolition Wave,” “Ethereal Mother,” “Demon Rider,” the very-telltale “Parallel Realm,” and especially the closing 11-minute epic “The Purifier.” 

Massive, mesmerizing, and simply magnificent, Cosmogony handily eclipses the already-considerable heights of Paradigm Shift. But that paradigm has shifted yet more, and Amon Acid have now established themselves as space-rock titans with this ominous tome!

Hear for yourself with the brand-new tracks “Parallel Realm,” “Hyperion,” “Demolition Wave,” and “Demon Rider” HERE at Regain Records‘ Bandcamp, where the album can also be preordered. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Amon Acid’s Cosmogony

1. Satanic Majesty
2. Black Abyss
3. We Drink your Blood
4. Witches Brew
5. Season of the Damned
6. Apparitions
7. Curse of the Undead
8. Dead Dawn
9. Temple of the Drugged Sorceries

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/amonacidband

www.helterskelterproductions.se
www.facebook.com/helterskelterproductions

FUNERAL HARVEST premiere new track – features members of BEYOND MAN, NATHR+++

Today, Norwegian/Italian black metallers  Funeral Harvest premiere the new track “Principum et Finis”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Redemptio, set for international release on October 31st via Signal Rex. Hear Funeral Harvest‘s “Principum et Finis” in its entirety here:

A pan-international quartet featuring members from Norway and Italy, Funeral Harvest formed in 2016 and unleashed their first public recording the very next year. Tellingly titled Bunker Ritual Rehearsal, this first strike was auspicious to say the very least, and quickly built a name for Funeral Harvest in the underground. Their raw ‘n’ robust black metal sound was rooted in the ancient ways but never regressive – in fact, its ghoulish hostility was perversely refreshing. An epic digital single followed in 2019, but it was 2020’s self-titled EP, released to widespread acclaim by Signal Rex, where Funeral Harvest indeed began to reap: a grim ‘n’ graven culmination of all that’s come before and all that lies ahead. 

And now, “what lies ahead” is finally here with Funeral Harvest‘s first full-length. Elegantly titled Redemptio, the band’s debut album is grand and garish, ceremonial and seditious, in equal measure. With a rejuvenated lineup that features erstwhile Beyond Man guitarist alongside vocalist/guitarist Lord Nathas, bassist &alt;, and drummer Ond, Funeral Harvest‘s attack continues to be undeniably physical, but whereas a wobbly between hypnotic possession and demonic headbanging took hold prior, Redemptio races and rewinds from nearly chaotic violence to smoked-choked repose, creating a delirium that’s impossible to resist. That the exceptionally professional production seemingly amplifies this swarming sensation is only part of spellbinding potion; at every (crooked) turn, there exists a bestial impulse barely tamed, but the order in which they’re delivered is anything but random. Razor-sharp songwriting is at a premium, then, as Funeral Harvest judiciously keep their constructions taut and terrorizing: the nine-song album races to the finish in a swift-yet-satisfying 31 minutes.

Both more ghoulish and muscular than ever, Funeral Harvest revitalize elder expressions of Norwegian black metal with Redemptio. Kneel and receive their sacrament.

Begin kneeling with the previously revealed “Fire Sermon” both HERE at Signal Rex‘s YouTube channel as well as HERE at Signal Rex‘s Bandcamp. Cover artwork, courtesy of Artem Grigoryev, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Funeral Harvest’s Redemptio
1. Opus Cælestis
2. Fire Sermon
3. Antithesis
4. Principum et Finis
5. Soli Ego Gloria
6. Womb of Snakes
7. The Crimson Night Tide
8. Sorath
9. Libera per Ignem


MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/funeralharvest

www.signalrex.com
www.facebook.com/signalrex