Crude and rude but not without a sense of regal refinement, the band’s Deciphering Torment Through Malediction debut album storms right out of the gate and leaves little to the imagination: this is all-caps BLACK METAL forged in the fires of old and tempered with the patience of longtime zealots. Each song of this 40-minute work combines cold, somber melodies with raw, visceral aggression in an unapologetic homage to the early waves of black metal. No matter the tempo – rippingly fast, folklorish downshift, hypnotic pulse – Black Sorcery keep proceedings orkish and medieval, such as they were back in the glorious times of Sombre, A.M.S.G., and Drakkar Productions. Form meeting content, their lyrical expression revolves around the themes of torment and mutually-assured destruction in the form of curses wrung from a severe disdain towards all human life, and butchered rituals performed in the heat of pure resentment, resulting in one’s own self-destruction: the ouroboros of esoteric failure and abysmal ruin. And all these ripped-raw tones are rendered all the more powerful with mastering courtesy of Enormous Door.
No more but definitely no less, Black Sorcery‘s Deciphering Torment Through Malediction is pure black metal for pure black metal people!
Hear for yourself with the brand-new track “Erinyes Slough” here:
Cover artwork, courtesy of Maegan Lemay, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Black Sorcery’s Deciphering Torment Through Malediction 1. Intro 2. Gasping for Light Under a Petrine Cross 3. Final Meditations on Despair 4. Erinyes Slough 5. Gomorran Virtue 6. Sordid Rote 7. Heinous Rites 8. (Endgame Thought Process) 9. Seven Veils
Today, Argentinian black/death cult Infernal Curse premiere the new track “Black Mass Shepherd”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s long-awaited third album, Revelations Beyond Insanity, set for international release on June 23rd via Iron Bonehead Productions on vinyl LP format. Hear Infernal Curse‘s “Black Mass Shepherd” in its entirety here:
Hailing from the oft-overlooked scene of Argentina, Infernal Curse are a study in patience and defiance. Forming in 2008, early on, the band’s sound was strictly within the blown-out blackthrash characteristic of South America’s most-underground metal, culminating in the clattering ‘n’ chaotic Awakening of the Damned debut LP in 2012. However, it was with the Iron Bonehead-released mini-album The End Upon Us in 2014 where Infernal Curse truly found their stride. Reigning in the chaos for a more pulsing form of barbarity, the power-trio were as violent and virulent as ever, but pushed the still-overwhelming physicality into the beyond. Amazingly, they then pushed beyond The Beyond with 2016’s Apocalipsis full-length, again released by Iron Bonehead. Bestial metal taken to its psychedelic extremes, Apocalipsis presented a paradox between profundity and crudity, forever elevating Infernal Curse above the mongrel hordes mindlessly battering away to the same well-worn, black/white/red-all-over Blasphemy tropes.
That album no doubt proved to be an apex for Infernal Curse, and thereafter did the band stick to EPs and splits – and even then, three years on from Apocalipsis. Now, at long last, Infernal Curse deliver their third album, Revelations Beyond Insanity. Once again, the Argentinians both embody and defy the bestial metal paradigm, and harken back to the earliest expulsions from mid ’80s South America. After its eerie church-organ intro, Revelations Beyond Insanity kicks in with one of the most SAVAGE guitar/bass tones in many years; swirling and deliriously effected, all strings chundering forth from their fingers congeal into a crumbling cathedral of nightmarish enormity. That drummer Bestial Offensor follows suit with a loose & lively tornado of DD Crazy-style controlled chaos should not be surprising: South American touchstones like Bloody Vengeance, Immortal Force, and especially INRI and Sexual Carnage are recast in a manner both world-eating and ceremonial. Yet, for Infernal Curse, even when plumbing the depths of primitivism, a haunting throughline elevates their approach above base barbaric physicality and into the realm of rigorous mind-expansion – that that Beyond explodes into a kaleidoscope of feral atavism at the heart of the psychedelic experience. Or, simply dispense with fancy words altogether and submit to the overwhelming onslaught of Revelations Beyond Insanity: Infernal Curse have returned to the full-length front to reclaim their throne.
Also hear the previously revealed title track “Revelations Beyond Insanity” HERE at Iron Bonehead‘s Soundcloud. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Infernal Curse (Argentina)’s Revelations Beyond Insanity 1. Intro / Revelations Beyond Insanity [4:32] 2. Black Mass Shepherd [3:21] 3. Voidearth / Rites of Blood and Steel [7:00] 4. Church of Perversity [4:46] 5. Thy Eternal Tribulation [4:42] 6. Aeon of Extinction [4:46]
Today, Belarusian enigma Pa Vesh En streams the entirety of its highly anticipated fourth album, Martyrs. Set for international release on May 19th via Iron Bonehead Productions, hear Pa Vesh En‘s Martyrs in its entirety here:
Forming in 2017, the mysterious Belarusian entity known as Pa Vesh En promptly built a formidable discography, all under the aegis of Iron Bonehead. But after nine total records during its first three years of existence (including two albums) which explored the fringe elements of DSBM, it was 2021’s full-length Maniac Manifest where the otherwise-unnamed mainman began to open up his black metal to wider, wilder possibilities. Still emphatically embodying the sound of total and utter emptiness, Pa Vesh En showed a startling violence that only deepened his characteristic chasm of uncomfort.
Suitably, silence followed for once, but surely Pa Vesh En was restless behind those shadows, brewing his most unsettling record yet – and so it arrives with Martyrs. Split into three acts, Martyrs bears some aesthetic/thematic resemblances to the shocking French-Canadian film of the same name, but as the opening gambit of “A Vigilian Impending Murk” and “The House of Pain” quickly proves, Pa Vesh En is operating on an entirely different wavelength. That wavelength surely carries forward the undulating violence of its predecessor – rippling, roiling, and nearly bestial, with just as much (if not more) muscle to spare – but as Martyrs plays on and that violence begins to reverberate upon itself, ghostly textures arise from that murk and take on new, undead life. Are they synths? Church bells? Actual disembodied voices? Who can say, really… Truly, Pa Vesh En has taken to that far-more-Alpha surge brazenly displayed on Maniac Manifest, but here deftly (and densely) layers his creations with a swarm of sounds that seemingly come from every direction, which becomes all the more disorienting and disturbing when the tempos begin to accelerate and disintegrate at will. And survive long enough into Martyrs and one will hear the Belarusian loner’s melodicism rend the saddest notes from a still-bleeding heart…and an ethereal female voice bringing the album to a climactic close.
If one’s conception of Pa Vesh En is still based upon the band’s earlier works, then Martyrs will provocatively – and irrevocably – rearrange those coordinates, and those of your very soul.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Pa Vesh En’s Martyrs Act I – Vigilia 1. A Vigilian Impending Murk 2. The House Of Pain 3. In The Torment Cell
Act II – Liturgy 4. The Revenant’s Overture 5. Among A Stir Of Echoes 6. Following The Pestilent Maiden
Act III – Emanation 7. When The Lights Out 8. The Carnival Of Eerie Souls 9. Le Fantôme De Cette Madame
Psychedelic/avant-garde black metal outfit HENGET are now streaming their debut album “Beyond North Star” in advance of the release date! The new offering will be unleashed on May 19, 2023 via Season of Mist but can already be listened to in full tonight at 19:00 CEST via THIS LINK. The link may be freely spread throughout your channels.
The album is still available in various formats HERE. The album can be streamed/downloaded on various digital platforms HERE.
HENGET comment on the stream: “Here it is then, the full album stream of our debut album ”Beyond North Star”. It has been artistically and spiritually really intense and exciting journey from the moment of inception to this day. We hope that something from all of this will be transferred to you as well with the complete album. Let the walls between the realities crumble and may the metaphysical North Star descend upon our foreheads.“
The cover artwork and further album details for “Beyond North Star” can be found below.
Track-list: 1. Dive (4:35) 2. I Am Them (4:01) [WATCH] 3. Henkivallat (4:31) [WATCH] 4. The Great Spiral (5:52) 5. Beyond North Star (5:19) [WATCH] 6. Lovi (5:09) 7. Nouse (3:52) 8. The Chalice of Life and Death(4:23) Total: 37:42
The creation process has always been a very fascinating riddle isn’t it? After all, there’s no strict formula. Some spent weeks, months or even years meticulously working on every tiny detail over and over again until it feels perfect while others just have to let it all out, no matter how it all comes out, it just has to. And no, no matter how hard you try, you can’t force it. You just can’t. You need to have that vision, that unstoppable yearning to turn your dreams into reality.
King Aleijster de Satan has long stopped asking himself all those questions. Although he’s only thirty-four years old, the Tampere based Finn is a bullet-proof veteran of the black metal scene: he used to run and sign bands for Saturnal Records. He also ran the Blackvox studio from 2013 to 2020 where he recorded multiple bands. Purely on the musical front, besides being the long-time standing frontman of Saturnian Mist he also because various experiences, in Arvet among others. But with the industrial rumblings of King Satan, he’s learnt to expand his mind and look over all those useless fences to see what lied beyond. In the end, it’s all about being free both as an individual and as an artist, to go where your instincts and muse take you, no matter what.
And nothing encapsulates more this quest for freedom than HENGET. As a matter of fact, it lies at the very center of it as most of the music AND lyrics were on purpose improvised on the spot. Ever tried to capture lightning in a bottle? King Aleijster de Satan and his comrade Jesse Heikkinen just did with HENGET first album, Beyond North Star, Heikkinen having proved to be quite a versatile artist since dabbling with ‘progressive esoteric folk’ with Iterum Nata, the equally ‘out there’ Hexvessel or The Abbey.
“When I got in the studio to do the vocals, I only had various notes, sometimes hastily written on a small piece of paper and more or less some kind of loose structures to go with it. Most of them I gathered in between 2016 and 2019 after, let’s say experimenting quite a bit. I admit natural psychedelics and other shamanic methods influenced me a lot to reach another level of consciousness, besides my long interest towards the occult and mysticism. Those weren’t meant to get lost into but instead to be used as mere tools to help me opening new doors in my brain, a bit like a shaman would do when engaged in a ritual to reach a trance like of state. That’s also why I booked a two weeks session just for the vocals: I needed that amount of space to really dive in my subconscious. Overall, that was one of most intense recording experience I ever had but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone because the toll you have to pay once it’s done is pretty heavy.”
Originally, the pair planned to unite in Saturnian Mist but then, Jesse “had to move to another city and it made things too complicated. But we still wanted to work together as he is probably the best songwriter I know. And since I had this idea for this other thing where I knew I wanted to push the limits and go over the edge in terms of songwriting, I needed somebody of his calibre.” “Indeed, Aleijster approached during summer 2021” confirms the multi-instrumentist. “He had a quite clear vision of what kind of concept he wanted to do lyrically speaking for a long time. It did coincide with my own desire to express something personal yet aggressively, an urge I hadn’t felt in a long time. Based on his background, we agreed this should happen within some kind of black metal frame but without still paying attention to much conventions or rules. I was given free rein to do whatever I felt like and I quickly realized I wanted it to be quite intuitive while making sure the music would be as crazy as possible, like some typhoon swallowing everything in its path… So using mostly vintage instrumentation, I recorded most of the music by myself in my own studio, pushing the button ‘rec’ and then totally letting myself go, following Aleijster ‘automatic writing’ method and ending up with some pretty interesting result.”
There’s something strangely seductive about the eight tracks included on Beyond North Star, as if the listeners were invited to enter some alternative and colourful place, dangerous and scary yet always otherworldly. Some may argue that all along you will most likely cross there the ghosts of Dødheimsgård, Arcturus or King Crimson. But Aleijster remains pretty reluctant to label it but “if we really need to, I guess it’s avant-garde black metal.” After hesitating with Henkivallat (‘spiritual realms’), which they ended up using as a songtitle instead, the name HENGET was chosen because of its double meaning as it can be translated both as ‘life’ but also ‘spirits’, “a perfect name for an occult band”. Beyond North Star is a “loose” concept album, like one long journey, even if the songs are not exactly tied up together. Something the 70’s prog rock loving Jesse is quite happy with while its title is a reference to that actual spiritual journey the listeners are about to undertake. One they will never forget.
Three ambitious music videos in total have been shot already to promote the album and HENGET has gathered a full line-up in order to start playing live. Saturnian Mist drummer Ville Rissanen was the first one to be asked, soon followed by Lasse Launimaa, a teenage years friend of Jesse who also plays in cult symphonic black metal band Thyrane on keyboards.
Recording studio: Space Junk Studio, Tampere, Finland (Drums) Beyond North Star, Salo, Finland Studio Sampolaaris, Tampere, Finland (Vocals)
Producer / sound engineer: Produced by Jesse J. Heikkinen & King Aleijster de Satan Sound engineering: Kimmo Nyyssönen (Drums), Jesse J. Heikkinen, King Aleijster de Satan
Mixing studio and engineer: Beyond North Star Studio & Jesse J. Heikkinen
Mastering studio and engineer: Wavecrawler Audio & Teemu Iso-Kulmala
Line-up: King Aleijster de Satan – Vocals Jesse J. Heikkinen – Guitars, additional keys Lasse J. Launimaa – Keyboards Ville J. Rissanen – Drums
Today, Blood Harvest Records announces July 14th as the international release date for Pukewraith‘s highly anticipated debut album, Banquet of Scum, on vinyl LP format.
Sporting one of the best monikers around, Pukewraith is a solo-project of Brendan Dean, erstwhile vocalist/guitarist of Blood Harvest titans Gutvoid as well as a handful of other bands that currently includes Fumes, Soul Devourment, Wexler’s Prime, Alucard, and Simulcra. Obviously, the man is super-busy as well as -talented, and while those talents run the metallic gamut (with an obvious affection for death metal), Pukewraith is naturally his most traditionally gore-soaked work. The last couple years have seen an EP, split, and single, and finally the band’s first full-length, Banquet of Scum.
Released late last year on CD, Pukewraith‘s Banquet of Scum is now finally finding a fitting vinyl release courtesy of Blood Harvest. While there’s undoubtedly some links shared with his stellar work in Gutvoid – namely, the all-consuming sense of devourment, be it physical or spiritual – here does Dean hit with a straightforward pulse ‘n’ crush not unlike early Grave, Hypocrisy, and Sinister, all tempered with well-timed downtempo breakdowns and a bevy of mind-melted solos. And while Gutvoid‘s muse lately has been trending toward the cosmos, Pukewraith fittingly stick to the sewers, plumbing the depths of gore and depravity with relish and, daresay, fun; not for nothing is the album titled Banquet of Scum. Cruise with the Gravesmasher and begin feasting again – or for the first time – with Blood Harvest‘s new vinyl edition, which includes an exclusive bonus track!
Stream the original album in its entirety here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Pukewraith’s Banquet of Scum 1. Grime Fiend 2. 110 Crushed 3. Fleshmaster 4. Mire Stench 5. Cyclone Of Maggots 6. Cruisin With The Gravesmasher 7. Mucklord 8. Sunbound 2097
Today, Finnish black metallers Sarvekas reveal the new track “The Austerity of Northern Lands.” The track is the third to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Woven Dark Paths, set for international release on May 26th via Soulseller Records. Hear Sarvekas‘ “The Austerity of Northern Lands” in its entirety here:
Sarvekas are a black metal duo from Southern Finland, formed in late 2018. Their style is mostly melodic and epic, yet crushing and furious. The atmospheres in their music range from harsh, dark and desolate, cold and yet hauntingly beautiful feelings to raging moments of pure fury. Sarvekas combine all this to a momentum of sinister and epic black metal, woven with heathenry, Scandinavian mythology, and devotion to the dark.
Sarvekas signed a worldwide record deal in 2020 with Soulseller Records, and the band’s first release, the Of Atavistic Fury & Visions EP, was released in December 2020. The reception and the reviews were good, and the band immediately started to compose new songs for their full-length debut. Now, in May, Sarvekas will release that first full-length, Woven Dark Paths, via Soulseller. The 8-song/48-minute album is about delving into dark ancient rites, bloodletting for the forefathers, and true Nordic spirit as well as philosophy through ancient Nordic beliefs. With preternatural ease, Sarvekas transport the listener to ancient times: both the glorious 1990s, with their incredibly era-authentic style, and more so the times long, long before that, visual and violent in equal measure. References to be made include the cult likes of Isvind, Norway’s Perished, Mithotyn, and equally early Kampfar and Thyrfing – but already, upon evidence of Woven Dark Paths, Sarvekas are well on their way to etching their own legendry. Currently, they are focusing on making live performance possible while at the same time composing new music.
Also hear the previously revealed “Of Bloodlust & Nightside Sorceries” HERE and “The Scryer of Bones” HERE, both at Soulseller‘s official YouTube channel. Preorder info for world can be found HERE while preorder info for the Americas can found HERE. Cover artwork, courtesy of Roni Ärling, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Sarvekas’ Woven Dark Paths
1. Rite Of Transcendence 2. The Scryer Of Bones 3. Of Bloodlust & Nightside Sorceries 4. Embers Of Pagan Fire 5. Woven Dark Paths 6. The Austerity Of The Northern Lands 7. Soaring Over The Battlefields 8. The Great Winter
Today, Norwegian black metallers Nattverd reveal the new video “Det Stormer I Norge.” The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated fourth album, I Helvetes Forakt, set for international release on May 26th via Soulseller Records. See & hear Nattverd‘s “Det Stormer I Norge” video in its entirety here:
Hailing from Bergen, Nattverd was initially started in the ’90s, but due to reasons beyond control, the band’s official formation was delayed until 2014. A few tracks were written during this period by founders Ormr (vocals, guitar) and Atyr (guitar), which later culminated in Nattverd‘s debut album, Vi vet gud Er En Løgner, in 2017. On this album, Ormr and Atyr recruited Serpentr on drums, and the record received great critical acclaim in the underground scene. A year later, they released the EP Skuggen, which featured Skjolden on guest drums, from Norway’s infamous Fester. Shortly after this EP, they wrote their second album, Styggdom, and recruited drummer Antichristian (ex-Tsjuder) and bassist Sveinr (Nordjevel, ex-Ragnarok).
Thereafter, Nattverd scored a record deal with Osmose Productions, and eventually released Styggdom in 2020 through the label to high praise in the media. In 2021, they released their third album, Vandring – also through Osmose – and were signed by Flaming Arts Agency to take their music to the live arena. On this album, Aven joined the band on guitars, and after the album, they parted ways with drummer Antichristian. They were then joined by drummer Renton (ex-Urgehal, ex-Sarkom), which then led to the band recorded their fourth album in Caliban Studio Storsjøen.
Titled I Helvetes Forakt, Nattverd‘s fourth album is their first with new label home Soulseller Records, longtime fans of the band. Much as its cover art forecasts the contents ahead, I Helvetes Forakt effortlessly transports the listener to wintry, alluringly desolate landscapes, working as much atmospherically as they do aggressively. More than ever, Nattverd embody the cryogenic majesty of classic Norwegian black metal, conjured during the glorious 1990s but by no means tethered to that past. If anything, the quintet have their sights set on the distant future, patiently pushing their sound forward to icier heights (and depths) whilst maintaining their distinct poise and personality. And to punctuate the release of I Helvetes Forakt, Nattverd are confirmed to play Steelfest Open Air 2023.
Also hear the previously revealed “En Poesende Eim I Vinden” HERE, also at Soulseller‘s official YouTube channel. Preorder info for world can be found HERE while preorder for the Americas can be found HERE. Cover artwork, courtesy of Misanthropic-Art, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Nattverd’s I Helvetes Forakt
1. Det Stormer I Norge 2. Vandring I Elver Av Blod 3. En Poesende Eim I Vinden 4. Oeyne I Natten 5. Forbannet Vaere 6. Helvete Kjenner Alt, Selv Naar Taaken Har Lagt Seg 7. En gammel Kriger Trosser Vind Og Vaer 8. Gudsforlatt 9. Elvedjuvet 10. I Moerke Skip Innover
Today, lawless black metallers Thanatomass stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Hades. Set for international release on May 12th via Living Temple Records, hear Thanatomass‘ Hades in its entirety here:
The origins of Thanatomass are shadowy, but their first public recording – 2018’s MMXV-MMXVI demo – reveals some hints as to that mystery. From there, the conflagration was lit; the power-trio continued to expound upon their lawless black metal ultraviolence, exploding with more eldritch energies and ever-more-ravenous devotion with each successive strike. The following year’s Darkest Conjurations EP saw Thanatomass link up with current conspirators Living Temple, becoming more barbaric and atmospheric simultaneously, which then reached a fever pitch with 2021’s Black Vitriol & Iron Fire EP. These two short-lengths evinced exceptionally more ideas and of course far more violence than records twice their length, and suitably etched the band’s name into the underground as one to watch…and be fearful of.
At long last, Thanatomass‘ first official full-length arises with Hades. Here, immediately, past and present are consumed by unquenchable fire, an absolute bloodlust that cannot be sated – a near-overwhelming display of ultraviolent physicality that takes on a supernatural aspect, so impossibly askew is their attack. With but a minute-long intro to set the stage and prepare the unsuspecting for the cosmic onslaught ahead, Hades kicks into contorting/spiraling form with the 10-minute epic “Templvm Carnalis / Vomit Ceremony,” which mainlines the OTT diabolism of Sarcofago’s INRI into the vortextural slipstream of classic Katharsis. But as the album plays on – and as the listener’s will is reflexively, irrevocably broken down, submission turning to hypnotism and eventually immolation – those sonic signposts are successively uprooted, and it’s brazenly displayed that Thanatomass are operating with a decidedly unique approach to songwriting. Still ultraviolent, sure, and arguably one of the most dangerous displays of such within nowadays’ underground, Hades presents clear & caustic ideas hammered to their logical conclusion only to birth yet more vulgar shapes that then contort and distort themselves into continually frightening contours…all with nary a pause for breath. But lest one think that Thanatomass are “chaotic” or “dissonant” or other such loaded descriptors, it must be stressed that their chops and execution are superlative: natural and “live,” as it should be, with no fake punch-ins and the like, honoring the ancient ways of heavy metal fire. And, just like their prior recordings but especially more so here, Thanatomass are undeniably a black METAL band, flying the flag of the first wave but prepared to burn any banners or standards as needed.
At seven songs across 44 minutes, with two songs topping eight minutes each and another two topping ten, Hades is a tower of ceremonial debauchery writ in shattered-glass sonics. That David Glomba provides stunning cover and interior artwork further underlines the magnitude of Thanatomass‘ debut album, and altogether stands as the momentous event it was destined to be. Submit to everlasting fire!
Also see & hear a recent Thanatomass live performance HERE. Preorder info can be found HERE at Living Temple‘s Bandcamp. Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Thanatomass’ Hades
1. Katabasis (Intromass) [1:04] 2. Templvm Carnalis / Vomit Ceremony [10:01] 3. Gravedance Sabbath [2:18] 4. Living Tombs Of Tartaros [8:31] 5. Sorcery Of Hades [8:52] 6. The Bone Nimbus [1:19] 7. Retromass (Morbid Ordinance Of Doom) [11:27]
Today, Signal Rex announces June 16th as the international release date for Geist of Ouachita‘s highly anticipated debut album, Imprisoned in the Graven Wood, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette formats.
One of the best new developments in American black metal, Geist of Ouachita is the work of one Roanake, who numbers nearly a dozen other projects the past three years, some of them even cross-continental. With Geist of Ouachita, the focus is on unremittingly grim yet alluringly melodic BLACK METAL: black metal from the ancient dungeons of the ’90s, and also black metal from the raw renaissance of the past decade – the latter, largely under the auspices of Signal Rex, who’ve made household names of Portugal’s most intimidating cults.
After a split with Eternal Tomb earlier this year courtesy of Signal Rex, Geist of Ouachita arrive with their full-length debut, Imprisoned in the Graven Wood. With ghastly and ghostly aplomb, Roanoke reaps a whirlwind of dungeonic hideousness tempered with an askew melodicism that makes the six-song/33-minute record strangely hummable. Such did France’s eternal Black Legions do so back in the mid ’90s, but Geist of Ouachita expand the narrative quality latent to such melodies and wind through them deceptively epic corridors. Similarly, Portugal’s own Black Circle provide an aesthetic foundation, but Roanoke continually evinces his own personality here in the remarkably varied songwriting, often underpinned by a subtle (and sensual) fog of synths, altogether making for an engaging listen even when faced with such a stratifying soundfield. Resistance is futile once one becomes Imprisoned in the Graven Wood!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “From a Tree I Hang in Chains” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Geist of Ouachita’s Imprisoned in the Graven Wood 1. Vampyric Exhumation [5:22] 2. Awakening of Ancient Blood [4:58] 3. Lust of Ichor [4:55] 4. From a Tree I Hang in Chains [5:41] 5. A Vengeful Spirit Imbued by Hatred [4:52] 6. Imprisoned In the Graven Wood [6:15]
Texan black metal outlaws NECROFIER will be releasing their second full-length ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ on June 2, 2023 via Season of Mist Underground Activists!
In celebration, the band is now sharing the vicious new single “Forbidden Light of the Black Moon” along with a music video! The song and video can be found here:
The album was recorded at legendary Studio G in Brooklyn, NY by 6xGrammy nominated and 1xLatin Grammy nominated engineer, producer and musician Joel Hamilton (UNSANE, IGGY POP, TOM WAITS). The album will follow up the band’s debut record ‘Prophecies of Eternal Darkness’ which was released in October of 2021.
‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ is available for pre-order HERE and can be pre-saved on various streaming services HERE.
The cover artwork for ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ was created by Burney and can be found below along with the tracklist.
Track-list: 1. The Fall from Heaven (3:24) 2. Total Southern Darkness (5:43) 3. To the Wolves (3:54) [WATCH] 4. Forbidden Light of the Black Moon (5:20) [WATCH] 5. Destroying Angels (5:09) 6. Whispers That Burn in the Dark (4:40) 7. The All Seeing shadows (4:44) 8. On Wings of Death We Burn the Sky (3:50) 9. Call to the Beyond (4:29) 10. Burnt by the Sacred Flame (6:00) [WATCH] Total: 47:12
Deep within the scorching cauldron of Texas, the alchemists of Necrofier have brewed another potent dose of American black metal with their sophomore full-length, ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night.’ The Houston four-piece honors the time-tested virtues of traditional black and heavy metal, even taking an organic sonic approach, tapping seven-time Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Joel Hamilton (Unsane, Tom Waits, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, etc.) to lend his magic touch for a natural sound.
“The goal going into the new record was to start setting ourselves apart from our contemporaries,” explains Necrofier drummer Dobber Beverly. “One of those ways was changing what the record sounded like. Moving away from the clinical and sterile nature that most productions suffer from and back into a real room with real instruments and performances. Our friend and esteemed producer/engineer Joel Hamilton had expressed interest in venturing back into the metal world and offered to make the record with us at his facility, Studio G Brooklyn. With a full vintage Neve front end and a host of Telefunken and Neumann microphones we tracked a record the old way, mostly. The results will speak for themselves hopefully, as this record breathes and spits fire wherever it’s played.”
“Joel is one of the world’s best engineers,” adds Necrofier guitarist and vocalist Bakka. “Dobber and Joel have become good friends since they recorded the last Oceans of Slumber album with him. After that, Joel wanted to record something heavy, so we made the trip to New York City to record in his legendary studio. It was an amazing experience in a great studio; besides having all the gear, he also created an environment where we challenged ourselves and brough everything up to the next level.”
‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ doesn’t just simply pick off where Necrofier’s debut album left off, but displays a conscientious effort to double down on the elements that made ‘Prophecies of Eternal Darkness’ successful. The solos are more plentiful and intricate, the hooks are more anthemic, and the overall musicianship is bolder and more daring. Speaking of the band’s evolution, Bakka explains, “I think this collection of songs represents us very well. We have grown together as a band and it shows in the new songs. Also, for this record we flew to NYC and recorded all day long for 10 days straight. I love recording this way because it captures a certain magic. The whole band is immersed in the process and it’s all we would think, do, live and breathe during the process.”
Another core facet of Necrofier’s allure is being a black metal band from Texas. “Where you live always helps shape someone,” says Bakka. “It helps shape our style and tone in ways, it’s hot most of the year, so as we burn, it gives us warmer tones and more of a heavy metal influence than when compared to our brothers from the North. Also, Texas has a style all of its own; everything is heavier, louder and we are always trying to outdo the rest of the world.”
To that avail, Necrofier isn’t your typical black metal band, and so this isn’t your typical black metal record as there’s a healthy amount of traditional metal influences, particularly within the guitar work. While conceptually, the band doesn’t heavily rely on Satanic themes, exploring deeper human philosophies and the occult like burning for your dreams or spiraling out on a psychedelic trip and exploring the beyond. “While there isn’t overt satanic worship in the lyrics, I would still say that he is a friend of ours,” Bakka cheekily says. “There are Occult themes on this record, but at the same time, it does take a philosophical approach.”
Further illustrating the influence of their environment, Necrofier also heavily explores one of Southern America’s most fabled myths. “The new record touches on selling your soul at the crossroads,” adds Bakka. “I like to take a different approach and touch on the elements of the esoteric world and dive into the forbidden or hidden that surrounds us in our lives every day.”
As the Texan black metal outlaws saddle up for record two, they are leading the charge as one of the contemporary purveyors of black metal revivalism. ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ is certain to elicit a sense of nostalgia for those who dare to lay ears on this vicious new offering.
