Starting in Tivoli (Utrecht, NL) on June 20, Norwegian metal Icon Abbath and his band will revisit the past and pay tribute to the legacy by performing a carefully selected set of old fan favorites and iconic metal anthems he co-wrote and recorded in the period 1992 – 2009.
Tickets for the festivals and one-off shows are on sale now!
Abbath Doom Occulta is widely regarded as one of black and extreme metal’’s most prominent front men. For nearly three decades he fronted one of the most influential metal bands ever to emerge from Norway – Immortal.
From the early beginnings with albums such as “Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism” and “Battles in the North”, to chart toppers “At the Heart of Winter” and “Sons of Northern Darkness”, Abbath has through his work with the group left a major imprint on the worldwide phenomenon that is Norwegian Extreme Metal.
‘Return to the Raven Realms Tour’ will be framed by the most spectacular stage show Abbath ever has undertaken in his nearly 40-year long career.
Abbath states: “I can’t wait to get back on stage this summer to perform some old favorites that I haven’t played for a long, long time. Mark my words – It’s going to be loud and epic!”
Today, Italian dark heavy metallers Demon Spellpremiere the new track “Dark Deceiver (Woman of the Black Oath)”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut mini-album, Evil Nights, set for international release on July 26th via Dying Victims Productions. Hear Demon Spell’s “Dark Deceiver (Woman of the Black Oath)” in its entirety here:
How would you feel if, during the night, while you’re lying on your bed, something touches you in the dark? The air grows cold, their eyes emerge from darkness, and you feel your body tense. The shivers begin, shocked by horror, possessed by unholy force – you cannot escape from this hell. Now evil breaks loose and you’re under a Demon Spell!
Such is the sonic sensation of Demon Spell’s debut mini-album, Evil Nights. The Italian quartet may be name in name, but their sound is most definitely OLD. Among that lineup are such veterans as drummer Dario Casabona, who played with Italy’s legendary Schizo for 20 years, and guitarist Francesco Bauso, who was a founding member stoner-doom titans Haunted. Along with vocalist Federico Fano and bassist Riccardo Liberti, Demon Spell bring forth HORROR and EVIL in purest ‘80s heavy metal form: obsessed maniacs who were born under the sign of the moon during terrifying nightmares and morbid rituals. Black-magic riffs, hellfire-burning drums, and soaring King Diamond-esque vocals from Fano telling untold tales from Hell and the beyond. Indeed, it’s difficult to shake the early Mercyful Fate comparisons with Evil Nights, but when it’s done with such blanching authenticity and eerie power, why fight it?! Of course, we could also invoke such names as ‘80s Satan’s Host, Witch Cross, and even the almighty Death SS, but on evidence of the four songs presented here, Demon Spell are already on their way in stirring up a bewitching cauldron of nocturnal delights. Celebrate darkness and scream out heavy metal ‘til your very last breath during these Evil Nights!
Also hear the previously revealed title track “Demon Nights” exclusively HERE, courtesy of Deaf Forever magazine. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
racklisting for Demon Spell’s Evil Nights 1. Demon Spell 2. Black Wings 3. Dark Deceiver (Woman of the Black Oath) 4. Evil Nights
Today, French death metallers Skelethal reveal the new track “Spectrum of Morbidity.” The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated third album, Within Corrosive Continuums, set for international release on July 12th via Hells Headbangers.Hear Skelethal‘s “Spectrum of Morbidity” in its entirety here:
Additionally, Skelethal will be touring Canada following the release of Within Corrosive Continuums. Full list of confirmed dates & venues as well as poster art are as follows:
July 18 – Montreal, QC @ la Soterennea July 19 – Ottawa, ON @ House of Targ July 20 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G July 25 – Trois-Rivières, QC @ le Zénob July 26 – Quebec, QC @ la Source July 27 – Rimouski, QC @ Bain Public
Formed in 2012, Skelethal have been at the forefront of the now-fertile French death metal scene. While many of the band’s primary influences have been Swedish – Entombed, Carnage, and Dismember – over the past decade, the quartet have finessed that style of death metal into one that feels classic rather than simply “old.” Call it intrinsically understanding what makes death metal DEATH METAL or simply possessing the songwriting nous to add to such a hallowed canon rather than merely milking, but Skelethal have proven to be contenders to the throne. First full-length evidence was 2017’s Of the Depths…, followed by 2020’s Unveiling the Threshold, which saw a lineup change and bold steps beyond Swedeath (and both released by Hells Headbangers), and now arrives LP#3 to all but assure that ascent to the throne.
Tellingly titled Within Corrosive Continuums, Skelethal‘s third album equally encapsulates their past and builds upon it in noble ways. While it’s predecessor saw a slight uptick in clarity, here do Skelethal carry forward that clarity with a conspicuous dirtying-up of tone. The production’s as powerful as ever, so it could be argued that that rediscovered grit & grime come more in the band’s execution – or, more accurately, the songwriting itself. Within Corrosive Continuums immediately sounds like the same band who unleashed those prior two (celebrated) LPs, but Skelethal flex a bit differently here, opening up a number of (still-death metal) influences and transforming them into riffs and rhythms that ever so slightly more adventurous, all without (crucially) losing their characteristic directness. As such, the bulk of these largely-five-minute-long songs feel twice as fast, so feverish is the band’s intensity, but dread-draped hooks and CRUSHING heaviness still rule the day. Put another way, Skelethal take on textures that are more personal and somber, but keep the expression resolutely death metal. Simply witness the 13-minute closing juggernaut, appropriately enough the title track: hearing is believing, and Skelethal will make believers out of even the crankiest “old school” diehards.
Third albums are always a gamble when it comes to death metal; you either sell out, or get stuck in inertia for the rest of your days. Skelethal defy this convention and continue to push their limits, culminating in a deep trip Within Corrosive Continuums.
Also hear the previously revealed “Fatal Abstraction” HERE, also at Hells Headbangers‘ official YouTube channel. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Skelethal’s Within Corrosive Continuums 1. Creation 2. Spectrum of Morbidity 3. Mesmerizing Flies at the Doors of Death 4. Eyes Sewn Mouth Full 5. Upon the Immemorial Ziggurat 6. Fatal Abstraction 7. Within Corrosive Continuums
Today, Blood Harvest Records announces August 30th as the international release date for Gutvoid‘s highly anticipated new mini-album, Breathing Obelisk, on CD, 12″ vinyl, and cassette tape formats.
Since their formation in 2019, the ascent of Canada’s Gutvoid has been nothing if not meteoric. From their initially digital-only debut EP, Astral Bestiary, receiving a physical release courtesy of Blood Harvest to the Four Dimensions of Auditory Terror four-way split shared with Blood Spore, Coagulate, and Soul Devourment the following year – again, via Blood Harvest – Gutvoid churned forth a world-eating Metal of Death that duly devoured the listener whole. Still, massive potential lurked, and it arrived with one of the most fully-formed death metal debut albums in 2022’s Durance of Lightless Horizons. Hailed far and wide upon its release and thereafter, Durance of Lightless Horizons simply intensified all the hallmarks of their sound – heaving, vertigo-inducing, spiraling like tar-thick smoke – and then sharpened them with a sterling sense of clarity, allowing their yearning, come-hither melodicism to evoke both melancholy and malice.
Taken individually, each of Gutvoid‘s recordings builds upon the last but offers surprising twists of the knife. And so it goes with the band’s brand-new mini-album Breathing Obelisk. Totaling 31 minutes across four tracks, one can easily do the math and surmise that Gutvoid here are stretching out into epic territory. Fittingly, they open up their world-eating sound to include looser execution, more fist-pumping mid-tempos, hypnotic repetition of melody, linear-but-not-really songwriting, and a strange style of grooviness…or “grooviness” in that it’s akimbo and angular and yet still supremely rhythmic in a manner most surprising for tried-and-true death metal. Here, the band eschew much of the doominess of their preceding work and instead allow those vast vistas of space pregnant with tension & terror to be built back up with rolling tank-treads of mountainous might. The cover art to Breathing Obelisk, then, begins to make more sense in the context of this textural shift; it’s Gutvoid at their most approachable and most alien – clearly recognizable, fully in focus, and yet somehow incomprehensible for the strange transmissions they’re emitting from some unknown outpost. That these four songs run anywhere from six minutes to nearly ten bespeaks not bloat, but rather a desire to patiently unfold their dread landscapes – and then do so with a remarkable memorability that’s not predictable verse/chorus formulae. And the rougher, dirtier production heightens this unfussy uniqueness that much more.
Cementing their status as one of the best still-young death metal entities around, Gutvoid challenge you to stand before their Breathing Obelisk.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “For We Are Many” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Gutvoid’s Breathing Obelisk 1. Swamp Consumed [9:50] 2. For We Are Many [5:52] 3. When The Living Dome Opens [7:21] 4. Shodar [7:04]
Today, Spanish death metallers Krypticy premiere the new track “The Water Street Butcher”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, The Non-Return, set for international release on July 22nd via Memento Mori. Hear Krypticy‘s “The Water Street Butcher” in its entirety here:
Krypticy was founded by main composer Alex Guerrero (vocals/guitar) in Málaga, back in 2013. The band’s debut EP, Necronomicon, captured their fondness for old-school death metal, most specially of the Floridian kind (Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death, Cancer). By the time they released their debut full-length, Hideous Being, a few years later, the band was already exhibiting a larger range of influences (Suffocation, Malevolent Creation, Deicide, Decapitated) and had begun to play live, sharing the stage with bands such as Lapidated, Avulsed, Wormed, Aposento, and Necrophiliac, among others.
With the band solidifying their lineup by the end of 2022 – Guerrero alongside Pancho Vázquez (drums), Thomas Schenk (bass/backing vocals), and Sergio Álvarez (guitar) – Krypticy signed with Memento Mori for their sophomore full-length. And now it arrives, bearing the ominous title The Non-Return. As forecasted by its stark cover artwork (courtesy of Cardaver Art) and cryptic nomenclature, The Non-Return sees Krypticy aiming to push the limits their already consolidated sound. Undoubtedly still tried & true DEATH METAL, there’s nevertheless a strive for something more spiritual here, as the quartet seek an evolution towards a more unique personality whilst retaining the classic edge that always defined Krypticy‘s approach to the genre. Mind you, this isn’t doublespeak for going all-out “prog” or leaving behind death metal altogether (and still calling it such); rather, the band have begun to more fluently speak different dialects within the same language, producing a multilingual approach that can only but strengthen the sum effect. So, while the traditional tropes of late ’80s thrashing and early ’90s grinding are well and accounted for, there’s a markedly angular aspect to Krypticy‘s songwriting on The Non-Return, which works up a fever & fury when riffs and riffs and RIFFS attack, one mercilessly after the other, the rhythm section surging and staying linear and ultimately producing a memorability that easily evades verse/chorus structures.
So, for those who willingly have their minds warped by such unfussy sleepers as Suffocation’s Pierced From Within, Malevolent Creation’s Stillborn, Decapitated’s The Negation, and Diabolic’s Infinity Through Purification, prepare to arrive at your destination with Krypticy‘s The Non-Return!
Begin departing with the previously revealed “Hypatia’s Heresy” HERE at Memento Mori‘s official YouTube channel. Aforementioned cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Krypticy’s The Non-Return 1. Infected Pharaoh 2. Hypatia’s Heresy 3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4. The Void 5. The Water Street Butcher 6. UGH! 7. Krypticy 8. Virgins Recently Fucked Sacrifice
Today, Blood Harvest Records announces August 30th as the international release date for Phenocryst‘s highly anticipated debut album, Cremation Pyre, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
Hailing from Portugal, Phenocryst was formed in early 2020 by D.S. (Archaic Tomb, Summon) and P. Tosher (Extreme Unction, Scum Liquor, ex-A Tree of Sign), with N. (Summon, Sepulcros, Concilium) and V.M. (Systemik Violence, Necrobode) joining later on, during the recording of their debut EP. The band is based in the outskirts of Lisbon, and the origin of such conjuration is a rigorous consequence of a vibrant underground activity in the city.
D.S. and P. Tosher wanted to create the foundation of a death metal act crossing other influences like doom and some psychedelic vibes, to illustrate soundscapes of disastrous, catastrophic, and annihilating volcanic and natural events. There are not many artists actually singing about this specific topic, if any, and therefore, the lyrical content is also something to explore. As such, the moniker Phenocryst is fitting.
That debut EP, aptly titled Explosions, was released by Blood Harvest in late 2021 to international acclaim. Across its 23-minute runtime, Phenocryst unsettled with preternatural ease, reeking of death stench and obscure delirium. It was a noble foundation, to be sure, and one that allowed for further liberation of the rich language of death metal.
Speaking more confidently and boldly than ever and armed with a reconfigured lineup, Phenocryst at last deliver their debut album in Cremation Pyre. Another aptly titled record, Cremation Pyre indeed sonically approximates its namesake: somber yet furious, coiling with both inexorable dread and steely-eyed austerity, portentous and spacious in equal measure, and of course MOLTEN. Upon first blush, Phenocryst‘s debut full-length is perhaps purer death metal than its short-length predecessor; riffs are hulking and heaving, with a clearer production imparting a gleaming tank-like sound not unlike mid ’90s Bolt Thrower. But even within this seemingly more “standard” carapace, odd & adroit sensations get malformed into miasmic shapes, and what seems like a no-less-awesome iteration of gleaming meat & potatoes DEATH METAL soon starts sliding and slipstreaming into a vortex of cosmic ash as the second half of the album begins to dig in its supernatural claws and frightening spaciousness opens up. And that’s to say nothing of the subtly reverberating-into-the-abyss bits of melody dotting this sooty landscape…
Forward-thinking traditionalism? Perhaps, but the real beauty of Cremation Pyre is that it’s open to myriad interpretations; one only need step into its lava. Phenocryst prove, once again, that Only Death is Realer!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Pyres of the Altar” HERE:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Phenocryst’s Cremation Pyre 1. Pinnacle Of Death 2. Astonishing Devastation 3. Pyres Of The Altar 4. Incandescent Debris 5. Embers Of An Ancient Fire 6. Volcanic Winter 7. Fogo Nas Entranhas 8. Burial Swamps
No band has tested the boundaries of extreme music more than Cryptopsy.
After an ungentle exhumation from the Canadian underground during the early ’90s, Cryptopsy quickly rose to recognition amongst metalheads all across the globe. Most bands would consider themselves lucky to make one classic album. Cryptopsy have made three, including None So Vile, which is widely considered one of the best death metal albums of all time.
Cryptopsy’s raw and blistering technical prowess set a precedent for extreme music. After all, their eldest statesmen did write the book on this style of drumming. But the band have continued to evolve throughout their storied career. Their 30-year discography defies any one categorization, incorporating everything from jazz fusion to mathy avant-garde rhythms and melodic experimentation before returning to their more brutal form.
Just last year, Cryptopsy won a JUNO Award for their most recent album, As Gomorrah Burns. This year, the band earned another prestigious honor: joining the celebration of death metal’s most iconic band. While they continue to tour North America alongside Death to All, recently, Cryptopsy made a stop at Maryland Death Fest for a special 30th anniversary set of their debut album, Blasphemy Made Flesh.
Now that they’ve signed with Season of Mist, Cryptopsy are focused on keeping their momentum rolling. They’re hitting the road this fall on a second tour of North America, this time with Carnifex. New music is also on the way, along with definitive reissues from their classic catalogue.
“We are thrilled to announce that Cryptopsy has joined forced with Season of Mist!” the band says. “Season of Mist’s dedication to artistic integrity and their track record of supporting diverse and innovative music make them the perfect partner for Cryptopsy. With their backing, we look forward to reaching new heights creatively, connecting with more fans and continuing to push the boundaries of extreme music. We are excited for the journey ahead and the opportunities this opens up for what’s already an exciting new chapter of our band”.
The Scream of Perseverance Tour 2024 featuring Cryptopsy and Death to All
May 18 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Metal Fest May 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Metal Fest May 21 – Columbus, OH @ The King Of Clubs May 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts May 23 – New York City, NY @ Gramercy Theatre May 24 – New York City, NY @ Gramercy Theatre May 25 – Boston, MA @ The Middle East May 26 – Boston, MA @ The Middle East May 28 – Montreal, QC @ Le National May 29 – Montreal, QC @ Le National May 30 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre May 31 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre June 1 – London, ON @ London Music Hall June 2 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick June 3 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies* June 4 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall June 5 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall June 6 – Iowa City, IA @ Wildwood* June 7 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada June 8 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater June 9 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater June 10 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater* June 11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall June 12 – Spokane, WA @ The Big Dipper* June 13 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre [TICKETS] June 14 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre [TICKETS] June 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile [TICKETS] June 16 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile [TICKETS] June 17 – Richland, WA @ Ray’s Golden Lion [TICKETS]* June 18 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre [TICKETS] June 19 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre [TICKETS] June 21 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerston [TICKETS] June 22 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone [TICKETS] June 23 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst [TICKETS] June 24 – Fresno, CA @ Full Circle Brewery District [TICKETS]* June 25 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick [TICKETS] June 26 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick [TICKETS] June 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater [TICKETS] June 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater [TICKETS] June 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile Theater [TICKETS] June 30 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad [TICKETS]* July 2 – Oklahoma, OK @ 89th Street Collective [TICKETS]* July 3 – St. Louis, MO @ Red Flag [TICKETS]* *Cryptopsy only
Necromanteum Part II North American Tour 2024 featuringCryptoposy, Carnifex,Mental Cruelty, Organectomy and Heavy / Hitter
October 4 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House Concert Hall [TICKETS] October 5 – Palmdale, CA @ Transplants Brewery [TICKETS] October 6 – Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post [TICKETS]* October 8 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre [TICKETS]* October 9 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon [TICKETS] October 10 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre [TICKETS] * October 12 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Ballroom [TICKETS] October 13 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room [TICKETS] October 14 – Saskatoon, SK @ Louis’ [TICKETS] October 16 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre [TICKETS] October 17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater [TICKETS]* October 18 – Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theatre [TICKETS] October 19 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s [TICKETS]* October 20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi Annex [TICKETS] October 22 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House [TICKETS] October 23 – Nepean, ON @ Brass Monkey [TICKETS] October 24 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre [TICKETS] October 25 – Quebec City, QC @ La Source de la Martinière [TICKETS] October 26 – Ablany, NY @ Empire Live [TICKETS] October 27 – Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater [TICKETS] October 28 – Cleveland, OH @ The Asylum at Masonic Temple [TICKETS] October 30 – Springfield, MO @ Regency Live [TICKETS] October 31 – Wichita, KS @ Temple Live Wichita [TICKETS] November 1 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep [TICKETS] November 2 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex [TICKETS]* November 3 – Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Brewhouse [TICKETS] *no Cryptopsy
Lineup Flo Mounier – Drums Matt McGachy – Vocals Christian Donaldson – Guitar Oli Pinard – Bass
When Cryptopsy emerged from Montreal, Quebec in 1993, their groundbreaking blend of technical prowess and brutal intensity left an indelible mark on extreme metal.
Right away, Cryptopsy showcased their unparalleled musicianship with their debut album. Blasphemy Made Flesh (1994) set the stage for a career that’s been defined by innovation and boundary-pushing. Their next album solidified the band as pioneers of death metal. None So Vile (1996) earned them critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase across the world.
“Brutal and beautifully chaotic…a must-have for any extreme metal fan’s collection”, wrote Metal Hammer, who named None So Vile one of the best death metal albums ever.
Cryptopsy has continued to evolve throughout their storied career. Their 30-year discography defies any one categorization, ranging from jazz fusion on Whisper Supremacy (1998) and the avant-garde rhythms of Once Was Not (2005) to the melodic experiments of The Unspoken King (2008).
In 2012, Cryptopsy released their self-titled album, which signaled a return to their brutal roots. Three years later, the band embarked on The Book of Suffering, an ambitious two-part EP that Decibelregarded as “an absolute fucking burner”.
Almost 30 years into their career, Cryptopsy won the JUNO Award for Best Metal/Hard Music Album for their latest album As Gomorrah Burns (2023). They followed that up by earning another prestigious honor: joining Death to All on a tour of North America.
Along with their celebrated discography, a relentless work ethic and reputation as blistering live performers has cemented Cryptopsy as one of metal’s most influential and respected bands. But while their legacy is safely established, the band remain committed to expanding the definitions of extreme music. Having now signed with Season of Mist, they’re preparing to release new music, along with definitive reissues from their classic catalogue.
Today, psychedelic black metallers Kerasfóra stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold. Set for international release on June 14th via Iron Bonehead Productions, hear Kerasfóra‘s Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold in its entirety here:
In the summer of 2021, Kerasfóra quietly released their debut EP, Denn die Todten reiten schnell, on CD and cassette in their native Chile. An obsidian gem like few others in the nowadays black metal scene, its mesmerizing mysticism sounded utterly ancient, but it didn’t nod too conspicuously nor too often to any ’90s touchstones. For that reason – and many others, so copious were its charms – Iron Bonehead released it worldwide on vinyl in early 2022.
However, for awe-inspiring as that record often was, Kerasfóra‘s debut album is set to eclipse that and everything else within the wider black metal scene. Titled Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold, indeed does the album comprise six immersive, none-more-mesmerizing songs, each one once again evoking forgotten realms and vast vistas of wonder. And yet, here does the one-man Kerasfóra strike upon bolder or at least more rarefied territory with his inscrutable usage of synths: whereas so many black metal bands, past and present, use synths as a blanket of atmosphere – often unobtrusively, for fear of “un-true” accusations – the selfsame mainman puts them front and center across these Six Nights, carrying each song’s main melody with an almost-demonic lullaby style. It’s difficult, then, to compare that synth usage / prominence to Kerasfóra‘s contemporaries; one would likely have to dig deep into the realm of old psychedelia and krautrock in the ’70s or the first caustic rumblings of post-punk at the dawn of the ’80s to locate a proper analog(ue). Which is all to say that, somehow, Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold manages to be more BLACK METAL than all and sundry: menacing and majestic, wonderfully weird and wildly singular. That Kerasfóra‘s guitar tone is even thicker and his gait grimmer and more lumbering here simply make the album an even grander achievement.
Kerasfóra‘s first EP might’ve evoked the likes of Grimorium Verum, Vobiscum Inferni, and early Hetroertzen as far as displaying a different face for South American black metal brewed in the cauldrons of olde, but with Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold, it’s not unjust to say that the man created a modern classic of spaced-out rawness.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Kerasfóra’s Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold 1. Of Night and Fire [6:51] 2. Of Omniscience and Mystery [5:08] 3. Of Consternation and Ecstasy [4:07] 4. Of Enlightenment and Fall [5:06] 5. Of Darkness and Confusion [4:37] 6. Of Serpent and Return [5:34]
On June 14th internationally, Iron Bonehead Productions will release Ancient Guard‘s highly anticipated debut mini-album, Nightfall Enthroned, on CD and 12″ vinyl formats. And today, they stream the mini-album in its entirety. Hear Ancient Guard‘s Nightfall Enthroned in its entirety here:
Ancient Guard is a new creation of Nightwolf, renown for pagan black metal vanguard Runespell. As expected, his unmistakable mastery is all across Nightfall Enthroned, Ancient Guard‘s first public work. A surprisingly vast mini-album at four songs in 31 minutes, Nightfall Enthroned is immersive to the extreme and almost soothing in its continually cresting swell of sumptuous black metal mysticism. While Runespell‘s no-less-grandiose sound is oft given to bouts of bloodlust and battle rage, Ancient Guard is pure magisterial march & might as can be expected of such a moniker. And Nighttwolf’s knack for mesmerizing melodicism holds true here, as well, but if one could make distinctions in this regard, it’s that Nightfall Enthroned swirls about to a spacious-yet-thick foundation that’s equal parts stargazing wonder and weight-of-the-universe terror – an infinitely compelling canvas equally suited to adrift dreamers and austere realists alike. Followed by the acoustic lament “Eld,” the synth-heavy epic “A Moonscape Abyss” says exactly everything it needs to about Ancient Guard: awaken to Nightfall Enthroned!
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ancient Guard’s Nightfall Enthroned 1. Dominion of Primordial Darkness [11:40] 2. Sepulchral Damnation [9:04] 3. A Moonscape Abyss [7:29] 4. Eld [2:45]
Today, melodic black metallers BloodCross premiere the new track “Gravebound”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Gravebound, set for international release on July 5th via Personal Records. Hear BloodCross‘ title track “Gravebound” in its entirety here:
BloodCross are a Finnish heavy metal band formed in 2019 that rose from the ashes of black metallers Angelscourge and their lone album, Seraph Impaler. Based in Turku, BloodCross cast their gaze wider to the past and draw inspiration from such old gods as Necrophobic, Dissection, and even Yngwie Malmsteen.
BloodCross‘ first release was the demo Abyssal Blood in 2021, which featured three ear-piercing songs. At that point, the band had not yet fully introduced their influences from power metal to their already lethal and bloody cocktail of blackened melodic thrash metal.
However, that will all change with their full-length debut, Gravebound. Here, BloodCross boldly broaden their musical expression to soundscapes that are catchier, more melodic, and somehow also crushing soundscapes. Insanely fast at times but exuding a palatable precision, Gravebound is technical and relentless but never forsakes the art of songwriting, remaining mesmerizingly memorable every step of the way, building epic towers of icy, majesty melody and ripping, burn-the-touch intensity. Coupled with the crisp & gleaming production, one could possibly mistake BloodCross for a very young & hungry Children of Bodom, but the band’s late ’90s vibes extend further to such cult names as Swordmaster, Gates of Ishtar, Ablaze My Sorrow, Prophanity, and Raise Hell: in other words, this is melodic black metal par excellence.
Prepare for a new modern classic of meloblack with BloodCross‘ Gravebound!
Also hear the previously revealed “Warbeasts” HERE at Personal Records‘ Bandcamp. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
