Today, Polish black metallers Mardom stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Dead Soul Age. Set for international release on October 4th via Personal Records, hear Mardom‘s Dead Soul Age in its entirety here:
Formed in 2019, Mardom are a new force in the always fertile Polish black metal scene. Despite their geography, the duo aren’t strictly “Polish black metal” by definition; a strong foundation in ’90s Scandinavian black metal underscores the grim & melancholic elements of their local tradition. Mardom are one of those rare new bands who bring the black metal atmosphere of the old days to life in such an authentic and natural way.
Mardom was initially planned as a project of guitarist Morgomir, but eventually became a band with vocalist Kres and others joining. Since then, the band have released two EPs, 2020’s The Path of No Return and 2022’s Longing for a New Dawn. Those two titles should doubtlessly state what sort of atmosphere Mardom are brewing.
Now, that cauldron boils over with their debut album, Dead Soul Age. Here, Mardom aesthetically bridge those two short-lengths, combing dynamic sound and aggression with more melancholic and nostalgic themes, and even a touch or two of (blackened) doom. On first blush, Dead Soul Age bears some passing semblance to the ever-thorny “depressive black metal” subgenre; listen further, and that semblance is superficial, for there’s far more energy and enveloping songwriting at work here. While the former pushes the latter forward with an almost understated grace, that songwriting soon shows its full depth: both simplicity and complexity weave into and out of each other, much in the way that the early Scandinavian trailblazers did, but arguably wrapped in a sympathetic production neither too polished nor too raw. Dead Soul Age thus becomes a dream-like journey through themes of emptiness and sorrow, as well as both hatred and love.
True Polish black metal, especially of the underground variety, is nothing if not authentic: you hear it, and you KNOW it. Rarer still is depressive black done right, such as the cult likes of Wigrid, Krohm, and Raate. You can now add the humble name of Mardom to those rarefied ranks with the beginning of their Dead Soul Age.
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Mardom’s Dead Soul Age
1. If Hate Now Reigned [6:13] 2. Spojrzenie [7:40] 3. Inverted Sun Darkness [6:31] 4. Buried in the Dust of Stars [7:02] 5. Unseen Dreams [6:58] 6. Dead Soul Age [5:55]
The masters of aural hellfire, 1349, are set to carve their infamous runes deeper into the chronicles of black metal history with their forthcoming release, The Wolf and The King. This eighth sonic obliteration unfurls eight brutal tracks that are a testament to their unrelenting ferocity and mastery over chaos and carnage.
This latest offering, a tempestuous journey through blistering aggression and ambient malevolence, epitomizes 1349‘s relentless pursuit of the darker arts. Recorded between the arcane sanctuaries of Amper Tone in Oslo and New Constellation R.M.P. in Orlando, Florida, and forged by the anvil of Ravn and Jarrett Pritchard, The Wolf and The King blends primordial energy with modern chaos.
From the opening onslaught of The God Devourer to the ominous gravitas in Shadow Point, this album is a portal into realms where shadows devour the weak, and transformation reigns supreme. Tracks like Ash of Ages, melding thrash with extreme black metal, and Inferior Pathways, delivering classic headbanging riffs, create an iron spine that will have the masses headbanging into oblivion.
Lyrically, The Wolf and The King traverses the perilous expanses of the Abyss, entwining themes of alchemical riddles, astral projections, and ancient epignosis. It charts a harrowing course of transformation through destruction, liberation, and mind expansion. This is not mere music; it’s a ritual, a testament to the relentless evolution at the heart of black metal. The Wolf and The King is out this Friday, October 4th, on Season of Mist.
Tracklist 1. The God Devourer (5:10) [WATCH] 2. Ash of Ages (5:27) [LISTEN] 3. Shadow Point (3:40) [WATCH] 4. Inferior Pathways (4:28) [LISTEN] 5. Inner Portal (5:08) 6. The Vessel and The Storm (5:15) 7. Obscura (3:44) 8. Fatalist (5:51) Total runtime: 39:01
1349 is not like other bands. It’s not a group of friends who decided to make music together. 1349 is a band formed with a unified vision and specific purpose: To maintain the legacy of black metal.
“I didn’t like the direction that black metal took in the mid part of the ’90s,” 1349 vocalist and mastermind Ravn recalls. “It started losing everything that I liked about black metal—the grimness, the eeriness, the primal emotions that captivated me and brought me into that sphere. You had all these synthesizer-based bands dressing up in pirate shirts and looking like goths. It ruined something that I truly hold close to my heart.”
In 1997, Ravn formed 1349 and recruited bassist Seidemann and, now former, guitarist Tjalve to help him pursue the vision of recapturing the original spirit of black metal. The longstanding lineup of Ravn, Seidemann, guitarist Archaon, and drummer Frost (also of Satyricon) has been in place since 2001. “I found people that felt the same way as me,” Ravn says of his bandmates. “We wanted to bring back the trademark of Norwegian black metal, as it was presented in the early 90s. Every time we release an album, that’s the inspiration and the backdrop.”
The Wolf and the King is the latest sortie in that crusade.1349’s eighth album sees the Oslo-based band harnessing the primordial energy of black metal’s decade-defining second wave and channeling it through ancient mysteries and the relentless global chaos of the 2020s.
The album title comes from a classic alchemical allegory: A wolf devours a king. Then the wolf is devoured by flames, and a new king rises from the ashes. “When I first heard about alchemy when I was young, it was people turning metal into gold,” Ravn says. “Further down the road, through various literatures and magical practices, I realized that what you’re turning into gold is metaphorical. It’s about personal development, basically. You want to be the best you can be, and that’s what we try to do as well. We try to top ourselves, to kill our egos in order to grow as persons. If you don’t do that, you will die. You will not rise from the ashes.”
Lead single “Ash of Ages” combines thrash with extreme metal flourishes and a proper doomsday theme. “The song is based on a story I read about a layer of ash that covered the Earth 12,000 years ago,” Ravn explains. “This layer of ash comes from a meteorite that struck the Earth during the Ice Age. It melted a lot of the ice, which is where the Great Flood came from. The Great Flood is in the Bible, but it was written about in every ancient culture. The theory is that it washed away a lot of other ancient cultures that held a higher intelligence level than those that were found after the flood. So, it possibly set human civilization back many thousands of years.”
Released as a one-sided maxi-12” with a flipside etching by Jordan Barlow—who did all the artwork for The Wolf and the King (as well as the band’s 2019 album, The Infernal Pathway)—“Ash of Ages” is also a warning to check your ego. “To think that you’re important, that you’re anything but an ant down there, is futile,” Ravn points out. “In the end, everything will be washed away, and nothing will be left.”
“Shadow Point” comes complete with a video and revisits the sonic domain of The Infernal Pathway with a classic headbanger groove. “This one references the Star of Algol, or ‘the Demon Star,’” Ravn offers. “It’s actually two stars that revolve around each other, and the small one is devouring the big one. Human beings have seen this star from early ages, and it has had many names over the years. It’s a known part of the magical world, so I wanted to include it in a song.”
Shot through with menace and a snaky groove, album opener “The God Devourer” will also have a video. “The lyrics are based on the alchemical principle of devouring all that you feel is in your way of becoming a better human,” Ravn says. “It sets the ominous tone for the whole album.”
Recorded at Amper Tone in Oslo, Norway, and New Constellation R.M.P. in Orlando, Florida, The Wolf and the King was produced and mixed by Ravn and Jarrett Pritchard (Eulogy, Pulchra Morte), the band’s long-standing sonic wizard who also worked on their previous two albums. The lyrics were written by the band’s longtime wordsmith, Svartalv, who has been working with 1349 for twenty years.
Jordan Barlow’s elaborate artwork for The Wolf and the King reflects the album’s chronological position in 1349’s discography. “This is our eighth album, and the artwork and lyrics are filled with references to this number of infinity,” Ravn explains. “You can basically go on a quest finding references to the number in the artwork.”
All told, The Wolf and the King is the exalted output of the joint force that is 1349. “We all work together to make the best black metal possible every time we release an album,” Ravn says. “This is our common goal. We’re a band on a mission.” Line-up Archaon – Guitars Frost – Drums Ravn – Vocals Seidemann – Bass
Recording Studio Amper Tone (Oslo, Norway) & NEW CONSTELLATION R.M.P. (Orlando, USA)
Production Credits Produced by Jarrett Prichard & Ravn Mixed by Jaerrett Prichard & Ravn at NEW CONSTELLATION R.M.P. Mastered by Jaerrett Prichard at NEW CONSTELLATION R.M.P.
Today, Swedish black metallers Seid premiere the new track “The End of Days” . The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated fifth album, Hymns to the Norse, set for an international release on October 18th via De Tenebrarum Principio, a division of ATMF. Hear Seid‘s “The End of Days” in its entirety here:
Hymns to the Norse – the new album from Seid, active since 2009 and purveyors of proud pagan black metal in the ancient tradition – takes great inspiration from the old folk music of the Scandinavian region. In many ways, this album is more of a concept album than 2022’s preceding Svart Sól was. The sejd drum intro “Hymn To Ivar” opens it up in an even-more-traditional fashion, but then you get brass sections and the sound develops more and more throughout the album towards something more recognizably black metal. “Hymn to the North” closes the album, referring to the fact that all the songs you just heard were hymns: previously untold but, in our common ancestry, deeply buried.
With Seid‘s raw, lo-fi sound, eerie vocals, sejd drum, Hammond organs, and haunting atmospheres, this album pushes the boundaries of black metal while exploring the Norse roots. Hymns to the Norse takes you to the past…and brings the past into you.
Hear the previously revealed “My Kingdom Rise” HERE at ATMF‘s Bandcamp.
North American preorder info can be found HERE; European preorder info can be found HERE. Cover artwork, courtesy of Frank Dicksee (1873), and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Seid (Sweden)’s Hymns to the Norse 1. Hymn To Ivar 2. The End Of Days 3. My Kingdom Rise 4. White Beast From Hel 5. Nordmænnens Raseri 6. Light Up The Sky 7. Allfadir 8. Hymns To The North
Today, extremist death metallers Ancient Malignity stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Dehumanization Dawn. Set for international release on October 1st via Inhuman Assault Productions, hear Ancient Malignity‘s Dehumanization Dawn in its entirety here:
Hailing from Nevada, Ancient Malignity made their public debut in 2020 with a self-titled full-length, courtesy of Inhuman Assault. The rabid assault of Ancient Malignity might’ve been unexpected – or, rather, unsuspecting – if it weren’t for the power-trio’s other concurrent bands, which include labelmates Triumph and Ritual Genocide. While Ancient Malignity‘s barbarity stacks up well next to those two bestial hordes, theirs has even deeper grounding in extremist DEATH METAL – and they’ve eclipsed that feat with their second album, Dehumanization Dawn.
Like a lost relic from the mid-to-late ’90s, Ancient Malignity‘s second album surges and slices with both palpitating precision and gangrenous gnarliness. Those maniacs out there who hold high the torch of such old gods as Order From Chaos, Imprecation, Sacramentary Abolishment, America’s Crucifier, old Vital Remains, and earliest Kataklysm should find red-eyed solace in the blitzed & bleary decibels on display across Dehumanization Dawn. Even the production itself sounds era-authentic – dank, dingy, and dungeoned, but no less muscular – and while tones and textures can form a solid foundation for many a death metal record, it’s the hands of those who build that noble foundation that matter most: Ancient Malignity thus duly excel at the art of labyrinthine-yet-linear songwriting, making Dehumanization Dawn a most enticing spelunk among ancient corridors.
Preorder info can be found HERE at Inhuman Assault‘s Bandcamp. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ancient Malignity’s Dehumanization Dawn 1. Dehumanization Dawn 2. Indoctrination Terror Offense 3. Abomination Experiment 4. Pedoswine Obsolescence 6. Dystopian Subjection 7. Pernicious Fixation 5. The Extortion Epoch 8. Algorithmic Brainwash Entity 9. Intrusive Surveillance Mechanism 10. Viral Hysteria Infliction
