Today, Hammer of Hate announces October 11th as the international release date for Barathrum‘s highly anticipated tenth album, Überkill, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
Barathrum should need no introduction. Formed in 1991, the band remain one of Finland’s very first black metal bands – and, more importantly, one of the longest-running. While Finland’s history of black metal often revolves around Beherit, Impaled Nazarene, and Archgoat during the ’90s and then Horna, Satanic Warmaster, and Behexen at the dawn of the millennium, during all this have Barathrum remained steadfast in their vision of bulldozing, bass-heavy black metal that indeed features TWO bass guitars. The band’s first two albums – Hailstorm and Eerie, both released in 1995 – remain absolute classics of dark & unsettling art, but thereafter did the band take on a rowdier, more concertedly METAL aspect that’s made that vision all the more unique and their legacy all the more enduring. And while they more or less went on hiatus following 2005’s Anno Aspera, Barathrum returned rougher and rowdier than ever with 2017’s gutted ‘n’ glorious Fanatiko.
Alas, seven years pass, but the Barathrum sound & vision are eternal, and they return to prove it once again with Überkill. Here, previous-bassist / now-guitarist Ruttokieli (also mainman of Sielunvihollinen and White Rune) composed all but one of the songs on this, amazingly the band’s tenth album; drummer Vendetta makes his composition debut with the telltale, scene-setting opener “Death by Steel.” As always, founding frontman Demonos Sova wrote all the lyrics, and his signature full-throated rasp leads with devilish glee these alternately stomping / surging anthems, all with equally telltale titles like “Mountain of Bones,” “Dark Sorceress,” “Black Magick Rites,” and perhaps best of all, “Spark Plugs of Purgatory.” And yet, for as much as Barathrum are very much (still) a pure & proud black metal band, Überkill proves that the Finns are, above all, a very great heavy metal band – just one that’s jet-black, asskicking, and bass-driven as fuck. Simple-yet-sublime pleasures, now and forever: again, Barathrum are eternal!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track title track “Überkill” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Barathrum’s Überkill 1. Death by Steel 2. Mountain of Bones 3. Spark Plugs of Purgatory 4. Black Magick Rites 5. Ritual Murder 6. White Red Black and Pale 7. Denial of God 8. Dark Sorceress 9. Überkill
Today, Primitive Reaction announces October 11th as the international release date for The Mist From the Mountains‘ highly anticipated second album, Portal – The Gathering of Storms, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
It was but the very beginning of 2022 when The Mist From the Mountains released their momentous debut album, Monumental – The Temple of Twilight, through Primitive Reaction. The record was presciently titled, too: hailing from the ever-fertile Finnish scene, The Mist From the Mountains were a brand-new formation with a very old heart, with their chilling-yet-breathtaking ruminations harkening to the golden days of melodic, nature-inspired black metal back during the mid ’90s. Names invoked included old Borknagar, Kvist, Old Man’s Child, Norway’s Gehenna, and even earliest Dimmu Borgir, but on the songwriting strength across Monumental, these still-young Finns were well on their way to forging an odyssey all their own.
Two years later, The Mist From the Mountains return to deliver the next awe-inspiring chapter of that saga. Titled Portal – The Gathering of Storms, the band’s second album is indeed the next part of a trilogy, but whereas the not-inconsiderable debut was but a mere 38 minutes, this second full-length is an epic near-hour of mesmerizing majesty, its golden rays stretching infinitely beyond the horizon – laced with black, of course. Truly, Portal‘s textures are equally summer and autumnal: the warm embrace of the sun, with the stern suggestion (or at least austere awareness of) the eventual cold, and of course those mossy, turn-to-brown sensations of fall’s inexorable transitions to darker, colder days.
But, that’s simply a surface sweep of The Mist From the Mountains‘ ever-growing sonic palette, for thematically, Portal is quite a different beast. A sea-themed album, the band explore its standing as untamed, dynamic force of nature that cannot be negotiated with: equally fierce, calm, and beautiful in all its inconsolability. As such, the Finns stretch their songwriting to more varied lengths; the melancholy and longing typical of Finnish music is fully accounted for, but there’s a pronounced emphasis on immediate(ly hummable) melodies, cleaner vocals, and more engaging downtempos. One could call it more accessible, and that one would not be totally wrong, but more so does Portal reveal The Mist From the Mountains as weavers of utterly cinematic soundscapes, of magick and wonder taking fuller flight (and hitting waterier depths) that put the band in league with the likes of Moonsorrow, and Borknagar. But, lest one think that this is a more “mainstream” move, the album is not without its share of blasting battle-rage, betraying a truly vast canvas that can now only be distinctly The Mist From the Mountains.
The sea is a portal to new worlds – and, in mythology, also to the afterlife. The Mist From the Mountains once again paint an absolutely poignant picture with Portal – The Gathering of Storms, and hereby cement their status as Finnish folkloric masters.
Hear for yourself with the brand-new track “The Seer of Ages” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for The Mist From the Mountains’ Portal – The Gathering of Storms 1. And So Flew the Death Crow [10:11] 2. The Seer of Ages [7:59] 3. At the Roots of the Vile [8:38] 4. Among the Black Waves [10:43] 5. In Longing Times [8:19] 6. Saiva [10:28]
Today, death metal cavemen Vomitrot premiere the new video “Envomitted”. The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated new mini-album, Emetic Imprecations, set for international release on August 24th via Personal Records on digipack CD format. See & hear Vomitrot‘s “Envomitted” video in its entirety here:
Vomitrot are a new one for Personal Records: extremely filthy, disgusting, and in-your-face CAVEMAN death metal, which only proves what the labels name means – a name that releases what it likes and does not pigeonhole to any genre or belief as long as the music is good and personal.
Forming in 2019, Vomitrot released their Rehearsal Demo MMXX in 2020 and, two years later, the debut album Rotten Vomit. Emerging from the primordial soup of boiling body fluids, the Swedish power-trio return nastier than ever with the release of Emetic Imprecations.
A stout recording at six songs in 26 minutes, Emetic Imprecations is almost so overwhelming that any second after that length would simply be too much to bear. Here, Vomitrot deliver a bizarre breed of vicious death metal, originating from an unholy mix of old-school death metal, war metal, and grindcore. The feverish riffs, the guitar tone that with cuts through your bones with the finesse of a rusty saw, the gut-wrenching vocals, the subsonic bass frequencies that stimulate the primal urge to dominate your enemies by making them gargle on their innards, and the schizophrenia-inducing hammering on the drums, purely driven by instinct and insanity – all components blend together disharmoniously into an explosive diarrhea of emetic madness and primal entropy.
Other bands may pose as “caveman,” but Vomitrot truly live it, and prove it with pustulent punctuation on Emetic Imprecations! Recommended for maniacs of early Incantation and Kataklysm, as well as Canada’s Cremation, Finland’s Abhorrence, and America’s Infester: YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
HEILUNG, renowned for transcending the mere boundaries of music to summon the primordial spirits, now gift the world their most sacred ritual yet: Lifa | Iotungard – their 2021 Red Rock ritual, capture in its full glory. Witness the fusion of earth, fire, voice, and bone as it was meant to be experienced – imperishable, visceral, and hauntingly real.
Gaze upon the enchanted footage today on the HEILUNG below. Let your senses be enveloped by the raw, unadulterated power of their live performance. These spells carry the essence of Traust and Svanrand, immortalized in moving images:
ᛁ – LIFA Iotungard is out today on Season of Mist.
HEILUNG don’t play shows. They perform a ritual. Every performance begins with Kai Uwe Faust leading Christopher Juul, Maria Franz and the rest of the Nordic collective in an ancient prayer. Soon after, the audience is swept into rapture, swayed by incense and throat singing, primordial rhythms, subtle electronic textures, a mesmerizing light show, an army of warriors and bursts of fire.
Since they began in 2015, Heilung have been paving melodic paths to the past with their unique and mystifying sound. Evading all conventional genre tags and the confines of any specific labels, the group aptly self-describes their sound as “amplified history,” emphasizing their ability to connect modern society with the rudiments of humanity’s beginnings through music.
“Our ancestral Nordic civilizations did not just pop up, exist and disappear in isolation”, says Faust, a throat singer and one of Heilung’s three composers. “With singing these primordial songs we want to give tribute to these cultures, reconnect to the beginnings and remember that we all, from East to West, from past to present, are connected through the exchange of ideas and inspiring each other”.
While Heilung features authentic and archaic instrumentation that ranges from rattles and ritual bells to human bones and throat singing, their captivating brand of music is far from primitive. Producer and founding member Christopher Juul implements subtle electronic elements that elevates the musical atmosphere and provides a more in-depth and layered soundscape.
Indeed, Heilung’s success has been unprecedented, achieving milestones in its few short years of existence that many do not see in a lifetime. The collective already had rapidly been growing a buzz upon the self-release of their first full-length Ofnir in 2015, but their dizzying upward trajectory really took off from the moment they set foot on the stage at Castlefest in 2017 for the now-legendary debut of their live ritual. Luckily for those who were not fortunate enough to bare witness to this magical event, the full ceremony was captured on film, having since been viewed by tens of millions of fans across the globe.
As Heilung trekked across Europe and brought their mystifying experience to new audiences, talk of this new band and their stunning ceremony made way to Season of Mist label owner Michael Berberian, who quickly offered the band a record contract after seeing their undeniable musical impact for himself.
By 2019, Heilung launched their second full-length record, Futha, which contrasted the masculine and battle-heavy themes of their debut with a feminine counterpart that celebrated fertility and female energy. Upon the first week of the record’s release, it graced the Billboard charts with coveted numbers, debuting at #3 on the Heatseekers Charts and #4 on the Billboard World Music Chart, placing on a total of seven Billboard charts while meeting critical-acclaim from the press on a global scale.
Their music has even appeared in places that extend far beyond typical concert venues. From hit television series like Game of Thrones and Vikings to video game giants like Conqueror’s Blade VII: “Wolves of Ragnarök and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II to the blockbuster Robert Eggers film The Northman, Heilung’s music has risen far above the underground and has transcended into a greater world. Even a global pandemic couldn’t slow down Heilung’s success; it only strengthened them and gave them the gift of time to complete work on their third album. In English, Drif translates as “Gathering”. The music embodies this philosophy by tying together the beginning of civilization with today’s modern society.
Heilung now perform their rituals all over the world. They sold out their first North American tour in 72 hours. Upon returning to the United States in 2021, they were greeted by another sold-out crowd, this time at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. This performance will be released on vinyl, CD and Blu-Ray in 2024, along with another performance at the Apollo Theatre in Hammersmith, London.
During the lead-up to the new LIFAs, Heilung will embark on headlining tours of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Along the way, they will cast their spell over more of the world’s biggest stages, including Roskilde Festival, Download Festival and Glastonbury. But no matter where they are, Heilung always begin their performance with a humbling reminder of where we all come from.
“Remember, we are all brothers. All people, beasts, tree and stone and wind, we all descend from the one great being that was always there, before people lived and named it, before the first seed sprouted.”Line-up: Kai Uwe Faust Christopher Juul Maria Franz
WEREWOLF RECORDS is proud to present the debut demo of Japan’s IMMORTAL DEATH, self-titled Immortal Death, on CD and cassette tape formats.
Emitting the sick stench of the ancients, IMMORTAL DEATH play savage, Satanic DEATH METAL as if the last couple decades of “death metal” didn’t exist. A mysterious entity, it is known that at least one member hails from the esteemed Sex Messiah, but that is where the parallels end: one listen to IMMORTAL DEATH’s eponymous debut demo is enough to convince the diehard – or offend those of delicate sensibilities. Howling and harrowing and hulking in its ragged, rabid physicality, Immortal Death mangles both mind and body with its sulfurous rehearsal-room intensity, skillfully moving between primitive blasting and ominous trudge, with UNGODLY riffs being bullet-belted out right and left. And after a mere 14 minutes, you’re left with absolute devastation.
So impressed by its sheer audacity and merciless battery, WEREWOLF steps forward to release Immortal Death on a worldwide scale, on all formats. Maniacs of Necrovore, the pre-Deicide Amon, America’s Infester, Pissgrave, or the late / great Deathchurch, prepare for reckoning with IMMORTAL DEATH.
Today, German black metal traditionalists Servant reveal the new video “Temple.” The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated third album, Death Devil Magick, set for international release on September 20th via AOP Records. See & hear Servant‘s “Temple” video in its entirety here:
German black metal band Servant have been celebrating their melodic-yet-furious black metal across the underground and beyond since 2021. Their two well-received full-lengths, 2021’s Blessed by The Light of a Thousand Stars and last year’s Aetas Ascensus, shook ground within the metal scene. Now, Servant are set to release their third full-length, Death Devil Magick, via new label home AOP Records.
Death Devil Magick was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered between October 2024 and May 2024. Without lacking in their musical trademarks, Servant continue to evolve on their new record. Melodic guitars combine with furious drums, and powerful basslines go with keys and mighty grooves. On Death Devil Magick, the vocals are clearer than on the previous two albums, giving the words the required power in meaning. All this is put in a powerful soundscape which is aggressive yet very dynamic and tidied up.
The lyrical topics are inspired by poets and philosophers like Charles Baudelaire and Friedrich Nietzsche, but also paintings by Franz von Stuck from the era of symbolism, for example, can be mentioned here. The lyrics discuss conflicts of emotions, beliefs, addiction, and depths of human nature. Death Devil Magick invites the listener to step into the gallery of nine microcosms and witness lust, despair, magick, and ecstasy.
Moreover, Servant are going to tour Europe as part of the Scherbentour 2024 together with labelmates Ellende and GROZA to spread magick, lust, and ecstasy. Dates follow further below.
Also hear the previously revealed “Litany” HERE, also at AOP Records‘ official YouTube channel. Cover artwork, courtesy of Misanthropic Art Illustrations, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Servant (Germany)’s Death Devil Magick 1. Void 2. Temple 3. Sin 4. Devil 5. Hope 6. Fury 7. Death 8. Litany 9. Magick
The relentless beast that is 1349 emerges once again from the frosty abyss, delivering The Wolf and The King’s harrrowing new single – The God Devourer.
Carved from the frozen landscapes of Norway, 1349 have etched their mark upon the black metal pantheon, wielding their instruments like war-axes in the vanguard of the genre’s relentless assault. With a legacy drenched in the blood of aural extremities, they have become the standard-bearers of unyielding sonic warfare, relentless in their pursuit of the darker arts. The Wolf and The King is set to expand the parameters of the genre, infusing it with an atmosphere of apocalyptic elegance.
The God Devourer is a towering example of the infernal craft, a blasphemous symphony forged in the heart of the blackened abyss. With lyrics penned by Svartalv and music conjured by Archaon, this track is a ritualistic passage through the veils of torment and revelation. The invocation begins with a summons to the beasts of the cosmos, where darkness penetrates all light. Each riff is a dagger, each blast beat a crucible, crossing fields of fire and carving paths in bone. The song’s relentless pace drags you through the hidden realms, breaching the gates of the seven realms with the spell-fire that consumes the soul. The God Devourer is an experience of striding diabolic galaxies and embracing the equinox of gods. It perfectly captures the timeless aggression and astral darkness that is 1349, unleashing a wave of aural hellfire that scorches all who dare to listen.
The Wolf and The King delves deep into the abyss, exploring themes of transformation through destruction, liberation, and mind expansion, traversing realms of alchemical riddles and ancient mysteries. The Wolf and The King is out October 4th on Season of Mist.
In a union that promises to reshape the contours of black metal, Norwegian titans 1349 will be joining forces with the revered Kampfar for the highly anticipated 1349 & Kampfar – 2024 EU Co-Headline Tour. A ceremonial gathering of black metal’s most fervent apostles, ready to spread the gospel of Aural Hellfire and pagan might across Europe.1349 & Kampfar Co-Headline – 2024 EU Tour: 01 October: Leipzig, DE @ Anker 02 October: Berlin, DE @ SO36 03 October: Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall 04 October: Gothenburg, SE @ Filmstudion 05 October: Stockholm, SE @ Kolletkivet Livet 07 October: Helsinki, FI @ Aaniwalli 08 October: Tallinn, EE @ Helitehas 09 October: Riga, LV @ Melna Piektdiena 10 October: Warsaw, PL @ Proxima 11 October: Kraków, PL @ Kamienna 12 12 October: Vienna, AT @ Vienna Metal Meeting 13 October: Budapest, HU @ Barba Negra 15 October: Prague, CZ @ Futurum 16 October: Munich, DE @ Backstage 17 October: Milano, IT @ Slaughter Club 18 October: Colmar, FR @ Le Grillen 19 October: Aarburg, CH @ Musigburg 20 October: Oignies, FR @ Tyrant Fest 22 October: Weiher, DE @ Live Music Hall 23 October: Paris, FR @ Le Petit Bain 24 October: Bochum, DE @ Zeche 25 October: Amstelveen, NL @ P60 26 October: Maastricht, NL @ Samhain Festival
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) 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, Invictus Productions announces September 27th as the international release date for the highly anticipated second album of America’s Spite, The Third Temple, on digipack CD and trifold double-LP vinyl formats.
Six years since the coming of the Antimoshiach, Spite returns with The Third Temple, 12 brand-new tales of unblessed black metal! Serving as both prequel and sequel to preceding works, The Third Temple further unfolds the apocrypha of Salpsan, the Antichrist incarnate, and his rise to the throne of Earth. In ancient days, the temples of Solomon and Herod each stood in Jerusalem and fell to forces both mortal and divine. In its first two segments, The Third Temple recounts the fates of these edifices and the powerful sacred relics they housed, as well as the consequential rise of dark forces which lurked below them in wait for their inevitable destruction. In the third segment, the world awaits the erection of a new Temple as religions new and old vie for the rights to the sacred soil of the Holy Land, while the Antimoshiach must determine his own role in the future of Satan’s kingdom on Earth.
Once again, Spite has joined forces with Jamie Elton, who recorded, mixed, and mastered this opus containing over an hour of new music, maintaining the signature Spite sound with the bite of sinister black metal riffcraft delivered in Biblical proportions. In conjunction with the release of The Third Temple, Spite‘s Antimoshiach debut album will also see an overdue reissue on vinyl format.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new tracks “Unblessed” and “Desert Demons” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Spite (U.S.)’s The Third Temple 1. The Blackened Talmudist 2. Unblessed 3. Under Wings of Cherubim (Dvir, Part I) 4. Yahweh’s Vengeance 5. Desert Demons 6. Hounds of Herod 7. The Spoils of Judea (Dvir, Part II) 8. The Black Moon (Yare’ach Shachor) 9. Where Dust Cannot Fall 10. The Stone of Sakrah 11. The Dark Ark (Dvir, Part III) 12. The Third Temple
Today, Werewolf Records announces September 13th as the international release date for Dead Flesh Stigma‘s striking debut album, Necrocosmic Death Ritual, on CD format.
Masterminded by Vargrav / Druadan Forest mainman V-Khaoz, Dead Flesh Stigma is a psilocybin-fueled plunge into the vast-yet-oft-unexplored abyss of industrialized black metal. Joining him are a number of esteemed guest vocalists, including Hellwind (Grieve, Embyronic Slumber et. al.), Narqath and J13 from Azaghal, and the notorious Graf Werwolf von Armageddon.
The collective’s first public work, Necrocosmic Death Ritual is an aptly titled album: in space, no one can hear you scream. With rusty robotic pistons pumping and torched tones searing above and below, Dead Flesh Stigma‘s debut album seeks to overwhelm the senses, and succeeds with devilish ease. Granted, one perhaps has to be acclimated to that rarefied idiom – one pioneered by Mysticum’s landmark In the Streams of Inferno, the most obvious influence here, and then expounded upon by the likes of early Blacklodge, Traumatic Voyage, Diapsiquir, later Trollheims Grott, and of course Dodheimsgard’s 666 International – to truly immerse themselves in this rippling body high (or negation?). But as with all things that bear V-Khaoz’s touch, form and content intertwine in a symphony of totality, synthetic and caustic in equal measure.
Industrial BM is both alive and dead with Dead Flesh Stigma‘s Necrocosmic Death Ritual!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Worms and Eyes, Eyes as Worms” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Dead Flesh Stigma’s Necrocosmic Death Ritual 1. Worms and Eyes, Eyes as Worms 2. Farewell to the Flesh 3. Interlude – Cipher for Self-Destruction 4. Black Harvest 5. The Weak Wept Below 6. Interlude – Life Lies Bleeding 7. The House of Satan Pt.1 – Pure Denial of Life 8. Necrocosmic Death Ritual 9. Interlude – The Chamber of Faceless Angels 10. In the Shadow of the Conquerors 11. The House of Satan Pt.2 – The Dreamlike Triumph of Rebirth 12. Outro – Trapped in False Reality
On October 4th internationally, Personal Records is proud to present Mardom‘s highly anticipated debut album, Dead Soul Age, on CD format.
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 Mogomir, 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.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “If Hate Now Reigned” here:
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]
