Steve Bruder Des Lichts

WRATHPRAYER / FORCE OF DARKNESS split album now streaming

Today, we are streaming Wrath of Darkness, a special split album between Wrathprayer and Force of Darkness. Set for international release on November 15th via Nuclear War Now! Productions, hear Wrathprayer and Force of Darkness’ Wrath of Darkness in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Chile’s storied history within the greater context of the South American black/death metal underground is extended with Wrath of Darkness, a joint LP from two of the country’s most respected current bands, Wrathprayer and Force of Darkness. Whereas most releases of this type are generally regarded as “splits,” owing to the separate nature of each band’s contribution, Wrath of Darkness is instead aptly considered a whole work, given the close-knit alliance between the two bands. Each individual element – including the music itself, art direction, and overall thematic concept – was deliberately developed in a collaborative effort involving both entities with the singular goal of producing the most cohesive release possible. The result of this endeavor, hereby released under the proud banner of Nuclear War Now!, is one that clearly validates the several years of work required for its realization.

Although Wrathprayer and Force of Darkness differ to a noticeable extent in the details of the composition and execution of their music, they are clearly united in that their styles are most firmly rooted in the black metal subgenre. On the one hand, Wrathprayer blends the foreboding nature of black metal with an oppressive, suffocating aura more commonly associated with death metal. Force of Darkness, on the other hand, peppers its interpretation of black metal with an impressive array of razor-sharp, blisteringly-precise riffs that tend to resemble the most evil variants of thrash.

Force of Darkness

The individual contributions by both bands are perfectly bookended and bound by the intro, “Inhaling Wrath,” performed by Wrathprayer, and the outro, “Exhaling Darkness,” performed by Force of Darkness. The five intervening tracks – two by Wrathprayer and three by Force of Darkness – are emblematic of two bands at the creative apex of their existence. Highlighting Wrathprayer’s side of the record is “De Profundis,” which opens with a chorus of desperate cries from the depths of the fiery pit and is then quickly consumed by a swirling maelstrom of aural ire. Force of Darkness then inherits this storm and multiplies it, culminating in “The Order,” a near-seven-minute opus that lays waste to any semblance of meagerness that may have somehow withstood the previous assaults.

With the whole of this work greater than the mere sum of its parts, Wrathprayer and Force of Darkness effectively redefine the notion of the split release and instead revive the more noble ideal of true collaboration, in service of darkness and wrath.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Wrath of Darkness
1. Intro – Inhaling Wrath
2. Tria Serpentis
3. De Profundis
4. Wall of Fire
5. Nunc Scio Tenebris Lux
6. The Order
7. Outro – Exhaling Darkness

tracks 1-3: Wrathprayer
tracks 4-7: Force of Darkness

for more info:
www.nwnprod.com

Total doom upstarts Nupraptor premiere the new track “Burning the Believers”

Today, total doom upstarts Nupraptor premiere the new track “Burning the Believers”

The track hails from the band’s surprise debut album, The Heresiarch, set for international release on December 15th via Shadow Kingdom Records for the CD and cassette tape formats; the vinyl version shall be released on January 12th, 2018.

Curiously named, Nupraptor is the solo project of White Hornet mastermind Matt St. Ours, who’s been itching to record some pure ‘n’ powerful doom metal for a while now. And that’s exactly what you get with The Heresiarch: the purest DOOM, powerful as it comes, downtrodden and desolate to the bitter end. Hailing the old European gods of traditional doom, Nupraptor crafts seven slumbering beasts of majestic misery within a mystical continuum of 51 minutes, starting with a “Black Mass” and on “Through the Smoke” before “Burning the Believers” “Before the Eyes of God,” and at last “Wasting Away” before “The Fall of Christ.” Verily, St. Ours crafts music for the grave and the graveyard, his haunting vocals heralding the onset of long nights wrapped in the fog’s embrace, languorous and lonely. Or, more accurately, you simply cannot craft doom metal of such a beautifully barren hue without having LIVED it – and dying for it. Behold The Heresiarch, for it has arrived as Nupraptor!

The previously revealed “Through the Smoke” and “The Fall of Christ” can be heard HERE at Shadow Kingdom’s Bandcamp, where all three formats of the album can be preordered.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Nupraptor’s The Heresiarch
1. Black Mass
2. Through The Smoke
3. Burning The Believers
4. The Heresiarch
5. Before the Eyes of God
6. Wasting Away
7. The Fall Of Christ

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/NupraptorBand

Benighted announce tour in Asia and India

In just one week, BENIGHTED will embark on a great adventure by touring parts of Asia and India. The French death grind maniacs will perform in Dubai, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Vocalist Julien Truchan comments on behalf of the band: “Hey fellows! It’s time for BENIGHTED: to bring the ‘Necrobreed’ madness to the East! We are stoked to announce our very first tour in Asia and India to be starting soon this November! We can hardly wait to see you all at our shows and discover how crazy your mosh-pits are in India, Dubaï, Indonesia, Malysia, and Vietnam… Stay sick and see you on tour!”

BENIGHTED Asia
17 Nov 17 Dubai (AE) Rocky´s Cafe Regent Hotel
18 Nov 17 Delhi (IN) The People & Co
19 Nov 17 Guwahati (IN) O2
21 Nov 17 Imphal (IN) YAC Ground Yaiskul
24 Nov 17 Itanagar (IN) Nyokum Lapang
26 Nov 17 Hanoi (VN) Hanoi Rock City
27 Nov 17 Saigon (VN) La Fenétre Soleil
28 Nov 17 Singapore (SG) SLED Productions x Decline
30 Nov 17 Kuala Lumpur (MY) Playspace LIVE Damansara

BENIGHTED will be touring in support of their latest album ‘Necrobreed’, which was released on February 17th. Artwork and track-list can be viewed below.

01. Hush Little Baby
02. Reptilian
03. Psychosilencer
04. Forgive Me Father
05. Leatherface
06. Der Doppelgaenger
07. Necrobreed
08. Monsters Make Monsters
09. Cum With Disgust
10. Versipellis
11. Reeks Of Darkened Zoopsia
12. Mass Grave

Madness reigns! BENIGHTED deliver the radical soundtrack to these savage times. With their new full-length ‘Necrobreed’, the French sidestep the steadily growing complexity of their previous albums ‘Asylum Cave’ (2011) and ‘Carnivore Sublime’ (2014) by recalibrating their sound along their roots.

‘Necrobreed’ is the result of modern violence combined with an undercurrent of old school feeling. BENIGHTED keep their grinding influences but classic death metal clearly shows through the fabric. Those insane pig squeals are backed-up by massive growling. Crushing riffing and nuclear drumming meet subtle melodies and hidden hooks are fuelling the fury.

BENIGHTED were spawned by members from French Death and Black metal bands DISHUMANIZED, DARKNESS FIRE, and OSGILIATH, who joined forces in 1998 for a more brutal, heavy and modern way of expression. When their first self-produced and self-titled full-length hit the streets in 2000, it immediately had a strong impact. This turned a side-project into a main act. A fast-growing fan base was built by a string of acclaimed albums: ‘Psychose’ (2002), ‘Insane Cephalic Production’ (2004), ‘Identisick’ (2006), and ‘Icon’ (2007) were all enthusiastically received.

On the live front, BENIGHTED quickly started to capture audiences with sweat driver performances that bulldozer any resistance mercilessly aside. This allowed the French to climb up the ladder fast and soon came invitations to all major European festivals including Neurotic Death Fest, Hellfest, Wacken, Brutal Assault, Summer Breeze, and Inferno Festival among many more.

BENIGHTED recorded ‘Necrobreed’ once again in Germany’s Kohlekeller Studio in continuation of a very successful relationship. The other constant with these brutal death addicts is an album concept that comes based on a theme revolving around the abysmal potential of the human psyche. This time vocalist (and caretaker in a mental asylum) Julien Truchan penned lyrics dealing with a man, who is stitching dead animals to his abdomen. On feeling the warmth of his infected flesh, the schizophrenic “gives birth” to the carcass and places it in his house as the result of a severe childhood trauma involving a dead cat.

‘Necrobreed’ gives an extreme musical voice to the madness lurking within. Let your mind be shaken by BENIGHTED. In case of side effects, please see a doctor.

Recording line-up
Julien Truchan: vocals
Olivier Gabriel: guitars
Romain Goulon: drums
Pierre Arnoux: bass, backing vocals
Emmanuel Dalle: guitars

Current line-up
Julien Truchan: vocals
Emmanuel Dalle: guitars
Romain Goulon: drums
Pierre Arnoux: bass, backing vocals
Fack: guitars

Guest appearances
Asphodel (Chenille): vocals on “Hush Little Baby ”
Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder): vocals on”Forgive Me Father”
Arno (Black Bomb A): vocals on “Cum With Disgust”

www.facebook.com/brutalbenighted

ROBESPIERRE reveal new track from long-awaited SHADOW KINGDOM debut

Today, NWOBHM cult Robespierre reveal the new track “Dwelling in the Shadows.” The track hails from the band’s LONG-awaited debut album, Garden of Hell, which will see release in the new year via Shadow Kingdom Records on CD and vinyl LP formats.

A cult name among NWOBHM diehards, Robespierre were actually active during the original NWOBHM movement, recording two demos in 1983 that remained unreleased or circulated only among close contacts. Those two demos were released in 2011 as the Die You Heathen, Die! compilation, introducing the Liverpool band to a whole new generation lusting for vintage heavy metal sounds. However, Robespierre never recorded a proper debut album – until now!

Indeed sounding like nearly four decades haven’t passed, Garden of Hell brims with that musky ‘n’ musty scent of classic NWOBHM: traditional and totally METAL songwriting, with hooks piled high and no small amount of grit. And like a few of their original NWOBHM contemporaries, Robespierre are keen on dipping into doom – like, really DOOMED-OUT doom that plods like tombstones slowly falling over and enveloping the listener in an ancient haze. Similarly, the band’s forward momentum is brisk but never too aggressive, in exchange exuding a rare sense of class and allowing the subtle textures of their endless hooks to sparkle in the night. Above all, Garden of Hell is aptly titled: for all the raucous rockin’ going on, there’s an ever-present atmosphere of supernatural horror dusting nearly every note.

A Robespierre album has been a long time coming, but no better time than now than to step into the Garden of Hell!
Release date and preorder info to be announced shortly.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Robespierre’s Garden of Hell
1. Punish Oppressors
2. Mare of Steel
3. Dwelling in the Shadows
4. Feed the Fire
5. The Black Mirror
6. Men of Violence
7. Dagon Rises
8. Fear
9. Welcome to the Cult
10. I am a Flower (In the Garden of Hell)

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/Robespierre-176141719105571

VETER DAEMONAZ sign with OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS, prepare label debut

Osmose Productions is very proud to announce the signing of Russian black metal band Veter Daemonaz!

A statement from the band’s I.S.M. reads: “From the very foundation, Osmose Productions has been a place for the most powerful metal music acts, many of which influenced us as people and musicians. Therefore, we are particularly grateful for the opportunity to spread the Word under its banners.”

The first release will be a reissue of the the mini-album Trivmph issued as a limited-edition MCD/MLP. The band will start recording their debut album during December/January.

official VETER DAEMONAZ biography
The Russian black metal band Veter Daemonaz, which was founded in St. Petersburg in the winter of 2009, initially started as the solo project of I.S.M. Since the very beginning, lyrical themes circled around Satanism, devil worship, death, and anti-Christianity.

In 2010, I.S.M. began to write down the first demo consisting of three compositions, sustained in stylistics of a crude, aggressive black metal with truly garage sound. Due to certain circumstances, the demo-CD MMX became available only in 2013, and was strictly limited to 101 copies. At the beginning of the same year, I.S.M. began to work on material for a first studio work.

In 2014, Veter Daemonaz became a trio: the bass player A. and drummer R. joined the band. In the summer of 2015 at Gravity Records studio, they started to work on a first split album, Vade Retro Sonnenlicht. The release was published by Nomos Dei Productions in 2016.

In the spring of 2016, the band released a single “Voice~Key,” and for the first time performed live. January 2017 marked the release of a minion dedicated to the Lightbringer and called Trivmph. And in February, R. and A. left the band; their places were taken by N. and R.X.

The next plans of Veter Daemonaz include the release of a debut full-length album named Muse of the Damned. It shall be released under the auspices of Osmose Productions.
MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/veterdaemonaz
www.veterdaemonaz.bandcamp.com

SHAMBLES set release date for new BLOOD HARVEST EP, reveal first track

As part of an onslaught of new short-length assaults, on February 16th, 2018, Blood Harvest Records is proud to present Shambles’ Primitive Death Trance on digipack CD and 12″ vinyl formats.

Shambles hail from Thailand, and formed in 1997. Over the past 20 years, they’ve undergone an evolution from brutal grindcore to witching black metal to doomed-out death metal. They’ve accomplished all this across a handful of demos and splits, but at last, in 2016, they delivered their Realm of Darkness Shrine debut album, where the current Shambles aesthetic has been nailed down cold. Indeed, it’s as cold as the coffin, for their latest Primitive Death Trance EP delivers four absolutely DEAD tracks of absolutely gutted, doom-retching DEATH. Barbaric and stripped bare and yet subtly spiced with a hypnotic thrust that eventually overwhelms the senses, Primitive Death Trance is aptly fucking titled.

Death, doom, and the beyond: Shambles take you there with their Primitive Death Trance. This recording is a precursor to the band’s new album for Blood Harvest, which should see release sometime next year. In the meantime, hear the new track “Daemon”

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Shambles’ Primitive Death Trance
1. Daemon
2. Dismal Pantheons
3. Illusion Of The Void
4. Primitive Death Trance

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/Shambles-635468059850975

HORN set release date for new IRON BONEHEAD mini-album, reveal first track

Iron Bonehead Productions sets March 9th, 2018 as the international release date for a special mini-album from Germany’s Horn, entitled Retrograd, on CD and 12″ vinyl formats.

Riding high on the critical acclaim afforded its seventh album, Turm Am Hang – released in early 2017 on vinyl LP by Iron Bonehead – the one-man Horn returns with a six-song/27-minute strike of pure pagan epicness. Since 2002, mainman Nerrath has been steadily perfecting a classicist, almost-medieval style of black metal bound to pagan roots. Staunchly solitary to the present day, the initial drive behind Horn was to create nature-themed black metal, focusing on the relation of man and nature in a regional context. The band’s old material, being mainly concerned with detailed descriptions of nature and incorporating rather upbeat, folk-influenced riffing, has made way for more sinister themes and soundscapes over the years. What has remained throughout the course of seven studio albums is the distinct “Horn sound,” featuring siren-like lead guitars, classic black metal-styled vocals as well as clean chorals, and a serious folkloristic approach far from the jolly drunken Viking tunes celebrated these days.

But, with the momentous release of Turm Am Hang, Horn entered a new, intensely poignant period, where the Feldpost material was carried ever forward by with clean and harsh vocals taking turns in conveying largely mid-tempo songs that stirred both raging bloodlust solemn pride. In many ways, the brand-new Retrograd mini-album serves as an ancillary chapter to Turm Am Hang, stylistically set within the same, uniquely Horn landscape and expanding upon the thematics and textures of that towering album. Although comparatively shorter in length, Retrograd is no less vast and no less epic, emitting a widescreen, wanderlusting splendor that’s especially magical given its tight ‘n’ truncated runtime. It’s Horn through and through, mightier and more majestic than ever, and once again breathes fresh air into the ancient spirit of the ’90s, and likewise further cements Iron Bonehead’s grounding in (and continued support of) black metal’s distant past, whether it be Nocternity, Kawir, Front Beast, Disharmony, Blood Tyrant, Runespell, Ithaqua, Naudiz, or the almighty Moonblood. Taste the German steel of Horn’s Retrograd!

Swords drawn, feel the first slash ‘n’ parry of Retrograd with its title track

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Horn (Germany)’s Retrograd
1. Retrograd – Einleitung
2. Retrograd
3. Bocksfuß – Einleitung
4. Bocksfuß
5. Garant
6. De Einder

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/HornOfficial

Cloak stream new album in full

CLOAK are unleashing their complete forthcoming album, ‘To Venomous Depths’, which is scheduled for release on November 10th.

CLOAK comment: “To us, music is art and art is magic. It is transformative and primal in ways that cannot be simply explained. When we began writing ‘To Venomous Depths’, we knew that we were on to something special; something powerful and fervent. The further we dove into the creative process, the further we ventured into the lowest parts of our consciousness and the highest points of our souls so that every last bit of ourselves bled out into our music. Where we ended up is something that cannot be summarized, it can only be felt. We welcome the listener to join us in that feeling in the hopes that it destroys and revives you just as it has done to us.”

The Artwork of ‘To Venomous Depths’ has been created by Adrian Baxter and can be viewed below.

Track-list

1. To Venomous Depths / Where No Light Shines (7:53)
2. Within the Timeless Black (6:56)
3. The Hunger (6:10)
4. Beyond the Veil (6:42)
5. Death Posture (4:06)
6. In the Darkness, the Path (6:33)
7. Forever Burned (6:12)
8. Passage (2:47)
9. Deep Red (10:05)

Total playing time: 57:24

Atlanta, Georgia in the Deep South of the USA is probably not among the cities named as first suspects for a black metal influenced rock band to emerge. Yet there at the crossing of two old American railroad lines, CLOAK was conceived in the year 2013.

Their debut full-length, ‘To Venomous Depths’ is simply a perfect amalgamation of Nordic black metal with catchy hooks and melodic rock. And while the Americans are not claiming to be reinventing the wheel, their outstanding song-writing is catapulting this album to the top.

CLOAK have named DISSECTION, DEEP PURPLE, and FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM as main influences, but their harsh yet groove-fuelled sound has invited critics to draw comparisons with such acts as TRIBULATION, WATAIN, and YOUNG AND IN THE WAY.

After spending two years in the rehearsal room carefully preparing their material, CLOAK released a first sign of life in the shape of ‘Demo 2015’, which created an audible buzz in the US underground.

A two-track, self-titled EP followed in 2016, gaining the Americans worldwide attention and critical acclaim. In their short time of existence, CLOAK have already shared stages with renowned acts such as WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, WINDHAND, INTER ARMA, SATAN, and TAAKE.

It will not take CLOAK long to capture your interest, but with each new spin ‘To Venomous Depths’ will reveal new details that make their discovery worthwhile. There are no fillers on this debut album, just hits. Let’s rock this cool darkness!

www.facebook.com/cloakofficial

Line-up
Scott Taysom: voice, guitar
Max Brigham: guitar
Matt Scott: bass
Sean Bruneau: drums

Horrendous sign to Season of Mist

Season of Mist are proud to announce the signing of HORRENDOUS. The American death metal addicts will release their much anticipated fourth album through Season of Mist.

HORRENDOUS comment: “The time has finally arrived to announce our newest creation to the world. It was a painful birth, fed on the paranoia and malaise of our times, and has since matured into a sprawling colossus that consumed us as we constructed it. It is our monument to uncertainty, to the mad perseverance of the soul and its tired labors, and the redemptive cycle of failure and resiliency – another stone rolled to the peak, demanding all of our abilities, and we can’t wait to watch it fall.”\

When HORRENDOUS formed in 2009, the band’s three founding members attended the same university and were obsessed with old school death metal. Driven by a desire to capture and rekindle the mystique of an already bygone era in the history of metal, the Americans fused elements from both sides of the Atlantic into a cohesive sonic landscape, which resulted in the ‘Sweet Blasphemies’ demo.

The demo kindled a fire of early interest and the blaze swept fast beyond their home in South Carolina with HORRENDOUS being picked up by their first label, which let to the release of the band’s debut full-length ‘The Chills’ (2012).

With growing confidence and progressing as musicians, HORRENDOUS began to expand upon the traditional death metal formula, conjuring a bolder, more sophisticated sound from disparate elements beyond the limitations of any genre. This lead to the albums ‘Ecdysis’ (2014) and (after relocating to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) ‘Anareta’ (2015), which scored an impressive 24/50 in the Terrorizer Magazine (UK) “Album of the Year” list – as well as making it into the top-lists of US magazines such as Stereogum, Spin, Decibel, and many more. Each successive record marked a new step in the evolution of the band and carried them further on their adventurous journey of musical awakening.

HORRENDOUS are currently recording their fourth album at Damian’s studio Subterranean Watchtower to be released by Season of Mist in 2018.

Line-up
Damian Herring: guitar, vocals
Jamie Knox: drums
Matt Knox: guitar, vocals
Alex Kulick: bass

www.facebook.com/HorrendousDeathMetal

Greek black metal institution Kawir stream the entirety of their seventh album, Exilasmos,

Today, Greek black metal institution Kawir stream the entirety of their highly anticipated seventh album, Exilasmos Set for international release today via Iron Bonehead Productions, hear Kawir’s Exilasmos in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Since 1993, Kawir have been one of the unsung pillars of the classic Greek black metal sound. While the names Rotting Christ, Varathron, and Necromantia are incredibly important to that style’s foundation, it was Kawir who kept the faith during the ’90s and into the new millennium. In 1994, the then-young band released two pivotal 7″s, Eumenides and a split with Japan’s Sigh – on the pivotal Cacophonous Records, no less – and then followed those up in 1996 with the To Cavirs MLP, which is the first truly pagan-oriented record to hail from the Greek black metal scene. With that mini-album, Kawir set about on a Hellenistic crusade to celebrate their native gods and mythology in their lyrics and sartorial presentation. From the late ’90s onward, the band continued to remain prolific, perpetually committed to fine-tuning their idiosyncratic craft, culminating in underground classics Arai (2005) and Ophiolatreia (2008). Although 2012’s Ισόθεος featured a cross-continental lineup, the album further solidified Kawir’s status as unique icons in the black metal underground.

Then, just last year, Iron Bonehead released the massively acclaimed Father Sun Mother Moon, which saw Kawir return to an all-Greek lineup and recast their classic sound in a whole new light, and now they continue that forward momentum with the fiery Exilasmos. If the 64-minute Father Sun Mother Moon was the sound of Kawir indulging their most epic expanses – always with power and poignancy, it must be said – then the 42-minute Exilasmos is its punchier and more restless counterpart. Across its six characteristically cascading tracks, Kawir take a decidedly darker and more aggressive turn, racing into the fray in a manner most mid ’90s (or To Cavirs, as it were) but never losing the inherently heroic aspect so crucial – and so engaging, after all these years – to their Hellenic sound. Supplementing that dark heroism is the addition of a fulltime keyboardist in Aristomache, who lends mystical light and shade to the band’s surge ‘n’ swell. Further coloring the windswept wildness of Exilasmos are an endless supply of dramatic solos from guitarists Melanaegis and founder Therthonax.

But, as ever with Kawir, the sonic portrait they paint is imbued with a deep lyricism hailing the Greek pantheon. In the case of Exilasmos, the record is conceptually about the tragic dynasties of the house of Lavdakides (Oedipus Tyrannus) and the house of Atreus. Both dynasties nearly exterminated themselves, and all these violent and inhuman acts brought forth the wrath of Zeus and the curses were consequently laid upon the whole bloodline. “Exilasmos” in Ancient Hellenic Language means calming down the gods’ wrath, so it perfectly describes the tragic events featured in the namesake album.

Recorded at Esoteron Studio in Athens and mixed and mastered by Esoteric’s Greg Chandler at Priory Studio, Exilasmos is yet another gleaming jewel in the rich Kawir canon.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Kawir’s Exilasmos
1. Lykaon
2. Oedipus
3. Tantalus
4. Thyestia Deipna
5. Agamemnon
6. Orestes

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/kawirblackmetal