Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces November 3rd as the international release date for Goatkraft‘s highly anticipated second album, Prophet of Eternal Damnation, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
It’s been four years since Goatkraft‘s celebrated debut album for Iron Bonehead, Sulphurous Northern Bestiality, and nothing has changed for the Norwegian power-trio: their monochromatic muse is as locked-in and lascivious as ever. Just one look at the cover of their second album, Prophet of Eternal Damnation, and you should know EXACTLY what you’re getting into. If you are a false, do not entry.
Still, Goatkraft are superlative for the bestial metal style, and prove it across the 30 thundering minutes of Prophet of Eternal Damnation. While the Ross Bay Cult doubtlessly provided the foundation for the bestial arts, it was the likes of progeny Black Witchery and Proclamation who made those arts more murderous and uncompromising. Likewise uncompromising, Goatkraft carry that sulfurous torch with their second full-length, delivering detonating screeds of grinding, expulsive black filth. If anything, their attack is even more unhinged than ever – bringing out the grindcore roots of the form, as it were – and solos and FX explode from nearly every direction, whipping forth a fury both punishing and possessing. The full-figure production only makes the experience that much more overwhelming.
No progression, no compromise, no hope: Goatkraft herald the Prophet of Eternal Damnation.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Herald of Death” here:
Tracklisting for Goatkraft’s Prophet of Eternal Damnation 1. Portal To Annihilation 2. Herald of Death 3. Bestial Black Metal Hordes 4. Filth Eradication 6. Prophet of Eternal Damnation 7. Death Psalm 8. Barbaric Hatred And Doom 9. Primal Instincts 10. Thermonuclear Genocide
Today, ancient black metallers Baxaxaxa stream the entirety of their second full-length album, De Vermis Mysteriis. Set for international release on September 1st via The Sinister Flame, hear Baxaxaxa‘s De Vermis Mysteriis in its entirety here:
De Vermis Mysteriis is a 42-minute journey that not only preserves that old flame Baxaxaxa lit with their esteemed 2021 debut album, Catacomb Cult, but delves much deeper inside their decades-old abyss. And so bearing zero connection to the modern world, the album throws you to a very dark, primordial place beyond time that is distinctively Baxaxaxa‘s own.
The seven tracks reek of death and obscurity with vicious vocals straight from beyond the grave, yet it feels genuinely fresh. From their trademark doomy and heavier passages to the more uptempo ones, Baxaxaxa‘s Ancient Black Metal is soaked in mysteries, magick, and utmost possession. The old evil is present in every note.
Fear the return!
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Baxaxaxa’s De Vermis Mysteriis 1. Seed of Golgotha 2. De Vermis Mysteriis 3. Kiss of Shame 4. Awaken, The Old Thing in the Ground 5. Above the Stellar Gateway 6. Decarnation Monument 7. Necrolatry Libation
Today, True Vampyric Metal Punks Spiter announce a headlining European tour set for this October. Titled “Satanik Overdose of Bats’ Blood European Tour 2023,” the tour is in support of the band’s celebrated debut album, Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood, released last summer by Hells Headbangers. Joining Spiter on the tour will be Satan Worship.
Says frontman/guitarist Richard Spider, “Spiter is eager to embark on our journey through oceans of time to the old world to perform our mystical rites of the True Vampyric Metal Punk. Bloody black magic and nocturnal debauchery shall be set in motion as the Acid Vampire Lords lead our conquest through Europe, carving our names on the tombstone of historic onslaught, unleashing the relentless Satanic Sonic Assault upon the masses.” Full list of confirmed dates as well as poster art are as follows:
05.10 OrwoHaus / Berlin (GER) 06.10 Escape Metal Corner / Vienna (AU) 07.10 Officina Amaranta / Fano (IT) 11.10 Freak Out / Bolonha (IT) 12.10 MC Apache / Fontaine L’Eveque (BE) 13.10 Musicon / Haia (NL) 14.10 Walrus / Groningen (NL) 15.10 Ragnarok Live Club / Bree (BE) 16.10 Le Club / Paris (FR) 17.10 Cafe De La Musique / Tours (FR) 18.10 Elpee / Deinze (BE) 19.10 Göppingen, Gaststatte Zille (GER) 20.10 Hydrozagadca / Varsovia (PO) 21.10 Fararova Sluj / Mlada Boleslav (CZ) 22.10 Parlamento / Plzen (CZ)
Featuring members of labelmates Shitfucker and Devil Master, Spiter made their recorded debut during the spring of 2021 with the Draconian Death Curse EP. Although it’d be semi-accurate to see the EP as a sonic union between Shitfucker and Devil Master, already Spiter exerted their own identity, ripping forth with a raw-yet-anthemic blend of cult blackthrash, obscure hardcore punk, and even the wildest deathrock. Immediately, the short-length garnered the band a great deal of attention.
The band picks up the tale: “Much like Dracula leaving Transylvania hell-bent on conquest, Richard Spider (Daemon Bitch of Shitfucker) moved to Philadelphia with the sole intent of forming Spiter. Alongside fellow magician Bat (Darkest Prince of Devil Master), and Philly punk drummer Snake (Disjawn), who was magically uncovered in a destined meeting, the lineup was complete. Following the path forged by the infernal and immortal Dragon, creating the True Vampyric Metal Punk in the name of our God and Father, Satan!”
Now armed with Hells Headbangers, Spiter’s first full-length fully displays the band’s considerable powers. More ripping, more anthemic, wilder and weirder and laded with a crisp-yet-crushing production, Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood will put the name Spiter on the tongues of all who worship the dark and depraved. The album features 10 songs in 36 minutes, swiftly and salaciously possessing the listener in a sanguine fury like few others. Each and every second literally explodes with electricity and excitement, Spiter frothing with blood – both others’ and their own – and seemingly drunk on their own undead energy. And each track is as immediately memorable as the last yet offering variety across that whirlwind landscape, commanding that listener to press “play” over and over…until it fucking hurts.
“Spiter has an unquenchable thirst for blood and glory,” sagely state the band – and on evidence of Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood, those black-leather wings will enwrap the world soon enough! Order info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Spiter’s Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood 1. Suicidal Blood Fucker 2. Phan 9. Spider Bitertoms 3. Tortured Soul 4. Transylvanian Night 5. Foreshadow 6. Living Nightmare 7. Full Satanic Power 8. Cursed Eternal 10. Debauchery
Profanatica have been wiping their ass with the Holy Scripture since the late ’80s.
Today, the Dark Lords of American Black Metal are releasing the third single off their upcoming new album. Listen to the official audio of “The Third Fall” here:
‘Crux Simplex’ is out on September 22 via Season of Mist. Pre-order the album HERE. Pre-save it HERE.
Here’s what Mayhemic Slaughterer of the Heavens Paul Ledney has to say about Profanatica’s new single: “The 9th station of the cross, Jesus falls for the third time because he was fucking weak. He tried to hasten his steps and now he hardly moves”.
Tracklist: 01. Condemned to Unholy Death (4:38) 02. Take Up the Cross (3:01) [LISTEN] 03. The First Fall (3:24) [LISTEN] 04. Meeting of a Whore (3:02) 05. Compelled by Romans (4:47) 06. Wipe the Fucking Face of Jesus (2:20) 07. The Second Fall (2:40) 08. Cunts of Jerusalem (3:35) 09. The Third Fall (4:18) [LISTEN] 10. Division of Robes (6:51) Total run-time: 00:36:76
PROFANATICA are at the vanguard of the first wave of American black metal. Founded and led by infamous master of black perversion Paul Ledney (drums/vocals), they have purveyed primeval blasphemy for nigh on thirty-three years.
Ledney formed the band from the ashes of the first INCANTATION lineup when he split and took with him all of the members sans John McEntee. That early trio of ex-INCANTATION members reeled off three ground-breaking demos of some of the most extreme and blasphemic metal of its time in rapid succession. The band flyers that permeated the tape-trading circuit were no less shocking and featured the trio bloody and naked and in the throes of what was most certainly a primeval summoning of some kind. In short order, they had inked a deal with the fledgling Osmose Productions for what became one of that labels first releases (Osmose release #5); a legendary split with Colombia’s MASACRE
Something so volatile could only last briefly, and after another brief recording session the band collapsed under the weight of its own extremity. but the recordings made in this two year window went on to see dozens of reissues in the coming decades, in a testament to how formidable and formative they are to the black metal scene worldwide.
After almost fifteen years spent with his equally polarizing solo project HAVOHEJ, Ledney reignited the flames of Profanatica in 2006. Reemerging with a new deal from Hells Headbangers, Ledney and his new band released ‘The Enemy of Virtue’, a collection of that vaunted early material, and a new full-length, ‘Profanatitas de Domonatia’. A triumphant return, ‘Profanatitas de Domonatia’ picked up right where these Kings of US Black Metal left off, delivering a savage stream of chainsaw guitars and relentless battery upon which they desecrated everything sacred.
This set-in motion another frenetic burst of work for Profanatica. The next decade saw them unleash four new full-length albums of blasphemous perversions, sacrilegious incantations, and furious black metal. In addition, the band issued six mini-albums and EP’s, a full DVD of early footage, and began touring internationally in Europe and in Central and South America. For the first time Profanatica were appearing near or at the top of the bill at festivals like MDF, Messe Des Mortes, Hells Headbash, Prague Death Mass (Czech Republic), Chaos Descends (Germany), Black Sun (Spain), Tyrant Fest (France), SWR Fest (Portugal) and many more.
In fall 2018, Profanatica joined forces with Season of Mist and undertook their biggest tour to date supporting WATAIN and ROTTING CHRIST across Europe. And a year later, the trio vomited forth a most vulgar strain of black metal ejaculate with their SoM debut album ‘Rotting Incarnation of God’.
The band embarked on an extensive twelve-country European headline tour in the album’s wake. Shortly after returning home that winter, the world ground to a halt in 2020. Save a live-streaming concert production for the legendary Rock al Parque in conjunction with BATUSHKA, little was heard from Profanatica.
That is until spring 2023, when Profanatica emerged from their den of iniquity on a European headline tour to promote a new album. ‘Crux Simplex’ is a ten-track offensive of sin and sacrilege, a nasty affront that bastardizes the first 10 stations of the cross. As per their legacy, Profanatica deals in bestial, first-wave black metal barbarity, and their eighth album unveils ungodly levels of bile and blasphemy.
Recorded at:Dead Lamb Studios
Mastered by: Arthur Rizk
Recording lineup –Mayhemic Slaughter of the Heavens (drums/vocals) – Destroyer of Holy Hymen (guitar/bass)
In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, on October 23rd, Memento Mori is proud to present Martyrdoom’s highly anticipated second album, As Torment Prevails.
Conceived in Warsaw back in 2010, Poland’s Martyrdoom went through some lineup changes until they established a solid formation in 2014, consisting of Sociak (vocals), Marol (guitar), Młynar (guitar / vocals), Artur (bass), and Wasyl (drums). With this lineup, in 2017 did they release their debut album, Grievous Psychosis, through Memento Mori. Blending complex, blastbeat-driven, darkened death metal with slow doom passages, the band drew their main influences from the likes of Obituary, Immolation, Rippikoulu, Autopsy, Demilich, Triptykon, Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, Hooded Menace, Grave, Disma, and Dead Congregation, but they spewed all those influences out with renewed vigor. As far as non-musical inspirations go, their lyrics mostly revolved around old-school horror/gore movies, personal struggles, and the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Bloodthirsty and dripping with menace, Martyrdoom are armed with a thorough knowledge of ancient death metal – still! – and they return to create something vile and unearthly with second album As Torment Prevails. Though six years might’ve passed between full-lengths, these Poles pick up exactly where they left off: eschewing all trends, trudging defiantly, and blasting their noxious blend of death metal and doom. If anything, As Torment Prevails dives deeper into the ancient past, sounding like a lost relic from 1992, including the striking cover art courtesy of Ryszard Wojtyński. And while doom no doubt forms a foundation for their sound, never do Martyrdoom sound sluggish here; their guitar sound alone is GUTTED, and the doom is definitely all in the feeling, for there’s plenty of off-the-charts energy here no matter what the tempo is. Those especially enamored with the ’90s works of Asphyx and Benediction will find tons to love here As Torment Prevails, as well as the early (and equally essential) records of Sinister and Hypocrisy. Concluding with a cover of Autopsy’s “In the Grip of Winter,” Martyrdoom don’t so much as turn back the clock as CRUSH it!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Katatonic Ascension of Cirrhosis” here:
. Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Martyrdoom’s As Torment Prevails 1. Voidcreeper 2. 93 3. Katatonic Ascension of Cirrhosis 4. Purtenance 5. Shedding of the Soul 6. Torment 7. Festering Existence 8. Garden of Flesh 9. In the Grip of Winter [Autopsy cover]
“He seemed to know what was coming – the monstrous burst of Walpurgis-rhythm in whose cosmic timbre would be concentrated all the primal, ultimate space-time seethings which lie behind the massed spheres of matter and sometimes break forth in measured reverberations that penetrate faintly to every layer of entity and give hideous significance throughout the worlds to certain dreaded periods.” (H.P. Lovecraft)
Shortly before the official release date BLUT AUS NORD premiere their nightmarish new album “Disharmonium – Nahab” . Listen here:
BAN‘s “Disharmonium – Nahab” shows an increased presence of deranged vocal mania, the eerie dynamics are vividly accentuated, the band’s unmistakable melodic power amplified and the guitars flow in tandem with splendidly lurching grooves like some Stygian wooze-tsunami.
As Jonathan Rosenthal puts it in Decibel magazine: “The band’s 15th proper album is a discordant, slinking beast, one that presents this long-standing act as the masters of their own style. […] This means a few things: 1) the album is impenetrably thick, 2) the album is impossibly weird, and 3) the album is incredibly singular.“
Originating in 1994 from the ashes of VLAD (who released two demos), BLUT AUS NORD are undisputable French Black Metal pioneers, always managing to progress and move forward, evolving in perpetual mutation, developing their own vision of Black Metal.
The album will be released on CD, vinyl, tape and digital along with merchandising on August 25th. Pre-orders for all items are possible from the label’s EU, US and Bandcamp stores.
Choosing, from the start, the total opposite path of regressive bands (who copy what others have done ten years earlier and ten times better), BLUT AUS NORD eschews all the inherent clichés belonging to the genre. BLUT AUS NORD‘s Black Metal approach is a fist in the face of mainstream mediocrity, becoming more macabre and sinister through a blend of innovative musical research, subliminal mental manipulation, and an incredible haunted, nightmarish feeling based on disharmony.BLUT AUS NORD are creators of a hallucinogenic universe, erasing all preconceived ideas of Black Metal – and extreme music in general. They redefine the rules…
In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, on October 23rd, Memento Mori is proud to present the long-awaited second album of The Netherlands’ Ecocide, Metamorphosis.
Ecocide was formed in Haarlem by Sten Govers, Bas Gijzen, and Rick Stikkelorum back in 2012, with Dennis Bikker joining in 2014. Their self-titled 2012 demo was basically thrash metal with a pinch of death metal thrown in for good measure and lyrical themes based on H.P. Lovecraft, ’80s horror, and sci-fi movies. Their 2013 debut album, Eye of Wicked Sight, saw the band shift their initial thrash metal sound into old-school death metal, taking the Floridian brand of Death, Obituary, and Massacre, adding some Swedish inspiration in the vein of Entombed, Grave, and Unleashed, pouring some Bolt Thrower heaviness, some Pestilence greatness, and throwing in an additional touch of thrash metal àla Slayer for a real homage to the golden days of yore, when death metal was memorable and riff-oriented to the hilt. The release of the album quickly attracted a bigger, international following, and the band started playing dozens of shows within and around the Netherlands. During these shows, they shared the stage with bands like Malevolent Creation, Sinister, Gorguts, and the legendary Bolt Thrower. After two lineup changes ,the band called it quits in 2015, returning briefly in 2017 to release a single titled “The Godhand,” and then again in 2020 to release another single, titled “Sleeper.” After releasing those two songs, the band remained dormant until 2023, when they announced their comeback and started working for the second album.
Now, at long last is that comeback already ready, fittingly titled Metamorphosis. Indeed, it’s been a full decade since their debut album, but Ecocide prove that LP#2 could’ve followed swiftly after the first: the band stick to their guns, and totally solidify their transformation into old-school death metal par excellence. While thrash riffs still abound, they’re fully integrated into the whole, supporting an unbelievably era-authentic Tampa style that could’ve come out in 1991. Ecocide‘s songwriting has also gotten stronger, shifting speeds with deftness and care, and placing a premium on earth-shuddering breakdowns. There’s always a linear flow to all that they do here on Metamorphosis, even when the riffing gets busier and the rhythms kick into overdrive; for the latter, the kick drums in particular impart that timeless “tornado” effect that made many a Morrisound recording so classic. Similarly, the production across the album is clear, crunchy, and classy, displaying technical finesse whilst keeping just the right amount of grit. And what to say of vocalist/guitarist Govers…well, an exceptionally CLASSIC death metal throat, powerful in his enunciation and creeping you the fuck out!
Completed by Costin Chioreanu’s horrifically abstract cover art, Ecocide make a grand return with Metamorphosis. Let’s hope it’s not another decade for LP#3!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “On the Shores of Madness” with a lyric video here:
Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ecocide (The Netherlands)’s Metamorphosis 1. Prologue 2. Metamorphosis 3. Terminus 4. Corrupted Reality 5. On the Shores of Madness 6. Vortex Singularity 7. Transcendence of the Mind 8. The Flayed 9. Amongst the Tombs
Today, Purity ThroughFire announces September 22nd as the international release date for a special album from Bergrizen, Orathania, on digipack CD format.
For 15 years now, Bergrizen have been standard-bearers for the new wave of Ukrainian black metal which honors the old. The work of one Myrd’raal, Bergrizen have released five studio albums and even a live album, nearly all of which have been released in some manner by Purity ThroughFire.
Now, some six years since that last studio album, Bergrizen prepare a unique full-length as a precursor to their next album. Titled Orathania, the record marks a new approach to creation for the band. Otherworldly to the max, Bergrizen‘s approach here is largely based on alternately stirring/soothing ambient with a touch of dark folk and fierce-yet-fleeting moments of black metal. Almost entirely instrumental with some blackened ululations, Orathania inhabits its own world and wholly transports the listener into this magical realm; it will take you on a journey through picturesque landscapes and ancient spirits, as every song represents the ethnocultural regions of Ukraine – the album title itself, actually, means the poetic name of Ukraine. The music was composed by the band’s drummer, except for some of the tracks that were taken from the archive of traditional Ukrainian music; Myrd’raal together with the guest musicians Olgerd (Kroda) and Ogrim (ex-Bergrizen guitarist, Wolftomb) also contributed to the album’s creation.
While we wait for the next regular Bergrizen album to be released by Purity ThroughFire, it should be noted that Orathania is more than just a stopgap recording: it is dedicated to their motherland Ukraine and the whole Ukrainian nation, which is unprecedently fighting for freedom.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Tavria Grace + River Ros’ Rocks” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Bergrizen’s Orathania 1. To the Coasts of Bessarabia 2. River Ros Rocks 3.1. Bukovina Landscapes 3.2. Carpathian Shield of Galicia 3.3. On the Way to Khust 4. Tavria Grace 5. Siveria Magic 6. The Winds of the Mines 7. Khortytsia the Heart of Power 8. Spring in Podil 9. Sloboda Ukraine in Winter 10.Polissya Forests and Volhynia Swamps
On October 27th, Invictus Productions and The Ajna Offensive will release Malokarpatan‘s highly anticipated fourth album, Vertumnus Caesar. Invictus will handle the album’s release for Europe while Ajna will handle its release for North America. To coincide with the release of Vertumnus Caesar, Malokarpatan‘s first three albums will be reissued on vinyl.
Formed in Bratislava, Slovakia anno 2014, Malokarpatan builds upon local traditions equally in the musical and thematical field. Continuing where legendary ex-Iron Curtain bands like Master’s Hammer, Tormentor, or Kat have left off and taking influence from macabre cultural history of the Carpathian region, the group has developed its own recognizable sound in a span of three albums released within five years. Live shows across Europe and North America have solidified their underground fanbase, and after a period of line-up changes, they are back, this time in a purely studio form with an ambitious conceptual work titled Vertumnus Caesar. Staying true to their fascination with local heritage, this album expands into the band’s Central European identity. Mapping the mysterious life of Emperor Rudolf II, infamous for his involvement in the esoteric arts, the album is an adventurous ride through the days of late renaissance hermeticism, an occult rock opera dimming the lines between first-wave black metal, classic heavy metal, and progressive rock.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Koár postupuje temnomodrými dálavami na juhozápad” here:
1. Na okraji priepaste otevíra sa hviezdny zámek (On the Side of the Abyss, the Starry Castle Opens) 2. Kočár postupuje temnomodrými dálavami na juhozápad (The Carriage Moves Southwest Through the Dark-Blue Distances) 3. Vertumnus Caesar 4. Vovnútri chlácholivého útočišta kunstkamru (Withinside the Kunstkammer’s Soothing Solace) 5. Panstvo salamandrov jest v kavernách zeme (The Mansion of Dragons Is in Caverns of the Earth) 6. Maharal a Golem (The Maharal and the Golem) 7. Mnohoraké útrapy milostpána Kelleyho (The Manifold Sufferances of Sir Kelley) 8. I hle, tak zachádza imperiálna hviezda (And Lo, Thus the Imperial Star Descends)
The renowned Swedish black metal band MARDUK is back with a new release entitled Memento Mori. Today, MARDUK release the video for their latest single “Shovel Beats Sceptre”. Watch it here:
As anticipation continues to build for Memento Mori, the PRE-ORDER has begun and the LP is available in the following formats:
Ltd. Deluxe Gatefold Ultra Clear-Black Splatter Vinyl With Alternative Cover Artwork (Incl. LP-Booklet, Art-Print & Poster) (Limited to 2,000 copies / All Outlets)
Red Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 300 copies / Available at Century Media Shop)
White Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies / Available via Century Media Shop)
Golden Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies / Available at Levykauppa ÄX, Bengans, Supreme Chaos)
Silver Gatefold Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies / Available at EMP & Nuclear Blast)
Black Gatefold Vinyl (All Outlets)
CD Mediabook (All Outlets)
Commenting on the album, MARDUK frontman Daniel Rostén shares: “Memento Mori is, all at once, a bold leap forward, a calculated sidestep, and a wistful backward glance. Meaning, we have broken new ground without forgetting our legacy or the journey that brought us to this point.”
Since their inception in the early ’90s, MARDUK has become one of the most influential and revered bands in the black metal genre. With a discography that spans over three decades, the band has consistently delivered uncompromising and aggressive music that resonates with metal fans worldwide. Memento Mori promises to be another groundbreaking chapter in their storied career, cementing their status as true legends of the genre.
MARDUK is: Daniel Rostén (Vocals) Morgan Hakansson (Guitar) Devo Andersson (Bass) Simon Schilling (Drums)
