Black Metal News

LADY BEAST stream DYING VICTIMS reissue

On April 26th internationally, Dying Victims Productions will reissue Lady Beast’s cult second album, Lady Beast II, on vinyl LP format. Hear Lady Beast’s Lady Beast II in its entirety here:

Since 2009, Lady Beast have been flying the flag for refined HEAVY METAL. The band hail from the Steel City of Pittsburgh, forming with firm influences ranging from Motörhead, Dio, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Mercyful Fate. From there, Lady Beast have weaved their own unique style of metal with silky-yet-sharp harmonizing guitars and the soaring, rally-the-warriors vocals of frontwoman Deborah Levine. All the while, they’ve retained their blue-collar roots but have never forgotten the majesty of metal in its earliest, most classic form: fantasy, magic, epic adventure, and of course ANTHEMS!

While the quintet have released four full-lengths to date, it was Lady Beast’s second album, 2015’s Lady Beast II, which could be viewed as their “breakout” moment. Released like their self-titled debut on their own Cobra Cabana Records, the original version of Lady Beast II was a vinyl edition limited to only 250 copies; the CD version followed later on Infernö Records, which closed a couple years ago. Thus, Lady Beast II has been criminally out of print, and Dying Victims will now rectify that with a new vinyl version featuring remastered sound and updated cover art. Whatever year you experience it, Lady Beast’s second album is a stormer, strutting and galloping with equal might, as instantly-hummable riffs prop up all these anthems-to-be whilst evincing a narrative flow that’s the quintessence of swords & sorcery. Of course, Levine’s vocals exude passion and power, pure & total EMOTION, and her performance here helped put Lady Beast atop of the keep-it-true pack. Raise your sword again or for the first time with this new vinyl version of Lady Beast II!

Aforementioned cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Lady Beast’s Lady Beast II
1. Heavy Metal Destiny
2. We Are the Witches
3. Bind the Runes
4. Caged Fury
5. Heroes of Our Time
6. Frost Giant’s Daughter
7. Forest of the Impaled
8. Lose to Win
9. Banshee

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/ladybeastofficial

www.dying-victims.de 
www.facebook.com/dyingvictimsproductions 

Norway’s UNHOLY CRAFT set release date for new PURITY THROUGH FIRE album, reveal first track – features members of SOLUS GRIEF, KVAD, HJEMSØKT+++

Today, Purity ThroughFire announces June 21st as the international release date for the highly anticipated third album of Norway’s Unholy Craft, Saa Mørkt, Saa Mektig, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Despite only forming in 2023, Norway’s Unholy Craft have already released two full-lengths as well as a split with Vorgfang – all in their first year. Such feverish activity, however, is not all that surprising when it comes to Peregrinus, who also numbers such concurrent cults (and labelmates) Solus Grief, Kvad, Hjemsøkt, and most recently Heraldic Blaze among his many endeavors. As always with Unholy Craft, the intention is to play super-traditional Scandinavian black metal as it was performed (“exclusively”) during the glorious 1990s.

And so, unsurprisingly (thankfully!), that is what one gets with Unholy Craft‘s third full-length, Saa Mørkt, Saa Mektig…or is it? A relatively unique entry in Unholy Craft‘s canon, Saa Mørkt, Saa Mektig features more fleshed-out songwriting transposed onto the band’s rawest soundfield to date. Indeed, where their previous records featured that cold & clipped style of production endemic to Norway in the mid ’90s, Saa Mørkt, Saa Mektig maintains a muffled, daresay warmer style of recording which helps elevate these more anguished & yearning compositions far beyond those treading the “raw black metal” Bandcamp boards. Deft shifts in tempo further help these eight new tracks hit harder, and when a simultaneously ascending / descending riff yawns forth from that void, the sum effect is stultifying. Thus, all told, while Unholy Craft continue to add to the hallowed tradition of Darkthrone’s Peaceville trilogy, Hat-fronted Gorgoroth, and the first Ancient album – or, going deeper, the very cult likes of Kvist, Sorhin, and Fimbulwinter – Peregrinus and company are taking subtly bolder strides into their own mythical snow with Saa Mørkt, Saa Mektig.

“So cold and full of splendor retracing steps to that which once was. Across frozen ground. Towards That which beckons and pulses in darkness. Swayed by that which befell all. Those that dwell beyond the reach of light. Night skies conquering, looming, over bleeding daylight.”

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Into the Cold Winter Night”  here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Unholy Craft (Norway)’sSaa Mørkt, Saa Mektig
1. Into the Cold Winter night
2. Saa Mørkt, Saa Mektig
3. Jærtegn
4. Evig Er Nattehimmelen
5. Betrayal, Wrath, Judgement
6. Den Siste Lange Sorg
7. La Asken Regne
8. The Nighttime Spear Piercing

MORE INFO:
www.1unholycraft.bandcamp.com 

www.purity-through-fire.com

NOX: new release from NEUROPA – features members of HEMELBESTORMER, ROPE SECT, LHAÄD+++

On June 7th internationally, Neuropa Records will release the striking debut album of pan-international duo Nox, Entity, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Nox is a brand-new project between Inmesher (Rope Sect) and Lykaios (Hemelbestormer, Lhaäd, Rituals of the Dead Hand). While both men are known for post-punk and metal, respectively, Nox sees them taking their first steps into the wider electro scene, wielding a similar-yet-different darkness to their more-renown bands. Elements of synthwave, industrial, and dubstep are chopped & screwed to their (DARK) design.

Entity is the duo’s debut album, comprising eight songs across 43 minutes of shimmering, mysterious energy. With pulsing but never-overpowering beats, in service of atmosphere as much as songwriting, Nox dive headlong into a mirror world of subtly torched tones – some scavenging among the gravel, even despite being electronic, while others ascend into the ether on wings of mesmerizing melody – where the listener is guided through moonlit back streets, crumbling edifices of modernity, and a strange sense of futurism that feels apocalyptic and enticing in equal measure. Atop it all are the hauntingly soothing vocals of Inmesher, narrating that listener’s journey (or perhaps narrating the hitherto-unexplored regions of his soul) and creating a unique disconnect that separates Nox from so many treading the hard-electro boards; Entity definitely isn’t the usual retrowave / outrun worship. Underlining this crucial link to humanity is the duo’s cover of Placebo’s “The Bitter End,” which is dubstep in form but something sublime in content.

Trainspotters will already know of Neuropa’s work with the scene stalwarts Carpenter Brut, which serves as a handy reference here, but Nox is equally recommended to fans of Crystal Castles, ADULT., Kavinsky, Sixth June, Kontravoid, or even Nine Inch Nails. Entity is but their first steps on this path…where will it end?

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Black Nebula” here:

Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Nox (Germany/Belgium)’s Entity
1. Black Nebula
2. Once Now Gone
3. Flesh and Bones
4. Escape the Light
5. Seven Days of Rain
6. The Bitter End (Dream Mix)
7. Broken Circle
8. The Triple Goddess

MORE INFO:
thenoxentity.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/thenoxentity

www.neuroparecords.com
www.facebook.com/neuroparecords 

Turkey’s ENGULFED stream new ME SACO UN OJO / DARK DESCENT album

Today, Turkish death metallers Engulfed stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Unearthly Litanies of Despair. Set for international release on April 19th – Me Saco Un Ojo Records will handle the vinyl release while Dark Descent Records will handle the CD and tape versions – hear Engulfed‘s Unearthly Litanies of Despair in its entirety here:

Formed in 2010 and with two EPs and a full length of supreme death metal under their belts, Turkish masters of brutality Engulfed return with their sophomore album.

Atmospherics, savagery, technicality, and morbidity. These four words should all spring to mind if you know Engulfed, and if you do not, get acquainted. Surging forth impenetrable waves of ferocity, this band spawns from the hotbed of extreme music that is Turkey. Their unfaltering bouts of blasting drums and convulsive riffing should have any fan of true death metal gripped from the get-go of this monstrous offering. Warped vocals and even-more-contorting instrumental work conjoins in malformed excellence to present some of the band’s fiercest tracks to date. If tremendous but hostile and savage music is what you seek, then read on and be a part of these Unholy Litanies of Despair, an album title promising exactly what is delivered.

Every second of this ruthless offering is a feast of vitriol, pulverizing all in the path of Engulfed’s unforgiving music: a rare example of a band whose technicality is not their downfall, relying on claustrophobic atmospheres and gargantuan levels of malice while playing superbly. The showmanship is tasteful and the songs never suffer for it, rather leaving you in awe of their undeniable talents which span the whole lineup. Moments of mournful gloom inject some dynamic into the total battery and mayhem, while the drive of this album is infallible and never loses momentum for a second, building tension and mood with its formidable and forceful delivery. Right until its dying breaths, Engulfed‘s new offering is a lesson in visceral death metal magnificence that must be learned by all. [text by Jørgen Sven Kirby, Nattskog webzine]

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Engulfed (Turkey)’s Unearthly Litanies of Despair
1. In the Abyss of Death’s Obscurity
2. Voidwalker’s Dominion
3. Echoes of Suffering
5. Blasphemous Despair
4. Infernal Desolation
6. Cursed Eternity
7. Ancient Abyssal Conquest
8. Occult Incantations

MORE INFO:

www.facebook.com/engulfedtr

www.mesacounojo.com
www.mesacounojo.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/mesacounojo

www.darkdescentrecords.com
www.darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/darkdescentrecords 

SELBST release “Despondency Chord Progressions”

“After so long I have discovered that some doors are not meant to be opened,
with all this suffering that I could have avoided in sight,
but I concurrently longed…” (‘Chant Of Self-Confrontation‘)

Since 2010, Latin American multi-instrumentalist and composer N. has been meticulously forging tumultuous and alienated Black Metal as SELBST. Following an initial demo tape and various splits/EPs, the band released two remarkable albums: “Selbst” (2017) and DMP-debut “Relatos de angustia” (2020). Now with the release of magnificent third opus, “Despondency Chord Progressions“, SELBST delve deeper still, refining and assertively navigating the complex currents of their already intricate sound.
Stream the album in its entirety through DMP‘s YouTube channel:

SELBST still rain down tumultuous hammer blows – their trademark ‘dissonant’ Black Metal intensity remains – but these now share equal space with elevated songwriting, assured vocal work, richly intricate musicality and mellifluous leads of the highest quality, glued together by a pristine drum performance from Jonathan Heredia (AVERSIO HUMANITATIS, ETERNAL STORM).

Mastermind N. comments on the release:

“I believe that previously my music was a bit more ‘linear.’ Now there is more presence of elements like clean vocals, there’s a track sung entirely in Spanish by myself (something that my first vocalist had done before), and I even dared to make a completely acoustic track (something that I had been considering for a long time). Recording this album was very interesting, and besides what I mentioned earlier, each song represented a different challenge, and the mood for each one was very special. Every release a band makes should be an experience to explore new elements and push their boundaries, in my opinion.“

SELBST‘s third album, “Despondency Chord Progressions,” is released on CD, vinyl, tape, and digital. A new t-shirt design accompanies the launch. Orders are possible through the label’s EU, US (no merch), and Bandcamp stores.

SELBST was formed 2010 in Venezuela by multi-instrumentalist/lyricist N and vocalist Frozen, releasing their initial demo “Veritas Filia Temporis” shortly afterwards. In 2016 N moved to Chile to search out new collaborators and opportunities. The resultant self-titled full-length, featuring vocals by N. Onfray of ANIMUS MORTIS, was released in 2017 to great underground acclaim.In 2018 N became SELBST‘s lead vocalist and the project turned into a fully-fledged live band, taking to the stage for the first time as the next step of their evolution. The band unleashed second album, “Relatos de Angustia“, in 2020 – a universally praised, deep and challenging record which rewarded repeat listens.SELBST subsequently honed their artistry and the band’s evolution into a formidable live act was marked by the 2023 digital release of live album, “Vortex Of Anguish And Death“.As SELBST reaches its 14th year, visionary N is now poised to reveal the band’s third and most compelling album yet. Titled “Despondency Chord Progressions,” this landmark release will emerge on April 19th through Debemur Morti Productions and further refines the intricate, shadowy depths of their already sophisticated sound.

|| Debemur Morti Productions ||

Website | EU shop | US shop

Facebook | Bandcamp | Youtube | Instagram

WINTER ETERNAL set release date for new HELLS HEADBANGERS album

Today, Hells Headbangers announces June 28th as the international release date for Winter Eternal‘s highly anticipated fourth album, Echoes of Primordial Gnosis, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

It was but the dawn of summer 2021 when Winter Eternal released their breakthrough album, Land of Darkness. The band’s third album overall and first with Hells Headbangers, Land of Darkness truly launched the name Winter Eternal onto the worldwide metal map with their absolutely authentic synthesis of 1997-vintage melodicism and mysticism. “Melodic black metal” before it became a dirty word, mainman Soulreaper proved that his heart pumped the blood of the ancients, recalling both ’90s Swedish and Hellenic scenes (the band originally formed in Greece, but later relocated to Scotland) but now with charisma and personality to spare. Above all, Land of Darkness bristled with stellar songwriting and impassioned playing – timeless black metal songcraft that can stacked alongside those old, hallowed tomes rather than simply drawing influence from them.

Now, two years later, Winter Eternal return with their boldest record yet: Echoes of Primordial Gnosis. While immediately recognizable as the same Winter Eternal that delivered the preceding modern classic, Echoes of Primordial Gnosis just-as-prominently displays a greater usage of dynamics, particularly those revolving around acoustic and clean-stringed instruments such as cello. Similarly, the still-impassioned playing has been giving an uptick in intensity and analog spirit through session drums by V. Nuctemeron (Sacral Rage, Chainsaw), lending warmth – nay, burning desire! – to the band’s ever-characteristic attack. Soulreaper, for his part, gives a masterclass in spiraling, twilit melodicism: hammering and mesmerizing at first, but his riffs become rippling layers of majesty and mayhem that seemingly echo back on each other, proving that there’s indeed complexity in simplicity of design. Add to this his anguished & emotive vocals, with guest clean vocals courtesy of Macabre Omen mainman Alexandros and Hildr Valkyrie, and the album’s overall concept fully comes into focus: calling forth the spirits of ancient gods and legendary heroes around the world, paying tribute to their timeless powers, with each song thematically focused on one such god or hero. Form meeting content, in every sense – and likewise for Mars Triumph’s symbolic cover artwork.

No longer the black metal underground’s best-kept secret, Winter Eternal step fully into the halls of greatness with Echoes of Primordial Wisdom.

In the meantime, hear the recently revealed track “The Serpent’s Curse” here:

Also hear the previously revealed “Two Heavens as One” HERE, also at Hells Headbangers‘ official YouTube channel. Preorder info can be found HERE. Aforementioned cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Winter Eternal’s Echoes of Primordial Wisdom
1. Echoes of Primordial Wisdom (Goddess Athena – Greece)
2. Two Heavens as One (Miyamoto Musashi – Japan)
3. Battle Cry (William Wallace – Scotland)
4. The Serpent’s Curse (God Bida – Uganda)
5. Voices (instrumental)
6. Bending the Fabric of Reality (Common Human)
7. Sacrifice for Glory (Iphigenia – Greece)
8. The Keeper of Sorrows (Goddess Oizys – Greece)

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/WinterEternalBand

www.hellsheadbangers.com
www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers 

CULT OF ERINYES set release date for new AMOR FATI album

Today, Amor Fati Productions announces May 24th as the international release date for Cult of Erinyes‘ highly anticipated fifth album, Metempsychosis, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Cult of Erinyes comes back with Metempsychosis, an album to set the band as a main force of inspired and unique black metal. As a conceptual album based on the delirum and the introspection one can live in front of Death, Metempsychosis contains only two pieces, but together clock to more than 43 minutes of relentless darkness.

The Cult makes a statement that will resonate throughout the older generations, but newer ones, as well: vicious leads; perfect dissonance; blastbeats by the beast himself, Ahephaïm from Sabathan; and one of (if not) the best vocal performances from Belgian madman Déhà. Corvus, once again, shows his genius in complex compositions, from violent black metal to “noir ambient,” that will bring you to the brink of Death.

Cult of Erinyes is not just one black metal band amongst others; it is a true force to be reckoned with. And Metempsychosis hammers the nails down. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Cult of Erinyes’ Metempsychosis

1. Death and the Voyage [22:23]
2. Eternity in a Second [21:09]


MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/cult.erinyes

www.amor-fati-productions.de 
www.amorfatiproductions.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/amorfatiprod

Mystical black metallers Magistraal stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut EP

Today, mystical black metallers Magistraal stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut EP, Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht. To be digitally self-released on April 16th – the EP will also be available through Zwaertgevegt on vinyl format as one half of a split release – hear Magistraal‘s Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht in its entirety  here:

Magistraal: a jet-black concoction sprung from the depths of the Shadow Mountains, fashioned in the gruesome sight of the eight hateful eyes of Shelob and beautified by the enchanting fingers of Fëanor, maestro of architecture. Cultivated by two opposing, ancient powers: she is mistress of the cold, dark, drizzly existence and embittered by a lonely exile, cast into a darkness where her shrill voice was banished for an eternity; he was a powerful designer of splendor, an inventor of works of art and a superior preserver of light, a perfectionist whose work proved to be a refuge for the apostate.

In reality, the duo – originating from the Netherlands – do not want to reveal much about themselves, comparing a presence in the scene to an enigmatic and mystical existence of black metal in the ’90s, reawakened in 2023. Magistraal is an expression of fantasy, dreamscapes, the power of imagination, emotion and kinship, audible in hidden lyrics underpinned by an atmospheric-yet-raw approach to workings in dark music.

The duo’s first expression is the EP Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht, penned and crafted in 2023. Here, Magistraal cultivate a wide arsenal of tempo, rhythm, and instrumental styles for the listener – where the title track “Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht” and the eruption of “Waar leed zich eeuwig voedt” are presented with overwhelming violence, the centerpiece of this allotment of music is a constructive opus of 11 minutes of growing madness in the form of “Mijn branded licht.” Dutch evil produced in three depraved episodes, each embracing its own godless theme, but which merge into a creeping, lugubrious muck.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Magistraal’s Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht
1. Waar leed zich eeuwig voedt [5:21]
2. Mijn brandend licht [11:29]
3. Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht [4:37]

MORE INFO:
www.magistraal.bandcamp.com

TORTURERS’ LOBBY premiere new track

Today, nasty metallers Torturers’ Lobby premiere the new track “Reptilian Hide”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Deadened Nerves, which is now set for international release on June 14th: Caligari Records will release the CD and cassette tape versions while Ixiol Productions will release the vinyl version. Hear Torturers’ Lobby‘s “Reptilian Hide” in its entirety here:

Hailing from Tampa, Torturers’ Lobby began as a three-piece band with Tim Anderson on drums, Ryan Conway on bass, and Evan Dawson, on guitar/vocals. After the Again debut demo in 2021, Adam Shaw joined as a dedicated vocalist. With this lineup, the band recorded the Crisis of Faith Rehearsal, which was released later in 2021. The following year, the 7″ EP Man in Zwugzang was released, and Anderson left the band after the subsequent Kinetic Disapproval rehearsal, which featured some early versions of songs that would be on Torturers’ Lobby‘s eventual debut album, Deadened Nerves. Dwane Nihiser replaced him, and that debut album is the first release with him playing drums.

Now at last here and their lineup firm, Deadened Nerves announces Torturers’ Lobby‘s arrival with devastating punctuation. A metal record for metal people, the band’s first full-length doesn’t kowtow to genre conventions – death metal, black metal, thrash, and even juiced-up traditional metal all get diced and sliced into their cranky cauldron – nor does it get overly “clever” and pay lazy lip service to a please-everybody middle ground. No, Torturers’ Lobby simply go for the throat quickly and without compunction, rushing forth with an urgency of approach and physicality that’s tangible – truly, this is a whole band playing together instead of punched-in parts – but soon twist the knife in myriad ways. And that’s perhaps the trump card of Deadened Nerves: violent and off the rails it might often be, but there’s a diabolic logic to the angular shapes Torturers’ Lobby throw, a strive to elevate songwriting to something at once palpitating and mind-bending, careening and in control. RIFFS are aplenty, and the production’s thick and scuzzy yet fully pro, and Shaw’s vocals keep apace with acerbic annunciation. 

“Truly, we just wanted to create unique music we haven’t heard, yet want to listen to,” state the band. “It’s very difficult to nail down what we play, and we like it that way. We worship no specific style, as the greats have already done it, so there is no sense in recreating some watered-down parody of it. We just wanted to be different and pursue something new, a different direction in violent ‘underground’ music. We have jokingly referred to our sound as ‘Florida shitkicker.'”

Still, there’s no joking around on Deadened Nerves. The lyrics match the severity of its music, focusing on actual events and societal ails. “We do not write silly songs about juvenile notions of ‘evil,’ the ‘occult,’ or fictitious gore,” the band continue. “We strive to turn humanity to face its grotesque reflection and reconcile with its own evil and misguided obsession with cruelty, morbidity, and lack of independent thought. This is a real reflection of the decaying world around us, though we are not seeking to advocate for it.”

Nasty, authentically underground, but not bogged down by too-cool borders, Torturers’ Lobby shitkick past, present, and future with Deadened Nerves.

Also hear the previously revealed “Reaper’s Impunity” HERE at Caligari‘s Bandcamp, where the CD and tape versions can also be preordered. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Torturers’ Lobby’s Deadened Nerves
1. Dawning
2. Barbaric Alchemy
3. Chromosomal Devastation
4. Captured Pieces
5. Reaper’s Impunity
6. Hypnotic Seeds Sown
7. Humanity’s Husk
8. Re-education
9. Enduring Spirit
10. Reptilian Hide

MORE INFO:
www.torturerslobby.bandcamp.com

www.caligarirecords.com
www.facebook.com/caligarirecords
www.caligarirecords.bandcamp.com 

www.ixiol.com 

ANCIENT GUARD set release date for IRON BONEHEAD debut mini-album, reveal first track – features RUNESPELL member

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces June 14th as the international release date for Ancient Guard‘s striking debut mini-album, Nightfall Enthroned, on CD and 12″ vinyl formats.

Ancient Guard is a new creation of Nightwolf, renown for pagan black metal vanguard Runespell. As expected, his unmistakable mastery is all across Nightfall Enthroned, Ancient Guard‘s first public work. A surprisingly vast mini-album at four songs in 31 minutes, Nightfall Enthroned is immersive to the extreme and almost soothing in its continually cresting swell of sumptuous black metal mysticism. While Runespell‘s no-less-grandiose sound is oft given to bouts of bloodlust and battle rage, Ancient Guard is pure magisterial march & might as can be expected of such a moniker. And Nighttwolf’s knack for mesmerizing melodicism holds true here, as well, but if one could make distinctions in this regard, it’s that Nightfall Enthroned swirls about to a spacious-yet-thick foundation that’s equal parts stargazing wonder and weight-of-the-universe terror – an infinitely compelling canvas equally suited to adrift dreamers and austere realists alike. Followed by the acoustic lament “Eld,” the synth-heavy epic “A Moonscape Abyss” says exactly everything it needs to about Ancient Guard: awaken to Nightfall Enthroned!

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “A Moonscape Abyss”  here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ancient Guard’s Nightfall Enthroned
1. Dominion of Primordial Darkness [11:40]
2. Sepulchral Damnation [9:04]
3. A Moonscape Abyss [7:29]
4. Eld [2:45]

www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions