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:
Today, New Zealand dreadnought Heresiarch stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Edifice. Set for international release on April 12th via Iron Bonehead Productions, hear Heresiarch‘s Edifice in its entirety here:
For over 15 years now, New Zealand’s Heresiarch have patiently crafted a body of work that has come to transcend their early influences. Though lineups have shifted during that time, led by founding vocalist N.H. and enhanced by guitarist C.S. in 2013, Heresiarch have wisely taken their time with recordings and prized quality over quantity. The band’s debut album, Death Ordinance, arrived in 2017 after a trio of savage short-lengths. A new rhythm section took root following that album’s release, and a couple splits in the ensuing years honed their doomed ‘n’ barbaric sound into something more molten and ominous.
And now arrives that megaton payload of devastation, Heresiarch‘s second album, elegantly titled Edifice. If there were any doubts that the band were but yet another toneless ‘n’ tired “war metal” troupe, the New Zealanders trounce any and all trepidation with exceptionally seismic songwriting. Here on Edifice, the parameters of Heresiarch‘s sound – death metal muscle, black metal atmosphere, grindcore aggression – are all in devastating harmony, creating a hydra-headed beast that betrays a wealth of true-yet-twisted ideas. More than just safely evading easy categorization (which is often mere doublespeak for “pleasing all constituents”), the quartet lay bare a landscape of texture titanic in its heft and foreboding in its effect, seamlessly winding through minefields both sonic and psychic and eventually culminating in a grandiose two-part finale in the equally compellingly titled “Hubris and Decline” and “Militate Pyrric Collapse.” For sure, Heresiarch sound as martial as ever, but the lava now flows in palatably unique ways, all without compromising their core aesthetic. Indeed, one could say they’ve finally found order through chaos.
The possibilities of life’s destruction are endless for those who wander before Heresiarch‘s Edifice.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Heresiarch’s Edifice 1. Forged Doctrine 2. Manifest Odium 3. Noose Above the Abyss 4. Gloryless Execution 5. Tides of Regression 6. A World Lit Only By Fire 7. Swarming Blight 8. Mystic and Chaos 9. Hubris and Decline 10. Militate Pyrrhic Collapse
Today, Hells Headbangers releases Fluids‘ highly anticipated fourth album, Reduced Capabilities, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats. On the occasion of this surprise announcement,they stream the album in its entirety. Hear Fluids‘ Reduced Capabilities in its entirety here:
Since 2018, Arizona’s Fluids have been prolifically polluting the underground with their remorselessly disgusting brand of goregrind. While they no doubt made an impact with their first two full-lengths, 2019’s Exploitative Practices and 2020’s Ignorance Exalted, it was the myriad short-length assaults where Fluids truly made their loudest / lewdest declaration of total goregrind purity: knuckle-dragging, ignorant, and intensely foul ‘n’ filthy. Come / cum 2021, Fluids would join Hells Headbangers‘ dysfunctional family and release their grand-reckoning third album, Not Dark Yet, followed by a vinyl reissue of their Fluids of Death compilation and, a year after that, the all-new Fluids of Death 2 compilation. And still, the toilet was not empty…
Now, the sewers erupt again and Fluids expel their fourth full-length, Reduced Capabilities. Immediately, the full force of Fluids is felt – a characteristic stream of slimy, speculum-spreading, all-caps GOREGRIND in the grand, drum-programmed ‘n’ fuzz-toned tradition of godfathers Mortician – but more so is Reduced Capabilities the band at their most stripped-down. No intros, no samples – rather, a rugged & raw and totally streamlined approach to the foulness that is Fluids. Sublime simplicity defined, and then defiled: nothing but blasting and slamming, slamming and blasting, blasting and blasting, and slamming and slamming. Reduced Capabilities also marks the first album with newer vocalist David Duran, who plumbs the absolute depths of his throat whilst evincing slightly more articulation than most goregrinders. And then, surprise of all surprises, Fluids end the album with a cover of Moby’s “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters,” which actually isn’t so shocking given the band’s past dalliances in filmic atmospheres.
“Less is more,” more or less, and Fluids trim the fat with Reduced Capabilities!
Order info can be found HERE. Cover and artwork are as follows:
Tracklisting for Fluid’s Reduced Capabilities 1. Poached 2. Marrow 3. Grifted 4. Rendered (Gastronomically) 5. Measured Antipathy 6. Generational Taint 7. Soot 8. Devalued 9. Reduced Capabilites 10. Parted 11. Unresponsive 12. God Moving Over the Face of the Waters [Moby cover]
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces June 14th as the international release date for Kerasfóra‘s highly anticipated debut album, Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
In the summer of 2021, Kerasfóra quietly released their debut EP, Denn die Todten reiten schnell, on CD and cassette in their native Chile. An obsidian gem like few others in the nowadays black metal scene, its mesmerizing mysticism sounded utterly ancient, but it didn’t nod too conspicuously nor too often to any ’90s touchstones. For that reason – and many others, so copious were its charms – Iron Bonehead released it worldwide on vinyl in early 2022.
However, for awe-inspiring as that record often was, Kerasfóra‘s debut album is set to eclipse that and everything else within the wider black metal scene. Titled Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold, indeed does the album comprise six immersive, none-more-mesmerizing songs, each one once again evoking forgotten realms and vast vistas of wonder. And yet, here does the one-man Kerasfóra strike upon bolder or at least more rarefied territory with his inscrutable usage of synths: whereas so many black metal bands, past and present, use synths as a blanket of atmosphere – often unobtrusively, for fear of “un-true” accusations – the selfsame mainman puts them front and center across these Six Nights, carrying each song’s main melody with an almost-demonic lullaby style. It’s difficult, then, to compare that synth usage / prominence to Kerasfóra‘s contemporaries; one would likely have to dig deep into the realm of old psychedelia and krautrock in the ’70s or the first caustic rumblings of post-punk at the dawn of the ’80s to locate a proper analog(ue). Which is all to say that, somehow, Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold manages to be more BLACK METAL than all and sundry: menacing and majestic, wonderfully weird and wildly singular. That Kerasfóra‘s guitar tone is even thicker and his gait grimmer and more lumbering here simply make the album an even grander achievement.
Kerasfóra‘s first EP might’ve evoked the likes of Grimorium Verum, Vobiscum Inferni, and early Hetroertzen as far as displaying a different face for South American black metal brewed in the cauldrons of olde, but with Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold, it’s not unjust to say that the man created a modern classic of spaced-out rawness.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Of Serpent and Return” here:
Tracklisting for Kerasfóra’s Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold 1. Of Night and Fire [6:51] 2. Of Omniscience and Mystery [5:08] 3. Of Consternation and Ecstasy [4:07] 4. Of Enlightenment and Fall [5:06] 5. Of Darkness and Confusion [4:37] 6. Of Serpent and Return [5:34]
Today, American black/death institution Crucifier stream the entirety of their highly anticipated third album, Led Astray. Set for international release on April 12th via Iron Bonehead Productions, hear Crucifier‘s Led Astray in its entirety here:
One of the longest-running entities in the American underground, Crucifier was formed in 1990 by vocalist/drummer Cazz Grant. While myriad lineups would come and go – and the band’s eventual debut album, Stronger Than Passing Time, wouldn’t be released until 2003 – Crucifier have kept consistent to their blasphemous, blackened death metal style steeped in the truly ancient and most underground ways.
Now, two years after their weird & wild Say Your Prayers mini-album, Crucifier align with Iron Bonehead once again for the release of their third full-length, Led Astray. Taking the wandering yet fully locked-in songwriting of that mini to its ultimate conclusion, Led Astray is a masterclass in memorable, METAL riffing and twisted rhythmic thrust. As is their signature, Crucifier sound positively primal here but never primitive; while these nine screeds of blasphemy might confuse or insult normcore listeners, there’s an extremely considered & calculated delirium behind their blackened devilry. As such, the “tight looseness” that’s characterized Crucifier‘s work to date gets sharpened to an enviable degree as these nine labyrinths surge and storm with a paradoxical / perverse sense of class. Credit the latter largely to the jaw-dropping dual lead-work across Led Astray: an element that’s been bubbling in the Crucifier cauldron for years, but which really reaches a superlative level here. Of course, Grant’s vocals are as diabolic as ever, seemingly coming from every direction and hackle-raising in their articulation.
Crucifier hereby have delivered a modern classic of blackened death metal in Led Astray!
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Crucifier (USA)’s Led Astray 1. Smite… 2. Feed the Furnace 3. In Hircine Splendor 4. Biers of Catholic Bones 5. With Cornu and Peccant Breath 6. Trafficking with the Devil 7. Serenaded by the Angels’ Shrills 8. Harbingers of Apollyon 9. An Endeavour of Rats
Today, Hells Headbangers announces May 10th as the international release date for Funeral Storm highly anticipated second album, Chthonic Invocations, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
It was but 2019 when Funeral Storm made their grand entrance onto the international metal stage with their acclaimed debut album, Arcane Mysteries, courtesy of Hells Headbangers. While their history goes back to 2001, activities didn’t begin in earnest until 2012, and hard graft became their watchword. But it was Arcane Mysteries that majestically consolidated all of Funeral Storm‘s considerable promise into one grand statement of classic Greek black metal in an authentically early ’90s style. It certainly didn’t hurt that that debut album featured Varathron founder Necroabyssious on vocals. Two years came a split 7″ with Greek comrades Synteleia, appropriately titled The Ancient Calling, also courtesy of Hells Headbangers.
That split featured a scaled-back lineup of Necroabyssious and guitarist Arcania and founding guitarist / bassist / drum-programmer Wampyrion, and thus fortified does Funeral Storm‘s second full-length follow. Likewise appropriately titled, Chthonic Invocations further explores the steadfast theme of the Cthulhu mythos. More specifically, Funeral Storm‘s second album in general focuses on death, in every form, for Arcania and Wampyrion were totally isolated during the lockdown and Necroabyssious was heavily infected with Covid-19 to a point where the band didn’t know what would happen. However, after he was healed, Necroabyssious delivered an exceptionally aggressive performance, suiting to his bandmates’ more surging yet more mystical music. Truly, Chthonic Invocations sounds like Funeral Storm 666%, and harkens even further into the ancient past: to say that the album could’ve been released in 1993 on Unisound is an understatement to end all understatements. But again, just like its full-length predecessor, Chthonic Invocations easily avoids lazy “throwback” status on both the strength of its songwriting and its era-authentic synths, handled by both Arcania and Wampyrion.
Featuring another awe-inspiring cover courtesy of Markus Vesper (Denial of God, Manilla Road, Attic), with Chthonic Invocations do Funeral Storm once again triumphantly revive atmospheric tartaric black metal in the vein of the old Hellenic scene. The old ones have been summoned!
In the meantime, hear the previously revealed track “The Void” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Aforementioned cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Funeral Storm’s Chthonic Invocations 1. Whispers From The Beyond 2. Behold The Dark 3. The Void 4. Funeral Pyre 5. The Epitaph Of The Dead 6. The Covenant Of Old 7. Mistress Of The Night (The Gathering Begins) 8. The Calling Of The Father
Today, Finnish black metallers Kratti premiere the new track “Haudanvvartija”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Matka Kohti Kosmista, set for international release on May 1st via Signal Rex. Hear Kratti‘s “Haudanvvartija” in its entirety here:
Kratti are a power-trio hailing from the infinitely fertile Finnish black metal underground. They made their public demo with the accurately titled Demo 2023. Despite their apparent newness, Kratti are undeniably old souls as far as black metal goes, and they fully assert their ancientness with the full-length debut, Matka Kohti Kosmista.
While so much Finnish black metal for the past couple decades has been influenced by the hands of Shatraug or a certain Warmaster, Kratti cast their gaze upon some of the scene’s culter or less-fully-realized likes, such as antagonistic paragons Impious Havoc or the short-lived Syöpä. Which is to say, Matka Kohti Kosmista is NOT for trendy ears, and unapologetically whips forth a nastiness that’s shot through with melancholy – hypnotically hummable riffs spiraled to the point of delirium, but built upon a stern ‘n’ stoic foundation of linear, deceptively epic songwriting. Even with the hysteric surge at which Kratti move most of the time, atmosphere is built from within, their flat-yet-full production choice working as another instrument and rendering their miasmic musings that much more pained and poignant. Plus, occasional daubs of moonlit synth further separate band and record from normcore “black metal” non-ideals.
For those nostalgic for a more Sombre age, Kratti have created a transportive spell with Matka Kohti Kosmista.
Feel more nostalgia with the previously revealed “Ääni Hiljaisuuteen Katoava” HERE at Signal Rex‘s Bandcamp. Cover and tracklisting are as follows
Tracklisting for Kratti’s Matka Kohti Kosmista 1. Pyhä Alttari 2. Haudanvartija 3. Matka Kohti Kosmista 4. Sota Viimeinen 5. Ääni Hiljaisuuteen Katoava 6. Synkissä Muistoissa
oday, Purity ThroughFire announces May 24th as the international release date for the long-awaited second album of Finland’s Nightside, Death From the North, on digipack CD and vinyl LP formats.
Finland’s Nightside were originally founded in 1996, in Turku. A cult band by nearly every definition, they soon set about a stream of short-length releases over the next three years, finally culminating in their 2001 debut album, The End of Christianity. Their sound was strikingly of the times, just as their native country was beginning to assert its dominance in the underground. However, by 2003, Nightside effectively split up and all members continued on with other bands.
Then, in 2021, Nightside returned with a new lineup that still contained two original members, and they played a comeback gig in early 2022 at the Turku Saatanalle fest. Soon after that, some new songs were written. Of them, three new songs were performed live for the first time in early December 2022 and, a week after that, recorded as a demo to showcase what the band’s all about nowadays. This manifested in Lions (Demo 2023), which Purity Through Fire released in April of that year. Despite the “demo” appellation, Lions contained superlative quality within, not to mention sharpened, era-authentic production courtesy of Kryptamok‘s Hex Inferi. An auspicious comeback recording as any, setting the stage for Nightside‘s long-awaited second album…
Now, at LONG last is it here, bearing the make-no-mistake title of Death From the North. Picking up exactly where Lions left off – or, indeed, The End of Christianity – Nightside‘S second album shows that the fire of old burns brighter than ever. Just like that short-length predecessor, Death From the North could be a veritable throwback to the late ’90s, if not for the absolutely invigorating passion presented across these 42 windswept moments. Indeed, Nightside reap a whirlwind of mystical magisterial energy here, with grim splendor to spare: forthrightly melodic riffing rips the soul asunder, rhythms underneath surge and coil with malevolent intent, the vocals of founding frontman Serpent spit invective and acid, and the subtle-yet-overt synths of wrap majestically around the icy spires the sextet so effortlessly erect. Once again, Hex Inferi helps harness this magickal assault with sterling clarity, never sacrificing grit whilst allowing each awe-inspiring layer to breathe its fullest breaths. “Fuck off melodic black metal”? FUCK YOU!
In today’s “black metal” landscape, records like Death From the North might seem antiquated or anachronistic. To suggest such betrays the dearth of authenticity in the Bandcamp era. Undeterred, Nightside righteously return from their slumber as the new kings of old!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new title track “Death From the North” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Nightside (Finland)’s Death From the North 1. Death from the North 2. The Crumbling Tower 3. Disciples 4. There Won’t Be Another Dawn 5. Dying Sun 6. Gates of Hell 7. Lions 8. Solitude
Amidst Wardruna´s song-writing hibernation, the group resurfaces to offer a taste of their next album with the single release and music video for the song Hertan. The song is available on all digital streaming platforms now.
Einar Selvik comments on the new song: ““Hertan” is the proto-Scandinavian word for “heart” and that is exactly what we explore in this song and film. The duality of the heart with the rhythm, flow and pulse we can see, hear, and feel in nature and in all forms of life – and the more abstract idea of the heart, The rudder on the ship of emotions, our decisions, and our true desires.”
Once again, Wardruna teamed up with Finnish director and photographer Tuukka Koski for the video production of Hertan. Koski has previously directed Wardruna´s videos for Raido, Voluspá, and Grá. This time, the production mainly took place during some freezing nights in northern Finland at the island of Hailouto.
Einar about the video shooting process: “It is always a true pleasure to create art with Tuukka and his colleagues at Breakfast Helsinki! His experience and eye for detail as well as the ability to always conjure up next-level material, is very inspiring to be part of. Three days, three locations, no sleep but a lot of heart. This is how it went down. Hope you will enjoy the result!”
Hertan Cover | Picture by Tuukka Koski | Design by Øivind Myksvoll
ABOUT WARDRUNA
Hertan, the proto-Scandinvian word for heart, is steeped in Wardruna tradition. With this new song, Wardruna announce the beginning of a vibrant new cycle, pulsating with life. The song explores the rhythm of pulse, a flow visible in all forms of life and in nature, and the heart as the rider of decisions.
Making room for something new to come into being, the Norwegian group ends the Kvitravn touring cycle in a remarkable way. During the autumn equinox on September 21, 2023, Wardruna performed at the world heritage site Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Acropolis, Athens. The event sold out quickly, with fans from all over the world attending.
The concert at the Acropolis is the culmination of an intense period of touring, with successful shows in the United States, Norway, Iceland and the United Kingdom. In 2022, Wardruna headlined the festivals Wacken Open Air in Germany and Hellfest Open Air in France and saw the group perform at historic sites, such as Ancient Theater in Plovdiv and Castle Devin, Bratislava during the Nordic Night Tour. In 2023, the second leg of the Kvitravn touring cycle took place throughout the summer with Wardruna playing (festival) shows in Germany, France, The Netherlands and a concert at Borgholm Castle in Sweden.
At the heart of Wardruna lies the vision of sowing new seeds and strengthening old roots, a concept that main composer Einar Selvik, Lindy-Fay Hella and former member Gaahl bought to life in 2009. The first three albums formed the Runaljod trilogy and featured musical renditions based on the Nordic runes. Each of the three releases focused around eight of the twenty-four Proto-Norse runes, more commonly known as the Elder Futhark. The trilogy consists of Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga (2009), Runaljod – Yggdrasil (2013), Runaljod – Ragnarok (2016).
After years of acoustic concerts and lectures, performing Wardruna songs and creations made for the TV-show Vikings, Einar Selvik recorded Skald (2018). The album was recorded live with the intention of capturing the raw and uncompromising energy of the live performance. It set out to give a voice to the ancient craft that once lay at the foundation of the Norse oral traditions, presented as it takes shape in the hands of a humble contemporary skald today.
Wardruna’s fifth full-length Kvitravn (White-Raven) was released in January 2021. The album musically continues where the Runaljod trilogy left off, yet it marks a distinct evolution in the group’s sound. Throughout eleven songs, Kvitravn discusses Northern sorcery, spirit-animals, shadows, nature and animism, the wisdom and meanings of certain myths, various Norse spiritual concepts, and the relation between sage and songs. The record charted in 13 countries, including #1 in Canada and Austria, and #2 in Germany. A year later, the band presented a virtual live experience in the form of First Flight of the White Raven, also landing in the official German Album Charts.
The period between First Flight of the White Raven and Hertan, is not without creative output. A new rendition of Voluspá (live with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra) came out in June 2023. Einar Selvik also performed on national Norwegian television with electronic dance music DJ Matoma and joined Faroese singer-songwriter Eivør and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra for a symphonic concert series. One of the duets, Voluspá (live with Eivør) shall be released physically on Record Store Day in April 2024, in the United States, Canada and Germany. Now a new cycle begins with Hertan and Wardruna soon announce new live dates in support of this new release.
As a live band Wardruna operates in various constellations of personnel but the standard configuration the last years has been as follows:
Discography Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga (2009) Runaljod – Yggdrasil (2013) Runaljod – Ragnarok (2016) Skald (2018) Kvitravn (2021) Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven (2022)
Today, Chaos Records announces May 31st as the international release date for Abreaktion‘s striking debut EP, Bornhatred, on CD format.
Hailing from the cult-metal hotbed of Chile, Santiago’s Abreaktion are a thrash metal band founded in mid-2023 in by guitarists Roran Fatehatred and Javier Salgado and bassist Sebastián Logan. After only a few months of rehearsing, the band began recording their first EP at Lion’s Roar studio, which would be titled Bornhatred. At the end of the same year, the band released the first single from this EP, titled “Pyromaniac,” opening the way for some live performances that are still ongoing.
As a first strike, Bornhatred is deadly. Red-eyed and rabid with just a tinge of ’80s-style death metal, Abreaktion‘s first EP flies fast and free and fiercely, largely eschewing the usual Bay Area or German tropes for the culter likes of Sacrifice, Artillery, Holy Terror, and Atrophy. That they conclude Bornhatred with a cover of Dark Angel’s “Welcome to the Slaughterhouse” simply underlines their devotion to classic ’80s thrash and even its deathrash variants: no more but definitely no less, Abreaktion are thrash metal maniacs making thrash metal for other thrash metal maniacs.
After a series of lineup changes, the Abreaktion lineup is finally established with Roran Fatehatred (guitar/vocals), Javier Salgado (guitar), Edu (bass), and Andrés “Ratanás” Vega (drums). Already, with this already with stability in the lineup, they’ve begun working on demos of new songs for what will be their first full-length. In the meantime, fucking THRASH with Bornhatred!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Empty Promises” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover artwork, courtesy of Alex Aguayo, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Abreaktion’s Bornhatred
1. Empty Promises 2. Pyromaniac 3. Amnesia Chronicle 4. Mental Torture 5. Welcome to the Slaughterhouse [Dark Angel cover]
