Black Metal News

Latest Releases from Swedish Melodic Black Metal Band NETHERBIRD

NETHERBIRD sprung into existence October 30th 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden when Nephente, Bizmark and Grim decided to start collaborating. The was goal was to create harsh metal with influences from both black and death metal without any regard or limitation when it comes to style or even line up.

The first full-length Netherbird album, when it came out in 2008, was well received by the media and attracted a large group of fans. Due to the production being pretty heavy on keyboards and gothic elements, the band quickly gained popularity among the appreciators of gothic-influenced extreme- and sympho-black metal. The Ghost Collector is a promise of something grand and ambitious, it is a clear proof that Netherbird were always a band with a bigger vision; and it paves a solid path to the success of their recent, more atmospheric records. This album is an inspired complex venture, combining both the earliest tunes written by Netherbird co-founder Grim and songs created by the band’s main composer Bizmark between 2004 and 2008, with vocalist Nephente’s profound and imaginative lyrics crowning them. A massive guild of guest musicians that took part on the recording sessions adds to the versatility of instrumentation and stylistic diversity of the record.

Originally recorded in several sessions, this album was guested by renowned pillars of metal scene such as Adrian Erlandsson (At The Gates, The Haunted), Janne Saarenpää (The Crown), Brice Leclercq (Ages, ex-Satyricon, ex-Dissection) and Daniel “Mojjo” Moilanen (Katatonia, Lord Belial) among others, which makes it a remarkable collection of songs with a wide range of styles. Having been sold out for many years, The Ghost Collector is now being reissued by Black Lodge Records. The re-release is scheduled for the 5th of May, 2017, and comes with a new cover art as well.
Official music video for THE BLACKEST BREED by NETHERBIRD off their album, THE GHOST COLLECTOR

A broad retrospective of all rarities, covers and non-album tracks throughout Netherbird history, Hymns from Realms Yonder is a must-have for every collector. Tunes that were once available as digital releases only have now been gathered into one CD summarizing the band’s creative journey through the first decade of its existence. Written and recorded during different session and lineups, these songs present a staggering sonic rollercoaster when it comes to their sound, tone and atmosphere, at the same time remaining recognizable and keeping all the distinctive elements that made Netherbird who they are today.

Original tunes (single b-sides as well as limited EP’s material) are neighboured by several cover versions of renowned classics of metal and obscure alternative, including Annihilator, Paradise Lost, and Sentenced. Vika Yermolyeva’s masterpiece piano rendition of Pillars of the Sky is definitely a rare gem to crown the album. The album was released on 7th of April, 2017, via Black Lodge Records.

FUNERAL TEARS Russian Funeral Doom New Album Out Now

Russian one man Funeral Doom Project FUNERAL TEARS released its third full length “Beyond the Horizon” via Satanath Records & Cimmerian Shade Recordings; bandcamp exclusively streamed the album, which can be found at this location

Initiated from Tomsk, Russia during December, 2007, Funeral Tears is the solo Funeral Doom project of Nikolay Seredov (leader of bands like Стахановцы [Stakhanovite] and Taiga). Dark melodic music and lyrics convey the inner state of Nikolay at different periods of life, the struggle for spiritual balance, at war with himself for only purpose – to find his own eternal peace. With two grief-stricken full lengths and a split with Poyezd Rodina, Funeral Tears has made their place in the realm of underground Funeral Doom Metal.

The third full-length of Funeral Tears, “Beyond The Horizon”, clocking in at near an hour, creates the aura of getting buried into the grave of intense depression. Prepare to be crushed amongst the gloomy passages of 06 unadulterated Funeral Doom tracks.

FUNERAL TEARS
Beyond The Horizon
(Full Length)

Location: Tomsk, Russia

Release Date: April 13, 2017

Label: Satanath Records (Rus) & Cimmerian Shade Recordings (USA)

Format: CD

Track – List:
01. Close My Eyes
02. Breathe
03. Dehiscing Emptiness
04. I Suffocate
05. Beyond The Horizon
06. Eternal Tranquility

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 56:07

Members:

Nikolay Seredov – Everything

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Brazilian Death Metal band FORCEPS Release Two New Singles from New Album

FORCEPS is a 4 piece Death Metal band based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, born in 2006. Two neck wrecking tracks from their upcoming full length are available for streaming, find them below

During these 10 years the band made several shows in Brazil and released two DEMOS and one EP. Despite sometimes of inactivity due to changes in the lineup, the band kept its presence in the minds of local and international fans because of its identity and originality.

Musically influenced by elements of various Death Metal sub-genres such as Brutal Death Metal, Grindcore and Technical Death Metal, bringing in their lyrics a catastrophic vision of the future in a world ravaged by human action. A voracious critique of humanity’s relation with itself and with the planet in today’s world. It is a desperate narrative about the decay of the planet and the horrendous methods and consequences of post-human efforts to prevent extinction.

The first demo was released in 2007, followed by a three-track demo entitled “CORPOREALITY” in 2010, both had a good response from the public and in 2012 the band signed with North-American label Ossuary Industries and released the EP entitled “HUMANICIDE “, its reception to date showed that the band was definitely rooted in the Brazilian Death Metal scene.

FORCEPS has performed at several shows in Brazil since then, playing alongside internationally renowned bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Hatebreed, Brujeria, Otargos (FRA) and Symbiosis (PT) and Brazilian renowned bands Krisiun, Torture Squad and Claustrophobia.

The band returned in 2016 with a new lineup after completing the recording and production of their first full-length album. Now with the experienced musicians Bruno Tavares (guitar) and Thiago Barbosa (bass) joining forces with long-lasting members Doug Murdoch (vocals) and Emmanuel Ivan (drums), the band is re-energized and ready to release their new album “MASTERING EXTINCTION” containing ten tracks, in addition to making its first international tour in 2017.

Upcoming Schedules:

– APRIL 2017: NEW OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
– JUNE / JULY 2017: BRAZILIAN TOUR
– SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017: EUROPEAN TOUR

ONLY 4 SONGS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING

US Black Metal Legends Nightbringer Unveil Complete Forthcoming Album

NIGHTBRINGER are are unleashing their complete forthcoming new album ‘Terra Damnata’, which has been scheduled for release on April 14th.
NIGHTBRINGER comment: “With Terra Damnata we have tread even deeper into the labyrinth of certain esoteric traditions and sacred mythos, closer to the heart of the living darkness that destroys all and liberates but few. The spirit of the album is one of an ever backwards turning and embracing of both terror and ecstasis, love and death, before the gods and daemons of the Age of Misrule.”

NIGHTBRINGER have previously revealed the new artwork and the track-list of ‘Terra Damnata’, which can both be viewed below.

Track-list
1. As Wolves Amongst Ruins
2. Misrule
3. Midnight’s Crown
4. Of the Key and Crossed Bones
5. Let Silence be His Sacred Name
6. Inheritor of a Dying World
7. The Lamp of Inverse Light
8. Serpent Sun

NIGHTBRINGER are pushing forward in their fast-track evolution with grim determination. Their forthcoming fifth full-length ‘Terra Damnata’ takes at least as big a step into new musical dimensions as its predecessor ‘Ego Dominus Tuus’ (2014) – yet without straying from the band’s original black course.

While ‘Ego Dominus Tuus’ amalgamated traces of quintessential elements taken as inspiration from EMPEROR, DARK FUNERAL, and DIMMU BORGIR among other black classics into a dark American alloy, ‘Terra Damnata’ seems to systematically sever such ties to the previous orthodoxy found on ‘Hierophany of the Open Grave’ (2011). NIGHTBRINGER have sharpened their claws and unafraid of dissonance dare to take their songwriting where it hurts.

At the time of their founding, NIGHTBRINGER were conceived as a conduit for contemplations on the mysteries of death as it is understood in the tradition of the magical arts. Formed in the year 1999 by vocalist and guitarist Naas Alcameth and former member Nox Corvus, the outfit from Colorado, United States chose Scandinavian black metal as the foundation of their artistic expression. NIGHTBRINGER developed along the lines of second generation Black Metal, while continuously expanding their own unique sinister mark on sound. After unleashing several demos and split releases between 2001 and 2006, their debut album ‘Death and the Black Work’ arrived in 2008. Two years later, sophomore opus ‘Apocalypse Sun’ followed. Erupting from the US underground, NIGHTBRINGER found themselves opening for major scene acts such as WATAIN, KRIEG, and PROFANATICA.

Having firmly established their place within the elite circle of US black metal, NIGHTBRINGER are bound to break through new boundaries with ‘Terra Damnata’.

www.facebook.com/NightbringerOfficial

Symphonic Black Metal Band Legacy of Emptiness Stream brand new song

LEGACY OF EMPTINESS was originally started by Eddie and Kjell-Ivar as a tongue in cheek BM-project called Permafrost back in 1995. A few years later, Øyvind joined on keyboards and the band recorded a couple of demos with this lineup and left the project to bleed out in the early 00’s.

In 2010, the band came together and decided that the songs they had left years ago were too good to be left behind, and thus decided to record them properly for,once again, for their own amusement. The result was the self titled debut album containing 5 old tracks and one brand new; it was released in 2011.

The band is unveiling their new chapter as they are to release their sophomore full length ‘’OVER THE PAST’’ via Black Lion Records. All splendidly mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö, one of the biggest inspirations of the band. Dan Swanö even performed Lead guitar on ‘Evening Star’, final track from the album.

There is no real lyrical concept on this album other than the usual suspects like darkness,hopelessness,void and the odd historical moments. Musically it’s the opposite of what the band did on their debut. This time all songs are brand new except for one that they brought along from the 90’s, heavily reworked. The cover artwork is based on the song ‘Four Hundred Years’ which is about the ‘night of the four hundred years’ that is a description of the years Norway were ruled by foreign kings. The artist,Alex Tartsus,really caught the nerve in the lyrics and created this masterpiece.

Release Date: June 12, 2017

Track – List:

1. Reminisce
2. Despair
3. Angelmaker
4. Into The Eternal Pits Of Nothingness
5. Drawn By Nightmares
6. There -was A Man
7. Four Hundred Years
8. Transition
9. Evening Star

TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 48:45

Members:

Eddie Risdal – Vocals,Guitars,Programming
Kjell-Ivar Aarli – Bass
Øyvind Rosseland – Keyboards

Additional vocals on ‘Drawn By Nightmares’ performed by Jesse M. Jolly.
Lead guitar on ‘Evening Star’ performed by Dan Swanö.
Banjo on ‘Despair’ performed by Geir Emanuelsen.

Mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios, winter/spring 2017.
Artwork created by Alex Tartsus.

French Death Metallers Necrowretch Stream New Track “Spawn of Sin” from their forthcoming album

NECROWRETCH are unleashing their complete forthcoming new album ‘Satanic Slavery’, which has been scheduled for release on April 14th.
Guitarist and singer Vlad comments on behalf of the band: “Dear sinners! After three months of intense preaching, the time has come to unleash the entirety of our most dreadful offer: ‘Satanic Slavery’. Today marks the day, on which we unleash a beast that we cannot contain anymore, a beast which incarnates a vision of extreme metal from whence we have never drifted. May this offering resound as your final doom! Satanas Sprawl!”

Artwork and track-list of ‘Satanic Slavery’ can both be viewed below.

Track-list
1. Sprawl of Sin
2. Tredeciman Blackfire
3. Satanic Slavery
4. Evil Names
5. Hellspawn Pyre
6. Bestial Rites
7. Curse of Blasphemy
8. Verses from the Depths

Third strike is deadly. NECROWRETCH hammer out album number three in an all-out attack on everything that is glossy and polished in modern metal. ‘Satanic Slavery’ is dirty, gritty, mean, and beautifully untamed. This record spells DEATH METAL in capital letters without embracing mindless nostalgia.

NECROWRETCH are letting their roots clearly shine through. Early death metal with clearly audible thrash elements play a large role on ‘Satanic Slavery’. Echoes of POSSESSED or DARK ANGEL are equally present as fiercely rasping black metal vocals, and the melodic attitude of Swedish influences with a dash of DISSECTION.

When harsh vocalist and guitarist Vlad created NECROWRETCH almost ten years ago, he drew inspiration from various extreme sources such as IMPALED NAZARENE, NIHILIST, and MARDUK as well as Floridian and South American death metal acts.

After several line up changes, Vlad was joined by drummer Ilmar in 2013 and NECROWRETCH immediately hit the scene hard when their debut full-length ‘Putrid Death Sorcery’ arrived with a massive impact the same year. Their strong connection to the underground was emphasised with a following compilation of earlier material under the name ‘Bestial Rites 2009 – 2012’ (2013).

With sophomore album ‘With Serpents Scourge’ (2015), NECROWRETCH added some musical twists and turns that revealed influences by Swedish black death pioneers such as DARK FUNERAL, DISSECTION and NECROPHOBIC. Followed by several tours and festivals across Europe and Asia, NECROWRETCH have proven that French extreme metal is still alive and kicking!

Now the French have perfected their gruesome vision of death metal without losing the original recipe which made their success. Brace for impact, NECROWRETCH offer true ‘Satanic Slavery’.

Style: Putrid Death Metal

www.facebook.com/Necrowretch
http://necrowretch.net

Line-up
Vlad: guitar, vocals
Ilmar: drums
K. Desecrator: bass

US Funeral Doom Metal legend’s Evoken reissue ‘Embrace the Emptiness’ on vinyl

EVOKEN will re-issue their much sought after debut album ‘Embrace the Emptiness’ (1998) as a limited vinyl edition via Season of Mist. Only 666 hand-numbered copies in audiophile heavy black vinyl (180g) will be made available.

Please note that EVOKEN have not signed to Season of Mist

Season of Mist are reissuing EVOKEN’s much sought after debut album ‘Embrace the Emptiness’ as a strictly limited edition vinyl. Now that this dark gem of the US Funeral Doom Metal legend is available again, put the record on your turntable, shade your windows, turn off the light, lie down in bed and let yourself get overwhelmed with emotions. Drift away in your mind and just let the feelings of solitude hit you. An utterly dark album that every fan of funeral/death doom should own.

You can pre-order here: CLICK HERE

Track-list
Side A: Intro / Tragedy Eternal
Side B: Chime the Centuries’ End / Lost Kingdom of Darkness
Side C: Ascend into the Maelstrom / To Sleep Eternally
Side D: Curse the Sunrise

Recording line-up
Vince Verkay: drums
Nick Orlando: guitars
John Paradiso: vocals, guitars
Steve Moran: bass
Dario Derna: keyboards

US black metal duo Inquisition kick off their European tour

INQUISITION are kicking off the second leg of their “Bloodshed Across Europe” tour this April. The fast rising US black metal duo will kick off their rampage at the Royal Metal Fest in the Danish city of Aarhus tonight and then proceed to bring darkness all over Europe throughout the whole month.

INQUISITION commented about this tour: “We are proud to announce our upcoming tour in April, which will take us partly outside of the usual touring circuit. Many of these places we will visit for the first time – expanding the circuit through this second leg for our Bloodshed tour throughout the continent.”

On further news, INQUISITION have already been confirmed for the prestigious Party.San and Bloodstock Open Air festivals this summer.

Please see below for a list of all confirmed shows.

INQUISITION tour
07 Apr 17 Aarhus (DK) Royal Metal Fest
08 Apr 17 Stockholm (SE) Dark Days in Stockholm
10 Apr 17 Hamburg (DE) Markthalle
11 Apr 17 Möhrlenbach-Weiher (DE) Live Music Hall
13 Apr 17 Roma (IT) Traffic Club
14 Apr 17 Brescia (IT) Circolo Colony
15 Apr 17 Pratteln (CH) Mini 27
16 Apr 17 Rotterdam (NL) Baroeg (Conspiracy Of The Damned)
17 Apr 17 Roeselare (BE) De Verlichte Geest
18 Apr 17 Groningen (NL) Vera
19 Apr 17 Essen (DE) Turock
20 Apr 17 Cham (DE) LA
21 Apr 17 Colmar (FR) Grillen
22 Apr 17 Quimper (FR) Polarites
23 Apr 17 Nantes (FR) Ferrailleur
24 Apr 17 Paris (FR) Glazart
27 Apr 17 Saragossa (ES) King King
28 Apr 17 Barroselas (PT) SWR Festival
29 Apr 17 Sevilla (ES) Fanatic
30 Apr 17 Murcia (ES) Garaje Beat Club

INQUISITION festivals
11 Aug 17 Catton Park (UK) Bloodstock Festival (Sophie Lancaster Stage)
12 Aug 17 Obermehler (DE) Party.San Metal Open Air 2017 (exact date tba)

Russian Dark Metal Band Ungraved Apparition Stream Song from their New Album

Ungraved Apparition is a dark metal unit from Ekaterinburg, Russia. It was founded in late 2014 by three members of Micky Babossa (guitar), Paul Kas (drums), and Leon Kratt (bass guitar). In the process of creating the material, the musicians felt the need for a powerful and heavier sound, thus in August 2015 Bones Taker joined them as the second guitar, mainly for playing the solos. Accompanying him was Damned for the role of the vocalist.

By the beginning of 2016, having formed a concert program and having removed the clip “Гнилостные бактерии”, Ungraved Apparition conducted a series of concerts in the cities of Russia. Since 2016, the musicians entered the studio to record a studio album. The main idea behind the album was the merging of two worlds: the world of depression and despair from incurable diseases, the sadism of bloody surgery experiments; And the afterlife, inhabited by the suffering souls of the dead people, the chilling horror of which is squeezed by convulsive cries in the throat.

Utilizing crushing heavy riffs interlaced with more melodic sections to create an environment of decay, spearheaded by a ghastly vocal attack, the band achieve their goal with aggression as well as atmosphere. PULSE_0 is a single concept of how musicians see the inner world of a person and his desperate struggle for every minute of life.

Swiss Melancholists Impure Wilhelmina reveal first track and details of new album

IMPURE WILHELMINA are premiering the first track taken from their new album, ‘Radiation’, which has been slated for release on July 7th

Regarding the new song, IMPURE WILHELMINA comment: “We have chosen the opening track ‘Great Falls beyond Death’ of our new full-length entitled ‘Radiation’ for the first premiere. The song starts with an easy melody line and a massive guitar that both evolve into a more dark and twisted tune. The vocals grow steadily more epic until the song coalesces into its melancholic finale – evoking fatalism, fanaticism, ignorance, and the fear of death. We see it as a perfect way to start the journey towards our new album – to take-off and then fall through an uncharted musical radiation.”

IMPURE WILHELMINA are furthermore revealing artwork and track-list of ‘Radiation’, which can both be viewed below.

1. Great Falls beyond Death (4:49)
2. Sacred Fire (5:22)
3. Child (5:28)
4. Torn (4:51)
5. We Need a New Sun (6:46)
6. Meaningless Memories (6:00)
7. Bones and Heart (4:37)
8. By Ravens and Flies (6:18)
9. Murderers (5:43)
10. Race with You (6:35)

The musical amalgamation of metal and melancholia is somewhat of an oxymoron, yet the doom sub-genre is thriving exactly on the tension created by this seeming contradiction. It is therefore an easy temptation to pigeon-hole ‘Radiation’ into that category, but that would constitute a severe injustice to the sixth full-length of IMPURE WILHELMINA.

The darkness of the soul that unfolds on ‘Radiation’ is feeding from many sources. Although they originally started out on a post-core flow, the Swiss have continuously drifted to a more rock based course, on which they are staying. Their forthcoming album finds some obvious points of reference such as later KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST and TIAMAT in their ability to create sublime melodic elegance. Yet there are also more obscure undercurrents such as a fearless embrace of dissonance and raw emotionality embodied by the stylistically quite different JOY DIVISION.

IMPURE WILHELMINA have been creating music on the border between rock and metal for over 20 years. Founded by vocalist and guitarist Michael Schindl and his brother David on drums in 1996, the band from Geneva made a strong impact with their self-released debut album ‘Afraid’ (1999), which saw the Swiss being regarded on the same level with compatriots such as NOSTROMO and KNUT from the local metallic hardcore scene.

During the next years, the line-up of IMPURE WILHELMINA underwent many changes, while revolving around main composer and lyricist Michael Schindl. These creative encounters allowed the band to endlessly rethink their direction and turn each of their albums into a singular piece, while keeping a unique touch, mixing intensity, heaviness, melody and melancholy.

IMPURE WILHELMINA released a self-titled 7″ in 1996, the ‘Undressing Your Soul’ EP in 1998, a split EP with ORDEAL in 2001, and five full-lengths so far. The critically acclaimed ‘I Can’t Believe I Was Born in July’ (2003) and ‘L’amour, la mort, l’enfance perdue’ (2005) have been viewed as key albums regarding the band’s style, while ‘Prayers and Arsons’ (2008) marked a new step in their evolution with the inclusion of more rock elements.

Not resting on their laurels, IMPURE WILHELMINA generated much enthusiasm and surprise with their recently released full-length ‘Black Honey’, which was first released on vinyl in 2014 and followed by a CD in 2015. This album features more prominent and clean singing. Overall less aggressive, ‘Black Honey’ boosts emotional intensity and melodic atmospheres, while revealing multiple new facets of the band.

Over the years, IMPURE WILHELMINA have garnered an excellent reputation as a particularly strong live entity and shared stages with illustrious groups such as NEUROSIS, ENTOMBED, THE OCEAN, GOJIRA, ISIS, ZATOKREV, and KRUGER.

With ‘Radiation’, IMPURE WILHELMINA have created an album that invites the listener to explore and discover new hidden treasures with every spin. Welcome to this journey into uncharted musical lands…

Line-up
Michael Schindl: guitar, vocals
Diogo Almeida: guitar
Sebastien Dutruel: bass
Mario Togni: drums

www.impurenet.com
www.facebook.com/impurewilhelmina