Black Metal News

MORTIFERUM to re-release demo through BLOOD HARVEST, embark upon US tour

Today, Blood Harvest Records sets March 23rd as the international release date for Mortiferum’s debut demo, Altar of Decay, on digipack CD format. The release is precluded by a US tour (dates after the jump).

Hailing from Olympia, Washington, Mortiferum was formed by Max Bowman (guitars, vocals), Chase Slaker (guitars), and Alex Mody (drums, vocals). Their various bands (Bone Sickness, Ēōs) had played shows together pretty regularly in the local scene as the members shared a mutual interest in Finnish and American death metal, and had a similar vision for the music they wanted to play. In 2016, after several failed attempts to get a band going, the members got together and wrote the songs that became the first demo Altar Of Decay. They enlisted the help of Dan Fried (Triumvir Foul, Anhedonist) to fill in on bass, and recorded Altar of Decay in Mody’s garage. Tracking guitars and drums live in their own space, with part-time keyboard player Ethan Camp as the engineer, Mortiferum were able to capture the songs in their most visceral form.

In the band’s short existence, Mortiferum have already had the privilege of playing with such luminaries as Asphyx, Phrenelith, Blood Incantation, Qrixkuor, Triumvir Foul, Innumerable Forms, and many more. The band have recently announced the addition of full-time bassist Tony Wolfe, and are planning a West Coast tour with their friends in Fetid from Seattle (dates below).

In the meantime, revel in the roiling filth and fathomless darkness that Altar of Decay presents.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Mortiferum’s Altar of Decay
1. Altar Of Decay
2. Blood Chasm
3. Vitiated Mortality
4. Grave Invocation

upcoming MORTIFERUM tour dates
01/17 – Olympia, WA @ Cryptatropa (w/Acephalix, Scolex)
01/18 – Seattle, WA @ Highline (w/Acephalix, Scolex)
01/19 – Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge (w/Acephalix, Scolex)
01/20 – Oakland, CA @ Golden Bull (w/Acephalix, Scolex)
01/22 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Garth
01/23 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Cottage House
01/24 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Cave
01/25 – Dallas, TX @ Reno’s Chop Shop
01/26 – Houston, TX @ White Swan
01/27 – Austin, TX @ Lost Well
01/28 – El Paso, TX @ Apt. 512
01/29 – Phoenix, AZ @ Master’s Chambers
01/30 – San Diego, CA @ Til-Two Club
01/31 – Long Beach, CA @ Que Sera
02/01 – Los Angeles, CA @ Resident
02/02 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Blue Lagoon
02/03 – Oakland, CA @ First Church Of The Buzzard

MORE INFO:
www.mortiferum.bandcamp.com

Nightmarer unveil first track and details of forthcoming album debut

NIGHTMARER are unleashing the first crushing track taken from their forthcoming debut full-length, ‘Cacophony of Terror’, which is slated for release on March 23rd, 2018.

NIGHTMARER comment: “Our premiere track, ‘Skinner’ is the first song that we wrote for this album and it offers a mere glimpse into the abyss which is ‘Cacophony of Terror’. This record tells a story of paranoia and self-destruction with no light at the end of the tunnel. ‘Skinner’ weighs heavy in bleak hopelessness, but it’s only a prelude of things far worse to come…”

NIGHTMARER are furthermore releasing the cover-art and album details of ‘Cacophony of Terror’, which can be viewed below.

Track-list
1. The Descent (1:36)
2. Stahlwald (3:31)
3. Skinner (4:38)
4. Bleach (3:59)
5. Cave Digger (3:25)
6. Fetisch (4:46)
7. Tidal Waves of Terror (3:23)
8. Ceremony of Control (4:48)
9. Death (4:52)
10. Swansong (1:27)
Total playing time: 35:23

Chaos comes crashing in waves. Patterns emerge out of swirling energy. Darkness coalesces out of fragments into bizarre forms and strange angled shapes. What reads like a list of entries into H.P. Lovecraft’s dictionary of horrors is the nightmarish musical vision offered by NIGHTMARER on their debut album, ‘Cacophony of Terror’.

Seemingly out of nowhere, NIGHTMARER hit the extreme metal underground with their first EP, ‘Chasm’ in early 2016. This furious whirlwind of low end dissonance, devastating heaviness and majestic walls of sound took the scene by storm and the first 10″ vinyl pressing almost sold out while still on pre-order.

Conceived in 2014 by former members of bands such as GIGAN, THE OCEAN and WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH, this international trio derives only the most extreme elements of their previous musical outlets and takes those into another hellish dimension.

Carving their distinctly personal and unique path into the dark matter that DEATHSPELL OMEGA, DODECAHEDRON, and ULSECT have ventured to explore, NIGHTMARER are now set to release one of the darkest and crushing albums of 2018. Enter this ‘Cacophony of Terror’ in search of extreme sonic pleasures at your own peril!

www.facebook.com/nightmarercult
www.instagram.com/nightmarercult
www.nightmarer.com

Current line-up
John Collett: vocals
Simon Hawemann: guitars
Paul Seidel: drums

Recording line-up
John Collett: vocals
Simon Hawemann: guitars
Paul Seidel: drums
S. Braunschmidt: bass (studio only)

SUMMON set release date for IRON BONEHEAD debut album, reveal first track

Iron Bonehead Productions sets April 20th as the international release date for the highly anticipated debut album of Portugal’s Summon, Parazv Il Zilittv, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Summon emerged in late 2016 as a gathering between N. and R. in which they decided to follow a sonority that transcends their soul and where they could give it a more cavernous feel, with an intensity of deep agony. Shortly thereafter, N. decides to move forward with composite themes, and then they decide to call J. to seal the covenant of a deadly entity. The lyrics are handled by N. in which he invokes all the blackness and splendor of death, the burden of enduring and wandering in a world of human flesh, and the infinite thirst for mass slaughter converting mankind into a cloak of bones.

What thusly emerged was Summon’s debut EP, Aesthetics of Demise, which was released by Iron Bonehead during the summer of 2017 to widespread critical acclaim. A swirling, sulfurous mass of molten death-doom, Aesthetics of Demise was aptly titled, but on the fuller and more fleshed-out Parazv Il Zilittv, the trio both dive deeper into the murk and emerge into clearer dimensions. By no means do Summon here abandon their expertly crafted monolith of death-doom, but they largely (and wisely) leave behind the obfuscating murk which has become so de rigueur (read: TRENDY) in the millennial metal underground. Instead, each passage patiently unfolds and establishes its intended texture, terrorizing the mind and body with oppressive physical/spiritual weight – even (and especially) when stripped back to foggy, tension-inducing mist. The consequently linear songwriting soon works its sepulchral magick, as lurching ‘n’ lumbering riffs are stretched into hammering trances, sending undulating waves of absolute ritualism deep into the listener’s core. Which is all to say nothing of the production on Parazv Il Zilittv, which somehow manages to make Summon sound creepier despite the clearer and more cutting recording style.

With Aesthetics of Demise, Summon proved that their smashed-psyche sorcery transcended the usual “sepulchral death metal” tropes. Now, with Parazv Il Zilittv, they prove that that sorcery is potent enough to simultaneously open and close the crypt of time eternal. How far will you step in/out? Take the first step with the album’s title track HERE

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Summon (Portugal)’s Parazv Il Zilittv
1. Whisper of the Black Moon
2. Howling Graves
3. Cvlt of Abomination
4. Shapes of Darkness Transcending
5. Below Death Splenddovr
6. Parazv Il Zilittv
7. Impetvovs Sacrifice of thy Womb
8. In Odorem Mortis
9. …from Beyond

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/Summonband

Shining stream complete new album

SHINING are now unleashing their complete forthcoming album, ‘X – Varg Utan Flock’, which is scheduled for release on January 5th.

Niklas Kvarforth comments: “The time has finally come to invite you to my most destructive nightmare yet, enjoy!”

The artwork of ‘X – Varg Utan Flock’, which has been created by Kevin Rolly is shown below.

Track-list
1. Svart Ostoppbar Eld (7:11)
2. Gyllene Portarnas Bro (6:39)
3. Jag Är Din Fiende (7:05)
4. Han Som Lurar Inom (8:03)
5. Tolvtusenfyrtioett (2:53)
6. Mot Aokigahara (9:33)
Total playing time: 41:24
Niklas Kvarforth is not the first artist struggling with mental illness and related issues. The erratic Swede is also not the first musician whose inner demons are part of the creative genius. Yet in the world of metal, his band SHINING remains as a unique and outstanding act in terms of talent and musical excellence.

Never shy about his personal afflictions, Niklas Kvarforth is once again baring his tortured soul with ‘X – Varg Utan Flock’. His anger, his confusion, his pain, and his torment are all becoming tangible on the tenth album in the band’s long history. For a point of reference, the legendary ‘V – Halmstad’ release probably offers the most appropriate comparison. Yet all the influences SHINING fused into their previous masterpiece, ‘IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends’ (2015) are also still present. Eclectic influences from progressive rock, jazz, classical music, and even faint traces of pop have left their mark.

In addition to the broad musical spectrum on display, Niklas Kvarforth’s deeply emotional laments emerging from the dark depths of his twisted mind go beyond the usual scale of metal bands in their great vocal scope and variety.

Founded in 1996 by Kvarforth, SHINING self-released ‘Submit to Self-Destruction’ in 1998 and spawned the term “suicidal black metal” with this debut 7″. A couple years after first full-length, ‘I – Within Deep Dark Chambers’ (2000) and sophomore album, ‘II – Livets Ändhållplats’ (2001) had cut deep marks into the underground scene, Niklas replaced his whole crew, which started a continuous cycle of line-up changes. With MAYHEM drummer Hellhammer on board, ‘III – Angst’ (2003) and ‘IV – The Eerie Cold’ (2005) began to gather major press attention. At the same time, SHINING focused on bringing their vision and often controversially received live performances to Europe. Yet Kvarforth’s mental health led to cancellations, physical and psychological fights within the band, and finally a break-up. Not content to let things rest after his breakdown, the restless singer returned with new members and the acclaimed masterpiece, ‘V – Halmstad’ in 2007. By then SHINING had reached headliner status and toured with other great acts such as SATYRICON and MAYHEM. Several line-up changes later, the Swede recorded two albums in one session: ‘VI – Klagopsalmer’ was released in 2009, to be followed by ‘VII – Född Förlorare’ two years later. The band also received their first gold disc for the single ‘Förtvivlan, Min Arvedel’ in Sweden. After rotating more musicians in and out, SHINING returned with ‘Redefining Darkness’ (2012) and a less aggressive, yet more sinister sound. Before signing to Season of Mist, the band released the project ‘8 ½ – Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd’, which featured six of Kvarforth’s favourite vocalists. In August 2014, SHINING entered Andy LaRocque’s Sonic Train Studios to record their ninth album, ‘IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends’ as the sum of Niklas Kvarforth’s musical evolution and experience. More line-up changes and breakdowns followed.

Yet Niklas Kvarforth clawed his way up from the depths once more and returned to Andy LaRocque and Sonic Train Studios to record another album. The result, ‘X – Varg Utan Flock’ is a musical masterpiece far beyond simple genre limitations and a shining tribute to the achievement that a troubled mind is capable of when driven by a passionate will to excel and overcome. Listen with respect.

www.shiningasylum.com
www.facebook.com/shiningofficial

Recording line-up
Niklas Kvarforth: vocals
Marcus Hammarström: bass
Peter Huss: guitar
Euge Valovirta: guitar
Jarle Byberg: drums

Current line-up
Niklas Kvarforth: vocals
Marcus Hammarström: bass
Peter Huss: guitar

Guest musicians
Andy La Rocque: guitar solo on “Jag Är Din Fiende”
Olli Ahvenlahti: piano on “Tolvtusenfyrtioett”

Speed metal cult Speedclaw reveal a new video for “Beast in the Mist.”

Today, speed metal cult Speedclaw reveal a new video for “Beast in the Mist.” The track is the title song to the band’s highly anticipated new mini-album, Beast in the Mist, which is now set for international release on April 20th via Shadow Kingdom Records. See & hear Speedclaw’s “Beast in the Mist” in its entirety HERE.

Following hot on the heels of their debut EP, Iron Speed – which Shadow Kingdom released on cassette to widespread critical acclaim earlier in 2017 – now Speedclaw strike while the iron’s white hot with Beast in the Mist! Taking all the electricity and excitement of that debut short-length, this new short-length sees this Croatian force of nature increasing their power and professionalism in equal, no-less-devastating measures. Just like that first record, Speedclaw still embody all the energy of the early ’80s, when the NWOBHM was in full steam and speed metal was in its early days, and take their hooks and heaviness even higher into the night. Here, no doubt bolstered by the rich ‘n’ robust production, these four maniacs more patiently ply their bolder and more epic songwriting whilst not losing an ounce of engaging immediacy; if anything, they’re going even harder and faster for the throat. Then again, Beast in the Mist plays out its drama in a darker manner, letting Speedclaw dig their nails in deeply and differently than Iron Speed. But make no mistake: Speedclaw are their own masters, and totally heavy metal to the bone! Beware the Beast in the Mist!

Preorder info can be found at Shadow Kingdom’s Bandcamp HERE, where both the title track and the previously revealed “Rising of the Claw” can be heard.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Speedclaw’s Beast in the Mist
1. Prelude
2. Beast in the Mist
3. Faster Than Hell
4. Rising of the Claw
5. Aggression Strikes
6. Evil That You See

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/speedclawrijeka

Death metal classicists Rotheads premiere the new track “Sewer Fiends”

Today, death metal classicists Rotheads premiere the new track “Sewer Fiends”. The track hails from the band’s highly anticipated debut album of the same name, Sewer Fiends, set for international release on January 22nd, 2018 via Memento Mori. Hear Rotheads’ “Sewer Fiends” in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Hailing from Romania, the putrid ensemble of Rotheads was formed in Bucharest back in 2014 as an old-school death metal side-project to the experimental doom/noise/stoner-improv band Keeng Ra’at; both bands contained the same three members. By 2015, five songs were written, and recordings began in December of that year. Ultimately, six songs (plus intro and outro) came out in April 2016 as the Unfazed by Death demo, which turned out to be a remarkable, sick trip into the bowels of murky and foul-smelling death metal. In the meantime, another guitarist joined the band, and the original bassist left and rejoined later on. The original drummer and vocalist also left the band in August, and another drummer has since joined, while the vocals are now handled by the original guitarist. Rotheads have played only a few times live, the most memorable being two gigs around Romania with the legendary Sadistic Intent.

“Aptly fucking titled” is an understatement when it comes to Sewer Fiends. Here, Rotheads take their aggregate influences – particularly from the classic early ’90s Finnish scene (Abhorrence, early Sentenced, Demigod, Depravity), as well as other timeless crypt dwellers such as Autopsy, Incantation, Carnage, Accidental Suicide, Grave, and Asphyx – and proceed to create a mesmerizingly murky ‘n’ moody work with their debut album. The sewage is piled high and plentifully, as foul ‘n’ fetid riffs flow fast and freely, but always with a clearly discernible direction; after all, Rotheads are firmly grounded in the timeless songwriting style of old-school death metal, where feeling and texture are paramount over technique and other flashy wank. And those riffs continue to roll ever forward, malevolently and majestically, just like a (filth-strewn) tank. And yet, amidst all this crunch and carnage lay a layering of eerie melody atop, evoking fresh crypts opening slowly or the tension of wandering further into tomb-like sewers. Indeed, Rotheads are as aptly named as their album is titled, and we dare you to emerge from their moldy embrace completely clean – there’s just no way to wash off this horror!

As an appetizer, just stare deeply into Cesar Valladares’ cryptic cover art. And, with mixing and mastering courtesy of Javier Felez at Moontower Studios, it’s all but guaranteed that Rotheads’ Sewer Fiends will be one of the best (if not THE BEST) death metal debuts of the year!

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Rotheads’ Sewer Fiends
1. Sewer Fiends
2. From the Glowing Goo Rise
3. Rats in the Walls
4. Psychic Leech
5. Servants of the Unlight
6. The Mad Oracle of Seweropolis
7. Dance of the Vermin

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

A black Christmas carol by Inquisition

O tidings of comfort and joy! INQUISITION are releasing the first video clip for the track, “From Chaos They Came” taken from the US black metal trailblazers’ latest album, ‘Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith’. Happy holiday season, everybody!

Video credits
Produced by Videohammer Studios
Directed by Tommy Jones
Storyline content produced by Nader Sadek

INQUISITION have previously announced a massive European tour in support of their latest masterpiece, ”Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith”. The American black metal duo will be joined by label mates, Greek symphonic metal demons, SEPTICFLESH.

A list of all currently confirmed dates can be viewed below.

INQUISITION / SEPTICFLESH European Tour
04 Jan 18 München (DE) Backstage
05 Jan 18 Leipzig (DE) Hellraiser
06 Jan 18 Praha (CZ) Klub Nová Chmelnice
07 Jan 18 Budapest (HU) Barbara Negra
08 Jan 18 Wien (AT) Viper Room
09 Jan 18 Ljubljana (SI) Orto Bar
10 Jan 18 Bologna (IT) Alchemie Club
11 Jan 18 Brescia (IT) Circolo Colony
12 Jan 18 Zürich (CH) Meh Suff! Winter-Fest 2018
13 Jan 18 Denain (FR) In Theatrum Denonium Festival
14 Jan 18 Lyon (FR) CCO Jean Pierre Lachaize
16 Jan 18 Madrid (ES) Sala Caracol
17 Jan 18 Barcelona (ES) Razzmatazz
18 Jan 18 Toulouse (FR) Le Metronum
19 Jan 18 Angers Le Chabada (FR) Angers Mini Fest
20 Jan 18 Paris (FR) La Machine du Moulin Rouge
22 Jan 18 London (UK) The Underworld
23 Jan 18 Vosselaar (BE) Biebob
24 Jan 18 Nijmegen (NL) Doornroosje
25 Jan 18 Hamburg (DE) Hamburg
26 Jan 18 Matrix (DE) Bochum
27 Jan 18 Mannheim (DE) MS Connexion Complex

1. Intro: The Force Before Darkness
2. From Chaos They Came
3. Wings Of Anu
4. Vortex From The Celestial Flying Throne Of Storms
5. A Black Aeon Shall Cleanse
6. The Flames Of Infinite Blackness Before Creation
7. Mystical Blood
8. Through The Divine Spirit Of Satan A Glorious Universe Is Known
9. Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith
10. Power From The Center Of The Cosmic Black Spiral
11. A Magnificent Crypt Of Stars
12. Outro: The Invocation Of The Absolute, The All, The Satan
13. Coda: Hymn To The Cosmic Zenith

There are certain cycles in the rise and fall of bands that form a discernible pattern. One of the stations in this process is the break-though, when a group rises from the murky underground into the sphere of heightened mainstream attention. In the case of WATAIN for example, this transition can be pinpointed to a specific album, ‘Lawless Darkness’ (2010).

It may seem a rather daring to attribute such a moment to INQUISITION’s forthcoming seventh full-length ‘Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith’ in advance. Yet even with the first spin of this record, any doubt and thought of hyperbole should disappear. The American black metal duo has obviously reached a level of confidence, maturity, and mastery of song writing, technical execution as well as strength of production that this masterpiece will mark a milestone in a career that has already gathered momentum.

While INQUISITION have so far grown without full attention paid by the metal mainstream, they have nevertheless amassed a huge underground following. Such a pivotal shift always comes with a risk. The most loyal adherents might be antagonised if a band strays too far from course in their attempt to reach for the stars. There is no danger for this to happen with ‘Bloodshed…’. Notable changes from the highly praised ‘Obscure Verses For The Multiverse’ (2013) are rather gradual than revolutionary, but still prove decisive. Dagon has slightly lowered his vocal pitch, which sounds less amphibian and the fiercer sound of his voice leaves a stronger impact. INQUISITION’s song writing has been tightened and appears more focused without losing the trademark epic majesty. Each track hits its mark, there are no fillers. This album represents the culmination and peak of a long term gradual evolution.

INQUISITION hail from the US city of Seattle, Washington although originally formed by Dagon in the South American state of Colombia in 1989. Three demos were released during this early thrash metal period, before the frontman moved back to the United States in 1996. There Dagon was joined by drummer Incubus in 1997. Their debut full-length ‘Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult’ (1998) immediately created a buzz in the netherworld of the black metal genre. Their impact on the scene deepened with each of the following four albums and the duo’s much sought after back catalogue has meanwhile been reissued by Season of Mist in its entirety.

With ‘Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith’, INQUISITION are about to conquer the world. Resistance is futile.

Line-up
Dagon: guitars, vocals
Incubus: drums

www.facebook.com/inquisition.official

Portuguese thrashers Perpetratör premiere the new track “Altar of the Skull”

Portuguese thrashers Perpetratör premiere the new track “Altar of the Skull”. The track hails from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Altered Beast, set for international release on January 31st, 2018 via Caverna Abismal Records. Hear Perpetratör’s “Altar of the Skull” in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Featuring current members of Filii Nigrantium Infernalium and Ravensire as well as ex-members of The Firstborn and Omission, Perpetratör are both a summation of their membership and a sharp deviation from it. They proved as much with their unrelenting 2014 debut album, Thermonuclear Epiphany, which displayed a power-trio poised for detonation into the outer stratospheres of old-school Teutonic thrash metal.

Once again, Perpetratör come back harder and stronger with their second album, Altered Beast. Aptly titled, Altered Beast takes all the rudiments of the band’s celebrated debut – seamless propulsion, immediately memorable songwriting, and wily execution that’s simultaneously sharp and loose – and upratchets everything to 11! Robust and more rounded production drags Perpetratör’s attack out of the underground and into the big leagues whilst not dulling the pure, fist-in-the-face diabolism and debauchery that originally ingratiated the band to diehards worldwide. Likewise, the songwriting has gone from “immediately memorable” to “obscenely catchy,” as each of these 11 speed-screeds becomes an anthem in their own, respective right, inciting both fury and fun, mania and manna. And with enviable ease, a sort of mesmerizing magic, Perpetratör simply fires off one blistering beast after another, all making for a true Altered Beast!

You might’ve already experienced a Thermonuclear Epiphany, but with Altered Beast, Perpetratör indeed prove that the second strike is deadliest! Hear for yourself with the new track “Altar of the Skull” exclusively HERE, courtesy of NoCleanSinging.com. The previously revealed “Extreme Barbarity” can be heard HERE.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Perpetratör’s Altered Beast
1. Altar of the Skull
2. Extreme Barbarity
3. The Doors Of Perception
4. Fires of Sacrifice
5. Lethal Manhunt
6. A Fleeting Passage Through Hell
7. Terminal Possession
8. Jungle War
9. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
10. Hellthrasher
11. Black Sacristy

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/perpetratorthrash

IRON VOID reveal first track, cover, tracklisting for new SHADOW KINGDOM album

Today, doom titans Iron Void reveal the first track, cover art, and tracklisting to their highly anticipated third album, Excalibur, which will be released during the first quarter of 2018 by new label home Shadow Kingdom Records. A mainstay of the UK doom metal scene, Excalibur is the album by which Iron Void will truly be launched onto the world stage. “The Coming of a King,” the first track to be revealed from Excalibur, can be heard exclusively HERE.

Cover and tracklisting follow below.

Iron Void was originally formed by Jonathan “Sealey” Seale and Andy Whittaker (Solstice, The Lamp of Thoth) in 1998 in order to create an old-school doom metal band, worshiping at the altar of doom legends such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, etc. The band reformed in 2008, with the current lineup consisting of Jonathan “Sealey” Seale (bass & vocals), Steve Wilson (guitars & vocals), and Richard Maw (drums).

Iron Void’s debut EP, Spell of Ruin, was originally released on CD in 2010 and re-released in 2012 via Doomanoid Records. Their self-titled debut full-length album was released on CD in 2014 via Barbarian Wrath and released on limited-edition vinyl by Fear Me! Music in 2015. The critically acclaimed second album, Doomsday – recorded & produced at Skyhammer Studio by Chris Fielding (Conan, Winterfylleth, Electric Wizard) and mastered by James Plotkin – was released on CD via Doomanoid Records in 2015 and released on limited gatefold vinyl via Fear Me! Music in 2016.

With considerable live action in the past few years as well, and encouraged by the critical acclaim heaped upon Doomsday, Iron Void patiently set to work on Excalibur. Arguably the band’s magnum opus, Excalibur is an epic behemoth of Arthurian legend, emitting an atmosphere that’s truly medieval whilst sacrificing whilst sacrificing none of their trademark DOOMED-OUT heaviness. Here, across the album’s massive yet strangely concise 48 minutes, Iron Void weave old-as-time tales of myth and magic, all set to rumbling, dramatically dynamic doom metal. The album is sequenced together with a subtle sort of mastery, taking the listener on a journey into centuries past, all concluding with the stark ‘n’ stirring acoustic closer “Avalon.” As the final notes ring out, you’ll be reaching for the calendar to check what year it is!

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Iron Void’s Excalibur
1. Dragon’s Breath
2. The Coming of a King
3. Lancelot of the Lake
4. Forbidden Love
5. Enemy Within
6. The Grail Quest
7. A Dream to Some, A Nightmare to Others
8. The Death of Arthur
9. Avalon

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

NUCLEAR WAR NOW! to reissue seminal LURKER OF CHALICE album

Nuclear War Now! Productions sets February 15th, 2018 as the international release date for the double-LP vinyl reissue of Lurker of Chalice’s lone and long-out-of-print album, Lurker of Chalice.

Like Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice is a project conceived of and executed by multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Jef Whitehead, who is generally referred to as Wrest in the context of his music. For nearly 20 years, through his work with Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice, and many other projects, Whitehead has consistently recorded and released music that has unquestionably left permanent scars on the face of the USBM scene.

To call Lurker of Chalice a Leviathan side-project would be inaccurate. Though Leviathan is far more prolific and widely known, Wrest’s recordings under the Lurker of Chalice banner are just as earnest and extraordinary. Indeed, to many, the Lurker of Chalice material represents the zenith of Wrest’s vast and superb body of work.

The self-titled Lurker of Chalice album, which came out in 2005, was the only widely circulated recording associated with the project, the two previous demos only being released in very limited quantities. The album garnered massive praise before swiftly going out of print, practically ensuring its stature as a cult masterpiece.

It would be too simplistic to categorize this album as mere black metal because it sweeps so broadly across the musical spectrum; however, even when Wrest strays farthest from black metal in a stylistic sense, the sensations and emotions the music conjures are every bit as visceral. Born of true despair, the oppressive weight of anguish looms over the album. A genuine sense of oblivion permeates the atmosphere created by this collection of songs that, taken together, chart a course through the bleakest stations of the soul.

Following a comparatively brief introductory track, the album opens with “Piercing Where They Might,” one of two songs on the album that were featured on the Lurker of Chalice demo released in 2002. The song begins with what might be the brightest passage on the album, featuring delicate guitar work accentuated by the sounds of birds in the background—this proves to be the first and last glimpse of light the listener will have—before it abruptly shifts, plunging over the blackened horizon into ever more depressive regions. A warped repetitive riff of slow bending notes carries the momentum of the song, causing a temporal distortion as it’s woven into the latticework of a steady blastbeat moving four times faster—like the anxious constancy of one’s breath over the percussive fervor of one’s heartbeat. Only one other track, “Granite,” which was also featured on the 2002 demo, can really be described as something like traditional black metal, with assertive drums like railroad tracks guiding the movement of the song beneath a canopy of guitars, synthesizers, and ethereal vocals.

As the album progresses, its lonely and bruised meanderings persist through stylistic and compositional variations that maintain the album’s allure—from the funeral doom aesthetics of “Minions” through the haunting echo chamber of despair evoked by “Paramnesia” to “This Blood Falls as Mortal Part III,” which features a Sylvia Plath spoken-word sample amid a melancholy interplay of Eno-esque sustained guitars and synthesizers, to the neofolk evocations of “Vortex Chalice,” before culminating with the sorrowful ardor of “Fastened to the Five Points.” The album closes unceremoniously, leaving the listener fractured and depleted.

At the time of its release, no other album sounded quite like this one, and it’s no exaggeration to say that no comparable release has emerged in the last 12 years since Lurker of Chalice: the album truly occupies its own shade along the ever-expanding spectrum of black metal. Nuclear War Now! is honored to present this new edition of Lurker of Chalice, which will include the bonus track featured on previous vinyl editions of the album. Additionally, NWN! will be working with Wrest to unearth and remaster some previously unreleased Lurker of Chalice material for future releases.

In the leadup to its double-LP release, the entirety of Lurker of Chalice is streaming in full.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Lurker of Chalice’s Lurker of Chalice
1. (untitled)
2. Piercing Where They Might
3. Spectre as Valkerie Is
4. Minions
5. Paramnesia
6. This Blood Falls as Mortal, Pt. 3
7. Granite
8. Vortex Chalice
9. Fastened to the Five Points

further info:
www.nwnprod.com