On April 4th internationally, Chaos Records will release a reissue of Degraved‘s Whispered Morbidity & Exhumed Remnants on CD format. Hear Degraved‘s Whispered Morbidity & Exhumed Remnants in its entirety here:
With roots in the dismal and damp soil of the Pacific Northwest, the members of Degraved are not newcomers to the sordid landscape of death metal. Originally a recording project of members of Cavurn, the duo found themselves needing an outlet for faster downtuned riffs in the harrowing American tradition.
In 2020, Degraved released their first demo, Exhumed Remnants. Absolutely gutsfucking, this four-song salvo conspicuously nodded to the gods of downtuned DM – Cianide, Funebrarum, and early Necros Christos – but did so with the feral force and gutter-drenched ritualism. That gutter-ward descent continued with the band’s second short-length offering, 2023’s Whispered Morbidity. On this EP, the band doubled in size to a quartet, and their base barbarity received a razor-sharpened refinement, somehow becoming heavier and more heaving in the process. Still old-school to the bone, eerie synth lurked between slabs of guitar and guttural onslaught, proving Degraved‘s intent to desecrate the tarnished earth. Now compiled onto one convenient CD, both Whispered Morbidity and Exhumed Remnants will together entrance the listener with their more-than-fanit call of death beckoning.
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Degraved’s Whispered Morbidity & Exhumed Remnants
1. Crematortured 2. Compulsory Bloodletting 3. Reduced to Bone and Ash 4. Whispered Morbidity 5. Exhumed Remnants 6. Corpse Fermentation 7. Incinerated
Today, Chaos Records announces May 31st as the international release date for Black Wound‘s highly anticipated debut album, Warping Structure, on CD format.
Following a trio of demos, a split, and an EP since their formation in 2021, Sweden’s Black Wound at last reveal their debut full-length, Warping Structure, consisting of six tracks of dense, murky, cavernous death metal. Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, the trio here sound like they’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time in the deepest, dankest subterranean hovel, with only humankind’s darkest nightmares for company.
Impossibly, Warping Structure sees Black Wound cranking up the aural brutality a couple notches. Everything goes up to that mythical eleven: the vocals, the guitars, the bass, all layered over the pummeling drums in a way that it feels like all light has been extinguished and suffocation seems inevitable. Teasingly, the crawling, doomier interludes provide some form of relief before the ferocious, relentless wall of sound overwhelms again.
Make no mistake, Warping Structure is a punishing journey, but once you’re immersed in Black Wound‘s bleak hellscape, you’ll find it to be an immensely satisfying listen. Maniacs for Spectral Voice, Teitanblood, and Winter are wholeheartedly encouraged to immerse themselves in this subterranean hovel!
In the meantime, stream Warping Structure in its entirety here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Today, mystical black metallers Magistraal premiere the new track “Waar leed zich eeuwig voedt”. The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut EP, Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht, which will be digitally self-released on April 16th internationally; the EP will also be available through Zwaertgevegt on vinyl format as one half of a split release. Hear Magistraal‘s “Waar leed zich eeuwig voedt” 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]
Today, Invictus Productions announces May 24th as the international release date for the highly anticipated debut album of Canada’s Reversed, Wildly Possessed.
Arising from Vancouver’s potent extreme metal mire, Reversed initially materialized in 2015 through a dedication to the spirit of real death metal and a rabid obsession with death. Guided more by passion than execution, this collection of well-honed ghouls quickly fell into a sepulchral trance to channel a singular form of necrotic, razor-lined heavy metal devilry.
Dying to crack open the tomb, Reversed harnessed and released the Widow Recluse demo tape into the wild in 2018 via Muerto En La Cruz and the recently closed Temple of Mystery. Showcasing the band’s gestating lunacy, the demo revealed shades of black, death, and thrash violently assembled into a refined vision of chaotic mayhem – a runaway train barely remaining on the rails. Due to wild demand, this was immediately followed by vinyl and CD versions on Temple of Mystery in 2019.
Afterward, a string of live shows displayed the wretched results across Western Canada and the USA, playing alongside Aura Noir, Morbid Saint, Antediluvian, Witch Vomit, and more. What followed was a period of cloistered writing and conspiring while the world writhed in torment by the festering plague.
Two rough tracks destined for the eventual debut album were recorded in the Reversed ritual space and released on limited tape by Bent Window Productions. This was to be fully realized on the Reversed debut LP, Wildly Possesed, heralding the dawn of a more aggressive and voracious worship of the ultimate extreme metal essence – 1986 – where labels of death, black, speed, and thrash were interchangeable.
The album was recorded at the infamous Fiasco Bros. Studios where Blasphemy recorded their legendary albums, mixed and mastered by Marco S. Vermiglio at The Forge Music Productions, and set to unleashed by infamous Irish underground devotee Invictus Productions in Spring 2024.
In the meantime, see & hear a video for the brand-new track “Final Death” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Reversed (Canada)’s Wildly Possessed 1. Wildly Possessed 2. Maelstrom Juggernaut 3. Hungry Graves 4. Beneath Evil Eyes 5. Final Death 6. Rusted Breath 7. Black Seed
Today, black metal noiseniks Brakel premiere the new track “Kwadeplas”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Wranger Wanen, set for international release on May 1st via Signal Rex. Hear Brakel‘s “Kwadeplas” in its entirety here:
The first full-length recording of Belgium’s Brakel, Wranger Wanen comprises nine songs across a time-evaporating / stretching 27 minutes. Signposts among raw black metal’s elite exist here – be it Black Cilice, Candelabrum, Múspellzheimr, or those orbiting the Signal Rex-endorsed Clandestine Circle of Aldebaran – but beneath the alternately shocking / shimmering soundfield bubble torched debris of power electronics. Hateful and ghoulish in equal measure but utterly alien in effect, the ghostly surge of in-the-red decibels across Wranger Wanen get wrangled into obscene shapes; with all those indeterminate pulses underneath, sometimes Brakel‘s sound approaches the mechanistic…if the Industrial Revolution was visualized in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, such is the expressionist horror on display.
No identities, no fun, no past, no future: Brakel assault the unsuspecting with Wranger Wanen.
Also get assaulted by the previously revealed “Tegen Geweten” HERE at Signal Rex‘s official YouTube channel. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Brakel’s Wranger Wanen 1. Overdal 2. Kwadeplas 3. Grauwkraal 4. Tegen Geweten 5. Dwaalrag 6. Oude Maart 7. Blâan 8. Zonderling En Drang 9. Nevel Neer
Today, Osmose Productions releases the surprise comeback album of legendary French black metallers Mütiilation, Black Metal Cult, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
2024… More than 30 years after its infamous creation, the black heart of Mütiilation is still pumping its poison.
Risen from the ashes, unexpected for decades… Meyhnach, in his unpredictable wisdom, resurrected the legend and brought back Mütiilation to the earthly plane to deliver its seventh spawn. A dark masterpiece of black metal that surpasses the hopes of the mortals, Black Metal Cult is certainly the culmination that punctuates Mütiilation‘s career.
The myth is alive, the Devil’s among you…
In the meantime, stream Black Metal Cult in its entirety here:
Order info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Mütiilation’s Black Metal Cult
1. Black Metal Cult [5:59] 2. Hominicide [6:58] 3. From the Plains of Ice and Death [7:19] 4. Into the Cursed Necropolis [7:31] 5. The Fall of Islam [8:48] 6. The Mirror of Disillusion [6:02]
Norwegian Black Metal Titans 1349 Team Up with Folk-Black Vanguard Kampfar for a Tour That Promises to Ignite the European Underground.
In a union that promises to reshape the contours of black metal, Norwegian titans 1349 are joining forces with the revered Kampfar for the highly anticipated 1349 & Kampfar – 2024 EU Co-Headline Tour. A ceremonial gathering of black metal’s most fervent apostles, ready to spread the gospel of Aural Hellfire and pagan might across Europe.
1349, known for their unwavering dedication to the essence of black metal, have continually evolved while respecting the genre’s roots. From their formation in the ashes of Alvheim in 1997 to their groundbreaking releases like ‘Hellfire’ and ‘Massive Cauldron of Chaos,’ 1349 have cemented their status as a powerhouse of Norwegian black metal. Their journey has been one of relentless touring, including memorable stints opening for metal legends CELTIC FROST, and achieving milestones such as scoring a nomination for a Norwegian Grammy. Their sonic evolution, marked by ventures into ambient darkness and collaborations with icons like CELTIC FROST’s Tom Gabriel “Warrior” Fischer, exhibits an innovative spirit that refuses to stagnate. In 2018, the band’s creative prowess was further recognized when they were chosen to set Edvard Munch’s paintings to music, resulting in the eerie masterpiece Dødskamp.
As 1349 continues to summon the beast of the abyss with their ferocious live performances, this tour marks a new pinnacle in their relentless advance. Alongside the equally formidable Kampfar, this co-headline venture is set to be a beacon for fans of true, unadulterated black metal. They’ll be bringing along special guests Afksy across all 23 EU dates.
1349 & Kampfar Co-Headline – 2024 EU Tour:
01 October: Leipzig, DE @ Anker 02 October: Berlin, DE @ SO36 03 October: Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall 04 October: Gothenburg, SE @ Filmstudion 05 October: Stockholm, SE @ Kolletkivet Livet 07 October: Helsinki, FI @ Aaniwalli 08 October: Tallinn, EE @ Helitehas 09 October: Riga, LV @ Melna Piektdiena 10 October: Warsaw, PL @ Proxima 11 October: Kraków, PL @ Kamienna 12 12 October: Vienna, AT @ Vienna Metal Meeting 13 October: Budapest, HU @ Barba Negra 15 October: Prague, CZ @ Futurum 16 October: Munich, DE @ Backstage 17 October: Milano, IT @ Slaughter Club 18 October: Colmar, FR @ Le Grillen 19 October: Aarburg, CH @ Musigburg 20 October: Oignies, FR @ Tyrant Fest 22 October: Weiher, DE @ Live Music Hall 23 October: Paris, FR @ Le Petit Bain 24 October: Bochum, DE @ Zeche 25 October: Amstelveen, NL @ P60 26 October: Maastricht, NL @ Samhain Festival
1349 States: ““Little did we know, more than four years ago, that by the time we would again go on tour in Europe, the continent was to be hit by a pandemic and a war. We have entered a time where grim realities have already become manifest, and a still deeper darkness hangs over us and has started its descent. To lend from our own songtitles, Pandemonium War Bells chime in the distance, threatening to become louder. It has become imminent to understand and take in the gravity and let the darkness sink in, and 1349 might just be the perfect soundtrack. Especially now, as we are about to release a particularly sinister and eerie album. We look forward to travel out to the Continent again and feel how the new songs work live in all their demonic splendour, as well as performing songs from our history and share their energies with both old fans and new. We are also pleased to be sharing the stage with fellow Norsemen Kampfar and our Danish brothers in Afsky who will join us on our journey southwards.“
Before embarking on this colossal tour, 1349 ascended new heights of darkness with their seventh studio album, The Infernal Pathway.
Emblazoned with the audacious tagline, “AURAL HELLFIRE,” the album maps a descent into darkness and chaos, marking the band’s continued dedication to bridging the old school with the avant-garde. The layered intensity of tracks such as Dødskamp or Striding the Chasm bespeak the band’s ability to create expansive soundscapes that echo with ultra-fast aggression and chilling ambients.
Current plans envision a brand new release to descend upon the black metal realm later in 2024. Stay tuned for the next chapter in the 1349 saga, where the AURAL HELLFIRE we experience, grows deeper and darker.
Norwegian black metal titans 1349 have returned with their long awaited seventh full-length: The Infernal Pathway. The album promises a journey through chaos and madness, darkness and peril, terror, and annihilation.
1349 is AURAL HELLFIRE. That has been, and continues to be, the primary concept since the band first rose from the ashes of Alvheim in 1997. Conceived around the founding members – vocalist and former drummer Ravn, guitarist Tjalve, and Seidemann on bass – 1349 completed their line-up with the addition of guitarist Archaon in 1999 and SATYRICON drum-legend Frost in 2001.
When their debut Liberation was unleashed in 2003, the Norwegians took the world by storm with their intense blend of old school black metal soundscapes and ultra-fast aggression. Further assaults followed in rapid succession. Beyond the Apocalypse (2004) and Hellfire (2005) cemented the band’s reputation as one of the strongest acts in the scene.
Upon the departure of founding member Tjalve, who decided to focus on his band PANTHEON I, 1349 have since continued as a four-piece – occasionally adding guest guitarists. Extensive touring aided the growth of their now massive following when the four-piece opened for reunited metal legends CELTIC FROST in North America in 2006.
Impressively demonstrating that holding true to the principles of the genre do not mean nostalgia and stagnation, 1349 widened their sonic palette with Revelations of the Black Flame (2009), which was co-mixed by CELTIC FROST mastermind Tom Gabriel “Warrior” Fischer. This inspired a newfound ambient darkness from the band, which was further explored on Demonoir (2010).
Massive Cauldron of Chaos (2013) was the next milestone in the Norwegians merciless advance, scoring excellent reviews and a nomination for a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen). The release sparked more festival shows as well as extensive touring, bringing 1349 to Australia and New Zealand. In 2018, the Munch Museum and Innovation Norway chose 1349 as one of four bands to create a song based on the paintings of Edvard Munch. As a result, the single Dødskamp was released earlier this year.
After performing a fiery show at Norway’s Inferno festival this year, 1349 started recording in Amper Tone studios and Studio Nyhagen with engineer Jarrett Pritchard. Thus, The Infernal Pathway was born, a sonic parallel to summoning and unleashing the beast of the abyss in all its fearsome, ferocious, and powerful splendour.
On March 29th, NoEvDia will release Verberis‘ highly anticipated third album, The Apophatic Wilderness.
“Do you not recognize the trials requested of you? Do you not hear the swarms of voracious flies? Do you not smell corruption’s fetid perfume? As moths to candle flame, so compelled and beguiled to be blind to your annihilation in the Devil’s fires.”‘
With The Apophatic Wilderness, Verberis reveals an image of man cast into the house of Abaddon. Three formidable compositions totaling 41 minutes proceed from 2022’s Adumbration of the Veiled Logos, recounting an entanglement of hubris, submission, worship, and ruin.
As with the past two releases, The Apophatic Wilderness was recorded by the constellation of DA with JSM, NH, and MP. This time, the essence of germanium transistors and magnetic tape imbues the sonic spectrum and provides an aura of vintage viscerality.
While collaborating once more with Ars Alchymiae and Magnus Lindberg, further control was relinquished to achieve a final product reaching beyond the capacities of the band’s core alone. In this respect, mixing was by the hands of Richard Behrens, whereas layout and typography came forth from an open grave.
Take heed in the apophatic wilderness.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Labyrinthine Privation” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Verberis’ The Apophatic Wilderness 1. The Emptying of God [10:57] 2. Labyrinthine Privation [10:23] 3. Arteries Unto Ruin I [11:37] 4. Arteries Unto Ruin II [8:28]
Today, mystic black metallers Darkestrah stream the entirety of their highly anticipated seventh album, Nomad,. Set for international release on March 29th via Osmose Productions, hear Darkestrah‘s Nomad in its entirety here:
On Nomad, their seventh full-length album, Darkestrah venture further on their chosen path of Epic Shamanic Black Metal. Sharp black metal riffing and traditional Central Asian melodies, verses from Kyrgyz epic poetry, and visions of spiritual quests are all woven into the fabric of this new opus.
With a new lineup consisting of long-term veterans and fresh blood, Darkestrah have never been in better shape.
Preorder link can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Darkestrah’s Nomad
1. Journey Through Blue Nothingness [2:12] 2. Kök-Oy [8:00] 3. Nomad [9:29] 4. Destroyer of Obstacles [9:28] 5. Quest for the Soul [9:43] 6. The Dream of Kojojash [4:51] 7. A Dream That Omens Death [1:45]
Today, Hells Headbangers announces May 10th as the international release date for Desolus‘ highly anticipated debut album, System Shock, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
In lieu of this announcement, Desolus will embark upon a month-long North American tour with labelmates Spiter starting in late May. Full list of confirmed dates & venues as well as tour poster are as follows:
5/24 Fri – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus 5/25 Sat – Cambridge, MA – Middle East / Upstairs 5/26 Sun Montreal, QC – Piranha Bar 5/28 Tue Ottawa, ON @ Dominion Tavern 5/29 Wed Toronto, ON @ Bar Orwell 5/30 Thu – Cleveland, OH @ No Class 5/31 Fri – Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits Lounge 6/1 Sat – Chicago, IL @ Reggies / Music Joint 6/2 Sun – Milwaukee, WI @ X-Ray Arcade 6/3 Mon – Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel 6/5 Wed – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 6/6 Thu – Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High Saloon 6/7 Fri – Boise, ID @ The Shredder 6/8 Sat – Portland, OR @ The High Water Mark 6/9 Sun – Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt 6/10 Mon – Seattle, WA @ Belltown Yacht Club 6/11 Tue – Olympia, WA @ Cryptatropa Bar 6/12 Wed – Eureka, CA @ Savage Henry Comedy Club 6/13 Thu – Oakland, CA @ Stork Club 6/14 Fri – Los Angeles, CA @ Knucklehead Bar 6/15 Sat – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick 6/16 Sun – Las Vegas, NV @ The Griffin 6/17 Mon – Tempe, AZ @ The Beast 6/19 Wed – El Paso, TX @ Rockhouse 6/20 Thu – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger 6/21 Fri – Austin, TX @ The Lost Well 6/22 Sat – Dallas, TX @ Double Wide 6/23 Sun – Tulsa, OK @ Whittier Bar 6/25 Tue – St Louis, MO @ The Sinkhole 6/26 Wed – Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle 6/27 Thu – Pittsburgh, PA @ Shred Shed 6/28 Fri – Washington, D.C. @ Pie Shop 6/29 Sat – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
Hailing from the Mid-Atlantic United States, Desolus formed in 2019 at the beginning of the pandemic. Inspired by Sodom, Kreator, and Dark Angel, Jimmy Frost (guitars and vocals) and Vivek Rangarajan (bass and vocals) wrote songs as an outlet for the feeling of what seemed to be the end of times. As time went by and the dust settled, they traveled north to Baltimore, where they recorded a series of demos with Sebastian Phillips (Exhumed / Noisem / Castle Freak). Phillips engineered and tracked drums on these demos in hopes to release it for the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) metal scene. While recording these songs, they met Travis Stone (percussion), a former member of Noisem and current member of Pig Destroyer. Stone heard the songs and was on board as soon as the first riff played. Soon after, he began rehearsing with the band day in and day out until they were ready to take their music to the streets. Desolus gained traction within the DMV music scene over the span of a few years and began traveling across the United States to spread their love of old-school thrash.
Now, at long last is Desolus‘ imminent debut album ready. Titled System Shock, the power-trio’s first full-length consists of nine ripping songs featuring themes of horrors beyond this world, Satanic science fiction, and a dystopian future that is seemingly within arm’s reach. While there’s no shortage of bands still thrashing like the 1980s never ended, Desolus immediately and irrevocably prove that they’re indeed the Real Deal: System Shock pumps adrenaline and stirs bloodlust with an energy and elan that are impossible to ignore – and even more impossible to deny. But beyond the band’s energy overload is a deeply ingrained understanding of what made those aforementioned legends of Sodom, Kreator, and Dark Angel so vital: strong songwriting, and the razor-sharp execution to back it up. Each member here is superlative with his given instrument, locating that elusive middle point between ultra-tight and ultraviolent, and the trade-off vocals between Rangarajan and Frost in particular impart a madman’s touch to this already overflowing buffet of high-speed metal. Add to this an absolutely devastating production courtesy of Phillips and System Shock becomes mandatory listening for those who fly high the flag of hate and still feel persecution mania. Desolus are here to reanimate the graves of the old gods!
In the meantime, hear the previously revealed title track “System Shock” HERE at Hells Headbangers. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:HERE‘ official YouTube channel.
Tracklisting for Desolus’ System Shock 1. System Shock 2. From Man to Machine 3. Curse Of The Technomancer 4. Metal Fetishist 5. The Arrival 6. The Invasion Begins 7. Interlude (Hidden Track) 8. Sea Of Fire 9. The Sigilite 10. Panopticon
