| Today, Helldprod Records sets November 15th as the international release date for a special mini-album from underground legends Front Beast titled Shadows on cassette tape format. Since the late ’90s, this German entity has been lurking in the darkest corners of the black metal underground and accrued a cult status to kill for. Helmed by mainman Avenger – whose resume includes a dozen other bands/projects, most notably Nocturnal but also including the likes of Szarlem, Angel of Damnation, Black Priest of Satan, The Fog, and Exorcism among many others – Front Beast have stayed committed to a pure ‘n’ proud vision, honoring the ancient ways with a supremely prolific stream of demos and split releases. Ever restless, it’s surprisingly been a quiet couple of years for Front Beast since their last fuller-length recording, the album Third Scourge From Darkness. A split 7″ with Mournful Winter came in 2018 courtesy of Avenger’s long-running Deathstrike label, but otherwise, the faithful have had to wait for a longer Front Beast recording. At last, it arrives with the simply titled Shadows, and no finer a distillation of the man’s aesthetic you will find. Recorded nice ‘n’ raw like a classic rehearsal but no less rich ‘n’ robust, Shadows perfectly encapsulates the Front Beast experience in a tidy 21 minutes: damp dungeon atmosphere, crude-yet-commanding execution, thirsty ‘n’ miserable vocals, an aura of hideousness and unhealth, and an unselfconscious obeisance of time-honored heavy metal values. More so, there’s definitely an old-school sinister thrash aura in Front Beast‘s musical approach that surpasses today’s black metal aesthetics due to the influences of such bands as Celtic Frost, Iron Angel, and Destruction – along with, naturally, early Bathory. So, Shadows is a true metal attack from the past! Some 20 years later, Front Beast is still proudly producing trend-free black metal of an ancient, mystical hue. Feel the flames of Hell – again, or for the very first time – and beware of Shadows! Beware of the brand-new track “Morbid Visions,” which can be heard here: |
| Cover and tracklisting are as follows: |
| Tracklisting for Front Beast’s Shadows 1. Satan 2. TakenToThe Abyss 3. Circle Of Dancing Shadows 4. Morbid Visions 5. Wolfs Howl 6. A Life Beyond |
| MORE INFO: www.facebook.com/frontbeastofficial |