Today, Chaos Records announces August 11th as the international release date for Cystic‘s highly anticipated debut album, Palace of Shadows, on CD format.
Formed in 2018, Seattle’s Cystic have remained an underground fixture in the contemporary death metal scene. In only a five-year span, the band have produced a great deal – from their debut demo, The Last Days, in 2018 to two EPs, Sworn Enemy of Life and Incineration Rites, in 2020 as well as tours and festival appearances. Now in 2023, the band is set to release their first full-length, Palace of Shadows.
For those who’ve been following Cystic so far, Palace of Shadows unmistakably sounds like the same band, but there’s a distinct evolution in their songwriting and style here. Effortlessly and unselfconsciously, Cystic stay true to their punk roots and retain their characteristic murkiness, but wade deeper into the murk of Palace of Shadows and one will hear clear and palpable growth from their no-less-considerable past. The album comprises nine songs in 36 minutes and actually feels far vaster than that, largely in part to its fully cohesive concept. But even so, Cystic keep proceedings urgent, displaying energy even when these songs start feeling “epic.” Likewise, their melodicism has taken on a darker and more emotional edge, supported by nuanced rhythms and flowing grooves, altogether combining for a battering (and mildly blackened) death metal assault that feels classic and fresh in equal measure. To celebrate the release of Palace of Shadows, Cystic will perform at this year’s Killtown Deathfest in Copenhagen in September.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Core of the Maelstrom” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Cystic’s Palace of Shadows
1. Vista 2. Pestilential Throne 3. Palace of Shadows and Blood 4. Duly Drowned 5. Stygian Deeps 6. XIII (A Reprise in Blood) 7. Core of the Maelstrom 9. Afterglow 8. Nebulous Legion (of the Sombre Sea)
JOHNNY THE BOY are now streaming their debut album ahead of the release date! All eight tracks can be listened to here:
‘You’ will be released on June 9, 2023 via Season of Mist.
Personal note from JOHNNY THE BOY: “We are Johnny The Boy. Here’s our debut album “YOU”. No fancy trickery or bluff was used on making this album. It features Neanderthal riffs and Necro vocals. We play music we wanna play and sing about stuff we need to say.”
Formed by current and former members of CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, JOHNNY THE BOY have emerged with a vile yet heartfelt spike of black metal. ‘You’ opens with “Die Already”, a gloomy surge of industrial rock that’s pierced by the pissed-off shrieks of Belinda Kordic.
‘You’ 1. Die Already (05:12) 2. Grime (04:10) 3. He Moves (04:44) 4. Endlessly Senseless (06:13) [WATCH HERE] 5. Crossings (08:05) [WATCH HERE] 6. Druh (02:52) [WATCH HERE] 7. Wired (02:47) 8. Without You (07:16)
Born from a simple idea, and eventually coalescing over the last couple of years into a fully-formed entity, JOHNNY THE BOY make music that fucking hurts. Armed with a scabrous but sculpted blend of ice-cold black metal, excoriating sludge and sinewy, white-knuckle rock’n’roll, the trio’s musical identity has arrived, perfectly imperfect and ready to eviscerate. Formed around a creative core of vocalist Belinda Kordic, guitarist Justin Greaves (both members of Crippled Black Phoenix) and bassist Matt Crawford (CBP alumnus and live bassist), JOHNNY THE BOY began life as an instinctive grab for something darker and nastier.
“It began at a rehearsal with Crippled Black Phoenix many, many years ago,” says Greaves. “We were rehearsing down at Arthur’s, where CBP used to practice, and it was during one of those rehearsals that I just got on the guitar, someone else got on the drums and we were just fart-arsing about, with Belinda doing her necro vocals! Then we posted a little clip online and people starting asking, ‘Oh, is this legit?’ Like always, it took fucking years to even think about doing anything, but it was always going to happen.”
“In the background, there’s the fact that in the first band I was ever in, I sang that way,” adds Kordic. “I really missed doing that. We both missed that whole Iron Monkey, Varukers, aggressive side of music. That’s the first way of singing that I loved, and I’ve missed doing it. So we always wanted to do this.”
Brought together by a love of dark, twisted and extreme music and energized by an opportunity to return to the full-bore hostilities of their earlier creative years, JOHNNY THE BOY‘s debut album ‘You’ is the final proof that the best ideas cannot be stopped. A collaborative effort that brought the evil best out of everyone involved, it’s an album that has been stewed in real blood, sweat and tears. But mainly sweat.
Recording Studio: Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire UK, Kapsylen Studio, Stockholm Sweden Mixing: Kurt Ballou @ GodCity Studio, Salem MA. USA. Mastering: Magnus Lindberg – Magnus Lindberg Productions, Stockholm, Sweden.
US black metal band UADA dropa brand new lyric video for “Retraversing the Void”, the first track from the upcoming fourth album. Watch it here:
Ever since the cloaked Pacific Northwest band appeared on the music radar, UADA has always been electrified by both polar worlds. Their echelon was stark and meaningful. Within the stretch of 3 albums as well as dense and triumphant live shows across the globe, they have not only spiked the map of extreme metal music, but their unrelenting touring schedule an unbridled will to push forward into new horizons has also earned them a reception in all the extremes imaginable, be it worship or spite.
5 sonic vessels form the nucleus of ‘Crepuscule Natura’, and within it`s 41 minutes, the record easily creates a sonic and aesthetic bridge between the band`s debut, ‘Devoid of Light’ (2016), and their sophomore effort ‘Cult of a Dying Sun’ (2018), only to forge onward upon the relentless path set forth with ‘Djinn’ (2020). Here, a more refined and muscular, yet no less melodic stronghold awaits. On ‘Crepuscule Natura’, UADA provides all their emorable hooks, tasteful leads, and riding blasts in their distinct style, balancing their epic surging melodies with powerful spurts of aggression. Just like the band’s smoke-heavy shows, the momentum and emphasis of their craft always stays grandiose, mythical, and triumphant – all the while making sure to birth a couple of new fan favorites and soon-to-be staple live songs.
‘Crepuscule Natura’, once again graced by the artwork of legendary Kris Verwimp and photography by Peter Beste, shows UADA on fire to unleash the marrow of black heavy metal.
Tracklisting: 01. The Abyss Gazing Back (07’50) 02. Crepuscule Natura (06’38) 03. The Dark (Winter) (07’31) 04. Retraversing the Void (07’44) 05. Through the Wax and Through the Wane (12’03)
Today, AOP Records announces August 18th as the international release date for the highly anticipated second album of Germany’s The Circle, Of Awakening, on CD and vinyl LP formats. To coincide with the announcement, the first single “Ashes and Fading Tides” is revealed here:
Risen from the ruins, created by the fierce tides, The Circle hail you to the realm of the blackened sun with the upcoming full-length concept album entitled Of Awakening. With their second creation, the three-piece – founded in 2021, based around vocalist Asim Searah (ex-Wintersun) – takes you on a voyage through the facets of egoism, devastation, self-hatred, and reflection and the results of destructive behavior that lead to a higher level of self-actualization.
Emphasized by a blend of aggression and disharmony, yet captivating the listener in a sorrowful and haunting atmosphere, the five compositions of Of Awakening take the audience into a sound of ambient black/doom metal combined with progressive and symphonic elements which The Circle describes as “Art Metal.” The highest aim of this album is to open up the uncovered horizons of personal philosophy and launch a cathartic process in the inner self of every listener.
Cover artwork, courtesy of Awinita Alm, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for The Circle (Germany)’s Of Awakening 1. Ruins, My Dying World [8:26] 2. Of Awakening [6:11] 3. Afflux [4:01] 4. Reign of the Black Sun [9:08] 5. Ashes and Fading Tides [5:32]
Today, Norwegian black metallers Ekrom stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Uten Nådigst Formildelse. Set for international release on June 6th via Edged Circle Productions, hear Ekrom‘s Uten Nådigst Formildelse in its entirety here:
A new formation hailing from darkest, coldest Norway, Ekrom sound exceptionally ancient, brimming with a fire that stoked (and literally burned) the country during the early ’90s. Perhaps not surprisingly, the band is the work of two old souls: drummer Thomas Ødegaard (AKA Tex Terror, longtime drummer/vocalist of Nocturnal Breed) and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Kharon, an early member of Norway’s Covenant, during that band’s earliest (and best) days. Ekrom made their public debut in November 2022 with the EP The Black Flames of Seth – initially digital-only, but then finding super-limited tape release in March of this year. At nearly 15 minutes, the EP swiftly made its point: the past was alive, and from the cinders stirred another new fire…
Now it’s reached a conflagration with Ekrom‘s full-length debut, Uten Nådigst Formildelse. Wasting no time with an intro, the album kicks in – HARD – with a spiraling & suffocating spire of absolutely classic Nordic ice. Shards of stained-glass synth soon enter the picture and make Ekrom‘s cryogenics even more haunting and expansive, with the production itself – crisp, clear, and somehow dense simultaneously, most importantly emitting an air of mystery and mysticism such as it was during the darkest 1990s – almost working as another instrument. That the duo have these sounds dialed in is one (exceptional) thing; that they wield those sonics in service of imaginative, immersive songwriting is another. Indeed, Uten Nådigst Formildelse is a transportive experience, much like those ancient Norwegian tomes here, severing the listener from reality and opening the portals to the beyond and dream-worlds yet contemplated: life-giving and -damning in equal measure, a manifestation of eldritch energies most potent. Or, fancy words aside, Ekrom‘s debut album is a fucking great BLACK METAL record rendered with time-honored elements.
While there’s currently no shortage of bands/records offering classic/”classic” ’90s-style black metal, it’s invigorating – and, above all, authentic – to find it coming from those who were there from the beginning. Ekrom have both arrived and awoken with Uten Nådigst Formildelse.
Preorder info can be found HERE at Edged Circle‘s Bandcamp. Cover artwork, courtesy of Heidi Irene Kainulainen, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ekrom’s Uten Nådigst Formildelse 1. Bell Witch 2. The Black Flame Of Seth 3. The Black Hearted Ragana 4. Abyss Of Eternity 5. Misanthropy Void 6. I Djevelens Skygge 7. My End 8. When I Enter The World Of Unknown
Today, Blooddawn Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces July 31st as the international release date for the long-awaited new recording from Sweden’s Vargr, FTW, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
Hailing from Sweden, Vargr is the work of Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, largely known for the legendary MZ.412 but also counting Pouppée Fabrikk and the selfsame Nordvargr among his many musical endeavors. Under the moniker Vargr, he creates a maddening meld of dark industrial and blacknoise – sometimes leaning toward one end of the spectrum over the other, and sometimes overloading frequencies into one frightening onslaught of sound.
It’s been over a decade since Vargr had a new studio recording – since 2010, in fact – and now he returns with the full-length FTW. Aptly titled, FTW indeed fucks the world with brittle shards of black metal bent in obscene ways, as a slaughterhouse of strange sounds rolls on underneath, the conveyor belt moving ominously, fatally forward. Much like the infamous Abruptum, there’s no middle ground here: you either willingly submit or run far way. No escape…no hope.
Featuring cover artwork by the enigmatic Wagner Ödegård, Vargr‘s FTW now sees worldwide release at the hands of a capable label. No ripoffs…no light.
In the meantime, stream the entirety of FTW here:
Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Today, Helter Skelter Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces July 31st as the international release date for Old Ghoul’s striking debut EP, self-titled Old Ghoul, on 12” vinyl format.
Old Ghoul is the new work of the insanely prolific Chad Davis, most renowned for the legendary Hour of 13. And much like that widely celebrated doom vehicle, his new Old Ghoul sticks to a dark, doomed-out route that’s as haunting as it is heavy. With a mere three songs in 15 minutes, the band’s self-titled debut EP gets in and gets out, doing its job of spooking the fuck outta you and letting the mystery linger after the record’s over…which isn’t long, as these three bangers swagger with a slo-burn intensity that just begs for repeat spins! And much like more recent Hour of 13 material, Old Ghoul definitely bears a distinct deathrock touch along with the tried-and-true doom ones, making Old Ghoul an auspicious start – and one to dig deeper graves!
In the meantime, stream the entirety of Old Ghoul here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Old Ghoul’s Old Ghoul
1. The Crypt of Night 2. The Devils At Brocken 3. The End of All That Remains
Today, Canadian death metallers Serpent Corpse premiere the new track “Let the Rats Feed”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Blood Sabbath, set for international release on July 5th via Temple of Mystery Records. Hear Serpent Corpse‘s “Let the Rats Feed” in its entirety here:
Hailing from the ever-rising Montreal death metal scene, Serpent Corpse are at once foreign and familiar. Blood Sabbath, their full-length debut following a demo in 2021, on first glance feels resolutely old school: straightforward songwriting, analog production, little flash but full fire. And indeed, Serpent Corpse do show noble influence from the very early ’90s – foremost among them, the world-eating enormity of classic Bolt Thrower and vigorous D-beating of early Entombed – but along with another set of tweaked influences and, more so, a maniacal manner in which to pursue them, the Canadian quartet prove that the idea of traditional all-caps DEATH METAL is undying and infinite. The further one steps into the ichor of Blood Sabbath, the more those tweaks take shape – Darkthrone during their death metal days, Seance skewing death ‘n’ roll, the DM-in-glue of classic Cianide, or especially Autopsy’s transition into Abscess – and the more the exemplary songwriting truly begins to shine…or ROT, as it were! For this nine-song/39-minute album sounds as slimy as it does headbanging – and those singed ‘n’ seared leads are the definition of haunting! Coupled with powerfully clear annunciation from vocalist/guitarist Andrew Haddad and mesmerizing cover art courtesy of Lucas Korte, Serpent Corpse deliver one of the most essential death metal debuts of recent memory. A festering death awaits!
Also hear the previously revealed “Nemesis” HERE at Temple of Mystery‘s Bandcamp. Preorder info can be found further below. Serpent Corpse will be playing an album-release party on July 15th at La Sotterenea in Montreal; event info can be found HERE. Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Serpent Corpse’s Blood Sabbath 1. Spell Of The Eternal Serpent 2. Electric Eye 3. Nemesis 4. Let The Rats Feed 5. Land Of Rot And Misfortune 6. Crucifxion Shrine 7. Swallowed Whole By The Abyss 8. Dreams of Crows 9. Blood Sabbath
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces August 11th as the international release date for The Rite‘s highly anticipated second album, The Astral Gloom, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
The Rite was formed in autumn 2017 when A.th (Black Oath) and Ustumallagam (Denial of God) joined forces to create a band that exclusively plays morbid black metal, praising complete and utmost darkness. Their influences range from iconic bands such as Mercyful Fate, Death SS, Celtic Frost, Samael, Goatlord, Ripper, and others, as well as occult literature. The music walks a fine line between slow and dreary parts and fast and merciless attacks, but by and large, it falls into the black/doom category.
The recording of The Rite‘s five-track mini-album, The Brocken Fires, was finished in August 2018 and originally released on tape by Unholy Domain Records in October 2018. In August 2019, the mini-album was then released on CD and 12″ vinyl formats by Iron Bonehead and successively received a great response from the underground scene.
In July 2019, The Rite performed their debut show at Denmark’s Metal Magic Festival. In the autumn of that year, the band performed their second show, this time in Italy. Around the same time, The Rite entered the studio again to record their debut album, Liturgy of the Black, which contained 10 tracks of morbid black metal, including a cover of Ripper. The album was released in June 2020 by Iron Bonehead, showing The Rite creating an atmosphere of darkness and the occult rather than focusing on speed or technicality. The music, written by A.th, this time incorporated both guitar solos and keyboards while staying true to The Rite‘s original path of mainly slow and heavy black metal. The lyrics, penned by Ustumallagam, covered various intriguing subjects such as pure devil worship, devotion to the dark, strange rituals, and the afterlife, and the man’s characteristically creepy annunciation brought those subjects to undead life with drama and intensity.
Around the turn of 2020 to 2021, The Rite returned to the studio to record new tracks for two upcoming releases. Some of the tracks were included on a split CD with Coven of Impurity, released by Cursed Recordings (A.th’s label), and one track was featured on a split 7″ EP with Bezwering, released on Headkick Music (Ustumallagam’s label) in May 2022, after facing cursed delays. The split CD with Coven of Impurity sold out quickly, and most of the copies of the split 7″ with Bezwering were sold within a few days.
In 2022, The Rite‘s lineup underwent some changes. The original drummer, P. Guts, was replaced by someone else who the band parted ways with just days before their third show at Winter Metal Magic in Denmark. War D. (Morbus Grave) stepped in at the last moment and saved the day, and has been with the band ever since. A second guitar player was found in M. Desecrator (VomitVulva, Funest), making The Rite a five-piece band, even stronger in their live performances.
Despite being busy with both Denial of God and Black Oath, The Rite began working intensely on the follow-up to Liturgy of the Black. After some initial rehearsals, their second album was recorded in December 2022. Titled The Astral Gloom, The Rite‘s new album contains another 10 tracks, proving as dark and dynamic as ever, with creepier excursions into quieter territory and an even more heightened atmospheric element without losing any heaviness – thus, the title The Astral Gloom is more than fitting. That heaviness is provocatively played to the hilt with this two-guitar lineup, and the lead parts evoke a macabre majesty only hinted at before. Once again, The Rite choose a unique cover – this time, the Lollipops’ “Naked When You Come,” an eerie psychedelic pop song from 1966 – and they truly make it their own.
With this new lineup bolstered and better than ever, The Rite seek to take their morbid metal to the stage more often and promote The Astral Gloom as fully as possible. The black bells toll more ominously than ever, the veil between worlds begins to open…step forth into The Astral Gloom!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Nosophoros” here:
Tracklisting for The Rite’s The Astral Gloom 1. Intro – The Evocation 2. The Spirit of Mendes 3. The Fathomless Dark 4. Under A Lunar Spell 5. Walpurgis Night 6. The Astral Gloom 7. Nosophoros 8. Naked When You Come 9. The Valley of Megiddo 10. Outro – Sheol
Today, Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records announce July 14th as the international release date for a brand-new mini-album from Ascendency, A Manifest of Imperious Destiny, on 12″ vinyl and CD formats, respectively.
Prepare for the ultimate black/death metal assault by Denmark’s Ascendency… Following a punishing demo in 2019 and their equally merciless 2020 MLP, they now return with another tome of destruction. Four new tracks span an unforgiving half-hour of desecration.
While Denmark has offered some of the best contemporary death metal in the last decade or so, Ascendency are quite a unique beast within this. Their much darker, venomous black metal influences create disquiet with uncomfortable atmospherics that still retain that brutality, just with a much-more-unhinged twist. These new pieces showcase what the band has incubated in the last three years, which is feral and harrowing musical extremity with a sepulchral atmosphere and tremendous musicianship to boot. Reverberating howls and guitars send a chill through the ossuary while drums hammer through remaining skulls with ease.
While Ascendency clearly revel in delivering punishment, they do so with intricate and carefully constructed songs that contain more than enough nuance to really sink your teeth into. Melodic-yet-bestial riffs charge atop devastating percussion with demonic vocals while never straying too far from the cacophony of fury remains the heart of this untamed sound. The subtleties tie in with bludgeoning violence effortlessly and leave us with a truly potent, memorable, and distinguished record. Atmosphere and malice, when they coexist in such a manner, become an unstoppable beast, so prepare for annihilation if you seek out this mystical-yet-malignant gem of underground might. Delve into oblivion with these new offerings of unfaltering triumph and might. [text by Jørgen Sven Kirby, Nattskog webzine]
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Domitor Invictus” here:
. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ascendency’s A Manifest of Imperious Destiny 1. The Triumph of Draconian Might [7:05] 2. Victory – in all its Ephemeral Glory [5:41] 3. Domitor Invictus [5:50] 4. A Manifest of Imperious Destiny [9:30] MORE INFO: prophesiedascendency.bandcamp.com
