Today, American black metallers Lamp of Murmuur stream the entirety of their highly anticipated third album, Saturnian Bloodstorm. Set for international release on March 26th via Argento Records and Not Kvlt Records, hear Lamp of Murmuur‘s Saturnian Bloodstorm in its entirety here:
Since 2019, a spectral entity earthly summoned as Lamp of Murmuur gradually ascended as one of the furthermost esteemed and sought-after luminaries within the rawest, crudest innards of black metal. Such following and public awareness do not stand as a certitude merely grounded on good music.
In a niche that presently perceives clear signs of overabundance and counterfeit expression, Lamp of Murmuur prospered, particularly owing its opulence to a vision that didn’t establish itself after an easy pathway – one of exploring a microclimate towards exhaustion – instead displaying there were no guidelines for the artistic manifestation behind the distressing specter behind it.
From the raw lo-fi approach of the band’s beginnings to the gothic and melodic overtones trailed on recent times, Lamp of Murmuur redefines itself yet again with a fervorous new declaration of strength and vigor, a ghastly beast under the title Saturnian Bloodstorm.
From its very early storming chords, one faces a frantic swaying of rabid riffs and intricate rhythm segments, a visceral trail of electrical magnetism. An ardent, restless voice narrates this offering with poisonous might and nocturnal fever conjoined with the six-string sharpness, expanded through a razor-sharp sound production, blazing with a dynamic edge, organically mixing cleanness and aggression in a mantra of potency and (un)pure fanaticism.
Inspired by the core edge and raging solemnity of black metal’s history, Saturnian Bloodstorm is as varied as it is organic, offering tumultuous instrumental proficiency under fast, raging bursts of sonic aggression intertwined with brilliant mid-tempo sections, ever epic and ice-cold in its riffing extravaganza.
Set to be released through Argento (Europe) and Not Kvlt (USA), Saturnian Bloodstorm stands as an opus of black metal might, hailing The Seven Spears of Fever with raging chaos, an eternal spark of flaming delight. [text by Mário Souto]
Cover artwork, courtesy of Karmazid, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Lamp of Murmuur’s Saturnian Bloodstorm
1. Conqueror Beyond the Frenzied Fog [6:59] 2. Hymns of Death, Rays of Might [7:46] 3. Seal of the Dominator [6:46] 4. Descending From the Aurora [1:03] 5. In Communion With the Wintermoon [8:19] 6. Saturnian Bloodstorm [9:08]
On May 4th internationally, Blood Harvest Records is proud to reissue Cryptic Shift’s Beyond the Celestial Realms, now retitled as Return to Realms, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
Originally released in 2016, the original 23-minute Beyond the Celestial Realms largely introduced Cryptic Shift to the wider metal underground. While a couple demos and EPs preceded the record, Beyond the Celestial Realms was the UK quartet’s first major recording, revealing the mesmerizing mastery of their vintage-yet-fresh tech-thrash. And while the 2020 debut album Visitations from Enceladus blew minds far and wide and truly put Cryptic Shift’s name on the metal map, Beyond the Celestial Realms has been sought after as a crucial puzzle-piece for their ever-growing legions of fans.
Allied again with Blood Harvest, who released that momentous debut album, Cryptic Shift now offer Return to Realms – a unique configuration of Beyond the Celestial Realms. The vinyl version includes the bonus track “Entombed in Flesh,” from the 2016 demo recording session, but previously unreleased on physical format. Included with the vinyl will be a download card which includes a total of 10 songs: all the songs appearing on the vinyl as well as the rest of the 2016 demo recording session. The CD and tape versions include all 10 songs. To coincide with the release of Return to Realms, Blood Harvest will be doing a vinyl re-press of Visitations from Enceladus, now featuring different cover artwork, on the same date. Space is the place, so no better time to Return to Realms with Cryptic Shift!
In the meantime, Return to Realms with the original Beyond the Celestial Realms here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Cryptic Shift’s Return to Realms 1. Beyond The Celestial Realms 2. Voyage Through Dimensions 3. Deathcrusher 4. Spore 5. Glacial Reclamation 6. Entombed In Flesh 7. Voyage Through Dimensions [Demo] 8. Deathcrusher [Demo] 9. Spore [Demo] 10. Cosmic Dreams [Demo]
In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, Memento Mori are extremely thrilled to announce a new signing: Necrotum, from Romania.
The rancid entity known as Necrotum was initiated by mainman Filip Garlonta (Putred, Demoted, Vorus) in Brasov, back in 2019. Despite the fact that the band has only been around for about four years, Necrotum have already produced an impressive output, including two albums and a number of minor releases, getting tighter, danker, heavier, and more macabre over time, drawing inspiration from the likes of early Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, Wombbath, Broken Hope, and Grave among others, with the sole intention of perpetuating ghastly, downtuned, no-frills death fuckin’ metal.
Memento Mori will unleash the CD version of their third full-length in the first half of 2024. Further details to follow in the coming months. For more info, consult the links below.
Today, Purity ThroughFire announces April 22nd as the international release date for Mavorim‘s highly anticipated fourth album, Ab Amitia Pulsae, on CD, A5 digipack, and vinyl LP formats.
By now, the name Mavorim should be more than familiar to those who follow the crimes of Purity Through Fire. Since the band’s formation in 2014, mainman Baptist has restlessly and relentlessly pursued his stark, austere style of black metal, resulting in three full-lengths and seven other shorter-length works. Collectively, Mavorim have quickly come to define the new breed of German black metal that hearkens back to the old guard: Teutonic to the bone, harsh and harrowing yet heralding triumph.
And so the battle wages on with Mavorim‘s fourth album, Ab Amitia Pulsae. Immediately and dramatically, this is classic Mavorim – charging hard onto the battlefield, bloody swords raised, rough-yet-rousing melodicism to the fore, with Baptist’s gruff, exhortative throat leading the charge – but as Ab Amitia Pulsae plays on, new vistas of their signature sound are revealed. While still qualitatively a black metal record, Mavorim‘s fourth album displays deft layering of sounds, particularly Baptist’s subtle-yet-concerted integration of keyboards and other synth sounds, altogether adding an exceptionally dynamic contour to otherwise-straightforward aggression. Further, his guitar leads display a much wider swath of feeling as well as texture, each song seemingly featuring something quite new in the greater Mavorim dialect, while drumming co-conspirator Valfor occasionally add his choral voices to poignant effect. And it’s gripping and urgent all the way through to the 53-minute album’s end…again and again and again.
At times tragic, at times folkloric, melancholy giving way to bloodlust, Ab Amitia Pulsae proves once again that Mavorim are uniquely adept at fully coloring within the lines of black metal with the boldest and bravest hues.
Behold the hues of the brand-new track “Ein Zerrbild aller Leiden” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as listed below
Tracklisting for Mavorim’s Ab Amitia Pulsae 1. Zeitgeist 2. Ein Zerrbild aller Leiden 3. Das Joch der Schande 4. Bis nur noch Knochen übrig bleibt 5. Was des Lebens nicht wert 6. Zerinne im Nichts 7. Die andere Seite deines Traumes 8. Unter den Mühlen der Zeit 9. Das Schluchzen und Wimmern 10. Erlischt für immer nun das Licht 11. Endzeit
Today, Hells Headbangers announces April 28th as the international release date for Vaultwraith‘s highly anticipated third album, Decomposing Spells, on CD format.
After being locked away and condemned from humanity for what seemed like an eternity, the vile and mad apparition-musician, The Vaultwraith, returns yet again with nothing but the ultimate revenge and vengeance on his foul and diseased mind!
His skeletal hands clawed through an ancient compendium of dark horror stories culled from the most frighteningly EVIL depths that included the diabolically devilish “Mabille de Lancre,” a femme-FATAL death-queen of the highest order, as well as a carnivorous coven of wicked perversions and pure Satanic slavery! A hell on mortal Earth comes to life in the tale of a family destroyed by a self-righteous lunatic who kills in the name of her “Lord,” while a deceptively beautiful but ultra-violent seductress strikes down her weak prey with a mighty stroke of a blood-drenched scythe to satiate her midnight lusts!
The terror-tales continue when a ghastly spirit from beyond traps the soul of pure innocence in one of the darkest ghost stories ever told, all before a possessed hearse hauntress, a necro-obsessed Succubus, and the Vaultwraith‘s rising of an undead army of skeleton warriors determined to annihilate existence brings everything to a final conflagration of flames…
With a true European-horror atmosphere and metallic-laced riffs conjuring BLACKENED HEAVY METAL, complete with Exorcist-vomiting and shrieking vocals from HELL, Vaultwraith’s third album, Decomposing Spells, is a 10-track album filled with nothing but the most catchy, memorable, and melodic guitar-solo-drenched songs of pure SKELETONIZED HORROR METAL that you can possibly imagine! From the infamous Hells Headbangers…the record label that IS proof of the Devil’s power!
In the meantime, stream the entirety of Decomposing Spells here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Vaultwraith’s Decomposing Spells 1. Wax Cylinder Apparition [6:18] 2. The Devil’s Dish Served Cold [4:21] 3. Decomposing Spells [2:54] 4. Carnivorous Coven [3:16] 5. Church Burned [5:04] 6. The Sinister Scythe [4:14] 7. Full Circle Possession [3:35] 8. Hearse Hauntress [4:33] 9. The Mortuary Succubus 3:16] 10. Of Skeletons and Metal [5:09]
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces May 19th as the international release date for Ara Solis‘ striking debut album, Ashvatta, on vinyl LP format. Zazen Sounds will handle the release of the CD version.
Ara Solis are a black metal band from Galicia, an Atlantic region in the northwest of Spain deeply idiosyncratic in terms of history and heritage, heritage which serves as a unique form of inspiration and drive for the duo. The beginnings of Ara Solis are difficult to trace and are often elusive, since the band was formed from the ashes of other black metal bands and solo projects. The oldest piece of recording is a rehearsal with different members to the current lineup dating from 2015 that never was spread. It is not until 2020 that the lineup becomes stable. Now, finally, their first public work is ready for immersion.
And immersive indeed is Ashvatta, Ara Solis‘ first full-length. A band literally out of time, there is little to compare this work to in the nowadays “black metal” scene. One would have to cast their gaze far back into the ’90s, root around in its deepest and darkest cellars, to find sonic analogs – ones that would include Norwegians Thorns and Strid as well as Abyssic Hate and early Blut Aus Nord and Nocternity. Still, that only tells half the story of Ashvatta; this three-song/37-minute album simply needs to be EXPERIENCED. A conceptual work, to be sure, Ara Solis roll out sine waves of minimalist-yet-memorable riff threaded through deceptively intricate song structures, and color that shimmering obsidian with dramatically atavistic percussion and ghostly synths hovering in the ether. That the tortured vocals span desolate yells and charnel whispers alike further adds to the dreamy delirium…a dark, desperate delirium that’s suffocating and spacious in equal measure.
An altar of golden sacrifice mightily arises ashore the tempestuous waters of Finis Terrae. At the sylvan realms of frost, the holy gate of light and darkness appears erected stone by stone to safeguard the transdimensional portal of heroic resurrection. The Garden of the Hesperides grows around. The ancient tree of life and death [Ashvattha, Yggdrasil] pours the sap of eternity in the ritual copulation of oxygenic and anoxygenic photophosphorylation. Mortals bow their heads toward the arch of heavens. The sword of the warrior reflects the light of the midday amidst the eternal dust of warfare. The moon reflects the light of the sun at night, lightening the hidden paths of the forests beyond reincarnation. War is the Essence. Living souls are reaped where the Phoenix is reborn.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Ara Solis” here:
Today, Purity ThroughFire announces April 22nd as the international release date for Barditus‘ striking debut mini-album, Dein Schwert, on digipack CD format.
Barditus is a studio & live project of Uwe Nolte, from the cult Orplid, together with Christian S. from Stern des Bundes. While Orplid’s sound is somewhere between neofolk and neoclassical, with themes ranging from Germanic paganism and Greek mythology to the Christian symbolism of the early Middle Ages and natural romanticism, here with Barditus do the duo explore a sound somewhere between paradigmatic neofolk and black metal – or even “acoustic black metal,” if you will. And while in Orplid the occidental bastion was defended with the quill, Barditus take up the sword and unconditionally profess heroism and love.
The passion and power of Barditus here will be readily recognizable to fans of Orplid, with the pastoral-on-the-surface acoustics joined in their soon-to-be-bubbling-over frenzy by sharp shards of dungeonic black metal. That usually Spartan soundfield gets further filled out by a chorus of incensed voices, pagan percussion, and malformed synths that could be accordion or Harmonium or other olde-worlde instrumentation. But, for all the bathos and pathos on display, when Dein Schwert dips down in intensity is where its truest power lays: solitude and repose reverberating within the soul of the ancients.
All told, Dein Schwert is a good foretaste of the upcoming album Nibelungentreue, which will cast a spell on admirers of black metal and neofolk alike – because it has always been Barditus‘ declared goal to slay the sword of black metal in the fire reforging neofolk!
In the meantime, see & hear the brand-new video for “Wald-Gang” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Barditus’ Dein Schwert 1. Fragen an Dresden 2. Wald-Gang 3. Dein Schwert 4. Erwache
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces May 19th as the international release date for Pa Vesh En‘s highly anticipated fourth album, Martyrs, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
Forming in 2017, the mysterious Belarusian entity known as Pa Vesh En promptly built a formidable discography, all under the aegis of Iron Bonehead. But after nine total records during its first three years of existence (including two albums) which explored the fringe elements of DSBM, it was 2021’s full-length Maniac Manifest where the otherwise-unnamed mainman began to open up his black metal to wider, wilder possibilities. Still emphatically embodying the sound of total and utter emptiness, Pa Vesh En showed a startling violence that only deepened his characteristic chasm of uncomfort.
Suitably, silence followed for once, but surely Pa Vesh En was restless behind those shadows, brewing his most unsettling record yet – and so it arrives with Martyrs. Split into three acts, Martyrs bears some aesthetic/thematic resemblances to the shocking French-Canadian film of the same name, but as the opening gambit of “A Vigilian Impending Murk” and “The House of Pain” quickly proves, Pa Vesh En is operating on an entirely different wavelength. That wavelength surely carries forward the undulating violence of its predecessor – rippling, roiling, and nearly bestial, with just as much (if not more) muscle to spare – but as Martyrs plays on and that violence begins to reverberate upon itself, ghostly textures arise from that murk and take on new, undead life. Are they synths? Church bells? Actual disembodied voices? Who can say, really… Truly, Pa Vesh En has taken to that far-more-Alpha surge brazenly displayed on Maniac Manifest, but here deftly (and densely) layers his creations with a swarm of sounds that seemingly come from every direction, which becomes all the more disorienting and disturbing when the tempos begin to accelerate and disintegrate at will. And survive long enough into Martyrs and one will hear the Belarusian loner’s melodicism rend the saddest notes from a still-bleeding heart…and an ethereal female voice bringing the album to a climactic close.
If one’s conception of Pa Vesh En is still based upon the band’s earlier works, then Martyrs will provocatively – and irrevocably – rearrange those coordinates, and those of your very soul.
Begin rearranging those coordinates with the brand-new track “In the Torment Cell” here:
Season of Mist are proud to announce the re-signing of HOODED MENACE. The Death Doom outfit will release their next full-length via the label. HOODED MENACE‘s previous album ‘The Tritonus Bell’ was released on August 27, 2021 and can be listened to via various digital platforms HERE. HOODED MENACE comment: “We’re looking forward to work with Season of Mist for more Hooded Menace music! This is the first time for us to re-sign to any label, so that says a lot, I suppose. Since we are not playing live anymore, but went back to being a “studio band” only – just like Hooded Menace was meant to be in the beginning – we’ve decided to part ways with Teemu Hannonen (rhythm guitar) in good spirits and continue as a three-piece.“
Line-up Harri Kuokkanen – Vocals Lasse Pyykkö – Guitars, bass Pekka Koskelo – Drums
Texan black metal outlaws NECROFIER will be releasing their second full-length ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ on June 2, 2023 via Season of Mist Underground Activists! The album artwork, track-list and further details can be found below.
In celebration, the band is now sharing the vicious new single “Burnt by the Sacred Flame” along with a music video! The song and video can be found here:
The album was recorded at legendary Studio G in Brooklyn, NY by 6xGrammy nominated and 1xLatin Grammy nominated engineer, producer and musician Joel Hamilton (UNSANE, IGGY POP, TOM WAITS). The album will follow up the band’s debut record ‘Prophecies of Eternal Darkness’ which was released in October of 2021.
NECROFIER comments: “For where I am, for where I am not For where I go, and where I have been, I burned my soul into this record”
‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ is now available for pre-order HERE and can be pre-saved on various streaming services HERE.
The cover artwork for ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ was created by Burney and can be found below along with the tracklist.
Track-list: 1. The Fall from Heaven (3:24) 2. Total Southern Darkness (5:43) 3. To the Wolves (3:54) 4. Forbidden Light of the Black Moon (5:20) 5. Destroying Angels (5:09) 6. Whispers That Burn in the Dark (4:40) 7. The All Seeing shadows (4:44) 8. On Wings of Death We Burn the Sky (3:50) 9. Call to the Beyond (4:29) 10. Burnt by the Sacred Flame (6:00) [WATCH] Total: 47:12
Deep within the scorching cauldron of Texas, the alchemists of Necrofier have brewed another potent dose of American black metal with their sophomore full-length, ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night.’ The Houston four-piece honors the time-tested virtues of traditional black and heavy metal, even taking an organic sonic approach, tapping seven-time Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Joel Hamilton (Unsane, Tom Waits, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, etc.) to lend his magic touch for a natural sound.
“The goal going into the new record was to start setting ourselves apart from our contemporaries,” explains Necrofier drummer Dobber Beverly. “One of those ways was changing what the record sounded like. Moving away from the clinical and sterile nature that most productions suffer from and back into a real room with real instruments and performances. Our friend and esteemed producer/engineer Joel Hamilton had expressed interest in venturing back into the metal world and offered to make the record with us at his facility, Studio G Brooklyn. With a full vintage Neve front end and a host of Telefunken and Neumann microphones we tracked a record the old way, mostly. The results will speak for themselves hopefully, as this record breathes and spits fire wherever it’s played.”
“Joel is one of the world’s best engineers,” adds Necrofier guitarist and vocalist Bakka. “Dobber and Joel have become good friends since they recorded the last Oceans of Slumber album with him. After that, Joel wanted to record something heavy, so we made the trip to New York City to record in his legendary studio. It was an amazing experience in a great studio; besides having all the gear, he also created an environment where we challenged ourselves and brough everything up to the next level.” ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ doesn’t just simply pick off where Necrofier’s debut album left off, but displays a conscientious effort to double down on the elements that made ‘Prophecies of Eternal Darkness’ successful. The solos are more plentiful and intricate, the hooks are more anthemic, and the overall musicianship is bolder and more daring. Speaking of the band’s evolution, Bakka explains, “I think this collection of songs represents us very well. We have grown together as a band and it shows in the new songs. Also, for this record we flew to NYC and recorded all day long for 10 days straight. I love recording this way because it captures a certain magic. The whole band is immersed in the process and it’s all we would think, do, live and breathe during the process”
Another core facet of Necrofier’s allure is being a black metal band from Texas. “Where you live always helps shape someone,” says Bakka. “It helps shape our style and tone in ways, it’s hot most of the year, so as we burn, it gives us warmer tones and more of a heavy metal influence than when compared to our brothers from the North. Also, Texas has a style all of its own; everything is heavier, louder and we are always trying to outdo the rest of the world.”
To that avail, Necrofier isn’t your typical black metal band, and so this isn’t your typical black metal record as there’s a healthy amount of traditional metal influences, particularly within the guitar work. While conceptually, the band doesn’t heavily rely on Satanic themes, exploring deeper human philosophies and the occult like burning for your dreams or spiraling out on a psychedelic trip and exploring the beyond. “While there isn’t overt satanic worship in the lyrics, I would still say that he is a friend of ours,” Bakka cheekily says. “There are Occult themes on this record, but at the same time, it does take a philosophical approach.”
Further illustrating the influence of their environment, Necrofier also heavily explores one of Southern America’s most fabled myths. “The new record touches on selling your soul at the crossroads,” adds Bakka. “I like to take a different approach and touch on the elements of the esoteric world and dive into the forbidden or hidden that surrounds us in our lives every day.”
As the Texan black metal outlaws saddle up for record two, they are leading the charge as one of the contemporary purveyors of black metal revivalism. ‘Burning Shadows in the Southern Night’ is certain to elicit a sense of nostalgia for those who dare to lay ears on this vicious new offering. Lineup: Bakka – Vocals, Guitar Semir Ozerkan – Guitars Dobber Beverly – Drums Mat Valentine – Bass
Guest Musicians: Cammie Beverly (Oceans of Slumber) – Vocals on “The All Seeing Shadows” and “The Fall From Heaven”
