HELVELLYN set release date for PURITY THROUGH FIRE debut, reveal first track – features members of THY DYING LIGHT, NEFARIOUS DUSK, ÚLFARR, MORTE LUNE

Today, Purity Through Fire announces November 4th as the international release date for Helvellyn‘s highly anticipated debut album, The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly, on digipack CD format. The vinyl LP version will follow next year. Tape version to be released by Worship Tapes.

Formed in 2010, Helvellyn are part of the Cumbrian Black Metal orbiting around the incredibly prolific P.G., who currently numbers labelmates Thy Dying Light, Nefarious Dusk, Úlfarr, and Morte Lune among his many endeavors. Joining him in Helvellyn are other equally prolific members of the UK metal underground whose credits also include Thy Dying Light as well as Heathen Deity, Volition, Skiddaw, and Absinthropy among many others.

Now, after a handful of short-length releases, Helvellyn arrive with their debut album, The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly. No more but definitely no less, The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly is a compact summation of the Helvellyn aesthetic during the past decade, but sharpened to ice-cold perfection. Theirs is a deliberately (and proudly) traditional style of black metal set somewhere around 1995; the paradigmatic works of earliest Dodheimsgard, Gorgoroth, and especially Darkthrone as well as later gatekeepers like Armagedda and Sweden’s Craft keep the parameters pure and cold. Indeed, to say The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly could’ve come out on Malicious Records back in the mid ’90s should be viewed as the highest of compliments, so cryogenically authentic is Helvellyn‘s attack here. Those who know, KNOW, for this is The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly!

Begin knowing with the brand-new track “Sacrilegious Violations” here:

Cover artwork, courtesy of Misanthropic-Art, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Helvellyn’s The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly
1. The Lore Of The Cloaked Assembly
2. Sacrilegious Violations
3. Sacrilegious Violations Pt 2
4. Reign Upon Ruby Skies Of Noose
5. Never Ending Moonlit Spires
6. To Walk The Corridors Of Pestilence
7. Vlkodlak Battalion
8. Unholy Voyage *Bonus Track*

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/helvellyn666

RITUAL DEATH set release date for SHADOW debut album, reveal new track

Today, Shadow Records (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces December 5th as the international release date for Ritual Death‘s highly anticipated debut album, Ritual Death, on CD and cassette tape formats. The vinyl LP version is expected for release on December 24th.

This is the darkness of Death…

Born from self-devouring fires and frustration, Ritual Death has its roots in an insatiable and untameable flame as old as the World itself. An offering to the Daimon in us, a celebration of our Shadow-self, a call from the wild, a sacrifice to the only God that humanity cannot kill. The Lord of the Graves, the God that always saves.

Formed in 2016, with a 7’’, a 10’’ and a fistful of splits, Ritual Death is finally ready to unleash their first full-length album through a label wrapped in the same obscure cloak as the band itself, the genre-defining Shadow Records.

This is Black Metal from the Graveyard, music made from obscurities and horrors seen and unseen, terror, blasphemy, heresy, dread and ancient worship, forged in the very depths of the catacombs of Nidrosia.

We unchain the night… The pale king is here…. 

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Lunae” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ritual Death’s Ritual Death
1. Ancient Devil Worship
2. Vermin
3. Lunae
4. Black Metal Terror
5. Morbid Veils of Kharon
6. Salome’s Dance
7. Darkness of Death
8. The Pale King
9. Nothingness Without Emptiness Within


MORE INFO:
www.ritualdeath.bandcamp.com 

www.shadowrecords.se
www.regainrecords.se
www.facebook.com/shadowrecords.se

CULT OF EIBON and CEREMONIAL TORTURE to release split album via IRON BONEHEAD, reveal first tracks

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces December 9th as the international release date for Necronomical Mirror Divination, a special split album between Cult of Eibon and Ceremonial Torture, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Black metal brewed among the ancient mists of time, Necronomical Mirror Divination is NOT for trendy ears. Cult of Eibon and Ceremonial Torture are both bands who adhere to black metal’s oldest unorthodox ways, days when unique sounds were celebrated so long as the essence – THE OCCULT – was strongly and passionately felt. Indeed both are felt in full adbance here on this seven-song/32-minute split album. 

Cult of Eibon have already made a considerable name for themselves in the underground with their virtuous reinvigoration of the classic Hellenic black metal paradigm. However, even within that “local color” existed more unorthodox means, and here on their four exclusive tracks do the duo strive for a more measured ‘n’ mystical sound compared to the throttling riff-hypnosis of their preceding work. Daubed in oft-dramatic synths, Cult of Eibon‘s already-considerable stature continues to grow.

Ceremonial Torture duly complement their split-mates with three exclusive tracks of their own. Already exceptionally prolific – and bewildering – during the past decade, mainman Goatprayer Doom Predictor here delivers an astoundingly swirling and sulfurous sound steeped in ’90s black metal’s most diverse names. From the bass-heavy overload of Necromantia to the comparably psychedelic dementia of Traumatic Voyage and early Sigh, Ceremonial Torture are unrivaled in nowadays “black metal.” 

Fittingly featuring awesome, era-authentic artwork courtesy of Panos Sounas, who did the classic cover art for Necromantia’s first two albums, Necronomical Mirror Divination is utterly essential listening for true witches, warlocks, necromancers, and deviants in general!

In the meantime, hear two brand-new tracks – Cult of Eibon‘s “The Burning Gates of Acheron” and Ceremonial Torture‘s “Summoning at the Gothic Graveside” here:

Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Necronomical Mirror Divination
Cult of Eibon
1. Arra – Azag – Thoth (Intro)
2. The burning Gates of Acheron
3. The Lament of the Forest
4. Father, Thy Ageless Wisdom
 
Ceremonial Torture
5. Ceremonial Night of Unearthly Love
6. Summoning at the Gothic Graveside
7. Funeral Whispers of Dark Massacration

www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions

MAJESTIC MASS stream new HELTER SKELTER album

Today, evil metalrockers Majestic Mass stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Destroys Minds and Rapes Souls here:

Set for international release on October 14th via Helter Skelter Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) on CD and cassette tape formats – the vinyl LP version is slated for January 17th, 2023 – hear Majestic MassDestroys Minds and Rapes Souls in its entirety exclusively HERE.


Feel no fear nor woe
Embrace the final blow
See the crimson glow
Let lust and fire grow… 

One of the underground’s best-kept secrets, Majestic Mass made their public debut with the full-length Savage Empire of Death in 2018. Utterly obsessed with the rockin’ ‘n’ raucous noise these Danes so effortlessly created, Helter Skelter picked up the album for vinyl and cassette editions, and thereafter forged a blood pact with the band for an onslaught of releases, the first of which was the short ‘n’ sweet Onwards maxi-single in 2019.

But, as the world was choked with the plague, Majestic Mass merely laid in wait, plotting their next crimes. At long last, it has been revealed, a full-length bearing the all-too-apt title Destroys Minds and Rapes Souls. If that Onwards maxi-single consolidated the mysterious band’s undeniable charm into a taut, two-song fury of fun and filth, then the nearly half-hour Destroys Minds and Rapes Souls is the Bacchanalian revel you never want to stop…nor will ever recover from. Thankfully, no great changes have been made here – Majestic Mass magickally still sound like the bastard son of Barathrum and Death SS – but the “fun” of before is now all-caps FUN while the undercurrent of EVIL has become threatening, if not equally addicting. Those seemingly innocuous organs take on an air of the sleazy & sinister here, and are rightfully pushed to the fore, as the band’s stomp has subtly shifted away from doom toward way-ancient hard rock; in turn, the (hooded) vocalist’s annunciation is even clearer, imparting an even-stronger catchiness that’s nothing short of anthemic. Just feel that ENERGY coursing through you once “Covenant (Rapists of the Free Will)” kicks in!

Equally suited for Monsters of Rock-sized stadiums and cavernous, literally-underground clubs alike, Majestic Mass start a new era in their deranged universe with Destroys Minds and Rapes Souls. You already know if you’re ready – and if not, then it’s quite possible you’re already DEAD. “Lawless deviants and revenants in ecstasy – destroy what once was and fire at will!”

Preorder info can be found HERE at Regain Records‘ Bandcamp. Censored cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Majestic Mass’ Destroys Minds & Rapes Souls
1. The First Coming
2. Covenant (Rapists Of The Free Will)
3. Reigning Lawlessness
4. I Am Your Earth
5. Lust & Fire
6. Apostles Of The Black Dawn

MORE INFO:
www.majesticmass.bandcamp.com

www.helterskelterproductions.se
www.facebook.com/helterskelterproductions

Stockholm monsters Encryptment premiere new track

Today, Stockholm monsters Encryptment premiere the new track “Liens praktfulla dans”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Dödens födsel, set for international release on November 11th via Nuclear Winter Records. Hear Encryptment‘s “Liens praktfulla dans” in its entirety here:

Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden’s Encryptment formed in 2015 with the intention of writing music in absence of borders between death metal, black metal, and extreme styles of punk, all with lyrics written in their native tongue. This intention has remained intact, yet the call from the grave has only grown stronger…

Encryptment‘s debut EP, Suktar efter luft, was recorded and released in burning creative urgency at the beginning of June 2015, only a few months after the band’s formation. Some lineup changes followed, and the band’s next release didn’t happen until 2019, when the Mangel från söderort demo was released.

From there on, the mania, poison, darkness, and ferocity of the imminent Dödens födsel has been brewing steadily until it was realized in Necromorbus Studio together with the esteemed Tore Stjerna. Indeed maniacal and poisonous, utterly and equally dark and ferocious, Encryptment‘s first full-length statement is a fiercely focused juggernaut of dread frequencies. That they take so many shapes – some blackened, most deathened, all delivered with the hackle-raising urgency of the best hardcore-punk – matters not when trying to “define” Dödens födsel: the art, the ART OF DARKNESS, above all commands possession of both players and listener. With eight songs flying fast and free across a breathless 33 minutes, Encryptment‘s debut album offers deliverance to those who walk along those shadowed borders; the band’s vision and intent remain recognizable, but their attack here has been sharpened to a startling degree. Of course, Stjerna’s swarming production only makes those depths of darkness seem more infinite…

Stand at the brink and peer into the abyss. There, you will find one of the most devastating debuts of recent memory: Encryptment‘s Dödens födsel.

In the meantime, hear the previously revealed title track “Dödens födsel” HERE at Nuclear Winter‘s Bandcamp. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Encryptment’s Dödens födsel
1. Dödens födsel
2. Liens praktfulla dans
3. Silver Tongue
4. Central disharmoni
5. Existens i ambivalens
6. Plågospiral
7. Poisonous Salvation
8. Withered Hands

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/Encryptment-714904648621738


www.nuclearwinterrecords.com
www.nuclearwinterrecords.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/martyrdoomproductions

ABYSMAL LORD reveal first track from new HELLS HEADBANGERS album

Today, New Orleans barbarians Abysmal Lord reveal the new track “Antisemen of Ceremonial Pseudochrist.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated third album, Bestiary of Immortal Hunger, which will see release by year’s end via Hells Headbangers. Hear Abysmal Lord‘s “Antisemen of Ceremonial Pseudochrist” in its entirety here:

Since their grand emergence in 2014 with the Storms of Unholy Black Mass debut EP, New Orleans’ Abysmal Lord have vaulted to the forefront of the modern bestial metal scene. Red-eyed and rabid, their primeval surge swallows listeners whole with preternatural ease – or simply (black)grinds them down to dust. Under the auspices of HELLS HEADBANGERS, the band has gone from strength to strength with each new recording, each one a swift ‘n’ tactical strike on all that is holy and pure. Both 2015’s Disciples of the Inferno and 2019’s Exaltation of the Infernal Cabal have established Abysmal Lord as a none-more-formidable name in the metal underground, with their shock ‘n’ awe live prowess proving that such sonic bestiality is best witnessed in the flesh.

Since the release of 2020’s Cathedral EP, much has transpired in Abysmal Lord camp. A tumultuous period, drummer Barbaric Slayer exited the band to further pursue a spiritual journey deeper inward. Meanwhile, vocalist/guitarist Nocturnal Damnation and bassist/guitarist Guillotine committed themselves to continuing the path of no return. With no reasonable alternative, Abysmal Lord decided that, for their next full-length, Nocturnal Damnation will handle drumming duties (as was done on the aforementioned Storms of Unholy Black Mass). Maximum effort was expended to ensure that the brutality and chaos of Barbaric Slayer’s tradition was honored and continued.


And indeed it has, and then some, with the arrival of Bestiary of Immortal Hunger. On first glance, Abysmal Lord‘s third album retains all the red-eyed and rabid elements of yore – OTT explosion and forward propulsion in the grand tradition of Blasphemy, Black Witchery, and Proclamation and then malforming it into morbid, miasmic shapes – but peer deeper into this gurgling pit of despair & darkness and one will find surprising twists to their core sound. Foremost, perhaps, is the unhinged drumming of Nocturnal Damnation; foregoing sustained blasting, instead he draws influence from the fucked-up ‘n’ feral drumming of DD Crazy (during his early Sarcofago days as well as Sextrash) and Hadez’ Tonyn Destructor, especially on that band’s Guerroros de la Muerte demo. Unorthodox but undeniably effective, these more angular and askew rhythms form a (feral/fucked-up) foundation for Abysmal Lord‘s most CRAZED and chaotic songwriting to date. 

As such, while retaining their foundational elements, Abysmal Lord’s newest offering bears semblance to South America’s most infernal names: the aforementioned early days of Hadez, Sarcofago, and especially Sextrash but also Holocausto, Parabellum, and Reencarnacion. With an even more unsettling style of evil and total darkness, not to mention a plethora of mind-melted solos, Bestiary of Immortal Hunger also slots itself well alongside Mystifier’s pivotal first couple albums and early Beherit. Naturally, naysayers will still contend that this unholy racket is still “just” bestial metal or war metal or whatever – and for Abysmal Lord, that’s fine, as hailing and giving honor to a certain tradition in metal is part of the essence of this wider subculture. Those who know, know, and they will understand deeper, darker truths with this Bestiary of Immortal Hunger.


Release date, cover, and tracklisting for Bestiary of Immortal Hunger to be revealed shortly. For more info, consult the links below.

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/Abysmal-Lord-2274024519585588

www.hellsheadbangers.com

EMBRACE OF THORNS stream new NUCLEAR WINTER album

Today, Greek black/death titans Embrace of Thorns stream the entirety of their highly anticipated sixth album, Entropy Dynamics. Set for international release on October 10th via Nuclear Winter Records, hear Embrace of ThornsEntropy Dynamics in its entirety here:

Emerging in the late ’90s from western Athens as Requiem, only to be soon renamed to the more apt Embrace of Thorns, the Greek Temple of Black Death has been championing Darkness Impenetrable for more than 20 years.
 
Having released five albums on labels such as Nuclear War Now! and Iron Bonehead plus an arsenal of demo tapes and split releases, Embrace of Thorns have been acknowledged as a force to be reckoned with. Their poison, a highly atmospheric and dense amalgam of death and black metal, has been gaining momentum since the release of their acclaimed sophomore album, Atonement Ritual, in 2009. Their third full-length, 2011’s Praying for Absolution, considered by many as their magnum opus, saw them fully embracing their potential and heralding knowledge through strife. Their latest full-length offering, 2018’s Scorn Aesthetics, was unanimously hailed and celebrated as arguably their ripest album, an idiosyncratic mix of somber, melodious, yet punishing Black Metal of Death that relies heavily on the organic mood of the performances and production. The new EP called The Pantheon I they unleashed in March continues exploring the pits of strife that is blackened metal of death, with music that is full of anguish, glorious darkness, and crushing dynamics.

Now aligned with longtime fans Nuclear Winter, Embrace of Thorns are set to release their sixth album, Entropy Dynamics. The band’s first full-length recording in four years, Entropy Dynamics indeed includes many/most of the dynamics of their preceding LPs – death metalled muscularity, pitch-blackened atmosphere, stellar songwriting, and powerful production – but it also points the way toward new, creepier territory. For sure, Embrace of Thorns‘ grounding in the early bestial sound can still be heard, but rendered with the world-eating totality of classic death metal, that surge takes on a different, far-more-frightening form. The quartet heighten that frightening aspect with a subtle-yet-no-less-noticeable emphasis on dynamics rather than just crushing their enemies straightaway; when the soundfield strips back to its barest bones and ringing-into-the-abyss clean guitars take center stage, the full force of Entropy Dynamics is felt. 

Always staying true to themselves whilst maturing in the most respectable manner, Embrace of Thorns continue their campaign of extreme metal destruction with Entropy Dynamics. To coincide with its release, celebratory reissues of their sold-out albums Atonement Ritual and Praying for Absolution will also be available again via Nuclear Winter, as well as a CD version of the preceding EP The Pantheon I, which will be supplemented with an exclusive bonus track.  

 Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Embrace of Thorns’ Entropy Dynamics
1. Blackest Orthodoxy Perpetuated
2. Entropy Dynamics / Nucleus Dissolved
3. The Arrow of Time
4. The Breath of the Beast
5. I Wish you Burn in an Endless Funeral Pyre
6. Scythes Reaping Conscience
7. The Lament of the Destroyed
8. Wormfeast
9. Transformation into a Celestial Ghoul
10. Vultures’ Ritual Dance
11. Ululation

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/EmbraceOfThorns
www.embracethorns.bandcamp.com

www.nuclearwinterrecords.com
www.nuclearwinterrecords.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/martyrdoomproductions

Swiss Black Metallers AARA release “Phthonos”

Shortly before the release of the third part of the Melmoth trilogy, AARA unexpectedly unveil two unorthodox and extraordinaire tracks of melodic Black Metal. The post-Black Metal vibe as well as the calmer, almost Shoegazing moments and the distinct production grant the songs a melancholic and ethereal mood. “Phthonos“, thus, evokes a spectacular play between light and darkness. The digital 2-track-EP is officially released via Debemur Morti Productions and can be listened to in full here:

The Swiss band worked together with an external sound engineer for the first time, namely well-known German producer Markus Stock (EMPYRIUM, ALCEST). Accordingly, “Phthonos” represents a musical experiment and a new approach to AARA‘s Art. Composer and guitarist Berg narrates:

It was an interesting experience to attempt at creating music outside of the Triade series. We were mainly interested in finding out how AARA‘s sound would work with a different production, and I think it would definitely be an option. If we will work further with that kind of sound remains to be seen. Compositionally, however, we are certainly going in a different direction than what you can hear on “Phthonos” after the completion of the Melmoth series. The whole next concept album is already written, and it is quite different to the Triade albums, the “Phthonos” EP as well as the two previous long players. But maybe we will stick to that ‘more organic’ sound. We will see!

Phthonos” is available digitally via the label’s Bandcamp shop.

Switzerland’s AARA was founded in 2018 by vocalist Fluss and multi-instrumentalist Berg to create art highly influenced by atmospheric Black Metal. Sporting an epic, classical feel, their sweeping compositions aim to take the listener through the darkest alleys of human existence.

Soon after releasing their debut record “So fallen alle Tempel” in early 2019, AARA joined forces with Debemur Morti Productions, releasing their mosaic EP “Anthropozän” that same year.

Barely a year after their debut, AARA unveiled a new full-length record in April of 2020. A conceptual look into Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, “En Ergô Einai” sees AARA take their accomplished sound to new heights of mature artistic expression. Opened with a haunting acoustic intro courtesy of Vindsval (BLUT AUS NORD), “En Ergô Einai” is a triumph of fluid melodic euphoria and classical elegance, setting an even higher watermark in a bright, young discography. The third album and beginning of a trilogy, namely “Triade I: Eos“, was released in March 2021. In this epic and dramatic new work of art, AARA are interpreting the Gothic novel “Melmoth The Wanderer” (1820) of Irish writer Charles Robert Maturin. Venturing forth into the next chapters of Maturin‘s work, AARA crafted the second part of their trilogy, “Triade II: Hemera“. The six tracks of brutally melodic, top-tier Black Metal will be released on May 13th, 2022. Recordings for the third and final album of the Melmoth trilogy have already begun.

|| Debemur Morti Productions ||

Website | EU shop | US shopFacebook | Bandcamp | Youtube | Instagram

TERRÖRHAMMER set release date for new OSMOSE album

Today, Osmose Productions announces November 25th as the international release date for Terrörhammer‘s highly anticipated second album, Gateways to Hades, on CD format. The vinyl LP version will follow next year.

Seven years since the first revelation hit the globe and the culminating result of a commitment that lasted four years after the release of the latest EP, Terrörhammer presents Gateways to Hades, a sophomore return to the bestial sounds of dark underground!

Mastered in its own brand of necro speed metal, the second album marks the first release done without any session members, and this time around, Terrörhammer go further in reaffirming the sound they’ve been known for the past 12 years.

Set to be released by the legendary Osmose Productions, the ‘Hammer is ready more than ever to crush the bars and return to the world in terror!

First track premiere to be revealed shortly. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Terrörhammer’s Gateways to Hades

1. March of the Damned – Intro [2:28]
2. At Dawn We Attack [4:13]
3. Gateways to Hades [3:27]
4. Transylvanian Whore [3:55]
5. Blizzard of Blood [3:43]
6. The Interceptor [3:40]
7. Midnight Patrol [4:43]
8. Inside the Nuclear Tomb [3:34]
9. Tronized Goat Master [5:18]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/terrorhammer

www.osmoseproductions.com

OFDRYKKJA set release date for new AOP RECORDS album, reveal first video

Today, AOP Records announces November 25th as the international release date for Ofdrykkja‘s highly anticipated fourth album, After the Storm, on CD and vinyl LP formats. To coincide with the announcement, a brand-new video for the first single “The Mære” is revealed here:

It is no secret that the music of Ofdrykkja has never sounded quite the same. As the Swedish trio strive to keep evolving on a personal level, this is naturally reflected in their music, as well. While 2019’s preceding Gryningsvisor was more of a traditional atmospheric/ambient black metal album, the aptly titled After the Storm ventures away, off the beaten path, and proceeds to distance itself from some of the more traditional elements that are usually prominent in metal music. 

At once recognizably Ofdrykkja and something quite different altogether, the ever-solemn After the Storm plaintively emphasizes the band’s traditional Swedish folk side, along the way incorporating elements of post-rock, neofolk, and even dark pop. Mesmerizing and magical is this blend, but the band’s roots are never far away; in fact, Ofdrykkja argue the spirit of metal is still prominent across After the Storm. Naturally, the somber mood and atmosphere is one thing that has remained constant in their music throughout the years, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon, but never without the presence of hope. After the Storm gorgeously displays this presence, becoming a beam of light piercing through the darkness. Call Ofdrykkja what you will, but even at their quietest and most restrained, their power and poignancy is unchallenged.

 Cover artwork, courtesy of Maéna Paillet, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ofdrykkja’s After the Storm
1. The Light
02. Hårgalåten
3. The Mære
4. After the Storm
5. The Cleansing
6. Själavandring
7. Beyond the Belt of Orion

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/ofdrykkja 

www.aoprecords.de