Black Metal

VIOLENT HAMMER reveal first track from forthcoming HELLS HEADBANGERS debut – also cover art, tracklisting

Today, Finnish defilers Violent Hammer reveal the new track “(Trapped) in Depths.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s long-awaited debut album, Riders of the Wasteland, which will see release this spring via Hells Headbangers on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Hear Violent Hammer‘s “(Trapped) in Depths” HERE:
Hailing from the ever-fertile Finnish black/death underground, Violent Hammer formed in 2006. Two demos followed in short succession, in 2006 and 2007, before the band would go on hiatus. Violent Hammer would at last return in early 2014 with a new lineup and a new demo, More Victims – Demo 2014, which Shadow Kingdom would release on cassette later that year. Then, another hiatus…

However rough ‘n’ rowdy those earlier demos may have been, the reinvigorated Violent Hammer return with a full-length that handily trounces those not-inconsiderable predecessors. Aptly titled Riders of the Wasteland, Violent Hammer‘s debut album encompasses their simple yet scintillating aesthetic – the full span of death metal and black metal from the ’80s through early ’90s, early thrash, and most significantly early grindcore and UK/Swedish hardcore and crust from the ’80s – and blasts it into oblivion with the aplomb of a nuclear fallout. Unremittingly hammering and remorselessly primitive, each of the nine barbaric slabs of song across the album’s satisfyingly swift 26 minutes gets in, gets out, and fucking DESTROYS. As such, Riders of the Wasteland is deceptively catchy, much like so much ’80s grindcore was, and retains a twisted sense of fun within its gnarled ‘n’ gnarling sonics. And although Violent Hammer here invoke many names – from early Blood, Profanatica, Bestial Summoning, and Naked Whipper to likewise early Doom (UK), Extreme Noise Terror, Mob 47, and even earliest/crustiest Bolt Thrower and Napalm Death – the manner in which they slice and dice all these influences bespeaks an identity wholly unique in today’s underground landscape.

Release date and preorder info to be announced shortly.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Violent Hammer’s Riders of the Wasteland
1. Annihilation (Victims of Bomb Raid)
2. Death Squad
3. Wasted Through Life
4. Screams of Agony
5. Riders of the Wasteland
6. (Trapped) in Depths
8. House of Beria
9. Bratva
10. Prophet of Darkness
MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/violenthammer
www.hellsheadbangers.com
www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers 

MIMORIUM set release date for new SPREAD EVIL album, reveal first track

Today, Spread Evil Productions announces February 21st as the international release date for Mimorium‘s highly anticipated second album, Blood of Qayin.

Hailing from Finland, Mimorium would more properly be categorized as Scandinavian black metal, as they are rooted deeply in the ’90s Swedish and also Norwegian black metal scenes. One can one hear echoes of old Dissection, Mörk Gryning, and Dark Funeral in Mimorium‘s fast-paced and melodic black metal as a successful tribute brought to the new millennium, still sounding very much their own and something different simultaneously. Their second album takes a plunge into themes of death and killing, discovering the mysteries of the Blood of Qayin to possess the minds of the murderers viewed through the teachings of anti-cosmic Satanism. Swift ‘n’ decisive, Blood of Qayin shall flow – the past is alive with Mimorium!

In the meantime, let the first blood spill with the new track “Left Hand of North” here:
Distribution for the album is handled by Militant Underground.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Mimorium’s Blood of Qayin
1. I Am What We Are
2. Profane Breed
3. Regret Everything in You
4. Left Hand of North
5. Two Faced Shadow
6. Throne of Whore
7. Blood of Qayin
8. Hunter
MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/mimorium
www.spreadevil.net 
www.facebook.com/spreadevilproductions 

TURIA set release date for new EISENWALD album, reveal first track

Today, Eisenwald sets February 14th as the North American release date for Turia‘s highly anticipated third album, Degen van Licht, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Turia‘s upcoming Degen van Licht is an ode to the ageless lure of the unyielding mountains, and an exploration of the sweltering warmth which encompasses these heights every summer. Crackling green pastures full of life morph into scorching fields of withered grass and decaying alpine herbs. Shrieks of lammergeiers prowling for the bones of decomposing creatures reverberate throughout the high summits. The purgatory potential of the massif is revealed when death prevails.

Witnessing these changes and enduring the delirious heat formed the basis for Degen van Licht. The maniacal drumming, tormented screams, and spectral guitars coalesce into a sound that will be familiar for longtime followers of Turia while further developing their signature psychedelic aural structures.
Cavernous reverbs evoke great depths and heights, while analog delays reminisce the phantasmal rays of the sun. The years of playing live across Europe since Turia‘s last album, Dede Kondre, are revealed in an increased complexity of songwriting. Taking cues from mid-era Bathory to early Hawkwind, moving between ferocious sonic avalanches and churning dirges, Degen van Licht is sure to expand Turia‘s idiosyncratic style of black metal into new territories.

The album is once again produced, recorded, and mixed by Turia themselves with assistance of longtime collaborator M. Koops (Fluisteraars). A greater clarity in the production is enhanced by the tasteful mastering courtesy of Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios. The album will be granted a worldwide release by Eisenwald on LP and CD while a cassette version will be available under the banner of Haeresis Noviomagi.

In the meantime, hear the new title track “Degen van Licht” here:
Ordering info for the CD and vinyl versions can be found at Eisenwald‘s North American webstore HERE.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Turia’s Degen van Licht
1. I
2. Merode
3. Met Sterven Beboet
4. Degen Van Licht
5. Storm
6. II
7. Ossifrage
MORE INFO:
www.montturia.bandcamp.com

Medico Peste release unnerving music video for new song “God Knows Why”

Polish black metal formation MEDICO PESTE are now releasing the first new track from their upcoming album ‘ב :The Black Bile’. The song “God Knows Why” is streaming here:

The new record is set for worldwide release on March 20, 2020 via Season of Mist Underground Activists. Pre-orders are available HERE!

Medico Peste release unnerving music video for new song “God Knows Why”

The cover artwork of  ‘ב :The Black Bile’ was created by Inside Flesh and can be found below, together with the tracklist.
Track List:
1. God Knows Why (08:25)
2. All Too Human (08:33)
3. Numinous Catastrophy (07:10)
4. Were Saviours Believers? (06:48)
5. Skin (06:37)
6. Holy Opium (05:48)
7. The Black Bile (06:45)
Total playing time: 0:50:06
In recent years, many Polish black metal bands have found their way to the forefront of the scene. Sharing live musicians with the titans of Mgła, MEDICO PESTE approach common narratives in black metal from a darker and more twisted state of mind than their contemporaries. The five-piece embrace a different look at death, religion, the Devil and his work, by exploring the distorted views of a tormented, neurotic subject and his schizophrenic visions.
 
MEDICO PESTE was originally formed in early 2010 by Lazarus (vocals) and Nefar (guitar), shortly after joined by The Fall (bass), EVT (guitar) and Priest (drums). The band released a demo in 2011 and shortly after followed up with the debut: ‘א: Tremendum et Fascinatio’. With this first full length, the Polish band impressed fans worldwide with their distinct approach to black metal.
 
In 2014 the band parted ways with Priest, replaced by The Fall for the recording of the EP ‘Herzogian Darkness’.  The acclaimed EP came out in 2017 and in that same year and Desolator joined the band as permanent drummer. MEDICO PESTE continued working on their second record and joined forces with Season of Mist’s Underground Activists sublabel to release ‘ב :The Black Bile’ in 2020.  

Themes such as madness, religion and nihilism form the core part of the band’s lyrics, accompanied by music which emanates psychopathic rage, intertwined with a wide range of non-metal influences like post-punk, avantgarde and cabaret music. ‘ב :The Black Bile’ builds on a specific vision of madness revolving around butoh theatre, ecclesiogenic neurosis, schizophrenia, dark grotesque and Jungian archetypes. Beware when you enter these nightmarish visions, emanating from a contorted mind..

Line-up:
Lazarus – vocals, guitar
The Fall – guitar, bass
Nefar – guitar
E.V.T – guitar
Desolator – drums

Recording line-up:
Lazarus – vocals, guitar
The Fall – guitar, bass
Nefar – guitar
Desolator – drums

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/medicopesteband
https://medicopeste.bandcamp.com

Welsh black metal ghoul Revenant Marquis streams new album

Today, Welsh black metal ghoul Revenant Marquis streams the entirety of its highly anticipated fourth album, Youth in Ribbons
Set for international release on January 20th via Inferna Profundus Records on CD format, hear Revenant Marquis’ Youth in Ribbons in its entirety here:
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Revenant Marquis is a mysterious yet incredibly prolific entity. Having just revealed its first public work in 2018, the aptly titled Pitiless Black Emphasis album, two more full-lengths quickly followed, Polterngyst and Anti Universal Compassion, both in 2019. This trifecta of albums displayed a restless ghoul firmly in the grips of the rawest black metal possession, but dispensing with terror and truth with almost preternatural ease. Now making a blood pact with Inferna Profundus, Revenant Marquis adds to that canon of foulness with Youth in Ribbons.

Challenging and defiant, once more does Revenant Marquis return from the sequestered black waters of Wales with Youth in Ribbons: a long-play collection of raw black metal necromancy that serves to bring the tortured, the forgotten, and the abused back from the choking abyss. There is no space for hope nor light in this assembly of rituals, as the listener must break bread with the maligned forces that lurk eternally waiting for granted passage. This is not music, but rather a covenant between the listener and the spectral realm.

As such, riffs seemingly slice the listener’s skin yet retain an elusive, almost-ethereal quality. There is power and propulsion here, too, but never does it feel like rote “violence” for its own sake; rather, any physicality or momentum is upended into a hypnotic disconnect that keeps that listener enthralled – literally, in thrall to Revenant Marquis’ diabolic conjurations. The title itself, Youth in Ribbons, is quite telling of the virtual deflowering at hand here, debasing the listener with ever-apparent ‘n’ arrogant disregard for comfort. A suffocating netherworld, beckoning ever so tantalizingly…indeed, “The Incorporeal Hallways.”

With Youth in Ribbons, figuratively and again literally, Revenant Marquis dares you to discover the profound and the profane in that experience.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Revenant Marquis’ Youth in Ribbons
1. Menstruation
2. Ephebiphobia
3. Ephebophilic Wraith
4. Grave Lit Transmogrification
5. Ysgol
6. The Blood of Lady Tasker
7. The Bones of Lady Tasker
8. Taskermilward
9. The Incorporeal Hallways
10. Propagator of an Unspeakable Incestuous Coven
MORE INFO:
www.revenantmarquis.bandcamp.com

WALDGEFLÜSTER stream re-recording of first demo

Today, Nordvis Produktion releases a special re-recording of Waldgeflüster’s first demo, Stimmen im Wind 2020, on vinyl LP format. Hear Waldgeflüster’s Stimmen im Wind 2020 in its entirety here:
Founded fittingly in autumn 2005, Waldgeflüster have steadily perfected an individual mix of melancholic and nature-bound topics, rendering homage to black metal and its complexity with every note and every word of their lyrical songs. Began as a solo project of German multi-instrumentalist Winterherz, Waldgeflüster released its first demo, Stimmen im Wind, during the summer of the following year. In 2009 came the band’s debut album, Herbstklagen. The sound of Waldgeflüster was able to capture the recondite might of nature by harmonic but also overwhelming melodies, while the lyrics underlined the projected thoughts and feelings and therefore perfected the record. With his brother P., Winterherz created the concept record Femundsmarka – eine Reise in drei Kapitel in 2011. After the release of the follow-up Meine Fesseln, as of August 2014, Waldgeflüster transformed from a solo endeavor into a full band, with live musicians Arvagr, Domi, Markus, and Thomas finally joining the band as full members.

Thereafter, in 2016 did Waldgeflüster join the close-knit Nordvis family and released their first split with their brothers Panopticon, shortly followed by the highly praised album Ruinen that same year. In 2019, the successor record, Mondscheinsonaten, was released by Nordvis to yet more acclaim, further exploring the trademarks of Waldgeflüster but always reaching for new territories.

Since 2007, in addition to their steady stream of studio recordings, Waldgeflüster have become a prolific live force, playing many shows throughout Europe and the world, including such highlights as the Summer Breeze and Ragnarök festivals, a festival organized by Hammerheart Brewing Company in the US, and a full European tour during spring 2018 with Angantyr and Ereb Altor.

However, it was that fateful first demo of Stimmen im Wind which began the Waldgeflüster saga, and now Nordvis is proud to present a special re-recording on vinyl on the 15th anniversary of the band’s birth. Bringing the past into the present, the re-recorded Stimmen im Wind 2020 truly sounds like it could’ve come at any point in Waldgeflüster’s storied career – or, most especially, in this very present day – so consistently compelling is their muse. Included with this vinyl-only release is a free CD (in cardboard sleeve) with the original demo. Stimmen im Wind 2020 is a chance for the growing legions of Waldgeflüster to nostalgically dwell into wistful early days of the band. The past is indeed alive!

Order info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Waldgeflüster’s Stimmen im Wind 2020
1. Morgendämmerung
2. Waldgeflüster
3. Vintersjäl
4. Wotan sang
5. Wenn die Bäume
6. Abenddämmerung

MORE INFO:
www.waldgefluester.com
www.facebook.com/BlackMetalWaldgefluester

FAUSTIAN PACT set release date for long-awaited WEREWOLF debut album, reveal first track

Today, Werewolf Records sets February 14th as the international release date for Faustian Pact‘s highly anticipated debut album, Outojen Tornien Varjoissa, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Since 2007, Faustian Pact have been one of Finnish black metal’s best-kept secrets: “those who know, know.” Their first three demos, one following the other between 2008-2010, poignantly presented a magickal, folkloric aspect long missing from serious black metal. They were a band out of time, seemingly – “born too late,” not fit for these increasingly modern times. Now, nearly a decade after Faustian Pact‘s last demo, this trio of sorcerers bring the past into the present with their LONG-awaited debut album.

Titled Outojen Tornien Varjoissa, Faustian Pact‘s full-length debut is the grand culmination of all the gloriously bewitching work they brewed across that trio of demos. Exploding with an effervescence that’s addicting and undeniable, their swords-aloft attack surges and swells, crests and cascades. At the forefront are stained-glass synths whisked from a time – and a fantastical landscape – far, FAR away, sumptuously underlining their heroic/romantic style of black metal deeply steeped in a nostalgic past. Across the album’s 41 minute (fantastical) landscape are spread lyrics of splendorous mythology, swords & sorcery, vast forgotten realms brought to life through wily, wanderlusting black metal betraying a noble melodicism. Faustian Pact are thus a unique balance of contrasts: orkish energy vs. mystical atmosphere, dungeon rawness vs. castle-top aristocracy, obsidian darkness vs. gleaming light. So, whether 25 years ago or 2500, removed by a reality or two, Outojen Tornien Varjoissa is timeless BLACK METAL MAGICK – dark medieval times have at last arrived!

Witness their arrival with the brand-new track “Myytti Am’Khollenin Kuninkaasta” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Faustian Pact’s Outojen Tornien Varjoissa
1. Saastainen Valo Lintutornissa
2. Myytti Am’Khollenin Kuninkaasta
3. Kuulas Musta Aika
4. Loitsupuut
5. Rauniopuhetta
6. Keihäsrinta
7. Valottomien Askelten Takana
8. Askeesikuun Luolissa
9. Yön Viittojen Saleissa
10. Viimeisen Tyrannin Silmä

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/truefaustianpact

ABBATH prepares for European tour and releases video message

ABBATH are currently preparing for the European tour that will kick off on January 23 in Weimar, Germany. Alongside label mates 1349 and VLTIMAS and support act NUCLEAR, the package will hit the stages in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark and finally Sweden. 

ABBATH has furthermore released a video message to all Outstriders in Europe, stating that the tour will happen as planned and that he has spent the last two months in recovery
ABBATH
+VLTIMAS +1349
23 Jan 20 Weimar (DE) Uhrenwerk (tickets)
24 Jan 20 Bochum (DE) Matrix (tickets)
25 Jan 20 Nijmegen (NL) Doornroosje (tickets)
26 Jan 20 Antwerpen (BE) Trix (tickets)
27 Jan 20 London (UK) Islington Assembly Hall (tickets)
28 Jan 20 Paris (FR) La Machine Du Moulin Rouge (tickets)
29 Jan 20 Nantes (FR) Stereolux (tickets)
30 Jan 20 Toulouse (FR) Metronum (tickets)
31 Jan 20 Barcelona (ES) Salamandra (tickets)
01 Feb 20 Madrid (ES) But (tickets)
02 Feb 20 Lyon (FR) Nikasi Kao (tickets)
04 Feb 20 Mannheim (DE) MS Connexion Complex (tickets)
05 Feb 20 München (DE) Backstage (tickets)
06 Feb 20 Luzern (CH) Schüür (tickets)
07 Feb 20 Parma (IT) Campus Music Industry (tickets)
08 Feb 20 Brno (CZ) Fleda (tickets)
09 Feb 20 Warschau (PL) Progresja (tickets)
11 Feb 20 Berlin (DE) Festsaal Kreuzberg (tickets)
12 Feb 20 Hamburg (DE) Kulturpalast (tickets)
13 Feb 20 Copenhagen (DK) Amager Bio (tickets)
14 Feb 20 Gothenburg (SE) Tradgarn (tickets)
15 Feb 20 Stockholm (SE) Fryhuset Klubben (tickets)
The coverartwork, which is created by Kim Holm and Olav Iversen, and the track-list for ‘Outstrider’ can be found below.
Track listing:
1. Calm in Ire (Of Hurricane) (04:32)
2. Bridge of Spasms (03:49)
3. The Artifex (04:09)
4. Harvest Pyre (04:12)
5. Land of Khem (04:08)
6. Outstrider (05:39)
7. Scythewinder (04:17)
8. Hecate (04:25)
9. Pace till Death (BATHORY cover) (03:41)
Total: 38:52
When Abbath announced that he had left IMMORTAL, it sent massive shockwaves through the metal scene. The iconic frontman had long become the “face” of the Norwegian black scene, his image synonymous with the genre. Upon releasing his debut album with his eponymous new band, ABBATH, in 2016, trve fans were satiated with a dose of icy, blackened fury.
 
Now, the Norwegian giant returns for round two, armed with a refined lineup and ready to strike with a sophomore effort that is sure to once again exceed the expectations of Abbath’s loyal fanbase. ‘Outstrider’ sees a maturation in sound, delivering a tighter, well-rounded offering from the band as they come into their own identity.
 
While there are moments that certainly channel the frosty hallmarks of IMMORTAL, there is no danger of ABBATH repeating that formula. ABBATH draws from NWOBM and melodic influences, adding a fresh new flavor to the sound that the band’s founder came to define.
 
‘Oustrider’ consists of eight, crushing original songs and concludes with a fiery BATHORY cover. The album promises a full-on aural assault from start to finish with frigid riffage and a robust pocket that are layered with vocals from one of the most identifiable voices in black metal. If you thought ABBATH came in hot with their last record, just wait until you hear this!

Line-up 
Abbath – Vocals & guitars
Ole Andre Farstad -Guitars
Ukri Suviletho – Drums
Rusty Cornell – Bass

Shop: http://smarturl.it/AbbathOutstrider

Links:
www.facebook.com/abbathband
www.abbath.net
www.instagram.com/abbath_official

ZALMOXIS set release date for new SIGNAL REX mini-album

Today, Signal Rex sets January 31st as the international release date for an epic new mini-album from Zalmoxis, A Nocturnal Emanation, on cassette and single-sided 12″ vinyl formats.

Zalmoxis stands for storming and epic German Black Metal. Still early days, this concurrent project of Fortress of the Olden Days mainman Entheogen has so far released two demos – the latter of which, Pralayic Beheading, was released by brother label Harvest of Death. These early works suggested a restless soul steeped in the ancients, black metal of a most medieval vintage.

Now Zalmoxis strikes back with an ambitious 25-minute single track ominously bearing the title A Nocturnal Emanation. A none-more-apt description of its contents if there ever was one, here Entheogen patiently builds an ethereal-yet-thick fog of sorcerous swirl, its strangely alluring spell drowning the listener in dissonance and dislocated melody. And yet, despite its grandiose length, A Nocturnal Emanation manages to engage at every step, each one rife with grim abandon and on the verge of self-combustion but then righting itself into a surprising twist of texture. This misty ‘n’ mystical landscape beckons complete immersion…dare you enter?

An 11-minute edit/sample of the mini-album can be found here:
Cover art, courtesy of Nether Temple Design, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Zalmoxis’ A Nocturnal Emanation
1. A Nocturnal Emanation [24:28]
MORE INFO:
www.zalmoxis.bandcamp.com

Medico Peste reveal cover artwork and tracklist of ‘ב :The Black Bile’

Polish black metal formation MEDICO PESTE are now revealing the cover artwork and tracklist of their upcoming album ‘ב :The Black Bile’. The new record is set for worldwide release on March 20, 2020 via Season of Mist Underground Activists.

MEDICO PESTE have furthermore released a track teaser for the song “God Knows Why”, which can be viewed here:
The cover artwork of  ‘ב :The Black Bile’ was created by Inside Flesh and can be found below, together with the tracklist.
Track List:
1. God Knows Why (08:25)
2. All Too Human (08:33)
3. Numinous Catastrophy (07:10)
4. Were Saviours Believers? (06:48)
5. Skin (06:37)
6. Holy Opium (05:48)
7. The Black Bile (06:45)
Total playing time: 0:50:06
In recent years, many Polish black metal bands have found their way to the forefront of the scene. Sharing live musicians with the titans of Mgła, MEDICO PESTE approach common narratives in black metal from a darker and more twisted state of mind than their contemporaries. The five-piece embrace a different look at death, religion, the Devil and his work, by exploring the distorted views of a tormented, neurotic subject and his schizophrenic visions.
 
MEDICO PESTE was originally formed in early 2010 by Lazarus (vocals) and Nefar (guitar), shortly after joined by The Fall (bass), EVT (guitar) and Priest (drums). The band released a demo in 2011 and shortly after followed up with the debut: ‘א: Tremendum et Fascinatio’. With this first full length, the Polish band impressed fans worldwide with their distinct approach to black metal.
 
In 2014 the band parted ways with Priest, replaced by The Fall for the recording of the EP ‘Herzogian Darkness’.  The acclaimed EP came out in 2017 and in that same year and Desolator joined the band as permanent drummer. MEDICO PESTE continued working on their second record and joined forces with Season of Mist’s Underground Activists sublabel to release ‘ב :The Black Bile’ in 2020.  

Themes such as madness, religion and nihilism form the core part of the band’s lyrics, accompanied by music which emanates psychopathic rage, intertwined with a wide range of non-metal influences like post-punk, avantgarde and cabaret music. ‘ב :The Black Bile’ builds on a specific vision of madness revolving around butoh theatre, ecclesiogenic neurosis, schizophrenia, dark grotesque and Jungian archetypes. Beware when you enter these nightmarish visions, emanating from a contorted mind..

Line-up:
Lazarus – vocals, guitar
The Fall – guitar, bass
Nefar – guitar
E.V.T – guitar
Desolator – drums

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/medicopesteband
https://medicopeste.bandcamp.com