Today, German black metal institution Agrypnie reveal the new video “Blut.” The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated seventh album, Erg, set for international release on September 13th via AOP Records. Featuring PG of labelmates Groza, see & hear Agrypnie‘s “Blut” video in its entirety here:
Founded in 2004 by songwriter Torsten H., who is also active in the bands Nocte Obducta, Theotoxin, and Suel as well as other musical projects, Agrypnie have developed into a significant force in the black metal scene over the years. What began as a solo project was expanded into a full band to enable live performances in 2007, a year after the release of the debut album F51.4.
With nine releases, including six albums, Agrypnie have created an extensive discography that reflects the variety and depth of their musical universe. Over time, Agrypnie have completed numerous tours and festival as well as club performances, captivating their audience with their intense stage presence and powerful performances. And as of 2024, with the planned release of their seventh album, Erg, drum recordings for the eighth album are already completed.
The album Metamorphosis, released in 2021, was Agrypnie‘s first under the renowned label AOP Records and reached #29 on the official German album charts. Additionally, it was named one of the top five black metal releases of 2021 by the German Metal Hammer. These recent successes, along with past achievements, highlight the band’s continuous development.
And that development arguably reaches its apex with Erg. In one sense, Erg is Agrypnie‘s most aggressive album to date; every instrument attacks from every angle, almost overwhelmingly so if not for the clear & cutting recording and the band’s enviously sharp execution. In another sense, Erg displays considerable daring and depth; while “black metal” in foundation, the album’s songwriting crests and crashes with kaleidoscopic wonder and cathartic urgency alike. That Agrypnie manage to make these eight compositions (“Blut” is a two-part suite) a forever-unfolding adventure that reveals ever-deeper truths the more one listens to it is a testament to their power and prowess as both songwriters and musicians. Rich sonically and in emotion, majestic even when plumbing the depths of melancholy, Erg is a tour de force of wide-screen BLACK METAL regardless of “progressive” or “post-” appellations.
Currently, along with Torsten, drummer Flo – songwriter for labelmates Theotoxin, drummer for Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench, and live drummer for bands such as Benighted and Schammasch – is the only permanent studio musician. The live musicians Lykanthrop (Batushka, guitar), Chris (Perchta, guitar), and Andi (ex-Paul Di’Anno Band, bass) complete Agrypnie.
Also hear the previously revealed “Aus rauchlosem Feuer” featuring Phil Jonas of Secrets of the Moon HERE, also at AOP Records‘ official YouTube channel. Cover artwork, courtesy of syn2 / Marco Klein, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Agrypnie’s Erg 1. Aus rauchlosem Feuer 2. Meer ohne Wasser 3. Sturm 4. Blut 5. Entität 6. Stunde des Wolfes 7. Geister 8. Unter Sandessen und verscharrt
Today, Osmose Productions announces September 27th as the international release date Diablation‘s third and final album, Irrévérence, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
After experiencing a journey into the depths of despair, Diablation imagine the future of a newly elected people saved from the emerging apocalypse. They depict this future in great detail in their new transcendent opus, consisting of seven tracks mixed and mastered by Seb BST.
The tracks evoke violence and epic emotions, inspiring courage, honor, and adoration towards the Architect of this world. The metallic anthems crafted by VOA are supported by incantations chanted tirelessly, backed by a martial, heady rhythm driven at a frantic pace by Rémi Serafino (drums) and Max (bass).
The final work of the group features the last words of their martyr singer Arkames, who is now doomed to silence. The work symbolizes irreverence, counter-revolution against modernism and liberalism, and the desire for a restoration of His Reign. The closing words of the work are “Oh God, I rely on you, that we can one day become King again.” May this sentiment guide us until our last breath.
First track premiere to be revealed on September 3rd. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Diablation’s Irrévérence 1. 144000 [1:23] 2. Eternel [6:38] 3. Purification [8:46] 4. Par La Haine [5:24] 5. Chrysanthèmes Au Nouveau Monde [7:43] 6. Ad Universum [5:49] 7. Le Dernier Roi [6:26]
Today, Swiss black metallers ColdCell stream the entirety of their highly anticipated fifth album, Age of Unreason. Set for international release today via AOP Records, hear ColdCell‘s Age of Unreason in its entirety here:
ColdCell were founded in 2012 in Basel, Switzerland and released their first album, Generation Abomination, during the following year. ColdCell are rooted in the Swiss underground black metal scene and have always been eager to deliver dark and atmospheric live shows. And although drummer aW concurrently plays in Swiss icons Schammasch, ColdCell put forward their own unique approach that melds both old and new schools of black metal, making for a highly personal expression both timeless and modern.
The impressions of the dark, eerie, and extreme are expressed within ColdCell‘s successive albums like Lowlife (2015), Those (2017), and The Greater Evil (2021). With their latest album, Age of Unreason,ColdCell now align with AOP Records and furthermore venture deeper into social abysses and explore the (un)reason of being. Their sound remains as challenging and unsettling as ever here, with equal emphasis placed on abyssal heft and ethereal atmosphere, slipstreaming violence and ominous trudge. While so many extreme metal albums trail off in a tide of unwavering familiarity, Age of Unreason reaches a crescendo at about the halfway point with “Meaningless,” which features bewitching guest vocals by Swiss chanteuse Ines Brodbeck (aka INEZONA), and continues to spiral into cathartic delirium with the closing combo of “Sink Our Souls” and “Discord.” During these three tracks in particular, the emotional core of ColdCell is on dazzlingly display, darkly exploring those corridors of the soul few dare to tread. In 47 minutes, Age of Unreason rips asunder and rearranges the template of orthodox black metal.
Cover artwork, courtesy of Gian Andrea Signorell, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for ColdCell’s Age of Unreason 1. Hope and Failure [7:32] 2. Dead to the World [8:04] 3. Left [5:56] 4. Solidarity or Solitude [5:46] 5. Meaningless feat. INEZONA [6:11] 6. Sink Our Souls [8:28] 7. Discord [4:52]
On September 17th internationally, Antiq is proud to present a brand-new EP from Hyver, Fonds de Terroir.
Hyver comes back this autumn with a new EP called Fonds de Terroir. After Sorcier Hibou (dungeon synth – 2023) and Noirceur Mystique d’Autrefois (sympho / dungeoned black metal – early 2024), Fonds de Terroir brings us to the deep countryside of France. Melodious synth meets energic riffs, heavily supported by a creative bass-guitar played by KK (Passéisme) and groovy drums by Summun Algor (Agnus Dei). Hyver‘s rough voice is joined by strong choirs and two guests: Sans Visage (Prieuré) and M (Krasseville). With cover artwork by Joanna Maeyens (Paysage d’Hiver, Ruynn), Fond de Terroir tells us about journeys through France between muddy fields, old stone villages, ancient abbeys, and haunted swamps, in a musical spirit close to Horn, Satanic Warmaster, early Finntroll, and Hanternoz. The focus here is the link between black metal spirit and road-trip adventures – being “en route” to the unknown.
Antiq is a label dedicated to the fully coherent concept of making music through sound, image, video, and attitude. They have been putting their entire existence into it since 2009. Over the years, Antiq have been identified as producers of not only perfectly coherent lyrics and themes through music, but also conceptual art and, of course, the manufacturing of beautiful objects. The label tries as much as it can to work with French creators, and if possible, with the smallest and most serious structures.
First track to be revealed on August 13th. Aforementioned cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Hyver’s Fonds de Terroir 1. Lanterne des Morts [4:11] 2. La Vieille près du Lavoir [6:39] 3. Frère Jean-Théophane [4:18] 4. Terroir Terreur [4:47]
On September 6th internationally, Antiq is proud to present Tour d’Ivoire‘s highly anticipated debut album, self-titled Tour d’Ivoire.
Tour d’Ivoire is an atmospheric black metal project created by Hyver (Véhémence, Grylle, Hanternoz) and La Griesche (Grylle, Cercle du Chêne) in early 2023. The atmosphere of this first eponymous album is thick and mysterious as a twilight fog: extreme vocals emerging from hypnotical riffs, synthesizer melody, and spectral choirs. The French lyrics treat, with a fatalistic view, the contemplation of landscapes and architectures out of mystical dreams, as depicted by Sperber Illustrationen for the album’s cover art.
Antiq is a label dedicated to the fully coherent concept of making music through sound, image, video, and attitude. They have been putting their entire existence into it since 2009. Over the years, Antiq have been identified as producers of not only perfectly coherent lyrics and themes through music, but also conceptual art and, of course, the manufacturing of beautiful objects. The label tries as much as it can to work with French creators, and if possible, with the smallest and most serious structures.
In the meantime, hear an excerpt of the near-nine-minute opening track “La Tour” here:
Aforementioned cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Tour d’Ivoire’s Tour d’Ivoire 1. La Tour [8:34] 2. Brouillard [9:09] 3. Forteresse de Marbre [7:54] 4. Givre [7:44]
“Perhaps the best thing to come out of Australia since the Bloomin’ Onion” – Metal Injection
On their new album, Black Lava summon another perfect storm. The Savage Winds to Wisdom swirls together eerie blackened countermelodies and hexing prog with a heavy load of old-school headbanging. The riffs on “Dark Legacy” loom large, casting a fiery shadow over the kingdom of metal that warns of the band’s growing legend.
“We sharpened our tools with this album”, Black Lava says. “We went a little more brutal and that sets the tone for where we’ll head in the future”.
Watch the guitar playthrough for “Dark Legacy”.
The Savage Winds to Wisdom is out now on Season of Mist.
Black Lava erupted out of Australia’s metal scene during the first trying year of the pandemic. But the band came together with all the ease of a natural stream. All four members have crossed paths around the various corners of the Melbourne underground. Guitarist Ben Boyle also shreds alongside bassist Nick Rackham in Hadal Maw and A Million Dead Birds Laughing.
Their potent alchemy is the skeleton key that unlocks “Dark Legacy”. With the tap of his fingers, Boyle casts a menacing spell from gloomy minor chord dissonance and technical wizardry. Though it’s Rackham’s monstrous bass groove that hits like a spear straight through the heart.
“We took greater care with compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom”, Boyle says. “There’s more depth and layering to the riffs and melodies. By calling on a broader list of inspirations and tones, the album has a real sense of balance, a certain quality that will lend itself to repeat listens and attention to detail, while still staying true to what we set out to do with Black Lava; create heavy, energetic and catchy tunes that emanate a sense of atmosphere and power for the listener.”
The guitar playthrough of “Dark Legacy” was shot at Bushido Studios. It was filmed, edited and coloured by Black Lava’s drummer Dan Presland.
More praise for Black Lava
“Familiar yet undeniably creative, heavy and a clear statement in the darkness of music” – Metal Roos
“A fantastic album…wrapped up in a package that is so tight, you couldn’t squeeze in between the layers if you were as thin as paper.” – Metal Temple
“Black Lava scrachtes a particular itch when you need music that is heavy, groovy and gritty” – Metal Epidemic
“Riff after riff, chug after chug, these songs bleed with strength and perseverance” – Monuments in Ruin
Like any good sorcerer, Black Lava cast a wicked array of spells. Dan Presland, Ben Boyle and Rob Watkins treated Outburn magazine to a list of the band’s potent influences and most punishing songs.
Track list 1. Colour of Death (6:44) 2. Dark Legacy (4:08) [LISTEN] 3. Wrapped in Filth (4:03) 4. Unsheathing Nightmares (4:45) [WATCH] 5. Summoning Shadows (6:03) 6. Ironclad Sarcophagus (4:08) [WATCH] 7. Pagan Dust (4:46) 8. Sanguis Lupus (5:21) 9. The Savage Winds to Wisdom (7:07) Total runtime: 47:12
Not even the most stifling period in recent history could contain Black Lava. Despite being kept under strict lockdown during the pandemic, these Aussies were just stewing together, waiting to erupt. Now, only two years removed from their smoldering debut, the band are roaring back with even more mythical firepower on The Savage Winds to Wisdom.
“Our second album is a step up from the first in all aspects”, drummer Dan Presland says. “We took more time on the songwriting. The Savage Winds to Wisdom shows exactly where we want to take our music”.
Though possessed by an ancient and mysterious alchemy, Black Lava formed with the ease of a natural spring. Over the past decade, all four members have crossed paths around the various corners of Melbourne’s metal underground. On top of their progressive all-instrumental vision quests in Vipassi, Presland also drums alongside Hadal Maw guitarist Ben Boyle in the grinding, tech-death, underground curiosity A Million Dead Birds Laughing. But when the two got together to blow off steam amidst quarantine at Presland’s newly minted home studio, they were pleasantly surprised by the darkness that swept over these jam sessions.
“Both of us were dealing with a lot of pent-up frustrations”, Presland remembers. A few weeks before, his flight home from America (where he was supposed to track the drums for Ne Obliviscaris’ fourth album Exul) touched down hours before Australia closed its borders. “But that anger, coupled with our need to keep creating, led us in a different direction”.
Progressive metal was still a clear undercurrent, but the songs that came spewing out were unusually heavy. Death and black metal held more sway, though sludgy rock n’ roll also found its way into the mix. Such a peculiar range of influences required a vocalist with a very particular set of pipes. Fortunately, Rob Watkins jumped at the opportunity to reunite with Presland, who was the drummer in their thrash band Metalstorm. With Watkins’ Blackhelm bassist Tim Anderson added to the fold, Black Lava burst onto the scene in 2022 with their smoldering debut.
“Soul Furnace more than lives up to those lofty expectations”, Distorted Sound hailed, “proving to not only be a late contender for album of the year, but also one of the more impressive debut albums of recent years”.
Black Lava wasted no time in keeping the juices flowing. The band was already hard at work on their second album while the first one was hot on the shelves. The Savage Winds to Wisdom stirs from the same cauldron of influences. Lead single “Ironclad Sarcophagus” echoes from the crypt with eerie countermelodies and a rhythm section that’s more bewitching than a spell book.
“I pictured this ancient wizard sending out evil vibes into the world in hopes of tricking someone into opening his coffin”, Watkins says. “When writing lyrics, I try and stay true to the spirit of metal. But really, I’m just channeling how the music makes me feel”.
If Soul Furnace was like stumbling upon the entrance to an ancient cave, then The Savage Winds to Wisdom is a fiery, full-blown descent into the belly of the beast. “Dark Legacy” rings through the long black night with one sustained roar of a guitar roar, like an angry, one-eyed ogre. But while the songs came quickly, with Presland and Boyle carving out monstrous riffs and scaly grooves for Watkins to splatter his medieval fantasies, Black Lava took their time with this album. It’s not until nearly three minutes into the opening number, after “Colour of Death” has boiled to a full headbang, that the first of its many horns-up roars is unleashed.
“There was greater care taken with compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom”, Boyle says. “There’s more depth and layering to the riffs and melodies. Calling on a more broad list of inspirations and tones, the album has a real sense of balance, a certain quality that will lend itself to repeat listens and attention to detail, while still staying true to what Black Lava set out to do; create heavy, yet energetic and catchy anthemic tunes that tell a story and emanate a sense of atmosphere and power for the listener.”
True to its name, The Savage Winds to Wisdom swirls within a deeper and darker sense of atmosphere. Whereas before their bang-bang approach to songwriting resembled something closer to a punk rock band, this time around, Black Lava concentrated more on atmosphere. “Unsheathing Nightmares” reveals its root source of terror in careful layers, mutating from raw black metal and razor-sharp tech-death into a rainy, ambient hellscape. “That’s one of the songs that really excited me”, says Watkins, who calls upon a coven of witches by digging into the slimier depths of his baritone.
The title track is big enough to stand alone as its own self-contained world. Winding over the course of seven eventful minutes, it’s the longest and perhaps most ambitious song in Black Lava’s musical geology. Blast beats pound like hail beneath waves of distortion that crash with the force of a monsoon. “The silents of fate” Watkins reckons, like a sea captain stranded among the wreckage. “The thousand winds swirl the soul”. Swept up by a screeching solo from special guest Ben Baret (Ne Obliviscaris), the song whirls into an unstoppable force, a torrential finale that brings this album to a truly epic conclusion.
“We sharpened our tools with this album”, the band says. “We went a little more brutal and that sets the tone for where we’ll head in the future.
On The Savage Winds to Wisdom, Black Lava conduct a perfect storm.
Recording line-up Dan Presland (drums) Ben Boyle (guitar) Ben Boyle (bass) Rob Watkins (vocals)
Guest musician Benjamin Baret (Ne Obliviscaris, Vipassi) plays the guitar solo on “The Savage Winds to Wisdom”.
Live line-up Dan Preslans (drums Ben Boyle (guitar) Nick Rackham (bass) Rob Watkins (vocals)
Recording studio Bushido Studios in Melbourne, Australia
Producer and sound engineer Troy Mccosker
Mastering, mixing and engineering Studio Fredman and Fredrick Nordstrom
Today, dark rockers The Other Sun stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Daimon, Devil, Dawn. Set for international release on July 23rd – Invictus Productions will be handling the album’s European release while The Ajna Offensive will be handling the North American release – hear The Other Sun‘s Daimon, Devil, Dawn in its entirety here:
“Dark rock” is how The Other Sun define their sound. “Occult rock” would also be appropriate.
When you read “dark,” don’t think of this as an angry, angsty darkness, but rather an exploration of the Inner Self infused with the psychedelic, a Western twang, the profound demeanor of deep-rooted occultism that conjures both the sunrise and the sunset and all that such implies when studied through the individual. Dreams start from darkness and turn into that invisible light which compels the Promethean spirit in Man.
The Other Sun draw influence from surf rock, western score, and ’70s rock. People have suggested they hear bits of Tito & Tarantula, Swans, Deep Purple, The Devil’s Blood, Virus (Norway), Dick Dale, and Ennio Morricone in their music. Daimon, Devil, Dawn is their debut album. Many of the lyrics are inspired by alchemical imagery as metaphors for the human condition. In particular, “Stalking the Stalker” was inspired by the poem “The Street” by Mexican author Octavio Paz.
The Other Sun was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2018 by Fredrik Eytzinger. Their first EP, Horizon Between the Eyes, was released through Lapis Niger Productions in 2019.The current line-up consists of Fredrik Eytzinger (lyrics, vocals, guitars, bass), Árni Bergur Zoëga (vocals, guitars, bass, drums, keyboards), and Tommie Eriksson (session solo guitars).
Fredrik Eytzinger is a writer and has published several books and articles in Europe and the US on topics related to occultism and magic. He is also the founder of the dark ambient band Nuclear Spells. Árni Bergur Zoëga is a professional composer and sound designer who is also involved in several other projects, such as Árstíðir Lífsins, Carpe Noctem, Helrunar, and Sól án varma. Tommie Eriksson is the founder of Saturnalia Temple and ritual ambient project Lapis Niger. Guest vocals on the track “A New Dawn” were performed by Erik Molarin, previous singer of the Swedish gothic metal band Beseech and more currently Dark brs.
The album cover and lyric transcript was made by fine artist David S. Herrerías. The booklet photos were shot by Gothenburg-based photographer Peter Gaudiano, with layout by Heresie Studio.
Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for The Other Sun’s Daimon, Devil, Dawn
1. Shaking Ground 2. Stalking the Stalker 3. Black as Gold 4. Lion Spell 5. Horizon Between the Eyes 6. Conjuring Other 7. Pan 8. A New Dawn
Helldprod Records marks July 19th as the release date for Chapel Of Samhain’s debut album, Black Onyx Cave, in cassette format.
A path has been made for so long that desire gave birth to a new dimension of horror, where the graves awake at night and swallow the breathless.
Black Onyx stared into this abyss and sealed a left hand pact with Phoros to rot the alchemy upon the philosophical stone. These fumes wrecked the pillars of time and procreated a vicious ensemble of smothering tunes towards ruin baptized under the moniker CHAPEL OF SAMHAIN.
Totally architect in a monolithic vision and crafted in the sulfuric womb of lunacy both musicians accepted this challenge outside their other musical projects (Grog, Velório & Nethermancy) to embrace and celebrate the newborn spirits of the dead.
Wandering through the extreme and obscure catacombs of the old school metal scripts, traces of death, black with eerie symphonies gather for a mass of skull crushing hymns along with a choir of morbid enchantments that turn down the crosses for the CHAPEL OF SAMHAIN hordes as the ambiances grow thicker within the abyssic layers of doom.
Once entering Black Onyx Cave, an altar will rise as you will feel the mark and the creation force behind this unparalleled vortex meant to represent the seasons change within light and shadow as Man grows wither into His Mastery. Transmutation is the Key!
FFO early Morgoth, Profanatica, Teitanblood, Acheron and Imprecation.
After being released in CD ad LP (black vinyl) by the ominous Nuclear Winter Records, now is the time for the exclusive release in tape format by yours truly underground’s Helldprod.
Chapel Of Samhain’s Black Onyx Cave Tracklist:
Side A: 1. Charnel [04:59] 2. Flesh [05:18] 3. Pale [04:14]
Line-up: BLACK ONYX – artistic concept, veil composer, throat channeler, mineral conductor, and ignominious producer from the plainness infinity. PHOROS – mass ritual ensemble holistic architect and black hole summoner for all fiery production baptized in volcanic ashes.
With the resounding chants of Christopher Juul, Maria Franz, and Kai Uwe Faust, HEILUNG does not merely perform; they invoke. Their rituals, veiled in the essences of forgotten landscapes, pull you into a realm where the primordial and the modern collide. Their sonic enchantments, crafted with ancestral breath and iron’s cold kiss, transcend the mere act of listening, pulling you into a communal trance born of earth and stars.
Prepare, kindred spirits, as the Nordic collective declares their upcoming voyage, Albion, Eiru ok Erop Ferdhast, an odyssey through the mists of history and the echoes of old.
HEILUNG’s rituals are not bound by the constraints of traditional performances; their ceremonies cultivate an atmosphere where time shifts and bends. Steeped in throat singing, rhythmic sacraments of bone and hide, and the flickering dance of firelight, their evocations at places like the legendary Red Rocks have already etched unforgettable marks on the threads of time.
Albion, Eiru ok Erop Ferdhast – EU 2025 Spring Tour: 7 March: Helsinki, FI @ Ice Hall 9 March: Stockholm, SE @ Hovet 12 March: Oslo, NO @ Spektrum 14 March: Aarhus, DK @ ACC 16 March: Copenhagen, DK @ Black Box 19 March: Oberhausen, DE @ Turbinehalle 21 March: Zurich, CH @ Hallenstadion 23 March: Esch-sur-Alzette, LU @ Rockhal 15 April: London, UK @ O2 Brixton Academy 17 April: Dublin, IR @ 3Arena 19 April: Edinburgh, UK @ O2 Academy 21 April: Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo 23 April: Lille, FR @ Zenith 25 April: Lyon, FR @ Halle Tony Garnier 27 April: Milan, IT @ Teatro Arcimboldi
Step into the eternal cycle. Tickets, gateways to this transcendent experience, can be summoned through the following link:
HEILUNG don’t play shows. They perform a ritual. Every performance begins with Kai Uwe Faust leading Christopher Juul, Maria Franz and the rest of the Nordic collective in an ancient prayer. Soon after, the audience is swept into rapture, swayed by incense and throat singing, primordial rhythms, subtle electronic textures, a mesmerizing light show, an army of warriors and bursts of fire.
Since they began in 2015, Heilung have been paving melodic paths to the past with their unique and mystifying sound. Evading all conventional genre tags and the confines of any specific labels, the group aptly self-describes their sound as “amplified history,” emphasizing their ability to connect modern society with the rudiments of humanity’s beginnings through music.
“Our ancestral Nordic civilizations did not just pop up, exist and disappear in isolation”, says Faust, a throat singer and one of Heilung’s three composers. “With singing these primordial songs we want to give tribute to these cultures, reconnect to the beginnings and remember that we all, from East to West, from past to present, are connected through the exchange of ideas and inspiring each other”.
While Heilung features authentic and archaic instrumentation that ranges from rattles and ritual bells to human bones and throat singing, their captivating brand of music is far from primitive. Producer and founding member Christopher Juul implements subtle electronic elements that elevates the musical atmosphere and provides a more in-depth and layered soundscape.
Indeed, Heilung’s success has been unprecedented, achieving milestones in its few short years of existence that many do not see in a lifetime. The collective already had rapidly been growing a buzz upon the self-release of their first full-length Ofnir in 2015, but their dizzying upward trajectory really took off from the moment they set foot on the stage at Castlefest in 2017 for the now-legendary debut of their live ritual. Luckily for those who were not fortunate enough to bare witness to this magical event, the full ceremony was captured on film, having since been viewed by tens of millions of fans across the globe.
As Heilung trekked across Europe and brought their mystifying experience to new audiences, talk of this new band and their stunning ceremony made way to Season of Mist label owner Michael Berberian, who quickly offered the band a record contract after seeing their undeniable musical impact for himself.
By 2019, Heilung launched their second full-length record, Futha, which contrasted the masculine and battle-heavy themes of their debut with a feminine counterpart that celebrated fertility and female energy. Upon the first week of the record’s release, it graced the Billboard charts with coveted numbers, debuting at #3 on the Heatseekers Charts and #4 on the Billboard World Music Chart, placing on a total of seven Billboard charts while meeting critical-acclaim from the press on a global scale.
Their music has even appeared in places that extend far beyond typical concert venues. From hit television series like Game of Thrones and Vikings to video game giants like Conqueror’s Blade VII: “Wolves of Ragnarök and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II to the blockbuster Robert Eggers film The Northman, Heilung’s music has risen far above the underground and has transcended into a greater world. Even a global pandemic couldn’t slow down Heilung’s success; it only strengthened them and gave them the gift of time to complete work on their third album. In English, Drif translates as “Gathering”. The music embodies this philosophy by tying together the beginning of civilization with today’s modern society.
Heilung now perform their rituals all over the world. They sold out their first North American tour in 72 hours. Upon returning to the United States in 2021, they were greeted by another sold-out crowd, this time at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. This performance will be released on vinyl, CD and Blu-Ray in 2024, along with another performance at the Apollo Theatre in Hammersmith, London.
During the lead-up to the new LIFAs, Heilung will embark on headlining tours of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Along the way, they will cast their spell over more of the world’s biggest stages, including Roskilde Festival, Download Festival and Glastonbury. But no matter where they are, Heilung always begin their performance with a humbling reminder of where we all come from.
“Remember, we are all brothers. All people, beasts, tree and stone and wind, we all descend from the one great being that was always there, before people lived and named it, before the first seed sprouted.”Line-up: Kai Uwe Faust Christopher Juul Maria Franz
Blood Feast has been transformed yet again. Nearly five years in the making, with many twists and turns along the way, the band’s fourth album, Infinite Evolution, will see international release via Hells Headbangers on July 12th on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats. And today, they stream the album in its entirety. Hear Blood Feast‘s Infinite Evolution in its entirety here:
Continuing on from 2017’s The Future State Of Wicked, the band keeps the thrash vicious, as one would expect. Yet, this time out, the boundaries are expanded. There have been changes in the ranks, as original guitarist Adam Tranquilli has now added lead vocal duties, and co-guitarist/producer CJ Scioscia has taken on more of the songwriting. Drummer Adam Kieffer remains (he came onboard for the band’s 2019 EP Chopped, Sliced & Diced), while bassist extraordinaire Mike LePond of Symphony X lent his impressive talents on the low end.
Songs such as “Outbreak,” “Never Will I Die,” and “Of Hell” retain the Blood Feasttradition of fast and furious. However, the limits are pushed out a bit further into a tech/prog direction on “Eye Of Glass” and album closer “The Chosen.” With a production straddling the line between modern and old school, Infinite Evolution shows diversity, yet without sacrificing the speed or heaviness.
With the lineup now solidified by the addition of Dave Kramer on bass, Blood Feast is itching to get these songs aired in public. New adventures await, and new frontiers are ready to be conquered. Infinite Evolution is the key to the journey.
Also see & hear the previously revealed video for “Outbreak” HERE, also at Hells Headbangers‘ official YouTube channel. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Blood Feast’s Infinite Evolution 1. Crafting Carnage 2. Ravaging The Loins Of Mary 3. Never Will I Die 4. Of Hell 5. Eye of Glass 6. Outbreak 7. The Preacher 8. Evilution 9. The Chosen
