Wargoat / Black Ceremonial Kult “Unapproachable Laws of the Abyss” Split LP review
Release date : June 2018
Label : Godz Ov War
Cover Art : Alex Shadrin / Nether Temple Design
A1.WARGOAT – Principles of a forgotten age
A2.WARGOAT – Unapproachable laws of the abyss
A3.WARGOAT – Katadesmos command
A4.WARGOAT – Banners baptized in blood
B1.Black Ceremonial Kult Intro – The Laws of the Serpent
B2.Black Ceremonial Kult Apophis – Intreludio Cordis Cincti Serpente
Another great release from Polish label Godz ov War 4 tracks by Greek Satanic Black metal band Wargoat and 2 tracks by Chilean Death / Black Metal band Black Ceremonial Kult. Even though both bands play quite different styles of black metal this release does not feel disjointed at all. If you like your BM oozing with evil and hatred then ya got to pick up a copy of this one. Available through all good distro outlets.
Wargoat are:
Kerasphoros – Codes of Death and caller of the Abyss
Goat Architect – bass commands of war superiority
Annihilation Commander – Hammerstorms of Deathless pride
Black Ceremonial Kult are:
Khaos : IV String Magick Destruction and Voice The Infernal Meditation
Vilu: X Commandement of Hellish Noise and Pest
Negro : Unmerciful Scourges on the Holy Virgin’s Ass
Maot : Pulse of Introspection and Keys to other Realms
We spoke to Christy and Laurie of Ails back in Feb 0f 2017 for our women in Black Metal round table. It was high time we caught up with the band to talk about their killer new album “The Unraveling” read on!
* Congrats on the new album I feel you guys are yet again pushing the boundaries of Black metal and that’s a good thing – what was the songwriting process like on “the Unraveling” ?0
Sam- Christy had Bitter Past & Mare Weighs Down written when I joined Colby, Christy, & Laurie in the band. Since then it has been a back and forth between myself and Christy on song writing. For example I wrote Dead Metaphors, then Christy wrote The Echoes Waned, then I wrote Any Spark of Life, then Christy wrote The Ruin. Once we bring the riffs and arrangement ideas to practice, it becomes a full collaboration between everyone. Parts and arrangement such as riff order and length of parts will get tweaked according to any ideas anyone has. Really it’s the same with drums and Vocals. Colby puts drums to it and sometimes a suggestion to tweak a thing here or there will be made and we try it. Laurie writes all her lyrics and lays down the cadence. Christy does the same on any vocals she might be doing closely working with Laurie. Christy and I will write our solos and add our harmonies if there are any, and the inner rhythms and pulse of it all just fall into place over time through good old-fashioned feel.
* Where did you record the album? I love the production, it is raw but still has a great sense of song structure and melody something too many BM bands forgo in trying to be “grim and frostbitten”
Sam- Brad did a great job with that! I’ve heard other people referring to the production as raw. I agree its not a slick production but I don’t really consider it to be all that raw. One thing though is it’s pretty real. Meaning we didn’t use a lot of the standard studio tricks predominantly heard in modern metal, the main one being fully triggered drums. It’s amazing how much more organic it sounds with the lack of the “perfection” that a drum trigger forward mix brings. Colby plays a lot with different hits depending on the feeling of it all. He ebbs and flows with volume and intensity and I would hate to lose that. I think the album is a deeper experience over all because of that choice. To be clear I have nothing against albums with a ton of drum trigger or studio perfection. I like it on a lot of what I listen to, but I don’t think it was right for us on this one. We wanted it to sound like us as much as possible, and we got fairly close I think.
* Congrats on the new album I feel you guys are yet again pushing the boundaries of Black metal and that’s a good thing – what was the songwriting process like on “the Unraveling” ?
Laurie-Thank you so much, we are thrilled that you love it!! It was a slow but steady process. Christy and Colby started out mostly practicing a few songs that Christy wrote, then I joined and then when we got a 2nd guitarist (Sam) and bass player (originally Eli) to join, Sam wrote songs too, we started practicing more regularly and things became more cohesive and together. For me, after each song is mostly composed, I usually figure out the placement of where to put in the vocal parts and then complete the lyrics, because it works better for me that way and I want it all to fit in the song as dynamically and as uniquely as possible.
* Did you find that you and the rest of the band going through a period of heavily listening to a certain artist or genre before the writing of the album? if so who? I gotta think you guys have a pretty eclectic taste in music and I don’t just mean BM (I know some bands when they are in “writing mode” will not listen to anybody as they do not want to subconsciously pick up influences).
Laurie- For myself, I’m always listening to music daily and have my headphones on whenever I leave my front door, so every day involves some form of influence or inspiration, but over these more recent years I’ve mostly been rediscovering music I loved from when I was younger..I felt influenced and inspired from metal bands like Bethlehem and Ved Buens Ende, doom like Cathedral, Swedish doom like Runemagick, to revisiting my favorites from when I was still in youth, like Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, Deep Purple, Bowie, MC5, Neil Young, Patty Smith, Roxy Music, Nico, , Lee Hazlewood, Nina Simone, Bauhaus, Laughing Hyeanas. I’ve been currently obsessed with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Algiers and Dirtmusic for weeks now…but I’m sure it will fluctuate again soon. Not very metal of me but I’m 48 now so I kinda don’t give a hoot. ha! And we all have very broad and diverse tastes in music. The list is never-ending for all of us I think!
Like the late great Martin Eric Ain of Celtic Frost once said – “There are more feelings to express than just aggression and destruction.”
* Where did you record the album? I love the production, it is raw but still has a great sense of song structure and melody something too many BM bands forgo in trying to be “grim and frostbitten”
Laurie- It was recorded by Brad Kobylczak at New Improved Studio and Moon Dog Studio. Mixed by brad at Condemned Studio and mastered by Dan Randall at Mammoth Studio.
I do agree with you overall and also like the production. There are a few things about the recording process I hope to try differently next time but yes it was a great experience. I don’t think that we are a traditional necro/atmospheric-sounding bm band with 100’s of layers, and I believe we are more comparable to a heavy metal/rock band sound, which is why it’s important to have all instruments, vocals included, equally heard, rather than a low-fi/pushed back deep and far away in the cave sound or as you say “grim and frostbitten” I think that type of production and mix wouldn’t work very well with our material. Much of the song-writing and guitars do have a great melodic almost organic quality that I too love a lot, I’ve always been a huge fan of how Christy writes guitar melodies. Like the late great Martin Eric Ain of Celtic Frost once said – “There are more feelings to express than just aggression and destruction.” There you go..
* Did you try anything new in the studio that you had not done before as Ludicra?
Laurie- For me personally, I wanted to to do more clean singing harmonies as I feel it adds a whole other layer of lush heaviness and somber sadness and dynamics, although this is basically the same thing I’ve been doing for many years in Ludicra so I’m not sure much has changed for me during the recording process.
The thing she misses the most is being able to see a mind-blowing bill of bands every other week here
* You and Christy are pretty much “veterans” of the Bay Area Black metal scene – how would you say the scene has changed for the best in the last 10 years?
Laurie- I think maybe there are just a lot more bands, most of which are incredible. There is a sense of pride here because there are truly so many really good local bands. A friend in Portland recently told me that the thing she misses the most is being able to see a mind-blowing bill of bands every other week here. And there are so many great musicians here, young and old! There is a great sense of community and support towards one another, it’s one of the reasons to try to stick it out and stay despite the insufferable rents and lack of affordable and fair housing for all.
* And in what ways has it gotten worse?
Laurie-Well we could go the opposite I suppose and say that since there are so many bands here, we have become spoiled in a way which could also lead to more “jaded” interpretations of the Bay Area metal scene.” I suppose music can sometimes also be a tricky thing here in our Bay Area and you can’t always satisfy or connect with everyone.
Tech, realtors, greed, speculation etc have definitely affected the live music scene in SF
* Speaking of getting worse – I love how an amazing music scene has flourished in the Bay Area for the last at least, 50 years but with all of the Tech money coming into town has that been much of a detrimental effect on the live music scene?
Laurie- As much as I try my best to support local shows in SF(I’m one of the few left living here), yes tech, realtors, greed, speculation etc have definitely affected the live music scene in SF. Some venues no longer exist and the ones that still do, often struggle to have well-attended shows. So many artists have had to vacate the city, it’s become a rather square and aloof “ignore thy neighbor” environment. There are still a few gems left in SF and even a few new ones despite the mass gentrification but it’s not the same and sadly never will be the city of freaks that I once loved so dearly. Oakland carries the torch for music, especially metal, I’m glad to be able to bart over and see all the good folks, good shows and of course my bandmates!
* We all know unless you are Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth Black metal is more of a labor of love than a career option – what does everyone in the band do to keep themselves alive? (day jobs)
Laurie- I’m working as a Supportive Housing Case Manager/Money Manager for formerly homeless folks in SF. It’s a labor of love as well. I’ve recently come to accept that I take on a higher level of vicarious trauma-related stress than I wanted to believe, so I’m working on better self-care and better health in order to continue doing the other things I love, mostly being in Ails. I try my best to stay afloat despite the frustrations of the “most expensive city now in America” and all the very complex social and political disparities that exist here. Hey at least I’m in still here, rather than somewhere like Alabama, it could be a lot worse!!
* Have you played the new songs live much yet? If so what song(s) have gone over live the best to date?
Laurie- Ha! We’ve been playing the same 6 songs for almost 3 years now! We hope to have new ones very soon.
* Have any of audience reactions surprised you?
Laurie- I may not be best one to know or answer but it seems that most of our songs seem to go over live pretty well, we’ve learned over the years that some don’t seem to have the same effect as some others though.
* Are we going to see you guys on the East Coast this year?
Laurie- At this point,it’s not very likely, but I’m sure we will get to NY and hopefully surrounding area for a short tour in 2019 at least.
We would love to play more festivals as well
* Any touring plans in place yet?
Laurie – We can’t do long tours due to life,work schedules, and sometimes for me personally, getting older.. but we will do a few short mini-tours up and down West Coast and hope to get over to East Coast and Europe properly and eventually. We would love to play more festivals as well! We just played the incredibly well-run fest – Northwest Terror Fest in Seattle and it was such a wonderful experience for all. We all try our best to juggle our schedules but it’s more challenging to do so for longer touring.
* Any final words?
Laurie – Getting to perform again and be in a band again, especially with people I love and respect as friends…it has been the most uplifting and enjoyable thing for me in many years, just grateful to keep doing it for as long as it can go. Thank you so much!
This week I Spoke to Gaetan of Cepheide about his other band Rance, if like me you are a fan of Atmospheric Black metal then ya gotta check these guys out! Here’s the interview:
* What does the name Rance mean?
We were looking for a single name or french word. Something simple because this is how we feel the project, that differs from «traditional» or «romantic» black metal aspects. The voice is not omnipresent in the band, we didn’t wanted to be conceptual in order to keep the project really «open». After brainstormings, Rance came to us as an evidence.
Our music is sometimes depressive but always luminous
* You describe Rance as Luminous black metal – please describe to readers who have not heard you before what this means?
«Luminous» was first found during the composition period to name a few caracteristic riffs. Lila wrote it physically for the first time the day we had to play on stage and describe the band to the booker. This word stayed because we felt it as an evidence, and people around us were curious. Our music is sometimes depressive but always luminous, almost positive sometimes and really different from traditional black metal
* Does this differ from your work in Cephiede? Some bands happily include their noisier work and their more atmospheric work on the same albums – why divide the two?
Gaetan : Although both are Atmospheric Black Metal projects, the process and feeling about music is very different. To draw an exaggerated line, you could say that Rance is a live project, while Cepheide is a studio project. What I mean by that is for Cepheide, the composing is done prior to playing. When we get to play, it’s mostly about polishing the details, and enjoy playing the new songs together, but the song is mostly done by the time we enter the rehearsal room. With Rance, it’s the exact opposite. Yann and Lila agree on the first chords, and we play for hours until a structure comes out of it. We have a fairly similar vision of what we want for the dynamic of our songs so they end up feeling “alive” or “instinctive”. The concretization is also different. With Cepheide we very much value the recording process. Tracks are recorded on click, instruments per instruments, and we’re constantly looking for a sound identity. This add up to many hours of work, and we’re extremely exigent about the final result. For Rance, it’s again different. Our first EP was recorded live. The goal was for our tracks to be bearer of emotions, while assuming a more “garage” production. To conclude, I’d say both projects are as pleasing as they are different.
* How did you find the other members of Rance and what do they think of your work on Cephiede?
We quickly met after I moved to Paris. Yann and Lila know each other for a long time. I was actively looking for a band, and we instantly got along, be it musically or personally. Anthony, a friend from Strasbourg, my hometown, took care of vocals on the first EP and our 3 first live shows. Today, the project is mainly instrumental. We mutually respect each others projects, although Rance and Cepheide aren’t closely related on a personal level.
It becomes a moment of total abandon which I have a hard time defining
* How do you find just playing the drums in Rance as you also play guitars and sing in Cephiede – is it more relaxing or?
Gaetan: There are two musical aspects and musical energy that are very different. In Cepheide, there is a opposite force that is quite interesting. There is the melodic aspect of guitar that requires a bit of concentration, or even a strong focus as it’s the songs root, while singing brings to a state of self forgetness, by the energy it takes and the emotions it creates. When singing is exacerbating, it sometimes happens that you’d finish a sentence or a scream and wonder how your body coped with it. It’s quite interesting to wonder about this coordination, how the body reacts when confronted to those two opposite reactions to music.
For Rance, playing the drums and always writing music together allows me to simply be driven by Yann and Lila’s melodies, which is extremely pleasant. Doing so, it happens that the drum patterns change from one day to the next, depending on the feeling of the moment. The physical aspect of drumming is also very important. There are moments of real effort, and when those efforts react in an instinctive way to Yann and Lila’s melodies, it becomes a moment of total abandon which I have a hard time defining, and that’s why each live show with Rance is a very intense experience for me.
* How did you guys record the songs for Rance? Professional studio or a home set up ? Do you record live or is everything layered (drums recorded then guitars then vocals?)
Gaetan : As mentioned earlier, we recorded our first EP like we would play during the rehearsals. We recorded everything together, including vocals, because it was important to us to do it that way, all together
* All of the songs on the EP have peoples names – are they based on actual people or?
Gaetan : Indeed, this often puzzles people, but it was not our goal. First of all, during the band’s first year, the project was instrumental, and with no intention of fitting black metal codes, so the titles just came out naturally, without any question and Lila is very inspired for that.
* Do you intend to do any live shows as Rance? Touring?
Gaetan : Yes, live matters a lot to us. We played a few shows for the release of the demo, and some more are scheduled for the end of the year.
* What kind of feedback have you had on the EP so far?
Gaetan : We had more than we would have hoped for. We had a lot of live offers and support. It’s really important for a first release. We haven’t took the time to prospect for reviews or that kind of things, because we were all very busy on our sides, but we’re going to look into it so that this EP gets to shine a bit more before we release the next one!
This is the role of our EP : push to introspection, to find his own creative impulses
* What is the image you have used on the artwork and does it have a symbolic meaning for Rance?
Lila : This form is abstract. Everyone can get his own interpretation. Concentric shapes may evoke a radiation symbol, a galaxy (see Galaxy du tourbillon, drawn by Lors Rosse, 1845), the “7 cercles du purgatoire” (illustrated by Gustave Doré in La Divine Comédie, Dante), a corridor, or a matrix. Something fruitful and conducive to the opening, a substrate from which spout a creative force. This is the role of our EP : push to introspection, to find his own creative impulses. I grown with Rance music and marked universe for 3 years old. Our music, both dark by the style (black metal) and luminous in its interstices, gave me the answer natural to do this draw ant the technic I used to make it (black ink).
* What can we expect from Rance in 2017? Full length album?
Gaetan : We hope to release something new by the end of 2017. We don’t know yet if this will be a 2 tracks EP or a full length album, but there will definitely be a new release soon!
Dunkelheit Produktionen sets November 27th as the international release date for the utterly savage debut mini-album from a shocking newcomer in the fast-rising Indian black metal scene: Kapala’s Infest Cesspool.
Formed in the depths of Kolkata, India, Kapala have had one – and only one – objective since its formation: to play the most intense and bestial musick and annihilate the cesspool. Inspired by such legends such as Goatpenis, Revenge, Black Witchery, Blasphemy, Conqueror, and many other violent entities, Kapala seek to wage total sonic warfare with a strong obsession for the concept of “Survival of the Fittest.” And indeed, they accomplish that in the swift ‘n’ decisive 20 minutes comprising their first public recording, Infest Cesspool.
A true power-trio that’s more like a three-man war machine, Kapala seek to crush, kill, and destroy all in their path with overwhelming violence and totally OTT intensity. Their arsenal of shredded decibels is bountiful, as each riff and drum hit becomes its own weapon, unleashing wave after wave after unmitigatedly annihilating wave. Stripped to only the barest essentials and with a rawness pushed well past the red, Infest Cesspool quickly becomes its own blown-out, charred-beyond-redemption landscape, unforgiving and unrelenting and unforgettably so.
There will be nothing left but scorched earth and eviscerated eardrums after this Infest Cesspool has been wiped clean – Kapala’s martial dominance will prevail! The first iron fist can be heard with the new track “Homosapiennihilation”
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Kapala’s Infest Cesspool
1. Intro (To War)
2. Homosapiennihilation
3. Kapalik Hellstrike
4. Thermobarik Spear
5. A. K. S
6. Outro (Atrocity Cacophony)
Hells Headbangers announces the signing of Chile’s Communion. The first fruit of this union shall be TWO albums released simultaneously: their debut album, At the Announcement, to be released by the Sinister Flame but with distribution by Hells Headbangers; and the band’s second album, The Communion, to be released exclusively by Hells Headbangers. Both albums shall be released on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
One of the most cult bands in the shit-hot South American black/death scene, for nearly a decade now, Communion have been cultivating a mystique and work ethic like no other. Staunchly DIY and largely rejecting the gross machinations of the European “metal” industry, Communion have built up a sparse yet strangely vast body of work comprising myriad short-length releases – sometimes, true “singles” in that the release will feature only one track – that are either self-released or released through vocalist/bassist Deathmessiah’s Proselytism label, which has become ground zero for the very best in nowadays South American black/death. Despite their often-short runtimes, each Communion release is its own special world, ranging the rich history of South American metal, from its blackest, most sulfurous depths to its most traditional, headbanging heights. That one band can encompass a relatively expansive swath of sounds whilst remaining uniquely rigid and focused in their attack has endeared the band to legions the world over, all of whom await each Communion release with bated breath and cherish it as a true artifact.
A statement from Deathmessiah reads: “Many people ask us why we haven’t been signed and released any album before. Well, the truth is that we have been ripped off by an ex-member who played drums and owns a studio called DM6, and after being kicked out of the band, he magically ‘lost’ our first-album tracks – only voice needed to be recorded, and we previously paid 50% in advance – and also ripped off my label with other recordings I paid in advance, too, and from which we never got any fucking tracks or money back. All that made us waste YEARS of work, and my label got really financially affected, too. But now, after I found the right souls to work with and after being in the depths of the underground releasing demos after demos and playing in several countries through South and North America, we are attacking once more now with twice as much strength!”
Continuing, Deathmessiah reveals, “Besides that, when we entered again to record with a newer lineup, our recordings took a lot of time in the mixing so we could get a personal sound that will remain as dark, ferocious, and professional as we could achieve. We worked hard on the lyrics, which are totally straightforward. Both albums are linked lyrically. What we want to say with them in the end is to ‘keep ever open eyes,’ and there’s nothing better to sing it with total destructive and hypnotic metal.”
As for working with Hells Headbangers and The Sinister Flame, “With my label work, I have been in contact with Hells Headbangers and The Sinister Flame for many years. We’e been working together arranging trades since the early 2000s, and I know they are 100% into metal and dedicated to their unholy work, and that’s what really counts for me and for the future of Communion, which will forge two more albums, The Ordeals and Take This Torch. These labels have spread our name before we signed with them and supported my work in many ways, and I truly believe they’re not afraid to show and be themselves as record labels and persons, instead of following a sheep-minded world that’s trying to turn you into an ignorant coward. So, let’s celebrate the funeral of mercy with pure WITCHING METAL!”
As a prelude to the imminent double-album attack, Communion shall be embarking upon their first North American tour this month, alongside new Hells Headbangers comrades (and fellow Chilean tyrants) Slaughtbbath.
Confirmed dates are as follows, as well as tour poster:
September 8-9 – Wings of Metal Festival, QC
September 12 – Worcester, MA
September 13 – Brooklyn, NY
September 14 – Philadelphia, PA
September 15 – Cleveland, OH
September 16 – Chicago, IL
September 17 – Hamtramck, MI
September 20 – Buffalo, NY
September 21 – Toronto, ON
September 22 – Sherbrooke, QC
September 23 – Considered Dead Festival, QC
Release date, cover art, and preorder info for both albums to be announced shortly. In the meantime, Communion have just revealed two brand-new tracks : “Secret Rites,” from At the Announcement,
Invictus Productions, in conspiracy with The Ajna Offensive, is proud to present Malokarpatan’s highly anticipated second album, Nordkarpatenland. Invictus shall be handling the album’s release in Europe, while Ajna will be handling North America. Fittingly, Nordkarpatenland shall be released on Halloween on both sides of the Atlantic.
Just last year, Invictus brought Malokarpatan’s debut album, Stridžie dni, to worldwide attention. Although originally released in limited editions in late 2015, the album’s bewitching charm soon entranced all who heard it; some even consider it a modern classic. With its filthy-yet-atmospheric sound half steeped in primitivism and half steeped in a strange, sincere desire to push black metal in weirder, more personal directions, Malokarpatan were proudly carrying on the spiritual legacy of vanguard Eastern Bloc bands like Root and Master’s Hammer – but, of course, with their own idiosyncratic touch. But as mighty ‘n’ mesmerizing as Stridžie dni may be, the now-quintet take the listener to the hinterlands of the grotesque and glorious here across Nordkarpatenland.
Truly a trip to the darkest corners of Eastern European folklore, Nordkarpatenland suitably stretches itself across more and weirder sonic landscapes. Whereas Stridžie dni steeped itself in the grit and grime of rural life, from witchcraft to drunkenness, there’s a more stately and ominous aspect to Nordkarpatenland that suggests a none-more-tweaked ambition on the part of Malokarpatan, as they push the extremes latent to their witching metal further and further, wilder and more wanderlusting. Not for nothing did they record the album at the very same studio the mighty Master’s Hammer recorded their infamous The Mass demo: exuding space and shade as well as iron-fisted force, Nordkarpatenland sees Malokarpatan matching form with content in a most masterful fashion. Simultaneously more direct and more refined than its no-less-powerful predecessor, Nordkarpatenland drinks even more deeply from the ancient well of Heavy Metal Wisdom, pushing forward a masterclass in timeless metal songcraft and epic storytelling alike whilst never losing the delirium-inducing iconoclasm the band made its foundation from day one.
No retro, no future, “on the surface” vs. “far below that surface,” and once again pulled off without the least bit of self-consciousness or cloying insincerity: simply, Malokarpatan are just being, and Nordkarpatenland simply EXISTS. Except, this is a world like no other. How far and free will you roam in Nordkarpatenland? Enter with the new track “V hustej hore na stračích nohách striga chalupu svoju ukrýva (Within the dense woods, the witch is hiding her hut on magpie legs)”
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Malokarpatan’s Nordkarpatenland
1. Nordkarpatenland
2. V okresném rybníku hastrman už po stáročá vyčína
(In the provincial pond, a water goblin has been raging for centuries)
3. Ked starého Bartolína ze šenku na táčkach zvážali
(When old Bartolín was driven back home from the tavern on a wheelbarrow)
4. Ked svetlonosi započnú v močariskách nazeleno svícit
(When will-o’-the-wisps begin to shine green in the bogs)
5. Nedlho po púlnoci opacha sa doplazila z dzíry
(Not long after midnight, the abomination has crawled out of the hole)
6. V hustej hore na stračích nohách striga chalupu svoju ukrýva
(Within the dense woods, the witch is hiding her hut on magpie legs)
7. Ked gazdovi upeleší sa v chyži nezdoba zmok
(When a bugger kobold settles down in the farmer’s household)
8. V rujnovej samote pocichu dumá lovecký zámek zvlčilého grófa
(In October’s solitude, silently the hunting chateau of the wolfish count is brooding)
9. Na horárni ve folvarku šafári rohatý jáger
(A horned jaeger governs the gamekeeper’s lodge in the uplands)
10. Ve starém mlyne čerti po nocách mariáš hrávajú
(Devils are playing whist at nights in the old water mill)
Iron Bonehead Productions sets December 1st as the international release date for Ieschure’s highly anticipated debut album, The Shadow, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
Ieschure is a one-woman black metal formation from Rivne, Ukraine, founded by Lilita Arndt in early 2016. With lyrical themes solely focused on occultism, witchcraft, and death, Arndt set to work on her first public recording, The Shadow, which was created during 2016-2017. Although seeing the light now, The Shadow is a melancholic and nostalgic work of pure black metal that could’ve been released 25 years ago.
Breathing a similar essence of the founding early ’90s wave, Ieschure conjures an immediately captivating spell of exquisite grimness and bitter majesty. In a seemingly time-stretching 34 minutes, The Shadow indeed approximates its title, wrapping its ethereal embrace around the spellbound listener with an utterly cryogenic splendor, never ceasing its hold nor relinquishing any joy. The soundfield may be distant and withered – and unapologetically raw, of course – but Ieschure exudes a keen grasp of dynamics which allows every note (and the notes “between the notes”) to ring out in the night sky with an eeriness all her own.
This is music for when the light has truly died and human life ceases to move; it is the reverberation of nocturnal existence, many and terrible its denizens. Will you enter The Shadow with Ieschure? Begin the journey with the new track “What Waits in the End” HERE at Iron Bonehead’s Soundcloud. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ieschure’s The Shadow
1. Intro – Shadows from the Great Beyond
2. Eternal Wheels of Life
3. Mystic Schizophrenia
4. Condemned to Death
5. What Waits in the End
6. Before the New Dawn Comes
7. Outro – Through the Chaos of Voices
Three years after the critically acclaimed Memoria Vetusta III – Saturnian Poetry, BLUT AUS NORD are back with Deus Salutis Meæ, a brand-new opus eagerly awaited by a horde of fans in need of disturbing sensations.
Mastered by Bruno Varea at Upload-Studio, Deus Salutis Meæ is an unfathomable opus in which BLUT AUS NORD fuses each distinct era of its 23-year existence with innovative readings of cavernous death metal, the occult excesses of outsider industrial, and the abject hauntings of psychotropic doom.
This crepuscular new opus contains ten obscure compositions:
The astonishing artwork was handed to talented artist Anna Levytska. You can witness the front cover above.
Originating in 1994 from the ashes of VLAD (who released two demos), BLUT AUS NORD are undisputable French Black Metal pioneers, always managing to progress and move forward, evolving in perpetual mutation, developing their own vision of Black Metal.
Choosing, from the start, the total opposite path of regressive bands (who copy what others have done ten years earlier and ten times better), BLUT AUS NORD eschews all the inherent clichés belonging to the genre. BLUT AUS NORD’s Black Metal approach is a fist in the face of mainstream mediocrity, becoming more macabre and sinister through a blend of innovative musical research, subliminal mental manipulation, and an incredible haunted, nightmarish feeling based on disharmony.
BLUT AUS NORD are creators of a hallucinogenic universe, erasing all preconceived ideas of Black Metal – and extreme music in general. They redefine the rules…
The Devil’s Cradle: The Story of Finnish Black Metal is the definitive history of one of the most uncompromising music scenes in the world: Finnish black metal. Based on over 50 interviews conducted by Helsinki-based journalist Tero Ikäheimonen between 2014 and 2017, the book unravels the story of Finnish black metal from the late 1980s to modern times.
“Countless of books have been written about black metal over the years, but every time, the Finnish scene has remained merely a side note,” says Ikäheimonen. “It’s an atrocity, since Finland has created some of the world’s most renown underground black metal since the beginning; I wanted to fix that. This book is made for the maniacs all over the world.”
To be released by Svart Publishing on November 1st, The Devil’s Cradle features such bands as Beherit, Impaled Nazarene, Barathrum, Archgoat, Azazel, Diaboli, Darkwoods My Betrothed, Horna, Vornat, Thy Serpent, Wanderer, Urn, Black Dawn, …And Oceans, Musta Surma, Alghazanth, Azaghal, Warloghe, Behexen, Clandestine Blaze, Satanic Warmaster, Ride for Revenge, Goatmoon, IC Rex, Charnel Winds, Cosmic Church, Saturnian Mist, Rienaus, and Abyssion among others.
“It was important for me to base the book on the experiences of true underground spirits – black metal musicians, zine authors, and tape traders,” Ikäheimonen says. “Many stories are told for the first time. I wanted to focus on the music, but not forget the darker side of black metal – all the violence, death, and destruction that have ravaged the Finnish scene. It was crucial to include the spiritual and psychological side of black metal, too. Satanism with all its different notions and the occult are present throughout the book.”
The Devil’s Cradle was first published in Finnish in September 2016 by Svart Publishing (titled Pirunkehto). The English translation features all the original content and two additional chapters. This edition will encompass 500+ pages and be presented in a hard cover. Chapter excerpts will be periodically revealed HERE.
Today, Spanish black/death cult Krossfyre premiere the new track “Burning Torches” The track hails from the band’s highly anticipated debut EP, Burning Torches, set for international release on September 15th via Hells Headbangers.
One of the most exciting newcomers Hells Headbangers has come across lately, Krossfyre formed only last year, but set to work on writing and recording Burning Torches, completing the six-song/20-minute EP last September at Moontower Studios. Although an otherwise brand-new name, Krossfyre include among their ranks members who do or have done time in such bands as Sheidim, Spain’s Graveyard, Körgull the Exterminator, Insulters, Morbid Flesh, and Suspiral. Nevertheless, the creation of Burning Torches itself bespeaks a whole new era of domination.
Right from its very beginning, Burning Torches explodes with an excitement and electricity that are uniquely Krossfyre’s, passion and poison mixed into one. Pounding metal, diabolic force, total power from Hell: this Spanish quintet whip forth a fury that’s strangely familiar yet simultaneously refreshingly unique; it’s a sound that’s been brewing in cast-iron cauldrons for time eternal, but now bubbling over with a youthful joie de vivre. References to be made include classic Nifelheim and Vomitor, but also early Tribulation, later Desaster, Gospel of the Horns, Bestial Mockery, and Nocturnal Graves among others. But the sheer charisma and cantankerous esprit Krossfyre exude – not to mention infectious, gloriously METAL songwriting – puts the band squarely amongst those hallowed ranks. Early days still, to be sure, but on evidence of the forthcoming Burning Torches, the name Krossfyre will soon be upon the tongues of diehards worldwide soon enough. Take these Burning Torches and feel the fire!
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Krossfyre’s Burning Torches
1. Krossfyre (intro)
2. Fire Solution
3. Burning Torches
4. Tabellae Defixionum
5. Black Jaws of Evil
6. The Great Masturbator
KROSSFYRE is:
A.K. – vocals (Sheidim)
C.S. – guitars (Sheidim, Graveyard)
J.B. – guitars (Graveyard, Körgull the Exterminator)
A.T. – bass (Sheidim, Suspiral)
J.G. – drums (Graveyard, Morbid Flesh, Insulters)
