Black Metal

Sólstafir extend European tour with AMORPHIS

Icelandic post metal band SÓLSTAFIR have previously announced their European tour dates as special guests to AMORPHIS, but the band has now extended the tour with more dates!

The trek will start at the Carlswerk Victoria venue in Köln (DE) on the 27th of October 2023, and sees the band performing in 15 more countries until the final curtain in Vilnius (LT) on December 2nd 2023.

But there is more! Label mates THE ABBEY will join 9 dates in support of the tour! A full list of tour dates can be found below.

SÓLSTAFIR
+Amorphis
27 Oct 23 Köln (DE) Carlswerk Victoria
28 Oct 23 Geiselwind (DE) Music Hall
29 Oct 23 Utrecht (NL) Tivoli Vredenburg
30 Oct 23Karlsruhe (DE) Substage
31 Oct 23 Wörgl (AT) Komma VZ
01 Nov 23 Zagreb (HR) Boogaloo Club
02 Nov 23 Belgrade (RS) Dom Aladine *
03 Nov 23 Thessaloniki (GR) Principal Club Theater
04 Nov 23 Athens (GR) Fuzz Live Music Club
05 Nov 23 Sofia (BG) Hristo Botev Hall *
06 Nov 23 Bucharest (RO) Arenele Romane *
07 Nov 23 Cluj-Napoca (RO) Form Space *
09 Nov 23 Kosice (SK) Collosseum
10 Nov 23 Bratislava (SK) Majestic Music Club
11 Nov 23 Linz (AT) Posthof
12 Nov 23 Zlin-Cepkov (CZ) Masters of Rock Cafe
14 Nov 23 Gdansk (PL) B90

15 Nov 23 Kraków (PL) Kamienna12
16 Nov 23 Dresden (DE) Stromwerk
17 Nov 23 Weissenhauser Strand (DE) Metal Hammer Paradise
18 Nov 23 Hannover (DE) Capitol *
19 Nov 23 Hamburg (DE) Uebel & Gefährlich **
21 Nov 23 Aarhus (DK) Train **
22 Nov 23 Stavanger (NO) Folken **
23 Nov 23 Bergen (NO) Hulen **
24 Nov 23 Oslo (NO) John Dee **
25 Nov 23 Gothenburg (SE) Brewhouse **
26 Nov 23 Stockholm (SE) Debaser Strand  **
01 Dec 23 Riga (LV) Melna Piektdiena **
02 Dec 23 Vilnius (LT) Loftas **

* Special guest to AMORPHIS
** Support by THE ABBEY

SÓLSTAFIR will be touring in support of their latest album ‘Endless Twilight of Codependent Love’ which was released in 2020 via Season of Mist. A bloody new music video for the track ‘Dionysus’ was released last week, which can still be seen via the official Season of Mist YouTube channel HERE. 

The cover artwork and track-list can be found below, together with the album info. The painting is a watercolour of the Lady of the Mountain, 1864, by Johann Baptist Zwecker.

Tracklist:
1. Akkeri (10:10)
2. Drýsill (08:52)
3. Rökkur (07:06)
4. Her Fall From Grace (06:36)
5. Dionysus (05:31)
6. Til Moldar (04:29)
7. Alda Syndanna (04:30)
8. Or (06:58)
9. Úlfur (08:49)

A quarter of a century after singer/guitarist Aðalbjörn “Addi” Tryggvason co-founded atmospheric Icelandic metal quartet Sólstafir, they continue to follow their cardinal rule – that there are no rules. For them, writing an epic 10-minute song without a traditional verse/chorus trade-off feels natural. While they have done two albums in English, he mainly sings in their native tongue and his vocals are as much an instrument as a vessel for words. Their videos equally showcase the band and their Icelandic world that they commune with.

And their music flows however it pleases. “Having been a metal band for a long time and gone through shoegaze, atmospheric black metal, and post rock, I just feel privileged being able to mix all my favorite genres and get away with it,” says Tryggvason.

In the world of Sólstafir, artists as varied as The Beatles, Kraftwerk, Darkthrone, Ennio Morricone, and Billy Corgan swirl inside their heads, and such influences seep into their musical ether. Funnily enough, the cover for the group’s latest album Endless Twilight of Codependent Love might remind one of a famous Smashing Pumpkins album cover.

Painted in watercolor by Johann Baptist Zwecker in 1864, The Lady of the Mountain is the female personification of Iceland. It was first published in a book of Icelandic folk tales but was never shown in public. A black and white woodblock replica by the artist is what Icelanders have known until recently when two citizens found the original hidden in a Welsh museum gallery where it had been in storage for a century. Now it is back home and adorning the cover of the new Sólstafir album.

“Everybody knows the image of the Lady of the Mountain,” declares Tryggvason. All of a sudden, the original pops up and it’s like, ‘Oh my god, these are the most beautiful colors I’ve ever seen. And why does it remind me of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness?’ So that’s purely accidental. When we saw this photo, we had to use it. It’s too beautiful.”

While early Sólstafir lyrics delved into Nordic mythology and critiques of organized religion, more recent songs explore their spiritual connection with nature, and lately, mental disorders ranging from depression to alcoholism and the taboo behind men in particular discussing those things for fear of being perceived weak.

“That’s the real darkness that you can’t see, but you can feel it and people around you can feel it,” explains Tryggvason. “Of course, there are serial killers and plagues and whatever through history. But in modern day life, that’s the true darkness around you. People kill themselves every day, and often people close to you who have been feeling so bad.”

He says the most personal song on Endless Twilight of Codependent Love is “Her Fall From Grace,” the lone track in English. It chronicles the pain of watching a loved one succumb to mental illness.

“It’s very sad when you love someone and you see them get sick,” muses Tryggvason. “Like Layne Staley said, ‘Slow suicide is no way to go.’ But you’re just watching on the audience bench, preparing for the phone call. ‘Hey man, Johnny’s dead.’ ‘All right, I knew Johnny was gonna die. I’ve been watching him in slow motion.’” He likens the experience to seeing a relative or parent be consumed by Alzheimer’s and turn into a different person than one remembers.

Although the band’s lyrics are predominately in Icelandic, that does not prevent outside listeners from appreciating the emotional power of their music. It has been said that many fans can feel his pain even if they do not overtly understand what he is singing about.

A beautiful moment in that regard occurred when Sólstafir played Bogota, Colombia in September 2017. It was the smallest show on their South American tour, and they presumed it would not be as lively. The 300 strong throng proved them wrong. “It felt like I was in Queen at Wembley Stadium,” Tryggvason recollects fondly. “They sang every goddamn word in Icelandic. How can you explain that?”

Such passionate reactions have not gone unnoticed in their homeland. Iceland picked Sólstafir to play a total of six events New York City, Seattle, and Toronto last fall called “Taste Of Iceland.” Tryggvason says the band enjoyed the event and their intimate industry showcases at Pianos (NYC) and Livenation (Toronto) during that same trip.

Counter-intuitive thinking has helped Sólstafir evolve and mature. The new track “Or” opens with a languid, bluesy feeling but gradually transforms into an angst-ridden, guitar-driven dirge. When they conjured their breakthrough song “Fjara” in 2011, the group feared its mellow nature might put off their longtime metal followers. Instead, they embraced it. That tune, along with the ambient, banjo-laden track “Ótta,” allowed the group to play both the Brutal Assault festival in the Czech Republic five years ago and then a family-friendly music event in the Netherlands the next weekend. The new rager “Dionysus” even features a return to their black metal roots that was not planned; the song just turned out that way over a year-long span.

“Our audience grew bigger and more diverse by us just being ourselves and doing nothing different really,” notes Tryggvason.

One of the joys for him and his bandmates – bassist Svavar “Svabbi” Austmann, guitarist Sæþór Maríus “Pjúddi” Sæþórsson, and newer drummer Hallgrímur Jón “Grimsi” Hallgrímsson, who contributed some lyrics this time out – is that their perception of how their new music will turn out never corresponds with reality. It is that unknown factor that keeps things exciting.

“You can never foresee band magic,” declares Tryggvason. “The whole purpose of this is cooking up magic. And if you’re cooking up magic with four or five weirdos, you can never foresee what’s going to happen. You can’t buy that. You have to live it or grow it.”

Recording line-up:
Aðalbjörn Tryggvason – Vocals, uitar
Sæþór M Sæþórsson – Guitar
Svavar Austmann – Bass
Hallgrímur Bárðdal – Drums

Recording: Sundlaugin Studio, Grótta
 
Mixing and mastering: Birgir Jón Birgirsson
 
www.solstafir.net
www.facebook.com/solstafirice
www.instagram.com/solstafir_official

Destroyer 666 Announce ‘To The Devil His Due’

DESTROYER 666 won’t slow down. K.K. and his band of black thrash bullies rose out of Australia back in the early ’90s with the triumphant, blistering speed of a phoenix. Despite several lineup changes, they’ve been hammering out lean, mean blackened thrash metal ever since. Their last album came out just at the end of 2022 and it served as yet another ass-kicking reminder that these burly Aussies will never surrender to anyone’s bullshit.

This year, DESTROYER 666 have been celebrating their upcoming 30th anniversary by bulking up their already impressive body of work. On June 23, the band are re-issuing their very first demo, which you can get your hands on at the Season of Mist store HERE.

But before that happens, today, DESTROYER 666 are announcing another new release. ‘To The Devil His Due’ compiles four long out-of-print 7″ EPs that originally came out between 1998 and 2010. This compilation only hint at the venom that would come at the hands of these bare-knuckle brawlers. But songs like “Satanic Speed Metal” and the spirited “Ghost Dance”  already burn with maximum fury.

‘To the Devil His Due’ is out on August 25, 2023 via Season of Mist. Pre-order the compilation HERE. 

Tracklist:
01: Satanic Speed Metal (03:50)
02: The Sirens Call (03:56)
03: King of Kings (4:00)
04: Lord of the Wild (05:43)
05: Ghost Dance (4:09)
06: Taste The Poison (03:01)
07: Levens Bloed (02:26)
08: Through the Broken Pentagram (04:47)
09: See You in Hell (04:14)
Total Running Time: 00:34:46

DESTRÖYER 666 continue to do what they are best at: kicking ass and hammering out heavy metal that is slamming straight into the face. No compromise, no sell out, no bullshit!DESTRÖYER 666 don’t do whiny nostalgia but simply stick to their old school roots, which are reaching straight down into the golden age of metal while allowing themselves to sound fresh and remain relevant. The band originally started out as a solo project of BESTIAL WARLUST guitarist KK in Australia in 1994. As early as with debut album ‘Unchain the Wolves’ (1997), fast-tracked towards international acclaim.

The even stronger second full-length, ‘Phoenix Rising’ (2000) had the Australians relocating to Europe to be able to satisfy the soaring demand for touring and festival shows. After a round of line-up changes, third full length ‘Cold Steel… For an Iron Age’ (2002) cemented the band’s excellent reputation

After a hiatus caused among other issues by disenchantment with the business, DESTRÖYER 666 returned with ‘Defiance’ in 2009 and followed up on this success with the rough and gritty ‘Wildfire’ (2016) seven years later that saw them touring and performing at all the relevant metal festivals worldwide on a regular basis again. The Australians filled the gap between the latest albums with the hard-hitting EP, ‘Call of the Wild’ (2018) that comes with a distinct taste of an unrepentant classic flavour.

The outlaws from down under deliver another pummeling and relentless lesson in aggression with full length number 6(66). ‘Never Surrender’ is a furious assault of black thrash, chainsaw riffs, and warlike drums, offering no moment of reprisal as it rages on for 40 unyielding minutes.

DESTRÖYER 666 takes no prisoners!

Current lineup:
K.K.: Vocals, guitar
Ro: Guitar, vocals
Felipe: Bass
Kev Desecrator: Drums

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/destroyer666page
https://www.instagram.com/destroyer666_official/


Shop:
https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/destroyer-666-to-the-devil-his-due

HEILUNG Announce US Tour

HEILUNG are bringing their acclaimed live performance to 10 U.S. cities this fall.

The tour will commence in Greensboro, NC, on 17 October. The pounding, rhythmic, Nordic collective will perform the final night of their spellbinding ritual on 5 November in Denver, Colorado. 

HEILUNG have a tradition of donating one dollar for each ticket sold to planting trees. The proceeds from this tour will also support reforestation efforts. More details coming soon.

The band will be playing songs from their entire discography, including ‘Drif’, which came out last fall. The album is available on vinyl, CD, cassette and as a digital download through the Season of Mist store

TOUR DATES
10/17:  Greensboro, NC @ Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts [TICKETS]
10/19:  Baltimore, MD @ Hippodrome Theatre [TICKETS]
10/21:  Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium [TICKETS]
10/23:  Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall [TICKETS]
10/25:  Huntsville, AL @ VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall [TICKETS]
10/27:  New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre [TICKETS]
10/30:  Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater [TICKETS]
11/01:  St. Louis, MO @ The Factory [TICKETS]
11/03:  Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theatre [TICKETS]
11/05:  Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom [TICKETS]

Tracklist:
01: Asja (05:17)
02: Anoana (04:57) [WATCH]
03: Tenet (13:05)
04: Urbani (02:55)
05: Keltentrauer (08:26)
06: Nesso (07:54)
07: Buslas Bann (05:03)
08: Nikkal (03:04)
09: Marduk (08:34)
Total Running Time: 00:57:55

Since its inception in 2015, the enigmatic ritual collective HEILUNG has 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. HEILUNG once again journeys back in time with its new chapter, ‘Drif;’ however, unlike previous offerings that centered around prehistoric northern Europe, album number three will explore other great rudimentary civilizations outside of Europe.

“All the songs on ‘Drif’ have their own stories,” adds HEILUNG throat singer and one of the band’s three composers, Kai Uwe Faust. Each has its place and sense of belonging, with inspiration not only from Northern Europe, but from the ancient great civilizations,” explains the band. “We took the ancient surrounding advanced civilizations in account, because our ancestral Nordic civilizations did not just pop up, exist and disappear in isolation. Already in the Bronze Age, we found silk on German land that was imported already from the far, far East 3000 years ago. From the Viking age, we found beads that were brought there from present-day Syria high up in the Northern mountains.

“Centrally important concepts, still in extensive use today, like the number Zero and all the mathematical universes deriving from it, the use of iron and the general concept of settling all originate from traditional high civilizations outside the north and still fundamentally changing our ancestor’s world.

“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.”
Meaning “gathering,” ‘Drif’ serves as more than merely a gateway that bridges history with modern day society, but is also a statement of the strength in unity and togetherness, which will come as no surprise to those who have experienced HEILUNG’s live ritual, in which every ceremony starts with a reminder that “we are all brothers.” “‘Drif’ means ‘gathering,’’ explains HEILUNG. “A throng of people, a horde, a crowd, a pack. In symbiosis with the album title, ‘Drif’ consists of a flock, a collection, a gathering, a collage of songs, that much like little flames were seeking towards each other, to join, to bond, to create, and be greater together.”

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.

“This album has very clearly dictated its own path. Our attempts to tame it were repeatedly fruitless, and once we came to this realization, the creative flow surged forward with immense force. So much so that sometimes it felt like the songs wrote themselves,” the band adds.

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.

Having already made its way around Europe, HEILUNG announced its first ever North American tour for the start of 2020, which sold out entirely within 72 hours of ticket on-sale. The band later returned to the United States and performed their live ritual for a sold out audience of 10,000 people at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO (USA), further solidifying their early legacy status.

By this time, the band’s music started to appear in places outside the confines of music venues, videos, and vinyl. 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 album number three, ‘Drif.’

According to Greek philosopher Pythagoras, three is a divine number, signifying harmony, wisdom, and understanding. He also believed it to be the number of time – past, present, future; birth, life, death; beginning, middle, end. Purposefully or not, ‘Drif’ embodies this philosophy, putting forth a divine work of art that ties together the beginning of civilization with the modern world today. Make no mistake, HEILUNG still does not represent any modern political or religious ideology, but rather delivers a humbling reminder of where we came 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.”

Lineup:
Kai Uwe Faust
Christopher Juul
Maria Franz

Links:
www.facebook.com/amplifiedhistory

Shop: https://heilung-usa.travelling-merchant.com/

BLODULV to have trilogy of albums reissued & remastered by OPHIDIAN SUN – out of print for nearly 20 years

On July 14th internationally, Ophidian Sun is proud to reissue the three cult-classic albums of Blodulv – 2003’s Blodulv, 2004’s II, and 2005’s III – Burial – in remastered form on CD and vinyl LP formats. Titled the “Black Diamond Remasters Series,” this will be the first time each of these three albums will be available in nearly two decades.

Blodulv hail from an era of black metal physically and spiritually long ago. Their country of origin was Sweden and their first public recording – the Kristkrossare demo, on a then-young Total Holocaust Records – came in 2003, but their psychic center could’ve been the late ’90s or even earlier, when black metal still posed a threat to normcore metallers and was otherwise verboten to all but the most depraved. Put another way, “you had to work for it” back then, as the maxim goes, and here did Blodulv reside in a gutter of sound and thought. Their actual lifespan was incredibly brief – conservatively, they existed between 2002 and 2005 – but their body of work was incredibly prolific. Driven by drugs and madness, the duo of Grendel and Orcus burned brightly until that black flame consumed them entirely. And then they were gone, leaving behind a singular discography and shadowy apocrypha about their extracurricular deeds. Truly “Bad Music for Bad People,” to paraphrase the Cramps, but more importantly BY Bad People…a feat far too rare these days, which is all the more opportune that Blodulv‘s central trio of albums is exhumed for a new generation of black metallers seeking true danger and taboo. 

Originally released in August 2003 on CD only, Blodulv‘s self-titled debut album introduced the Swedes with utmost crudeness and rudeness. Immediately, the quickly-characteristic Blodulv aesthetic is established: hypnotic riffing teetering between triumph and tragedy, inhumanly howled/hissed vocals, everything coated in a strange sort of “clear static,” and the guiding lifelessness of their undisguised drum-machine, here charmingly monikered “the one and only Sir Electro.” On paper, these foundational stones may seem underwhelming or at least par for the black-metal-underground course, but in execution, there was little to nothing like Blodulv back then. Even for ears well attuned to that underground, from the most minimalist Ildjarn recording to contemporaneously-young Bone Awl, Blodulv‘s cooly cruising attack was exceptionally alien. 

The Devil was truly in the details here. “Street black metal” before there ever was a thing, Blodulv reveled in its staunchly Spartan contours: the songwriting moved at a sprightly pace, whether it was polka-fast or stomping-slow, either way excising any sort of aggression for something dead in its energy; the component riffs were few, but expertly threaded together in a weirdly hummable manner; even drowning in said static, the vocals were articulated to the extent that key phrases could blanch even the hardiest listener; and the secret star of the show, Sir Electro made drum-machines cool for the first time since the classic Greek recordings at Storm Studio. Dingey and dungeonic, absurdly simple but sinfully sublime, Blodulv‘s first full-length party-crashed a black metal underground that was soon about to have a second renaissance. 

At the time of its release – November 2005, this time through the short-lived Eerie Art Records – Blodulv‘s III – Burial didn’t necessarily signal an end for the band. The year prior to that third album, the Swedes had released a steady stream of EPs and splits, as well as the Diatribe EP (through the always-cult Forgotten Wisdom Productions) earlier in 2005. But, with hindsight, the appellation Burial should’ve said everything: this was the end of Blodulv. In most perverse fashion, they finally revealed photos of themselves in the liner, including vocalist Morn (longtime lyricist Aeifur was never revealed). Three photos of three official members…third album. The tombstone was there.

But what a way to end such a beautifully belligerent career! III opens (and closes) with a barrage of noise, suggestive of Morn’s successive work in Deadwood, Keplers Odd, and Culted; he would be the only member of the band to (publicly) continue musically. From there, the K-hole opens wider and devours the listener whole, revealing something that splits the difference between Blodulv‘s two albums – the cooly cruising attack of I, the hypnotic near-Oi of II – but brings forth an intensification of both poles. “Street black metal” to the very end, again before there was ever a thing, Blodulv upped the hooliganism here, incorporating both more thug-life stomp and running-from-the-law speed to the unsettlingly metronomic pulse. One need only listen to the arrogant-and-proud stride of “Imperium Sanctum (Bleeding Mercury)” to understand the fertile fields of filth that the trio were beginning to trample…if only one was unaware that this was also the end. Nevertheless, at 47 minutes, III – Burial marked the album as Blodulv‘s longest recording: their epitaph written in the boldest and most brazen strokes, the coffin lid closed with deafening punctuation.
 

All out of print since the mid-2000s, the trilogy of Blodulv, II, and III – Burial will now be reissued on both CD and vinyl as part of Ophidian Sun‘s campaign to bring the noble Blodulv catalog to a new generation starved for authentic mystery & mysticism in black metal. Each of the band’s three albums will feature remastered sound courtesy of Temple of Disharmony – bringing Blodulv‘s necrotic & narcotic sound to 3D “unlife,” as it were – and new layout inspired by the old. This is the sound of glorious times! Preorder info can be found HERE.

Stream the debut album from JOHNNY THE BOY

JOHNNY THE BOY are now streaming their debut album ahead of the release date! All eight tracks can be listened to here:

‘You’ will be released on June 9, 2023 via Season of Mist. 

Personal note from JOHNNY THE BOY: “We are Johnny The Boy. Here’s our debut album “YOU”. No fancy trickery or bluff was used on making this album. It features Neanderthal riffs and Necro vocals. We play music we wanna play and sing about stuff we need to say.”    

Formed by current and former members of CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, JOHNNY THE BOY have emerged with a vile yet heartfelt spike of black metal. ‘You’ opens with “Die Already”, a gloomy surge of industrial rock that’s pierced by the pissed-off shrieks of Belinda Kordic.

Save the album HERE and shop “You” HERE

‘You’
1. Die Already (05:12)
2. Grime (04:10)
3. He Moves (04:44)
4. Endlessly Senseless (06:13) [WATCH HERE]
5. Crossings (08:05) [WATCH HERE]
6. Druh (02:52) [WATCH HERE]
7. Wired (02:47)
8. Without You (07:16)

Born from a simple idea, and eventually coalescing over the last couple of years into a fully-formed entity, JOHNNY THE BOY make music that fucking hurts. Armed with a scabrous but sculpted blend of ice-cold black metal, excoriating sludge and sinewy, white-knuckle rock’n’roll, the trio’s musical identity has arrived, perfectly imperfect and ready to eviscerate. Formed around a creative core of vocalist Belinda Kordic, guitarist Justin Greaves (both members of Crippled Black Phoenix) and bassist Matt Crawford (CBP alumnus and live bassist), JOHNNY THE BOY began life as an instinctive grab for something darker and nastier.

“It began at a rehearsal with Crippled Black Phoenix many, many years ago,” says Greaves. “We were rehearsing down at Arthur’s, where CBP used to practice, and it was during one of those rehearsals that I just got on the guitar, someone else got on the drums and we were just fart-arsing about, with Belinda doing her necro vocals! Then we posted a little clip online and people starting asking, ‘Oh, is this legit?’ Like always, it took fucking years to even think about doing anything, but it was always going to happen.”

“In the background, there’s the fact that in the first band I was ever in, I sang that way,” adds Kordic. “I really missed doing that. We both missed that whole Iron Monkey, Varukers, aggressive side of music. That’s the first way of singing that I loved, and I’ve missed doing it. So we always wanted to do this.”

Brought together by a love of dark, twisted and extreme music and energized by an opportunity to return to the full-bore hostilities of their earlier creative years, JOHNNY THE BOY‘s debut album ‘You’ is the final proof that the best ideas cannot be stopped. A collaborative effort that brought the evil best out of everyone involved, it’s an album that has been stewed in real blood, sweat and tears. But mainly sweat.

Recording Line-up:
Belinda  – Vokillz
Justin Greaves – Guiterrorist & Drumbs
Matt Crawford –  Bass Avalanche

Recording Line-up:
Belinda  – Vokillz
Justin Greaves – Guiterrorist & Drumbs
Matt Crawford –  Bass Avalanche

Links:
https://www.instagram.com/johnny_the_boy 
https://www.facebook.com/JTB444UVO       

Recording Studio: Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire UK, Kapsylen Studio, Stockholm Sweden
Mixing: Kurt Ballou @ GodCity Studio, Salem MA. USA.
Mastering: Magnus Lindberg – Magnus Lindberg Productions, Stockholm, Sweden.

Photos: Chantik Photography – www.chantik.nl

Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/JTB-You

Stream: https://orcd.co/jtbyoupresave

UADA announce ‘Crepuscule Natura’, and stream first song/video

US black metal band UADA dropa brand new lyric video for “Retraversing the Void”, the first track from the upcoming fourth album. Watch it here:

Ever since the cloaked Pacific Northwest band appeared on the music radar, UADA has always been electrified by both polar worlds. Their echelon was stark and meaningful. Within the stretch of 3 albums as well as dense and triumphant live shows across the globe, they have not only spiked the map of extreme metal music, but their unrelenting touring schedule an unbridled will to push forward into new horizons has also earned them a reception in all the extremes imaginable, be it worship or spite.

5 sonic vessels form the nucleus of ‘Crepuscule Natura’, and within it`s
41 minutes, the record easily creates a sonic and aesthetic bridge between the band`s debut, ‘Devoid of Light’ (2016), and their sophomore effort ‘Cult of a Dying Sun’ (2018), only to forge onward upon the relentless path set forth with ‘Djinn’ (2020). Here, a more refined and muscular, yet no less melodic stronghold awaits. On ‘Crepuscule Natura’, UADA provides all their emorable hooks, tasteful leads, and riding blasts in their distinct style, balancing their epic surging melodies with powerful spurts of aggression. Just like the band’s smoke-heavy shows, the momentum and emphasis of their craft always stays grandiose, mythical, and triumphant – all the while making sure to birth a couple of new fan favorites and soon-to-be staple live songs.

‘Crepuscule Natura’, once again graced by the artwork of legendary Kris Verwimp and photography by Peter Beste, shows UADA on fire to unleash the marrow of black heavy metal.

Tracklisting:
01. The Abyss Gazing Back (07’50)
02. Crepuscule Natura (06’38)
03. The Dark (Winter) (07’31)
04. Retraversing the Void (07’44)
05. Through the Wax and Through the Wane (12’03)

More info:

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Germany’s THE CIRCLE set release date for new AOP RECORDS album, reveal first track

Today, AOP Records announces August 18th as the international release date for the highly anticipated second album of Germany’s The Circle, Of Awakening, on CD and vinyl LP formats. To coincide with the announcement, the first single “Ashes and Fading Tides” is revealed here:

Risen from the ruins, created by the fierce tides, The Circle hail you to the realm of the blackened sun with the upcoming full-length concept album entitled Of Awakening. With their second creation, the three-piece – founded in 2021, based around vocalist Asim Searah (ex-Wintersun) – takes you on a voyage through the facets of egoism, devastation, self-hatred, and reflection and the results of destructive behavior that lead to a higher level of self-actualization.

Emphasized by a blend of aggression and disharmony, yet captivating the listener in a sorrowful and haunting atmosphere, the five compositions of Of Awakening take the audience into a sound of ambient black/doom metal combined with progressive and symphonic elements which The Circle describes as “Art Metal.” The highest aim of this album is to open up the uncovered horizons of personal philosophy and launch a cathartic process in the inner self of every listener. 

Cover artwork, courtesy of Awinita Alm, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for The Circle (Germany)’s Of Awakening
1. Ruins, My Dying World [8:26]
2. Of Awakening [6:11]
3. Afflux [4:01] 
4. Reign of the Black Sun [9:08]
5. Ashes and Fading Tides [5:32]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/thecircle.metal
www.thecirclemetal.bandcamp.com 

www.aoprecords.de

EKROM stream EDGED CIRCLE debut – features members of COVENANT, NOCTURNAL BREED+++

Today, Norwegian black metallers Ekrom stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Uten Nådigst Formildelse. Set for international release on June 6th via Edged Circle Productions, hear Ekrom‘s Uten Nådigst Formildelse in its entirety here:

A new formation hailing from darkest, coldest Norway, Ekrom sound exceptionally ancient, brimming with a fire that stoked (and literally burned) the country during the early ’90s. Perhaps not surprisingly, the band is the work of two old souls: drummer Thomas Ødegaard (AKA Tex Terror, longtime drummer/vocalist of Nocturnal Breed) and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Kharon, an early member of Norway’s Covenant, during that band’s earliest (and best) days. Ekrom made their public debut in November 2022 with the EP The Black Flames of Seth – initially digital-only, but then finding super-limited tape release in March of this year. At nearly 15 minutes, the EP swiftly made its point: the past was alive, and from the cinders stirred another new fire…

Now it’s reached a conflagration with Ekrom‘s full-length debut, Uten Nådigst Formildelse. Wasting no time with an intro, the album kicks in – HARD – with a spiraling & suffocating spire of absolutely classic Nordic ice. Shards of stained-glass synth soon enter the picture and make Ekrom‘s cryogenics even more haunting and expansive, with the production itself – crisp, clear, and somehow dense simultaneously, most importantly emitting an air of mystery and mysticism such as it was during the darkest 1990s – almost working as another instrument. That the duo have these sounds dialed in is one (exceptional) thing; that they wield those sonics in service of imaginative, immersive songwriting is another. Indeed, Uten Nådigst Formildelse is a transportive experience, much like those ancient Norwegian tomes here, severing the listener from reality and opening the portals to the beyond and dream-worlds yet contemplated: life-giving and -damning in equal measure, a manifestation of eldritch energies most potent. Or, fancy words aside, Ekrom‘s debut album is a fucking great BLACK METAL record rendered with time-honored elements.

While there’s currently no shortage of bands/records offering classic/”classic” ’90s-style black metal, it’s invigorating – and, above all, authentic – to find it coming from those who were there from the beginning. Ekrom have both arrived and awoken with Uten Nådigst Formildelse.

Preorder info can be found HERE at Edged Circle‘s Bandcamp. Cover artwork, courtesy of Heidi Irene Kainulainen, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ekrom’s Uten Nådigst Formildelse
1. Bell Witch
2. The Black Flame Of Seth
3. The Black Hearted Ragana
4. Abyss Of Eternity
5. Misanthropy Void
6. I Djevelens Skygge
7. My End
8. When I Enter The World Of Unknown

MORE INFO:

www.facebook.com/people/Ekrom/100062965343912

www.edgedcircleproductions.com

Sweden’s VARGR set release date for long-awaited new BLOODDAWN recording – features members of MZ.412, NORDVARGR, POUPPEE FABRIKK+++

Today, Blooddawn Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces July 31st as the international release date for the long-awaited new recording from Sweden’s Vargr, FTW, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Hailing from Sweden, Vargr is the work of Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, largely known for the legendary MZ.412 but also counting Pouppée Fabrikk and the selfsame Nordvargr among his many musical endeavors. Under the moniker Vargr, he creates a maddening meld of dark industrial and blacknoise – sometimes leaning toward one end of the spectrum over the other, and sometimes overloading frequencies into one frightening onslaught of sound.

It’s been over a decade since Vargr had a new studio recording – since 2010, in fact – and now he returns with the full-length FTW. Aptly titled, FTW indeed fucks the world with brittle shards of black metal bent in obscene ways, as a slaughterhouse of strange sounds rolls on underneath, the conveyor belt moving ominously, fatally forward. Much like the infamous Abruptum, there’s no middle ground here: you either willingly submit or run far way. No escape…no hope.

Featuring cover artwork by the enigmatic Wagner Ödegård, Vargr‘s FTW now sees worldwide release at the hands of a capable label. No ripoffs…no light.

In the meantime, stream the entirety of FTW here:

Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Vargr (Sweden)’s FTW

1. FTW 1
2. FTW 2
3. FTW 3
4. FTW 4
5. FTW 5
6. FTW 6
7. FTW 7
8. FTW 8
9. FTW 9

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

THE RITE set release date for new IRON BONEHEAD album, reveal first track – features members of DENIAL OF GOD, BLACK OATH+++

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces August 11th as the international release date for The Rite‘s highly anticipated second album, The Astral Gloom, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

The Rite was formed in autumn 2017 when A.th (Black Oath) and Ustumallagam (Denial of God) joined forces to create a band that exclusively plays morbid black metal, praising complete and utmost darkness. Their influences range from iconic bands such as Mercyful Fate, Death SS, Celtic Frost, Samael, Goatlord, Ripper, and others, as well as occult literature. The music walks a fine line between slow and dreary parts and fast and merciless attacks, but by and large, it falls into the black/doom 
category. 

The recording of The Rite‘s five-track mini-album, The Brocken Fires, was finished in August 2018 and originally released on tape by Unholy Domain Records in October 2018. In August 2019, the mini-album was then released on CD and 12″ vinyl formats by Iron Bonehead and successively received a great response from the underground scene. 

In July 2019, The Rite performed their debut show at Denmark’s Metal Magic Festival. In the autumn of that year, the band performed their second show, this time in Italy. Around the same time, The Rite entered the studio again to record their debut album, Liturgy of the Black, which contained 10 tracks of morbid black metal, including a cover of Ripper. The album was released in June 2020 by Iron Bonehead, showing The Rite creating an atmosphere of darkness and the occult rather than focusing on speed or technicality. The music, written by A.th, this time incorporated both guitar solos and keyboards while staying true to The Rite‘s original path of mainly slow and heavy black metal. The lyrics, penned by Ustumallagam, covered various intriguing subjects such as pure devil worship, devotion to the dark, strange rituals, and the afterlife, and the man’s characteristically creepy annunciation brought those subjects to undead life with drama and intensity.

Around the turn of 2020 to 2021, The Rite returned to the studio to record new tracks for two upcoming releases. Some of the tracks were included on a split CD with Coven of Impurity, released by Cursed Recordings (A.th’s label), and one track was featured on a split 7″ EP with Bezwering, released on Headkick Music (Ustumallagam’s label) in May 2022, after facing cursed delays. The split CD with Coven of Impurity sold out quickly, and most of the copies of the split 7″ with Bezwering were sold within a few days. 

In 2022, The Rite‘s lineup underwent some changes. The original drummer, P. Guts, was replaced by someone else who the band parted ways with just days before their third show at Winter Metal Magic in Denmark. War D. (Morbus Grave) stepped in at the last moment and saved the day, and has been with the band ever since. A second guitar player was found in M. Desecrator (VomitVulva, Funest), making The Rite a five-piece band, even stronger in their live performances. 

Despite being busy with both Denial of God and Black Oath, The Rite began working intensely on the follow-up to Liturgy of the Black. After some initial rehearsals, their second album was recorded in December 2022. Titled The Astral Gloom, The Rite‘s new album contains another 10 tracks, proving as dark and dynamic as ever, with creepier excursions into quieter territory and an even more heightened atmospheric element without losing any heaviness – thus, the title The Astral Gloom is more than fitting. That heaviness is provocatively played to the hilt with this two-guitar lineup, and the lead parts evoke a macabre majesty only hinted at before. Once again, The Rite choose a unique cover – this time, the Lollipops’ “Naked When You Come,” an eerie psychedelic pop song from 1966 – and they truly make it their own.

With this new lineup bolstered and better than ever, The Rite seek to take their morbid metal to the stage more often and promote The Astral Gloom as fully as possible. The black bells toll more ominously than ever, the veil between worlds begins to open…step forth into The Astral Gloom!

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

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for The Rite’s The Astral Gloom
1. Intro – The Evocation
2. The Spirit of Mendes
3. The Fathomless Dark
4. Under A Lunar Spell
5. Walpurgis Night
6. The Astral Gloom
7. Nosophoros
8. Naked When You Come
9. The Valley of Megiddo
10. Outro – Sheol

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/The-Rite-band-page-219647875291113