Prophetic Metallers VERATRUM have unleashed the first official studio trailer for their much-anticipated EP “Visioni”
The video covers the first studio recording session, handled by Andrea Facheris at Loft-1 Studio.
“Visioni” was mixed and mastered at Domination Studio (Necrodeath, Luca Turilli’s Rhaposody, Labyrinth) by Simone Mularoni.
Featuring guest vocal performances by Taliesin (Eternal Samhain) and Giulian (SCUORN), clarinet solo by Vittorio Sabelli (Dawn Of A Dark Age) and additional choirs by HaddaH.
Cover Artwork by Sabnock Design.
This is the first of a serie of weekly studio trailer videos unveiling more details about the making of “Visioni”.
I loved Totaselfhatred’s self titled debut when it first came out a perfect DSBM album in my mind. So its probably on record some where that I was pretty damn disappointed with their 2011 follow up Apocalypse in your Heart. So I am kinda nervy to hear the new album thats coming out in April. Osmose have one song up as a teaser on their bandcamp and its not bad m but its too early to really get the flavor of the album just yet.
Here’s Solitude. Check it out and leave us a comment below on what you think
Check the press release below:
Today, Osmose Productions sets April 27th as the international release date for Totalselfhatred’s long-awaited third album, Solitude.
Perseverance through adversity, creation through destruction, strength through pain. After years of waiting, skulking, and lying near-dormant, Totalselfhatred has returned to the fray. They are here to present you five songs of our their particular brand of melancholic desolation in an audial form. Turn off the lights, wallow in the sweetness of reclusive negativity, and let yourself float freely in the soothing stream of emotion that their epitome of Solitude will provide.
Totalselfhatred was founded to create truly melancholic and desperate soundscapes and to unravel the blackened thoughts, the blessing and the curse of the inability to think either black or white nor in between. To narrate about the ability to find clarity in madness, positivity in the negativity, shelter in the dark…
To point it out clearly: Totalselfhatred is dedicated to the searching, not to the self-pity. Totalselfhatred is a symbol for resurrection through pain. A pool for the frustrated, for the desperate in life, for those living and bleeding towards a higher truth, to crush the circles of self-inflicted suffering! For I am my worst enemy…
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Totalselfhatred’s Solitude
1. Solitude MMXIII
2. Cold Numbness
3. Hallow
4. Black Infinity
5. Nyktophilia
Legendary USBM instigators/iconoclasts Profanatica are about to embark upon their “Curling Flame Over Europe” tour. Presented by Killtown Bookings, the tour coincides with the Netherlands Death Fest, alongside such names as Emperor, At the Gates, Carcass, and Sadistic Intent among many others.
This will be not only the first-ever European tour for Profanatica, but the band’s first-ever full-scale tour. It will start in the north of Europe on the 1st of March and make its way down to NDF before continuing through central and eastern Europe, taking over Greece, and finally ending up desecrating Spain and Portugal. Joining Profanatica will be the elite Canadian hordes Rites of Thy Degringolade and Auroch.
A statement from Profanatica founder Paul Ledney simply reads: “Profanatica chose European soil for its first-ever tour.
Our plan is to destroy all that is holy. ‘Here is wisdom…'”
Confirmed dates and venues for “Curling Flame Over Europe” are as follows, followed by the official poster art:
March 1st – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Loppen
March 2nd – Tilburg, The Netherlands @ The Netherlands Death Fest – 013 venue
March 3rd – London, UK @ Boston Music Room
March 4th – Glasgow, UK @ Audio – NOTW Warm up
March 6th – Paris, France @ Backstage
March 7th – Nantes, France – Le Ferrailleur
March 8th – Brussels, Belgium @ Magasin 4
March 9th – Berlin, Germany @ Nuke Club
March 10th – Poland @ Into the Abyss Fest III – Klub Pralnia
March 11th – Banská Bystrica, Slovakia @ Rock Club Tartaros
March 12th – Prague, Czech @ Hells Bells
March 13th – Nürnberg, Germany @ Club Cult
March 14th – Budapest, Hungary @ Blue Hell Club
March 15th – Vienna, Austria @ Viper Room
March 16th – Basel, Switzerland @ Hirscheneck
March 17th – Parma, Italy @ A Journey in Darkness Festival – Titty Twister
March 18th – Athens, Greece @ Athens Temple *
March 20th – Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Upload *
March 21st – Madrid, Spain @ Wurlitzer Ballroom *
March 22nd – Lisbon, Portugal @ Le Baron Rouge *
March 23rd – Porto, Portugal @ Metalpoint *
March 24th – Zaragoza, Spain @ Centro Civico Valdefierro *
After three wilderness years with doom gods Spiritus Mortis and Lord Vicar, electronic warriors Tähtiportti, and black metal sorcerers Azrael Rising, Sami Albert “Witchfinder” Hynninen is back in business with Opium Warlords. Last November, Opium Warlords released Droner through Svart Records to international, sometimes-befuddled acclaim. And today, check out a new video for Droner track “Samael Lilith”.
Droner is the fourth Opium Warlords album, and it brings Hynninen’s uncompromising musical vision to its most sparse form. It is noisy lo-fi riff music consisting only of particles unquestionably necessary, but at the same time with a musical spectrum that is very wide and open. It is experimental and avant-garde, still with roots deep in the very heart of heavy rock music. It is concrete blues, diving to the existence and the smallest molecular spheres of minimal riffs, and what seems to be an endless repetition of them. From these rather skeletal elements, it occasionally reaches neo-classical, even medieval spheres and death-romantic chambers of apocalyptic folk. Onto all of this, disturbing lyrics are chanted by unnamed, hostile protagonists.
The lyrics come entirely from outside, already existing sources: a book written by Finnish culture radical Jouko Turkka, a ritual of Ndembu people, and a letter written by scarlet woman Marjorie Cameron. The purpose here is to create a soundtrack that pictures and reflects the contents of the textual force. The result is primitive and brooding sonic landscapes of war, ritual, and death. Gone is soothing warmth of the preceding album, Taste My Sword Of Understanding. Droner is all about nuclear war and clear, post-apocalyptic primitivity of the surviving culture. It is torturing purification through purgatory, to a new world and new form of life.
All three epic-length tracks of Droner have now been revealed to the public.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Opium Warlords’ Droner
1. Year of 584 Days (20:32)
2. Samael Lilith (20:30)
3. “Closure” (18:55)
Baume is the brain child of Gaetan from Cepheide – read our interview with them HERE.
As any long term reader of our site knows the French have been killing it with Black metal in the last 15 years or so. Baume is no exception. A lot more raw and pained than Cepheide, Gaetan plays all instruments on this album (with the exception of some vocals and bass handled by Laurene and Hugo respectively.)
With its official release date of March 2nd 2018, its already streaming on bandcamp but you can order cds and shirt bundles from there too
Check out the album here and let me know what ya think!
Osmose Productions sets April 13th as the international release date for Ad Hominem’s highly anticipated sixth album, Napalm For All.
The southern French project Ad Hominem was created in 1998 by Kaiser W., whose intention was to defy the current black metal standards. Two demos and four years later, the first full-length, Planet Zog – The End (2002), was released and proclaimed Ad Hominem as one of the most extreme black metal bands coming out of France, by combining provocative lyrics with thrashy martial vibes. The following year, the album A New Race For A New World (2003) came out through the German label Undercover Records – this time, with a session drummer – and confirmed the band’s notoriety.
The success of this second opus caught the attention of bigger labels, and three 7” splits later, Kaiser W. contracted with Avantgarde Music to release what would be a major turn in Ad Hominem’s discography: Climax Of Hatred (2005). The Italian label also released the MCD Theory: 0, which proposed the only official video clip of the band so far. Then Dictator – A Monument Of Glory saw the light in 2009 through the controversial label Darker Than Black Records. From that point, Kaiser W. raised a solid lineup and Ad Hominem became vigorously active onstage.
After a long silence, a MCD containing remixed songs from Dictator by Greek EBM project Preemptive Strike 0.1 was unleashed in 2013 by Darker Than Black, jointly titled Slaves Of God To The Gallows. Freshly signed to Osmose Productions, at long last came the critically acclaimed Antitheist, which saw Ad Hominem at its rawest and nastiest.
Now on its second album with Osmose Productions, 20 years after its creation, the most controversial French black metal project proposes a pure black ‘n’ roll album, yet more brutal than its previous one. A divine mockery, not to be missed! A return to the divine classic Climax of Hatred and Dictator albums! Hear for yourself with the title track, “Napalm For All,” HERE
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ad Hominem’s Napalm For All
1. AMSB
2. I Am Love
3. Consecrate the Abomination
4. Napalm for All
5. Goatfucker
6. V. Is the Law
7. Imperial Massacre
8. Bomb the Earth
9. You Are My Slut
10. Vatican Gay
Today, Australian death/black cult Mongrel’s Cross reveal the new track “The Thirteenth Card.” The track hails from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court, which will see release later this summer through Hells Headbangers on CD and vinyl LP formats. Hear Mongrel’s Cross’ “The Thirteenth Card” exclusively HERE.
Hailing from the extreme metal hotbed of Australia, Mongrel’s Cross are one of the best-kept secrets Down Under. Mind you, the band – now pared down to a duo – have been quiet since the release of their Hells Headbangers debut album, The Sins of Aquarius, in 2012, but those years away from the prying eyes of the metal public have paid off in spades on Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court. Here, these hooligans take everything that made The Sins of Aquarius so grimily gratifying – the widescreen span of filthy thrashing, down-tempo war-marches, and epic metal grandeur alike – and render it all the more terrifying and triumphant through clear ‘n’ cutting production. It’s the age-old axis of form meeting content, and rarely has a metal record this cleanly produced sounded so threatening, which simply underlines the powerful panache to the band’s strong songwriting.
Taken another way, with Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court, Mongrel’s Cross step deeper into territory that’s entirely their own. Not for them the over-generalization of “Australia = war metal” nor the simplistic connotations associated with such; no, the duo are at the height of their compositional powers and are now truly a great extreme METAL entity. All the drama and danger, legendry and lawlessness, power and poison, and essential OTT abandon of this artform otherwise known as heavy metal: everything is played out with a palpably physical poetry across Psalter of the Royal Dragon. Suitably, its lyrical themes range a rich panoply of occultism – among others, such titles as “Vessel of Shar On,” “Neurian Transformation,” and “Derkesthai – Initiation (to see clearly)” should suggest plenty – making this a thoroughly engrossing experience deserving of the band’s elevated standards.
When so much metal aims so low, for such no-hope ghettoization, it’s down to true mavericks like Mongrel’s Cross to lead the intrepid to illumination. Hereby, open the Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court!
Release date and preorder info to be announced shortly. In the meantime, hear the just-revealed “The Thirteenth Card” HERE
The previously revealed “Neurian Transformation” can be heard HERE,
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Mongrel’s Cross’ Psalter of the Dragon Court
1. King of the Beasts
2. Neurian Transformation
3. The Thirteenth Card
4. Khara
5. From Transylvania to Tunbridge Wells
6. Derkesthai – Initiation (to see clearly)
7. Trail of the Serpent
8. Vessel of Shar On
NUMENOREAN have entered the studio of producer Josh Schroeder (GHOST BATH, FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS, BATTLECROSS) in Midland, Michigan, USA to record the follow-up for their acclaimed debut album, ‘Home’ (2016). The sophomore full-length of the Canadian post-black metal explorers will be entitled ‘Adore’.
NUMENOREAN have released a dark teaser-trailer for ‘Adore’, which can be viewed below
NUMENOREAN’s debut album, ‘Home’ is streaming in full at the link below.
Never judge a book by its cover – this adage might easily be applied to the debut full-length of NUMENOREAN. The Canadian post-black metal act has crafted a musical masterpiece that embraces beauty, harshness, brutality, and melancholy in equal measure and transforms those ingredients into breathtaking melodies and riffs.
NUMENOREAN have achieved far more with their debut than just following a musical path pioneered by DEAFHEAVEN, ALCEST, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, and DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT. This album challenges to delve deeper, to get lost in feverish dreams, while its haunting beauty beckons to again and again come… ‘Home’.
NUMENOREAN were founded by Brandon and Byron Lemley in Canada’s most northern major city, Calgary as a sole expression for the discontentment of existence in 2012. The brothers released a two song demo under the title ‘Demo 2014’ to strong critical acclaim. New members were recruited, who shared a closeness to sorrow, nature, and grief. Once their line-up was completed, each member contributed to the making of the forthcoming full-length, which was released on the 22nd of July, 2016.
CHAOSTAR are streaming the second single of their forthcoming album, ‘The Undivided Light’. The Greek avant-garde explorers will release their fascinating fifth full-length on March 23rd, 2018.
The complex track, “Tazama Jua” is now premiering.
CHAOSTAR previously revealed artwork and album details of ‘The Undivided Light’, which can be viewed below.
Track-list
1. Tazama Jua (3:48)
2. Blutbad (4:25)
3. Stones and Dust (4:59)
4. The Undivided Light (5:11)
5. Mέμνησο (6:15)
6. Silent Yard (10:51)
7. Ying & Yang (7:09)
Total playing time: 42:38
‘The Undivided Light’ comes as an invitation to a fascinating musical journey around the globe, which is equally true for space as well as time. CHAOSTAR is far more than just a side-project of SEPTICFLESH guitarist Christos Antoniou.
CHAOSTAR was conceived out of Christos’ longing to create music that reflects more on his aspect as an academy trained composer and go beyond the possibilities that his orchestral arrangements for SEPTICFLESH offer. After all, the guitarist finished his studies of classical composition in London with honours and distinction.
When SEPTICFLESH released their single, “The Eldest Cosmonaut” in 1998, the Greek band took a step towards classical music, which in turn inspired Christos to create CHAOSTAR to pursue this course even further.
Out of a timeless confrontation of different sounds and styles rose an avant-garde concept for emotional music to which vocalist Natalie Rassoulis added a feminine voice. After a first statement of intent via a demo entitled ‘The Underworld’ in 2000, CHAOSTAR released the albums ‘Chaostar’ (2000), ‘Threnody’ (2001), and ‘The Scarlet Queen’ (2004), as well as the ‘Underworld’ compilation in 2007.
After a self-imposed hiatus of both CHAOSTAR and SEPTICFLESH, Christos decided to revive his project as well when the latter reunited. The former returned with their fourth full-length, which was based on a Greek word roughly translating as “sin”. ‘Anomima’ featured the celestial vocals of new singer Androniki Skoula, who also contributed most of the lyrics.
‘Anomima’ brilliantly combined rich, classical orchestration with lush soundscapes and modern textures, and even some elements of extreme music. CHAOSTAR easily adopted a global musical language that induced the listener into a dreamlike trance with geographically unchained sounds.
With the ‘The Undivided Light’, CHAOSTAR take their experimentation another step further. Classic orchestration, traditional instruments, electronica, rock, and more are deconstructed by Christos only to be reassembled into something fresh and exciting. ‘The Undivided Light’ gives new meaning to the term world music.
Svart Records sets April 27th as the international release date for Weathered Statues’ highly anticipated debut album, Borderlands, on CD, vinyl LP, and digital formats.
As the earth turns toward a colder era and humans struggle to adapt to a bleaker autumn breeze, a new music shivers in the shadows. There stand Weathered Statues. The group convened in early 2017 in Denver, Colorado, with three members having previously performed together in the post-doom outfit Cloak of Organs (along with members of Planes Mistaken for Stars and Wovenhand).
Singer-keyboardist Jennie Mather, guitarist-keyboardist Jason Heller, and drummer Andrew Warner (also of Slim Cessna’s Auto Club) recruited bassist Bryan Flanagan, and the newly dubbed quartet of Weathered Statues began forging songs of mutation, betrayal, dislocation, erosion, and decay, subsequently playing shows with everyone from Boy Harsher to Pelican. Years ago, Mather and Heller had served in a short-lived shoegaze band called Hyacinth with Anthony Couri (previously of Minsk and currently of the Locrian side-project Lake of Violet), and the two of them began to sculpt lush sounds into something far more stark.
Weathered Statues convened at Module Overload Studios in Denver over the summer of 2017 to record with Jamie Hillyer (engineer of Green Druid’s Ashen Blood). An album, Borderlands, coalesced, drawing on the grim futurism of the past: the barren darkness of Skeletal Family, the metallic abrasion of Killing Joke, the crystalline ghostliness of Siouxsie and the Banshees, the icy dreaminess of Xmal Deutschland, and the hollow fragility of early New Order. Then Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure, agreed to remix “Corpse Candle,” the opening track of Borderlands, infusing it with a sleek dance pulse, while Keith Curts of industrial duo Echo Beds added synthesizer to the album’s slashing final track, “Holy Masquerade.”
Borderlands is an album of peaks and valleys, of shattered beauty and sleepwalking drone, of corroded love and luscious grotesquerie. Mather, a nurse by trade, relays her years of being immersed in illness, injury, and death into her stark lyrics and spectral melodies. Around her, the band veer from glacial pop to savage dirges, summoning the phantoms of post-punk past while peering stoically into an uncertain tomorrow.
In the meantime, hear the original mix of the aforementioned “Corpse Candle” HERE .
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
1. Corpse Candle
2. Betrayal
3. Dark Tides
4. Heather
5. Hypnagogia
6. The Silver Cliff
7. Sabbat
8. The Widow Sunday
9. Ossuary
10. Holy Masquerade
