Month: July 2018

French death metallers ATAVISMA premiere new track

Today, French death metal upstarts Atavisma premiere the new track “Ashen Ascetic” The track hails from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, The Chthonic Rituals, set for international release on July 23rd via Memento Mori. Hear Atavisma’s “Ashen Ascetic” in its entirety HERE.

Hailing from the new breed of exquisite French death metal darkness, Atavisma formed in late 2013 and promptly set to work perfecting their assiduously doomed-out craft. Founders G. (guitar) and L. (vocals) wanted to create a band devoted to old-school death metal, and with the addition of C. (drums) and W. (bass) shortly thereafter, the quartet’s compositions progressively shifted towards a death-doom approach with a penchant for lyrics that mainly deal with the relationship between man and nature, ancient cultures and spirituality. Wisely prizing quality over quantity, Atavisma’s sparse discography comprises a debut single in 2014 and a four-song demo that same year, a split 7″ with Maur in 2015, and a two-song 7″ last year on the esteemed Blood Harvest. During all this, the band took their craft to the stage alongside such bands as Archgoat, Merrimack, Inferno, Ritualization, Ataraxie, Mercyless, and Mourning Dawn, and as recently as February/March 2017, they embarked on their first French tour and supported Blood Incantation and Cruciamentum during their European tour.

With their chops finely honed in the studio and on the live front, at last comes the time for Atavisma’s momentous debut album: The Chthonic Rituals. The album’s title not-so-subtly serves as a clarion call for the quartet’s aesthetic to date, and where that aesthetic can fully go when given a long-form format. Ridiculously filthy and yet exuding a startling sense of clarity, Atavisma here conjure a forever-roiling, fatally-swirling whirlpool of murk and total ‘n’ utter DARKNESS. Riffs are doled out like sick ‘n’ slithering creatures that soon overtake their master, devouring both body and soul with salacious delight. Thus armed, compositions take on obscene forms, utilizing both über-heavy hooks and labyrinthine detours, hackle-raising tension and hypnotic quasi-melodicism, winding the listener down caverns most foul, warping any sense of sanity. And although the band’s attack has gotten progressively doomier, there’s never a moment of inertia; all is forward momentum, and it all leads toward an abyss with literally no end. The 11-minute closer says everything in its title: “A Subterranean Life.”

As with all Memento Mori releases, totality is reached in both cover art (courtesy of E. Muskie), mixing by Johan Bijaoui at Mannaz Records, and mastering, by the elite Javier Felez at Moontower Studios. Maniacs of Incantation, Cianide, Grave, Disma, Winter, Funebre, Encoffination, and classic Convulse, hereby meet your new masters: Atavisma! Let The Chthonic Rituals begin…

Another ritual, the previously revealed “Invocation of Archaic Deities,” can be found HERE

And the first ritual can be found HERE at Memento Mori’s official YouTube channel, with the previously revealed “Sacrifice Unto Babalon.”

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Atavisma’s The Chthonic Rituals
1. Chthonic
2. Extraneous Abysmal Knowledge
3. Sacrifice unto Babalon
4. Invocation of Archaic Deities
5. Monoliths
6. Ashen Ascetic
7. Amid the Ruins
8. A Subterranean Life

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/atavisma.band

Cypriot Death Metallers Vomitile – Pure Eternal Hate Album review

Vomitile hail from island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. You don’t normally associate brutal death metal with Cyprus but I guess before Death, Obituary, Massacre, Deicide and Morbid Angel – most people did not think of Tampa being the capital of death metal either – so there ya go.

I gotta be honest with you – I have listened to so much death metal over the years and so much good death metal Carcass, Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower etc that a lot of newish death metal does very little for me (I gotta say for the record that Blood Incantation is one of the best new Death metal bands in the last 10 years) anyways I digress.

So yeah where was I ? Oh I know – on the whole I would rather review black metal records – especially ones that push the boundaries of black metal, for example if you sound like a 10th rate Dark throne copy then please don’t ask me to listen to your album. However I try to keep an open mind PLUS I base all my reviews on knee jerk reaction. Meaning I am going to turn your record off after about 10 seconds or I am going to dig it.

These guys I did – sure its savage fucking death metal – but to me what is appealing about Vomitile is the fact that they write songs. There is a structure here and you can make out the lyrics without referring to a lyric sheet. This is a DM band I can get behind

Not sure if we will ever see them play live in America but fuck, this album is great

Track-list:

01. Mass Extermination
02. Pestilation
03. Labeled Dead
04. HateField
05. Glorify The Insane
06. Executioner Of Strength
07. To Deflesh
08. Nothing But Pain
09. Soulskinner
10. Carnal Surgery

Length – 36:46

Pick up a copy today and show some support for the scene

Buy at bandcamp click here
Buy from Discogs – click here

http://www.vomitile.net
http://www.facebook.com/vomitile
http://www.soundcloud.com/vomitile

Line-up:

Khatch Yildizian – bass & vocals
George Yildizian – guitars
Panos Larkou – guitars
Hugo Olivos – drums

Vomitile was formed during the summer of 2007 with the sole intention of playing an aggressive form of metal and since thrash and death metal were the main influences of the band, it slowly evolved to what it is today, a pure Death Metal band. Since then, the band has released an ep followed by two full length albums in 2013 and 2014 and a newly recorded full length album entitled Pure Eternal Hate which is scheduled to be released sometime in mid-2018. Considered the leaders of the local death metal scene, the band is also known for their powerful and brutal live performances. Some of their prominent live shows include supporting the German thrash legends Sodom and Kreator, Florida’s death metal kings Obituary, Poland’s very own Vader, a mini tour with British thrash legends Onslaught and a co headlining tour with death metal godfathers Master.

Crippled Black Phoenix release first track and details of new album ‘Great Escape’

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX are now premiering the first track of their forthcoming new album ‘Great Escape’, which is slated for release on September 14th, 2018.

The eclectic UK rockers are now streaming their stunning new track “To You I Give”

Mastermind Justin Greaves comments on the track: “This songs is about giving your heart to someone or something special, and being able to cope with the trouble and anxiety it can incite as well as the joy and hope it brings. Giving is strength. We can endure.”

On the album, Justin Greaves comments: “Sometimes we want to escape from the dark and make a positive change in our life… and yet…Sometimes we simply want to escape this world. Because we’re tired and we’ve had enough… This is what ‘Great Escape’ is. Some parts it’s pure escapism from real life, longing to just shoot straight up and off this planet…. Other parts are born out of frustration at the unjust world we live in. It is.. Escaping from your own broken mind, or from society, or animals escaping from abuse. It’s the escape from the mainstream thought patterns and engrained social conditioning that perpetuates mans destruction of nature. We can be our own ‘Great Escape’ if we want, and it can be however you want to it to be. If you’re not happy then you don’t have to conform, you don’t have to carry on ‘playing the game’.”

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX have furthermore revealed the artwork for ‘Great Escape’, which can be viewed together with the album details below.

Track-list
1. You Brought It Upon Yourselves (3:43)
2. To You I Give (9:22)
3. Uncivil War (pt I) (2:50)
4. Madman (4:51)
5. Times, They Are A’Raging (11:58)
6. Rain Black, Reign Heavy (5:58)
7. Slow Motion Breakdown (4:34)
8. Nebulas (5:35)
9. Las Diabolicas (3:49)
10. Great Escape (pt I) (7:36)
11. Great Escape (pt II) (13:03)

‘Great Escape’, this beautiful touch of darkness comes hardly as a surprise, when taking into account that CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX mastermind Justin Greaves has previously gone public about his personal fight against severe depression. Similar dark themes and traits have already been a hallmark of the UK rockers’ latest full-length, ‘Bronze’ (2016).

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX have always confounded critics trying to pin their style down ever since founder Justin Greaves recorded his first ideas in 2004 – which earned them tagging attempts ranging from “stoner prog” through “freak folk” to “psychedelic doom”. Despite the wide range of musical leanings within their albums, there are a unifying dark streak and somber melancholy running through the songs. Greaves had already made himself a name as drummer for IRON MONKEY and ELECTRIC WIZARD among others. When the multi-instrumentalist finally decided to stand on his own musical feet, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX was born. This involves a changing cast of musicians and live set-ups which mirrored the ever-ongoing evolution of the band, and the fact that the songs were mostly not composed with a live performance on mind.

Between 2007 and 2014, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX released a string of five critically highly acclaimed studio albums – namely ‘A Love of Shared Disasters’ (2007), ‘The Resurrectionists’ (2009), ‘Night Raider’ (2009), ‘(Mankind) The Crafty Ape’ (2012), and ‘White Light Generator’ (2014). This was complemented by EPs ‘I, Vigilante’ (2010), ‘No Sadness or Farewell’ (2012), and ‘Oh’ Ech-oes’ (2015), the live recording ‘Live Poznan’ (2013), and the ‘200 Tons of Bad Luck’ compilation (2009). Their ‘New Dark Age Tour EP 2015 A.D.’ was the band’s first release on Season of Mist and came with an extensive homage to PINK FLOYD. The strong influence of the UK rock giants could also be felt on ‘Bronze’ (2016), yet while CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX never denied their roots, this outstanding act has long created their own sonic cosmos.

With last year’s ‘Horrific Honorifics’ offering, the band elegantly payed tribute to great artists and classic songs while making those tracks their own in sound and spirit without compromising the integrity of the original masterpieces.

Now with ‘Great Escape’, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX take you on their new adventure and let you explore their sonic cosmos even further, and where all its emotions are reflected on to this earth. From the angry “Rain Black”, to the unnerving “Madman” and forgiving “Nebulas”, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX arise once more.

www.facebook.com/CBP444

Line-up
Justin Greaves – drums and percussion, guitars, bass, samples, saw, backing vocals
Ben Wilsker – drums
Daniel Änghede – guitar, backing vocals.
Jonas Stålhammar – guitar
Tom Greenway – bass
Mark Furnevall – synthesizers, Hammond, backing vocals
Helen Stanley – grand piano, synthesizer, backing vocals, trumpet
Belinda Kordic – vocals, percussion

Recording: Chapel Studio, Lincolnshire
Producer: Justin Greaves
Mixed/Mastered: Tri-Lamb Studio, Karl Daniel Lidén

DECEASED reveal cover art for long-awaited new HELLS HEADBANGERS album

Today, underground legends Deceased reveal the cover art for their LONG-awaited eighth album, Ghostly White, which will see release later this autumn via Hells Headbangers.

Deceased are currently recording Ghostly White this September at Oblivion Studios; founding vocalist King Fowley will be producing the album. It will feature eight new tracks of the band’s unique style of death metal from the grave. Song titles are “Mrs. Allardyce,” “A Palpitation’s Warning,” “Germ Of Distorted Lore,” “To Serve The Insane,” “Endless Well,” “Thoughts From A Leaking Brain,” “The Shivers,” and “Pale Surroundings”.

The cover art for Ghostly White was painted by Raul Gonzalez, who’s worked with Deceased in the past; it can be viewed above. The album is tentatively set for a November release. More info to be revealed shortly.

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/DECEASED-UP-THE-TOMBSTONES-OFFICIAL-BAND-PAGE-309398579508

RUNESPELL stream new IRON BONEHEAD album

Today, black metal mystics Runespell stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Order of Vengeance. Set for international release on July 6th via Iron Bonehead Productions, hear Runespell’s Order of Vengeance in its entirety HERE.

Striking while the iron’s hot, Order of Vengeance follows less than a year after Runespell’s critically acclaimed debut album, Unhallowed Blood Oath, also released by Iron Bonehead. Let it be known, however, that there’s not one sacrifice in quality to be found here. If anything, the Runespell aesthetic has become even more iron-girded and iron-willed. There’s a greater sense of urgency on Order of Vengeance – an unquenchable desperation, even – that drives these no-less-grand epics. Whereas Unhallowed Blood Oath situated itself on an axis of melancholy vs. bloodlust, suitably, Order of Vengeance ups the bloodlust considerably…although, of course, the melancholy is no short supply here, particularly on the sparse ‘n’ haunting instrumental “Night’s Gate.” The album length, too, has been padded out to a spacious and all-enveloping 47 minutes, allowing the full mesmerizing grandeur of the Runespell aesthetic to take root and consume. More massive, yet more urgent: Order of Vengeance is indeed a new order.

Elsewhere, underpinning everything is an authentic and austere steeping in early ’90s black metal classicism. Be it from Scandinavia or France or particularly Poland, such source material has been so widely replicated year after year, and yet Runespell is yet again able to both handily challenge those classics AND resound like an era-relevant relic. It’s not surprising, considering mainman Nightwolf is one of the busiest men in the shit-hot Australian black metal scene, maintaining as he does the equally prolific Eternum and Blood Stronghold. While still bearing aesthetic similarities to those two bands – this is the purest, most mystical black metal after all – with Order of Vengeance, Runespell continues its majestic rumination on the mysteries of war and bloodshed, vengeance and valor, memory and destiny. Dedication and sacrifice – spiritually, above all, as well as physically – are once again the watchwords, and they’ve resulted in black metal wielded as weapon, totem, and portal simultaneously.

To coincide with Runespell’s upward-and-onward trajectory with Order of Vengeance, the band’s sold-out debut demo, Aeons of Ancient Blood, will see a vinyl LP release via Iron Bonehead. Partake in these profound truths…all of which can be experienced HERE.

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Runespell’s Order of Vengeance
1. Retribution in Iron
2. Destiny Over Discord
3. Claws of Fate
4. Night’s Gate
5. Wolf.Axis
6. Blood Martyr
7. Pray for Redemption – Redemption for Prey

further info:
www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions

Russian Symphonic Black metal band Grimorium Verum “Revenant” Album review

Grimorium Verum are a Russian black metal band that have been going for over 20 years now. Their latest album Revenant (released May 2018) is their best album yet. According to their press release “Revenant” is a true journey to the dark corners of the soul. If that’s the mood they are going for, well they damn well achieved it!

Personally I am not the greatest fan of Symphonic Black Metal (well to be fair I am not a fan of Symphonic metal either) I found way too many of these bands to be so way over blown and generally corny but Grimorium Verum know how to be dramatic and build emotion without being cheesy.

I also want to add in case you are not aware the band uses a drum machine but it works perfectly for them (I know some of you guys hate bands that use artificial drums)

If you love old school Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir then the Revenant is for you.

American fans note that this is a co-release with Russian label Satanath Records and American labels Cimmerian Shade Recordings (USA), The True Plague (USA), Black Metal Records (USA) so ya will not have to mail order overseas to get your copy.

Line-up:

Zavalnyy Andrey – guitars, bass, keyboards
Dokuchaev Roman – vocals
Uryavin Alexander – keyboards (live)

Track-list:

01. The Born Of The Devil
02. The Kingdom Of The Pain
03. The March Of The Northern Kings
04. Blind Faith In Nothing
05. The Light Of Dark Father
06. Revenant
07. The Circus Of The Dark Illusion
08. Sacred Temple Of Blood
09. The Great Serpentine Saint
10. The Resurrected On The Devil’s Hands

Length / Length – 56:20

More information:
Satanath Records
Cimmerian Shade Recordings
The True Plague

COSMIC VOID RITUAL set release date for IRON BONEHEAD debut mini-album, reveal first track

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions sets September 21st as the international for Cosmic Void Ritual’s highly anticipated debut mini-album, Grotesque Infections of Planetary Divide, on CD and 12″ vinyl formats.

The sole work of one Unknown Entity, in its short lifespan, Cosmic Void Ritual has already released three demos, each one as provocatively titled as the next – Gateways Through Septic Flesh, Transcendence Through Galactic Death, and the Iron Bonehead-released Vitriol Tablet Instructions: Rehearsing Speeches For When You Die – as well as a split with Mark Riddick’s Fetid Zombie, most recently. Across all those works was a decidedly bizarre yet resolutely raw form of death metal, harkening to short-lived cults of the ’90s yet exhibiting a totally terrifying identity all its own. Alas, all coalesces into Cosmic Void Ritual’s Grotesque Infections of Planetary Divide.

Once again, Unknown Entity has exercised keen judgment in titling this work Grotesque Infections of Interplanetary Divide: its four songs are indeed grotesque, and most certainly do they impart a cosmic aspect that’s as primordial as it is post-futuristic. Utterly raw and rotten, here Cosmic Void Ritual shapeshift all sorts of vulgar shapes, its death metal filth turned inside out as tendrils of lurking dread encase the listener in a cocoon of nameless horror. Just like its evocative cover art, Grotesque Infections of Interplanetary Divide resides within a monochromaticism that’s paradoxically visual; the ceaselessly slipstreaming sturm und klang of it all imparts a madness that’s seemingly random, but comes into clearer focus the deeper one drowns within the cavern of said cocoon. The question, then, is not simply whether you will eventually emerge but, rather, how.

“Intestinal Rituals,” “Interplanetary Seeds,” “Cataclysmic Brutality,” and especially “Charred Asteroid Fields”: these are the four Grotesque Infections of Interplanetary Divide that Cosmic Void Ritual conjures. How will YOU emerge?

Begin the plunge with the aforementioned new track “Intestinal Rituals” HERE

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Cosmic Void Ritual’s Grotesque Infections of Planetary Divide
1. Intestinal Rituals
2. Interplanetary Seeds
3. Cataclysmic Brutality
4. Charred Asteroid Fields

MORE INFO:
www.cosmicvoidritual.bandcamp.com