Today, Werewolf Records sets January 15th, 2021 as the international release date for Rvbber Vvitch‘s striking debut album, Mastvrbations Malveillantes MMXVII, on CD format.
Shocking and antagonistic in both intent and execution, Rvbber Vvitch is a Canadian extreme metal solo project whose style is an unorthodox fusion of BDSM, black metal, dark ambient, industrial, and experimental. Suitably, the band’s moniker was created by combining the first of a nameless dehumanized gimp and the last of a Devil’s offspring abomination.
While largely within the wider umbrella of black metal, Rvbber Vvitch‘s unique expression nevertheless evades easy categorization – nor easy consumption. Guitars are harsh and cold, yet seemingly summoned from a post-apocalyptic crater rather than an amp; bass tones are mercilessly overdriven, grinding body and soul into the dirt; cutting out humanity altogether, both blastbeats and doomy stomps pump like pus from a Midi drum-machine; and sinister echoing soundscapes meld with malodorous French vocals, which demonically range heavily distorted screeches to low-pitched grunts. And whereas so many nowadays “black metal” bands play-act, the creator of Rvbber Vvitch matches content with form, life with art: the unconventional, largely taboo visual imagery is a reflection of the artist’s unabashedly hedonistic lifestyle.
Around 2017, Rvbber Vvitch self-recorded a first opus titled Mastvrbations Malveillantes MMXVII. Two years later, it found digital release on Bandcamp. Shortly after, Werewolf Records sought out the artist to release this defiant document in physical format. At last, that moment arrives…behold the true latex cult!
Begin beholding this latex cult with the brand-new track “Sous l’oeil du Maitre Infernal” here:
Cover art and Tracklisting as follows:
Tracklisting for Rvbber Vvitch’s Mastvrbations Malveillantes MMXVII 1. Sous l’oeil du maître infernal 2. Gloire Maufait! 3. Adoration de Satan 4. Majesté divine 5. Marquis du sombre empire 6. La fiancée du Diable
Today, American metal torchbearers Pounder reveal the new track “Hard Road to Home.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Breaking the World, set for international release on January 29th, 2021 via Shadow Kingdom Records. Hear Pounder‘s “Hard Road to Home” in its entirety here:
It was but early 2019 when Pounder dropped their proud ‘n’ powerful debut album, Uncivilized. Sure, the band had a debut single and demo in 2017, early on in their career, which were teasingly trumped by the Faster Than Fire 7″ from Shadow Kingdom during the summer of 2018, but Uncivilized truly put the band on the international metal map and made ears stand to attention. Despite their collective pedigree, Pounder‘s stock-in-trade showed itself as a seemingly effortless, unselfconscious conglomeration of classic metal styles – from a firm foundation of NWOBHM on to hints of early ’80s speed metal, Sunset Strip flash, and AOR accessibility. No one song on Uncivilized was exactly like the other, and yet they all sounded like the same band, and awesomely so. So many anthems, so many metal moments the power-trio sent out into the world for ‘heads the world over to commit to memory and mark their lives: simply put, Pounder made it look easy, and FUN.
Wasting no time keeping that envious momentum going, Pounder return just over a year later with all guns blazing on Breaking the World. Leaner, meaner, and all-too-accurately titled, Breaking the World sees the band – vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey, bassist Alejandro Corredor, and lead guitarist Tom Draper – getting both heavier and more anthemic, more American in their metal but also more wide-ranging in their reach. Comprising seven songs in a satisfyingly compact 37 minutes, Breaking the World keeps the energy flowing freely across these more concertedly epic songs, but not once is there a feeling of bloat or padding out lengths just for the hell of it; these songs charge, HARD, and are painted with solos of a godly nature and all sorts of tasteful twists. Similarly, the hooks literally HOOK you in – we dare you to get the likes of “Never Forever” or the Manowarring title track outta your head…won’t happen, no way!
Above all, just like Uncivilized before it, Breaking the World reaffirms what’s so invigorating and life-affirming about the art of HEAVY METAL. “We won’t live forever / we just get one chance / so let’s do it right,” Harvey sagely sings in the album’s opening moments. And in this state of the world right now, more than ever do we need Pounder to break it and build it back up again. “Give Me Rock”? You shall have it!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Hard Road to Home” HERE at Shadow Kingdom‘s Bandcamp, where the album can also be preordered. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Pounder’s Breaking the World 1. Spoils of War [5:19] 2. Breaking the World [5:03] 3. Hard Road to Home [4:44] 4. Never Forever [5:13] 5. Hard City [5:24] 6. Give Me Rock [4:59] 7. Deadly Eyes [3:56]
Today, Harvest of Death, a division of Signal Rex, announces January 1st, 2021 as the international release date for a new, self-titled 10” EP from Mons Veneris.
Alongside labelmates Irae, Mons Veneris are one of the most oldest names in Portuguese black metal – and also one of the most prolific. Feverishly so, in fact, driving deep into the delirium that only they know, Mons Veneris’ recordings are many and varied; from dungeonic chaos to hysteric thrashing to even haunting minimalism and plenty of ritualistic points in between, the mysterious entity always keep the legions guessing.
Such is the case with their Mons Veneris 10” EP. Comprising two 10-plus-minute side-long tracks, Mons Veneris’ latest conjuring from the void tells a tale that takes two different paths, and both equally challenging. On Side A is “Ritual of a Neverending Doom,” which slowly and eerily builds around creepshow organ and tribal drums, the tortured voices and guitars animalistic but far from fully improvisational; in fact, the directive is clear here, hypnotically gnawing at the listener, and mental meltdown is assured. On Side B is “A Scythe Infested with Plagues…,” hypnosis begins with a filthy, clanging pulse and then downshifts into an equally filthy march laced with no small amount of misery and melancholia; that that misery & melancholia then transform into wounded melodicism is surprising…or perhaps not, given the band’s always-defiant nature.
Despite the Portuguese Black Circle’s demise, its embers are forever stoked by Mons Veneris as they present a new torch for self-immolation!
Take the torch with a three-minute excerpt of the aforementioned new track “A Scythe Infested with Plagues…” here :
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Mons Veneris’ Mons Veneris 10″ EP 1. Side A: Ritual of a Neverending Doom [10:50] 2. Side B: A Scythe Infested with Plagues… [10:06]
Today, death metal primitivists Pneuma Hagion stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Voidgazer. Set for international release on December 1st via Nuclear War Now! Productions on vinyl LP format, hear Pneuma Hagion‘s Voidgazer in its entirety here:
Pneuma Hagion once again joins forces with Nuclear War Now! to release its debut full-length, Voidgazer. The band and label first collaborated in 2015 to bring forth the first Pneuma Hagion demo, Trinity I, and resumed their allegiance approximately three years later with the release of the Trinity LP, which compiled that original demo and the two ensuing demos in the series.
Like the earlier recordings, Voidgazer presents a starkly monolithic variety of death metal that reflects the emptiness personified in the title. The sound itself evokes the same stifling oppressiveness of Incantation and Immolation, as it alternates between fast tempos and bludgeoning doom passages, firmly aligning itself with one of the most revered schools of U.S. death metal. Perhaps most impressively, all instruments and vocals are performed by the lone member of Pneuma Hagion, unassumingly known as R., whose gnostic reflections pervade the lyrics that are animated by his own tortured voice.
The sum of these nine tracks is certain to endear Voidgazer to any dedicated adherent to the worship of the bleakness of human existence.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Pneuma Hagion’s Voidgazer 1. Aeons of Slumber 2. Summoning 3. The Black Light 4. Timeless Darkness 5. Anticosmic Incantations 6. Febrile Dreams 7. Gates to Worlds Beyond 8. Drawn Down from the Stars 9. Primordial
Today, uprising Swedish death metal cult Avlivad stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut demo, self-titled Avlivad Set for international release on November 27th via Invictus Productions, hear Avlivad‘s Avlivad demo in its entirety here:
A brand-new entity hailing from Gothenburg and featuring Ensnared drummer J.K on drums, Avlivad nevertheless make their presence felt – with FULL fucking FORCE – with their debut recording, fittingly self-titled. Swarming in its intensity, scabrous in its execution, and yet somehow dynamic despite this OTT attack, Avlivad masters myriad energies of death and spits them back at the listener, helplessly in thrall to this tornado of souls. Avlivad‘s death metal is no doubt grounded in all the madness & mysticism of the ancients, but the bristlingly morbid melodicism here puts the band in rarefied company; just witness the climactic closer, “And You’ll See Me,” and try NOT having those notes haunt you for days…
Grimy and gutted and teasing the threshold of chaos but masterfully not stepping over into the abyss – not fully, anyway – Avlivad‘s debut demo is a foul first strike portending more greatness to come.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Avlivad’s Avlivad 1. Moldy Pinnacles 2. Voracity 3. Obituary Collector 4. And You’ll See Me
Today, Canadian epic heavy metallers Possessed Steel stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Aedris. set for international release on November 30th via Temple of Mystery Records, hear Possessed Steel‘s Aedris in its entirety here:
Possessed Steel are a four-piece traditional heavy metal band from Toronto, Canada. Formed in 2010, they started by playing small venues and house parties in the area, and through the years became more and more dedicated to finessing their sound and ideas. They released a five-song rehearsal recording that same year, and after a steady stream of shows, the band crystallized their sound on their self-titled EP in 2014.
After a year-long hiatus – where they said they’d break up “forever,” but didn’t – the current lineup played together for the first time in 2015, playing the old EP from front to back and feeling they had perfect chemistry. From that day forth, Possessed Steel as we know today was formed, and the band went on to release their second EP, Order of the Moon, which featured some older songs expanded upon and slightly rearranged.
As they expanded their sound and honed their creativity, they set their sights on writing their first-ever full-length, leading us to now. For a full year, Possessed Steel have been working harder than they’ve ever worked – recording, writing and releasing a one-of-a-kind concept album of epic proportions, Aedris.
Aedris takes us across a prophetic journey, which unfolds into a succession of mystical songs taking place in an enchanted world. The goal is for Aedris, the last of kin in a long ancient bloodline, to choose to heed a prophecy of ruin – or to ignore it – and each song is a chapter in his story.
Musically, Aedris is a well-crafted, refreshing mix of epic heavy metal and Canadian-style progressive thrash with poignant vocals, sometimes soul-wrenching screams – but overall, it has incredible RIFFs, otherworldly acoustic parts (think Sacred Blade), and over-the-top solos. One thing that could be said about Aedris is that it is more than an album; it is entering another world. It makes us travel into a parallel universe. It sounds and feels original, and it is the type of record that we can listen to over and over again and discover new things every time.
Join Aedris, and follow his quest to fulfill his destiny as the album sets into a somber musical voyage, which sets sail on November 30th on Temple of Mystery Records.
Preorder links follow below.
Cover artwork, courtesy of Tamara Comas, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Possessed Steel’s Aedris 1. The Dreamer [1:26] 2. Spelllblade [4:40] 3. Keeper of the Woods [6:38] 4. Forest of the Dead [1:26] 5. Frost Lich [5:13] 6. Assault of the Twilight Keep [4:31] 7. Free at Last [3:07] 8. Bogs of Agathorn [5:18] 9. Skeleton King [7:20] 10. Nobunaga [6:23]
Today, Austrian black metallers Theotoxin reveal the new video “Philosopher.” The track hails from the band’s critically acclaimed third album, Fragment : Erhabenheit, released this past September via AOP Records. See & hear Theotoxin’s “Philosopher” video in its entirety here:
With the intention of creating supreme black metal art, Theotoxin ascended from the catacombs of Vienna, Austria in 2016. A quintet featuring members of Zombie Inc., Selbstentleibung, and now-labelmates Anomalie, this strong lineup of musicians has been well tested on tour all over Europe.
In 2017, Theotoxin self-released their debut album, Atramentvm, and kept writing new material, which led to the release of the successor Consilivm (Massacre Records) just a year later. Plenty of live appearances and a tour through Europe followed, further honing the band’s considerable chops. On those stages did the band deliver a throttling live show with deep atmosphere; the name Theotoxin began to spread.
Now aligned with longtime fans AOP Records, Theotoxin are eager to spread their black chants even further with their strongest album yet. Bearing the thematic title of Fragment : Erhabenheit, Theotoxin’s third album is both a consolidation of the band’s strengths as well as an extension of new ones. Much like their intense onstage performances, the violence is palpable – almost overwhelmingly so – and is doled out with the ease of experienced masters. Equally so, however, a chilling melodicism rises from this physicality which puts Fragment : Erhabenheit in rarefied territory: a paradoxically refreshing (re)iteration of second-wave black metal classicism. It’s as much mid ‘90s as it is Now, and Theotoxin simply make it look all too easy…
Suitably graced with demonic-yet-mystical artwork courtesy of the masterful Jose Gabriel Sabogal, Fragment : Erhabenheit is guaranteed to be Theotoxin’s breakout moment!
Also stream Fragment : Erhabenheit in its entirety HERE, also at AOP Records‘ official YouTube channel.
Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Theotoxin’s Fragment : Erhabenheit 1. Golden Tomb 2. Obscure Divinations 3. Prayer 4. Through Hundreds of Years 5. Philosopher 6. Two Ancient Spirits 7. Sanatory Silence
Symphonic black metal legends Ceremonial Castings reveal a new re-recording of the old track “The Devil in Salem.“ The track is the third to be revealed from the band’s special re-recording of lost classic Salem 1692 – hereby titled Salem 1692 (MMXX) – which is set for North American release on November 27th via Eisenwald on CD, cassette, and vinyl LP formats. Hear the re-recording of Ceremonial Castings‘ “The Devil in Salem” here
Formed in that fateful year of 1996, Ceremonial Castings were a band of the times, a band later behind the times, and now a band ahead of the times once again. Many will belatedly be aware of the name Ceremonial Castings due to the membership of future UADA founder Jake Superchi, alongside his brother Nick Superchi, who were later (and once again now) joined by drummer Matt Mattern. The band crafted a canon of symphonic black metal that was admirably ambitious and often brilliant but all too often overlooked. Until their eventual demise in 2014, Ceremonial Castings created nine full-lengths and just as many demos/EPs that were all released on their own label. Their album covers were often graced with artwork courtesy of the masterful Kris Verwimp, who also created the band’s logo.
Of these, it’s arguably 2008’s Salem 1692 which is the most beloved of all Ceremonial Castings recordings and the one which is most emblematic of the band’s “Bewitching Black Metal.” By this point, the band’s albums were easily topping an hour-plus in length, as their songwriting had become more ambitious as well as their lyrical themes in kind. Salem 1692 is distinct in this regard in that the lyrical theme directly ties into the Superchi brothers’ family history. As Jake explains, “Since the beginning of this band in 1996, this was the album we always wanted to make, as we have a deep tie to the events in Salem of 1692. Growing up just west of Salem, my brother Nick and I learned all about the events at a very young age, including that we are in fact direct descendants – however many great grandsons – of Judge John Hathorne, who had sentenced the witches to hang. It is said that one of the girls who was hung had cast a curse on our family’s bloodline.”
While it is still unclear whether Ceremonial Castings have officially returned from the grave, this new re-recording of Salem 1692 (MMXX) sounds exceptionally fresh, richly detailed, and fully conveys the mysticism so crucial to their aesthetic. It’s as immersive as ever, if not more so due to the richly kaleidoscopic sound – organic, analog, but not once sacrificing any of the otherworldliness which endeared Ceremonial Castings to so many. And now, in 2020, as more ancient and classicist styles of black metal take hold with a new generation, “”symphonic black metal” need no longer be a dirty word: this re-recording of Salem 1692(MMXX) is poignant proof of the subgenre’s inherent power to transport the listener to forgotten realms and dimensions far, far away from modernity.
“This is a record that holds a lot of mystical energy showcased within its eleven hymns, as they seamlessly weave and flow together as one harmonious entity,” explains Veiled founder and UADA bassist Nate Verschoor. “Taking into consideration the concept of the album, it’s as if the songs themselves were twisted into form to act as spells and incantations. I say this because the moment the album begins, a presence is immediately felt, and the journey into a time long ago begins to take shape.”
“With the turn of a new decade,” concludes Jake, “we who would be sentenced to hang by our own ancestor, felt that not only did this represent our craft best to reintroduce ourselves, but we also would like to remind the world in 2020 of where a witch-hunt can and will lead if not careful with unwise accusations. We are here to show that American black metal does have a history that is tied to a very dark and cruel past. We are here to turn the focus around upon those who would condemn us for who and what we are. This album is for all who still believe in the old ways and who understand the true nature of magick. Together, let us reverse the curse.”
In the meantime, hear the newly revealed re-recording of “The Devil in Salem” across all major digital platforms HERE. Also hear the previously revealed re-recording of “Obsidian Spells of Hysteria” across all major digital platforms HERE, as well as the previously revealed re-recorded version of “Damned Be Those of the Craft” across all major digital platforms HERE. Preorder info can be found HERE.
Cover art, courtesy of Kris Verwimp, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ceremonial Castings’ Salem 1692 (MMXX) 1. Beneath the Sabbath Moon [9:17] 2. Where the Witches Waltz [5:36] 3. The Devil in Salem [9:21] 4. Obsidian Spells of Hysteria [6:48] 5. The Dreamstalk Masquerade [4:09] 6. The Crucible & the Cross [7:38] 7. Damned Be Those of the Craft [6:40] 8. Onwards to Gallows Hill [9:25] 9. Stones upon the Warlock [3:30] 10. When Winter Spectres Come [6:31] 11. The Search for Tranquility [3:38]
Today, Osmose Productions sets November 27th as the international release date for Ondskapt‘s LONG-awaited fourth album, Grimoire Ordo Devus, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
Grimoire Ordo Devus is a very deep and profound dream state. This release and its content are not meant to be an occult manuscript but an audial and spiritual essence of evil. This music is of dreams; follow the band into their nightmares and be one with death. Embrace this dreamland into the psychosphere of Ondskapt.
Let the trinity of Grimoire Ordo Devus be your guide. Begin the path with the brand-new track “Animam Malam Daemonium” here:
Today, Aussie metal vanguard Mongrel’s Cross stream the entirety of their highly anticipated third album, Arcana, Scrying and Revelation. Set for international release on November 27th via Hells Headbangers, hear Mongrel’s Cross‘ Arcana, Scrying and Revelation in its entirety here:
Hailing from the extreme metal hotbed of Australia, Mongrel’s Cross were once of the best-kept secrets Down Under. The band’s debut album, The Sins of Aquarius, was released in 2012 via Hells Headbangers, and presented an unselfconsciously unique twist on paradigmatic Oz black/death. Grimily gratifying, Mongrel’s Cross unleashed a widescreen span of filthy thrashing, down-tempo war-marches, and epic metal grandeur alike, and diehards dutifully took note. Unfortunately, lineup struggles would hamper momentum, and it would take six long years before another recording reared its head.
However, when Mongrel’s Cross at last emerged from their hiatus, now pared down to a duo, the dividends paid off handsomely. Released in 2018 to widespread international acclaim, Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court soon became something of a modern classic to any and all who heard it. Mongrel’s Cross didn’t so much as change during the interim as simply intensify and fine-tune their iron-fisted attack, here conveying an altogether more terrifying and triumphant aspect. It was the age-old axis of form meeting content, and rarely had a metal record this cleanly produced sounded so threatening, which simply underlined the powerful panache to the band’s strong songwriting. Mongrel’s Cross had truly arrived with Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court – and thankfully, people were now paying attention.
Keeping that shit-hot momentum going, Mongrel’s Cross scored quite the coup in acquiring the legendary vocal skills of Absu’s incomparable Proscriptor for their third full-length. Bearing the appropriately magickal title of Arcana, Scrying and Revelation, these Aussie hooligans-turned-heroes are set to deliver yet another decisive and undeniable album. Mongrel’s Cross are on the march, ready to take the throne that’s rightfully theirs.
If its no-less-considerable predecessor saw Mongrel’s Cross step deeper into territory that’s entirely their own, here with Arcana, Scrying and Revelation do the bolstered quartet solidify that rarefied ground. Not for them the over-generalization of “Australia = war metal” nor the simplistic connotations associated with such; still peaking at the height of their compositional powers, Mongrel’s Cross remain 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 that Psalter of the Royal Dragon Court so effortlessly played out with a palpably physical poetry – here on Arcana do they render in more manic and narrative form, no doubt informed by Proscriptor’s pioneering work with the singular Absu. In fact, it’s a match so perfect (and poignant), it’s a small wonder it never happened sooner… Regardless, each of these seven screeds artfully canvasses a wide territory of heavy metal magick – the playing deft and nuanced, the songwriting itself direct yet richly detailed – and once again does the clean ‘n’ gleaming production fit like a gauntlet lined with velvet. In a word, Arcana is EPIC, in every sense.
Suitably adorned with majestic cover artwork courtesy of the masterful Kris Verwimp, hereby do Mongrel’s Cross enter the halls of confirmed greatness with Arcana, Scrying and Revelation! .
Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Mongrel’s Cross’ Arcana, Scrying and Revelation 1. Suffer the Witch to Live [6:07] 2. Fate of the Grail PT. I [4:53] 3. A Magician’s Prayer [5:22] 4. Fate of the Grail PT. II [6:02] 5. As a Being Undead [5:21] 6. What the Cards May Tell [6:09] 7. The Whispering Void [4:45]
