Today, vampires of black imperial blood Nigrum Pluviam stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Eternal Fall Into the Abyss. Now set for international release on October 1st via Signal Rex on vinyl LP format, hear Nigrum Pluviam‘s Eternal Fall Into the Abyss in its entirety here:
A band born too late, Nigrum Pluviam play rotten black metal not meant for these modern times. The band is the work of one feverish madman named Kraëh Määtruum, who’s lately quite prolific within the other bands a part of the Garde Noire collective – which includes, of course, Nigrum Pluviam. Much like their native Black Legions before them, this French cabal explore all the wildest and worst dungeons lurking below black metal’s very furthest thresholds, and Nigrum Pluviam are arguably the most intense distillation of these sensations.
Following a super-limited split and then a limited tape courtesy of Signal Rex, Nigrum Pluviam now strike with their first full-length, Eternal Fall Into the Abyss. Ghoulish, ghastly, and grounded in the diseased soil of the mid ’90s, mainman Kraëh Määtruum conjures riffs that are tensely triumphant and hypnotically hovering in equal measure. It’s a record conjured on his admittedly sparse equipment, bare-bones and minimalistic as it comes, and fittingly captured during the cursed winter of 2020 – but its maladroit, malodorous spell hits with an impact that’s hackle-raising, its sounds deceptively shimmering and sending sine-waves of senses-distorting terror. Also fittingly, the lyrics describe scenes of agony of mankind, the fall of Christianity, and the death of living beings; no one is spared this Eternal Fall Into the Abyss, not even KM himself, and most especially NOT YOU.
No hope, no fun, no “feels,” no selfies, just NOTHING: Nigrum Pluviam empty out the basement with Eternal Fall Into the Abyss.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Nigrum Pluviam’s Eternal Fall Into the Abyss 1. The Whisper of the Black Rain [2:03] 2. A Catharsis for the Wretched Carrrying the Divine Cross [6:24] 3. The Reflection of Your Agony in the Vulture’s Eyes [7:11] 4. Devotion to Absolute Evil [3:12] 5. Passage [2:39] 6. In the Suffocating Mist [7:35] 7. Shadows and Lights [6:18] 8. From the Earth to the Abyss Through Suffering [6:35]
Norwegian doom metal pioneers FUNERAL will be releasing their newest full-length, ‘Praesentialis in Aeternum,’ on December 10, 2021 via Season of Mist. The album artwork, tracklist, and details can be found below.
The band is now sharing the first single, “Ånd,” which features guest vocals from Lars Are Nedland (SOLEFALD/BORKNAGAR), along with an official music video that was created entirely by the band! The song and video can be found here:
Pre-orders for ‘Praesentialis in Aeternum’ are now live HERE
The cover art was created by Christopher Rådlund and can be found below, together with the track-list.
Tracklist: 1. Ånd (8.14) 2. Materie (6.21) 3. Erindring I – Hovmod (8.16) 4. Erindring II – Fall (10.52) 5. Oppvåkning (9.54) 6. Dvelen (11.35)
Bonus 7. Her Til Evig Tid (ånd: epilog) (7.21) 8. Vekst (erindring : prolog) (9.18) 9. Shades From These Wounds (6.09) 10. Samarithan (5.50)
Melancholy. Pain. Loss. Solitude. Those had been just some of doom metal main themes ever since bleak pouring rain and the sound of church bell in the distance gave birth to the genre on BLACK SABBATH self-eponymous debut over five decades ago. But how many musicians have actually been bearing in their very flesh those gut-wrenching feelings?
Anders Eek – FUNERAL’s founding member, drummer and undisputable leader since 1991 – doesn’t particularly see it as a badge of honour, but he’d be the first to admit that somehow, the “death and loss we had to go through over the years were extremely painful yet inspiring, as a musician and as a human being.” And indeed, ever since their very first rehearsal in a basement in their hometown of Drammen, just outside of Oslo, FUNERAL had been ridden with problems and tragedy. Originally inspired by CATHEDRAL and CANDLEMASS, they very quickly set out to create the most depressing and slowest form of doom/death possible at a time when their home country was being hailed as the birthplace of black metal. They went through several labels over the years, only to see them bust soon afterwards. Plagued by recurrent line-up problems, they even lost two of their key members Einar André Fredriksen (bass) and Christian Loos (guitar) in 2003 and 2006, respectively, to suicide and overdose.
But somehow, Eek never surrendered, but instead overcame all those obstacles by releasing over the years a slab of classics, each with its own, distinct personality, from the utter misery of the delicate yet none-so-extreme 1995 debut album ‘Tragedies’ to the more melodic and accessible 2001 gothic/doom masterpiece ‘In Fields Of Pestilent Grief’ or 2012 symphonic masterpiece ‘Oratorium’. Still, after the band most recent performance in Antwerpen on February 3, 2018, “life got in the way” as Anders puts it. “Some of us had kids, others moved out. Even I had quite a lot of things going on in my personal life and, at least for a while, maybe less drive to keep on carrying on the weight of the band on my shoulders. I never stopped writing music though because it’s something I’ve always done anyway. But there were less things happening you know. During that nine-year gap, I could have written ten albums but I only wrote two ah!”
The beast did sleep less than two years though as the following year singer Sindre Nedland, who had joined FUNERAL for ‘Oratorium’, “woke up from his slumber and told me he was ready to focus music again. I had the whole music demoed and ready, so it quickly snowballed from there.” For the first time ever, not only are the lyrics fully in Norwegian but they were also written by an outside collaborator, a “personal friend” of Anders who happens to be a psychologist. “He’s both a close friend and a fan of the band. So, he knows exactly how I roll and what the band is all about. I knew he was writing on the side so one day about five years ago, I asked him as a joke almost ‘hey, why don’t you write lyrics for my band instead?’ and within five months, he did! His lyrics are more or less his take on philosopher Emmanuel Kant’s work. Initially, I thought about maybe translating them to English, but it would have meant redoing them so in the end, we choose to keep them as they were. The booklet will include a little text explaining what they’re all about for those who don’t speak Norwegian.”
Musically, Anders describes ‘Praesentialis in Aeternum’ (something along the line of “here eternally”) as a “natural progression. I know we have some fans who are only into the first albums and those who discovered us in the early 00’s but this new opus has a little bit of everything for everybody. The symphonic elements are far more bombastic yet much well more done, thanks to the evolution of technology since ‘Oratorium’. It’s in a way a mixture of our three last albums yet our most diverse work yet, with both quite concise and very epic pieces. As a matter of fact, we recorded something like ten songs but vowed to choose only the six best to get the best album possible.” Among them you’ll find one originally written during their third album |From These Sounds’ session, one co-written with former founding member Thomas Angell (who left in 2000) and, in the deluxe version, a CANDLEMASS (‘Samarithan’) cover version originally recorded back in 2005 with their then singer Frode Forsmo, thus linking ‘Praesentialis in Aeternum’ with the band’s past history. Also guesting on ‘Ånd,’ the first single off the record, is Lars Nedland, Sindre’s own brother of BORKNAGAR and SOLEFALD fame. It’s also the first album for their new partner, Season of Mist.
Since the album was completed, the now septet has welcomed for the first time ever a full-time violin player “to perform live most of the strings you can hear on our albums as soon as we’ll be able to go back on stage.” In the meantime, Anders confesses the next album is more or less “finished. ‘Praesentialis’ could have been released earlier if we hadn’t to face all those COVID-related problems. We couldn’t meet in person, let alone rehearse or even just take promo pictures… But now we have a new label, a new line-up and a totally renewed sense of energy so why stop there? FUNERAL started thirty years ago be truth be told, it’s never been stronger. So, doom on!”
Today, Canadian black/death monstrosity Azothyst stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut mini-album, Blood of Dead God. Set for international release on October 1st via Vault of Dried Bones on CD and 12″ vinyl formats – the cassette tape version shall be co-released with Serpents Head Reprisal – hear Azothyst‘s Blood of Dead God in its entirety here:
In an age of saccharine palatability, the only antidote is poison. A dreaded and mysterious formula to execute the uninitiated and elevate the worthy. Delivered in a stained chalice, Vault of Dried Bones puts this corrosive tincture to your lips and demands, “Imbibe!” The long-anticipated first offering of Azothyst is a sanguine solution. Swallow, enter a violently altered state, and prepare for the horror that awaits in the Blood of Dead God.
The cult of Azothyst has long lingered in whispers throughout the Canadian extreme metal microcosm. Occasionally surfacing in merciless sneak attacks, only to rescind back to unbeing. Complete manifestation has recoiled to the stuff of legend and oral tradition among the elite. With ranks comprising ancient corpse-keepers and the adversely prophetic, respect was immediately due upon initial rumor. At last, the hour is nigh! Sufficient belief has breathed life into thought-form and Pandora’s box has been shattered. Travel deep enough into the abyss and enter a parallel realm of horror and diabolism. Azothyst‘s domain is an inversion of reality where the wretched become the crowned and conquering. The bottom of the pit is the pinnacle of the mountain, and it is a summit of skulls and carrion. You drank the slain deity’s essence to get this far, but will you scale the peaks or plumb the depths of a mass grave?
Neophite! Attune to the horrifyingly vast and oppressively cavernous before proceeding or abandon hope completely. From the moment of revelation, the onslaught is pure, pushing the frenzy to a fever pitch. Azothyst‘s execution of sheer violence on Blood of Dead God is a ruthless dagger to the throat. At the peaks of madness, gnostic moments of clarity give way to hypnotic formlessness, and all suspends in suffocating surreality. In the grip of awakening, malevolence takes hold once again and the spiral towards brutality resumes. This calculated cycle of black/death metal in equal parts psychoactive ceremony and savage execution continues until the ritual is complete. [text by Shawn Haché]
Cover artwork, courtesy of Artem Grigoryev, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Azothyst’s Blood of Dead God 1. Rites of Ascendancy 2. Fanes at the Engur 3. Bestial Blood Temple of Ritual Predation 4. The Dead Reek of the Abyss Beyond 5. Eradication Altar 6. Graveless Mass
Enigmatic world music outfit HEILUNG are proud to announce their personal created limited edition mead and beer! The special developed brews are now available HERE.
HEILUNG comment: “It´s feasting time! We wish you all a pleasant autumn equinox , the time where we reap what we have sown and enjoy the bounty of the harvest. This year, we have a special sort of harvest to share with you: Our very first batch of our very own ALU and MJØDR. We have always liked the idea of creating a beer and a mead, and thanks to our dear collaborators in Doomstar Bookings it all got set in motion this year. The choice of breweries landed on one of the oldest Danish mead breweries Mjødgård and the well renowned Dutch beer brewers Nevel Wild Ales. Please note: This is by no means a cheap, mass-produced product with a band logo on top, this is something we have been developing after our own taste for quite some time, and pored all our love into, like with everything we do. Skåååååål!“
Doomstar Bookings comments on the collaboration: “Doomstar Bookings is utterly proud to unveil a project that combines two of our passions; music and tasty thirst quenchers! Upon touring together late 2019 with Heilung, the idea was put forward to create a Heilung beer. That idea started a life of its own and resulted in two beautiful products, the Heilung beer named Alu and the Heilung mead named Mjøðr, respectively created by the Dutch (award winning) artisanal ale expert Nevel and the renowned Danish meadery Mjødgård Bryggeri. Both have created an excellent alcoholic beverage that totally fits the artist’s flavour desires and their historical image. A limited amount of 3500 75CL bottles of this herbalized saison tripel beer and 1100 70CL bottles of the herbalized honey wine will be released to the world this autumn equinox through our partners at Spirits for Rock, we hope you can get spiritual after indulging in this amplified tastery!“
Mead developer Mjødgård comments: “Mjødgård develops mead from passion. We look back in time for inspiration, and we want to show that mead is modern and, as then, still a luxurious drink. Making Heilung mead with the band’s historical and natural inspiration are completely in line with Mjødgård. To combine the essence of Heilung with our modern mead we had to use Meadow Sweet as the main spice, with its roots dating back to the Bronze Age, combined with hemp, with its thousands of years of history. Nature is our greatest source why our ingrediens are all local. We want to support the preservation of biodiversity. We are therefore really proud to present a mead that builds a bridge between the world of the past and the present.“
Beer developer Nevel comments: “Yup, that’s right! We were asked to brew for a neofolk band! Doomstar Bookings approached us, asking whether we wanted to make a traditional Scandinavian beer for Heilung, a band known for reviving traditional Scandinavian music. We could not say no to that. We are very honoured to work together with these amazing artists and we are quite proud of the result. Alu was meant to be a crowd pleaser and we knew the band enjoyed drinking Belgian classics. They opted us to work with historical herbs and ingredients. For this beer, we used a traditional Scandinavian blend of herbs (with a.o. wild bog myrtle and meadowsweet), we added caramelized honey of beekeeper Stevns and we used a traditional Belgian Saison yeast. This boils down to a floral, thirst quencing, crushable beer. This beer is different to what you are used to, especially as this is a first time for us not to use our own house culture. We wanted to make more space for Scandinavian history.“
In celebration of the collaboration, Season of Mist & HEILUNG created special and extremely limited hand-made ‘mead cups’, which are available in three different colours. These cups are available via the shop HERE.
HEILUNG‘s latest album ‘Futha’ was released on June 28, 2019. The cover artwork and further album details can be viewed below.
“Ofnir” was a very masculine album. To create it, HEILUNG took a big part of the lyrics from preserved rune inscriptions on weapons and armour. “Futha” is the counterpart, the balance point, the feminine side. Here, the lyrics originate from old Icelandic poetry, in which the holy women chant magic spells and offer their blessings. Hence, female voices are more prominent on “Futha”.
HEILUNG means “healing” in the German language and this also describes the core of the band’s sound. The listener is supposed to be left at ease and in a relaxed state after a magical musical journey that is at times turbulent.
HEILUNG reach far back in time to the Northern European iron age and Viking period to create their sound experience. The band utilises many means in their songs: from running water via human bones, reconstructed swords and shields up to ancient frame drums as well as bronze rings.
When HEILUNG self-released ‘Ofnir’ in 2015, the Danish band could hardly have anticipated the breakthrough success of their debut album. Spectacular live shows, strong critical acclaim, and a massive underground buzz added to the constantly high demand for this full-length are the reason why their new label Season of Mist did not hesitate to re-issue ‘Ofnir’ in several collector’s edition formats. HEILUNG‘s live album, ‘LIFA’ (2017) was released in parallel.
The word “Futha” is taken from an artefact, that is still controversially discussed. Big names in runology like Düwel and Heizmann can agree neither on the deciphering nor the meaning of the description.…The word is engraved in a gold bracteate from Skåne (SE), which was produced around 500-530 AD. It was discovered in 1831 and these medals or coins were divided into different categories by the Swedish archaeologist Oscar Montelius. The bracteate in question is a so-called C-bracteate named Schonen II-C (Schonen is the German Name of Skåne) with a horse and a face. The rune inscription is between the hind-legs of the horse. Interesting to mention here is the fact that the majority of full rune set inscriptions start with “futh“, which also is the first three letters in all runic alphabets. It is considered that our forefathers saw magic potential in engraving the full rune line, but there is also great significance in the beginnings. Science has no key for the meaning of only engraving the first couple of letters yet, but there is a surplus of theories. This brings us to a runic staff found in Bergen, which was given the rather unpoetic archaeological classification B011. It carries the inscription: “felleg er fuþ sin bylli Fuþorglbasm”, which means: “Lovely is the cunt, may the cock fill it up”. Also interesting is that the Högstena amulet, which we use in the song “Galgaldr”, has an alternative deciphering of the word “futh“, which in this context means “cunt”. All this leaves us with two hints: magic potential and the female genitalia. The great healing power of the female wild strength is evoked in “Futha”. Those who have been present at a birth or seen a lioness hunting, know the spirit. The spirit of the “wilde Weiber” (German), the wild wise women. “Futha” endeavours to connect to a time before the female was degraded to a birth-machine and carrier of eternal inherited guilt.
“Futha” was three years in the making and was finished for production and print at midwinter, the very darkest day of the solar year, the 21st in the 12th month at 21:00.
Any attempt to link the band with or bring their music into a modern political or religious context is pointless, since HEILUNG try to connect their listeners with a time before the coming of Christianity and modern political ideologies.
Line-up: Kai Uwe Faust Christopher Juul Maria Franz
Today, French black metal militants Vortex of End stream the entirety of their highly anticipated fourth album, Abhorrent Fervor. Set for international release on September 24th via Osmose Productions on CD and cassette tape formats – the vinyl LP version shall follow later – stream Vortex of End‘s Abhorrent Fervor in its entirety here:
Pursuing their quest for truth initiated more than ten years ago in the North-East of France, Vortex of End refines the formula developed on their previous album to spread an urgent and exalted black/death metal through Abhorrent Fervor. From the burning harshness of an old-school death metal to the fanaticism of a typically French black metal, look for verticality in this world at a standstill.
TERROR FUROR … FERVOR
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Vortex of End’s Abhorrent Fervor 1. Perdition Whorl [5:10] 2. Sovereign Wrath [6:01] 3. Golden Fragments [4:26] 4. Cascades Of Epiphanies [5:22] 5. Stygian Hexahedron [5:26] 6. Putrid Fluids [10:17]
Today, fukk-off blackspeedmetalpunks Destructo premiere the new track “Black Mark”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Demonic Possession, set for international release on November 19th via Dying Victims Productions. Hear Destructo‘s “Black Mark” in its entirety here:
The sound, attitude, and execution of Destructo is similar to the band’s moniker: destructive, merciless and total fukk-off-driven! Formed in 2018 as a side-project between erstwhile Dödsrit and Nuclear Devastation bandmates Soulcrusher and Motörphallus as a tribute to bands like Sarcofago, Syphilitic Vaginas, and Japan’s Sabbat, Destructo delivered their debut demo in 2019 – 19 minutes of total & utter destruction!
In the meantime, insanity, blasphemy, narcotics, and intoxication all played their part in inspiring Destructo’s debut album, Demonic Possession. Here, the power-trio amplify those noble influences to a fever pitch while also bringing forward influences from Bathory, Hellhammer, and especially G.I.S.M. With ten songs spanning a skull-crushing 40 minutes, Demonic Possession is a wild fucking ride, even for those prepared to get on in the first place. Cacophonic screams, primitive riffs, bulldozing bass, and berserking D-beats all collide with vocals which approximate a gnarling demon on strict diet of whiskey and amphetamines, making the album best to be enjoyed with…whiskey and amphetamines! Put another way, Destructo make an even stronger case for being the bastard child of raw and chaotic first-wave black metal blended with an unhealthy dose of ‘80s speed/thrash metal mania, Motörcharged riffs & rock ‘n’ roll grooves that creates the Devil’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!
Armed with production that’s slicing and slimy in equal measure and an overwhelming sense of danger both in songwriting and especially execution, the question remains: can you handle Destructo’s Demonic Possession? ARGHHH!!!
Also try handling the previously revealed “Lycanthro Kommando” exclusively HERE, courtesy of Deaf Forever magazine. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Destructo’s Demonic Possession 1. Succubus 2. Black Mark 3. In Service Of No One 4. Necromancy 5. Satans Hammer 6. Lycanthro Kommando 7. Total Death 8. I, Witchfukker 09. Bloodthirst 10. Demonic Possession
Today, Sepulchral Voice Records announces November 26th as the international release date for Concrete Winds‘ highly anticipated second album, Nerve Butcherer, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
After Primitive Force in 2019, Concrete Winds now deliver their second full-length, fittingly entitled Nerve Butcherer. The content is hard to believe yet even harder to describe, as words might simply fail regarding this vile eruption of utmost hatred. The record precisely continues where its predecessor left the listener shocked and terrified. Repulsion on 78rpm, Morbid Angel hunting in bloodlust, Terrorizer infected with rabies, or Funeral Mist’s most dreadful moments may be even understatements for this (surely) god-damned cacophony.
Concrete Winds don’t want to please anybody, nor do they want to be accepted. All they want is to spread disgust and confusion; their tongue is that of perversion, abhorrence, and wrath. Ever witnessed a biblical plague of locusts? Well, dare to listen to Nerve Butcherer and you might find the sonic equivalent. Slaughterhouse atmosphere and total destruction meet even nastier moments to bang your head.
Some folks might say it can’t get worse after Primitive Force, but better beware of listening to Nerve Butcherer…as this is truly damn fucking mentally disordered!!!
First track premiere to be revealed shortly. Ambitiously recorded and mixed by Stefan Brändström at the Dustward Studio, and mastered by Phil Kusabs. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Norwegian extreme metal formation GAAHLS WYRD are now announcing their new EP ‘The Humming Mountain’. The 5-track EP will be released via Season of Mist on November 5. The band has furthermore released the first track “The Humming Mountain”, which can be heard here:
The cover artwork and tracklist of ‘The Humming Mountain’ can be found below. The cover photo was made by Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal.
Tracklist: 1. The Seed (09:12) 2. The Humming Mountain (04:46) 3. The Dwell (05:01) 4. Awakening Remains – Before Leaving (07:18) 5. The Sleep (03:00) Total: 0:29:17
Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen)-winning metal outfit Gaahls WYRD return with new mini-album The Humming Mountain. Spanning five thought-provoking songs over 30-plus minutes, the mini-album continues from but challenges the tenets of the group’s lauded debut full-length, GastiR – Ghosts Invited. Conceptually, The Humming Mountain intrinsically ties into the pre-history of its forebear, where heady, fastidious topics of origin, creation, and consciousness are pondered, explored, and conveyed to a riveting score of reflective, if sometimes vicious metal. The Humming Mountain resides between spaces but is wholly its own artistic entity.
“I like the concept of a mini-album instead of an EP,” says Gaahl (aka Kristian Espedal). “I like the format of a mini-album. Back in the day, bands like Hellhammer and Celtic Frost used this format. The audience gets more from this format. To me, it’s more serious than if it’s just a few tracks. Plus, the concept of The Humming Mountain isn’t big enough for a full-length album. The concept was something I had to get out of my head.”
Three of The Humming Mountain’s tracks were originally slated to appear on GastiR – Ghosts Invited but were eventually shelved when Gaahl determined that they weren’t a conceptual fit with the rest of the album’s tracks. Indeed, not one to let good ideas die on the proverbial vine, Gaahl worked with guitarist Lust Kilman (Ole Walaunet) and producer Iver Sandøy to refashion them. Through creative process and artful invention, “Awakening Remains – Before Leaving,” “The Dwell,” and the title track were born again for The Humming Mountain. The mini-album’s introspective bookends—opening epic “The Seed” and filmic closer “The Sleep”—came during and after, one song to remind listeners that patience is a virtue and the other to send them off into dream-like cogitation.
“The title track ‘The Humming Mountain’ dictated how the mini-album would go forward,” Gaahl says. “‘The Humming Mountain,’ however, has connections to GastiR – Ghosts Invited recording-wise, but it’s been reshaped. ‘The Dwell’ and ‘Awakening Remains – Before Leaving’ are more from the same foundation. We did change how we approached these songs by adding keyboards and removing bass grooves, especially on ‘Awakening Remains – Before Leaving.’ We got a different flow and pace to the final versions of the songs.”
While The Humming Mountain is a real place called Gnolloden near the Svalbard archipelago, it has no relation to the mini-album’s title or contents. Lyrically, The Humming Mountain is about patience. Not in the human sense of the word—though that certainly can be applied to nine-minute opener “The Seed”—but in the universal sense. The vibrations (hums) of creation ebb and flow sub-glacially. The intent of creation spans eons. Even the mini-album’s artwork—captured and designed by Gaahl—is part of the overall theme. The closer to The Humming Mountain, the farther away it appears.
“I’m always searching,” says Gaahl. “I’m trying to find the core of self, the core of everything. GastiR – Ghosts Invited dealt with being conscious about the subconscious. The Humming Mountain is more direct in dealing with that topic. Creation is something that happens very slowly, I believe. I connected it to ice, in a way. It’s a Norse concept, where a witch ‘hummer’ is feeding on salty ice. Out of this comes the first conscious. In Norse creationism, creation originates with sound. Of course, fire and ice are the two opponents, but every being, which are manifestations of something, are connected to humming or noise, the vibrations created by it. That’s how I arrived at The Humming Mountain, a slow vibration from the mountain and the slow movement of ice.”
Gaahls WYRD revisited Sandøy’s Solslottet Studio (Wardruna, Crippled Black Phoenix) periodically from August 2020 through May 2021 to track and complete The Humming Mountain. The sessions were set apart for various reasons (schedules mostly), but the team first focused the groundwork on sound design. Gaahl, Lust Kilman, and Sandøy then pivoted to Spektre’s (aka Kevin Kvåle) drums. From there, vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and piano were laid down. Sandøy also helmed the mix and master.
“The first thing we did was to work through the songs,” Gaahl says. “This was to find the foundation of the sound and how we could reshape the sound. We focused on the sound (or voice) of the drums. We didn’t want them to be too close to the drum sound on GastiR – Ghosts Invited. I’ve worked on three albums with Iver this year. It’s very easy to work with him. He’s good at bringing himself into my philosophical mindset. He’s tuned into why I choose to do this or that. Usually, before we start, I explain my direction so that he can understand it, and together we can expand upon that direction. On this EP, he’s done a lot of the keys and piano parts. He’s contributed quite a lot.”
Though The Humming Mountain reveals a more contemplative side to Gaahls WYRD, fans of stunners “Ek Erilar,” Carving the Voices,” and “Through and Past and Past” will find new tracks “The Dwell,” “Awakening Remains – Before Leaving,” and the title track equally engaging, while “The Seed” and “The Sleep” are destined to open new doors with their mercurial angst and picturesque, if involuted themes. Indeed, The Humming Mountain sets the stage for Gaahls WYRD’s next chapter.
“We’ll release the mini-album next,” says Gaahl. “After that, it all depends on how things open up for us to tour. There will be shows in Europe for sure, though. In a way, I hope the pandemic situation may continue for a bit longer. It’s a good time for studio work. So, I hope not to be too disturbed by touring to continue to do more studio work. We’re about to enter the studio for the next full-length.”
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions – in conspiracy with Knekelput Recordings – sets November 12th as the international release date date for Predictor‘s striking debut EP, …thus spoke death, on CD and cassette tape formats.
Hailing from Germany and formed in 2019, Predictor are a duo of drummer Cryptic Tormentor (Baxaxaxa, Ungod) and vocalist/guitarist Lord Noctifer. While brand-new in name, Predictor are most definitely OLD in their style of black metal. They proved as much with their Demo 2020 and prove it yet further with the five-song/20-minute …thus spoke death.
Dead-matter riffs and coffin-closed atmosphere mark this recording, with bouts of hysteric violence exploding with little to no warning. Otherwise, the duo are content to hammer away hypnotically, keeping the attack loose and ghoulish. References to be made include ’80s Mayhem, early Kat, old Samael, and demo-days Behemoth – in other words, ANCIENT and untrendy. Those who know will know by the closing cover of Besatt’s “Ave Master Lucifer”…
…thus spoke death, and out comes Predictor! Begin speaking their language with the brand-new track “Path to Megiddo part II” here:
Today, Finnish black metal legends Azazel stream the entirety of their highly anticipated third album, Aegrus Satanas Tecum. Set for international release on September 24th via Primitive Reaction, hear Azazel‘s Aegrus Satanas Tecum in its entirety here:
Formed in that fateful year of 1992, Azazel are among the first black metal bands to hail from Finland – and undoubtedly, one of the most cult. The band released a demo in 1993 and a mini-album in ’96, but then receded into the shadows and misery for many years. Following a split album in 2011, however, the black flame of Azazel was burning brightly once again, resulting in the full-lengths Jesus Perversions (2012) and Witches Deny Holy Trinity (2015). And while it would seem that the shadows of misery ensnared the band again, some demons never die…
Now, at long last, those shadows recede and reveal Azazel‘s long-awaited third album, Aegrus Satanas Tecum. Immediately and righteously recognizable as Azazel, Aegrus Satanas Tecum is a unique record in that it bridges all the band’s eras whilst opening new portals into the black beyond. Here, one will find the near-bestial filth & fury of Jesus Perversions alongside the more haunting and even stately sensations of Witches Deny Holy Trinity. But, like anything in Azazel‘s wild & weird world, ramshackle insanity runs riot – and often – and thus is a variety of songcraft employed to mangle the mind and ruin the spirit. And yet, the finesse with which Azazel accomplish this, playing something “primitive” but in clear & cutting fashion (and vice versa), bespeaks some strange magick on the band’s part and lends even more staying power to their ever-uncompromising sound. Above all, Aegrus Satanas Tecum is an album that’s equally early ’90s as it is NOW: Azazel are more undead than ever.
“Accomplished”? Perhaps? Ancient? Always. Azazel may be predictably unpredictable, but Aegrus Satanas Tecum proves that their twisting saga is far from over…
Cover artwork, courtesy of the legendary Chris Moyen, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Azazel (Finland)’s Aegrum Satanas Tecum 1. Invocation (Hail the Ancient Ones) 2. Jesus Christ Impotent Rotting Saviour 3. Welcome to Church Bizarre 4. I Worship Him 5. Demons Attack the Nun’s Chapel (Aegrum Satanas Tecum) 6. Incubus Rises Again 7. Succubus, My Infernal Vampire Spirit 8. In Nomine Dei Nostri Satanas
