Month: January 2022

DARKENED stream new EDGED CIRCLE EP – features members of GRAVE, MEMORIAM, A CANOROUS QUINTET, EXCRUCIATE+++

Today, pan-international death metal elite Darkened stream their brand-new EP, Mourn the Dying Light. Set for international release on January 7th via Edged Circle Productions on 7″ vinyl format, hear Darkened‘s Mourn the Dying Light in its entirety here:

While Darkened made a none-more-auspicious start with the Into the Blackness EP during the summer of 2019, it was the band’s debut album, Kingdom of Decay, where they literally EXPLODED onto the scene. Proud and pure death metal, no more but definitely no less, it was not at all surprising that Darkened made an immediate impact given their lineup on that debut full-length: drummer Andy Whale (Memoriam, ex-Bolt Thrower), vocalist Gord Olson (Ye Goat-Herd Gods / Demisery), guitarists Linus Nirbrant (A Canorous Quintet / This Ending) and Hempa Brynolfsson (Excruciate / Ordo Inferus), and new bassist Tobias Cristiansson (Grave / ex-Dismember). Patient and punishing, they proved that true songwriting stuns and crushes when practiced by masters of the death metal craft.

Now, as a precursor to a new full-length in 2022, Darkened arrive with the short & VERY sweet Mourn the Dying Light EP. More spacious but somehow heavier, the two songs comprising this record show that this lineup is truly finding their groove – and by “groove,” we most definitely mean those of a tank! Produced, mixed, and mastered by Linus Nibrant, Mourn the Dying Light maintains a most powerful aspect – clear and crushing, as expected, but with a surprising amount of atmosphere which will likely be expanded upon on that forthcoming second album. Says the band, “This EP continues on from where Kingdom Of Decay ended, and clearly sets the tone for the upcoming album. Pushing even further into lyrical darkness, foreboding heaviness, wistful melody, and murderous aggression, Darkened are forging old-school death metal in a melancholic landscape.”

Preorder info can be found HERE at Edged Circle‘s Bandcamp. Cover artwork, courtesy of Juanjo Castellano Rosado (Unleashed, The Black Dalhia Murder, Gates of Ishtar), and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Darkened (International)’s Mourn the Dying Light
1. Black Winter
2. The Slime Runs Down Your Throat

DARKENED lineup 2021
Hempa Brynolfsson – guitar (Excruciate)
Linus Nirbrant – guitar (A Canorous Quintet)
Tobias Cristiansson – bass (Grave, ex-Dismember)
Gord Olson – vocals (Ye Goat Herd Gods)
Andy Whale – drums (Memoriam, ex-Bolt Thrower)

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/darkeneddeathmetal
www.edgedcircleproductions.com

America’s CRYPTUM set release date for new CALIGARI EP, reveal first track

Today, Caligari Records announces February 24th as the international release date for a brand-new EP from the United States’ Cryptum, Vile Emergence, on CD and cassette tape formats.

Hailing from Illinois, Cryptum was formed in the spring of 2020 towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This group of long-time friends, armed with a strong adoration for thrash and death metal, envisioned a band that encapsulated their favorite aspects of these genres while balancing a perfect blend of both old-school and new-school death metal. Their influences span the mosh-laden riffs of Exodus and the pummeling brutality of Suffocation to bands that offer stranger riffs within vintage death metal, such as Pestilence, Immolation, and Morbid Angel, all contributing to Cryptum‘s sound.

Cryptum‘s debut demo, Enter the Cryptum, was a meat-and-potatoes death metal offering with hints at what they eventually hoped to achieve in future releases. Clocking in at under 10 minutes, it laid the foundation for the sound they continue to expand upon with every new song. The three tracks showcased everything from their fast-paced, mosh-worthy passages to Morbid Angel-inspired riffs, all with nasty and punishing riffs throughout.

Hot on that first demo’s heels is the new EP Vile Emergence, which is a more refined version of what Enter the Cryptum had to offer. Here, Cryptum have further consolidated their songwriting to help bring a more defined and individual sound to their music while still maintaining their overall style and old-school influence. Swift and satisfying, Vile Emergence comprises four songs in 16 minutes, laying waste and getting the fuck outta there. Enter the Cryptum again and behold its garish new grime!

The first grime can be felt with the brand-new title track “Vile Emergence”  here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Crytpum (USA)’s Vile Emergence
1. Torrent Of Infinite Time
2. Volitional Sacrilege
3. Dead Celestial Bodies
4. Vile Emergence


MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/cryptumcrew
www.caligarirecords.com
www.facebook.com/caligarirecords