Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces September 23rd as the international release date for a brand-new mini-album from Black Grail, VIIII, on CD and 12″ vinyl formats.
Formed in 2005, Black Grail are one of the great gems of the oft-overlooked Chilean black metal underground. While much of the focus (rightfully) on the country’s long-running/reigning blackthrash idiom, there’s existed a parallel paradigm less populous but no less potent, and there Black Grail have dug their evil trench with dogged resolve.
Naturally, their ascent/descent from that trench has been extremely patient – to date, two full-lengths have arrived, in 2015 and 2021, respectively – as well as a lauded split with France’s well-respected Ysengrin, but this latest VIIII mini-album marks a shift toward (hopefully) more prolific days for Black Grail. Creepy and creeped-out, the five-track/26-minute work maintains all the magick and mysticism of their earlier work, but is now cast in a clearer (black)light that does nothing to diminish their sulfurous intensity. Alternately ritualistic, regal, and rowdy, Black Grail wind their way through a wealth of treacherous and terrorizing corridors here, establishing foggy atmosphere one minute and then bloody headbanging the other, keeping the listener engaged and on their toes with where the Chileans will lead them next. It’s a distinctly Chilean style of black metal still, but VIIII could equally sit comfortably alongside the cult likes of Funereal Presence, Cultes des Ghoules or, further back, Germany’s mythical Martyrium.
Black Grail have revealed the number of your doom: VIIII!
Begin counting down to that doom with the brand-new track “Transmigración del Alma” here:
Tracklisting for Black Grail’s VIIII 1. Encarcelado y Condenado [7:43] 2. Reflexiones en Cicuta [5:54] 3. La Separación, vista como Muerte [2:47] 4. Transmigración del Alma [5:54] 5. La Disolución, Consumación de la Ascesis [3:23]
Today, Scandinavian black metal classicists Mimorium premiere the new NSFW video “Mirror Dimension”. The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated third album, The Route of Haeresis, set for international release on August 12th via Spread Evil Productions. See & hear Mimorium‘s “Mirror Dimension” video in its entirety here:
Since their formation in 2016, Mimorium have staunchly stuck to their guns as purveyors of classic cryogenic black metal forever frozen in the glorious ’90s. Although they hail from Finland, Mimorium‘s sound more properly could be categorized as Scandinavian black metal, as they are rooted deeply in the ’90s Swedish and also Norwegian black metal scenes. One can one hear echoes of old Dissection, Mörk Gryning, and Dark Funeral in Mimorium‘s fast-paced and melodic black metal as a successful tribute brought to the new millennium, still sounding very much their own and something different simultaneously.
In 2020, the Spread Evil-released Blood of Qayin rightfully brought Mimorium to many new ears, proving that the past is alive but arguably fresher than ever. Not ones to rest on their all-too-considerable laurels, the quintet return with a record perhaps more melodic, dramatic, AND aggressive than ever: The Route of Haeresis. Suitably built upon a theme of old-school witchcraft and esoteric teachings, The Route of Haeresis sees Mimorium firing on all cylinders, their (literal) execution just as sharp as ever but rendered in rippingly clear-yet-analog tones. That more organic production takes nothing away from the band’s inherent ultraviolence – indeed, their OTT speed is challenged by few – but the melodies here breathe fire instead of frost, and the well-timed dips into down-tempo convey a grandeur only previously hinted at.
For those into the scrappier, culter names of ’90s melodic black metal – Cirith Gorgor, Thy Primordial, Raise Hell, or even the too-often-overlooked Setherial – over the more obvious ones, you shall meet your unholy saviors with Mimorium as they travel The Route of Haeresis!
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Mimorium’s The Route of Haeresis 1. Invocation of the Nameless One 2. Mirror Dimension 3. Liberate the Transcendent Essence 4. Succumb to Nightmares 5. Hand of the Heretic 6. Her Place in Shade 7. The Route of Haeresis 8. Circle of Serpents
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces September 23rd as the international release date for the highly anticipated eighth album of Italy’s Abhor, Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Antichristi), on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
Abhor are a veritable institution of Italian black metal. Formed in 1995 in the northeast of Italy, the band began with a passion for black metal music and the study of esoteric arts. Less like a band and more like a congregation, Abhor represent a form of global art that embraces musical art, visual art, and literal art. Their first musical manifestation came in 1998, with the first demo tape In Tuo Honori Preparatum. From there, Abhor were off and running, subsequently releasing six albums with a variety of labels, doing honorable underground work. Within their ranks came many musicians, including members of compatriots Evol. But, arguably, Abhor reached their apotheosis with their seventh album (and first for current label home Iron Bonehead), Occulta religiO. Released in 2018, this veritable blazing-purple torch conveyed a bewitching mysticism and beyond-the-veil secrecy that showed the band at their most masterful, even at this mature stage.
And, although four years have passed since that momentous event – and a split mini-album with fellow Italian occultists Abysmal Grief in 2019, also courtesy of Iron Bonehead – Abhor continue their deeper-into-the-catacombs ascent with the devilish Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Antichristi). Truly titled, Sex Sex Sex brings a spooky sensuality to Abhor‘s trademark style of olde-worlde black metal. With both Hammer Horror organs to the fore and a macho headbanging stomp, the Italians create a canvas of arcane mysteries and ancient metal might, foregoing so much of the fluff that’s characterized post-“second wave” black metal and striking true(r) to the sound of the Old Gods: Celtic Frost, Mortuary Drape, Varathron, Samael, and even very earliest Mayhem. It’s more of “no more, but no less” Esoteric Horror Black Metal, but still suffused with an undeniable energy and electricity, even when creeping slowly through those catacombs. It’s an immediately recognizable sound that’s neither regressive nor progressive, and Abhor conjure it with enviously effortless zeal.
Unshackle thyself from the morals and mores of the modern world and return to more sinister and sinful times with Abhor‘s Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Antichristi)!
The first sin can be found with the brand-new track “Evil Mentor” here:
Tracklisting for Abhor (Italy)’s Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Antichristi) 1. The Curse of the Twins 2. Ceremonia Daemonis Anticristi 3. At the Edge of the Circle 4. Ode to the Snake 5. Ritual Satanism 6. Evil Mentor 7. Beelzebuth [Mystifier cover] 8. October 31st, 2010 9. The Call 10. Violet Coven
Today, new/old Finnish black metallers Sorgteid reveal the new track “Havet Djupare än Sorg.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s striking debut album, Natt av Tusen Dödsfall, which will be released by Werewolf Records later this summer on CD and cassette tape formats; the vinyl LP version will follow later this year. Hear Sorgteid‘s “Havet Djupare än Sorg” in its entirety here:
Sorgteid exclusively play Nordic black metal, from Finland. The name Sorgteid may be new, but the creator behind it isn’t: Finnish underground veteran V-Khaoz, renown for such bands as Vargrav, Druadan Forest, Grieve, and Embryonic Slumber among many others, stretching back to the late ’90s. With Sorgteid itself, V-Khaoz indeed delves even deeper (and earlier) into the ’90s, presenting vintage obsidian, both style- and production-wise, that respects the now-ancient time when black metal was only made by individuals who were truly dedicated to it. “In my reality, no other kind of black metal exists,” he firmly states.
Truly, the evidence is there with Sorgteid‘s first public recording, the full-length Natt av Tusen Dödsfall. Endearingly and engagingly familiar yet done with the deft nous for which V-Khaoz is known, Sorgteid‘s first salvo is based purely on intuition and the man’s need “to get quite old stuff out of my head – no future, no past.” Existing within those reverently stringent boundaries, Natt av Tusen Dödsfall unveils a landscape rife with melancholy and madness, nostalgia and nightsky mysticism, fury and wonder woven together with elder chainmail forged in the fires of olde. Eight songs across 37 minutes are more than sufficient to paint the atmospheres and sensations that seemingly exist out of time. The album’s no less raw nor polished than it needs to be; rather, it IS, unyielding and undying.
No references required here – as ever, V-Khaoz’s work stands tall on it its own – but for those who still hold dark medieval times in their hearts, Sorgteid‘s Natt av Tusen Dödsfall poignantly offers a portal to those glorious times.
Release date, cover, and tracklisting to be announced shortly. For more info, consult the link below
Today, Osmose Productions announces September 30th as the international release date for Pestlegion‘s highly anticipated second album, Sathanas Grand Victoria, on CD format. The vinyl LP version will follow later this year.
The German black metal kommando Pestlegion was founded in 2012. They released the CD-EP March To War in 2014, the debut album CD Dominus Profundum in 2017, and the 7″ vinyl EP Entsage Gott in 2018.
With Sathanas Grand Victoria, Pestlegion return with a grim black assault on all that is holy. Their 2022 album destroys all hope for a better future by focusing on the essence of human life and efforts; it concentrates on death itself, the final victory of the seducer of mankind. The four German maniacs composed eight songs which lead into a dark and lost existence, surrounded by fear and infernal thunder. Pestlegion soundscapes are wide and dynamic but primitive and analogue at the same time.
Mixed and mastered by Sodom drummer Toni Merkel and backed up by Tom Angelripper’s vocals, Pestlegion clearly show that they deeply stick in the old-school beginning of black metal but propel the genre to a new and ghastly highlight, compounding darkness, speed, brutality, and atmosphere to a sheer cacophony…supporting everything which sounds unholy or even dead.
First track premiere to be revealed on August 30th at the Black Metal Promotion YouTube channel. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Pestlegion’s Sathanas Grand Victoria 1. Intro 2. We Deny Thy Name 3. The Portal 4. Into The Golden Valley 5. Ketzer Reim 6. Sathanas Grand Victoria 7. Adjuration Of The Elder Gods 8. Entsage Gott 9. The Warlock’s Curse
Today, Ohio black/death barbarians Manticore stream the entirety of their long-awaited fourth album, Endless Scourge of Torment. Set for international release on July 15th via Hells Headbangers on CD and cassette tape formats – the vinyl LP version will follow later this year – hear Manticore‘s Endless Scourge of Torment in its entirety here:
Formed at the dawn of the new millennium, Manticore have been a persistent and prolific force in the black/death underground, always sticking to their guns and defying convention with quality over quantity. That they released their pivotal Ritual Cleansing of the Whore EP through Judas Iscariot’s late/great Breath of Night label in 2002 should not go understated: from the very beginning, Manticore managed to create a wild ‘n’ warring sound that marries the muscularity of death metal with the graven aura of black metal, all performed with possessed and ritualistic execution. And although they’re just now set to release their fourth full-length, the power-trio have released a treasure trove of splits with the likes of Morbosidad, Bestial Mockery, Grave Upheaval, Sweden’s Kill, Canada’s Necroholocaust, and Obeisance among others, underlining their dedication to the true underground, when tape-trading, zines, and fliers were still king.
Still, a Manticore album is always a momentous event, and especially more so for the forthcoming Endless Scourge of Torment – the band’s first full-length in ten interminably long years. Indeed, while they did release a split 7″ with the aforementioned Kill last year, Manticore here sound filthier and more refreshed than ever, their pulsing ‘n’ pustulent sound sharper than ever. And therein lies the magic of Manticore in general and Endless Scourge of Torment in particular: for such a gnarly ‘n’ gnawing sound, one inherently drowned deep in the primordial muck, the trio evince a startling clarity, which only serves to make their ever-sturdy songwriting that much stronger. To that, Manticore‘s songwriting here efficiently straddles the line between bursts of angular bestiality and slow ‘n’ swirling doom, the latter perhaps strangely crystalized by a surprise cover of Twisted Sister’s “Captain Howdy.” Elsewhere, Markus Kolar (ex-Kommandant, Forest of Impaled, Sarcophagus etc) provides the album’s intro and subtle orchestration on various songs, and it’s all topped off by nightmarishly detailed cover art courtesy of NetherTemple Design and interior art for each song by Dahmer Art.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” or so the cliche goes. That “black/death” underground has undoubtedly changed since the year 2000, but Manticore are still here – still potent, still feral, still very much Manticore. This is the Endless Scourge of Torment the faithful deserve!
Preorder info can be found HERE. Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Manticore (Ohio)’s Endless Scourge of Torment 1. The Fields of Torment 2. Thy Seed through the Fire 3. Breath of Plague 4. Empty Eyes, Hollow Temples 5. Halo of Vermin 6. Defiled by Supremecy 7. In Dark We are Enslaved 8. Captain Howdy [Twisted Sister cover] 9. Enveloped In Hatred 10. Requiem for a Worm 11. Abrahamic Obliteration
New York/New Jersey metal collective TOMBS is now sharing “Murder Legendre,” ft. Dwid Hellion of INTEGRITY. The song can be heard here:
“Murder Legendre” is the final single from TOMBS‘ upcoming ‘Ex Oblivion’ digital EP. All songs will be available via Bandcamp, YouTube, and across all streaming services while a vinyl counterpart will be announced at a later date.
‘Ex Oblivion’ can be pre-saved across all digital platforms HERE and downloaded via Bandcamp HERE.
The EP follows up TOMBS‘ 2020 full-length, ‘Under Sullen Skies,’ which was released in November of 2020.
The cover artwork for ‘Ex Oblivion’ was created by Mike Goncalves and can be found below along with the tracklist.
There’s a line from Mike Hill’s audiobook/tour diary of ANODYNE’s 2004 European tour in which the gravel-throated frontman affirms, “I will always outwork you.” In that case, Hill was referring to an incident in Germany early on during a six-week long overseas jaunt with his previous band. In actuality, however, he could have been talking about any instance between when he first picked up a guitar as a teen and the present. Whether it’s his history dating back to previous bands OTIS, ANODYNE, KING GENERATOR or VERSOMA, his ongoing solo work in VASILEK, the more recent SCORPION THRONE project or his thirteen year reign as the driving force and nerve center of post-black metal institution TOMBS, hard work is second nature and nothing will keep the guitarist/vocalist from creative endeavor and expression. And it’s not just music in which his propulsive work ethic has gleaned results: Hill also is the CEO and roast master at Savage Gold Coffee (a labelling nod to TOMBS’ 2014 album of the same name), the host/producer/creator of the Everything Went Black podcast, host and producer of Gimme Radio’s Metal Matters flagship podcast, the creator and co-host of horror podcast Necromaniacs as well as a stalwart in the print and online journalism world covering music and MMA fighting. His is, has been and always will be a life steeped in dedication and with unassailable drive in the cross hairs. And despite the world being put on pause, Hill refuses to curtail his innate determination and ongoing tenacity with the result being TOMBS emerging with the next chapter in its impressive catalog and growing legacy: the band’s fifth full-length, ‘Under Sullen Skies’.
“The week VERSOMA broke up in 2007, I started TOMBS,” he says, recalling how, characteristically, the band started before any dust was permitted to settle. “The initial rehearsals ended up being the bulk of material that showed up on the first [self-titled] EP. The intent from the beginning was to get back to playing music I wanted to hear and to not be so concerned with genre or satisfying anyone else’s desires. It was to do music on a personal level and be a reflection of the darkness I’ve felt throughout my life.”
Formed in the gritty corners of pre-gentrified Brooklyn, NY, TOMBS’ early mandate was steeped in the harshness and atonality of black metal but dosed with trace amounts of the varied influences and inspirations ingrained in Hill’s musical muscle memory by previous bands. “The canon of music TOMBS has created has spanned several different genres, but I’ve always had it my intent for there to always be a certain amount of violence and hardness lurking the background.”
Those early years delivered splits and singles, the highly revered ‘Winter Hours’ debut in 2009 and Decibel’s 2011 Album of the Year, ‘Path of Totality’. Never one to sit still, ‘Path of Totality’ was followed by appreciable and impressive amounts of touring in accordance with the lauding afforded by critics and fans and the braying of foes, which only served as fuel for Hill’s perseverance. Savage Gold came three years later after which a restless Hill began nudging TOMBS’ black metal base into territories populated by gothic and death rock artists like FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM and SISTERS OF MERCY as well as avant-garde purveyors Caspar Brotzmann and Live Skull while never forgetting – or being able to – scrape the grime of NYC from under his fingernails. The addition of a second guitar and live keyboards/samples brought a fuller sound and allowed noise sequences and soundscapes to be brought to the live show. It was around the time of 2016 ‘All Empires Fall’ EP that TOMBS punctuated its iconoclastic spirit and thought process. Despite then-being part of the Relapse Records family, the band struck out with the intent of self-releasing the EP in order to retain as much independence as contractual obligations would allow – retaining the digital and publishing rights while eventually licensing the record back to Relapse.
A one album stint in 2017 under the Metal Blade banner birthed ‘The Grand Annihilation’ into the world where TOMBS took broader and more daring steps into buffering black metal with morose melody, sullen death rock and classic METALLICA chugging. Following a parting from Metal Blade, the band – now completed by drummer Justin Spaeth, guitarist Matt Medeiros and bassist Drew Murphy, who are also 3/4ths of New Jersey death metal crew KALOPSIA – quickly found a home on Season of Mist and issued the ‘Monarchy of Shadows’ EP literally a week before the world went into Coronavirus lockdown.
“The original strategy assumed we would be on the road for most of 2020,” says Hill with a lamenting laugh. “We had a sick tour with Napalm Death planned right after the EP’s release. We were going to record the new full-length before the tour and have it come out in the fall. There was all kinds of tour talk and plans and 2020 would have been a tour-de-force of TOMBS activity in the United States and Europe. Obviously, none of that is happening, but we’re still going ahead with the record.”
Of course they are. Throw a hurdle in front of Mike Hill and he’ll never shy at rolling up his sleeves and taking on the challenge. Even with the world in shutdown mode, Hill is still brimming with enthusiasm about the input and work ethic of the current TOMBS lineup and how Spaeth, Mederios and Murphy stepped up to the plate in the creation of ‘Under Sullen Skies’.
“Everyone contributes on this record and the door has always been open for others to do so. There has always been this misconception that I’m some sort of tyrant always telling people what to do and play. The fact of the matter is that most of the time I outwork people; that’s just the way I am. No one is ever going to outwork me on any level in any area of my life and I was always coming up with material. Now, I have these maniacs in the band who are equally motivated and there’s a whole new life injected into TOMBS. That’s awesome and I love it. These days we’ll try anything and we actually write stuff and throw it out because it’s not perfect. It’s more like a writing committee, which I really appreciate. It’s not just me writing everything. It’s a big difference from ‘The Grand Annihilation’ which was basically a solo record.”
‘Under Sullen Skies’ is this lineup’s second kick at twisting black metal’s DNA around dank emotional corners, psychological turmoil and the urban underbelly all of which is unavoidably coloured and touched by the present-day status of life on this here Earth.
“The album’s title came during all this and the sort of post-apocalyptic world we’re living in,” Hill explains. “It encapsulates an overall feeling of gloom and depression which is pretty much how we’ve been living for most of this year. The title was the last piece to fall into place. I remember standing on the roof of the building I was living in at the time on a grey day and it was raining – actually, it wasn’t even raining; it was a half-assed attempt at rain! – and depressing and I just thought, ‘What a sullen sky’ and it just stuck with me.”
The album starts with “Bone Collector,” a furious blast of melodic black metal that shifts gears towards an anthemic fist-pumping slog through the goth rock-thrash metal VENN DIAGRAM. “Void Constellation” takes as many cues from Peaceville Three gloom and doom as it does the death metal stomp of OBITUARY and INCANTATION. “Descensum” mines the various well-worn parts of Ride the Lightning for influence before blasting the doors open with some startlingly spacious chromatic single-note atonality. As the album progresses, further textures and moods are employed via acoustic instrumentation and keyboards as well as sampled soundscapes all butting heads with furious second wave black metal and sly to nods to death rock heroes SISTERS OF MERCY and FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, all of the band’s motivations and interests being dropped into the chameleonic pair of tracks closing the album, “Sombre Ruin” and the appropriately titled “Plague Years.”
“‘Barren’ stands out as the song that’s most collaborative,” notes Hill. “Justin wrote the bulk of the riffs on that one, that sort of NWOBHM/SCORPIONS ending part is something I came up with, Matt added a bunch of guitar harmonies over it and Drew’s bass is laid thick underneath. That one is one of the biggest group efforts and one of the strongest songs on the record.
“I explore a lot of the archetypes that are used in folklore on this record, like werewolves and vampires which I’ve always been interested in, and on a song like ‘Secrets of the Black Sun’ I talk about the finite nature of our time on this planet, that nothing is really permanent and being aware of that whether as an individual or as a civilization, which I guess fits in with the pandemic and the changes that are going on. There are all kinds of other people, civilizations and creatures that have come and gone long before us and if you think about it over a long enough time span, everyone’s life expectancy goes down to zero.”
The new album not only sees Hill expanding his creative and collaborative comfort zone by wholly embracing the offerings of his band mates, but he’s also let down the drawbridge to allow folks from beyond the immediate TOMBS family to include what he describes as “mad guest spots.”
“There’s Cat Cabral, who does the spoken word piece on ‘Angel of Darkness.’ She’s not a musician per se; she’s more from the occult and witchcraft world. I’ve been friends with her for a really long time and she’s a great resource for esoteric knowledge. She’s also an actress who has done plays and commercials and been in films, so I figured she’d be the perfect person to deliver dialogue in an emotionally deep way, and be good at taking direction. Ray Suhy from SIX FEET UNDER rips the guitar solo in ‘Barren’ and that solo is its own masterpiece, in my opinion. BLACK CROWN INITIATE and former TOMBS live guitarist Andy Thomas contributed a guitar solo in ‘Void Constellation.’ Todd Stern from PSYCROPTIC plays the solo in ‘Mortem.’ Sera Timms from IDES OF GEMINI and BLACK MATH HORSEMAN does guest vocals on ‘Secrets of the Black Sun.’ We’ve got INTEGRITY’s Dwid Hellion singing the chorus on ‘The Hunger’ and BLACK ANVIL’s Paul Delaney also doing a couple of verses on ‘Angel of Darkness.’ So, yeah, there are a bunch of people on there and it’s like a community effort which I enjoy. I like involving people I respect and having them be a part of the whole thing.”
After spending his entire adult life navigating the pitfalls and pratfalls of the industry for expressive and creative opportunity, Hill has amassed an impressive legacy, one that ‘Under Sullen Skies’ contributes to admirably and irreverently. Like most, the extreme music underground lifer and veteran is probably justified in approaching the future with very muted optimism, but while the world works at screwing its head back on straight, Hill is going to do what he wants to do as well as he possibly can. Uncertainty may reign at the moment, but Hill and TOMBS are still going to do their thing and will be content to please themselves in the process. If anyone else happens to be along for the ride, then welcome aboard.
“’Under Sullen Skies’ is a dark and introspective album,” he asserts. “It’s not a happy record that anyone is going to use to get pumped up on a Friday night. We wanted to pull out the stops, go full-on and make a nice body of work. I could care less if anyone likes the band or not because I’ve been through so many ups and downs with this thing that I don’t give a fuck if people enjoy the music. I know I like it, I know the guys in the band like it and we’re just rocking and rolling. This record and the EP came out about as close as I could imagine to what I have in my brain about how this band should sound. The whole trajectory of the band has had each record never quite hitting, but ‘Monarchy of Shadows’ and ‘Under Sullen Skies’ have both really come out how I envisioned the songs to be.”
Recording Lineup: Mike Hill – guitar, vocals Justin Spaeth – Drums Drew Murphy – Bass, vocals
Guest Musicians: Dwid Hellion (INTEGRITY) – modified piano & noise on “Murder Legendre” Dan Higgins (HAMMERFIGHT, ENGINEHEAD)– lead guitar on “Killed by Death”
Album Credits: “Ex Oblivion” Recorded by Justin Spaeth at the Tombs Metal Compound, Keyport, NJ May, 2021 Mixed by Bobby Torres at Frightbox Studio, Clifton, NJ, June, 2021
Today, Hells Headbangers announces August 12th as the international release date for the highly anticipated fifth album of Italy’s Barbarian, Viperface, on CD and cassette tape formats. The vinyl LP version will follow later this year.
Since signing with Hells Headbangers in 2016, Barbarian have truly hit their stride. First came their third album, Cult of the Empty Grave, which found the power-trio in fiery form – or, “Absolute Metal,” as they called it – taking all the rudiments of their first two albums and exploding the band out of the underground. Then, a year later, came a self-titled 7″, which offered an even rowdier take on their now-trademark blackened traditional metal. It also saw them touring the United States for the first time, spreading their dark gospel to untouched heathen shores. Then, in 2019 came their masterful fourth album, To No God Shall I Kneel, hitting a highwater mark with their “Obtuse Metal.”
So, what’s next for Barbarian? The “Regressive Metal” of fifth album Viperface! “Our approach to metal is regressive,” the band declare. “By means of metal retrogardism, we interrogate the present – do we really need so many sheep and shepherds today? Heavy metal is the whip, and you bleed!” Indeed you shall bleed across the taut ‘n’ tight 37-minute Viperface, thrilling to the high-octane Motorcharge of its seven component tracks. While “sticking to their guns” or even “more of the same” are backhanded compliments (at best) to other bands, Barbarian aren’t “other bands,” and there’s no reason to fix or falter from such a noble foundation as theirs. For the earliest works of Omen, Celtic Frost, Manowar, and Running Wild are revered and recast yet again, the riddle of steel still pondered and pursued, as Viperface evinces that same uniquely Barbarian balance between the ancient and the fresh. Some of it may be darker or drunker or more uplifting or perfect for lifting weights or whatever – but this is 666% Barbarian at the height of their powers, not yet ready to descend from that mount.
Absolute Metal! Obtuse Metal! And now REGRESSIVE METAL! Step back or step aside with Barbarian‘s Viperface!
In the meantime, hear the previously revealed track”Fourteen Daggers” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Barbarian (Itay)’s Viperface 1. Viperface [5:51] 2. Chant of the Inflicter [5:31] 3. Whisper My Name [5:22] 4. Charity Defiler [3:29] 5. A Feast for the Beast [5:14] 6. Fourteen Daggers [5:31] 7. Regressive Metal [3:37]
Today, Armageddon Label and Agipunk Records announce August 12th as the international release date for a brand-new EP from Wolfbrigade, Anti-Tank Dogs, on 7″ vinyl format. This record will be released in North America by Armageddon Label and in Europe by Agipunk.
Since their formation in 1995, then under the moniker Wolfpack, Wolfbrigade have become one of the most enduring – and influential – forces in the worldwide hardcore-punk scene. Particularly at the turn of the millennium, when the revamped moniker was invoked, Wolfbrigade have etched a unique sound that draws in the locomotive surge of D-beat with the crushing intensity of death metal; some would call it “crust,” but the band evade easy categorization with every record they release. And seven albums in and more than two decades touring worldwide under the Wolfbrigade banner, the “Lycanthro Punks” show no signs of slowing down.
If anything, Wolfbrigade have aged gracefully – if such a thing is allowed in punk and metal – almost like a fine wine. Case in point: the crushing new three-track EP Anti-Tank Dogs. This 12-minute stormer is a welcome reminder of how these Swedes have consistently remained a cut above the countless legions playing under the wider crust/metalpunk umbrella. Heavy as hell, a metal-tinged Discharge-meets-Motorhead on a hellbound train pounding out three tracks of their downtuned D-beat devastation, Wolfbrigade show a new aspect with the epic, Orgasmatronic B-side “Necronomion” – gloomy, haunting, an evocative atmosphere for post-apocalyptic times. Everything is brought into crushing clarity by the mastering courtesy of Magnus Lindberg (Converge, Cult of Luna, Tribulation, Hellacopters).
“On Anti-Tank Dogs, we stare down into the abyss of conformity,” state the band. “It’s our journey to the twilight world, the underground, a place that has no map or directions. Just follow no rules, abide by no laws, obliterate all obstacles, dismiss fear, and tell everyone to fuck off. Born to breed!”
In the meantime, hear the brand-new title track “Anti-Tank Dogs” here:
Preorder info for the North American version can be found HERE, and preorder info for the European version can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Today, Purity ThroughFire announces September 15th as the international release date for Wyrms‘ highly anticipated fourth album, Sarkhral Lumænor – La lueur contre les fléaux, on CD format.
One of the most tyrannical and melodic black metal bands from France returns with their latest opus to bring light and burn the parasites and blights of the fallen western kingdom. Indeed, while hailing from the always-exciting French black metal scene, Wyrms have often been overlooked despite plugging away on an invigorating discography. Theirs is a wild ‘n’ winding sort of black metal shot through melancholy and malice, romanticism and ruination, rats clawing their way upward from the gutters of medieval Europe. Their previous three full-lengths have nonetheless endeared Wyrms to a diehard fanbase.
However, based on the power and poignancy of the band’s brand-new Sarkhral Lumænor – La lueur contre les fléaux, the name Wyrms should surely be on the tongues of far more black metallers soon enough. Led, as ever, by the iron fist of founder Tedd, Wyrms‘ multihued attack explodes right from the beginning, whipping forth an insanely melodic dervish that’s impossible to deny. Truly, the roots stretching back to the late ’90s school of melodic black metal are here in full force, but the uniquely maudlin touch of the Francophile medieval scene is equally present, skillfully bridging past, present, and future. And with the shortest songs being six-and-a-half minutes and the longest nearly topping 10, it goes without saying that Sarkhral Lumænor – La lueur contre les fléaux personifies the word EPIC.
Maniacs for Sühnopfer, Véhémence, Darkenhöld, Ungfell, and especially stylistic lynchpins Sacramentum, you’ve met your medieval match with Wyrms‘ Sarkhral Lumænor – La lueur contre les fléaux!
Get medieval with the brand-new track “L’envoyé des flammes” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Wyrms’ Sarkhral Lumænor – La lueur contre les fléaux 1. La messe de l’épée [6:32] 2. Fort blanc et bêtes noires [6:23] 3. Entre gueux et rats [6:27] 4. Trouble mort [6:26] 5. L’envoyé des flammes [7:11] 6. Dans l’hiver et dans la nuit [9:57]
