Today, Signal Rex announces May 1st as the international release date for Brakel‘s highly anticipated debut album, Wranger Wanen, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
The first full-length recording of Belgium’s Brakel, Wranger Wanen comprises nine songs across a time-evaporating / stretching 27 minutes. Signposts among raw black metal’s elite exist here – be it Black Cilice, Candelabrum, Múspellzheimr, or those orbiting the Signal Rex-endorsed Clandestine Circle of Aldebaran – but beneath the alternately shocking / shimmering soundfield bubble torched debris of power electronics. Hateful and ghoulish in equal measure but utterly alien in effect, the ghostly surge of in-the-red decibels across Wranger Wanen get wrangled into obscene shapes; with all those indeterminate pulses underneath, sometimes Brakel‘s sound approaches the mechanistic…if the Industrial Revolution was visualized in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, such is the expressionist horror on display.
No identities, no fun, no past, no future: Brakel assault the unsuspecting with Wranger Wanen.
Get unsuspectingly assaulted by the brand-new track “Tegen Geweten” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Brakel’s Wranger Wanen 1. Overdal 2. Kwadeplas 3. Grauwkraal 4. Tegen Geweten 5. Dwaalrag 6. Oude Maart 7. Blâan 8. Zonderling En Drang 9. Nevel Neer
Today, Dutch black metallers Duindwaler premiere the new track “Alle rust verdwenen”. The track is the third to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, In het Heemskerks duin, set for international release on March 21st: Void Wanderer Productions and War Productions will handle the digipack CD and digital versions while Zwaertgevegt will handle the cassette tape version. Hear Duindwaler‘s “Alle rust verdwenen” in its entirety here:
Embark on a harrowing journey into the abyss with In het Heemskerks duin, the full-length debut offering from Dutch black metal entity Duindwaler. An enigmatic force in the realm of black metal, this album transcends the boundaries of sonic extremity, casting a shroud of darkness that engulfs the listener in an otherworldly experience. Draped in the haunting atmosphere characteristic of black metal, In het Heemskerks duin is a sonic tapestry that weaves together blistering tremolo-picked guitars, playful basslines, thunderous blastbeats, and anguished vocals. The relentless assault of sound is punctuated by its overall harshness and the lack of intros.
The album’s production is a sonic descent into the abyss, with a raw and unpolished sound that captures the primal energy of the music. The guitar tones cut through the mix like icy winds, while the drums reverberate like thunder, creating an immersive auditory experience that transports the listener to desolate, otherworldly landscapes.
In het Heemskerks duin stands as a testament to Duindwaler‘s unwavering commitment to the black metal aesthetic, pushing the boundaries of the genre while remaining true to its roots. With each track, the wanderer invites the audience to confront the shadows within and embrace the cathartic release that can only be found within the dark, tumultuous realms of black metal. Brace yourself for a journey into the heart of obscurity, where the dunes of Heemskerk awaits to envelop you in its chilling embrace.
Also hear the previously revealed “Vaderlands vuur” exclusively HERE, courtesy of the This Is Black Metal YouTube channel, as well as the previously revealed title track “In het Heemskerks duin” exclusively HERE, courtesy of ZwareMetalen.com. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover artwork, courtesy of A.A.W.R., and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Duindwaler’s In het Heemskerks duin 1. Vaderlands vuur [7:52] 2. Razende wind [4:37] 3. In het Heemskerks duin [6:45] 4. Het duister bestormd [5:18] 5. Alle rust verdwenen [5:31] 6. Schim in de duinen [6:06]
Today, Chaos Records announces April 19th as the international release date for Antagonyze‘s highly anticipated debut album, Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness, on CD and cassette tape formats.
Formed in 2019 and hailing from the always-thriving Chilean underground, Antagonyze are a death metal band founded by guitarists Ignacio Riveros and Francisco Álvarez and bassist Mateo Gutiérrez. Soon enough, they began their first compositions and later recruited drummer Moisés Aguayo and the ex-vocalist to complete the formation. By the end of that first year, Antagonyze achieved some support in the local underground metal scene with some live shows. Not long after, the band recording their first work, Echoes From Soul, a demo cassette that was originally released in May 2020. This was an independent release and was thus limited to 33 copies. After that, the label Infernal South Productions offered to release the demo in a pro cassette version, which came July 2020, limited to 140 copies.
Due to the pandemic, Antagonyze were forced to stop their activities, but during this period, the band continued working on new compositions from home. By late 2020, the ex-vocalist left the band, and in 2021, the drummer Moisés Aguayo had time-commitment troubles due to his job. In this moment, the band recruited Alvaro Mora as new vocalist and Nicolás Cavada as drummer, both from the city Los Ángeles, which is near to their home of Nacimiento. This lineup boost proved to be a boon, as Antagonyze began changing lyrics and adding new drum rhythms and nuances to preexisting songs. With this new formation, the band began to play more shows and gain more followers, sharing the stage with the likes of fellow Chilean bands Serpent Throne, Apostasy, Repugnatory, Soul Rot, Strigoi, Radamanthys, and Peru’s Morbo Satan among others.
By the end of 2022, Antagonyze decided to re-record the best songs of Echoes From Soul and add new songs to create a new full-length work titled Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness. Thick and throttling, Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness more than lives up to its title, unleashing a torrent of twisted & twisting death metal of a most ’90s vintage. Frequently dipping into doomier corridors, Antagonyze always whip forth forward momentum, varying their attack with violence and class, particularly in their lead work, which remains richly melodic in its bottomless darkness. The production, too – recorded by Felipe Cadenas at Estudio Chains, with mixing & mastering by Ignacio Riveros – makes these ten Interpretations hit that much harder and with devastating dynamics.
For those who wisely prize the ’90s works of Immolation, The Chasm, Shub Niggurath, and Mexico’s Cenotaph, go further south of Heaven with Antagonyze‘s Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Paradoxical Panic Essence” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Antagonyze’s Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness
Today, mystic black metallers Darkestrah reveal the new track “Nomad.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated seventh album, set for international release on March 29th via Osmose Productions. Hear Darkestrah‘s title track ” Nomad” in its entirety here:
On Nomad, their seventh full-length album, Darkestrah venture further on their chosen path of Epic Shamanic Black Metal. Sharp black metal riffing and traditional Central Asian melodies, verses from Kyrgyz epic poetry, and visions of spiritual quests are all woven into the fabric of this new opus.
With a new lineup consisting of long-term veterans and fresh blood, Darkestrah have never been in better shape.
Preorder link can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Darkestrah’s Nomad
1. Journey Through Blue Nothingness [2:12] 2. Kök-Oy [8:00] 3. Nomad [9:29] 4. Destroyer of Obstacles [9:28] 5. Quest for the Soul [9:43] 6. The Dream of Kojojash [4:51] 7. A Dream That Omens Death [1:45]
Raw black metal fanatics have a new source to satisfy their endless lust for sonic blood! Connecticut’s own CEMETERY MOON has returned on the heels of a glorious 2023 to unleash Inside the Dark Kingdom in two volumes. Each serving contains five tracks recorded at rehearsals over the course of January and February 2024. When taken together, they contain three new songs — “Temporal Bloodletting,” “The Wretched City,” and “The Black Keep” — along with seven re-recordings from last year’s self-titled debut album.
Apparition, the band’s lead singer and one of its guitar practitioners, elaborates on why the band decided to put these releases together:
“After we released the album last year, we brought on Usurper as our drummer and thus the band was finally a fully-functioning entity. These two demos give the listener a chance to hear the album material with Usurper’s drumming, and provides a taste of what’s to come with the newest songs. It also allowed us to embrace our DIY instincts and put together some material in a spur-of-the-moment fashion.”
He goes on to describe the sound of each volume:
“As these are rehearsal demos, the sound is decidedly raw and stripped down. However, we still took care to make sure everything could be heard and that the spirit of the music would possess anyone who listened. Volume One contains our most brutal and uncompromising material, along with our most progressive and epic song, “Temporal Bloodletting.” Volume Two is the moodier release, one that shows our penchant for introspection and exploration, while still displaying our devotion to black metal art.”
Finally, he concludes:
“More than anything, it allows us to show the world our progression as musicians and performers. All four of us brought so much to the band when we came together, and we’ve already come so far since then. If “The Wretched City” and “The Black Keep” are any indication, we’re just getting started.”
Both volumes of Inside the Dark Kingdom are now available on Bandcamp and all streaming services.
About CEMETERY MOON:
CEMETERY MOON began in 2015, as Apparition set out as a one-man black metal project. Over the ensuing years of stylistic development, CEMETERY MOON would expand into a fully formed band with a self-titled debut album in 2023. The band’s first few live performances overwhelmed audiences with the sheer ferocity and musicianship on display — from Apparition’s scorching vocal delivery and his dual guitar riff barrage with Langeloth, to Astoroth and Usurper’s expert-level displays of rhythmic punishment. Now with two new demos out, a second full-length in the works, and a series of shows lined up, the band seeks to continue its conquests and expand the Dark Kingdom’s borders ever further.
CEMETERY MOON is: Apparition: Lead vocals, guitars Astoroth: Bass Langeloth: Guitars, backing vocals Usurper: Drums
In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, Memento Mori are extremely thrilled to announce a new signing: Reckless Manslaughter, from Germany.
Summoned in North Rhine-Westphalia in November 2008, the walking corpse known as Reckless Manslaughter is living proof that death has many faces, covering all tempo variations and unaware of trends or conventions, all the while maintaining a core personality of their very own. To descend into the nether regions where these death metal acolytes dwell is to be left to fester in a desolate and fathomless realm whose landscape is filled to the brim with violent blasts, crushing mid-tempo sections, gloomy doom-ish parts, and atrocious growls, rounded off with a sprinkling of eerie Finnish melodies. Expect nothing but uncompromising Metal of Death, total-underground worshipping, and utter annihilation.
Reckless Manslaughter are recommended for fans of Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, Demigod, Sinister, Immolation, Monstrosity, Benediction, Brutality, Asphyx, Cannibal Corpse, and Suffocation.
Reckless Manslaughter‘s fourth full-length is due out on October 21st. Memento Mori will release the CD version, and Fucking Kill Records will take care of the vinyl LP version. For more info, consult the links below.
Today, Purity ThroughFire announces March 21st as the international release date for Order of Nosferat‘s highly anticipated fifth album, The Absence of Grace, on CD, A5 digipak, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
By now, those well versed in the crimes of Purity ThroughFire should be aware of Order of Nosferat. Emerging from the shadows in early 2021, the duo of Count Revenant and Anzillu released TWO full-lengths that year: Necuratul and Arrival of the Plague Bearer. And while both underground veterans are no strangers to black metal, the variety they unleashed with Order of Nosferat was most definitely OLD, in every sense of the word: undead vampiric black metal had truly arisen! Like (vampiric) clockwork, two more full-lengths followed the next year – Nachtmusik in March and Vampiric Wrath Unleashed – proving that their bloodthirst could not be sated. While 2023 was relatively quiet, Order of Nosferat “only” released a split album with Lunar Spells, showing a more nuanced and atmospheric side to their vampirism.
Now that nuanced / atmospheric shift fully blooms with The Absence of Grace, Order of Nosferat‘s fifth full-length. Utilizing a unique production style – crisp and cutting but somehow brittle, exceptionally ethereal in its effect – the duo here move a more measured pace, patiently doling out their emotive marches with both misery and mania, somehow sounding dead and incensed simultaneously. Whilst moving within the vampiric black metal idiom, it’s an unapologetically sorrowful canvas on which they paint – “bloody tears” staining everything, to invoke Castlevania – poignantly illustrating the titular The Absence of Grace. Order of Nosferat‘s characteristic moonlit synths brilliantly shine here, moving to the fore and melding seamlessly with their cresting & cathartic riffing. All the sadness and nostalgia that the duo have created so prolifically the past four years comes to a climax with The Absence of Grace! Where that cursed coffin ship sails next, only Order of Nosferat know…
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Devoured by Lurking Shadows” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Order of Nosferat’s The Absence of Grace 1. Behold the Rising Horrors 2. Floating with the Ravaged Ones 3. In This Solitude We Dwell 4. Devoured by Lurking Shadows 5. Scratch out my Face on Every Portrait 6. Under the Sinister Shroud of Isolation 7. The Absence of Grace 8. Blood Stains the Fallen Snow 9. Cruelty Bestowed Revelation 10. Remain in Everlasting Silence
Today, Purity ThroughFire announces March 21st as the international release date for Granitader‘s highly anticipated debut album, Der Wald zwischen den Welten, on digipack CD format.
One of the most fully formed black metal entities of recent times, Granitader burst into brilliance with their debut full-length, Der Wald zwischen den Welten. After but an EP last year, the German quintet’s first full-length displays a masterful grasp of songwriting and dynamics as well as confidence and charisma to spare. Granitader are old souls who exude the effervescence of the new; their continually cresting surge recalls pagan touchstones like Windir, Falkenbach, or Germany’s Horn closer to home, as well as Drudkh’s more cinematic moments. However, the wind beneath the wings of Der Wald zwischen den Welten is the album’s overarching theme: a homage to their – as well as Purity ThroughFire‘s – home area of Erzgebirge, the Ore Mountains that are an UNESCO world heritage site, as well as older German history. Truly, it all comes together as one breathtaking blast of classically austere German black metal, but poignantly brimming with a heroic, almost-positive aspect that’s simply impossible to deny. The spiraling lead-work is categorically sublime, and helps elevate Granitader to the top of today’s pagan black metal pack. Completing this complete package is the professional & powerful production, encasing their bravado in a sheen wholly befitting of its majesty. Let Granitader guide you through Der Wald zwischen den Welten!
In the meantime, see & hear the brand-new video for “Heimat” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Granitader’s Der Wald zwischen den Welten 1. Intro 2. Ødensjakt 3. Heimat 4. Miriquidi 5. Nathan 6. Geister des Nordens 7. Varus feat. Baptist (Mavorim) 8. Netsche 9. Der Wald zwischen den Welten
Today, Purity ThroughFire announces March 21st as the international release date for Heraldic Blaze‘s debut demo, Blazoned Heraldry, on CD and 12″ vinyl formats.
From moniker to visual aesthetic and especially to the sonics themselves, Heraldic Blaze are encapsulating the oft-nebulous “medieval black metal” idiom with startling aplomb. While it’s often difficult to discern exactly what medieval BM is other than a pithy “I know it when I hear it,” Heraldic Blaze leave no doubt as to their intentions.
Witness their debut demo, Blazoned Heraldry. The duo of American multi-instrumentalist Argent Pale (vocals, bass, flute) and Norwegian guitarist Peregrinus (Hjemsøkt, Solus Grief, Unholy Craft, Kvad) create a spellbinding tapestry of rustic tones and textures. In fact, on texture alone – kinda clean and clanging, yet with more than a hint of ghostly grit and almost surfy reverb – Heraldic Blaze stand out, but it’s how they utilize those textures in the service of songwriting: winding and wild, frothing up to an almost-dangerous delirium, but more often than not leaving wide-open spaces to let their medieval melodicism bend and sway with bravado and bittersweetness. And as actual flute flutters in from time to time, the sum effect, more often than not, is ALIEN – unsettling and alluring in equal measure.
While “merely” a demo recording, Heraldic Blaze‘s first work already trounces most modern works of “black metal.” Unorthodox and unbound, Blazoned Heraldry is mandatory listening for fans of Sühnopfer, Ungfell, Grylle, Heltekvad, and particularly mid-2000s Peste Noire.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Torchbearers of Our Time” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Heraldic Blaze’s Blazoned Heraldry 1. Torchbearers of Our Time 2. The Accolade of Truth 3. Far Shooting Apollo 4. A Sovereign Spire 5. The Knight’s Folly 66. Scourge of the Sycophant
In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, on April 22nd internationally, Memento Mori is proud to present the highly anticipated third album of Spain’s Devotion, Astral Catacombs, on CD format.
Spain’s Devotion are an exemplary study in patience and persistence. Formed in 2012 near Valencia, the band have gone through myriad lineups, but have parceled out their recordings when the time was right, for maximum impact and immersion. Their debut album, Necrophiliac Cuts, came in 2015, but its year of release might as well have been 1993; Devotion are nothing if not devoted to the timeless archetype provided by death metal during its early ’90s heyday. But while many years would pass until its follow-up arrived, in 2021, The Harrowing was indeed aptly titled: split between “chants” and “dirges,” the Spaniards put on a masterclass in putrid, mid-tempo CRUSH with memorability for miles. Consistent yet different enough, Devotion between the two albums might’ve had power-trio and quintet lineups, respectively, but the path was nevertheless deliberate and (d)evolved.
Arriving quite “quickly” for their standards, the revamped-yet-again Devotion arrive all guns blazing with LP#3, Astral Catacombs. Another perfectly titled recording, Astral Catacombs is rich in atmosphere and crunch alike, taking their all-caps DEATH METAL one ladder-rung up and down that evolutionary scale. Their characteristic tank-rolling sound heads toward some truly vile paths here, almost bestial in its slaughtering impulses, moving ominously and measuredly despite the near-primal ferocity; on the same hand, a pronounced emphasis on their classy side arises, namely in the well-timed and -composed soloing, but also particularly in their songwriting movement. It’s a unique balance/tradeoff that slowly-yet-surely shows stunning growth on Devotion‘s part, lending Astral Catacombs immediate replayability to catch every (crooked) nuance and (skewed) dynamic. Put another way, we can look to the band’s primary influences of Bolt Thrower, Grave, or Morgoth for precedents: Bolt Thrower’s transition from The IVth Crusade to …For Victory, for example, or Grave’s from You’ll Never See… to Soulless, or especially Morgoth’s from Cursed to Odium. If none of that sounds palatable or enticing, then Astral Catacombs is NOT for you!
Graced with suitably ethereal cover art courtesy of Naroa Etxebarria, Astral Catacombs crowns Devotion‘s trifecta of streamlined brilliance!
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “To Dementia” here:
Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Devotion (Spain)’s Astral Catacombs
1. The Passing 2. Horror Beyond the Stars 3. In Ungraven Tombs 4. Execration 5. The Wake 6. The Cosmic Pilgrims 7. To Dementia 8. The Seething Universe 9. Astral Catacombs 10. The Evanescence
