Today, French epic metallers Ecclesia premiere the new video “Et Cum Spiritu Tuo” . The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Ecclesia Militans, set for international release on March 8th via Aural Music. See & hear Ecclesia‘s “Et Cum Spiritu Tuo” video in its entirety here:
Ecclesia play dark & epic HEAVY METAL heavily influenced by traditional doom. Since their formation as a trio in 2016, this now-fully-formed army of French Inquisitors released the demo Witchfinding Metal of Doom in 2017 and the Aural Music-released debut album De Ecclesiæ Universalis in 2020 for all the sinners around the globe.
Armed with purifying fire, blessed swords, and Holy Rage, Ecclesia‘s lyrical themes deal with the 12th Century dark medieval age of Holy Inquisition. On Ecclesia Militans, one will find a perfect syncretism between traditional heavy metal and epic doom, recalling the likes of Candlemass, the UK’s Solstice, and especially Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath. Ecclesia‘s proselytism will convert fans of those as well as anyone who can feel the righteous fervor of medieval brimstone – now confess your sins!
Also hear the previously revealed “If She Floats” HERE at Ecclesia‘s Bandcamp, where the album can also be preordered. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ecclesia’s Ecclesia Militans 1. Vade Retro 2. If She Floats 3. Et Cum Spiritu Tuo 4. Antecclesia 5. Ecclesia Militans 6. The Exorcism 7. Ereptor Verae Fidei 8. Redden the Iron 9. Harvester of Sinful Souls 10. Quis ut Deus
Today, Dutch black metallers Verwoed premiere the new track “The Madman’s Dance”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, The Mother, set for international release on March 29th via Wolves of Hades and Argento Records. Hear Verwoed‘s “The Madman’s Dance” in its entirety here:
The journey of the Dutch enigmatic Verwoed has been one in continuous synergy with sonic exploration and innovation. This blazing entity returns with a much-anticipated fourth release and second full-length album, an awe-inspiring and utterly immersive experience in creative profundity by the title of The Mother.
The past has already witnessed the virtuous way Verwoed contemplated and traveled through unfathomable aural stratospheres brimming with feeling, intensity, and a sense of visceral commitment. The Mother perceives the Utrecht project as taking a step further in the direction of the abyss, an epic of splendor and imposing nature, bursting with emotion in the form of striking riffs that offer an electrical pallet of eclectic, evocative, and utterly cathartic songwriting.
Aided by a superbly captured production, the sonic quality of The Mother is drenched in dynamics with an organic power felt in the deepest depths of the dark night of the soul. Such character is overflown through a musical tapestry that is both complex and emotionally resonant, whether by the incredibly enticing and pulsing drumming performance, driven with and by a sense of variation and symbiosis, or the fervorous sensation purveyed by the electric traits aforementioned and the passionate and brutally ardent vocals, offering a visual representation of the poignant scope contained within each track.
To be released by Wolves of Hades and Argento Records on March 28th, The Mother invites the listener to a mesmerizing and innermost experience, a monument to introspective realms, a prayer of blood and fire conveyed with raw momentum.
Also hear the previously revealed “The Child” HERE at Wolves of Hades‘Bandcamp. Cover artwork, courtesy of Joost Vervoort, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Verwoed’s The Mother
1. A Prayer of Blood and Fire [4:04] 2. The Mother [9:32] 3. Seven Trumpets [1:55] 4. The Child [6:55] 5. The Madman’s Dance [8:14] 6. A Choir of Null and Void [4:39] 7. Death in a Rosary [8:25]
Today, Finnish black metallers Nocturnal Sorcery stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Captive in the Breath of Life. Set for international release on February 9th via KVLT, hear Nocturnal Sorcery‘s Captive in the Breath of Life in its entirety here:
Despite forming in 2011, it wasn’t until August 2022 when Nocturnal Sorcery made their full-length debut. Fittingly titled The Holy Law in Total Ruin, Nocturnal Sorcery‘s debut album in no uncertain terms laid forth a fiery-yet-freezing path for these Finns: paradigmatic Finnish BLACK METAL, but harkening to the ancient fires of the ’90s rather than more millennial expressions of such. Granted, the band by then were hardly “new” – prior, they’d done two demos and a split – but The Holy Law in Total Ruin scorched Nocturnal Sorcery‘s name into the black metal underground.
Now, a year and a half later, Nocturnal Sorcery return to torch that path once again with Captive in the Breath of Life. As doubtlessly presaged by its throwback cover artwork, Captive in the Breath of Life is about as authentically mid ’90s black metal as you’ll currently find in that clogged underground. The rudiments are largely the same – because, after all, black metal doesn’t need to “be” anything other than what it already is – but here do Nocturnal Sorcery dial back the melodicism for a quicker-hitting blast of ice-cold, hateful hypnosis. As such, the song lengths aren’t as epic as its predecessor and the ripped-raw execution is even more palpitating, but the sum effect is utterly stultifying: arguably more so than The Holy Law in Total Ruin, Captive in the Breath of Life fully sounds like some unearthed gem from 1995, cryogenic and rotting but boundlessly potent.
Nostalgic ears will paradoxically be warmed by Captive in the Breath of Life, while all others will cower when faced with these filthier spells of Nocturnal Sorcery. The line in the snow has been drawn, deeper than ever! To celebrate this reckoning, the band will perform an album-release show on February 10th in Vantaa, Finland with Poland’s Arkona and fellow Finns Black Beast and White Death.
Aforementioned cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Nocturnal Sorcery’s Captive in the Breath of Life 1. The Dark Secret 2. Oath at Mt. Hermon 3. Cry of The Wounded Heaven 4. Captive In The Breath of Life 5. Spectral Force 6. Beyond Salvation 7. Joyless Dance in the Shadow 8. Redemption at Daybreak 9. Damned by The Law of The Stars 10. Lucifer’s Shade 11. Along the Path of Fire
Prepare to delve into the abyss of existential turmoil as MERRIMACK unveils their haunting third single, Under the Aimless Spheres. A visceral exploration of existential angst and spiritual dissolution, the track echoing the band’s enigmatic mastery and captivating lyrical depth.
The lyrics, laden with poetic intensity, evoke a journey through the tormented landscapes of the soul. “We hope in her loins for the assumption, The oath is palavered at her breast,” beckons a cryptic exploration of faith and disillusionment, while “Far from the south of descend, We must confront our gravities” challenges the listener to confront the weight of their existence.
With each verse, MERRIMACK navigates the contours of existential despair, casting light on the ferments of stone and the sighs of the earth. Under the Aimless Spheres serves as a poignant approach to the human condition, where the sacred and profane converge in a tumultuous dance of divine contempt and mortal longing.
‘Of Grace and Gravity’ is out March 8, 2024 on Season of Mist: Underground Activists.
Track-list 1. Sulphurean Synods (6:42) [WATCH] 2. Sublunar Despondency (7:07) 3. Dead and Distant Clamors (5:35) [LISTEN] 4. Wounds that Heal (6:44) 5. Starving Crowns (8:05) 6. Under the Aimless Spheres (7:01) [LISTEN] 7. Embalmer’s Wine (6:59) Total: 48:13
MERRIMACK are back with their new album ‘Of Grace and Gravity’. Their third release for Season of Mist arrives after the re-print of their long sold-out debut ‘Ashes of Purification’, which followed the sizeable impact that their last album, ‘Omegaphilia’, had on the Black Metal Scene.
MERRIMACK can be categorised as extreme traditionalists that are driven by a burning desire to hone their skills and striving to bring their art to perfection. The band was founded by guitarist Perversifier a.k.a. Amfortas in 1994 with a clear vision to keep the black metal flame burning as an act of aesthetic terrorism – as adamantly based in the underground as opposed to any attempts to co-opt, commercialise or turn the style into a self-parody. Introduced by a number of demo recordings (‘Prologue’ – 1995, ‘Act 1’ – 1995, ‘Horns Defeat Thorns’ – 2001) and split releases (with Hirilorn in 1998 and Sargeist in 2002), the French gained respect in the scene by remaining true to their words.
Although MERRIMACK decided to reach out to a larger audience with the release of their first full-length ‘Ashes of Purification’, the Parisians did not sever their roots with the underground at any time. With the following albums, ‘Of Entropy and Life Denial’ (2006) and ‘Grey Rigorism’ (2009), MERRIMACK closed ranks with the most influential, active, and authentic acts of the French black metal scene. Their classic combination of harsh sound with epic structures appealed to critics and fans alike and put the band on their celebrated first US tour with MARDUK and NACHTMYSTIUM in 2009.
After recording ‘The Acausal Mass’ (2012) in the legendary Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, DESTRÖYER 666) again, MERRIMACK embarked on a European tour with Norwegian icons MAYHEM and accepted invitations to prestigious festivals such as Hellfest in their native France, Germany’s Party-San Open Air and Summer Breeze as well as Montreal’s Messe des Morts in Canada. With their previous album, ‘Omegaphilia’, MERRIMACK were breathing fresh life into an exhausted genre. While ignoring epithets such as progressive, post-, and avant-garde, the French focused on razor-sharp songwriting, captivating melodies, and close to perfect arrangements.
The ensemble now presents their latest album ‘Of Grace and Gravity’, an aural journey where grotesque assemblies of roosters and goats languish at the foot of heavens. Wallowing guitars and hypnotized passages of blasting drums collide with gravity-bound atoms in oblivious occlusion. MERRIMACK, in their enigmatic mastery, expose the futility of belief in occult ministries and slashes at the mask of the sky. The listener, questioned in their faith of the shadows and occult idols. Dare believe in the sulfurous whispers echoing through this blackened masterpiece.
Today, Dutch black metallers Duindwaler premiere the new track “Vaderlands vuur”. The track is the second 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 “Vaderlands vuur” 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.
Hear 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]
Italian doom metal & dark wave maestros PONTE DEL DIAVOLO are set to embark on a captivating journey across Italy with the announcement of their Fire Blades From the Tomb release tour. The band is poised to bridge the gap between worlds, taking their unique blend of classic cultish doom metal infused with post-punk and dark wave to audiences across 11 unique dates in Italy, and one in Switzerland.
PONTE DEL DIAVOLO has already left a trail of anticipation for their upcoming album Fire Blades From the Tomb with the release of three singles so far. Demonewove a dark narrative inspired by esoteric themes and mysticism. They followed up with their second single Covenantwith dark and doomy bass lines that swarm like a sky full of thunderclouds. With Nocturnal Veil, the band casts a deadly spell with gloomy clarinets, clanking cymbals and whip-cracking riffs.
Fire Blades From The Tomb is out February 16, 2024 on Season of Mist.
“So proud to announce the first part of our Italian tour 🔥. It’s an honor to share the stage with so many great bands from the national and international scene (see details). We are looking forward to play in some of the most important music festivals in Italy as well, such as Frantic Fest, Molto Male Fest and Church of Crow Fest. See you out there!“
Fire Blades From the Tomb Tour 2024 – Part I: February 24 – Genoa, IT @ La Claque w/ Malombra March 1 – Turin, IT @ Ziggy Club w/ Shores of Null March 2 – Mantua, IT @ The Academy w/ Shores of Null, Die Sünde April 12 – Milan, IT @ Circolo Bellezza w/ Sacri Suoni April 13 – Liestal, CH @ A-Way w/ Black Oath April 26 – Rome, IT @ Traffic w/ Otus April 27 – Modena, IT @ NotteTempio May 5 – Pinerolo, IT @ Church of Crow Fest w/ Shape of despair, Dawn of winter May 17 – Vicenza, IT @ CSA Arcadia w/ October Tide May 18 – Bergamo, IT @ Molto Male Fest w/ Bongzilla, Raw Power, Hate e Merda June 1 – Erba, IT @ Centrale Rock Pub w/ Voland August 16 – Francavilla al Mare, IT @ Frantic Fest w/ Marduk, Darvaza, Undertakers
Track-list 1. Demone (5:00) [WATCH] 2. Covenant (6:56) [WATCH] 3. Red As The Sex Of She Who Lives In Death (6:20) 4. La Razza (8:03) 5. Nocturnal Veil (5:17) [LISTEN] 6. Zero (5:26) 7. The Weeping Song (5:33) Total: 42:35
PONTE DEL DIAVOLO bridges the gap between two separate worlds.
The Italian band proposes a Doom / Black metal sound with old-school roots, adding a modern and outside the box background. The female voice – with strong dark wave influences – is the lyric corpus of this strongly esoteric project. The solid presence of two bassists creates the massive foundation for the rhythmic guitar, everything marked by a raw and dynamic drumming.
Mystery of Mystery / Secret Live Session marked the quintet’s debut EP. It was recorded live and without editing at Dracma Studio with the producer L’Ossario in their home base of Turin in March 2020.“I” was released on the web by Iopan Records. It was soon followed by their second single, “The Wickedest Woman In the World”.
At the end of 2021, Ponte Del Diavolo recorded their second EP, Sancta Menstruis at Deepest Sea Studio in Turin with Danilo Battocchio. The first single, “The Unborn”, arrived in February 2022.
The band’s third EP, Ave Scintilla!, was also recorded in Turin. This time around, they reconvened at Dracma Studio with L’Ossario.
Now that they’ve signed with Season of Mist, Ponte Del Diavolo are ready to release their debut album. Fire Blades From the Tomb forges classic, cultish doom metal with modern bents of post-punk. Lead single and opening track “Demone” is whipped along by a boiled black bass line and dark-wave induced vocals.
Guest Musicians Andrea l’Abbate – Synth on ‘Covenant’. Lucynine – Theremin on ‘Covenant’. Vittorio Sabelli – Clarinet on ‘Covenant’, ‘Red as the sex of She who lives in death’ & ‘Nocturnal veil’. Davide Straccione – Vocals on ‘The weeping song’.
Today, Finnish black metallers Hollow Woods stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants. Set for international release on February 2nd via Signal Rex, hear Hollow Woods‘ Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants in its entirety here:
In many ways, Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants is a natural continuation of Hollow Woods‘ debut album, Cold Winds Cleave the Earth, from 2021. Familiar elements – pure & proud BLACK METAL, done with personality and charisma – are recast in more varied ways. The production across the album is a bit more airy compared to that debut, but still far from overly polished. Likewise, overt aggression is dialed down a bit to make room for more epic passages, where acoustic guitar gives support to powerful clean vocals. As no doubt presaged by the album’s title, lyrical themes here deal with nature mysticism, atavism, and specifically slash-and-burn as a metaphor of personal growth unburdened by the past. For the first time, select passages of lyrics are published as ciphers for the song’s themes. To usher in Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants, Hollow Woods will be performing at the Howls of Winter fest in Estonia during February 2024.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Hollow Woods’ Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants 1. Ancient Graves 2. Beneath the Dying Tower 3. Night Burns Through 4. Halls of Idle Breath 5. Interlude / Among Ruins 6. Burial Fires 7. Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants
Today, hiking metalpunk horde Dödsrit premiere the new track “Celestial Will”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated fourth album, Nocturnal Will, set for international release on March 22nd via Wolves of Hades. Hear Dödsrit‘s “Celestial Will” in its entirety here:
Shrouded in Gyllbergen’s mist, and the sentient essence of the nocturnal fire burning within, Dödsrit hereby unveils its fourth beckoning, entitled Nocturnal Will.
With six hymns, Dödsrit purvey triumphant atmosphere, archaic strength, and mournful rejoice where every note reverberates with the weight of devotion and suffering.
Restless and visceral, these unhallowed tomes beckon the mournful chants from its resonant harmonious introduction to the victorious dagger in the very core of the cosmos under the celestial will of heroic bloodshed.
Utterly dynamic and organic, Nocturnal Will carries the elements of a record to be beheld through the ages. From feral wailing vocals, coupled with intricate guitar work – blazing with catchy-yet-somber melodic leads and acoustic lines – to the unrelenting rhythmic, percussive assault, a symbiotic maelstrom of sound is created with captivating and harrowing virtues.
Written in blood and fire, Nocturnal Will carries the nostalgia and grief of olden days into a new Aeon, with a will and command, a genuine fervor that shines beyond the burning ember and the smothering ash.
Also hear the previously revealed “Nocturnal Fire” HERE at Wolves of Hades‘ Bandcamp. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover artwork, courtesy of Burney, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Dödsrit’s Nocturnal Will
1. Irjala [10:37] 2. Nocturnal Fire [8:03] 3. Ember and Ash [0:45] 4. Utmed Gyllbergens Stig [4:33] 5. As Death Comes Reaping [10:45] 6. Celestial Will [8:29]
Today, Brazilian dark metallers Litosth stream the entirety of their highly anticipated third album, Cesariana. Set for international release on February 2nd via Personal Records, hear Litosth‘s Cesariana in its entirety here:
Litosth is the physical manifestation of the visions of Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Maicon Ristow and bassist Wendel Siota. Founded in 2016, Litosth channel a torrent of feelings and life principles in the form of music, which definitely does not respect any type of barrier or limitation.
Formed by members of the most prominent black metal bands in Latin America (Patria, Mysteriis, Swords at Hymns, Dark Celebration, I Gather your Grief), Litosth bring a new approach and a breath of fresh air with their unique way of creating music. Following two albums – 2019’s Crossed Parallels of Self Refraction and 2022’s Farther From the Sun – Litosth are now set to release their third full-length, Cesariana. Armed with absolutely top-notch production, Cesariana sees the duo go even deeper in their quest, delivering a mix of almost unthinkable influences. The basis is melodic black metal of a most ’90s vintage, but threading inside and out this visceral work are everything from dark pop from the ’80s, epic classical music, and a wide swath of other metals – doom and dark metal, especially. Cesariana is thus a work that feels boundless and brave, all the while exhibiting a focus that’s exceptionally concise given that breadth.
But, lest one think Litosth are betraying their black metal roots, think again: Cesariana contains a massive amount of melodic black metal grandeur, cosmic and symphonic in equal measure, sheathed in a soundfield that allows all atmospheric undercurrents to vividly convey the band’s vision. That theme sees Cesariana as a resilience manifesto, written in eight songs that celebrate the tragedy and the curse about the fact of being alive, even against one’s will. It is a cry not of agony, but of revolt – against the establishment, and against the magic formula for happiness. And it was never just music…
Behold one of the new year’s boldest and biggest-sounding records with Litosth‘s Cesariana!
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Litosth’s Cesariana
1. In Waves 2. Whipping Bottles 3. Time Doesn’t Heal 4. The Clay Messiah 5. A Ofensa 6. The Argonaut 7. Caesarean 8. The Vaccum Extractor Paradigm
Today, epic black metallers Hasturian Vigil stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Unveiling the Brac’thal. Set for international release on February 2nd via Invictus Productions, hear Hasturian Vigil‘sUnveiling the Brac’thal in its entirety here:
Formed in the Dimension of Chains, with cosmic chaos and deathmagick, Hasturian VigilL seek to relinquish mortal ignorance with their brand of black metal, inspired by Mortuary Drape, Absu, Mercyful Fate, Negative Plane, and Zemial as well as a dose of classic heavy metal. Both familiar and foreign, the resultant four-song Unveiling the Brac’thal debut album comprises 33 minutes of epic, archaic splendor – labyrinths of majesty & malice that scourge the mind and body with equal relish. You want riffs? There are RIFFS. You want leads? There are LEADS. What about mystery and mysticism? Tons. A veritable bounty of black METAL, the Riddle of Steel draped in sensuous obsidian.
Indeed, the Irish two-piece walk their own path across Unveiling the Brac’thal, conceptualizing an entirely original mythos, inspired by authors such as Lovecraft, Machen, Lord Dunsany, and Yeats. This “Yith-Melle” mythos is embraced with their fascination for cosmic dread, deranged pantheons, and unspeakable curses! Thus, the power-duo of Cxaathesz and Shygthoth strike both as guides and teachers, torches ablaze with illumination almost incomprehensible to mere mortals. Prepare for the preachings of Hasturian Vigil!
In the scriptures of mortal men, there exists a pallet of stars and flesh… Yith-Melle, the dimension of chains… Where the resonance of deathmagick spurted the cosmic architect, decorated in a million eyes and teeth… The creator of plague and torment… A crack in the world has opened… To unveil the Brac’thal…
Cover artwork, courtesy of Canopic Ire, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Hasturian Vigil’s Unveiling the Brac’thal 1. Ikaath the Seven Horned [10:08] 2. Apparitions of Torment [7:22] 3. Nine Bellowing Hounds [7:00] 4. Velvet Paintings Gaze [7:57]
