Today, Hells Headbangers announces November 26th as the international release date for Hunters Moon‘s long-awaited debut album, The Great Pandemonium, on CD format. The vinyl LP version will follow next year.
Seemingly a lifetime ago, in an underground metal scene far removed from that of today, an inconspicuous entity named Hunters Moon made its recorded debut in 2006 with a two-song demo. Stridently traditional, nevertheless did this mysterious Australian entity offer hazily addicting black metal of a most Bathorian bent. Three years passed before the band’s first EP, The Serpents Lust, courtesy of Hells Headbangers. Here, the veil was lifted about the band’s membership – featuring past and present members of Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves – but still did Hunters Moon evocatively expand that Bathorian black metal, becoming stouter and more epic, and assuredly different than those erstwhile bands.
Alas, many years passed – a dozen, in fact – but at long last do Hunters Moon make their full-length debut with The Great Pandemonium. Indeed, immediately is it felt that the band’s sound has evolved greatly since the no-less-considerable The Serpents Lust. With a veritable arsenal of songwriting at their disposal, Hunters Moon here equally range drawn out mid-tempos along with fast and chaotic riffing. It’s a thrilling balance they walk with utmost aplomb, giving The Great Pandemonium remarkable dynamics and high drama. What’s more, the sense of the epic from prior short-length works is heightened across this long-form record, no doubt driven by a dark melodic undercurrent which ignites the atmosphere of ancient black metal.
Most of all, perhaps, is the massive production prominently displayed across The Great Pandemonium, giving Hunters Moon an extremely tangible physicality so often lost with nowadays “metal” records. Drummer D.M. has joined fulltime, and his drums were recorded in a bluestone church built in the 1800s. To that, some of the album’s lyrics and themes were inspired by John Martin’s Paradise Lost illustrations as well apocalyptic and biblical paintings, which is provocatively echoed in the cover artwork courtesy of Misanthropic-Art.
The culmination of songs and concepts spanning the last decade, truly titled is The Great Pandemonium. Hunters Moon enter their next decade of existence with fiery fanfare, and continue to write new material with the intent of more regular studio albums.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Hearse for a Barren Earth” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Hunters Moon’s The Great Pandemonium 1. Torn by Talons 2. Storm of Hail and Fire 3. Pilgrims Exile 4. Rebellion 5. Bridge Over Chaos 6. Drag Them to the Coffins 7. Red Death 8. Hearse for a Barren Earth
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions sets December 10th as the international release date for a brand-new 7″ EP from Black Cilice titled Tomb Emanations.
By now, Black Cilice should require no introduction. Arguably THE most pivotal raw black metal entity of the last decade, this Portuguese enigma has come to both define and defy that idiom. Unmindful of the present, not looking to the future, and undoubtedly rooted in the past, Black Cilice simply IS, and its vast body of work speaks for itself: challenging, for sure, but transportative and transcendental beyond compare.
Tomb Emanations comprises two brand-new (or brand-old?) tracks exclusive to this release. No more but definitely no less, this is Black Cilice at its hysteric, hackle-raising best. By turns triumphant and melancholic, absurdly blown-out but keenly nuanced, and mesmerizing – and melodic – every step of the way, Tomb Emanations truly lives up to its title. Long may Black Cilice reign, even when lording over the short-length realm.
Hear the latest sounds of that reign with the brand-new track “Returning From Dimensions Below” here:
Icelandic atmospheric rock ‘n’ rollers SÓLSTAFIR and Norwegian Sognametal brigade VREID have joined forces for a unique and spectacular event! On October 15, these legendary performers will unveil a collaborative concert stream in which they will transport viewers right from their living rooms to the breath-taking mountaintops of the bands’ respective homelands. The performance is free to watch, but generous fans may donate as they wish via VIPS and PayPal. The stream will air live at 3:00 P.M. EST // 19:00 GMT // 21:00 CET via the Season of Mist YouTube Channel and members from both bands will be in the chat!
The ACROSS project is a cinematic experience that brings two unique artists together to share their cultural identities and bridge the sea between the two fjords. Spectacular views of the Storehogen Mountain in VREID’s hometown of Sogndal, Norway and of Hellisheiði in SÓLSTAFIR’s native Iceland lay the majestic backdrop for this one-of-a-kind, 90-minute long digital streaming event. Each band’s signature sound rings through the cavernous expanse, creating a symbiotic musical dialog that can be heard from across the globe.
SÓLSTAFIR‘s Aðalbjörn Tryggvason comments: “Playing live music in sideways rain on moss grown lava. They wanted something Icelandic. Doesn’t get any more Icelandic than this.”
VREID songwriter and bass player Jarle Kvåle adds: “SÓLSTAFIR‘s and VREID‘s stories are two parallel stories of the north. In this weird world, our paths have crossed on several occasions and this time they have merged into something new. This is the third streaming event VREID has done, and in many ways, it represents the end of a trilogy for us. This time we have recorded the show in a place very special for us, probably the most monumental and iconic place of our beloved home region of Sogn. Join us as we go ‘Into the Mountains.’”
VREID will be heading out on a Norwegian tour in October / November 2021, with special guests DJERV and THE NEW DEATH CULT. SÓLSTAFIR have previously announced a lengthy European co-headlining tour with KATATONIA, early 2022. Find all confirmed shows below.
VREID w/ DJERV and THE NEW DEATH CULT 22 Oct 21 Trondheim (NO) Byscenen 23 Oct 21 Oslo (NO) Parkteateret 29 Oct 21 Karmøy (NO) Arctic 30 Oct 21 Kristiansand (NO) Kick 05 Nov 21 Sogndal (NO) Meieriet 06 Nov 21 Hamar (NO) Gregers 07 Nov 21 Bodø (NO) Sinus
SÓLSTAFIR w/ KATATONIA 21 Jan 22 Tullikamari (FI) Tampere 22 Jan 22 Kulttuuritalo (FI) Helsinki 23 Jan 22 Helitehas (EE ) Tallinn 25 Jan 22 Stodola (PL) Warsaw 26 Jan 22 Huxleys (DE) Berlin 27 Jan 22 Longhorn (DE) Stuttgart 28 Jan 22 Batschkapp (DE) Frankfurt 29 Jan 22 Roxy (CZ) Prague 30 Jan 22 Arena (AT) Vienna 01 Feb 22 Akvarium Klub (HU) Budapest 02 Feb 22 Backstage Werk (DE) Munich 03 Feb 22 Komplex 457 (CH) Zurich 04 Feb 22 Live Club (IT) Milan 05 Feb 22 Ninkasi Kao (FR) Lyon 07 Feb 22 Kapital (ES) Madrid
08 Feb 22 Apolo (ES) Barcelona 09 Feb 22 Metronum (FR) Toulouse 11 Feb 22 O2 Forum Kentish Town (UK) London 12 Feb 22 O2 Ritz (UK) Manchester 13 Feb 22 SWX (UK) Bristol 14 Feb 22 Garage (UK) Glasgow 15 Feb 22 KK’s Steelmill (UK) Wolverhampton 17 Feb 22 Rockhal (LU) Luxembourg 18 Feb 22 Patronaat (NL) Haarlem 19 Feb 22 Essigfabrik (DE) Cologne 20 Feb 22 Trianon (FR) Paris 22 Feb 22 Trix (BE) Antwerp 23 Feb 22 Gruenspan (DE) Hamburg 24 Feb 22 Amager bio (DK) Copenhagen 25 Feb 22 Rockefeller (NO) Oslo 26 Feb 22 Fållan (SE) Stockholm
Today, Seance Records sets November 26th as the international release date for a special anniversary album from Black Crucifixion, Triginta, on CD and cassette tape formats.
“When we started, the thought that we would still be relevant 30 years later seemed absurd,” says founding vocalist/guitarist Forn. “But as the times we live in the western culture have reached new levels of absurdity, we seem to have our own small mission going stronger than ever. Satan is the Adversary, and there is more to oppose now than in 1991.”
The 30th anniversary album Triginta features three new tracks and carefully chosen live versions of Black Crucifixion‘s material throughout the three decades of their career. And as was the case with Coronation of King Darkness (2013) and Lightless Violent Chaos (2017), the Finnish prog rock legend Rekku Rechardt again plays lead and rhythm guitars on Triginta.
Black Crucifixion played their first show in August 1991 in Finland, sharing the stage with their compatriots Beherit, Impaled Nazarene, Sentenced, Amorphis, and Belial. That evening was the kick-start for a long career in the shadows, always remaining a cult band known for the quality of their output. With 2020 being quiet on the live front due to current, uncontrollable world events, the band has not been idle, still working creatively and collaborating with Seance Records to compile this addition of the new and the old to their ongoing legacy for the band’s 30th anniversary.
“During the 30 years of our career, Black Crucifixion has always had musical diversity – inside the natural stylistic boundaries of our work,” says E. Henrik, bassist and multi-instrumentalist since 1992. “Triginta offers moments of joy and recognition for people who appreciate any phase of our three-decade-long career.” Meanwhile journalist Juho Mikkonen, who provides liner notes for Triginta, describes the band as “Being the cult amongst cults – that’s Black Crucifixion’s existence in a nutshell. They’ve been around since the very birth of Finnish black metal.”
But Black Crucifixion‘s output went silent around 1994, only to re-emerge in 2006 with the Faustian Dream album which they had been working on for ten years. Since then, they have released three critically acclaimed albums, delivering their unique brand of black metal in a manner that cannot be mistaken for anyone else. There’s a reason why bands like Primordial dedicate songs to Black Crucifixion!
“We celebrated our 20th anniversary with the Hope of Retaliation album that had new studio tracks on one side and live renditions of older material on the other,” continues Forn. “That release opened the vein for our new artistic era, producing two full-length albums and now Triginta.”
Forn calls this new EP, with the retrospective bonus addition of career-spanning live material, the perfect bookend for the band’s current era. “Together, these four discs – Hope of Retaliation (2011), Coronation of King Darkness (2013), Lightless Violent Chaos (2017), and Triginta (2021) – form a trilogy of three full-length albums and should be enjoyed as such.”
Thirty years on and Black Crucifixion’s flame still burns strong, and when we consider if they should be mentioned in the same caliber as legendary Finnish bands of the same era such as Beherit, Impaled Nazarene, or Archgoat, the answer is summed up by Juho Mikkonen’s liner notes in Triginta: “Black Crucifixion has developed into the caliber of a band that deserves to be mentioned next to no one.” And rightly so, because Black Crucifixion‘s artistry is their own and unlike anyone else. The band is truly unique, with a creativity carefully honed yet unfettered by expectations, stereotypes, and conventionality, instead ignited with a fearless and boundless dark creative soul. Their lineage may be shared from the early days of black metal, but their path is their own and always will be.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Beyond Linkola” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Black Crucifixion’s Triginta 1. Night Birds Fall Upon You 2. Beyond Linkola 3. Throneburner 4. Bitten by the Long Frosts of Life (live) 5. Frailest (live) 6. As Black as the Roses (as Weak as My Smile) (live) 7. Wrath Without Hate (live) 8. Retaliation (live) 9. Black Crucifixion (live)
BLACK CRUCIFIXION on Triginta E.HENRIK – basses, woodwind, keyboards, guitar, soundscapes E.R.KILL – guitar FORN – voice, soundscapes, guitar P.A. TOTENRAUM – drums REKKU RECHARDT – guitar
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions sets December 10th as the international release date for a brand-new EP from Rope Sect, Proskynesis, on CD and 10″ vinyl formats.
Since their humble debut in 2017 with the Personae Ingratae EP, Germany’s Rope Sect have quietly built a formidable canon of work in just a few short years, culminating in last year’s massively hailed The Great Flood debut album. While an undoubtedly unique entry for Iron Bonehead, Rope Sect‘s eerily minimalist deathrock speaks to the darkness in everyone, whether they’re full-on metal or far from that. Simply, power and poignancy come in many forms, and Rope Sect have secured theirs with an idiosyncratic sound that continues to find new listeners across a wide spectrum of experience.
And that idiosyncratic sound receives unique punctuation with the Proskynesis EP. Comprising six songs, Proskynesis is a record of two distinct halves. The first half comprises three brand-new tracks called “Proskynesis” I, II, and III which mainly focus on ovation in form of a eulogy: a homage to the force that is manifested in the King of the Night – a worship of the ideas and ideals of the sect that were secretly ignited and built up to a grand fire which will even survive and endure the great flood and therefore remain forever. The second half of Proskynesis comprises old songs that have only previously been released digitally. As such, they differ from the characteristic Rope Sect sound, maintaining a more electronic sound – arguably, even more minimalist – and recorded solely by mainman Inmesher. Even within these even-more-Spartan confines, the band’s sound simmers with an electricity that’s undeniable and infectious. Together, both halves make for an illuminating totality that runs parallel and perpendicular to Rope Sect‘s mesmerizing march to greatness.
Follow that march with the brand-new video for “Proskynesis III” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Rope Sect’s Proskynesis
1. Proskynesis I 2. Proskynesis II 3. Proskynesis III 4. Handsome Youth 5. Lava 6. Odisseia
Blood Harvest Records is proud to present Cadaveric Fumes‘ long-awaited first (and final) album, Echoing Chambers of Soul, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats. The CD and tape versions will be released on December 10th while the vinyl version will follow in January 2022.
“It has been five years long wandering. Five years of efforts trying to reinvent our sound, searching for a meaning to keep on playing this beloved genre of music. Through sweat and blood. This meant experimentations, lineup restructuration, songs written then thrown in the bin, exhaustion.
“But here we are. Ten years after the inception of the band, it’s here. Our debut and final album, Echoing Chambers of Soul.
“We dreamt this record for a long, long time. Burning ourselves into it until we burn the band itself. But the result is our biggest pride, and we hope you’ll like it as much as we do.
Since their formation in 2011, Cadaveric Fumes were at the forefront of France’s now-burgeoning death metal scene. Patiently, they perfected their craft over the course of a debut demo in 2012, a split mini-album with Demonic Oath in 2014, and especially the breakout Dimensions Obscure mini-album in 2016, courtesy of BLOOD HARVEST. At once classically inspired and tastefully forward-thinking, on Dimensions Obscure did Cadaveric Fumes forego the all-manic/all-the-time morbidity for a highly dynamic and nuanced take on death metal. Granted, flashes of mid ’80s insanity and early ’90s darkness remained, but a cool confidence was at play here, heightening the songcraft to inflict both maximum cranial damage and spiritual atmosphere. Indeed, the sky seemed the limit…
Or perhaps it was the abyss? For Cadaveric Fumes stayed patient yet quiet, releasing a three-song demo in 2017 and then a split 7″ with fellow French comrades Skelethal the next year, and now arrives their final recording, which just so happens to be their first full-length: Echoing Chambers of Soul. Going out on the grandest of notes, Cadaveric Fumes‘ first/final album keeps one foot planted in the band’s not-inconsiderable past and another in equally-dazzling new territory. Truly, Echoing Chambers of Soul is aptly titled, for there’s an ominously spacious MURK here – but unlike so many trendy “cavernous” bands of the past decade, Cadaveric Fumes are skilled songwriters (keenly note SONG) and are equally skilled at finding that elusive nexus between “pure” and “progressive.” There’s a stomp and strut here that’s stultifying to behold – pure early ’90s panache, and authentically so – but then arises from that murk godly leads and other finessed touches of texture, making Echoing Chambers of Soul both spirit-crushing and -uplifting. We’d even deign to call it “beautiful” if not for the ever-present darkness so central to death metal…and then, like that, Cadaveric Fumes fade to the ether and cease to exist.
An exquisite corpse is left behind, and we’re all to wonder what might’ve been? “Cadaveric Fumes has always been a band of friends,” they say. “We started as a three-piece band with no real ambitions other than playing the brand of death metal we love. Then we had a demo out and our name started circulating in the underground, which solidified us as a real band. But friendship, like family, sometimes has its flaws, and as the years went by, some of us lost interest in keeping Cadaveric Fumes their main priority. In respect for this friendship that goes beyond any band feuds, we decided to end this ten-year-long ride on good terms, releasing an album we have teased for years and dreamt for even more.”
Cadaveric Fumes respectably break up and leave behind what’s bound to be a modern classic. A veritable portrait of (death metal) Dorian Gray, enter Echoing Chambers of Soul forevermore.
Begin entering with the brand-new track “The Engulfed Sepulcher” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Cadaveric Fumes’ Echoing Chambers of Soul 1. Exordium [2:13] 2. The Stirring Unknown [4:31] 3. A Desolate Breed [6:14] 4. Waters of Absu [2:43] 5. The Engulfed Sepulcher [5:00] 6. In Cold Astral Sleep [4:37] 7. Voidgazers [7:55]
Today, ancient death metal upstarts Hideous Death stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut demo, Remnants of Archaic Evil. Set for international release on October 1st via Invictus Productions on cassette tape format, hear Hideous Death‘s Remnants of Archaic Evil in its entirety here:
Hailing from Norway, Hideous Death are a new entity with an old spirit – VERY old. True abominations of desolation, the band’s righteously raw attack harkens to eldritch ’80s sensibilities like Death, Slayer, Possessed, and very earliest Morbid Angel. Familiar, yes, but filthy and furious!
Formed at the beginning of 2021, Hideous Death took shape when guitarist The Archfiend “put together a bunch of songs based on riffs I’d had in my head for for a while that didn’t fit me and [drummer] The Horrifier’s other band, during a few days of inspiration – a message from Hell, perhaps?” Indeed, and it bears the all-too-fitting title Remnants of Archaic Evil. The band’s first recording is short and sweet – four songs in 16 minutes – and while firmly in the rabid deathrash tradition, subtle sensations of epicness and especially a sense of melody, without sacrificing the requisite aggression, crop up and prove that Hideous Death are well on their way to further slaying.
“Basically, creating songs that can stick in your head and that are straight-to-the point both musically, lyrically, and visually,” The Archfiend concludes. “Not ironically retro or ‘tongue in cheek,’ but a very genuine homage of sorts to something that has been a huge part of our lives for many years – underground metal.” Behold Hideous Death‘s Remnants of Archaic Evil!
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Hideous Death’s Remnants of Archaic Evil 1. Desolate Plains of Hell 2. Master of Damnation Fires 3. Thundering Doom 4. Remnants of Archaic Evil
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
