Heilung release limited edition mead and beer!

Enigmatic world music outfit HEILUNG are proud to announce their personal created limited edition mead and beer! The special developed brews are now available HERE.

HEILUNG comment:
“It´s feasting time! We wish you all a pleasant autumn equinox , the time where we reap what we have sown and enjoy the bounty of the harvest. This year, we have a special sort of harvest to share with you: Our very first batch of our very own ALU and MJØDR. We have always liked the idea of creating a beer and a mead, and thanks to our dear collaborators in Doomstar Bookings it all got set in motion this year. The choice of breweries landed on one of the oldest Danish mead breweries Mjødgård and the well renowned Dutch beer brewers Nevel Wild Ales. Please note: This is by no means a cheap, mass-produced product with a band logo on top, this is something we have been developing after our own taste for quite some time, and pored all our love into, like with everything we do. Skåååååål!“

Doomstar Bookings comments on the collaboration:
“Doomstar Bookings is utterly proud to unveil a project that combines two of our passions; music and tasty thirst quenchers! Upon touring together late 2019 with Heilung, the idea was put forward to create a Heilung beer. That idea started a life of its own and resulted in two beautiful products, the Heilung beer named Alu and the Heilung mead named Mjøðr, respectively created by the Dutch (award winning) artisanal ale expert Nevel and the renowned Danish meadery Mjødgård Bryggeri. Both have created an excellent alcoholic beverage that totally fits the artist’s flavour desires and their historical image. A limited amount of 3500 75CL bottles of this herbalized saison tripel beer and 1100 70CL bottles of the herbalized honey wine will be released to the world this autumn equinox through our partners at Spirits for Rock, we hope you can get spiritual after indulging in this amplified tastery!“

Mead developer Mjødgård comments:
“Mjødgård develops mead from passion. We look back in time for inspiration, and we want to show that mead is modern and, as then, still a luxurious drink. Making Heilung mead with the band’s historical and natural inspiration are completely in line with Mjødgård. To combine the essence of Heilung with our modern mead we had to use Meadow Sweet as the main spice, with its roots dating back to the Bronze Age, combined with hemp, with its thousands of years of history. Nature is our greatest source why our ingrediens are all local. We want to support the preservation of biodiversity. We are therefore really proud to present a mead that builds a bridge between the world of the past and the present.“

Beer developer Nevel comments:
“Yup, that’s right! We were asked to brew for a neofolk band! Doomstar Bookings approached us, asking whether we wanted to make a traditional Scandinavian beer for Heilung, a band known for reviving traditional Scandinavian music. We could not say no to that. We are very honoured to work together with these amazing artists and we are quite proud of the result. Alu was meant to be a crowd pleaser and we knew the band enjoyed drinking Belgian classics. They opted us to work with historical herbs and ingredients. For this beer, we used a traditional Scandinavian blend of herbs (with a.o. wild bog myrtle and meadowsweet), we added caramelized honey of beekeeper Stevns and we used a traditional Belgian Saison yeast. This boils down to a floral, thirst quencing, crushable beer. This beer is different to what you are used to, especially as this is a first time for us not to use our own house culture. We wanted to make more space for Scandinavian history.“

In celebration of the collaboration, Season of Mist & HEILUNG created special and extremely limited hand-made ‘mead cups’, which are available in three different colours. These cups are available via the shop HERE.

HEILUNG‘s latest album ‘Futha’ was released on June 28, 2019. The cover artwork and further album details can be viewed below.

Track-list
1. Galgaldr (10:22)
2. Norupo (4:18)
3. Othan  (10:19)
4. Traust (9:49)
5. Vapnatak (4:03)
6. Svanrand (3:36)
7. Elivagar (8:45)
8. Elddansurin (8:05)
9. Hamrer Hippyer (14:17)
Total playing time: 1:13:34

“Ofnir” was a very masculine album. To create it, HEILUNG took a big part of the lyrics from preserved rune inscriptions on weapons and armour. “Futha” is the counterpart, the balance point, the feminine side. Here, the lyrics originate from old Icelandic poetry, in which the holy women chant magic spells and offer their blessings. Hence, female voices are more prominent on “Futha”.

HEILUNG means “healing” in the German language and this also describes the core of the band’s sound. The listener is supposed to be left at ease and in a relaxed state after a magical musical journey that is at times turbulent.

HEILUNG reach far back in time to the Northern European iron age and Viking period to create their sound experience. The band utilises many means in their songs: from running water via human bones, reconstructed swords and shields up to ancient frame drums as well as bronze rings.

When HEILUNG self-released ‘Ofnir’ in 2015, the Danish band could hardly have anticipated the breakthrough success of their debut album. Spectacular live shows, strong critical acclaim, and a massive underground buzz added to the constantly high demand for this full-length are the reason why their new label Season of Mist did not hesitate to re-issue ‘Ofnir’ in several collector’s edition formats. HEILUNG‘s live album, ‘LIFA’ (2017) was released in parallel.

The word “Futha” is taken from an artefact, that is still controversially discussed. Big names in runology like Düwel and Heizmann can agree neither on the deciphering nor the meaning of the description.…The word is engraved in a gold bracteate from Skåne (SE), which was produced around 500-530 AD. It was discovered in 1831 and these medals or coins were divided into different categories by the Swedish archaeologist Oscar Montelius. The bracteate in question is a so-called C-bracteate named Schonen II-C (Schonen is the German Name of Skåne) with a horse and a face. The rune inscription is between the hind-legs of the horse. Interesting to mention here is the fact that the majority of full rune set inscriptions start with “futh“, which also is the first three letters in all runic alphabets. It is considered that our forefathers saw magic potential in engraving the full rune line, but there is also great significance in the beginnings. Science has no key for the meaning of only engraving the first couple of letters yet, but there is a surplus of theories. This brings us to a runic staff found in Bergen, which was given the rather unpoetic archaeological classification B011. It carries the inscription: “felleg er fuþ sin bylli Fuþorglbasm”, which means: “Lovely is the cunt, may the cock fill it up”. Also interesting is that the Högstena amulet, which we use in the song “Galgaldr”, has an alternative deciphering of the word “futh“, which in this context means “cunt”. All this leaves us with two hints: magic potential and the female genitalia. The great healing power of the female wild strength is evoked in “Futha”. Those who have been present at a birth or seen a lioness hunting, know the spirit. The spirit of the “wilde Weiber” (German), the wild wise women. “Futha” endeavours to connect to a time before the female was degraded to a birth-machine and carrier of eternal inherited guilt. 

“Futha” was three years in the making and was finished for production and print at midwinter, the very darkest day of the solar year, the 21st in the 12th month at 21:00.

Any attempt to link the band with or bring their music into a modern political or religious context is pointless, since HEILUNG try to connect their listeners with a time before the coming of Christianity and modern political ideologies. 

Line-up:
Kai Uwe Faust 
Christopher Juul
Maria Franz

www.facebook.com/amplifiedhistory
www.instagram.com/amplifiedhistory
https://som.lnk.to/HeilungFutha

French black metal militants Vortex of End stream the entirety of their highly anticipated fourth album

Today, French black metal militants Vortex of End stream the entirety of their highly anticipated fourth album, Abhorrent Fervor. Set for international release on September 24th via Osmose Productions on CD and cassette tape formats – the vinyl LP version shall follow later – stream Vortex of End‘s Abhorrent Fervor in its entirety here:

Pursuing their quest for truth initiated more than ten years ago in the North-East of France, Vortex of End refines the formula developed on their previous album to spread an urgent and exalted black/death metal through Abhorrent Fervor. From the burning harshness of an old-school death metal to the fanaticism of a typically French black metal, look for verticality in this world at a standstill.


TERROR
FUROR
…
FERVOR


Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Vortex of End’s Abhorrent Fervor
1. Perdition Whorl [5:10]
2. Sovereign Wrath [6:01]
3. Golden Fragments [4:26]
4. Cascades Of Epiphanies [5:22]
5. Stygian Hexahedron [5:26]
6. Putrid Fluids [10:17]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/vortexofend

www.osmoseproductions.com

DESTRUCTO premiere new track – features members of DÖDSRIT and NUCLEAR DEVASTATION

Today, fukk-off blackspeedmetalpunks Destructo premiere the new track “Black Mark”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Demonic Possession, set for international release on November 19th via Dying Victims Productions. Hear Destructo‘s “Black Mark” in its entirety here:

The sound, attitude, and execution of Destructo is similar to the band’s moniker: destructive, merciless and total fukk-off-driven! Formed in 2018 as a side-project between erstwhile Dödsrit and Nuclear Devastation bandmates Soulcrusher and Motörphallus as a tribute to bands like Sarcofago, Syphilitic Vaginas, and Japan’s Sabbat, Destructo delivered their debut demo in 2019 – 19 minutes of total & utter destruction!

In the meantime, insanity, blasphemy, narcotics, and intoxication all played their part in inspiring Destructo’s debut album, Demonic Possession. Here, the power-trio amplify those noble influences to a fever pitch while also bringing forward influences from Bathory, Hellhammer, and especially G.I.S.M. With ten songs spanning a skull-crushing 40 minutes, Demonic Possession is a wild fucking ride, even for those prepared to get on in the first place. Cacophonic screams, primitive riffs, bulldozing bass, and berserking D-beats all collide with vocals which approximate a gnarling demon on strict diet of whiskey and amphetamines, making the album best to be enjoyed with…whiskey and amphetamines! Put another way, Destructo make an even stronger case for being the bastard child of raw and chaotic first-wave black metal blended with an unhealthy dose of ‘80s speed/thrash metal mania, Motörcharged riffs & rock ‘n’ roll grooves that creates the Devil’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!

Armed with production that’s slicing and slimy in equal measure and an overwhelming sense of danger both in songwriting and especially execution, the question remains: can you handle Destructo’s Demonic Possession? ARGHHH!!!

Also try handling the previously revealed “Lycanthro Kommando” exclusively HERE, courtesy of Deaf Forever magazine. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Destructo’s Demonic Possession
1. Succubus
2. Black Mark
3. In Service Of No One
4. Necromancy
5. Satans Hammer
6. Lycanthro Kommando
7. Total Death
8. I, Witchfukker
09. Bloodthirst
10. Demonic Possession


MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/destructoblackthrash

www.dying-victims.de 

CONCRETE WINDS set release date for new SEPULCHRAL VOICE album

Today, Sepulchral Voice Records announces November 26th as the international release date for Concrete Winds‘ highly anticipated second album, Nerve Butcherer, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

After Primitive Force in 2019, Concrete Winds now deliver their second full-length, fittingly entitled Nerve Butcherer. The content is hard to believe yet even harder to describe, as words might simply fail regarding this vile eruption of utmost hatred. The record precisely continues where its predecessor left the listener shocked and terrified. Repulsion on 78rpm, Morbid Angel hunting in bloodlust, Terrorizer infected with rabies, or Funeral Mist’s most dreadful moments may be even understatements for this (surely) god-damned cacophony.

Concrete Winds don’t want to please anybody, nor do they want to be accepted. All they want is to spread disgust and confusion; their tongue is that of perversion, abhorrence, and wrath. Ever witnessed a biblical plague of locusts? Well, dare to listen to Nerve Butcherer and you might find the sonic equivalent. Slaughterhouse atmosphere and total destruction meet even nastier moments to bang your head.

Some folks might say it can’t get worse after Primitive Force, but better beware of listening to Nerve Butcherer…as this is truly damn fucking mentally disordered!!!

First track premiere to be revealed shortly. Ambitiously recorded and mixed by Stefan Brändström at the Dustward Studio, and mastered by Phil Kusabs. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Concrete Winds’ Nerve Butcherer
1. Nerve Butcherer [2:25]
2. Chromium Jaws [3:07]
3. Demonic Truculence [1:57]
4. Industrial Mutilation [2:46]
5. Noise Trepanation [2:18]
6. Intravenous Doctrine [1:59]
7. Flaying Internecine [2:54]
8. Paroxystic Flagellator [2:01]
9. Dissolvent Baptism [4:48]
10. Astomatous Vomiting [2:44]

CONCRETE WINDS are:
Jonatan Johansson – vocals, guitars, bass
Mikko Josefsson – drums


MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/aggressivenoisetorment

MORE INFO:
www.sepulchralvoice.de 

Gaahls Wyrd announce ‘The Humming Mountain’ EP and release track

Norwegian extreme metal formation GAAHLS WYRD are now announcing their new EP ‘The Humming Mountain’. The 5-track EP will be released via Season of Mist on November 5. The band has furthermore released the first track “The Humming Mountain”, which can be heard here:

Pre-orders are now available in the shop HERE.

The cover artwork and tracklist of ‘The Humming Mountain’ can be found below. The cover photo was made by Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal. 

Tracklist:
1. The Seed (09:12)
2. The Humming Mountain (04:46)
3. The Dwell (05:01)
4. Awakening Remains – Before Leaving (07:18)
5. The Sleep (03:00)
Total: 0:29:17

Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen)-winning metal outfit Gaahls WYRD return with new mini-album The Humming Mountain. Spanning five thought-provoking songs over 30-plus minutes, the mini-album continues from but challenges the tenets of the group’s lauded debut full-length, GastiR – Ghosts Invited. Conceptually, The Humming Mountain  intrinsically ties into the pre-history of its forebear, where heady, fastidious topics of origin, creation, and consciousness are pondered, explored, and conveyed to a riveting score of reflective, if sometimes vicious metal. The Humming Mountain resides between spaces but is wholly its own artistic entity.

“I like the concept of a mini-album instead of an EP,” says Gaahl (aka Kristian Espedal). “I like the format of a mini-album. Back in the day, bands like Hellhammer and Celtic Frost used this format. The audience gets more from this format. To me, it’s more serious than if it’s just a few tracks. Plus, the concept of The Humming Mountain isn’t big enough for a full-length album. The concept was something I had to get out of my head.”

Three of The Humming Mountain’s tracks were originally slated to appear on GastiR – Ghosts Invited but were eventually shelved when Gaahl determined that they weren’t a conceptual fit with the rest of the album’s tracks. Indeed, not one to let good ideas die on the proverbial vine, Gaahl worked with guitarist Lust Kilman (Ole Walaunet) and producer Iver Sandøy to refashion them. Through creative process and artful invention, “Awakening Remains – Before Leaving,” “The Dwell,” and the title track were born again for The Humming Mountain. The mini-album’s introspective bookends—opening epic “The Seed” and filmic closer “The Sleep”—came during and after, one song to remind listeners that patience is a virtue and the other to send them off into dream-like cogitation.

“The title track ‘The Humming Mountain’ dictated how the mini-album would go forward,” Gaahl says. “‘The Humming Mountain,’ however, has connections to GastiR – Ghosts Invited recording-wise, but it’s been reshaped. ‘The Dwell’ and ‘Awakening Remains – Before Leaving’ are more from the same foundation. We did change how we approached these songs by adding keyboards and removing bass grooves, especially on ‘Awakening Remains – Before Leaving.’ We got a different flow and pace to the final versions of the songs.”

While The Humming Mountain is a real place called Gnolloden near the Svalbard archipelago, it has no relation to the mini-album’s title or contents. Lyrically, The Humming Mountain is about patience. Not in the human sense of the word—though that certainly can be applied to nine-minute opener “The Seed”—but in the universal sense. The vibrations (hums) of creation ebb and flow sub-glacially. The intent of creation spans eons. Even the mini-album’s artwork—captured and designed by Gaahl—is part of the overall theme. The closer to The Humming Mountain, the farther away it appears.

“I’m always searching,” says Gaahl. “I’m trying to find the core of self, the core of everything. GastiR – Ghosts Invited dealt with being conscious about the subconscious. The Humming Mountain is more direct in dealing with that topic. Creation is something that happens very slowly, I believe. I connected it to ice, in a way. It’s a Norse concept, where a witch ‘hummer’ is feeding on salty ice. Out of this comes the first conscious. In Norse creationism, creation originates with sound. Of course, fire and ice are the two opponents, but every being, which are manifestations of something, are connected to humming or noise, the vibrations created by it. That’s how I arrived at The Humming Mountain, a slow vibration from the mountain and the slow movement of ice.”

Gaahls WYRD revisited Sandøy’s Solslottet Studio (Wardruna, Crippled Black Phoenix) periodically from August 2020 through May 2021 to track and complete The Humming Mountain. The sessions were set apart for various reasons (schedules mostly), but the team first focused the groundwork on sound design. Gaahl, Lust Kilman, and Sandøy then pivoted to Spektre’s (aka Kevin Kvåle) drums. From there, vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and piano were laid down. Sandøy also helmed the mix and master.

“The first thing we did was to work through the songs,” Gaahl says. “This was to find the foundation of the sound and how we could reshape the sound. We focused on the sound (or voice) of the drums. We didn’t want them to be too close to the drum sound on GastiR – Ghosts Invited. I’ve worked on three albums with Iver this year. It’s very easy to work with him. He’s good at bringing himself into my philosophical mindset. He’s tuned into why I choose to do this or that. Usually, before we start, I explain my direction so that he can understand it, and together we can expand upon that direction. On this EP, he’s done a lot of the keys and piano parts. He’s contributed quite a lot.”

Though The Humming Mountain reveals a more contemplative side to Gaahls WYRD, fans of stunners “Ek Erilar,” Carving the Voices,” and “Through and Past and Past” will find new tracks “The Dwell,” “Awakening Remains – Before Leaving,” and the title track equally engaging, while “The Seed” and “The Sleep” are destined to open new doors with their mercurial angst and picturesque, if involuted themes. Indeed, The Humming Mountain sets the stage for Gaahls WYRD’s next chapter.

“We’ll release the mini-album next,” says Gaahl. “After that, it all depends on how things open up for us to tour. There will be shows in Europe for sure, though. In a way, I hope the pandemic situation may continue for a bit longer. It’s a good time for studio work. So, I hope not to be too disturbed by touring to continue to do more studio work. We’re about to enter the studio for the next full-length.”

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/gaahlswyrd
http://www.gaahlswyrd.com
https://gaahlswyrd.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/gaahlswyrd/

Line-up
Gaahl (Kristian Espedal)  – vocals
Lust Kilman (Ole Walaunet) – guitars
Eld (Frode Kilvik) – Bass
Spektre (Kevin Kvåle) – Drums

Germany’s PREDICTOR set release date for IRON BONEHEAD debut EP, reveal first track – features members of BAXAXAXA, UNGOD+++

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions – in conspiracy with Knekelput Recordings – sets November 12th as the international release date date for Predictor‘s striking debut EP, …thus spoke death, on CD and cassette tape formats.

Hailing from Germany and formed in 2019, Predictor are a duo of drummer Cryptic Tormentor (Baxaxaxa, Ungod) and vocalist/guitarist Lord Noctifer. While brand-new in name, Predictor are most definitely OLD in their style of black metal. They proved as much with their Demo 2020 and prove it yet further with the five-song/20-minute …thus spoke death.

Dead-matter riffs and coffin-closed atmosphere mark this recording, with bouts of hysteric violence exploding with little to no warning. Otherwise, the duo are content to hammer away hypnotically, keeping the attack loose and ghoulish. References to be made include ’80s Mayhem, early Kat, old Samael, and demo-days Behemoth – in other words, ANCIENT and untrendy. Those who know will know by the closing cover of Besatt’s “Ave Master Lucifer”…

…thus spoke death, and out comes Predictor! Begin speaking their language with the brand-new track “Path to Megiddo part II” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Predictor (Germany)’s …thus spoke death

1. Path to Megiddo part II
2. Black Altar
3. Vanquished Decay
4. Infernal Goat Squadron
5. Ave Master Lucifer [Besatt cover]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/TheTruePredictor

www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions

Finland’s AZAZEL stream new PRIMITIVE REACTION album

Today, Finnish black metal legends Azazel stream the entirety of their highly anticipated third album, Aegrus Satanas Tecum. Set for international release on September 24th via Primitive Reaction, hear Azazel‘s Aegrus Satanas Tecum in its entirety here:

Formed in that fateful year of 1992, Azazel are among the first black metal bands to hail from Finland – and undoubtedly, one of the most cult. The band released a demo in 1993 and a mini-album in ’96, but then receded into the shadows and misery for many years. Following a split album in 2011, however, the black flame of Azazel was burning brightly once again, resulting in the full-lengths Jesus Perversions (2012) and Witches Deny Holy Trinity (2015). And while it would seem that the shadows of misery ensnared the band again, some demons never die…

Now, at long last, those shadows recede and reveal Azazel‘s long-awaited third album, Aegrus Satanas Tecum. Immediately and righteously recognizable as Azazel, Aegrus Satanas Tecum is a unique record in that it bridges all the band’s eras whilst opening new portals into the black beyond. Here, one will find the near-bestial filth & fury of Jesus Perversions alongside the more haunting and even stately sensations of Witches Deny Holy Trinity. But, like anything in Azazel‘s wild & weird world, ramshackle insanity runs riot – and often – and thus is a variety of songcraft employed to mangle the mind and ruin the spirit. And yet, the finesse with which Azazel accomplish this, playing something “primitive” but in clear & cutting fashion (and vice versa), bespeaks some strange magick on the band’s part and lends even more staying power to their ever-uncompromising sound. Above all, Aegrus Satanas Tecum is an album that’s equally early ’90s as it is NOW: Azazel are more undead than ever.

“Accomplished”? Perhaps? Ancient? Always. Azazel may be predictably unpredictable, but Aegrus Satanas Tecum proves that their twisting saga is far from over…

 Cover artwork, courtesy of the legendary Chris Moyen, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Azazel (Finland)’s Aegrum Satanas Tecum
1. Invocation (Hail the Ancient Ones)
2. Jesus Christ Impotent Rotting Saviour
3. Welcome to Church Bizarre
4. I Worship Him
5. Demons Attack the Nun’s Chapel (Aegrum Satanas Tecum)
6. Incubus Rises Again
7. Succubus, My Infernal Vampire Spirit
8. In Nomine Dei Nostri Satanas

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/azazelfinland

Czech nasty savages SexMag premiere new track

Today, Czech nasty savages SexMag premiere the new track “Zapomniany Czarci Kult“. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut mini-album, Sex Metal, set for international release on October 22nd via Dying Victims Productions. Hear SexMag’s “Zapomniany Czarci Kult” in its entirety here:

From the abyss of the filthy Silesian Streets emerges the Nasty Beast, just like in St. John’s Apocalypse. Three sixes branded at the top of his head, and the prophecy predicts eternal tribulation and condemnation to those who betrayed and wear shackles. Seven chaplets and 11 horns encrust his neck, and his hand holds the key to the world unblemished by the lie. The sign of Hell worships the beast in black and his servant…SexMag!

Drawing their moniker from Poland’s legendary Kat, SexMag arrive from the darkest past with a seven-track expurse of sodomy bearing the call-to-arms title of Sex Metal. Across the five primary curses and bookending intro and outro, the mysterious entity create a caustic and careening sound drawing equal strength from ‘80s proto-black metal and the vilest thrash. Names invoked include earliest Destruction, Sepultura, Venom, Tormentor, Sarcófago, Master’s Hammer, and Violent Force, but with a fear-for-their-safety identity all their own. Or, put another way, think of the most garaged old New Renaissance release left rotting in the sun and covered in black-candle wax…that is Sex Metal!

No more and no less, no trends and no compromise, posers leave the hall when SexMag fuck you with their Sex Metal!

Get further fucked with the previously revealed title track “Sex Metal” exclusively HERE, courtesy of Deaf Forever magazine. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for SexMag’s Sex Metal
1. Intro
2. Zapomniany Czarci Kult
3. Sex Metal
4. Wysłannik Hadesu
5. Nagrobek Kurtyzany
6. Nałożnice Hrabiny
7. Outro

www.dying-victims.de 

DAUÞUZ set release date for new AMOR FATI album, reveal first track

Today, Amor Fati Productions sets November 12th as the international release date for Dauþuz‘s highly anticipated fourth album, Vom schwarzen Schmied, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Since their bolt-from-the-blue debut In finstrer Teufe in 2016, Germany’s Dauþuz have created a rich and vibrant catalog. Their black metal is proud and purist but by no means blinkered; the ancient ways are revered, for sure, but new vistas of the imagination open up when Dauþuz commit their stories to tape. And those stories largely focus on mining, both across their native land and the whole of Europe, further enriching their olde-worlde appeal.

Now, more than a year after the expansive mini-album Grubenfall 1727, a new work echoes from the depths of the underworld: a new full-length saga from Dauþuz, bearing the title Vom schwarzen Schmied. Translated into English as “Of the Blacksmith,” Vom schwarzen Schmied is arguably the band’s most focused recording to date, evincing a totality that can only come from Dauþuz All-consuming darkness and lyrical despair, which ultimately leads to fatal realization, characterize this fourth full-length from the mining black metallers. And yet, its utterly epic landscape and absolutely invigorating melodicism make Vom schwarzen Schmied a paradoxically “uplifting” experience, fully bringing to life the saga of the blacksmith, an old acquaintance from the Dauþuz universe. And nearly topping an hour in length only serves to make that experience all the more engrossing: the band’s dazzling interplay, in turn, renders the album a swift ‘n’ masterful display of their songwriting prowess. Taste the German steel of MINING BLACK METAL!

Begin tasting that German steel with the brand-new track “Der Bergschmied II: Der Eid” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Dauþuz’ Vom schwarzen Schmied

1. Der Bergschmied I: Mein Berg
2. Der Bergschmied II: Der Eid
3. Der Bergschmied III: Desperatio
4. Der Bergschmied IV: Zauberwerk
5. Der Bergschmied V: Sagenlieder
6. Der Bergschmied VI: Cognitio
7. Der Bergschmied VII: Der Frevel
8. Der Bergschmied VIII: Sargdeckel

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/DauthuzBM

www.amor-fati-productions.de 
www.amorfatiproductions.bandcamp.com

OFERMOD set release date for new SHADOW album, reveal first track

Today, Shadow Records (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces December 3rd as the international release date for Ofermod’s highly anticipated fifth album, Mysterium Iniquitatis, on CD and cassette tape formats. The vinyl LP version will be released on March 29th, 2022.

By now, Ofermod should require no introduction. Formed back in the dark days of 1996, the band released their debut EP, Mystérion Tés Anomias, in 1998. Although a mere two songs, Ofermod’s opening salvo sowed the seeds for the orthodox black metal movement that would begin to blossom in the new millennium, alongside fellow Shadow Records alumni Funeral Mist and Malign. Crime and chaos followed mainman Belfagor everywhere he went, and the band’s momentum remained halted. However, Ofermod eventually became a working entity again, starting with 2008’s Tiamtü full-length, and through magick and will did more recordings follow: Thaumiel (2012), the two-song Serpents’ Dance EP (2014), Sol Nox (2017), and the posthumous Pentagrammaton, originally intended to be the band’s debut album. Each one put forth a pivotal piece of the ever-evolving puzzle of Ofermod – ever the same, yet always different.

And the puzzle continues to be eternal, no matter when or how an Ofermod recording arises. Such can be said for Mysterium Iniquitatis, which sees the original lineup joined together once again – Belfagor on guitar and vocalist Nebiros (Malign, Mephorash) – with session bass by Magnus “Devo” Andersson (ex-Marduk) and session drums by Calle Larsson. Indeed, Mysterium Iniquitatis immediately reminds of that infinitely influential Mystérion Tés Anomias EP, but tempered by age, experience, and poise. At once martial and mesmerizing, fiery and furious, but executed with a crispness and finesse that’s the penultimate in professionalism, Mysterium Iniquitatis presents Ofermod at their tightest and tautest, their characteristically malefic melodicism taking on new contours when put through such a startlingly accomplished soundfield. Likewise, Nebiros’ vocals bring back the grimness of yore, straddling past, present, and future with equal aplomb; his clear enunciation truly raises the hackles. The production – courtesy of Andersson at Endarker Studios – cuts like a gleaming knife and rusty axe simultaneously, the perfect iron-fisted complement to the band’s ever-surging and ceaselessly unfolding songwriting here. Special mention must be made of the male choirs on the opening title track – courtesy of Thomas Ericksson (Year of the Goat) and Lars Broddesson (ex-Marduk) – conveying a grandiosity beyond compare.

With suitably grandiose cover artwork courtesy of John Albin Hampus Ekström, Mysterium Iniquitatis is the vital & virile entrance into Ofermod’s fourth decade of existence.

Herald that entrance with the brand-new title track “Myterium Iniquitatis” here:

Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ofermod’s Mysterium Iniquitatis
1. Mysterium Iniquitatis
2. Inax Ya Lil
3. When the Blacksmith Killed the Shepherd
4. Sacrosanctus
5. Poraios de Rejectis
6. Consecration
7. Loyal to Belial
8. Arteria Urterina


MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/OfermodOfficial

www.shadowrecords.se
www.regainrecords.se
www.facebook.com/shadowrecords.se