ÅSKOG: Swedish black metal act drops video for new track “Tid”; debut album arrives next month

Swedish black metal unit Åskog has teamed up with Black Metal Promotion to unveil the animated lyric video for the new single, “Tid.” Their debut full-length, Varþnaþer, will be out on 12th May 2021 via Grind to Death Records (CD) and Leviaphonic Records (digital). A vinyl and cassette release by Corrupted Flesh Records should land on 25th June.

Åskog comments on the track: “The song ‘Tid’ (Time) creates a grandiose atmosphere with its driving rhythm and soaring background vocals, also embracing a more traditional verse/chorus structure. The lyrics are more abstract, dealing with the theme of being lost.”

The first single, “Vinter,” came out last month; hear it AT THIS LOCATION.

Åskog took form during the early summer of 2020 by Adam and Lars after disbanding their previous band, Murdryck.

A demo, titled Varg, was released in October 2020 — quickly selling out its initial limited edition cassette run. The band’s blend of heavy, doom, and death metal under a black metal layer soon attracted listeners, metal media outlets, and even record labels. Amidst interest from several other record labels, the Vänersborg duo sealed the deal with Sweden’s Grind to Death Records for a CD release and Germany’s Corrupted Flesh Records for vinyl and cassettes. This spurred the drive to complete the album, Varþnaþer, by the end of December 2020, with the band keen to ride the sudden wave of interest with the strongest material they have ever written. However, the demo still garners interest and has since been reissued on CD and will be reissued again on cassette later in the year.

The songwriting on the debut album, Varþnaþer, furthers the musical ideas presented on the demo, adding the group’s own fingerprint and identity on the black metal-influenced sound. The 8 songs were carefully crafted to affect the listener’s mood — taking them through a journey from the blistering fast down to a slower, doomy pace, with the more mid-tempo sections allowing room to explore Lars’ vocal styles. The variation in the music is aided by the band’s disciplined uniformity in style, which allows the different elements to blend in seamlessly. The lyrics generally deal with the dichotomy between good and evil in the context of the natural environment. While almost all the lyrics deal with death in some way, Åskog delivers these themes in a more unusual manner, going beyond the notions of good/evil and focusing on human interpretation.

CREDITS:

– Band Lineup –
Lars – Vocals, Bass
Adam – Guitars

– Others –
Drums (Session) by Rod B.
Mixed and Mastered by Adam Chapman at Black Dawn Studios.
Recorded and Produced by Adam Chapman and Lars Hansson.
Cover artwork by Alex/Mayhem Project Design.

(c)2021 Leviaphonic Records.

PRE-ORDER:
https://askog.bandcamp.com (Digital + CD)
https://grindtodeathrecords.bigcartel.com/product/askog-varthnather (CD)

MORE INFO:

– Åskog –
https://www.facebook.com/askog666
https://www.instagram.com/askog666
https://askog.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Y5gITdct42K08GKYMmOGv

– Grind to Death Records –
https://www.facebook.com/GrindtoDeathRecords
https://twitter.com/GrindtoDeath
https://www.instagram.com/grindtodeath
https://grindtodeathrecords.bigcartel.com

– Corrupted Flesh Records –
https://www.facebook.com/Corrupted-Flesh-Record-Label-Artist-Store-103414908241694
https://www.instagram.com/corruptedflesh666
https://corruptedflesh.bigcartel.com

PASSÉISME set release date for ANTIQ debut, reveal trailer

On June 11th internationally, Antiq is proud to present Passéisme‘s highly anticipated debut album, Eminence, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

On destabilized grounds, among feverish scraps – disgust, excite, yawning, labyrinthine streams of laughing razor of words and sounds, rejoice to death… Passéisme emerged in the deep underground of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia in 2019, creating a boiling mass of decadence, triumphant spirit, waves of nostalgia, and purgatory of the past.

After the release of the Austerity Parade demo in the spring of 2019, Passéisme returns with Eminence, a debut full-length offering to the sacrificial fire. It refreshes the melodic side of black metal and fills it with thirst and rage, punkish unruliness and bitter laughter. Loaded with bottomless verses of poètes maudits, melodies, and vibes in the vein of KPN and Sühnopfer, Eminence is a black vitality that shines among hackneyed theatrics.

In the meantime, see & hear a special teaser for the album here:

Cover artwork, courtesy of Hyver Mor, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Passéisme’s Eminence
1. Chant for Tribulation [6:17]
2. Chant for Harvest [4:33]
3. Chant for Austerity [3:59]
4. Chant for Insolence [5:16]
5. Chant for Parade [4:14]
6. Chant for Splendour [1:14]
7. Chant for Enlightenment [10:21]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/passeismeBM

www.antiqrecords.com
www.facebook.com/antiq.label 

QWÄLEN: Finnish black metal punks premiere “Pimeä tila” video, debut album “Unohdan sinut” out now

Today, Finnish black metal punks QWÄLEN premiere their new video “Pimeä tila“.

The song is featured on their debut album “Unohdan sinut”, out now via Time To Kill Records.

In case you missed it, Invisible Oranges hosted the official premiere of the album’s second single. Watch the disturbing video of “Polku” at THIS LOCATION!

The band states: “We guess Darkthrone, Nifelheim, Bathory, Terveet Kädet are the acts that we are influenced by. Some things you can hear in the sound, some not. The band’s sound sort of just comes out as it is, even though we try to write songs with whatever focus there is”.

Tracklist:

01 – Pimeä tila
02 – Viekää minut pois
03 – Polku
04 – Hän ei tule koskaan
05 – Rituaali
06 – Unohdan sinut
07 – Temppeli

Pre-order: Bandcamp: https://qwaelen.bandcamp.com/
Bigcartel: https://timetokillrecords.bigcartel.com/category/qwalen

Biography:

Hailing from Oulu/Helsinki, QWÄLEN found its current form in 2017 after a bunch of different lineups. The band members share a passion for playing music in its various raw manifestations and their band backgrounds include Kürøishi, Nistikko, Dumathoin and Akma among many others. The members have been actively involved with the underground punk scene and this longtime involvement in the punk scene can also be heard in the music, with Young and in the Way and Dödsrit influences seeping into their interpretation of black metal. Lyrical content concentrates mostly on self-portrayal rather than the stereotypical anti-religious themes

Discography:

Demo (2018)
“Unohdan sinut” (2021)

Members:

Eetu – Vocals
Antti – Guitar
Henri – Drums
Ville – Bass
Samuli – Guitar

QWÄLEN

https://www.instagram.com/qwaelen/

https://www.facebook.com/qwalen

Time To Kill Records

https://www.instagram.com/timetokillrecords/

https://www.facebook.com/timetokillrecords/

https://www.timetokill-records.com/

NEKKROFUKK stream new PUTRID CULT album

Today, black-doom deviants Nekkrofukk stream the entirety of their highly anticipated fourth album, Mysterious Rituals in the Abyss of Sabbath & Eternal Celebration of the Blakk Goat. Set for international release on March 30th via Putrid Cult. Hear Nekkrofukk‘s Mysterious Rituals in the Abyss of Sabbath & Eternal Celebration of the Blakk Goat in its entirety here:

One of the most iconic bands of the modern Polish metal underground, for nearly a decade now, Nekkrofukk have been pursuing an extremely dark ‘n’ deranged form of blackened doom that harkens back to black metal’s earliest and most unorthodox days. Nekkrofukk is the sole work of ultra-prolific maniac Lord K., renown for DeathEpoch, Goathrone, and Deathvasstator among many others. But ultimately, Nekkrofukk is his most personal vehicle of expression, and hereby has he spit disgust upon the cross over the course of four EPs, three full-lengths, and even a live album.

The triumph of death rises again in the form of Nekkrofukk‘s fourth full-length, Mysterious Rituals in the Abyss of Sabbath & Eternal Celebration of the Blakk Goat. Demanding much from the listener but caring not one bit for one’s comfort, the tongue-twisting Mysterious Rituals in the Abyss of Sabbath & Eternal Celebration of the Blakk Goat sees Lord K. taking Nekkrofukk in a direction that’s both catchier and more evilly experimental. Like Beherit and Barathrum drowning together in glue or Faustcoven covering Mortuary Drape and Mystifier simultaneously, matters move malevolently and s-l-o-w-l-y here, yet the wealth of textural twists applied puts Nekkrofukk in rarefied company. Of course, it’s massive and ugly – or, simply, MASSIVELY UGLY – and keeps its nose firmly within the closed borders of heavy metal, but that doesn’t mean Mysterious Rituals in the Abyss of Sabbath & Eternal Celebration of the Blakk Goat sacrifices any otherworldly experience. Indeed, to “experience” Nekkrofukk here is to submit to sin and the darkest of arts, to open one’s third eye and be blinded by boundless darkness absolute. Or, one could merely be CRUSHED underfoot by the album’s ominous plod & pound…it matters not to Lord K.

Nekkrofukk have stood as one of the pillars of Putrid Cult since the beginning, and the blood pact grows even thicker with the heightened expectations placed upon Mysterious Rituals in the Abyss of Sabbath & Eternal Celebration of the Blakk Goat. If you want blood, you got it!

Preorder info can be found HERE at Putrid Cult‘s Bandcamp. 

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Nekkrofukk’s Mysterious Rituals
in the Abyss of Sabbath & Eternal Celebration of the Blakk Goat
1. The Great Beast Speaks [1:44]
2. Summoning of Azrael [5:44]
3. Kkursed Gathering on Sabbath [7:10]
4. Devil’s Blood Injekktion [6:20]
5. Spiewajac Psalmy Smierci [6:01]
6. Vlci Zena [5:46]

MORE INFO:
www.nekkrofukk.bandcamp.com

www.putridcult.pl 
www.facebook.com/putridcult 

THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR set release date for new EISENWALD album

On May 28th internationally, Eisenwald is proud to present The Flight of Sleipnir‘s highly anticipated seventh album, Eventide, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
 
The Flight of Sleipnir are one of the metal underground’s most unique and consistently compelling bands. Forming in Colorado in 2007, this hydra-headed ensemble has built an always adventurous canon that defies easy categorization but always is in service of The Muse. For them – and, of course, suggested by their moniker itself – The Flight of Sleipnir‘s creation stemmed from a desire to explore ethereal and progressive sounds with themes that reflect upon the rich literature of ancient Scandinavia. On their vast canvas do they paint with tones of doom, prog, black metal, folk, post-rock, and even country; to date, their sonic paintings have been released by such labels as Napalm, Northern Silence, and now Eisenwald, who released 2017’s critically acclaimed Skadi and who will endeavor to reissue the band’s crucial early work.
 
But, The Flight of Sleipnir‘s muse is very much of the present, as much as it reverentially draws inspiration from the past: what matters most is that Now, and in this present arrives Eventide. Arguably the band’s starkest and sparsest work to date, Eventide is an audial rumination on the vast mysteries of nighttime. Its cover depiction of the stars and nightingale are visual springboards for where The Flight of Sleipnir whisk the listener into the sprawling beyond of sleep and darkness, of dreams and impossibility; Eventide‘s artwork suitably keeps apace with the band’s continually elegant standards of visual presentation, always delivered by founding drummer/vocalist David Csisely. With the opening notes inviting the listener forward with a brave sense of warmth, the album begins building patient vistas of splendor, tension, and release. Always moving in a most labyrinthine manner, The Flight of Sleipnir‘s strident density is ably balanced by the band’s exploration of dynamics, here on Eventide allowing for an even-greater emphasis on simmering softness – and the results are beautiful, breathtaking, and absolutely cathartic. Their ensemble playing is simply astounding: this is the work of a true BAND, of master musicians putting their considerable instrumental expertise to endlessly evocative use in service of The Song…and yes, The Muse.
 
We sleep, we dream, we exist on another plane of understanding…shadow worlds or alternate realties? And how do we dependably arrive at them? The Flight of Sleipnir lead the way with Eventide.

First track premiere to be revealed shortly. Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for The Flight of Sleipnir’s Eventide
1. Volund
2. January
3. Thaw
4. Bathe the Stone in Blood
5. Harvest
6. Servitude

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/theflightofsleipnir

www.eisenton.de
www.facebook.com/eisenwaldofficial
www.youtube.com/eisenwaldofficial
www.twitter.com/EisenwaldHammer
www.instagram.com/eisenwald.official

UNGFELL set release date for new EISENWALD album, reveal teaser

On April 30th internationally, Eisenwald is proud to present Ungfell‘s highly anticipated third album, Es grauet, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Switzerland’s Ungfell have established themselves as an unstoppable force of intricate yet undeniably immersive riff fury in a scene that frequently replaces memorable songwriting with pseudo-intellectual gibberish. Affiliated with the formidable Helvetic Underground Committee, Ungfell has provided the unsuspecting masses with music that is undeniably engaging and yet challenging, delving into local lore and legends with a depth and a knack for wit that is rarely seen in contemporary extreme metal music.

On their third full-length album, Es grauet, Ungfell abducts listeners on a sonic journey detailing moral ambivalence and treachery. Set in a seemingly idyllic rural village in pre-modern times, all is not as it seems. Tragedy strikes the town in the form of a horrific, grisly murder. Unfounded accusations lead the town further astray, while these occurrences of debauchery exceed the comprehension of the local inhabitants. Alas, evil lurks where you may least expect it… The story unfolds, accompanied by ravaging riffs and gripping songwriting that appropriately underline the complex-yet-harrowing narrative. Es grauet shows Ungfell at their most ambitious and most audacious, featuring incredibly dynamic and warm production values, emphasizing atmosphere even more than previous releases and managing to complement the story being told.

First track premiere to be revealed later this week. In the meantime, hear a special teaser here:

Cover artwork, courtesy of Robbie C. Ward, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ungfell’s Es grauet
1. Es grauet überm Dorf (Wie s niemert het chönne ahne)
2. Tyfels Antlitz (Wie e Huerä zwei Chind empfanget)
3. D Schwarzamslä (Wie us däne Goofe Pfaffä wärdet)
4. Mord im Tobel (Wie en hinterhältige Mord begange wird)
5. S Chnochelied (Wie e Beschuldigti gfoltered wird und Visione bechunnt)
6. Stossgebätt (Wie das Wyb als Häx hygrichtet wird)
7. D Unheilspfaffä vom Heinzäbärg (Wie Tod und Verdärbe uf das Dorf iistürzt)
8. S Fälsebräche (Wie s Böse begrabe wird)

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/ungfell

www.eisenton.de
www.facebook.com/eisenwaldofficial
www.youtube.com/eisenwaldofficial
www.twitter.com/EisenwaldHammer
www.instagram.com/eisenwald.official

Germany’s ODAL set release date for new EISENWALD album, reveal first track

On April 23rd internationally, Eisenwald is proud to present the highly anticipated fifth album of Germany’s Odal, Welten Mutter, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Formed in 1999, for over 20 years now, Odal have been a pillar of Germany’s richly varied black metal scene. At once staunchly traditional but never blinkered by self-imposed boundaries, Odal breathe the essence of the ancients whilst exhibiting a vibrancy that’s refreshingly youthful. Their discography is deep and full of gems, beginning in the very underground days when black metal had gained traction with the mainstream as the 1990s plugged on and a new movement began in earnest to uphold the genre’s core values. There stood Odal, pagan-hearted and stout, releasing early works through such super-cult labels as Sombre. Eventually, in 2016, the band would find a fitting home with Eisenwald for the release of their fourth album, Geistes Unruh. Even this many years on, Odal’s creativity was as feverish as ever.

And that momentum continues stronger than ever with Welten Mutter, Odal’s fifth full-length overall and second for Eisenwald. Equal turns triumphant and tragic, Welten Mutter is proud ‘n’ pure black metal at its poignant best, ripp(l)ing with a melodicism that’s graceful and heartstrings-pulling but never overwrought. An eternal flame seems to burn over and under all here, as energy is not in short supply, but dynamics are never sacrificed in the process; the interplay between the longstanding duo of Taaken and A.D.D. is fluid and flawless, and conveys a very tangible urgency that makes each of these seven rousing hymns even more breathtaking. Granted, while Odal’s melodicism here is much more on the melancholic side, there’s a uniquely uplifting aspect to it. Perhaps that’s due to the lyrical themes underpinning Welten Mutter: translating to “World’s Mother” in English, they deal deeply with nature are dedicated to Nordic mythology, specifically with the creation of the world(s) on earth and for the gods. As such, Welten Mutter is arguably Odal’s most pagan-oriented album, but thankfully, their version of pagan black metal safely evades all the cliches usually associated with such an appellation.

At once authentically retro and uncompromisingly adventurous, Welten Mutter stands tall as Odal’s defining statement in a world too often fixated on the “new” and frequently too blurry about the past. With robust mastering courtesy of Greg Chandler and fittingly majestic cover art courtesy of DDD, Welten Mutter will rise!

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “…um Ewiges zu schaffen” here:

Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Odal (Germany)’s Welten Mutter
1. …um Ewiges zu schaffen
2. Hellwach schwelgend
3. Schattental
4. Der kalte Nächte Atem
5. Welten Mutter
6. Welten Geflecht
7. Erden Zeit

MORE INFO:
www.odal-horde.de

www.eisenton.de
www.facebook.com/eisenwaldofficial
www.youtube.com/eisenwaldofficial
www.twitter.com/EisenwaldHammer
www.instagram.com/eisenwald.official

ASCÈTE set release date for ANTIQ debut, reveal trailer

On May 28th internationally, Antiq is proud to present Ascète‘s striking debut album, Calamites & les Calamités, on digipack CD and vinyl LP formats.

Created by Torve and Patrie Moine towards the end of 2015, then joined by Olematus on bass and Ancien Temps on drums, Ascète is a band whose atmosphere is filled by the soil where it grew: Black Périgord, or its local name of Peirigòrd Nègre, in South West France. It embodies the grim face of Périgord’s ruined minor landmarks and its dark and strange folklore. Musically, Ascète creates a countryside black metal with a punk spirit, of which the music is carried by magnificent lines of melodic guitars and bass, drowning the whole towards cavernous dark depths of music, through which some epic lights still shine.

Calamites & les Calamités is the first full-length of Ascète. Through a rusty black metal, joyfully old, Ascète gives its vision of a forgotten and forlorn countryside, where the small, poor people of the rural lands slowly die in the shadow of indifference of big cities’ administrations. Melodic black metal with punk/Oi! influences, Calamites & les Calamités haunts us in ridiculously different Périgord legends, carried by the decadent proclamations howled in an almost ruined, out-of-age barn… (vocals were actually recorded there). The magnificent work on guitars and sound will carry you to a forgotten countryside, where an aging population, almost feral and animal-looking, discretely and suspiciously wanders in its misery among the remains of minor historical landmark monuments, which return to Earth, too: slower, maybe, but in the same definitive manner.

Antiq is a label dedicated to the fully coherent concept of making music through sound, image, video, and attitude. They have been putting their entire existence into it since 2009. Over the years, Antiq have been identified as producers of not only perfectly coherent lyrics and themes through music, but also conceptual art and, of course, the manufacturing of beautiful objects. The label tries as much as it can to work with French creators, and if possible, with the smallest and most serious structures.

In the meantime, see & hear a special teaser/edit for the seven-minute track “Courroux du Lébérou” here:

Cover artwork, courtesy of LaurineM (Borie de la Combe Noire), and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ascète’s Calamites & les Calamités
1. Les Causses s’en Gaussent [6:44]
2. Danse de la Sénescence [6:48]
3. Courroux du Lébérou [6:49]
4. Sorlodais Huroux [5:32]
5. Héritiers de l’Austérité [1:59]
6. La Lanterne du Mort [8:37]
7. Calamites & les Calamités [10:07]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/AscetePerigordNoir

www.antiqrecords.com
www.facebook.com/antiq.label 

NATTVERD set release date for new OSMOSE album, reveal first track

Today, Osmose Productions announces April 30th as the international release date for Nattverd‘s highly anticipated third album, Vandring. Vandring forms the final chapter of Nattverd‘s Black Death Trilogy, which includes the 2019 EP Skuggen and 2020’s full-length Styggdom.

According to the band – whose lineup is composed of Ormr on vocals and guitars,  Atyr on guitars, Sveinr on bass, Antichristian on drums, and Serpentr on guitars – Vandring is “a more dynamic album than our last, because we have challenged the core that is Nattverd, whilst at the same time staying true to the spirit that is the band. We have pushed some boundaries, which has resulted in more diverse tracks, that touch a lot on melancholy, and is even more aggression, with epic moments.”

As a taster of what to expect, a track from the album has been released as a single. The track, “Naar Taaken Fortaerer Alt,” which features Geir Bratland (Gerlioz of Dimmu Borgir, ex-God Seed) on piano, check it here:

.Additionally, a video by Grupa 13 also makes its debut, and can be seen HERE at the Black Metal Promotion YouTube channel. 

Vandring was recorded during March and April of 2020 at Velvet Recording in  Spydeberg, Norway, with producer Christer Krogh, who also mastered the album. Cover artwork, courtesy of Khaos Diktator Design and Ormr, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Nattverd’s Vandring 1. Det Bloer Paa Alt Som Spirer
2. Martyrer Av Kristus
3. Naar Taaken Fortaerer Alt
4. Med Rive Og Lime
5. I Moerket Slumrer Ravnen
6. Gudsmenn, Deres Svik Erkjenn
7. Det Hvisker I Veggene
8. Langt Langt Der Borte I Det Fjerne

Vandring  will be available on CD, digital, vinyl LP (both black and limited-edition red versions), and tape formats, and is now available to pre-order from the following:
 

Bandcamp: https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/vandring
Osmose Productions Webshop: : http://bit.ly/nattverd-shop
 

Formed in the late ’90s, Nattverd is a band that has always preferred that its output be judged on purely musical merits, rather than on the past or future reputations of its extremely skilled and experienced lineup, and to this end, their true identities of its musicians have always been kept private. For more info, consult the links below:

 

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/nattverdofficial
www.devilryproductions.com/nattverd

www.osmoseproductions.com

Auðn and Sólstafir nominated for Icelandic Music Awards 2021

Icelandic black metal formation AUÐN and Icelandic post rock titans SÓLSTAFIR have been nominated for the Icelandic Music Awards 2021.

AUÐN‘s latest record ‘Vökudraumsins fangi’ and SÓLSTAFIR‘s ‘Endless Twilight of Codependent Love’ have both been nominated in the category rock album of the year. AUÐN‘s track “Eldborg” has furthermore been nominated as rock song of the year. Listen to the track HERE.

The winners will be announced on April 14. For more information on the Icelandic Music Awards, visit the website here.

‘Vökudraumsins fangi‘ and ‘Endless Twilight of Codependent Love‘ are still available in various formats in the Season of Mist Shop.