Today, AOP Records announces September 20th as the international release date of the highly anticipated third album of Germany’s Servant, Death Devil Magick, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
German black metal band Servant have been celebrating their melodic-yet-furious black metal across the underground and beyond since 2021. Their two well-received full-lengths, 2021’s Blessed by The Light of a Thousand Stars and last year’s Aetas Ascensus, shook ground within the metal scene. Now, Servant are set to release their third full-length, Death Devil Magick, via new label home AOP Records.
Death Devil Magick was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered between October 2024 and May 2024. Without lacking in their musical trademarks, Servant continue to evolve on their new record. Melodic guitars combine with furious drums, and powerful basslines go with keys and mighty grooves. On Death Devil Magick, the vocals are clearer than on the previous two albums, giving the words the required power in meaning. All this is put in a powerful soundscape which is aggressive yet very dynamic and tidied up.
The lyrical topics are inspired by poets and philosophers like Charles Baudelaire and Friedrich Nietzsche, but also paintings by Franz von Stuck from the era of symbolism, for example, can be mentioned here. The lyrics discuss conflicts of emotions, beliefs, addiction, and depths of human nature. Death Devil Magick invites the listener to step into the gallery of nine microcosms and witness lust, despair, magick, and ecstasy.
Moreover, Servant are going to tour Europe as part of the Scherbentour 2024 together with labelmates Ellende and GROZA to spread magick, lust, and ecstasy. Dates follow further below.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Litany” here:
Cover artwork, courtesy of Misanthropic Art Illustrations, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Servant (Germany)’s Death Devil Magick 1. Void 2. Temple 3. Sin 4. Devil 5. Hope 6. Fury 7. Death 8. Litany 9. Magick
Today, AOP Records announces September 13th as the international release date for Firtan‘s highly anticipated fourth album, Ethos, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
For nearly 15 years now, Firtan have been a relentless force in the German extreme metal scene, captivating audiences with their dynamic performances across Europe. Inspired by the raw energy of the ’90s black metal scene, their sound has evolved into a unique, more progressive entity, shedding eclectic influences for a multifaceted and innovative approach.
At the core of Firtan‘s music stands an increasingly aggressive and frenetic sound characterized by powerful guitars and intense, visceral vocals. The haunting presence of the acoustic and electric violin weaves through their compositions with melancholic, experimental, and evocative tones. The incorporation of other acoustic instruments, such as the dulcimer, as well as analogue synthesizers, adds layers of depth. This blend creates a unique tension and complexity, enhancing the band’s intricate riffing and unexpected musical shifts.
With three albums and two EPs to their name, Firtan‘s discography showcases a clear and audible progression. Now, they unveil their fourth album, Ethos, once again through AOP Records. A work that promises to be their deepest, rawest, and heaviest yet, Ethos delves into serious existential themes in an abstract manner, contrasting decline and opportunity within an ambivalent context. This juxtaposition is reflected in the music itself, confronting listeners with the harshness and sonic tension between harmony and dissonance, revealing the meaning and emptiness of existence.
Ethos follows Firtan‘s critically acclaimed Marter from 2022, and stands as a testament to the vibrant dynamics within the German black metal scene. The album will feature guest performances from J.J. (Harakiri for the Sky, Karg) and L.G. (Ellende). Expect to be immersed in a world where melody and chaos collide, where unapologetic riffing and haunting melodies guide you through the shadows of the human condition.
In the meantime, see & hear the brand-new video “Wermut hoch am Firmament” featuring guest vocals from Ellende‘s L.G here:
Following the release of Ethos, Firtan will embark upon a tour with Bucovina, Sojourner, Finsterforst, and Countless Skies. Full list of dates as well as poster art follow after the jump. Cover artwork, courtesy of Nona Limmen, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Firtan’s Ethos 1. Hrenga (feat. guest vocals of J.J. [Harakiri For The Sky / Karg]) 2. Zores 3. Contra Vermes 4. Arkanum 5. Wermut hoch am Firmament (feat. guest vocals of L.G. [Ellende]) 6. Moloch 7. Ruakh 8. Komm herbei, schwarze Nacht 9. Wenn sich mir einst alle Ringe schließen
September 26 – München, Germany @ Backstage Halle* September 27 – Erfurt, Germany @ From Hell* September 28 – Fensch Viking Fest, France @ Complexe de Bétange* September 29 – Berlin, Germany @ Orwohaus Halle* September 30 – Hamburg, Germany @ Logo* October 1 – Oberhausen, Germany @ Resonanzwerk* October 2 – Arnhem, Netherlands @ Willemeen* October 3 – Manchester, UK @ Rebellion* October 4 – London, UK @ The Underworld* October 6 – Nantes, France @ Le Ferrailleur** October 8 – Lyon, France @ Rock’n’Eat** October 10 – Timisoara, Romania @ M2** October 11 – Vienna Metal Meeting Warmup, Austria @ Viper Room** October 12 – Praha, Czech Republic @ Storm Club** October 13 – Krakow, Poland @ Zascianek,**
In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, Memento Mori are extremely thrilled to announce a new signing: Insineratehymn, from the United States.Hailing from Los Angeles, Insineratehymn have managed to position themselves in the taste of underground extreme metal fans with their powerful death metal clearly influenced by classic bands, giving a masterclass in ’90s death metal, from the spiraling vortexes of early Tampa to the sewage to come from New York, through to eerie emanations from Europe and the dissonance at the dawn of the new millennium. Naturally, the band bend those classic tropes in a variety of ways, all of which bespeak their own identity. Scuzzy, slicing, clanging, angular, brutal beatdown, ignorant stomp, or just straightforward killshot: no weapon is left aside. Simply, Insineratehymn are death metal for death metal maniacs, by death metal maniacs who understand and appreciate the rich-yet-codified history of the genre. Handy references to be made include Sadistic Intent, Monstrosity, Suffocation, Grave, Edge of Sanity, Demigod, Sentenced – and of course, Deicide, who provided their namesake.
Insineratehymn‘s third full-length is due for release on October 21st, 2024. Memento Mori will release the CD version while Rotted Life will take care of the vinyl and tape versions. Further details to follow in the coming months. For more info, consult the links below.
Today, BLUTGOTT present “Drachenlegion (Balgeroth Version),” the second single from their upcoming 3CD album Dracul Drakorgoth, set for international release on September 20th via Massacre Records.
In the encompassing conflict that is called the War of Balgeroth, the entire Trinity of Blood Gods is on Earth for a short while: Balgeroth, Setekh Drakorgaur, and Dracul Drakorgoth. Balgeroth comes to Earth with part of his dragon legion fleets and attacks the entire planet-spanning Imperium of Mankind. His Blood Gods exterminate the human population and cover the land with an all-out war. The songs from recent albums such as Beasts of Balgeroth and Bloodking played against this backdrop. “Drachenlegion” focuses on the demon machines of the Balgeroth Legion – draconic metal monsters from Hell.
The official video for “Drachenlegion” can be watched here:
THE BLUTGOTT METAL UNIVERSE
DEBAUCHERY– Monster Metal
BLOOD GOD– Hard Rock & Heavy Metal
BALGEROTH– German Metal
Over 20 years, singer and guitarist Thomas Gurrath has created an entire band universe with over 30 CDs spread across more than 17 albums from Debauchery,Blood God, and Balgeroth. He has united this Trinity of Blood Gods under the name BLUTGOTT.
Musically, the band moves across genres somewhere between Judas Priest, Slayer, AC/DC, Rammstein, and Bolt Thrower. There is pounding death metal, classic heavy metal, and groovy hard rock, sometimes with screeching vocals, sometimes with the distinctive monster voice, sometimes clean, and everything in between.
The lyrics – in German and English – deal with the band’s own dark fantasy universe: the World of Blood Gods, named after the Blood Gods – biomechanical vampire dragons with demonic abilities.
The three most infamous are Bal-Geroth, the Bloodking of Knochenheim; Dracul Drakorgoth, the Debauchery Blood God; and Setekh Drakorgaur, the Red Dragon. Together, they form the Trinity of Blood Gods.
In the war zones of the past and future, on Earth, Eden, other planets, and Hell, they fight brutal battles against elves, humans, and dwarves, as well as other demons. The World of Blood Gods has its own miniatures and its own tabletop game, called Kings of Carnage.
Concerts of the various incarnations of the BLUTGOTT Metal Universe have been held throughout Europe, Russia, and Asia. They have performed with Doro, Saxon, Dismember, Napalm Death, Destruction, and many other well-known bands from the metal scene and played at major festivals such as Wacken, Summer Breeze, and Bang Your Head. The albums are regularly in the top 50 of the official German album charts.
The new album Dracul Drakorgoth will be released on September 20th via Massacre Records and contains ten completely new songs each with the Debauchery Monster Voice, once with the German Balgeroth lyrics and also with the Blood God Heavy Metal voice. It will be available as 3CD digipack as well as limited-edition box, and the Debauchery and Balgeroth versions each as limited-edition vinyl LP. The album was recorded by Dennis Ward (Unisonic, Krokus, Helloween).
In addition, there is the Blutfest Tour with a BLUTGOTT live show for the new album and 20 years of monsters and metal. Dates follow after the jump. Cover and tracklisting are as folllows:
Today, melodic black metallers BloodCross stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Gravebound. Set for international release on July 5th via Personal Records, hear BloodCross‘ Gravebound in its entirety here:
BloodCross are a Finnish heavy metal band formed in 2019 that rose from the ashes of black metallers Angelscourge and their lone album, Seraph Impaler. Based in Turku, BloodCross cast their gaze wider to the past and draw inspiration from such old gods as Necrophobic, Dissection, and even Yngwie Malmsteen.
BloodCross‘ first release was the demo Abyssal Blood in 2021, which featured three ear-piercing songs. At that point, the band had not yet fully introduced their influences from power metal to their already lethal and bloody cocktail of blackened melodic thrash metal.
However, that will all change with their full-length debut, Gravebound. Here, BloodCross boldly broaden their musical expression to soundscapes that are catchier, more melodic, and somehow also crushing soundscapes. Insanely fast at times but exuding a palatable precision, Gravebound is technical and relentless but never forsakes the art of songwriting, remaining mesmerizingly memorable every step of the way, building epic towers of icy, majesty melody and ripping, burn-the-touch intensity. Coupled with the crisp & gleaming production, one could possibly mistake BloodCross for a very young & hungry Children of Bodom, but the band’s late ’90s vibes extend further to such cult names as Swordmaster, Gates of Ishtar, Ablaze My Sorrow, Prophanity, and Raise Hell: in other words, this is melodic black metal par excellence.
Prepare for a new modern classic of meloblack with BloodCross‘ Gravebound!
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Today, literal speed metallers Death Racerpremiere the new track “Imola”. The track is the third to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, From Gravel to Grave, set for international release on July 26th via Dying Victims Productions. Hear Death Racer’s “Imola” in its entirety here:
Hailing from Austria, Death Racer are nothing if not thorough. See, the idea for the band was born years ago while philosophizing during listening to Razor’s “Deathrace.” From there, a wellspring of inspiration followed – and the race was on!
Death Racer’s debut demo, released in 2020, was appropriately titled Qualifying. Musically, their most important influence, maybe – rawness, straightforwardness, DRIVE – are the same qualities a racecar driver must possess. Without zero fucks given and a will to make devilish sacrifices at times, you were never able to hit the final laps back in the dangerous days of motorsports; a certain backwardness and nostalgia for those days is the most important ingredient overall for Death Racer. In their mind, post-apocalyptic / dystopian movies – with their totalitarian atmosphere and hostile approach against all life – are mirroring in perfect symbolism that of relentless racing.
And so they race forward, more relentless than ever, with their long-awaited debut album, From Gravel to Grave. Also perfectly titled, From Gravel to Grave presents Death Racer as an all-pistons-pumping runaway racecar, chassis gleaming but torched black with exhaust underneath, its very construction pushing the outer limits of safety before all the screws fall loose and a fiery wreck ensues. For sure, it’s not difficult to spot the Austrians’ influences, and they wouldn’t have it any other way – they are transparent as they are thorough, to circle back to the earliest point – so therefore, there’s the obligatory “High Speed Metal” of classic Razor as well as the comparable grit & grime of equally old, raw metal like earliest Slayer, Exciter, Bathory, Hungary’s Tormentor, Bulldozer, true-metal Darkthrone, cult NWOBHM, Violent Force, and of course, erudite Teutonic thrash.
Still, it’s how Death Racer revs this noble engine that matters most, not how familiar it is (because what ISN’T familiar now?!), and they sneak some nitrous into that engine in the form of hardcore punk attitude and otherworldly black metal atmosphere as well as some touches of chorused guitar from old deathrock. But again, From Gravel to Grave is thorough as it is (filthy) fun, so its lyrics deal with true incidents / accidents on the world’s most demanding and terrifying racetracks (“Nordschleife,” “Imola ’94”) as well as the terrors of “real life” inspired by newspaper articles (“C.F.S.O.D.C”) or just plain fantasy (“Motormentor,” “S.M. Death Worship”) and daily struggles (“Inverted Crossroads,” “Traumatized in Traffic Jam Ejection”). All told, filth and fury and FUN. Death Racer is at the wheel, and you’re going From Gravel to Grave at 666 mph!
Also hear the previously revealed “Inverted Crossroads” exclusively HERE, courtesy of MetalBite.com, as well as the previously revealed “Nordschleife” exclusively HERE, courtesy of Deaf Forever magazine. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Death Racer’s From Gravel to Grave 1. Motormentor 2. Nordschleife 3. Inverted Crossroads 4. C.F.S.O.D.C 4. Imola ’94 (From Gravel to Grave) 5. Racers of Death 6. Traumatized In Traffic Jam Ejection 7. S.M. Death Worship
Today, throwback extreme metallers Inerth stream the entirety of their highly anticipated new mini-album, Hybris. Set for international release on July 5th via Abstract Emotions on 12″ vinyl format, hear Inerth‘s Hybris in its entirety here:
Inerth was born in Madrid in early 2019 just after the dissolution of their previous band, the acclaimed grindcore act Looking For An Answer. Formed by veteran musicians with 25 years of touring and recording experience, Inerth‘s main idea was to create an amalgam of harsh-but-pondering music designed to reflect a lifelong passion for sounds ranging from death metal to sludge as well as incorporating doomed and industrial soundscapes. After a self-titled EP debut, Inerth released their debut album, Void, in 2022 through Abstract Emotions, receiving great reviews worldwide and being included on the best albums list at such outlets like Mondo Sonoro, Rock Zone, Aversionline, Ritvual and Metalitalia among others. Taking inspiration from such bands as Godflesh, Napalm Death, Neurosis, Celtic Frost, Amebix, and Killing Joke, on their first full-length did Inerth reclaim the spirit of the 1990s’ most extreme & transgressive sounds.
With Hybris, Inerth show an evolutionary leap for the band. Unafraid of experimentation and going beyond boundaries, the four new songs here are full of strength and spirit. Inerth are clearly influenced by Godflesh, a band with which they recently toured, but Hybris equally shows their own idiosyncratic style in even-more-powerful form.
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
American black metal outfit NIGHTHÄMMER has released its debut album Land of Fear, out now via Imbecile Records and Inferna Profundus Records.
Born in the vilest gutters of Oakland, NIGHTHÄMMER was conceived by guitarist Coffin in 2023. Shortly thereafter, drummer Grond and bassist Frost Tormentor joined the ranks, and the trio plunged into Earhammer Studio to record Land of Fear with the renowned Greg Wilkinson (Autopsy, Brainoil, Necrot), crafting their formidable sonic heresy.
Channeling the spirit of second-wave black metal titans like Gorgoroth, Immortal, Darkthrone and Deströyer 666, NIGHTHÄMMER fuses thrash and d-beat into their blitzkrieg of speed-driven riffs, thunderous drums, eerie leads and retching screams with invocations from the apostolic occult.
According to the band, “Land of Fear is an aural odyssey across an irradiated Earth when omni-corporations have finally merged into a sole sycophantic theocratic vision of complete and total domination, pitting what remains of the human race and Earth’s resources against the solemn, cold ultimatum: join or die.”
Prepare to ride the cracking thunder and traverse the Land of Fear, due out June 28 on vinyl and cassette via the band’s Imbecile Records and Inferna Profundus Records, respectively.
1. Land of Fear 2. Land of Fear (Reprise) 3. Pelt of the Wolf 4. Gilded String of the Exalted Oppressor 5. Killing Frosts 6. Impregnable Black Night 7. Delumina
Today, Hells Headbangers Records announces August 30th as the international release date for Deceased‘s highly anticipated eighth album, Children of the Morgue, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
In lieu of this announcement, the band reveal the new title track “Children of the Morgue.” Hear Deceased‘s title track “Children of the Morgue” in its entirety here:
By now, Deceased need no introduction. One of the longest-running American death metal bands, since 1985, Deceased have been there for it all: death metal’s genesis, its creative peak, its commercial peak and subsequent sink into trendiness, the eventual fallout and “un-trendiness,” its rebirth at the hands of a new generation, and on and on. There they have stood, simply and 100% always Deceased, not caring what year it is or what is hip – simply, always, DEATH METAL FROM THE GRAVE!
And across their sizable-yet-succinct discography, at their heart, Deceased have always been a great HEAVY METAL band. They proved it with 1997’s landmark Fearless Undead Machines and continued to prove it with every album thereafter, with 2018’s Ghostly White showing that even this MANY years on, their pistons are pumping harder and more creatively than ever.
During those past three decades, Deceased have not been without ambition. Even when stretching the limits of complexity like on 1995’s The Blueprints for Madness, true-to-death storytelling has always been at the fore of their work, vividly illustrated by the characteristic throat of founder / former drummer King Fowley. And although Fearless Undead Machines was perhaps the apex of that storytelling, never before have Deceased attempted such an emotional, topically rooted-in-death album…until now!
Enter Children of the Morgue, Deceased‘s darkest record to date. The album’s concept is on dying and all that it entails, and suitably do the band integrate nearly every element of their past and present arsenal into its 55-minute runtime. “There will be fast parts, slow parts, melodic parts, noisy parts, and everything in between,” Fowley claimed pre-release, and he’s not wrong! But how Deceased manage to thread everything together so seamlessly speaks to the strength of their songwriting – always recognizable, but never resting on past laurels. Here on Children of the Morgue, moody-yet-melodic riffing and lead-work take center stage as Fowley narrates this epic-length tale of life and death. The album’s exceptional pacing and engaging, always-going-forward song constructions heighten the sensation that the record is a lot shorter than it actually is; however, if one was to do some quick math, he’d surmise at least half these tracks are indeed EPIC – at or above the eight-minute mark. Nevertheless, the sum effect is mesmerizing and even majestic, unremittingly DARK as the subject matter may be. The final icing on the cake (or slamming of the morgue’s doors?) is the warm & rustic recording courtesy of Oblivion Studios, where the aforementioned Fearless Undead Machines and co-classic Supernatural Addiction were rendered onto tape.
Nearly 40 years since their formation, Deceased show no signs of stopping – and, in fact, are arguably more potent than ever. You can now add Children of the Morgue to their list of undeniable classics…but this is not the end!
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Deceased’s Children of the Morgue 1. Destination: Morgue 2. Children of the Morgue 3. Turn to Wither 4. Terrornaut 5. The Reaper is Nesting 6. Uninvited Dirge 7. The Grave Digger 8. Eerie Wavelengths 9. Fed to Mother Earth 10. Skull with the Vacant Stare 11. Brooding Lament 12. Farewell (Taken to Forever)
Today, Sepulchral Voice Records announces August 30th as the international release date for Concrete Winds‘ highly anticipated third album, self-titled Concrete Winds, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
To all death metal lunatics and black metal psychopaths left out there in this toothless and tamed scene, let us proclaim the word! Concrete Winds are back to push spikes, needles, and barbed wire into your flesh and ears.
Once again, the noise aggressors slit the veil from beyond and step into our world to pillage and hound to death all what was known, predictable, and comfortable in metal music. Their third album is self-titled for mandatory reasons and shows the band furthermore exploring the EXTREME in extreme metal. This truly is rabies set to music!
While their debut, 2019’s Primitive Force, was a beacon of strife in stretching and redefining the boundaries of unholy, grinding death metal, the successor, 2021’s Nerve Butcherer, pushed the limits even harder and set new standards in the world of audial bulldozing destruction and blitzin’ torment.
With Concrete Winds, the band now open wide again the portals to the abattoir and continue right where Nerve Butcherer had left the listener helplessly in a sonic wasteland of scorched earth, barren soil, and sheer darkness. They manifest their will to tear the listeners’ drumheads out and to creep deep into souls black. As expected, the album is rooted in outrageous speed, heaviest trembling rhythm passages, abysmal croaked curses, turbulent breaks, and repulsive shrieking leads which let you drown in a maelstrom of insanity. But this time, new layers are also added to the pandemonic universe, as weird staccato riffing sections bleed into witching industrial scenarios.
Concrete Winds have always gone further than any recent extreme metal outfit and leave out everything that’s established in music, cut off what became comfortable in metal, and blow away what still feels “appropriate” in extreme metal. It seems that this once-urgent attitude to explore limits finally has a new helmsman. Nevertheless, they stay ever loyal to the elder originators of bloody metal mayhem, but evolve those inspirations taken from masters like Morbid Angel, Necrovore, and Repulsion to a very unique and nearly “reference-less” hellwitchin’ sound.
No less than Lawrence Mackrory – with the help of Matti Mäkelä – recorded, mixed, and mastered this cacophonic eruption mostly at Rorysounds Studios in Uppsala, Sweden. All of it is bound together in nine signature two-word-titled songs that altogether does not exceed the 27-minute mark. Calculators may wrongly estimate it as “short,” but measured in CW units, it has the perfect length to die a thousand deaths.
Concrete Winds have never been for the faint-hearted. They always killed any scent of entertaining characters straight from the seed. It’s easy not to understand them; it’s easy not to comprehend them; it’s easy not to love them. But it should not be easy to confuse entertainment with art: true art must hurt.
However, this is Concrete fucking Winds‘ third album! And it will definitely not leave anyone untouched, no matter in which way – PERIOD.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Infernal Repeater” here:
