June 7, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA – Czech black metal band CHERNAA has released their debut album, Empyrean Fire, today via Noizr Productions. The record is already receiving rave reviews from critics and fans alike. “Chernaa’s ability to meld aggression and melody, all with a singular personality, is what sets them apart from the pack” – Metal Hammer (UK)“…excellently executed making the entire release something to truly behold” – CadaverGarden.com
CHERNAA is a black-metal band based in Prague, Czech Republic. The band has an international line-up, including musicians from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Russia. The recording of the album Empyrean Fire took place at the Jaro Sound studio in Prague. The artwork for the release was created by Anna Levytska, known for her work with Blut aus Nord. “Three guys from the Czech Republic and a guy from Ukraine currently living in Prague, creating the instrumental base for the band, while the vocalist is from Russia, Krasnoyarsk, recording vocals from afar. We bring the post into your black. We dive into the void and bring the existential dread.”
June 7, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA – In conjunction with today’s release of their full-length debut “Conjure The Storm,” the extreme/melodic blackened death metal trio NEVALRA has unveiled a live performance-based music video for the album’s blistering “It Dies In Vain.” The clip can be seen here:
Says guitarist/vocalist Scott Eames, “NEVALRA is very pleased to present our monstrous music video for ‘It Dies In Vain’. We brought in Iron Elephant Studios from Baltimore to help us film and produce the visuals, and the band could not be more pleased with the collaboration and final result. ‘It Dies In Vain’ has become one of our favorite songs to perform and holds one of the most unique guitar solos on our new album ‘Conjure The Storm.’ This music video helps usher in a whole new era of NEVALRA.”
The follow-up to NEVALRA’s debut 2015 EP “The Black Flame,” “Conjure The Storm” – which features guest appearances by Andres Vargas (Thy Antichrist) and Mark Kloeppel (Misery Index, Scour) – was mixed and mastered by the legendary Dan Swano (Opeth, Dark Funeral, Dissection, Marduk).
The cover art was designed by Seth Siro Anton of Septicflesh, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Decapitated, Belphegor and Nile. The album is available now on CD, digital and limited-edition black vinyl. Pre-order here: https://m-theoryaudio.com/store.
NEVALRA will begin a world tour in support of “Conjure The Storm” on June 10, when the group kicks off a six-week European trek with Carach Angren, Thy Antichrist and Wolfheart in Frankfurt, Germany. The tour will see Eames doing double duty, as he also will be playing with Thy Antichrist. NEVALRA on tour with Carach Angren, Wolfheart, Thy Antichrist:
HEILUNG are now
releasing the third track taken from their upcoming album ‘Futha’, which will be
released on June 28, 2019. “Traust” is now streaming
HEILUNG comment: “‘Traust’ is probably
Heilung’s most positive song so far. Dominated by female voices it starts out
with, what is called ‘Leysigaldr’ in old Icelandic, a blessing to release a tied
warrior. Heilung performs that blessing actively on stage during the song. It
continues with nine blessings, taken from the old Icelandic poem “Grogaldr”.
Here, luck in battle, good words in speeches and yet another blessing of release
are summoned. The choir sings a younger Icelandic protection
spell.”
On the meaning of the album
title, HEILUNG comment: “The majority of full rune set
inscriptions start with ‘Futha’, and is known to us as the first four 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, of course, a surplus of theories. One of
the theories we found inspiration in, is that ‘Futha’ holds the meaning of
fertility and female gender. As ‘Ofnir’ focused on war and masculine notions,
the great healing power of female wild strength is evoked in Futha. Those who
have been present at a birth or have seen lionesses hunting know the spirit, and
we welcome and embrace it in the sounds that were born during the creation of
‘Futha’.”
HEILUNG have previously announced a European
tour in October and November this year. The tour will kick off on October 22nd
in Warsaw (PL) and will end about a month later in Paris (FR). Find the full
list of tour dates below.
HEILUNG festivals 21 Jun 19 Copenhagen (DK) Copenhell Festival 2019 29 Jun 19 Helsinki (FI) Tuska 2019 09 Aug 19 Jaromer (CZ) Brutal Assault 17 Aug 19 Borre (NO) Midgardsblot 2019 07 Sep 19 Selb (DE) Mediaval Festival 2019 19 Oct 19 Hameln (DE) Autumn Moon Festival 2019 (Exact date TBA) 18 Feb 20 York (UK) Descended from Odin Festival (Exact date TBA)
HEILUNG European tour 22 Oct 19 Palladium (PL) Warschau (tickets) 24 Oct 19 Berlin (DE) Admiralspalast (tickets) 26 Oct 19 Essen (DE) Colosseum Theater (tickets) 28 Oct 19 Munich (DE) Circus Krone (tickets) 30 Oct 19 Prague (CZ) Hybernia (tickets) 01 Nov 19 Halle (DE) Händelhalle (tickets) 03 Nov 19 Vienna (AT) Der Globe (tickets) 05 Nov 19 Zurich (CH) Volkshaus (tickets) 07 Nov 19 Kiel (DE) Kieler Schloss (tickets) 10 Nov 19 London (UK) Roundhouse (tickets) 14 Nov 19 Utrecht (NL) Tivoli Vredenburg (tickets) 17 Nov 19 Brussels (BE) AB (tickets) 20 Nov 19 Paris (FR) Elysée Montmartre (tickets) 06 Dec 19 Lviv (UA) Lviv State Circus (tickets) 08 Dec 19 Kyiv (UA) Center of Culture and Arts NAU (tickets)
“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
Today, Colombian black metal cult Daemoni stream the entirety of their long-awaited second album, Black Tyrant. Set for international release on the symbolic date of June 6th via Goathorned Productions, hear Daemoni‘s Black Tyrant in its entirety here:
Hailing from Bogotá, Daemoni formed in 2009 and feature members who’ve cut a wide path in the Colombian extreme metal scene, including such bands as Horncrowned, Nosferatu, Divine Prophanity, Inoculation, and Disenterror among others. Biding their time patiently, the band made their first public recording with their debut album, Stillborn Redeemer, in 2011. No need for a demo, Daemoni burst into the underground with cold, iron-fisted malice here: Stillborn Redeemer tellingly featured a cover of Dark Funeral’s “Shadows Over Transylvania,” used with permission from Lord Ahriman, and suitably did the album brim with an ancient fire.
Years would pass, but Daemoni continued to be a force on the live front, supporting Colombian shows by such luminaries as Mayhem, Suffocation, Dark Funeral, Krisiun, and Vader among others, with 2018 bringing the band’s first European show in Madrid, Spain. Alas, the time to strike again is upon us and Daemoni eclipse the freezing fire of their debut with Black Tyrant. A more finessed ‘n’ focused work, Black Tyrant exudes an air of professionalism and daresay “maturity” that thankfully never threaten to neuter the primeval fury at the heart of Daemoni‘s aesthetic. Indeed, the album is aptly titled, for the band’s songwriting has reached a masterful level, wholly matching the more muscular aspect that guides these eight underworld hymns. Each instrument is clearly heard, robust but blood-red; the quintet are in the throes of demonical possession, but still retain a tightness of execution. And after 40 furious, fiery minutes, the listener shall likewise reach a state of demonical possession with Black Tyrant.
Graced with masterful artwork by Jenglot Hitam, at long last does Black Tyrant arrive, for black and tyrannical is Daemoni‘s reign!
Album cover art and tracklisting as follows:
Tracklisting for
Daemoni’s Black
Tyrant 1. Moriens
Pulsatio 2. Abstersion’s Rite 3. Carnifex Christi 4. Plagues
Embraced 5. Black Tyrant 6. Illucescente 7. Daemonios 8. Thirsty
Underworld
Cult black metal band ENTHRONED premiere their entire new full length ‘Cold Black Suns’. The record will be released this Friday, June 7, via Season of Mist. Listen to the new album below
The band comments: “Condemned again to channel the darkness into a sonic
trip, we are back with their most reckless album: ‘Cold Black Suns.’ An ode to
the arcane of cosmic matter and what holds historical certainty, our vision
exalts the manifestation of physical forces within the world’s cultural heritage
and its direct relation to the occult.”
ENTHRONED will celebrate the release of
‘Cold Black Suns’ on Thronefest in Belgium in June. Find all confirmed tour
dates below. ENTHRONED 08 Jun 19 Kuurne (BE)
Throne Fest 2019 20 Jul 19 Volyne (CZ) ETEF
The cover artwork and tracklist of ‘Cold Black Suns’ can
be found below. The album cover was created by Neraath.
ENTHRONED is surely a name black metal fans are no strangers to. Over the course of the last 25 years, they have pushed the boundaries of black metal and the deepness of the Left Hand Path philosophy further within. The quintet has channelled that dedication into their newest record. ‘Cold Black Suns’ is a dark and crushing black metal album where cold riffing, blood chilling atmospheres, and ritualistic drumming are keys to forging their most mature and accomplished opus to date.
The band, who crawled out of the black lands of Belgium in 1993, inked their first contract less than a year after its formation, and recorded debut album ‘Prophecies of Pagan Fire,’ which is now considered an all-time classic in the genre.
By then known as The Blackened Horde to fans and the scene at large, ENTHRONED recruited guitarist Nornagest and within 2 years entered Hautregard Studios to give birth to their second album. After the recording, tragedy struck and founding member and drummer Cernunnos (1997) took his own life.
The band went on to record the album using Cernunnos’s drum tracks from rehearsal recordings which were recorded by long time friend Da Cardoen, from the Belgian band ASPHYXIA. ‘Towards the Skullthrone of Satan’ was thus born. Since then, ENTHRONED went on to tour the world and have released a total of 10 full-lengths, one live album, and a hearty handful of splits and EPs.
Now, as the band celebrates 26 years as one of black metal’s premier outfits, they are ready to unleash number 11 onto the masses. ‘Cold Black Suns’ is an icy, brutal offering from the band that will see a worldwide release on June 7, 2019 via Season of Mist, making it their debut to the label. This is the band’s first album in five years, following up 2014’s critically acclaimed ‘Sovereigns.’
‘Cold Black Suns’ is one of 2019’s most anticipated releases and is certain to hold up to the hype that surrounds it, delivering an evolved and crushing offering from Belgium’s own black metal legends. Line-up: Nornagest: Vocals Neraath: Guitars, noise and effects Shāgāl: Guitars Norgaath: Bass Menthor: Drums
Cover artwork: Neraath
Recording studio: Pike Studio, Amarante/Portugal
Producer / sound engineer: Carlos Ribeiro
Mixing studio and engineer: Blackout Studio, Brussels/Belgium. Mixed by Jeremie Bezier
Mastering studio and engineer: Orgone Studio, Bedfordshire, UK. Mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano
Norwegian black metal titans ABBATH are nowreleasing the third new track, taken from their upcoming full length ‘Outstrider’. The album is set for worldwide release on July 5, 2019. The title track is now streaming here:
ABBATH have previously announce a
killer European tour coming this January/February. A full list of confirmed
shows can be found below.
ABBATH
festivals 27 Jul 19
Steenwijk (NL) Stonehenge Festival 201924
Aug 19 Bergen (NO) Beyond the Gates Festival
2019
ABBATH +VLTIMAS +1349 23 Jan 20 Weimar (DE)
Uhrenwerk (tickets) 24 Jan 20 Bochum (DE) Matrix (tickets) 25 Jan 20 Nijmegen (NL) Doornroosje (tickets) 26 Jan 20 Antwerpen (BE) Trix (tickets) 27 Jan 20 London (UK) Islington Assembly Hall (tickets) 28 Jan 20 Paris (FR) La Machine Du Moulin
Rouge (tickets) 29 Jan 20 Nantes (FR) Stereolux 30 Jan 20
Toulouse (FR) Metronum (tickets) 31 Jan 20 Barcelona (ES) Salamandra (tickets) 01 Feb 20 Madrid (ES) But (tickets) 02 Feb 20 Lyon (FR) Nikasi Kao (tickets) 04 Feb 20 Mannheim (DE) MS Connexion Complex (tickets) 05 Feb 20 München (DE) Backstage (tickets) 06 Feb 20 Luzern (CH) Schüür (tickets) 07 Feb 20 Parma (IT) Campus Music Industry (tickets) 08 Feb 20 Brno (CZ) Fleda (tickets) 09 Feb 20 Warschau (PL) Progresja (tickets) 11 Feb 20 Berlin (DE) Festsaal Kreuzberg (tickets) 12 Feb 20 Hamburg (DE) Kulturpalast (tickets) 13 Feb 20 Copenhagen (DK) Amager Bio (tickets) 14 Feb 20 Gothenburg (SE) Tradgarn (tickets) 15 Feb 20 Stockholm (SE) Fryhuset Klubben (tickets)
The
coverartwork, which is created by Kim Holm and Olav Iversen, and the
track-list for ‘Outstrider’ can be found below.
Track
listing: 1. Calm in Ire (Of Hurricane) (04:32) 2. Bridge of Spasms
(03:49) 3. The Artifex (04:09) 4. Harvest Pyre (04:12) 5. Land of Khem (04:08) 6. Outstrider (05:39) 7. Scythewinder (04:17) 8. Hecate
(04:25) 9. Pace till Death (BATHORY cover) (03:41) Total:
38:52
When Abbath announced that he had left IMMORTAL, it sent massive shockwaves through the metal scene. The iconic frontman had long become the “face” of the Norwegian black scene, his image synonymous with the genre. Upon releasing his debut album with his eponymous new band, ABBATH, in 2016, trve fans were satiated with a dose of icy, blackened fury.
Now, the Norwegian giant returns for round two, armed with a refined lineup and ready to strike with a sophomore effort that is sure to once again exceed the expectations of Abbath’s loyal fanbase. ‘Outstrider’ sees a maturation in sound, delivering a tighter, well-rounded offering from the band as they come into their own identity.
While there are moments that certainly channel the frosty hallmarks of IMMORTAL, there is no danger of ABBATH repeating that formula. ABBATH draws from NWOBM and melodic influences, adding a fresh new flavor to the sound that the band’s founder came to define.
‘Oustrider’ consists of eight, crushing original songs and concludes with a fiery BATHORY cover. The album promises a full-on aural assault from start to finish with frigid riffage and a robust pocket that are layered with vocals from one of the most identifiable voices in black metal. If you thought ABBATH came in hot with their last record, just wait until you hear this!
Line-up Abbath – Vocals & guitars Ole Andre Farstad -Guitars Ukri Suviletho – Drums Mia Wallace – Bass
US occult death metallers Defixion have just released a lyric video for the song “Mazacrium” as a second advance single of their EP Tabella Defixionis, scheduled for international release on June 18th via Xtreem Music. See & hear the lyric video for Defixion‘s “Mazacrium” here:
Defixion (from the Greek “Defixio”: synonym for curse tablet
and binding ritual) hail from San Diego, California and play orthodox death
metal with a conceptual passion for curses, maledictions, bygone cults, and
antiquity. Formed in 2015, the band released their first three-song demo in 2015
and a second demo entitled DXN in 2016. The EP Tabella
Defixionis was recorded and produced by Ed Talorda of Disgorge (USA)
between Trench Studios and HZ Audiotech Services during 2018 and self-released
in a very limited run which is sold out by now. With this recording,
Defixion got the attention from Las Vegas Deathfest to
participate in their 2019 edition and also Xtreem Music, who
offered them a deal, starting with an official worldwide release of this EP.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows
Tracklisting for Defixion’s Tabella
Defixionis 1. Chant to Abalal 2. Lux Diurna (Soothing
the Gods) 3. Sent Below, Sent Nowhere 4. 7 Nails for Eulamon 5.
Mazacrium 6. Ie Pan Ie Eleusis
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions sets August 23rd as the
international release date for Hagzissa‘s striking debut
album, They Ride Along, on CD and vinyl LP
formats.
Hagzissa are an Austrian black metal band
founded in 2016 by B. Moser of the enigmatic Kringa. Having been a rough concept
for many years, even dating back to the days before Kringa, the process of
Hagzissa‘s awakening has not only been a heart- and
mind-consuming one, but also deeply personal. However, since the very beginning,
it has been clear that this journey would not start as a solo effort, and thus
did B. seek suitable comrades to flesh out his vision.
Eventually, a
working Hagzissa lineup coalesced and a first recording
undertaken. It manifested itself as Promo 2017, which was actually
recorded the year before but spread only to the band’s closest contacts. Duly
impressed by the band’s olde-worlde black metal, Iron Bonehead
released Promo 2017 on cassette tape, and momentum surged
toward a full-length recording.
Alas, after establishing themselves as a
formidable live entity, this now-solidified lineup of Hagzissa
– L. Pachinger on drums (also of Kringa), C. Rastelli on bass, M. Morast on
guitar, and B. Moser solely concentrating on vocals – delivers their debut
album, They Ride Along. Indeed, the album is aptly (and enigmatically)
titled, for here do Hagzissa walk a path of ancient wickedness.
Theirs is a black metal that’s both older than time itself yet exceedingly fresh
in its feral, wild ways; to call it “obscure” would be an understatement, but
one need only look at the band’s visual presentation to see that
Hagzissa are on their own, horrid wavelength. In fact, despite
Austria’s potent yet oft-overlooked contributions to the international language
of black metal, one could favorably liken They Ride Along to any
handful of ’90s iconoclasts hailing from the Czech Republic and Poland or the
gutted ‘n garish horrors released by the late, great Nazgul’s Eyrie
Productions.
Open the imagination and submit to animalistic abandon. Here
do Hagzissa command They Ride Along. Begin riding
along with the new track “Irrsinnsdimensionen (A Bath Amidst the Wells)”
Cover and tracklisting as follows:
Tracklisting for Hagzissa’s They Ride
Along 1. Die Pforte (A
Speech Above the Moor) 2. Irrsinnsdimensionen (A Bath Amidst the Wells) 3.
Moonshine Glance (An Iron Seed In Sour Soil) 4. Searing Effigy 5. They
Ride Along On the Howling Winds! 6. The Nightshade Wilderness 7. Atavist
Kama Aconite Trance 8. There, Draw a Circle!
HAGZISSA
lineup 2019 Herzog B. v. Moser-Wampula – vocals and concept M.M.,
Junker vom Morast – strings and additional throat Magister C.Rastelli – bass
and distortion The White Pawn – drums and
cymbals
Fenriz, speaking to Loudwire about the song cryptically said “I feel that the words and titles are everyone’s property and they can analyse or feel it as they want. I will lead no way here! But when you see the lyrics you will know that it is probably not about a specific person (certainly not Newman from Seinfeld) but perhaps more of a fate or entity even.
“DUKE OF GLOAT Written: Ted Skjellum, Gylve Fenris NagellPublished by: Vile Music
Too old to wring the secret from the master
The well you encountered as a child
Merely acknowledging the beacon now
And now you are not well any longer
So this is the pact of the gloat
Double hell for all All to repair and one to watch No freedom in these domains
Hail the satan Sinister duke of gloat
Wrap up the wretched fates
Intriguing eternal laughter Encyclopedias Of endless futile life toils Shrapnel wounds From shattered inner gargoyles
So this is the pact of the gloat Brave beating hearts,
But All must repair while one beholds No freedom in these domains
The legendary Norwegian longstanding partnership of Fenriz and Ted “Nocturno Culto” Skjellum, return with Old Star, their first studio album since 2016’s hugely popular Arctic Thunder. With a mastery and endless dedication to the art of the riff, they cut through 6 new epic tracks, taking in the best of the old school of heavy & extreme metal plus a large dose of doom-laden riffing, & channelling it through the grime of the underground. Fenriz enthuses «Old star – again we are here with THE RIFFS! A while after our previous ARCTIC THUNDER album it became apparent that we would continue in that same style, BLACK OLD HEAVY METAL with slow thrash, classic doom and slow death metal. As many have focussed on the 70s sound over the last 20 years, the mix on our new album has ended up being more 80s than ever. The songs are more metal than ever! Ted’s songs have alot of black metal in them, faster and slower but also doomier parts and reocurring parts. My songs are more linear written, it’s an ancient 80s underground trick, with breaks, all slow heavy or slow thrash, classic doom or slow death.»
He continues «All in all it is our most 80s album so far and our most metal one to date with drum sound typical for the 80s USA/German market and damned lyrics, which are all written by me. We feel that OLD STAR is the big brother of ARCTIC THUNDER. More solid and with even better riffs.»
Old Star was recorded at the band’s Necrohell 2 Studios, with engineering and production duties carried out by vocalist/guitarist Nocturno Culto, complemented with a perfectly organic mix courtesy of Sanford Parker (Voivod) at Hypercube Studios, & mastered once more by Jack Control at Enormous Door. The stellar cover artistry comes courtesy of Chadwick St John, titled “The Shepherd of the Deep”.
Over the course of 30 years, Norway’s Darkthrone has become a staple of the global black metal genre, forging a legacy as one of the most renowned and influential bands in its illustrious & often infamous history. In the formative years following their 1987 inception, Darkthrone initially started with a strong concoction of thrash & then death/doom metal experimentation, with broader musical influences spanning from the 60s to the 80s, before the debut album Soulside Journey was unleashed in 1991.
Never ones to follow convention or stand still even then, the band soon embraced a much darker, more primitive form of expression with the now iconic second album A Blaze in the Northern Sky, & the rest became history.
Available formats, each comes with handwritten lyrics in the booklet or insert:
CD Black 180g vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 180g purple vinyl
LP Ltd Edition 180g green vinyl LP (exclusively available at the Peaceville store)
Ltd Edition 180g orange vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 7” vinyl box set – Old Star is presented on 3 coloured 7” (black, white, clear vinyl) (exclusively available at the Peaceville store) Cassette (exclusively available at the Peaceville store) Digital album (pre-orders receives “The Hardship Of The Scots” as an instant download)
Darkthrone are:
Gylve ‘Fenriz’ Nagell – drums, song writing, lyrics
Ted ‘Nocturno Culto’ Skjellum – strings & vocals, song writing
Czech/Ukranian/Russian Post Black Metal band Chernaa have a new album out June 9th and this week I talked to them about their record deal, meaning of the band name and juggling band members from 3 different countries – check it out
How did the record deal with Noizr come about?
Noizr founder Dmytro and me (Nexus) met around six years ago and since then we’ve hung out a lot and worked together (I was helping him with Noizr occasionally). On February 2019 I was doing some work in Hertz studio in Poland (the temple of the Polish black metal, the place where were recordings of Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated and Hate born) and during my stay in Poland I made a few calls with Dmytro and we agreed on a good deal between Chernaa and Noizr. Generally, guys from Noizr are really responsive, disposed and competent in their field, so we’re really happy to work with them. – Nexus
You guys are listed as a Czech Republic/Ukraine/Russian band – how does that work?
With Hedonist (the vocalist), we were communicating via the internet and managed to record the whole album, despite the 6000 Km between us, which was, by the way, a rare and amazing experience. Nexus speaks both Russian and Czech, so it wasn’t a problem. Hedonist also speaks English, as the rest of the band does. – Solipsist
The only requirement we had for the vox was that it would be a high pitched shriek
How did you all meet?
When I first moved to Prague I was introduced to Solipsist. At the time, they were looking for a guitar player with his prog-metal band, which I joined. Then after nearly 3 years, we joined another post-rock band together and Nexus was the one who mixed and mastered our full-length album. The band, unfortunately, fell apart soon after, but we stayed in touch with Nexus and decided to create a new band. We started to hang out a lot and write music at Nexuses place. And at that time my friend told me that he knows a drummer who was skilled enough to play the drums for a post-black metal band, so we hit him up and he agreed to play with us. At that point, we just needed to find vocals. The only requirement we had for the vox was that it would be a high pitched shriek, rather than those lower pitched types of vocals. We were looking all over the Czech internet, without any response though. That is when my Russian friend came in (he lives in Prague as well) and he wanted to help with finding a vocalist since his birth town in Russia offered many talented people, that like black metal. And so he found us vocalist, Hedonist the Poisoned, from Krasnoyarsk. – Solipsist, Utsuro
Have any of the band visited the USA before – if so did they like it?
None of us has been to the US yet, but hopefully, we can change that in the future. We all like travelling and we would like to visit some exotic destinations as well. Utsuro just returned from his trip to Japan. Our journey as a band has just begun and we hope, that our music will allow us to visit many beautiful places. – Nihilist
if you put that together with metal friendly themes that we like (like nihilism, existentialism etc) it works the best for us
How did you guys get into Black Metal? What bands have been your biggest influences?
Everyone of us has a rich history with metal music. I would say that all of our members are open to different subgenres of metal. What I think everyone prefers about black metal, is the fact that it focuses more on the song structure as a story. It’s not really about bragging that you can play technically, it is not about showing your shred off. It is more about focusing on how it sounds together, rather than everyone shredding at the same time. It is about sacrificing your own playing for the sake of the bigger picture – the atmosphere of the song, or the story that it has to unveil. It is also like that in post-rock, which we like and if you put that together with metal friendly themes that we like (like nihilism, existentialism etc) it works the best for us. Metal music nowadays also seems very rhythmically based. Some of us grew tired of that, and that’s why we would prefer a wall-of-sound genre. With all this being said, post-black metal seemed like the right choice for us. Now let us get to some concrete influences. From the second wave of black, I’d say old Darkthrone for the raw/frostbitten riffs and high pitched vocals, Burzum for the sheer black metal energy and rpg feel to it. From the third wave of black metal, I’d say all the melodic stuff, like Lantlos, Alcest, Deafheaven, Russian and Ukrainian bands like Drudkh and Sivyj Yar, Ultar and so on. We often listen to a lot of heavy black metal
(Yellow Eyes, Krallice, Mgla, Deathspell Omega, Akhlys…) and we get inspired by the heaviness and possibly write our material more melody drenched. – Solipsist
What is pink powder about?
At the moment, when the text of this track was born, I was experiencing a strong emotional pain and longing. A man who has exhausted in himself all the vital and emotional forces, seeking peace and humility from within. This song is about the internal pain of a tired man. – Hedonist
this transient awareness of the nothingness that triggers emotional responses that are too mysterious and profound
What does the band name mean?
The name “Chernaa (tʃeərnɑː)” symbolises the feeling that life is meaningless and that we are utterly insignificant when compared to the size of universe. Like the beauty of gazing vacantly into the black void and being detached from all other worries in life. As soon as the melancholy becomes the basic disposition of man, it reflects a world that has lost its firm order and human life is at the very edge of incurable disease. And it is this transient awareness of the nothingness that triggers emotional responses that are too mysterious and profound and which we are trying to capture with our music. – Utsuro
What can we expect from Chernaa for the rest of 2019?
We’re currently extensively working on the new material, which is halfly done, hope to finish the next album within a year. There’s a lot of new ideas and we’re pushing our development, to make the next record more miscellaneous, complex and surely more professional. Fans could look forward to genre diversity, there will be shoegaze, prog and post-metal influences as well as heavier black metal and black-death songs. At the same time, we’re rehearsing a lot and hope to start actively performing and touring from the second half of 2019. We’re also open to any booking offers. – Nexus
The purpose behind what we do is to document and share an expressive interpretation of strong and dark emotions like depression, anger and melancholy
Any final words?
The purpose behind what we do is to document and share an expressive interpretation of strong and dark emotions like depression, anger and melancholy. While not all people can exhaust their negative emotions through a grim artform, there always might people who do, same as us. And if someone happens to be one of those people, then we would be glad if you discover our music. – Solipsist
