WINDSWEPT, the Ukrainian black metal formation founded by DRUDKH mastermind Roman Sayenko, are premiering a new track. The song “Stargazer” is taken from the upcoming album ‘The Onlooker’, which will be released via Season of Mist Underground Activists on February 8, 2019
The tracklist of ‘The Onlooker’ have also been revealed and can be viewed below.
Track-list
1. I’m Oldness and Oblivion (Intro)
2. Stargazer
3. A Gift to Feel Nostalgia
4. Disgusting Breed of Hagglers
5. Gustav Meyrink’s Prague
6. Insomnia of the Old Men
7. Times of No Dreams & No Poets
8. Bookworm, Loser, Pauper
Conceived by DRUDKH mastermind Roman Sayenko in cooperation with two fellow band members, black metal force WINDSWEPT have returned with their second full length. ‘The Onlooker’ is to be released via Season of Mist Underground Activists on February 8, 2019.
Sayenko’s latest brainchild, WINDSWEPT, came into being in 2017. As this project stays within the classic expression of Ukrainian black metal, the band shares some similarities with legendary DRUDKH. However, the main goal for the three musicians is to express their creative ideas by improvising and capturing these sounds with the raw and authentic feeling of a live performance.
WINDSWEPT released their full length debut ‘The Great Cold Steppe’, last year (March 2017). A musical piece that was inspired by the cold and harsh realities of the hostile and fierce Eastern steppes. Reflecting upon notions of traditions and the past, the musicians released the EP ‘Visionaire’ on Van Records, early in 2018.
Built on the same foundations, the new record ‘The Onlooker’ once more employs a raw, fierce black metal sound reminiscent of earlier days, harvested from spending only a few of days in the studio. ‘The Onlooker’ is bound to appeal to those who’ve enjoyed other works of these veterans of Ukrainian (black) metal scene.
Today, Finnish black metal institution Goats of Doom stream the entirety of their highly anticipated fourth album, Rukous. Set for international release on December 7th via Primitive Reaction, hear Goats of Doom’s Rukous in its entirety HERE.
Despite a somewhat misleading moniker, Goats of Doom are 100% black metal through and through, and one of the Finnish underground’s best-kept secrets. And yet, compared to the filthy recesses of their native contemporaries, Goats of Doom specialize in a sleek and alluringly melodic sort of black metal – no less aggressive, but with the emphasis on mysticism and melody.
Goats of Doom was founded in 2008 by Scaregod and Inasnum. Three full-lengths eventually followed in 2012, 2015, and 2017 with this lineup; in this iteration, the band was more synth-based black metal, but not strictly “symphonic black metal” by definition. Now expanded to a trio, Goats of Doom show a new face on Rukous, where the mysterious atmosphere of old is shot through with more surging aggression and bewitching melody: in essence, a melodic blizzard, if you will. It’s characteristically Finnish in its melancholy – melody can never be too saccharine, of course – but burns icy hot with a passion that makes its seven-song/42-minute runtime a nightsky treasure to behold. The theme of Rukous is suitably spirituality, and hereby do Goats of Doom offer myriad ways to worship the dark.
Rounded out by production that finds that perfect balance between grit and gleam, mystery and muscle, Goats of Doom’s Rukous presents a unique face to the ever-vibrant Finnish black metal idiom. Hear the whole album exclusively HERE.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Goats of Doom’s Rukous
1. Veressä on Perustani Juuret
2. Tuhkasta Valettu
3. Law ov Liberty
4. Sokeus Johtaa Kansaa
5. World Denied Lucifer’s Light
6. Rukous
7. Riivaaja
Today, German black metal mavericks Veiled premiere the new track “Selfchasm”. The track hails from the band’s striking debut album, In Blinding Presence, set for international release on January 7th, 2019 via Into Endless Chaos Records.
Hear Veiled’s “Selfchasm” in its entirety exclusively HERE.
Otherwise known as (The True) Veiled to avoid confusion with the myriad other bands with the “Veiled” moniker, this brazen quartet from Leipzig appear like a bolt from the blue after a teasingly short split 7″ with Abysmal Wounds earlier this year through Into Endless Chaos. Fully formed, shockingly confident, boundlessly inspired, In Blinding Presence indeed approximates its title with gleamingly obsidian brilliance.
Some steps lead to saintly aisles, others to the deep chasm of your inner self. The psychotic black metal of (The True) Veiled on their full-length debut does both and forms the last part of the triunity to ruin your perception. Clanging with unsettling clarity, heaving hypnotically down corridors strangely alluring yet eternally damning, In Blinding Presence brings black metal into harshly austere focus: simultaneously monochromatic and kaleidoscopic, its angularity throws rude-yet-refined shapes, all with the deft touch of masters. Yearning ‘n’ yawning riffs burrow deeply into the subconscious, warping the listener’s parameters of comprehension but emerging uniquely enlightening all the same; vocals are maniacal in their hysteria, their urgency, yet exude world-weary wisdom. Or, perhaps we could just simply say that (The True) Veiled here display how to push black metal toward adventurousness whilst retaining its core values.
Dispel your mind with the healing atter and get lost in the weave of the three norns. Drink and sup voraciously upon the bounty of the future’s ancients. Here, (The True) Veiled shall reveal to you truths In Blinding Presence.
Continue seeking truth with the new track “Selfchasm” exclusively HERE
Begin seeking truth with the previously revealed “The Healing Atter” HERE.
Spanish doom/death sextet Onirophagus have just finished work on their second album, Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction), which will be released internationally on February 19th, 2019 through Xtreem Music.
Five years have passed since the release of their first album, Prehuman, in September 2013, a time frame where Onirophagus have suffered some lineup changes but still managed to retain the essence of their sound, turning it even heavier and darker, creating a monumental opus divided into four acts with a total running time of almost one hour! The style of Onirophagus is a deep doom/ death with noticeable influences from bands like Ophis, Evoken, Necros Christos, Morgion, and My Dying Bride.
Release date for Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction) will be February 19th, 2019 through Xtreem Music on CD format. Hear the new track “Dark River” HERE
Cover artwork, courtesy of Ars Moriendee (Neurosis, Harakiri For The Sky, Converge), and tracklisting are as follows:
1. Book of the Half Men
2. Dark River
3. Dystanasia
4. Endarkenment
part I: Putrefaction
part II: Nibbida
part III: Illumination
Today, death metal barbarians Order of the Nameless Ones stream the entirety of their striking debut album, Utter to Me the Word of Wrat. Set for international release on December 7th via Iron Bonehead Productions, hear Order of the Nameless Ones’ Utter to Me the Word of Wrath in its entirety HERE.
Truly a mysterious and enigmatic entity, Order of the Nameless Ones released their debut demo in 2014 and have been patiently lying in wait, ready to unleash a full-length of devastating proportions. At last, it has arrived, with the ever-fitting title Utter to Me the Word of Wrath. True to its word, Order of the Nameless Ones here create eight churning ‘n’ coruscating tracks of cavernous, utterly barbaric DEATH METAL. Their barbarity is familiar in a sense, rooted as it is in the ancient days of the Metal of Death, but the overwhelming onslaught that ensues is suffused with Lovecraftian mythos and modern occultism, altogether creating an obscurity perfectly in line with their moniker. But let it be known that obfuscation, whether for its own sake or otherwise, is nowhere to be found here: Order of the Nameless Ones prize order and stridently exude a militancy that puts Utter to Me the Word of Wrath above the unwashed hordes of no-riff “caverncore,” their savage-yet-finessed storm of double-bass blasting and downtuned composition creating a clarity of form. And it works its serpentine, slipstreaming spell the deeper you go into the 29-minute album.
Born in abyssal chaos…sent from the void…to usher in the unknown… Open thy ears to Order of the Nameless Ones and Utter to Me the Word of Wrath. The full word can be found HERE:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Order of the Nameless Ones’ Utter to Me the Word of Wrath
1. Aura of Malignancy
2. Runes of Cosmic Blasphemy
3. Look into the Abyss of Dread
4. The Stone that Begs for Blood
5. Depraved Covenant
6. Praise Your Sinister Form
7. Swarming Death Unleashed
8. Utter to Me the Word of Wrath
Swedish black metal force WAN came on the scene as a triad of aggression in 2009 to glorify Satan, chaos and the mighty northern darkness. Their debut, Wolves of the North, promptly saw its release in 2010. In 2013, the stalwart offered their second attack, Enjoy the Filth, fetching a more no holds barred and uglier song-writing approach. Two years later, Wan appeared in a split release called “Necroholic” alongside their countrymen Styggelse and Icelandic mystics Curse.
WAN encountered lineup changes in the next two years, but that could not disintegrate the tenebrous mightiness of the Swede horde. WAN unleashed the third album, Wan Way to Hell, via Carnal Records at the dawn of 2017. This album marks a new era for WAN and it confirmed the sustainability of their raw-energy, which is ever flowing and ever dark.
WAN are currently stronger than ever as a four-headed beast and they are ready to channel violence through the forthcoming mini CD “Gammal är äldst” (English: Old is the Oldest). Anyone au fait with the ‘80s and early ‘90s Scandinavian black metal knows what the five tracks of this EP convey. Indeed, they conjure nothing but relentless slabs of caustic riffs, maliciously intended raucous snarls and holocaustic drum-assaults. “Gammal är äldst” comes on CD format this December 21 via CARNAL RECORDS.
To celebrate their glorious 10 years as a band, WAN will be embarking upon a European tour in May 2019 together with Nekrokraft and The Generations Army.
Treat your ears with the intensity of filthy ancient black metal.
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions sets February 1st, 2019 as the international release date for the striking debut album of Portugal’s Graves, Liturgia da Blasfemia, on CD and vinyl LP formats.
Hailing from the current black metal hotbed of Portugal, Graves are a relatively new entity featuring members of Flagellum Dei and Summon. The band made their public debut during the summer of 2018 with Unholy Desecration demo. Containing the same foul ‘n’ filthy rudiments as that demo, Liturgia da Blasfemia will be Graves’ crude ‘n’ rude introduction to the world stage.
Put simply, Graves’ sound is grim and miserable black metal brewed in the darkest dungeons of the underground, reverent of the ancient ways but by no means tethered to the past. References to be made include the French Black Legions and of course the Portuguese Black Circle, but also raw Finnish black metal from the past couple decades, such is Graves’ emphasis on hypnotic, lashing melody. And compared to the demo’s more antisocial sound, here on Liturgia da Blasfemia do the power-trio reveal a considerably more feral physicality, no less ribald in its trance-inducing recesses but perhaps more apt to rise up from those depths and lash the listener with utmost cruelty. Similarly, the band utilizing their native tongue almost exclusively here lends an eerier, more otherworldly aspect.
Kneel and prostrate thyself before Graves’ Liturgia da Blasfemia. The first genuflection can be found with the new track “Sangrando em Golgota” HERE
. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Graves (Portugal)’s Liturgia da Blasfemia
1. Do demiurge..Ultraje de viver
2. I am Fire I am Death
3. Sangrando em Golgota
4. Sangrando em Golgota… parte 2
5. Impregnado p` la Foice
6. Do teu Ventre a Maldade saiu
7. Minha Alma imolei em Golgota
8. Graves Hold Your Name
9. Via Dolorosa até Golgota
Automb unleashes another music video, this time for the track ‘Mourned’, professionally recorded and edited by Shane Mayer of Cerebral Audio Production.
BIO
Automb is a female-fronted black metal band that blends death metal elements seamlessly with classic black metal and atmospheric tones.
‘Esoterica’ is out now via Satanath Records (Russia), Final Gate Records (Germany) and Bruder Des Lichts (US). ‘Esoterica’ features Serge Streltsov of NECROPHAGIA, and session work from Scott Fuller of MORBID ANGEL as well as vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Danielle Evans.
It features bone-crushing blast beats, soul wrenching growls, punishing rhythms, and epic atmospheric leads. For fans of… BEHEMOTH, WATAIN, EMPEROR, DRUDKH, VADER, MORBID ANGEL, AND MAYHEM.
Today, Swedish black metal elite Valkyrja stream the entirety of their highly anticipated fourth album, Throne Ablaze. A work forged in the fires of the ancients with deadly intent to raze the present, Throne Ablaze precludes a full European tour of Valkyrja supporting the equally legendary Marduk and Archgoat, which starts later this week (dates below). Set for international release today via W.T.C. Productions, hear Valkyrja’s Throne Ablaze in its entirety exclusively HERE.
Valkyrja was founded in 2004 with the earnest intention of channeling violence, deprivation, and loathing through means of extraordinarily potent audio emissions. Their ideals were permeated by passionate and boundless perversion – a sickly urge festering ever so vibrantly in the essence of its members, a will to cast off the manacles of societal enslavement and leave a dying world behind. While the brotherhood took shape, opposition and defiance surfaced from the deepest recesses of the mind: a fierce hostility towards the laws and morals of their surroundings, notions which felt entirely alien to the band’s core.
As part of Valkyrja’s philosophy of ridding themselves from limitations, no specific genre was ever chosen since it would only serve to establish a framework of useless expectation. The artistic output created under the flag of Valkyrja defies all earthly shackles, including those of commercial categorization. With ideology as lodestar, venturing into darkness without a backwards glance, they took their first fledgling steps on a road staked out by the night itself.
Valkyrja’s debut album, The Invocation of Demise, was recorded in Necromorbus Studio during March 2007 and then released in physical form by Northern Silence Productions six months later. Valkyrja quickly gained their reputation as a ferocious live act: a display of carnal lust leaving each stage with the foul scent of death. Drawn to the stench of putrid bereavement, Metal Blade Records contracted the band in 2009. The Invocation of Demise was treated to a re-release by their new ally, thus spreading the curse even further. The same year also saw a return to Necromorbus Studio for the recording of their second album, the most aptly named Contamination. The new tracks would prove to be a crucial part of the band’s live setlist as they, the following autumn, embarked on their first European campaign.
Forged and conceived to reflect blood and fire, the third Valkyrja album, The Antagonist’s Fire, set the world aflame on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the year 2013. The opus also marked the beginning of Valkyrja’s long-running collaboration with elite underground label World Terror Committee. During the past decade, facilitated by Massive Music and accompanied by titans of extreme metal, over 100 different European cities has been forced to swallow the bitter wine of sonic violence. Furthermore, 2016 and 2017 saw two extensive North American tours with Valkyrja as co-headliner, during which 22 different states were soaked in rotten blood.
Five years removed from the third opus, Valkyrja return under a new guise. The past few years have seen the band subjected to several crucial lineup changes, igniting a period of utter despair that would sow the seeds for what has now come to pass: Throne Ablaze is set for worldwide release on November 26, 2018. The album reflects the passion and dedication of everyone involved, those who face every storm – past and future – with weapon in hand. It will forever stand as a monument of continuous struggles – so right there, in the core of this strife to conquer every obstacle, kneel and obey the fires of the blazing throne!
Full obeisance can be found exclusively HERE.
Cover art, courtesy of Nestor Avalos, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Valkyrja’s Throne Ablaze
1. In Ruins I Set My Throne
2. Crowned Serpent
3. Opposer of Light
4. Tombs Into Flesh
5. Halo of Lies
6. Transcendental Death
7. Paradise Lost
8. Throne Ablaze
VIKTORIA EUROPA Part 2
Marduk + Archgoat + Valkyrja + support
Nov 30, 2018 (SVN) Ljubljana @ Winter Days Of Metal
Dec 01, 2018 (ITA) Brescia @ Black Winter Festival
Dec 02, 2018 (SUI) Aarburg @ Musigburg
Dec 04, 2018 (FRA) Paris @ Le Machine
Dec 05, 2018 (BEL) Bruges @ Het Entrepot
Dec 06, 2018 (NED) Hengelo @ Metropool
Dec 07, 2018 (GER) Leipzig @ Felsenkeller
Dec 08, 2018 (CZE) Plzen @ Bozkov
Dec 09, 2018 (GER) Ludwigsburg @ Rockfabrik
Dec 11, 2018 (GBR) London @ The Underworld
Dec 12, 2018 (GER) Trier @ Mergener Hof
Dec 13, 2018 (GER) Essen @ Turock
Dec 14, 2018 (BEL) Arlon @ L’Entrepot
Dec 15, 2018 (NED) Eindhoven @ Eindhoven Metal Meeting
Dec 16, 2018 (GER) Bad Oeynhausen @ Druckerei
Today, Portuguese black metal cult Degredo stream the entirety of their striking debut album, A Noite dos Tempos. Set for international release on November 30th via Harvest of Death, a division of Signal Rex, hear Degredo’s A Noite dos Tempos in its entirety exclusively HERE.
A mysterious entity hailing from Portugal’s elite Aldebaran Circle – which includes Ordem Satânica, Trono Além Morte, Occelenbriig, and Voëmmr – Degredo have been lurking in the most distant shadows since 2010. Their first demo cam in 2012, but the period of 2016-2017 produced the most activity, resulting in extremely limited tapes for Harvest of Death and the esteemed Black Gangrene. As delirious and dread-inducing as those recordings are, nothing can quite prepare the listener for Degredo’s A Noite dos Tempos.
A truly staggering work, A Noite dos Tempos is an actual double-album, comprising two two-track albums for a combined hour and 15 minutes of supernatural audial terror. Black metal no doubt forms the basis of Degredo’s creation, but the band dislocate and desiccate it to such an extent that only a ghostly aspect remains. Truly, the alternately shuddering/shimmering textures Degredo employ owe more to ritualistic drone and its satellite subgenres, and yet the unhinged hysteria that results from their stretched-beyond-comprehension tension drive deeply into black metal’s most subterranean and latent mysteries.
Suitably, for all this sonic unorthodoxy do Degredo utilize unorthodox means, mostly using acoustic and rural artifacts for precision and sound ambience. Likewise, their lyrics are based on rural and ancestral essays, tales from the Serra Da Estrela Mountain and its surrounding areas, extracted from old sayings of their grandfathers and grand grandfathers… In a word, then: utterly ancient.
When black metal has largely become a caricature of itself or at least rote play-acting that’s lost any sense of dangerousness or mysticism, here plants Degredo’s A Noite dos Tempos deep into the earth. Long may its rotten roots extend…
Feel the full extension of those roots HERE.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Degredo’s A Noite dos Tempos
1. Parte Um [18:46]
2. Parte Dois [18:20]
3. Parte Três [17:26]
4. Parte Quatro [19:50]
TRACK BREAKDOWN
Part 1 and 2 = VOLUME 1
Part 3 and 4 = VOLUME 2
