Today, Wolfspell Records sets December 21st as the international release date for Odious Devotion’s striking debut album, simply self-titled Odious Devotion.
No info exists about Odious Devotion – no origin, no lineup – other than that the band is from Finland. The only other thing to reveal is that Odious Devotion is the entity’s first public recording. As such, it’s a shockingly accomplished and fully formed display of martial black metal. Each song largely ends the way it begins, pulsing with a cryogenic militancy that would sound positively dead were it not for the blasting up-tempos. And yet, a subtly sinuous style of melodicism emerges, further entrancing the listener with surprisingly developed (yet never over-saccharine) hooks. It’s an antisocial void, to be sure, but one that teasingly entices entry into true Odious Devotion. Or, put another way, song titles such as “Obscure Dreamworlds” and “Morphosis” say equally as much as “Pure” and “Repugnant” – and an ambient interlude titled “Stagnant” perhaps suggests a twisted wit…
Odious Devotion’s Odious Devotion will be released on digipack CD.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Odious Devotion’s Odious Devotion
1. Intro
2. Morphosis
3. Pure
4. Obscure Dreamworlds
5. Stagnant
6. Repugnant
7. Vitsaus
8. Outro
VIRVUM have announced an extensive European tour together with BLOODSHOT DAWN in support of their latest release “Illuminance” which was re-released by Season of Mist in 2017.
The Swiss tech death shooting stars comment: “We are excited to embark on the “Interdimensional Spacegoats Across Europe Tour” with our friends in BLOODSHOT DAWN. This run is a very special one, as it marks our very first headlining tour since the release of our debut record “Illuminance” in 2016. We can’t wait to perform for all our European supporters again, while we all just confusedly float through space and reach infinite enlightenment in the presence of the ultimate generous goat god. Please grab your tickets before they are all gone!”
See below for a list of all currently confirmed shows.
VIRVUM
+BLOODSHOT DAWN
VIRVUM
03 Mar 19 Brighton (UK) The Green Door Store *
04 Mar 19 Newscastle (UK) Trillians
05 Mar 19 Edinburgh (IE) Bannermanns
06 Mar 19 Leicester (UK) Dryden Street
07 Mar 19 Hitchin (UK) Club 85
08 Mar 19 London (UK) Black Heart
09 Mar 19 Paris (FR) Gibus
10 Mar 19 Haarlem (NL) Patronaat
12 Mar 19 Copenhagen (DK) Beta
13 Mar 19 Hamburg (DE) Bambi Galore
14 Mar 19 Hradec Kralove (CZ) CC Lucie
15 Mar 19 Prague (CZ) Modra Vopice
16 Mar 19 Graz (AT) Club Q
17 Mar 19 Perugia (IT) Rework Club
18 Mar 19 Baden (CH) Werkk
*No Bloodshot Dawn
On previous news, VIRVUM have released a bass play-through video featuring the track, “Tentacles of the Sun”. View the video at the link below.
VIRVUM will be touring in support of their latest release ‘Illuminance’. Artwork, track-list and further info can be viewed below.
Track-list
1. The Cypher Supreme (2:36)
2. Earthwork (4:31)
3. Illuminance (9:00)
4. Ad Rigorem (4:32)
5. Tentacles Of The Sun (4:55)
6. Elemental Shift (2:41)
7. I: A New Journey Awaits (1:43)
8. II: A Final Warming Shine: Ascension And Trespassing (10:28)
Total playing time: 40:26
When a relatively unknown Swiss band released their debut album ‘Illuminance’ in 2016, only insiders suspected the massive impact it would stir. Yet it was on the strength of this release that VIRVUM were offered to sign on Season of Mist. Now their new home is reissuing ‘Illuminance’, which is to be available on vinyl for the first time.
VIRVUM were founded by childhood friends in 2007 and since then the aspiring and hard-working musicians continuously fine-tuned and honed the tracks of their first full-length to match their burgeoning skills.
VIRVUM first got noticed when guitarist and main songwriter Nic Gruhn happily took the offer to join a European tour with California’s progressive death metal pioneers FALLUJAH while also opening for such renowned bands as SUFFOCATION and CEPHALIC CARNAGE in 2013. On the return of their guitarist, VIRVUM immediately set out to perform as many shows as possible in order to establish the band in Europe.
In 2015, a first single entitled ‘Internal Howl’ attracted immediate attention and, that same year, VIRVUM were picked to internationally support big names such as DYING FETUS, FLESHGOD APOCALPYSE, and DEFEATED SANITY among others.
In advance of their self-released debut full-length, VIRVUM received a massive response for the song premieres of “Ad Rigorem” and title track in 2016, while the album was highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike.
With their professional attitude, the exceptional technical prowess of each individual musician, and last but never least the outstanding collective songwriting skills, the Swiss are now ready for the next step. While VIRVUM create a new monstrous record in studio, their amazing debut ‘Illuminance’ is made available again.
Freshly out, and already in the Australian iTunes Rock chart, the new IN THE WOODS… album is streaming in its entirety below :
“Majestic and sophisticated… Immersive and mesmerising.” – Ghost Cult Magazine
“Clearly inspired… ‘Cease The Day’ is crammed with great riffs both doomy and aggressive, great vocals both crooned and screamed, and a fresh interpretation of past In The Woods… sounds.” – Your Last Rites
“A fine addition to a very solid discography, that plenty of long term fans and newcomers alike will find enjoyment out of.” – Noizze UK
“Each song on Cease the Day can be mentioned as a highlight… In The Woods… succeeds where other bands fail by really ensuring that every avenue taken, every branch followed all lead to the same place.” – Nine Circles
“Cease The Day is the expression of a band finding the magic of their past and conjuring a future out of what made them one of the most unique listens in the world. A bit more direct and punchy than its predecessor, Cryptic Rock gives Cease The Day 5 out of 5 stars.” – Cryptic Rock
“Cease The Day” continues to prove IN THE WOODS… as masters of whatever craft they choose to pursue with 8 genre-destroying masterpieces:
01. Empty streets
02. Substance vortex
03. Respect my solitude
04. Cloud seeder
05. Still yearning
06. Strike up with the dawn
07. Transcending yesterdays
08. Cease the day
Recorded partly in Brighton, England and partly in Kristiansand, Norway the international flavour was added to by the mix being undertaken in France by Frederic Gervais (Studio Henosis). Now armed with an album truly representative of the band both past & present, the band look to a brighter future with the spiritual cleansing that is “Cease The Day”.
Artwork and layout courtesy of Dr.Winter / Teratogen.
Conquerors of countless styles and sounds, IN THE WOODS… began in Norway in 1991 from the dissolution of Green Carnation. Their debut “Heart of the Ages” stands as a black metal classic to this day and brought a new style of atmosphere to the genre that hadn’t been heard before. Not to be pigeonholed, their follow ups “Omnio” and “Strange In Stereo” saw the band take their style in completely different directions, exploring realms of progressive rock, doom, and avant-garde stylings.
Dissolving in 2000, IN THE WOODS… lay dormant for fourteen years, before re-emerging in 2014 under the wing of Debemur Morti Productions. This partnership saw the release of “Pure” soon after. “Pure” continues the IN THE WOODS… tradition of defying expectation. Sorrow laden doom passages and psychedelic keys herald blistering melo-death riffing and everything in between, all accompanied by the powerful voice of the newest member of the band, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist James “Mr Fog” Fogarty. If “Pure” was any indication, IN THE WOODS… will be dropping jaws for years to come.
ROTTEN SOUND have announced new European tour dates for February and March 2019. The band will first support NAPALM DEATH on the Finnish shows, starting on the 20th of February in Helsinki. ROTTEN SOUND will continue to wreck havoc with a freshly announced tour through 10 more European countries with the support of IMPLORE.
ROTTEN SOUND
+ IMPLORE
25 Mar 19 Bratislava (SK) Fuga
26 Mar 19 Zagreb (HR) Mocvara
27 Mar 19 Linz (AT) Kapu
28 Mar 19 Stuttgart (DE) Juha West
29 Mar 19 Lenzburg (CH) Met-Bar
30 Mar 19 Martigny (CH) Sunset Club
31 Mar 19 Milano (IT) Grinder Fest
01 Apr 19 Colmar (FR) Le Grillen
02 Apr 19 Liege (BE) La Zone
03 Apr 19 Bruxelles (BE) Magasin 4
04 Apr 19 Arnhem (NL) Willemeen
05 Apr 19 Hamburg (DE) Bambi Galore
06 Apr 19 Aarhus (DK) Royal metal fest
ROTTEN SOUND will be touring in support of their latest EP ‘Suffer to Abuse’. The artwork, which has been created by Thomas Boutet at Mush Design, can be viewed together with the album details below.
Track-list
1. Privileged (1:25)
2. The Misfit (1:53)
3. Stressed Mess (2:05)
4. Harvester of Boredom (2:01)
5. One Hit Wonder (1:19)
6. Nutrition (2:23)
7. Slaves of Lust (0:51)
Total playing time: 9:52
ROTTEN SOUND have firmly established themselves as one of the leading acts of the grindcore scene. Expertly wielding the fierce brutality and massive aggression of their genre, the Finns add intelligent songwriting, effective arrangements, and musical proficiency as well as subtle death metal elements to their sound.
Their forthcoming new EP ‘Suffer to Abuse’, which is not to be confused with their latest full-length album, ‘Abuse to Suffer’ (2016), embodies those aforementioned virtues to the point. The EP delivers seven short sharp chops that hit home perfectly.
ROTTEN SOUND was conceived in the city of Vaasa, Finland by guitarist Mika Aalto in 1993, who was soon joined by vocalist and word-smith Keijo Niinimaa. The duo still remains in place, while the original members in all other positions have been replaced several times until today.
The Finns can field an impressive catalogue of seven highly acclaimed studio albums, now eight EPs, three split singles, a single, and a live DVD. Furthermore, ROTTEN SOUND have already conquered the stages of all major metal and hardcore oriented festivals and also toured in regular intervals alongside such renowned acts as MALEVOLENT CREATION, PHOBIA, DISFEAR CARCASS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, EXHUMED, NAPALM DEATH, and PIG DESTROYER – among many others.
With ‘Suffer to Abuse’, ROTTEN SOUND are gearing up their musical juggernaut just in time before crushing stages all over Asia and Europe this spring. Hold on tight and enjoy the bliss of this heavily whirling grind-tornado!
It’s been seven years since Comatose Vigil released their last album, Fuimus, non Sumus…, and the Russian funeral doom act has been in slumber since 2016. A.K. iEzor has reawaken the band under the name Comatose Vigil A.K. with the help of David Unsaved of Ennui and John Devos of Mesmur. This December 14 will see the release of the awaited third full length “Evangelium Nihil” on digipak CD and digitally via Non Serviam Records.
“Slow, heavy, and almost unbearably fucking sad, it’s easily the most all-encompassingly hopeless album I’ve heard in a very long time.” – Clayton T. Michaels, Indy Metal Vault
Formed in 2011 in Moscow by A.K. iEzor (vocals, drums), Vig’ill (guitars) and Zigr (keyboards), COMATOSE VIGIL originally started their voyage under the name “Subhuman Abstract”. After spending the next two years in the throes of creation and experiments, they found their dole in the realm of funeral doom metal. Soon, the name was changed to Comatose Vigil and that eclipsed the further headway on artistic potency.
In between 2005 and 2006, a series of important incidents took place — the debut album “Not a Gleam of Hope”, the EP “Narcosis”, and the first live show. A streak of bad luck had soon begun when the new members joined the collective and the occurrence of countless line-up changes caused inner issues and almost stopped the progress of composition. The only way to save the situation was to get back to original line-up, and then Comatose Vigil finally started recording their second LP. 2011 was marked by the release of a new album, titled “Fuimus, non Sumus…”. Unfortunately, it could not keep the band from breaking up. Comatose Vigil disbanded in 2013 for the first time because of internal discord. An attempt of reanimating the band was also a losing battle. Resurrected Comatose Vigil played two local live gigs in 2015 and then broke up again for the same reasons.
A.K. iEzor was trying hard to find a solution which could give this band a new birth. And he made his own luck. Comatose Vigil raised from the dead as Comatose Vigil A.K. It was possible due to involvement of David Unsaved of Ennui and his passion for the previous albums. Now he is in charge of composing all the materials. Subscript “A.K.” appeared because of some issues with one of ex-members, who spoke against using this title by anyone. The new line-up was also enhanced by John Devos of Mesmur in the capacity of a drummer.
The new album was recorded in winter-spring of 2018 and called “Evangelium Nihil”. Retaining the recognizable hallmark, the band made the album in accordance with the previous works. The sound has become heavier and slower, and it portends the pressure of conjuring ominous bleakness. The ponderous slow-tempo riffs, backed by deep growls and spectral synths, descent into the abyssal depths of a frozen world where one won’t find a gleam of hope. Cover artwork created by high skilled W. Smerdulak.
“Evangelium Nihil” will see its worldwide release this December 14 via NON SERVIAM RECORDS digitally and on CD (digipak).
TRACKLISTING:
1. Evangelium Nihil
2. Comatose Vigil
3. Deus Sterilis
4. The Day Heaven Fell
Today, Wolfspell Records sets December 21st as the international release date for Croc Noir’s highly striking debut album, Mort.
Hailing from France, Croc Noir formed in 2016 but quickly set to work on their first recordings. An EP followed that year, with another a year later. In 2018 came a new demo and also a split with French comrades Au-Delà. With such feverish devotion and inspiration, it’s no surprise that the band’s debut album, Mort, is as highly developed as it is. Strictly and staunchly black metal, Croc Noir reverently revel in their homeland’s rich history in the blackest arts. Raw yet no less robust, there’s a melancholy coursing through Mort that’s uniquely underpinned by an understated triumph. As such, this intoxicating swirl of grim delirium nods to distinguished French forebears like Sacrificia Mortuorum, Sombre Chemin, and later Winter Funeral but with a nostalgic touch poignantly conjured through their occasional usage of accordion.
Croc Noir’s Mort will be released on digipack CD. In the meantime, hear the new tracks “Tapis Dans L’ombre” and “Égérie Funeste” HERE
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Croc Noir’s Mort
1. Dans L’abime
2. Au Seuil Du Trépas
3. Tapis Dans L’ombre
4. Égérie Funeste
5. Des Feuilles Mortes
6. Transi D’effroi
7. Seul Et Ivre
Today, UK death metal militants Spearhead stream the entirety of their long-awaited fourth album, Pacifism is Cowardice. Set for international release on November 23rd via Invictus Productions, hear Spearhead’s Pacifism is Cowardice in its entirety HERE.
A highly respected stalwart of militant death metal since 2005, Spearhead triumphantly return after seven turbulent years to unleash another installment of elite war-worshiping blackened death metal violence and scorn. Building on the body of work presented in the preceding three albums, Spearhead have honed their sound and crafted their sharpest and most ferocious album to date, surpassing all in intensity and dynamics. This is vicious and pure Metal of Death, forged in the fires of old in the vein of classic Morbid Angel, Angelcorpse, and Vader.
As we surpass, so we ascend. Unchallengeable, Unconquerable, Undeniable… Pacifismi est Ignavia!
Take the full, final step onto the battlefield
Cover art, courtesy of Jose Gabriel Alegría Sabogal, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Spearhead (UK)’s Pacifism is Cowardice
1. Duellorum
2. Of Sun and Steel
3. Ajativada
4. Wolves of the Krypteia, We
5. Violence Revolt Ruination
6. Hyperanthropos
7. Degeneration Genocide
8. The Elysian Ideal
9. A Monarch to Rats
10. Khan
11. Aion (Two Keys and a Lion’s Face)
12. Aftermath
Ever since Ulver released their 2nd album Kveldssanger (Twilight Songs) in 1996 the rule book on what is and is not Black Metal has been thrown out the window. While many of us enjoy raw, brutal black metal 90% of the time, some of us like to chill out every now and then and special acts like Echtra, serve that purpose perfectly.
Echtra (also the guitarist in ritualistic acoustic folk band Fearthainne ) builds slow eirrey
soundscapes perfect for kicking back and decompressing in your cabin deep in the woods, in fact I am pretty sure that Echtra is from the Pacific North West. You definitely get the feeling listening to these 2, 20+ minute atmospheric musical pieces that you are traipsing through a deep green forest somewhere in the PNW.
I think its actually pretty hard to be able to play minimalist ethereal pieces like these and make sure that they are not boring to the listener. On both of these two pieces Echtra manages to maintain the listeners attention but slowly building and developing on musical themes
One of the elements that creates good black metal whether raw and aggressive or reflective like Echtra is the atmosphere or feeling that the music gives the listener and unless this is your first rodeo and your musical tastes have not developed past Darkthrone’s Transylvanian Hunger” then you could do yourself no wrong but sitting back for an hour and giving this album your full concentration.
I like this album, I like it a lot – check it out it comes out on Temple of Torturous this Friday (November 23rd) The physical release includes a 12″ LP with specific analogue mastering, plus a DVD disc containing the original live performance with digitally mastered audio track.
Today, Saturnal Records sets December 7th as the international release date for Kult of Kaos Serpent: a special three-way split of Satanic black metal from Djvelkult, Kyy, and Nihil Kaos.
Although a traditional split in the sense of offering new songs from two (or more) bands, Kult of Kaos Serpent is more so a unified spiritual weapon – of antinomian black metal might hailing from Norway, Finland, and Turkey. Each band’s respective offering stands tall on its own, yet forms an overarching symbiosis with their partners here. Not for nothing is it titled Kult of Kaos Serpent…
Norway’s Djvelkult are up first, and offer three new & exclusive tracks. Continuing the cryogenic momentum spurred by their critically acclaimed Saturnal debut, Når Avgrunnen Åpnes, earlier this year, Djvelkult deliver pure, undiluted Norwegian black metal majesty that’s as modern as it is classic. Next up are Finland’s Kyy, who break their two-year silence since their critically acclaimed debut album, Beyond Flesh – Beyond Matter – Beyond Death. Those two years have not been spent idly, as Kyy’s contribution here proves to be their most potent yet – and most vicious, it must be said. Rounding out the split are two tracks from Turkey’s Nihil Kaos. Restless and roiling, there’s a battering melodicism at work here, not to mention a professionalism that’s on par with their split-mates. And with the band’s chaos-gnostic lyrical themes coming to the fore, thus does Kult of Kaos Serpent seal the circle.
In the meantime, see & hear a special trailer for Kult of Kaos Serpent HERE
Preorder info can be found HERE.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Kult of Kaos Serpent
1. Djevelkult – Skapt Av Helvetesild
2. Djevelkult – Life Devoid
3. Djevelkult – Den Svarte Død
4. Kyy – Ingress: Womb of Lilith
5. Kyy – Congress: Unearthly Realms
6. Kyy – Progress: Leaping Beyond God
7. Nihil Kaos – Artifex Erroris
8. Nihil Kaos – Claws of the Tempter
Today, Hells Headbangers sets December 28th as the international release date for Nekrofilth’s long-awaited second album, Worm Ritual, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
Although it’s been a seemingly long five years since Nekrofilth’s debut album, 2013’s critically acclaimed Devil’s Breath, that’s not to say the band have been sitting idly by. During that time, founding vocalist/guitarist Zack Ripper relocated from Cleveland, Ohio to Denver, Colorado and has been releasing a steady stream of split releases with the likes of Cianide, Gravehill, Butcher ABC, Weapönizer, and Necrocanibalistic Vomitorium. With a new lineup solidified, in 2017 did Nekrofilth tease their anxious fanbase with three separate Bandcamp-only tracks forecasting Worm Ritual. Indeed, something was brewing…
And what was brewing is a leaner and most definitely meaner Nekrofilth. Here on Worm Ritual, the power-trio largely leave behind the juvenalia of their early work for real-world evil, upping the nastiness of their patented punk metal and reinventing it in a most respectable way. Naturally, Nekrofilth’s foundational influences of Slaughter (Canada), NME, and Repulsion remain, but with a more overtly muscular aspect – and, most definitely, a more overtly METAL one – Worm Ritual bristles with a punch-in-the-face intensity backed up by enviously compact songwriting, nodding often to the likes of Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Possessed, and even a bit of Autopsy. One after another, the 15 songs comprising the half-hour Worm Ritual state their case swiftly and simply, each one a mini-anthem in itself: rarely has “saying more with less” been this vicious and violent. Fitting for these stronger songs, the album is wrapped in a righteously ’80s-style production, warm yet over-the-top, with prominent reverb and delay underlining where Nekrofilth’s allegiances lay. The secret? Analog tape, just like their forebears used to do. And Venom, one of those forebears, receive a rough ‘n’ rowdy cover of “Poison” here.
Above all, Nekrofilth prove that “growth” doesn’t have to equate to selling/wimping out; if anything, they’re more extreme than ever. Perhaps not coincidentally, the album arrives upon the 10th anniversary of Nekrofilth’s formation. All those ready to likewise push their own limits are hereby encouraged to engage in the Worm Ritual!
Begin pushing your limits with the new track “Ready to Defile” HERE
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Nekrofilth’s Worm Ritual
1. Ready to Defile
2. Dead Brain
3. Rot With the Dead
4. Vomit Dog
5. Repulsed at Birth
6. Night of the Leech
7. Cruel Addiction
8. Feast of the Rats
9. Gutter Oil
10. Severed Eyes
11. They Took My Skin
12. Unbirthed
13. Worm Ritual
14. Poison [Venom cover]
15. Horror of the Crypt
