Finnish death metal band Carnifex – NOT the horrible, trendy US deathcore outfit – is going to see all their demo recordings from ’91 to ’93 officially reissued on CD through Xtreem Music under the title of Pathological Rites.
This short-lived band from Finland, like most young Scandinavian death metal bands, lasted four years – from 1989 to 1993 – and recorded three demos, which are now being released with remastered sound, enhanced cover artwork by legendary Chris Moyen (who did their first demo cover back then) and a booklet full of photos, flyers, demo covers, and liner notes. Even though Carnifex didn’t cause a big impact in the scene, this is for sure a good legacy that every lover of good, old ’90s Finnish death metal will need to have in their collection.
Release date for Pathological Rites will be May 23rd through Xtreem Music.
You can listen to a song from their ’91 demo HERE
Cover, courtesy of Chris Moyen, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Carnifex (Finland)’s Pathological Rites
Decadence [Demo ’91]
1. Intro
2. Pathological Rite
3. Disturbed One
4. Purify Thy Souls
5. Necrophobia
6. Aberration Into My Subconscious
Split Demo ’91 (with Festerday)
7. Left Behind
8. Release From Slavery
Demo III [Demo ’93]
9. Why?
10. Salvation = Suffocation
11. Resurrection
12. Spiritual Void
Rehearsal Recording [1993]
13. Fresh Flesh
Today, Invictus Productions sets June 8th as the international release date for Deathwards’ striking debut demo, Towards Death.
Deathwards formed in 2017, comprising veterans of the metal underground, and within five months had recorded their very first demo, Towards Death. As aptly titled as their moniker, Deathwards’ Towards Death is a timeless, trend-bucking slab of thrashing Metal of Death. Across the five furious-yet-finessed songs here, the band conjoin the primal essence of ’80s Slayer, Slaughter Lord, Van Drunen-era Pestilence, and Voivod’s early work, but tweak it with a more technical aspect ala Sindrome, Sadus, and Obliveon, etc. It’s a classic-yet-fresh blend between influences and authentic ideas, instead of mere copycat-ism or rote rehashing of older, better ideas. Altogether, including a reverential cover of Infernal Majesty’s “Overlord,” Deathwards’ opening salvo is as furious as it is catchy, iron-clad in its approach yet bespeaking more development to come.
And Towards Death is but the start: already, Deathwards are preparing new material for their imminent debut album, also to be released by Invictus. Prepare to go Towards Death! Begin the march
with the new track “Epitaph From the Underworld.”
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Deathwards’ Towards Death
1. In Death I Become
2. The Hierarchist
3. Epitaph from the Underworld
4. Impending Prophecies
5. Overlord (Infernal Majesty cover)
DEATHWARDS lineup 2018
Hellavenger – vocals
Extravasation – lead guitar
The Usurper – rhythm guitar
The Magus – bass
The Penance – drums
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT will be kicking off their European road-trip under the banner “Heathen Crusade 2018” that is already promising to be the pagan black highlight of 2018 in just two days! The fast rising German black metal innovators will be joining Ireland’s finest, PRIMORDIAL and Finnish black heathens MOONSORROW on an extended tour throughout April.
Please find a list of all currently confirmed shows below.
Vocalist Nikita Kamprad comments: “We can’t wait to finally start this tour that we’ve been waiting for so long! Gear and merch are packed and we’re ready to hit the road and kick off the tour this Thursday at Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. If you haven’t done this already, get your tickets early to make sure that you won’t miss this great package! See you!”
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT will be touring in support of their latest album, ‘Finisterre’, which is still available in various formats via Season of Mist: http://smarturl.it/DWEFinisterre.
Please find artwork, track-list, and further information below.
1. Aufbruch (9:49)
2. Ein letzter Tanz (13:49)
3. Skepsis Part I (5:05)
4. Skepsis Part II (5:36)
5. Finisterre (11:13)
The musical puzzle that adds up to become DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT turns into something more complex – yet also clearer defined on the band’s fourth studio album, ‘Finisterre’. The original pieces are still in play: the aggressive German directness akin to ENDSTILLE and a penchant for brooding melancholy as embodied by IMPERIUM DEKADENZ. Spiralling psychedelic moments comparable to DEAFHEAVEN and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM also find their place – as well as a knack for majestic melodies that shows parallels in Swedish black metal spearheaded by MARDUK and DARK FUNERAL.
Yet while DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT are clearly progressing along the lines laid out by their previous acclaimed effort, ‘Stellar’, the band has found a way to make these pieces fit more seamlessly. ‘Finisterre’ flows together into a coherent picture that stresses the Germans’ unique approach and sound. This album marks the point where DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT turn their various influences into a work entirely of their own expression despite never trying to cover up their roots. This impressive maturity has been reached through several stages.
Founded in 2009 by guitarist Nikita Kamprad and vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky,DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT garnered early attention with their self-released debut ‘Der Weg einer Freiheit’ (2009), which quickly sold out and was re-issued with new drum tracks a year later. Following the ‘Agonie’ EP (2011), their second album ‘Unstille’ (2012) already cored international acclaim. In the aftermath of this record, co-founding member Tobias left and main songwriter Nikita Kamprad took over his vocal duties.
The frontman was first heard on third full-length ‘Stellar’ (2015), which sawDER WEG EINER FREIHEIT gaining traction across the pond as well as expanding their European base. Having performed along such diverse acts as WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, NEAERA, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMENRA, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, and DOWNFALL OF GAIA as well as playing prestigious festivals such as Graspop, Hellfest, Resurrection, Roadburn, Summer Breeze, and Wacken has honed the band’s songwriting skills to razor-sharp precision.
‘Finisterre’ clearly stands at the apex (for now) of the steep climb that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have taken. This German star is finally shining in full black.
Influential American black metal supergroup TWILIGHT is proud to announce the impending release of its final recording, Trident Death Rattle, due out May 1 via Ascension Monuments Media.
Featuring three unreleased tracks from the 2012 III:Beneath Trident’s Tomb LP sessions, the extended play is much more an experimental output than its predecessors. It’s a dark, uncomfortable listen – much like the history of the band during that particular time period.
Listen to the cathartic first single, “This Road South,” AT THIS LOCATION, where you can also pre-order the vinyl, cassette and digipak MCD.
Recorded by Sanford Parker and mastered by Collin Jordan, Trident Death Rattle is the 18-and-a-half-minute heretic swan song from masterminds Jef “Wrest” Whitehead (Leviathan), Blake Judd (Nachtmystium) and Neill “N. Imperial” Jameson (Krieg). Indie rock legend Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) is also featured on this recording, as well as engineer/producer Sanford Parker (Buried At Sea, Corrections House, Minsk) on synths / electronics. Chicago bluegrass veteran Scott Judd performs as a guest, playing electric banjo on “No Consequence.”
In addition, look for further TWILIGHT news later this year via Prophecy Productions.
Says guitarist/vocalist Thurston Moore:
“When I got the call to play guitar with TWILIGHT, I knew right away that all other considerations were to be incinerated. Twilight is US Black Metal at its most impenetrable, corrosive core. Each member a visionary of lunacy and demented desire. I listened to the rough sketches and composed sinister-sonik six string blood cries. In the studio, I marveled at the work ethic and the satanic succubation of deliverance. Listening to these “lost tracks” brings me back to the sick head of trolling around Chicago, killing beers and smokes, and making wasted high energy noise pollution. We fucking nailed it, cross smashing to the grave.”
Says vocalist Neill Jameson:
“TWILIGHT III was a strange transitional time in everyone involved’s lives, and unlike most people undergoing these things, we were all very aware of it. It was one of those moments where everything was falling apart and coming together, setting up our futures for us without stripping us out of the moment. There was nothing easy or fluid about it, nothing comfortable. It didn’t represent black metal as a scene or a genre, it didn’t represent anything that we had build with previous work or stand as a beacon for work to come. It was just one long scream into each of our own abyss, a shared yet solitary void. It was the last time I was truly nervous about creating anything.”
Says guitarist Blake Judd:
“I’m extremely excited for these three missing tracks to finally be seeing the light of day as an official cassette / vinyl / digital release! After having a few rocky years with my ex-TWILIGHT co-conspirators, we’ve all patched up our differences and have a good relationship today. After numerous conversations about the subject of these three tracks with Jef Whitehead (Wrest) and Neill Jameson (N. Imperial), we’ve all decided it’s time for the final existing TWILIGHT audio to be presented and released unto the world.
“These songs are special to me also because they’re the three tracks which were authored by myself and Thurston Moore of SONIC YOUTH fame. To have had the chance to work with such a legendary musician was an amazing and very satisfying experience for me. I grew up in the 90s when NIRVANA was king, so, like most people my age, I was a huge fan. Through NIRVANA, I discovered SONIC YOUTH and have been a massive fan ever since. So, to have had the opportunity later to work alongside the most well-known member of that band, it was like a dream come true and truly brought things full circle, connecting the music I was making during the TWILIGHT era with the music that inspired me to pick up a guitar when I first started playing at 12-13 years old. With that being said, it is with great honor that I’m able to oversee the release and be a part of these missing TWILIGHT tracks, released by Ascension Monuments Media under the title Trident Death Rattle.”
On May 11th internationally (June 15th in the United States), AnnapurnA shall release Reverorum ib Malacht’s highly anticipated fourth album, Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble. The album will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital, with the vinyl to be available in two editions: black vinyl, or colored vinyl with download card.
As sole practitioners of Roman Catholic Black Metal, Reverorum ib Malacht are truly in a league of their own. Their three albums to date – 2011’s Urkaos, the three iterations of 2014’s De Mysteriis Dom Christi, and last year’s Ter Agios Numini – are unparalleled in their intensity of vision and sound. But with Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble, whatever conceptions of “vastness” and “density” the band deeply explored prior have been hereby dwarfed.
Like any of the band’s albums, Reverorum ib Malacht’s Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble is not an easy album to navigate, nor was that ever an option to begin with. For music – truly MUSIC, whether it be classed as “black metal” or “ambient” or otherwise – this personal and idiosyncratic was meant for exploration of truths far beyond the surface level, both above and below, encompassing the totality of eternity and its incomprehension. Layers are built upon layers upon layers, each one denser and yet more Spartan than the next, weaving a maze that becomes a riddle that circles back to a maze again, like the very Ouroboros forever swallowing its tail. It very much “sounds like” black metal (or ambient-intensive black metal, that is) but rather aims for what IS…existing, spreading further, forever outwards…living, dying, being.
To unravel the mystery of Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble is to begin to approach the enigma of Reveroum ib Malacht. Begin unraveling with the new track “Incompatible Molokh” HERE.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Reverorum ib Malacht’s Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble
1. Intro
2. Where Escapism Ends
3. Incompatible Molokh
4. Cloud of Unknowing
5. E va um da
6. Etia si omnes, ego non
7. Skin without Skin
8. (Natten inuti) en tagg som sticker mig, en ängel från Satan som misshandlar mig (2 cor 12.7ff)
9. Outro
Wolves in the Throne Room return for Europe for further dates, including festival appearances, in support of the widely acclaimed album, Thrice Woven released in September last year – full dates below.
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM TOUR DATES:
thu 14/06/2018 DE Hannover Cafe Glocksee w/ Vradiazei
fri 15/06/2018 DE Lobnitz With Full Force festival
sat 16/06/2018 DE Mannheim Maifel derby festival
mon 18/06/2018 CH Lausanne Les Docks w/ Neurosis, Deafkids
tue 19/06/2018 FR Strasbourg La Laiterie w/ Vradiazei
thu 21/06/2018 AT Abtenau House of the Holy pt.II w/ Vradiazei – SOLD OUT
fri 22/06/2018 BE Dessel Graspop
sat 23/06/2018 UK London The Garage
sun 24/06/2018 UK Birmingham Supersonic festival
mon 25/06/2018 UK Edinburgh La Belle Angele
tue 26/06/2018 UK Sheffield Corporation
wed 27/06/2018 UK Liverpool Invisible Wind Factory
thu 28/06/2018 UK Cardiff The Globe
fri 29/06/2018 FR Paris Petit Bain
sun 01/07/2018 IT Milan Solomacello fest
mon 02/07/2018 DE Munich Feierwerk
tue 03/07/2018 DE Hamburg Markthalle
wed 04/07/2018 NL Arnhem Luxor
thu 05/07/2018 DE Koln Gebaeude9
fri 06/07/2018 DE Frisack Under The Black Sun festival
sat 07/07/2018 CZ Prague Futurum Music Club
sun 08/07/2018 DE Nurnberg Z-Bau
mon 09/07/2018 AT Vienna Arena
thu 12/07/2018 ES Viveiro Resurrection fest
Since their inception in 2002, Wolves In The Throne Room have accrued over 5 studio albums and hundreds of live performances reinterpreting black metal through their own Cascadian prism. Their songs explore the hidden world of magic that one accesses through dreams, visions and music and the resulting sounds are intimately linked to the wild lands of the Pacific Northwest. Now, a portal into the dreamworld of Wolves In The Throne Room opens again with their forthcoming sixth LP, Thrice Woven a glorious return to the blazing and furious Black Metal that they alone can create.
Thrice Woven is out now via Wolves In The Throne Room’s own label, Artemisia Records.
Following a snowy show at the spectacular Full Metal Mountain Festival in the Austrian Alps tomorrow, ABBATH will kick off their rampage through Eastern Europe and Russia. The Norwegian stalwarts have furthermore added more festival appearances on their roster for this summer. A list of all currently confirmed dates including festivals can be viewed below.
ABBATH Festivals
07 Apr 18 Nassfeld (AT) Full Metal Mountain
12 May 18 Wien (AT) Vienna Metal Meeting
13 May 18 London (UK) Incineration Festival
19 May 18 Kuurne (BE) Throne Fest
14 Jun 18 Ferropolis (DE) With Full Force Festival
21 Jun 18 Kauhajoki (FI) Nummirock (exact date tbc)
21 Jun 18 Halden (NO) Tons of Rock Festival (exact date tbc)
22 Jul 18 Colony (IT) Colony Open Air
10 Aug 18 Vilena (ES) Leyendas Del Rock
18 Aug 18 Saint Nolff (FR) Motocultor Festival (exact date tbc)
ABBATH will be touring in support of their chart-storming eponymous debut album. Artwork and track-list of ‘Abbath’ can be viewed below
01. To War!
02. Winterbane
03. Ashes of the Damned
04. Ocean of Wounds
05. Count the Dead
06. Fenrir Hunts
07. Root of the Mountain
08. Endless
09. Nebular Ravens Winter [bonus]
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 this style.
Now the Norwegian giant returns with his new band ABBATH and a crushing debut album of the same name. The opening triplet “To War”, “Winter Bane”, and “Ashes of the Damned” unleashes all the fury of a Nordic blizzard at full force. Yet the following “Ocean of Wounds” proves that his new band is equally at home in writing anthemic mid-tempo hymns. Abbath’s characteristic riffing shines clearly through it all: heavy, harsh, and yet catchy and melodic with a touch of epic BATHORY, MOTÖRHEAD, and even KISS. At the same time there is no danger of repeating the formula of IMMORTAL or the mastermind’s other project under the moniker I, which was shared with King. The bass player from Bergen has again joined Abbath and brought his impressive song-writing skills to the battlefield. GORGOROTH, GOD SEED, and OV HELL bear witness to King’s exceptional talent as a composer, while contributions to AUDREY HORNE and SAHG demonstrate his wide stylistic range. The final keystone to ABBATH lies in the outstanding drumming delivered by the mysterious Creature. The trio has already proved its worth as a live entity at several headlining festival shows as well, where ABBATH were joined by an additional guitarist. ‘Abbath’ impresses from start to finish. This is exactly the album that all fans of this particular Bergen brand of black metal have been hoping for. Hold on tight or get blown away. ABBATH are here now and ready to conquer the world!
Season of Mist are proud to announce the signing of MYSTIFIER. The Brazilian black metal underground stalwarts will release their long anticipated next album through the label.
MYSTIFIER comment: “We have spend 29 years on the road and 17 years without releasing an album. Finally, we have signed a deal for a new record with one of the biggest labels of extreme music. We were introduced to Season of Mist boss Michael Berberian during our European tour, ‘Bloodshed Rituals 2016’ with ROTTING CHRIST, but we never imagined becoming a part on such a select roster. We expect our alliance will prove beneficial for all parties involved and we extend our gratitude to every fan, producer, photographer, sound and light engineer, fanzines, record label, tour manager, and everybody else, who took part of our long underground history. Towards infinity!”
MYSTIFIER were formed by lead guitarist and bassist Beelzeebubth, Lucifuge Rofocale on drums, guitarist Behemoth, and vicalist Meugninousouan in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil in 1989. The band created an aggressive, fast, and malignant sound within the classic black metal style, which makes them veterans of their scene.
A first demo tape, which was entitled ‘Tormenting the Holy Trinity’ came out in November 1989 and secured the band several shows at home and all over Brazil. Their 7″ debut single ‘The Evil Ascension Returns’ as well as a second demo, entitled ‘Aleister Crowley’ let to widespread underground recognition for MYSTIFIER in 1990.
MYSTIFIER’s debut full-length, ‘Wicca’ was already released worldwide in 1992 and the Brazilians managed to cement their reputation with each following record and accompanying tour. ‘Göetia’ hit the streets in 1993, ‘The World Is So Good That Who Made It Does not Live here’ followed in 1996, ‘Profanus’ came out in 2001. In the wake of their release of the deluxe box ‘Baphometic Goat Worship’ (2008), MYSTIFIER performed at the NWN Festival ll in Berlin, Germany and several other festivals around the globe.
In the passing of time, MYSTIFIER underwent some radical line-up changes. Vocalist Leandro Kastyphas was replaced by the exceptional Diego Sorcerer Do’Urden from INFESTED BLOOD. Drummer Alex Rocha (POISONOUS) handed his sticks over to Edward WarMonger (former ly of MEDICINE DEATH), who brought much experience and maturity to the group’s compositions.
Having wrecked stages throughout South and North America, Europe and and other places with several sold-out shows during the ‘Bloodshed Rituals’ tour in support of ROTTING CHRIST, MYSTIFIER are currently focusing on their forthcoming new album, which is ear-marked for release in 2018.
Line-up
Armand Bäelzeebubth: lead guitar, backing vocals
Diego Sorcerer Do’Urden: vocals, keyboards, bass guitar
Edward Warmonger: percussion
European tour dates in autumn have already been announced. Exact dates and final artwork will be published soon. Please see below for a preliminary schedule.
Today, Shadow Kingdom Records sets August 3rd as the international release date for Nachash’s highly anticipated debut album, Phantasmal Trinunity, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
One of the most shockingly mature newcomers Shadow Kingdom has come across recently, Nachash hail from Norway and released an EP, Conjuring the Red Death Eclipse, in 2015. Granted, their country of origin might tip you off that the band indeed play black metal, but that’s only half the story. For the Nachash sound one is just as anchored in eldritch death metal, grimy but grandiose, as it is the most witching wave of early black metal: muscular and even a bit molten, the power-trio’s patient pulse possesses an almost-poetic flow, above all betraying a keen understanding of epic heavy metal songwriting. Across each of these six mini-epics known as tracks, the 37 electric minutes comprising Phantasmal Trinunity in fact flow like a phantasm, wisping and winding wherever the wind may blow but with a most haunting grace, setting up moments of hypnotic tension before subtly seguing into a surge of dark ‘n’ dread-inducing glory. It all makes for a singular sensation, but if we’re to drop any rare references, contemporaries could include Grand Belial’s Key, Ares Kingdom, Mortuary Drape, Varathron, and Sacriphyx.
Deathly black metal? Blackened death metal? Nachash know no borders nor easy categorization, nor do they care for fence-riding opportunists who don’t truly heed the call of death. Enter their Phantasmal Trinunity and emerge enlightened and forever changed…
In the meantime, hear the previously revealed track “Apex Illuminous” HERE.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Nachash’s Phantasmal Trinunity
1. Red Death Eclipse (A Savage Darkening)
2. Apex Illuminous
3. Astral Sacrifice
4. Fleshtemple Incineration
5. Vortex Spectre
6. Elder Night (Arcane Fires)
Today, Blood Harvest Records and Helter Skelter Productions set June 8th as the international release date for Taphos’ highly anticipated debut album, Come Ethereal Somberness, on CD and 12″ vinyl formats.
Hot on the heels of Blood Harvest’s compilation of the band’s first two recordings as Demo MMXVI & 7″ EP MMXVII, garnering widespread acclaim and heightening anticipation for their first full-length, at last arrives Taphos’ Come Ethereal Somberness. As a debut LP, Come Ethereal Somberness does everything it should: stay consistent to a band’s sound established on their demos whilst pointing toward new avenues. Here, Taphos do both, and then some.
Hailing from the same Danish scene as Undergang and Phrenelith, Taphos create a classic – and classically gutted – style of Metal of Death. Their first recording, Demo MMXVI, possessed a darkly thrashing sound highly reminiscent of turn-of-the-’90s death metal on both sides of the Atlantic, as resolutely Scandinavian as it was American, its filthy propulsion as palatably fresh as it was authentically ancient. On the subsequent two-song EP, Taphos’ sound becomes more world-eating, their songwriting aims more epic whilst not losing the raw fury of their beginnings.
Now, with Come Ethereal Somberness, they synthesize the two stylistic shifts into something both berzerker and epic, manic and finessed in equal measures. Indeed, Taphos are firing on all songwriting cylinders here, as the energy literally bursts off the charts but retains a sense of composure and daresay class rarely scene in full-blooded death metal. Hammering and hideous yet nevertheless invoking a clarity that never castrates their attack, the quartet render each of these seven central compositions (bookended by moody instrumentals) a story unto itself. Hell, the titles themselves tell that story – “Ocular Blackness,” “Insidious Gyres,” and the equally telltale “Thrive in Upheaval” and “Impending Peril” among them – and that story is horrific.
New nightmares are here, then, and Taphos will be taking them on the road with a full European tour this May alongside Swedish comrades Degial (dates after the jump). Until then, as its title ominously proclaims, Come Ethereal Somberness!
Hear two new tracks off the album, the aforementioned “Thrive in Upheaval” and “Impending Peril” HERE
