Today, Iron Bonehead Productions sets July 28th as the international release date for Urn’s highly anticipated fourth album, The Burning. One of the Finnish underground’s longest-running yet best-kept secrets, Urn have been flying the flag of hate for unholy blackthrash since 1994. Founded by ex-Barathrum guitarist Sulphur, Urn have been a study in delayed-gratification patience and trend-bucking defiance. Their 2001 debut LP 666 Megatons sounded exactly like that, detonating a nuclear blast of classic blackthrash-cum-speed metal, which was further roughed up and refined on the successive LPs Dawn of the Devastation (2006) and Soul Destroyers (2008). But just as Urn had seemingly perfected their addicting ‘n’ acidic style, their classic power-trio lineup disintegrated and it was up to Sulphur to rebuild the band again. And rebuild, the bass-playing frontman did, as The Burning is the triumphant phoenix from the ashes.
Still maintaining that power-trio formation but now featuring a new lineup that includes guitarist Too Loud and drummer Revenant, The Burning literally explodes with an excitement that’s long been missing in black metal – suitably so, as it’s Urn’s first new recording in nearly a decade. Well rested, then, but certainly not resting on past laurels, Urn here fire off one veritable anthem after another with an urgency that’s startling to behold; the energy and passion are writ large across The Burning, and absolutely impossible to contain. And yet, for all its immediacy, there’s a certain grace and grandeur to The Burning that Urn have never revealed before: a wide-open, widescreened “man on the mountain” type of atmosphere that makes this pure black HEAVY METAL all the more majestic. However, let it be known that these Finnish bastards still revel in the dirt, just that now they’ve delivered their rancorous visions in a recording that’s their most robust and powerful to date.
Feel The Burning? It’s Urn, 666% back with a bestial invasion in the sign of evil! Bow before its first sign HERE at Iron Bonehead’s Soundcloud with the new track “Sons of the Northern Star.” Cover art, by Rok of Sadistik Exekution, and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Urn (Finland)’s The Burning
1. Intro – Resurrection
2. Celestial Light
3. Hail The King
4. Morbid Black Sorrow
5. Sons Of The Northern Star
6. Nocturnal Demons
7. Wolves Of Radiation
8. All Will End In Fire
9. Falling Paradise
10. The Burning
Darkness. Experimentation. Heaviness. Artistic integrity. A band that is born as a tribute to swiss titans Celtic Frost should have all these concepts as a basic reference when working on their own music. Formed in 2014 by three “off-road” musicians with a vast experience in metal, rock, and hardcore bands of Asturias (Spain), TOTENGOTT raises in the middle of the self-indulgent metal scene in order to claim the importance of evil and morbidity of compositions above technique, rawness above demonstration. An obsolete but effective speech.
It wasn’t long when their setlist, initially formed by classics (and “not-too-classics”) from Celtic Frost, started giving way to their own songs. Songs in which, although the “Warrior universe” touch is undeniable, we can also hear other influences like the space madness of Voivod, the sonic gravity of Conan, the experimentation of early Pink Floyd albums, the riffing mastery of Candlemass, or the atonality of Kryzstof Penderecki. Occult metal with obvious doom / death influences, but as we say, these are not the only ones: thrash, ambient, gothic… TOTENGOTT avoids limitations in the way they understand music.
In less than three years, they have managed to form a solid base of fans in the metal underground scene of their area. They have already shared stages with bands like Sodom, Entombed AD, Minsk, Holy Moses, Angelus Apatrida, Horn of the Rhino, Bodybag, Kowloon Walled City, and Wolvserpent, and they preached their musical philosophy widely in the north of Spain. This ode to darkness was depicted in the self-released Demo 2016, a three-song / 43-minute-long recording that served as an introduction to TOTENGOTT. The band sold more than 200 copies of this demo and gathered a good number of praising reviews in the Spanish extreme metal scene.
TOTENGOTT is now set to release worldwide Doppelgänger, their first album, on the 11th of July through XTREEM MUSIC / Burning World Records (label managed by Roadburn Records). The album was recorded, produced, and mixed by the band during late 2016 / early 2017 at Anglagard Recording Studios (Grao, Spain), and was mastered by James Plotkin (well known for his work with bands like Conan, Electric Wizard, Isis, Amenra, Jesu et al).
TOTENGOTT lineup
Chou Saavedra – guitar/vocals
Nacho Void – bass
José Mora – drums
The second album of Italian horror death metallers Gravesite is ready! Entitled Neverending Trail of Skulls, the album is set for international release on August 1st via Xtreem Music. The album was recorded by Umberto Furlan at Black Sun Studio between October 2016 and February 2017, with a later mastering by Daniel Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio and topped off by the artwork of Matteo Zanella.
Gravesite was formed back in 2014 by members from other bands like Haemophagus, Undeed Creep, and Cancer Spreading among others, and released a demo entitled Obsessed by the Macabre. This led to their signing with Xtreem Music, who released their debut album Horrifying Nightmares… in July 2015, which was formed by nine tracks of old-fashioned death metal in the best tradition of bands like Autopsy, Grave, Death, and Carcass.
In the meantime, check out the title track to Neverending Trail of Skulls
Bay Area Death metal band Extremity has made one of the best DM releases of 2017, This week I spoke with guitarist Marissa on what it takes to create one of the most essential albums of the year – read on
* First off congrats on the new release “extremely fucking dead” It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun making this album – what was the writing process like for this one?
Marissa: Thanks! It was a lot of fun. Recording is my favorite part of the whole process. It’s really neat to hear everything coming together as the recording progresses.
Shelby and Aesop worked out the song writing over the last 8 years or so. When Erika and I came on-board, things were more or less written. We contributed some small tweaks here and there. But, the music was pretty much ready to record.
* How about recording – you guys have nailed that old school sound – Was everything recorded digitally or analog?
Marissa: Everything was recorded digitally. It’s just how you do it these days.
Aesop wanted to do something way more primitive and ignorant, so they parted ways.
* Off the top of my head a bunch of you guys have a rich history of playing in metal bands around the bay area, so how did Extremity come about – give me the brief history of the band
Marissa: About 8 years ago, Shelby had some songs written, and was looking for a drummer to do something with. He met up with Aesop, who was looking to put together an old school death metal band. They jammed, but the material was pretty busy and grindy. Aesop wanted to do something way more primitive and ignorant, so they parted ways. That project eventually became Shelby’s old band Apocryphon.
Once Apocryphon started gigging, Shelby had the realization that he wanted to start a second band that was a lot simpler. So he reached out to Aesop and they started putting something together. Eventually they got to the point where they wanted another guitarist and bass player. Erika jams with Necrosic directly across the hallway from us at our practice space, and she’s fucking awesome in everyway. So she was their first choice on bass.
Erika made a post on facebook about jamming with a new band, and I half-jokingly replied asking if they needed a guitar player. It turned out they did, and my name had come up on the list of candidates. Shelby started showing me the riffs, and we all just hit it off. So, here we are…
I know he has a wah pedal on there, so he can really rock those “Dad solos”.
* For those of you who don’t know your previous bands, you want to give us a run down of you and Marissa’s gear, What guitars you favor (for writing, recording and live work) amps etc. I know a lot of metal dudes these days prefer to travel with a rack as opposed to tube amps and just dial in their sound.
Marissa: Shelby uses a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier. He’s also got a pedalboard full of little do-dads that I don’t know much about. I know he has a wah pedal on there, so he can really rock those “Dad solos”. He plays a Jackson Kelly as his main guitar.
I use a Marshall Valvestate 2000 which I’ve had for over a decade. It gives me a tone similar to a JCM 800, without having to worry about changing any tubes. Even though the amp is digital, it actually sounds really close to an analog amp. The only pedal I have is a tuner. I’m traditionally a grindcore musician. So, I like to have as little gear as possible.
Live, I use a B.C. Rich Warlock, mostly because I need the locking trem system. In the studio I used a black Gibson Flying V, with Lace “Drop n Gain” pickups. I love that guitar! It has tone for days! I wish I could use it live.
it was really Cannibal Corpse’s “Eaten Back to Life” that really grabbed a hold of me
* I know Aesop is an old man (actually I just checked he’s younger than me!) but the rest of Extremity have a pretty extensive knowledge of old school Death metal – what was the one DM band growing up that sold you on the genre?
Marissa: I had started to warm up to death metal with Obituary’s “Cause of Death”. But it was really Cannibal Corpse’s “Eaten Back to Life” that really grabbed a hold of me, and gave me that “fuck yeah!” moment that catapulted me into a ravenous death metal fan. Everything about that album is so awesome. I love the tone, the speed, just the right amount of complexity, and Chris Barnes’ vocals on that album are a lot of fun.
* I just saw Obituary on tour with Kreator a few weeks back and in my mind Obituary stole the show – I am sure if you told the Tardy brothers (Or Trevor Perez) that you guys would still be killing it 25+ years later – they wouldn’t believe you. Why do you think old school DM has come back into vogue with the younger generation?
Marissa: It’s kind of part of the culture, isn’t it? It seems to me that fans of metal not only like the music, but we want to know everything we can about the bands. When you get into a metal band, you want to know their whole back catalog, what bands inspired them, and what other bands exist in their genre? That seems like it’s always been a part of it. To really know metal, you need to know its history as well.
But, you know… Those early death metal albums are the best! The genre was learning about itself, it was primitive, simplistic, and energetic. Those old records have just the right amount of extremity and experimentation, without being completely overwhelming. There’s a lot to grab onto there.
* How did the deal with 20 buck spin come about?
Marissa: I think Shelby hooked that up. He has a relationship with Dave (of 20 Buck Spin) through Vastum. So, they spoke to each other, and Dave liked the material and wanted to release it.
* List your top 5 favorite DM records of all time and have you seen the said bands live?
Marissa:
Carcass – Symphonies of Sickness
Cannibal Corpse – Tomb of the Mutilated
Obituary – Cause of Death
Dismember – Like an Everflowing Stream
Bolt Thrower – Warmaster
I’ve seen all of these bands live.
The Bay Area has a pretty long musical history, especially when it comes to metal
* Yet again another great band comes out of the Bay Area – I have spoke to a bunch of Bay Area bands in the last year (Atrament, Palace of Worms, Ails, Hammers of Misfortune, Cardinal Wyrm etc) why do you think so much talent comes from this part of the world? Something in the water?
Marissa: The Bay Area has a pretty long musical history, especially when it comes to metal. Even when the metal scene had pretty much died here in the mid ‘90s, there were a few bands kicking around, trying their damndest to keep metal alive. In the last decade the scene has really grown, and there’s a great local scene happening here right now. It’s really cool to get to be a part of it.
* Something I ask all Bay Area bands – do you think a time will come when you guys will have to move to either LA or Portland to keep playing music? As much as I love that neck of the woods – it’s even more expensive to live there than NYC!
Marissa: I can’t really see that happening. At least, not for me. But, playing music isn’t my primary source of income. So, I’m probably not the best person to ask in this case.
* I know you guys have done a handful of shows so far – any plans for a National tour or you guys just want to keep it local?
Marissa: We want to play some shows up and down the East and West coasts.
* Have you done much touring before (in your old bands?) if so any funny tour stories you can share?
Marissa: I haven’t done a lot of touring. I did a West Coast run with my other band Cretin a few years ago. But there aren’t any stories from that tour that would be funny to anyone who wasn’t there. I’m kind of boring really…
* What can we expect from Extremity for the rest of 2017?
Marissa: We’re currently working on writing new material for a full length we hope to release next year.
* Any final words?
Marissa: Thanks so much for the interview!
Pyrrhon (pronounced Peer-on) are one of the best bands coming out of the New York metal scene these days – this week I spoke with vocalist Doug on tour life, keeping your vocal chords in peak condition and much more – read on!
* So did Mike and Dylan really meet on a subway platform or is that just folklore?
Yes, our guitarist Dylan met our original bassist Mike while waiting for the train after a show.
* How did you join the band?
Dylan is from the next town over from where I grew up in suburban Philadelphia, and I eventually met him while still in high school because his sister had become a friend of mine. We got to talking about music at some party or something and found that we had a lot in common, so we stayed in touch during college. A couple of years later he was putting a lineup together for the band that would become Pyrrhon and hit me up about auditioning on vocals, since he knew I had a background as a vocalist in some other bands. This all transpired between 2006 and 2008, I think.
* You have a pretty powerful voice – when did you find it? In Pyrrhon or one of your earlier bands? How does it hold out on long tours? I remember back in the early 90s Kevin Sharp telling me the key to “finding his voice” was the sound coming from his chest and not his throat
Thank you. I first started trying to do vocals in Seputus, a studio project I started with Pyrrhon’s current drummer Steve Schwegler way back in 2005, but I don’t think I really achieved anything approaching mastery until 2012 or 2013, when Pyrrhon had been going for a few years. There was a lot of trial and error in the years between.
I tend to push my voice pretty hard, and since I don’t naturally have a very loud or resilient voice, it’s taken some learning to figure out how to sustain it on the road. I’ve found that the most important factors for keeping my voice healthy while touring are: practicing good form while performing, reserving my voice when I’m not onstage, going easy on the partying, and getting as much sleep every night as possible. I’m an insomniac, so the last part can be difficult for me under tour conditions.
* If I am not mistaken the Greek philosopher Pyrrho was one of the first skeptics – do you consider the band skeptics? or?
Not in the strict philosophical sense, if that’s what you mean. The band name came out of a very long selection-by-committee process in the project’s early days, long before even Erik had joined. We didn’t really know what the band was going to be “about” thematically, so we weren’t really thinking too much about that side of the name — it was more about finding something distinctive and cool-sounding. None of us were even all that familiar with Pyrrho’s ideas at the time, though I started reading up on him when the name was floated. So Pyrrho’s specific teachings really never had much to do with the band per se, but the name fits well enough with our current iteration’s reflective and (colloquially) skeptical worldview.
* How did the band name come about?
See above.
We have lots of in-band jokes about this subject based on stuff people have called us at shows, such as “rollercoaster-core” and “hate shred.”
* For those of our readers who have not heard your sound before how do you guys describe it to people “technical death metal”, “progressive death metal” or “mathcore” or? What’s your preferred way to tell the uninitiated?
Hah, I generally try to avoid this conversation because our music is so hard to conveniently summarize this way. We have lots of in-band jokes about this subject based on stuff people have called us at shows, such as “rollercoaster-core” and “hate shred.” But when push comes to shove, I usually say “experimental death metal” if I have to do the genre tag thing.
* Have you guys done much touring to date? Who’s been your favorite band to tour with?
We haven’t toured a ton for a band that’s been around for close to a decade, but we became much more active that way in 2013 and have done something like 6 extended tours since then.
The longest of those tours was in 2014, when we did a 6-week North American run with Artificial Brain. As you can probably imagine, sharing a van with another band for that long will result in either loving each other or hating each other, and fortunately it was the former. We’re still good pals with them and are very proud of the success they’ve had with their new album so far.
* What would you say is the best city that you guys have played so far and why?
Broadly speaking, the most rewarding tour experience we’ve had was our European tour in 2015. We only hit a handful of countries, but since we never really expected to even get outside of the New York area with the band, playing our music on a different continent was an emotional experience for us.
The first “real” death metal band I ever heard was Morbid Angel. I was 14
* What was the first band that got you into Death Metal – your gateway band so to speak and do you still listen to them?
The first “real” death metal band I ever heard was Morbid Angel. I was 14. They’re still one of my favorites.
* What you would say is the biggest downfall in the underground metal scene today? What if any changes would you make to better the scene?
There’s quite a lot of dumdum behavior in metal, obviously, so it’s a bit hard to choose what to change. If I had to, though, I’d probably increase the ratio of distinctive bands to generic ones. A lot of really gifted musicians in metal end up slaving away in bands that really don’t have much personality, and I think everyone would benefit if talented players were more inclined to develop their own voices, instead of imitating someone else’s.
New York tends to exert an especially intense power over creative types for some reason
* New York is unlike any other city – would you say you guys have a “NYC” type sound or that NYC plays some part in inspiring your music?
Definitely. I wouldn’t say that the city is the band’s “theme” or anything like that. But everyone’s influenced by their surroundings to some extent, and New York tends to exert an especially intense power over creative types for some reason. Urban life was an explicit lyrical subject for us early on, especially on the first album. A lot of the sounds and bands that have influenced us deeply have strong traditions in New York too — free improvisation, noise rock, and obviously death metal. New York also has one of the most vibrant music communities in the world, in part because it’s so tough to establish a sustainable life as a creative person making totally non-commercial music here. Being around the sort of people who are both talented and driven enough to put up with such conditions certainly lights a fire under your ass and encourages you to push yourself too.
* What goals does the band have that you would like to see realized one day?
I’d say that our foremost goals as a band are to stay true to our instincts and to never make the same album twice. We’d also like to tour outside of the United States more – it would be nuts to play at least one show on every (habitable) continent eventually. But frankly, if we just manage to keep releasing albums that we’re proud of for a while longer, I’ll consider the affair a success.
* Does everyone in the band still live in the city? If so what side gigs does everybody do to make ends meet? (NYC ain’t cheap!)
Three of us live in New York – me, Erik, and Dylan. Dylan’s a server, Erik works for a boutique bass amp manufacturer, and I make a living doing research and writing for a small nonprofit. Steve lives in the Philly suburbs, where he’s currently a student.
* Have the band ever considered relocating to another city so that you guys can spend more time on your music? I have always believed that great scenes come out of towns like Richmond VA where the cost of living is relatively cheap – you don’t have to work 60 hrs a week just to make rent (let alone paying for a rehearsal space) I know a ton of bands from the Bay Area that are moving to LA just because it is so much cheaper.
Yes, we’ve talked about that kind of thing. Everyone but Erik has roots in Philly, which isn’t that cheap but would be an improvement. We’ve occasionally toyed with the idea of relocating there, but it’s difficult to coordinate multiple people relocating their lives to a new city at the same time. It’s tough enough for us to balance all of our various creative projects with our day-to-day labors as it is.
* What more can we expect from Pyrrhon in 2017?
We have a new album called What Passes For Survival coming out on August 11th. You can preorder the CD / digital via Willowtip Records here and the vinyl via Throatruiner Records here. We’ll be playing out regionally as much as possible in the fall in support of the record, with more extended tour plans to follow.
The second full-length album by recluse industrial black metal/harsh noise abusers american (which the band stylizes lowercase). american were one of the earliest ever bands Sentient Ruin records ever worked with back in 2014 (their fourth ever “signing” to be exact), and their debut album Coping With Loss – was a cornerstone point of no return for the label, and probably the first release to make the SR name surface out of complete obscurity, and which first realistically circulated the label’s vision among total strangers for the first time ever.
Hailing from Richmond, Virgina, and with influences ranging from The Body, Leviathan, Ministry, and Skinny Puppy, to Craft, Godlflesh, and Blut Aus Nord, american play a disembodied, torturous and completely fucking annihilated blend of sludge, black metal, industrial, and harsh noise – creating a wall of face-tearing noise that oozes of almost implausible negativity. In recent years the likes of Noisey/Vice have claimed that american’s noisy industrial black metal “takes you into a world of pain”, and makes you “beg to whoever you believe in to kill you”, with CVLT Nation explaining that their music “advocates suicide”, and Invisible Oranges further elaborating that their music “is blessed with a haunting aura thick with loathing”.
Now the band present us with ten new wretched tracks of astonishing sonic abuse that knows no end. A work of absolutely magnificent sonic abhorrence that coerces together the abyssal darkness of black metal bands like Leviathan and Ash Borer, the earth-shaking noise abuse of Bastard Noise and The Body, and the glacial magnificence of blackened noise sound sculptors like Sutekh Hexen, Locrian, and Wold.
DUNKELHEIT PRODUKTIONEN is proud to present HORRID’s highly anticipated fifth album, Beyond the Dark Border. Italy’s longest-running death metal band, HORRID have built an enviously dependable, unyielding body of work since 1989. Taking initial inspiration from the dual gods of Celtic Frost and Hellhammer, the band spent the 1990s solidifying their sound over a clutch of demos and EPs. Eventually, come 2002, their debut album manifested itself as Reborn in Sin. From there, the name HORRID has continued to stand for the timeless upholding of classic death metal values.
But now, with the imminent release of Beyond the Dark Border, HORRID are set to stake their claim for death metal supremacy. Truly a summation of everything that makes the Metal of Death so enduring and engrossing, Beyond the Dark Border possesses pretty much every element one would want in a pure ‘n’ authentic death metal record: immediately memorable songwriting, crushing-yet-clear songwriting, breathless execution, interesting twists of texture, and just enough melody to remain rooted in foundational heavy metal. More than that, HORRID render the album a rollercoaster of dynamic darkness, leading the listener down nine separate-yet-linked corridors of nameless horror and eldritch dread. And, at a stout 50 minutes, Beyond the Dark Border remains compact and concise and yet fully satisfying – whoever said meat & potatoes death metal wasn’t the best meal? Go Beyond the Dark Border with Italy’s HORRID!
HORRID lineup 2017
Davide “Dagon” Ariostini – vocals/bass
Mario “Belfagor” Plumari – guitars
Simone “Eligor” Della Chiesa – drums
RIVER BLACK are revealing the second heavy track taken from their self-titled debut album. ‘River Black’ has been scheduled for release on July 7th.
The American modern metal pioneers in the wake of BURNED BY THE SUN are now premering the song “#Victim”
Drummer Dave Witte comments on behalf of RIVER BLACK: “This one came together very quickly at the end of the writing sessions for our debut album. Actually, the whole beginning has been sitting around since 2008. We never had anything that made sense to go along with it and it just happened this time. Lyrically, it’s a kick in the pants to the unmotivated and a rallying cry for the malcontent.”
Vocalist Mike Olender adds: “This song was inspired by some individuals, who latch on to the misfortune of others and try to claim it as their own; vicarious victims, who are so addicted to drama and self-loathing that they gravitate towards any tragedy and make it a part of their identity, hence the hashtag. This first-world problem is the height of privilege and it speaks to a larger problem of intentional victimhood in American society, where too often we pre-empt problems that are not ours with solutions we don’t need; solutions which are rooted in a corrupt health care system more committed to profitable treatments than good health or personal growth.”
RIVER BLACK have previously revealed artwork and track-list of their debut full-length, which can both be viewed below.
1. Jaws
2. Honor
3. Low
4. Shipwreck
5. River Black
6. South by South
7. Boat
8. Move
9. #Victim
10. Haunt
11. Sink
12. Everywhere
RIVER BLACK deliver the musical equivalent to a diamond-tipped drill to bore breathing-holes into the crusty rusted armour-plating of the metal-genre in order to let some fresh air into the all too often stale scene.
Their powerful self-titled debut album impresses with undiluted aggression, precisely executed and dead on target. Based on an intimate knowledge of thrash metal history, the Americans have found a modern answer to this classic style, incorporating suitable elements of death, hardcore, and other influences. This is boosted by a massive sound that drops the bomb in your face.
The expertise that RIVER BLACK demonstrate in craft and talent does not come out of the blue. Guitarist John Adubato and drummer David Witte (MUNICIPAL WASTE) formed their new creative outlet after the dissolution of BURNT BY THE SUN. The veteran duo felt the need to keep the spirit and energy behind that former collective going, while pushing it a darker and heavier direction. To complete their dream team, Witte and Adubato recruited fellow REVOCATION bassist Brett Bamberger and former BURNT BY THE SUN collaborator Mike Olender for vocal duties.
On completion of their line-up, RIVER BLACK recorded their first album at New Jersey’s Trax East studio (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, HATEBREED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) with producer Eric Rachel (SKID ROW, MUNICIPAL WASTE, GOD FORBID).
RIVER BLACK are now ready to drive a vicious spike into the bubble of metallic complacency. Crank up the volume and let ‘River Black’ hit home hard. Impact is imminent…
Line-up
Mike Olender: vocals
John Adubato: guitar
Brett Bamberger: bass
Dave Witte: drums
Today, reinvigorated black metal infamists Nargaroth stream the entirety of their highly anticipated seventh album, Era of Threnody. Set for international release on May 16th via Inter Arma Productions, hear Nargaroth’s Era of Threnody in its entirety exclusively HERE.
Nargaroth needs no introduction. German black metal’s longest-running and most prolific band, Nargaroth has built a canon of work that’s as infamous as it is legendary in the underground. Led as always by the peerless vision of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ash, the Nargaroth aesthetic has spanned the many extremes of black metal as an artform, but always done with bravado and self-belief, purity of intent and purity of purpose. Now, with the band’s first full-length in a long eight years, Era of Threnody has arrived to mark a glorious new epoch for Nargaroth.
Ever aptly titled, Era of Threnody burns with rage and repose – a war cry from a battlefield long forgotten, a remembrance of sorrows past, present, and future. Across its 65-minute landscape, the 10 songs which comprise Era of Threnody paint a portrait of Nargaroth at its most dynamic: nearly every unique era of the band is represented, but executed with a startling sense of professionalism. But let it be known that “professionalism” in no way should be conflated with mainstream ambitions, for this is still pure ‘n’ pristine BLACK METAL in all its monochromatic grandeur. More accurately, perhaps, Era of Threnody is the sound of Nargaroth at the height of its powers, well rested from the studio hiatus and eager ‘n’ emboldened by an upcoming European tour with Absu and Hate (dates after the jump). The time of reckoning is at hand, and it is indeed the Era of Threnody!
Stream Nargaroth’s Era of Threnody at Inter Arma Productions’ Bandcamp HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Nargaroth’s Era of Threnody
1. Dawn of Epiphany
2. Whither Goest Thou?
3. Conjunction Underneath The Alpha Weel
4. …As Orphans Drifting In A Desert Night
5. The Agony Of A Dying Phoenix
6. Epicedium To A Broken Dream
7. Love Is A Dog From Hell
8. Era Of Threnody
9. TXFO
10. My Eternal Grief, Anguish Neverending
Full “Crusade of Threnody” tour dates with ABSU and HATE, as well as poster art for the tour, are as follows:
“Those who flee the hammer, shall abide the forge”
Death Ordinance is set in a future ravaged by 30 years of war, global societies have collapsed into anarchic warfare between tribal bands. Following nuclear warfare and EMP’s, remnants of technology are repurposed solely for conflict. Regression becomes progress as oppression and power struggle with natural law and imminent extinction.
What remains of humanity struggles in the vestiges, the final lineage impotent and malformed, for the scraps of a dying world. The album documents the twilight of existence through three movements the onset as “Consecrating Fire” and concluding with “Desert of Ash”.
Each song is deliberate with serving a purpose compositionally as well as with the lyrical narrative.
“Senses heightened, survival preceeds morality…”
Track list:
Consecrating Fire
Storming Upon Knaves
Harbinger
Ruination
The Yoke
Iron Harvest
Lupine Epoch
Righteous Upsurgence
Desert of Ash
Death Ordinance was recorded by V.V. in early 2017 and mixed and mastered by C. Sinclair in the Temple of Sol. Artwork for the album was done by Mistanthropic-Art.
