EKROM stream EDGED CIRCLE debut – features members of COVENANT, NOCTURNAL BREED+++

Today, Norwegian black metallers Ekrom stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Uten Nådigst Formildelse. Set for international release on June 6th via Edged Circle Productions, hear Ekrom‘s Uten Nådigst Formildelse in its entirety here:

A new formation hailing from darkest, coldest Norway, Ekrom sound exceptionally ancient, brimming with a fire that stoked (and literally burned) the country during the early ’90s. Perhaps not surprisingly, the band is the work of two old souls: drummer Thomas Ødegaard (AKA Tex Terror, longtime drummer/vocalist of Nocturnal Breed) and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Kharon, an early member of Norway’s Covenant, during that band’s earliest (and best) days. Ekrom made their public debut in November 2022 with the EP The Black Flames of Seth – initially digital-only, but then finding super-limited tape release in March of this year. At nearly 15 minutes, the EP swiftly made its point: the past was alive, and from the cinders stirred another new fire…

Now it’s reached a conflagration with Ekrom‘s full-length debut, Uten Nådigst Formildelse. Wasting no time with an intro, the album kicks in – HARD – with a spiraling & suffocating spire of absolutely classic Nordic ice. Shards of stained-glass synth soon enter the picture and make Ekrom‘s cryogenics even more haunting and expansive, with the production itself – crisp, clear, and somehow dense simultaneously, most importantly emitting an air of mystery and mysticism such as it was during the darkest 1990s – almost working as another instrument. That the duo have these sounds dialed in is one (exceptional) thing; that they wield those sonics in service of imaginative, immersive songwriting is another. Indeed, Uten Nådigst Formildelse is a transportive experience, much like those ancient Norwegian tomes here, severing the listener from reality and opening the portals to the beyond and dream-worlds yet contemplated: life-giving and -damning in equal measure, a manifestation of eldritch energies most potent. Or, fancy words aside, Ekrom‘s debut album is a fucking great BLACK METAL record rendered with time-honored elements.

While there’s currently no shortage of bands/records offering classic/”classic” ’90s-style black metal, it’s invigorating – and, above all, authentic – to find it coming from those who were there from the beginning. Ekrom have both arrived and awoken with Uten Nådigst Formildelse.

Preorder info can be found HERE at Edged Circle‘s Bandcamp. Cover artwork, courtesy of Heidi Irene Kainulainen, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ekrom’s Uten Nådigst Formildelse
1. Bell Witch
2. The Black Flame Of Seth
3. The Black Hearted Ragana
4. Abyss Of Eternity
5. Misanthropy Void
6. I Djevelens Skygge
7. My End
8. When I Enter The World Of Unknown

MORE INFO:

www.facebook.com/people/Ekrom/100062965343912

www.edgedcircleproductions.com

Sweden’s VARGR set release date for long-awaited new BLOODDAWN recording – features members of MZ.412, NORDVARGR, POUPPEE FABRIKK+++

Today, Blooddawn Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces July 31st as the international release date for the long-awaited new recording from Sweden’s Vargr, FTW, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Hailing from Sweden, Vargr is the work of Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, largely known for the legendary MZ.412 but also counting Pouppée Fabrikk and the selfsame Nordvargr among his many musical endeavors. Under the moniker Vargr, he creates a maddening meld of dark industrial and blacknoise – sometimes leaning toward one end of the spectrum over the other, and sometimes overloading frequencies into one frightening onslaught of sound.

It’s been over a decade since Vargr had a new studio recording – since 2010, in fact – and now he returns with the full-length FTW. Aptly titled, FTW indeed fucks the world with brittle shards of black metal bent in obscene ways, as a slaughterhouse of strange sounds rolls on underneath, the conveyor belt moving ominously, fatally forward. Much like the infamous Abruptum, there’s no middle ground here: you either willingly submit or run far way. No escape…no hope.

Featuring cover artwork by the enigmatic Wagner Ödegård, Vargr‘s FTW now sees worldwide release at the hands of a capable label. No ripoffs…no light.

In the meantime, stream the entirety of FTW here:

Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Vargr (Sweden)’s FTW

1. FTW 1
2. FTW 2
3. FTW 3
4. FTW 4
5. FTW 5
6. FTW 6
7. FTW 7
8. FTW 8
9. FTW 9

www.facebook.com/blooddawnproductions
www.helterskelterproductions.se

OLD GHOUL set release date for HELTER SKELTER debut EP – features HOUR OF 13 mainman

Today, Helter Skelter Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces July 31st as the international release date for Old Ghoul’s striking debut EP, self-titled Old Ghoul, on 12” vinyl format.

Old Ghoul is the new work of the insanely prolific Chad Davis, most renowned for the legendary Hour of 13. And much like that widely celebrated doom vehicle, his new Old Ghoul sticks to a dark, doomed-out route that’s as haunting as it is heavy. With a mere three songs in 15 minutes, the band’s self-titled debut EP gets in and gets out, doing its job of spooking the fuck outta you and letting the mystery linger after the record’s over…which isn’t long, as these three bangers swagger with a slo-burn intensity that just begs for repeat spins! And much like more recent Hour of 13 material, Old Ghoul definitely bears a distinct deathrock touch along with the tried-and-true doom ones, making Old Ghoul an auspicious start – and one to dig deeper graves!

In the meantime, stream the entirety of Old Ghoul here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Old Ghoul’s Old Ghoul

1. The Crypt of Night
2. The Devils At Brocken
3. The End of All That Remains

www.helterskelterproductions.se
www.facebook.com/helterskelterproductions

Canadian death metallers Serpent Corpse premiere new track

Today, Canadian death metallers Serpent Corpse premiere the new track “Let the Rats Feed”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Blood Sabbath, set for international release on July 5th via Temple of Mystery Records. Hear Serpent Corpse‘s “Let the Rats Feed” in its entirety here:

Hailing from the ever-rising Montreal death metal scene, Serpent Corpse are at once foreign and familiar. Blood Sabbath, their full-length debut following a demo in 2021, on first glance feels resolutely old school: straightforward songwriting, analog production, little flash but full fire. And indeed, Serpent Corpse do show noble influence from the very early ’90s – foremost among them, the world-eating enormity of classic Bolt Thrower and vigorous D-beating of early Entombed – but along with another set of tweaked influences and, more so, a maniacal manner in which to pursue them, the Canadian quartet prove that the idea of traditional all-caps DEATH METAL is undying and infinite. The further one steps into the ichor of Blood Sabbath, the more those tweaks take shape – Darkthrone during their death metal days, Seance skewing death ‘n’ roll, the DM-in-glue of classic Cianide, or especially Autopsy’s transition into Abscess – and the more the exemplary songwriting truly begins to shine…or ROT, as it were! For this nine-song/39-minute album sounds as slimy as it does headbanging – and those singed ‘n’ seared leads are the definition of haunting! Coupled with powerfully clear annunciation from vocalist/guitarist Andrew Haddad and mesmerizing cover art courtesy of Lucas Korte, Serpent Corpse deliver one of the most essential death metal debuts of recent memory. A festering death awaits!

Also hear the previously revealed “Nemesis” HERE at Temple of Mystery‘s Bandcamp. Preorder info can be found further below. Serpent Corpse will be playing an album-release party on July 15th  at La Sotterenea in Montreal; event info can be found HERE. Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Serpent Corpse’s Blood Sabbath
1. Spell Of The Eternal Serpent
2. Electric Eye
3. Nemesis
4. Let The Rats Feed
5. Land Of Rot And Misfortune
6. Crucifxion Shrine
7. Swallowed Whole By The Abyss
8. Dreams of Crows
9. Blood Sabbath

Preorder info

https://serpentcorpse.bandcamp.com/album/blood-sabbath (EU/Asia/North America)
https://templeofmystery.ca/product-category/serpent-corpse/ (Asia/North America only)

MORE INFO:
www.serpentcorpse.bandcamp.com

www.templeofmystery.ca

THE RITE set release date for new IRON BONEHEAD album, reveal first track – features members of DENIAL OF GOD, BLACK OATH+++

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces August 11th as the international release date for The Rite‘s highly anticipated second album, The Astral Gloom, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

The Rite was formed in autumn 2017 when A.th (Black Oath) and Ustumallagam (Denial of God) joined forces to create a band that exclusively plays morbid black metal, praising complete and utmost darkness. Their influences range from iconic bands such as Mercyful Fate, Death SS, Celtic Frost, Samael, Goatlord, Ripper, and others, as well as occult literature. The music walks a fine line between slow and dreary parts and fast and merciless attacks, but by and large, it falls into the black/doom 
category. 

The recording of The Rite‘s five-track mini-album, The Brocken Fires, was finished in August 2018 and originally released on tape by Unholy Domain Records in October 2018. In August 2019, the mini-album was then released on CD and 12″ vinyl formats by Iron Bonehead and successively received a great response from the underground scene. 

In July 2019, The Rite performed their debut show at Denmark’s Metal Magic Festival. In the autumn of that year, the band performed their second show, this time in Italy. Around the same time, The Rite entered the studio again to record their debut album, Liturgy of the Black, which contained 10 tracks of morbid black metal, including a cover of Ripper. The album was released in June 2020 by Iron Bonehead, showing The Rite creating an atmosphere of darkness and the occult rather than focusing on speed or technicality. The music, written by A.th, this time incorporated both guitar solos and keyboards while staying true to The Rite‘s original path of mainly slow and heavy black metal. The lyrics, penned by Ustumallagam, covered various intriguing subjects such as pure devil worship, devotion to the dark, strange rituals, and the afterlife, and the man’s characteristically creepy annunciation brought those subjects to undead life with drama and intensity.

Around the turn of 2020 to 2021, The Rite returned to the studio to record new tracks for two upcoming releases. Some of the tracks were included on a split CD with Coven of Impurity, released by Cursed Recordings (A.th’s label), and one track was featured on a split 7″ EP with Bezwering, released on Headkick Music (Ustumallagam’s label) in May 2022, after facing cursed delays. The split CD with Coven of Impurity sold out quickly, and most of the copies of the split 7″ with Bezwering were sold within a few days. 

In 2022, The Rite‘s lineup underwent some changes. The original drummer, P. Guts, was replaced by someone else who the band parted ways with just days before their third show at Winter Metal Magic in Denmark. War D. (Morbus Grave) stepped in at the last moment and saved the day, and has been with the band ever since. A second guitar player was found in M. Desecrator (VomitVulva, Funest), making The Rite a five-piece band, even stronger in their live performances. 

Despite being busy with both Denial of God and Black Oath, The Rite began working intensely on the follow-up to Liturgy of the Black. After some initial rehearsals, their second album was recorded in December 2022. Titled The Astral Gloom, The Rite‘s new album contains another 10 tracks, proving as dark and dynamic as ever, with creepier excursions into quieter territory and an even more heightened atmospheric element without losing any heaviness – thus, the title The Astral Gloom is more than fitting. That heaviness is provocatively played to the hilt with this two-guitar lineup, and the lead parts evoke a macabre majesty only hinted at before. Once again, The Rite choose a unique cover – this time, the Lollipops’ “Naked When You Come,” an eerie psychedelic pop song from 1966 – and they truly make it their own.

With this new lineup bolstered and better than ever, The Rite seek to take their morbid metal to the stage more often and promote The Astral Gloom as fully as possible. The black bells toll more ominously than ever, the veil between worlds begins to open…step forth into The Astral Gloom!

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Nosophoros” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for The Rite’s The Astral Gloom
1. Intro – The Evocation
2. The Spirit of Mendes
3. The Fathomless Dark
4. Under A Lunar Spell
5. Walpurgis Night
6. The Astral Gloom
7. Nosophoros
8. Naked When You Come
9. The Valley of Megiddo
10. Outro – Sheol

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/The-Rite-band-page-219647875291113

ASCENDENCY set release date for new ME SACO UN OJO / DARK DESCENT mini-album, reveal first track

Today, Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records announce July 14th as the international release date for a brand-new mini-album from Ascendency, A Manifest of Imperious Destiny, on 12″ vinyl and CD formats, respectively.

Prepare for the ultimate black/death metal assault by Denmark’s Ascendency… Following a punishing demo in 2019 and their equally merciless 2020 MLP, they now return with another tome of destruction. Four new tracks span an unforgiving half-hour of desecration.

While Denmark has offered some of the best contemporary death metal in the last decade or so, Ascendency are quite a unique beast within this. Their much darker, venomous black metal influences create disquiet with uncomfortable atmospherics that still retain that brutality, just with a much-more-unhinged twist. These new pieces showcase what the band has incubated in the last three years, which is feral and harrowing musical extremity with a sepulchral atmosphere and tremendous musicianship to boot. Reverberating howls and guitars send a chill through the ossuary while drums hammer through remaining skulls with ease.

While Ascendency clearly revel in delivering punishment, they do so with intricate and carefully constructed songs that contain more than enough nuance to really sink your teeth into. Melodic-yet-bestial riffs charge atop devastating percussion with demonic vocals while never straying too far from the cacophony of fury remains the heart of this untamed sound. The subtleties tie in with bludgeoning violence effortlessly and leave us with a truly potent, memorable, and distinguished record. Atmosphere and malice, when they coexist in such a manner, become an unstoppable beast, so prepare for annihilation if you seek out this mystical-yet-malignant gem of underground might. Delve into oblivion with these new offerings of unfaltering triumph and might. [text by Jørgen Sven Kirby, Nattskog webzine]

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Domitor Invictus” here:

. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ascendency’s A Manifest of Imperious Destiny
1. The Triumph of Draconian Might [7:05]
2. Victory – in all its Ephemeral Glory [5:41]
3. Domitor Invictus [5:50]
4. A Manifest of Imperious Destiny [9:30]
MORE INFO:
prophesiedascendency.bandcamp.com

www.mesacounojo.com
www.mesacounojo.bandcamp.com

America’s BLACK EUCHARIST premiere new track

Today, American black metallers Black Eucharist premiere the new track “Ziziphus Paliurus”. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Inn of the Vaticide, set for international release on June 23rd via Stygian Black Hand. Hear Black Eucharist ‘s “Ziziphus Paliurus” in its entirety here:

Originally under the moniker Black Ejaculate, Black Eucharist began in 2018 with the sole purpose of blasphemy and ridicule of Nazareth’s infamous liar who shat himself upon the cross. After a name change in 2021, Black Eucharist return with darkness and evil to continue where they left off, following in the footsteps of their USBM predecessors Profanatica, Demoncy, VON, and Masochist among others: Biblical dejection, phallic corruption, and holy profanation manifest in the utterings of this treacherous triumvirate. 

At long last unleashing their first full-length, Inn of the Vaticide, the power-trio of drummer Shemhamforash (Blood Ouroboros, Graven Hag), vocalist/guitarist Infestor (Demiser, Primitive Warfare), and bassist Gravepisser (Demiser) proceed to blow the floodgates open with a vile stream of viscera and effluvium. As a debut album, Inn of the Vaticide does what it should: carrying forward the sound & style as set forth on a demo and then adding new vulgarity & violence, hammering home the message with both authority and daresay swagger. Truly, Black Eucharist add to and elevate their noble influences, stylistically slotting among the aforementioned but never fully feasting on the corpse of the past. Imagination and perversity are in equal supply here.

So, all deviants and perverts, antagonists and maniacs: witness the debut full-length of Black Eucharist as they revile the scum-born charlatan whose treachery still befouls his flock! A full 40 minutes of profanation, desecration, and impiety will flood your ears with the lamentation of the “virgin” and her duplicitous progeny! Inn of the Vaticide is a VICIOUS MOCKERY OF THE MEEK!

Also hear the previously revealed “Deflowering Jerusalem” HERE at Stygian Black Hand‘s Bandcamp, where the album can also be preordered. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Black Eucharist (USA)’s Inn of the Vaticide
1. Black Ejaculate
2. Deflowering Jerusalem
3. Drowned Flock
4. Inn of the Vaticide
5. The Soiled Crucifix
6. Broken Staff of the Shepherd
7. Ziziphus Paliurus
8. A Foul Stench Lingers at Peor

www.stygianblackhand.com
stygianblackhand.bandcamp.com

EN LA NIEBLA set release date for HELTER SKELTER debut album – streaming in full now

Today, Helter Skelter Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) announces July 28th as the international release date for En La Niebla‘s striking debut album, El Limbo de Los Callados, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Hailing from the rising Argentinian stoner scene – from which labelmates Mephistofeles, Fulanno, Sahara, The Crooked Whispers, and Serpent Cobra sprang – En La Niebla are a power-trio carrying forward their country’s prevailing paradigm. Uniquely in light of their no-less-distinguished contemporaries, the band sing entirely in their native tongue, lending a foreign-yet-familiar element that makes their diabolism hit that much harder.

Released digitally during the final days of 2022, El Limbo de Los Callados confidently introduces En La Niebla‘s moody, bluesy style of stoner doom. Short but definitely very sweet, the album’s five tracks in nearly a half-hour plod with a downtrodden swagger, but frequently dip into (very slightly) quieter moments that almost seem jammy. The bluesy licks then hypnotize with hazy majesty as the volume & intensity continue to dip, heightening the tension (and darkness) before the BIG diabolic crush of traditional doom riff. Simple-yet-sublime pleasures, and with personality to spare: En La Niebla begin their journey into the beyond with El Limbo de Los Callados.

In the meantime, stream the entirety of El Limbo de Los Callados here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for En La Niebla’s El Limbo de Los Callados

1. El Sendero del Druida [3:10]
2. Evocando el Ritual [5:54]
3. Cabras Negras [6:36]
4. Las Brujas [7:16]
5. El Limbo de Los Callados [6:30]


MORE INFO:
www.enlaniebla666.bandcamp.com

www.helterskelterproductions.se
www.facebook.com/helterskelterproductions

COUNTESS ERZSEBET sets release date for new mini-album, reveals first tracks – features XASTHUR collaborator

On July 28th, Countess Erzsebet will self-release her self-titled mini-album on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Countess Erzsebet is the work of Rachel Bloodspell Moongoddess, who’s previously played bass for a number of bands but more recently Xasthur, where she did three tours playing acoustic bass and was on the Aestas Pretium MMXVIII EP. A guitar/bass-maker learning the luthier trade, Rachel plays in Countess Erzsebet her own electric bass and guitar she both built. All instrumentation in the band – guitar, bass, organ, vocals, and programming – is handled by Rachel, with four of the upcoming mini-album’s songs featuring drums by Steve Peacock of Spirit Possession and Pandiscordian Necrogenesis. Trained in classical piano and jazz bass and guitar as a child, Rachel’s unique upbringing is subtly interwoven into Countess Erzsebet.

Previously monikered Erzsebet and having digitally released the nearly-album-length Black Spell in 2017, Rachel’s rebirth as Countess Erzsebet marks a clear, new epoch for the one-woman band. Whereas that previous recording was more than half acoustic and largely instrumental, Countess Erzsebet builds a grimier and ghastlier soundworld where the likes of Goblin, Ved Buens End, Mercyful Fate, Coven, Leviathan, and Bathory all bubble in a murky, mysterious cauldron – and what emerges sounds entirely unique, and entirely Countess Erzsebet. Olde-worlde and unorthodox, Rachel here harkens to lonelier, more vanguard days for black metal, brimming with a bounty of ideas that seem strange on the surface, but all eventually are threaded together with bedeviling witchcraft. With Hammer-horror organ and her whisper-to-a-scream vocals at the forefront, Countess Erzsebet here creates a remarkably varied canvas where each track holds its own identity – be it primitive gutter pulse or wandering-in-the-woods ethereality, ultra-minimalist doom or occultic torch song – and they’re then sequenced in a manner that creates an all-consuming experience. And one, above all, that is HAUNTING beyond belief: Rachel’s own music videos and plans for using the mini-album as the soundtrack to an independent short film no doubt render Countess Erzsebet a cinematic work.

Out of the dungeons and into the woods, spells cast and the Self recast, Countess Erzsebet displays a bold & brazen landscape on which to roam with Countess Erzsebet.

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Glorification of the Profane” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Countess Erzsebet’s Countess Erzsebet
1. In the Blood of Virgins
2. Glorification of the Profane
3. 666
4. Pray to the Devil
5. Obliteration of Thine Enemy
6. Exile Into Depravity

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/Erzsebet.us

BASTARD NOISE set release date for ARMAGEDDON LABEL album

Today, Armageddon Label announces June 30th as the international release date for a brand-new album from the singular Bastard Noise, Incineration Prayer / Self Righteous Suicide, on vinyl LP format.

There is refuge in sound, especially when it collides with the critical human spirit. In desperate times (as the world is facing even more fervently), sound can truly be a weapon of awareness. Nothing makes this case more “black and white” and apparent than the most recent full-length by Bastard Noise: Incineration Prayer / Self Righteous Suicide.

Created exclusively with organic handmade ROARAFC caveman electronics (built by Barnes of Man is the Bastard, Bastard Noise, and Amps for Christ), “Incineration Prayer” (Side A of the album) is a dire message to take heed that the earth mother is bleeding and turning into a furnace at the hands of “mancruel.” Full-blown cosmic attack and next-level desperation-based vocals/lyrics that reflect the power of nature rebelling in the face of death: “Incineration Prayer” is a single cutting-edge, long-form composition that sees hope in danger and crisis.
 
“Self Righteous Suicide” (Side B of the album) spans four separate tracks of sound and vision highlighting without regret the endless misery the animals of the world face at the hand of dirty, ignorant, and selfish humans. Using TROGOTRONIC electronics solely on this side, the listener is brought to the “front lines” of animal liberation consciousness and the “David vs. Goliath”-based existence we face every day at the hands of the global factory-farm “murder machine.” “Self Righteous Suicide” is a humble B Side statement that “rocks the boat” for all (even the unwilling) to see and hear.

This a complex and destitute (in its attack-based violence) sound document that pushes low-end energy and visceral, naked high frequencies into the red. It is dedicated to all who help heal the earth and for those incarcerated for liberating sentient beings across the world in vivisection laboratories, factory farms, and fur farms.

Preorder info can be found HERE at Armageddon Label‘s Bandcamp. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Bastard Noise’s Incineration Prayer / Self Righteous Suicide
Side 1:
“Incineration Prayer”
1) Incineration Prayer

Side 2:
“Self Righteous Suicide”
1) Simulated Kindness
2) Her Milk Is Not Yours Asshole
3) The Holocaust No One Cares About
4) Earth Without Man (The Only Unspoiled Time)

MORE INFO:
www.bastardnoise.com