TSJUDER are releasing first track of new album “Helvegr” and kick off sales start!

Norwegian black metal legend TSJUDER is now unveiling the album details of their god defying new creation “Helvegr”, which will be released via Season of Mist on June 23, 2023.

In celebration, TSJUDER is releasing the very first track ‘Gods of Black Blood’, which comes in the form of an ice cold black metal music video and is available here:

Pre-orders for “Helvegr” are now available HERE, while the album can be pre-saved HERE.

TSJUDER comments: “Today Gods of Black Blood from our forthcoming album Helvegr is unleashed. This is raw Norwegian Black Metal! Choke on it!

The album will be released on various physical formats, such as cd digipack and coloured vinyl, but also limited edition clamshell box (cd) and LTD vinyl box.
These limited edition come with a bonus album “Scandinavian Black Metal Attack” in which TSJUDER pays a special ode to Bathory.

The cover artwork for “Helvegr” can be viewed together with the track-list and further album details below.

Artwork: Jonas Svensson and Laura Nardelli
Track-list:
1. Iron Beast (3:37)
2. Prestehammeren (4:01)
3. Surtr (6:59)
4. Gamle-Erik (3:46)
5. Chaos Fiend (4:02)
6. Gods of Black Blood (5:19) [WATCH HERE]
7. Helvegr (7:36)
8. Faenskap og Død (3:08)
9. Hvit Død (2:52)

Since their inception in 1993, Oslo’s TSJUDER have been responsible for some of the most hate-filled ferocity perpetrated under the banner of TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL.
 
The band’s unholy fire was initially lit when founding members NAG (vocals/bass), BERSERK (guitar) and DRAUGLUIN (guitar) grew weary of playing death metal and sought out engorged levels of extremity to sate their increasingly profane ambitions. The time was ripe to inaugurate a ceaseless campaign committed to an uncompromising strain of brutally raw black metal, influenced by the primal thrash blasts of Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Sarcófago and early Sepultura; black metal first wave trailblazers such as Bathory and Hellhammer; and, most vitally, Mayhem’s seminal Deathcrush, and Darkthrone’s game-changer, A Blaze in the Northern Sky.

Assuming the TSJUDER name, a moniker plundered from a mythical, murderous Northern tribe, various embryonic line-ups gathered around the all-conquering core of Nag and Draugluin, laying the fearsome foundations for what was to follow with two demos – Ved Ferdens Ende and Possessed – recorded between 1995-96. But it was with 1997’s EP, Throne of the Goat, that the black metal underground really began to sit up and take notice, the release establishing TSJUDER’s reputation as a blasphemous bulldozer hellbent on crushing the insipid and nostalgic in relentless blizzards of sub-zero riffage, punitive blast beats and blood-curdling screams.

Recordings for an inaugural full-length in 1999 were lost to a computer virus, but from the scavenged remnants of these sessions would emerge the Atum Nocturnem demo, an obnoxious foretaste of the group’s debut album, Kill For Satan, an international breakthrough slathered in slime-encrusted sacrilege. That damnable release saw the aptly-named ANTI-CHRISTIAN open his TSJUDER account, the drummer blasting a succession of gateways though the underworld, pulverising a punitive march to the band’s malevolent maelstroms.

Demonic Possession (2002) and Desert Northern Hell (2004) sustained the band’s focus on death, devils and destruction, while ratcheting up the production levels on a barbaric brace of flesh-strippers conjuring a landscape of frost-bitten wastes and foul abyssal realms. With the music press busy dishing out plaudits, the band’s burgeoning confederacy of fanatics were becoming desperate for some TSJUDER live action. Heeding the clarion, the band embarked on a full European tour with fellow countrymen Carpathian Forest. They also recorded a pair of gloriously powerful live performances in 2005, in Norway, which would subsequently be documented on the group’s Norwegian Apocalypse DVD.

TSJUDER would take a deserved hiatus in 2006, with members finding other musical outlets for their creativity; Nag launching heretical black metal outfit KRYPT; Draugluin and Anti-Christian doing time with the thrashier TYRANN.

But it wouldn’t be long before the irresistible call of TSJUDER would exert itself once more. The band reconvened, reenergised and eager to make up for lost time, returning to live performances in 2010 before finally unleashing the mighty Legion Helvete (2011), a typically uncompromising comeback interspersed with pronounced Motörhead influences on punkish hyper-blasters such as ‘Slakt’.
It would be another four years before TSJUDER issued the merciless Antiliv (2015), a snarling lycanthropic howl of a record, heavy-loaded with vindictive black’n’roll swagger and lashings of buzzsaw guitar.   
 
TSJUDER quickly set about creating the follow-up to Antiliv, but musical differences and protracted disputes led to a parting of the ways, with Anti-Christian bowing out after an impressive 20-year tenure with the group. Undaunted, Nag and Draughluin enlisted doyen tub-thumper JON RICE to provide the requisite drum artillery and continued to work on new recordings – fine-tuning guitar tones and sharpening mixes.

Then COVID-19 struck, the pandemic further stymieing the album’s release as the world tumbled from its fragile axis. But humanity is now benignly settling into its most chronic phase of perpetual abnormality and TSJUDER are steeled again to hoist their inverted cross above the barricades of conciliation. Their latest opus, Helvegr, is a devastatingly savage offering, one which fully adheres to the band’s eternal credo of “NO FUCKING COMPROMISE”.     


Recording Line-up:
Nag – Bass & Vocals
Draugluin – Guitars & Vocals
Jon Rice – Drums

Guest musicians:
Guitar solo on ‘Gamle Erik’ by Pål Emanuelsen
Guest vocals on ‘Gods of Black Blood’ by Seidemann (1349)

After the departure of Anti-Christian, Jon Rice and Eivin Brye has shared the drum duties on TSJUDER ‘s live performances.

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/tsjuderofficial
https://www.instagram.com/officialtsjuder

Shop:https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Tsjuder-HEL
Pre-save: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/tsjuder-helvegr

CLOAK Premieres crushing new single ‘Seven Thunders’

Blackened heavy metal masters CLOAK is now unveiling the crushing new single ‘Seven Thunders’, which is taken from their upcoming third full-length “Black Flame Eternal”! The song can be found along with a lyric video, which was created by CLOAK frontman Scott Taysom here:

CLOAK comments:
“The Lord thundered from Heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals.”A song based more in religious mythology and tradition, ‘Seven Thunders’ is a tale of the end times.”

‘Black Flame Eternal’ is due on May 26, 2023 and can be pre-saved across all streaming services HERE and pre-ordered HERE.

The album artwork for “Black Flame Eternal” was created by Jordan Barlow and can be found below along with the track list.

Tracklist:
01: Ethereal Fire (05:37)
02: With Fury and Allegiance (04:46)
03: Shadowlands (05:58)
04: Invictus (06:36) [WATCH]
05: Seven Thunders (05:49) [LISTEN]
06: Eye of the Abyss (05:06)
07: The Holy Dark (06:03)
08: Heavenless (02:57)
09: Black Flame Eternal (06:43)
Total Running Time: 00:49:35

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” – Rudyard Kipling

In an era that is designed to beat down and weaken the individual, Black Flame Eternal is an album that represents strength, empowerment, and total opposition. With mounting pressure to engage in modern societal tribalism, Cloak invokes a spiritual rebellion that exists beyond good and evil with album number three. 

“All of our albums are created with a spiritual focus, dealing with how we see life, death, and everything in between. I think the earlier records dealt more with the mysteries that surrounded delving deeper into the world of dark spirituality, whereas the new material has taken what we’ve learned and used it to move forward with force,” says Cloak frontman Scott Taysom of the record’s underlying philosophy. “Black Flame Eternal is a statement of spiritual empowerment in every sense. For the first time we want people to grasp on to this sentiment, instead of keeping it completely personal within our world of Cloak. The themes and the sheer power can be felt much more within the songs that this album contains.”

“Our goal is complete spiritual liberation, which is where true power and freedom exists,” he adds. “We’ve reached a point in history where people are forced to pick a side or to join a team, so to speak. Cloak stands in complete opposition to this. We aim to be a giant middle finger in the face of the empty modern world.”

While Cloak might rage against societal conventions, the Atlanta quartet embraces the rebellious and time-tested traditions of heavy metal. Whether it be the conjuring the chaotic spirit of Swedish black metal purveyors Watain and Dissection, summoning the deep, dark and sensual groove of Danzig, or evoking the raw speed and raucous energy of Motörhead, the influence of metal’s founding fathers is deep within Cloak’s DNA. Cloak’s charm, however, does not merely lie within its romanticism of the past, but rather is the way each of these genres has shaped Cloak’s own personal identity. And with Black Flame Eternal, the record sees Cloak continue to strengthen its own unique established sound.

Cloak recognizes the importance of a band’s third record, with Taysom explaining, “These influences will always be important to us, as they are some of the best and most important bands of our time. On the other hand, what is so special about getting to the third record of our career is that inspiration starts to move inwards. We had enough experience and material at this point to really know what we do best and how we can utilize these skills in the best way possible. If you look at some of the most iconic bands, their third albums were massive steps towards greatness. So to us, we feel our third record will be a very important one in our time as a band.”

The Atlantan’s evolution is evident in the fury displayed on Black Flame Eternal, which flawlessly compliments the grandiose melodic atmosphere. “This was a conscious effort. Early on before the album even started, I knew it was going to be a much more aggressive and powerful album. I wanted to take a step away from certain sounds and add a bit of brutality back in. The overall vibe matches who we are much more, so it was only fitting to move towards this sound. It almost feels like we are going back to our roots as people in certain ways,” explains Taysom.

Black Flame Eternal follows up sophomore effort The Burning Dawn, which was released in November 2019, with hell unleashing its fury on the globe just a few short months later. As plans to tour the new album around the world came to a screeching halt, the band did not stagger or falter, and instead used this gift of time to write. When reflecting upon the lost years and its impact, Taysom seemingly embraces the situation with little regrets, “Considering Cloak is a sacred space for us, these exterior things did not have as much of an impact as one might think. But it was impossible to ignore some of what was going on throughout these tumultuous years. It’s bound to affect people’s personal lives and the way the mind works during these interesting times. One thing that it did greatly affect was the fact that we could not promote The Burning Dawn properly after the one U.S. tour we did with 1349. We feel this hurt the record, but there was nothing we could do. We were one of the earliest out of the gate after venues started to open back up, and we’ve been continuing to tour in promotion of that album all the way up until now.”

Cloak utilized every minute of this time to focus on fully realizing its vision for Black Flame Eternal. “The initial stage of the writing process started in January of 2020, and lasted all the way until May 2021. It was the longest spanning album process for us so far, with many long days, nights, and weeks trying to piece the songs together the best we could.” While the record did not come together swiftly or easily, the care and attention put into its creation is evident in its powerful composition.

Making up for lost time, these road warriors have already embarked on several high profile North American tours since the autumn of 2021, commanding audiences in every major city with their chaos magick. Each performance merges the spirit of black metal with the backbone of rock ‘n’ roll as the band consistently delivers a blistering set from start to finish. Taysom describes Cloak’s live approach as “a mixture of ethereal atmosphere and total abrasive chaos. The mixture of these two opposing energies is where Cloak lies; the meeting of high and low. To us, this is where the most interesting moments happen, both emotionally and physically.”

With no borders or boundaries, Cloak is ready to embark on this new chapter as the leader of its own pack. The band bows to no one, forging its own path as one of the governing metal forces of this decade as ‘Black Flame Eternal’ promises to scorch the earth and leave its hallowed mark.

Lineup:
Scott Taysom – vocals/guitar
Max Brigham – guitar
Billy C. Robinson – bass
Sean Bruneau – drums

Links:
http://www.facebook.com/cloakofficial
https://www.instagram.com/cloak_atlanta/
https://cloakatlanta.bandcamp.com/

Pre-save:https://orcd.co/cloakbfe
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/CloakBFE

Finland’s NIGHTSIDE set release date for PURITY THROUGH FIRE comeback recording, reveal first track

Today, Purity Through Fire announces April 22nd as the international release date for the comeback recording of Finland’s Nightside, Lions (Demo 2023), on CD format.

Finland’s Nightside were originally founded in 1996, in Turku. A cult band by nearly every definition, they soon set about a stream of short-length releases over the next three years, finally culminating in their 2001 debut album, The End of Christianity. Their sound was strikingly of the times, just as their native country was beginning to assert its dominance in the underground. However, by 2003, Nightside effectively split up and all members continued on with other bands.

Then, in 2021, Nightside returned with a new lineup that still contained two original members, and they played a comeback gig in early 2022 at the Turku Saatanalle fest. Soon after that, some new songs were written. Of them, the three new songs presented here on Nightside‘s comeback recording, Lions (Demo 2023), were performed live for the first time in early December 2022 and, a week after that, recorded as a demo to showcase what the band’s all about nowadays. However, to just qualify this recording as a “demo” is a grave disservice to the superlative quality contained within, not to mention sharpened, era-authentic production courtesy of Kryptamok‘s Hex Inferi. Indeed, the fire of old burns brighter than ever here; Lions could be a veritable throwback to the late ’90s, if not for the absolutely invigorating passion presented across the 13-minute recording, thereby rendering it fresher than most nowadays “black metal.” 

Mystical and magisterial and with grim splendor to spare, Lions is as auspicious of a comeback recording as any, and favorably foreshadows Nightside‘s eventual second album.

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Gates of Hell” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Nightside (Finland)’s Lions (Demo 2023)
1. There Won’t Be Another Dawn
2. Lions
3. Gates of Hell

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/nightsideblackmetal

LAMP OF MURMUUR stream new ARGENTO / NOT KVLT album

Today, American black metallers Lamp of Murmuur stream the entirety of their highly anticipated third album, Saturnian Bloodstorm. Set for international release on March 26th via Argento Records and Not Kvlt Records, hear Lamp of Murmuur‘s Saturnian Bloodstorm in its entirety here:

Since 2019, a spectral entity earthly summoned as Lamp of Murmuur gradually ascended as one of the furthermost esteemed and sought-after luminaries within the rawest, crudest innards of black metal. Such following and public awareness do not stand as a certitude merely grounded on good music.

In a niche that presently perceives clear signs of overabundance and counterfeit expression, Lamp of Murmuur prospered, particularly owing its opulence to a vision that didn’t establish itself after an easy pathway – one of exploring a microclimate towards exhaustion – instead displaying there were no guidelines for the artistic manifestation behind the distressing specter behind it.

From the raw lo-fi approach of the band’s beginnings to the gothic and melodic overtones trailed on recent times, Lamp of Murmuur redefines itself yet again with a fervorous new declaration of strength and vigor, a ghastly beast under the title Saturnian Bloodstorm. 

From its very early storming chords, one faces a frantic swaying of rabid riffs and intricate rhythm segments, a visceral trail of electrical magnetism. An ardent, restless voice narrates this offering with poisonous might and nocturnal fever conjoined with the six-string sharpness, expanded through a razor-sharp sound production, blazing with a dynamic edge, organically mixing cleanness and aggression in a mantra of potency and (un)pure fanaticism.

Inspired by the core edge and raging solemnity of black metal’s history, Saturnian Bloodstorm is as varied as it is organic, offering tumultuous instrumental proficiency under fast, raging bursts of sonic aggression intertwined with brilliant mid-tempo sections, ever epic and ice-cold in its riffing extravaganza.

Set to be released through Argento (Europe) and Not Kvlt (USA), Saturnian Bloodstorm stands as an opus of black metal might, hailing The Seven Spears of Fever with raging chaos, an eternal spark of flaming delight. [text by Mário Souto]

Cover artwork, courtesy of Karmazid, and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Lamp of Murmuur’s Saturnian Bloodstorm

1. Conqueror Beyond the Frenzied Fog [6:59]
2. Hymns of Death, Rays of Might [7:46]
3. Seal of the Dominator [6:46]
4. Descending From the Aurora [1:03]
5. In Communion With the Wintermoon [8:19]
6. Saturnian Bloodstorm [9:08]

MORE INFO:
www.lampofmurmuur.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/argentorecords
www.wolvesofhades.myshopify.com

CRYPTIC SHIFT to have early EP and debut album reissued by BLOOD HARVEST

On May 4th internationally, Blood Harvest Records is proud to reissue Cryptic Shift’s Beyond the Celestial Realms, now retitled as Return to Realms, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

Originally released in 2016, the original 23-minute Beyond the Celestial Realms largely introduced Cryptic Shift to the wider metal underground. While a couple demos and EPs preceded the record, Beyond the Celestial Realms was the UK quartet’s first major recording, revealing the mesmerizing mastery of their vintage-yet-fresh tech-thrash. And while the 2020 debut album Visitations from Enceladus blew minds far and wide and truly put Cryptic Shift’s name on the metal map, Beyond the Celestial Realms has been sought after as a crucial puzzle-piece for their ever-growing legions of fans.

Allied again with Blood Harvest, who released that momentous debut album, Cryptic Shift now offer Return to Realms – a unique configuration of Beyond the Celestial Realms. The vinyl version includes the bonus track “Entombed in Flesh,” from the 2016 demo recording session, but previously unreleased on physical format. Included with the vinyl will be a download card which includes a total of 10 songs: all the songs appearing on the vinyl as well as the rest of the 2016 demo recording session. The CD and tape versions include all 10 songs. To coincide with the release of Return to Realms, Blood Harvest will be doing a vinyl re-press of Visitations from Enceladus, now featuring different cover artwork, on the same date. Space is the place, so no better time to Return to Realms with Cryptic Shift!

In the meantime, Return to Realms with the original Beyond the Celestial Realms here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Cryptic Shift’s Return to Realms
1. Beyond The Celestial Realms
2. Voyage Through Dimensions
3. Deathcrusher
4. Spore
5. Glacial Reclamation
6. Entombed In Flesh
7. Voyage Through Dimensions [Demo]
8. Deathcrusher [Demo]
9. Spore [Demo]
10. Cosmic Dreams [Demo]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/crypticshift

www.bloodharvest.se
www.facebook.com/bloodharvest

NECROTUM sign with MEMENTO MORI, prepare third album

In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, Memento Mori are extremely thrilled to announce a new signing: Necrotum, from Romania.

The rancid entity known as Necrotum was initiated by mainman Filip Garlonta (Putred, Demoted, Vorus) in Brasov, back in 2019. Despite the fact that the band has only been around for about four years, Necrotum have already produced an impressive output, including two albums and a number of minor releases, getting tighter, danker, heavier, and more macabre over time, drawing inspiration from the likes of early Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, Wombbath, Broken Hope, and Grave among others, with the sole intention of perpetuating ghastly, downtuned, no-frills death fuckin’ metal.

Memento Mori will unleash the CD version of their third full-length in the first half of 2024. Further details to follow in the coming months. For more info, consult the links below.

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063500653640
necrotumdeathmetal.bandcamp.com

www.memento-mori.es

MAVORIM set release date for new PURITY THROUGH FIRE album, reveal first track

Today, Purity Through Fire announces April 22nd as the international release date for Mavorim‘s highly anticipated fourth album, Ab Amitia Pulsae, on CD, A5 digipack, and vinyl LP formats.

By now, the name Mavorim should be more than familiar to those who follow the crimes of Purity Through Fire. Since the band’s formation in 2014, mainman Baptist has restlessly and relentlessly pursued his stark, austere style of black metal, resulting in three full-lengths and seven other shorter-length works. Collectively, Mavorim have quickly come to define the new breed of German black metal that hearkens back to the old guard: Teutonic to the bone, harsh and harrowing yet heralding triumph. 

And so the battle wages on with Mavorim‘s fourth album, Ab Amitia Pulsae. Immediately and dramatically, this is classic Mavorim – charging hard onto the battlefield, bloody swords raised, rough-yet-rousing melodicism to the fore, with Baptist’s gruff, exhortative throat leading the charge – but as Ab Amitia Pulsae plays on, new vistas of their signature sound are revealed. While still qualitatively a black metal record, Mavorim‘s fourth album displays deft layering of sounds, particularly Baptist’s subtle-yet-concerted integration of keyboards and other synth sounds, altogether adding an exceptionally dynamic contour to otherwise-straightforward aggression. Further, his guitar leads display a much wider swath of feeling as well as texture, each song seemingly featuring something quite new in the greater Mavorim dialect, while drumming co-conspirator Valfor occasionally add his choral voices to poignant effect. And it’s gripping and urgent all the way through to the 53-minute album’s end…again and again and again.

At times tragic, at times folkloric, melancholy giving way to bloodlust, Ab Amitia Pulsae proves once again that Mavorim are uniquely adept at fully coloring within the lines of black metal with the boldest and bravest hues.

Behold the hues of the brand-new track “Ein Zerrbild aller Leiden” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as listed below

Tracklisting for Mavorim’s Ab Amitia Pulsae
1. Zeitgeist
2. Ein Zerrbild aller Leiden
3. Das Joch der Schande
4. Bis nur noch Knochen übrig bleibt
5. Was des Lebens nicht wert
6. Zerinne im Nichts
7. Die andere Seite deines Traumes
8. Unter den Mühlen der Zeit
9. Das Schluchzen und Wimmern
10. Erlischt für immer nun das Licht
11. Endzeit

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/mavorim

VAULTWRAITH set release date for new HELLS HEADBANGERS album

Today, Hells Headbangers announces April 28th as the international release date for Vaultwraith‘s highly anticipated third album, Decomposing Spells, on CD format.

After being locked away and condemned from humanity for what seemed like an eternity, the vile and mad apparition-musician, The Vaultwraith, returns yet again with nothing but the ultimate revenge and vengeance on his foul and diseased mind!

His skeletal hands clawed through an ancient compendium of dark horror stories culled from the most frighteningly EVIL depths that included the diabolically devilish “Mabille de Lancre,” a femme-FATAL death-queen of the highest order, as well as a carnivorous coven of wicked perversions and pure Satanic slavery! A hell on mortal Earth comes to life in the tale of a family destroyed by a self-righteous lunatic who kills in the name of her “Lord,” while a deceptively beautiful but ultra-violent seductress strikes down her weak prey with a mighty stroke of a blood-drenched scythe to satiate her midnight lusts! 

The terror-tales continue when a ghastly spirit from beyond traps the soul of pure innocence in one of the darkest ghost stories ever told, all before a possessed hearse hauntress, a necro-obsessed Succubus, and the Vaultwraith‘s rising of an undead army of skeleton warriors determined to annihilate existence brings everything to a final conflagration of flames… 

With a true European-horror atmosphere and metallic-laced riffs conjuring BLACKENED HEAVY METAL, complete with Exorcist-vomiting and shrieking vocals from HELL, Vaultwraith’s third album, Decomposing Spells, is a 10-track album filled with nothing but the most catchy, memorable, and melodic guitar-solo-drenched songs of pure SKELETONIZED HORROR METAL that you can possibly imagine! From the infamous Hells Headbangers…the record label that IS proof of the Devil’s power!

In the meantime, stream the entirety of Decomposing Spells here:

Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Vaultwraith’s Decomposing Spells
1. Wax Cylinder Apparition [6:18]
2. The Devil’s Dish Served Cold [4:21]
3. Decomposing Spells [2:54]
4. Carnivorous Coven [3:16]
5. Church Burned [5:04]
6. The Sinister Scythe [4:14]
7. Full Circle Possession [3:35]
8. Hearse Hauntress [4:33]
9. The Mortuary Succubus 3:16]
10. Of Skeletons and Metal [5:09]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/vaultwraith

www.hellsheadbangers.com

ARA SOLIS set release date for  IRON BONEHEAD debut, reveal first track

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces May 19th as the international release date for Ara Solis‘ striking debut album, Ashvatta, on vinyl LP format. Zazen Sounds will handle the release of the CD version.

Ara Solis are a black metal band from Galicia, an Atlantic region in the northwest of Spain deeply idiosyncratic in terms of history and heritage, heritage which serves as a unique form of inspiration and drive for the duo. The beginnings of Ara Solis are difficult to trace and are often elusive, since the band was formed from the ashes of other black metal bands and solo projects. The oldest piece of recording is a rehearsal with different members to the current lineup dating from 2015 that never was spread. It is not until 2020 that the lineup becomes stable. Now, finally, their first public work is ready for immersion.

And immersive indeed is Ashvatta, Ara Solis‘ first full-length. A band literally out of time, there is little to compare this work to in the nowadays “black metal” scene. One would have to cast their gaze far back into the ’90s, root around in its deepest and darkest cellars, to find sonic analogs – ones that would include Norwegians Thorns and Strid as well as Abyssic Hate and early Blut Aus Nord and Nocternity. Still, that only tells half the story of Ashvatta; this three-song/37-minute album simply needs to be EXPERIENCED. A conceptual work, to be sure, Ara Solis roll out sine waves of minimalist-yet-memorable riff threaded through deceptively intricate song structures, and color that shimmering obsidian with dramatically atavistic percussion and ghostly synths hovering in the ether. That the tortured vocals span desolate yells and charnel whispers alike further adds to the dreamy delirium…a dark, desperate delirium that’s suffocating and spacious in equal measure.

An altar of golden sacrifice mightily arises ashore the tempestuous waters of Finis Terrae. At the sylvan realms of frost, the holy gate of light and darkness appears erected stone by stone to safeguard the transdimensional portal of heroic resurrection. The Garden of the Hesperides grows around. The ancient tree of life and death [Ashvattha, Yggdrasil] pours the sap of eternity in the ritual copulation of oxygenic and anoxygenic photophosphorylation. Mortals bow their heads toward the arch of heavens. The sword of the warrior reflects the light of the midday amidst the eternal dust of warfare. The moon reflects the light of the sun at night, lightening the hidden paths of the forests beyond reincarnation. War is the Essence. Living souls are reaped where the Phoenix is reborn.

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

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Ara Solis’ Ashvatta
1. Tromo Negro do Firmamento [6:30]
2. Ara Solis [12:13]
3. Ashvattha: The Tree of Life and Death [17:30]

MORE INFO:
www.arasolis.bandcamp.com

BARDITUS set release date for PURITY THROUGH FIRE debut EP, reveal first video – features members of ORPLID, STERN DES BUNDES+++

Today, Purity Through Fire announces April 22nd as the international release date for Barditus‘ striking debut mini-album, Dein Schwert, on digipack CD format.

Barditus is a studio & live project of Uwe Nolte, from the cult Orplid, together with Christian S. from Stern des Bundes. While Orplid’s sound is somewhere between neofolk and neoclassical, with themes ranging from Germanic paganism and Greek mythology to the Christian symbolism of the early Middle Ages and natural romanticism, here with Barditus do the duo explore a sound somewhere between paradigmatic neofolk and black metal – or even “acoustic black metal,” if you will. And while in Orplid the occidental bastion was defended with the quill, Barditus take up the sword and unconditionally profess heroism and love. 

The passion and power of Barditus here will be readily recognizable to fans of Orplid, with the pastoral-on-the-surface acoustics joined in their soon-to-be-bubbling-over frenzy by sharp shards of dungeonic black metal. That usually Spartan soundfield gets further filled out by a chorus of incensed voices, pagan percussion, and malformed synths that could be accordion or Harmonium or other olde-worlde instrumentation. But, for all the bathos and pathos on display, when Dein Schwert dips down in intensity is where its truest power lays: solitude and repose reverberating within the soul of the ancients. 

All told, Dein Schwert is a good foretaste of the upcoming album Nibelungentreue, which will cast a spell on admirers of black metal and neofolk alike – because it has always been Barditus‘ declared goal to slay the sword of black metal in the fire reforging neofolk!

In the meantime, see & hear the brand-new video for “Wald-Gang” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Barditus’ Dein Schwert
1. Fragen an Dresden
2. Wald-Gang
3. Dein Schwert
4. Erwache

MORE INFO:
www.noltex.de