BLACK LAVA shares new live video for “Baptised in Ice”

Emerging blackened death metal quartet BLACK LAVA (ft. members of VIPASSI, ex-NE OBLIVISCARIS, AMDBL, HADAL MAW, etc.) is now sharing a brand new live video for their performance of the song “Baptised in Ice!” The song is taken from the band’s debut opus, ‘Soul Furnace,’ and can be seen here:

‘Soul Furnace’ was released in November 2022 via Season of Mist and landed coveted chart placements for the Australian Independent Record Labels Association, debuting at #2 on the 100% Independent Albums chart  and #4 on the Independent Label Albums chart! Additionally, ‘Soul Furnace’ was named among Sick Drummer Magazine’s “Favorite Drumming Albums of 2022!”

‘Soul Furnace’ can be streamed, downloaded and ordered HERE.

The cover artwork for ‘Soul Furnace’ was painted by Paolo Girardi and can be found below along with the tracklisting.

Tracklisting:
1. Origins (02:50)
2. Aurora (03:35)
3. Black Blizzard (03:32)
4. Baptised in Ice (03:27) [WATCH]
5. Eye of the Moon (04:10) [WATCH]
6. Northern Dawn (04:30) [WATCH]
7. Necrocatacomb (03:23)
8. Nightshade (04:06)
9. Soul Furnace (04:31) [WATCH]
Entire album duration: 34:02

During the turbulent and uncertain years of 2020-2021, perhaps none were plunged deeper into darkness than those from down under as Australia imposed some of the strictest, harshest, and most devastating lockdown measures in the world, forcing their civilians into years of isolation. However, through solitude and desolation, some of the greatest art is created, as is the case with BLACK LAVA, the emerging blackened death metal quartet from Melbourne (AU). Founded by drummer Dan Presland (Vipassi, AMDBL, ex-Ne Obliviscaris) and guitarist Ben Boyle (Vipassi, AMDBL, Hadal Maw), BLACK LAVA draws influence from old school death and black metal bands while injecting groove-laden melodies and progressive elements to create their own experimental sound.

“The idea came about from just pure frustration of the situation at hand during 2020/2021,” explains Presland of the band’s formation. “Ben and I live locally together, and in the beginning of the pandemic, I built a working studio, so we got together to just initially jam to release some frustrations and vent some music around the second half of 2021. We had a pretty casual jam together and Ben came back with a few fleshed out ideas a few days later.” As the ideas started to come to fruition, the duo quickly realized that the project had more potential than just a jam session. “Both of us were really into the direction Ben pushed,” continues Presland, “and it was something pretty new to both of us – we have worked together quite extensively over the years within music, playing in several bands together (Vipassi, AMDBL, Aphotic Dawn and more) – so to go in a totally new direction was pretty refreshing.”

As the pair fleshed out more ideas, they turned to their good friend Rob Watkins of Blackhelm to fulfill vocal duties. “Within 10 minutes we had found a vocalist and the search for a bassist was on. Tim Anderson (Blackhelm) was found pretty quickly and was keen to jump on board the idea also, so within a very short time frame we had a full lineup, a record ready to go, and 4 guys full of enthusiasm to push something new.”

Sharing a diverse love for black metal, death metal, and progressive music, the quartet quickly found their sound and hit a stride. And thus, Soul Furnace was born – a searing 34-minute aural assault that conjures up nostalgia while still sounding fresh and current. While the record promises to usher in a new musical era of the 2020s with its forward-thinking and contemporary energy, the lyrics dwell somewhere between fantasy and the old world.

“In the world of Black Lava, the lyrics are set in a time and world long gone and forgotten, mostly made up of fantasy and a medieval theme, fitting for the realms of our style of music,” explains vocalist Rob Watkins of the album’s themes and inspirations. “We draw inspiration from the natural environment and mother nature, ancient witchcraft and the glory of warriors in battle. I picture Black Lava as visiting an ancient beast in a cave giving you a chance to escape the outside world through its tales and mythology.”

With a new deal with Season of Mist and a team of some of the music industry’s most revered artists, producers, engineers, and professionals behind them to help render their vision, Black Lava is ready to make its debut and unleash its fury upon the masses.
Lineup:
Dan Presland (drums) 
Ben Boyle (guitar) 
Rob Watkins (Vocals) 
Tim Anderson (bass) 

Links:
https://instagram.com/blacklava.aus/
https://facebook.com/BLACKLAVA00
https://blacklava-aus.bandcamp.com/

Recording Studio: Bushido Studios, Melbourne 
Producer / sound engineer: Troy Mccosker 
Mixing studio and engineer: Kurt Ballou 
Mastering studio and engineer: Alan Douches 

Shop:https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/BlackLava
Download/stream:https://orcd.co/blacklava-soulfurnace

MOON ORACLE set release date for new SIGNAL REX / BESTIAL BURST album debut, reveal first tracks

Today, Signal Rex, in conspiracy with Bestial Burst, announces April 13th as the international release date for Moon Oracle‘s highly anticipated second album, Ophidian Glare, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

It was but 2021 when Moon Oracle burst from the void, fully formed, with their Muse of the Nightside debut. Also jointly released by Signal Rex and Bestial Burst, Moon Oracle’s first public recording portrayed the power-trio as astute auctioneers of pure-yet-idiosyncratic metal, equally informed by archaic black metal and eldritch doom. With its bass-heavy crunge and wild tribal drumming, little else around quite sounded like Muse of the Nightside.

And so it goes with Ophidian Glare, Moon Oracle’s second full-length exploration of that battleground between the Id and the Ego. The album’s opening birth pangs suggest their barbaric primitivism will be exaggerated to obscene lengths, but patience rewards the intrepid – or ignorant, as it were – as Ophidian Glare soon blossoms into startling shapes at once vulgar and artful. The ever-present pulse of filth still guides Moon Oracle, but much of the preceding wildness has been reined in (or at least refined), resulting in an altogether more atmospheric sound that allows haunting spaciousness to enter and thereby make the barbarism hit that much harder. Perhaps the album’s unique charm can be summarized by the track title “Nethereal Axe.”

Still cold and alone in their uniqueness amongst an underground that rewards conservatism, Moon Oracle continue to pursue their equally ancient avant-garde muse with increasingly adventurous results. True deviants and outsiders, behold their Ophidian Glare!

In the meantime, hear the brand-new tracks “The Numinous Gate Opens” and the aforementioned “Nethereal Axe” here:

. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Moon Oracle’s Ophidian Glare
1. The Numinous Gate Opens [4:44]
2. A Vision in the Mansion [3:50]
3. Nethereal Axe [2:43]
4. Serpent’s Word [3:47]
5. Widdersyns – Against the Current [4:19]
6. Abysmal Crimson Desert [10:58]


MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/MoonOracleFinland
www.moonoracle.bandcamp.com

www.signalrex.com
www.facebook.com/signalrex

DIABLATION reveal first track from new OSMOSE album – features members of SETH, AD INFERNA, ANOREXIA NERVOSA, GLACIATION, BÂ’A

Today, French black metallers Diablation reveal the new track “Vox Diaboli.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Par Le Feu, set for international release on March 31st via Osmose Productions. Hear Diablation‘s “Vox Diaboli” in its entirety here:

March 31st as the international release date Diablation‘s second album, Par Le Feu, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Veterans of French black metal Vicomte Vampyr Arkames and V. Orias. A, after having respectively created and burnt their soul in Seth and Ad Inferna, deliver Diablation‘s second album, named Par le Feu.

Without concession, this opus is a true ode to the death of humanity, the cataclysmic account of its last hours carried by a metallic wave honoring their black metal roots, those of the ’90s.

Joined by Maximilien B. (Bâ’a) and X, the quartet, deeply rooted in the underground and refusing any public appearance, mischievously alternates grandiloquent moments and passages of rare violence: the quiet times are short-lived, the continuous onslaught of tragic and addictive melodies leading relentlessly to the end of time.

“Par le Feu, Par le Sang, Par la Haine”: thus begins one of the major albums of the French extreme scene.

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


Tracklisting for Diablation’s Par Le Feu
1. Inferi Ostium [0:51]
2. Vox Diaboli [4:44]
3. L’Unique Merveille [5:34]
4. Au Bord du Gouffre [4:59]
5. Crépuscule Doré [4:23]
6. Testament de l’Humanité [5:48]
7. Mort, Marche avec Moi [13:31]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/diablation

www.osmoseproductions.com

Deströyer 666 kick off European tour!

DESTRÖYER 666 are about to kick off their previously announced European tour! The wolfpack will start their rampage at the Helvete venue in Oberhausen tonight and will wreak havoc on 15 more stages in the weeks after. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.

Deströyer 666
03 Mar 23 Oberhausen (DE) Helvete
04 Mar 23 Denain (FR) In Theatrum Denoninum
05 Mar 23 Nantes (FR) Ferrailleur
06 Mar 23 Paris (FR) Backstage
07 Mar 23 Colmar (FR) Grillen
08 Mar 23 Lyon (FR) Rock ‘n Eat
10 Mar 23 Rome (IT) Traffic Club
11 Mar 23 Parma (IT) Stige Fest
12 Mar 23 Ljubljana (SI) Orto Bar
13 Mar 23 Vienna (AT) Viper Room
14 Mar 23 Krakow (PL) Kamienna 12
15 Mar 23 Warsaw (PL) Hydrozagadka
16 Mar 23 Poznan (PL) U Badzyla
17 Mar 23  Zwickau (DE) Club Seilerstrasse
18 Mar 23 Kassel (DE) Goldgrube

DESTRÖYER 666 will be playing in support of their freshly released album ‘Never Surrender’. The cover artwork, which is created by Alex Kemp, can be found below along with the track-list and further album details

Track-list
1. Never Surrender (3:47)
2. Andraste (3:51) [LISTEN]
3. Guillotine (3:24) [WATCH]
4. Pitch Black Night (4:43)
5. Mirror’s Edge (4:48)
6. Grave Raiders (5:01)
7. Savage Rights (3:59)
8. Rather Death (4:52)
9. Batavia’s Graveyard (5:46)
Total: 40:11

DESTRÖYER 666 continue to do what they are best at: kicking ass and hammering out heavy metal that is slamming straight into the face. No compromise, no sell out, no bullshit!

DESTRÖYER 666 don’t do whiny nostalgia but simply stick to their old school roots, which are reaching straight down into the golden age of metal while allowing themselves to sound fresh and remain relevant. The band originally started out as a solo project of BESTIAL WARLUST guitarist KK in Australia in 1994. As early as with debut album ‘Unchain the Wolves’ (1997), fast-tracked towards international acclaim. The even stronger second full-length, ‘Phoenix Rising’ (2000) had the Australians relocating to Europe to be able to satisfy the soaring demand for touring and festival shows. After a round of line-up changes, third full length ‘Cold Steel… For an Iron Age’ (2002) cemented the band’s excellent reputation. After a hiatus caused among other issues by disenchantment with the business, DESTRÖYER 666 returned with ‘Defiance’ in 2009 and followed up on this success with the rough and gritty ‘Wildfire’ (2016) seven years later that saw them touring and performing at all the relevant metal festivals worldwide on a regular basis again. The Australians filled the gap between the latest albums with the hard-hitting EP, ‘Call of the Wild’ (2018) that comes with a distinct taste of an unrepentantly classic flavour.

The outlaws from down under deliver another pummelling and relentless lesson in aggression with full length number 6(66). ‘Never Surrender’ is a furious assault of black thrash, chainsaw riffs, and warlike drums, offering no moment of reprisal as it rages on for 40 unyielding minutes.

With this offering, DESTRÖYER 666 takes no prisoners!

Line-up
KK: guitars, vocals
Ro: guitars, vocals
Felipe: bass
Perra: drums

www.facebook.com/destroyer666page
www.destroyer666.uk

Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/NeverSurrender

Available formats:
Digipak CD
Clamshell Box 
Digital
Vinyl in various colours
Cassette

Brazil’s THE EVIL reveal first track from new OSMOSE album – features Wagner Antichrist, ex-SARCOFAGO/SEPULTURA

Today, Brazilian occult-doom metallers The Evil premiere the new track “Pride.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Seven Acts to Apocalypse, set for international release on March 31st via Osmose Productions; the album features guitarist Iossif, AKA Wagner Antichrist, formerly of Sarcófago and Sepultura. Hear The Evil’s “Pride” in its entiretyToday, Brazilian occult-doom metallers The Evil premiere the new track “Pride.” The track is the first to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Seven Acts to Apocalypse, set for international release on March 31st via Osmose Productions; the album features guitarist Iossif, AKA Wagner Antichrist, formerly of Sarcófago and Sepultura. Hear The Evil‘s “Pride” in its entirety here:

Humanity has failed miserably, and on its filthy throne, the fallen angel laughs sordidly…
The battle for the souls of those who inhabit this dying habitat known as Planet Earth has been won by evil…
A planet dominated by genocidal rulers; religious spreaders of hatred; criminals who rejoice in chaos and a corrupted justice; dominated by their parasites, aka homo sapiens;
A planet strutting its way to the final destruction…
Our final days will be marked by our acts..
Acts driven by the sadness of our Envy and stupid Pride…
Acts to feed our Greed for money and power…
Acts that you, in your weakness and Sloth, refuse to face…
Acts aimed at satisfying our Lust and unbridled Voracity ….
Acts brought with violence by filthy Wrath armies…
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for The Evil (Brazil)’s Seven Acts to Apocalypse
1. Envy [7:08]
2. Pride [5:01]
3. Greed [5:53]
4. Sloth [6:30]
5. Lust [5:56]
6. Voracity [5:56]
7. Wrath [6:47]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/evildoom
 www.osmoseproductions.com

CLOAK release first track and music video for ‘Invictus’

Blackened heavy metal masters CLOAK will be releasing their third full-length “Black Flame Eternal” on May 26, 2023! To celebrate this release, the Atlanta quartet is now sharing the blistering first single ‘Invictus’ along with scorching new music video! 

The video is now streaming here:

Pre-orders are soon available! The album can already be pre-saved on various digital platforms HERE.

CLOAK drummer Sean Bruneau comments on the song: “No composition written by the band has so perfectly captured our essence to date. The time spent in isolation allowed not only personal growth, but tremendous reflection on a lifetime of inspiration. The song came together aggressively once we started working on new material, and it was clear that we were approaching things differently this time around. Anger and empowerment were much more evident as opposed to the more melody driven material in the past albums. To us, ‘Invictus’ is a thesis of sorts. It’s everything about who we were before this band and where we are headed together moving forward.“

CLOAK have furthermore released the cover artwork and album details for “Black Flame Eternal”. 

Track-list: 
1. Ethereal Fire (05:37)
2. With Fury and Allegiance (04:46)
3. Shadowlands (05:58)
4. Invictus (06:36) [WATCH]
5. Seven Thunders (05:49)
6. Eye of the Abyss (05:06)
7. The Holy Dark (06:03)
8. Heavenless (02:57)
9. Black Flame Eternal (06:43)
Total: 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.

Recording Studio: The Green House  
Mixing: Cameron Webb 
Mastering: Audiosiege

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

Cover artwork: Jordan Barlow

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

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/cloakbfe
Pre-sales (SOON): https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/CloakBFE

Formats:
Digital
Digipak
Vinyl in various colours

GENOCIDAL RITES to release new tape via HELLS HEADBANGERS, prepare debut album

Today, Hells Headbangers announces March 10th as the international release date for a brand-new EP from Genocidal Rites, Exsanguination of the Gods, on cassette tape format.

A new band helmed by old souls, Ohio’s Genocidal Rites have been waging war on the American Midwest the past couple years via a couple EPs and especially their mesmerizing live shows. Fittingly, Hells Headbangers makes a blood pact with the band on their home soil, with the first fruit being the new EP Exsanguination of the Gods.

No more but certainly no less, Exsanguination of the Gods is as concise of an introduction to Genocidal Rites as any. The feral frequencies across this three-song/nine-minute assault are indeed black, white, and red all over: the Ross Bay gods of war loom large here, as do paradigmatic Black Witchery and especially Proclamation. No progression and no compromise, Genocidal Rites proceed to lay waste with a blown-out, blackgrinding iteration of bestial metal that suggests plenty of perversion still to come. And Exsanguination of the Gods is but a foretaste of the band’s forthcoming debut album for Hells Headbangers…

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Of Genesis, Of Genocide” here:

Preorder info for Exsanguination of the Gods can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Genocidal Rites’ Exsanguination of the Gods
1. Of Genesis, Of Genocide
2. Abrahamic Annihilation in Complete Totality
3. Blackened Grasp of Humanity’s End


MORE INFO:
www.genocidalrites.bandcamp.com

www.hellsheadbangers.com

Finland’s GRIEVE set release date for WEREWOLF comeback album

Today, Werewolf Records announces March 31st as the international release date for the surprise second album of Finland’sGrieve , Wolves of the Northern Moon, on CD format. The vinyl LP version will follow later this year.

It was but 2020 when Grieve emerged from the darkness with their self-titled debut EP. Although otherwise meant to exist strictly in that darkness, it was soon discerned that the band included veritable Finnish black metal royalty within its ranks. Nevertheless, the swiftly uncompromising nature of Grieve was felt: Northern Black Metal Exclusively From the 1990s. No more, no less, no progression, no fun.

And then, at the dawn of 2020 came Grieve‘s first – and, at the time, final – album. Aptly titled Funeral, the record was a fiercely focused one, solely featuring funereal marches by V-Khaoz and last rites by Werwolf. Beyond cold, utterly grim, violent and restrained simultaneously, Funeral was a record out of time, one where the last couple decades of “black metal” never existed. And then Grieve ceased to exist.

But, obeying only nature and will, Grieve have arisen from their own self-imposed grave with the second full-length Wolves of the Northern Moon. “We said we’d end the project for good, but we lied,” state the band about that grave. “We exhumed it.” Indeed, the exhumation also includes a nastiness last found on such Nordic classics as Kronet til konge, Pentagram, Til evighet…, or even Black Thrash Attack. Essentially, then, Grieve‘s ethics have not changed (nor should they have to), but one can nonetheless find here a pronounced asskicking sensibility that adds further antagonization to trendy ears as well as a noble march to mystical victories. “Eternal Winter, Eternal War”: These Wolves of the Northern Moon are on the hunt – and you’re next!

In the meantime, hear the previously revealed track “Deep in the Ice-Cold Mountains” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Grieve (Finland)’s Wolves of the Northern Moon
1. Wolves of the Wintermoon
2. Ancient Enemy of Life
3. Twilight Woods
4. Damnation Nocturne
5. Glacier
6. Deep in the Ice-Cold Mountains
7. Eternal Winter, Eternal War
8. The Dark Storm of Death

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/thetruegrieve
www.werewolf.fi

SPITER reveal new video from HELLS HEADBANGERS debut album – features members of DEVIL MASTER and SHITFUCKER

Today, True Vampyric Metal Punks Spiter reveal the new video “Foreshadow.” The track hails from the band’s acclaimed debut album, Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood, released last year by Hells Headbangers. See & hear Spiter‘s “Foreshadow” video in its entirety here:

Featuring members of labelmates Shitfucker and Devil Master, Spiter made their recorded debut during the spring of 2021 with the Draconian Death Curse EP. Although it’d be semi-accurate to see the EP as a sonic union between Shitfucker and Devil Master, already Spiter exerted their own identity, ripping forth with a raw-yet-anthemic blend of cult blackthrash, obscure hardcore punk, and even the wildest deathrock. Immediately, the short-length garnered the band a great deal of attention.

The band picks up the tale: “Much like Dracula leaving Transylvania hell-bent on conquest, Richard Spider (Daemon Bitch of Shitfucker) moved to Philadelphia with the sole intent of forming Spiter. Alongside fellow magician Bat (Darkest Prince of Devil Master), and Philly punk drummer Snake (Disjawn), who was magically uncovered in a destined meeting, the lineup was complete. Following the path forged by the infernal and immortal Dragon, creating the True Vampyric Metal Punk in the name of our God and Father, Satan!” 

Now armed with Hells Headbangers, Spiter’s first full-length fully displays the band’s considerable powers. More ripping, more anthemic, wilder and weirder and laded with a crisp-yet-crushing production, Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood will put the name Spiter on the tongues of all who worship the dark and depraved. The album features 10 songs in 36 minutes, swiftly and salaciously possessing the listener in a sanguine fury like few others. Each and every second literally explodes with electricity and excitement, Spiter frothing with blood – both others’ and their own – and seemingly drunk on their own undead energy. And each track is as immediately memorable as the last yet offering variety across that whirlwind landscape, commanding that listener to press “play” over and over…until it fucking hurts.

“Spiter has an unquenchable thirst for blood and glory,” sagely state the band – and on evidence of Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood, those black-leather wings will enwrap the world soon enough!

Also see & hear the previously revealed videos for “Tortured Soul” HERE, “Living Nightmare” HERE, and “I am Dracula” HERE. Order info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Spiter’s Bathe the Babe in Bats’ Blood
1. Suicidal Blood Fucker
2. Phan
9. Spider Bitertoms
3. Tortured Soul
4. Transylvanian Night
5. Foreshadow
6. Living Nightmare
7. Full Satanic Power
8. Cursed Eternal
10. Debauchery

MORE INFO:
www.spiter.bandcamp.com

www.hellsheadbangers.com

PUSTILENCE set release date for MEMENTO MORI / ROTTED LIFE debut, reveal first track

On April 24th internationally, Memento Mori in conspiracy with Rotted Life will release Pustilence‘s highly anticipated debut album, Beliefs of Dead Stargazers and Soothsayers, on CD and cassette tape/digital formats, respectively. Rotted Life will also release the vinyl version later in the year.

Hailing from Brisbane, Australia’s Pustilence formed in late 2018 and soon became a three-headed vermin that proudly brought forward mind-warping death metal madness of a most mid-’90s vintage. The band’s first public recording, 2020’s The Birth of the Beginning Before the Inception of the End, was a short & sweet 15-minute vortex of melted leads, impossible tempo changes, and truly putrid vocals. The EP suitably received various pressings by various labels, and showed Pustilence as worthy successors to the cult likes of Oppressor, Morta Skuld, Gutted, and Psychic Pawn.

Still, the best was yet to come, and now it arrives with their long-awaited full-length: Beliefs of Dead Stargazers and Soothsayers. With their lineup now expanded to a quartet, Pustilence proceed to obliterate past, present, and future. While bearing the same sturdy template as the preceding EP, Pustilence‘s debut album explodes and expands in every direction: leads are even more melted and madness-inducing, the tempo changes are crazier and more slamming, the vocals gurgle with supernatural clarity, and their songwriting on the whole bristles with an excitement and electricity that’s rare these days. Granted, it’s staunchly and unapologetically DEATH METAL – and those very same cult names are still invoked – but Pustilence put just the right amount of uniqueness to their dread creations that makes the whole 11-song/46-minute work plausible and reverential. Further, the band more fully flesh out their fantastical and obscured lyrical themes, bringing form and content together with alchemical ease. Which is to say nothing of the absolutely amazing production here: CRUSHING yet clear, each instrument rendered in 3D tones but never sacrificing the inherent rawness of true human performance. No typewriter or popcorn bullshit here – just classic, effortlessly old-school death metal that adds to the glorious tradition rather than lazily picks at its bones.


From caveman breakdowns to rude angularity, haunting half-melodies to blunt force trauma, Pustilence prepare to take the death metal underground by literal storm with Beliefs of Dead Stargazers and Soothsayers.

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Outwith the Plains of Ultimatum” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Pustilence’s Beliefs of Dead Stargazers and Soothsayers
CAPITULUM CUPIDITAS
I. Aspirants of Intemperance
II. Profound Assiduity
III. Concupiscence

CAPITULUM COGNITIO
IV. Iliad to the Contorted Apprehension
V. Outwith the Plains of Ultimatum
VI. Procured Propensities
VII. Pishogue Thaumaturge

CAPITULUM VICTORUM
VIII. An Ode to the Eyes That Are Yellow
IX. Demiurge Divertissement
X. Extirpated Conquest
XI. Testament of Disarray

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/pustilenceaus
www.pustilenceaus.bandcamp.com

www.memento-mori.es
www.facebook.com/memento.mori.label

www.rottedlife.com
www.facebook.com/rottedlife