On April 1st internationally, Personal Records is proud to present Saklas‘ striking debut EP, The One Who Swallowed God, on CD format.
Formed in 2017, Saklas hail from the ever-growing and always-interesting scene of Chile. But whereas many of their contemporaries tend toward death metal and thrash, Saklas‘ visions are grandiose black metal both classic and contemporary. They are the third band from Chile that Personal has signed, but whereas the other two signings were death metal and death-doom, Saklas are undeniably black metal, equally recommended for those into the orthodox scene as well as its more dissonant modern variants – or, casting one’s gaze into the past, ’90s Dimmu Borgir and Sweden’s Dawn.
To date, Saklas have released two demos and a digital-only live album, but at four songs and 40 minutes, The One Who Swallowed God is a mesmerizing and oft-overwhelming display of their powers. If the title track didn’t already suggest the sound of their kaleidoscopic attack, then surely leadoff track “Mastering the Chaos Meditation” should: psychedelic cosmic horror bursting into brilliant colors but all emanating from BLACK. Indeed, Saklas seek to spread chaos and despair into reality, crashing through the gates of existence with a self-begotten, all-devouring view of that reality that stretches into eternity – an anticosmic mind leaden with eternal self-contemplation, with no beginning nor no end. Put in sonic terms, the trio take shards of the avant-garde and cut glass into the slimy & smooth underbelly of black metal’s most enduring tropes, upholding traditions one minute and then defying them the next. It’s an intensely dizzying, delirium-inducing experience that perhaps reaches its apotheosis with a surprise closing cover of Los Jaivas, one of Chile’s most important psych/prog bands.
Forward-looking whilst looking back to yesteryear’s vanguard, with The One Who Swallowed God do Saklas shake the cobwebs off old Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, Arcturus, and Maniac-era Mayhem. The past is alive – and present!
Begin shaking those cobwebs with the brand-new track “Mastering the Chaos Meditation” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Saklas’ The One Who Swallowed God 1. Mastering The Chaos Meditation [9:34] 2. Empty Realm [2:37] 3. The One Who Swallowed God [16:23] 4. La Poderosa Muerte [Los Jaivas cover] [10:51]
ABYSMAL DAWN will be releasing ‘Nightmare Frontier’ on February 4, 2022, but the Los Angeles death metal titansare already streaming the EP in full HERE:
ABYSMAL DAWN frontman/founding member Charles Elliott comments: “Our new EP is a available to check out now! It includes a Bloodborne inspired track, a re-recorded song from our first album, an In Flames cover and a Candlemass cover with some unexpected clean vocals. It was fun to explore and pay tribute to some of our more melodic influences on this one. Enjoy!” Pre-orders for ‘Nightmare Frontier’ are still available HERE. The full EP can be pre-saved across all streaming services HERE.
The artwork for ‘Nightmare Frontier,’ which was created by Par Olofson, can be found below along with the tracklist.
Tracklist: 01. A Nightmare Slain (4:43) [WATCH] 02. Blacken The Sky (4:15) [WATCH] 03. Behind Space (3:37) 04. Bewitched (6:43) Total running time: 00:19:20
American death metal masters Abysmal Dawn are back! After a six-year gap, the Los Angeles-based outfit and Season of Mist hereby present Phylogenesis. Not that Abysmal Dawn have laid low since the release of 2014’s lauded Obsolescence full-length. Far from it. They toured North America four times and hit Europe and South America for the first time. Meanwhile, founding member Charles Elliott opened his studio, Tastemaker Audio, to accelerate Abysmal Dawn’s own recording needs, as well to act as a bridge to other bands in need of a knowledgeable and relatable audio technician. But the road to Phylogenesis wasn’t an easy one. Besides work-horsing it throughout the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Germany, the UK, Brazil, Chile, and beyond in support of Obsolescence, Elliott and crew managed through some of the lowest points in Abysmal Dawn’s career. Internal strife, administrative burdens, musical differences, and motivation all had their various ways with the Californians. Yet, from the darkest depths, they prevailed, heralding a new chapter in the group’s storied history. Indeed, Phylogenesis is Abysmal Dawn’s rebirth!
“There was a brief period after doing two months of touring back-to-back in the U.S. and Europe in 2015 that I almost felt like calling it quits,” Abysmal Dawn’s Charles Elliott says. “It was our first time in Europe and I just had a hard time enjoying it. The band had grown, and I was a bit tired of having to handle most of the managerial aspects of what we do. The joy had been ripped from things and people weren’t getting along, and some people acted like they didn’t want to be there. But we went our separate ways with some of the members and all of a sudden, the band was fun again. They went on to other things and we’re probably all happier in the end. Sometimes, I feel it’s a miracle this album or band even still exists. I’ve avoided swearing on our records in the past, but the album’s opening line is actually, ‘Fuck you all!’ Maybe it’s primitive by our past lyrical standards but it’s genuine and it’s the most heartfelt, ‘Fuck you, we’re still here’ I could put on a record. I’m glad we stuck it out because I think this is our proudest moment so far.”
To say Phylogenesis is an extension or continuation of Obsolescence isn’t exactly as straightforward as it should be. On one hand, all the Abysmal Dawn trademarks—technicality, brutality, and melody—remain ingrained in the songwriting fabric. On the other, the band’s fifth full-length is more cohesive, rhythmically sophisticated, and far more adventurous. Elliott calls it “a major evolution.” Certainly, the six years of constant refinement, edge smoothing, and transition adjustments have paid off. What started as jam sessions between Elliott, bassist Eliseo Garcia, and drummer James Coppolino in 2016 eventually turned into one-offs. That there was no time limit to put Phylogenesis together ended up both a blessing and a curse. Total creative freedom at very little expense is a dream scenario, something a band of Abysmal Dawn’s stature took advantage of for their magnum opus. But without a ticking clock and dollars burning, the pressure to focus was far less severe, resulting in delays and feature creep.
“It was basically James, Eliseo and me meeting up at my place, jamming on ideas, seeing what worked and tweaking them from there,” says Elliott. “With the exception of ‘Hedonistic,’ James wrote all his drum parts. Obsolescence was demoed with me programming all the drums since our drummer at the time had moved up north. It was what it was, but it was pretty frustrating at the time. Having someone to bounce ideas off of in real-time, helped in maintaining the joy and momentum of making this album. Once it was time to record bass and leads, Eliseo and Vito [Petroni; guitars] would trickle in when they had ideas. We had no real deadline and seemingly infinite time to do things. Admittedly, I think it was hard for me to focus on the lyrics, not only because of things in my personal life but because I was focused on getting the guys in to complete their parts so I could focus.”
Finish Phylogenesis they did, in fact. Under significant duress, Abysmal Dawn had overcome their roadblocks. The results of the group’s undulating professional and personal schedules aren’t to be trifled with, however. Opening track “Mundane Existence” is a firestorm of labyrinthine yet savage riffs, enraged vocals, and machine-gun drumming. It’s death metal personified, enlightened, and perfected. Elsewhere, tracks such as “The Path of the Totalitarian,” “A Speck in the Fabric of Eternity,” and “Soul-Sick Nation” (feat. Fredrik Folkare of Unleashed, Firespawn, et al.) pose real threats to the status quo. In all three, Elliott’s passion for and dominance of death metal’s tenets are tangible. But there’s more to Abysmal Dawn on Phylogenesis than customary ritual. From the ruthless groove of “Hedonistic” and the staccato stabs of “Coerced Evolution” to the late album gem “The Lament Configuration” and the blistering cover of Death classic “Flattening of Emotion,” the songs are designed to slay in ways we’re just beginning to understand.
“We’re a pretty brutal death metal band, but what I feel like sets us apart is that no matter what we do there’s always some underlying sense of melody and hooks,” Elliott says. “There are lots of bands that are ridiculously brutal. There are lots of bands that are over-the-top technically or are blatantly melodic. We combine all that but we try to write something that sticks with you over time; that you’ll keep coming back to, and that works well in the live environment. We love all types of music, whether it’s fusion or industrial music, and it shines through here and there. But in the end, though, we’re a pure death metal band at heart trying to retain that old-school feel with an updated take for a new generation.”
Conceptually, Phylogenesis deals with the breakdown of social constructs humans have built over time. The album title is defined by the evolution of (or diversification) a species. So, Phylogenesis is an ironic take on Elliott’s observations, particularly how social media has accelerated and exacerbated the de-evolution of humanity’s interactive abilities. The cover art, again by Swedish artist Pär Olofsson, isn’t directly correlated to the lyrical narrative, but it does continue where Obsolescence left off. The Olofsson cover art has envisioned what it’s like on the inside of the Obsolescence tower, and that it’s humans that are being fed back to humans. The cover art continuity is akin to Richard Fleischer’s famed Soylent Green film but ripped through Elliott’s demented death metal lens.
“I think the lyrics deal a lot with things we encounter in our modern society and the effect it has on the individual,” says Elliott. “The dehumanization effect and divisiveness caused by bickering on social media (‘The Path of the Totalitarian’), the decay of legitimate journalism (‘True to the Blind’), struggling to find purpose in the pursuit of happiness (‘Hedonistic’), wishing something was greater than yourself (‘Mundane Existence’), the mental illness epidemic (‘Soul-Sick Nation’), embracing pain over numbness to feel alive (‘The Lament Configuration’), having our consciousnesses uploaded to a grid in order to make life sustainable on Earth (‘Coerced Evolution’), and the common theme throughout the band of wishing life on Earth would just start over (‘A Speck in the Fabric of Eternity’). I had started off wanting it to be a concept record but later scrapped that idea because I didn’t like how it was going. In the end though, it just naturally all tied together in some way. Even the Death cover seemed to fit lyrically in hindsight. ‘Coerced Evolution’ is really the only song that in the sci-fi vein this time around. As for Pär, yes, he did the cover art once again. We love working with him and we’ve been creating great covers with him since 2006.”
Abysmal Dawn recorded Phylogenesis over a multi-year timeframe. In fact, Coppolino’s drums were tracked as far back as 2017 with long-time collaborator John Haddad at Trench Studios. The rhythm guitars and vocals, as produced by Mike Bear and Elliott, were also done at Tastemaker Audio the same year. So, some of Phylogenesis goes back, but the parts are no less lethal. Slowly but surely, the group’s newest and greatest materialized, with Elliott finishing the lead guitars, bass, additional vocals, re-amping, and mixing sessions in 2019, again at Tastemaker Audio. Abysmal Dawn then packaged up their fifth for mastering ace Tony Lindgren (Rotting Christ) to handle at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden. Contemporary yet absolutely remorseless, Abysmal Dawn’s Phylogenesis is death metal for a new age.
“We took our time and went to few studios this time around, so it’s a bit of a laundry list,” Elliott says. “John Haddad engineered the drums at Trench Studios. John has been involved with all our records in some form since From Ashes. Mike Bear helped track and produce the vast majority of my vocals and rhythm guitars out of my studio. Mike produced both Leveling the Plane of Existence (2010) and Obsolescence. I tracked and produced all the leads, bass parts, and other odds and ends and mixed the album as well. Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios mastered the record in the end.”
As for Abysmal Dawn’s next steps, the quartet await the release of Phylogenesis. With past support coming from the Village Voice, Decibel, PopMatters, and Pandora, as well as the group’s rabidly-devoted fanbase, the future of death metal is in good hands.
Lineup: Charles Elliott: guitars, vocals Eliseo Garcia: bass, additional vocals James Coppolino: drums Vito Petroni: guitars
On March 28th internationally, Putrid Cult is proud to present Chthonic Cult‘s highly anticipated second album, Become Seekers for Death.
The roots of Chthonic Cult lay in both Berlin and Wroclaw, but those are merely earthly bindings, for the all-enveloping soundworld of the band’s debut album, I Am the Scourge of Eternity, resolutely laid in the Beyond. Released in 2015 by Iron Bonehead, Chthonic Cult‘s first public work comprised four monolithic tracks in a soul-draining 47 minutes. An orgiastic feast for the ears as well as eyes, drawing together bulldozing black metal, bestial death metal, and smokestacked doom metal into a hypnotizing whole, I Am the Scourge of Eternity was celebrated across the underground, all before Chthonic Cult seemingly returned to the grave.
But alas, “seemingly,” for they arrive seven years later into a worse world with Become Seekers for Death. Aptly titled, Become Seekers for Death is the sound of Chthonic Cult diving deep into the realm of sheer and total DEATH METAL, torching its parameters, and rearranging the ashes into their own twisted design. Indeed, the band’s ways and means here are fiercely focused and fine-tuned into the spectrum of crushing-yet-classy Metal of Death: power and professionalism are the watchwords here, and yet for however more “approachable” Chthonic Cult may appear to be, the resultant conflagration is actually more potent, and startlingly so. As such, the 40-minute album is judiciously sliced into eight track-sized chunks, making their attack more compact and concise. Still, within their blackened death bestiality-unto-bulldozing reveals a similarly vortextural maw like its towering predecessor – but, by comparison, perhaps Become Seekers for Death is the rotten, rippling soil beneath that tower. Less “head music,” then, as full-body music…and that body is summarily CRUSHED.
“Blackened death metal” may be a dicey and oft-misleading term, but there’s still stern adepts drawing from the wells of the ancients in these increasingly modern times. Chthonic Cult return when the fates deemed it right, and from beyond the veil did they bring back Become Seekers for Death.
Begin seeking with the brand-new track “Ironclad Nemesis” here:
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Chthonic Cult’s Become Seekers for Death 1. Ironclad Nemesis 2. On the Wings of Drought 3. The Thunder Spoke to the Spirit 4. When the Ancients Speak 5. Become Seekers for Death 6. In the Seventh Hour 7. Crimson Streams of Sacrifice 8. The Hunt of the Light-Bearer
Today, Swedish metal legends Eucharist reveal the new video “I am the Void.” The track is the third to be revealed from the band’s LONG-awaited third album, I am the Void, set for international release on March 25th via Helter Skelter Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records). See & hear Eucharist‘s “I am the Void” video in its entirety here:
The history of Eucharist is long and tangled, but what the band managed to do during the ‘90s has remained justifiably legendary. Originally forming in 1989 and then undergoing various stops and starts during the next decade before their amicable dissolution in 1998, the Swedish Eucharist first made their name in the underground in 1992 with their self-titled demo before the pivotal Greeting Immortality EP on the cult Obscure Plasma label, which would become the influential Avantgarde Music. However, even that enviable accomplishment was handily eclipsed by the band’s debut album, A Velvet Creation, in 1993. A stone-cold classic, A Velvet Creation largely helped usher in the melodic death metal era; while by no means the first “melodic” death metal record, it was arguably the best for that era, maintain a heart-on-sleeve sincerity and melancholy fully befitting its title. With those stops & starts playing havoc within the band, Eucharist would emerge four long years later with an equally monolithic album and yet one decidedly different than the first: Mirrorworlds. As suggested by its title as well as cover art, Mirrorworlds was a mesmerizing experience, taking the band into more modern territory (which they helped pioneer in the first place) and evincing a dizzying & dazzling prog-death approach thankfully still ripe with their characteristic melancholy.
In the years following their original dissolution, the cult of Eucharist continued to grow more feverish with each ensuing generation of metallers, with Regain Records’ reissues of both in the early 2000s helping that cause. Still, the name was effectively dead…until 2016, and the roots for their reunion album, I am the Void, were planted. Founding vocalist/guitarist Markus Johnsson picks up the story: “A reunion gig in Varberg, Sweden led to me and Daniel [Erlandsson, original drummer] deciding to do another album. We wanted to change the style to a darker atmosphere, both lyric-wise and music-wise – something that I always wanted. Daniel eventually found out that his interest lied elsewhere and wanted to get out of the project, and by that time, the album was more or less recorded. I had written all the lyrics this time and also made all the music except for a couple of riffs that were Daniels’, but Daniel had helped out with the some of the song structures.”
Truly spoken, I am the Void is a decidedly darker version of Eucharist – and one blackened to a crisp. While the death metal muscle of yore remains, the leather-winged specter of black metal looms large across I am the Void, giving a familiar-yet-foreign aspect to Eucharist’s characteristic sound. Taken a different way, this literally-massive new record (12 songs in 77 minutes!) is nearly a complete makeover of Eucharist, but one just as engrossing and dynamic as their beloved ‘90s works. And one not without further strife, as Markus continues: “The album was buried under dust and anxiety for a few years – from the beginning of 2016 until December 2020. But I pulled myself together and sent the entire album to Per Gyllenbäck of Regain Records at the end of 2019. A year of silence passed, and in December 2020, Per contacted me and said ‘Let’s do this album!’ We were both ready, and that day, I decided that I wanted to run this race on my own from now on. I figured that I had always been the main creative force in Eucharist along with Daniel, so I couldn’t see any problems with continuing the race alone. Daniel also said that if I wanted, I could always use the band name and release the album myself. So, I went on with it.” Johnsson is joined on the new album by Marduk drummer Simon “Bloodhammer” Schilling, hereby considered an official member of Eucharist. “I will do it all on my own from now on and in my own style. I want to make music and record albums, and that I will do as long as someone will release the stuff because I am on a creative streak now.”
Again, truly spoken, and the next (hopefully epic) chapter of Eucharist is about to be revealed. The abyss can take many forms, and so it does for I am the Void.
Hear the previously revealed “Mistress of Nightmares” HERE and the previously revealed “Shadows” HERE, both also at Regain Records‘ official YouTube channel. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Eucharist (Sweden)’s I am the Void
1. Shadows 2. A Vast Land of Eternal Night 3. Goddess of Filth (Tlazolteotl) 4. In the Blaze of the Blood Red Moon 5. Mistress of Nightmares 6. Queen of Hades 7. Nexion 8. Where the Sinister Dwell 9. In the Heart of Infinity 10. Lilith 11. Darkness Divine 12. I am the Void
Today, Greek deathrashers Vicious Knights stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Alteration Through Possession. Set for international release on January 28th via Dying Victims Productions, hear Vicious Knights‘ Alteration Through Possession in its entirety exclusively here:
Vicious Knights is an old-school death/thrash metal band, screaming from Thessaloniki, Greece. The band was formed in 2016 by Antonis “Harvester” (guitars/vocals) and Liakos (drums). Panos (bass guitar) entered the band a few months later. This three-piece of total maniacs issued self-released on CD their first EP Malevolent Spirits, originally in 2018 and then reissued in 2020 by the World War Now label. The band had many gigs in Greece presenting their first release and some of their newer material, making a great impact on the underground scene.
Now, armed with the support of Dying Victims, Vicious Knights return to destroy the world with their first full-length, Alteration Through Possession! Curiously yet tellingly titled, Alteration Through Possession indeed transforms the listener…once that listener is ensnared in the power-trio’s iron grip! Like a trip back to 1987, Vicious Knights live up to their moniker by invoking the old spirits of early Kreator, Destruction, Possessed, and Sepultura, combining more devotedly horror-specific lyrics with absolutely ass-ripping DEATHRASH. They go beyond the gates to inflict eternal pain, their infernal overkill bestowing morbid visions upon those who still believe in razor-wire riffing, snarling-evil vokills, and straightforward drum-propulsion – and of course, actual songwriting. Simple, sure, but sublime: Alteration Through Possession is a pleasure to kill!
Cover and tracklisting as follows:
Tracklisting for Vicious Knights’ Alteration Through Possession 1. Infestation 2. From Nothingness (To A Slave Of Darkness) 3. The Boneghoul King (The Miserly) 4. They Cast No Shadow 5. Sleep With The Ghouls 6. Vicious Knights 7. Swing From The Grave 8. It Was In My House 9. Disenchanting The Matter (The Statue Is Alive)
Today, Blood Harvest Records announces March 25th as the international release date for Astral Tomb‘s highly anticipated debut album, Soulgazer, on CD and cassette tape formats. The vinyl LP version should follow on July 29th.
As presaged by their track to the Chasm of Aeons four-way split shared with Cryptic Shift, Replicant, and Inoculation which Blood Harvest released in the autumn of 2020 and then especially the subsequent Degradation of Human Consciousness EP at the beginning of 2021, Astral Tomb are all-too-perfectly monikered. Theirs is gross ‘n’ gooey dredge of deranged death metal that slices and sluices in obscene ways – all at the listener’s discomfort, most of all, challenging even the most diehard death metaller. And yet, they’ve done such across teasingly short lengths, setting anticipation high (literally) for their inevitable debut album.
At last, it arrives, bearing the title Soulgazer. Truly, the trippy cover art is but one sign of the sine-waves set to mangle the mind and body once one presses “play” upon Astral Tomb‘s debut album. Bearing five tracks across a succinct-yet-expansive 37 minutes, Soulgazer‘s component song titles could truly tell its (twisted, interstellar) story: “Transcendental Visions,” “Be Here Now..,” “Inertia (Crashing Through the Doorways of Eternity),” “Traversing the Wandering Star,” and especially “Ascending a Pillar of Light.” Here, Astral Tomb take the slimy sound of their short-lengths in spacier, more smoked-out directions, almost jamming on slamming grooves but giving it a grossness that unsettles – indeed, Soulgazer as depiction. Elsewhere, the trio’s technique and precision is startling to behold, especially when they effortlessly let loose the reins and slip & slide across the corners of chaos, only to right the (space)ship into waters equally unnerving. For if anything, Soulgazer seeks to UNcomfort the listener, taking him/her to places as-yet-dreamt and making them manifest within alternately intelligent/ignorant death metal barbarity. Which is all to say nothing of the utterly melted solos sprinkled across the record or the actually-really-beautiful moments of clean-toned placidity…
As the band explain, “Soulgazer is a narrative of inner awakening. It is the product of over a year of arduous personal journeys, and collective experience. By exploring inner and outer space, we cultivated each track to reflect a different part of the cyclical nature of our realities. One of our biggest criticisms in the past has been our production, and thanks to Pete DeBoer at World Famous Studios, we have finally encapsulated a sound that we think sets a standard for Astral Tomb. Coming in at a little over 30 minutes, the music speaks for itself, and there’s not much more to say until you hear it in March.”
Goregrind’s gotten gorier, tech-death more tech, and slam more slammin’, but somewhere circling in a cosmos both over and under all three are Astral Tomb. Soulgazer is that trip you wanna take!
Begin that trip with the brand-new track “Traversing the Wandering Star” here:
Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Astral Tomb’s Soulgazer 1. Transcendental Visions 2. Be Here Now… 3. Inertia (Crashing through the Doorways of Eternity) 4. Traversing the Wandering Star 5. Ascending a Pillar of Light
Today, Hells Headbangers announces February 25th as the international release date for Deathhammer‘s highly anticipated fifth album, Electric Warfare, which is slated for release later this year through Hells Headbangers on CD format; the vinyl LP and cassette tape formats will be released on April 29th.
By now, Deathhammer should need no introduction. For over 15 years now, this insatiable Norwegian duo have been at the forefront of the burgeoning blackthrash movement; in fact, one could successfully argue that the band are THE linchpins of that resurgence. Though blackthrash has seen intermittent surges in popularity since the latter half of the ’90s onward, for sole members Sadomancer and Sergeant Salsten, this is a way of life – not a trend. Deathhammer proved as much as with their cult debut album, Phantom Knights, in 2010 and then proved it yet further and more fully – and more furiously and filthily – with 2012’s Onward to the Pits and 2015’s Evil Power, both of which were released by Hells Headbangers to widespread international acclaim. And yet, through it all, the duo kept their wits about them, simply being Deathhammer and taking their irresistible (and irresistibly evil) charm to stages worldwide, including a command performance at Hells Headbangers‘ Hells Headbash 2 in 2015. But, one need only took to 2018’s Chained to Hell as the first AND last word on eternal, magickal blackthrash: “classic” doesn’t do the album justice
While the duo have been quiet ever since – Sergeant Salsten moved to Australia during the Chained to Hell recordings – at long last do Deathhammer return to reaffirm their position as the kings of blackthrash with Electric Warfare. All-too-perfectly titled, Electric Warfare is a veritable blast from the past, in more ways than one. As Sadomancer explains, “We recorded it many years ago before Chained to Hell was out when Sergeant Salsten visited from Australia in 2016, but those recordings got scrapped. Then we worked on it some more years and finally started to record it again at the start of 2020 with – from my part – a couple of new tracks. We threw away a couple in favor of new better ones.” Indeed, the devilish dialogue between the two plays out in righteous form on Electric Warfare, offering Deathhammer‘s most ripping and intense songs yet as well as some of their most epic. Sadomancer reasons that his songs are fairly long and intricate while Sergeant Salsten’s are ultra-short and to the point; together, the bloodied canvas on which they write is a torrent of timeless metal mayhem, whether you qualify it strictly as “blackthrash” or simply HEAVY METAL. Perhaps the biggest development here is the utterly awesome recording, ably balancing the band’s original rawness with a never-overstated professionalism – credit the mix courtesy of Arild Torp of Nekromantheon and Obliteration.
Topped off by another killer cover painted by longtime comrade Eduard Johnson, Deathhammer deliver their biggest metal inferno with Electric Warfare!
In the meantime, see & hear the videos for “Rapid Violence” here:
and “Thirst for Ritual” here:
Aforementioned cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Deathhammer’s Electric Warfare 1. Savage Aggressor 2. Crushing the Pearly Gates 3. Enter the Morbid 4. Return to Sodom / Soldiers of Darkness 5. Rapid Violence 6. Thirst for Ritual 7. Thrown to the Abyss 8. Violent Age of Bloodshed
Today, French atmospheric black metallers Silhouette stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Les Retranchement. Set for international release on January 28th via Antiq, hear Silhouette‘s Les Retranchement in its entirety here:
Silhouette is a French black metal band based in Montpellier and created by Achlys in 2019. Initially conceived as a one-man band, the project then involved more musicians in order to develop a synergy between clean female vocals and traditional black and DSBM vocals.
Silhouette’s view reflects dreams and visions about distant people whose shapes and intentions will stay obscure forever. Through soul’s dooms and mist, Silhouette deals with topics such as lost ones, fantomatic shapes from which only fragments and souvenirs remain. The band proposes a journey between intense melodies, storms, and velvet lulls to depict the travel of the one who dares to explore the places and ghosts of their past.
Antiq is a label dedicated to the fully coherent concept of making music through sound, image, video, and attitude. They have been putting their entire existence into it since 2009. Over the years, Antiq have been identified as producers of not only perfectly coherent lyrics and themes through music, but also conceptual art and, of course, the manufacturing of beautiful objects. The label tries as much as it can to work with French creators, and if possible, with the smallest and most serious structures.
Cover artwork, courtesy of Lilas Dupont (Ondine), and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Silhouette’s Les Retranchement 1. Ascension 2. La Première Neige 3. Au Seuil de l’Oubli 4. Interlude 5. Les Retranchements 6. L’Etreinte de la Chute 7. Outro
In 2022, a year after the release of Kvitravn and as a prelude to the forthcoming and much anticipated live dates, Wardruna are presenting Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven. An immersive audio arrangement that underscores the experiential paradigm shift and masterful musicianship of their superlative and boundary-pushing virtual live experience First Flight of the White Raven of March 26th 2021. This new release captures their special set list consisting of songs from Kvitravn and a selection of favourites from the discography, and will be released on a 2LP, as well as 2CD that also features the original studio album track listing. To mark the event’s exceptional impact, it will also be available as a limited Boxset Edition including 2LP (black), 2CD, DVD with livestream performance and bonus documentary material and three videos (only available in the boxed set), flag of the CD album cover, certificate of authenticity for the box and an exclusive autographed card signed by Einar Selvik. Tracklisting and credits below
“Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven is an audio-visual ‘live-in-studio’ recording that was broadcasted online, as the release show of the Kvitravn album. It was recorded in a time when it was not allowed to perform in front of an audience, which made it very important for me that the recording itself truly captured the energy of a live performance. What you hear is what we performed in that moment in that room. No re-recordings or autotune was done in the afterwork. Just like for a regular concert, the set list was carefully put together with a selection of songs from all our albums, including a handful of songs from the new album, which we performed for the very first time. On the day of recording, we all stood together in the same room for the first time in over a year. Everyone came focused and well prepared and the energy felt like no time had passed. I hope you will agree!” – Einar Selvik
Wardruna are also sharing the track and virtual live performance video for “Solringen” about which Einar Selvik says; “Solringen is a song originally released on the album Runaljod – Yggdrasil (2013). Even though it quickly became a popular track amongst our listeners, it wasn’t until late 2019 we first got around to performing it live. When taking the song from the studio to the stage, I really felt it needed a slightly different approach, more specifically adapted for the concert format”
Selvik continues; “In earlier tradition the women of the household on a farm had the task of going out into the fields around midsummer and wake up the elves dwelling there with rhymes and songs to encourage them to ensure growth and good crops. These songs and traditions have now mostly passed into oblivion. The initial idea behind “Solringen” is that new songs might wake them once again.”
WATCH ‘SOLRINGEN – FIRST FLIGHT OF THE WHITE RAVEN LIVE VERSION’ BELOW
Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven – further format information:
-2CD & digital formats: Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven – including Kvitravn album plus the audio of Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven stream, mastered for CD and digital.
-2LP: Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven – including the audio of Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven stream, mastered for vinyl.
Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven audio track list (2022):
Synkverv (Turn-sight)
Kvitravn (White Raven)
Skugge (Shadow)
Grá (Grey)
Fylgjutal (Speech of the Fylgja)
Munin (Memory)
Kvit hjort (White Stag)
Viseveiding (Song-hunting)
Ni (Nine)
Vindavlarljod (Song of the wind-bred)
Andvevarljod (Song of the Spirit-weavers)
–
Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven track list for audio capture of the virtual live performance (2022):
Kvitravn
Skugge
Solringen
Bjarkan
Raido
Voluspá
Isa
UruR
Grá
Vindavlarljod
Rotlaust Tre Fell
Fehu
Helvegen
Wardruna’s UK tour commences in March. About the tour Einar comments “It has been more than two years since we last gave a performance in front of an audience. Needless to say, this long and unwanted hibernation has made us very excited to finally be able to realistically plan our return to the stage.”
Wardruna have carved a rich, polyphonic and dramatic musical landscape that honours the ancient past without gimmick, whilst simultaneously illuminating meaningful expressions of Norse tradition through intrinsically detailed contemporary composition.
While nothing is necessarily obvious with Wardruna, the years since 2009’s debut album Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga have seen increasing international success. Runaljod – Yggdrasil came in 2013 and was followed in 2016 by Runaljod – Ragnarok. The latter climbed to the top spot in America on Billboard’s World Music charts, and did so in Canada too. In 2018, the low key, live-in-the-studio Skald was released. For Wardruna’s fourth album, Einar had taken a similar approach to his solo shows with a stripped-back, intimate sound.
The combination of Einar’s deep knowledge – he has lectured in academic settings on the old Norse world and its music – and his hands-on approach attracted the attention of the creators of the History Channel’s TV series Vikings. From its second series, in 2014, Einar came on board as co-composer alongside the show’s main composer Trevor Morris and worked on the programme up to its fifth series, which aired in 2019. He even appeared on-screen in a couple of episodes.
Ever-busy, there was also 2016’s Skuggsjá – A Piece for Mind & Mirror where Einar and Ivar Bjørnson of Enslaved fashioned a chronicle of Norway for the anniversary of its constitution and, the next year, the intense Snake Pit Poetry release, credited as an Einar Selvik solo project.
Einar has contributed music for the official soundtrack of the game franchise Assassin’s Creed Valhalla® alongside the BAFTA Award-winning Danish composer Jesper Kyd (Assassin’s Creed, Ezio Trilogy) and American composer Sarah Schachner (Assassin’s Creed Origins), released worldwide on November 17, 2020 by Lakeshore Records in partnership with Ubisoft, followed by numerous collections of unreleased music and acoustic tracks from Einar Selvik in connection with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla® (also released by Lakeshore Records in partnership with Ubisoft) between November 2020 and December 2021.
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces March 25th as the international release date for Necromante‘s highly anticipated second album, XI, on CD and viny LP formats.
Formed in 2007, Necromante patiently stirred their cauldron of sound over the course of a couple demos, a mini-album, and a live album. Hailing from Brazil, within that cauldron, of course, can be found ancient ingredients like Sarcofago, Vulcano, Sextrash, Mystifier, and Impurity, but the power-trio finesse forth a sound that’s less focused on tempting the corners of chaos as it is conjuring an arcane, otherworldly aura – in that sense, not dissimilar to Impurity’s classic Into the Ritual Chamber. However, in 2017, Necromante released their debut album, The Magickal Presence of Occult Forces, through the auspices of Iron Bonehead and undeniably etched a unique name for themselves. Not for nothing was it titled The Magickal Presence of Occult Forces: raw and red-blooded yet utterly clear in its execution, the album swirled together martial blasts of bestial drums, sorcerous heavy metal leads, contrapuntal bass-work, and frequent interludes of eerie acoustics.
After nearly five years of eerie silence (a super-limited live tape was released after the debut album), Necromante return with their second full-length, XI. Immediately, it is felt: XI continues on from that celebrated first full-length AND spelunks in new dungeons altogether. For one, Necromante‘s instrumental prowess has tightened whilst remaining requisitely loose; this allows their ever-deepening grasp of dynamics to penetrate the soul as well as boil the tension to an intense degree during the album’s many hypnotic mid-tempo passages. To that, this subtly doomier aspect nods to ancient touchstones like classic Mortuary Drape, early Samael, and even touches of old deathrock; even with frequent yet well-timed bouts of violence, the aura of XI is funereal and more than a bit eerie. More than anything, Necromante have perfected their sound within clearly marked boundaries, but more importantly have brewed potions of strong songwriting that work magickally within those boundaries. In turn, the vision of XI appears boundless and brilliant – ancient, epic, and literally UNDERGROUND!
Erase the last 30 years of “underground” black metal and one might hypothetically find Necromante, working within a labyrinth of their own design, unmindful of the suffocating modernity around them. The arcane age bears the number XI!
The first number can be witnessed with the brand-new title track “XI (The Dark Night of the Soul)” here:
Tracklisting for Necromante’s XI 1. The Equinox of New Aeon 2. Lucifer Rising 3. Serpentine Fire 4. The Phoenix Glory 5. XI (The Dark Night of the Soul) 6. Pentacle of Fire 7. Necro Fire Angel 8. Sentence of the Dead 9. The Infernal Palace & the Red Death 10. The Venom Between Gods 11. Solve et Coagula-Astral Light to the Chaos
