Asheville (NC) – Blackvapor/Black Metal duo, Hellir, have released new EP, Hollow Moon: Precursor!
Hollow Moon: Precursor is the first release in a trilogy of EPs that will collectively comprise the band’s first full-length album, Hollow Moon. Hollow Moon: Precursor is an evolution of Hellir’s atmosphere venturing into a broader range of sounds. With everything from extremely heavy break downs, electronic breaks, classical piano, and fusion, there’s a lot of new territory to explore. Or to boldly go where no one has gone before…
“This isn’t your dad’s brand of Black Metal. It’s fresh, modern, and cuts against the grain.” – Metal Temple
“Great sounding mixture of black metal and synth/vaporwave.” – Occult Black Metal Zine
FFO: Ulcerate, Alcest, Dark Castle, Isahn, Asagraum, Humanity’s Last Breath
All other music, lyrics, engineering, mixing, mastering: Daniel Shaneyfelt.
Artwork: Harlon McCargar.
BIO:
Hellir translates to “Cave” in the Old Norse language.
Hellir was founded in 2023 as a solo project by Daniel Shaneyfelt as a way to experiment with ideas that didn’t suit other projects. He released the first Hellir record Wheel of Ghosts in 2024, which blends elements of black metal, 80s synth pop, vapor wave, thall, and cinematic music.
Soon after recording Wheel of Ghosts, Hellir welcomed Dylan Webb on drums, helping push the duo’s sound into heavier and more technical territory.
VISERION‘s forthcoming atmospheric album, Fire and Blood, is set to arrive on January 16th, 2026. The black metal outfit, who enhance their sound with atmospheric and melodic elements, provide a taste of the new offering with the release of their first single and title track.
“Our concept for this album was inspired by George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones world. It particularly focuses on the Targaryen dynasty hence the title being their house words: Fire and Blood.” The band explains. “This particular song focuses on the black magic rituals that the Targaryen family was rumored to use in order to control dragons”.
Fire and Blood Track Listing:
Fire and Blood (3:09)
Mad King (3:33)
Reign of Fire (4:51)
Blackfyre (5:31)
Harrenhal (6:33)
About VISERION: Located in Queens, NY, VISERION blend brutal and aggressive black metal with atmospheric and melodic passages in their own distinctive take on the genre. Storytelling is embedded in their musical creativity, highly influenced by the writings of George R.R. Martin and the World of Westeros. The band initially formed as a three-piece in 2020 by Ben Marvilli taking on bass and vocals, Matt Marvilli on drums and John Magnani performing guitars.
Subsequently, in 2022, Magnani left and Ben Marvilli swapped out bass for guitar. Cris Valentine also joined on guitar and Tasso Diakov took on the bass. The debut album Natural Selection dropped in 2021, followed by a split EP release with TELOCH VOVIN titled The Iron Age of Kali Yuga in 2023. Now, Fire and Blood is set to emerge on January 16, 2026.
Album Credits: Producer: Billy Pfister Recording Studio: Westfall Recording Engineer: Billy Pfister Mastering: Jacob Buczarski Mixing: Chris Grigg Cover art: “Fire in Rome” by Hubert Robert
June 6, 2025 will see the German iconic black/death metal duo MYSTIC CIRCLE release an extended new edition of KriegsgötterMMXXV via ROAR, featuring 8 tracks and furious cover versions of classics such as from BATHORY, CELTIC FROST, POSSESSED,ACHERON, or the previously-released, completely re-recorded cover version of IRON MAIDEN’s “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”.
On selected tracks, the band welcomes back British soprano Sarah Jezebel Deva on guest vocals, who has already made guest appearances with CRADLE OF FILTH,THE KOVENANT andTHERION, among others. The track “Cry Little Sister” also features Karo Hafke, singer of the dark wave gothic band Umbra Et Imago.
Today, MYSTIC CIRCLE have unleashed a new single taken off Kriegsgötter MMXXV, their blistering cover version of theBATHORYclassic “One Rode To Asa Bay“!
“One Rode To Asa Bay” is a track from the fifth BATHORY album “Hammerheart”, which is a favourite of us two,” A. Blackwar reveals. “The band was a huge influence for us back then, but also today. You hear that in our early works and in general for our love of atmospheric parts. When Sarah heard the song in the studio, she went to the cabin and started to sing – which wasn’t planned at all. We looked at each other with a devilish smile in our face and said: that was the missing part! This song is pure epic!”
Let’s go back a quarter of a century to the year 2000: MYSTIC CIRCLE were at their peak at the time after the release of their third studio epic Infernal Satanic Verses and were rightly regarded as Germany’s leading black metal band.
In the summer after the turn of the millennium, the Ludwigshafen-based band followed up with the 5-track EP Kriegsgötter II, a compilation of cover versions and new recordings.
The founding line-up broke up during this phase and A. Blackwar left the band. Only his return in 2020 and the reunion with vocalist Beelzebub conjured up the spirit of that time again, resulting in the two great new records Mystic Circle (2022) and Erzdämon (2023), closing the infamous circle (or pentagram?) again.
“It was inevitable for me to end my time with MYSTIC CIRCLE with Kriegsgötter II. The long break was necessary, we lost the connection to each other back then, which is stronger than ever today,” summarizes A. Blackwar and looks back with a teary eye, but also with a smile, because as so often in life, everything happens for a reason.
Album Track-list: 01 – One Rode To Asa Bay (feat. Sarah Jezebel Deva) 02 – Die Götter der Urväter 03 – Azazel’s Soulfly 04 – Cry Little Sister (Theme from The Lost Boys, feat. Karo Hafke of Umbra Et Imago) 05 – Afraid To Shoot Strangers (feat. Sarah Jezebel Deva) 06 – Death Metal 07 – Acheron (Medley) 08 – Circle Of The Tyrants
MYSTIC CIRCLE is: Beelzebub – Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards A. Blackwar – Drums, Guitars, Keyboards
Nashville (TN) – U.S. Melodic Black Metal horde, Lenax, have unleashed “Throne of the Forsaken“, the third and final single from forthcoming full-length debut album, Infection. Click to stream below!
For fans of Watain, Immortal, and Enslaved, Lenax presents a style of melodic black metal infused with just the right amount of black n roll to land themselves in a rather unique position within the genre. “Throne of the Forsaken” tells a fantasy story of an ancient god-king who awakens back to flesh in order to return to the material world. No messiah, he returns with a heart thirsty for vengeance to bring the earth under his submission.
With lyrical themes based around esotericism, individuality, and cosmic horror, Infectionpaints either a picture of destruction and horror, or one of death and rebirth, depending on the stance of the listener. In all, this is a solid 40 minutes of modern black metal with enough DNA to show the band’s roots in the early second wave, while managing to craft something unique in their delivery.
Photo Credit: Draco Bailey
Lenax:
Venomous (Vocals, Guitar)
Mordred (Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Bones (Drums)
Additional Musicians:
Hephaestus (Bass)
Maikon (Drums)
The band proudly returned to work with mix engineer Ilarion Ivanenko, who produced the previous singles in 2024. Mastering was completed by ØysteinBrun at Crosound Studios in Norway. With a long history and a solid reputation in extreme music, including his band Borknagar, Øysteinbrought out the fine tuning needed to make this record shine.
Infection will be released June 25th on all digital platforms.
The band will also be launching a Kickstarter campaign to support a future vinyl release in the fall or winter of this year. Album pre-orders coming soon. Cover art by David DeFigueredo.
Track Listing:
1 – Worship Hymn 2 – Leeches 3 – Chains 4 – Crossroad Black 5 – Hive Mind Apocalypse 6 – We Are Legion 7 – Plague Bringer 8 – Overdrive 9 – Throne of the Forsaken
From the Greek black metal bastion of Athens emerges ELEVENTH RAY, with lamentations that have lain in wait for the best part of a decade. The occult offerings within the unhallowed sleeve of Reviving Tehom invoke the spirit of Celtic Frost, Sodom, the ‘90s exploits of the great Magus Wampyr Daoloth (Necromantia, Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord), and of course, Therion’s 1993 Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas album.
ELEVENTH RAY and Dark Descent Records have launched a stream for the album’s opening track, “Nightside of Damascus” Listen now at youtu.be/t7Mzlc-7mtk?si=d0DJxCis5bm-cVub
Reviving Tehom will be released on CD/LP and digital formats through Dark Descent Records on May 16. Pre-order the album at:
The seeds for ELEVENTH RAY were sown by materials once artificed for the black metal force of Serpent Noir, whose changing tonality saw guitarist Y.K. bury said materials for a later purpose. A decision that first bore rotten fruit via a devastating rehearsal demo in 2022, which piqued the interest of Dark Descent Records.
ELEVENTH RAY is a totally new autonomous entity for which we plan to work with full force and NOT a one-off project of Serpent Noir leftovers,” exclaims Y.K. “As it happens with all my projects, ELEVENTH RAY is deeply rooted in Dark Magic and the Typhonian Alchemy.”
The practices of Magic and Alchemy are of critical importance to Y.K., and these elements at even keel with the music itself.
“Writing music for the sake of music is not enough. It is the expression of what lies hidden beyond the frames of what we call reality. The great Unknown emanated from the foremost symbol of power, the Red Dragon,” explains Y.K.
“What we were aiming to achieve was the creation of a purely black Magical death/thrash/black metal album without the lyrical satanic naivety of the past. Listening carefully to the album, you will realise that into this blend there is a striking ritualistic element with an ominous vibe and a heavy occult twist. Basically, Reviving Tehom is an album I would personally love to listen to, but I could not find anywhere.”
The common thread extends to the stunning artwork by L.G.N Nekropropaganda, depicting the aforesaid Great Red Dragon “as the orgasm of existence, the utmost symbol of hidden wisdom and forbidden knowledge which is also a tangible form of ecstatic energy. Lyrics deal with personal experiences related to the awakening/channelling of this tremendous force.”
ELEVENTH RAY: D. Gharrassielh: Rhythm and lead guitars, chants D. AanoNin: Vocals, chants Peyote: Bass, additional lead guitars Nuctemeron: Drums, percussion
Recorded by Haris V. at the Eleventh Tower Studio, a familiar collaborator of Y.K., the production perfectly complements this first wave hell-noise with a crushing old school sound. With full force!
From the deepness of the eternal night, Spiritwood rises with the new album The Apparition of Horns, an aural ritual of isolation and decay. The Finnish band expands its cult of atmospheric and occult Black Metal, intertwining the coldness of nature with echoes of suffocating anguish. A deep plunge into the experimental and avant-garde abyss, where every note is a lament and every silence, an omen.
The album is set for release on May 1st this year, available in both digital and physical formats via Loudriver Records.
Track-list:
Woodland Meditation (06:44)
The Apparition of Horns (07:48)
Harbinger of Scourges (07:02)
The Circle (05:32)
Ascending Through the Contours of Emptiness (08:35)
A unique music and film project to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Silesian Film Archive in Katowice
Images of Silesian cities recorded on film tape, history, tradition, everyday life, industrial heritage. Cinematic alchemy of image, music and Silesian spirit.
Only a few tickets left for the second concert on 6th April. Tickets for the 5th April concert sold out in 2 (!) days
Polish black metal titans Furia will take part in a unique project on 5th and 6th April at Kinoteatr Rialto for the 25th anniversary of the Silesian Film Archive in Katowice, Poland. Furia will play its songs accompanied by unique materials from the only regional film archive in the country.
The band has chosen archival films, which show, among other things, how the Silesian region was created and developed, how the legendary Spodek in Katowice was built, how life changed in Silesian cities and towns. We will also see artistic impressions inspired by the industrial landscape of the region or local crafts; recorded on film tapes, full of nostalgia, images of ordinary life: everyday activities that our grandparents, parents or ourselves engaged in years ago.
During this anniversary concert, we will see materials from the Silesian Film Archive, which Furia will illustrate with compositions from its albums, transferring the images of old Silesia to a completely different, surprising and hypnotising dimension.
Furia is one of the most original Polish black metal bands. The band was formed in 2003 in Katowice by vocalist and guitarist Michał “Nihil” Kuźniak. The band also includes Kamil “Sars” Staszałek (bass), Grzegorz “Namtar” Kantor (drums) and Artur Rumiński (guitar, since 2013). Furia has several album releases under its belt, performances in Japan, Romania, UK, at OFF Festival and at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, among others; a nomination for the “Polityka” Passport and cooperation with Jan Klata and the Krakow Stary Theatre on the adaptation of Stanisław Wyspiański’s “Wesele”. An important source of inspiration for the Katowice band is the tradition, culture and art of Upper Silesia: its mythological universe, to which they willingly and often refer in their work (e.g. “Guido”, “W Śnialni”).
The Silesian Film Archive was established 25 years ago in Katowice and is run by the Silesia Film Institute. It is the first and only regional film archive on the cultural map of Poland. Located in the basement of the Kosmos Cinema in Katowice, the Film Archive is mysterious because the relatively little-known space is filled with traces of film history. There you will find stills, posters, scripts, press clippings and over 10,000 film copies. Above all, thousands of old film material (including 8 mm, 16 mm and 35 mm tapes), especially those related to the subject of Upper Silesia. The Film Archive carries out its mission by collecting, storing, restoring, digitising and making available old film materials. www.filmotekaslaska.com
FURIA at the cinema. Concert for the 25th birthday of the Silesian Film Archive
5.04.2025 | SAT | 7:00 PM | Kinoteatr Rialto | tickets: PLN 95 | SOLD OUT 6.04.2025 | SUN | 7:00 PM | Kinoteatr Rialto | tickets: PLN 95
Following ten years of silence after the release of their debut album The Embers of the Stars and the untimely death of vocalist Steven, UK-based atmospheric black metal trio AHAMKARA returns with a new lineup and new album The Harrow of the Lost, an unflinching exploration of the transformative nature of grief.
The band has shared a stream for the album track “Our Scars Shall Abide in the Thaw.” The exclusive premiere for the song comes via Decibel Magazine. Listen to “Our Scars Shall Abide in the Thaw” now at this location.
The Harrow of the Lost is due out April 25 on BindruneRecords. Pre-order the album at: shop.bindrunerecordings.com
The Harrow of the Lost track listing:
The Circle of Remembrance
Our Scars Shall Abide in the Thaw
Channelling Grief
Ordeal of Ascension
AHAMKARA: Michael Blenkarn – Vocals. Guitars, Austin Lunn – Drums Alexandra Blenkarn-Durning – Synth
An emotionally charged and fiercely personal record, The Harrow of the Lost takes the AHAMKARA sound in a more complex and tormented direction, encompassing existential rage, nihilistic despair, and all in between. Both rawer and more organic in sound, intensified by the electrifying drum work of new member Austin Lunn (Panopticon), and scaling greater peaks of Emperial ambition than ever before.
The album integrates the expansive reach of the Cascadian black metal sound with the densely detailed savagery of classic Emperor and the aching melancholy of early Anathema to produce a deeply involving journey of genre-transcending atmospheric metal.
Completed by a heartfelt and uncompromising vocal performance from founder member Michael and the nuanced, evocative synth work of Alexandra (also of labelmates Nemorous), this is a journey into the scorched earth landscapes of bereavement that no follower of the Bindrune family should miss.
Stream SCOUR’s “Coin,” featuring a guest solo by Gary Holt (Slayer, Exodus), HERE.
Gold, the long-awaited debut full-length from SCOUR, is out today on Housecore Records in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe!
SCOUR is the extreme metal collective boasting the all-star lineup of Philip H. Anselmo (Pantera, Down), Derek Engemann (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals), John Jarvis (Nest, Agoraphobic Nosebleed), Mark Kloeppel (Misery Index), and Adam Jarvis (Pig Destroyer, Misery Index, Lock Up).
Deepening the experience set forth on their previously released EP trilogy, SCOUR’s Gold pulls the listener through a blistering vortex of speed, aggression, and, above all, absolute horror. Drawing from a deep framework of literary horror masterworks, Gold guides the listener beyond the realm of death and through the metaphysical anomalies of a disheveled and decaying mind.
Metal Injection lauds, “An absolute black metal masterpiece…,” Rock Hard Germany notes, “Anselmo has a rage in his belly that you really believe,” while Antihero Magazine raves, “With Gold, SCOUR refines their sound into an absolute juggernaut of an album. It’s not just a triumph for black metal but for extreme metal as a whole, blending relentless aggression with a modern approach to songwriting and production. This album is a must-buy for fans of extreme metal.”
Stream SCOUR’s “Coin,” featuring a guest solo by Gary Holt (Slayer, Exodus), HERE.
Comments Kloeppel, “I don’t normally step aside for SCOUR solos, but, when I do, it’s for guys like Gary Holt from Slayer and Exodus. Bonded By Blood!”
Watch SCOUR’s previously released video for “Infusorium” HERE, “Blades” HERE, and a “History Of…” mini documentary HERE.
Gold is available on CD, LP, limited edition cassette (US only), and digital formats.
Order yours today at the Housecore Records webshop HERE, Bandcamp HERE, and Nuclear Blast HERE.
SCOUR will perform at this year’s edition of Milwaukee Metalfest alongside Gwar, Arch Enemy, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and more!
SCOUR Live:
5/18/2025 Milwaukee Metalfest @ The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI [info]
Forged in 2015, SCOUR quickly made their mark with the blistering debut single “Dispatched.” Their first release, The Grey EP (2016), came via Anselmo’s own Housecore Records, followed by The Red EP in 2017. In 2020, SCOUR unleashed their most aggressive effort yet, The Black EP, released under Housecore and Nuclear Blast Records and featuring guest appearances from notable figures like Erik Rutan, Pat O’Brien, and actor Jason Momoa.
SCOUR elevates their intensity with Gold, which includes a guest solo by Gary Holt (Slayer, Exodus). Recording for Gold began in February 2023 at Nodferatu’s Lair, Philip Anselmo’s personal studio and rehearsal space, which saw the band highly engaged in a concentrated effort toward a truly diabolical composition, with Anselmo leading the charge at every turn. One would often find the entire band in the control room in ecstatic debate, meticulously mulling over every blast beat and divebomb. The album was intermittently refined, and lyrical concepts finalized, over the course of 2023 as touring schedules would allow.
Anselmo began vocal recordings in the Fall of 2023 at The Lair. Backup vocal recordings were then executed by the rest of the band in arena backstage rooms over the course of Pantera’s February 2024 tour, where the full band would also thoroughly review the instrumentation mixes. Once the tracks were finalized by SCOUR and mixing engineer Dennis Israel, they were then passed to Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden for mastering by Jens Bogren.
“Weathered Axe” is the savage new single from London, England, black metal punks FINAL DOSE. The song, now streaming exclusively at Black Metal Daily, is the latest single preceding the band’s blistering new LP, “Under the Eternal Shadow“.
With an inception heading back to the year 2020, UK’s FINAL DOSE have built a reputation from its feral blend of black metal’s icy malevolence and the raw, uncompromising power of punk through the release of a demo, an EP and a full-length album in 2023.
With the experience of touring across the US and Europe granted by the excellent reception of aforementioned “Void Inside”, FINAL DOSE return with a vengeance, a bone-crushing slab of savagery and frostbitten fury entitled Under the Eternal Shadow.
Merging Black Metal and Punk is not in any way a novelty, however few acts have managed to imply the solid edge of both approaches in a such a vehemently organic fashion as the UK horde. From the very first seconds of opener “Eternal Winter”, a clear, powerful, in-your-face production compels the razor-sharp virulent riffs to gleam and cut through the ether like an electrical storm, whereas pounding fast beats function as a taser for the body, a remarkably pulsing mania which serves as a marching order for the wild raging vocals, a performance which renders gist to each word yelled in anguish.
But, beware. Under the Eternal Shadows’ ornamentation is yet provided by various elements such as Dungeon Synth and Folk, details that supply the record with more than a Black Metal/Punk substance. The brilliant slower moments offer an extra dose of bleakness and despair to the filthy fury, together with the lugubrious clean chords, filled with disheartening melody. These traits blazingly give shape to the lyrical concept of the album, the pain and gloom of mental decline, the misery of the societal ravishingly decay. This layer of mournfulness genuinely confers momentum to FINAL DOSE’s art, a sense of impending doom which sticks to the brain and captures the heart, making Under the Eternal Shadow much more than a musical record, but a tome of inspiration through the ashes of the world’s turmoil and dismay.
Wolves of Hades is proud to be releasing on April 11th these hymns of total blackened debauchery on LP / CD / MC and Digitally.
Track-list:
1. Eternal Winter 2. Weathered Axe 3. Rite of Spring 4. Servant 5. Dark Paradise 6. Wretched 7. Funeral March 8. Locked in the Black Dungeon 9. Revenge 10. Drag the Light Down
Credits:
Music written by Final Dose. Recorded and Mixed by Stanley Gravett at Holy Mountain Studios. Mastered by Bread Boatright at Audiosiege. Artwork by B. Fusco.
A day before official release, Norwegian black metal stalwarts SARKOM present the full album stream of their forthcoming record,Exceed In2 Chaos. Stream the album HERE.
Exceed In2 Chaos is due out on February 21st 2025 via Dusktone.
A furious masterpiece, Exceed In2 Chaos stands as a seamless follow-up to their 2016 release, Anti-Cosmic Art. While many bands adhere strictly to their roots and traditions, SARKOM boldly pushes boundaries, thriving on innovation. The result? A truly unique and intricate album from start to finish.
Photo by Ksenia Astera Hinderson
Building on their legacy, Exceed In2 Chaos masterfully blends the glorious traditions of Norwegian black metal with bold new elements. The album explores dissonances, piercing grooves, varied rhythmic structures, and unexpected twists, delivering a rich and dynamic tracklist. Always forward-thinking, SARKOM redefines their sound with this release, proving that their innovative spirit remains as fierce as ever. Each track reflects the band’s commitment to artistic growth, ensuring a listening experience that is both intense and refreshing. Prepare for chaos… Prepare for SARKOM!
Photo by Ksenia Astera Hinderson
Tracklist:
1. Exceed In2 Chaos 2. Enter As Fool, Exit As Beast 3. Prime Time Suicide 4. Spectral Prophet In A Demonized Dream 5. Be[lie]ve 6. Bottomfeeders 7. Chasing Ghosts 8. Commit To Total Genocide (LP exclusive) 9. Nemesis
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Cascadian black metal rejuvenators RETURNING have joined Bindrune Recordings with their breathtaking new album, Numinous. More info to follow soon….
A statement from the band:
“We are elated to announce our signing with Bindrune Recordings for the vinyl release of this album, as well as a vinyl release of Severance. Release dates will be announced in the coming months. Bindrune has been consistently releasing compelling earthen metal and folk music for over two decades, and we are honored to be now included in this catalogue.”
Full Moon Haiku tour to visit Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands
Tour follows the release of new Ante-Inferno album Death’s Soliloquy
Album release show this Saturday in Manchester
In support of their latest album Death’s Soliloquy, UK black metal band Ante-Inferno will return to central Europe this December on a 10-date tour which will see them perform to audiences across five countries.
Fresh off the release of their critically acclaimed album, Ante-Inferno will descend upon Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and the Netherlands, spreading their sonic darkness across the continent. Joining them on most dates is the German act Imha Tarikat, while select appearances will feature support from Ultima Necat.
The tour kicks off with a special UK album release show in Manchester on November 30th alongside Hulder. The Central European leg officially commences on 4th December in Munich, Germany, and continues through European cities until its conclusion on December 14th at Eindhoven Metal Meeting in the Netherlands.
ANTE-INFERNO FULL MOON HAIKU TOUR 2024 In Conspiracy with Imha Tarikat (*) & Ultima Necat (**)
Nov 30 – Manchester, UK (w/ Hulder) ** Dec 4 – Munich, Germany ** Dec 5 – Nuremberg, Germany ** Dec 6 – De Mortem Et Diabolum; Berlin, Germany * Dec 7 – Wintermelodei; Münster, Germany * Dec 8 – Erfurt, Germany * Dec 9 – Prague, Czech Republic – * ** Dec 10 – Vienna, Austria * Dec 11 – Wrocław, Poland * Dec 12 – Chemnitz, Germany * ** Dec 13 – Göttingen, Germany * Dec 14 – Eindhoven, Netherlands *
With Death’s Soliloquy, Ante-Inferno have delivered a malevolent hammer strike to the face of all who thought they would continue to mellow after the success of the atmospheric and otherworldly “Antediluvian Dreamscapes”. The album’s nightmarish cover art (from the masterful mind of Khaos Diktator Design), perfectly sums up the album’s sonic approach.
An ode to madness, mental illness, death obsession and unfettered suicidal despair, Death’s Soliloquy harnesses the bestial might of traditional black metal and intricately weaves it with the haunting majesty of the atmospheric sound the band is known for, and in doing so takes the listener on an anguished, hysterical descent into the blackened emptiness of the grave.
Death’s Soliloquy is available to order in physical formats from the band’s Bandcamp and Vendetta Records.
Onism Productions, Matriarch Records and Forbidden Keep Records have also prepared three special edition cassette versions of Death’s Soliloquy, which is available to order and will start shipping this week.
“Aderlater”, first single off upcoming album, streaming now
Rome, Italy; 16 October 2024: Dutch blackgaze band Noctambulist have signed to These Hands Melt for the release of their second full-length album. To get a first taste of the upcoming album, the band released the first single entitled “Aderlater”.
“We wrote the track Aderlater with the full band after J.D. and Stef came up with some chords that went nowhere,” said the band. “We were all listening to a lot of post-punk and new wave and most of us attended concerts by The Cure around the time.”
“If I recall correctly Mitch came up with the intro drum pattern and we changed the 6/8 we had to a 4/4 beat and wrote basically the entire song on the spot. The lead in the chorus came from Tristan from another old composition we never finished. It all fell into place, so to speak.”
“Lyrically the song deals with laying bare uncomfortable and personal feelings for the sake of music. It is, in a way, an ode to insecurity.”
“Aderlater” single artwork by Sandro Dal-Magro
Noctambulist are an atmospheric post-black metal outfit from Tilburg, the Netherlands. Formed in 2015 between housemates J.D. Kaye, Sam C.A. and Mitchell Scheerder, they set out to create a hard-hitting, melancholic style of black metal that draws inspiration from other genres such as post-rock, shoegaze, new wave and post-punk.
Noctambulist stand for contrasts. Serotonin summits and strung-out canyons. The empty and the grandiose. The beautiful and the appalling.
After defining their sound and completing the lineup with guitarists Tristan Tabbers and Stef Heesakkers they released their full-length debut Noctambulist I: Elegieën via Northern Silence Productions. Their second album will be released through These Hands Melt, with more information to be unveiled soon.
Pagan Records and Monomaniax will release the English-language edition of “From Hades to Valhalla… BATHORY – The Epic Story”, the unofficial but definitive biography of one of the most influential metal bands of all time. Written by renowned metal journalist José Luis Cano Barron, this comprehensive tome delves into the band’s illustrious career, offering an uncensored and carefully researched account of its groundbreaking music and enduring legacy.
“From Hades to Valhalla… BATHORY – The Epic Story” will be available from 29 May 2024, and can be pre-ordered via Pagan Records here: https://tinyurl.com/24puj3ft
Originally published in Spanish, “From Hades to Valhalla… BATHORY – The Epic Story” has been translated into English, making this essential work accessible to a wider audience. With 156 vibrant pages packed with rare photographs, illustrations, and reproductions, the book chronicles Bathory’s journey from their early black metal roots to their Viking metal mastery, painting a vivid portrait of a band that defied categorisation and shaped the very sound of black and extreme metal.
“From Hades to Valhalla… BATHORY – The Epic Story” goes beyond mere biography, offering a deep analysis of Bathory’s music and its impact on the metal scene. Cano Barron draws upon his extensive knowledge and insider access to provide insights into the creative genius of Bathory’s enigmatic leader, Quorthon.
“From Hades to Valhalla… BATHORY – The Epic Story” is an essential addition to the library of any metal fan. With its captivating narrative, wealth of historical detail, and stunning visuals, this book offers a unique and immersive exploration of one of metal’s most revered bands.
Book Details:
Title: From Hades to Valhalla… BATHORY – The Epic Story
Cosmic black metal duo LIGHTLORN has posted the official lyric video for “Of Longing Spirit and Infinite Solitude.” The song marks the newest single off their upcoming full-length debut, “At One with the Night Sky.”
Black Lion Records will release “At One with the Night Sky” on October 27. Pre-order or pre-save the album at: snd.click/Lightlorn_ATOWTNS
Brimming with dark, melancholy passages and wistful bridges interspersed with soaring crescendos and uplifting melodies, At One with the Night Sky is a post-black metal tour de force. From the opener “Amongst Stellar Remnants” to the closing track “Earthbound,” the album takes the listener on a sublime journey through the inner depths of the human psyche to the outer reaches of the cosmos.
If you enjoy contrasting song structures and the interplay between light and dark, between stirring and gloomy, and between serene and aggressive, then “At One with the Night Sky” is an album you need to hear.
TrackList: 1) Amongst Stellar Remnants 2) A Tragedy in Starlight 3) Dimensionless Blackness 4) Ghostly Soliloquies 5) Of Longing Spirit and Infinite Solitude 6) Spiral Arms Like Swirling Rivers 7) Earthbound
LIGHTLORN is: Renwar – All instruments and vocals Riaan – Drums and programming
Baltimore, Maryland black metal quintet NIXIL has shared a guitar playthrough for “Collapsing The Poles,” taken from the band’s second full-length, From The Wound Spilled Forth Fire, recently released via Prosthetic Records. The playthrough comes in conjunction with NIXIL’s US tour set to begin tonight, September 29th, in Youngstown, Ohio and run through October 6th in New York City.
Speaking on the guitar playthrough, Shane Gardner comments, “My number one ‘BuZzy’ is a partscaster — a fender body and neck — that I purchased for $200 and added a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail Humbucker and a killswitch, no toggle. For the playthrough I overdubbed my track using an SM57 through a Marshall CODE 50 Practice amp into Adobe Audition.
“I use the inverted triad on a lot of our songs. ‘Collapsing…’ has them throughout the verse sections. I think they add texture to a simple chord structure, and it adds a hypnotic effect with the addition of Alden’s guitar note bend. It’s all in the hands I guess.”
Of their upcoming tour, the band adds, “We leave this Friday, September 29th, for eight dates in the Northeastern US to celebrate the release of From The Wound Spilled Forth Fire. This album — like all of our music — is best experienced live and loud; bring your rage, your aching heart, your unquenchable thirst for catharsis, and join us.”
Watch NIXIL’s guitar playthrough for “Collapsing The Poles” at THIS LOCATION.
Watch NIXIL’s previously released video for “Abyss Unto Abyss” HERE, “In Thrall” HERE, and “Collapsing The Poles” HERE.
From The Wound Spilled Forth Fire is available CD, LP, and digitally. For orders, visit THIS LOCATION.
NIXIL Live: 9/29/2023 Westside Bowl – Youngstown, OH 9/30/2023 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA 10/1/2023 Ralph’s Rock Diner – Worcester, MA 10/2/2023 Cherry Street Station – Wallingford, CT 10/3/2023 Windsor Exchange – Windsor, VT 10/4/2023 Geno’s Rock Club – Portland, ME 10/5/2023 Dusk – Providence, RI 10/6/2023 El Bunker del Diablo – New York, NY
After solidifying their lineup in its current form, with the arrival of guitarist/backing vocalist Alden, NIXIL opted to record From The Wound Spilled Forth Fire live at Magpie Cage Recording Studio with J. Robbins. The resulting six songs seethe with a frenzied despair, whilst more ominous passages breathe with a disquieting existential terror in every percussive and rhythmically meditative trance, exactly as the band intended to capture before handing mastering duties to James Plotkin.
Finnish black metal band Verilehto is set to release their debut album “KuolemanSiipienHavina” on November 10th 2023 via InverseRecords. The first and only single “Alla Tähtitaivaan” is released today along with music video which can be seen via this link: https://youtu.be/2DVNa_qT454
The band comments: “Picking up the single from the record was both hard and easy, every song is strong at its own, but Alla Tähtitaivaan ended up being most versatile to show what to expect from the record. The lyrical content is about old tales / folklore of northern lights, how fallen warriors’ spirits lived in those lights – trying to lure people to join them.”
Line-up: Janne Tuikkala – Guitar, Bass, Drums, songwriting Janne Partanen – Vocals, lyrics
Verilehto – Alla Tähtitaivaan (single 2023) Single cover by Verilehto Music by Janne Tuikkala Lyrics by Janne Partanen
BIOGRAPHY: Verilehto was formed in 2017 by Janne Tuikkala (Dawn of Everwinter, Muria, Alpha Noir, ex-Warceremony and ex-Strange Aeon) with ambition to write and record atmospheric, melodic, yet heavy black metal sung in Finnish. After showing few song ideas to Janne Partanen (Hautajaisyö, Alfa Pentatonik, Marraskuun Lapset, Paavalin Harhat and many others), they agreed to do a record together.
Few song ideas (oldest ones from 2001) led to first full album “Kuoleman Siipien Havina”.
The debut album consist from seven songs (intro + six songs), which are quite versatile compared to each other, yet still having a same mood to them. Melodic black metal layered with acoustic guitars and even additional drone synths.
All the music was recorded by Janne Tuikkala at his j.sound home studio during 10/2022 – 5/2023 and Janne Partanen recorded his vocals at Hautajaisyö headquarters during spring of 2023. Once vocals were finished Tuikkala mixed and mastered the record at j.sound.
Verilehto – Kuoleman Siipien Havina (album 2023) Album cover by Awinita Alm
Features brand new interviews with Necromantia, Arcturus, Immortal, Agalloch, Destruction, Mystifier, and Winterfylleth plus extended interviews with Rotting Christ, Behemoth, Sigh, Mayhem and many more
The Restored, Expanded & Definitive Edition” to consist of 130,000 words of new content, 25 new chapters with over 70 new interviews and improved cover art and design
The book release marks 10 years of Cult Never Dies
UK-based publishing house Cult Never Dies will mark its 10th anniversary this November with the release of Dayal Patterson’s “Black Metal:Evolution of the Cult – The Restored, Expanded &Definitive Edition”. Pre-orders are available now via Cult Never Dies (UK & ROW store / EU store). North American orders can be placed via Decibel Books.
With the original version of the book no longer available in print, Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult is hailed as the most acclaimed book on the history of black metal, and the only one endorsed by those involved in creating the genre.
The book will be approximately 340,000 words long, including 130,000 words of new content, 25 new chapters and 48 extended and updated chapters. This will include over 150 exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the genre, including: Venom, Mercyful Fate, Bathory, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Blasphemy, Darkthrone, Behemoth, Rotting Christ, Mayhem and many more. The author also included over 70 brand new or previously unpublished interviews with the likes of Necromantia, Arcturus, Immortal, Agalloch, Destruction, Mystifier, and Winterfylleth.
Evolution of the Cult will also have hugely improved cover art and layout by longtime Cult Never Dies artist David Thiérrée (Behemoth, Gorgoroth, Mortiis), and will include almost 600 photos, many previously unseen, including an 80-page colour/gloss section.
Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir commended the book: “You don’t have to read between the lines anymore ‘cause it’s all there, straight from the source,” while Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ called it “a valuable educational piece of dark writing.”
Vorph of Samael added: “This is a very insightful work: Without doubt the ultimate book on the subject, a testimony of black metal and a good introduction for neophytes.”
Hvall of Windir and Vreid said: “A brilliantly written book – mandatory if you have any interest in the genre, or want to explore a new world.”
Photo credit: Ester Segarra
Dayal Patterson, book author, Cult Never Dies owner and longtime music journalist, said: “I cannot express how good it feels now that Cult Never Dies finally owns the rights to this book and are able to release it – along with Decibel in the US – in this massively improved form. The limitations placed on the original in terms of word count meant that so many chapters and parts I originally envisioned simply couldn’t be included or were not even worth completing due to a lack of space. What turned into a fairly straightforward restoration job led to about a year of 14-hour days, not only overhauling the existing chapters and layout (something we had always been unhappy with) of the book, but doing a huge number of new interviews and working with a wealth of new bands and artists. Finally, there are proper chapters celebrating bands such as Vinterland, Satyricon, Immortal, Arcturus, Mystifier and Profanatica, as well as greater explorations of black metal in Brazil, the US, the UK, Sweden, Greece, and, of course, Norway.”
For a full list of the 150 interviewees, visit Cult Never Dies.
Atmospheric post-black metal band EAVE presents their third full-length album, Fervor. Complex and powerful, Fervor offers seven new songs that show a more aggressive march across the bleak, depressive soundscape the band created on 2020’s Phantoms Made Permanent.
Tracklist: 1) Past Pulses 2) Chance is a Spectre 3) Mirroring 4) Stale Ash 5) Bending the Light 6) Shards 7) Into Perdition
A lot has happened since the release of EAVE’s Phantoms Made Permanent via Bindrune Recordings. The world has seemingly flipped upside down and in the case of this forward-thinking quartet, change isn’t always a bad thing.
After a band migration back to their home state of Connecticut and a period of tireless effort, EAVE emerges with a formidable selection of songs that see the band demonstrating a fiery new approach to their unique brand of atmospheric metal. Bristling with energy and venom amidst passages of ethereal and shadowed melodies, the duly titled Fervor exhibits an air of urgency, disillusionment, and resiliency. Heavily incorporating elements from a myriad of musical genres and applying a broad tone of experimentalism to their soaring style of New England black metal, Fervor marks a new period of focus for the band, as they press upon new territory that feels wholly their own.
Recorded by the band in Connecticut, and re-amped, mixed, and mastered by Colin Marston in Queens, New York, Fervor sheds stunning light on the beauty and darkness that forever exists in mankind and its relationship to the natural world.
EAVE is: Brian Tenison – Bass, Vocals Caleb Porter – Drums Ian Stoller – Guitars Gabriel Shara – Guitars, Vocals
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
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