“A Beast To Praise” contains DARK FUNERAL’s annihilating live-set for their latest studio album release We Are The Apocalypse and will be available in the USA as a Jewelcase CD, gatefold 2LP on 140g vinyl and as a digital album.
Track-list:
1. Unchain My Soul 2. The Arrival Of Satan’s Empire 3. My Funeral 4. Leviathan 5. We Are The Apocalypse 6. Open The Gates 7. When I’m Gone 8. Goddess Of Sodomy 9. Vobiscum Satanas 10. Nail Them To The Cross 11. Let The Devil In 12. The Secrets Of The Black Arts 13. Where Shadows Forever Reign
Japanese metal pioneers Sigh are back today with news of their new album ‘Goh-ka’; a new highlight of atmosphere, technical mastery, and meticulously arranged epics of metallic grandeur. Main-man Mirai Kawashima notes this as being as equally personal an album as ‘Shiki’, both musically and lyrically.
From a musical perspective, if you were to place the main ingredients of Celtic Frost, Voivod, Black Sabbath, horror movies and Japan into a cauldron and stir it, you will get ‘Goh-ka’. Numerous additional spices such as psychedelic rock, prog rock and classical music are also evident over the album’s close to one-hour duration.
The album title ‘Goh-ka’ has a triple meaning, being: 業火 infernal fire scorching sinners, 劫火 a huge fire that burns down the world at the end of time, and 業果 karma. The primary theme permeating the album is Kuso-zu; a series of Buddhist paintings or illustrations depicting the nine stages of a human body’s decomposition after death, created to encourage meditation on the impermanence of life, the inevitability of death, and the detachment from physical beauty and worldly attachment.
It openly shows the harsh reality that no matter how beautiful you are, you’ll be dead and rot sooner or later. And Kuso-shi is a poem based on these paintings. The artworks on the cover and in the booklet of ‘Goh-ka’ are therefore Kuso-zu themselves.
Joining Mirai Kawashima and Dr Mikannibal along with guitarist Nozomu Wakai, are Frédéric Leclercq (Kreator) on bass, plus renowned US drummer Mike Heller.
Among the additional contributors to the album, Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth notably delivers a special guest guitar solo on the track, ‘Unputenpu’.
‘Goh-ka’ was recorded across multiple studios, and once again mixed and mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD studios in Germany.
PRE-ORDERS OF THE ALBUM FROM THE PEACEVILLE STORE AND BAND STORE WILL COME WITH THE FREE ‘LEGACY OF HORRORS’ 10-TRACK SIGH SAMPLER.
Japanese metal pioneers Sigh formed in 1989/1990. Their genre-classic Black Metal debut ‘Scorn Defeat’ arrived in 1993, and with a subsequent journey through the strange and the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & ideas throughout their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots, as witnessed on the 2022 album (and first for Peaceville Records), ‘Shiki’.
This was followed by the remaking of their ‘Hangman’s Hymn’ album as part of the band’s 35th anniversary celebrations, in the shape of ‘I Saw the World’s End: Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV’ (2025).
SIGH TOUR DATES:
EUROPE OLD-SCHOOL SET (AS A TRIO) 07/09 DE Torgau In Flammen Open Air (Scorn Defeat Set) 07/10 DK Fredericia Metal Magic (Special Old School Set) 07/11 UK London Downstairs at the Dome (Special Old School Set)
US 07/26 Fire In The Mountains 07/28 Seattle WA El Corazon 07/29 Portland OR Star Theater 07/30 Sacramento CA Cafe Colonial 07/31 Berkeley CA Cornerstone 08/01 Los Angeles CA 1720
EUROPE 09/03 PL Aleksandrow Lodzki Summer Dying Loud 09/04 PL Cracow Zaścianek 09/05 CZ Ostrava Metal III 09/07 DE Munich Hansa 39 @ Feierwerk 09/08 DE Leipzig Moritzbastei 09/09 DE Berlin Badehaus 09/10 DK Copenhagen Beta @ Amager Bio 09/11 DE Hamburg Betty 09/12 DE Oberhausen Death & Damnation Fest 09/13 NL Leeuwarden Neushoorn 09/14 NL Utrecht DB’s 09/15 FR Paris Backstage By The Mill
FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2027 29-30 May 2027 Scarborough Spa North Yorkshire, UK
New additions include worldwide live debut from Gris, worldwide exclusives from Gràb and Dungeontroll, full “Confusion Gate” album set from Yellow Eyes, UK exclusives from Slagmaur and Havukruunu, and a special UK exclusive set from Forteresse
Miserere Luminis, Tardigrada, Mourir, Trha and Sinmara also added to the line-up
Scarborough, UK; 3 July 2026: Following the monumental reveal of Emperor as the first 2027 headliner, Fortress Festival has unleashed a first wave of band confirmations. Set to take place at the iconic Scarborough Spa in North Yorkshire, UK and true to the event’s growing reputation, this latest announcement is packed with worldwide live debuts and exclusives, UK debuts and exclusives, as well as special sets.
Canadian atmospheric black metal project Gris will make their worldwide live debut at Fortress Festival in 2027. The band has been an elusive studio entity for years, making this an unprecedented event for their followers:
“We have been hesitant for years to bring the music of Gris to the stage,” Gris said. “The idea has been undulating in our minds for more than a decade now, swaying from doubt to possibility, and to doubt again. We knew that it would require us to adapt the music we’ve done with great respect and care, and it seemed daunting at times. But seeing the dedication of Fortress Festival to make their event unique and of high quality, it felt like a perfect context for us to embrace the challenge of making Gris alive for the first time.”
Joining them is Bavarian black metal outfit Gràb, performing a 2027 worldwide exclusive show. “Last year I announced to step back from doing music due to health issues,” said Grànt. “However, things changed for the better. Like it or not, I decided to return. For years, Gary of Fortress Festival showed heavy interest in booking GRÀB. We, as a band, decided that the fantastic venue of Fortress is the right place to do a 2027 exclusive GRÀB concert. This marks our first concert outside Germany and Austria. We will bring Bavarian Black Metal to UK soil for the first time ever. Be there!“
Yellow Eyes will perform their acclaimed album “Confusion Gate” in full for a UK exclusive. The band shared their excitement, stating, “Eight years after our last UK performance, Yellow Eyes will finally return to England. We’re honoured to make our exclusive UK appearance of 2027 at the legendary Fortress Festival. It is rare that we make it to England, and we don’t know when we’ll be back again. If you’ve ever wanted to see us in the UK, we hope you’ll join us in Scarborough. This will be something special.”
Quebecois black metal pioneers Forteresse will return to Fortress Festival in 2027 and deliver a special UK exclusive set. Promising an unforgettable performance, the band declared, “The ghosts of epic death and rebellion are returning to England once again to storm the shores of Scarborough. This time, a special set will be curated especially for this event that shall remain secret until the time draws near.”
Fantasy synth artist Dungeontroll will deliver a worldwide exclusive set created purely for Fortress. “Join Dungeontroll for a one-of-a-kind ritual at Fortress Festival MMXXVII,” said Dungeontroll. “Tales of adventure and woe will be woven, calling forth the ancient spirits of the woods. These songs will be written and performed exclusively for Fortress; there are no plans to record or perform them again after this night.”
The barrage of UK debuts and exclusives is made even more powerful by the melancholic brilliance of Miserere Luminis, the crushing sound of Switzerland’s Tardigrada, and the chaotic intensity of France’s Mourir, all performing in the UK for the very first time. Another awaited UK debut comes in the form of the mysterious Trha.
Rounding out this monumental announcement are UK exclusive performances by the Norwegian avant-garde horror show Slagmaur, Finnish pagan black metal masters Havukruunu, and the dissonant Icelandic force of Sinmara.
Following their recent signing to Terminus Hate City, THE NOCTAMBULANT reveal the next few pages of this Southern Gothic chapter. Steeped in the traditions of Blues, Rockabilly, Goth rock and American Country, THE NOCTAMBULANT embrace this aesthetic and sonic niche while maintaining their signature black metal sound.
THE NOCTAMBULANT will release their forthcoming full length album Revivalon September 18, via Terminus Hate City.
On the new single “Skeleton Key” THE NOCTAMBULANT share: “this track captures the desire to achieve salvation and transcendence by any means necessary. It tells the story of using one body to reach immortality in another. The weakness of the flesh must be overcome in the pursuit of something greater.”
“Skeleton Key” unleashes a dire savagery through a blackened haze. Its foreboding onslaught marches steadily onward as weighted rhythmic strikes soon erupt into a fury of high-speed intensity. As the darkness consumes, the inevitable end is inescapable.
Revival – Track Listing:
1. Repent and Be Saved 2. Bring the Sorrow 3. Apokalypsis 4. Dark Dawn 5. Macabre 6. Interlude 7. Skeleton Key 8. Killing Tree 9. Hell Ride 10. San Martino 11. Red Right Hand
Recorded at Tri-Rush Studios, Revivalwas engineered and produced by E. Helvete and D. Franseth. The album was mixed and mastered by Daniel Thabet at Liquid Studios, with the cover art designed by Dream Creatures.
THE NOCTAMBULANT:
E. Helvete – Guitars/Vocals D. Franseth – Drums Lars G – Bass Rev. Beaumont – Lead Guitar
New album “Desolate Echoes of Turmoil” to be released via These Hands Melt
Kråkstad, Norway & Rome, Italy; 22 June 2026: Norwegian symphonic black metal group Profane Burial has unveiled a new single, “Triumph Of Dreadful Aftermath,” as an introduction to the upcoming full-length, Desolate Echoes of Turmoil, to be released later this year via These Hands Melt.
According to the band, “Triumph Of Dreadful Aftermath” tells the tale of how chronic insomnia and spontaneous panic tear apart the fabric of normality, dragging the human psyche into a nightmare dimension of disintegration and fear. With its ferocious style of expression, “Triumph Of Dreadful Aftermath” sets a whole new tone of aggressiveness for Profane Burial, with music that is dark and orchestral in its intensity.
Their upcoming album “Desolate Echoes of Turmoil” is considered the most elaborate and dynamic album produced by the band yet. While the new material deliberately maintains the core foundation of their established style, relying heavily on grandiose arrangements, bleak atmospheric textures, and sharp black metal execution, it also moves significantly further into progressive territory. Complex arrangements, changing structure, and unexpected timing make the band move into the modern, very emotional sphere without losing its characteristic dark and cinematic sound.
Track-list:
Den Fortaptes Krønike
Prognostic Augural Obsolescence
Triumph of Dreadful Aftermath
Channeling Epiphany
Horror Code pt. 2
Malicious Discomfort
To bring this specific vision to life, the band worked with notable names in the studio. The entire album was mixed and mastered by Børge Finstad at Toproom Studio, whereas the drum tracks were recorded independently at StrandStudio. Visually, the release is tied together by a striking, Rorschach-inspired cover artwork painted by Ella Kunst, a piece designed to mirror the existential and psychological tension found throughout the music.
Profane Burial originally formed in 2013, starting out as an ambitious studio project between Kjetil Ytterhus, known for his work with Haimad, Khôra, and Babels Tårn, and André Aaslie, who has performed with Funeral, Images At Twilight, Omnia Moritur, and Vitam Aeternam.
The project quickly grew into a proper live group, bringing in a highly capable lineup of musicians associated with prominent acts like Borknagar, Trollfest and Cadaver. After building early momentum with their 2018 debut album, The Rosewater Park Legend, the band switched into a trio format after 2020. This transition put Aaslie on guitar duties and positioned Ytterhus as the main vocalist, a creative shift that resulted in their 2024 album, My Plateau.
The album will be available across several formats via These Hands Melt. The release options include a standard digital album, a CD Digipack strictly limited to 200 copies, and a classic vinyl LP pressed in two separate color variants.
Québec City-based Bulgarian folk and black metal band TSAR STANGRA will release their new full-length album, Химните на разрушените светове (Hymns of the Broken Worlds), on July 1, 2026 via GLOBMETAL PROMOTIONS.
Created over the course of nearly a decade, Химните на разрушените светове is the band’s most ambitious work to date. The album explores Bulgarian history, folklore, pagan ritual, exile, language, and cultural memory through a collision of black metal aggression, Balkan melody, ceremonial atmosphere, tambura, orchestration, and lyrics written in Bulgarian.
Founded by vocalist Stanislav Stefanovski, TSAR STANGRA was built around the mission of preserving Bulgarian heritage through extreme metal. On Химните на разрушените светове, that mission expands into a larger meditation on identity, displacement, and the meeting of worlds.
Written largely in Québec by musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds, the record carries a natural tension between Bulgarian folk tradition and Western black metal, between pagan symbolism and literary sources shaped by Christian Bulgarian poets, between ancestral memory and life far from the homeland.
The album opens with “Тракийци – Черни химни за изгубените” (“Thracians – Black Hymns for the Lost Ones”), an epic invocation of Thracian memory and Bulgarian ancestry. “Хан Аспарух” (“Khan Asparuh”) follows with a martial black metal tribute to the founder of the First Bulgarian Empire, while “Черна песен” (“Black Song”) turns inward through the poetry of Dimcho Debelyanov.
The record later moves through the exile and longing of “Тъга за Юг” (“Longing for the South”), the Kukeri ritual force of “Земни стражи” (“Guardians of the Earth”), and the uncompromising pagan invocation of “Завръщането на родния бог” (“The Return of the Native God”), before closing with “Българският език” (“Bulgarian Language”), a tribute to the survival of Bulgarian language and identity.
The artwork, created by Paolo Girardi, reflects the album’s central theme of cultural collision. Kukeri, ancient masked figures from Bulgarian pagan tradition, stand before the burning Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, one of Québec’s most recognizable Christian landmarks. The image captures the album’s vision of old ritual, new geography, ancestral memory and transformation.
Химните на разрушените светове follows TSAR STANGRA’s debut full-length Небесният ковач(Celestial Forger), the 2023 single “Черна песен” (“Black Song”), and the 2024 live album Битката за Фиорда – На живо в Сагене (The Battle of the Fjord – Live in Saguenay).
Track-list:
“Тракийци – Черни химни за изгубените” (“Thracians – Black Hymns for the Lost Ones”) – 6:45
“Хан Аспарух” (“Khan Asparuh”) – 6:35
“Черна песен” (“Black Song”) – 4:41
“Последният поход” (“The Final March”) – 3:03
“Тъга за Юг” (“Longing for the South”) – 4:49
“Земни стражи” (“Guardians of the Earth”) – 6:42
“Завръщането на родния бог” (“The Return of the Native God”) – 3:11
“Българският език” (“Bulgarian Language”) – 5:43
For fans of ROTTING CHRIST, NEGURA BUNGET, DRUDKH, MELECHESH, BATHORY, and IMMORTAL, the new album offers a deeply cultural and ritualistic take on pagan black metal.
Blackened death machine COMPLEXANT has arrived. These Australian extremists are poised to unleash their first-ever full-length album, Apex.
The album boasts 10 tracks of brilliantly violent riffing fueled by percussive intensity and unearthly vocals. Following a collection of critically-acclaimed singles and 2023’s A Rite of Passage EP, COMPLEXANT is set to cement their status in the global metal community with Apex.
The band has launched the video for the album’s first single, “No Angels Weep.”
“A tale of vengeance, revenge and killing the false friends who scheme against you, when paranoia turns into reality,” says vocalist Dan Greigsy about the song. “Murdered one by one with an old gardening tool, then buried in the backyard. You have freed yourself from your living burden, but you are now haunted by a rotting garden sprouting from your sins”
Vocals on Apex were tracked by Joey Marsh at Beyond the Marsh Studios, with guitars and bass tracked by Shannon Zivkovic. The album was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy, Suffocation, Shadow of Intent, Ingested). Cover art created by Matt Priso.
Line-up:
Shannon Zivkovic – Guitar Gavin Bradley – Guitar Dan Greigsy – Vocals Chris Tuckley – Bass Seb Su – Drums
BIO: COMPLEXANT bring together members from across Australia to deliver a vicious blend of Death Metal and Black Metal.
Drawing influence from bands such as Behemoth, Suffocation, Emperor and Nile, they have been touring nationally since 2022 while steadily building their catalogue with a string of singles and an EP. Since the bands inception they have shared the stage with international titans Cryptopsy, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Signs Of The Swarm, Within Destruction, and Disentomb.
Dark black metal project HULDER has released “View From Nemeton,” the lead single and accompanying music video from their forthcoming album Verbolgen, due August 7th, via 20 Buck Spin (North America) and Season of Mist (World ex-North America). The single opens the album’s campaign and marks the first visual statement from what stands as the project’s most fully realized work to date.
“Captured on analog mediums in the forests of the Pacific Northwestern landscape and woven together by Liana Rakijian and Hulder, ‘View From Nemeton’ serves as a glimpse from the eye of the otherworld,” the band states.
“View From Nemeton” moves through the ceremonial and the spectral, its lyrics evoking a sacred site in the realm of the otherworld where the living and the dead converge: “In realm of the otherworld where undead and living shall meet / View from Nemeton as veil of soma is thinned.” The track builds on a foundation of layered riffing and atmospheric density, anchored by the recurring incantation “Bone to Bone / Limb to Limb / Blood to Blood,” before opening into sequences of hurdy-gurdy and keys that widen the piece’s ceremonial register.
Emerging from the Pacific Northwest, HULDER built a devoted following across a series of releases marked by their commitment to ancient craft, uncompromising production, and a sound rooted in the Northern European black metal tradition.
Verbolgen sees the project expand its instrumental palette: drawing in hurdy-gurdy from KELD (Majesties, Obsequiae, Celestiial) and split drum contributions from VAPULA and VROLOK (Aeternus, Gorgoroth), while sharpening the dual creative core that has defined its most compelling work.
Verbolgen Track-list:
Drie Raven (Intro) (2:18)
The Crowning (6:28)
Thy Binding Oath (5:38)
Verbolgen (4:01)
…And We Shall Sing (6:01)
In Blood and In Earth (7:09)
Den Nacht Zijn Lied (6:45)
View From Nemeton (5:23)
The Glow of Dawn (4:48)
Full runtime: 48:33
In support of the forthcoming release, HULDER will embark on a North American tour in August with DIMMU BORGIR, HYPOCRISY and SUFFOCATION. Tickets are available at: https://hulder-official.com/pages/shows.
HULDER North American Tour Dates:
Aug 7 – New York, NY @ Palladium Times Square Aug 8 – Worcester, PA @ The Palladium Aug 10 – Toronto, ON @ History Aug 11 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS Aug 13 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater Aug 14 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre Aug 15 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Aug 18 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom Aug 21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Aug 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
Echa Krwi available to pre-order via Pagan Records
Polish black metallers Azels Mountain have released a new video, created by Zaćma Visual Studio, ahead of the release of their third full-length album, Echa Krwi, scheduled to arrive on 26th June via Pagan Records.
On this new album, Azels Mountain continues its descent into darker and more reflective territories, channelling themes of memory, blood, sacrifice and transcendence through a colder, more expansive musical expression shaped by both mystic reflection and the lingering shadows of more recent historical experience.
Compared to previous releases, Echa Krwi is a more mature and culturally rooted vision. Beyond the foundations of underground black metal, the album draws inspiration from classical Polish music, literature and the spiritual atmosphere woven through the nation’s artistic heritage.
Echoes of melancholy, longing, pride, and existential struggle permeate the compositions, giving the record a distinctly Polish character. The result is an album that channels the spirit of forgotten landscapes, ancestral memory, and the restless soul embedded within Polish culture itself, transforming Echa Krwi into something both deeply personal and timeless.
Sirkis completed the artwork for the new album, while Zaćma Visual Studio handled photography. Renowned designer Christophe Szpajdel crafted the band’s refreshed logo. On the production front, the material was recorded at M23 Studio, with mixing and mastering duties executed by Satanic Audio.
Track-list: 1. Intro 2. Wschód 3. Bezdroża Jałowe 4. Ku Szczytom i Cieniom 5. Pieśń Wrony 6. Pomrok Czasów 7. Rytuał Zapomniany 8. Sen o Polach Bezkresnych 9. Nikt Nie Woła 10. Pustka
Formed in 2013, Azels Mountain emerged from the shadows of the Polish underground with a vision rooted in spiritual symbolism and the raw essence of black metal. Drawing inspiration from Slavic heritage, mysticism, death, and anti-religious contemplation, the band crafts music steeped in cold atmosphere, hypnotic melodies, and fierce aggression.
Their sound balances the spirit of classic black metal with hypnotic, ritualistic compositions and mystic atmosphere. Across releases such as Góra milczenia (2016) and Wieczny sen (2019), Azels Mountain established a distinct identity built on melancholic depth, grim intensity and uncompromising style.
Azels Mountain will perform at Gothoom Festival in Slovakia, 24-25 July 2026.
Black Death Metal force BELPHEGOR will unleash their magickal processions across Europe in autumn 2026 with the “Praise The Beast” European Tour 2026.
The trek kicks off on September 29th at Turock in Essen, Germany, and will storm through Belgium, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Central Europe, Poland, and the UK before reaching its final ritual on October 18th at The Underworld in London.
Joining BELPHEGOR as special guests are Death Metal legends KRISIUN and Black Metal coven ASAGRAUM. A fourth band will be announced soon. Stay tuned.
BELPHEGOR “Praise The Beast” European Tour 2026:
29.09. – GER – Essen, Turock 30.09. – BEL – Kortrijk, DVG 01.10. – NLD – Dordrecht, Bibelot 02.10. – NLD – Hengelo, Metropool 03.10. – TBA 04.10. – SWE – Gothenburg, Monument 06.10. – FIN – Helsinki, On The Rocks 07.10. – SWE – Stockholm, Kollektivet Livet 08.10. – SWE – Malmö, Plan B 09.10. – GER – Berlin, Musikbrauerei 10.10. – CZE – Uherske Hradiste, Klub Mir 11.10. – CZE – Plzen, Serikovka 13.10. – POL – Krakow, Hype Park 14.10. – POL – Gdańsk, Drizzly Grizzly 15.10. – GER – Osnabrück, Bastard Club 16.10. – UK – Sheffield, Corporation 17.10. – UK – Torquay, Arena 18.10. – UK – London, The Underworld
Tickets and additional information will be available through local venues and promoters.
Since their formation in 1993 in Austria, BELPHEGOR have stood as one of the most brutal and transgressive forces in black death metal. Founded by vocalist and guitarist Helmuth Lehner, the band has spent over three decades refining a sound forged in fire and sacrilege, merging the violent precision of death metal with the ritualistic darkness of black metal.
Their musick is an invocation of infernal power, a soundwall of relentless blasphemy.
From the raw intensity of early releases like The Last Supper (1995), Blutsabbath (1997), and Necrodaemon Terrorsathan (2000), to the increasingly sophisticated compositions found on albums such as Lucifer Incestus, Bondage Goat Zombie, Pestapokalypse VI, and Totenritual, BELPHEGOR have continually pushed the boundaries of extreme musick. Each release marks a further descent into forbidden territory.
The band’s thematic focus with ritual magick, religious inversion, and arcane symbolism is matched by their technical mastery, multilingual lyrics, and sonic experimentation.
With their twelfth studio album The Devils (2022), BELPHEGOR delivered one of their most punishing and ambitious records to date.
Scarborough, UK, June 2026: Norwegian black metal pioneers Emperor have been confirmed as the first headlining act for the fifth anniversary of Fortress Festival set to take place on 29-30 May 2027 at the Scarborough Spa in North Yorkshire.
This will be Emperor’s only and exclusive UK performance in 2027.
Gary Stephenson, Fortress Festival founder, said: “It’s our fifth anniversary of Fortress in 2027 and we’re pulling no punches this time. Emperor, one of the biggest names in black metal, will close the festival with a headlining performance to show why this band is still such a phenomenon 20 years after their last studio album. We’ve sold out every edition of Fortress so far, and we expect no less to happen in 2027. So secure those tickets, and we will drop another dozen or so worldwide live debuts, UK exclusives and eye-watering bookings very soon for you all.”
Formed in 1991, Emperor are one of the most important and influential black metal bands. They are known for blending traditional black metal with atmospheric and symphonic elements. Landmark releases such as “In the Nightside Eclipse” and “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk” introduced complex song structures and orchestral keyboards to the genre. Following an initial dissolution in 2001, the group’s live appearances became incredibly scarce. Their later reunion has been strictly limited to select festival slots and rare special engagements, making this upcoming Fortress Festival performance a highly anticipated UK event.
The news follows the sold-out fourth edition of the festival this weekend, which boasted a stacked line-up of exclusive and rare performances, including Old Man’s Child, Gallowbraid, Dødheimsgard, Akercocke, Whoredom Rife, Abigail Williams, Vinterland and many more.
Given the festival’s established track record of completely selling out every previous iteration, demand for the 2027 weekend tickets is anticipated to be very high.
Dark black metal duo Hulder and Necreon return with their most expansive work to date, a nine-track album steeped in ancient language, pagan mythology, and the weight of the land
“[…] one of the most talked-about names in contemporary black metal.” — Portland Mercury
HULDER, the dark black metal outfit from the USA, will release their new album Verbolgen on August 7th, 2026, in a co-release with 20 Buck Spin, who will handle North America exclusively, while Season of Mist will cover the World ex-North America territories. Spanning nine tracks and just over forty-eight minutes, Verbolgen is HULDER’s most fully realised statement to date, drawing on themes of ancestral memory, natural sovereignty, and ancient ritual across lyrics written in English, Flemish, and Proto-Germanic.
Rooted in the traditions of Scandinavian black metal while reaching toward something more atmospheric and ceremonial, Verbolgen moves between driving, riff-driven passages and slower, more meditative stretches, with acoustic instrumentation and hurdy gurdy woven into the fabric of the record.
The multilingual approach to the lyrics is not merely ornamental; it reflects the album’s sustained engagement with the mythological and folkloric traditions of the pre-Christian world, from the Germanic lowlands to the Celtic fringes of northwestern Europe.
The album marks a significant shift in the band’s structure. Long positioned as the solo project of HULDER, Verbolgen formally brings Necreon into the fold as a full creative partner, following several releases in which he contributed as a session musician.
The record also features contributions from Keld (Majesties, Obsequiae, Celestiial) on hurdy gurdy, electric guitars, and keys, as well as drum performances split between Vapula, the band’s touring drummer, and Vrolok (Aeternus, Gorgoroth). Session flute is performed by Ianuaria.
Verbolgen Track-list:
1. Drie Raven (Intro) (2:18) 2. The Crowning (6:28) 3. Thy Binding Oath (5:38) 4. Verbolgen (4:01) 5. …And We Shall Sing (6:01) 6. In Blood and In Earth (7:09) 7. Den Nacht Zijn Lied (6:45) 8. View From Nemeton (5:23) 9. The Glow of Dawn (4:48)
Full runtime: 48:33
In support of the forthcoming release, HULDER will embark on an extensive European summer tour, taking in headline shows and major festival appearances across Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal and beyond. The run includes stops at Graspop Metal Meeting, Hellfest, Resurrection Fest and more. Full dates below.
HULDER – Europe Summer 2026 Dates:
05 June: Mulfingen, DE @ Boarstream Open Air 06 June: Gdansk, PL @ Mystic Festival 08 June: Berlin, DE @ Mikropol 09 June: Munich, DE @ Backstage Club 11 June: Wiesbaden, DE @ Kesselhaus 12 June: Munster, DE @ Zappenduster Fest 13 June: Nijmegen, NL @ Waalhalla 14 June: Neunkirchen, DE @ Gebläsehalle 17 June: Tilburg, NL @ Lucky Devil 18 June: Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat* 19 June: Dessel, BE @ Graspop Metal Meeting 20 June: Clisson, FR @ Hellfest 21 June: Aarau, CH @ Kiff** 22 June: Milan, IT @ Legend Club** 23 June: Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse** 24 June: Vienna, AT @ Viper Room** 25 June: Kosice, SK @ Collosseum 26 June: Mártély, HU @ Lowland Festival 27 June: Spalene Porici, CZ @ BasinFireFest 29 June: Chambery, FR @ BrindeZinc 30 June: Marseille, FR @ Le Molotov 03 July: Galicia, ES @ Ressurection Fest 04 July: Lisbon, PT @ RCA Club 08 July: Stuttgart, DE @ JuHa West 09 July: Torgau, DE @ In Flammen Open Air
THE SECOND STUDIO ALBUM FROM THE NORWEGIAN EXTREME METAL PIONEERS, COMPRISING MEMBERS OF ARCTURUS, THORNS, MAYHEM & 1349
Mortem return with a new ode to the dark: Mørketid. Combining brooding, mid-paced monumental riffs with bursts of hyperspeed black metal, the album is set for release via Peaceville on July 3rd, marking a clear progression from their 2019 debut, Ravnsart. Across eight tracks of savage, eerie, and often epic black metal, the band is joined by the indomitable keyboard textures of Sverd, Hellhammer’s unmistakable percussive prowess, and the vicious returning snarls of vocalist Marius Vold.
Mørketid [06:04] The Mighty Odious [04:43] Skyggeånd [07:34] Blodvassen grunn [05:44] Aftermath [04:09] Den sanne Gud [05:22] Mørkets Ormebol [05:52] Ditt ødes ære [05:10]
LIMITED OXBLOOD RED VINYL EDITION + CLASSIC BLACK VINYL EDITION
Mortem was originally known as the Norwegian cult band which preceded Arcturus. Formed by Marius Vold & Steinar Sverd Johnsen in 1989, Mortem was one of the first black metal bands to crawl out of the woodwork in Norway, releasing the highly coveted and brutal ‘Slow Death’ demo, with Euronymous & Dead of Mayhem acting as producer and cover artist respectively (whilst also featuring Hellhammer on session drums).
After the release of ‘Slow Death’, the band was laid to rest, with members going on to form and feature in acclaimed titans such as Arcturus and Thorns, both of which would become mainstays in the black metal scene and beyond.
Above: Ravnsvart album cover
It wasn’t until 2019, when Mortem’s studio debut ‘Ravnsvart’ was released, and the magic of old undoubtedly returned with that same spirit and brutality of the original incarnation, whilst injecting new elements to form an opus of ferocious yet atmospheric horror. This was followed soon after by the fully re-recorded and re-worked ‘Slow Death’ tracks.
Mørketid was recorded at Toproom Studio in Norway, by Børge Finnstad & Kevin Kleiven.
FORSMÁN, one of the most promising new names to emerge from Iceland’s black metal underground, today release their new song “Drottinn Fyrirgefur Allt.” The track serves as the opener on the band’s debut album, Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur, set for release on June 26th via Vesperian through Metal Blade Records worldwide.
“Drottinn Fyrirgefur Allt” opens the album with severity and intent. Vicious, cold, and extreme, the song still reveals a strong sense of detail: intricate riffing, shifting dynamics, and a dense atmosphere give FORSMÁN’s black metal a demanding, fully formed character. Rooted in Iceland’s contemporary tradition, the band already appear less like followers than a new voice within it.
Stream “Drottinn Fyrirgefur Allt” HERE. Watch the visualizer HERE.
The album’s cover artwork was created by Paolo Girardi, known for his work with Power Trip, Revocation, Sulphur Aeon, and many others.
FORSMÁN is a black metal band from Kópavogur, Iceland. After their debut EP Dönsum í logans ljóma, the members, all only in their early twenties, have been working intensively on new material. FORSMÁN (pronounced “fors-mown”) stands in the line of modern Icelandic black metal associated with Svartidauði, Sinmara, and Misþyrming, combining a dense atmosphere with focused, forward-driving songwriting.
FORSMÁN: V. – bass, vocals H. – guitar O. – guitar, vocals M. – drums
L-R – Andres Martinez Torres (Drakar) – Voices, Lead Guitar, Bass – Michel Amyot – Rhythm Guitar / Photo Credit – Patrick Auger
Eternal Drak, the long‑running extreme metal force originally from Latin America and now based in Quebec City, Canada, known for its evolving blend of black, thrash, and death metal, announces the arrival of its sixth full‑length album, The Violence of Time, a work that reframes time itself as the enemy of human meaning and will be released on July 17th, 2026, on Canadian label FirstWave. Alongside the announcement, the band unveils the album’s first single, “We Force It To Speak.”
Born, as the band puts it, “in the middle of a drunk among friends,” Eternal Drak has spent years forging a sound defined by varied rhythm and catchy aggression, shaped by decades within the metal underground. With this new album, the band reaches its most cohesive and intense expression to date.
The Violence of Time is not a concept album in the traditional sense; it is a philosophical assault. Lyrically and musically, the record presents time as a hostile, eroding force that distorts memory, identity, and causality. The songs function as “violent theses,” each dismantling a human assumption about how time works.
The band explains:
“Time does not accompany human beings; it subdues them. It does not flow; it imposes. It does not advance; it erodes.”
Every track reflects fragments of a larger narrative inspired by a short story written for the album, an exploration of how attempts to understand time only warp it further.
Track Listing:
1. We Force It To Speak – 5:15 2. The Unborn Paths Rot – 3:51 3. Me Hice Simultaneo – 3:30 4. The Blasphemy of Time – 3:35 5. Chaos Is the Law – 3:34 6. Where Cause Is Buried – 3:55 7. Across the Watching Veils – 3:53 8. Breathing Once Again – 3:45 9. The Cosmos Rejects You – 4:09 10. No Direction Total War – 2:57 Album Length: 38:24
Serving as the album’s opening strike, “We Force It To Speak” captures the essence of Eternal Drak’s new era. Rooted in black metal yet enriched with acoustic textures and dense atmospheric layering, the track establishes the album’s emotional and conceptual tone.
Lyrically, it confronts the human obsession with explanation, how the act of observing or defining reality alters it beyond recognition. The band describes it as a reflection on “how the more we search for answers, the more certainty slips away.”
Eternal Drak’s evolution has been shaped by decades of experimentation, from analog distortion and classic pedals to modern digital textures. With The Violence of Time, the band believes it has finally crystallized its definitive sound: aggressive, cohesive, and uncompromising.
Listen to “We Force It To Speak” at the following links:
Influences such as Dimmu Borgir, Watain, Kreator, Motörhead, and Desaster echo throughout the record, yet the album stands firmly in its own identity, extreme metal sharpened by introspection and conceptual depth.
Album Band Line Up: Andres Martinez Torres (Drakar) – Voices, Lead Guitar, Bass Michel Amyot – Rhythm Guitar
NEW VIDEO FOR “THEY FOUND ONE OF MY GRAVES” RELEASED
“The old school never gets old” – Fenriz
In a year marking four decades since their first incarnation as Black Death, 2026 sees the return of Norwegian duo Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, better known as Darkthrone. The new studio album Pre-Historic Metal, out now via Peaceville, is fueled by a long-running obsession with invoking the spirit of old-sounding metal, and doing things in their own, uncompromising way.
Venturing out once more from their Northern cave with a new batch of timeless riffs, the band fly the Pre-Historic Metalbanner high, leaning into the raw, timeworn sound for their latest primal offering.
As Fenriz himself proclaims of the title’s symbolic origin, “Prehistoric is a loose term.I just figure it’s our VIBE, our take on things and it’s more a statement that we use old style to create something new”.
To coincide with the album’s release there is a new lyric video for the album opener “They Found One Of My Graves”, created by Matthew Vickerstaff (Darkwave Arts).
A continuation of 2024’s stellar ‘It Beckons Us All’, ‘Pre-Historic Metal’ is a ferocious slab of primal epics & gargantuan riffs with organic sound, graced with the ever-present permeating spirit of the 70s and 80s. This next chapter in Darkthrone’s unyielding saga presents a vast odyssey through the sonic landscapes of Thrash, Black, Heavy and Doom Metal and, adorned with a punishing and “in your face” guitar presence, Darkthrone stirs the cauldron of savage creativity with a nod to the writing methods which were indicative of their earlier works of the late 80s, but with a more refined craft.
Photo credit – Peer Olav Kittilsen
Summarising what the album represents, Fenriz explains: “It means that we are metal. With very loud guitars. “Frightfully barbaric but not without finesse”, I call it. We collaborated in the studio more than ever, who’s playing what is still in a purple haze, but last but not least it was a sort of hardening of the arteries – we decided to tighten the tourniquet and do 8 effective songs brimming with riffs instead of the airy plodding we so much enjoy usually”.
‘Pre-Historic Metal’ was recorded at Chaka Khan Studios, Oslo, with production work conducted by Ole Øvstedal, Silje Høgevold & Mads Luis. Mastering was carried out by Jack Control at Enormous Door, and Maor Appelbaum Mastering.
Pre-Historic Metal – Track listing:
They Found One Of My Graves (05:17)
Pre-Historic Metal (04:19)
Siberian Thaw (06:45)
Deeply Rooted (04:58)
The Dry Wells Of Hell (06:12)
So I Marched To The Sunken Empire (03:21)
Eat Eat Eat Your Pride (04:51)
Eon 4 (05:24) Pre-Historic Metal is available on
A Deluxe box set special edition featuring:
Exclusive splatter 180gm heavyweight vinyl with gatefold sleeve & exclusive alternate cover artwork by Maciej Kamuda.
Exclusive cassette edition.
CD edition.
Booklet including an interview by Harald Fossberg on the making of ‘Pre-Historic Metal’.
2 posters
LP on black & white splatter vinyl – available exclusively at the Peaceville label stores
LP on purple marble vinyl – available at the Peaceville label stores + select stores worldwide
LP on classic black vinyl
LP on white vinyl (available exclusively in Germany)
LP on dark green vinyl (available exclusively in Norway)
LP on silver vinyl (available exclusively in Sweden)
LP on transparent orange vinyl (available exclusively in North America)
LP on coke bottle green (available at independent records stores in North America)
New band features Faust (Djevel, ex-Emperor), The Magus (ex-Necromantia, The Magus), George Emmanuel (Lucifer’s Child, ex-Rotting Christ) & Tas Danazoglou (Friends of Hell, ex-Electric Wizard)
Debut EP “From Hell” to be released in September via The Circle Music and Hell’s Fire Records
HEXBANE, a new band that features veterans of the scene, has unveiled the artwork and first details of its debut EP “From Hell”, which is planned for release in September via The Circle Music and Hell’s Fire Records.
The band was born out of nostalgia and admiration for the primal days of black metal. The band’s ethos is simple: to create pure, unadulterated proto-black metal that honours the nostalgia and aggression of the era that started it all.
The band comprises a monumental lineup of extreme metal veterans:
The Magus on vocals (ex-Necromantia, ex-Rotting Christ, The Magus, Thou Art Lord)
George Emmanuel on guitars (Lucifer’s Child, ex-Rotting Christ)
Tas Danazoglou on bass (Friends of Hell, ex-Electric Wizard, Mirror, Satan’s Wrath)
Faust on drums (Djevel, ex-Emperor, Blood Fire Death)
The band previously said: “HEXBANE is a band born out of nostalgia and admiration of the primal black metal days, where pioneer bands created and established the genre. So expect nothing more and nothing less than pure proto- black metal in music and spirit.”
Pre-orders for the 7″ EP will start on 6.6.2026. Further details regarding the release will be unveiled in the coming months.
Colorado black metallers STORMKEEP will release their The Nocturnes Of Iswylm full-length on June 12th via Vesperian.
Founded in Denver in 2017, STORMKEEP has become one of the spearheads of contemporary symphonic black metal. From the beginning, the band’s work has been defined by a clear sense of identity: melodic, atmospheric, and rooted in the genre’s classic tradition, while shaped by their own fantasy-driven world and narrative approach.
Their first official release, the GaldrumEP, arrived in 2020 and quickly established STORMKEEP as a band with a distinctive vision. One year later, their debut album Tales Of Othertime expanded that world further, earning the band strong recognition within the international black metal underground and placing them among the most notable new names in the field.
Now signed to Vesperian, STORMKEEP returns with their second full-length album, The Nocturnes Of Iswylm. Continuing the story first opened on Tales Of Othertime, the record further develops the band’s self-described black metal symphonia: a blend of grandeur, medieval atmosphere, and fantastical storytelling, carried by precise songwriting and a strong sense of place.
Produced by the band together with Michael Zech, known for his work with Secrets Of The Moon, Dark Fortress, and The Ruins Of Beverast, and mastered by Arthur Rizk, whose credits include Blood Incantation, Power Trip, and Worm, The Nocturnes Of Iswylmpresents STORMKEEP’s vision with clarity and depth.
The cover artwork was created by Simon Bisley, whose unmistakable visual language adds another striking layer to the world of the album. Additional extensive artwork was created by Valnoir, known for his work with Ulver, Paradise Lost, Amorphis, and more.
Following the late March release of the first single, “Carnal Tapestries Of Nailtorn Flesh,” STORMKEEP delivers their second single, “Imperious Sanguine Eroticism.” It offers another view into The Nocturnes Of Iswylm and underlines the band’s position at the forefront of modern symphonic black metal: traditional in spirit, carefully crafted, and fully committed to the world they have built.
The Nocturnes Of Iswylm will be released on standard CD, limited edition cassette (300 copies only available through mailorder, Bandcamp, and the Vesperian webstore), limited CD box (feat. digipak CD, double-sided poster, 4 x photo cards, and 20-page booklet w/ additional art), and digital formats as well as vinyl w/ booklet and extensive artwork in the following color variants:
Black Violet (EU – Ltd. 500) Dark Green Ripple (EU – Ltd. 700) Green (US – Ltd. 500) Blue Marble (US – Ltd. 700) Color-In-Color (Bandcamp Europe + Vesperian Webstore Exclusive – Ltd. 300) Galaxy 2 color (Bandcamp North America Exclusive – Ltd. 300)
Spanish black metal/punk force PVRGATORII is set to release a new EP, “Profane Rites For Cursed Times”, on May 29, 2026 through Night Terrors Records. Marking a significant new chapter in the band’s trajectory, the record will be issued as a strictly limited edition: a one-sided 12″ black vinyl with OBI strip, double-sided insert and an extensive 16-page fanzine entirely dedicated to the band, limited to 100 copies.
The first single “Hermetik Axis” is now streaming HERE.
Far from being a mere accessory, the accompanying fanzine stands as a crucial extension of the release itself. Across sixteen pages, it delves deep into PVRGATORII’s world, tracing the band’s history, exploring the Barcelona underground that shaped them, documenting their approach to instrumentation, and offering a broader insight into the ethos that fuels their work. It is both a document and a statement, reinforcing the physical and cultural weight of the release in an increasingly intangible musical landscape.
Formed in Barcelona in 2018, PVRGATORII have consistently defined their sound as “Black Metal ov Death,” a volatile fusion of raw black metal abrasion, punk urgency, and noise-laden hostility. Yet their approach deliberately resists contemporary trends: while rooted in aggression and immediacy, their music avoids the swagger and looseness often associated with black’n’roll. Instead, “Profane Rites For Cursed Times” remains steeped in a sinister, malevolent atmosphere, where tension is never released into levity and every element serves a darker purpose.
Following their debut album “Con Las Uñas Clavadas En La Cara De Dios” (2021) and the subsequent “Marching Through Thee Night Guided by a Black Fire” (2024), this new EP sharpens the band’s identity even further. It is a concise yet forceful statement, where the most unsettling aspects of black metal and punk converge without compromise, resulting in a sound that feels both immediate and deeply corrosive.
With “Profane Rites For Cursed Times”, PVRGATORII reaffirm their commitment to a vision that is as uncompromising as it is distinct, one that rejects dilution, embraces extremity and continues to evolve on its own terms.
Track list:
I. Key To Thee Temple II. Dystopian Flesh Arise III. Hermetik Axis IV. A Broken Seal For Final Capitalism Collapse
Line-up:
Darth Dvnkel: Six Strinx & Black Spells L’Ombra: War Drums & Death Bells
Recorded by L’Ombra at the infamous Dvngeon of Llull in early December 2025 Front cover by CVSPE & L’Ombra Logo by L’Ombra Layout by CVSPE
Baltimore Black Metallers, Nixil, have partnered with Invisible Oranges for the premiere of “I Am Not Here,” the second single from the forthcoming split release with Black/Death quartet, Drouth, titled Toward Dead Temples.
The bands have each released a statement concerning their respective contributions to Toward Dead Temples, as follows:
Nixil: “Our contributions to Toward Dead Temples explore the spiritual depth of death and isolation. Through the use of imagery representative of the crumbling edifice of christo-fascism, we strive to push toward the eradication of the oppressor in all its manifestations. Sonically, this album marks a point of transition for us, beginning a deep dive into darker waters on a quest for stranger, more unsettling discordance. We are thrilled to be joining forces with our friends in Drouth to present this anthem of defiance against the crushing weight of impending dictatorship – until all tyrants and their temples fall.”
Drouth: “Originally recorded during The Teeth of Time sessions in late 2023, ‘Cathartes Aura’ and ‘The Outer Church’ stand on their own by representing both the past and future of Drouth. We are proud to share this release with our friends in Nixil and join them in spreading sonic misery throughout the West Coast this May.”
FFO: Enslaved, Ludicra, Blut Aus Nord, Altar of Plagues, Dawn, Black Curse, Ulcerate, Spectral Wound, Weakling, Sacramentum, Schammasch, Watain, The Ruins of Beverast
Nixil and Drouth will embark on the Toward Dead Temples West Coast Tour 2026, in May. Tour dates are as follows:
May 7: Seattle, WA – Neumos (Northwest Terror Fest) May 8: Eugene, OR – John Henry’s May 9: Redding, CA – The Dip May 10: Sacramento, CA – Cafe Colonial May 12: Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge May 13: San Diego, CA – Tower Bar May 14: Palmdale, CA – Transplants Brewing May 15: Santa Rosa, CA – Arlene Francis Center May 16: Eureka, CA – Savage Henry Comedy Club May 17: Portland, OR – The High Water Mark
Toward Dead Temples will be released April 24 on vinyl, cassette tape, and digital formats.
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!
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