German destructive force that is Mantar is set to release their new album ‘Post Apocalyptic Depression’ in early 2025 via Metal Blade Records and shared a first single with ‘Halsgericht’!
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News Posts
Beyond the Gates announced the first wave of bands for the 2025 edition with the return of King Diamond for the first time in almost 2 decades, special sets from Abbath, Triptykon and Destruction, and on top of that I Am Morbid, Hellbutcher, Hellripper and Dark Sonority!
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Post-black outfit Dawn Of Ouroboros shared a live video for ‘Rise from Disillusion’, a track from their 2023 album ‘Velvet Incandescence’, released via Prosthetic Records!
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Blackened death metallers Aoidos released ‘From the Surface Grate’, the third single from their upcoming album ‘Oizys’, set to be released on November 29th via Nox Liberartio Records!
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After releasing their critically acclaimed new album via Season of Mist, Gaerea shared a video for the title track ‘Coma’ in anticipation of spreading their music to the vortex societies all over the world, starting with the USA and Canada with Zeal & Ardor and Zetra later this month, next spring in Europe with a headlining tour and already a couple of confirmed summer festivals like Alcatraz in Belgium!
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Belgian black metal band KrvL have unveiled the second music video ‘De Koning van Stilte’, a track from their recently released album ‘Donkere Paden’, out via These Hands Melt!
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Finnish symphonic black metal duo Pestilent Hex unveiled ‘Through Mirrors Beyond’, a second track from their upcoming album ‘Sorceries of Sanguine & Shadow’, set for release via Debemur Morti Productions at the end of this month!
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Black metal project Aara unveiled the details of upcoming album ‘Eiger’, set for release in December via Debemur Morti Productions and shared a first song with ‘Felsensang’!
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Swedish blackened thrash metal force Sarcator unleashed their latest single ‘Swarming Angels & Flies’, the title track of their upcoming album, set for release early 2025 via Century Media Records!
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German melodic black metallers Apostasie announced their debut album ‘Non Est Deus’ to be released on November 29th via Trollzorn Records and shared the single ‘Theotókos’ with a lyric video!
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Album Reviews
In a year full of prominent black metal releases ‘Reaperdawn’ is one of the contenders for the best of 2024, this is yet another triumphant return from guitarist Sebastian Ramstedt who gives us a sense of his creative genius. Out on Century Media Records.
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Árstíðir Lífsins on its sixth full length album “Aldrlok” recounts the timeless tales of old Norse history and turbulent times of change in Iceland. The nine cuts combine modern and classic black metal into an epic black metal album that stands unique in the band’s musical works, out via Ván Records.
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Kvaen’s third studio album ‘The Formless Fires’ captures the early years of Swedish melodic black metal. The album is highly recommended for fans of Dissection, The Moaning and A Canorous Quintet. Out on Metal Blade Records.
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Akhlys’ fourth studio album ‘House of the Black Geminus’ is an incredible manifestation brought from the dark mind of Naas Alcameth. The six new cuts project a quasi-symphonic and sinister form of black metal with ferocity and atmosphere. Out on Debemur Morti.
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The ninth studio album “Heavenly Down” from the Hungarian black metal masters Sear Bliss brings back memories of the past albums in a most breathless passionate spirit; capturing the hallmark of the band. Out via Hammerheart Records, it is a must for fans of symphonic and atmospheric black metal, and highly recommended to anyone who likes Summoning, Forest Silence, and Negură Bunget.
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Civerous packs the sophomore “Maze Envy” with modulation of black/death metal, there are some nuances of blackened death metal that serve a dreary atmosphere. Out via 20 Buck Spin since last week, March 22nd.
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Darkestrah’s seventh album “Nomad” inspires the listener to traverse through dark places, as the whole music emerges from the ancient landscapes of pagan kingdoms. It’s a sleekly written, very raw shamanic black metal album, highly recommended for fans of Moonsorrow, Nokturnal Mortum, and Ygg. Out today, March 29th via Osmose Productions.
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Sweden’s Necrophobic returns with a staggering new album, “In Twilight Grey”. The songs here sound heavier, rawer, and more sinister, making them deliver one of their best studio albums of their career. Out via Century Media Records since last Friday!
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Vltimas’ second full length album “Epic” deliver plenty of head-banging moments for fans of Morbid Angel, Mayhem, and Cryptopsy. This is a coherent record that showcases the chemistry between these veterans and takes what they already did expertly on their debut to a whole new level. Out since today via Season of Mist!
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French black metal outfit Merrimack returns with its sixth album “Of Grace and Gravity” managed to capture atmosphere, aggression, and memorable riffs. Out on Season of Mist Underground Activists since March 8th.
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Photo Reports
Cradle of Filth came by for a couple of sold out shows in Finland on their massive Europe tour with Wednesday 13 and Sick N’ Beautiful and we caught this spectacle at Tampere’s Pakkahuone a couple of weeks back!
The year got off with a good start at our very own Asgaard venue with killer performances by Gravekvlt, Bokkerijders and Traquenard! A night in collaboration with Return Bookings!
Abbath and company came to Munich to show how black metal is done at the highest level. In their luggage came the American Toxic Holocaust and the Scottish Hellripper, who opened the night like two big explosions.
A selection of Jonna’s best captures of 2023, with pictures from bands Butcher Babies, Electric Callboy, Ghost, Glenn Hughes, Gojira, In Flames, Lorna Shore, The Hu, Ville Valo, Chamber of Unlight, Asagraum, Monuments, Sodom, Batushka, Blind Guardian, and Apocalyptica!
A selection of Vaim’s best captures of 2023, after a long and grueling process of elimination, with pictures from bands like Battle Beast, Gaerea, Trollheim’s Grott, Avslut, Der Weg einer Freiheit, Amenra, Igorrr, Aesthetic Perfection, HIDE, SKYND, Ice Nine Kills, Utuk Xul, Rancid, Sick Of It All, Stratovarius, Testament, Michael Monroe, Volbeat, Hellacopters, Pensées Nocturnes, Amorphis, Biohazard, Killswitch Engage, Converge, Agnostic Front, Taake, Public Image Ltd, A.A. Williams, Butcher Babies, Clutch, Finntroll, Electric Callboy, Ghost, Gojira, Imperial Triumphant, Lorna shore, The Hu and Urne!
Besides starting the new year properly looking to the future, this month we’re also still looking back at all the awesomeness that 2023 brought us. One of those awsome things was the already 3rd edition of the by Bloodred Hourglass curated festival Black Box Mikkeli. They were able to bring a killer line-up again on the 2nd day of their event with besides a fantastic show by themselves, Insomnium, Gaerea, Balance Breach, I Am Your God and Lastout!
We set the hard task for our photographers to choose the best 30 pictures that they have shot in 2023 out of possibly thousands of captures, and here is the result of Tom Treuten’s selection with Butcher Babies, Fateful Finality, Fear Factory, Thundermother, Hypocrisy, Spiritbox, Behemoth, Dog Eat Dog, The Cult, Skillet, Agnostic Front, Scorpions, May The Silence Fail, Cannibal Corpse, Ataraxy, Dark Funeral, Goldmann, Solstafir, Ingested, Antiheld, Lansdowne, Völkerball (Rammstein Tribute), Fettes Brot, Danko Jones, Royal Republic, Team Tot, and Mindead!
The second night of John Smith Rock Frozen 2023 was pretty epic with some of the best of the Finnish scene with Red Eleven, Kiuas, Finntroll, Turmion Kätilöt and headliners Amorphis! Throw on top of that the Swedish up-and-comers of Orbit Culture, and you know it was good!
Pictures of the visual spectacle that was Witch Club Satan in Helsinki.
The Polish black metal institution Batushka brought their unholy sermon to the halls of Helsinki’s Vanha Ylioppilastalo and brought with them the Russian pagans of Arkona, the pretty epic Canadian Aeternam and Latvian vikings of Varang Nord!
