German black metal duo ALTAR OV ASTERIA release the second single, “Pilatus”, preceding their forthcoming debut album, “Éna”. The song is now premiering at Black Metal Daily. Stream it HERE.
Established by two girls from the Dresden area, Satyra and Melpomene, both heavily involved in the rich local underground, ALTAR OV ASTERIA was envisioned and formed through its members’ shared influence of black metal. The goal of the band’s material, embodied in their “Éna” debut, is to balance visceral energy with enveloping atmosphere and dark melody, creating a sound both rooted in black metal tradition and expansive new avantgarde sounds.
“Imagine you would wake up in a world full of mysteries and realities woven into each other, like in a story book of the past centuries of Dante Alighieri or Homer. Two black-robed mysteries in gold-snake masks wake you up from the heavy dorm with blackened sirens crushing your ears, mesmerizing your mind to sense the allegories of humankind existence. You’ve got an invitation to a storybook of hellish Sodom, chapter by chapter illustrating thy and foreign dystopia”.
Dusktone will release “Éna” on CD and all digital platforms on November 25th 2024.
Swiss Black Metal band AARA unleash a powerful second single from forthcoming new album “Eiger”. ‘Senkrechte Welten’ launches at an unyielding pace in a blasting storm of tremolo-picking, before grand and haunting melodies begin to set in – perfectly encapsulating the band’s signature fusion of intense aggression and ethereal beauty.
Listen on DMP’s YouTube channel below or via Bandcamp:
Composer Berg describes ‘Senkrechte Welten‘:
“Like ‘Felsensang‘, ‘Senkrechte Welten‘ stands for the beginning of the narrative and is therefore suitable for an advance presentation of the album so as not to anticipate too much of the dramaturgy within the songwriting of the whole album. It is the second song on the album and is characterised above all by the perhaps somewhat youthfully naive euphoria that the mountaineering group (who died climbing the Eiger) brought to the project at the beginning and which is also expressed in the melodies and song structure. At the same time, the song marks the beginning of the ascent up the mighty north face. Above all, I tried to reflect the summery atmosphere in the Grindelwald valley in contrast to the cold and darkness of the wall.“
As a first preview of “Eiger“, AARA previously released the track ‘Felsensang‘ (listen here). Together, these singles form a powerful lyrical and musical pairing, as Berg notes:
“Both songs come right after each other on the album, so they are connected. I wouldn’t say that they are too different in mood. ‘Senkrechte Welten‘ shows only a few signs of the tragedy that appears more and more in ‘Felsensang‘, but again differs from the later songs, which become more oppressive.“
“Eiger” will be released on CD, vinyl and digital on December 6th. Pre-orders are available via the label’s EU, US, and Bandcamp shops, bundle options are available.
More information:
Switzerland’s AARA was founded in 2018 by vocalist Fluss and multi-instrumentalist Berg to create art highly influenced by atmospheric Black Metal. Sporting an epic, classical feel, their sweeping compositions aim to take the listener through the darkest alleys of human existence.
Soon after releasing their debut record “So fallen alle Tempel” in early 2019, AARA joined forces with Debemur Morti Productions, releasing their mosaic EP “Anthropozän” that same year.
Barely a year after their debut, AARA unveiled a new full-length record in April of 2020. A conceptual look into Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, “En Ergô Einai” sees AARA take their accomplished sound to new heights of mature artistic expression. Opened with a haunting acoustic intro courtesy of Vindsval (BLUT AUS NORD), “En Ergô Einai” is a triumph of fluid melodic euphoria and classical elegance, setting an even higher watermark in a bright, young discography. The third album and beginning of a trilogy, namely “Triade I: Eos“, was released in March 2021. In this epic and dramatic new work of art, AARA are interpreting the Gothic novel “Melmoth The Wanderer” (1820) of Irish writer Charles Robert Maturin.
Venturing forth into the next chapters of Maturin‘s work, AARA crafted the second part of their trilogy, “Triade II: Hemera“. The six tracks of brutally melodic, top-tier Black Metal was released in May 2022. The third and final album of the Melmoth trilogy saw see the light of day on March 31st, 2023.
In follow up to 2023’s “Triade III: Nyx“, the band now breaks away from the literary and apply their stunning musicality to real-world events. AARA‘s new album, “Eiger“, will be released on December 6th.
Danish death metal/metallic hardcore goliaths LIFESICK today drop their fiery new video for “Hollow Treats.” The savage new track comes off the band’s equally ferocious full-length, Loved By None, Hated By All full-length, released on November 1st through Metal Blade Records.
LIFESICK manifests brutal and brutally honest songs with lyrics inspired by the turbulent nature of life. Musically influenced by Swedish death metal, the band’s authentic and explosive mixture of crushing tones and modern breakdowns create an uncompromising sound and vision.
Comments the band on “Hollow Treats,” “When we were born, we were told all these fairytales about what the world had in store for us. But as soon as you get a taste, you realize there’s nothing inside – no love, no compassion, nothing. This song is catchy with groovy two-step rhythms and even groovier breakdowns. It’s a hardcore track with plenty of sing-along parts, and it ends with a twist of acoustic elements.”
Watch LIFESICK‘s previously released videos for “Loved By None” at THIS LOCATION and “Legacy Of Misery” at THIS LOCATION.
LIFESICK was forged in Fredericia, Denmark in 2015. After three full-lengths of increasing weight and intensity, 2023’s Life And Other Lies EP brought the band’s sobering death/metallic hardcore to Metal Blade Records, where they have come of age with the kaleidoscopic fury and ironclad gloom of Loved By None, Hated By All.
As with previous offerings, the LP was recorded by Jacob Bredahl at his Dead Rat facility. This time Bredahl’s role expanded beyond engineering, helping to shape and revise new material before twiddling a single knob. “He came down to our rehearsal room where we played all the songs for him live, so he could add his touch to each song or edit stuff that we might have been a little blind to from playing the songs too much. This was the first time we did this, and it was very effective.”
Mixing was farmed out to Taylor Young at The Pit, “to give it a different touch or nuance from our previous releases,” while the tracks were handed to noise collective John Cxnnor, “to enhance the album with sound design and samples throughout every song, to better unify the album. We provided them with all the songs, along with keywords about the lyrical themes and the album artwork. With this information, they created unique dark industrial samples that perfectly fit the songs and our vision for the album.”
The results ring loud and clear from this tumultuous masterwork of bleak aggro beauty. Loved By None, Hated By All is unquestionably the band’s finest recording to date which is no easy feat considering the compulsive force of previous releases — there is some special spark of magic at work here.
LIFESICK has tours across Denmark and Southeast Asia booked through the new year with more shows to be announced in the weeks to come. See all confirmed dates below.
Live Dates: 11/08/2024 Copenhagen Distillery – Copenhagen, DK *Record Release Show 12/06/2024 Blueprint Livehouse – Bangkok, TH 12/08/2024 Atlantis Bar – Siem Reap, KH 12/09/2024 Cloud Bar – Penh, KH 12/10/2024 142 Tran Nao – Ho Chi Min, VN 12/11/2024 Petai Belalang – Kuala Lumpur, MY 12/13/2024 The Rockin Jamz Hall – Johor Bahru, MY 12/14/2024 88Fryer – Timoq, PH 12/15/2024 Unknown 13 Pub – Quezon City, PH 12/18/2024 Tops Commercial Complex – Bacolod, PH 12/19/2024 South Republic Live House – Davao, PH 12/20/2024 BGC, Bottle Grounds Cafe – Baguio, PH 12/21/2024 Frontway Music Restaurant – Tarlag, PH 1/10/2025 Baltoppen – Ballerup, DK 1/17/2025 Sønderborghus – Sønderborg, DK 1/18/2025 Tøjhuset – Fredericia, DK 2/07/2025 Headquarters – Aarhus, DK
THY KINGDOM WILL BURN will release the new album “The Loss And Redemption” on January 17th through Scarlet Records. PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER
After establishing themselves as one of the most interesting new bands of the Finnish melodic death metal scene with the first two records, Thy Kingdom Will Burn has definitely found a peculiar, moving voice.
“The Loss And Redemption” is by far their most personal work: musically-wise, the album is massive, pitch-black dark, and beautifully melancholic at the same time – once again the guys have pushed themselves to the next level as songwriters and musicians.
The lyrics deal with loneliness and longing to escape the chaos of modern life – something we can all easily identify with.
Thy Kingdom Will Burn are magnificent torchbearers of darkness & light, gloom & hope, in that quite unique Finnish fashion!
artwork by Alvaro Valverde/AV Art Ilustracion
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Juho Räihä at Inka Studio, and graced by the stunning artwork of Spanish maestro Alvaro Valverde, “The Loss And Redemption” will be released in the following formats: jewel case CD, digital.
“The Loss And Redemption” tracklist:
Perpetual Void
Obscure Existence
Martyrs Of Killing Floor
Forever In Dark
Escape From Solitude
Suffering Sky
They Have Come
Dreams Of Calamity
To End Of Times
Sydänyö
Thy Kingdom Will Burn: Sami Kujala – vocals and guitar Esa Virén – guitar Janne Ruuskanen – bass Lauri Virén – drums
German atmospheric black metal act ASARHADDON has unveiled a mesmerizing new music video for the track ‘Im tiefen Wald’, taken from their latest full-length album, Êra, released on October 4th via Vendetta Records. Watch the video for ‘Im tiefen Wald’ here:
Êra, which translates to “crown” in Old Low Franconian, is a journey through time and emotion. The album weaves tales of four kings, drawing inspiration from historical events and evoking a sense of melancholy and longing. With its grand atmospheres and mournful hymns, ASARHADDON‘s music transports listeners to a world of forgotten beauty and sorrow.
The stunning album artwork, featuring the skulls of four birds, symbolizes the countries of origin of the four kings. This striking imagery was captured in a forest near the band’s hometown, further emphasizing their connection to nature and the past. Êra is out now on Vendetta Records and the album is available for purchaseHERE
Tracklist:
Der silberne Mond
Im tiefen Wald
Ein letzter Frühling
Die roten Vögel
ASARHADDON are: Christian Kircher Christian Koss
Session musicians Nova (Vocals) Florian Kunde (Live bass)
November 29, 2024 sees Spanish dark heavy metal act DARK EMBRACE release their hotly anticipated, new studio offering, entitled “Land Of Witches” via Massacre Records. The album will be coming out as CD Digipak, Ltd. Vinyl LP and Digital formats, the pre-sale is available at this location: https://lnk.to/landofwitches
After DARK EMBRACE have just recently shared a first appetizer, the album opening track “We, The Witches”, today, the band is premiering a music video for their latest single “Orcavella”! The track is “about the legend of Orcavella. A witch who lived in Galicia long time ago.”The band explains.“The lyrics are really explicit about the legend and tell everything about it. The legend says that she came with the Pagans to Galicia and she practiced the dark arts. She fed on the residents of the area, and it was the reason the village became almost desert.
She lived in the area of Finisterre (the so-called Galician end of the world), and she killed herself when she was 176 years old. So, the people put a really heavy stone in her grave to prevent that she is coming back to life. Anyway, the grave was surrounded by snakes that were trying to catch people for her, who were near to the tomb.”
Featuring the darkest influences of their motherland Galicia (Terra de Meigas), their forthcoming album is called to be the highest step forward in DARK EMBRACE‘s career.
“Land Of Witches” was invoked using the powerful magick of the black arts, evoked by the disturbed minds of Oscar Rilo, Mou Trashno, Markos Villar and Julio G. Valladares. Among the dark arts used for the album are demon invocations by different kinds of chants, high noises by creepy distortions, low frequences by dead heartbeats and Pagan rhythms from hellish beating skins. The implemented work on this album shows a more complex and stronger band and even oversize the dark essence of their own style on a more mature way.
The band’s fourth studio album was mixed and mastered by Chris Clancy at Audioworks Production, with a cover art by Gustavo Sazes. Pre-order it now on: https://lnk.to/landofwitches
Track Listing:
We, The Witches
Orcavella
The Dark Land
My Darkest End
A Blaze In The Sky
Never Betray You
A Place To Hide
Witch Tower
In The Snow
DARK EMBRACE is: Oscar Rilo – Vocals Mou Trashno – Guitars Markos Villar – Guitars Julio G. Valladares – Drums
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 