#29-Inside the darkness

Edition for true metalfans

s 29 of Trve MetalZine s

#29†31.12.2023

News•Reviews•Interviews•Exclusive

1

CREW

CONTENT

News from hell......................................8

Evgeny-Destroyer

Editor-in-chief,

design

https://www.facebook.com/

evgeny.dubovskoy

Mail: destroyerr78@mail.ru

Olga «Blackie» Schneider

Editor, interviewer,

text corrector, reviewer


olga.metalheart

Mail: olgaschneider.1997@gmail.com

Inst: https://www.instagram.com/blackie_metalheart/

Andrew Stanton

Editor, interviewer,

text corrector, reviewer


andrew.stanton.71216

WhatsApp: 0044 07527 362762

Koldbrann

Interview with Mannevond...................................12

Kurgaall. Interview with Lord Astaroth....................16

Plague God. Interview with Armo and Dr. Fe......................20

Folterkammer. Interview with Andromeda..............................24

Membaris.

Interview with Kraal and Amarok.............30

Primordial Black.

Interview with Yasser...........34

Winter Ov Thanatoz

Interview with Alex.......................................38

Temple Of Katharsis

Interview with Hellmaster..........................42

Waliche. Interview with Necromantick......................46

Black Mask. Interview with Liz Javier...........................50

Best Metal releases..............54

2

Jay Parker - Editor, Interviewer, Reviewer

Lorena Delgado - Interviewer, Reviewer// Debra Simaloi - Interviewer

Richard Keenahan - Interviewer// Kim Kjole - Reviewer

Namtar - Interviewer// Patrick Schroeder - Reviewer

https://destroyerr78.wixsite.com/insidethedarkness

https://www.facebook.com/insidethedarknesstruemetalzine

https://www.instagram.com/inside_the_darkness_webzine

https://vk.com/insidethedarknessmetalwebzine

https://twitter.com/metal_webzine

Editor’s brief

Hails to everyone reading this!

This year has been a massive one for us. We went through a difficult

time for our crew related to creative burnout, had our old public

page hacked by some bastards with no chance of getting it back,

but despite anything, it's been five years since we started bringing

content to you, and we're just getting stronger.

Lots of killer stuff to come, so be prepared, and...

We hope you're having a great Xmass&New year time.

In Metal,

Olga Schneider, editor

A special thanks to...

Helmuth Lehner (Belphegor) for his

TOTAL support

...and especially to these people

for the interviews

Mannevond (Koldbrann)

Lord Astaroth (Kurgaall)

Armo and Dr. Fe (Plague God)

Andromeda (Folterkammer)

Kraal and Amarok (Membaris)

Yasser (Primordial Black)

Alex (Winter Ov Thanatoz)

Hellmaster (Temple Of

Katharsis)

Necromantick (Waliche)

Liz Javier (Black Mask)

Stories about Metal bands....................90

Inside The Darkness reviews..............102

Metalheads are waiting for it...............108

3

Inside the Darkness issues


4

5



6

7

World Metal News

70000 Tons of Metal 2024

29.01-02.02.2024

60 Bands, 4 Days, 1 Cruise Ship, and only 3000 Tickets. This is 70000TONS OF METAL, The

Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise!

60 exceptional bands from various Metal genres, delivering 120 phenomenal performances

across four stages, including magnificent Pool Deck Stage – The largest Open-Air structure

to ever grace the Seas.

Meh Suff! Winter Festival 2024

January 5–6, 2024

Dynamo - Zürich, Switzerland

Friday, January 5, 2024

18:00 Doors

18:30-19:00 Divension (Ch)

19:20 - 20:00 Ghörnt (Ch)

20:30-21:10 Kassogtha (Ch)

21:40-22:30 Gaahls Wyrd (No)

23:00-00:00 Insomnium (Fi)

Saturday January 6, 2023

15:00 Doors

15:30-16:00 Vorax (Ch)

16:30-17:15 Gaerea (Pt)

17:45-18:35 Benighted (Fr)

19:05-19:55 Toxic Holocaust (US)

20:25-21:15 Asphyx (Nl)

21:45-22:45 Abbath (No)

23:15-00:00 Hellripper (UK)

23:55-06:00 90's party Im Werk 21

The 2024 lineup that has been announced

so far includes Aborted, Angra, Blind

Guardian, Blood Red Throne, Crypta,

Dalriada, Depressive Age, Draconian, Epica,

Equilibrium, Grave Digger, Infected Rain,

Iotunn, Legion Of The Damned, Lord Of

The Lost, My Dying Bride, Mystic Prophecy,

Nanowar of Steel, Nervosa, Nile, Omnium

Gatherum, Saor, Serenity, Sodomized,

The Halo Effect, THYRFING, Unleashed,

Victory, and Warkings.

The lineup for the 70000 Tons of Metal

2024 is an absolute powerhouse, featuring a

diverse range of metal genres from around

the world. From the brutal death metal

mayhem of Aborted to the epic power metal

of Angra and the soaring melodies of Blind

Guardian, there’s something for every metal

fan.

8

8 9

9

World Metal News

10

Frostfeuernä chte

Winter Metal Festival

08.02 - 10.02.2024

Brandenburg,

Germany

Lineup

Heretoir

Gutalax

Dordeduh

Countless Skies

The Old Dead Tree

Istapp

Xiv Dark Centuries

Deliver The Galaxy

Bootes Void

Vāmācāra

Oceans (GER)

Firn

Burn Down Eden (GER)

Silent Leges Inter Arma

Strydegor (GER)

German heavy metal

festival Frostfeuernächte

features some of the most

accomplished and ardent

performers in the genre.

The event has long been

a mainstay in the German

metal scene and has

developed a reputation

for its stellar roster,

electrifying shows, and

unmatched ambiance. It

takes place in the center of

Germany and draws metal

lovers from throughout

the nation and abroad.

The

festival

Frostfeuernächte honors

everything heavy metal.

The event showcases a

wide variety of metal

subgenres, such as death

metal, black metal, and

power metal, among

others.

Bangalore Open Air 2024

Bangalore Open Air is all set to return next year, one of the highly revered events in India.

The 11th edition of the Bangalore Open Air is slated to take place on February 9 and 10, 2024

in Bengaluru, India.

The organizers have also revealed the full line-up of the 2024 edition of the festival, which

features some biggest names in the international heavy music scene. Starting from Polish

death metallers Decapitated, to Swedish black metal icons Watain, to the Swiss all-female

heavy metal band Burning Witches, and Ankor from Spain.

But perhaps, the biggest attraction of the upcoming edition of the festival is German thrash

metal giants Kreator and legendary Swedish melodic death metal outfit In Flames. Notably,

Kreator also headlined the first-ever edition of the Bangalore Open Air back in 2012, making

a return to India this year after a gap of 12 years.

10 11

11

- Black Metal from Norway

Koldbrann

1. First of all, congratulations

on your

return, guys! It was

truly mind-blowing

to get such news after

your 10 years of silence.

Thank you!! Great to

hear! And thank

you for the

interview!

We appreciate

that!

2. What

were the

main reasons

for

you to reunite?

And how many

time has it taken to

Interview by Olga Schneider

make the solid decision?

Well, we never split the band.

We have been active all the

time, but between the years

2016 to 2021 we only did

a handful of concerts in

Norway and Sweden,

For the new album it

felt natural to go more back

to the old “spirit” again. We’re definitely

back to the more rawer and primitive.

Just pure KOLDBRANN…!

and we

weren’t very present on social

media or anything like

Interview with Mannevond

that. We had a few busy years

after the release of “Vertigo”

(2013), but then we went

through some changes in

our line-up, as well as who

creates the songs, which is

the main reason

for our

“absence”,

and why we

didn’t start

the recording

of our

new album

and single

until 2021.

We never wanted

to rush this process, either

– just to release some shit.

That’s not the point, at all.

The music and the inspiration

always come first!

3. What have you been

dedicated to during this

decade of break? We

know that Mannevond

was busy with Nettle-

Carrier at some point,

but what about the others?

Did

you have

any attempts

to create

&

develop

any side

projects,

or was

it necessary

just

to take

a full

break

from any

stuff related

to

music

production?

Kvass

and Voidar

haven’t been very active

with other bands, but

yeah; I, Mannevond, have

been involved in a few,

during this time. We released

two albums with the

already mentioned NET-

TLECARRIER, and I did

a handful of albums with

DJEVEL, as well as performing

live with FAUST-

COVEN, FURZE,

KRYPT and URGEHAL.

So, yeah, eventually I realized

I was using too much

time on other bands, and I

quit as a full-time member

in DJEVEL to focus on

KOLDBRANN, in 2019. I

always enjoy being involved

in other bands and projects,

with a different form

of outlet, but KOLD-

BRANN will always be the

most personal and important

to me.

4. As for the lineup, what

can we expect from the

new Koldbrann version?

Are there gonna be any

changes? Maybe some new

faces we could see among

any other bands before?

Yeah, we got a new drummer

in 2021, who also recorded

the drums on the

single and the upcoming album.

An extremely talented

young man by the name

of Leonid Melnikov. Funny

thing; he first

saw KOLD-

BRANN live

in 2014,

when he

was only

14(!) – we

were supporting

M A Y -

HEM at

a concert

in Oslo,

and then; 7

years later

he joins the

band…!

On live

bass we

now have

J o h n

Grave,

who actually

was the very first

guitarist in KOLDBRANN,

back in 2001, before he

moved back to the north of

Norway and quit shortly after,

but since 2019 he’s been

back with us for all of our live

concerts, and he also contributed

with one song to the new

album, as well as recording

a couple of solos.

12 13

- Black Metal from Norway

Koldbrann

We also have Sturt from

TILINTETGJORT, who

fills in with us, if

one of the guitarists

can’t do the concert.

The core of the

band is still me

(vocals, bass on

recordings, guitars),

Kvass (lyrics

and guitar)

and Voidar (guitar),

as it has been

since 2009.

5. The original

idea of Koldbrann

was creating

Black Metal

in its original

version, without

any modern tricks.

Are you planning

to develop this

concept further, particularly

with the new

album?

When I started the

band, it was important

for me to have KOLD-

BRANN sound raw, real

and primitive – based on

90s Norwegian Black Metal

like DARKTHRONE,

D Ø DHEIMSGARD,

THORNS, TULUS, ILD-

JARN etc. At the time

there weren’t many other

bands doing that thing.

At least not in Norway.

And this is very much still

a part of my “musical

DNA”, but I have never

been against change or

drawing inspirations from

other and different styles

of metal, or music in general,

for that matter. So when

we did the “Vertigo” album

we wanted to go in more experimental

directions,

adding new elements

to our sound, like vintage

synthesizers on a

few of the songs, as well

as ambient interludes,

samples and a lot of different

guest appearances,

but for the new album it

felt natural to go more back

to the old “spirit” again.

Not to make some kind of

copy of our first albums – I

would never think like that,

but we’re definitely back to

the more rawer and primitive

again, with all Norwegian lyrics,

and no guests or anything

like that. Just pure KOLD-

BRANN…!

6. How

can you describe

today's

situation

with

Black Metal

in a few

words?

What countries,

in

your opinions,

are

absolute

leaders

when we're

talking

about the

support &

development

of the

genre traditions?

I don’t think there are any

leading scenes or countries, so

to say, and I’m not really very

concerned with that stuff.

But one thing is for sure,

there have always been excellent

Black Metal bands from

all over this pestered world,

from South America to the

US to Eastern Europe etc.

And now it seems the newer

and most profiled bands are

coming from more different

countries than ever.

7. Are you thinking about

any special conception the

new album is gonna be dedicated

to?

We don’t have a specific

concept for the album.

We’d like the listener to

experience the music for

themselves, and read and

interpret the lyrics for

themselves, if they’re interested

in that, so at

least we’re doing translations

of all the lyrics, that

will also be included

in the

booklet.

8. Do you

plan any tours

or massive

shows after the

release of the

new album? If

you do, what

countries are

you planning to

visit first?

This year we

have performed

our new material

at festivals

in Germany,

Switzerland,

The Netherlands,

Denmark

and Sweden,

with a great

reception! We

have booked a

few yet to be

announced festivals

for a few

other countries in 2024,

and we hope to be adding

more, of course! It would

be great to perform our

songs in Romania for the

first time…!

9. Are you planning to

continue some regular

& intense work on composing

new material after

the upcoming release? Or

you just let it flow and see

what's gonna happen?

Well, I certainly don’t intend

to have another 10 years

between the albums, that’s

for sure! Haha!

10. In the end of this interview,

what would you

like to say to our readers &

crew?

Check out our punishing new

single “Den 6. Massedød

(Manna fra en annen himmel)”,

and keep an eye out

for the upcoming album

“Ingen Skånsel” (meaning

No Mercy), to be released

spring 2024!

14 15

Italy

Kurgaall - Black Metal from

1. First of all,

we'd like to thank you

for reaching us! How

are your preparations

for the upcoming release

are going now?

HAIL! I’m Lord Astaroth

(founder and singer of KUR-

GAALL), I thank

you on behalf

of all KUR-

GAALL’s

members, and

we also thank

you for the

space you

are giving

us in

your interview and for

the work you are doing.


Yes, we are preparing a MINI-

CD that will be released at the beginning

of 2024. It will be about

some themes a bit different from

the ones we usually deal with:

we will talk about sadomasochism,

mistresses

We had problems playing at

a festival in southern Italy: we

had a petition from the local

bishop to send us away!

and what

all the things that’s underneath

this world.

Interview with Lord Astaroth

We had these four pieces in the

pipeline for a long time and we

wanted to bring them to life!

2. Kurgaall was formed in

1998, almost 30 years ago. Since

that time, world Metal community

and

the common

tendencies

have changed

a lot. How

does it feel

like for you?

Yeah let's

say that when

I founded

KURGAALL the

rooms were quite small and

smelly and the metal genres were

not as many as they are today.

There wasn’t internet,

but we used to write to

each other with letters to

order records or vinyls.

There weren’t merchandise

markets that sold everything

like today: you had to go and

find the band you liked,

moving between fanzines

and magazines.

It's changed a

lot in my opinion

since those days,

metal in general

and extreme

metal especially

has become much

more commercial,

all people now

can get to know

all the bands

they like without

any bother.

Instead, in that

times, there used

to be the mystery,

there was

more that real

desire to get to

know the band

through demo

tapes or through

letters directly

to the band

and really follow

them in live shows.

Today you don't do

that anymore...

3. Italy has always

been and still remains an

extremely religious country.

Did this fact have any

impact on your band conception,

such as massive

protest against the rules

etc? Or you just don't care

& create your content separately

from this reality?

Italy is even the home of the

Vatican state and religiosity,

especially Christianity and in

southern Italy, is very much felt!

We had problems playing at

a festival in southern Italy: we

had a petition from the local

bishop to send us away!

My hatred is towards

Christianity and everything

that is mentioned in

the false book, to lead false

minds to the game of a false God.

It is not only in Italy, but

this religion is also spread

all over the world.

But in the end, it is not about

religion, it is more about an

astral concept, about a God.

One of my rules (which also

resides in the darkest Satanism) is:

Man at the center of everything,

not God with his

vices, his cravings... Man

with his intelligence.

4. So your way

started when Black

Metal in Scandinavian

countries had

already a bit of supporters/disciples/

whatever we call it.

What was the strongest

reason for you to

find Swedish school

the most attractive

& inspirational

for yourself?

I'm certainly old

enough to have seen

the second wave of

black metal starting

in the nineties,

from Norwegian

to Swedish.

Obviously the

Swedish one, in my

opinion, is much more played

out and less “dreamlike” than

the Norwegian one: in the

sense that bands like Setherial,

Dark Funeral, Marduk focused

more on brutality sounds than

the Norwegians, who were a

bit more “dreamlike fantasy”.

16 17

Italy

Kurgaall - Black Metal from

I have always directed this

brutal, blast beats, sounds

by writing themes

strictly on all things

like Satanism, occultism,

which interest us and

which still give us strong

inspiration today.

5. 2001 and

"Death to the infidels"

became the

turning point

of your success

when

you started

playing

at massive

festivals &

touring with

titan bands.

What do you

tend to connect

this success

with, what was

the main reason?

YEAH, good

question!

So KURGAALL was

born in ‘98, I did the first

demo in 2001, just because

I had no money to really

publish the demo previously

(here in Italy you have

to pay everything, even the

air you breathe hahaha).

The success started when i

signed to a label called LO-

FI Creatures, who upon

hearing our first full album,

immediately sent us

on tour with Gorgoroth,

Vader, doing some pretty

brutality-centered shows

as far as we could.

We started to get this

reputation as hard black

metallers (more Swedish

than Norwegian) and started

to play a lot of gigs.

6. What was the most

killer experience of touring

with any of those big

bands you've ever

had to deal with?

Wow great question!

the most killer experience

was when I toured

with TAAKE or even with

Horna themselves: it was

very destructive for my liver!

Because they are bands and

bands that every night were

partying taking it to the limit

of the craziness and absurdity.

But also, when we toured

in Germany, I remember,

with MistyFire it was a really

killer experience.

There are some anecdotes to

be told that would make even

Satan himself shudder because

the man leads us back to the

gates of perception, to understand

this extreme utopian

concept, of Satan and the opposition

to the Christian God.

It is metal taken to the extreme

with these concepts,

which I like

so much!

7. Are any of

the members busy

with any side projects

at the moment or is

Kurgaall the priority

for each of you now?

I also let my other

band members answer

this question...

Of course, for me

the priority has always

been KUR-

GAALL and always

will be, as I founded

the band and still am

the Master.

I had experiences with other

bands when I was part of Black

Metal Maniacs group, with

the legendary Bleeding Fist

(my friend’s band).

We created Provocators together

with them, signing a contract

with Moribund records.

Over time I also lent my vocal

talent to other Italian death

metal bands and also grindcore,

but only because I had

this vocal flexibility and to

do these other bands a favour.

I personally, besides

my band KURGAALL,

also have Provocators

in my heart today.

For me this is the priority,

for the others,

who have different

projects,

I let them talk

down here:

- A s -

modevs D.D.

(drummer):

apart from being

the drummer in

KURGAALL, I

am the founder

and composer of

Azrath-11, who

play a mixture

of old-school

Death Metal

and Black

Metal called

'True Lovecraftian

Death Metal'.

- Arevakhach

(bassist): Hello everyone,

I personally have

an Assault Metal project

(Crownlake) and a

One-man Band project

(Arevakhach)

- Sargatanas B.

(lead guitar): Hi… I'm

your guitarist…I'm a bit

confused because of the

fever...but I'm almost

there... besides ravaging

the six strings for KUR-

GAALL at the speed of

sound, I'm also bassist/

singer of Kryptonomicon

which plays 80' Celtic Frost

inspired thrash/black... as

well as co-founder guitar/

vocalist composer and leader

of Karnak… and lead guitarist

with ANGELCORPSE.

H50 (lead guitar): Hail,

I play guitar in KUR-

GAALL and I also have

my band called Dismal

(theatrical dark music).

8. What can we expect

from the new album?

You're promising

to make it more

blasphemous, what is it

gonna be expressed in?

My promises for the new

album will be more blasphemy,

especially in content,

and will reflect the speed

of the songs, so get ready for

a new level of blasphemy. I

can't tell you the contents, because

the album is subject to band secrecy,

and if I unveiled it

would cause quite a stir.

Stay tuned and you'll know

everything! Be

patient and you

will be the first

to read the lyrics

in this web zine!

9. In the

end of the interview,

what

would you like to

say to our readers

& crew?

First of all, I

want to thank

all the people

like you, who

give a space and

voice to all the

bands, both underground

and

big ones. We also

thank all the people like

our fans, but especially

the writers and journalists

who bring this concept

of black metal going on, and

help to get the word of the artists

to all the fans out there. Thanks

to you! Thanks to Poland! We

are coming to give you a

show you have surely never

seen! HAIL Satan, f*** your

world! - Lord Astaroth

18 19

- Black Metal from Czechia

Plague God

Hi this is Jay reporting

from Bogota Colombia.

Today I'm lucky enough

to be talking to Armo

and Dr. Fe from Czech

BM sensation, Plague God.

Ahoj a

vítejte!!!

Thanks for

taking the

time to talk to

our readers.

Armo: Hello

Jay, it is for

both of us a

pleasure and we are thankful

for the interview.

1) Tell us about

Interview by Jay Parker

PG.. when/where/why/

was the band formed?

Armo: I was buying some Amon

records back in the day from

Dr.Fe and when

Many new bands are appearing

at the moment, what is

best and also worst that

can happen to the scene.

I recorded

my first Plague God Demo

and self-released it on CD-R, I

gave it to Dr.Fe as a gift.

Interview with Armo and Dr. Fe

Dr.Fe: I listened to the Demo

and really liked it, so I got an

idea to ask Armo, if he would be

interested in recording something

together.

And we did.

2) Why did

you decide to

play black

metal?

Dr.Fe: Well

I am, we both

are, playing

Black Metal

from a young age. I personally

was never even thinking

about playing anything else.

Armo: I started my first Black

Metal band in my 14-15 years.

I was playing in Death or

Thrash metal bands, but

nothing ever came even

close to the feeling this music

has for me. I love the chaos,

freedom and atmosphere

of Black Metal.

3) Run us through your

releases and tell our readers

where they can buy

them...

Armo: Well,

the first two

demo records

were done by

me as a solo

Black Metal

project

with growling

vocals.

First demo

called simply

“Demo”

was released

by young label

Nocturnal

Dissonance

on MC and

by Silentium

in Foresta

Records

on digipack.

Second demo “Demo II”

was released by Silentium

in Foresta Records on digipack

and compilation of

both demos “Black Death

Demos” was released on MC

by Depressive Illusions Records

from Ukraine. Before

the release of our debut album

together with Dr.Fe

was released 7” vinyl with

our single called “Bloodbath”

by Masters Of Kaos

from Columbia. Full length

“New Veins For Old Blood”

was released on MC by

Necroeucharist Productions,

will be released on CD by

Fallen Temple from Poland

and we are currently working

on our own release on 12” vinyl.

4) Who writes the lyrics

and where does the inspiration

come from?

Dr.Fe: Inspiration is our

real life experiences with

Christians and with religion.

Christianity is not as

strong in the Czech republic

as it is in Poland, but it

still makes me angry.

Armo: We are both writing

lyrics, with some exceptions. Lyrics

for the song “Bloodbath” are for

example done by Aleš “Marabu”

Kulhánek from old forgotten

Black Metal band Marabu.

Lyrics for song “Erra And

Terrifying Seven” are from

+-3000 years old Erra Epos

about destruction of Babylon.

5) Tell us about the music.. who

writes the guitar

and bass parts?

Who plays the

drums? The

songs have

some outstanding

riffs...

Armo: I am

writing and

recording all

string instruments

and I am

programming

the drums. I am

also mixing

and mastering

the whole

thing. All is

done at my

flat. There is

no producer

or big studio behind our work.

6) Tell us about the equipment

you use for recording…

your unholy arsenal…

Armo: Well, I have around

17 years old B.C. Rich Warbeast

and I have bought

Harley Benton WB-20BK

bass especially for the Plague

God project. I practice on

70W Marshall combo.

20 21

- Black Metal from Czechia

Plague God

7) Tell us about

your musical influences...What

did

you listen to growing

up? What bands do

you listen to now?

Dr.Fe: Before Black

Metal became a thing I

was listening to many

Hard Rock and Heavy

Metal bands like Black

Sabbath, Uriah Heep

or Motorhead. And

that hasn't changed

to this day.

Armo: I was growing

up with Punk and

Heavy Metal music

like Iron Maiden

or Manowar. Then

it evolved into heavier

music including Death,

Thrash and Black Metal

for example Bathory,

Maniac Butcher, Nihilist

etc. At the moment

I enjoy the old filthy

raw sound and music

on old demos from

80-90s. Abduction Of

Limbs, All Evil, Gornography

are just a few examples.

Sometimes I am listening to

new upcoming music from

young bands, but it is not so

often that it interests me.

8) What is the Czech BM

scene like?? Recommend

some good new bands.

Dr.Fe: There are many

Black Metal bands in the

Czech Republic. With a

wide spectrum from Raw

to Atmospheric Black Metal.

Important thing is that

many new band emerge and

young people are interesting

in this kind of music.

Armo: There are many great

bands that are making a

comeback as well. Sezarbil or

Sekhmet are back on the scene

and playing live to name

a few. I can recommend

new upcoming bands such

as Serpent Throne is new

local band from Brno and

guys self-released album “Po

soumraku, vždy se rozbřesk

navrátí” or studio project Decompose

to Ashes with EP “In

The Eternal Silence” both are

definitely worth a listen.

9) What are your expectations

for the future?

Dr.Fe: We are working on

new songs for a split with another

band and later we will

see what we will do with the

rest of the material.

Armo: We are open to any cooperation

on split albums or

compilations, if the rest of the

record will be interesting

to our senses.

10) What have been

your best and worst

experiences so far as a

BM musician?

Dr.Fe: Once I saw

Martin Škaroupek from

Cradle Of Filth at some

concert as he is from

Brno also. I wanted to

go to him and shake his

hand, but he was faster.

He came to me and

shook my hand first and

told me that my music

inspired and influenced

him as a musician. I am

feeling very honored

by those words to this

day. Two worst experiences

were when once

my vocals were disgraced by

some metal show in the radio

and when I was accused

on some internet metal forum,

that I looked drunk on

the stage in 2013, while I was

not drinking as the only driver

in the band for that night.

Armo: Well I don't have

many experiences to be honest,

I am just kind of doing

my thing with Plague God.

When we started our first

band as young boys, that

was the best feeling for me

as a musician. The enjoyment

of the process of

creating new music is

everytime the best experience

for me. That is the

reason why I am doing

it. The worst .... probably

when people are still

talking that it is a shame

that we use programmed

drums. I am not a drummer

and I don't have a

drum set. But I want

to do my own thing, so

drum programming is

necessary evil. You don't

like it, then don't listen

to it.

11) How do you think

BM will evolve over the

next few years? Do you

see it as a healthy scene

at the moment?

Dr.Fe: I have no idea

how it will evolve. I

would be happy if nothing

changes. Motorhead

was also playing the same

thing and it worked for

them for over 50 years.

Then why are people

combining Black Metal

with other weird stuff?

Armo: Many new bands

are appearing at the moment,

what is best and

also worst that can happen

to the scene. Some of them

are playing good OSBM

music, which I admire in

such young ages of many of

those musicians. But with

the same breath I will add

that there are many weird

style combinations, political

directions and other aspects

that don't have anything to do

with Black Metal music, but people

are still trying to involve

it. Only time will tell.

12) What advice would

you give to any young

musicians reading this

that may be looking to

follow in your footsteps

down the left hand path to

Black Metal Darkness?

Dr.Fe: Do your homework

and work hard on

yourself to be the best

musician you can be.

Armo: Create this music

from desire for creating,

not for money, fans

or imaginary respect.

13) Would you like

to add anything for

our readers?

Buy our or other bands

merch, physical records

are the only records that

matter. Turn off your spotify

and get back to your

tape deck or turntable,

because that is what

Metal music is about.

Both of us would like

to thank you and your

readers for this opportunity

Jay. We admire

your work with this interview

and with Masters

Of Kaos.

Děkuji Plague

God!!!!

666

22 23

Folterkammer - Operatic Black Metal from the United States

1. First of all, thanks for

the opportunity to do

the interview! Honestly,

it's not every day

when you meet such a

specific Black Metal singer.

So, tell us

a bit more

in details

about yourself,

and particularly

how

did you come to

Black Metal

while being

an opera

singer?

Thanks to my parents, I

grew up with all kinds of


music: soul, RnB, classic rock,

heavy metal, punk, prog rock,

blues, jazz, hip-hop, reggae or

even classical music... you

name it … but

The music must be original, humorous

or otherwise dramatic in expression,

preferably also complex, versatile and

in such a way that I am challenged to

grow as a singer and musician.

Interview with Andromeda

also audio

books, for example. They listened

to everything, and so

did we children. We had various

instruments around the

house and my mother sang

with us all the time in different

languages. I always tried

to imitate

all the singing

styles or

audio books

scenes I

heard. Looking

back, I

would say

that this is

my real vocal

foundation; it

is this versatility that later

opened up many opportunities

for me as a singer and also

as a singing teacher.

Funny but true: I never actually

aspired to a traditional

opera career but trained my

voice classically for several

years from the age of 16, with

the intention of becoming a

professional singer, but not

classically. I simply wanted a

serious and solid foundation

in vocal training, because good

craft is very important to me.

When the question came up as

to whether I wanted to pursue

a career in traditional opera, I

clearly declined. However,

I always wanted to get a lot

of variety and timbre out of

my voice and always wanted

to write my own music. As

a traditional classical or opera

singer, you normally sing

"Lieder" or arias written by

other composers, and you cultivate

a very defined sound,

and at the time, in my early 20s,

that felt too restrictive for me.

My first performance in front

of an audience as a child was

on a church organ. That left a

lasting impression on me. To

this day, I like to compare the

human voice with the church

organ. On a church organ,

there are different stops

that you can push and pull

to change the sound. I would

also like to work like that as a

singer. Instead of specializing

in bel canto and always working

in that style, I prefer to experiment

with the versatility

of the sound and expression of

my voice as well as with different

styles of music. Just (literally)

"singing beautifully"

is too one-sided for me and

doesn't suit my personality,

the way I want to express

music and how I want to position

myself as a singer. I then

switched from the classical

department to jazz. I find jazz

music incredibly adventurous,

creative, and exciting; it's a different

approach to playing music

together; I love this fast,

ad hoc, and spontaneous expression

and I learnt a lot about

playing music during this time.

Singing in jazz is very playful,

often sensual, focuses on rhythmic

details and is mostly decent

in terms of volume and sound.

It was the latter two aspects

that I really missed, and I realized

that I had not yet found

my true place in the music.

So, I thought about what kind

of music I could sing, where a

solid vocal technique is just as

important as dynamics,

where dramatic and high

voices have their place,

and which I enjoy a lot.

That quickly became

clear: heavy metal and

rock. I always wanted to

work with vocal distortions,

screams and growls,

which is a no-go for traditional

classical singing.

The possibilities in metal

are hugely varied, depending

on what you want to focus

on: from more groove-oriented

metal, to complex technical

death metal, from simple forms to

epic, complex long forms, all written

out or some improvised

sections. With jazz, folk, or

classical influences. Artfully

arranged down to the last detail

or "in-your-face" power.

It's a huge platform for

creativity and expression. How

can you not just love it? When it

comes to metal, I clearly prefer everything

that is considered "extreme

metal". I have a passion for

very aggressive and dark music.

I think because I personally

also prefer more complex

music in general, everything

I sang, wrote and/or (co-)

produced always automatically

had a progressive and

experimental touch. That

eventually brought me to New

York, the center for experimental

and avant-garde music and

art, where I met Zachary, Kenny

and Steve from Imperial

Triumphant, among others.

Today I'm doing exactly

what I've always wanted

to do: I combine different

styles of singing and music in

a way that suits me and the

music I help create. Most of

this takes place in a metal and

rock context, be it metal-jazz,

avant-garde extreme metal

music or progressive rock/

metal. Here I can combine everything

the way I like it. I also

love cabaret, satire and everything

that is humorous; everything

that is cheeky, naughty,

and theatrical.

24 25


And that's always a part of

my singing and lyrics. So

perhaps it's not surprising

that I'm a

big fan of Nina Hagen,

Panzerballett and Frank

Zappa (especially the

music he made with the

Mothers of Invention).

I don't think much of

purism; what's very important

to me is originality,

artistry, and a

good sound - no matter

what kind of music it is.

I was also strongly

influenced by the music

of John Zorn. I was

particularly taken with

John Zorn’s Moonchild.

Musicians and bands like

Shawn Lane, Jonas Hellborg,

Carla Bley, Allan

Holdsworth, Cliff Burton,

Judas Priest, Slayer,

Dio, King Crimson, Bob

Drake, Lou Reed, Kate

Bush, L’Ham de Foc,

Alice in Chains, Meshell

Ndegeocello, Birgit Nilsson,

CB Murdoc, Elysian

Fields, Peter Hammill, Secret

Chiefs 3, Värttinä, Sleepytime

Gorilla Museum, Joan

Sutherland, Cecil Taylor,

Magma, Juliane Banse, Ute

Lemper, Faun Fables, Gong,

Fiona Apple, Jerseyband,

Hiromi, Chaka Khan,

Margot Hielscher, Led

Zeppelin, and Meshuggah

also were big inspirations

for my musical work.

I just love all music, especially

clever and original

music, and art songs.

The combination of classical

singing with extended

vocal techniques like metal

screams came thanks to

Zachary. He asked me back

then if I could do both together

for Imperial Triumphant. No

sooner said than done. We enjoyed

it so much that we wanted

to dedicate ourselves to a

project where we specialize in

mixing opera singing with baroque

music and black metal

elements of the 90s. It's a lot of

fun. I now love classical singing

more than ever before.

2. As we know, you're currently

a part of the project

named La Suspendida which

is completely about opera,

and also, if I remember it right,

used to be a part of some jazz

projects. Does combining

these genres in your life make

you integrate any particular

specialties from

one genre into others?

Do you have any personal

priorities?

La Suspendida is a

jazz-metal opera and combines

musical elements

from all three genres. The

idea was inspired by me when

I watching a video of the

amazing Growler's Choir

and saying to Laurent David

(bassist and composer of Kilter

and Folterkammer): "Someone

should write an opera for

voices like that!". He and his band

Kilter (which also includes Kenny

of Imperial Triumphant and

Ed Rosenberg III of the Jersey

Band) then composed this whole

opera, and William Berger of the

Metropolitan Opera wrote the

libretto. Seven)Sun's (who specialize

in playing metal music

as a classical string quartet - SO

good, check them out!) and of

course the Growler's Choir from

Canada also perform for La Suspendida.

The role of Maria Elena

was tailor-made for my crossover

singing style. It's the most

challenging role I've ever sung,

both vocally and musically.

My priorities are always the

following: The music must be

original, humorous or otherwise

dramatic in expression,

preferably also complex, versatile

and in such a way that I am

challenged to grow as a singer

and musician. I just don't want

to sing pretty, clean, neat, nice,

or sweet - that really annoys and

bores me. The lyrics also must

be provocative. I want art with

substance, with content; nothing

too comfortable, cheesy

or slimy, or something you've

heard a thousand times before.

Whether it's music, art, literature,

dance... it must be something

that feels like a tickle or a

rush of high voltage in my brain

and challenges me to explore

new horizons. Something that

makes me think, provokes me,

throws me out of my comfort

zone and surprises me.

3. While beginning as an opera

singer, did you ever think

you would end up in an Extreme

Metal project? How did

it feel when it happened?

As I mentioned

before, despite my

long classical singing

training, I never

really wanted to become

a traditional

opera singer but was

always open to everything.

It was through

Zachary and Laurent

that I started singing

classically again.

I've left that world

behind me for the

most part and have

concentrated mainly

on modern styles

of singing over the

last 15 years. I never

thought I would

sing classical again,

and certainly not in

combination with

metal screams. But

it’s SO MUCH fun!

This way, I somehow

tricked myself back to

classical singing, and

now I'm more dedicated

to this vocal art

than ever before.

4. Let's talk a bit

more in details

about Folterkammer. So, the

name itself is German for

"a torture chamber". Even

though the music itself is

actually pure Black Metal,

it sounds quite melodic

because of your voice.

So, was such a name

chosen rather because of

your lyrical content?

German, or Swiss German,

is my mother tongue. All of us

in the band love the German

language, literature and are

into German opera. We wanted

a band name that made it clear

that, with very few exceptions,

our lyrics are in German.

It should also be a German

word that is easy to

pronounce, even

for non-German

speakers. A word

that can be interpreted

in many ways or that

can evoke many different

ideas and associations.

For me,

the biggest torture

chamber is the human

brain. But all

of us in the band

are also big history

fans and are

interested in instruments

of torture,

e.g. from the

medieval period.

Of course, we also

wanted a name that

connects us to

an older time, as

our music is inspired

by classical

music, especially

also baroque

music. The name

should also express

that our

music is not exactly

gentle.

5. The first

Folterkammer

LP was released at one of the

shittiest years of the last decade

- 2020. How was it for you

to start with a brand-new

project at such a time?

26 27


Or did you decide to completely

dedicate this time

to creativity at once?

We produced our

first album "Die Lederpredigt"

before

Covid, it came

out when we

were all in lockdown.

It was

sad that we never

got to go on

tour with that

album. I found

the whole lockdown

period

rather uncreative

and boring.

I was happy

when I could

start working on

new ideas and

lyrics for the next

Folterkammer album.

It was clear

that the next

topic should be

femdom; I then

used the time to

take lessons from

a professional

dominatrix, read

numerous books

and researched this

topic extensively,

also from a historical

and ethnographic/folkloristic

perspective. Only then

did I start writing lyrics.

Looking back, this

time was indeed useful.

6. As I mentioned before,

the musical content

of Folterkammer sounds

rather like pure Black Metal,

and the only factor that

makes it sound truly melodic

is your voice. Are you

gonna develop this tendency

on upcoming albums or are

you thinking about adding

some extra instruments?

Instrumentally, we definitely

don't want to sound too

symphonic. We want the basic

character of our music to be hard,

raw, and brutal. But art thrives

on contrasts, and that's exactly

what the vocals do in our music.

We wanted the vocal melodies

to be artful and virtuosic,

the metal screams

harsh and piercing. On

"Die Lederpredigt" we

experimented with this

combination, with the

upcoming album we

wanted to concretize

and define certain elements,

but also tease

out even more versatility.

It's important

to us to go beyond our

own boundaries: How

far can we go with this?

At the same time, there

is also the requirement

that the musical expression

in everything

we do is song oriented.

Since our music

is heavily inspired by

opera, there is an obvious

theatrical element.

We want to

cultivate an edgy mix

of something "pompous"

and "trashy”.

What's new: During

"Die Lederpredigt"

we didn't have a bass

player in the band, but now we

do. And not only does the band

have a bass player, but we have

also emphasized the bass as an

instrument and the bass playing

in the sound of the band, which

is rather atypical for black metal.

There is also a surprise on the upcoming

album, but I don't want

to reveal anything about that yet.

7. So, is it a sign that we should

wait for a new album soon? What

can we expect from it if you're

really working on it now?

Yes, we will release a new album,

get ready: it's coming soon!

8. One special thing I have

to remark about the lyrics of

Das Peitschengedicht is that it

sounds so full of harsh irony for

Christianity. Yeah, that's more

than a normal thing for Black

Metal, but it would be truly

interesting to know more

about your personal story of

relationship with religion.

We addressed the topic of

religion and oppressive abuse

systems on our last album "Die

Lederpredigt". I am - quite obviously

- anything but a fan of religion

(any religion), indoctrination

of absurd, often misogynistic

ideas and superstitions of any

kind. I take a clear stand against

any kind of institutionalized coercive

actions with oppressive

methods that mostly treat women

as second-class beings. In

general, I am a clear opponent

of fascist and other oppressive,

controlling systems. Also, everything

I do in music is always

feminist motivated and against

misogyny. I celebrate womanhood

in all its facets and ignore

or make fun of macho behavior,

concepts, and fantasies, I really

can't take it seriously. The older

I get, the more consistently I

avoid misogynistic men and

systems. They are not only

poison for every society, but

also dangerous for us women. I

come from Switzerland, a country

that is perceived as safe and

modern, but we have a strikingly

high femicide rate there.

We need to change this, not

just in Switzerland, but worldwide,

and we need everyone to

help bring about this change.

More than ever, I only want

to work professionally with

men who treat and support

women respectfully, benevolently,

and equally, and who

think progressively, like my

bandmates in Folterkammer.

In all projects in which I sing

as a front woman, I want to

portray strong female characters

of all kinds, including

those who provide a counterpoint

to the way we often see

women idealized: submissive,

obedient, cute and well-behaved.

On the last Folterkammer

album it was an abusive, vicious

goddess, on the new

album it's about dominant

women, celebrating

dominatrices. I love the

aesthetics of BDSM, it's

very imaginative, delicate,

contrasting, and spicy. The

pairing of BDSM and metal

music is nothing new in that

sense, but the fact that it's

about femdom in particular is

atypical. Portrayals of women

in dominant roles and men in

submissive roles are still a rarity.

"Das Peitschengedicht" is a song

about a dominant woman who

writes her whip poem on the

back of the submissive, devoted

man and verbally humiliates

him as part of a sensual

game, as agreed between the

two of them. A very kinky song.

Brendan, our drummer, is a trained

actor and filmmaker and has made a

lyric video for this single with outtakes

from the Häxan movie. In

this way he has built a bridge to

the aesthetics/themes of the first

album, maybe that's where your

associations come from.

9. Are you planning to actively

develop Folterkammer

as a main project or

just work on it from time to

time by inspiration?

Folterkammer and La Suspendida

are my two main projects

at the moment. Both demand

a lot from me vocally and

artistically. I also have my

personal side project Andromeda

Anarchia's Dark

Matters, a prog rock songwriting

project, but I only work on

that when I have some extra

time. I also make guest performances

from time to time.

10. In the end of the interview,

what would you like to

say to our readers & crew?

Thank you very much for

your interest in our music

and for all your support.

We hope to see you soon at a

Folterkammer concert!

28 29

- Black Metal from Germany

Membaris

Hello and welcome to

Inside the Darkness.

Amarok:

Hey, a big thanks to

you for making this in-

pos-

terview

sible.

- Can you

tell our readers

a bit about

your history,

please?

Kraal: Obscurus

and

I founded

the band on 18.10.1999.

Six months later, Boreas

joined us on guitar. After

Interview by Andrew Stanton

many concerts and 4 albums

Boreas left us after more than

12 years and Obscurus and I

continued as a duo for a

long time. We

The music itself is dead for most

people nowadays and especially extreme

Metal is (and should be) rooted in

the underground and is not an art for

everyone to understand and experience.

also created

the album Misanthrosophie

as a duo. Then we found

a very good guitarist in F.H.

Interview with Kraal and Amarok

After several years we parted

ways. Finally, in 2021, we

not only found an incredibly

cool guitarist in Amarok, but

also a brother

in spirit, just

like N.W.

N.W. played

live with us

as a session

guitarist

from 2004

and recently

also

joined us as a permanent

guitarist. Now we

finally are a band again.

- What got you interested

in Black Metal?

Kraal: It was the rawness,

the coldness, the extreme

feeling inside us that had to

be set to music. Membaris

was like an outlet for all the

dark feelings about religions,

humanity, and of course nature

and cosmology that

Obscurus and I shared. No

other music genre could combine

all of this. Only here in

black metal did

we have the

feeling of being

truly free.

- What is on

the cover of

Misanthrosophie?

Kraal: The

cover shows a

kind of virus, a

visualization of

the concept of

light and shadow,

the representation

of

what man can

be seen as.

- Why do so

many Black

Metal bands

use black and white

album covers?

Kraal: That is a very interesting

question. It remains

to be seen whether

I can answer it to your satisfaction.

First of all, it's

probably the classic look

that many bands prefer.

On the other hand, it

could be that many people

in black metal have a simple

black and white way

of thinking. But it can't

be that, because I know so

many people in the scene

whose way of thinking is

actually very colorful.

But traditionally, black

metal is not colorful. Despite

the diversity of thought within

black metal, these thoughts

are dark, dismissive,

contemptuous and hateful.

And they will remain

so in a changing way.

- When is German Metal

going to start taking

over the world again?

Like it did in the 80s.

Amarok: Haha, ok. We had

our ‘musical’ youth in the

90’s and the 2000’s so most of

the bandmembers started right

away with second wave Black

Metal or slowly grew into

it (like me) at that time.

So we don’t even know

if Germany took over the

world with Heavy Metal

in the 80’s because we

did not experience it ourselves

and do not care much about

most of the music of that era.

I am a huge

fan of Running

Wild

though.

What already

did

happen in

my opinion

is, that the

German

Metal underground

outgrew

most of other

count

r i e s

underground;

at least

it seems

that way

for extreme metal, because

in every small suburb or

city you find a ton of Metal

Bands, even the amount of

German Black Metal is unbelievably

huge compared

to 20 years ago and there is a

lot of gold to dig for.

The core of Black Metal

somewhat shifted away from

Scandinavia you could say.

30 31

- Black Metal from Germany

Membaris

Nowadays you find promising

Bands even in the most

hidden corners of the

world so it isn’t a

question of Germany

taking

over anything

(in a metaphorical

way) but the

root of Black

Metal spreading

across the

globe, reaching

those who are

fit to embrace

dark philosophy

and search for

answers outside

of religious

dogmatism.

But to finally answer

your question:

I don’t think

that there will be

big wave of German

Heavy Metal

Bands ever again.

The music itself

is dead for most

people nowadays

and especially

extreme Metal is

(and should be) rooted in

the underground and is not

an art for everyone to understand

and experience.

- Are the growls and the clean

vocals the same singer?

Kraal: Yes, that's 95 percent

me on the vocals. I

love being able to vary and

give the songs even more

depth and more facets.

Obscurus often adds a

few backing vocals, or he

sings a song that is particu-

larly important to him himself.

- Are you going to try anything

new on your new album?

Kraal: Basically, nothing will

change. We'll do what we've always

done. But now that N.W. and

Amarok are actively involved in the

songwriting, you'll probably hear a

few changes here and there.

Amarok: A tour would be really

great. We would definitely play

one if we were offered one. Typically,

we don't actively search

for shows but get invited by people

that are truly in our music.

We'll see what happens

with the release of the album,

let's be surprised.

- Do you have a message

for our readers?

Kraal:

Gnṓthi seautón!

Know yourself, change yourself

and learn to live with it.

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32 33

Primordial Black - Bl a ckened Death Metal from Tunisia

Hi, this is Jay reporting

for Inside

the Darkness zine.

Today, I’m lucky

enough to be talking to

Yasser from the Tunisian

band, Primordial

Black.

Kef al hal

Yasser, thanks

for taking the

time to talk to

our readers.


1.Tell us

a b o u t

the roots

of Primordial Black

- when where and

why did you decide

to form the band?

- El Hamdulillah ya akhi.

First of all, thank you for

having us. I started the

band sometimes

Covid had no impact on the

Tunisian scene, because the latter

had been in a state of clinical death

for a good number of years.

Interview with Yasser

last year.

I was in another band and

after three years doodling, we

pretty go nowhere. I’ve decided

to form Primordial Black

to compose songs that could

act as a catharsis to the hatred

I was feeling at that time. This

project surely

doesn’t come

from a happy

place.

2.You’ve

just released

a new EP

- Run us

through it

and let our

readers know where

they can get a copy.

- It all started at home, I

composed the majority of the

songs on my recording setup.

Those wasn’t just ideas; it

was more akin to a skeleton

or a road map where I have

mapped out the intensity

layers of the song.

I had the concept in mind

and I knew I wanted to

mix HP Lovecraft,

Celtic Frost and

John Dee's philosophy.

Luckily the

rough drafts I’ve

come with would

explain enough

of the song’s progression

and those

“intensity levels”

to my bandmates.

I will never stop

saying that: I’m

fortunate enough

to play with geniuses

so I don’t

have to worry

that things aren’t

going to work

out with them.

The result? Four songs

that draw inspiration

from the worst that humanity

has in itself. Four

songs that represent the

rage, the passion, the revolt

and the disgust with

the world around us.

Our first EP will be released

on January 12th

by M&O Music and be

available on all streaming

platforms, we were also

fortunate enough to for

concluding a deal with

Masters of Kaos Records

which will allow us to

release this EP on CD

(And Vinyls later on).

3. What will the follow

up be like? Do you

think you can beat it?

Tell us about the new

material you’re recording…

- Now that our lineup is

consolidated our songs

take a more progressive

turn and sounds especially

more Black Metal.

I'm confident that our

next release (which will

be an album) will be much

more impactful and coherent

than our first EP.

I have already brought

four demos to the group

and we are currently developing

them in the studio.

I got a pretty good idea about

the concept we are going to

develop on the album and

got some ideas for lyrics

too. It's a little too early to

talk about it, but let’s just

say that I draw from Clive

Barker, Muhammad

Iqbal and

Dario Argento.

4. What were

your musical influences

growing

up?

- Music was

always a huge

thing in my life.

My parents had

a fantastic record

collection,

from jazz, pop to

classical to 70’s

prog-rock. As

far back as I can

remember, there

was always

music in our

home. My mother was a

big fan of ABBA and that

kind of music, my father was

more into Ten Years After,

Status Quo and other joyous

guitar centered music.

Metal was fascinating

to me because of my older

brother who introduced

me to Metallica, Bio Hazard

and Slayer, the imagery

and savagery they displayed

at the time was a godsend for

a kid like me who loved everything

alternative and

out of the ordinary.

34 35

Primordial Black - Bl a ckened Death Metal from Tunisia

But I vividly remember

that it was to the first

Mortal Kombat

movie soundtrack

that really made me

jump into Metal Extreme.

Fear Factory’s

Zero Signal was my

gateway to everything

down the line.

5. When did you

start playing music?

And what was your

first instrument?

- I did start at guitar,

then switched to

bass because I was

intimidated by the

level of proficiency

of my schoolmates

and friends at the time.

Then came Sepultura,

Celtic Frost and all the

Down Tuned/groovy

oriented side of the

Metal scene, and that

was closer to what I

imagined I might be

able to do. I got my guitar

and tried to my best

to replicate those riffs.

I left the extreme metal

scene for a while as I embarked

on an alternative

rock musical project which

allowed me to make original

soundtracks for short

films, documentaries and

advertising spots.

6. Do you have

any other side projects

apart from Primordial

Black?

- Yes, I’m actually the

sole member of the Alternative

Rock project “Lucas

Tools” as said earlier,

this project allowed me to

make original soundtracks,

musical research and

other experiments.

The project has been on

standby since I formed Primordial

Black.

7. Tell us about the

extreme metal scene

in Tunisia…

- The Tunisian scene is

in full revival. The various

fests which took place

this year under the leadership

of Agartha, Ali Djaziri

and the Mena Rock Festival

have largely put the

scene back on its feet.

There are many groups

that have been created and

others that have resumed

after years of hiatus.

I am hopeful, especially

knowing that the

scene is diverse.

8. What are your top

5 albums of all time?

- Five albums? It

might be complicated...

So, I'll give you

the list that's been

running on my iPhone

for a few months.

I will say (in no

particular order):

M o n o t h e -

ist by Celtic Frost

Crack The Skye

by Mastodon

Mariner by Cult of Luna

& Julie Christmas

Frostbitten by Grima

Mirage by Gaerea.

9. If you could play with

any musician, live or dead,

who would it be?

- Would love to Jam

with Cliff Burton.

10. As a part of the ever-growing

post-pandemic

wave of young, talented

artists, how do you see the

scene developing over the

next few years?

- Covid had no impact

on the Tunisian scene, because

the latter had been

in a state of clinical death

for a good number of years.

Most people gave up and

the few remaining musicians

specialized in cover

bands to be able to ensure

an income.

The few internationally

renowned groups that we

have, tried within their

means to do some things,

but it was wasted effort.

But lately the scene has

been getting back on

track for several months,

mainly thanks to the

contribution of concert

promoters who have decided

to try to revive

Tunisian’s Metal.

11. What do you think are

the main differences between

the ‘old school’ and

the so called ‘new school’

of extreme music?

- Oh man! This question.

This is like asking if Mercedes

are better than Audi

or cats are better than dogs.

Often when people use

the term "old school" it's

just pandering to a sense of

misplaced nostalgia and

meant to promote the

idea that they are somehow

more legitimate because

their sound and ethos hearken

back to a time when

things were "purer". I’m

not a fan of that.

I really don’t like a

band like

Spiritbox,

but I can totally

see the

appeal that

this band

can have

on someone

else.

I would

say that for

me the only

difference

is being

that oldschool

metal

sounds

more organic

because

it was actually played in

takes. Modern metal is

always polished to impossible

precision via a billion

DAW cut/pastes. And

for me, it’s sound sterile

and lifeless.

12. Where would you

like to take Primordial

Black? Do you have future

plans to play live?

- The goal is to take

the group as far as possible;

we are ready to share

our universe with everyone

and are honored by

the positive feedback we

are starting to receive.

For lives, we are open to

all proposals.

13. Would you like to add

anything for our readers?

- I would like to thank

you for this opportunity

that you gave us to

talk about our project.

I also thank everyone who

appreciated our first single,

promising them that

the EP is even more explosive.

On closing note, we encourage

every person who

liked our music, to have a listen

and watch the bands of our local

scene. Sometimes you may

find a new band to listen

to and follow, and be sure

that every time you’ll discover

something that was

created with a passion You

will don't get anywhere else.

A massive thanks to

Yasser, shokran!

Thanks for your time man

and we’re eagerly anticipating

your new material.

Hails!

36 37

Winter Ov Thanatoz

- Black Metal from Canada

Hi, this is Jay reporting for

Inside the Darkness zine.

Today, I am lucky

enough to be talking to

Alex, from the Canadian

one-man bm monster, Winter

Ov Thanatoz.

Hi Alex,

thanks for taking

time to talk

to our readers.


1. Tell us

about the

roots of

W I N -

TER OV THANA-

TOZ... when, where

and why did you decide

to form a band?

Thanks for having me, Jay!

I had a vision in 2006 in a

small town of 600 people

in Saskatche-

We are in a dark period, use

that darkness for growth

and passion. Strong men

create good times.

wan. I came

up with the name one day, I

was a younger teenager that

found connection with black

Interview with Alex

metal, just ways I had already

lived my life and my belief of

the world, but what happened

was like a lifelong quest of

trials that

would be put

in place that

I had to experience

as

a musician,

man first before

I would

embark on

this quest.

2019 came, as everyone

knows what hit and

the mass propaganda machine

plagued our world once

again, I had enough.

I decided it was time to

stand up and voice my

opinion on this worlds

oppression that is enslaving

the masses and

do what I was put on this

planet to do. I decided I

would stand for justice

and represent Canada

the best I could in these

dark times in the world.

2. You've released a new

ALBUM - Run us through

it and let our readers know

where they can get a

copy and run us through

your previous albums?

My second album KY-

BALION! I loved recording

every moment of my

second album, the idea

was to make an album that

followed the 7 hermetic

principles but also lots of

occultic topics that came

about in what I was feeling

when I wrote the tracks.

I was very angry with the

world and this album was

a catalyst for healing and

destruction all in one.

For my fans and readers

worldwide, if you go into

bandcamp we are there

with physical merchandise

and digital downloads

for your phone, just look

up WINTER OV THAN-

ATOZ, MASTERS OF

KAOS and MASTERS

OF KAOS - CANADA

The first album WINTER

OV THANATOZ... that

was a huge undertaking. I

knew I wanted to write an

album, but I didn't completely

know how it should

sound, it kind of happened

by experimentation, as I reference

and quote "If it begins

to sound like the first

BURZUM album, you're on

the right track!" but I found a

consistent way of writing and

next thing I knew. BOOM,

had the album put to together

and ready to release

for the world but more importantly,

I did it all myself,

so it was a very special time

that I'll never forget.

3. What will the follow

up be like? Do you think

you can beat it? Tell us

about the new material

you're recording?

Well... we already have a new

release that is ready to drop

for the beginning of the new

year in 2024! THE WRATH

OV AMUN-RA, it's a lot

darker occultic pieces

than I've previously covered,

to me this release

represents absolution,

its not that it's better but

its an evolution in how I

play and how I write my

music, but this will be to

setup a much grander album

that I am embarking and

planning on writing 2024-

2025 so stay tuned for more

folks! there are much darker

and brighter things in the

Universe then what has already

been seen or heard.

4. What were your musical

influences growing up?

I listen to a lot of different

music, but growing up,

a lot of thrash, black, death

metal its just what I liked.

Some of my most influential

musicians on how I perform and

play are Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy,

Frost, Hellhammer, Trent

Reznor and the first 4 Metallica

albums, Iron Maiden from the

80s can't be beat in my opinion...

more recently the last 10

years Dissection has become

very inspirational for me.

5. When did you start

playing music? And what as

your first instrument?

I started playing drums

when I was 12, I used to just

play off of kit and match the

beats air drumming and tapping

my hands and my uncle

was getting rid of this really

old Ludwig kit he had

that he bought probably

in the late 80s early 90s, I

played that until I upgraded

to my TAMA set.

6. Do you have

any other side projects

apart from WIN-

TER OV THANATOZ?

Actually, this has been

the only project I have

ever continuously worked

on. I have helped produce

some material in the underground

as well as I have

also helped other artists

grow in the industry.

38 39

Winter Ov Thanatoz

- Black Metal from Canada

I am not at the stage yet

where I am interested in

venturing further

out than WINTER

OV THANATOZ

and the future it

holds with my music

but I have begun

the idea of having

guest musicians

appear on my

next album!

7. Tell us about

the extreme

metal scene in

Canada...

Well in Saskatchewan

metal music

is not as

prominent as

it is in more

metropolitan

areas like

Calgary and

Montreal

would be

our main

hubs for

metal music,

Montreal

more

so for black metal.

We do have some very

well-known black metal

bands like A.M.S.G., Spectral

Wound, the death metal

band Kataklysm, these

bands have helped influence

more extreme

music country wide but

because Canada is such a

big place, it has a lot of

different influence scattered

and family heritage.

Where I come from, its

more like Norway, I live

near the boreal forest, its

cold and full of snow... it

makes it easy

for

me to

relate to the similar

atmosphere of the other

Scandinavian bands because

its essentially a very

similar landscape. So, I am

hoping this continues to

grow with new bands joining

the newly opened MAS-

TERS OF KAOS - CANADA

sect where I will be giving

a hand in promoting extreme

metal and MIXING/

MASTERING the bands we

want representing the label

and extreme music.

8. What are your top 5

albums of all time?

1. Ride The

Lightning

-

Metallica

1984

2. Hvis

Lyset Tar

Oss - Burzum

1994

3. Wintersun

- Wintersun

2004

4. Storm Of

The Light's

Bane - Dissection

1995

5. Seventh Son

Of A Seventh

Son - Iron Maiden

1987

9. If you could

play any musician,

live

or dead, who

would it be?

I think it would

have been really

awesome to have

played with Neil Peart, but

in particular, someday I'd

like to sit down with Gylve

Nagall (Fenriz) discuss

metal and jam with him and

the wisdom he has to offer.

10. As a part of the ever-growing

post-pandemic

wave of young, talented

artist, how do you

see the scene developing

over the next few years?

Well, we can agree, times

have changed, haven't

they? social distancing

caused so many issues with

concerts and even now they

are still implementing restrictions

in certain areas and

businesses. Not mention politicians

failing the world,

war has been on the rise, I

think the time was good for

many artists to sit down

and do the work and become

known basically from

your own home studio.

For me it was always the

rebellion against music capitalism

and my own faith as I

am an occultist, and a pagan

at heart & core. I think there

are more people going back

to old tribal mentalities and

staying within their inner

circle. This is good because

people are being more conscious

of what they spend

their money on. If you're

going to invest, invest into

your time and true purpose

in life, that's the best advice

I can offer anyone. We

are in a dark period, use that

darkness for growth and

passion. Strong men create

good times. I think that is

the solution to the growth

of the modern era of extreme

metal and in general a lot of

our world problems as well.

11. What do you think

are the main differences

between the 'old school'

and the so called 'new

school' of extreme music?

Well, we just live in a different

time. Technology has

major advancements since the

90s to the point people can record

albums on their phones

now and release it. That was

a little harder to do in 1992 I

feel like that’s the difference,

it was less accessible and now,

its easier to get your music

out there. Which is good and

bad at the exact same time.

Also, the ability for us all to

connect has changed completely

and made networking

much easier to find and talk

to people who are like minded.

12. Where would you like to

take WINTER OV THANA-

TOZ? Do you have any future

plans to play live?

The focus was never to be

a live artist, if I was ever

offered a big tour and a

good contract, I might

consider it. But I am okay

with just recording things

and releasing good music

for the world at the moment

that gives me more fulfillment

than the thought of touring.

WINTER OV THAN-

ATOZ goal has always been

to write passionate music that

is ever evolving that can help

others who are lost in the dark

see the light before it goes out.

13. Would you like to add anything

for our readers?

Hey guys, I really love your

support, even in this dark music,

this is not just for me but

for all of you as well, if you are

enjoying my music, continue

listening because there will be

more to come from ALEXANDER

THE LIONHEART the creator of

WINTER OV THANATOZ.

Slay on brothers

& sisters, skal /m/

A massive thanks to Alex, 777

Thanks for your time man

and we're eagerly anticipating

your new material.

Hails!

40 41

Temple Of Katharsis- Black Metal from Greece


from Bogota, Colombia...

Today I'm talking

to Temple Of Katharsis

from Greece…

Thanks for taking the time

to talk to our readers...

1) Tell us about T O K…

when/where/why did you decide

to form the

band?

The band

formed back in

year 2011 in my

small town

called Kastoria.

We decide

to form the

band first for us. To express

our feelings and passion for


The Greek BM scene are great.

Always was. If you search our scene

you can find true black diamonds.

this music that we love so much!

2) Run us through you discography,

from start to finish... (some

seriously great BM there)...

when and where did you record?

Where can our readers

buy your music?

The first release

came back

in year 2014 with the demo “In

the beggining”, 2 years later come

Interview with Hellmaster 666

in life our EP “Altar of death” and

the same year we have the honor

to release and our first 3-way split

“Knights of the northern black

empire” via celtefog records of

our good friend Archon (Celtefog).

After 4 years we had a new

honor to release

a new 3-way

split called “Triarchy

of profanation:

Under

Orions veil”

and in year

2022 a new

unholy collaboration

came in life a

new 3-way split also this time

with the title “Apopthegmata:

thoughts on pandemic”.

The first 3 releases recorded

at our home studios

“North – T” Records

and the follow ones in H12

audio in town Thessaloniki.

You can buy our music

in the bandcamp. Here -

https://templeofkatharsis.

bandcamp.com

3) Your last couple of

releases have been some

cracking splits... run us

through them please… and

also tell us about the EP…

Well the all split releases

so far it was mine idea. I was

texting with good friends of

other bands here in Greece

and come up with the idea

of collaboration. As for the

EP it was our first serious

I can say work. Contains

tracks that we composed

since the very first years of

the band. The title “Altar of

death” say much more...!

4) Tell us about the inspiration

behind your music and

your lyrics... What instruments/tunings

do you use?

The inspiration cames from

Satanism, Darkness, Anti-religion,

war, death & apocalypse.

As fro the instruments...

Most bc rich beast

and Jackson and the tunning

always in E.

5) What bands inspired

you to play BM?

What bands did you

listen to growing up?

Bands that inspires us are

Marduk, Setherial, Mayhem,

Darkthrone most I can say

among others. As for the bands

that we listen to growing up I

can speak for my self in that...

Sacred beasts like Metallica, Iron

Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath,

Megadeth and of course

the Godz... SLAYER!!!

6) What does the future

hold for T O K? Will you be

spreading your diabolical

musical delights around the

globe? Are any live

shows are coming up?

Well the future holds our

Full-length album. It takes too

long I can say but it will be great

trust me!!! Always faithfull in

our black satanic and unholy

vision we gonna spread our

music eternally... As for live

shows yes ofcourse there gonna

be an absolut devastating.

We gonna upload soon more

news about that so stay tuned...

7) What are you working on

musically at the moment?

We are working upon our fulllength

album that gonna kill...!

42 43

Temple Of Katharsis- Black Metal from Greece

8) Tell us about the

BM scene in

Greece at the

moment...

recommend

some new

bands for our

readers to

check out...

The Greek

BM scene

are great. Always

was. If

you search

our scene

you can find

true black diamonds.

For example

Deviser

came back

after so many

years with new

killer album. Also

new bands like

Infernal throne,

Akrotheism, Hypnagogia,

Penthos, Anticreation

and many more deserve

your attention...

9) What are your

plans and ambitions

as a band long term?

We gonna keep going

spread our music till we

had the power... More releases

and more live gigs!!!

10) What is your favourite

BM album of all time and why?

Many favorite not one...

Among them I can say of

course... De mysteriis dom

Satanas of course... All time

classic. Also Panzer Divis

i o n

Marduk killer stuff, Endtime

divine, Thy mighty contract,

By the Blessing os Satan are

among my favorite.

11) If you could play

with any musician,

alive or departed, who

would it be and why?

Wow a difficult question

indeed... Alive with

Mayhem actually with

all the Norwegian scene hahahaha,

Venom (hell yeah),

Death, Deicide maybee...

wow really hard question...

Departed... I would love to

share the stage with the almighty

Jeff Hanneman!!!

12) Any advice and wise

words for up

and coming

musicians

out there

looking to

emulate

your success?

Try to work

hard for your

love, your

passion,

your vision

for this music...

Never

give up and

you’ll be reward!

13) Would

you like to

add anything

for

our readers?

Thank you so much for the

support and your interest in our

music. We really appreciate it!

Soon our full-length came out

and its gonna rip your heads off

trust me its gonna be a killer album

so stay tuned... Also a big

thank to you for the interview...

HAIL THE BLACK

HORDES OF THE ABYSS!!!

A massive thanks to T O K

Efcharistó!!!!!

ATTENTION!

WE OFFER DESIGNER SERVICES.

I'm Destroyer (editor-in-chief of Inside The Darkness

Metal magazine) and I can help you with design.

If you’re looking for a designer,

just contact me, so we can discuss it.

If you have no logo or you want a new logo,

if you need to make the cover of your upcoming CD,

feel free to contact me on my personal facebook account

or send the message to my email:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/evgeny.dubovskoy

Email: destroyerr78@mail.ru

Also you can contact all our editors personally on

their Facebook profiles, so they ask me to contact

you.

44 45

- Black Metal from Brazil

Waliche


from Bogota Colombia for

INSIDE THE DARK-

NESS magazine...

Today I'm lucky enough

to be talking to the Waliche,

True Indigenous

Black Metal

Thanks!

The honor is all mine!

1) Tell us about the band?

When / Where / Why


was Waliche formed?

Waliche was actually created

way back in 2020, in the city of

Palhoça, southern Brazil.

At the time I had

Black Metal is war and

everyone has it’s own war!

Different perspectives

for different people.

from Brazil

Welcome,

thanks for taking

the time to

talk to our readers.

no musical

maturity to compose and

stand up for a project like this

one, so everything just started

Interview with Necromantick

for real in 2022. Waliche was

created as way of expression

and honest fight, for

my culture and people, you

know? We

the Indigenous

peoples

of South

America are

often forgotten

and the

government

up until

these days

play a huge role

in propaganda against

our own existence, so people

assume we’re all dead

and things of the like.

Waliche exists because

Black Metal is war and

my war is for my Indigenous

brothers and sisters.

2) Who is in the

current line up?

Well, it’s only me, Necromantick,

despite the guests

and session members, I

am the only one in the

band officially.

3) Describe your

sound in 5 words.

Raw, melodic, obscure,

melancholic and brutal.

4) Run us through

your album, Waliche

Yut... when and

where did you record

it and where can

our readers get their

hands on it? Run us

through each and every

track please...

I started recording in

November of 2022 and

finished everything in

2023, I recorded everything

at home with

a very, very low budget,

the readers can get

physical copies of the album

on Masters of Kaos

Records, CDs, tapes and

Tshirts available! They do

make a great work.

About the tracks…

let’s get down to it!

The first song, “Hueguat

Madde Ma" means “Waters

will flow" and it’s

connected to the next

one “Atáma’at Oyyendau"

(Rivers of Ancestral

Memory), it’s a deep

reflection I had when

watching the river flowing,

just like the streams,

memory will always flow

and keep us alive eternally.

The third track “Ñakurutu”

talks

about ancient sorcery

and summoning, Ñakurutu

is the guardian of the

world of the spirits, representing

survival, darkness

and obscurity, a great and

powerful owl. In the lyrics

I ask for forbidden wisdom.

The fourth track It Mirrí

(Fire Star) has actually 2

different topics in it’s lyrics

but all written in a poetic and

metaphorical way, the first is

that the Fire Star can be sun we

have inside of us, it’s revelation

and epiphany and thus

bringing a rebirth of our mind

and spirits, the second thing,

it’s a reference to Iztac-Tezcatlipoca

or Quetzalcoatl.

The fifth track, the acoustic

instrumental entitled

“Ko Ma" means “Time

goes on”, representing

the permanence of

the Indigenous spirit

no matter how

much time passes by.

The sixth track “Waliche"

(Sorcery/Witchcraft)

talks only about

sorcery and our ancestral

ways of magic and

how we need to revive

our old ways.

The seventh track

“Pampa" talks about

how we were forced

into darkness and

how we embraced

her, thus we became

what they

fear, vengeance and war.

The eighth track “Chananme

Nem'at" (Dance of

the Spirits) talks about the

funeral rites in our ways,

it’s a melancholic track that

goes deeply into spirituality.

5) What is the lyrical

theme behind Waliche?

Who writes the lyrics and

the music? Do you have a

song writing process or

does it just come together?

46 47

- Black Metal from Brazil

Waliche

The lyrical themes behind

Waliche are entirely focused

on Indigenism

and Indigenous cultures,

mainly the culture

of my people, all

lyrics are written by

myself, I wouldn’t let

someone else write for

Waliche because

it is something

very personal.

Oh yes! I have a

writing process,

it takes time to

write lyrics and

the songs as well,

I need the right

inspiration, I

need to be connected

to the ways

of my people, with

nature and with

myself as well,

it’s a journey of

self reflection.

6) What inspired

you to play

Black Metal?

I started listening

to Black Metal

when I was 13 years

old but it actually took me

a long time to understand

the genre as a whole and to

see that there isn’t only one

concept, you don’t need to

copy every other band,

you can be whatever

you want to be inside

black metal, some people

say they understand the

genre but they don’t,

because they want to label

it as only one thing

when there’s much more

to it… Black metal is war

and everyone has it’s own

war! Different perspectives

for different people.

When I understood all of

this, then I could dive into

black metal because I

saw it was the underworld

of the renegades,

it’s your own place, your

castle, your crypt, no matter

how you call it.

7) Tell us about your

plans for the future? Are

you recording new material?

Are you palnning to tour?

I’m actually not recording at

the moment but I am composing

for the next full length,

which I intend to make more

aggressive (lyrically speaking)

mixed with the right

amounts of melancholy and

hateful cold riffs. I plan to

play some live concerts and

people have been asking me

about it actually, they

want to see Waliche live,

but it’s a bit hard being

an one man band however

I’m looking for musicians

to play live.

8) Tell us about Black

Metal in Brazil... recommend

some new

up and coming bands

for our readers...

Black Metal in Brazil

from 2020 up until now

has been the unbeatable

warrior, great acts

are appearing and they

make haunting, brutal

and raw black metal! I

can recommend some

of my personal favorites

such as Dark Misanthropy,

Werwulf, Sodomy,

Spectral Lament, Afasia,

Górmain, VANTAs, Azul

Turquesa and Drowned.

9) What is your favourite

black metal album

of all time and why?

That’s an easy one Haha! The

Somberlain by Dissection! It

has everything I’d like to listen

in a black metal album,

it’s melodic and brutal, well

written and obscure lyrics.

10) What is your own

personal opinion of the

BM scene at the moment,

and how do you

imagine it will develop

over the next decade?

Well, the Black Metal

scene in Latin America

at the moment is stronger

than ever, people in

here are in black metal

for the music, they love

what they do and appreciate

the art, as for other

parts of the world there

are great bands as well

but most are in it for

the money, bands from

Europe and the USA

get “mainstream” really

quick while we here are

keeping the flame alive.

11) For the musicians

reading... tell us about

your instruments and

equipment.. what tunings

do you use?

As for tunings, I use

Standard tuning, C

and C# Standard. As

for equipments and instruments,

I won’t lie,

Waliche Yut was entirely

recorded on an acoustic

guitar Haha! The distortion

was added during the

mixing process. I am trying

to get new and decent

instruments so I can make

the second album be much

bether than the first.

12) Tell us your best

and worst experiences

as a band so far...

Best experience I had in a

band has been working with

Darkned Werewolf on Thirwërod,

my other band, everything

just flows and comes out

greatly. As for the worst experience,

I remember playing

in a band which had 2 vocalists

and none of them

even knew the lyrics of

the songs, couldn’t maintain

notes and took everything

as a joke, so obviously

I got out of that shit.

13) Would you like to add

anything for our readers???

Yeah, of course! I say, please

do support the underground,

the REAL underground, people

who are constantly in the fight

to make decent music for you all!

Some just want money and

a “rockstar" life, but others

really love what they do and

that’s the ones you should

support, the real ones.

To finish, I thank you for

the opportunity once again.

Muito Obregado a Voce!!!

Hails 666 from

Colombia!!! J

48 49

a vy Metal from Mexico

Black Mask - He

Black Mask are a great

Metal band from Mexico.

Andrew Stanton talked

to Liz Javier about their

upcoming album.

Hello and welcome to Inside

the Darkness.

“Hey! Thanks for reaching out

and for the interest in Black Mask!”

- Can you tell

our readers a

bit about your

band's history,

please?

“Sure,

Black Mask

is a band

from Mexico

City and the State of Mexico

that was formed at the

Interview by Andrew Stanton

Crafting metal that resonates

with our personal tastes and

provides enjoyment is what holds

paramount significance for us.

end of October 2019. The idea

comes from Isaac A. Wild, founder

and guitarist of the band, who

came up with the idea of creating

a Heavy Metal band with a

female voice. He was looking

for an eighties style similar

to Original

Sin, ACID,

Warlock and Messiah Force.

We released our demo in 2020

Interview with Liz Javier

with Lastwarrior records, it

was a tape and by 2021 we were

releasing our very first album

named Queen of the Beasts, both

released by the German Label

Underground Power Records

in CD and LP. After that, we

started playing

live, inside

and outside our

country. The

very first gig

was together

with the North

Americans

Haunt, and after

that we had some

live performances at Muskelrock

in Sweden, Candelabrum

in Mexico, Keepers of the Flame

also in Mexico, and at Revolver

in Oslo together with our

brothers from Black Viper.

Liver performances continue

and next year we are about

to perform in the pre-party of

the Keep It True Festival

at Tauberfrankenhalle Lauda-Königshofen

in Germany.

At the middle of

this year, we released

Metal Warriors,

a single which

is going to be released

at the beginning

of next year

by the Mexican

Label Lastwarrior

Records on tape

again. Nowadays

we are working

hard on our second

album and getting

ready for more

live presentations

around the world.”

- What bands did you

like growing up?

“I started into metal when I

was about 8/9 years old and

the bands which introduced

me to Metal were definitely

Judas Priest, Iron Maiden

and Metallica. Some years

after I discovered Slayer and

started to learn more about

what thrash metal was. But

the crucial moment was when I

was searching for music on the

internet, I remember seeing

the guitarist of the Panamanian

band Asesinos del Pentagrama

wearing a Sortilege

t-shirt, I searched for the

band and I went crazy, from

there I began to investigate

more about bands attached to

the style. and focusing a lot on

everything NWOBHM, Heavy

Metal and Speed Metal. The

rest is history. Currently my

tastes range from bands like

Pokolgep, Ritual (UK), Graven

Image, Killen, Riot, Ruthless, Gastunk,

Randy Uchida, Death

Side to bands like Spectral

Voice, Mortuous, Undergang,

Mortiferum, etc.”

- Do you prefer the

term Heavy Metal

or Power Metal?

“Both! In the end, both come

from the same place. If I were to

characterize Black Mask, I'd describe

it as a band that seamlessly

integrates elements of

Speed, traditional Heavy Metal,

and even incorporates numerous

aspects of US Power. For

us, the focal point isn't confined

to labels; rather, it revolves around

the essence of our music. Crafting

metal that resonates with

our personal tastes and provides

enjoyment is what holds

paramount significance for us.”

- Are Heavy Metal and Power

Metal two different things?

“Totally! The realm of Heavy Metal

is incredibly diverse,

and asserting that all

Heavy Metal sounds

the same would

be a misnomer.

The same holds

true for Power

Metal, where

distinctions are

notable – for instance,

US Power

Metal differs

significantly from

Teutonic Power

Metal.”

- Why is it we

never hear much about

Mexican bands in Europe?

“Probably because the bestknown

bands from Mexico came

out in the 80's and back then it was

more complicated to get to know

bands from different parts of the

world. However, metal in Mexico

has existed since the 80's even

before. There were magazines,

at that time, like Metal Forces,

that published bands like Cristal

y Acero, a band from our country

that, although it did not have as

much impact as Luzbel who was

signing with the giants WEA, did

appear as one of the pioneer

bands of the Metal in Mexico.

50 51

a vy Metal from Mexico

Black Mask - He

Obviously they are different

times and thanks to the internet

you can now see that

there were and are

many bands, perhaps

we are not

yet a world reference

but there

are good bands

on this side of

the world, here

I list some of

them: Warning,

Death Warrant,

Megaton, Lynx,

Gehenna, Crazy

Lazy, Icarus, Ultimatum,

Vixit,

Fist of Iron, Cuero

y Metal, Aspid,

Abril, Apocalipsis,

Khafra, Ramses,

Virgin Witch and

come more bands

like Mortuary,

Cenotaph, Infestation,

Demogorgon,

Hardware, Shub

Niggurath, and the

list goes on.”

- Will 'Metal

Warriors' appear

on a new album?

“Not on the upcoming

album, but

it will be available

in a physical format!

We're actively working on it,

and the single will include

an exclusive bonus track!”

- Do you find your

fans are mostly older

Metalheads?

“Certainly, I believe that

people of all ages can appreciate

our work, particularly

those with a fondness for nostalgia

and a love for 80s Metal.”

- Why is 'La Batalla' in Spanish?

What does it mean?

“We are a Mexican band and

our main language is Spanish,

so we choose to always have at

least one song in Spanish on the

albums we release. In this case, I

thought that La

Batalla would be

the ideal song for

this because it is

a song that talks

about the battle

that the conquistadors

had with

the Mexica, one

of the strongest

cultures that

populated Mexico

at that time.

It was a crucial

battle, because although

the Mexica

won, it was the

battle that began

our conquest

and gave way to

Mexico existing.

La Batalla

means The Battle!”

- Do you have a

message for our

readers?

“Thank you for

reading, and special

thanks to

Andrew for the

interview. Gratitude

to everyone

who makes

Inside The Darkness possible!

¡Larga vida al Metal!”

Subscribe to our facebook


52 53

Latest releases

54

Celtefog

Pagan Black Metal band

from Greece released the

fourth Full-length album

Delta on November 1, 2023.

The band name comes from

the words "celt" and "fog".

Mediterranean Pagan

Black Metal, deeply

inspired from the delta

of Aliakmon's river in

Greece. Dedicated

to the spirits of the

northern marshes!

Celtefog is active

since Octomber of 2012.

The music style is a

mix of Ambient/Pagan/

Atmospheric Black Metal

54

and the lyrical themes are talking

about the nature, darkness,

revenge and Winter.

All music and lyrics are written

by Archon. All the production

(recording, mixing, mastering,

artwork) was made by Archon.

Tracklist

1. A Celt in the Fog

2. Gods of Delta

3. Winter Again

4. Valfar, ein Windir

5. Μνημες

Lineup

Archøn - All instruments, Vocals

Aftolycos - Pontian lyra, on song

Μνήμες

Insomnium

Melodic Death Metal band from

Finland released the EP Songs of

the Dusk on November 3, 2023.

Music, essentially, is a weapon

to destroy the walls we built

around us – and Finnish metal

melancholists INSOMNIUM are

amongst its strongest wielders.

Their ninth masterpiece, “Anno

1696”, released in early 2023

led us deep into the dark and

troublesome past of Northern

Europe, a time of witches, of

superstition, of bloodlust and

frenzy. And of werewolves.

In November, INSOMNIUM

continue the epic

story of “Anno 1696”

on their addendumlike

EP “Songs of the

Dusk”, featuring 22 minutes of

music and three more journeys

into a dark and foggy past.

“We simply had

eleven great songs, and we thought

that this material is too good to be

‘just’ bonus tracks,” Niilo Sevänen

(bass, vocals) states. “They are

part of the big story, so you can

think of them as the director’s cut

material that tells a little extra. For

those who want to have more.”

Tracklist

1. Flowers of the Night

2. Stained in Red

3. Song of the Dusk

Lineup

Niilo Sevanen - Bass, Vocals

Markus Hirvonen - Drums

Ville Friman - Guitars

Markus Vanhala - Guitars,

Vocals (clean)

Jani Liimatainen - Guitars,

Vocals (clean)

55

55

Latest releases

56

Suffocation

Brutal/Technical Death

Metal band from the United

States released the ninth Fulllength

album Hymns from the

Apocrypha on November 3,

2023.

The follow-up to ...of the Dark

Light (2017) pushes founder

Terrance Hobbs (guitars),

Derek Boyer (bass), Charles

Errigo (guitars), Eric Morotti

(drums), and newcomer Ricky

Myers (vocals) to the very edges

of extremity. Standout tracks

‘Seraphim Enslavement,‘ ‘Perpetual

Deception,‘ and ‘Delusions of

Mortality’ are emphatically

SUFFOCATION but are

enhanced with what Hobbs

calls "progressive melodies."

Hymns from the Apocrypha

isn't merely another album from

the New Yorkers but a statement

of intent. SUFFOCATION always

have been and are here to slay.

SUFFOCATION took about a

month and a half to record

Hymns from the Apocrypha.

With stunning cover art by

Greek illustrator Giannis Nakos

(VOMITORY, THE CROWN),

Hymns from the Apocrypha is

characteristically SUFFOCATION.

That is to say, it's uncompromisingly

brutal, artistically gutsy, and aurally

heavy. Clearly, SUFFOCATION, as

they head into their 35th Anniversary,

are at the peak of their potential.

Death metal or die!

Tracklist

1. Hymns from the Apocrypha

2. Perpetual Deception

3. Dim Veil of Obscurity

4. Immortal Execration

5. Seraphim Enslavement

6. Descendants

7. Embrace the Suffering

8. Delusions of Mortality

9. Ignorant Deprivation

Lineup

Terrance Hobbs - Guitars

Derek Boyer - Bass

Eric Morotti - Drums

Charlie Errigo - Guitars

Ricky Myers - Vocals

Carnation

Death Metal band from

Belgium released the third Fulllength

album Cursed Mortality

on November 3, 2023.

Carnation has been at the

forefront of reviving old school

death metal. There’s something

to be said about the artfulness

of taking something so primitive

and walking that fine line between

keeping its classic authenticity

without sounding tired or dated.

Carnation has always teetered

this line, injecting a fresh and

contemporary approach

without losing the

genre’s time-honored

traditions.

Carnation was

formed in 2013

by vocalist Simon

Duson, bassist Yarne

Heylen, guitarist Bert

Vervoort, and

brothers Jonathan Verstrepen

(guitars) and Vincent Verstrepen

(drums). While many bands

endure lineup changes over the

years, Carnation stands as it did

10 years ago, growing tighter and

stronger along the way. They are

a brotherhood, both literally and

figuratively, as they celebrate their

silver anniversary.

The Belgian band's third album

is deadly serious about inflicting

maximum punishment, but

it also casts these death metal

revivalists in a deeper,

darker light.

Tracklist

1. Herald of Demise

2. Maruta

3. Metropolis

4. Replicant

5. Dutroux

6. Submerged in Deafening

Silence

7. Cycle of Suffering

8. Cursed Mortality

Lineup

Yarne Heylen - Bass

Jonathan Verstrepen -

Guitars (lead)

Bert Vervoort - Guitars

(rhythm)

Simon Duson -

Vocals

Vincent Verstrepen -

Drums

56

57

57

Latest releases

Mephorash

Black Metal band from Sweden

released the fifth Full-length album

Krystl-Ah on November 10, 2023.

With a wealth of underground

experience and an ever-restless

but always-tactical manner

of making music, their ascent

up the ranks of international

black metal has been decisive and

well-earned. Although their catalog

since their formation in 2010 has

always been of sterling quality,

it was 2019's aforementioned

Shem Ha Mephorash - a

literally MASSIVE album

at 74 minutes, released

to widespread acclaim by

SHADOW RECORDS - where

MEPHORASH dramatically

claimed their throne. And upon

evidence of the forthcoming

Krystl-AH, they're not likely

to relinquish that throne any

time soon.

That feeling of both ceremony

and celebration is immediately

felt upon pressing "play" to Krystl-

AH. Another literally massive

album, the 68-minute Krystl-AH

moves with an ominous beauty -

breathtaking, brilliant, and yet

suggesting vast, frightening mysteries

beyond its wide-ranging scope. A

suitably vast army of damned angels

serve as the backing choir to these

seven incredibly epic compositions;

soul-stirring leads rise and fall with

grace, while sonic spaces open up and

deftly subtle layers of strings, synths,

and acoustic guitars flesh out this

almost sensual experience - nothing

ever in a rush to find its destination,

only ever the feeling of being IN THE

MOMENT, patient and complete.

This soundfield alone serves a distinct

backdrop separating MEPHORASH

from conventional "black metal," far

closer to a classical score but no doubt

infused with the central energies of

true religious black metal.

Tracklist

1. Krystl-Ah

2. Gnosis

3. Catoptrophilia

4. Soma Yoni

5. Chrysallis

6. I Am

7. Mephoriam

Lineup

Mishbar Bovmeph - Guitars (lead), Vocals

(backing)

Ayram Etaumiel - Guitars

(rhythm)

Mashkelah M'Ralaa -

Vocals (lead)

Tephra Brabeion

- Drums,

Percussion

Rudra - Bass

Ulvdalir

Black Metal band from Russia

released the fifth Full-length

album Ancient Throne of Unholy

Ingria on November 11, 2023.

Ulvdalir is a Black Metal band

from Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Formed in 2001.

Members of the inner circle of

True Ingrian Black Metal Death,

along with Khashm and Likferd.

Another solid second wave

orthodox black metal is brought

here, showing a great

compromise between

aggression and melody

making with an enough

amount of sugary portions.

It is always amazing how

a great performance through

an old-school line, when well

performed, never gets old to

listen to.

Tracklist

1. Ancient Throne of Unholy

Ingria

2. Harvest of Grim Shadows

3. Gates of the Horrible

Night

4. To Blacken the Heavens with

Sorcery

5. Reapers Song

6. Shine of Black Steel

7. Guardians of Dark

Secrets

Lineup

I.K.Winterheart -

Guitars, Vocals

58

58

59

59

Latest releases

Aeon Winds

Symphonic Black Metal

band from Slovakia

released the third Fulllength

album Night Sky

Illuminations on November

17, 2023.

After four years of waiting,

Aeon Winds are back with

their new album Night

Sky Illuminations.

Their third fulllength

studio album, it

follows up the themes

the band dealt with in

their previous album

Stormveiled (2019) and

the EP Extinguishing the

Light (2022).

The mythological legacy of pre-

Christian times intertwines

with the mystical fascination of

Carpathian sceneries and blends

into seven long, hymnic and

powerful songs.

Tracklist

1. Night Sky Illuminations

2. Opus Coronation

3. Of Revenants and Apparitions

4. Stellar Transcendence

5. Primordial Fire

6. Blazing Monuments

7. Moonglow

8. Nox Aeterna

Lineup

Odolen - Lyrics

Svarthen - Vocals, Guitars, Bass,

Keyboards, Drum programming

Demogorgon

Black Metal band from Australia

released the sixth Full-length

album A Hate for All That Grows


Once again, written, recorded

and produced completely by

Demogorgon himself, this new

offering brings forth more

pure Australian black metal

with new influences including

classical, thrash, and dungeon

synth in both composition and

performance. A Hate For All That

Grows brings nine new tracks of

nihilism and contempt for light,

life and mankind. Featuring

lyrics written with Demogorgons

own blood within the liner notes.

The album continues

the experimentation of

2022's release You Are

Worthless And I Want

You Dead, by expanding

the use of

acoustic guitars, keyboards and

introducing melodic elements

to the blackened mass of chaotic

hate. Despite these new elements,

A Hate For All That Grows stays

true to the core philosophy of

Demogorgon: pure Australian

black metal that continues to

evolve and remain fluid with each

release.

A Hate For All That Grows is a

clear statement of anti-life black

metal and pure hate for all that

is, was and will be. Remember,

Demogorgon Fucking Hates

YOU!

Tracklist

1. Melancholia

2. Omega

3. Soul Blight

4. Light's Bane

5. A Hate for All That Grows

6. Self-Destruct for Satan

7. The Apocalypse

Machine

8. Total Fucking Hell

9. Cold

Lineup

Demogorgon - Vocals, All

Instruments

60

60

61

61

Latest releases

Farsoth

Old School Death Metal

band from Sweden

released the second Fulllength

album Morbid

Symphonies on November

24, 2023.

Farsoth's second album

Morbid Symphonies is

simply 10 death metal

songs done with a passion

for music and the genre.

As always Farsoth aims to

make songs that will make

you headbang, join a mosh

pit, and chugg a beer or two. If

you are looking for music that

will make you do the reptile

dance, look no further.

Farsoth invites all of you to join

the madness and friendship of

Death Metal. Let's make Morbid

Symphonies the album that

everyone talks about. Stay brutal

and keep listening to awesome

music.

Tracklist

1. Hate

2. Nothingness

3. Infernal Bondage

4. Morbid Symphony

5. Bound to Death

6. Afterlife

7. Provoke Me

8. Your Death

9. Rotten Flesh Stew

10. World Beyond

Lineup

Jonas Magnusson Bass

Jari Kuusisto - Guitars

Joakim Mikiver - Vocals

Johnny Nymark - Guitars

Sadism

Old School Death Metal band

from Chile released the tenth

Full-length album Obscurans on

November 24, 2023.

Dominating Old School Death

from Chile since 1988!

Sadism started in 1988 in

Santiago, Chile. Founded by the

current members Juan Pablo

Donoso and Ricardo Roberts,

with the aim of achieving a true

and passionate band influenced

by the Thrash and Death metal

tendencies of that time, styles

that reflected their feeling about

music. The record was made with

enough time to regain the band's

strength and hit their brutal

and simple roots, and above

everything else, to connect with

their essence and characteristic

style, driven by dark chords and

blasphemous lyrics... a logbook

to the most

gloomy part of human history and

the madness that pulls the strings

to create band's own decadent and

miserable existence.

Tracklist

1. Exsanguination

2. On Your Knees

3. Diabolution

4. Lower Astral Entities

5. Because We Are Rotten

to the Core

6. Freewill

Archangels

7. Ars Goetia

8. The Void Devourer

9. Parousia

10. Made of Sulfur

11. Nyctophile

12. When the Christians Lie

Lineup

Juan Pablo Donoso - Drums

Ricardo Roberts - Vocals

Juan Eduardo Moore - Bass

Gabriel Hidalgo -

Guitars

62

62

63

63

Latest releases

Burden of Grief

Melodic Death Metal band

from Germany released

the eighth Full-length album

Destination Dystopia on

November 24, 2023.

On Destination Dystopia, Burden

Of Grief focused on their years

of experience to combine their

strengths and put them into

ten riff monsters that are

bursting with energy, great

melodies and pure heaviness.

It is band's first work in more

than five long years. Five years

in which so much happened

in the world that BURDEN OF

GRIEF were forced to relate to it

lyrically and musically.

Tracklist

1. World Under Attack

2. A Daydream of Sorrow

3. Exposed to the Dark

4. Downfall

5. Fevered Dreams

6. The Devil's Bride

7 . Mass Murder

Society

8. Destination Dystopia

9. Fall Into Oblivion

10. My Suicide

Lineup

Florian Bauer - Bass

Philipp Hanfland - Guitars

Mike Huhmann - Vocals

Manuel Luke - Drums

Dominik Hellmuth - Guitars

Æolian

Melodic Death Metal band

from Spain released the third

Full-length album Echoes of the

Future on November 24, 2023.

"Echoes of the Future" closes

a trilogy that began with "The

Silent Witness", which told us

about the greatness and resilience

of nature and the danger to

which we submit its fragile

balance, and that the sophomore

"The Negationist" developed in a

present day in which we refuse

to see how the human being

has affected and threatened that

balance.

In "Echoes of the Future"

Aeolian embarks on a journey

through the next centuries and

puts us in the shoes of our

counterparts from a not

so distant future who will

guide us on a journey through

the difficulties

and great dilemmas of humanity

in order to survive on a planet

that is increasingly inhospitable.

Tracklist

1. Hominis Obscura

2. Dreams or Reality

3. The Miracle

4. Her Grief

5. Like a Blackened Sun

6. Into the Flames

7. Lords of Greed

8. Echoes of the Future

9. Chronicles of the Fall

Lineup

Pedro Martínez - Drums

Raúl Morán - Guitars,

Trombone (track 8)

Gabi Escalas - Guitars

Dani Pérez - Vocals

Leoben Conoy - Bass, Lyrics

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Valdrin

Melodic Black Metal band from the

United States released the fourth Fulllength

album Throne of the Lunar

Soul on November 24, 2023.

No longer one of the metal

underground's best-kept secrets,

VALDRIN began picking up

momentum with the 2018 BLOOD

HARVEST release of their second

album, Two Carrion Talismans - epic,

shapeshifting blackened death that

was both timeless and fresh - and

then eclipsed that achievement

two years later with third

album Effigy of Nightmares,

whereby the band dove deeply

into the bluish purple depths

of '90s melodic black metal. To

hear comparisons to Vinterland,

Sacramentum, and Sweden's Dawn

wasn't mere hyperbole; it was

assertive truth, as commanding

as VALDRIN's songwriting mastery.

Which is to say nothing of the band's

ongoing Ausadjur Mythos, a fantastical

tale begun with their Beyond the Forest

debut album and which forms the lyrical

basis of all since.

Tracklist

1. Neverafter

2. Golden Walls of Ausadjur

3. Seven Swords (In the Arsenal of Steel)

4. Paladins of Ausadjur

5. Sojourner Wolf

6. The Hierophant

7. Vagrant in the Chamber of Night

8. Holy Matricide

9. Throne of the Lunar Soul

10. Two Carrion Talismans

11. Hymn to the Convergence

Lineup

James Lewis - Bass

Ryan Maurmeier - Drums

Carter Hicks - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards

Colton Deem - Guitars

Convocation

Funeral Doom/Death Metal

band from Finland released

the third Full-length album No

Dawn for the Caliginous Night


Convocation represents

some of the best of what

funeral doom has to

offer with their latest. It

is a monster of an album,

gripping from start to finish,

about as close to perfect as one

can get. Funeral doom might

not be everyone’s thing, but as

the strings swell and the vocals

howl, even the most stubborn

of nonbelievers will be drawn

in by this masterpiece.

Tracklist

1. Graveless yet Dead

2. Atychiphobia

3. Between Aether and Land

4. Lepers and

Derelicts

5. Procession

Lineup

LL - All instruments

MN - Vocals

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Swords of

Dis

Black/Doom Metal band from

the United Kingdom released

the second Full-length

album Melencolia on

November 24, 2023.

Poised between majestic

early 90s black metal and

English doom, SWORDS

OF DIS return to the scene

with "Melencolia," an album in

which the duo from Albion

has concentrated not only

all their compositional skill

and vocal mastery, but an

entire cultural imaginary

that intertwines mythology,

religion, symbolism, magic,

and spiritual research through

bitter reflections on human

nature.

Tracklist

1. Orison

2. Mask of the Myriad

3. Sea of Storms

4. Melencolia

5. Our Lady of the Naked Flame

6. Oculus Diaboli

7. Oculus Dei

8. Eclipsing the Deathless Sun

ןָתָיְוִל .9

10. Palimpsest

Lineup

Richard Corvinus - Guitars, Bass, Drums,

Orchestral arrangements

Alice Corvinus - Vocals

Midnight Odyssey

Ambient Black Metal band from

Australia released the eighth

Full-length album Biolume Part

3 - A Fullmoon Madness on

November 24, 2023.

Four years after the release of

the first chapter, MIDNIGHT

ODYSSEY close the circle of

the ambitious "Biolume" trilogy

with "A Fullmoon Madness," a

mammoth triple album wrapped

in a new phantasmagorical cover

painting by Elijah Tamu.

Acting as a stylistic summa of

the Australian one-man band, "A

Fullmoon Madness" collects all

the metal nuances explored by

Dis Pater in the previous episodes

and in its career. Once again,

cosmic black metal bigger than

the night sky and the crushing

heaviness of epic doom metal

are bound together by dark wave

synths, grandiose

symphonic arrangements

and Dis Pater's heartfelt vocal

performance, oscillating between

raven screaming and sumptuous

clean chants to underline the

lunar character of the music.

Tracklist

1. As Darkness Dims the

Fire

2. A Land That Only Death

Knows

3. The Long Forgotten Dead

4. They Have Always Known

5. The Horned Goddess

6. Witching Eyes

7. As One We Grow, As

One We Fall

8. The Ghost of Endymion

9. A Fullmoon Madness

10. In the Lunar Maelstrom

11. Death in Crimson Fire

12. The Last Day

13. Luna

Lineup

Dis Pater - All instruments,

Vocals

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Black Pyre

Black Metal band from the

United Kingdom released

the second Full-length album

Fall of the Northern Kingdom


Hailing from the darkest depths of

the permafrost (Cardiff), and

creating a demonic sound.

Drawing influence from the

cursed Grimoires of old and

classic demonology, the early

Norwegian Black Metal

scene, doom metal, dark

ambience and sometimes

completely unrelated sources

to make unique and forbidden

Black Metal music.

This album explores ancient

and the somewhat lost Celtic history

of Britain; focusing on tales told from

The Book of Aneurin, Y Gododdin,

and Arthurian legend. Weaving

together seamlessly the elements

of folklore and history to create a

modern myth.

Tracklist

1. Pale Orchid

2. Withering Winter

3. Castell Caeredin

4. Fall of the Northern Kingdom

5. Moonlit Aether

6. Rivers of Tears and Blood

7. Far Away into the Sky

8. The Pale

9. Malleus Maleficarum [Demo]

Lineup

Asbjorn - Vocals, Guitars, Bass,

Drums, Synths, Sampling

From North

Folk/Viking Metal band from

Sweden released the second Fulllength

album Raven Banner on

November 24, 2023.

“From North” are a new Swedish

viking metal band founded in

2016 in Varberg Sweden. From

North invites you to an enjoyable

listening with a mixture of heavy

riffs songs to unadorned songs

with texts taken from the norse

mythology consisting of gods,

vikings and other beings. The

band has a large and

dynamic sound that is

backed by a well-made

backtrack consisting

of alot of medieval

instruments.

Tracklist

1. Raven Banner

2. Into the Oblivion

3. Berserkers

4. The Queen

5. Harmbidder

6. Shield Wall

7. Runestones

8. The Plague

9. Järnvidja

10. Winter Blot

Lineup

Mikael Kindblad - Bass

Robin Hermansson -

Drums

Janne Lüthje - Guitars (lead)

Mattias Svensson - Guitars

(rhythm)

Håkan Johnsson - Vocals

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Deimler

Old School Death Metal band

from Spain released the second

Full-length album Immortalized


DEIMLER Death Metal was

originally created in 1998 and

ceased activity in 2001 without

any albums or professional

recordings. Until 2018, Pako

Deimler revived DEIMLER

from the ashes with a sound

based on the classic Finnish and

Swedish death metal of the early

90s. Their acclaimed debut EP

"Zero One" was released in

2020 via Awakening Records,

and a year later DEIMLER

signed to the mighty label

XTREEM MUSIC and released

their first full-length album "A

Thousand Suns".

Now, DEIMLER returns

with its highly anticipated

second full-length album,

IMMORTALIZED, featuring

72

10 tracks in the purest DEIMLER style,

plus three intro-environmental tracks.

The new album was created between

October 2021 and June 2022 and is

based on the concept of "Alien the

8th Passenger", focusing on the figure

of its protagonist Ellen Ripley, and its

antagonist the Xenomorph. Musically,

it's still the same old-school death

metal that DEIMLER is so passionate

about, but the more intricate and

rotten new material won't leave you

indifferent!

Tracklist

1. Prelude - Oberon Moon

2. Nostromo

3. Immortalized

4. Interlude - The Encounter

5. Suffocating Parasite

6. Afterlife Incubator

7. Xenomorph

8. Acheron's Lethal Tongue

9. Biomechanical Necrophagous

10. Nocturnity

11. Corrosive Blood

12. Cremation

13. Postlude -

Sound of Derelict

Lineup

Pako Deimler -

Guitars, Vocals, Lyrics,

Songwriting

Villa Naemoth - Drums

Xas Lázaro - Bass

Panopticon

Atmospheric Black/Folk Metal

band from the United States

released the tenth Full-length

album The Rime of Memory on

November 29, 2023.

It is such an ugly thought that

we all will taste death. Many of us

do our best to kind of push it to

the back of our minds, so we can

go about our daily lives, but just

before sleep, it runs its fingers

down your spine, resting warmly

at your hip as you embark upon

a dream, just to be startled

with the reminder of your own

impermanence.

Life is short…and

gathers speed as it

falls…slowly rolling

downhill until making

its plunge into the

abyss, only to abruptly

end at its highest speed…

the days flying by

l i k e

minutes, with each wrinkle in our

increasingly fragile hands until

we simply stop breathing….for

whatever reason.

This album has 2 meanings.

You can see this album solely

as a rant about the climate crisis

and wilderness advocacy. Or you

can see this album as a coming to

terms with the aging process…

Or, as Austin Lunn do, you can

see it allegorically about both.

Tracklist

1. I erindringens høstlige

dysterhet

2. Winter's Ghost

3. Cedar Skeletons

4. An Autumn Storm

5. Enduring the Snow

Drought

6. The Blue Against the

White

Lineup

A. Lunn - Vocals, Guitars,

Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Flute,

Accordion, Pedal steel, Lap steel

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Latest releases

Paradise Lost

Doom/Death/Gothic Metal

band from the United

Kingdom re-released their

fourth Full-length album Icon

30 on December 1, 2023.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary

of their fourth album, "Icon", British

gothic metal pioneers PARADISE

LOST recently re-recorded the

LP for a special new release.

There will also be "an extra

special vinyl" version of the

album, both of which available

on December 1.

Nick Holmes comments: "Thanks

to everybody that has pre-ordered 'Icon

30' so far. We are now pleased to

share with you this new version

of 'Widow' from the album.

"Looking back 30 years ago

we seemed to perpetually be

making music videos around

the time we originally recorded

'Icon', one of the most memorable

was the 'Widow' video. As health

and safety didn't seem to exist,

and while it was definitely no fun

for him, just watching Aaron

[Aedy, guitar] hanging by his feet,

suspended by rope whilst blasted with

a high-powered water canon was highly

amusing at the time, and it's funnier to

think the prospect of making such a video

nowadays would more than likely result

in at least one of us ending up in A&E".

Tracklist

1. Embers Fire

2. Remembrance

3. Forging Sympathy

4. Joys of the Emptiness

5. Dying Freedom

6. Widow

7. Colossal Rains

8. Weeping Words

9. Poison

10. True Belief

11. Shallow Seasons

12. Christendom

13. Deus Misereatur

Lineup

Steve Edmondson - Bass

Greg Mackintosh - Guitars (lead),

Keyboards

Aaron Aedy - Guitars (rhythm)

Nick Holmes - Vocals

Guido Zima Montanarini - Drums

Varathron

Black Metal band from Greece

released the seventh Full-length

album The Crimson Temple on

December 1, 2023.

With a sound characterized by

epic atmospheres, progressive

immersion and an old-school

diehardness, “The Crimson

Temple” marks the seventh

installment from Greek

trailblazers Varathron, known

to be amongst the pioneers of

the Hellenic Black Metal genre.

The band’s iconic vocalist Stefan

Necroabyssious, who’s been at

Varathron’s helm for the last

35 years, and whose “lust

for unholy creations” has

only ever gotten bigger

and better, reflects, that

“The Crimson Temple” has

seen the band commit its

unyielding devotion and

uncompromising

passion to every fine detail;

from the album’s meticulous

production, mixing and

mastering at Achilleas Kalantzis’

Suncord Audiolab, to its rich

visual side, designed and painted

by Paolo Girardi.

The opus arrives five years after

“Patriarchs of Evil”; a refreshing

effort, which took many of the

2018’s best-of hard rock & metal

lists by storm, set the anticipation

for “The Crimson Temple”,

and found Varathron’s creative

potential and musical zest on

par with 1988 – the year it had

all began. The band’s line-up

remains unchanged with

Stefan Necroabyssious on

vocals, Achilleas C on guitars

& keyboards, Sotiris on guitars,

Stratos on bass and Haris on

drums.

Tracklist

1. Ascension

2. Hegemony of Chaos

3. Crypts in the Mist

4. Cimmerian Priesthood

5. Sinners of the Crimson

Temple

6. Immortalis Regnum

Diaboli

7. To the Gods of

Yore

8. Shrouds of the

Miasmic Winds

9. Swamp King

10. Constellation of the

Archons

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Nornír

Black Metal band from

Germany released the second

Full-length album Skuld on

December 1, 2023.

"Skuld" is the band's highly

anticipated second full length, and

the culmination of the Three

Nornes trilogy.

The album continues in the

tradition of "Verdandi",

with classic, raw yet

melodic Norwegian Black

Metal interspersed with the

occasional Norwegian Folk

parts, and even sees the band

perform a cover of Wardruna’s

“Helvegen” as if it belonged

right on this album.

“Skuld” marks the third and final

chapter in Nornír’s trilogy of “de

tre nornene” (“The Three Nornes”)

of Norwegian mythology, whereby

Skuld stands for the future, or that

which shall be. Thus, the overarching

theme of the album is the passing

away of all life, described from several

viewpoints in the different songs,

which ultimately culminates in this

world's impending downfall.

During their nine years of existence

the band has developed into one

of the leading underground Black

Metal forces in Germany, and their

new album showcases the growth

in songwriting and musicianship that

Nornír gained during their countless jawdropping

live performances in the past

years.

Tracklist

1. Vígr

2. Krigsrop

3. Hel's Postulate

4. Dedicated to the Night

5. Helvegen (Wardruna cover)

6. Galdr

7. Høst, du ville kraft

8. Pest

9. Ere the World

Falls

10. Valr

Demoncy

Black Metal band from the

United States released the sixth

Full-length album Black Star

Gnosis on December 1, 2023.

After more than eleven years

since the release of Enthroned

Is the Night, the legendary beast

of Demoncy rears its ugly head

once more and perhaps at the top

of its malevolent powers.

With this new offering,

Demoncy deliver the record

most sonically akin to 1999’s

Joined in Darkness since the

turn of the century. The

primitive reverb-laden

production seamlessly

complements the songcraft

of unfathomable darkness,

resulting in an inimitable

hellish soundscape unique

to Demoncy alone. The

crushing compositions are

accompanied by a commanding

subterranean bass frequency, as

well as Ixithra’s uniquely coarse

vocal performances - which also

bear a striking resemblance to the

second album.

Tracklist

1. Across the Setian

Planes

2. Ipsissimus of Shadows

3. Black Star Gnosis

4. Cosmic Curse Invocation

5. Syzygy of Unholy Trinity

6. De Mysterium

Noctis

7. Performing

the Ceremonies of

Tragedy

8. Cosmic Curse Expulsion

9. Occultation of Typhon

Lineup

Sempiternal Atrocitor

of Angelholocaust -

Bass

Ixithra - All

instruments, Vocals

VJS - Guitars

Vorthrus - Drums

Zyuhlniv - Guitars

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Dethroned

Dethroned


Germany released the

second Full-length album A

Bridge to Eternal Darkness

on December 1, 2023.

DETHRONED are one of

the most cult entities in the

rich (yet often overlooked)

history of German black

metal. The band's roots

stretch back to 1993, with

the band Mysticism, who

released but one demo.

From Mysticism's ashes

came DETHRONED in

1995, founded by the trio

of Barkayal, BSoD, and

Morgoth. In 2017 Dethroned

released their first full-length,

Bluotrunst, thankfully sounding

very much like the '90s never

ended.

And so it goes (and, as expected,

after some years of silence) with

DETHRONED's second album,

A Bridge to Eternal Darkness.

Something of a 30th anniversary

release for the

Germans, A Bridge to Eternal Darkness

is truly titled: 47 minutes of trend-free

olde-worlde black metal, serving as

a portal to mysteries and mysticism

beyond the mien of mortals.

Tracklist

1. Come to Me

2. Vinum Creaturae

3. Disciple of the Elders

4. Colour Out of Space

5. Void

6. Ewig Fäulnis

7. Ruf der Tiefe

8. Descent

9. A Bridge to Eternal Darkness

10. Im Zeichen des Bösen

(Grausamkeit cover)

Ektomorf

Thrash Groove Metal band from

Hungary released the eighteenth

Full-length album Vivid Black on

December 8, 2023.

“Vivid Black” – Ektomorf ‘s

latest masterpiece – is a musical

manifesto born from the dark

times we all endured during the

Covid-19 pandemic. Frontman

Zoli Farkas found inspiration

amidst the gloom and personal

challenges, resulting in an

album infused with personal

relationships, hatred, and anger.

There’s no sugarcoating here;

instead, “VIVID BLACK”

offers an unfiltered glimpse into

the deepest

recesses of our

emotions.

The speed at

which this album

came to life is breathtaking. In just

three weeks, Zoli Farkas crafted

a work that achieves remarkable

depth and intensity. “VIVID

BLACK” marks a significant

turning point in Ektomorf ‘s

career as the band returns to its

roots while introducing entirely

new elements, including clean

vocal passages and a modern

metal sound.

Tracklist

1. I'm Your Last Hope (The Rope

Around Your Neck)

2. Die

3. Never Be the Same Again

4. I Don't Belong to

You

5. Fade Away

6. You and Me

7. Vivid Black

8. The Best of Me

9. You Belong There

10. REM

Lineup

Zoltan Farkas - Vocals,

Guitars

Csaba Zahoran - Bass

Ábris Hagya - Guitars

Ákos Kobela - Drums

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Nyrst


Iceland released the second

Full-length album Völd on

December 8, 2023.

With “Völd” which roughly

translates to “Force, power or

might”, NYRST conjures forth

music with the unrelenting

and unforgiving harshness

that the forces of nature have

wrought upon every living

being in their land through the

ages. Written and rehearsed

only a few kilometers from a

lava spewing active volcano,

they sought inspiration in the

beauty and perilousness danger

of the stark and chaotic

surroundings, wishing to portray

their material accordingly.

Reykjavik, Iceland-based black

metal act NYRST was formed in the

year 2013 with the aim of creating

the coldest, most eerie and barren

soundscape possible. After the

release of their demo in 2016 and a

full-length debut album in 2020, a

dense atmospheric experience which

gained much praise for perilous

melodies and intense vocals, NYRST

display a vicious prowess in their

craft, unusual in a band so early in

their career.

Tracklist

1. Völd

2. Sundra skal sálu

3. Hrímvíti

4. Fjallið andar

5. Eilíft eldhaf

6. Drottnari nafnlausra guða

7. Af fjarri ströndum

Lineup

Egill - Bass

Sveinbjörn -

Drums

Eysteinn -

Guitars

Snæbjörn -

Vocals

Kankar

Atmospheric Black Metal

band from Germany released


Ascension on December 8, 2023.

The central theme of

„Ascension“ revolves around

empowering the untapped

potential within each individual.

Isolated from the masses, every

single human being has the

capacity to transcend its limits

and reach a moral state that

can – at least – be described as

acceptable. Musically, the album

is divided into two distinctive

auras, enriching and

sophisticating the

band’s established

sonic palette with new

colors: "Morgensonne"

(morning sun) offers

a ripping black'n’rollexperience,

while

"Abendsonne"

(evening sun) explores melodic

black metal.

Once again, Stríð (vocals and

strings) proves, that he is already

a master of his craft, forging riffs

with the best ingredients metalmusic

hast offer – not caring

about sub-genre-boundaries.

For the first time on record, he is

supported by drummer Hades.

Tracklist

1. Abendsonne I

2. Morgensonne I

3. Abendsonne II

4. Morgensonne II

5. Abendsonne III

6. Morgensonne III

7. Abendsonne IV

8. Sonnenuntergang

Lineup

Stríð - Bass, Guitars, Vocals

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Strigampire

Melodic Black Metal band

from Canada released the

third Full-length album All to

Dominate on December 15,

2023.

Strigampire is an amalgamation

of Striga, the Italian word for

"witch" and ampire, which

is simply derived from the

word "vampire".

The album tackles various

themes such as personal

struggles, global issues like

economic inequalities and social

injustices. Grief is also one of the

subjects explored on the album.

Powerful guitar moments, crazy

solos, and impactful rhythms

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demonstrate undeniable mastery of

the instruments.

Tracklist

1. Dominate Them All

3. Sold Our Soul

4. In the Maze of the Lost

5. Where I Belong

6. Basking In Paradise

7. Death Silence

8. The Day I’ll Join You

9. Brave the Tempest

10. TNT (AC/DC cover)

Lineup

Johnny Dead - Guitars, Songwriting

Steve DC - Vocals

Willy Thousand - Guitars, Songwriting

BadGuy P. Provencher - Bass

James Foster - Drums

Ulvhedner

Black Metal band from Norway

released the third Full-length

album Fjosmetall on December

15, 2023.

The new album marks

Ulvhedner's 30 years anniversary

(1993-2023), and is titled after

their uinque mountainfarmermilita

style of Norwegian black

metal.

Fjosmetall is Ulvhedners

third full-length album, and

picks up where the previous

album "Legd" let off - only this

time Svein Terje is the

conductor of a complete

Ulvhedner lineup, giving

the album a whole

new dimension.

Drawing on the

bold energy of their

previous work, this

record invites you to explore

seven inspiring

b l a c k

metal songs that respectfully pay

tribute to Norway's historical

mountain farmers and workers

that built the country.

Tracklist

1. Ljåsmeden

2. Heimatt

3. Arbeid i skogen

4. Traust

5. Øve nuten

6. Gravhaugen

7. Ned i nordvest

8. Vedaskuten

Lineup

Arild - Drums, Drums,

Guitars

Bjørnar - Vocals

Steinar - Guitars

Svein Terje - Vocals, Guitars,

Bass

Jan Rune - Drums

Ove - Guitars

Sigbjørn - Keyboards

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Wolftower


Finland released the first

Full-length album Throne of

Nightfall's Wrath on November

13, 2023.

WOLFTOWER makes its

triumphant return to the ruins of

humanity. Waving the flag of

hate, the chariots of death bring

upon the long awaited first

full-length album from this

hateful Finnish Black Metal act,

containing 9 passages of raw hate,

from which no soul will be safe.

Prepare to make the journey to the

underworld, for it is certain that

this journey will be your last!

Latest releases

Cruel Fate

Death Metal band from Canada

released the second Full-length album

Destin Cruel on November 17, 2023.

Now wielding the French language

as a bludgeoning battle axe, CRUEL

FATE unleashes their second full

length album, Destin Cruel. From

mid-paced bulldozing riffs to blasting

madness and every foul trick in

between, this release is sure to tighten

the quartet’s steel grip on the death

metal underground.

Tracklist

1. Triomphe de la mort

2. Vampire boreal

3. Destin cruel

4. Transit sideral

5. Descente aux enfers

6. Feu cristique

7. L'usurpateur

Nail Within


Israel released the second Fulllength

album Sound of Demise on

November 17, 2023.

The band was put on hold shortly

after the debut album's release.

Played a one-time reunion show in

2007 in Tel Aviv with guest vocalist

Tomas Lindberg. The band reformed

in 2022 with the same lineup that

split up in 2007.

Tracklist

1. Bleeding Society

2. Eyes of Evil

3. Sound of Demise

4. Regression… and the Price We Pay

5. Duplicate Our Lives

6. Years of Madness

7. Everything We Know

8. Words as Weapons

9. Manipulated and Doomed

10. Severe Suffering

11. Isolate

Tenebro

Death Metal band from Italy

released the second Full-length

album Ultime grida dalla giungla


Tenebro - Italian Horror

Glorifying Death Metal.

Inspired and influenced by

italian horror cult movies from

the 70/80s.

Instead of being on a film set of

Fulci, Bava or Argento... Tenebro

headed into the dense jungle

accompanied by Lenzi, Deodato

and Martino... looking for the

last savages.

Tracklist

1. Ferox

2. Lo squartamento della tartaruga

3. Feto strappato e gettato nel fango

4. Khakhua

5. Ultime grida della guingla

6. Pellicola maledetta

7. Il ritovamento della donna

impalata

8. A caccia... di umani

9. Il paese del sesso selvaggio

10. Massacro della troupe

11. Oscuro rito sessuale

Lineup

Il Beccamorto - Guitars, Bass,

Drum programming

Il Becchino - Guitars,

Vocals

Misanthrophi


Mexico released the second

Full-length album Principles of

Cosmicism and Decimation on

November 23, 2023.

Misanthrophi gets their sound

from the 90s Swedish Death

Metal scene with a dash of

Mexican experimentation while

also encompassing Neo-Classical

passages. Misanthrophi was

formed in Mexicali, Mexico in

February 2014.

Tracklist

1. Beneath Apeiron's...

2. Chaospiracy

3. Vector Volition

4. Kingdom of Phantoms

5. Born Corrupted

6. Outer Incoming

7. Beyond Our Insignificance

8. Corpstar

9. Emptystemology

10. ...Rainfall

Lineup

Carlos Salgado - Drums, Vocals

(backing)

Antonio Ortíz - Guitars, Bass,

Vocals (backing)

Sharlee Avilés - Vocals

Infernal Angels


from Italy released the sixth Fulllength

album Shrine of Black

Fire on November 24, 2023.

Tracklist

1. Abyss Oath

2. In the Silence ov

Tehom

3. The Horizon Eats the Sun

and Other Stars

4. Fire as Breath

5. A Gateway to Purification

6. The Flame Burns Brighter

in the Darkness

7. I Am the Thoughtless

Light

8. Shrine of Black Fire -

Ablazing Serpent

Lineup

Xes - Vocals

Nekroshadow - Guitars

Apsychos - Guitars

Asdraeth - Bass

Postmortem - Drums

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Korgonthurus


Finland released the fourth

Full-length album Jumalhaaska


Korgonthurus returns with

Jumalhaaska!

Combining the longer melancholic

compositions of Marras,

speed and brutality of Vuohen

Siunaus.

and melodic and unique

atmosphere of Kuolleestasynyt.

Tracklist

1. Lankeemus

2. Musta obsidiaani

3. Marraskehrä

4. Autuas kärsimys

Lineup

Kryth - Drums, Guitars

Corvus - Guitars, Vocals

Incisura - Guitars

Insanis Xul - Guitars

Latest releases

Sovengar

Folk/Viking Metal band from Spain

released the third Full-length album

Drinks and Dragons on November

24, 2023.

Tracklist

1. Heimdal´s Song

2. Concede me the power of a god

3. Return to Balttle

4. Drink of Victory

5. The first Dragon

6. Fuck you Dragon

7. Mine world

8. New order

9. The order

10. Lament of a goddess

11. Drakkar´s Party

Lineup

Günnar - Drums

Björn - Bass

Wülfgar - Keyboards

Ravenstorm - Vocals

Eiggnar - Bass

Ophanim

Atmospheric Black Metal band

from Switzerland released the first

Full-length album Tämpelskläng on

November 24, 2023.

"Tämpelskläng" can best be described

as ethereal. The band manages to

create celestial atmospheres that are

simultaneously airy and incredibly

captivating, retaining the listener's

attention throughout the entire

experience. The music emanates

strongly psychedelic characteristics

as well, the strength of which is

likely drawn from the ancient

scriptures Ophanim is inspired by.

These aspects are further elevated

by an unintrusive production, a

result of Ophanim's meticulous

craft.

Hellsing


Mexico released the first Fulllength

album Burying the Light


Metal band that started in 2005

in Mexico. After going through

struggles, like 2 floods of their city

& the car accident of their guitarist,

the band is now promoting their

new album.

Tracklist

1. Burying the Light

2. Razor

3. Floods of Oppression

4. Requiem in Hell

5. Smiling at my Death

6. The Final Hour

7. Crucify

8. Hands of Time

9. Labyrinth of Errors

10. Winter Solstice

Lineup

Javier Hells - Guitars, Vocals

Renan - Bass, Vocals (backing)

Rogelio - Guitars

Vite - Drums

Snøstorm


from Norway/Bulgaria released


Into the Longest of Nights on

November 24, 2023.

This album feels and sounds

dark, bitter, and beautiful. As

well as trying new melodic

aspects, the band also included

more female vocals to give it an

angelic touch. The inspiration is

never ending and more content

is always being worked on.

Tracklist

1. The Eternal

2. I Am Fallen

3. Helvetes Hjerte

4. The King of Giants

5. Voice of Malice

6. The Edge of the Abyss

7. A World so White

8. Etterlengtet

9. Now Ascend

Lineup

Nikolay Velev - All instruments

Atle Attila Nygård - Vocals

Black Hate

Black/Death Metal band from

Mexico released the sixth Fulllength

album Via Pvrgativa...


Founded in 2006 as a B.G.

Ikanunna solo project, Black

Hate has been split-up

between 2009 and 2010.

From 2012 the project

shifted into a real band with

mainman B.G. Ikanunna as

vocalist and guitarist.

Tracklist

1. To the Firmament

2. Trembling Hands of Sorror

3. Luminous Ruins of

Death

4. Tempestad (O de la

transubstanciación)

5. Ascension of a Burning Soul

6. Diasparagmos (O del

sacrificio)

7. Dark Night of the Soul

Lineup

B.G. Ikanunna - Vocals,

Guitars

Satoshi Lira - Drums

J. Ambriz - Guitars (rhythm)

Jonathan V. Matus - Bass

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Grau


Germany released the second

Full-length album Abseits des

Lichts on December 1, 2023.

Musically, GRAU has taken a more

modern and complex approach since

its debut release and covers the

complete range from sinister

doom parts to mid-tempo

grooves and shredding blast

beats.

Tracklist

1. Erinnerung

2. Niemy

3. Ohnmacht

4. Nichts

5. Fiebertraum

6. Wildnis

7. Tilgung

8. Fraß

Latest releases

Dark Wisdom

Black Metal band from Colombia

released the fifth Full-length

album The Endless Darkness of the

Cosmos on December 10, 2023.

Tracklist

1. Welcome to the Dark (Intro)

2. Abismo inexorable

3. Death of the Galaxy

4. Bitter Taste of Blood

5. Visiones desterradas

6. Eternal Suffering

7. Ofensiva eterna

8. Cosmic Time

9. Secretos de sangre

10. Specular Reflects (Liturgia cover)

11. Consonancia existencial (Outro)

Lineup

Abruptum Legion - Guitars (lead)

Haggen Werwolf - Vocals, Lyrics

Antichrist - Bass

Asmodeus - Guitars (lead)

Danilo Romero - Drums

Horrifier

Death Metal band from Norway

released the first Full-length album

Horrid Resurrection on December

15, 2023.

Make no mistake, this is very late '80s

death metal of a most mildewed hue,

but with their restless-yet-focused

execution - nods to the new wave of

Norwegian deathrash could be made

here, such as the likes of Obliteration,

Sepulcher, Inculter, and Condor - as

well as supremely haunting riffs &

leads, HORRIFIER are approaching

some fairly rarefied territory.

Tracklist

1. Chainsaw Death

2. Injected Corpse

3. Hooks in Flesh

4. Assimilated Life

5. Deranged Sanity

6. Sick Twisted Pleasures

7. Sadistic

Impalement

8. Horrid

Resurrection

Vargrav

Symphonic Black Metal band

from Finland released the third

Full-length album The Nighthold

on December 15, 2023.

The name of the band comes from

the union of the (Swedish) words

"varg" (wolf) and "grav" (grave).

Vargrav is the resting place where

a bestial wisdom lurks only to rise

again.

Tracklist

1. Moonless Abyss of the Nighthold

2. Through the Woods of

Breathing Shadows

3. Chalice of Silver and Blood

4. Thy Imperial Malice

5. Curse of the Plaguewood Lake

6. Encircle the Spectral Dimension

7. Triumph of the Nightbringer

8. Into the Shadow Crypts

9. The One Who Lurks Beyond

the Starscape

10. A Dark Consecration

11. Creator of the True Realm

12. Ghostlands

The Conquering

Viking/Folk/Black Metal band

from the United States released

the eleventh Full-length album

Unburdened on December 15,

2023.

For The Conquering's 25th

anniversary the band decided to

do something a little different.

They presented acoustic versions

of some of band's songs from

the past and one new original

composition, "All Lies Still".

Tracklist

1. The First Confrontation

2. To Wage Eternal War

3. Archaic Skies

4. Reclaim the Pentagram for

Satan

5. Beer

6. Come Drink Rum With Us

7. The Sword of the Scoundrel

8. Far Beyond

9. Enslaved to Deceit

10. All Lies Still

Afra


from Indonesia released the

first Full-length album Aruna

Cakrawala on December 15,

2023.

Through the permission from

the mother of earth, father

of sky and ancestors, the

band describes their sonic

ritual that encompasses a rich

blend of philosophy and emotions

as Aruna Cakrawala.

Tracklist

1. Saltum Naturia

2. The White Wanderer

3. Strdust In Elysian

4. Asteramerta

5. Rabbah

6. Lintang

Lineup

Wik - Drums

D - Guitars

Mychosterra - Guitars

D - Vocals

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We would like to tell you about

musicians and bands not so well

known around the world. This

is the story of Ecocide - Old

school Death Metal band from

еhe Netherlands.

Band Links

https://www.facebook.com/EcocideMetal

https://ecocide-osdm.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/ecocideosdm

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3hvm8t0tGXG4W6ftgFThqS

Ecocide was formed in Haarlem, the Netherlands back in 2012 by

guitaris/vocalist Sten Govers, drummer Bas Gijzen and Rick Stikkelorum

on bass, with Dennis Bikker joining in 2014 as a second guitarist.

Their 2013 debut album "Eye of Wicked Sight" shifted their initial

Thrash Metal sound into Old School Death Metal in the veins of Death,

Bolt Thrower and Massacre to name a few.

The release of the album quickly attracted a bigger, international

following and the band started playing dozens of shows within and

around the Netherlands.

During these shows they shared the stage with countless bands, some

highlights include supporting Malevolent Creation, Sinister,Gorguts

and the legendary Bolt Thrower.

After two line-up changes the band called it quits 2015, returning

briefly in 2017 to release a single ‘’The Godhand’’ and in 2020 the band

released another single titled ‘’Sleeper’’. These songs were

recorded just for fun and besides releasing these

two tracks the band remained dormant until the

summer of 2023, when they announced their

return along with a second full-length album:

METAMORPHOSIS. To be released on october

23, 2023 through Memento Mori Records (CD)

and Violence In The Veins (Vinyl).

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We would like to tell you about musicians

and bands not so well known around the

world. This is the story of Kurgaall

- Satanic Black Metal band from

Italy.

Band Links

https://www.facebook.com/fghyhygbvza

https://kurgaallofficial.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/kurgaall

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2OLmNqPoQNUWt7CClmRp15

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KURGAALL was born in 1998, the first demo came in 2003, because

economically the band did not have the money to physically print

copies.

The band was born out of Lord Astaroth's passion for Black metal: "I

wanted to play fast Black metal in Italy, not in the Norwegian style,

but absolutely in the Swedish style. I loved the Swedish scene and

wanted to make fast, rough Black metal, dealing with satanic themes,

but seen from a more Masonic and less "occult", acid side".

It was born at the behest of Lord Astaroth, who founded the band,

and, with the first members, almost handcrafted the demo.

Finally KURGAALL succeeded in 2001 in recording Death to the

infidels.

The name KURGAALL itself originated from Lord Astaroth's esoteric

studies, satanic convos, but also from his love of

80s and 90s heavy metal. the band now finally

has a stable line-up: Asmodeus on drums, H50

Lead Guitar, SARGATANAS B. Lead Guitar,

AREVAKHACH on Bass

"KURGAALL was born to play violent rough

black metal definitely very 90s because that's

the black metal they like the most and grew up with."

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musicians and bands not so

well known around the world.

This is the story of Laang -


from Taiwan.

Band Links

https://www.facebook.com/LaangOfficial

https://laang.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/laangblackmetal

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3GOMPmE3jnaoh74rgsTTlI

Laang 冷 (Cold) is a melodic black metal band from Taiwan,

born from the post-traumatic stress of the band’s frontman

Yang Haitao during a near-death experience when shot. The

band’s music explores the pain, misery, & struggle of trauma

& recovery.

The band’s musical style combines aggressive and non-canonical

black metal riffing with melancholic melodies, tortured

vocals performed in Mandarin Chinese, dark orchestras,

and traditional erhu & guzheng instrumentation. The music

of Laang 冷 creates an emotionally charged and tormented

soundscape that is haunting, yet captivating. Laang’s third

album Riluo 日落 is inspired by the trauma and recovery of

the band’s frontman Haitao Yang when shot and briefly

declared medically dead. During this time

Haitao

experienced hallucinations of an otherworld

that carried an overwhelming feeling of

terror and isolation.

This album explores the sensation and

experience of how it feels to die, and

recounts the visions experienced while

bleeding out. Lyrically the album discusses

the trauma of death, the pain of recovery,

and the emotional disconnection associated

with trying to re-live a normal life after

trauma.

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known around the world. This is

the story of Rudra - Death/

Black (Vedic) Metal

band from Singapore.

Band Links

https://www.facebook.com/RudraBand

https://rudrametal.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/official.rudra

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1lhBWEJtquNAdErQGaQPwr

Rudra, the name of the Indian deity of Destruction,

conjures the scene of death and destruction. Just like

the deity, Rudra, the band, was named to symbolise its

music's aggressive character.

A legend in the Asian Metal scene, Rudra was established

in 1992. Since its humble beginning as a Death Metal

band, the band went on to pioneer the evolution of a

new genre of Death-Black Metal music called Vedic metal.

The music of Rudra, Vedic metal, can be characterized

as a bridge between the east and the west: incorporating

Indian traditional music, Sanskrit chants, and mantras

into Death/Black Metal. This unique musical creation is

what is known to the world as Vedic Metal.

Rudra released 10th album, "Eight Mahavidyas", another

concept album in 2022. This time the album explores

eight female characters from ancient times till the 18th

century who broke stereotypes and became outstanding

teachers of wisdom. Each song presents the wisdom of

each woman through extreme metal textures.

Lineup

Kathir - Bass, Vocals

Shiva - Drums

Vinod - Guitars

Devan - Guitars

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the story of Membaris - Black

Metal band from Germany

Band Links

https://www.dasschoenstekind.de/news/membaris

https://www.facebook.com/membarisofficial

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ex3J0V8DGdGp7WMdfSoDQ

Membaris was founded in October 1999 by Kraal (bass/vocals) and

Obscurus (drums/guitar/vocals). In the beginning, the lyrics were based

more on satanic and anti-Christian ideas, but over the years of the

band's existence there was a shift towards an examination of human

existence, which is still reflected today in philosophical-misanthropic

lyrics.

Musically, Membaris have dedicated themselves to black metal. They

have never been interested in being pigeonholed in terms of this musical

genre.

There have not been many personnel changes since the band was formed:

Boreas (lead guitarist since the beginning of 2000) left the band in

2012, after which Membaris acted as a duo until 2017 and produced the

album "Misanthrosophie". Over the years, they were always supported

by N.W. (Weird Fate, Avowal) on rhythm guitar. In 2017, F.H., a very

accomplished lead guitarist, joined the band, but they parted ways

again at the beginning of 2021.

After the addition of Amarok (Lebenswinter) in 2021, Membaris are

finally acting as a band again and writing songs together.

With the release of the album "Misanthrosophie" in 2020, the band

presented their fifth album alongside records such

as “Poetry of Chaos"(2004), “Into

Nevermore"(2007), "Grenzgänger"(2010) and

"Entartet"(2012).

Membaris are currently working on

their sixth, as yet untitled album and

are therefore not often seen on stage.

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Band Links

https://www.instagram.com/valeoftearsofficial

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7uSywDOXPRD8POMbukWxaV

https://www.youtube.com/user/valeoftearsmetal




the story of Vale of Tears -


Hungary

Established in 1997, Vale of Tears, under the visionary leadership

of founder member and vocalist Ferenc Mulicz, embarked on a sonic

journey. Initially crafting atmospheric black and death metal with

Gothic nuances, the pivotal shift occurred in 2003 with the release of

their debut album, "From Birth to Expiration”, showcasing a transition

to a more guitar-centric melodic death metal sound.

Throughout the 00s, Vale of Tears dominated Hungary's music scene,

delivering not just intense but captivating concerts. Their performances

were marked by an energy that resonated with the audience, solidifying

their position among the top bands in the Hungarian music landscape.

As the 10s unfolded, the band took a deliberate pause, regrouping to

forge a new, solid lineup in 2021. This revitalized energy sparked a

creative resurgence, leading to the recording of new material.

In November 2023, the fruit of their labor, the EP titled "Oxymora I.,"

surfaced on all digital platforms. Today, Vale of Tears boasts a modern

death metal sound, infused with the distinctiveness of melodic flavors

and hymnic reprisals - a hallmark that has always been integral to

the band's musical identity. With Ferenc Mulicz at the helm, Jozsef

Tanarki on guitar, Richard Bertok on drums, Janos Kelemen on bass,

they continue to evolve, offering a fresh sonic perspective while staying

true to the core elements that define Vale of Tears.

Studio Albums:

- The Lord of Illusion (Demo) - 1998

- The Curse (Demo) - 1999

- From Birth to Expiration - 2003 (Nail Records)

- Destined for Desolation - 2005

- Illdisposed Inner Interes - 2009

- Oxymora I. EP - 2023

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Folterkammer - Das

Peitschengedicht (Single).

After 3 years since Die Lederpredigt,

the first LP of American Symphonic

Black Metal band Folterkammer was

released,

the brand new

single named Das

Peitschengedicht

came out on

October 2023.

For those who

understand

German language

the name speaks

for itself, but

let’s discuss it

later a bit more

in details.

Even remaining

within the

frames of

the sub-genre,

Folterkammer

is a project

that solidly

deviates

from it.

I mean, what

would you get

by bringing a

professional

opera singer to a Black Metal band

following the best traditions of

the genre? Imagine… Yeah, opera

singing haven’t been anything new in

Metal since fukking long ago, but these

guys manage to perform these things in

a completely different way.

Even though we’re talking about Sympho

Black Metal, there’s no orchestra or

anything like that. The musical part

sounds like pure Black Metal, and as for

the symphonic part… The point is in

vocals. Vocals literally create the whole

symphonic part by itself. The band’s

striking frontwoman Andromeda Anarchia

defines it as «Dramatic Growloratura

Soprano» where truly dramatic opera

singing is followed by heartbreaking harsh

vocals and back.

The lyrics of Das Peitschengedicht

is definitely worth of some extra

attention, since yours sincerely is

able to understand German. It’s made

in some… Let’s say dramatic&ironic

manner. If we

try to describe it

in a little bit of

pompous way, it’s

about the eternal

conflict between

the divine and

devilish part

inside each of us,

between humility

and wildness,

abstinence and

lust and all

this stuff. But

frankly and

more specifically

speaking, it’s

about intense

lust inside of

a Christian

human’s mind,

impossibility

of satisfying

it because of

the own mind’s

frames and

prejudices, and at

the same time – inability to hide this

lust.

Hope I managed to avoid too many

spoilers!

Carnation - Cursed Mortality.

Some really good old school Death

Metal from Belgium. It has the

classic Europen sound, more like

Swedish Death Metal than Florida

Death Metal. Good

growls and lively

music.

Seems a bit

strange to me

thay their first

album was

actually a live

album back

in 2017. But

whatever,

because they’re

not getting any

complaints

from me.

The growls

remind me

of Immolation.

There’s also

some clean

vocals on here as

well, but it’s all

good. The music

is very chunky

and grizzly, but

quite an easy

listen if you’re

new to this genre. Sometimes they

remind me of Entombed. I admit

this is only the second or third

Belgium band I have heard, but I

remember I have loved them all.

So there you go, 35 minutes

of great Death Metal. Fans

of newer Deicide will love this. A great

end to the year.

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Band’s links: https://www.facebook.com/folterkammer.music https://www.instagram.com/folter.kammerl https://open.spotify.com/artist/27en4UMXZG1UAGsfe48shs Band’s link: https://carnationband.com https://www.facebook.com/CarnationBE https://www.instagram.com/carnationbandofficial

Celtefog - Delta.

Just one man from Greece. First

of all, not exactly an easy listen,

but it has some beautiful parts

in it. It’s a kind of cross between

Pagan,

Folk and DSBM.

Certainly an

interesting

listen. If I’m

honest, I

think it’s the

beautiful

parts that make

this (or at

least so far).

Some of it gets

a bit ghostly

sounding.

This is

one of those

albums that

doesn’t really

remind me of

anyone else.

I actually

think the

heaviness

ruins it

personally.

It almost

reminds me of a really extreme

version of Gehenna’s ‘First

Spell’. I am enjoying this so far.

It’s interesting and clever. Fans

of early Gehenna should definitely

check this out. It’s super epic as well,

b u t it’s good. It’s almost like a

cross between early Gehenna and newer

Ensiferum ( which probably sound just

way too weird ). Some of the interludes

could have been cut shorter, but that’s

just my opinion.

He calls this Pagan Black Metal, but

I actually think it’s quite hard to

categorize. Definitely recommended for

those who fancy something a bit new.

It’s good.

Farsoth - Morbid Symphonies.

Pretty intense Death Metal from Sweden.

It really just explodes, no need for eerie

intros. Reminds me of Cadaver a bit. They

don’t really sound like a Swedish Death

Metal band.

The songs aren’t

particular good or

catchy, but this is

one of those bands

where you listen to

the extremness. The

energy is very intense

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Band’s links: https://celtefog.wixsite.com/celtefog . https://www.facebook.com/Celtefog https://www.instagram.com/celtefog_official

and wild. If

you’re looking

for something

super heavy, then

this is it. The

blast beats and the

distortion will be a

bit much for some.

just

They have mostly

concentrated

on the heavy side

of things. A lot

of the songs sound

the same to me

personally. This

singers voice must

kill after a gig.

Well I don’t like it,

but some will wet

themselves. The extremness will sell it to

a lot of Metalheads. It will leave your ears

ringing. For me personally, it needs better

and shorter songs. But some people WILL

love this.

Band’s link: https://www.farsoth.se https://www.facebook.com/farsothofficialsweden https://www.instagram.com/farsothofficialsweden

Black Pyre - Fall of the Northern

Kingdom.

Considerig I have never really taken

much of an interest in the British

Back Metal scene, I am quite

enjoying

this so far.

However, it’s

way too epic for

my liking. Just

shy of an hour.

It’s kind of like

a mix of

Melodic Black

Metal and Black

Folk. It’s

actually quite

good.

Quite an easy

listen if you’re

just getting

into Black

Metal. Not too

heavy, not

too extreme,

not too fast.

According

to my notes,

this is just

one man doing

all this, but

the picture shows four guys, so

I’m not too sure. If it is just

one man, it’s super impressive. The

use of synths on this really make it

what it is. It gets quite up lifting

at times. The songs aren’t exactly

amazing, but I have heard so

much worse, and to be fair, I have heard

much worse from bands much bigger

than these. Sometimes it reminds me

of Emperor’s ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’,

maybe not as good, but worth checking

out.

I’m quite sure the majority of Metalheads

will say it’s the best British Black Metal

band since Bal Sagoth. Hard to compare

to Bal Sagoth, this band is much slower

paced, but as I said, if you’re new Black

Metal, you shouldn’t have a problem

with this album.

fucking love it. It’s one of those

albums with something for

everyone. Trust me, it’s definitely

worth a moment of your time.

.

Suffocation - Hymns From The

Apocrypha .

No extra introductions… USA Death

Metal titans Suffocation released

their ninth full-length album named

Hymns from

the Apocrypha.

Co-produced

by Christian

Donaldson

and featuring

artwork by

Greek illustrator

Yiannis

Nakos, this

creation

takes the band

to the extreme.

Hymns From The

Apocrypha has

also become

the first

studio album

to feature new

vocalist Ricky

Myers, who has

been part of the

band since 2019

and has proven

himself a worthy

successor to

Frank Mullen on

stages around the world. The dude

delivers absolutely killer skills on

this new opus. Hymns from the

Apocrypha shows the band’s level

of improvement as it’s getting closer

to its 35th anniversary. As always

brutal, artistically fearless &

furious.

Technically, each track stands its own

way. The sense of dynamics, clearly

memorable leitmotifs, combination of

melodicism and brutality, extremely

complex passages & crushing growls are

truly impressive.

Actually we can list strong sides of the

album for a long time, but I guess there’s

no need for that. We’re talking about

Suffocation after all, so everything is

beyond obvious.

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Band’s links: https://www.facebook.com/BlackPyreMusic https://blackpyre.bandcamp.com/album/fall-of-the-northern-kingdom https://www.instagram.com/blackpyreband Band’s link: https://www.suffocationofficial.com https://www.facebook.com/suffocation https://www.instagram.com/suffocationofficial

Upcoming albums

VEMOD has chiselled their

sophomore full-length "The

Deepening" from the same sonic

granite that its predecessor "Venter

på stormene" came from over a

decade ago. This bedrock is found

in Namsos, where VEMOD were

conceived as a lifelong passion

project at the turn of the century by

then 12-year old Jan Even Åsli.

"The Deepening" arrives with a

different production, which resulted

in a changed overall tone compared

to earlier works and the Norwegians

also reached out and tapped into

new stylistic strata adding further

elements to their sound. Even the

lyrical themes running through

"The Deepening" tell of change,

transience, transformation, and

growth. "The Deepening" offers an

opportunity to look past long held

beliefs and comforting illusions.

At the crossroads of VEMOD's

second album at this point in

space and time waits a deepening

understanding of their musical

world.

«The Deepening» will be

released on January 19, 2024.

Signing with Moribund Records

in 2015, LUCIFERIAN RITES

delivered the most significant

Mexican Black Metal album of all

time with the highly praised “When

the Light Dies”. Never stagnating,

the next several years saw the band

release multiple split albums with

Ereshkigal, Viha Surma, Necrario

and Black Lord among others.

LUCIFERIAN RITES now return

with one of the most anticipated

Black Metal albums of the year and

their career defining work “Oath of

Midnight Ashes“! Containing 11

spiritual hymns of Satanic devotion,

the album heralds the classic Finnish

Black Metal sound which has made

Sargeist, Horna, and Behexen hellhold

names. Through their praises

of crimson wisdom, astral decay,

and sacraments of grief and torment

for the Devil’s Cross, LUCIFERIAN

RITES takes you through the last

abyss to swear your Oath to the

Midnight Ashes!

Oath of Midnight Ashes will be

released on January 26, 2024.

New album by the Danish Viking /

Melodic Death Metal band Vandir.

Epitome will definitely satisfy fans of

Svartsot, Amon Amarth or Eluveite.

From the Sagas of old to the halls of

kings and the bloody battlefields,

Vanir’s music has been put together,

without compromise, with a

fascination with Scandinavian

common origins, and the blood

spilled throughout history.

The “Epitome” album cover is a

depiction of the Danish queen Sorte

Grethe (Black Greta). In her own

time, Margaret had a reputation as a

competent and enlightened regent.

Regent Margaret was faced with

the unresolved conflict between the

crown and the archbishop. The song

“Sorte Grethe”, on the album, is about

a bloody battle where 12.000 men

were killed to protect her sons’ right

to the crown.

Epitome will be released on February

16, 2024.

DARKSPACE establishes contact with

the earthlings yet again - an extensive

aural manifestation materializes.

Seemingly emerging out of the

depths of a stellar-mass black hole,

an otherworldly journey through

the cosmos presents itself. With an

icy-cold embrace and psychedelic

conductance, the mysterious figures

present ‘Dark Space -II’, a singular

album of atmospheric black metal

beyond human comprehension.

Fractal electronic samples slice

through layers of extraterrestrial

drones, manifesting an immersive

experience defying the boundaries of

the conventional black metal genre.

Vocal transmissions, like whispers

from the outer reaches, seamlessly

interwoven in the chilling mix, add

a haunting dimension to the celestial

configuration.

Humans, prepare to embark on a

voyage beyond the known realms.

DARKSPACE invites you to

submerge into the enigmatic voids of

‘Dark Space -II’, where the frontiers of

reality dissolve, and the otherworldly

traces of black metal resonate with

unparalleled intensity.

‘Dark Space -II’ will be released

on February 16, 2024.

Norway’s pioneers of avantgarde/

progressive Black Metal

BORKNAGAR return with their

monumental 12th studio album

entitled “Fall”, which includes 8

majestic tracks across 54 epic minutes

of playing time, once again brilliantly

mixed by Jens Bogren / Fascination

Street Studios (Opeth, Amon

Amarth, Kreator). “Fall” is the followup

to the widely acclaimed “True

North” studio album from 2019, and

comes with stunning album cover

artwork by Eliran Kantor (Testament,

My Dying Bride, Sodom). “Fall” into

BORKNAGAR, share the grand

struggle against the wild in all of us...

Tracklist:

1. Summits

2. Nordic Anthem

3. Afar

4. Moon

5. Stars Ablaze

6. Unraveling

7. The Wild Lingers

8. Northward

Fall will be released on February 23,

2024.

Dust Bolt will return in 2024,

armed with the finest album

they have ever made, and a

newfound sense of purpose.

The making of Sound & Fury

has clearly given the German

four-piece a new lease of

life, and subtly enhanced

ambitions for the future. While

most bands are content to be

tethered to the usual music

biz cycles, Dust Bolt have

freed themselves and delivered

a potential game-changing

chunk of music. Still metal

diehard to the bone, they have

simply found a better and more

life-affirming way to gets head

banging. On this form, there

will be no stopping them.

“Sound & Fury” will be released

on February 23, 2024.

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Essential

information!

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Releases of

Masters of Kaos!

Abused Majesty (Poland) Proxima Inferni new album...

Released on 21.06.2023 in USA, South America, India and

Indonesia.

The Pagan Trinity

split, 3 Cuban bands:

Nastrond, Helgrind and

Hrafnsmerki... released

on July 21st, 2023.

Primordial Serpent (Canada)

released the new album Spawn

of Eternal Hellfire on June 21,

2023 in USA, South America,

India and Indonesia.

For more information please

check Masters of Kaos links!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.

php?id=100083264766354

https://www.instagram.com/mastersofkaosrecords

https://mastersofkaos.bandcamp.com

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