Mental Cruelty announce new album and share new single/video 'Raise The Raven Banner' • GRIMM Gent

MENTAL CRUELTY announce their new studio album Echoes of a Forlorn Land, set for release on October 23rd via Century Media Records. The band also unveil the album’s third single, “Raise The Raven Banner”, available today alongside a thrilling official music video.

With Echoes of a Forlorn Land, MENTAL CRUELTY open a powerful new chapter, delivering their most ambitious and immersive work to date. Expanding beyond the boundaries of modern deathcore, the German six-piece forges a sound where blackened death metal collides with elements of black metal, folk and power metal, creating a cinematic and emotionally charged experience that pushes the band’s identity further than ever before.

Produced, mixed and mastered by acclaimed producer Jens Bogren (Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Kreator, Amon Amarth, Opeth), Echoes of a Forlorn Land captures MENTAL CRUELTY at the height of their creative evolution. Building on the momentum of Zwielicht, the band continues to establish itself as one of the most forward-thinking and uncompromising forces in modern extreme metal.

To coincide with the album release, MENTAL CRUELTY will embark on a European headline tour throughout November and December, bringing Echoes of a Forlorn Land to audiences across the continent for the first time.

MENTAL CRUELTY on their new single and the upcoming album:

“‘Raise the Raven Banner’ feels like the perfect song to announce our new era, Echoes of a Forlorn Land. The flag referenced in the title was once flown in battle as a symbol of Odin, the Raven Banner was believed to bring victory and the strength of the Norse Allfather and God of war. Now, we’re raising our own. With Echoes of a Forlorn Land, we embrace a darker, heavier sound, blending black metal, folk metal, and melodic death metal with our deathcore foundation. It’s our declaration of evolution: a new chapter forged to stand tall in a scene filled with exceptional bands.

We’re confident, waving our flag and planting it wherever we go as we tell the tales of Norse mythology. You’ll find nods to it throughout one of our best merch drops yet, including a very special box set edition of the album that we’ve poured as much love into as the music itself.

Since we’re writing about Odin, Loki, Thor and their kin, we figured we better get some Scandinavians on board. Enter our Swedish friend Jens Bogren who mixed and mastered the album to great impact. The same goes for the video for “Raise the Raven Banner.” We hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to visuals, making sure they match and elevate the music. We travelled to Estonia to work with our boys at Riivata Visuals from Finland, whose impressive portfolio also includes videos for our labelmates Orbit Culture, Humanity’s Last Breath, Allt, and Insomnium.

As part of the Century Media family alongside so many incredible bands, we’re equally grateful for the company we’ll be keeping on the road. Our album release tour and very first headline tour ever features further labelmates, Ov Sulfur on their inaugural European run, alongside Extermination Dismemberment, Acranius, and Sun Eater.

We’ll also be playing Music Forge Festival in just over a week, with more shows to be announced soon. Join our text list to stay up to date and be the first to hear about new tour dates and more!”

PRE-ORDER Echoes of a Forlorn Land NOW

Echoes of a Forlorn Land Tracklist:

⁠Weltennacht
⁠Fenrir
⁠Blood For Blood
The Serpent Of Midgard
⁠Helheim
Draugar
⁠Raise The Raven Banner
Cry Of Batariel
Frost
Dämmerbruch
Ride Of The Valkyries

Following a packed touring schedule across Europe and North America, MENTAL CRUELTY will return to the road later this year for an extensive European headline tour. Joined by Ov Sulfur and Extermination Dismemberment, with Acranius and Sun Eater appearing on select dates, the tour will take the band across 21 cities throughout Europe from late November to December.

Get your tickets now: https://bnds.us/i4cbke

European Headline Tour w/ Ov Sulfur, Extermination Dismemberment, Acranius, Sun Eater

27.11🇳🇱Rotterdam @ Baroeg ~
28.11🇩🇪Köln @ Club Volta ~
29.11🇳🇱Nijmegen @ Doornrosje ~
30.11🇬🇧Birmingham @ Asylum ~
02.12🇬🇧Manchester @ Academy 3 ~
03.12🇬🇧London @ Downstairs At The Dome ~
04.12🇫🇷Paris @ Glazart ~
05.12🇧🇪Antwerp @ Zappa ~
06.12🇩🇪Hamburg @ Bahnhof Pauli ^
07.12🇩🇰Copenhagen @ Hotel Cecil ^
08.12🇸🇪Stockholm @ Kollektivet Livet ^
10.12🇫🇮Jyväskylä @ Lutakko ^
11.12🇫🇮Helsinki @ Ääniwalli ^
13.12🇸🇪Gothenburg @ Monument ^
14.12🇩🇪Berlin @ Hole 44 ^
15.12🇨🇿Prague @ Rock Café ^
16.12🇩🇪Frankfurt @ Das Bett ~ ^
17.12🇩🇪München @ Backstage ^
18.12🇨🇭Aarau @ KIFF ^
19.12 🇩🇪Schweinfurt @ Alter Stattbahnhof ^
20.12🇩🇪Karlsruhe @ Substage ^

^ w/ Acranius
~ ⁠w/ Sun Eater

Mental Cruelty have been descending into darkness since 2014 when they started as a slamming deathcore band in Karlsruhe, Germany. Since then, they’ve steadily blackened their sound, most hauntingly on 2023’s Zwielicht and predecessor A Hill to Die Upon (2021). New single “The Serpent of Midgard” and last year’s “Helheim” (both based on Loki’s children from Norse mythology) push the evolution even further, embracing folk metal and melodeath in addition to black metal’s frosty bite.

It’s the kind of genre fluidity that has allowed them to play with Kanonenfieber and Cradle of Filth, in addition to Lorna Shore, Shadow of Intent, Signs of the Swarm, Angelmaker, Synestia, Carnifex and more. With a forthcoming European headline tour debut, featuring 2024 tourmates Ov Sulfur and Extermination Dismemberment, and hints of more to come, it’s clear a blackened Nacht is coming.

Say, does Loki have any other kids?