Black/doom metal band Hagel set release date for new mini-album and reveal first track

On November 6th internationally, Personal Records is proud to present a brand-new mini-album from Hagel, The Veil of Shadows, on CD format.

Hagel are a black-doom metal band from Monterrey, Mexico. Formed in 1995 by Carlos Velázquez (guitar), Luis Galindo (keyboards and vocals), Fernando Galindo (bass), and David Benavides (drums), the band emerged from the underground scene of northern Mexico. Between 1995 and 2000, Hagel developed an identity that fused dark melodies, dense atmospheres, and a melodic approach characteristic of ’90s black metal. The band dissolved in 2000 following the departure of Luis Galindo, leaving behind songs that remained unreleased at the time.

In 2014, after more than a decade of silence, Carlos Velázquez reactivated the project with a new lineup that revived Hagel‘s original essence while projecting it through a more solid and modern production. This era featured Juan Reyes (drums), Elizabeth Castillo (bass), and Iván Saldaña (guitar and vocals). The return of original keyboardist Luis Galindo in 2018 restored part of the band’s foundational spirit. A year later, Hagel entered the studio to record their debut album, Veneration of the Black Light, released in 2021 through Personal Records. Composed primarily of material written between 1995 and 1997, the album was praised by specialized press for its authenticity and faithful adherence to the era’s aesthetic, opening new doors within both the national and international extreme metal circuits.

Following Galindoʼs final departure in 2023, Hagel continued evolving. In 2024, Iveth Herrera joined as lead vocalist, allowing Iván Saldaña to focus exclusively on guitars. With this renewed lineup, the band completed production of The Veil of Shadows, their second release. With a new formation and an even more introspective vision, on this new mini-album do Hagel continue to explore the boundaries of black-doom metal through dreamlike visions, ritual landscapes, and obsidian mirrors. Faithful to their origins yet in constant transformation, the band keep forging their own path within contemporary extreme music.

Hagel draw influence from the atmospheric and melodic darkness of bands such as early Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Ophthalamia, Mortuary Drape, Katatonia, Empyrium, Samael, and Tiamat, blending these elements into a ritualistic and melancholic black-doom metal identity. As considerable as their critically acclaimed debut album was, the swift-yet-satisfying The Veil of Shadows crystalizes this identity with arguably the band’s most powerful, poignant material to date: ancient mysticism writ large across a five-song / 21-minute canvas.

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “The Withering Tongues” HERE at Personal Records‘ Bandcamp. Preorder info can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Hagel’s The Veil of Shadows

1. The Withering Tongues [5:02]
2. Flesh Of The Gods [4:45]
3. Effluvium [4:28]
4. Obsidian Mirrors (The Veil Of Shadows) [5:01]
5. Echoes From Beyond The Veil (Chaconne in D Minor) [1:45]