Godkiller premiered the full stream of the upcoming compilation ‘We Are The Black Knights’

Restoring the sinister glory of the early 90s, GODKILLER premiere the full stream of the forthcoming compilation, “We Are The Black Knights“. Incorporating both demos of the band – “Ad Majorem Satanae Gloriam” (1994) and “The Warlord” (1995) – this release displays seven tracks of majestic medieval Black Metal framed by the rawness of an old school production and sound.

Stream the compilation on the label’s YouTube channel or via Bandcamp:

Artist Duke Satanaël narrates about his thoughts on GODKILLER‘s early demos:

“First, I am glad I did it. I was very young and I am not ashamed of it today, 28 years later. There are weaknesses, clumsiness, but it is already quite accomplished for a young man (the one I was at the time). And then, the spirit which presides over these tracks never really left me; of course, I matured, I sharpened my vision of the things (there are full of naiveties in these tracks), but the spirit which lives in them never left me. I have remained true to myself (even if I express it in other ways today).“

The cover artwork for “We Are The Black Knights” is intimately linked to the project’s history, as Duke continues:

“The cover artwork is taken from an engraving by Joseph Haynes (an English painter) called “Death On A Pale Horse“. It is a very impressive image that perfectly illustrates the early years of GODKILLER whose main theme was the idea of an army of Black Knights sweeping over the world to bring back a dark Middle Ages.

The use of the color white has several reasons. On the one hand, it is a nod to the last GODKILLER album (“Deliverance“, released in 2000) which also used mostly white color. On the other hand, the white color that encompasses the artwork of “We Are The Black Knights” gives an evanescent aspect, it resembles a kind of misty dream, an anguishing dream of the end of the world, an event that we don’t know in the end if it is dreamed or prophesied.“

The compilation will be released on CD, vinyl and digital via Debemur Morti Productions on December 9th. Pre-orders including fitting merch are possible via the label’s EU, US (no merch) and Bandcamp shops.

GODKILLER was founded by Duke Satanaël in 1994. The first demo, “Ad Majorem Satanae Gloriam“, was released in December of the same year. It featured a mixture of Death and Black metal with already an evocation of the medieval era, as it is audible in the intro. The second demo, “The Warlord“, was released in February 1995, and showed an evolution towards a style that would become GODKILLER‘s trademark: Black Metal with medieval-inspired sounds.

The demo caught the interest of Italian label Wounded Love Records (a division of Avantgarde Music). The first release from this partnership was “The Rebirth Of The Middle Ages” in 1996.

Always being interested in new musical inspiration and evolution, the next album needed to be different. On “The End Of The World“, released in 1998, the tempo slowed down, the riffs became heavier, the atmosphere was less medieval-inspired, but still crepuscular, even more so. The lyrics dealt with personal, introspective subjects from a bleak perspective.

Finally, the last GODKILLER album, “Deliverance“, was released in 2000. Once again, this album marked an evolution in style. The main characteristics of “The End Of The World” were kept, but the medieval atmosphere was almost entirely gone, replaced by a more modern, cold and clinical atmosphere. This last album was, in a way, GODKILLER‘s self-destruction, the point of completion as well as the point of no return.

In 2022, GODKILLER signed a deal with Debemur Morti Productions to reissue the two demos on CD and vinyl.