Norwegian black metal band Malum signs with Dark Essence Records for the release of their next album in the spring of 2026!
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News Posts
Belgian doom collective Splendidula renewed their signing with Argonauta Records for the release of their upcoming new album. A first single featuring Aaron Stainthorpe will be out next month!
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Flemish black metal band Bloedmaan unleashed first single ‘Return to Castlevania’ from upcoming album ‘Vampyric War in Blood’, set for release with Immortal Frost Productions in December!
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Black metal icons Mayhem are releasing their seventh full-length ‘Liturgy of Death’ in February 2026 with Century Media Records and unveiled a first single with ‘Weep For Nothing’!
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Belgian black metal revelation Serpents Oath released their new single ‘Gateways to Tiamat’, extending the arc unveiled on their latest album ‘Revelation’, out with Odium Records!
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Blackend death thrash project Morbikon, led by members of Municipal Waste, Finntroll and more, unleashes the new single ‘Ghoul Infested Mausoleum’, a track from the upcoming album ‘Lost Within The Astral Crypts’, set for release in November via Tankcrimes!
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Oneiric black metal powerhouse Akhly are bringing the seeds of the band’s visionary sound back to life by the reissue of their 2009 debut album ‘Supplication’ via Debemur Morti Productions! Catch this exceptional band live at Steelfest next year!
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Blackened thrash bastards Hellripper return with a brand-new single ‘Kinchyle (Goatkraft And Granite)’, out now with their new label Century Media Records and announce new European tourdates for 2026, bringing along Schizophrenia and Sarcator!
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Der Weg Einer Freiheit unveiled a new live video for ‘Xibalba’, a track from their latest album ‘Innern’ (out via Season of Mist) and a perfect showing of what to expect from these amazing artists when they’ll play at Alcatraz Festival next summer!
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Modern black metal outfit ØVI unleashed ‘Lilith’, the opening track from their upcoming EP ‘Hedera Helix’, set for release in 2026!
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Photo Reports
Canadian black metal giants Spectral Wound took over a sold out On The Rocks in Helsinki during their “BLOOD. MIRE. DEATH. tour”, bringing their unique raw, uncompromising black metal assault with the support from Finland’s own death metal outfit Ashen Tomb! An event by Nem Agency.
Last month, both of our home countries met at a great event with some of the top of the underground metal scene like Unhoped, Rapid, Galvanizer and the very first appearance in Finland of the Belgian speed metallers of Bütcher!
Hellsinki Metal Festival is becoming a permanent fixture in the Finnish summer festival landscape, and after 2 successful editions, the organisation decided they didn’t want to wait for another year. In comes a smaller winter edition of the main event about halfway December 2024, bringing amazing extreme metal bands together like Omnivortex, Batushka, Belphegor and headliners Dark Funeral!
Every year we like to look back at the amazing shows we captured, and in 2024 Anna/ScarletMemory Photography covered bands like Vola, Apulanta, Marko Hietala, Cyan Kicks, Stam1na, Kotiteollisuus, Blind Channel, Cyhra, Sigh, Everwave, Sonata Arctica, Neonfly, Altamullan Road, Avatar, Raskasta Joulua, Beatrix, Battle Beast, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls, Áilu Valle, Amoc and Trio Boogiemen mostly in Tampere, Finland!
12 Episodes on the counter for Full Moon Fest in Belgium, and this one was the second Black metal edition for them. Of course, we were there too with a line-up put together of great Belgian acts like nether, Nyrak and Sapovnela, and extreme metal icons from France Necrowretch and Seth!
We checked out the first day of the second edition of Hell’s Balls Belgium festival… With banging names like Triptykon, Primordial, Vltimas, the unofficial inclusion of the “Night Eternal tour” with Dark Tranquillity, Wolfheart and Moonspell, Carpathian Forest, Hellripper, Dead Head and The Monolith Deathcult, it was a true fest for any extreme metal fan!
1349 and Kampfar joined forces to invade Europe with their Norwegian black metal onslaught and brought along the Danes of Afsky, and we caught them at their stop at Ääniwalli in Helsinki for a much needed black metal fix at the start of our week!
Pictures of the second day of Hellsinki Metal Festival 2024 with on stage 3 shows from Mayhem, Trelldom and Havukruunu!
Pictures of the second day of Hellsinki Metal Festival 2024 with on stage 2 shows from Hammerfall, Abbath and Insomnium!
Pictures of the second day of Hellsinki Metal Festival 2024 with on stage 1 shows from Kreator, Meshuggah, Doro and Blackbraid!
Album Reviews
“Through Veils of Time” is the debut full-length album from the former Mactätus member Mjolne, and offers one of the best symphonic and atmospheric albums this year, comes highly recommended for fans of 90s black metal.
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The U.S. black metal supergroup Scour presents a demonic presentation on their first full length album “Gold”. Mr. Philip Anselmo goes full-time brutal and demonic on the album, released via Nuclear Blast Records.
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The Norwegian trio Nachash exerts in presenting its influences from the first wave of black metal on its newest album “Eschaton Magicks”. Out via Signal Rex since January 31st.
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Grima’s new album “Nightside” imbues an epic and somber atmospheric black metal grandeur through its interchanging tempos and bringing fans one of their best studio albums. The sixth studio album is out via Napalm Records since yesterday.
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Havukruunu crafted a diverse piece of work that fits with the pagan themes of the past albums and presenting a sonic medium that connects the band with the ancient tale of ‘Tavastland’. Out this Friday via Svart Records, this is highly recommended for fans of Moonsorrow and the likes! Catch them live with their new album this Friday in Helsinki, at select places in Finland over the coming months, or this summer at Tuska!
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“Fra Li Monti Sibillini” makes you envision the majestic peaks of icy mountains, pine trees, and myriad forest scenes. The frostbitten nature of Hesperia is rife with aggression, synth segments, and blast beats. Out now via Hammerheart Records since January 17th.
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Scotland based black metal act Barshasketh crafted a fine album that is full of detailed sections. Fifth studio album “Antinomian Asceticism” was released via World Terror Committee on January 9th.
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Third studio album “Dauþalaikaz” from German black metal band Urfeind offers a cold and bleak kind of black metal. The album comes recommended for fans of Bethlehem and Forteresse, out now via Nine to Zero Productions since January 10th.
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“Kadath” takes elements of both modern and vintage black metal to blend a lavish sense of melodies, sweeping the listener towards an atmospheric spectrum. The Great Old Ones conjures an otherworldly musical voyage that will not disappoint their fans, out tomorrow with Season of Mist!
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The Greek black metal legends Yoth Iria take a majestic and bombastic direction in their new opus “Blazing Inferno”. Jim Mutilator offers something compelling to fans by capturing the epic majesty of classic Hellenic black metal, released via Edged Circle Productions!
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