New independent label Vesperian was announced, an entity focused on close artist connection, thoughtful release work and commitment to artistic substance with already a high quality and diverse roster to begin with!
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News Posts
Ancient blackened death metallers Archaic Oath revealed the new single and video ‘Into the Temple of Light’, second to be unleashed from their upcoming debut album ‘Determined to Death and Beyond’, set for release in April via AOP Records!
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Stormkeep return with new single ‘Carnal Tapestries Of Nailtorn Flesh’, the first glimpse into a new chapter and first work on new label Vesperian!
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Polish black metal outfit Varmia shares with ‘dzień, pół nocy’ their anthem to the northern wilderness, the land of wolf packs, ancient forests and pure waters and another track unveiled from upcoming album ‘lauks’, set for release next week Friday via M-Theory Audio!
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Extreme metal icons Samael are back with their new single and video ‘Hidden Empire’, the second track featured on their upcoming limited 12″ maxi single vinyl, set for release in April via Napalm Records!
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Mesopotamian metal pioneers Melechesh have unveiled their new single ‘In Shadows, In Light’, another track from their upcoming EP ‘Sentinels Of Shamash’, out next month via Reigning Phoenix Music!
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Dutch black metal outfit released second single ‘The Black Flame’ with a new music video, dragging the viewer deeper into darkness with a visual ritual. Another track from their upcoming self-titled album set for release next month via Svart Records!
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Scottish blackened thrash bastards Hellripper shared the next new song ‘Mortercheyn’ from the upcoming album ‘Coronach’, out in a couple of weeks via Century Media Records!
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Greek black metallers Yoth Iria are releasing their new album ‘Gone With The Devil’ in May on Metal Blade Records and recently shared a first single with ‘The Blind Eye Of Antichrist’!
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Estonian black metal outfit Kõdu are releasing their new album ‘Kirjad Sõgedate Külast’ in April with Antiq Records and unveiled the title track as a first teaser!
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Photo Reports
In January, as it happens on the regular, we hosted a night with local talents at our Asgaard venue in Gent, Belgium, with Powerstroke, Hudiç, and what ended up being the last show of Beyond Our Sight!
The El Corazon venue in the center of Seattle came alive with a burst of energy when Greek extreme metal legends Rotting Christ took over the stage there a couple of weeks ago!
Cradle of Filth came by for a couple of sold out shows in Finland on their massive Europe tour with Wednesday 13 and Sick N’ Beautiful and we caught this spectacle at Tampere’s Pakkahuone a couple of weeks back!
The year got off with a good start at our very own Asgaard venue with killer performances by Gravekvlt, Bokkerijders and Traquenard! A night in collaboration with Return Bookings!
Abbath and company came to Munich to show how black metal is done at the highest level. In their luggage came the American Toxic Holocaust and the Scottish Hellripper, who opened the night like two big explosions.
A selection of Jonna’s best captures of 2023, with pictures from bands Butcher Babies, Electric Callboy, Ghost, Glenn Hughes, Gojira, In Flames, Lorna Shore, The Hu, Ville Valo, Chamber of Unlight, Asagraum, Monuments, Sodom, Batushka, Blind Guardian, and Apocalyptica!
A selection of Vaim’s best captures of 2023, after a long and grueling process of elimination, with pictures from bands like Battle Beast, Gaerea, Trollheim’s Grott, Avslut, Der Weg einer Freiheit, Amenra, Igorrr, Aesthetic Perfection, HIDE, SKYND, Ice Nine Kills, Utuk Xul, Rancid, Sick Of It All, Stratovarius, Testament, Michael Monroe, Volbeat, Hellacopters, Pensées Nocturnes, Amorphis, Biohazard, Killswitch Engage, Converge, Agnostic Front, Taake, Public Image Ltd, A.A. Williams, Butcher Babies, Clutch, Finntroll, Electric Callboy, Ghost, Gojira, Imperial Triumphant, Lorna shore, The Hu and Urne!
Besides starting the new year properly looking to the future, this month we’re also still looking back at all the awesomeness that 2023 brought us. One of those awsome things was the already 3rd edition of the by Bloodred Hourglass curated festival Black Box Mikkeli. They were able to bring a killer line-up again on the 2nd day of their event with besides a fantastic show by themselves, Insomnium, Gaerea, Balance Breach, I Am Your God and Lastout!
We set the hard task for our photographers to choose the best 30 pictures that they have shot in 2023 out of possibly thousands of captures, and here is the result of Tom Treuten’s selection with Butcher Babies, Fateful Finality, Fear Factory, Thundermother, Hypocrisy, Spiritbox, Behemoth, Dog Eat Dog, The Cult, Skillet, Agnostic Front, Scorpions, May The Silence Fail, Cannibal Corpse, Ataraxy, Dark Funeral, Goldmann, Solstafir, Ingested, Antiheld, Lansdowne, Völkerball (Rammstein Tribute), Fettes Brot, Danko Jones, Royal Republic, Team Tot, and Mindead!
The second night of John Smith Rock Frozen 2023 was pretty epic with some of the best of the Finnish scene with Red Eleven, Kiuas, Finntroll, Turmion Kätilöt and headliners Amorphis! Throw on top of that the Swedish up-and-comers of Orbit Culture, and you know it was good!
Album Reviews
The new and highly anticipated eleventh album “Nyx – Hymnejä Yölle” from the Finnish black metal icons Horna is a pure definition of evil. One of this year’s top black metal releases, out via World Terror Committee tomorrow, September 13th!
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In a year full of prominent black metal releases ‘Reaperdawn’ is one of the contenders for the best of 2024, this is yet another triumphant return from guitarist Sebastian Ramstedt who gives us a sense of his creative genius. Out on Century Media Records.
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Árstíðir Lífsins on its sixth full length album “Aldrlok” recounts the timeless tales of old Norse history and turbulent times of change in Iceland. The nine cuts combine modern and classic black metal into an epic black metal album that stands unique in the band’s musical works, out via Ván Records.
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Kvaen’s third studio album ‘The Formless Fires’ captures the early years of Swedish melodic black metal. The album is highly recommended for fans of Dissection, The Moaning and A Canorous Quintet. Out on Metal Blade Records.
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Akhlys’ fourth studio album ‘House of the Black Geminus’ is an incredible manifestation brought from the dark mind of Naas Alcameth. The six new cuts project a quasi-symphonic and sinister form of black metal with ferocity and atmosphere. Out on Debemur Morti.
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The ninth studio album “Heavenly Down” from the Hungarian black metal masters Sear Bliss brings back memories of the past albums in a most breathless passionate spirit; capturing the hallmark of the band. Out via Hammerheart Records, it is a must for fans of symphonic and atmospheric black metal, and highly recommended to anyone who likes Summoning, Forest Silence, and Negură Bunget.
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Civerous packs the sophomore “Maze Envy” with modulation of black/death metal, there are some nuances of blackened death metal that serve a dreary atmosphere. Out via 20 Buck Spin since last week, March 22nd.
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Darkestrah’s seventh album “Nomad” inspires the listener to traverse through dark places, as the whole music emerges from the ancient landscapes of pagan kingdoms. It’s a sleekly written, very raw shamanic black metal album, highly recommended for fans of Moonsorrow, Nokturnal Mortum, and Ygg. Out today, March 29th via Osmose Productions.
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Sweden’s Necrophobic returns with a staggering new album, “In Twilight Grey”. The songs here sound heavier, rawer, and more sinister, making them deliver one of their best studio albums of their career. Out via Century Media Records since last Friday!
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Vltimas’ second full length album “Epic” deliver plenty of head-banging moments for fans of Morbid Angel, Mayhem, and Cryptopsy. This is a coherent record that showcases the chemistry between these veterans and takes what they already did expertly on their debut to a whole new level. Out since today via Season of Mist!
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