American black metallers Abigail Williams share the first single ‘Nonexistence’ off their upcoming album ‘A Void Within Existence’, coming in July via Agonia Records!
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News Posts
Last Friday, Ghost Bath released their new album ‘Rose Thorn Necklace’ with Nuclear Blast, and to celebrate they unveiled a video for the ‘Vodka Butterfly’ track! Catch them live this summer in Europe at festivals like for instance Tolminator!
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Finland’s notorious black metal titans Archgoat took command of the Servants of Chaos festival stage and are now sharing a full video of their ferocious performance! For those who are at Steelfest this weekend, make sure you catch the show of these legends!
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Brutal Assault has revealed its daily line-up yesterday and opened the sale of single day tickets for those who can’t afford to go a whole weekend but still want to get a taste!
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Swedish pagan black metal outfit Mara unveiled the first track ‘Primordial Son’ from upcoming album ‘Sword Of Vengeance’, set for release with Immortal Frost Productions at the end of June!
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Very well deserved, Metal Blade Records have welcomed the innovative Danish metal act Gradience to their roster, joining to spread the bold fusion of black metal, deathcore, metalcore and rap through the world!
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Hexella set the release date for their debut album ‘The Ancient Gaping Mouth’ on June 27th with Hells Headbangers and revealed a second track with ‘Ophitic Revelation’!
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Belgian post-doom quartet Hemelbestormer have announced their new album ‘The Radiant Veil’ to be out in July via Pelagic Records and unveiled a first single with ‘Usil’!
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Finnish legends …and Oceans are presenting the last single ‘Förnyelse i Tre Akter’ in the run up to their new album ‘The Regeneration Itinerary’ coming out later this month with Season of Mist!
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Finnish black metal outfit Iku-Turso set the release date for their mini-album ‘Wolfheart’ on June 6 with Purity Through Fire and unleashed a first track with ‘Pagan Beasts’!
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Photo Reports
Batushka and Diabolical visit Asgaard. Batushka for their 2022 black liturgy pilgrimage tour, Diabolical for their 25th anniversary tour!
Celeste plays 30 shows on their European tour from which 2 in Belgium. We attended their show in Antwerp.
The pictures of a night with the Norwegian misfits of Kvelertak at Tavastia in Helsinki, Finland!
A selection of the finest work our concert photographers have gathered in 2021!
Igorrr is on tour in Europe and the USA. We were there on their show in Lille, France.
The pics of the very first Black Box event in Mikkeli with headliner Bloodred Hourglass, Wolfheart, Sara and Balance Breach!
Pictures of the second day of underground music at the SteelHordes event in Hyvinkää, Finland!
Pictures of the 1st day of a summer gathering of the wolves of the underground at SteelHordes 2021 in Hyvinkää, Finland!
Pictures of the first day of Finland’s SaariHelvetti festival held in Tampere in 2021! With a whole slab of quality Finnish metal bands from start to finish!
Pics of the second day of SaariHelvetti, one of the only festivals in Finland during the summer of 2020. Check it out!
Lists
2017 was again a massive year for music of all makes, I’ve done my best to narrow it down to the 10 releases that suck with me the most the past year…
Darkness, underground, dripping of hate and vile regret… our editor-in-chief has delivered his ode to absolute and relentless black in his albums of the year 2017…
2017 has once again been an excellent year for black metal music. I’ve presented my top albums along with a list of notable releases in the genre!
A full year of incredible releases that we are trying to cram into a list of “albums of the year”, here we go again…
After endless debating the list is done with one clear winner!
Album Reviews
“Into Sorrow Evermore” truly reflects the sonic aspects of these talented musicians which seems a perfect combination of atmosphere and grim black metal. Imperium Dekadenz has become true masters of their craft in capturing the quintessence of atmospheric black metal where each track showcases different styles of melodic and atmospheric black metal. Out on January 20 via Napalm Records.
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With “Aamongandr” Satanic Warmaster retains its status in Finnish and European black metal, every nuance of the following eight tracks makes the new album close to a masterwork. The sheer brilliance of the effective riffs and the stellar production, and the addition of the orchestration will make you behold the greatness of the composition. Released via Werewolf Records.
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Erzfeynd second full-length album “Muspilli” invokes pagan and medieval atmospheres, mastermind Nahdrut Herlarecks utilizes a vast composition and brings a grandeur saga to his sonic oeuvre and with the music woven into grand atmospheric qualities. Out on Ván Records.
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Erzfeynd’s full-length album “Behaft Behert” takes you back to the ancient medieval times, this is a fresh take on atmospheric and raw black metal, if you are into bands like Troll, Manes and Abigor then this is for you. Out via Ván Records.
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“Never Surrender” is much of a continuation to its predecessor but the quartet stampedes into a wildfire like tempos, the songs are fast, relentlessly aggressive, and infectious. Deströyer 666 has returned with impressive work that conveys the classic hallmarks of heavy/speed and blackened thrash metal, released via Season of Mist.
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Darkthrone on its 20th album tackles the old era of traditional metal in a very conventional method. Although some of the tracks may lack the raw organic sound, nevertheless “Astral Fortress” is an epic blackened and doom-laden heavy metal record that is gritty and bold to its core! Out via Peaceville Records.
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Swiss black metal duo Ateiggär on the first studio album “Tyrannemord” incorporates something rare that makes their music one of a kind, this is a great Nordic-inspired piece of a symphonic black metal that comes similar to bands like Kvist. Out via Eisenwald.
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“Naa Skrider Natten Sort” is without doubt one of the best albums in black metal this year, Djevel has aptly presented themselves as true disciples next to bands like Whoredom Rife and Mare. With its beautiful atmosphere and grim melodies it is an epic black metal album with the songwriting and composition making it an instant classic. Out since today via Aftermath Music.
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Ymir’s sophomore release “Aeons of Sorrow” invokes the cold icy melodies of the mid-nineties Finnish black metal, mastermind Vrasjarn maintains the characteristic sound of the band and for this reason, the new album will appeal to many fans of the genre. Released via Werewolf Records.
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”Viscera” is a sonic nightmare sustained by the abrasive elements of blackened death doom, Strigoi depicts utter bleakness and redefines its style where the band takes a logical step forward from the debut album. Released via Season of Mist.
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