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Volume Two in the Electro Sampler Series of Nijmegen's finest Shipwrec. Another compelling electro V/A with tracks by Konerytmi and Ian Martin, amongst others. SES1 set out what quality electro means for Shipwrec. The first in the series brought together six musicians from far and wide, musicians who journey through the colder edge of their analogue instruments with a clear ear for the floor. SES2 starts where its predecessor left off. The genre bending Ian Martin opens with the frigid funk of "Metaphysical Travellers." Stripped back, the track is bare in terms of its elements. Despite such meagre ingredients, Martin concocts an engaging and rich work of darkened grooves and sinister undercurrents. o-0._.0-o is the playful pseudonym of acid freetekno enthusiast Owen. His contribution, "Acidrobotik", releases a free and wandering 303 lines that forges a bubbling path through crisp percussion. The flip brings an artist better known for his work in techno. Cliche Morph delves into the clinical side of his palette and emerges with the stunning "Placebo." Balancing alienated and arctic blasts with a thawing warmth, the outcome is pure classic electro. A rising star of machine music follows, Fleck E.S.C. A dirty bassline is further sullied by layers of gritty distortion and glitched vocals in this re-wired work of ghetto. A legend of electronics closes, Kirill Junolainen. Under his lauded Konerytmi moniker, this synthesiser shapeshifter delivers "Kuva Alkio." Stuttering bass and tight drums are the foundation from which sci-fi inspirations take hold, sailing strings tethered by a terse snare as SES2 is brought to a triumphal close.

THE CULT is fronted by Ian Astbury on vocals and Billy Duffy on guitar. Their fourth album Sonic Temple is not just an iconic record, but a sonic tour de force that defies classification. Released in 1989, the album"s sound is rooted in classic rock and heavy metal, but incorporates a range of influences, from punk to psychedelic rock, creating a sound that is both familiar yet unique. The album"s production is slick and polished, thanks to the contributions of legendary producer Bob Rock, who helped to craft a sound that was both commercially appealing and artistically adventurous. Sonic Temple had four massive hits; "Fire Woman", "Edie (Ciao Baby)", "Sun King" and "Sweet Soul Sister". The album catapulted The Cult into superstar status and remains their most commercially successful release. Declared platinum in 1990, it was also a critical success, cementing The Cult"s place in the pantheon of hard rock and heavy metal bands and earning them a devoted following that endures to this day.

Mike Paradinas, veteran producer and Planet Mu label owner has written a new album called 'Grush' and it's full of weird bangers that reclaim the 'dance' part of the woeful term IDM. A back-to-first-principles record, inspired in part by the group of artists IDM was coined for; melodic dance music that didn't come out of urban scenes, but interpreted them from a distance. The tracks on 'Grush' are all road-tested live favorites developed with feedback from Mike's touring partner and visuals guy Mora (Jan Moravec). It's a detailed and energetic journey which replicates the flow of a live gig. A lot of the tracks have been made in hotel rooms in response to shows, 'Imperial Crescent' is named after a Japanese Hotel, as is 'Belvedere' in Prague, while some tracks such as 'Hyper Daddy' were created specifically to play live. Drums are confidently at the fore here and the album feels like it traces Mike's musical history and interests neatly around his sweetly nostalgic melodies, with atmospheres and structures which twist and turn with a charming softness which contrasts with the tension in the drums. Take 'Hyper Daddy's' spiralling notes and twinkling piano which remind one of early Black Dog or Omni Trio rushing alongside splashy jungle drums, or the aquatic acid footwork of the title track with its drums softly bubbling and kicking. Elsewhere there's territory which harks back to his Tusken Raiders pseudonym, like the heads down Drexciyan funk of 'Windsor Safari Park,' which transforms from moody electro into a sunny hardcore track midway. The album is interspersed with Reticulum A, B and C at the start middle and end of the album which suggest a theme which carries across the music in an effortless and joyful way. 'Grush' is a strong album that works both for listening and DJing and a great snapshot of where Mike Paradinas musical head is at in 2024.Tracklist Vinyl A: 1/Reticulum A 2/Hyper Daddy 3/Fogou B: 1/Magic Pony Ride (Pt.4) 2/Imperial Crescent 3/Reticulum B 4/Grush C: 1/Belvedere 2/Raver 3/Windsor Safari Park 4/Hastings D: 1/Manscape 2/Metaphonk 3/Reticulum C

Electric, their third album, came out in 1987 and really caused the band to explode to new levels of fame. It contains the massive hits "Love Removal Machine", Wild Flower" and "Lil" Devil" and was produced by Rick Rubin. Electric is a seminal work, featuring some of the band"s most iconic songs. It is a departure from the band"s previous work, with a raw, agressive and stripped-down sound. The album"s opening track, "Wild Flower," sets the tone with its pounding drums, blistering guitar riffs, and Ian Astbury"s wailing vocals. Electric was a commercial and critical success, propelling The Cult to the forefront of the hard rock scene and cementing their status as one of the most influential bands of the era. The album remains a touchstone for hard rock and heavy metal fans, a classic work that captures the spirit of rebellion and the power of rock and roll. The Cult has remained an important and enduring force in the rock music world. The band has sold millions of records worldwide and has earned critical acclaim for its powerful live performances. The Cult continues to tour and record new music, and their influence on rock music shows no sign of diminishing.

Shlomi Aber & Kashpitzky join forces once again to make their Blueprint Records debut with four formidable techno tracks on the "Sonic Underworld EP".



Barcelona-based Shlomi Aber brings over two decades of production and DJing experience to his music, drawing inspiration from Jazz, Funk, Acid and the old-school Detroit Techno scene. With releases on Cocoon, Ovum, R&S, Figure, CLR, Drumcode, BPitch, Renaissance and his own Be as One Imprint, along with his dynamic mixing technique, has gained him global success while headlining clubs, festivals and venues worldwide.



Growing up, Kashpitzky began his musical path playing guitar in a metal-core band, before trading amps for drum machines. After relocating to Berlin, he graduated from the SAE Institute. A DJ who's hard to pigeonhole, he has a track for every occasion. His definition of techno is best exemplified by his energetic, yet deep and groovy productions, often combining broken beats with organic textures via releases on the likes of MindTrip, Monnom Black and of course, Shlomi's Be As One.

Legendary electro explorer Emile Facey aka Plant 43 is back on his Plant43 Recordings imprint. Despite being hugely prolific, the artist always managed to find fresh new creative ground with each new outing and Concrete Echo is no different. The title cut is a high-speed opener with shimmering lines, fizzing static electricity and drama in the chords that make you take note. 'Emerald Shift' is a broken beat kicker with raw claps and scintillating liquid metal leads while 'Raw Vectors' layers up acid wobbliness and textbook electro rhythms. 'Mist Memory' closes down with a melancholic vibe and heady synths that take you into the cosmos.

Als sich RAM 1999 in Göteborg gründeten, führten sie bald die neue skandinavische Metal-Szenean (zusammen mit Bands wie Portrait und In Solitude). Oscar Carlquist (Gesang), Daniel Johannson (Gitarren), Harry Granroth (Gitarren), Leif Larsson (Bass) und Morgan Petterson (Schlagzeug) wurden oft mit einer jüngeren, kraftvolleren Version von Judas Priest verglichen und debütierten 2003 mit ihrem Sechs-Track-Mini-Album "Sudden Impact", das ursprünglich auf CD über Black Path Metal veröffentlicht wurde. High Roller Records ist stolz darauf, eine Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung von "Sudden Impact" anzukündigen, die den Titeltrack, "Judgement And Punishment", "Machine Invaders", "Blessed To Be Cursed", "Infuriator" und "Black Path" enthält. Obwohl es nicht so raffiniert ist wie spätere Alben wie "Forced Entry" (2005), "Lightbringer" (2008), "Death" (2012) oder ihr neuestes Werk "The Throne Within", das 2019 über Metal Blade Records veröffentlicht wurde, sorgte "Sudden Impact" definitiv für Aufsehen, als es 2003 erschien, zu einer Zeit, als der traditionelle Heavy Metal noch von der alten Garde des Genres dominiert wurde. Die unbändige Energie und der jugendliche Überschwang der Darbietung machten RAM fast sofort zu einer Kraft, mit der man rechnen musste, und zeigten, worum es im Heavy Metal schon immer ging: Stolz, Leidenschaft und Kraft.

RAM wurden in der Vergangenheit oft als "prototypischer schwedischer Metal" bezeichnet, und Sänger Oscar Carlquist widerspricht dem nicht: "Ich würde sagen, dass es bis zu einem gewissen Grad einen einzigartigen skandinavischen Metal-Stil gibt, und schwedische Musiker sind oft sehr talentiert. Sie hatten auch, zumindest in den Achtzigern, einige neoklassische Einflüsse (wahrscheinlich von Yngwie Malmsteen). Schwedische Sängerinnen und Sänger haben auch oft sehr klare Stimmen. Ich kann den schwedischen Sound erkennen, wenn ich den Gesang höre. "Sudden Impact" ist schon seit einiger Zeit nicht mehr erhältlich (2013 gab es eine limitierte Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung zum zehnjährigen Jubiläum), so dass die aktuelle Wiederveröffentlichung einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit eine neue Chance bietet, die Wurzeln einer der wichtigsten traditionellen Heavy-Metal-Bands der letzten 20 Jahre zu studieren.

Als sich RAM 1999 in Göteborg gründeten, führten sie bald die neue skandinavische Metal-Szenean (zusammen mit Bands wie Portrait und In Solitude). Oscar Carlquist (Gesang), Daniel Johannson (Gitarren), Harry Granroth (Gitarren), Leif Larsson (Bass) und Morgan Petterson (Schlagzeug) wurden oft mit einer jüngeren, kraftvolleren Version von Judas Priest verglichen und debütierten 2003 mit ihrem Sechs-Track-Mini-Album "Sudden Impact", das ursprünglich auf CD über Black Path Metal veröffentlicht wurde. High Roller Records ist stolz darauf, eine Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung von "Sudden Impact" anzukündigen, die den Titeltrack, "Judgement And Punishment", "Machine Invaders", "Blessed To Be Cursed", "Infuriator" und "Black Path" enthält. Obwohl es nicht so raffiniert ist wie spätere Alben wie "Forced Entry" (2005), "Lightbringer" (2008), "Death" (2012) oder ihr neuestes Werk "The Throne Within", das 2019 über Metal Blade Records veröffentlicht wurde, sorgte "Sudden Impact" definitiv für Aufsehen, als es 2003 erschien, zu einer Zeit, als der traditionelle Heavy Metal noch von der alten Garde des Genres dominiert wurde. Die unbändige Energie und der jugendliche Überschwang der Darbietung machten RAM fast sofort zu einer Kraft, mit der man rechnen musste, und zeigten, worum es im Heavy Metal schon immer ging: Stolz, Leidenschaft und Kraft.

RAM wurden in der Vergangenheit oft als "prototypischer schwedischer Metal" bezeichnet, und Sänger Oscar Carlquist widerspricht dem nicht: "Ich würde sagen, dass es bis zu einem gewissen Grad einen einzigartigen skandinavischen Metal-Stil gibt, und schwedische Musiker sind oft sehr talentiert. Sie hatten auch, zumindest in den Achtzigern, einige neoklassische Einflüsse (wahrscheinlich von Yngwie Malmsteen). Schwedische Sängerinnen und Sänger haben auch oft sehr klare Stimmen. Ich kann den schwedischen Sound erkennen, wenn ich den Gesang höre. "Sudden Impact" ist schon seit einiger Zeit nicht mehr erhältlich (2013 gab es eine limitierte Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung zum zehnjährigen Jubiläum), so dass die aktuelle Wiederveröffentlichung einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit eine neue Chance bietet, die Wurzeln einer der wichtigsten traditionellen Heavy-Metal-Bands der letzten 20 Jahre zu studieren.

TRELLDOM sind das geistige Kind von Kristian Eivind Espedal - besser bekannt unter seinem Künstlernamen Gaahl. Der Norweger wurde zu einem der führenden Köpfe der nordischen Black Metal Szene, nachdem er sich im Jahr 1998 der berüchtigten Bergener Band GORGOROTH angeschlossen hatte. Sowohl aufgrund seines extremen Gesangs als auch zahlreicher finsterer Gerüchte über seine Person wurde der Frontmann oft in eine besonders schmale Schublade gesteckt. Doch wenn eine Aussage über Espedal wahr ist, dann ist es die gegenteilige, nämlich dass von ihm meist das Unerwartete kommt. Auch mit TRELLDOM hat er bereits Black Metal Geschichte geschrieben. Die im Jahr 1992 von Gaahl in Sunnfjord im Distrikt Vestland, gegründete Band veröffentlichte drei Jahre später ihr Debütalbum "Til evighet..." (1995), das in Underground Black Metal Kreisen großen Anklang fand. Das Nachfolgeralbum "Til et annet..." (1999) präsentierte den Gitarristen Valgard sowie Stian "Sir" Kårstad am Bass als Neuzugänge bei TRELLDOM und erreichte auch die "Mainstream-Medien" im Metal. Als Produzent zeichnete der legendäre Toningenieur Pytten in den Grieghallen Studios in Bergen verantwortlich. Pytten nahm ebenfalls den dritten Meilenstein "Til minne..." (2007) auf, der sowohl von Kritikern als auch von Fans hoch gelobt wurde. Einer der Schlüsselaspekte dieser ersten TRELLDOM-Trilogie lag darin, dass Gaahl in seiner eigenen Band die Möglichkeiten seiner Stimme frei von den strengen Regeln erforschen konnte, unter denen GORGOROTH operierte. Danach wurde es still um die Band, da sich alle beteiligten Musiker auf zahlreiche andere Projekte konzentrierten. Bei der Rückkehr bleibt die wichtige Zusammenarbeit mit Stian Kårstad das musikalische Herzstück der Band. Der größte Teil des Materials auf "...by the shadows..." stammt aus der Feder des Gitarristen. Andere Aspekte von TRELLDOM hat Espedal bewusst verändert. Die daraus resultierenden Effekte haben zu faszinierenden Resultaten geführt. Auf dem Hocker thront nun der renommierte Schlagzeuger Kenneth Kapstad, der neun Jahre lang bei MOTORPSYCHO war und aktuell auch bei SPIDERGAWD, MØSTER! und THORNS für den Rhythmus sorgt. Mit Kapstad stieß auch der international gefeierte Jazzmusiker und Saxophonist Kjetil Møster (MØSTER!, RÖYKSOPP, THE END) zur Besetzung. Die Einbeziehung von Møsters unorthodoxen Saxophon-Klängen ist ein erstes Indiz dafür, dass sich TRELLDOM nicht mehr durch eine enge Definition von Black Metal gebunden fühlen. Die Musik auf "...by the shadows..." ist zwar nach wie vor dunkel und harsch, und auch ihre Wurzeln in der schwarzen Vergangenheit bleiben erkennbar. Doch Espedal hat seine Band in eine weitaus komplexere Kreatur verwandelt und sie in einer avantgardistischen Dimension losgelassen - mit einem Sound, der manchmal sogar ins Experimentelle reicht. TRELLDOM sind erwacht und liefern mit "...by the shadows..." ein beherztes Manifest der künstlerischen Freiheit als starke Kampfansage an jegliche nostalgische Stagnation ab. Dieses Album fordert heraus: Love it or leave it!

TRELLDOM sind das geistige Kind von Kristian Eivind Espedal - besser bekannt unter seinem Künstlernamen Gaahl. Der Norweger wurde zu einem der führenden Köpfe der nordischen Black Metal Szene, nachdem er sich im Jahr 1998 der berüchtigten Bergener Band GORGOROTH angeschlossen hatte. Sowohl aufgrund seines extremen Gesangs als auch zahlreicher finsterer Gerüchte über seine Person wurde der Frontmann oft in eine besonders schmale Schublade gesteckt. Doch wenn eine Aussage über Espedal wahr ist, dann ist es die gegenteilige, nämlich dass von ihm meist das Unerwartete kommt. Auch mit TRELLDOM hat er bereits Black Metal Geschichte geschrieben. Die im Jahr 1992 von Gaahl in Sunnfjord im Distrikt Vestland, gegründete Band veröffentlichte drei Jahre später ihr Debütalbum "Til evighet..." (1995), das in Underground Black Metal Kreisen großen Anklang fand. Das Nachfolgeralbum "Til et annet..." (1999) präsentierte den Gitarristen Valgard sowie Stian "Sir" Kårstad am Bass als Neuzugänge bei TRELLDOM und erreichte auch die "Mainstream-Medien" im Metal. Als Produzent zeichnete der legendäre Toningenieur Pytten in den Grieghallen Studios in Bergen verantwortlich. Pytten nahm ebenfalls den dritten Meilenstein "Til minne..." (2007) auf, der sowohl von Kritikern als auch von Fans hoch gelobt wurde. Einer der Schlüsselaspekte dieser ersten TRELLDOM-Trilogie lag darin, dass Gaahl in seiner eigenen Band die Möglichkeiten seiner Stimme frei von den strengen Regeln erforschen konnte, unter denen GORGOROTH operierte. Danach wurde es still um die Band, da sich alle beteiligten Musiker auf zahlreiche andere Projekte konzentrierten. Bei der Rückkehr bleibt die wichtige Zusammenarbeit mit Stian Kårstad das musikalische Herzstück der Band. Der größte Teil des Materials auf "...by the shadows..." stammt aus der Feder des Gitarristen. Andere Aspekte von TRELLDOM hat Espedal bewusst verändert. Die daraus resultierenden Effekte haben zu faszinierenden Resultaten geführt. Auf dem Hocker thront nun der renommierte Schlagzeuger Kenneth Kapstad, der neun Jahre lang bei MOTORPSYCHO war und aktuell auch bei SPIDERGAWD, MØSTER! und THORNS für den Rhythmus sorgt. Mit Kapstad stieß auch der international gefeierte Jazzmusiker und Saxophonist Kjetil Møster (MØSTER!, RÖYKSOPP, THE END) zur Besetzung. Die Einbeziehung von Møsters unorthodoxen Saxophon-Klängen ist ein erstes Indiz dafür, dass sich TRELLDOM nicht mehr durch eine enge Definition von Black Metal gebunden fühlen. Die Musik auf "...by the shadows..." ist zwar nach wie vor dunkel und harsch, und auch ihre Wurzeln in der schwarzen Vergangenheit bleiben erkennbar. Doch Espedal hat seine Band in eine weitaus komplexere Kreatur verwandelt und sie in einer avantgardistischen Dimension losgelassen - mit einem Sound, der manchmal sogar ins Experimentelle reicht. TRELLDOM sind erwacht und liefern mit "...by the shadows..." ein beherztes Manifest der künstlerischen Freiheit als starke Kampfansage an jegliche nostalgische Stagnation ab. Dieses Album fordert heraus: Love it or leave it!

Mit ihrem neuen Album "Feeding The Machine" wollen MORDKAUL die Band mit 10 druckvollen Death Metal Tracks auf eine neue Ebene emporheben!

Um das Beste aus den einzelnen Songs herauszuholen und sie bestmöglich zu präsentieren, wurde "Feeding The Machine" in zwei Phasen aufgenommen. Die erste Hälfte des Albums wurde im Sommer 2022 im Project Zero Studio aufgenommen, die zweite Hälfte im Sommer 2023 in den legendären Galaxy Studios, während das Mixing und Mastering von Dan Swanö durchgeführt wurde.

Während "Dress Code: Blood" stark von den kultigen schwedischen Death-Metal-Bands der 90er Jahre inspiriert war, geht "Feeding The Machine" noch einen Schritt weiter. Mit breiteren Einflüssen von kultigen 90er-Death-Metal-Bands wie Morbid Angel und Death schlägt "Feeding The Machine" noch härter zu und zielt darauf ab, die Band auf ein neues Level zu katapultieren!

Satan’s history is storied, their albums and incendiary live shows, iconic. The Newcastle, England-bred lineup may quip that their career has been “44 years of prolonged mayhem with a 20-year lunch break”—forming in 1980, eventually pausing before reuniting in 2011—but circa 2024 finds the band thriving, writing, recording, and touring at the top of their game. Proof positive is their seventh studio album, and third for Metal Blade, Songs in Crimson. If 2022’s Earth Infernal album was brutal, up-tempo and with loud guitars, guitarist Russ Tippins calls Songs in Crimson “concise. It’s more to the point and gets there quicker. One of the reasons behind the title Songs in Crimson is that this record is very ‘song’ focused. There’s more punch this time around. Each chorus speaks for itself.” An eminently relatable song is “Era (The Day Will Come).” “There is nobody on this planet who is not familiar with the feeling of loss. When you get to the age we are at in this band, it becomes a weekly occurrence. If there is a message in the lyrics, it is pretty much ‘do not take anything for granted.’ Especially people. You just don’t know what is around the corner that you can’t see coming.” Satan’s chemistry, honed by years of collaboration, brotherhood and love, is unbreakable. “We played at a metal festival where the headlining band had zero original members,” Tippins says. “I cannot get my head around that, though I admire their bravery. We are the genuine article.” To be clear: “We did not reunite just to trade on past glory,” he concludes. “If you want nostalgia, this is not the band for you. We look only ahead and always will.”

Satan’s history is storied, their albums and incendiary live shows, iconic. The Newcastle, England-bred lineup may quip that their career has been “44 years of prolonged mayhem with a 20-year lunch break”—forming in 1980, eventually pausing before reuniting in 2011—but circa 2024 finds the band thriving, writing, recording, and touring at the top of their game. Proof positive is their seventh studio album, and third for Metal Blade, Songs in Crimson. If 2022’s Earth Infernal album was brutal, up-tempo and with loud guitars, guitarist Russ Tippins calls Songs in Crimson “concise. It’s more to the point and gets there quicker. One of the reasons behind the title Songs in Crimson is that this record is very ‘song’ focused. There’s more punch this time around. Each chorus speaks for itself.” An eminently relatable song is “Era (The Day Will Come).” “There is nobody on this planet who is not familiar with the feeling of loss. When you get to the age we are at in this band, it becomes a weekly occurrence. If there is a message in the lyrics, it is pretty much ‘do not take anything for granted.’ Especially people. You just don’t know what is around the corner that you can’t see coming.” Satan’s chemistry, honed by years of collaboration, brotherhood and love, is unbreakable. “We played at a metal festival where the headlining band had zero original members,” Tippins says. “I cannot get my head around that, though I admire their bravery. We are the genuine article.” To be clear: “We did not reunite just to trade on past glory,” he concludes. “If you want nostalgia, this is not the band for you. We look only ahead and always will.”

Die brandneue, alternative Vinyl-Version des aktuellen Albums der britischen Heavy-Metal-Fahnenträger Seven Sisters!! 'Shadow of A Falling Star Pt.1' ist der Nachfolger von 'The Cauldron and the Cross' aus dem Jahr 2016, einer Veröffentlichung, die begeisterte Kritiken erhielt und mit Haunt ausgiebig in Europa tourte. Seven Sisters sind eine Band, die melodischen, von Twin-Gitarren getriebenen Heavy Metal spielt. Indem sie die Essenz der 80er Jahre mit progressiven Songstrukturen vermengen, ist ihre Interpretation von Heavy Metal sowohl vertraut als auch eindeutig ihre eigene.
Limited Blue & Pink Splatter On Clear Vinyl!

Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica have incorporated into their sound strong death metal influences. 2LP Trans Magenta/Black Marble is replacing the sold out vinyl versions

Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica have incorporated into their sound strong death metal influences. 2LP Yellow Red Marble is replacing the sold out vinyl versions

"Glossolalia" ist das dritte Solo-Album von Dale Crover, dem weltbekannten Schlagzeuger der Melvins, Nirvana und Redd Kross sowie Sänger und Gitarrist von Altamont. Das von Crover und Toshi Kasai produzierte Werk strotzt nur so vor Nuggets-Garagenrock, Proto-Metal-Riffs und herrlich verschwommenem Psych-Pop. Die erste Single des 11-Song-Albums ist "Doug Yuletide". Der Track ist einer von zwei "Glossolalia"-Songs, bei denen Crover mit dem Gitarristen Dan Southwick zusammenarbeitet, seinem langjährigen Freund und Altamont-Bandkollegen. Aber Southwick ist nicht der einzige Freund, der auf Glossolalia zu hören ist: Kim Thayil von Soundgarden (Leadgitarre bei "I Quit" und "Rings"), Ty Segall (Leadgitarre bei "Spoiled Daisies" und "I Waited Forever"), Rob Crow von Pinback ("Don't Worry About It", "Rings" und "I Waited Forever") und Tom Waits' ungelenkes, in Zungen gesprochenes Intro beim Titelstück. "Glossolalia" ist Crovers bisher fokussiertestes Statement als Solokünstler. In seiner Gesamtheit zeigt das neue Album, dass Crover, so wie die Melvins in ihrem vierten Jahrzehnt weiter wachsen und sich entwickeln, auch als Solokünstler neue Schritte unternimmt. Inmitten des inspirierten Geplappers von Waits, des glorreichen Schredderns von Segall und Thayil und vielem mehr, sticht vor allem die Robustheit von Crovers Vision hervor. Diese Platte zeigt, dass seine Gesamtästhetik genauso stark wie sein legendärer Schlagzeugdonner ist. ENGAs he began plotting his new solo album, Dale Crover _ world-renowned drummer for the Melvins, Nirvana and Redd Kross, and singer-guitarist for Altamont _ realized that, unlike with his prior two full-lengths, he was starting from scratch. "I didn't have any songs," he says, "so I just went on this writing spree." The result is Glossolalia, Crover's third LP under his own name and arguably his most focused statement yet as a solo artist: 11 catchy yet eccentric tracks that move from Nuggets-y garage rock to crafty proto-metal riffage and gorgeously hazy psych-pop, touching on everything from a bad teenage trip to the charms of the late, great Jane Birkin, and featuring input by illustrious guests including Ty Segall, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil and none other than Tom Waits. What stands out across the record is the sturdiness of Crover's vision. He's modest about his ambitions _ "It's just kind of like extra credit," he says, about having a solo outlet apart from his main band _ but as this record shows, his overall aesthetic hits just as hard as his legendary drum thunder.

Nach dem fantastischen 'The Reckoning Dawn' kehren die Meister des atmosphärischen Black Metal und bedeutendste UK-Black-Metal Kraft Winterfylleth mit ihrem brandneuen Album 'The Imperious Horizon' zurück, das am 13. September über Candlelight erscheinen wird.

Für Fans von: Emperor, Enslaved, Wolves In The Throne Room, Primordial

Nach dem fantastischen 'The Reckoning Dawn' kehren die Meister des atmosphärischen Black Metal und bedeutendste UK-Black-Metal Kraft Winterfylleth mit ihrem brandneuen Album 'The Imperious Horizon' zurück, das am 13. September über Candlelight erscheinen wird.

Für Fans von: Emperor, Enslaved, Wolves In The Throne Room, Primordial

Nach dem fantastischen 'The Reckoning Dawn' kehren die Meister des atmosphärischen Black Metal und bedeutendste UK-Black-Metal Kraft Winterfylleth mit ihrem brandneuen Album 'The Imperious Horizon' zurück, das am 13. September über Candlelight erscheinen wird.

Für Fans von: Emperor, Enslaved, Wolves In The Throne Room, Primordial

High Roller Records, black vinyl, gatefold, ltd 250, reissue 2023

High Roller Records, black vinyl, gatefold, ltd 250, reissue 2023

Längst überfällige LP-Neuauflage (Silver Vinyl) von Mortal Sins klassischem Debüt 'Mayhemic Destruction', ursprünglich 1987 veröffentlicht. Mortal Sin, die 1985 aus dem australischen Metal-Underground hervorgingen, erlangten schnell globalen Ruhm als ihre Debüt-LP vom Major-Label Vertigo 1987 weltweit aufgelegt wurde, nachdem sie erst im Eigenvertrieb lief. Mit frühen Klassikern wie 'Lebanon' und 'Blood, Death, Hatred' erwies sich das Album als eine Schlüsselveröffentlichung in der damals aufkeimenden Thrash-Metal-Szene.

Die legendäre deutsche Hard Rock Band VICTORY (mit ex ACCEPT Mitglied Herman Frank) veröffentlicht am 13. September ihr neues Studioalbum "Circle of Life" als limitierte Sunburst Vinly, schwarzes Vinyl und CD-Jewelcase! Macht euch bereit für 10 fette Tracks mit einer Mischung aus handwerklich markantem Hard Rock und Heavy Metal und genießt rollende Gitarrenriffs und messerscharfe Texte in bester VICTORY-Tradition.

Die legendäre deutsche Hard Rock Band VICTORY (mit ex ACCEPT Mitglied Herman Frank) veröffentlicht am 13. September ihr neues Studioalbum "Circle of Life" als limitierte Sunburst Vinly, schwarzes Vinyl und CD-Jewelcase! Macht euch bereit für 10 fette Tracks mit einer Mischung aus handwerklich markantem Hard Rock und Heavy Metal und genießt rollende Gitarrenriffs und messerscharfe Texte in bester VICTORY-Tradition.

8/10 REVIEW IN METAL HAMMER : ‘’YOU GET THE FULL ON THRASH AND SLAYER-ESQUE SQUALLS OF FIRING SQUAD ALONGSIDE THE AWESOME CRUNCH OF AND GROOVE OF EXECUTIONER’S TAX (SWING OF THE AXE). IT SOUNDS IMMENSE’’

A razor sharp recording that effectively proves how lethal this band was in the flesh. As the title states this album was recorded live in Seattle at Neumos 5/28/18.

The set list is a brutal selection of cuts from the Nightmare Logic & Manifest Decimation albums + a deep cut/fan favourite: “Suffer No Fool" . 11 killer thrashing tracks full of all the fire and venom that only this band can deliver.

8/10 REVIEW IN METAL HAMMER : ‘’YOU GET THE FULL ON THRASH AND SLAYER-ESQUE SQUALLS OF FIRING SQUAD ALONGSIDE THE AWESOME CRUNCH OF AND GROOVE OF EXECUTIONER’S TAX (SWING OF THE AXE). IT SOUNDS IMMENSE’’

A razor sharp recording that effectively proves how lethal this band was in the flesh. As the title states this album was recorded live in Seattle at Neumos 5/28/18.

The set list is a brutal selection of cuts from the Nightmare Logic & Manifest Decimation albums + a deep cut/fan favourite: “Suffer No Fool" . 11 killer thrashing tracks full of all the fire and venom that only this band can deliver.

8/10 REVIEW IN METAL HAMMER : ‘’YOU GET THE FULL ON THRASH AND SLAYER-ESQUE SQUALLS OF FIRING SQUAD ALONGSIDE THE AWESOME CRUNCH OF AND GROOVE OF EXECUTIONER’S TAX (SWING OF THE AXE). IT SOUNDS IMMENSE’’

A razor sharp recording that effectively proves how lethal this band was in the flesh. As the title states this album was recorded live in Seattle at Neumos 5/28/18.

The set list is a brutal selection of cuts from the Nightmare Logic & Manifest Decimation albums + a deep cut/fan favourite: “Suffer No Fool" . 11 killer thrashing tracks full of all the fire and venom that only this band can deliver.

Opium Warlords' sixth album "Strength!" out on Svart Records in September 2024! Opium Warlords, led by Sami Albert ”Witchfinder” Hynninen (Reverend Bizarre, The Puritan, The Candles Burning Blue), return with their sixth album Strength! It is a versatile but tight combination of pussy techno, sludge, industrial pop, hardcore punk, drone, shamanistic pulse, noise, heavy metal, old school gothic rock and march music. It is a take on European rhythmic patterns: stagnant factory beat – no groove, no swing, just a rhythm of industrialism that pierces through different genres and styles. Comparing to the dark and oppressive Nembutal (2020), Strength! is significantly more light-hearted, with its postmodern lyrics emitting from sources such as shampoo bottles and television UFO series to the Pan-Europa myth or morbid lore of death-hungry Transylvanian Iron Guard. However, the sting of irony and sarcasm is balanced with more serious subjects: Strength! is a hate/love letter to Europe and a self-reflection on Machiavellian and Nietzschean philosophies of strength and elitism. True to the band’s soul everything is covered with pure toxic misanthropy. Strength! 2LP/digital/2CD will be released 13th of September on Svart Records. Album’s first outtake, Erotomania, is out right now via digital services worldwide.

Opium Warlords' sixth album "Strength!" out on Svart Records in September 2024! Opium Warlords, led by Sami Albert ”Witchfinder” Hynninen (Reverend Bizarre, The Puritan, The Candles Burning Blue), return with their sixth album Strength! It is a versatile but tight combination of pussy techno, sludge, industrial pop, hardcore punk, drone, shamanistic pulse, noise, heavy metal, old school gothic rock and march music. It is a take on European rhythmic patterns: stagnant factory beat – no groove, no swing, just a rhythm of industrialism that pierces through different genres and styles. Comparing to the dark and oppressive Nembutal (2020), Strength! is significantly more light-hearted, with its postmodern lyrics emitting from sources such as shampoo bottles and television UFO series to the Pan-Europa myth or morbid lore of death-hungry Transylvanian Iron Guard. However, the sting of irony and sarcasm is balanced with more serious subjects: Strength! is a hate/love letter to Europe and a self-reflection on Machiavellian and Nietzschean philosophies of strength and elitism. True to the band’s soul everything is covered with pure toxic misanthropy. Strength! 2LP/digital/2CD will be released 13th of September on Svart Records. Album’s first outtake, Erotomania, is out right now via digital services worldwide.

Die meist übersehenen Urväter des schwedischen Death Metal! Aufgenommen in den frühen 90er Jahren in den legendären Sunlight Studios!
God Macabre gründeten sich Ende der 80er Jahre unter dem Namen Macabre End. 1991 änderten sie ihren Namen in God Macabre und
veröffentlichten einen Song für die Pantalgia-Compilation und ein Album über das kleine deutsche Label Mangled Beyond Recognition Records, bevor
sie sich auflösten. Ursprünglich in 1993 veröffentlicht, wurde "The Winterlong" 1991 in den legendären Sunlight Studios in Stockholm aufgenommen
und von Tomas Skogsberg (Amorphis, At The Gates, Entombed) produziert. Die Wiederveröffentlichung von "The Winterlong", die nun vollständig
remastered und wieder erhältlich ist, enthält außerdem vier Bonus-Tracks, darunter das ursprüngliche 7"-Demo der Band aus dem Jahr 1990 sowie
den bisher unveröffentlichten Track "Life's Verge", die erste neue GodMacabre-Aufnahme seit über 20 Jahren.

Im Kopf eines Vigilanten tobt ein Krieg. A Killer's Confession erzählen ihn laut auf ihrem vierten Album und MNRK Music Group Debütalbum Victim 1.
Die Band um Sänger und Mastermind Waylon Reavis geht über den Punkt ohne Wiederkehr hinaus und kanalisiert die fesselnde Abscheulichkeit
wahrer Verbrechen zu einem Soundtrack aus melodischem Hardrock mit Anflügen von hämmerndem Metal und heimtückischem Industrial. Eine fast
ein Jahrzehnt dauernde Reise führte zu diesem Punkt. Nach drei bahnbrechenden Alben mit Mushroomhead zog sich Waylon von der Musik zurück,
bis sie ihn 2016 wieder einholte. Er tauchte wieder an der Spitze von A Killer's Confession auf und lieferte drei kultige Lieblingsalben: Unbroken
2017, The Indifference of Good Men 2019 und Remember [2021]. Auf dem Weg dorthin verzeichnete die Band zig Millionen Streams und arbeitete
mit jedem zusammen, von Brian "Head" Welch von Korn und Love And Death bis hin zu Chad Gray von Mudvayne und HELLYEAH.2022 ging Waylon
mit seinen Kollegen und Produzenten Dusty Boles [Make Me Famous] und Evan Mckeever [Nine Shrines] ins Studio. Als er diese Vision zum Leben
erweckte, entstand das zehn Tracks umfassende Äquivalent zu "falling down a YouTube rabbit hole of unsolved mysteries". Am Ende erzählt A Killer's
Confession eine Geschichte, von der man sich nicht mehr abwenden kann.

Im Kopf eines Vigilanten tobt ein Krieg. A Killer's Confession erzählen ihn laut auf ihrem vierten Album und MNRK Music Group Debütalbum Victim 1.
Die Band um Sänger und Mastermind Waylon Reavis geht über den Punkt ohne Wiederkehr hinaus und kanalisiert die fesselnde Abscheulichkeit
wahrer Verbrechen zu einem Soundtrack aus melodischem Hardrock mit Anflügen von hämmerndem Metal und heimtückischem Industrial. Eine fast
ein Jahrzehnt dauernde Reise führte zu diesem Punkt. Nach drei bahnbrechenden Alben mit Mushroomhead zog sich Waylon von der Musik zurück,
bis sie ihn 2016 wieder einholte. Er tauchte wieder an der Spitze von A Killer's Confession auf und lieferte drei kultige Lieblingsalben: Unbroken
2017, The Indifference of Good Men 2019 und Remember [2021]. Auf dem Weg dorthin verzeichnete die Band zig Millionen Streams und arbeitete
mit jedem zusammen, von Brian "Head" Welch von Korn und Love And Death bis hin zu Chad Gray von Mudvayne und HELLYEAH.2022 ging Waylon
mit seinen Kollegen und Produzenten Dusty Boles [Make Me Famous] und Evan Mckeever [Nine Shrines] ins Studio. Als er diese Vision zum Leben
erweckte, entstand das zehn Tracks umfassende Äquivalent zu "falling down a YouTube rabbit hole of unsolved mysteries". Am Ende erzählt A Killer's
Confession eine Geschichte, von der man sich nicht mehr abwenden kann.

A Colourful Storm presents Effroyables Jardins, a soundtrack composed by Zbigniew Preisner for Jean Becker's eponymous film. Given limited distribution during its initial release, the soundtrack's lustre has only strengthened and it is now considered a lost gem of contemporary chamber composition. An understated triumph of the oeuvre of Preisner, who closely collaborated with Polish director Krzysztof Kie?lowski and was responsible for the film scores of Dekalog, The Double Life of Véronique and the Three Colours trilogy.

"Krzysztof and Zbigniew really found each other, as they were deeply complementary in their need of emotional expression," reflects actor Juliette Binoche upon her work in Three Colours: Blue. A Colourful Storm cites no other film leaving a greater impact on them than Three Colours: Red. These would be the last films the duo worked on together, before Kieslowski's retirement and untimely death.

Effroyable Jardins marks Preisner's post-Kieslowski era of solo composition, shifting from devotional harmonies into a beautifully restrained style of neo-Romanticism. It is his second soundtrack for Jean Becker, following Francis Ford Coppola's commission for The Secret Garden, the César-winning Élisa, and Edoardo Ponte's Between Strangers. Its leitmotif - a delicate, sparse melody for piano and organ, appears only during the opening sequence and, like Preisner's most powerful soundtracks, takes on a life of its own. Compositions for violin, harp and percussion are interspersed with haunting variations on a theme and a masterful use of silence. His music haunts the grieving Julie in Blue, soundtracks Valentine's epiphany in Red, and evokes the sublimity of moments in everyday life.

Die legendäre Metal-Band STRYPER meldet sich mit ihrem 12. Studioalbum "When We Were Kings" zurück, das über Frontiers Music erscheint.
Die Band feiert die Ankündigung nicht nur mit einer, sondern gleich mit zwei neuen Singles! "Loves Symphony" ist eine Mischung aus klassischem und
modernem Rock, während das eher poppige "Grateful" zeigt, dass sich die Band auch weiterhin für religionsbasierte Musik einsetzt.
Die aktuelle Besetzung von STRYPER besteht aus den Originalmitgliedern Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet und Oz Fox sowie dem Bassisten Perry
Richardson, die ihre bisher beste und kraftvollste Musik machen.
Mit weltweit mehr als 10 Millionen verkauften Alben und einer Reihe von Billboard Top 40-Hits nimmt STRYPER weiterhin Platten auf, tourt und tritt
vor begeisterten Fans auf der ganzen Welt auf.

Formed in 1995 in the small Swedish city of Mariestad by key players from Sweden's legendary hardcore scene, Wolfbrigade (known as Wolfpack until 1999) remain among Scandinavia's most respected, influential and reliable purveyors of real-world brute-force hullabaloo. On this eleventh album, the niftiest skills honed to a fine edge over 30 years are dispatched with greater style and intensity than ever.

Ursprünglich wurde dieses legendäre Album von den Death-Metal-Pionieren Benediction aus Birmingham, UK, 1998 veröffentlicht. Nun erhältlich als limitierte Auflage auf lila Doppel-Vinyl, ist diese Neuauflage ein Muss für Sammler und neue Hörer gleichermaßen. Das Paket enthält exklusive Bonusinhalte wie seltene Fotos, Linernotes der Band und nie zuvor gehörte Demotracks, die einen Einblick in die Entstehung des Albums geben.

Die deutschen Swe-Death-Metal-Freaks DENOMINATION sind mit ihrem zweiten Album in Bestform zurück. Hört euch 'The Last Companion' an und schnuppert den authentisch, fauligen Gestank des skandinavischen Death Metals der frühen 90er. Sehr empfehlenswert für Fans von NIHILIST, CARNAGE, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER etc.
DENOMINATION halten die Fahne des Boss HM-2 Buzzsaw-Gitarrensounds hoch und präsentieren auf ‚The Last Companion' 10 neue Songs (+Intros), die euch ordentlich das Knochenmark durchwirbeln werden.
Aufgenommen, gemixt und gemastert wurde dieses fiese Werk bei Mike Utah´s Audio Ranch, von Jörn Michutta (u.a. auch MORGOTH' "Ungod"). Das thematisch düster-moderig umgesetzte Cover- Artwork stammt aus der Feder bzw. Pinsel von Timon Kokott (u.a. auch EVOKED, ILLDISPOSED)

Timeless Fairytale ist eine neue internationale Melodic-Metal-Band, gegründet vom dänischen Sänger Henrik Brockmann (ursprünglich Frontmann von Royal Hunt und
Evil Masquerade) und dem italienischen Gitarristen/Songwriter Luca Sellitto (Stamina). Die Band ist ein wahr gewordener Traum für alle Fans von eingängigen und eleganten Gesangsmelodien, klassisch angehauchten Instrumentalparts und majestätisch-bombastischer Musik. Kling wie Royal Hunt, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Masterplan oder Scorpions.

Timeless Fairytale ist eine neue internationale Melodic-Metal-Band, gegründet vom dänischen Sänger Henrik Brockmann (ursprünglich Frontmann von Royal Hunt und
Evil Masquerade) und dem italienischen Gitarristen/Songwriter Luca Sellitto (Stamina). Die Band ist ein wahr gewordener Traum für alle Fans von eingängigen und eleganten Gesangsmelodien, klassisch angehauchten Instrumentalparts und majestätisch-bombastischer Musik. Kling wie Royal Hunt, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Masterplan oder Scorpions.

"With their third full-length, Washington, D.C.’s Bad Moves have expanded their founding artistic identity — a candy-coated guitar-pop shell surrounding a bitter lyrical core — by refracting their ideas through a new set of musical forms that weaponize repetition. On the new Wearing Out the Refrain, recorded once again with producer Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Algernon Cadwallader), Bad Moves propose that the flip side of the delirious harmony of the basement show singalong is the volatile, accusatory antiphony of a community divided by strain, shouting the same desperate hook back and forth at one another.

Bad Moves’ tag-team vocals, which forgo centering anyone one member, also let the traditionally confessional “I” become the “we” of a community, or generation. Witness the ambitious climate change metaphor of “Eviction Party,” which understands the union of sugary pop and genuine angst embodied by 1960s girl-group songcraft, and uses it to expand a personal story to planetary scale. “It’s my eviction, I’ll cry if I want to” Bad Moves shouts, channeling the dawning millennial midlife crisis. The personal may be political, but what if both feel weighed down and trapped in circular, inescapable ruts?"

Mit einer Mischung aus feinstem Power-Metal und Hard Rock Spirit, erwartet uns am 1. März 2024 mit ‚Stand United‘ das stärkste Album der Bandgeschichte!

In dieser turbulenten Zeit ist es wichtiger denn je, als Menschheit eng zusammenzustehen, anstatt sich gegenseitig zu bekämpfen. Und genau darum geht es im neuen FIREWIND-Album ‚Stand United‘! Neben top aktuellen Themen, die in Zehn neuen Tracks besungen werden, erwartet uns textlich wie auch musikalisch das wohl stärkste Werk ihrer bisherigen Bandgeschichte. Passend zum neuen Release verbreitet die Band rund um ex Ozzy Osbourne-Gitarrist Gus G. und Sänger Herbie Langhans (ehemals Avantasia) im Frühjahr 2024 ihre Botschaft von ‚Stand United‘ in Europa. Gemeinsam mit MASTERPLAN geht die Band auf große Co-Headliner Tour, u.a. in Deutschland, Frankreich, Spanien, Schweden und vielen weiteren Ländern. So erblickt ab dem 01.03.2024 ‚Stand United‘ das Licht dieser Welt - verfügbar als limitierte Splatter- und Marbled-Vinyl-Versionen, CD-Digipak und Digital!

For our second release, circuit|breaker quips back the stacked offering of CBRK001 with another dynamic double LP, exhibiting some of the best local and international talent that’s cropped up on our radar over recent years.


The label is as driven as ever to build a bridge between our community and the wider electronic
music domain, giving artists a platform to preach the sound that speaks to them, and this release is but another stepping stone towards greatness, for us and for them.


CBRK002 opens up with a rolling, gritty number that could only be Fergus Sweetland, as metallic voices beckon forth on ‘Untitled (ARP 1.02)’. Hasvat Informant, whose thunderous reputation precedes him, then storms the barn with the explosive ‘Abispa Ephippium’. The B-side shifts gears to Goa’s Dotdat and his frantically groovy track ‘Holo’, followed by a gorgeous minimal number by Berlin-based Pino Peña – Mia’s Pocket; one that’s sure to get summer dancefloors pumping.


The C-side of the record contains two heaving tracks, the C1 from the prominent force of Cloudy Ku with ‘A Room of One’s Own’, and the C2 from the dark visage that is disgrays with
‘Turmstraße’. The final side of the record has Amsterdam legend Juan Sanchez open the filter with a warm, jacking submission in ‘Indulge’, while the Berliner Marsch takes us home with a
devious timbre that will have bodies glued to the floor on ‘Into You’.

Spectres have been stirring in the shadows for years now. Dark eyes watching from pallid faces. Siren songs calling to lost souls. In the blackest corners of the UK underground, a name whispered relentlessly amongst the faithful, first with curiosity, then soul-shuddering awe: Zetra.

Zetra is also the title of their striking debut LP. Ten tracks whose indefinable blend of shimmering shoegaze and pulsating goth-metal work deep beneath the skin, it is a masterclass in intimate dark romanticism and sweeping elemental beauty. It could be seen as a reaction to the geography of a strange new world, but also to the jagged topography of the human psyche itself. Is it a manifesto? A roadmap? A riddle waiting to be solved? Profound pleasure lies in peeling back its many layers.

Travelling alone, armed only with synths, guitar and drum-machine to compose, The Wanderers’ music could sound skeletal. Instead its early metallic bones have been fleshed-out with the electronic new-wave of Gary Numan and Pet Shop Boys and dreamy, droning guitars that hark to heroes like Slowdive and Sonic Youth as well as dark contemporaries Deafheaven and Alcest. As harsh as the truths with which they deal may be, these songs deliver beguiling brilliance.

Acolytes to spread the word of Zetra aren’t hard to find. British ‘contemporaries’ like Burner and Wallowing, Celestial Sanctuary and Employed To Serve have been dementedly singing their praises as far back as they can remember. Tours with the heavyweight likes of Creeper and Godflesh, VV and SKYND have taken their once-subterranean sounds into the spotlight. Unto Others’ Gabriel Franco (‘Moonfall’), Svalbard’s Serena Cherry (‘Starfall’) and Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir from Iceland’s Kælan Mikla (‘Shatter The Mountain’) even crop up amongst these recordings, dissolving into the cult of Zetra themselves. But none are as important as the legions of fans Zetra are yet to reach with a dark gospel still unpicking all manner of psychological knots and existential truths.

Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.
Reprint of "Quadra". The 40th Anniversary Edition will be available as 2LP - 180g Ruby Red Marble in gatefold.

"Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.
Reprint of ""The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart"". The 40th Anniversary Edition will be available as 2LP - 180g Ruby Red Marble in gatefold."

Instrumental rock is alive is the motto of the VAL EXPERIENCE BAND, the new project from
rock-metal guitarist and composer Valéry Granson (aka Val). As a fan of instrumental rock,
which reached its peak in the 80s and 90s and still fascinates him, he decided to record his
first solo album, OSMIUM.
His major influences lie somewhere between Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Andy Timmons, Joey
Tafolla , Ritchie Kotzen, Jeff Beck , Jimi Hendrix, Paul Gilbert, Eric Johnson, Santana, Queen,
Frank Zappa and many others. Instrumental rock is alive...
The VAL EXPERIENCE BAND is a project worth discovering, whether on album or in concert,
for an experience that will not leave you indifferent.

Warning French content! RIXE is back with a four track EP, their most French material to date. Keeping
one boot firmly in the CAMERA SILENS/ WARRIOR KIDS camp while the other one dances around METAL
URBAIN, KARNAGE, BUTCHER or even D-STOP and MOPO MOGO, creating an unlike threesome of
fuckwave, OI! And pop music as infectious as their previous four EPs.

The duo Acid Mondays have brought their quirky forms of house and techno to a wealth of respected labels over the years - Warp, Circus and 2020 Vision to name but a few. Now, Negghead and Lex Wolf can add Guy Gerber's forward-thinking RUMORS to that list, with their humorously-titled 'Tacos Per Minute' EP which looks set to add to the imprint's hard-earned reputation as a breeding ground for innovative techno.

The eponymous lead track features skittering metallic echoes, a pulsing sub-bass, distorted vocals and futuristic synth chords for an atmospheric opener.

The first of the B-sides, 'Mezcalid' takes things darker and deeper. Rattling, mechanical percussion combines with a satisfyingly heavy, rhythmic bass-line before joining skipping riders for an irresistible groove.

That characteristic sub-bass makes a reappearance in 'Techno Wellies', a track whose driving drums and up-tempo claps set the scene for a multitude of echoing effects and shimmying percussion eventually developing into a samba-esque piece of techno.

The 'Tacos Per Minute' EP is a danceable yet quirky techno release, whose attention to percussive detail and slightly dusty feel mark it out as a characteristic Acid Mondays production, sitting comfortably amongst the high-calibre catalogue of RUMORS releases.

The third crest of the Balkan Body Music wave is upon us:

– Modern EBM? Oh yes.
– Techno? Definitely.
– Metal? Hell yeah.

The legendary Berlin label //aufnahme + wiedergabe// has joined forces with INVOLUCIJA·ORG for this split-label release featuring dark & beguiling vocals from Le Chocolat Noir (aka LCN, FIUME, Honored Matres).

INVOLUCIJA is an experimental post-industrial collaboration with artists from ex-Yugoslavian countries, started by Michel Morin (Sneak-Thief / Polygamy Boys) and Lucija Invo.

Paraphilia is an American death metal band hailing from the pacific northwest (Portland, Oregon). This cellar dwelling duo debuted their nasty brand of guttural destruction in the form of 2021's EP Primordium of Sinister Butchery. A frenzied titanic sized sixteen minute beatdown.

So here we are now 2023, brings us their 'super' debut full length "The Memory of Death Given Form". This record is already creating some major ruckus in death metals underground circle.

Comprised solely of SP (vocals/guitars/bass/programming) and KRP (vocals/lyrics), Paraphilia's brand of brutal & technical death metal is of the thick and chunky variety. Foot stomping groove mixed with gut punching brutality. This unmerciful bastard child snorts, snarls, growls, and lurks about waiting to hammer your bones into dust. The song structures are complex enough to impress, but also memorable and downright unforgiving in the headbanging department.

With a touch of the old school, some intricate guitar dissonance, masterfully written songs, and teeth loosening heaviness, "The Memory of Death Given Form" will delight and destroy even the hardened of death metal elites.

It contains 7 massive tracks (with a Bloodbath cover) chock-full of sophisticated dense riffs and relentless drum pummelling that's nothing short of being an aural sledgehammer, the album kicks off with a crushing track that takes no prisoners.

Technically proficient but insanely groovy "Memory of Death Given Form" is a thick beast of jarring tempos and vomit inducing guitar savagery. Harsh, drawn out gutturals over rhythmic guitar mayhem is enough to make anyone feel like they could run straight through a brick wall. Unadulterated death metal ferocity.

To put it bluntly, this is DAMN fucking GOOD, and you would be hard-pressed to find any better death metal this year.

Sure for fans of: Bloodbath, Hate Eternal, Suffocation, Devourment & similar.

Available on a delicious black and yellow super marble 180gr. vinyl, and solid yellow vinyl, and both are limited at 100 copies each.

Paraphilia is an American death metal band hailing from the pacific northwest (Portland, Oregon). This cellar dwelling duo debuted their nasty brand of guttural destruction in the form of 2021's EP Primordium of Sinister Butchery. A frenzied titanic sized sixteen minute beatdown.

So here we are now 2023, brings us their 'super' debut full length "The Memory of Death Given Form". This record is already creating some major ruckus in death metals underground circle.

Comprised solely of SP (vocals/guitars/bass/programming) and KRP (vocals/lyrics), Paraphilia's brand of brutal & technical death metal is of the thick and chunky variety. Foot stomping groove mixed with gut punching brutality. This unmerciful bastard child snorts, snarls, growls, and lurks about waiting to hammer your bones into dust. The song structures are complex enough to impress, but also memorable and downright unforgiving in the headbanging department.

With a touch of the old school, some intricate guitar dissonance, masterfully written songs, and teeth loosening heaviness, "The Memory of Death Given Form" will delight and destroy even the hardened of death metal elites.

It contains 7 massive tracks (with a Bloodbath cover) chock-full of sophisticated dense riffs and relentless drum pummelling that's nothing short of being an aural sledgehammer, the album kicks off with a crushing track that takes no prisoners.

Technically proficient but insanely groovy "Memory of Death Given Form" is a thick beast of jarring tempos and vomit inducing guitar savagery. Harsh, drawn out gutturals over rhythmic guitar mayhem is enough to make anyone feel like they could run straight through a brick wall. Unadulterated death metal ferocity.

To put it bluntly, this is DAMN fucking GOOD, and you would be hard-pressed to find any better death metal this year.

Sure for fans of: Bloodbath, Hate Eternal, Suffocation, Devourment & similar.

Available on a delicious black and yellow super marble 180gr. vinyl, and solid yellow vinyl, and both are limited at 100 copies each.

Lukas de Clerck brings us the ancient greek instrument, the aulos, of which his new interpretation of long form expression is coaxed forth on this tremendous recording. Lukas de Clerck explores a niche of archaeological research in music; the aulos is a historical Greek instrument that Lukas analyzed and reinterpreted by a luthier in modern times_navigating this impression as an artwork or living sculptural object, as there is an absence of historical partitions or written information about how to recreate technique on the instrument. Lukas de Clerck has interpreted information from the rare archaeological resources and visual art of the classical Greek period to recreate both playing technique and possible sound timbres with the instrument. With his contemporary approach to drone, post-minimalist music, and contemporary folk, we find a deeply satisfying and compelling, even playful set of songs, timbral exercises and compositions. An important document of new music meets contemporary archaemusicological research via Stephen O'Malley of SUNN O)))'s label Ideologic Organ. _ The telescopic aulos is speculative: might it have existed? It takes on features from the historical aulos, a double-reed instrument of which we know how it looked but little about what music was played on it or how it would have really sounded. It's an instrument without the limitations of canon or manual, providing creative freedom and awakening curiosity. The new instrument featured on this album is ancient and futuristic at once. The aulos has no tone holes; instead, each of the two tubes consists of three parts that can slide into each other. In this sense, the metal pipes bear a certain resemblance to the principle of a trombone. However, since both hands are already in use to hold both tubes, the sliding has to be done by way of gravity and the help of a «phorbeia», a leather mask which helps keep the reeds in place. The aulos's material is metal (instead of wood), which gives it a certain electronic allure and intensity, as well as a variety of sonic possibilities and textures. It produces overtones efficiently and allows them to play with their microtonality. The aulos Lukas plays on this recording was developed at Brasserie Atlas, a temporary occupation of a former brewery in the heart of Brussels where Lukas lives. It is quite a poetic coincidence that the birthplace of the instrument is named after the Greek titan condemned to carry the sky, while this instrument needs to be turned skywards to lower its pitch with the help of gravity. At Brasserie Atlas, Lukas has found collaborators who have shared in the process of building this new instrument: the collective Noir Métal has constructed the tubes, in this way becoming instrument builders; the phorbeia has been manufactured by Jot Fau; a former water reservoir in the vast cellar of the building carried the instruments' resonance for its first sounds. The place has left an imprint on this new instrument. With all of the telescopic aulos' layers, its sonic, musical and extra-musical components are still unfolding their potential as a medium for discovery and research, next to being an instrument of great musical potential. The music on The Telescopic Aulos of Atlas reflects this spirit. In several miniature pieces, it presents an encyclopaedia of musical possibilities that the instrument offers while keeping an intense and corporeal sonic specificity. The short pieces are studies that reflect on the sonic possibilities of this instrument that are yet to be explored. It meanders, searches and interacts with itself and the space. It needs to answer common expectations of old instruments being harmonious or pleasing. It transports a kind of experimental archaeology that, by formulating hypotheses in the present, allows us to reflect on what might have been in the past and simultaneously questions concepts of beauty, harmony or virtuosity. However, in the end, this instrument might have never existed before. -Julia Eckhardt

20 vom DOOM-Team ausgewählte Tracks.
Erschienen in Zusammenarbeit zwischen Laced Records und Bethesda Softworks®, einem Unternehmen von ZeniMax® Media und id Software®.
Aufgenommen in den weltberühmten Abbey Road Studios und ausgezeichnet als „Beste Musik“ bei den The Game Awards 2016, ist DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack) jetzt endlich wieder auf Vinyl erhältlich.
Mick Gordon, ein langjähriger Mitarbeiter von Bethesda, hat eine intensive Vision von Industrial Metal komponiert, die das schnelle und kraftvolle Ego-Shooter-Gameplay von DOOM in 20 Synth- und Metal-Tracks widerspiegelt. Ein unverwechselbares, pulsierendes und dämonentötendes Klangerlebnis.

- Ltd. Col. 2LP: (Deluxe 2LP auf 180g schwerem roten Vinyl, Deluxe-Hülle, vollflächig bedruckte Innenhülle)

ELEINE return with their 4th full-length studio ”We Shall Remain” that breathes everything that is ELEINE. Heavy, chuggy riffs that draws your mind to thrash metal, drumming with death metal hints and vocals that empower, lift and move you. "This combined with our melodic choruses and overall dynamics we feel that "We Shall Remain" gives the listener that signature ELEINE sound in a new and fresh format. Allow yourself to experience ELEINE, allow yourself to join the Eleine Legion", comment Madeleine Liljestam & Rikard Ekberg. This brand new re-pressing comes with a beautiful orange-red opaque-black marbled vinyl!

Die Hohepriester des finsteren Dooms kehren mit "Evil Remains" zurück, ihrem sechsten Album und dem ersten für Hammerheart Records!"Evil
Remains" ist ein hakengeladener Heavy Metal-Thrill-Ride in Nosferatu-Nächten!
Zurück nach einer sechsjährigen Pause mit voll aufgeladener schwarzer Magie, hat Castle einen Moloch von Riffs in einer hakengeladenen Mischung
aus Doom und psychedelischem Classic Metal abgeliefert. Elizabeth Blackwells geisterhafter, vollblütiger Gesang trägt zur majestätischen
Doom-Atmosphäre bei und ist eine elektrische Hexenhymne des Todes und des Wahnsinns: "Hear my warning, heed my call".
Aufgenommen bei Raincity Recorders in Vancouver B.C. von Produzent Jesse Gander (Anciients, 3 Inches Of Blood, Brutus), hält "Evil Remains"
klanglich die Waage zwischen warm und kuschelig und der bombastischen Kraft einer alternativen Stadionrockband. Bassistin/Sängerin Elizabeth
Blackwell und Gitarrist/Sänger Mat Davis bringen ihre einzigartige weibliche und männliche Gesangsattacke und ihre glühenden, schlangenartigen
Riffs zu schwindelerregenden neuen Höhen.

Limited

Unsere Resident Evil Vinyl-Serie wird mit dem actiongeladenen Remake von Resident Evil 3 fortgesetzt, in dem Jill Valentine in HD von der furchterregenden Nemesis gejagt wird.
24 Tracks wurden speziell für Vinyl gemastert und auf traditionelle schwarze Heavyweight-Platten gepresst. Diese befinden sich in einer Deluxe-Gatefold-Hülle mit einem Cover-Artwork von Capcom. Unter der Leitung des langjährigen Resident Evil-Mitarbeiters Masami Ueda gehören Kota Suzuki, Takayasu Sodeoka, Azusa Kato, Ryo Koike, Takumi Saito und Saori Maeda zum Kompositionsteam des Spiels. Der Score schwelgt in der unheimlichen, atmosphärischen Spannung, die nur Resident Evil-Titel erzeugen können. Dazu kommen pulsierende Actionszenen, die das Herz höher schlagen lassen, und einige nostalgische Themen aus dem Jahr 1999.

Das international gefeierte 12 Ensemble veröffentlicht mit "Metamorphosis" sein drittes Studioalbum, aufgenommen in den legendären Abbey Road Studios. Von der göttlichen Natur der Transformation bis zu außerirdischen Visionen neuer Welten und Wiedergeburt erforscht das dirigentenlose 12 Ensemble Renaissance-Hymnen, die als futuristisches Gebet, altjapanisches Ritual, überirdische Opernarie und monumentale Elegie wiedergeboren werden, in denen das Ensemble seine bislang stärkste Leistung zeigt. Mit einem Vorwort des Autors Charlie Fox, Linernotes von Hugh Morris und Fotos von Greta Ilieva.

Limited coloured vinyl release of The Living Infinite originally released in 2013 from Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork, replacing the sold out vinyl versions, to keep this album available on vinyl during their tour in Europe in October:

Onimikìg Algonquin: (n. an.)- thunder Timothy Archambault's unaccompanied flute pieces for this album have been inspired by Indigenous brontomancy (divination by thunder). Each piece highlights a different extended flute technique metaphorically related to types of thunder sounds: claps, peals, rolls, rumbles, inversions, and CG (cloud-to-ground). An important document of new music meets contemporary musicological research via Stephen O'Malley of SUNN O)))'s Ideologic Organ. The Indigenous flute used in this recording is made of cedar respective to the traditional woods used by the Kichesipirini and other tribes who live along the Ottawa & Saint Lawrence Rivers. To the Algonquin the flute (Pibigwan) is the wind maker or essence of the wind. Unlike other tribal nations whom the majority used the flute as a courting instrument, the Algonquin generally utilized the flute for more contemplative singular usage to mimic the sounds of nature or as a signaling device during times of conflict. When love songs were required, they were usually more plaintive in character expressing sadness, loneliness, or concerning the departure of a lover. The album intro begins with the shaking of a necklace of otter penis bone, fish spine, bear claw, elk teeth and deer hide, gifted from Algonquin Elder Ajawajawesi. It is meant to focus the listener's attention before the flute pieces begin. The warble or multi-phonic oscillation prevalent in all the pieces traditionally represented the "throat rattling" vocalization of the tonic note, sometimes known as the horizon of which the melody floats from. Due to the repetition of multi-phonic oscillation the performer will breathe erratically creating an altered state correlating with similar traditional ceremonial practices.

2009 veröffentlichten Helvetets Port aus Göteborg ihr Debütalbum "Exodus To Hell" auf High Roller Records, ein Jahr später gefolgt von der EP "Man With The Chains". 2019 kam man mit dem Zweitling "From Life To Death" zurück, ehe die Welt durch die Pandemie zwischenzeitlich zum Erliegen kam.
Das brandneue Sudioalbum von Helvetets Port, "Warlords", geht nun als klare Steigerung gegenüber den ersten beiden Platten der Schweden durch. Die Musik von Helvetets Port ist absolut zeitlos - die Band hält sich zwar strikt an die Paradigmen des traditionellen Heavy Metal, ist aber stets um Eigenständigkeit bemüht.

2009 veröffentlichten Helvetets Port aus Göteborg ihr Debütalbum "Exodus To Hell" auf High Roller Records, ein Jahr später gefolgt von der EP "Man With The Chains". 2019 kam man mit dem Zweitling "From Life To Death" zurück, ehe die Welt durch die Pandemie zwischenzeitlich zum Erliegen kam.
Das brandneue Sudioalbum von Helvetets Port, "Warlords", geht nun als klare Steigerung gegenüber den ersten beiden Platten der Schweden durch. Die Musik von Helvetets Port ist absolut zeitlos - die Band hält sich zwar strikt an die Paradigmen des traditionellen Heavy Metal, ist aber stets um Eigenständigkeit bemüht.

Mit deutschen Texten und einem vielfältigen Mix aus Genres der härteren Musik sind Consvmer. einzigartig in ihrer Szene und liefern nun ihr neues Album “Seelenfrieden” ab. Die Wurzeln der Band reichen bis in ihre Grundschulzeit zurück, als die drei Gründungsmitglieder Daniel Fischer, Dennis Fischer und Dennis Ackermann ihre Leidenschaft für die Musik entdeckt haben. Sie bildeten Consvmer. in 2019 und in 2022 stoß Fabian Schuhmacher als Bassist dazu. Ihre gemeinsame Geschichte prägte den Musikstil von Consvmer., eine Mischung aus Progressive Meta, Beatdown und Metalcore. Die Band ist extrem gesellschaftskritisch und scheut sich nicht davor, auch die dunkelsten, unangenehmsten Themen in ihren Texten zu anzusprechen. Diese Band kennt keine Grenzen und ihre unvergleichbare Kreativität wird nicht nur in ihrer Musik, sondern auch in ihren eigens produzierten Musikvideos und Grafiken reflektiert. Mit ihrem sozialkritischen Bewusstsein und musikalischen Experimentierfreudigkeit haben Consvmer. sich trotz deutscher Texte auch international einen festen Platz in der Metal Szene erarbeitet. Aufgrund ihrer einmaligen Kombination aus eindringlichen Rhythmen, provokativen Themen und kreativer Unabhängigkeit ziehen Consvmer. nicht nur durch ihre Musik Aufmerksamkeit auf sich, sondern auch durch ihre Haltung und deren Ausdruck.

Black Truffle is thrilled to present a Song for two Mothers / Occam IX the first ever solo release from Laetitia Sonami. Born in France in 1957, Sonami studied with Éliane Radigue in Paris before moving to California in 1978 to study electronic music at Mills College, going on to make important innovations in the field of live electronics interfaces and multi-media performance. Sonami is perhaps most closely associated with one of her inventions, the Lady’s Glove, an arm-length tailored glove fitted with movement sensors allowing the performer fluidly to control digital sound parameters and processing, as well as motors, lights and video playback. Having performed with the Lady’s Glove for 25 years, Sonami retired it in 2016, turning her attention to the interface/instrument heard and pictured here, the Spring Sprye.

In Sonami’s own description, “The Spring Spyre is composed of three thin springs that are attached to reverb tank pickups, mounted on a metal ring. The audio generated when the springs are touched, rubbed or struck is analyzed in Max/MSP. The extracted features are then used to train machine learning models in Wekinator and Rapidmax and control the audio synthesis in real time. We never actually hear the springs.” After decades of aversion to documenting her work on recordings, a Song for two Mothers / Occam IX treats listeners to two side-long performances with the Spring Spyre: the very first piece developed for the instrument and the most recent, the two contrasting remarkably in sound palette, energy and form. A Song for two Mothers (2023) spins an intricate web of rippling synthetic burbles, rapid sweeps and fizzing textures. Performed in real time with the sensitive and partly uncontrollable Spring Sprye ("a bit tyrannical," Sonami calls it), the music is delicate yet chaotic. Abrupt gestures hover against a backdrop of silence, "devoid of spatial or temporal direction". After several minutes, the sound-world becomes metallic and percussive, tapping and ticking in pointillistic flurries before a wavering harmonic cloud emerges, sprinkled with resonant drips and pops.


Occam IX is a radically different proposition. At the outset of Sonami’s exploration of the Spring Sprye, she asked her former teacher Éliane Radigue to compose a piece for it—and her: like all of Radigue’s work since she ceased working with analogue electronics at the beginning of the 21st century, Occam IX is written not only for an instrument but also for a particular performer. These scores are developed verbally, through meetings and conversations between performer and composer; each is grounded in an image (usually kept from listeners, to avoid influencing their experience); all magnify the subtlest acoustic phenomena and require great commitment and patience from the performer. Sonami’s is one of the few Occam pieces to make use of electronics, bringing it closer to Radigue’s famous longform pieces for ARP 2500. Beginning from a rumbling low tone, the listener is gradually immersed in slowly lapping waves of synthetic tones, eventually thinning out into delicate bell-like pings against a background of white noise, reminiscent of one of the most beautiful sections of Kyema from the Trilogie de la Morte.


Accompanied by notes from Sonami, her longtime collaborator Paul DeMarinis, and Radigue, and illustrated with scores, photographs and images of the Spring Spyre, a Song for two Mothers / Occam IX is an essential document celebrating an under-recognised pioneer of electronic music and performance.

Reissue, limited

16-Band-Compilation, die mit der Nahtstelle zwischen Gitarren-Rock einerseits, Programming und Electro andererseits dealt und anhand von teils exclusiven Beiträgen von Prong, Ministry, Godflesh, Killing Joke, Krupps, Einstürzende Neubauten, Consolidated uva.jene Zusammenhänge herausarbeitet, die Gruppen wie Korn & Co.erst den Weg freigemacht haben.

Draconian Darkness (out September 6, 2024 via RPM) is showcasing what Finnish frontrunners of icy melodic death metal WOLFHEART`s music is known for: deep, dark, and beautiful melodies combined with powerful and raw energy. First single Grave(out June 7, 2024 via RPM) is a true musical embodiment of rawness of the dark winter night combined to majestic beauty of the nature.

The Curse ist das zweite Album der kalifornischen Metalcore-Band Atreyu. Ursprünglich im Jahr 2004
veröffentlicht, wurde das Album in den Vereinigten Staaten mit RIAA-Gold ausgezeichnet und erreichte
Platz 1 der Billboard Independent Albums Chart. The Curse enthält die Singles ”Bleeding Mascara”, ”Right
Side of the Bed” und ”The Crimson”. Diese Wiederveröffentlichung enthält eine Coverversion von ”You
Give Love A Bad Name”.

Wage War bewegen sich mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit vorwärts und treiben nicht nur ihren eigenen Sound
voran, sondern dringen mit ihrer Musik diesmal auch in neue Bereiche vor. Das Quintett aus Florida ist
dafür bekannt, metallisch-stampfende Sounds mit sanfteren Melodien zu kombinieren. Ein fast zehnjähriger
Prozess hat Wage War an diesen Punkt gebracht. Sie haben eine Reihe von Alben herausgebracht, die ihre
Fans lieben, darunter Blueprints 2015, Deadweight 2017, Pressure 2019 und Manic [2021].
Auf ihrem fünften Album STIGMA [Fearless Records] haben sie diesen unverkennbaren Stil mit einer
industriellen Note und elektronischem Glanz versehen und sich damit musikalisch direkt in die Zukunft
katapultiert, so wie in den Songs „Magnetic“ und „Nail5“.

Returning from time apart to a world forever changed, dread-fuelled duo A SWARM OF THE SUN bring with them their fourth studio album, `An Empire'; its brooding, yet beautiful, melancholic narrative arc allows the band to dig ever deeper into desolation whilst a newfound lyrical focus adds a tenderness that is both harrowing and heartwarming at once. With the early bones of forthcoming `An Empire' tabled by events beyond their control in 2019, Erik and Jakob came together years later and scrapped them in favour of creating something entirely new; something distinctly different to break the cycle, defy categorisation and reflect the uncomfortable uncertainties of the times we now live in. The result is astounding; continuing the thread of narrative composition seen on `The Woods', `An Empire' is a six-track tale told in four distinct movements that are nothing short of devastating, from plaintive piano ballads to raw, full-band fury. For instance, taken from the album's third side, lead single `The Burning Wall' embodies this sprawling compositional feat perfectly, with the painfully frank opening couplet of "I know I fail you / I know that I run" establishing a gripping narrative trajectory backed by a simmering, impatient pulse that slowly and inevitably rises to an inescapable crescendo of cymbal chaos and wall-of-sound guitar drone. Elsewhere, 18-minute epic `The Pyre' represents Side B of `An Empire' with the confessional intimacy of a waltz-time ballad; the raw, wavering emotion of Jakob's words accompanied only by a haunting, lilting piano refrain before it too is consumed by the bittersweet might of post-rock euphoria to leave only embers of the apocalyptic lyrics in its wake_ `An Empire' marks a significant evolution of A Swarm of the Sun's already indelible post-metal sound. With increasingly bleak times forcing the band to reassess their relationship with creativity and suffering, this new body of work captures all the anthemic, intimate highs and crushing, debilitating lows of modern life on a knife edge.

Returning from time apart to a world forever changed, dread-fuelled duo A SWARM OF THE SUN bring with them their fourth studio album, `An Empire'; its brooding, yet beautiful, melancholic narrative arc allows the band to dig ever deeper into desolation whilst a newfound lyrical focus adds a tenderness that is both harrowing and heartwarming at once. With the early bones of forthcoming `An Empire' tabled by events beyond their control in 2019, Erik and Jakob came together years later and scrapped them in favour of creating something entirely new; something distinctly different to break the cycle, defy categorisation and reflect the uncomfortable uncertainties of the times we now live in. The result is astounding; continuing the thread of narrative composition seen on `The Woods', `An Empire' is a six-track tale told in four distinct movements that are nothing short of devastating, from plaintive piano ballads to raw, full-band fury. For instance, taken from the album's third side, lead single `The Burning Wall' embodies this sprawling compositional feat perfectly, with the painfully frank opening couplet of "I know I fail you / I know that I run" establishing a gripping narrative trajectory backed by a simmering, impatient pulse that slowly and inevitably rises to an inescapable crescendo of cymbal chaos and wall-of-sound guitar drone. Elsewhere, 18-minute epic `The Pyre' represents Side B of `An Empire' with the confessional intimacy of a waltz-time ballad; the raw, wavering emotion of Jakob's words accompanied only by a haunting, lilting piano refrain before it too is consumed by the bittersweet might of post-rock euphoria to leave only embers of the apocalyptic lyrics in its wake_ `An Empire' marks a significant evolution of A Swarm of the Sun's already indelible post-metal sound. With increasingly bleak times forcing the band to reassess their relationship with creativity and suffering, this new body of work captures all the anthemic, intimate highs and crushing, debilitating lows of modern life on a knife edge.

Maurizio 'Angus' Bidoli's brilliant 'Diary Of Dreams' was issued in 1998 as a very limited CD only release given to friends and colleagues. It has never been re-issued, and therefore this is its’ first ever appearance on vinyl and official CD. Angus is a native of Rome, and has played guitar with many bands, most notably the Italian metal outfit Fingernails. However, his love for the trippier, Hendrix-inspired psych jamming has manifested itself in several solo projects, and this is a great example of that. Angus plays all the instruments on this outing, and it's his wonderful guitar playing that comes to the fore. Blue Matter are genuinely thrilled to be able to make this great album available for the first time in 25 years. We've been fans of Angus since we met him at a gig in Rome in the early 90s, and he gave us a cassette of some of his solo psych jamming. To share his talent with other like-minded souls is something we’ve wanted to do all that time, and finally we’ve been able to put out one of his projects. We truly hope you enjoy it.

What better time to resurrect and regurgitate one of the most extreme (and downright indefensible) releases in Alternative Tentacles history? OG Grindcore/Death Metal to the max, here’s their second-ever, from ‘92. Whole concept at the time was one big celebration and tribute to those super-gory Mexican crime weeklies, like Alarma, Peligro and Alerta. Where do you think the cover came from?? Identities were secret, all lyrics en Espanol. Rumors link some big names, from Fear Factory, Faith No More, Sepultura, and more... Why the name? Besides the obvious "Witchcraft" translation, “Santeria = animal sacrifice, but Brujeria = human sacrifice!” Or so they say. Featuring 6 amazing tracks this is Mexican death grind at its best. Enjoy.

The world is a firework of overstimulation - and Future Palace have dedicated an album to this feeling of overwhelm. On the new record "Distortion", the Berlin post-hardcore trio deals with an almost oppressing mass of mental illnesses and problems. In doing so they create music that - appropriate to this topic - hits more hooks than ever before from one moment to the next, from the quietest depths to the loftiest heights. While the band had already leaned more towards musical extremes on their previous album, "Run", "Distortion" is the ultimate culmination of all the tones that Future Palace have absorbed on their Europe-wide journey as one of the most exciting acts in alternative guitar music: the most powerful metalcore breakdowns meet trembling darkwave beats, anthemic emocore refrains a la Bad Omens are contrasted with sacred choirs, the coldness of industrial encounters the powerful emotionality of Sleep Token. An album like a manifesto.

The world is a firework of overstimulation - and Future Palace have dedicated an album to this feeling of overwhelm. On the new record "Distortion", the Berlin post-hardcore trio deals with an almost oppressing mass of mental illnesses and problems. In doing so they create music that - appropriate to this topic - hits more hooks than ever before from one moment to the next, from the quietest depths to the loftiest heights. While the band had already leaned more towards musical extremes on their previous album, "Run", "Distortion" is the ultimate culmination of all the tones that Future Palace have absorbed on their Europe-wide journey as one of the most exciting acts in alternative guitar music: the most powerful metalcore breakdowns meet trembling darkwave beats, anthemic emocore refrains a la Bad Omens are contrasted with sacred choirs, the coldness of industrial encounters the powerful emotionality of Sleep Token. An album like a manifesto.

The legendary UK Thrash Band Solitary mark three decades of metal, with the release of a brand new album " Embrace The Darkness" which is the fifth of their thirty year career - and not only is it their heaviest, hardest, most confrontational release to date, it's undoubtedly their best yet, following on from the highly acclaimed "The Truth Behind The Lies" (Metalville Records 2020).

The UK's resolute and relentless kings of thrash, Solitary, have tapped into the thick, black blood that pulses sluggishly through the fat and filth congested veins of society. It is fact that we live in dark times; alongside war, pandemics, grief and horror. These are the days of division, where we turn against each other in politically driven hatred and against ourselves, choking on a social media diet of self-loathing and isolation.

Through our ever-glowing screens we watch the crumbling of virtue and the slow, agonised death of decency and honour. Solitary have stared into the alleyways, the cellars and the broken minds of our youth and forged their most unflinching album yet. This is their hymn to a dying world, their soundtrack to the end of days it's time to "Embrace The Darkness"

WRWTFWW Records is continuing its fruitful and blissful collaboration with New York ambient / jazz / downtempo musician Danny Scott Lane with the first ever vinyl release for his 2021 cassette album Caput. The 12-track beauty is available as a limited edition LP (500 copies worldwide) housed in a marvelously designed heavy 350gsm sleeve. The album is also available digitally.

Originally released on cassette only, Caput is desert music inspired by the city, a serene and cozy soundtrack of contemplative synth, mini pleasure-grooves, and botanical ambient jazz, sure to gently pacify the emotionally conflicted and make small moments the best moments. Scott Lane’s smooth downtempo is like a cushiony bubble of simple life, protecting the mind from noise and stress. It’s the comforting hand on the shoulder, the blanket that keeps warm, the easy Sunday morning breakfast - caring chillout music to escape from the brouhaha.

UNSURPASSED SPACIOUSNESS, IMAGING, AND TRANSPARENCY: MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES, MUSIC EMERGES WITH NEW DETAILS AND TONES
1/2" / 30 IPS analogue master - Plangent Processed - to DXD to analogue console to lathe

Love Over Gold is all about contrast, tension, and crafty composition. Dire Straits' fourth album finds the band continuing to evolve by welcoming increasingly bold arrangements and exploring moody variations. Parts edgy and sharp, and part seductive and relaxed, the five lengthy songs on Love Over Gold sprawl out like a long, winding road cutting through a pastoral landscape. The addition of a new rhythm guitarist, Hal Lindes, encourages deeper atmospheric interplay while the presence of engineer Neil Dorfsman – his first appearance in what would be a long string of collaborations with Mark Knopfler – ensures stunning sonic properties that now come to life like never before.

Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI, Mobile Fidelity's 180g 45RPM 2LP version of Love Over Gold teems with superb balances, front-to-back soundstages, and crystalline purity. The dead-quiet surfaces and extra-wide grooves bring forward previously obscured details, extra information, and mastering-studio-quality transients. The distinctive textures of a host of instruments – marimbas, acoustic and electric guitars, vibes, synthesizers – further enhance the ambitiousness of the 1982 album.

On this audiophile pressing, everything Knopfler does seemingly turn to gold. Gearheads will hear the unique characteristics afforded by his use of a Mesa Boogie Mark II guitar amplifier (soon again employed on Brothers in Arms) and carefully chosen selection of Schecter Stratocasters, 1937 National steel guitar, and Ovation six- and twelve-string models. Reference-level separation and lifelike imaging place Knopfler and company in your room, while tube-like warmth, spaciousness, and airiness causes the music to breathe anew. This LP will be in your rotation for months.

It doesn't take long to realize Love Over Gold is like no other Dire Straits album – and a staunch proclamation of independence from a band that continued to take longer creative strides with each successive project. Fearlessly extending over metaphoric hills, valleys, and plains for nearly 14-and-a-half minutes, the opening "Telegraph Road" is a guitar hero's dream and exhilarating showcase for Lindes' give-and-take capabilities. In tandem with keyboardist Alan Clark, Lindes provides the ideal foil for not only Knopfler but the long-time rhythm section of bassist John Illsley and drummer Pick Withers.

Taking its time to arrive at destinations, the quintet paints evocative musical and lyrical portraits steeped in patience, drama, and, often times, sadness. Desolate emotions colour the sweeping "Telegraph Road" and barren "Private Investigations," which finds Knopfler in the role of a tired private eye contemplating the emptiness and scars of his profession. Vocally, the Dire Straits leader remains in top form throughout, his whiskey-coated rasp conveying romantic ache, ongoing frustration, and what Rolling Stone beautifully deemed "wracking schizophrenia between the heart and the heartless, the loving and the pain."

Called Dire Straits' prog-rock statement, Love Over Gold is a classic that defies labelling and avoids ageing.

Cryptic Hatred was formed in 2019 by four friends bound together by their mutual passion for music and death metal. In summer 2020 they quickly released their first demo Free from the Grave to positive international feedback. The demo then received a CD release from the US-based Desert Wastelands label, as well as a release in Europe via Finland-based The Other Records. Soon after, the debut album Nocturnal Sickness dropped in early 2022 (again via The Other and Desert Wastelands), elevating the band to even greater standing in the global death metal underground. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive from both the fans and the metal media, highlighting the leaps the band made in terms of both musicianship and songwriting. Nocturnal Sickness sold over 1000 physical copies and streamed over 100 000, with high praise coming from metal press (such as the esteemed US metal magazine Decibel). The songs on Nocturnal Sickness were notably in the vein of classic Florida death metal - but it also had moments of unhinged melody and savagery which highlighted the band's movement towards their own, identifiable sound. "Internal Torment" is a testament to Cryptic Hatred's ability to craft music that speaks to the soul. It is an invitation to explore the shadows within, to confront the demons that lurk in the recesses of the mind. With each listen, new revelations await, making this album a haunting journey of self-discovery. Prepare to be spellbound by the subtle intricacies of "Internal Torment," as Cryptic Hatred invites you to lose yourself in the haunting beauty of their mesmerizing cryptic metal sound.

THE SINISTER DEBUT ALBUM OF PURE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL
FEELING,FEATURING MEMBERS OF AURA NOIR, OBLITERATION &
CONDOR."Underground metal the way it should sound returns to
Kolbotn!" - Fenriz (Darkthrone)From the depths of Norway looms a new
rising beast of hate & misanthropy in the form of Avmakt
Featuring the duo of Kristian Valbo & Christoffer Brathen - known for their work
with such acts as Aura Noir, Obliteration & Condor - their debut album, 'The
Satanic Inversion of....', is a grim & revelatory offering. Primitive in a way that
captures the early magic of Kolbotn's metal kings, Darkthrone, as well as the stark
chaos of early-era Bathory along with their very own distinguishable stamp on the
genre, 'The Satanic Inversion of....' is a masterclass of real Black Metal feeling,
wrapped up in a hypnotic frenzy of ice-cold riffing.
Though both members had played in bands covering different genres since their
early teenage years, Black Metal had always been one of the most important as a
vehicle for an honesty & fierceness that resonated deeply within the duo, without
the need for extravagant clothing or pretentious concepts. And so Avmakt itself
was born as the vessel for channelling this stripped-down raw feeling.
Formed in 2020 & with their one & only demo release gaining traction in the
underground, the Norwegians quickly came to the attention of Darkthrone's Fenriz
& Peaceville Records & Avmakt was swiftly included on Peaceville's Black Metal
Compilation, 'Dark Side Of The Sacred Star' which launched at the end of 2022.
Avmakt itself means "powerlessness", the sense of being overwhelmed & not
able to have any influence - without choice, voice, or hope. And so, it is from far
down in this psychological abyss that Avmakt's ideas & expressions manifest
with the completion of their debut studio release; 6 sprawling epic tracks
recorded with the assistance of Arild Torp, also of Obliteration & encapsulating
such themes as emptiness, desolation & alienation in a powerful display of
sinister, uninhibited Black Metal.

OVERVIEW KEEP OF KALESSIN - KATHARSIS is set to be released in March 2023! via Morningstar Music & Back On Black Records, Distributed by PlasticHead Distribution. KEEP OF KALESSIN return with their most epic work to date! The pioneers of Epic Extreme Metal have crafted an album that will hit both hard and direct as well as challenge the listeners with its rich detail and enormous atmosphere. Epic and melodic. Extreme, yet diverse. Intense, captivating and simply grand in every form! KATHARSIS marks a new era for a band that has proven to continue to make metal of the highest quality despite facing many challenges and lineup changes along the way. 2017 would leave the band without a drummer and it would take KEEP OF KALESSIN a few years to get the new lineup together, but these changes have given the band renewed energy and main man Arnt Obsidian now leads what is probably one of the most powerful bands in Norwegian metal. And together they have crafted an album that is so epic and so diverse that it has the potential to capture listeners from the entire spectrum of the metal genre. KEEP OF KALESSIN longtime bass player Wizziac and one of the most well known YouTube metal drummers, Wanja "Nechtan" Groeger, complete the lineup for KATHARSIS and the band sounds more mature and powerful than ever. As EPISTEMOLOGY was Arnt Obsidian's first take on vocals and frontman of the band, KATHARSIS proves that he is not only one of the fiercest riffers out there, but now also one of the most diverse singers. KATHARSIS is simply an amazing journey exploring everything from the most empowering emotions to the deepest fears and darkest thoughts. It is a life journey explained, battling both outside challenges and inner emotions. All this set in epic otherworldly surroundings. It is the rebirth. The resurrection. The purgation. The battle of leaving the old and embracing the new. It is the musical embodiment of you against you!