Search:sh

'Yamame' (the Japanese name for a kind of freshwater salmon) was recorded in 1962 and was Miyazawa’s first album, but the sharpness and avant-garde modernity of the music creates a completely timeless quality. Miyazawa is one of a group of musicians who laid the foundation of the Japanese jazz scene. He wanted to express his cultural heritage by doing something he felt “only someone Japanese” could do, and so he dedicated himself to a pursuit of “Japanese jazz”. Incidentally, the album was originally simply titled “Akira Miyazawa”, but perhaps due to the impression the cover art and the track titles made, it was reissued in 1977 as “Yamame”, and has gone by that title ever since. This is an historic masterpiece of Japanese jazz.

Tenor Saxophone – Akira Miyazawa
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Sadao Watanabe (tracks: B1 to B3)
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet – Tadayuki Harada (tracks: B1 to B3)
Trombone – Mitsuhiko Matsumoto (tracks: B1 to B3), Yasuhiro Tomoto (tracks: B1 to B3)
Trumpet – Akira Nakano (tracks: B1 to B3)
Piano – Masahiko Sato
Bass – Masanaga Harada
Bass Trombone – Takeshi Aoki (tracks: B1 to B3)
Drums – Kanji Harada, Takeshi Inomata
Supervised By – Jiro Kubota

„Weihnachten ist wirklich die schönste Zeit des Jahres“! „Im Laufe der Jahre habe ich viele originelle Weihnachtslieder geschrieben und ich hatte das Gefühl, dass es jetzt an der Zeit ist, die besten davon auf einem Album zu bündeln. Und hier ist es: Ein wundervolles Weihnachtsalbum mit einer Vielzahl von Liedern, von denen jedes ein wesentliches Element der Weihnachtsstimmung enthält, jetzt in einer Deluxe-Edition. 15 Songs, die ich sorgfältig ausgewählt habe. Ich habe 9 der 11 Originale mit den Amerikanern Jeff Franzel und Maria Christensen geschrieben und die anderen 2 Originalsongs mit den niederländischen Songwritern Simon Gitsels und Karel Schepers. Die Cover auf diesem Album sind Songs, die ich so sehr liebe, dass ich ihnen meine eigene Note geben und ihnen einen Platz auf dem Album geben wollte.“ Vier erfolgreiche Studioalben, mehreren Theatertourneen in den Niederlanden und erste internationale Shows, die allesamt ausverkauft waren. Es folgten bereits zahlreiche Auszeichnungen, darunter eine Goldene Schallplatte und bereits zweimal der renommierte Edison Jazz Award (der Holländische Grammy). Keine alltägliche Errungenschaft im Jazzbereich oder wie „Crooner“ Dennis es lieber nennt, im Swing, einem Stil, der für ihn unvergleichlich ist.

Benedikt Frey supplies the aid kit. Sonic remedies for the night.

4 transmissions for after-dark navigation. Remix from Carl Finlow.

For its third release, Club Blanco welcomes German producer Benedikt Frey. Aid Kit delivers three original pieces of shadowy club machinery - tense, wonky and charged with late-night atmosphere and rugged vocals. Electro veteran Carl Finlow reassembles the parts with clinical precision, crafting a remix that hums with circuitry and steel. Together they form four doses of deep club music.

After the release of her highest charting album to date in 2024, Elles Bailey is back with brand new album "Can"t Take My Story Away". Fiercely independent, the British singer-songwriter has been steadily honing her craft for the better part of a decade. Her magnificent voice - instantly recognisable, full of grit - weaves stories of resilience and survival, of hope and new beginnings. In her music, we find liberation as she picks at the threads of human connection, carefully unravelling the truths we might not have realised about ourselves. Produced by Luke Potashnick and recorded with a stellar lineup of musicians separate from her live band, the eleven tracks of "Can"t Take My Story Away" tie together to form the album Elles has been destined to make. An honest and vulnerable glimpse into Elles" story, the record was created over a three year period, using songswhose origins can be traced back almost 10 years, "Can"t Take My Story Away" is Elles" life placed carefully together to form a dazzling, kaleidoscopic story.

After the release of her highest charting album to date in 2024, Elles Bailey is back with brand new album "Can"t Take My Story Away". Fiercely independent, the British singer-songwriter has been steadily honing her craft for the better part of a decade. Her magnificent voice - instantly recognisable, full of grit - weaves stories of resilience and survival, of hope and new beginnings. In her music, we find liberation as she picks at the threads of human connection, carefully unravelling the truths we might not have realised about ourselves. Produced by Luke Potashnick and recorded with a stellar lineup of musicians separate from her live band, the eleven tracks of "Can"t Take My Story Away" tie together to form the album Elles has been destined to make. An honest and vulnerable glimpse into Elles" story, the record was created over a three year period, using songswhose origins can be traced back almost 10 years, "Can"t Take My Story Away" is Elles" life placed carefully together to form a dazzling, kaleidoscopic story.

With WHERE IS MY HEAD?, his first full-length album since 2019, Indonesian-born artist Rich Brian redefines success on his own terms. No longer chasing hits, he turns inward — creating the most vulnerable and honest music of his career. The result is a cohesive, deeply personal body of work that strengthens his bond with an ever-growing fanbase. Brian handled most of the production himself, shaping an analog-forward sound rooted in his self-taught mastery of synthesizers and keyboards. He sings more than ever before, with a newfound confidence and maturity that signals real artistic growth. WHERE IS MY HEAD? isn’t just a return — it’s a revelation. Each track answers one central question: how can I make art that truly makes me happy? To visually explore this feeling of self-reflection, the album introduces two versions of Brian — a MAESTRO who scores music for the dreams of MOVIE BRIAN, who exists unaware inside the world the Maestro has created. This surreal, introspective concept is brought to life through a series of cinematic music videos and visualizers, all directed by Jared Hogan, expanding the depth of the album into a fully realized narrative world.

WARNING celebrates 20 years of their groundbreaking album Watching from a Distance with a deluxe gatefold 2xLP/CD. Led by guitarist and vocalist Patrick Walker, every moment of WARNING's Watching from a Distance feels monumental; the album is widely considered to be one of the most emotionally-driven and profoundly Doom Metal records. From the onset, the album's eponymous opener crawls with a sombre melody that carries the emotional heft of WARNING's musings on love and longing. The band's classic track "Footprints" showcases Walker's ability to match his colossal riffs with a visceral, gut-wrenching vulnerability that was previously unheard of. Walker ruminates about his weakest moments; his vocal deliveries ranging from dejection to despair. The end result is truly "heavy" in every sense of the word - and a timeless take on the genre with thundering drums, lead-pipe backing bass, and swirling guitars. Fast-forward to the present day, and WARNING's introspective sensibilities resonate as hard as they ever have. Watching from a Distance showcases a band and moment in time that honed in on what "Doom" could really be. "I leave behind me the ruins Of the fortress I swore to defend I leave behind me foundations, I'll leave you a man I'll need you to mend And through all the battles around me I never believed I would fight, Yet here I stand a broken soldier, Shivering, naked, in your winter light" Short: WARNING celebrates 20 years of their groundbreaking album Watching from a Distance with a deluxe gatefold 2xLP/CD. FFO: Yob, My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Candlemass, Pallbearer, Pagan Altar, Khemmis

Sassy 009 ist das wandelbare Projekt der in Oslo ansässigen Produzentin, Songwriterin und Sängerin Sunniva Lindgård. Dreamer+ ist ein Album, das Lindgård seit Jahren in Gedanken mit sich trägt: ein konzeptgetriebenes Werk, zusammengesetzt aus fast vier Jahren Studioarbeit – und ein ambitionierter Versuch, die volle Kontrolle über ihre Kunst auszuüben.
Gelenkt von frisch verzerrten Vocals und Elementen aus Grunge, Shoegaze, 90er-Beatronica und schimmerndem Hyperpop ist das Album zugleich ein Protokoll der Selbstentdeckung und Selbstaufgabe, durchzogen von Gastbeiträgen von Blood Orange, BEA1991 und Yunè Pinku.
Dreamer+ ist im Kern ein fiktionales Werk, ein düsteres Märchen, in dem Träume und Emotionen durch eine Landschaft von Gestaltwandlerfiguren, dunklen Kräften und moralischen Verantwortungen verarbeitet werden. Auf eine Mission in eine verlassene Stadt geschickt, wird Lindgård zur eigenen Hauptfigur, hineingestoßen in eine „magische, aber verzerrte traumähnliche Welt“ nach einer fatalen Begegnung: „Ihre Liebe zu Jakov ist absurd eng mit seinem Sterben verwoben; kein Weg könnte sie davon fortführen."

Vier Jahrzehnte nach ihrer Gründung schreiben Ian Astbury und Billy Duffy ein neues Kapitel in der Geschichte von The Cult. Gemeinsam mit John Tempesta (Bass) und Charlie Jones (Schlagzeug) ließen sie 2023 ihre legendäre Frühphase Death Cult für eine exklusive Konzertreihe wieder aufleben - eine Hommage an die Ursprünge einer der einflussreichsten britischen Rockbands der 1980er-Jahre. Das Ergebnis dieser intensiven Rückkehr erscheint am 16. Januar 2026 unter dem Titel "PARADISE LIVE" - ein 16 Songs starkes Live-Album, aufgenommen am 18. November 2023 in der ehrwürdigen Albert Hall in Duffys Heimatstadt Manchester. "PARADISE LIVE" erscheint als Doppel-LP im exklusiven "Black on White"-Splatter-Design, auf CD sowie digital. Das edle Artwork zeigt ein schwarz auf schwarz geprägtes Schmetterlingsmotiv - entworfen von Ian Astbury und kunstvoll neu interpretiert von Carter O"Sullivan (Beggars Art Department). Die Black-Splatter-Edition ist ausschließlich über den Band-Webshop erhältlich, während die White-Splatter-Edition im regulären Handel erscheint. Der Weg von The Cult begann 1981 mit Southern Death Cult, deren gleichnamiges Album posthum 1983 erschien. Noch im selben Jahr gründeten Astbury und Duffy Death Cult - der Beginn einer kreativen Partnerschaft, die seit über 40 Jahren Bestand hat. Bereits 1984 entwickelte sich daraus The Cult, die im selben Jahr ihr gefeiertes Debüt "Dreamtime" veröffentlichten. Mit "PARADISE LIVE" schließen Astbury und Duffy den Kreis - ein intensives, authentisches Live-Dokument, das Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft einer außergewöhnlichen Band miteinander verbindet.

Greywind is an Irish emo/alternative rock duo from Killarney, formed by siblings Steph and Paul O’Sullivan. Known for their atmospheric soundscapes, soaring melodies, and deeply emotive lyrics, the band first gained attention with their critically acclaimed debut album Afterthoughts in 2017. Blending post-hardcore energy with cinematic grandeur, Greywind quickly earned a devoted following, praised for their anthemic choruses and powerful emotional honesty. Their long-awaited sophomore album, Severed Heart City, was recorded in Los Angeles with acclaimed producer Sam Guaiana and is set for release via Frontiers Label Group in September 2025. The record showcases the band’s continued growth both sonically and thematically — evolving their signature blend of brooding textures and explosive hooks into something even more dynamic and expressive. From the haunting opener Acid Rain to the cathartic closer Cope in the Coma, Severed Heart City is a visceral, emotionally resonant journey. Themes of mental health, inner conflict, and fragile hope run throughout, elevated by Steph’s impassioned vocal delivery and Paul’s gripping guitar work. With Severed Heart City, Greywind cements their place as one of the most compelling and authentic voices in modern alt-rock. This is a band that turns vulnerability into power — and pain into unforgettable songs

Ltd. Orange Vinyl Finnish powerhouse Bloodred Hourglass (BRHG) return with their seventh studio album “We Should Be Buried Like This”, a bold and unrelenting statement from a band that has steadily evolved into one of the most commanding forces in modern death metal. Hailing from Mikkeli, BRHG have long stood out for their ability to merge the ferocity of thrash and groove metal with the immersive soundscapes of metalcore, alternative metal, and melodic death. Their music is as dynamic and emotionally resonant as it is heavy and entertaining - a mix that has earned them critical acclaim, a devoted international fanbase, and a reputation for explosive live performances. On “We Should Be Buried Like This”, the band takes their darkest, most unfiltered turn yet. Described as “a work of end-time songs,” this album does not aim to comfort or explain. It’s a raw, confrontational piece built around the slow erosion of hope, the fading of love, the repetition of generational mistakes, and a world defined by self-obsession, disconnection, and indifference. “There’s no pleading, no sugarcoating,” the band explains. “We’re not here to prove anything. This is an album born from an urgent drive to rip things open and say them as they are.” Musically, “We Should Be Buried Like This” is the most aggressive and straightforward album BRHG have ever crafted, yet it never loses sight of the unmistakable melodic power that defines their sound. With searing riffs, explosive energy, and sweeping emotional depth, the album pulses with intensity from start to finish. Guest appearances and fresh sonic elements are woven throughout, yet the band remains firmly rooted in the signature style they’ve spent years perfecting.

Five years after her bossa nova single "Tes petites fesses" and a notable appearance at the Colors studio in 2023, singer LYNN releases her debut album: La vie me va si bien. Comprising eleven tracks, it blends French neo-soul, smooth R&B, and minimalist pop, with a confident and sincere approach. For LYNN, each song explores the fragility of moments when tenderness shifts into doubt, expressing the fatigue of loving, the fear of losing oneself, and the beauty of longing. Her writing, precise and nuanced, focuses on detail and restraint. Accompanied by guitars, pianos, and layered voices, she tells stories between childhood and lucidity, in an organic and harmonious soundscape. The album exudes a controlled sincerity, meant to be listened to in calm, establishing LYNN as a distinctive voice, ready to mix gentleness with truth in a hurried world.

With this new 7"", Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp continues to blur musical boundaries through bold collaborations. On one side, Revenant du Nord - co-written with Frànçois and the Atlas Mountains - weaves stories of migration, Moroccan memories, and layered polyrhythms into a swirling orchestral movement. On the flip side, Siilent, composed with Jo Burke, dives into darker dub territory, inspired by a late-night Geneva dancefloor and shaped by the ensemble"s signature instrumental finesse. Two tracks from different roots, united by the same drive for organic power and musical vertigo.

ugne&maria is a collaboration between Marija Rasa Kudabaite and Ugnė Vyliaudaite, both residing in Belgium. Their musical style is characterised by a multilayered, down-tempo, yet danceable approach, incorporating violin, synthesizers and sampling techniques.

We were completely blown away by the duo’s live performance at Meakusma Festival in August 2024. It was one of those rare moments when time seemed to stand still: the music, the atmosphere and the audience merged into a single warm, smooth and radiant aura of positive energy and vibes. This experience made us want to share such exceptional talent on Hands in the Dark and we are over the moon to announce the release of ugne&maria’s new album ‘Zotasphere’, dropping on 16th January 2026.

The 8 songs featured on the record came together slowly, bit by bit. Diary-like, each track reflects on different moments and life events that have followed ugne&maria over the past couple of years. Layers of sound and layers of memory are interlaced into the album, an embodiment of all that feels distant, yet still present. Most of the tracks move around a steady, unhurried pulse, never faster than 120 bpm. Some tracks even ended up being intentionally slowed down, as if the music itself wished to breathe more, mirroring life’s natural pace, with elements stretching, shifting and decelerating. Focused on bass and rhythm, influenced by the depth and warmth of classic house and low-end music, ugne&maria let the sounds drift elsewhere. The violin became a voice, the voice became a texture.

"It’s an album where I’ve limited myself to using only two instruments—a metallophone and a four-track tape recorder. Explorations of the metallophone and tape sounds are deconstructed and reintegrated into tracks with cassette loops. This release is part of this year’s Muscut label series, dedicated not to electronic but to electro-acoustic music focusing on analog recording and production."
Taken from the Shape platform interview (March 2024)

Hazy Runway Indie Rock That Oozes Vibes

Katie Schecter is for fans of Sharon Van Etten, Caroline Rose, and Amy Winehouse. Raised in NYC, it feels as if Katie Schecter time traveled to present day from a chicer and more sonically cool yesteryear of the future. She effortlessly blends the half-cool, half-kitsch of her home in Nashville that is neither new nor timeless. Deeply soulful and introspective indie rock vibes await the listener when you drop the needle on this LP. Produced with love and care by Nick Bockrath of Cage The Elephant with an incredible set of musicians (Homer Stenweiss, Leon Michels to name a few!) this LP is one that reveals more of itself the more you spin it.

Selbst in einer Karriere voller krasser Wendungen war ,Joggers & Smoggers" (1989) echt überraschend. Während ,Aural Guerilla" (1988) ein Versuch war, die verrückte Live-Energie der Band im Studio einzufangen, was echt gut geklappt hat, war der Nachfolger ,Joggers & Smoggers" ein Versuch, fast alle Grenzen zu ignorieren. Diese 34 Songs strotzen vor grenzenlosem Eklektizismus und verbinden die legendäre Intensität der Band mit spielerischen Umwegen, literarischen Erfindungen und Referenzen sowie erfolgreichen Kollaborationen (von den Noise-Rockern Thurston Moore und Lee Ranaldo bis hin zu den in Amsterdam ansässigen Improvisatoren Ab Baars und Wolter Wierbos und einer Reihe bereits bekannter Freunde und Verbündeter). Das Ergebnis ist nicht mehr eine streng ausgeführte Reihe von Songs, sondern ein großzügiger Ausbruch von Kreativität. Auf diesem Doppelalbum kombiniert The Ex Unruhe, Verspieltheit, ethnische Einflüsse und improvisatorische Ideen, wie sie bereits auf Veröffentlichungen wie ,Dignity Of Labour" (1983) und ,Blueprints For a Blackout" (1984) angedeutet wurden. Das Ergebnis ist ihr bis dahin umfangreichstes und einzigartigstes Album, vielleicht eine ihrer wirklich ,wichtigsten Veröffentlichungen", die die Grundlage für ihre bevorstehende Zusammenarbeit mit Tom Cora bildete.

Westside Cowboy return with their new EP ‘So Much Country Till’ We Get There”, released January 16th via their new label home Adventure Recordings. With their particular blend of self-titled ‘Britainicana’ the Manchester-based four piece have been heralded as one of the best live bands in the country, winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition, and appearing as a regular fixture on the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist.

French chanson, electro beats, pared-down or synthetic piano: at 21, Iliona draws on all of this. Plural, multifaceted, elusive. Yet her lyrics resonate as if one were singing heartache—and the love one hopes for—for the very first time.
She composes, records, and produces her tracks alone, determined to keep them as close as possible to the tunes, harmonies, and silhouettes she holds in her mind. This time, they are infused with the light of an intense love, and still carried by extreme sparseness in their arrangements: nothing—from electronic arpeggios to melodic autotune—is ever superfluous; everything has its place. Lifted by a new lightness, the tracks also echo the spirit of the yéyé sound Iliona has been listening to for a few years, without necessarily knowing the name of every songwriter or the mark they left behind. It’s their longing for carefree abandon that hovers over the hypnotic Si tu m’aimes demain and its music video inspired by the New Wave, the Beatles, and all those future memories you begin to build when you’re in love.


A gentle warmth also sweeps through the hazy doo-wop contours of Tête brûlée, and the lo-fi twist of Cocoon; but always with that veil of shadow that once floated over the apparent nonchalance of Françoise Hardy’s songs. That unease, that worried smile, resurfaces in the lovely pop gallop of Garçon manqué, an ode to the deepest friendships—the ones you hold in your arms to dance or, sometimes, to cry. Or in the delicate Cent fois, which whispers, “when will the movie scenes we quietly dreamed of come to life?”
The answer, perhaps, lies in wherever you hide, the party finds you, a superb soundtrack to an imaginary drama, whose venomous keyboards unfold the pictorial strength of Iliona’s songs.

For 20 years Bart De Paepe has carved a distinctive trace in the realm of psychedelic underground and counterculture. With several outstanding solo albums on a.o. Astres d’Or, Ultra Eczema, No Basement Is Deep Enough and with many studio and concert ventures with Sylvester Anfang’s funeral folks, Louise Landes Levi, Timo van Luijk, Raymond Dijkstra to name a few, Bart De Paepe developed a wide and sharp spirit within the orbit of psychedelic improvisation. Since 2007, Bart also curates the Sloow Tapes and Sloowax labels with an impressive catalog of music and poetry by a wide range of resonating artists. Bart’s visual work (drawing and painting), parallel to his musical universe, has been used on many of these releases. He is a genuinely curious traveler, always discovering new dimensions, which is clearly to be heard on the four tracks of this album.

Zürahümnah is an immediate and immersive dive into solitary inner and outer worlds of light and darkness. Zürahümnah is a floating vibration of flickering twilight. Zürahümnah is a mysterious journey through detached time and space. Equipped with Hawaiian guitar, piano, organ and cymbal, Bart De Paepe sets the controls for the heart of the sun.

KREATOR’s Krushers Of The World is a ferocious return that finds the band at full strength, blending classic thrash fury with fresh intensity and purpose. From the relentless opener “Seven Serpents” to the darkly melodic “Tränenpalast” featuring Britta Görtz, the album shows a band unafraid to evolve while staying true to their roots. Tracks like “Barbarian” and “Psychotic Imperator” hit with unrelenting speed, while the title track and “Satanic Anarchy” deliver crushing groove and anthemic hooks. Backed by Jens Bogren’s massive production and Zbigniew Bielak’s striking artwork, Krushers of the World proves KREATOR aren’t just surviving — they’re still leading. Fueled by the reflective fire of their Hate & Hope film and Mille Petrozza’s sharpened vision, this is a statement album: heavy, focused, and unstoppable.

KREATOR’s Krushers Of The World is a ferocious return that finds the band at full strength, blending classic thrash fury with fresh intensity and purpose. From the relentless opener “Seven Serpents” to the darkly melodic “Tränenpalast” featuring Britta Görtz, the album shows a band unafraid to evolve while staying true to their roots. Tracks like “Barbarian” and “Psychotic Imperator” hit with unrelenting speed, while the title track and “Satanic Anarchy” deliver crushing groove and anthemic hooks. Backed by Jens Bogren’s massive production and Zbigniew Bielak’s striking artwork, Krushers of the World proves KREATOR aren’t just surviving — they’re still leading. Fueled by the reflective fire of their Hate & Hope film and Mille Petrozza’s sharpened vision, this is a statement album: heavy, focused, and unstoppable.

KREATOR’s Krushers Of The World is a ferocious return that finds the band at full strength, blending classic thrash fury with fresh intensity and purpose. From the relentless opener “Seven Serpents” to the darkly melodic “Tränenpalast” featuring Britta Görtz, the album shows a band unafraid to evolve while staying true to their roots. Tracks like “Barbarian” and “Psychotic Imperator” hit with unrelenting speed, while the title track and “Satanic Anarchy” deliver crushing groove and anthemic hooks. Backed by Jens Bogren’s massive production and Zbigniew Bielak’s striking artwork, Krushers of the World proves KREATOR aren’t just surviving — they’re still leading. Fueled by the reflective fire of their Hate & Hope film and Mille Petrozza’s sharpened vision, this is a statement album: heavy, focused, and unstoppable.

KREATOR’s Krushers Of The World is a ferocious return that finds the band at full strength, blending classic thrash fury with fresh intensity and purpose. From the relentless opener “Seven Serpents” to the darkly melodic “Tränenpalast” featuring Britta Görtz, the album shows a band unafraid to evolve while staying true to their roots. Tracks like “Barbarian” and “Psychotic Imperator” hit with unrelenting speed, while the title track and “Satanic Anarchy” deliver crushing groove and anthemic hooks. Backed by Jens Bogren’s massive production and Zbigniew Bielak’s striking artwork, Krushers of the World proves KREATOR aren’t just surviving — they’re still leading. Fueled by the reflective fire of their Hate & Hope film and Mille Petrozza’s sharpened vision, this is a statement album: heavy, focused, and unstoppable.

Sunburst vinyl version of “Make Metal Royal Again” (previously released August 15th, 2025 via Reaper Entertainment), HAMMER KING once again raise their banners high: the throne of power metal is theirs to claim. Following the chart-breaking success of their last two records – “Kingdemonium” (#17 DE) and “König und Kaiser” (#16 DE) – the German quartet returns in 2025 with even more grandeur, might, and majestic songwriting. Produced by Charles Greywolf (Powerwolf) and Titan Fox V, and mixed & mastered by Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Volbeat), the album delivers ten powerful new tracks and a surprise bonus cover. With “Danger Zone”, the band pays a thunderous, metallic tribute to pop culture for the very first time. From anthemic epics like “For Crown And Kingdom” to the cinematic grandeur of “Hoheitsgebiet” and the touching ballad “Schlaf Kaiser schlaf”, HAMMER KING offer a full royal banquet of sound and spirit. Introducing new drummer Count Shandorian, whose precision and creative drive elevate the band’s sound even further, Make Metal Royal Again marks a new peak in the group’s journey. The magnificent artwork by Péter Sallai (Powerwolf, Sabaton), inspired by The Last Supper, captures the album’s core themes: power, identity, and loyalty. This is not just an album – it’s HAMMER KING’s metal manifesto for a new golden age.

With Born From Chaos, DYMYTRY PARADOX make it clear: they are ready to claim their place among the leading forces of modern metal. Each of the nine tracks is a powerful statement on power, pride, and the destructive cycles that continue to shape our world. From driving anthems like “Red Sky Remains” and “War Beneath My Skin”, to the explosive single “Sun of a Broken God”, and epic moments like “Overmind”, the album combines crushing riffs, haunting vocals, and relentless intensity that immediately grabs the listener. DYMYTRY PARADOX demonstrate with every song their ambition to push boundaries and make a lasting mark on the scene. Born From Chaos is more than an album – it’s a declaration, a warning, and a statement: the time of DYMYTRY PARADOX has begun.

After teaming up on Smile Sessions with "L'Orologio" last year, JKS and Lacchesi are back at it with their new "High & Dry EP." The four-track project bridges their worlds perfectly. JKS bringing his trademark high-octane energy, Lacchesi diving deep into darker, more textured sound. A sharp mix of dancefloor weapons and introspective moments harmonizing their respective label's artistic directions.

Dropping via both Smile Sessions and Maison Close Records, High & Dry EP is another solid proof of the creative spark between these two French-born producers. Driving rhythms, haunting atmospheres, and a touch of melancholy, all stitched together for an intense, late-night journey.

In 2022, In the Red Records released The Great Confrontation, an album of instrumental electronic music by Chip Kinman. It was Chip’s first solo album; his previous recording, This American Blues, by his band Ford Madox Ford, was issued just prior to the 2018 death of his brother Tony. The Kinmans had been partnered musically since they were teens, in a variety of now-legendary projects: the OG California punk band the Dils, the pathfinding cowpunk unit Rank and File, the ear-shattering electro-rock duo Blackbird, and the Western music twosome Cowboy Nation.

In the wake of The Great Confrontation, Chip and In the Red plotted another record. The resultant collection, Chip Kinman, is reflective, soulful, and profoundly affecting, a statement of identity and a look back at life that avoids the pitfalls that could derail an autobiographical work.

"I had to figure out something to write about, and I thought, it’s time to make that record," Chip says. "A long time ago, Tony and I were talking about singer-songwriters, and he said, ‘If you’re going to sing about your life, you better have had a fucking interesting life.’ And I thought, I have. I’ve gotta deep-dive into that. I figured, if I was going to write about what it was like, how was I gonna approach that? How was I going to say that without being nostalgic or without being maudlin or without being over-celebratory? It it was, well, just say it like it was."

Texas-based Ben Hixon is a high-quality house head and for the one on his home label of Dolfin he hooks up with Stonie Blue, while Atlanta mainstay Stefan Ringer also steps up to feature on one cut. 'DX15' opens with a hooky synth motif that's stretched and bent over wooden drum knocks. It's minimal but warm and full of subtle tension. 'The Dancers (feat Stefan Ringer)' has more of a shuffle and sway to it to get those hips going and 'W3dnesday' then sinks back into loopy, elastic rhythm territory with woozy late-night chords draped over the top. 'What You Want (feat Sotnie Blue)' is a more jacked-up cut with hurried kicks and an irresistible urgency.

Quartet Records and MGM present the re-issue of the first official complete vinyl edition of Burt Bacharach’s timeless classic soundtrack for the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale.

The infectious main theme performed by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass is just the starting point of an epic comedy ride that includes such highlights as the unforgettable “The Look of Love,” sung by Dusty Springfield, or the epic fight music at the end of the film. Produced by record industry legend Phil Ramone, the original soundtrack LP offered selected highlights, expertly edited to showcase the best parts of the entire score. Thanks to the legendary sound quality of the stereo copies, this record became one of the most highly sought-after collectibles in the industry.

This straight re-issue of our 2019 vinyl edition was produced, restored and mastered by Chris Malone, rebuilding the score from the ground up. The soundtrack album has long been considered a cornerstone of an audiophile’s collection. Lauded by The Absolute Sound, the original Colgems release continues to remain in pole position as the best sounding “popular” LP vinyl disc of all time.

Malone’s work was focused on addressing unintended technical anomalies (such as filling dropouts and covering analogue splices) rather than broadly applying a modern sound palette. He has eschewed dynamic range compression and retained the brilliance of the original recording. The first LP is a fully remastered reissue of the iconic original stereo vinyl, playing in all its splendor. The second LP contains all the unreleased material, in mono, which are still the only available source to date.

This special 2xlp is a limited edition pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, all of it housed in a gatefold jacket, retaining the iconic original cover art by Robert McGinnis

Crypt of the Wizard is proud to present Ginger Wizard - The Curious Flora and Fauna of the Ancient World on vinyl and digital formats.
About ten years ago in a record store in Prague, the Ginger Wizard discovered a copy of Bo Hansson’s Lord of the Rings LP. Although initially unfamiliar with the record, the reference to Tolkien’s masterwork and the incredible cover art drew him in and, rather fittingly, sent him off on a journey of discovery that would reshape his creative trajectory.
Years later while working in cassette tape manufacturing, Ginger Wizard noticed that most fantasy-inspired music fell into two camps: metal and dungeon synth. With little interest in the former, but intrigued by the latter, he began writing a few songs imagining a beautifully packaged and tactile cassette tape. However, dungeon synth he soon realized was “the most boring music to make”.
So began the Ginger Wizard’s own mythological discography. In 2022 came The Feast for the Dead King and Other Musical Themes recorded at home in a cold kitchen, is conversely an album full of warmth drawn from sheer exploration. A year later Can I Choose My Own Psychopompos? was recorded for the legendary Stoned to Death label - a 7” séance of semi-improvised noise and melody featuring allies from the Ginger Wizard’s live backing band The Peter Jacksons. The following year with Bathysburg Tales, a new approach was needed in order to keep the project interesting. Drawing inspiration from Popol Vuh and the inclusion of vocals lent by Protomartyr’s Joe Casey and Jakob Battick, a new more cinematic sound began to emerge.
Now, we present The Curious Flora and Fauna of the Ancient World marking a step into something stranger while still channeling the spirit of Bo Hansson. The new album rejects swords and sorcery for the mythology of the natural world “the ancient stuff,” he explains in the record’s insert, “has a similar taste for me as fantasy.” These songs bloom, creep, and shimmer like forgotten plants under distant suns while rooted in something real and organic. Inspired by the myths of nature rather than heroic quests, it’s an album that feels alive, equal parts archaeological dig and psychedelic garden.
Currently at work on a soundtrack for an imagined 1970s fantasy film in collaboration with The Peter Jacksons, the Ginger Wizard continues to expand his strange universe while The Curious Flora and Fauna of the Ancient World serves as a new map to somewhere ancient, beautiful, and unknown.