Eisenwald

12" + CD (extended-play)
Packaging:    Solid sleeve, heavy stock insert holding the CD sleeve. Black paper inner sleeve with a protective layer, designed download card for the digital album

Composed during the pandemic-induced lockdown period of 2020/2021, "Isolation" features some of ColdWorld's most expressive compositions to date. Managing to transcend the conventional sounds pursued in what is best described as the "ambient/depressive" black metal subgenre, ColdWorld's newest sonic endeavor draws listeners into an incredibly immersive soundscape, rife with lush classical instrumentation and ethereal, yet occasionally harrowing vocals, the first of which is showcased brilliantly on the album's second track "Soundtrack to Isolation".

Clearly, this music is a truly honest and emotional representation of what the project's sole mastermind G.B. has experienced these past years. As such, the songs that comprise "Isolation" ebb and flow effortlessly, with even seemingly lengthy track durations being navigated masterfully by G.B.'s approach to songwriting and track placement. Throughout "Isolation", listeners may notice influences ranging from more traditional black metal and immensely heavy doom fused with post-rock leanings along the lines of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Of particular note is the use of classical string instrumentation and guitar lead harmonies that harken back to early My Dying Bride. However, it is the fusion of these elements and their interpretation through the creative mind that allows to confront listeners with an incredibly individualistic sound.

The creative and diverse vocal work featuring layered clean vocals, harrowing wails, a fascinating form of what is possibly throat singing as well as profoundly deep growls give "Isolation" an unmistakable edge over many of ColdWorld's contemporaries in a rather crowded scene. As such, listeners are sure to return to these eight tracks regularly, as this work is not easily grasped in its entirety on a first listen. Although it makes a staggering first impression, this record demands to be experienced repeatedly.

Solid cover with insert on thick stock, both with matt varnish, A2 Poster, download of the album. Pressed on virgin vinyl 180 GR

Composed during the pandemic-induced lockdown period of 2020/2021, "Isolation" features some of ColdWorld's most expressive compositions to date. Managing to transcend the conventional sounds pursued in what is best described as the "ambient/depressive" black metal subgenre, ColdWorld's newest sonic endeavor draws listeners into an incredibly immersive soundscape, rife with lush classical instrumentation and ethereal, yet occasionally harrowing vocals, the first of which is showcased brilliantly on the album's second track "Soundtrack to Isolation".

Clearly, this music is a truly honest and emotional representation of what the project's sole mastermind G.B. has experienced these past years. As such, the songs that comprise "Isolation" ebb and flow effortlessly, with even seemingly lengthy track durations being navigated masterfully by G.B.'s approach to songwriting and track placement. Throughout "Isolation", listeners may notice influences ranging from more traditional black metal and immensely heavy doom fused with post-rock leanings along the lines of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Of particular note is the use of classical string instrumentation and guitar lead harmonies that harken back to early My Dying Bride. However, it is the fusion of these elements and their interpretation through the creative mind that allows to confront listeners with an incredibly individualistic sound.

The creative and diverse vocal work featuring layered clean vocals, harrowing wails, a fascinating form of what is possibly throat singing as well as profoundly deep growls give "Isolation" an unmistakable edge over many of ColdWorld's contemporaries in a rather crowded scene. As such, listeners are sure to return to these eight tracks regularly, as this work is not easily grasped in its entirety on a first listen. Although it makes a staggering first impression, this record demands to be experienced repeatedly.

CD in classic jewel case with 12-page booklet incl. all lyrics, plus a designed album download card.

Composed during the pandemic-induced lockdown period of 2020/2021, "Isolation" features some of ColdWorld's most expressive compositions to date. Managing to transcend the conventional sounds pursued in what is best described as the "ambient/depressive" black metal subgenre, ColdWorld's newest sonic endeavor draws listeners into an incredibly immersive soundscape, rife with lush classical instrumentation and ethereal, yet occasionally harrowing vocals, the first of which is showcased brilliantly on the album's second track "Soundtrack to Isolation".

Clearly, this music is a truly honest and emotional representation of what the project's sole mastermind G.B. has experienced these past years. As such, the songs that comprise "Isolation" ebb and flow effortlessly, with even seemingly lengthy track durations being navigated masterfully by G.B.'s approach to songwriting and track placement. Throughout "Isolation", listeners may notice influences ranging from more traditional black metal and immensely heavy doom fused with post-rock leanings along the lines of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Of particular note is the use of classical string instrumentation and guitar lead harmonies that harken back to early My Dying Bride. However, it is the fusion of these elements and their interpretation through the creative mind that allows to confront listeners with an incredibly individualistic sound.

The creative and diverse vocal work featuring layered clean vocals, harrowing wails, a fascinating form of what is possibly throat singing as well as profoundly deep growls give "Isolation" an unmistakable edge over many of ColdWorld's contemporaries in a rather crowded scene. As such, listeners are sure to return to these eight tracks regularly, as this work is not easily grasped in its entirety on a first listen. Although it makes a staggering first impression, this record demands to be experienced repeatedly.

48-page Book edition, incl. two bonus tracks, all lyrics, liner notes plus a designed album download card.

Composed during the pandemic-induced lockdown period of 2020/2021, "Isolation" features some of ColdWorld's most expressive compositions to date. Managing to transcend the conventional sounds pursued in what is best described as the "ambient/depressive" black metal subgenre, ColdWorld's newest sonic endeavor draws listeners into an incredibly immersive soundscape, rife with lush classical instrumentation and ethereal, yet occasionally harrowing vocals, the first of which is showcased brilliantly on the album's second track "Soundtrack to Isolation".

Clearly, this music is a truly honest and emotional representation of what the project's sole mastermind G.B. has experienced these past years. As such, the songs that comprise "Isolation" ebb and flow effortlessly, with even seemingly lengthy track durations being navigated masterfully by G.B.'s approach to songwriting and track placement. Throughout "Isolation", listeners may notice influences ranging from more traditional black metal and immensely heavy doom fused with post-rock leanings along the lines of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Of particular note is the use of classical string instrumentation and guitar lead harmonies that harken back to early My Dying Bride. However, it is the fusion of these elements and their interpretation through the creative mind that allows to confront listeners with an incredibly individualistic sound.

The creative and diverse vocal work featuring layered clean vocals, harrowing wails, a fascinating form of what is possibly throat singing as well as profoundly deep growls give "Isolation" an unmistakable edge over many of ColdWorld's contemporaries in a rather crowded scene. As such, listeners are sure to return to these eight tracks regularly, as this work is not easily grasped in its entirety on a first listen. Although it makes a staggering first impression, this record demands to be experienced repeatedly.

Throughout the "Suns of Perdition" tetralogy, Panzerfaust has managed to expand upon their distinct sound and infuse it with a clear vision and intensity. In the third act of the tetralogy, the band takes listeners on an incredibly immersive, yet harrowing journey to an outer darkness, documenting mankind's descent into collective madness and forcing listeners to face the mirror of a hideous reality, in all of its glorious terror, horror, and disgust.

The music contained on "The Astral Drain" is incredibly captivating and immediate, whilst retaining a strong sense of atmosphere. In particular, the intensity of the performances is truly something to behold. While many contemporaries may drift toward increased tempos in order to artificially create a sense of intensity, Panzerfaust have achieved songwriting brilliance in ensuring that every moment on "The Astral Drain" is filled with passion and purpose. This is all the more impressive as much of the material seems purposefully composed at a more mid-tempo, allowing for these songs to be embellished with stunning details in melody, primarily provided by guitars, vocal arrangements, effective ambient sections as well as incredibly precise and deep percussion work. Specifically, the drums manage to provide a solid foundation to these monolithic tracks, while offering stunning compositional diversity and creativity. Furthermore, the band's boldness in vocal performance and delivery enhances what would already be a captivating listening experience. As such, it is the fantastic compositional detail placed on each element throughout this record that elevates "The Astral Drain" to stand as Panzerfaust's most accomplished and ambitious work to this date, certainly warranting repeated listens.

The band's ability as songwriters are on full display here, as each song refuses to fall back on genre conventions, instead of allowing the music to develop organically, with movements in each song seeming to convulse and develop into new sections that drive the music forward. This is an impressive compositional achievement, as the shifts in musical form occur naturally, belying the fact that great effort was placed in the fluidity of the music, something that is often ignored in more "progressive" extreme metal.

As pertains to production, the band has managed to infuse these songs with depth and a strong sense of atmospherics that never drains out the main instruments. Produced by Greg Dawson at BWC Studios in Kingston, Ontario, and mastered by Sergei Lazar at CDM Records, Moscow, the sound of "The Astral Drain" is stunningly organic, whilst retaining clarity in all instrumental elements, an impressive accomplishment when considering the audible layers on display throughout the album. The production is warm and entrancing, perfectly fitting the compositions of the record.

Despite - or perhaps due to - this compositional and conceptual boldness, "The Astral Drain" is a profound black metal record, filled with sonic despair and darkness.

Throughout the "Suns of Perdition" tetralogy, Panzerfaust has managed to expand upon their distinct sound and infuse it with a clear vision and intensity. In the third act of the tetralogy, the band takes listeners on an incredibly immersive, yet harrowing journey to an outer darkness, documenting mankind's descent into collective madness and forcing listeners to face the mirror of a hideous reality, in all of its glorious terror, horror, and disgust.

The music contained on "The Astral Drain" is incredibly captivating and immediate, whilst retaining a strong sense of atmosphere. In particular, the intensity of the performances is truly something to behold. While many contemporaries may drift toward increased tempos in order to artificially create a sense of intensity, Panzerfaust have achieved songwriting brilliance in ensuring that every moment on "The Astral Drain" is filled with passion and purpose. This is all the more impressive as much of the material seems purposefully composed at a more mid-tempo, allowing for these songs to be embellished with stunning details in melody, primarily provided by guitars, vocal arrangements, effective ambient sections as well as incredibly precise and deep percussion work. Specifically, the drums manage to provide a solid foundation to these monolithic tracks, while offering stunning compositional diversity and creativity. Furthermore, the band's boldness in vocal performance and delivery enhances what would already be a captivating listening experience. As such, it is the fantastic compositional detail placed on each element throughout this record that elevates "The Astral Drain" to stand as Panzerfaust's most accomplished and ambitious work to this date, certainly warranting repeated listens.

The band's ability as songwriters are on full display here, as each song refuses to fall back on genre conventions, instead of allowing the music to develop organically, with movements in each song seeming to convulse and develop into new sections that drive the music forward. This is an impressive compositional achievement, as the shifts in musical form occur naturally, belying the fact that great effort was placed in the fluidity of the music, something that is often ignored in more "progressive" extreme metal.

As pertains to production, the band has managed to infuse these songs with depth and a strong sense of atmospherics that never drains out the main instruments. Produced by Greg Dawson at BWC Studios in Kingston, Ontario, and mastered by Sergei Lazar at CDM Records, Moscow, the sound of "The Astral Drain" is stunningly organic, whilst retaining clarity in all instrumental elements, an impressive accomplishment when considering the audible layers on display throughout the album. The production is warm and entrancing, perfectly fitting the compositions of the record.

Despite - or perhaps due to - this compositional and conceptual boldness, "The Astral Drain" is a profound black metal record, filled with sonic despair and darkness.

Solid sleeve, heavy stock insert, A2 poster on uncoated paper, black paper inner sleeve with a protective layer, designed download card for the digital album.

180g colored vinyl, limited edition!

On "Arete", NETHERBIRD return with their signature melodic black/death metal that has become their hallmark. It is deeply rooted in the Scandinavian underground legacy, yet delivered with a strong sense of feel and urgency, allowing these tracks to exude the confidence and songwriting prowess of a band at the peak of their craft. The album itself is the third installment of the trilogy that started on “The Grander Voyage” and continued on “Into the Vast Uncharted”. The journey has come to its completion with this album, where the very concept of Arete – the classic ideal of excellence – is scrutinized from various angles in these songs.

* PLEASE NOTE: color vinyl pictures are a sample. Especially marble/mixed/swirl/splatter vinyl is always different in the way it looks after every manufacturing process. That applies to the intensity of the color swap and the amount of effect to be seen in every platter. The same goes for audio quality and background noise, which may occur especially on color mix and color specials.

Solid gatefold sleeve, heavy stock 12" insert, black paper inner sleeve with a protective layer, designed download card for the digital album.

Gatefold 180g vinyl edition, gold & black blend vinyl.
 

Solid gatefold sleeve, heavy stock 12" insert, black paper inner sleeve with a protective layer, designed download card for the digital album.

Gatefold 180g vinyl edition, limited clear/black smoke vinyl!
 

"Key to a Vanishing Future" is an intended departure from the sounds explored throughout the band's back catalog, while still retaining characteristics inherent to Falls of Rauros. Never content to make the same album twice, the group has once again invited new influences into their aesthetic, this time including more explicit nods to death metal and prog rock while still drilling deeper into the black metal and North American folk-rock that makes up their core sound. This is once again their heaviest album to date, as well as their most technically demanding. The album was recorded by the band themselves in their rehearsal space in late 2020/early 2021, befitting of the natural and organic sound pursued for the album, while mixing and mastering duties were handled by Colin Marston. The striking artwork was created by Austin Lunn (Panopticon). Photography by Drew Buerhaus.

After a period of smoldering dormancy Vanum reappears, blazing and alive, with their third full length album, Legend. Continuing the triumphant march of previous works, but raising the stakes even higher, Legend finds Vanum both expanding and refining their approach, and in turn delivering their most fully realized recording to date.

Professionally duplicated tapes with vintage print, full-color cover on haptic card stock, and a designed download card for the digital album.

After a period of smoldering dormancy Vanum reappears, blazing and alive, with their third full length album, Legend. Continuing the triumphant march of previous works, but raising the stakes even higher, Legend finds Vanum both expanding and refining their approach, and in turn delivering their most fully realized recording to date.

6-panel Digipak with golden hotfoil embossing, plus 24x24 cm fold-out poster booklet. Also includes a designed download card for the digital album.

Medival Black Metal act HELTEKVAD, - featuring members of Afsky, Solbrud, Sunken, and Morild

Medival Black Metal act HELTEKVAD, - featuring members of Afsky, Solbrud, Sunken, and Morild

180g gold vinyl edition. 2nd press.
 

Medival Black Metal act HELTEKVAD, - featuring members of Afsky, Solbrud, Sunken, and Morild

2 x CD in Jewelcase, 28-page booklet incl. lyrics and liner notes, and designed album download card.

With a career spanning nine full-length albums, a slew of demos, EPs, and splits as well as notable live performances throughout the globe, it is high time for Ceremonial Castings to commemorate 25 years of their existence, a milestone reached in the year 2021. For this occasion, the band has hand-selected and carefully re-recorded 18 of their classic songs, as well as two completely new and previously unreleased instrumentals by Nick Superchi.

On “Blessings of Amurdad” (Amurdad translating to immortality in Middle Persian), Dakhma abducts listeners to a distant, foreign land and dares to journey to a time long ago, when desert mystics and noble empires still strode proudly through ancient Persia. Thematically, “Blessings of Amurdad” explores the complex relationship between mortality and immortality in Zoroastrianism, based mainly on key passages of the ancient text of the Gathas. In particular, the band manages to provide a compelling narrative detailing perceived jealousies expressed by mortals towards the divine and vice versa. These themes are captured in the compelling cover artwork, painted by the inimitable Babar Moghal, depicting an ancient tower of silence, seemingly forgotten and decaying but nevertheless exuding a sense of foreboding and nobility, hinting at the divine.

'Of Stone, Wind, and Pillor' is now available as a 20th anniversary remastered edition in deluxe Digipak with live bonus music.

Four new tracks of pure black metal drag the listeners to the most sinister graves of early 90's black metal, heralding the invocation of a most ominous spell. From the opening sounds of "Sectes", it is clear that Cantique Lépreux is a band with intense focus, immediately grabbing listeners' attention with their utterly putrid sound

Four new tracks of pure black metal drag the listeners to the most sinister graves of early 90's black metal, heralding the invocation of a most ominous spell. From the opening sounds of "Sectes", it is clear that Cantique Lépreux is a band with intense focus, immediately grabbing listeners' attention with their utterly putrid sound

On “Blessings of Amurdad” (Amurdad translating to immortality in Middle Persian), Dakhma abducts listeners to a distant, foreign land and dares to journey to a time long ago, when desert mystics and noble empires still strode proudly through ancient Persia. Thematically, “Blessings of Amurdad” explores the complex relationship between mortality and immortality in Zoroastrianism, based mainly on key passages of the ancient text of the Gathas. In particular, the band manages to provide a compelling narrative detailing perceived jealousies expressed by mortals towards the divine and vice versa. These themes are captured in the compelling cover artwork, painted by the inimitable Babar Moghal, depicting an ancient tower of silence, seemingly forgotten and decaying but nevertheless exuding a sense of foreboding and nobility, hinting at the divine.

On “Blessings of Amurdad” (Amurdad translating to immortality in Middle Persian), Dakhma abducts listeners to a distant, foreign land and dares to journey to a time long ago, when desert mystics and noble empires still strode proudly through ancient Persia. Thematically, “Blessings of Amurdad” explores the complex relationship between mortality and immortality in Zoroastrianism, based mainly on key passages of the ancient text of the Gathas. In particular, the band manages to provide a compelling narrative detailing perceived jealousies expressed by mortals towards the divine and vice versa. These themes are captured in the compelling cover artwork, painted by the inimitable Babar Moghal, depicting an ancient tower of silence, seemingly forgotten and decaying but nevertheless exuding a sense of foreboding and nobility, hinting at the divine.

Solid gatefold cover printed on reverse board, 12" LP booklet on uncoated thick stock, download of the album on a specially designed card.

Iskandr, the enigmatic heathen black metal project by creator O, returns in the autumn of the year MMXXI with their third full-length album. In two albums and two EP’s spread out between MMXVI and now, the project has seen an interesting arc of development from spacious atmospheres and regal solitude towards both a more battle hardened aggression as well as elaborate acoustic instrumentation. The new album “Vergezicht” not only delivers on what these earlier releases promised but further elevates Iskandr into higher planes of compositional complexity.

Utilising a variety of electric and acoustic instruments – as well as a wide array of vocal techniques – the sound of Iskandr has ventured further into realms of monumental sonic architecture. The fruitful collaboration between O’s musical direction and engineering, and M. Koop’s foundational drumming, provides a degree of clarity and forcefulness to the record that goes well beyond anything put out under the Haeresis Noviomagi banners until now. The regal triumphalism of its MMXVIII predecessor “Euprosopon” is further expanded upon, yielding six hymns chronicling stories of heroic resistance, deceit and regeneration.