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Mediabook CD with bonus track & remix + 24p booklet

Nightmares have never sounded so beautiful! Swedish grandeurs of melancholic heaviness, KATATONIA, return with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, set for release on June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records. Once again, the Stockholm-based unit masterfully navigates the tightrope act between nocturnal darkness and Scandinavian despair while subtly weaving a sense of hope into the listener’s heart. Since emerging in the early nineties, KATATONIA has projected a beacon of light for the forgotten and the lonely ones, offering solace to those willing to lose themselves in the band’s immersive soundscapes. From their roots in death-doom metal to the post-metal entity they embody today, their art remains as haunting as ever. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State marks the next step in KATATONIA’s evolution, building upon the foundation of their previous album, Sky Void of Stars (2023). Crystal-clear production highlights the interplay between silence and intensity, while the contrast of heavy riffs, delicate guitar harmonies, ethereal synthesizers, and atmospheric nuances create captivating tension. Tracks like ""Thrice"" and ""Warden"" pulse with dynamic energy, while ""Lilac"" sees Jonas Renkse’s unmistakable vocals intertwining with hypnotic rhythms and progressive elements. A near-ceremonial piece, ""Wind of No Change"", merges subtle electronic textures with KATATONIA’s enigmatic soundscapes, while ""Temporal"" balances fragility and strength - its intense verses culminating in a soaring, emotionally charged chorus. The breathtaking ""Efter Solen"" (Engl. After the Sun), featuring Swedish lyrics, evokes echoes of Jonas Eika’s 2018 short story collection, with minimalistic yet striking instrumentation.

Even after more than 30 years, KATATONIA continues to redefine the emotional spectrum of their genre, effortlessly shifting between haunting vulnerability and commanding artistry. With sonic landscapes that evoke dystopia, inner demons, purity, and beauty alike, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State stands as a testament to their enduring brilliance. The album was produced by Jonas Renkse, recorded by Lawrence Mackrory at NBS Audio and The City of Glass, mixed by Adam Noble, and mastered by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering.

Before Chat Pile took on sold out tours and widespread critical acclaim, they played Roadburn 2023, their biggest show to date, in front of a packed room of 3,000 on the festival's main stage. Fresh off the release of God’s Country, the Oklahoma quartet brought their suffocating, sludgy noise rock to Tilburg for their first ever European performance, delivering a set that felt like a milestone. The bleakness, the anguish, the raw absurdity—it all scaled up effortlessly, proving that Chat Pile’s chaos could consume any audience, no matter the size.

The set was recorded and later remixed by the band’s longtime engineer Jared Stimpfl, capturing the full weight of the performance. The result is something both massive and unrelenting, a document of Chat Pile at a pivotal moment, pushing their sound to its heaviest and most visceral extremes.

Twelve years after its original release, Nordvis proudly presents this remastered version of Waldgeflüster’s “Femundsmarka – Eine Reise in drei Kapiteln”. The album chronicles a trek undertaken by the band’s mastermind, Winterherz, and his brother, P, through the Femundsmarka National Park in Norway.

Building on a foundation of atmospheric black metal, Winterherz uses various samples of wilderness and sea to weave a sonic tapestry that blends seamlessly with meticulously crafted acoustic melodies. Instrumental interludes play a pivotal role, serving as introductions, transitions, and a grand finale – all enhancing the conceptual nature of the album. The vocal performances of both brothers intertwine harmoniously, complementing each other's strengths. Their diverse range, from powerful growls to ethereal chants, adds depth and intensity to the music, creating a captivating blend.

Prepare yourself for an unforgettable musical odyssey; let Waldgeflüster transport you to untamed realms, where the beauty of nature meets the raw power of black metal. Open your heart, close your eyes, and embark on an extraordinary escapade.

Tracklist:

Slipcase is missing

this version

1. The End of Laughter 12:15
2. Discidium 09:44
3. Ephemeral Cure 13:33
4. Once Supreme 12:29

Jewelcase edition, out of print / FIRST PRESS   ---- SEALED 

Moonlight Sorcery is a Finnish black metal trio formed in early 2018. The band’s black metal is a symphonic and melodic variety by nature. Inspired by many black metal classics as well as classic heavy metal and melodic death metal, the band indeed has a huge palette of influences, which is directly reflected in the versatility of the song material.

Piercing Through the Frozen Eternity, the band first EP, was worked on as the icy winds blew and winter did its magic. In all the peace and quiet. The silver-saturated nights of the moon rushed to the melodies that breathe sorrow and the eternal majesty of the cold stars.

Jewelcase CD

 Gatefold LP (crystal clear vinyl), incl. padded inner sleeve and protection sleeve 

With their seventh full-length "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL explore the liminal spaces between light and darkness, nature and solitude on an epic album. The ever evolving and shifting Finnish band has reawakened their treasured roots in folk music and psychedelic rock as they artfully weave acoustic interludes, cosmic synths, and spectral piano into the frost-spun threads on their black metal loom. "Nocturne" sounds both familiar and fearlessly progressive as echoes of tradition entwine with a fresh reinvention of their characteristic sound. The seed of this masterpiece was sown by the performance of a commissioned work at Roadburn Festival 2024 that was originally entitled: "Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne". With this album, it arrives fully fleshed in recorded form. This opus magnum blends the raw spirit of Quorthon's black metal with the intricate minimalism of contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, György Ligeti, and Avro Pärt. Its eclectic nature is elevated and underlined by select guest performances, including the vocals of Saara Nevalainen, as well as the avant-garde black metal luminaries Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (DHG/DØDHEIMSGARD), and ORANSSI PAZUZU's Juho Vanhanen. While HEXVESSEL are based in Tampere, Finland, they were founded by English singer & songwriter Kvohst aka Mat McNerney after he moved to the country in 2009. In many ways, HEXVESSEL reflect their founder. The vocalist and songwriter has instigated and been involved in various bands ranging from UK black metal act CODE, a stint in Norwegian legends DØDHEIMSGARD, and to rock shooting stars BEASTMILK – later 'continued' with GRAVE PLEASURES to name but a few of his success stories. With "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL invite all souls on earth to a transcendental night ritual that is imbued with DARKTHRONE, TANGERINE DREAM, Philip Glass, and sounds unearthed from the dead past, now instilled with new life.

Twelve years after its original release, Nordvis proudly presents this remastered version of Waldgeflüster’s “Femundsmarka – Eine Reise in drei Kapiteln”. The album chronicles a trek undertaken by the band’s mastermind, Winterherz, and his brother, P, through the Femundsmarka National Park in Norway.

Building on a foundation of atmospheric black metal, Winterherz uses various samples of wilderness and sea to weave a sonic tapestry that blends seamlessly with meticulously crafted acoustic melodies. Instrumental interludes play a pivotal role, serving as introductions, transitions, and a grand finale – all enhancing the conceptual nature of the album. The vocal performances of both brothers intertwine harmoniously, complementing each other's strengths. Their diverse range, from powerful growls to ethereal chants, adds depth and intensity to the music, creating a captivating blend.

Prepare yourself for an unforgettable musical odyssey; let Waldgeflüster transport you to untamed realms, where the beauty of nature meets the raw power of black metal. Open your heart, close your eyes, and embark on an extraordinary escapade.

Tracklist:

In the music of Forndom, the past breathes with a vitality that transcends time. “Moþir” is as complex as the deities it portrays, weaving together themes of fertility and loyalty, love and betrayal, light and shadow. It is an exploration of divine ambiguity, where the nurturing embrace of a mother can just as easily turn into the cold hand of inevitability.

Here, Ludvig Swärd strips away the modern trappings of synthesisers, embracing a purely acoustic sound. The music feels as though it has been carved from the very earth, born from instruments fashioned by hand and played with reverence for the ancient.

Recorded and mixed by Swärd himself, “Moþir” features the talents of Thomas von Wachenfeldt (Bards of Skaði), whose violin conjures both light and darkness; Janne Posti (Häxkapell, Sons of Crom), whose choral tones add a numinous depth; and Draugurinn, whose haunting presence lingers like a spirit from a forgotten age.

Forndom’s latest offering is a meditation on the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth, seen through the lens of ancient Scandinavian spirituality. Ludvig Swärd continues to stand at the crossroads of the past and present, offering a glimpse into the heart of ancient wisdom through the eyes of a modern seeker.