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Back in stock - Extreme Metal and Dark music
With their seventh studio album "Otra", Norwegian avant-garde metal stalwards IN THE WOODS... might surprise their listeners – and particularly those, who have not followed the remarkable evolution that the band from the southern Norwegian city of Kristiansand has undergone since the early nineties. The tracks of "Otra" are surprisingly captivating with melodic tunes dominating the present sound of IN THE WOODS... – although progressive elements and the occasional rough reminder of the Norwegians' harsh past are also regularly shimmering through the fabric of these songs. What sets "Otra" apart from the average heavy work of music is the excellence of composition that shows expert level experience and comes with a seeming ease that makes the achievement even greater. Lyrically, "Otra" revolves around stories connected to the eponymous river that winds for 245 kilometres through the South of Norway and spills into the Skagerrak, the strait that separates the country from Denmark and Sweden, at the band's home in Kristiansand. There is hardly a need to introduce the name IN THE WOODS... to any adherent of avant-garde and black metal. Their coordinates within the scene are also well known: The Norwegians were among the bands that have participated in the burgeoning evolution of black metal in the early nineties and have had a large part in the shaping of the sound of a strong subgenre. Their first full-length "Heart of the Ages" (1995) has a lasting impact on black metal and is rightfully regarded as one of the genre's early classics. Refusing to rest on their laurels, IN THE WOODS... progressed further into different musical dimensions with "Omnio" (1997) and "Strange in Stereo" (1999). Following a long hiatus between the years 2000 to 2014, the Norwegians returned with vocalist James Fogarty, who continued to front the band until December 2021. With a new line-up and singer Bernt Fjellestad completing IN THE WOODS... a fresh direction was taken with the album "Diversum" (2021). With "Otra", IN THE WOODS... demonstrate the full strength and artistic maturity of the Norwegians' third incarnation. Enticing and highly pleasurable to listen to, this exciting record is nonetheless crammed with glorious details and surprising twists that reveal themselves only after many spins.
2-CD hardcover book (18 x 18cm, 36 pages) + excl. bonus CD with 4 bonus songs and additional artwork
With their seventh studio album "Otra", Norwegian avant-garde metal stalwards IN THE WOODS... might surprise their listeners – and particularly those, who have not followed the remarkable evolution that the band from the southern Norwegian city of Kristiansand has undergone since the early nineties. The tracks of "Otra" are surprisingly captivating with melodic tunes dominating the present sound of IN THE WOODS... – although progressive elements and the occasional rough reminder of the Norwegians' harsh past are also regularly shimmering through the fabric of these songs. What sets "Otra" apart from the average heavy work of music is the excellence of composition that shows expert level experience and comes with a seeming ease that makes the achievement even greater. Lyrically, "Otra" revolves around stories connected to the eponymous river that winds for 245 kilometres through the South of Norway and spills into the Skagerrak, the strait that separates the country from Denmark and Sweden, at the band's home in Kristiansand. There is hardly a need to introduce the name IN THE WOODS... to any adherent of avant-garde and black metal. Their coordinates within the scene are also well known: The Norwegians were among the bands that have participated in the burgeoning evolution of black metal in the early nineties and have had a large part in the shaping of the sound of a strong subgenre. Their first full-length "Heart of the Ages" (1995) has a lasting impact on black metal and is rightfully regarded as one of the genre's early classics. Refusing to rest on their laurels, IN THE WOODS... progressed further into different musical dimensions with "Omnio" (1997) and "Strange in Stereo" (1999). Following a long hiatus between the years 2000 to 2014, the Norwegians returned with vocalist James Fogarty, who continued to front the band until December 2021. With a new line-up and singer Bernt Fjellestad completing IN THE WOODS... a fresh direction was taken with the album "Diversum" (2021). With "Otra", IN THE WOODS... demonstrate the full strength and artistic maturity of the Norwegians' third incarnation. Enticing and highly pleasurable to listen to, this exciting record is nonetheless crammed with glorious details and surprising twists that reveal themselves only after many spins.
If classic outputs from DARKTHRONE, ENSLAVED, EMPEROR or ISENGARD et al. make your blood boil, you should make sure to purchase HERSIR`s album and immerse yourself in its Northern Black Metal excellence. Despite having already been incepted in 2016 by Grim Vindkall who is primarily known for his band DOMGÅRD, Swedish HERSIR have up until this point kept a rather low profile. With only three demos to their name – none of which released physically – the horde has remained a rather obscure entity. Once released, chances are that the sheer quality of HERSIR`s first full-length effort Hateful Draugar From The Underground will rectify that situation in no time, though. Completely devoid of unnecessary gimmicks of any sorts, HERSIR are all content and no show. For a change, everything – the well-written lyrics dealing with Nordic spirituality of the shadow side, the music, the visual presentation – feels genuine and without any infantile pretence. Their very aptly titled album convinces with hateful and majestic Black Metal of a distinctively northern nature. The vocals brimming with contempt and savagery are one of the highlights of the full-length. Vocalist Haugbúi’s rather low, raspy tone and pestilent delivery seem like the perfect fit for HERSIR’s rather simple and stripped-down compositions. Overtly complex structures are left out to augment the war-like quality of the recording and in favour of conjuring epic atmospheres often built upon melodies stemming from the old Nordic tradition. The impact of some of the memorable riffs is further increased by the sporadic inclusion of keyboards. Overall, this album is the real deal and deserves to be attentively listened to by anyone into genuinely dark Black Metal.
On "The Dead Light," Fen explore the beauty that comes from destruction. Representing the vanguard of contemporary UK post black metal, the band offers its heaviest, most direct album to date. It is the sixth full-length in a career of less than 15 years and marks another recalibration for the three-piece that, while always daring to use unconventional structures, found that the predecessor "Winter" (2017) was the apex in this respect
Lifelover's fourth and last album "Sjukdom" (English: disease) is a dark and challenging record. Following their critical acclaim-afforded and cathartic "Konkurs" in 2008, these elusive and mysterious misanthropes venture down an even more daring path with "Sjukdom" where the extremes of the characteristically idiosyncratic Lifelover sound are pushed to their utmost limit: the bittersweet melodies become more beautiful whilst the pulsing, coal-black heaviness becomes uglier. After the tragic death of B in September 2011, this is Lifelover's final studio album.
“Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus” is the fifth satanic symphony by the Swedish black metal overlords and was originally put out in 2009. Once again produced by longtime sound master Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy) it was a more traditional masterpiece offering blasting tempo and hymn-like melodies to equal parts. Accompanied by five fantastic live tracks recoded in Buenos Aires (for the first time on audio CD) spanning the band's entire history it furthermore features remastered sound, new layouts, liner notes and unseen photos. A timeless black metal classic!
Re-issue, CD jewelcase, 16 page booklet on 135g art paper.
After 4 long years of silence and absence in the fog of the pandemic and war, like a heavy sledgehammer rushing towards your head, Pyre returns with their third full-length murderous opus.
With the unique fresh-sounding production but yet traditionally made in the old-school vein, along with the new level of performance, the new album delivers mid-tempo darkness and colder atmosphere of their previous album, complemented by classic phrases of band's well-known high-speed crushing low-tuned rattling riffage with obscure melodies and solos and surely recognizable signature frantic voice.
Info : Since their formation in 2007, MINENWERFER have pursued a proud 'n' pure vision of black metal idiosyncratically focused on World War I - idiosyncratic, in the sense that the band hail from America but mostly sing in German. What has resulted is a startlingly accomplished canon that has quietly built itself into prolific proportions, with their first album arriving in 2010, followed by albums in 2012 and 2019, and a slew of split releases and EPs in the interim.
Of those many short-length releases, Der Rote Kampfflieger is the oldest and perhaps most curious. Here, MINENWERFER offered the new track “Ace of Aces,” the reworked “Albatros in Flammen,” and two very surprising covers: deep martial industrial artist Striider's “Schüzengraben” and legendary shredder Yngwie J. Malmsteen's early scorcher “I am a Viking.” MINENWERFER for sure have their own identifiable sound, but they're not afraid to push it in strange directions from time to time.
released by Osmose
1. Solemn Strikes the Funeral Chime 03:52
2. White Cold Wrath Burnt Frozen Blood 17:02 [view lyrics]
3. Descent of the Flames 09:01 [view lyrics]
4. The June Frost 04:24
5. A Slow March to the Burial 06:49 [view lyrics]
6. The Februar Winds 02:53
7. Suicide Choir 12:49 [view lyrics]
8. The Wreath 03:16
Prior to their legendary Death/Thrash masterpiece, MERCILESS cut their teeth recording two demos, Behind the Black Door and Realm of the Dark. Released in 1987 und 1988 respectively, both are naturally rather raw affairs but what they may lack in proficiency and sound quality, is made up for by unbridled ferocity and MERCILESS’ youthful enthusiasm.
These two demos are important historical relics and a peephole into times long past by one of Sweden’s pioneering bands that alongside e.g. OBSCURITY or MORBID paved the way for the Swedish (and beyond) Black- and Death Metal scene.
Jewel-case CD with 24-page booklet including an in-depth interview with Erik Wallin and many never seen before pictures.
