CD

PARFAXITAS - Weaver of the Black Moon

Venturing into the world of Nightbringer, Abigor and Sinmara, with hints of Emperor-esque grandeur, Parfaxitas is a new project by familiar faces;. K.R of Whoredom Rife, B.Einarsson of Sinmara/Slidhr, Azlum of Merihem/Oculus/Manetheren, and YhA from Suffering Hour. It’s a grand declaration of war, a monumental feat of organized chaos, an album filled to the brim of intricate Black Metal. This is an album in full, where every song works as a fundament to make it stand tall amongst giants, an album that demands your attention for nearly 50 minutes.

Submerge yourself in Parfaxitas’ debut album and let the power of Satan compel you.

On the ninth full-length with the tell-tale title of "Subject to Change", XASTHUR took a musical leap of faith: Mastermind, multi-instrumentalist, and singer Scott Conner abandoned black metal as a form of musical expression for the time being, and turned to something stylistically rather comparable to acid folk and neofolk instead. Keeping the minimalistic approach of his previous albums, but embarking on a long journey through the dark underbelly of the American dream, Conner created his own brand of dark Americana. XASTHUR were originally conceived by Scott Conner in California, USA in the year 1995. The project started out in the vein of bleak black metal in the tradition of the Nordic second wave. Over the course of nine albums and a host of split-singles, EPs, and occasional demos, XASTHUR's individual, particularly depressive style became highly regarded within the extreme genre. In 2010, Scott announced the end of XASTHUR and returned with an acoustic dark folk project under the banner of NOCTURNAL POISONING. In 2015, the American artist returned to the name XASTHUR, but insisted that his black metal days were over. On his so far latest album, "Inevitably Dark", XASTHUR have partly lifted the self-imposed ban on black metal, simply because Conner simply did like he felt.

in deluxe Digipak with gold foil incl. 12-page booklet.

For over three decades, Tolis brothers Sakis and Themis have carved a blackened path through the metal world. Architects of the Hellenic black metal, ROTTING CHRIST have been blending histrionic atmospheres, mesmerizing choirs, and neo-classical arrangements for 35 years.
Now, the Greek metal legends present their 14th studio album: ‘Pro Xristou’. Translating to “Before Christ” in Greek, this album is a fervent tribute to the last Pagan kings who stood resilient against the Christian tide, safeguarding ancient values and knowledge. Dive deep into the legacies of figures like Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings through tracks such as "The Apostate" and "Ygdrassil".
‘Pro Xristou’ encapsulates the essence of Rotting Christ's signature style - a melodic symphony with moments of unyielding harshness.

For fans of NIGHTFALL, MOONSPELL, SEPTICFLESH, PRIMORDIAL, VARATHRON.

Genre-defying Dutch death metal legends PESTILENCE have singled-out and re-recorded twelve emblematic anthems from across their 38-year career into "Levels of Perception".

Patrick Mameli - whose signature vocal, guitar and songwriting skills constitute the hallmark of PESTILENCE - finds "Levels of Perception" to be a testament to the band's role in death metal's progression. "I've always wanted to do a best-of album, because it would mean that I've achieved something in the past; something that still has its value today," Mameli reflects. "To be able to choose from songs that I composed in the distant past, transporting them into the now, with the line-up of the recordings that consisted of Michiel van der Plicht (drums), Rutger van Noordenburg (guitar) and Joost van der Graaf (bass) - I found this to be of great value and sheer awesomeness."

Re-recording of the tracks has not only managed to breathe new life into them - half thanks to new line-up, and other half by implementing subtle changes which reflect Mameli's matured vision and refined with years of experience aesthetic - but also sets them apart from cheap, unimaginative compilations, by unifying the album's sound as befits a full-length release. "The album's title is Levels of Perception. Why? Because this is what has happened with the songs," Mameli explains. "Performed by different musicians, with their own views, musical abilities and interpretations, shining a new light on them. So here we are with new Levels of Perception."

Jewelcase

"Devotion" is the ninth studio album from Italy's brutal tech-death masters HOUR OF PENANCE.

"It has been almost five years since Misotheism [last studio album], but we are finally ready to unveil our new opus," comments the band. "Devotion is our anthem to the futility of war, with no light at the end of the tunnel. The main theme of the album is the misguided devotion which we, the people, give to our leaders, who mercilessly send us to our deaths under the pretense of democracy; while being guided only by imperialist ambitions and greed. The faceless crowd of the artwork stands in worship of these deformed statues of false deities. Musically, the album builds on the 20-year-old, fast-paced trademark style of Hour of Penance, and enhances it with more technicality and catchiness, interspersed with epic landscapes."

A festering entity (de)composed of dwellers from the Viennese underworld.
Let their ri -laden, rotten death metal lead you on a pilgrimage into the furthest corridors of morbidity.

Metalstorm‘s Review (metalstorm.net) about Prigrims of Morbidity:
´This release is irresistibly repugnant; it is dripping all sorts of revolting liquids, and you can bet your ass that they all smell disgustingly awful.
If you ever feel like lurking in a suffocating, dark, and bat-filled cave, or if you get an urge to open up a coffin at your local cemetery and desecrate its content, Pilgrims of Morbidity should be on your headphones.
The band has a knack for groove, and the fact that Brenton Weir from MOLTEN CHAINS is behind FESSUS explains a lot.
The cavernous riffs are paired with sickening growls and some blazing drumming, and this demo is pure delight for fans of old-school, rotten death metal, who get satisfaction when the riffs make them pick up their jaw from the floor´.

To understand the defining traits of Greek Black Metal, one need only to listen to “The Tressrising of Nyarthotep” by the mighty Varathron. This track, first appearing on the “genesis of Apocryphal Desire” demo, possesses all of the victorious grandeur and tragic melancholia that are the essence of the early 1990’s Greek Black Metal sound. Along with contemporary releases by Rotting Christ and Necromantia, Varathron’s demo material firmly established a style that is thoroughly Grecian in character. Thick with a damp and heavy Hellenistic darkness, Varathron explored a sound that was infused with the epic and the ancient. As with so much of the most evocative and potent Black Metal, the ancient currents are revealed through the expression of the modern. Varathron’s music is as mystical as it is visceral. The recordings on this compilation comprise the earliest seeds of what would become one of the greatest bands in the history of the genre. This collection contains all of Varathron’s work leading the band toward the creation of their monumental debut LP, “His Majesty at the Swamp.” The two demos, “Procreation of the Unaltered Evil” and “Genesis of Apocryphal Desire” reveal the steps that Varathron took that would later come to fruition on their first album. This collection also contains the more refined tracks that were utilized on their first vinyl releases – the “One Step Beyond Dreams“ EP and “The Everlasting Sins” tracks from the split LP with Necromantia – and three additional bonus tracks recorded during the early years. As with the forthcoming Rotting Christ demo collection that NWN! will soon release, the songs on this compilation of Varathron’s early recordings reveal the painstaking emergence of a band’s identity. Absorbed in the context of early works by Varathron’s Greek contemporaries, one also witnesses the development of a sound uniquely specific to a geographic region, so specific, in fact, that it is impossible to imagine such a multidimensional approach to Black Metal originating anywhere else. Both the Regular and Die Hard editions of this release will feature gatefold jackets with artwork by Manuel Tinnemans and layout by Tilmann Benninghaus as well as a 48 page zine booklet. The Die Hard edition will also come with a separate LP (with jacket) featuring the “Live at the Swamp” demo material. Originally released on tape in 2004, “Live at the Swamp” features a live recording and rehearsal recording from 1991. These recordings have been remastered and cleaned up by James Plotkin and the sound quality on this LP, although still quite raw, is markedly better than the original tape version.

Bilwis is a Melodic Black Metal solo-project from Germany. 

The concept of Bilwis comprises old European fairy tales and myths, clothing them in a garment of raw, yet melodic and atmospheric Black Metal with German lyrics - a journey to the world of forgotten dreams, wolves, ghosts, dwarfs, mermaids, trolls, elves, vampires & giants.

When Bilwis started the songwriting for the new album “Hameln”, it soon became apparent that in terms of songwriting he needed to return to the debut EP, but with improved sound. The last album “Pan” ended up very melodic and playful, whereas the concept of the new album required a darker and oppressive sound and songwriting to express the grim themes that the lyrics deal with. Musically, a big inspiration have always been Dissection, and while not always apparent, the occasional nods to “The Somberlain” are quite distinctive.

In order to visually express the dark themes of the fairy tales and myths which are told on the new album, particularly that of the title song, it was decided to get the cover artwork done by the very talented German artist Julian Bauer, who captured the essence of the music and lyrics perfectly in his image of the “Rattenfänger von Hameln”.

‘Rotten mindcrushing death metal from the underground, most important and influential bands. A brutal compilation that sickens your soul’. That was the original promotional line for this compilation album in 1991. It’s still valid to this very day. ALL bands are up till now active, recording new albums and performing worldwide. And all with their own serious fanbase. This cd re-release features Unleashed, Asphyx, Tiamat, Morgoth, Grave & Loudblast. All with rare or special tracks from 1990 – 1991, 15 in total. The 12 page booklet contains interviews with all bands, done by Pim Blankenstein (Sinister, Bodyfarm, Infernal Majesty). Complete booklet and original artwork remake by ACW (Tiamat, Ceremonial Oath).