Back in stock

Prepare for the eighth installment from The Flight of Sleipnir, masters of Viking/Norse mythology-infused tunes. Founded back in 2007, founders David Csicsely and Clayton Cushman have been on a relentless quest, blending heavy sounds with ancient sagas. Initially a dynamic duo, Csicsely and Cushman crafted five albums before expanding their lineup. In 2016, with the release of "Skadi" under Eisenwald Records, Dave Borrusch and Justin Siegler became integral members. However, after the acclaimed release of "Eventide" in 2021, the band bid farewell to Siegler, welcoming Jeremy Winters as the new guitar virtuoso.

"Nature's Cadence," slated for release in 2024 via Eisenwald, marks the powerful return of The Flight of Sleipnir. While not strictly a concept album, it weaves themes of resilience against the elements and reverence for nature's beauty. Recorded predominantly at their studio in Arvada, Colorado, with additional touches in Clay's home studio and World Famous Studios, the album's sonic landscape was carefully sculpted by the local Pete de Boer, renowned for his attention to detail and finesse.

Thematically rich deliving into the complexities of human experience. From the primal violence of old Norse sagas to the existential musings on control and the pursuit of discovery, each track resonates with a deep and multilayered meaning. Drawing inspiration from ancient texts and personal introspection, The Flight of Sleipnir crafted a timeless narrative throught out the new record.

"Nature's Cadence" masterfully intertwines ethereal tones, avant-garde flair, and thunderous riffs, showcasing The Flight of Sleipnir's evolution and dedication - Mastered on vintage analog equipment, imparting a nostalgic haze that envelops the music, serving as the final spark to unleash the magic.

Through a delicate fusion of melancholic melodies and haunting vocals, this release promises a transformative musical experience. Prepare to be transported on a nuanced journey through the ages, where every note whispers of depth and emotional resonance. As with every release from The Flight of Sleipnir, the powerful artwork was crafted by band founder David Csicsely himself, seamlessly uniting each work into a cohesive masterpiece. This artistic endeavor consistently highlights the depth and creative ambition of the band with each new offering.

4-panel Digipak on matte stock, inside prints and including digital album download.

On "Vom Bruch bis zur Freiheit", the band showcases a keen understanding of what has become their very own distinct sonic palette, while allowing for alterations in performance and presentation to further enrich their sound. Musically, Tardigrada demonstrates a strong sense for composition, allowing melodies carried primarily by a dense wall of soaring guitars to develop and envelop listeners in a deep, ever flowing stream of broad sound.

Limited 180g Black Vinyl Edition

Switzerland's Tardigrada have emerged as one of the leading purveyors of truly immersive, atmospheric extreme metal music. With members based in Basel and Zürich, the band's demo "Widrstand" provides a glimpse into the sonic seeds that would fully grow into their full-length releases.

On "Widrstand", Tardigrada presents a rawer sound that is no less capable of gripping listeners with its keen sense for melody than the band's more accomplished later works. Due to "Widrstand" no longer being available in its original, strictly limited release run, it is long overdue for a re-release. For this occasion, it will feature an additional song entitled "Leere" (which translates to "Emptiness").

Carefully re-mastered by Christoph Brandes of Iguana Studios, allowing for listeners to experience them in a new light, enhancing their original soundscape while retaining the original recordings' essence.

4-panel Digipak on matte stock, inside prints and including digital album download

Switzerland's Tardigrada have emerged as one of the leading purveyors of truly immersive, atmospheric extreme metal music. With members based in Basel and Zürich, the band's demo "Widrstand" provides a glimpse into the sonic seeds that would fully grow into their full-length releases.

On "Widrstand", Tardigrada presents a rawer sound that is no less capable of gripping listeners with its keen sense for melody than the band's more accomplished later works. Due to "Widrstand" no longer being available in its original, strictly limited release run, it is long overdue for a re-release. For this occasion, it will feature an additional song entitled "Leere" (which translates to "Emptiness").

Carefully re-mastered by Christoph Brandes of Iguana Studios, allowing for listeners to experience them in a new light, enhancing their original soundscape while retaining the original recordings' essence.

CD in deluxe gloss 8-panel digipak incl. album artwork, 12-page booklet with lyrics 

Fellwarden, born in 2014 as a solo project by Fen's frontman The Watcher, offers a unique blend of atmospheric black metal influenced by iconic bands like Moonsorrow and classic epic metal acts such as Manowar. With a thematic focus on landscapes, folklore, and mythology, Fellwarden's music aims to immerse listeners in timeless worlds of ancient spirits and tales of sacrifice. Their discography includes two full-length albums, 'Oathbearer' (2017) and 'Wreathed in Mourncloud' (2020), both resonating with themes of honor and integrity. Their latest release, 'Legend,' is a concept album based on David Gemmell's novel, featuring a narrative of duty and resilience. Recorded primarily by The Watcher himself, 'Legend' is a collaborative effort, with contributions from talented musicians like Alasdair Dunn and Mark Harrington, as well as narration by Sean Darling. Each track represents a wall of the fortress from Gemmell's book, enhancing the album's immersive experience. As the dawn breaks on this new chapter, behold the majestic artistry adorning the album's cover, once again crafted by the esteemed artist Kris Vervimp. Let FELLWARDEN's evocative melodies and storytelling prowess carry you away on a journey of epic proportions.

Fellwarden was a concept forged by The Watcher (Fen, De Arma) back in 2014 to give voice to an epic, exultant form of black metal that nonetheless carries with it echoes of deep lamentation and remembrance. The Watcher’s goal was simple – to tell tales of sacrifice, of long-forgotten heroism and the rearing timelessness of the storm-forged landscape against a backdrop of windswept extreme metal. Fellwarden’s sound is steeped passionate vocals, subtle waves of keyboards, acoustic guitars, booming choirs and powerful riffs, underpinned by a cavernous percussive battery courtesy of Havenless (also of Fen).

Comes in a 6 panel digipak with matt varnish and metallic prints, with artwork from Adam Allain (Fen) and layout by IK (House of Inkantation).

estratto da recensione di metalitalia (recensione integrale a questo link)

"Fluisteraars dimostrano infatti l’assai raro dono della sintesi e ci regalano poco più di mezz’ora di musica intensa, a tratti epica, a tratti sognante, che pure mantiene intatta la ferocia che dovrebbe essere propria del black metal. Trentatré minuti che scorrono davvero bene, complice un’attenzione per le melodie e una cura per i dettagli che non è mai manierismo e nulla toglie alla genuinità di un lavoro che fa centro anche a livello di produzione, che è sporca e lievemente lo-fi quel tanto da ‘scaldare’ le composizioni.
Il campo di papaveri in un cielo terso posto in copertina potrebbe far pensare all’ennesima ‘hipsterata’ furbetta, ma dentro c’è molto di più e di molto meglio, ascoltare per credere." 

Digipak CD edition with booklet 

AFSKY's second album "Ofte Jeg drømmer mig død" is a journey through the cultural history of Denmark, focusing on poems and lyrics by well-known and lesser-known Danish writers such as H.C. Andersen, Emil Aarestrup and others - reflections on the eternal misery in the age of industrialization, when people were considered "human material", trapped in everyday life and forced to work hard for the upper class until death.

To express this, a mixture of icy, nordic black metal with folk and doom elements is conjured up by Afsky, crowned by the melancholic and emotional interpretation and performance.

On "Ofte Jeg Drømmer Mig Død" AFSKY have managed to combine timeless poetry of the 19th century with their own timeless music - which draws attention to the injustices in today's world and even shows frightening parallels.

“Evigt främmande, evigt fjärran” is the seventh album of Sweden’s leading dungeon synth project, Örnatorpet. Modern music without the trappings of modernity; nostalgia and longing channelling the spirit both of timeless classics like Fata Morgana, Mortiis, and Wongraven and recent genre greats such as Erang, Old Sorcery, and Vindkaldr.

For those who believe the genre of dark dungeon music to be narrow, Örnatorpet stands as a living, breathing rebuttal. Each release has its own thematic foundation upon which the compositions rest. “Bergtagen” (2018) captures the sense of rustling leaves in autumnal woods. “Hymner från Snökulla” (2019) crackles with soul-piercing frost drawn straight from the heart of winter.

Limited Edition Digipak CD incl. 12 page booklet.

“INTER”, the debut album of German black metal quartet Fagus, offers six epic dirges deeply saturated with an eerily mesmerising ambience. The songs and arrangements are meticulously woven together, with the band having invested plenty of time and effort into an extensive pre-production process – during which the material underwent a comprehensive transformation from the initial draft to its final version. Consequently, when Fagus entered the studio, they had forged a crystal-clear understanding of what they wanted to accomplish and were able to initiate full tunnel-vision.

Once they emerged from the studio, they carried with them a comprehensive work of black metal fuelled by an atmosphere which, thanks to the tasteful interludes linking all the tracks together, does not let up from the first moment to the last. With some of its members involved in non-metal projects, there are plenty of influences from other forms of music – all processed through the lens of black metal. The result is a unique opus with many different layers to explore, likely to appeal to fans of bands like Imperium Dekadenz and Tardigrada.

The Suns of Perdition IV concludes with its ultimate offering "To Shadow Zion" - a multi-layered title fusing the definition of Zion, in the context of "a heavenly place" or "utopia" coupling with the Jungian concept of the Shadow - together forming the vile,  repressed nature of humanity with that of the sacred and of the holy. SUNS IV, in its final analysis is the last sounds of a borrowed world, where earth's last picture is painted - the terminus of all paradises lost - at Shadow Zion.

180g vinyl edition, clear vinyl!

This old and rancid sabbatical articulation was consecrated in morbid malignancy through archaic incunabula vampyric texts and the twisted philosophical structure of vinegar blood, the cadaveric cauldron with which these texts are nourished and bathed and the vibrational current of cryptic music, is embraced under the temple of heresy regarding the visions and the reverse trance anointed in mortal blood on octingenti black candles, unbaptized opus that serve as a funerary reminder towards the pestilent and monumental orchestrations of the "Vampyric Arts of Putrefaction".

The bestiality and ferocity are translated into a fiery and black barbaric cadence that is robustly justified with the putrid gloomy emblem of a distant black church, an unbaptized fortress of agonizing mist and black pylons of catacombs and unclean spirits. Die Schattenfestung serves a single evil purpose which is reflected under octingenti black candles of a rotten and cadaverous sound rehearsal as an album of primordial force towards vampyric raw black metal.