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Reprint, 1000x black ice 12" (180g) in a black poly-lined innerbag, gatefold, full-color on 350g with hotfoil stamping, all assembled in a PVC overbag.

Golden Vinyls.

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.

 Re-issue, original sound recording!
500x 12'LP 180g cherry eco red, 350g jacket with 3D UV SPOT, 220g innersleeve, all assembled in a PVC overbag.

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.

300x gold with black marble effect 12" (180g) in a black poly-lined innerbag, download card, gatefold full color on 350g, all assembled in a PVC overbag.

Norwegian duo, Darkthrone, return with their first new studio material since 2013’s triumphant The Underground Resistance.

An eclectic mix of free-spirited 80’s fuelled blackened heavy metal, all executed in Darkthrone’s trademark raw and organic style, Arctic Thunder was recorded & produced by the band themselves, with the sessions conducted at Darkthrone’s old rehearsal unit, “The Bomb Shelter”, which they had originally used during 1988-1990.

180g black vinyl (includes mp3 download)
 

One of the metal underground’s best-kept secrets, WARLUST began their assault on the false in 2012. The title of their debut demo, 2014’s Unholy Attack, said everything it needed to: here was blackthrashing METAL, steeped in the spirits of old and with genuinely evil blood coursing through its veins. However, it was 2017’s Morbid Execution debut album where WARLUST first truly took flight – on burning wings of flame! More intense, more epic, more heavy fucking metal, Morbid Execution carried on the noble work started by founding fathers Desaster in their homeland and Deströyer 666, Zemial, and Aura Noir abroad.

But, while that debut LP was still tethered to more traditional-style blackthrash, with Unearthing Shattered Philosophies do WARLUST’s songwriting chops blossom with startling strength and crushing clarity. It’s all immediately WARLUST, for sure, but within the album’s eight-song/45-minute runtime lurks a travelogue of terror and triumph, of melancholy and malevolence.