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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.

Comes in gatefold cover, incl. an exclusive vinyl bonus track, limited to 199 copies on sky blue vinyl. 

On his debut album "Sovereign", Scottish musician and songwriter Tom Perrett set out to compose music purely to taste. Drawing from the vast well of history, culture and mythology, Tom created an unmistakable atmosphere of proud and powerful Scottish Black Metal with the beating heart of old school Black Metal favourites of his, such as WINDIR, BATHORY, BURZUM & more, which should also appeal to fans of SAOR, WINTERFYLLETH, PANOPTICON and similar acts.

Special promo price to launch new album, due out May 2025!!

Four panels digipak with booklet

The long work is coming to an end: Italian/Polish black metal band Amalekim, with a new line-up, is ready to reveal their latest work, Avodah Zarah. 

Once again, the ultimate aim is to question all that is sacred and all that is profane in this age of ours. Avodah Zarah contains many influences and many different experiences, both on a musical and a personal level, seeking to present itself as something new in the purest tradition of the genre. With this work, Amalekim decisively turn over a new leaf compared to their previous work, HVHI, with conceptual and musical maturity, seeking to maintain the melodic aspects that distinguish them, implemented by dissonances and greater compositional complexity.

Avodah Zarah revolves around the concept of the inversion of values, taking much from the Old Testament tradition, occultism and alchemy, always in an attempt to bring to the ears and eyes (starting from the cover) of the listeners an ever-present revolt, but without the obviousness and generality that too often mark today's world.

Gigantesca operazione di recupero da parte di century media
l'intero materiale dei finnici Necropsy, tra le band death metal anni 90 rimaste nel limbo dell'underground e mai realmente esplose.

Limited 4LP slipcase with Petrol Green vinyl. With booklet.

Tomb Of The Forgotten - NECROPSY's early demos to be re-released on vinyl in January via Svart Records. NECROPSY is one of the few truly legendary bands of the obscure Finnish death metal scene of the late 80s/early 90s. Dark and twisted Death Metal in the vein of early SENTENCED, early AMORPHIS, CONVULSE, DEMIGOD, PURTENANCE, DEMILICH and ABHORRENCE. Hailing from Lahti, Finland, the band formed in 1987 and released the material featured on this compilation before taking a 14-year hiatus beginning in 1994. Founding member Janne Kosonen and his brother Tero reformed NECROPSY in 2008 and are still active today.

Tomb of the Forgotten (The Complete Demo Recordings 1989-1993), originally released by Century Media in 2013, is the first ever official demo compilation fully authorised by the band and features all of NECROPSY's early recordings with 40 tracks in total. All audio material has been carefully remastered from the original master tapes by DMS Mastering (GRAVE, MORBID, ASPHYX) for the best possible audio quality. Includes an extensive interview with the band, tons of pictures, scans of concert flyers, demo artwork, fanzine reviews and more.

Rotten Bowel Of Pestigore – Complete works of obscure Finnish death metal maniacs PESTIGORE available on vinyl for the first time ever

Classic Finnish grinding death metal demos by PESTIGORE compiled together for the first time ever on vinyl via Svart Records! Take a vomit-soaked time machine back to the early days of truly ghoulish death metal with the putrid sounds of these five demos spanning from 1991-1992. Rotten Bowel of Pestigore, originally released only on CD through Headsplit Records in 2023, holds all the recorded material of PESTIGORE before the band’s untimely disbandment in 1993, plus rare photos & liner notes from vocalist Kari Kräkin. Killer stuff and essential listening for fans of classic death metal.

PESTIGORE was founded in 1990 in Järvenpää, Finland. They were an active part of the first wave of Finnish death metal scene back in the day, but decided to call it quits after only three years of existing. In 2015 the band reactivated with founding members Kari Kräkin (vocals), Saku Manninen (guitar), Teme Grönberg (guitars) and Pekka Sauvolainen (bass) along with Pete Raatikainen (drums) in order to annihilate venues again.

Rotten Bowel Of Pestigore – Complete works of obscure Finnish death metal maniacs PESTIGORE available on vinyl for the first time ever

Classic Finnish grinding death metal demos by PESTIGORE compiled together for the first time ever on vinyl via Svart Records! Take a vomit-soaked time machine back to the early days of truly ghoulish death metal with the putrid sounds of these five demos spanning from 1991-1992. Rotten Bowel of Pestigore, originally released only on CD through Headsplit Records in 2023, holds all the recorded material of PESTIGORE before the band’s untimely disbandment in 1993, plus rare photos & liner notes from vocalist Kari Kräkin. Killer stuff and essential listening for fans of classic death metal.

PESTIGORE was founded in 1990 in Järvenpää, Finland. They were an active part of the first wave of Finnish death metal scene back in the day, but decided to call it quits after only three years of existing. In 2015 the band reactivated with founding members Kari Kräkin (vocals), Saku Manninen (guitar), Teme Grönberg (guitars) and Pekka Sauvolainen (bass) along with Pete Raatikainen (drums) in order to annihilate venues again.

Transparent Violet/Black marble vinyl, booklet. Limited to 500 copies.

Formed in New York circa 1988, Winter played slow, deep and hard nuclear doom with a crust punk rawness, that came across like Hellhammer jamming with Amebix. Their penchant for mammoth sized and funeral-paced, wasteland droning has become a touchstone reference for bands across the whole spectrum of underground metal.

Their pre-internet infamy led to Winter demos being tape- traded in hallowed adoration by fans and bands alike, gaining notable fans such as Fenriz from Darkthrone. Deserving of their special place in the pantheon of one-off classic albums, the Swans-like noise and down-tuned Earth-like riffs of "Into Darkness" went on to spawn countless doom and sludge bands, being an influence for an entire doomed generation.

The Winter come-back show at Roadburn Festival in 2011 was massively anticipated and held a captivated audience. Packing out one of The Netherlands largest stages, that particular Winter show, after many years in obscurity is a rare event that is still highly regarded today. The band is a rare jewel amongst collectors, and audiences alike.

"Into Darkness" was a gateway drug to the dark depths of sludge metal, and now awaits a whole new throng of acolytes who bow down before the throne of heavy doom. Svart Records is proud to re-release it once more, putting the album back in print for a new generation of listeners. Eternal Winter awaits!

Svart Records proudly present the Black- and Doom Metal pioneers Unholy’s compilation of early material – Demology out on July 19th

“Unholy are arguably the most original, avant-garde, definitive, and important Finnish extreme metal band. The paths they have walked have always been lonely and unknown, entering to the deepest celestial forests and psychic graveyards, and the treasures found there dark and exquisite. This compilation consists of their three legendary demos, of which Trip to Depressive Autumn is the best recording ever done in Finland, of any genre or style”.
- Albert Witchfinder, Reverend Bizarre

Svart Records is set to release the compilation album “Demology” by Finnish avant-garde death doom metal band Unholy. Including their early demo recordings "The Procession of Black Doom" (1990), "Demo 11.90" (1990) and "Trip to Depressive Autumn" (1992), this is the first time these demos are in the same package with exclusive liner notes.

Unholy emerged from the eastern Finnish town of Imatra in the late '80s. After changing their name from Armageddon to Holy Hell and eventually to Unholy, their mission was simple; to create harder, heavier, and slower music than their idols Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost. The lyrical themes and ideas for the songs came from Satanism, mysticism, anti-Christianity, mushroom trips, and shamanism among others. Finnish deep ecologist Pentti Linkola also inspired the band and their music. Some of the songs came up naturally by jamming riffs and others entirely by improvisation.

While the first two demos already made Unholy a force to be reckoned with, the release of “Trip to Depressive Autumn” caught the attention of the underground metal scene and various labels. The band was hungry for a recording contract, and it finally came into realization when Lethal Records released their debut album “From the Shadows” in 1993.

“Demology”, mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano at Orgone Studios, is out on July 19^th. Available formats include the Svart exclusive 2LP black/white marble vinyl, 2LP limited transparent red vinyl, 2LP classic black vinyl, and the 2CD edition.

If we take a look back at the very dark past of the birth of Finnish death metal, Disgrace was one of the originators among bands like Abhorrence, Belial, Xysma, Beherit, Funebre, etc. The late '80s were days of active tape trading, playing gigs wherever possible—mostly in local youth centers—and creating new music out of sheer frustration. Was it the geographical location of Finland, with its long winters and absence of light, that gave Finnish death metal that extra feeling of gloom and darkness? Even though you can hear some sort of “trademark” sound that comes to Finnish bands, the scene was vital in those days, and everyone was doing their own thing.

Disgrace recorded their first demo in 1989, which has been buried in time and dust. Luckily, their "Beyond the Immortalized Existence" and "Inside the Labyrinth of Depression" demos—both recorded in 1990—and the "Debts of God" EP (1990) have survived and are compiled into the "1990" release, which is now available again in a limited edition of 500 vinyl copies. These demos and EP document Disgrace at their most brutal and primitive, yet young and bloodthirsty. This is true grinding and murky death metal where you can hear influences from fellow bands like Xysma and Funebre, but also from UK and Swedish bands like Carcass (just listen to the track "Deprive My Innermost"), Bolt Thrower, Carnage, and Nihilist. Disgrace wasn’t afraid to include some doomier and groovier rocking parts into their sound even in the early days. Disgrace guitarist and vocalist Jukka Taskinen himself said that the Canadian band Voivod was the biggest influence to start the band, and there’s an obvious nod to those Quebecian sci-fi thrashers in the intro of "Debts of God."

Finnish death metallers Disgrace released a bunch of demos and one EP before their first full-length album, “Grey Misery,” which was released in 1992. The Finnish metal scene was flourishing with releases during those days—many of them are recognized as immortal classics among die-hard maniacs around the world: Slumber of Sullen Eyes, Member of Immortal Damnation, The Karelian Isthmus, Children of the Scorn, to name a few. And, of course, Grey Misery!

A bunch of classic albums, each with its own distinct sound and style, emerged during that time. Disgrace stepped up their game from their demo days, recording and mixing Grey Misery at Timo Tolkki’s TTT studio in May 1991. It was originally released on vinyl, CD, and tape by the Modern Primitive label in 1992. The band remembers that everything went smoothly during the recording process. It is evident that Disgrace practiced a lot and sharpened their songwriting skills without compromising the brutality in their delivery. Grey Misery takes the listener through nine tracks of organic, gloomy, groovy, and heavy-as-hell grinding death metal. Jukka Taskinen and Toni Stranius’ guttural double vocals still remind us of Bill Steer and Jeff Walker from Carcass. Some of the riffs also bear a resemblance, no doubt about that, but Disgrace managed to present their own blend of Finnish brutality with groove and almost prog-rock-like technical parts in some tracks. After Grey Misery, Disgrace decided that their days of death metal were over and transitioned to a brighter style with garage punk and rock’n’roll. That is a whole different story altogether.