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With their seventh full-length "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL explore the liminal spaces between light and darkness, nature and solitude on an epic album. The ever evolving and shifting Finnish band has reawakened their treasured roots in folk music and psychedelic rock as they artfully weave acoustic interludes, cosmic synths, and spectral piano into the frost-spun threads on their black metal loom. "Nocturne" sounds both familiar and fearlessly progressive as echoes of tradition entwine with a fresh reinvention of their characteristic sound. The seed of this masterpiece was sown by the performance of a commissioned work at Roadburn Festival 2024 that was originally entitled: "Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne". With this album, it arrives fully fleshed in recorded form. This opus magnum blends the raw spirit of Quorthon's black metal with the intricate minimalism of contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, György Ligeti, and Avro Pärt. Its eclectic nature is elevated and underlined by select guest performances, including the vocals of Saara Nevalainen, as well as the avant-garde black metal luminaries Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (DHG/DØDHEIMSGARD), and ORANSSI PAZUZU's Juho Vanhanen. While HEXVESSEL are based in Tampere, Finland, they were founded by English singer & songwriter Kvohst aka Mat McNerney after he moved to the country in 2009. In many ways, HEXVESSEL reflect their founder. The vocalist and songwriter has instigated and been involved in various bands ranging from UK black metal act CODE, a stint in Norwegian legends DØDHEIMSGARD, and to rock shooting stars BEASTMILK – later 'continued' with GRAVE PLEASURES to name but a few of his success stories. With "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL invite all souls on earth to a transcendental night ritual that is imbued with DARKTHRONE, TANGERINE DREAM, Philip Glass, and sounds unearthed from the dead past, now instilled with new life.

Reissue remastered of 2005 mini cd.
Jewel case

Digipack

digisleeve CD

A deeply introspective work, the 2023 “The Rime of Memory” is the second chapter in Panopticon’s trilogy exploring ageing, grief, and the emotional fallout of environmental collapse. Expanding on the themes introduced in “...And Again into the Light”, this album leads listeners into colder, more cinematic territory – weaving Appalachian folk, symphonic grandeur, and searing metal into a single, immersive journey.

With sweeping orchestral movements, a global choir, and collaborations in both sound and visual art, “The Rime of Memory” stands as one of Austin Lunn’s most expansive statements to date. Shifting between moments of crushing intensity and quiet contemplation, it draws the listener into a world shaped by memory, sorrow, and a fragile sense of hope.

Kentuckian living in Minnesota returns with his most sorrowful, introspective album yet. A search for hope in a bleak world. Easily the darkest and heaviest record of his entire career. 

With their fifth album "The Stillness of Dissolution", AUSTERE embark on a dark journey that leads through the abyss of time, the inevitable return of order to chaos into the black void. In the words of the poet: everything that arises is worth that it perishes. The new album brings an overall blacker feel to their sound. This slight change of course does not constitute an easy nostalgic return to the old days as AUSTERE remain within the framework of the more mature and defined version of their particular style of depressive black metal, which reflects their greater experience and evolution as artists. AUSTERE arose from a solo-project run by multi-instrumentalist and singer Desolate alias Mitchell Keepin who joined forces with drummer, keyboard player, and vocalist Sorrow aka Tim Yatras in 2005. Signature frost-bitten guitars, alongside high-pitched screams and wails marked AUSTERE's debut album "Withering Illusions and Desolation" (2007). The sophomore album "To Lay like Old Ashes" followed in 2009 and still featured a raw sound but with a refined production. At this point in time, both musicians decided to focus on other projects and AUSTERE went into hibernation until the duo reformed in 2021. The number of followers had only grown during their absence through word of mouth. AUSTERE are back in black with "The Stillness of Dissolution", yet the Australians also keep all the subtle shades of grey that turn the ongoing evolution of their music into a thrilling experience of new sonic spaces of dark matter.

Ov Shadows is a Black Metal band from Gothenberg, Sweden. Rising from the ashes of "Waning", a band that all four members previously played in, Ov Shadows introduced their sound with the 2016 self-released EP "Monologues" before releasing its first full-length album "The Darkness Between Stars" in 2018.

This summer, Ov Shadows returns with their second full-length and first release on Hypnotic Dirge Records. Entitled "I Djävulens Avbild" (In the Devil's Image), the new record presents Ov Shadows at an unprecedented ferocity and forward-momentum, and apparently very intent on proving that to their listeners immediately, as pummeling drums and a heavy galloping riff fill the speakers within seconds of the opening track "Den Eld Som Tär Och Förvrider."

Throughout "I Djävulens Avbild, the pace hardly ever lets up, instead taking you on an all-out sensory assault. The combination of infectious riffs, recurring hooks, blastbeats, and tortured vocals create an enveloping claustrophobic and dark dissonance, as if a shroud has covered your face and defined forms have turned to shadows. Despite its unrelenting nature, the details really shine through on "I Djävulens Avbild" thanks to its clear production, precise musicianship, and deliberate flow.