Norwegian Black Metallers ENDEZZMA have today released a Teaser video for their upcoming album “The Arcane Abyss”, which is set for release on Pulverised Records on the 31 March in CD Digipak, Gatefold LP and Digital formats. The video can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/CJ7rQSf89Ig
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ENDEZZMA’s distinctive sound has all the aggression of Old School Black Metal with icy overtones that merge together to create what the band describes as “Nekro Requiems”. Formed in 2006 by Morten Shax and the late Trondr Nefas (URGEHAL, BEASTCRAFT, VULTURE LORD), ENDEZZMA’s lineup comprises Shax on vocals, Malphas (BEASTCRAFT,CARPATHIAN FOREST,SVARTTJERN) on Lead Guitar, Nihil on Rythm Guitar, Skriu (ex live BLOOD RED THRONE) on Drums and Aske (BYRDI) on Bass.
“The Arcane Abyss” will be ENDEZZMA’s second full-length album, and the follow up to the band’s 2012 debut album “Erotik Nekrosis”. Recorded at Gravlund Studio, and mastered by Tore Stjerna at the Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, REPUGNANT, TRIBULATION, etc) and with artwork by Remember The Fallen Artworks, tracklisting on “The Arcane Abyss” is as follows:
1.Malferno
2.The Arcane Abyss
3.Gates Of Mephisto
4.Morbus Divina
5.Sick Kulta Lucifer
6.Serpent Earth
7.Esoterisk Mystagon
8.A Grave So Deep
Ahead of the album’s release, ENDEZZMA have also released a limited edition 7″ EP which hit the streets on the 24th February in a limited edition of 500 copies world-wide, with 100 on transparent yellow vinyl and 100 on transparent red vinyl. The remaining 300 copies are all on standard black vinyl. The two track EP, titled “Morbus Divina” features the exclusive track “Black Tempest”, which is the last song written by URGEHAL frontman Trondr Nefas before his death. Drums on the track are performed by BEASTCRAFT bassist and former TSJUDER drummer Desecrator. “Morbus Divina”, whose title track also features on “The Arcane Abyss”, can be heard below and at https://pulverised.bandcamp.com/album/morbus-divina
The Official video for “Junkyard Oblivion”, from ENDEZZMA’s debut full-length album “Erotikk Nekrosis” can be seen below and on ENDEZZMA’s YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/NZtQ9xPZF5U
On the surface, things might have seemed a little quiet on the SKITLIV front since the release of the 2009 album “Skandinavisk Misantropi” on Season of Mist. And indeed, the band is in somewhat of a hiatus given the personal and work commitments of both the band’s founder and former MAYHEM vocalist Maniac, as well as Niklas Kvarforth’s full agenda with SHINING. But a “new” video has recently surfaced which should go a little way towards assuaging the thirst that fans have for news of the band.
Whilst going through his archives the legendary frontman found the “piece of X-ray adultery”, which had been filmed at around the time of the album release and never made public, in his vaults. Filmed by renowned sculptor and SUCHTHAUS bassist Spacebrain, the video for the title track from “Skandinavisk Misantropi” can now be seen below and on YouTube at https://youtu.be/fnrKGTazWQw
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Having been around since the beginning of Black Metal, Maniac was, for a time, involved in the production of “Damage Inc.” one of the early fanzines. The zine quickly became a casualty of the demands of his music career, and it is only recently that Maniac has found the time to re-visit this particular, and most basic, of aspects of the music scene, that has always interested him.
With the publication of a new edition of “Damage Inc” on the horizon, fans should not expect to see the kind of glossy, commercially-driven magazines that are the norm today. They can, instead, look forward to a return to the days when the music and the musicians were what mattered.
Maniac had this to say about the resurrection of the Fanzine : ” Work on Damage Inc. # 3 is in full progress. Interviews with TEITANBLOOD, CLANDESTINE BLAZE, DÖRAID, BIRTH RITUAL, DARKTHRONE, and more. It’s been 30 years since the last issue so it is about time. Cut and paste magazine. Nothing glossy around. Just darkness and good music”.
Musically too Maniac has not been entirely inactive, just more low key, having collaborated both live and in the studio with artists like Niklas Kvarforth and SHINING and Andrew Liles (NURSE WITH WOUND), as well as having taken up his former mantle of frontman for a couple of MAYHEM performances. Most recently he has recorded guest vocals on the upcoming album from Norway’s WITCHFACE.
With their appearance in London at the end of last year having sold out almost immediately, Norwegian Black Metallers TAAKE have announced that they will return to the UK to play the following four dates in April alongside UK favourites FEN and DE PROFUNDIS. Due to other upcoming commitments FEN are unable to do the London show and will be replaced by WINTERFYLLETH
Thu 6 April, The Exchange, Bristol
Fri 7 April, The Dome, London (Winterfylleth will be filling in for Fen at this show)
Sat 8 April, The Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Sun 9 April, Ivory Blacks, Glasgow
TAAKE
With over two decades of experience, both in the studio and on the stage, TAAKE, or more precisely, the band’s formidable founder and frontman Hoest, has acquired almost legendary status. Never abandoning the origins of Norwegian Black Metal, Hoest still manages to innovate and surprise fans the world-over, and, in a long-lasting collaboration with Dark Essence Records, consistently produces albums that are considered to be classics in their genre.
Hoest’s powerful persona and mesmerising stage presence makes TAAKE much sought after on the live circuit, with 2017 already gearing up to be as busy as the previous year. As well as the four UK dates have already been confirmed for various festival appearances over the coming year.
The official video for the track “Nordbundet” from the TAAKE album “Noregs Vaapen” can be seen below and at http://youtu.be/OAIIbnrYC7Q
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FEN
Formed in early 2006 with the goal of producing Atmospheric Black Metal that incorporates elements of post-rock, FEN have, since then, found themselves at the vanguard of a resurgent UK Black Metal scene. With an EP, four full length albums, several splits and compilations, two European tours and numerous appearances at prestigious festivals under their belts, FEN’s fifth full-length album “Winter”, which is set for release on Aural Music on the 17th March, is the band’s most ambitious, and yet most fundamental expression, yet. FEN recently debuted a track from the album, on the strength of which two limited edition versions of “Winter” are already close to being sold out more than a month before release date. The track “I (Pathway)” can be heard below and at https://fenuk.bandcamp.com/album/winter
The official video for the track “Menhir – Supplicant” from FENs 2014 album “Carrion Skies” can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/MqDGA1DqF0U
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DE PROFUNDIS
DE PROFUNDIS started life in 2005 playing a haunting blend of Doom and Death metal, but, by 2010, whilst still retaining the sombre, melodic atmosphere the band’s sound became much more progressive in nature. Now, after years of honing their art, the sound of DE PROFUNDIS has been streamlined into concise, technical cacophonies that fuse ferocious Blackened Death metal with ethereal progressive overtones. DE PROFUNDIS’ extensive stage experience guarantees that this tour will be one too good to miss.
The official video for the track “All Consuming” from DE PROFUNDIS’ 2015 album “Kingdom of the Blind” can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/EmDCf8PfaGE
With the release of their sophomore full-length album set for March, Norwegian Black Metallers ENDEZZMA will release a limited edition 7″ EP on the 24th February. Aside from showcasing a track from the new album, the B Side of the EP features the exclusive track “Black Tempest”, which is the last song written by URGEHAL frontman Trondr Nefas before his death. Drums on the track are performed by BEASTCRAFT bassist and former TSJUDER drummer Desecrator .
Titled “Morbus Divina”, the EP was recorded at the Gravlund Studio , with mastering duties performed by Tore Stjerna at the Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, REPUGNANT, TRIBULATION, etc). Artwork on the two-track EP is by Remember The Fallen Artworks. Track listing on “Morbus Divina” as follows:
1.Morbus Divina
2.Black Tempest
“Morbus Divina” will be released on Pulverised Records in a limited edition of 500 copies world-wide, with 100 on transparent yellow vinyl and 100 on transparent red vinyl. The remaining 300 copies will be on standard black vinyl.
x Formed in 2006 by Morten Shax and the late Trondr Nefas (URGEHAL, BEASTCRAFT, VULTURE LORD), ENDEZMMA merges the icy aggression of Old School Black Metal with a distinctive sound all of its own, to create what the band describe as “Nekro Requiems”. Aside from Shax on vocals, today’s lineup includes Malphas (BEASTCRAFT,CARPATHIAN FOREST,SVARTTJERN)on Lead Guitar, Nihil on Rythm Guitar, Skriu (ex live BLOOD RED THRONE) on Drums and Aske (BYRDI) on Bass.
ENDEZZMA’s debut full-length album “Erotikk Nekrosis” was released in 2012, the year that also marked the death of Trondr Nefas, so it is fitting that the new EP serves as a tribute to the now legendary musician ahead of what will be the band’s sophomore full-length “The Arcane Abyss”, which will hit the streets at the end of March on Pulverised Records.
The Official video for “Junkyard Oblivion”, from ENDEZZMA’s debut full-length album “Erotikk Nekrosis” can be seen below on ENDEZZMA’s YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/NZtQ9xPZF5U
With their ninth full-length album “landwarijaR” earning huge plaudits for Norwegian Viking Metallers HELHEIM, the band have now released a second video from the album, this time for the track “Ymr”, which can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/ikkKoB56JVM
x Like the preceding video for the track “Baklengs mot intet”, “Ymr” was directed by Guilherme Henriques, and this time the band concentrates on live footage filmed at Inside Live & Rock Café bt Mathis Backe interspersed with film of some of the glorious scenery that surrounds HELHEIM’s home town of Bergen.
“Ymr” also has a theme running through it, one that is in contrast to that expressed in the “Baklengs mot intet”. As HELHEIM’s V’gandr explains:
“With “Ymr” Helheim explores the terrain that might result from the complete enlightenment of knowledge. The tree of life is the symbol of this path and you may wonder if this enlightenment is of a positive or of a negative energy. When the One with the one eye closes it, that is when we must open up ours and see what lies ahead. “Ymr” is the primal scream, the essence of man and to grow from there you have to climb. Whereas “Baklengs mot intet” showed no hope in its cloak of negativity, “Ymr” might kindle a tiny spark – but that’s up to the eye of the beholder or should I say, the ears of the listener.”
With music by by H’grimnir and V’gandr, lyrics by V’gandr and artwork by H’grimnir, “landawarijaR” was recorded at the Conclave and Earshot Studios in Bergen, and produced by Bjornar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and mastered by Herbrand Larsen (ENSLAVED). Artists performing guest vocals on the album include William Hut, Morten Egeland (NARROWHEAD), Pehr Skjoldhammer (ALFAHANNE), Bjornar E Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and Ottorpedo.
Tracklisting for “landawarijaR” is as follows:
1. Ymr
2. Baklengs mot intet
3. Rista blodørn
4. landawarijaR
5. Ouroboros
6. Synir af heidindomr
7. Enda-dagr
“Thill Smitts Terror” , the new full-length album from Norway’s SLAGMAUR, is expected to hit the streets very shortly on Osmose Productions. The complex nature of SLAGMAUR’s artwork, carefully created and supervised by the band’s founder General Gribbsphiiser, is currently being finalised, and given his exacting demands, as soon as it’s finished (and that will be very soon) a date will be announced. In the meantime, the band have agreed to debut three tracks from the album ahead of their second Inferno Festival appearance in Norway in April and their first ever appearance in the USA in February at the Stardust VI Festival in Brookyln.
“Thill Smitts Terror” will continue where “Von Rov Shelter”, the band’s critically acclaimed 2009 album, left off, delving more and more deeply into the disturbing world that SLAGMAUR conjures up by combining modern and classical instruments with children’s nursery rhymes and fairy tales. It is a world where classically constructed melodies blend seamlessly with aggressive black metal to create a nightmare scenario straight from the pit of hell. Art, as well as music, is an integral part of the whole that is SLAGMAUR – from the sinister masks and costumes the band wears on stage, to the disturbing images used in the artwork for the albums.
Mysterious and secretive, SLAGMAUR was formed in the remote reaches of North Western Norway, in 2006. The band have never revealed their true identities and always appear heavily disguised, often as characters from their own songs. Nor have they ever revealed how they create the sinister music that invades the listeners mind with layer upon layer of sound that reveals a different facet each time you hear it, depending on your current state of mind.
HELEHIEM’s much anticipated ninth full-length album “landawarijaR” is set to hit the streets on the 20th January on Dark Essence Records, but fans don’t need to wait until then to hear it, as the album is streaming in its entirety ahead of its release date at the following locations:
Music for the seven-track album is by H’grimnir and V’gandr with lyrics by V’gandr. It was recorded at the Conclave and Earshot Studios in Bergen, where it was produced by Bjornar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and mastered by Herbrand Larsen (ENSLAVED). Artists performing guest vocals on the “landawarijaR” include William Hut, Morten Egeland (NARROWHEAD), Pehr Skjoldhammer (ALFAHANNE), Bjornar E Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and Ottorpedo.
With artwork by H’grimnir, tracklisting for “landawarijaR” is as follows:
1.Ymr
2. Baklengs mot intet
3. Rista blodørn
4. landawarijaR
5. Ouroboros
6. Synir af heidindomr
7. Enda-dagr
Just as HELHEIM’s “raunijaR” followed in the same vein as its predecessor “Asgards Fall”, “landawarijaR” continues where “Heidindomr” ended. Through the songs, and the two videos that will also appear, Helheim are continuing their exploration and modern interpretation of the darker aspects of the North-European, pre-Christian , in order to capture the spirit of the Norse heritage in ways that have eluded both to researchers and archaeologists.
One of the above-mentioned videos, for the track ‘Baklengs mot intet’, was recently revealed and will be followed at a later date by “Ymr”. Produced and directed by Guilherme Henriques, the video for ‘Baklengs mot intet’ is a visual illustration of the inner battle, the bottomless despair, and endless futility experienced by a Walker of the Way. It can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/kRiimctYXiQ
With the their seventh full-length album “Welcome the Dead” released at the end of last year, and earning plaudits from fans and critics alike, veteran Norwegian Black Metallers CREST OF DARKNESS have uploaded a new video for a track from the album to their YouTube channel. The track chosen for this video is “My Black Bride” which makes this a particularly unusual choice for the band, not only because it is an instrumental, something the band has only recorded on two occasions over the years, but it is also a melodic, deeply atmospheric piece, totally different from the band’s usual Black/Death/Metal sound. The reasons for creating such an “out of character” piece are quite fascinating, and are explained below by the band’s founder and frontman Ingar Amlien (CONCPTION, ROQUEFIRE, AMLIEN’s INFERNO). The video itself can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/niPFDtJgpC4
x According to Amlien “My Black Bride” was written for his wife Laila, who wore a black wedding dress when the couple married over ten years ago. “I had wanted to write a special song for Laila for a long time. She has supported me and my work for so many years, and without her I really don’t know where I would be today, and I knew right from the start that if I was to create this piece it would have to be totally honest. Something personal, and not the kind of rose-tinted love song that people tend to expect when you write a song dedicated to the love of your life.
“I tried to capture the feeling of romance and happiness, but at the same time I wanted to touch on something more “forbidden” – the dark side if you like to think of it like that. Like most couples we have been through many experiences in the time we’ve shared together, both good and bad. But, unlike most couples, my work has always involved being “in touch” with both Life and Death, something Laila has always been very aware of, so the difficult times take on a darker significance.
“I also knew that this song had to be an instrumental because words could not possibly express what I was trying to communicate with this song. I played the guitars myself – I felt I had to as these few notes I’m playing are so extremely personal. To the listener the song may sound like a simple, stripped down piece of music, which is what I intended it to be, but it comes from the depth of my heart ands contains many small details that someone outside of the relationship I have with my wife cannot understand. It’s a heartbreaking piece, but as with all my music, there is something deeper behind it. There is my belief that inside all of us there burns a black flame – that special will to survive”.
The video itself was created and edited by Francesco Palumbo at MKM Graphix, using images from the Cappuccin Catacombs in Palermo, Italy, and, given that “My Black Bride” is essentially a romantic piece, the choice of such macabre images might seem strange. “When I first saw the video I almost choked” admitted Amlien. “The images were right for CREST OF DARKNESS, but I was a little taken aback at first. However, the more I looked at it, the more I realised that they were, in fact, perfect”.
“Welcome the Dead” was released on My Kingdom Music in both CD and Digital formats at the end of last year. A double LP format, which will feature a special bonus track, will be released shortly in collaboration with Metal Age Productions, Kristallblut Records and Supreme Music Creations. Artwork for the album features the strange and disturbing Zombie Foetus sculptures created by the Italian artist Andrea Falaschi.
CREST OF DARKNESS’ lineup of Amlien on bass and vocals, Rebo on guitars, Bernhard (ex- PALE FOREST) on drums, and Kristian Wentzel on keyboards, will celebrate the release of “Welcome the Dead” with a special Friday the 13th show at Retro in Raufoss, Norway in January.
The seven-track album was originally intended to mark the band’s tenth anniversary, but was unavoidably delayed due to a series of personal and technical difficulties. “Anti-Cosmic Art” displays the versatility of the Norwegian veterans, ranging, as it does, from Old School Black Metal to more experimental tracks. It is brutally catchy, largely guitar-driven, and the whole is imbued with the crushingly dark sound that SARKOM has made its own.
SARKOM’s choice of guest artists for “Anti-Cosmic Art” is a clear indication of how unafraid the band is to step out of their comfort zone, with appearances from the likes of SHINING’s Peter Huss, Ronni Le Tekrø from TNT and ROQUEFIRE and TROLLFEST’s Sagstad who all contribute to give the album a guitar-driven sound, whilst ALFAHANNE frontman Pehr Skjoldhammer’s distinctive vocals add a completely different dimension to the track “Come, dear Cancer”.
With artwork by Spectrvm Lvsitani, tracklisting for “Anti-Cosmic Art” is as follows:
Previous associates, now as targets for the gun
Mind-abscess
Ruiners of our family tree
Seen through the eyes of a paedophile priest
Come, dear cancer
Black metal necrophilia
Sodomy and lust (Sodom cover).
SARKOM bassist Sgt V will be doing a DJ turn at Kniven in Oslo on the 2nd December, where he will play the whole of “Anti-Cosmic Art” to mark its release. Confirmed upcoming shows for SARKOM:
2016
03 Dec: Good Omens, Trondheim, Norway
17 Dec: Revolver, Oslo, Norway
2017
15 Apr: Dark Easter Metal Meeting, Munich, Germany
With the release date for CREST OF DARKNESS’ seventh full-length album “Welcome the Dead” having been brought forward to the 25th November, the band has released a video for the title track. Directed by Anders Børresen for MONITORmeda, the video for “Welcome the Dead” can be seen below and on CREST OF DARKNESS’ YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/4jxLXUPRLyI
x Commenting on the video, founder and frontman Ingar Amlien had this to say: “We wanted to make a video that offers a glimpse into the dark world of CREST OF DARKNESS. Perhaps we are just story tellers recounting a fairytale, and the video can certainly be viewed and enjoyed at that level, but we are also touching on aspects of Life itself and those eternal questions that people ask themselves about life and death and the meaning of it all.
“We might not have all the answers, and in all honesty we don’t even want to pretend that we do, but what we do want is to make people think for themselves, and find their own answers . Let’s face it, we are all Gods. Each of us builds their own universe, and it just happens that the world of CREST OF DARKNESS is my universe”.
Recorded at the at MLP Studio by Nils H. Mæhlum, and mastered at the Kvålsonic Lab by Tom Kvålsvoll, the nine-track album promises to be the heaviest, darkest and most introspective album in the band’s twenty plus year history. It will be released on My Kingdom Music in both CD and Digital formats, as well as a double LP format which will feature a special bonus track.
With artwork that features the strange and disturbing Zombie Foetus sculptures created by the Italian artist Andrea Falaschi, tracklisting on “Welcome the Dead” is as follows:
1. Welcome The Dead
2. Chosen By The Devil
3. Scourged And Crucified
4. My Black Bride
5. Borrowed Life
6. The Almighty
7. Memento Mori
8. The Noble Art
9. Katharsis
“Welcome the Dead” includes a guest appearance by Norwegian actor Espen Reboli Bjerke, well known for his extensive work in films, theatre, radio and Television. Bjerke, who also won a Spelleman Award, the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammies, performs the spoken part on “Katharsis”, the closing track on the album.
Amlien, whose illustrious musical history started with the legendary CONCPTION, and includes ROQUEFIRE and AMLIEN’s INFERNO, confirms that “Welcome the Dead” has a particular significance for him: ” I’ve put a hell of a lot of myself and my emotions into this album, even more so than usual. I’ve always felt that when we are on stage, we create a sort of magic, and this time we have been able to transfer that magic to the recordings. You could say this is my personal Black Mass”.
CREST OF DARKNESS’ lineup of Amlien on bass and vocals, Rebo on guitars, Bernhard (ex- PALE FOREST) on drums, and Kristian Wentzel on keyboards, will celebrate the release of “Welcome the Dead” with a show special Friday the 13th show at Retro in Raufoss, Norway in January.
PATRICIA THOMAS BAND MANAGEMENT 