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Veteran Swedish Death Metal band Paganizer has officially signed with Xtreem Music for the release of their new EP, ‘Forest of Shub Niggurath’, which will serve as a prelude to their forthcoming album in 2025. ‘Forest of Shub Niggurath’ is set to be released on September 10th, 2024, in both CD and digital formats.

Paganizer was formed in the late 1990s from the ashes of Terminal Grip, Rogga Johansson’s first band, where he recorded two demos in 1994 and 1995. In 1998, Paganizer recorded their first demo ‘Stormfire’, followed by their debut album a year later.

With an extensive discography that includes 12 full-length albums, 9 EPs, 13 split EPs, 14 compilations, and 2 live albums, Paganizer has firmly established themselves as one of Sweden’s most prolific and respected Death Metal bands. Their unwavering commitment to their crushing sound has earned them a loyal following over the past 26 years.

In 2024, Paganizer returns to Xtreem Music, the label that released their 3rd album ‘Murder Death Kill’ (2003) and ‘No Divine Rapture’ (2004). The new EP, ‘Forest of Shub Niggurath’, features six tracks, with titles like ‘The Outer Gods’, ‘R’Lyeh Ascends’ and the title track, that continue the band’s legacy of relentless Death Metal, setting the stage for their next full-length album in 2025.

Since 2014, Sentient Horror have been churning out high quality Death Metal so authentic to the original “Swedish sound” of the 90’s that it led Swedish mastermind Dan Swanö (ex-Edge of Sanity, ex-Bloodbath, Witherscape) to remark:

“..One of the best SweDeath bands I have come across in 20 years! The perfect blend of all the highlights from the Swedish scene from 89 to 91. Truly awesome!”

How surprising then, that Sentient Horror hail not from Scandinavia, but from northern New Jersey, USA.

The band was formed in 2014 by lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Matt Moliti. With the goal in mind to record death metal in the vein of the early 90s Stockholm scene, Matt self-released the three-song demo Beyond the Curse of Death under the original name, Sentience. The demo made waves in the underground and the band were quickly signed by Redefining Darkness Records (N.America) and Testimony Records (EU).

The band have stayed busy the last 10 years, releasing 3 stunningly great albums – ‘Ungodly Forms’ (2016), ‘Morbid Realms’ (2019) and ‘Rites of Gore’ (2022) – and 1 EP, ‘The Crypts Below’ (2018).

Never ones to rest on their laurels, Sentient Horror have continued to work non-stop and are now ready to release their 4th full length album, ‘In Service of the Dead’! When speaking to Matt about the direction of the new album, he shared,

“Going into the writing process for this record, I wanted to try to apply our brand of OSDM to more traditional metal song structures. I grew up with bands like Maiden, Priest, Dio, etc, and because of that, I’ve always been a fan of songs with strong, catchy choruses, guitar harmonies, and hooky, memorable riffs. So with ‘In Service of the Dead’, the result is an album of very 80s NWOBHM/Thrash inspired song forms, but made with proper death metal riffing. As for the lead work on the album, I was heavily inspired by the Megadeth record, ‘Rust in Peace’. I love Marty Friedman and Dave Mustaine’s solos on that album and tried to capture that vibe throughout ‘In Service of the Dead’.””

Matt also mentioned a slight shift in the lyrical content, explaining,

“Lyrically, while the general theme of the album is a pretty standard topic for death metal, the undead, I actually took a lot of inspiration from horror video games on this one. I’ve been a huge horror gaming fan for a very long time. I would argue many of those games impacted me just as much or more than any horror movie. So you’ve got songs like our first single, ‘Undead Mutation’, that are about the G Virus from Resident Evil 2, for example.”

Matt, typically the band’s sole songwriter, continued,

“While I did write most of the material on this record, it also features the first co-write from our drummer, Evan (Dead and Dripping), who contributed riffs to the title track, which wound up becoming one of my favorite tracks and a killer closer to the record.”

As for the artwork, Juanjo Castellano once again conjured another masterpiece and has become a part of the band’s identity, having created every cover for the band since their 2018 EP, The Crypts Below! And making a bold step, moving away from the only mastering engineer they have ever worked with, Dan Swanö, the band opted for a change and entrusted engineer, Noah Buchanan, known for his work with Midnight, Obscene, Oxygen Destroyer and more, to both mix and master the album which has resulted in the most ​savage and vicious the band have ever sounded on record!

To support the album, the band just wrapped up a number of dates with labelmates, Oxygen Destroyer, and they will be embarking on a 2 week tour in late October/ early November! Tour poster included below. The first single, Undead Mutation, is now streaming everywhere accompanied by a live shot video shot and edited by Nameless Cvlt Productions.

‘In Service of the Dead’ is truly Sentient Horror’s magnum opus. Everything they have worked for in the past 10 years has culminated to this moment and is reflected on this album. While it may not shock anyone in it’s overall direction, it’s a mature work from a band that knows exactly who they are, and do what they do better than anyone else!

On September 13th internationally, EAL Productions is proud to present Aethyrick’s highly anticipated fifth album, ‘Death is Absent’.

Aethyrick’s longstanding partnership with The Sinister Flame ended when the label closed its doors for good. However, the flow of inspiration could not be halted, and the fervent work on the new album continued in the shadows. By the summer of 2024, the process was complete, and the duo found a new home abroad under the banner of EAL Productions.

Musically, ‘Death is Absent’ builds on Aethyrick’s signature style, pushing it further while occasionally increasing the tempo. Rooted in the melodic and atmospheric side of mid ’90s Black Metal, their music evokes a time when the genre first captured their imaginations. They craft a soundscape that is both familiar and fresh, embodying the mysteries of the existential nightside.

Revelations within both the sacred circle and the dreamlike realms have infused this offering with deep emotion, draped in the regal mantle of Finnish Black Metal. The lyrics acknowledge and honor the Reaper’s role as the extinguisher of mortal life, yet deny his authority over the flames of eternal faith.

Paths come to an end. Voices fall silent. Hearts cease to beat. But the song of Spirit continues, and thus, death is truly absent.

Swedish Death Metal veterans Paganizer only seem to get better with age. Where most bands mellow down or start repeating themselves in a mechanical way, Paganizer’s music has increasingly become more nuanced.

They are able to express themselves far more effectively, both when swinging the axe and also when conjuring up the soul-tearing melodies out of thin air. They’re stepping out of their own shadow and imbuing their music with emotive tunes which work exceedingly well because of the contrast with the heavier parts. It’s naturally done too, part of taking the sound ahead rather than forcibly altering it. The result is a sound that is superbly tempered; a glorious, progressive alternating between the bone-splintering music and tuneful expressions of the innermost feelings.

‘Flesh Requiem’ has some of the best songs written by the band, a varied mix of the kind of music you’ve come to expect from the band and some refreshing epic ones, and with so many of them getting seared in your memory after listening to it, it’s easy to regard the album as among the finest in their extensive discography.

On September 13th, W.T.C. Productions is proud to present Horna’s highly anticipated 11th album, ‘Nyx – Hymnejä Yölle’, on CD, Cassette and vinyl LP formats.

Horna need no introduction. Formed in 1994 when they were but teenagers, the band soon began creating a vast, prolific catalog – and, since the early 2000s, began asserting considerable influence over the Black Metal underground both in their native Finland and abroad. And while there are three distinct eras of Horna – the Nazgul-fronted version during the late ’90s to early 2000s, then the feverish Corvus-fronted years from 2003 to 2009, and finally, the Spellgoth-fronted lineup that began the 2010s and which has seen a few lineup shifts but has patiently parceled out recordings ever since – stellar songwriting and impassioned playing have always been their hallmarks. Their sound may’ve undergone subtle shifts of texture throughout those many years, but Horna’s vision of unapologetic Black Metal has never faltered: proud and pure, familiar yet unique, and undeniably eerie and emotive.

Fitting for their 30th anniversary, Horna now unveil a new full-length that bridges past, present, and future: ‘Nyx – Hymnejä Yölle’. While the preceding Kuoleman Kirjo challenged with its sheer length – then again, so did 1999’s classic ‘Haudankylmyyden Mailla’, which retroactively wielded influence on that album and this next one – it nevertheless comprised 13 mostly-compact rippers emblematic of the Spellgoth era: nightsky melodicism conjured forth by founding guitarist Shatraug and longstanding six-string foil Infection, with the new rhythm section of drummer LRH and bassist VnoM creating blistering speed that was somehow swinging. That lineup carries forward to Nyx, and largely does that songwriting schematic. But whereas its predecessor touched upon a moodier aspect, on Nyx do Horna expand upon that in conjunction with longer tracks; six songs in 44 minutes should be easy math for most people. However, the album’s structure is unique in that the first five tracks are Roman numeral variations of ‘Hymni,’ and thus fit a framework of crisp, mystical Black Metal both nostalgically ancient yet somehow surprisingly ‘modern.’ Then comes ‘Kuoleva Lupaus,’ which features former bassist (and currently Kryptamok mainman) Hex Inferi. Solemn and stripped back unlike anything else in their extremely deep discography, this nine-minute closer is essentially neofolk, but unmistakably done the Horna way. A haunting end to a majestic catharsis…

Of especial note is the production across ‘Nyx – Hymnejä Yölle’: arguably the ‘cleanest’ production Horna have yet had, it only heightens said mysticism and adds a palatable sheen to these raging wraiths of song – the latent emotion brought to a boil, the hypnotism pulling heartstrings in magickal collusion. It speaks to the strength of their songwriting, once again, which somehow manages to become ever more focused yet varied as time marches on. And although nods to the Nazgul era are noticeable – the Corvus era stands cold ‘n’ alone in its righteous, ragged filth – this synthesis of peak performance and professionalism with spectral songwriting becomes its own new ‘era,’ in effect. Or, simply, it’s Horna. Their legendry continues to be written…

On October 11th internationally, Hammer of Hate is proud to present Barathrum’s highly anticipated tenth album, ‘Überkill’, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Barathrum should need no introduction. Formed in 1991, the band remain one of Finland’s very first Black Metal bands – and, more importantly, one of the longest-running. While Finland’s history of Black Metal often revolves around Beherit, Impaled Nazarene, and Archgoat during the ’90s and then Horna, Satanic Warmaster, and Behexen at the dawn of the millennium, during all this have Barathrum remained steadfast in their vision of bulldozing, bass-heavy Black Metal that indeed features TWO bass guitars. The band’s first two albums – Hailstorm and Eerie, both released in 1995 – remain absolute classics of dark & unsettling art, but thereafter did the band take on a rowdier, more concertedly METAL aspect that’s made that vision all the more unique and their legacy all the more enduring. And while they more or less went on hiatus following 2005’s ‘Anno Aspera’, Barathrum returned rougher and rowdier than ever with 2017’s gutted ‘n’ glorious ‘Fanatiko’.

Alas, seven years pass, but the Barathrum sound & vision are eternal, and they return to prove it once again with ‘Überkill’. Here, previous-bassist / now-guitarist Ruttokieli (also mainman of Sielunvihollinen and White Rune) composed all but one of the songs on this, amazingly the band’s tenth album; drummer Vendetta makes his composition debut with the telltale, scene-setting opener ‘Death by Steel.’ As always, founding frontman Demonos Sova wrote all the lyrics, and his signature full-throated rasp leads with devilish glee these alternately stomping / surging anthems, all with equally telltale titles like ‘Mountain of Bones,’ ‘Dark Sorceress,’ ‘Black Magick Rites,’ and perhaps best of all, ‘Spark Plugs of Purgatory.’ And yet, for as much as Barathrum are very much (still) a pure & proud Black Metal band, ‘Überkill’ proves that the Finns are, above all, a very great Heavy Metal band – just one that’s jet-black, asskicking, and bass-driven as fuck. Simple-yet-sublime pleasures, now and forever: again, Barathrum are eternal!

Adiorior in its entirety has always been the essence and the epitome of Extreme Heavy Metal. And now, after nearly two decades, this avalanche of fistfucking, Speed-Thrashing, pitch-Black Death is about to bury the conformistic and comfortable dreamland of nowadays domesticated Metal culture. ‘Bleed on my Teeth’ is a nightmare absolute, the true nemesis of pseudo-rebellious Heavy Metal! Play dead or hide behind the modern blinding playlists, this won’t be of any help.

Adiorior are armed to the teeth with the most evil sound, the sharpest tongue and offensive artwork. Once again, they will blaze a trail with complete outlaw attitude and leper morality. Just like on their predecessor ‘Author of Incest’ from 2005, the pack performs at an unrivalled and unimaginable level of aggression. Perfectly captured and recorded at Priory studios by Greg Chandler and brutally mastered by Patrick Engel, the result is as cruel and mean as never before.

‘Bleed on my Teeth’ has a lot of dirt under its fingernails, but it finally reanimates the corpse of mindfucking, repulsive and dangerous music serving the devil, without giving an inch to newer, shitty genre definitions.

Beware, this is for real…and it is fucking addictive. A huge poser filter holds control on “Bleed on my Teeth” as the aesthetes will never be able to appreciate Adiorior’s darkness. This album is a revelation for the black-hearted survivors of this diseased and treacherous world. You will feel this record like it has been tattooed into your bones, and if you don’t, then fuck off and pray that you never will!

The USA release will be handled by Dark Descent Records.

Iron Bonehead Productions is proud to present the highly anticipated debut album of Chile’s Invocation, ’The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures)’, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

It was but the early autumn of 2018 when Invocation released ’The Mastery of the Unseen’ EP through Iron Bonehead. Although only two songs, ’The Mastery of the Unseen’ was presciently titled, for the Chilean power-trio made masterful strides since their debut CDR in 2016 and the extremely promising Seance Part. I demo released later that year. Exhibiting the same sulfurous energy as the first works but now displaying a uniquely feral poise, that two-song salvo set the stage for yet another presciently titled work in early 2020: ’Attunement to Death’, again released by Iron Bonehead. Indeed with this mini-album did Invocation reach a hellish harmony with their classic South American diabolism, but on ’Attunement to Death’ did they imbue it with an ever-deeper – and ever-more-unique – aspect that bountifully displayed their authentic grounding in the occult.

At long last, nearly a decade after their formation, Invocation unleash their full-length debut: ’The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures)’. Upon first blush, thankfully, very little has changed in the Chileans’ sound; restless, roiling, and most definitely RIPPING, their teeth-gnashing gnarliness is squarely situated between black metal and death metal, with no compromise nor fence-sitting to be found. But, where the mini-length predecessor saw the trio exhibiting confidence to spare, ‘The Archaic Sanctuary’ utterly EXPLODES with it. Tight yet loose, wild yet locked-in, primitive constructions played with flowing finesse – Invocation’s songwriting and execution have mostly stayed the same but somehow grown to enviable proportions, punishing mind and body with oft-overwhelming and yet always-mesmerizing METAL brewed in the cauldrons of the ancient and occult. No more but definitely no less, this is exactly the sort of debut album Invocation needed to deliver: canvassing past, present, and future and fittingly framing it with another gritty analog recording rich with sulfurous fire and sepulchral echoes.

It was only a matter of time before Chile’s Invocation delivered a debut album to capitalize on the massive potential they displayed on their short-lengths. With ’The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures)’, they now can enter the hallowed ranks of fellow cult countrymen Unaussprechlichen Kulten, Force of Darkness, Slaughtbbath, and the sorely missed Hades Archer for standard-bearers of classic South American madness.

Iron Bonehead Productions is proud to present Deathless Void’s highly anticipated debut album, ‘The Voluptuous Fire of Sin’, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Hailing from the resurgent Dutch Black Metal scene, the then-mysterious Deathless Void made their public debut with a self-titled EP in early 2022, released by Iron Bonehead. Across its three-song / 15-minute runtime was a vacuum of violent, post-modern death energy. Their foundation was undoubtedly Black Metal, but their vision was not blinkered by the past; if anything, the jet-stream of crushing chaos across Deathless Void was futuristic, albeit a ruined vision of such.

Reprising two of those EP tracks, ‘The Voluptuous Fire of Sin’ becomes the penultimate first statement from Deathless Void. Much of that foundation is fortunately still in place – palpitating physicality mutated into cold, cutting, gleaming-yet-bloodstained steel – but the now-quartet have excised some of the noisier crags of that EP in favor of a more organic soundfield, which exceptionally amplifies the latent nightsky melodicism of their Black Metal. In terms of that EP, one could point to later Katharsis or Antaeus or especially turn-of-the-millennium Thorns as touchstones; on ‘The Voluptuous Fire of Sin’, there’s a palpably late ’90s feel in both songwriting and production, such that one could psychically slot the album among the No Fashion Records roster back then. Still, said EP whipped forth its own dread and delirium, and Deathless Void duly maximize that sensation here. The riffs and rhythms may attack in a somewhat-familiar manner, but coursing through their bloodstream is a haunting aspect that hovers both above and below, each texture daubed in nightmarishly psychedelic color – all emanating from BLACK. Not for nothing does the record (violently) begin with ‘Psychedelic Warfare’ on to ‘Purple Triad,’ with ‘The Ecstasy of Sin’ able to be tasted when ‘Crossing the Threshold’ until, finally, there’s a ‘Curse Upon You’…

The start of THE END begins again: Deathless Void’s ‘The Voluptuous Fire of Sin’!

Blood Harvest Records is proud to present Phenocryst’s highly anticipated debut album, ‘Cremation Pyre’, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

Hailing from Portugal, Phenocryst was formed in early 2020, during the recording of their debut EP. The band is based in the outskirts of Lisbon, and the origin of such conjuration is a rigorous consequence of a vibrant underground activity in the city.

The band wanted to create the foundation of a Death Metal act crossing other influences like doom and some psychedelic vibes, to illustrate soundscapes of disastrous, catastrophic, and annihilating volcanic and natural events. There are not many artists actually singing about this specific topic, if any, and therefore, the lyrical content is also something to explore. As such, the moniker Phenocryst is fitting.

That debut EP, aptly titled ‘Explosions’, was released by Blood Harvest in late 2021 to international acclaim. Across its 23-minute runtime, Phenocryst unsettled with preternatural ease, reeking of death stench and obscure delirium. It was a noble foundation, to be sure, and one that allowed for further liberation of the rich language of Death Metal.

Speaking more confidently and boldly than ever and armed with a reconfigured lineup, Phenocryst at last deliver their debut album in ‘Cremation Pyre’. Another aptly titled record, ‘Cremation Pyre’ indeed sonically approximates its namesake: somber yet furious, coiling with both inexorable dread and steely-eyed austerity, portentous and spacious in equal measure, and of course Molten. Upon first blush, Phenocryst’s debut full-length is perhaps purer Death Metal than its short-length predecessor; riffs are hulking and heaving, with a clearer production imparting a gleaming tank-like sound not unlike mid ’90s Bolt Thrower.

But even within this seemingly more “standard” carapace, odd & adroit sensations get malformed into miasmic shapes, and what seems like a no-less-awesome iteration of gleaming meat & potatoes Death Metal soon starts sliding and slipstreaming into a vortex of cosmic ash as the second half of the album begins to dig in its supernatural claws and frightening spaciousness opens up. And that’s to say nothing of the subtly reverberating-into-the-abyss bits of melody dotting this sooty landscape…

Forward-thinking traditionalism? Perhaps, but the real beauty of ‘Cremation Pyre’ is that it’s open to myriad interpretations; one only need step into its lava. Phenocryst prove, once again, that Only Death is Realer!