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Purity Through Fire is proud to present Úlfarr’s highly anticipated debut album, ‘Orlegsceaft’, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Since 2011, Úlfarr have stood for uncompromising, antisocial UK black metal – or, under their own banner of Cumbrian Black Metal. Helmed by Dominus, AKA Hrafn – who counts the equally prolific Thy Dying Light amongst his activities, as well as fellow labelmates Nefarious Dusk and Morte Lune – Úlfarr released a handful of demos, a couple splits, and most uniquely, a couple live albums before their debut mini-album, ‘Hate & Terror – The Rise of Pure Evil’, in 2019 and then another mini-album, ‘The Ruins of Human Failure’, two years later. Most recently, they released a split album with fellow UK horde Malfeitor. Across these caustic recordings, Úlfarr stoked the fires of old – namely, classic Craft, Darkthrone, Mayhem, One Head One Tail, and Death Cult.

Now Úlfarr return with a revamped lineup and a revamped sound on their long-awaited debut album, ‘Orlegsceaft’. Joining Dominus here are erstwhile Exvoidxist / Forvitnast vocalist Játvarðr, Helvellyn’s Burns on bass, and Malfeitor maiman Nosdrahcir on drums. As no doubt forecasted by its title, ‘Orlegsceaft’ is written almost entirely in Old English, and most suitably do Úlfarr shift gears toward a grim & ancient style of black metal. Whereas their sound of yore spit forth a hateful primitivism both punkish and headbanging, this older & bolder Úlfarr take that hate toward more desolate and hypnotic ends; atmosphere is heightened, ghoulish and GRIM in aspect. In effect, ‘Orlegsceaft’ undeniably sounds OLD(e), like a long-lost recording from 1995 given undead life through ghostly means. It’s still recognizably Úlfarr, but their attack cruises more cooly here and the vocals of Játvarðr raise the hackles with full-throated terror. And fucking RIFFS forever!

Against the modern world, more than ever, Úlfarr take UKBM back to the dark ages with ‘Orlegsceaft’.

Iron Bonehead Productions is proud to present Unaussprechlichen Kulten’s highly anticipated sixth album, ‘Häxan Sabaoth’, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

By now, Unaussprechlichen Kulten require little introduction. For nearly 25 years, this Chilean cult have built a commanding canon of eldritch Death Metal DARKNESS. From their early demos to later splits and especially their preceding five full-lengths – not least of which, 2014’s ‘Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath’, 2017’s ‘Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X)’, and 2019’s ‘Teufelsbücher’, all released by Iron Bonehead to widespread critical acclaim – Unaussprechlichen Kulten have explored the furthest reaches of primordial dread and ancient mysticism, all through pure ‘n’ authentic Metal of Death. That their vision has only become more intense and mesmerizing, after so many years (and when so many bands sputter to obsolescence), is some strange magick indeed…

Witness ‘Häxan Sabaoth’. Both a culmination of their characteristic aesthetic and a whole new, supernatural twist upon it, ‘Häxan Sabaoth’ sees Unaussprechlichen Kulten fusing clanging angularity with haunting atmospherics, delirious chaos with eerie melodicism, epic narrative with primal crush – essentially, an extrapolation (and intensification) of seemingly polar opposites. And yet, through that same strange magick, the Chileans conjure a tableau that’s undeniably their vastest and most violent to date. Riffs and rhythms pound and mutate with hypnotic ease, breaking down the listener’s will; momentum becomes slipstreaming, with dread sounds bubbling up from every crevasse of this abyss; motifs then flicker with frightening clarity before disintegrating into something equally dread-inducing. For however “pure” and primordial Unaussprechlichen Kulten’s Death Metal is, there’s’ daresay a newfound grace across ‘Häxan Sabaoth’ – malodorous and miasmic, yes, but it effectively lends an airiness to what’s already an exceptionally dense & dissonant foundation. Likewise, the considerably cleaner production ably intensifies the atmosphere with no sacrifice in physicality. That the cover art manages to capture this whole dichotomy is surely no accident.

Many words could (and should) be written about this accomplishment, but the short of it is that Unaussprechlichen Kulten here have daringly raised an impossibly high bar. ‘Häxan Sabaoth’ is their grandest achievement yet, and guaranteed to be one of this decade’s defining Death Metal tomes.

In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage Death Metal, on January 22nd, 2024 internationally, Memento Mori is proud to present Necrotum’s highly anticipated third album, ‘Defleshed Exhumation’, on CD format.

Hailing from Romania, the rancid entity known as Necrotum was initiated by mainman Filip Garlonta (Putred, Demoted, Vorus) in Brasov, back in 2019. Despite the fact that the band has only been around for four years, Necrotum have already produced an impressive output, including two albums and a number of shorter releases, getting tighter, danker, heavier, and more macabre over time, drawing inspiration from the likes of early Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, Wombbath, Broken Hope, and Grave among others, with the sole intention of perpetuating ghastly, downtuned, no-frills DEATH fuckin’ METAL.

While it would be expected (and celebrated) if Necrotum stuck to those rancid guns, on their forthcoming third album, ‘Defleshed Exhumation’, do they become slicker and yet more twisted – tighter but also wilder, and perhaps more “evolved”….very relatively speaking! Because make no mistake, Necrotum are staunchly (and sickly!) Death Metal of a most ’90s vintage, but whereas their preceding full-lengths could be slotted within the pantheon of early ’90s Death Metal, ‘Defleshed Exhumation’ takes a concerted path toward mid or even late ’90s Death Metal. Think the likes of Monstrosity, Broken Hope, Mortal Decay, and especially Deeds of Flesh and pre-breakup Suffocation: undeniably fierce and punishing, but technical in a creepy and oft-slimy way. Not for nothing is the cover art created by Slimeweaver! Of especial note is the production on ‘Defleshed Exhumation’: this is about as slick and clean as you can get whilst retaining the core darkness and horror of classic Death MetaL; if anything, those superlatively sharp edges only make that darkness & horror hit harder. Stomp in the slime and twist down into its depths with Necrotum!

On December 15th internationally, Me Saco Un Ojo Records – in conspiracy with Pulverised Records and Extremely Rotten Productions – is proud to present Cryptworm’s highly anticipated second album, ‘Oozing Radioactive Vomition’. Me Saco Un Ojo will handle the vinyl release, Pulverised the CD version, and Extremely Rotten the cassette tape.

Following the huge success of their debut album last year, Cryptworm are back with its follow-up, promising to be another rancid affair of true Death Metal abhorrence…

Packing a punch of putrescence, Cryptworm’s annihilating grooves and offal-drenched soundscapes fit the nastiest niches of Death Metal’s darkest depths. Their new record instantly picks up where the previous left off, with the fetid filth spraying forth from every element. The riffs bounce like a corpse being molested in the dead of night while the pulverizing drums punish with equally sadistic force. Gruesome vocals spew atop these instrumental violations, and altogether, the sound on ‘Oozing Radioactive Vomition’ contort into the most hostile and hideous vision from the band to date.

Each mangled moment will have you feeling quite unwell with the disgusting delivery as unrelenting as you should already expect, being that any real Death Metal lover will already be engrossed in the grotesque sounds of Cryptworm by now. Their new offering injects even more fury and unpleasantries into the already crushing sound they had carefully built, taking things even further into the abyssal murk of the underground for all real maniacs to revel in the molten rot on display. If the song titles such as ‘Miasmatic Foetid Odour’ and ‘Engulfed by Gurgling’ don’t already give you an idea of what to expect, then allow your ears to fall victim to the sonic suppuration of Cryptworm’s most malformed release to date…

Hells Headbangers is proud to present a brand-new mini-album from Demoncy, ‘Diabolica Blasphemiae’, on CD, 12″ vinyl, and cassette tape formats.

For those who truly know Black Metal, Demoncy require no introduction: ever restless and always surprising, their name is legendary for stirring an infinitely deep cauldron of black magick that’s completely their own. One of the earliest Black Metal bands on American soil, Demoncy have gone through myriad lineups over the past 30-plus years, but they’ve always been guided by the vision of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ixithra. In their wake, they’ve left landmark recordings like ‘Within the Sylvan Realms of Frost’ and ‘Joined in Darkness’, which were both originally recorded in the mid ’90s despite their eventual release year of 1999. Even latter-day records like 2015’s Empire of the Fallen Angel (Eternal Black Dominion), which saw Ixithra entirely revamp the band’s 2003 album in a manner most miasmic, prove the potency of Demoncy no matter when or how recordings crop up.

And so it goes with ‘Diabolica Blasphemiae’, Demoncy’s first new recording in nearly a decade. With Ixithra currently handling vocals and bass, joining him here are the incredibly prolific VJS (Nightbringer, Sargeist, Adaestuo) on guitar and Vorthrus (Cerebral Rot, Crurifragium) on drums. Serpentine in its flow and mesmerizing in its effect, Demoncy’s latest mini-album is a vile, virile display of the band’s eternal aesthetic, sounding very much like it could’ve come out during the mid ’90s yet retaining a freshness of approach that defies deja vu. Gutted in its low-end throb whilst exhibiting an ethereal aspect, ‘Diabolica Blasphemiae’ explores above as it is below, sending forth sine waves of obsidian energy both punishing and pleasurable: primeval Black Metal magick harnessed with a true auteur’s touch. Same as it ever was, then, but still so surprising after all these years – there is only one Demoncy.

Invictus Productions is proud to present a brand-new EP from Finland’s Malicious, ‘Merciless Storm’, on ​CD and ​12″ vinyl formats.

It was but October 2020 when Invictus released Malicious’ long-awaited debut album, ‘Deranged Hexes’. With both band moniker and album title aptly-fucking-named, Malicious’ Deranged Hexes completely upratcheted the band’s foundational sound – a car crash of cobwebbed evil and gibbering intensity, ranging the likes of Necrovore, ‘80s Possessed, and especially Mike Browning-era Morbid Angel to the earliest (and best) works of Sarcofago and Sepultura – to an insanely OTT level. In every respect, the record was the penultimate in blackened Metal of Death, and it was duly hailed for its dangerously unhinged demeanor.

Three years may’ve passed since that recording, but Malicious have only become more unhinged in the meantime. Witness the four-song ‘Merciless Storm’. Tauntingly titled once again, ‘Merciless Storm’ picks up right where Deranged Hexes left off, but sees the Finns following a natural progression in all aspects. With a runtime of 11 minutes, it’s mercilessly / mercifully short and sweet, upping the violence and aggression to levels impossibly beyond that nuclear-powered debut album. And yet, the songwriting remains stout and streamlined and perhaps minutely more detailed and even palatably “refined.” If anything, ‘Merciless Storm’ possesses a clearer soundfield, but that only amplifies the savagery to an insane degree, especially the ’80s Slayer-style solos. Nothing else to say: this is a fucking ‘Merciless Storm’!

Born in the midst of sickness, Death Blood delivers the most HM-2 Death-Metal you can hope for. Besides the Swedish mandatory influences, growling vocals and tortured riffs, the band’s style is completed by gloomy synth parts meant to accompany your walk through any ancient cemetery.

After several apparitions on compilations like ‘An Oath to Death’, in honor of the late L-G Petrov, Death Blood’s first EP ‘Osteonecrovore’ will be unleashed to the underworld on November 3, 2023.

Death Blood consists of Jérémy Hussein (vocals), Pierre-Jean Toty (bass & lead guitars) and Geoffroy Lagrange (rhythm guitars, programming drums, keys & samples).

Gotthammer from Canada and WolfKult Religion from The Netherlands, joined forces to release the ‘Godslaying Sonic Barbarism’ demo, which was first released digitally by the band themselves, as a 7” vinyl version.

Packed with corrosive riffs, slayeresque solos and blasphemous war cries, T.S. allied forces with S.R. and H.C. to conjure an unholy trinity. With tracks like ‘Black Blood Ejaculation’, ‘Perversion in Heaven’ and ‘Mocking the Nazarene’ it is clear that Gotthammer beholds total worship to the old blood of bestial Black Metal! Keep an eye on Gotthammer when you are a fan of Conqueror, Blasphemy and Black Witchery.

Forbidden Sonority released ‘Godslaying Sonic Barbarism’ on cassette, while Anti-Human Productions will take care of the CD version.

Signal Rex is proud to present Avræ Lvnæ’s highly anticipated debut album, ‘Ntdd Strl’, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

Avræ Lvnæ are a power-trio hailing from the still-rising Ecuadorian Black Metal scene. Fronted by Wampyric Strigoi – mainman of Wampyric Rites, who’ve had a huge hand in shaping that scene, as well as Grymmstalt, Winterstorm, and Dungeon Steel among many others – Avræ Lvnæ also feature erstwhile Wampyric Rites / Dungeon Steel drummer Eblis Destructor and one Geist der Natur on guitar and bass. Uniquely, the band brand their Black Metal “neon metal,” which isn’t as garish as it sounds; rather, they draw to the fore the shimmering, stained-glass textures of mystical Black Metal, making for a mesmerizing (and melodic) display of psychedelic obsidian.

Now, after a compilation appearance and demo last year, Avræ Lvnæ conjure the full fathom of their dazzling powers with the debut album ‘Ntdd Strl’. Containing a beguiling set of phonetically challenging song titles – or rather, a certain “code” to decipher – ‘Ntdd Strl’ makes its point plainly and poignantly with an immediately sumptuous feast of sonics. Actually-gorgeous synths play a prominent role here, weaving in and out of the frequently chorused guitars, whose reverberating melodies penetrate the soul with ease and elan. Vocals are a suitably emotive ululation from both space and tundra, psychic or otherwise, where stargazing mysteries are writ large and wondrously. Whereas so much of the Ecuadorian style of Black Metal seethes with rabidity and rawness, there’s an almost aristocratic air to Avræ Lvnæ here, or at least a synthesis of classic cosmic and medieval BM idioms – and that “space” is indeed space, for their textures allow ample room to immerse oneself without being onslaughtered by that rabidity & rawness. Thus, one could reference early Abigor, Gehenna, and Ragnarok as well as later Lunar Aurora, Evilfeast, and Midnight Odyssey, ​But Avræ Lvnæ are raising the banners for NEON METAL ​high and proud!

Iron Bonehead Productions is proud to present Azathoth’s Dream’s striking debut album, ‘Nocturnal Vampyric Bewitchment’, on vinyl LP format.

Azathoth’s Dream are a brand-new entity hailing from the United States. On one hand, the one-man band’s sound is undeniably late ’90s French vintage, maintaining a similarly necrotic-yet-aristocratic mysticism not unlike Osculum Infame, Bekhira, Winter Funeral, and very early Seth. On the other, one could liken Azathoth’s Dream to the uprising of raw vampiric Black Metal in the U.S., spearheaded by Sanguine Relic, Vampirska, early Lamp of Murmuur, and Geist of Ouachita among others.

Either way, one listen to the aptly titled ‘Nocturnal Vampyric Bewitchment’ and one will be indeed bewitched by the band’s melancholic-yet-feral spell…or duly repulsed by it. There’s no other way; just like those stratifying days of the 1990s, you either understand this as BLACK METAL – and stand with it – or you stand against it. It matters not to Azathoth’s Dream: the empty castle’s drawbridge is down, and one need only enter if the spirits are willing.