Swiss folk metal masters Eluveitie will release their new full-length album “Ategnatos” on April 5th 2019, via Nuclear Blast. A work based on archaic archetypes and the ancient concept of renewal, “Ategnatos” unfolds an elemental force to be reckoned with. And by using their longest gap between two metal albums to gather momentum, they just forged their strongest album around it. No wonder the album follows a decidedly darker, monumental tone that suits them very well. Of course, Eluveitie have long found their very own trademark sound, a sonic adventure often copied, but never overcome. With “Ategnatos“, the dedicated nine-piece not only worked with a real string quartet (a premiere!) and granted Fabienne Erni’s sublime mastery of the harp the room it deserved; they also undertook a holistic Read more →

Russian melodic black metallers Skylord from Moscow, will release their debut full-length album “Frostcraft” via SoundAge Productions at the end of winter! Twelve years after the band’s beginning, ”Frostcraft” was forged with frosty hammers and inflated with snowstorms by Death-Winter’s breath in the harsh fierce coldscapes of Mother Russia. This swift melodious black metal is like a snowstorm, covered with magic gemstone keys, that will swirl you in a dance of snowflakes, fan you with algid winds and put your hearts into the crystals. Raven shrieks of Demether Grail (also in Zmey Gorynich, Arcanorum Astrum, Lunae Ortus, Nimphaion) like a whistle of arrows on the field of ancient battles carry your Read more →

French black metallers Véhémence will release their second full-length album entitled “Par le Sang Versé” on February 2nd, 2019 via Antiq Label. Epic medieval black metal with fascinating riffs, the new Véhémence album is an immersive and blazing experience. Hold by lyrics with fantastic themes inspired from chivalry sagas, this one-hour disc is a journey in a medieval-fantastic universe. Véhémence brings here a model of composition and execution. “Par le Sang Versé” will be available in 2 different versions: a regular digipak edition CD with 16-pages booklet and a special edition strictly limited to 100 copies, containing the regular digipak album with the 16-pages booklet, an exclusive gold thread embroidery patch and a signed Read more →

Atmospheric black metal project Ruadh from Glasgow, Scotland will release its debut full-length album “Sovereign” on April 12th, 2019 via Northern Silence Productions. Ruadh (which is pronounced “Roo-Ah” and translates to “red” ) is the solo project of musician and songwriter Tom Perrett. Tom was born and raised in one of the oldest Burghs in Scotland, which translates to “The red glen”. The derivation of the name of the town is unclear, but one theory is that the area was once a settlement of Reuther, an ancient king of the Scots, who ruled between 213 and 187 BC. Drawing from the vast well of history, culture and mythology, Ruadh set out to compose music purely to taste, creating an unmistakable atmosphere with the beating heart of Read more →

New Hampshire pagan black metal warriors Beorn’s Hall have just announced their third full-length album, entitled “In His Granite Realm“! It will be released via Naturmacht Productions on March 15th, 2019 both in classic jewel-case edition CD with booklet and in vinyl LP in sleeve with insert limited to 200 copies. The band’s upcoming work continues the same path of progression they left off at on their previous album “Estuary“. They double downed on the doom and death metal influence introduced on that album, although the core sound still remains very much late 80’s/early 90’s black metal. As Rognvaldr & Vulcan (the sole members of Beorn’s Hall) state: “Over the summer we lost a very close friend and founding member Read more →

On March 8th, 2019 the Faroe Islands’ Týr will release their eighth full-length, “Hel” via Metal Blade Records. ”Hel” is a collection of ruthlessly melodic and irresistibly compelling progressive folk metal that will immediately resonate with any who have followed the band at any point over the two decades of their storied career. With “Hel” Týr provide even more irrefutable evidence that they stand at the vanguard of Scandinavian metal. Known for their prolific nature, dropping their first five full-lengths in the space of just seven years, the six-year gap between “Valkyrja” (2013) and “Hel” is by far the longest between any two of their records.             Read more →