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Born for Burning: The History of Black Metal tells the fierce, shadow-drenched story of one of heavy music's most extreme and transgressive movements. From its gestation in the early 80's under raw, primitive riffs, Satanic imagery, and underground ferocity, to its darker peaks in the Norwegian scene and its global, multifaceted evolution, Matías Gallardo maps every blistering beat, every distorted chord, and every howl that defined what became Black Metal.

Drawing on over 100 interviews with legendary cult figures from all over the world - Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Master's Hammer, Profanatica, Blasphemy, Tormentor, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, Emperor, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Ulver, Watain, Agalloch, Xasthur, Leviathan, Alcest, Misþyrming and many more - this is a chronicle of artistry and outrage, of beauty and brutality, Gallardo not only explores the music, the influences and the aesthetics, and the sonic innovations, but also does not shy away from the crime, the chaos, the church burnings, and the acts that shocked the world.

With a prologue by Dan Lilker (Nuclear Assault), and an introduction by Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone), Born for Burning is a powerful, unflinching journey through terror, transgression, and uncompromising passion. For fans, scholars, or anyone curious about how the underground became myth, this book is essential - and it burns.

386 pages

On the third regular PAYSAGE D'HIVER album "Die Berge" ('The Mountains'), mastermind Wintherr has perfectly captured the dark essence of his mountainous Swiss home beyond those pretty picture postcard landscapes. Ragged peaks that unfathomable tectonic forces have crushed upwards and out of the thin cold crust of this planet create a harsh and hostile environment for humans, which is reflected within the sound of raw black metal. Note for note, these grey giants of rock come awake to life in song. Majestic, powerful, dangerous, threatening, and yet also inherent of a fierce beauty, these massive tracks of epic length echo the huge proportions of their source of inspiration and amount to a playing time of more than 100 minutes. With each release, PAYSAGE D'HIVER narrate a new chapter of a continuing story about a mysterious protagonist called 'Der Wanderer'. "Die Berge" takes the wanderer into the 14th chapter, which might end up as his last. The main theme of "Die Berge" is death and this time the enigmatic wanderer's journey is comparable to that of a Zen monk who hikes to the peak of a mountain on feeling that his time has come. Founded in 1997 in the Swiss region of Bern, PAYSAGE D'HIVER remained a strictly underground phenomenon at first. Wintherr unleashed a steady stream of 10 full-length "demos" and 4 split-EPs that earned him an excellent reputation while a massive following grew by word of mouth. When the Swiss came "out of hiding" with "Im Wald" ("In the Forest") in 2020, their regular debut album even entered the German charts, which meant mainstream recognition despite standing firmly with both feet in the underground. With "Die Berge", PAYSAGE D'HIVER continue to expand the horizon of Nordic black metal without ever stepping away from their roots.

Gatefold LP (white/silver/black marble) incl. padded inner sleeve and protection sleeve

Issued in jewel case with clear tray. Comes with 12-page booklet and a hidden track.

One of the most anticipated black metal albums of the past decade arrives: NOCTERNITY's Harps of the Ancient Temples. The Greek band's first full-length in 12 years!
Harps of the Ancient Temples is black metal from a lost time. It's an ancient darkness that envelops and hypnotizes the listener, recasting NOCTERNITY's elder Scandinavian and Greek BM influences through a prism that refracts no light, but rather absorbs it.

The title of SATURNUS' fifth album, "The Storm Within" is hinting at both, the tempest of the natural world and turmoil that can rage inside the mind. It is also quite obvious that the long time it took the Danes to create this full-length and the personal reasons behind the hiatus very much contributed and inspired its artistic expression. SATURNUS have outdone themselves with "The Storm Within". The musical themes of the seas, rain, and stormy waters are a subtle presence and guiding thread throughout the songs that reflect anger, loss, melancholy, and pain in equal measure. The fully matured craftsmanship on this album is sublime and extremely dynamic, ranging from moments of calm to brutal outbursts. Working again with producer Flemming Rasmussen, the legendary Danish producer of METALLICA's classic albums, also ensured that the sound of "The Storm Within" matches its outstanding musical quality. SATURNUS came into being when singer Thomas A.G. Jensen started looking for fellow musicians in the area of Denmark's capital Copenhagen to form a death metal act in 1991. Following a number of changes during the next few years, the name was finally switched to SATURNUS in 1993. The band released their first album "Paradise Belongs to You" in January 1997 and were immediately invited to perform at the famous Roskilde Festival the same year. The show was recorded by Norwegian Radio (NRK) and ended up being broadcast all over Scandinavia, which firmly established the band as a death doom household name in Northern Europe. Following their sophomore album "Martyre" (2000) and the iconic third studio full-length "Veronika Decides to Die" as well as constant touring throughout Europe and increasingly beyond, "Saturn in Ascension" was released in 2012, which was once again produced by Flemming Rasmussen. Celebrating their 20th anniversary, SATURNUS got back on the roads of Europe and also performed at prestigious festivals such as Brutal Assault (CZ), Copenhell (DK), and ArtMania (RO) among many others. The Danes continued touring with occasional breaks from 2014 until 2017, which got them as far as Russia and to the Middle East. After several notable changes in the line-up, SATURNUS were joined by guitarists Indee Rehal-Sagoo (formerly CLOUDS and EYE OF SOLITUDE) and Julio Fernandez from AUTUMNAL in 2020. Despite more obstacles created by the pandemic, the band finally started working on their next album and also continued their collaboration with Flemming Rasmussen. "The Storm Within" took a long time in its creation and along the way demanded painful sacrifices from SATURNUS. All the blood, pain, and sweat have left their marks on this record. Yet in the end, the brutal honesty and the baring of the soul emanating from each note is what makes "The Storm Within" such a brilliant piece of music.

Vinsta wiads – it gets dark. On its debut album, VINSTA leads us into the mountains of the Salzburg Alps.

The seven dramatic compositions allure with sceneries rich in contrast and with vocals sung in the regional dialects of the home lands of band founder Christian Höll.

Thus, the music might sound familiar and eclectic at once: While some influences obviously shine through, VINSTA undoubtedly develops its own approach, blending grim melodic death metal with folk inspired acoustic arrangements (performed a.o. on violin and hammered dulcimer).

Christian realizes his stirring compositions with the help of talented musicians who share his passionate approach to creating music.

“Vinsta Wiads” explores dark aspects of challenges which might bring you to your knees – and finally let you grow. In Christian’s own words: “It's passionate music which takes the listener on a journey through darksome, yet beautiful emotions.”

While the debut album "Vinsta Wiads" (2017) portrayed an "Impending Darkness" in the Alpine mountains, Austrian metal innovator VINSTA now focuses on wintry landscapes with the new album "Drei Deita" ("Three Foreboders").

Multi-instrumentalist Christian Höll continues where he left off: his compositions blend epic melodic Death Metal with acoustic folk passages into landscape-painting music of its own kind. When was the last time you heard hammered dulcimer and yodeling in harsh metal - and it worked?!

VINSTA's second album tells the story of a wanderer facing the forces of nature, taking up traditional motifs and the primeval dialect of the Salzburg Alps. At the end of his seemingly errant hike through the Alpine winter world, the protagonist meets three foreboders and finds himself confronted with perspectives larger than (human) life...

North Carolina’s ONE OF NINE play JRR Tolkien inspired majestic black metal and are the most prominent Tolkien/Lord Of The Rings black metal band since the legendary Summoning. Their sophomore LP Dawn of the Iron Shadow (out Oct 31 through Profound Lore Records) follows their 2023 debut LP Eternal Sorcery which laid the foundation for ONE OF NINE trodding their way to the forefront of the new breed of US black metal. With Dawn of the Iron Shadow (which is graced by cover art courtesy of legendary Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith), ONE OF NINE elevate their black metal sorcery to a more epic and glorious plateau. One that is more expanded in its vision of grandeur and scope through its symphonic and grandiloquent magnificence.

Ponte Del Diavolo bridges the gap between two separate worlds. After all, the band are named after the real “Bridge of the Devil”, a pointedly steep road that medieval peasants had to cross on their way to Italy.
Though formed out of a friendly jam session, Ponte Del Diavolo already made for quite the eclectic pairing when the five members officially banded together during the winter of 2020 in Turin, the finely cultivated Italian metropolis. Whereas most metal bands are spearheaded by dueling guitars, this one writhes on the slick-yet-scaly back of not one but two bassists.
Their debut album, ‘Fire Blades from the Tomb’ forges classic, cultish doom metal with modern bents of post-punk and dark wave. Lead single and opening track “Demone” is whipped along by a boiled black bassline. Heck, you could mistake vocalist Erba del Diavolo for Siouxsie Soux, the way she cooly flips between frantic talk-singing and bleak, seductive croons.
Cross over into the Italian dark arts with Ponte Del Diavolo.

For fans of ELECTRIC WIZARD, DARKTHRONE, THE DEVIL’S BLOOD, MESSA.