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Back in stock - Extreme Metal and Dark music
A5 digipack with 8 pages booklet with a completely different artwork than the standard digipack edition (or the vinyl one). Strictly limited to one-edition only
Initially announced as a complementary ep to last year's album 'oltreLuna', q[T]p eventually found in their hands a giant work, almost worth calling it a new album.
GRÀB offer both, continuity and change, on their sophomore full-length "Kremess". The Bavarian black metal project founded by vocalist Grànt continues to revolve lyrically around tales and traditions narrated in the local dialect of Germany's southernmost Alpine state: Bavaria. "Kremess" means 'funeral feast' in that language and death plays a leading role on this album. Musically, GRÀB still feature a prominent traditional instrument of their region, the hammered dulcimer. This gets combined with particularly Norwegian strands of black metal such as early GEHENNA, ULVER, and DARKTHRONE as well as taking inspiration from German pioneers of the genre namely NAGELFAR and LUNAR AURORA. Adding to the local sonic colours are many fresh ideas and sounds that came with English guitarist Gnàst, who has replaced previous main songwriter Grain in the meantime. A host of guest musicians including members of EMPYRIUM, TRIPTYKON, and DARK FORTRESS among others has further enhanced the musical spectrum. GRÀB, meaning "old and grey" in the local dialect, were conceived by former DARK FORTRESS frontman Grànt who wanted to bring a particularly Bavarian expression to black metal. The earlier collaboration between Grànt and guitarist Grain resulted in the release of the debut full-length "Zeitlang" in 2021, which channelled the black metal spirit of the early 90s much to the delight of both critics and fans. With "Kremess", GRÀB are infusing Bavarian black metal with new power that is bound to expand their growing empire far beyond the borders of their homeland.
2014 CD Digipak re-issue.
Includes bonus track "Mourners (live in Bochum 2012)" and extended booklet.
It is never easy to follow up with another album, especially considering the impact made by the complex wild flight of musical fantasy of "La Masquerade Infernale". ARCTURUS elegantly solved this conundrum by releasing the comparatively more straightforward third full-length, "The Sham Mirrors" in 2002. This does not mean that the Norwegians had lost their appetite for experiments. The vocals by Garm (ULVER) are more soaring and wide-ranging than ever on this release, while main man Steinar "Sverd" Johnsen keeps adding classic prog rock excursions to his repertoire. Yet, the guitars are more often set to a more conventional metal mode on "The Sham Mirrors". Still complex, still avant-garde, ARCTURUS clearly consolidated their compositions on "The Sham Mirrors" and while still using many sonic elements, those rather serve each individual song than try to stick out.
Austin Lunn’s journey carried Panopticon from the urban density of Louisville to the remote northern reaches of Minnesota. It is here, surrounded by a landscape both inspiring and endangered, that “Det hjemsøkte hjertet” took shape. The album follows an elder hermit in the final week of his life, interweaving childhood memories with a lament for an ecosystem transformed by modern encroachment.
Dense, atmospheric, and unmistakably cinematic, “Det hjemsøkte hjertet” (‘The Haunted Heart’) shifts from the icy aggression of earlier works into something richer and more saturated – a palette of purples and burning oranges fading into dusk. The folk instrumentation once associated with Panopticon has largely receded, giving way to tones reminiscent of Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
The metal foundation remains, but the record’s strength lies in composition rather than speed: layered arrangements, long-form dynamics, and a strong narrative undercurrent. A full orchestral presence runs throughout, with Charlie Anderson’s string performances adding both gravity and movement. Each song features a different guest vocalist – Aaron Charles (Falls Of Rauros, Rhun), Jan Evan Åsli (Vemod), and Jan 'Winterherz' Van Berlekom (Waldgeflüster) among them – introducing distinct colours without compromising cohesion.
