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Back in stock - Extreme Metal and Dark music
Following their early EPs "My Angel" (1991) and "Constellation" (1994), ARCTURUS finally released their debut album "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" in 1996. The Norwegians derived their name from the brightest star of the Northern hemisphere and were obviously influenced by the massively expanding black metal scene of their homeland. Already featuring such well-known protagonists as ULVER's Garm and MAYHEM's Hellhammer, the line-up on "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" saw Samoth replaced by excellent guitarist Carl August Tidemann and outstanding ULVER bass player Hugh "Skoll" Mingay also joining the band. Despite their audible black roots, ARCTURUS clearly begged to differ by daring to experiment and adding an avant-garde twist with strange sonorous vocals complementing those piercing shrieks, Sverd's cinematic keyboards, the technical guitar solos, and more elements that to this day mark the band from Oslo as progressive innovators.
Forndom was born as a reflection of bygone days – of the forests and open landscapes of central Sweden, as well as its historical heritage. Similarly, coinciding with the project’s nine-year anniversary, Ludvig Swärd muses over his own musical past.
Following the enthusiastic reception of “Och med vinden ack de gunga” – Ludvig’s re-envisioning of his droning masterpiece “Jag vet ett tempel stå" - comes “Alster”, a piano work of contemporary classical with a distinct Scandinavian atmosphere. Six Forndom compositions in brand new interpretations alongside "Aska", a fresh take on an old unreleased song.
House of Mythology proudly presents the official release of Ulver’s monumental Grieghallen concert from the 2018 Bergen International Festival.
Grieghallen 20180528 documents the pinnacle of Ulver’s 2017–2018 touring cycle, following the release of their landmark album The Assassination of Julius Caesar. A massive explosion of sound and light went off in Bergen that night, leaving the baffled audience floating somewhere between pleasure and fear.
Professionally multitracked by the Bright AS stage tech team, Kristoffer Rygg and Anders Møller were asked to mix the tracks for the 2020 “streaming edition” of the same festival. After having circulated as a YouTube bootleg, it is now being made official partly due to popular demand, and partly because we think of it as a magnificent companion piece to the studio version of Caesar – showing Ulver at the height of their live game.
With their seventh studio album "Otra", Norwegian avant-garde metal stalwards IN THE WOODS... might surprise their listeners – and particularly those, who have not followed the remarkable evolution that the band from the southern Norwegian city of Kristiansand has undergone since the early nineties. The tracks of "Otra" are surprisingly captivating with melodic tunes dominating the present sound of IN THE WOODS... – although progressive elements and the occasional rough reminder of the Norwegians' harsh past are also regularly shimmering through the fabric of these songs. What sets "Otra" apart from the average heavy work of music is the excellence of composition that shows expert level experience and comes with a seeming ease that makes the achievement even greater. Lyrically, "Otra" revolves around stories connected to the eponymous river that winds for 245 kilometres through the South of Norway and spills into the Skagerrak, the strait that separates the country from Denmark and Sweden, at the band's home in Kristiansand. There is hardly a need to introduce the name IN THE WOODS... to any adherent of avant-garde and black metal. Their coordinates within the scene are also well known: The Norwegians were among the bands that have participated in the burgeoning evolution of black metal in the early nineties and have had a large part in the shaping of the sound of a strong subgenre. Their first full-length "Heart of the Ages" (1995) has a lasting impact on black metal and is rightfully regarded as one of the genre's early classics. Refusing to rest on their laurels, IN THE WOODS... progressed further into different musical dimensions with "Omnio" (1997) and "Strange in Stereo" (1999). Following a long hiatus between the years 2000 to 2014, the Norwegians returned with vocalist James Fogarty, who continued to front the band until December 2021. With a new line-up and singer Bernt Fjellestad completing IN THE WOODS... a fresh direction was taken with the album "Diversum" (2021). With "Otra", IN THE WOODS... demonstrate the full strength and artistic maturity of the Norwegians' third incarnation. Enticing and highly pleasurable to listen to, this exciting record is nonetheless crammed with glorious details and surprising twists that reveal themselves only after many spins.
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.
Prior to their legendary Death/Thrash masterpiece, MERCILESS cut their teeth recording two demos, Behind the Black Door and Realm of the Dark. Released in 1987 und 1988 respectively, both are naturally rather raw affairs but what they may lack in proficiency and sound quality, is made up for by unbridled ferocity and MERCILESS’ youthful enthusiasm.
These two demos are important historical relics and a peephole into times long past by one of Sweden’s pioneering bands that alongside e.g. OBSCURITY or MORBID paved the way for the Swedish (and beyond) Black- and Death Metal scene.
Jewel-case CD with 24-page booklet including an in-depth interview with Erik Wallin and many never seen before pictures.
Hailing from the black metal hotbed of Finland, Curse Upon a Prayer was founded in Tornio in 2010 and have since released two albums - From The Lands of Demise in 2014, and Rotten Tongues in 2015. The band has gained some recognition for their strong, anti-Islamic themes, which are fiercely manifested in their live shows. During those well-received events, there has been multiple Quran desecrations, and the ruthless flame of Curse Upon a Prayer continues to grow without any hesitation.
Now, the Finnish infidels of Curse Upon a Prayer have decided to take another step towards the gaping abyss and thus present a new EP, thematically titled The Three Woes. Their third studio recording so far and a follow-up to the righteous Rotten Tongues, The Three Woes is another grand strike for Curse Upon a Prayer, albeit a quick-hitting one. No less satisfying despite its compact nature, this EP is merely a glimpse of the truly flagrant blasphemy that is yet come: a peaceful prelude for the next, Allah-raping Curse Upon a Prayer full-length set to be released in 2019.
Despite the censoring acts and overall spinelessness of this day and age, Curse Upon a Prayer returns from northern Finland to conquer, kill, and turn the castles of this modern world into sand. Since forming in Tornio in 2010, the band have released two albums – From The Lands of Demise in 2014, and Rotten Tongues in 2015 – and the especially well-received The Three Woes EP in 2018. That EP hastened Curse Upon a Prayer’s feverish momentum on the live front, where the band gained no small amount of recognition for manifesting their strongly anti-Islamic themes in multiple Quran desecrations.
But at long last, Curse Upon a Prayer deliver their masterwork: the aptly titled Infidel. With no hesitation nor self-doubt, these Finnish infidels have taken another giant step towards the gaping abyss here, a ruthless yet incredibly dynamic assault on the senses and spirituality. No page of the Quran is left unburnt on Infidel: from quintessentially nasty Finnish-style black metal to somber acoustic sections, Curse Upon a Prayer’s third album ranges a vast spectrum of searing sonics. While flagrant blasphemy is at the core of the band’s being, the artistry across Infidel is undeniable; Curse Upon a Prayer are working within a rarefied field for black metal, and their truly unique character has come to the fore on this seamless song-cycle. Indeed is Infidel threaded together like one massive work, throttling the listener with filthy physicality one minute and haunting their dreams the next, and each of these nine songs reveal deeper, darker truths across the album’s compact yet incredibly satisfying 36 minutes.
Hasten to prayer, all ye whose lungs breathe fire! Hasten to damnation, all ye true Infidels! Behold the instigating torch hereby known as Curse Upon a Prayer’s Infidel!
Format: Jewelcase CD with 12 pages booklet
