CD

Mediabook CD with bonus track & remix + 24p booklet

Nightmares have never sounded so beautiful! Swedish grandeurs of melancholic heaviness, KATATONIA, return with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, set for release on June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records. Once again, the Stockholm-based unit masterfully navigates the tightrope act between nocturnal darkness and Scandinavian despair while subtly weaving a sense of hope into the listener’s heart. Since emerging in the early nineties, KATATONIA has projected a beacon of light for the forgotten and the lonely ones, offering solace to those willing to lose themselves in the band’s immersive soundscapes. From their roots in death-doom metal to the post-metal entity they embody today, their art remains as haunting as ever. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State marks the next step in KATATONIA’s evolution, building upon the foundation of their previous album, Sky Void of Stars (2023). Crystal-clear production highlights the interplay between silence and intensity, while the contrast of heavy riffs, delicate guitar harmonies, ethereal synthesizers, and atmospheric nuances create captivating tension. Tracks like ""Thrice"" and ""Warden"" pulse with dynamic energy, while ""Lilac"" sees Jonas Renkse’s unmistakable vocals intertwining with hypnotic rhythms and progressive elements. A near-ceremonial piece, ""Wind of No Change"", merges subtle electronic textures with KATATONIA’s enigmatic soundscapes, while ""Temporal"" balances fragility and strength - its intense verses culminating in a soaring, emotionally charged chorus. The breathtaking ""Efter Solen"" (Engl. After the Sun), featuring Swedish lyrics, evokes echoes of Jonas Eika’s 2018 short story collection, with minimalistic yet striking instrumentation.

Even after more than 30 years, KATATONIA continues to redefine the emotional spectrum of their genre, effortlessly shifting between haunting vulnerability and commanding artistry. With sonic landscapes that evoke dystopia, inner demons, purity, and beauty alike, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State stands as a testament to their enduring brilliance. The album was produced by Jonas Renkse, recorded by Lawrence Mackrory at NBS Audio and The City of Glass, mixed by Adam Noble, and mastered by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering.

Nightmares have never sounded so beautiful! Swedish grandeurs of melancholic heaviness, KATATONIA, return with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, set for release on June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records. Once again, the Stockholm-based unit masterfully navigates the tightrope act between nocturnal darkness and Scandinavian despair while subtly weaving a sense of hope into the listener’s heart. Since emerging in the early nineties, KATATONIA has projected a beacon of light for the forgotten and the lonely ones, offering solace to those willing to lose themselves in the band’s immersive soundscapes. From their roots in death-doom metal to the post-metal entity they embody today, their art remains as haunting as ever. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State marks the next step in KATATONIA’s evolution, building upon the foundation of their previous album, Sky Void of Stars (2023). Crystal-clear production highlights the interplay between silence and intensity, while the contrast of heavy riffs, delicate guitar harmonies, ethereal synthesizers, and atmospheric nuances create captivating tension. Tracks like ""Thrice"" and ""Warden"" pulse with dynamic energy, while ""Lilac"" sees Jonas Renkse’s unmistakable vocals intertwining with hypnotic rhythms and progressive elements. A near-ceremonial piece, ""Wind of No Change"", merges subtle electronic textures with KATATONIA’s enigmatic soundscapes, while ""Temporal"" balances fragility and strength - its intense verses culminating in a soaring, emotionally charged chorus. The breathtaking ""Efter Solen"" (Engl. After the Sun), featuring Swedish lyrics, evokes echoes of Jonas Eika’s 2018 short story collection, with minimalistic yet striking instrumentation.

Even after more than 30 years, KATATONIA continues to redefine the emotional spectrum of their genre, effortlessly shifting between haunting vulnerability and commanding artistry. With sonic landscapes that evoke dystopia, inner demons, purity, and beauty alike, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State stands as a testament to their enduring brilliance. The album was produced by Jonas Renkse, recorded by Lawrence Mackrory at NBS Audio and The City of Glass, mixed by Adam Noble, and mastered by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering.

Back in 2000, MYSTIC CIRCLE just reached their peak with the release of their third studio epic “Infernal Satanic Verses” and were rightly regarded as Germany's leading black metal band. In the summer after the millennium turn, MYSTIC CIRCLE followed up with the 5-track EP “Kriegsgötter II”, a compilation with cover versions of BATHORY, CELTIC FROST and ACHERON, and a new recording of their demo classic “Die Götter der Urväter”.

However, the founding line-up broke up and A. Blackwar left the band. Only his return in 2020 and the reunion with vocalist Beelzebub conjured up the spirit of that time again, resulting in the latest two new records “Mystic Circle” and “Erzdämon”. Now in 2025, “Kriegsgötter MMXXV” will be released as an extended new edition with 8 tracks, incl. the newly re-recorded IRON MAIDEN classic “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”, as well as the POSSESSED cover “Death Metal” and the soundtrack tune “Cry Little Sister” from the movie “The Lost Boys”.

Step into the unsettling world of Dimsvall, the fifth full-length album from Finnish metal act Ondfødt.

The record takes you through a dark, introspective space, where the music feels heavy with the weight of time, loss, and memory. It's a collection of songs that reflect on the things we can’t hold onto and the parts of ourselves we often push aside. The sound is atmospheric, blending harsh moments with subtle, melancholic undertones that draw you into a place that feels both familiar and unsettling.

Lyrically, Dimsvall examines the ongoing tension between light and dark—how the two often coexist and shape our experience. The songs are meditative, exploring themes like the passage of time, the grip of memories, and the quiet unknowns that lie ahead. It's music that invites reflection without offering easy answers.

Recorded at Wolfthrone Studios, Dimsvall was brought to life by Owe Inborr, whose vocals and guitar work anchor the album. He’s joined by Joel Notkonen on guitar, Jere Halonen on bass, and Tommi Tuhkala on drums, with Inborr handling the mixing and mastering. Guest appearances from Alexander Kuoppala (ex-Children of Bodom), Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns (Finntroll, ...And Oceans), and Tom Cattermole (Pravitas) add layers to the sound, enriching the already intricate compositions.

From the instrumental “Dimsvall” to the final track “Stormin,” the album is a measured exploration of shadow and light, a quiet yet potent statement on the passage of time and the things we leave behind.

The album artwork by René Thuys mirrors the tone of the music—subtle, dark, and thought-provoking.

CRUST have carved a unique path for themselves since their inception in 2014. They have released 5 acclaimed albums and toured extensively, fresh out of the fire of their incredible album “Wanderers” CRUST bring us further into the darkness with their latest opus “Where Light Fears To Descend”. With no aspirations of convention, CRUST have their roots firmly found balancing forward-thinking black metal and a dark, intelligent tapestry of bleak atmospherics and doom-laden Stoic mysticism. It is this dark essence that brought them to the attention of legendary USBM label Moribund Records and it was not long before an infernal pact was sealed.

CRUST's sixth album “Where Light Fears To Descend” is their most powerful and mature work to date, a monolith of bleak Avant-garde Black Metal weaving a dark cloth that is as profound as it is mesmerizing. 9 tracks to drag your soul into the abyssal pit of despair, where no light can shine and all hope erased. Abandon all hope ye who enter here….

The album is a journey into the band's observations on the pointlessness of life, the cyclical nature of death and rebirth, and the burden of human suffering. From the frozen remains of the dead to the end of the world as we know it, each track is a chapter in one long story of despair, change, and the hope that sometimes seems to flicker in the dark.

With their fifth album "The Stillness of Dissolution", AUSTERE embark on a dark journey that leads through the abyss of time, the inevitable return of order to chaos into the black void. In the words of the poet: everything that arises is worth that it perishes. The new album brings an overall blacker feel to their sound. This slight change of course does not constitute an easy nostalgic return to the old days as AUSTERE remain within the framework of the more mature and defined version of their particular style of depressive black metal, which reflects their greater experience and evolution as artists. AUSTERE arose from a solo-project run by multi-instrumentalist and singer Desolate alias Mitchell Keepin who joined forces with drummer, keyboard player, and vocalist Sorrow aka Tim Yatras in 2005. Signature frost-bitten guitars, alongside high-pitched screams and wails marked AUSTERE's debut album "Withering Illusions and Desolation" (2007). The sophomore album "To Lay like Old Ashes" followed in 2009 and still featured a raw sound but with a refined production. At this point in time, both musicians decided to focus on other projects and AUSTERE went into hibernation until the duo reformed in 2021. The number of followers had only grown during their absence through word of mouth. AUSTERE are back in black with "The Stillness of Dissolution", yet the Australians also keep all the subtle shades of grey that turn the ongoing evolution of their music into a thrilling experience of new sonic spaces of dark matter.

2CD hardcover artbook (18x18 cm, 36 pages) with bonus CD “Music for Gloaming, A Nocturne by the Hexvessel Folk Assembly, Live at Roadburn Festival 2024” (53 minutes), preface, enhanced artwork & photography.

With their seventh full-length "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL explore the liminal spaces between light and darkness, nature and solitude on an epic album. The ever evolving and shifting Finnish band has reawakened their treasured roots in folk music and psychedelic rock as they artfully weave acoustic interludes, cosmic synths, and spectral piano into the frost-spun threads on their black metal loom. "Nocturne" sounds both familiar and fearlessly progressive as echoes of tradition entwine with a fresh reinvention of their characteristic sound. The seed of this masterpiece was sown by the performance of a commissioned work at Roadburn Festival 2024 that was originally entitled: "Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne". With this album, it arrives fully fleshed in recorded form. This opus magnum blends the raw spirit of Quorthon's black metal with the intricate minimalism of contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, György Ligeti, and Avro Pärt. Its eclectic nature is elevated and underlined by select guest performances, including the vocals of Saara Nevalainen, as well as the avant-garde black metal luminaries Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (DHG/DØDHEIMSGARD), and ORANSSI PAZUZU's Juho Vanhanen. While HEXVESSEL are based in Tampere, Finland, they were founded by English singer & songwriter Kvohst aka Mat McNerney after he moved to the country in 2009. In many ways, HEXVESSEL reflect their founder. The vocalist and songwriter has instigated and been involved in various bands ranging from UK black metal act CODE, a stint in Norwegian legends DØDHEIMSGARD, and to rock shooting stars BEASTMILK – later 'continued' with GRAVE PLEASURES to name but a few of his success stories. With "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL invite all souls on earth to a transcendental night ritual that is imbued with DARKTHRONE, TANGERINE DREAM, Philip Glass, and sounds unearthed from the dead past, now instilled with new life.

With their seventh full-length "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL explore the liminal spaces between light and darkness, nature and solitude on an epic album. The ever evolving and shifting Finnish band has reawakened their treasured roots in folk music and psychedelic rock as they artfully weave acoustic interludes, cosmic synths, and spectral piano into the frost-spun threads on their black metal loom. "Nocturne" sounds both familiar and fearlessly progressive as echoes of tradition entwine with a fresh reinvention of their characteristic sound. The seed of this masterpiece was sown by the performance of a commissioned work at Roadburn Festival 2024 that was originally entitled: "Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne". With this album, it arrives fully fleshed in recorded form. This opus magnum blends the raw spirit of Quorthon's black metal with the intricate minimalism of contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, György Ligeti, and Avro Pärt. Its eclectic nature is elevated and underlined by select guest performances, including the vocals of Saara Nevalainen, as well as the avant-garde black metal luminaries Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (DHG/DØDHEIMSGARD), and ORANSSI PAZUZU's Juho Vanhanen. While HEXVESSEL are based in Tampere, Finland, they were founded by English singer & songwriter Kvohst aka Mat McNerney after he moved to the country in 2009. In many ways, HEXVESSEL reflect their founder. The vocalist and songwriter has instigated and been involved in various bands ranging from UK black metal act CODE, a stint in Norwegian legends DØDHEIMSGARD, and to rock shooting stars BEASTMILK – later 'continued' with GRAVE PLEASURES to name but a few of his success stories. With "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL invite all souls on earth to a transcendental night ritual that is imbued with DARKTHRONE, TANGERINE DREAM, Philip Glass, and sounds unearthed from the dead past, now instilled with new life.

CD in deluxe 6-panel Digipak

Carved from the cold marrow of Norway’s enigmatic and revered black metal scene, GAAHLS WYRD conjure a spellbinding fusion of chaos and beauty. Under the commanding presence of Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal, the band carve a sweeping saga of sound - both primal and transcended.
With ‘Braiding the Stories’, GAAHLS WYRD embark on an alchemical journey through the realms of consciousness and dreams, crafting a sonic narrative that explores the seamless dance between the seen and the unseen. Each track is a profound exploration of reality's veils, crystallizing the ephemeral through the powerful conjunction of philosophical introspection and audacious musical composition. From the haunting echoes of "The Dream Master" to the ethereal resonance of "Flowing Starlight," the album invites the listener to traverse its labyrinthine soundscapes - a place where reflective melodies intersect with visceral power. In this realm, GAAHLS WYRD channels raw lyrical introspection and potent sonic prowess, guided by the adept hands of Ole "Lust Kilman" Walaunet, Andreas "Nekroman" Salbu, and Kevin "Spektre" Kvåle.
At the heart of the album lies a journey of self-discovery, one that resonates with the timeless voice of Gaahl, inviting listeners to not merely hear, but to experience, to reflect, and transcend.

For fans of MAYHEM, WARDRUNA, GORGOROTH, ENSLAVED.