CD

THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF SIGH’S SECOND STUDIO ALBUM OF MASTERFULLY CRAFTED EASTERN ATMOSPHERIC BLACK METAL, NOW ON PEACEVILLE, WITH NEW AUDIO MASTER. PRESENTED ON DOUBLE CD.

Japanese black metal legends Sigh formed in 1989/1990. The genre-classic debut ‘Scorn Defeat’ followed on Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions in 1993 & with each subsequent release, Sigh grew to become one of the country’s greatest & most revered metal exports. With a journey through the strange & the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots, as witnessed with the stellar 2022 album, ‘Shiki’. 2025 also saw Sigh reimagining their ‘Hangman’s Hymn’ album for a release on Peaceville as part of the band’s 35th anniversary celebrations, in the shape of ‘I Saw The World’s End: Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV’.

Marking thirty years since its original release & kickstarting a string of reissues of Sigh’s revered yet hard to find classic early catalogue, this edition of ‘Infidel Art’ contains a new master created by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony, featuring a new transfer from the original DAT source. The release also includes a new interview with main-man Mirai Kawashima conducted by Dayal Patterson of Cult Never Dies, delving into the history & legacy of the album.

This edition of ‘Infidel Art’ is presented on double CD format, including a rare first mix of the entire album, as well as additional tracks ‘The Zombie Terror’ from the ‘Far East Gate In Inferno’ compilation, plus songs originally included for a split release with Kawir, having also received a new transfer from the original DAT source.

Mortifero brings more ballads of woe and despair in The Baleful Tales where hymns to witches and seers of old are sung with ecstatic glee.

Expanding on the formula of haunting vocals and guitars are added layers of mysticism and instruments concocting a magickal formula to ascend corporal reality. Keeping in with the tradition of folk songs of old stories of life cut short are sung as cautionary tales.
Indeed death is celebrated in all forms, tragic, visceral, subtle but always as a great liberating force. Dress in rags, kneel before the goat and join in the soundtrack for the sabbath

ZARATUS were formed in 2018 by Bill Zobolas (Soulskinner, Thou Art Lord e.t.c) and Stefan Necroabyssius (Varathron, Katavasia e.t.c). The idea behind the creation of the band was the unity of forces of 2 members with history in the creation of the Greek scene of the 90s, where they will offer a fresh idea of how black metal should sound today. Based on the deep roots of authentic black metal, but with many elements of epic, majestic and beyond the limits, ZARATUS create a unique identity in both style and sound, which makes them stand out. In 2019 they released the Mini LP "The Descent", which is essentially an authentic imprint of the familiar Greek black metal sound of the 90's.

In the same year they recorded their first full-length album "In The Days Of Whore". The recordings and mixing were done in Red 7 studio by Bill, while the vocals and the mastering were done in Suncord Audiolab studio, by Achilleas Kalantzis. The album contains 7 tracks of a total duration of 48 minutes. It is a journey to ancient times, where darkness and light were one, when the primordial mysteries and the power of nature were integral parts of evolution. The music is inextricably linked to the lyrics, creating a unique atmosphere. Based on and with respect to their black metal roots, ZARATUS broke the bonds of the limits of the genre and passed to other dimensions, touching lyricism, epicism, classical periods, but also sometimes giving redemption to the listener through simplicity.

Fordæðuskapr (Old Norse for ‘sorceryʼ or ‘witchcraftʼ) is a new band by S.D. which was started in early 2022. Similar to S.D.ʼs primary artistic output Árstíðir lífsins, ‘Hræflóð markar fjallaʼ is sung entirely in Icelandic and contains lyrics taken from the rich corpus of Old Norse skaldic poetry.

The texts have an apocalyptic character and mainly deal with themes related to death, violence and bloodshed. Appropriately, ‘Hræflóð markar fjallaʼ may be translated to ‘Carrion flood of the wood of the mountainsʼ. The album features six songs with a total playing time of 38 minutes and contains both modern and classic Black Metal elements stemming from older Norwegian and current Icelandic metal scenes.

The pulverizing debut full-length by this Japanese Death/Doom Metal juggernaut that was previously only available on digital and as a limited, self-released digipak for the Japanese market. Burden of Despair was formed by guitarist 7405926 (ex-Cryptic Revelation, Dyingrace) in Osaka, back in 2004. The band released two demos over the next couple of years, but remained dormant for a long time, until it re-surfaced with a brand new lineup in 2021 and released the "Desecration" EP in early 2022. Fast forward to early 2025, and the band released their opera prima, "Confutatis", an album that showcases a sonic entity that writhes like a gargantuan leviathan with a riff-driven amalgamation of massive Death/Doom Metal and mid-paced brutality, garnished with a superb sense of grooviness and a Hardcore edge that borrow heavily from both old school Death Metal and Upstate NYHC. Totally recommended to fans of Mutagenic Host, Tzompantli, Kruelty, Fuming Mouth, Gatecreeper, Terminal Nation, Mortiferum, Vastum... This worldwide press of "Confutatis" is presented on a noble jewel case that will include the "Rehearsal" demo (2004) as bonus.
 

A CD that compiles all the material that this U.S. band has released so far: "Corpus Inhumation" demo (2024), "Cadaver Mutilation" demo (2024), "Stilled Life" single (2024) and "Corporeal Separation" demo (2025). Cadaverous Odour was brought forth by multi-instrumentalist Sasha Gallant in the summer of 2023 with the basic idea being to mix up some of the sounds he loves most in Death Metal: the murkiness of bands like Infester and early Incantation, the speed of bands like Incubus and Morbid Angel, the dark grindiness of Finnish bands like Agonized and Xysma, the weird leads from Necrophiliac, and the hypnotic mixture of Doom and Grind from Disembowelment. Although intended to be a side project, as Sasha's main bands are Depraver and Dimensionless, Cadaverous Odour has been gaining traction as time passed by and its smell is way too rank to be left to waste. All hail festering and nauseating Death Metal!
 

The highly anticipated 2nd full-length by this U.S. band. Thaumaturgy was spawned in the American Midwest by an enigmatic musician that goes under the alias KT, driven by the urge to play a vicious blend of dark, doom-laden, chasmic and cavernous Death Metal, taking influence from a wide range of outsider music. Thaumaturgy attempt to push the boundaries beyond the genre's forerunners in order to invoke contemplation upon the super-mundane realms that their name implies. Previously an outright Death/Doom Metal act with a darkened edge, the band has morphed into an entity whose musical offering is crammed with furious, ripping riffs, contrasted by crushing, echoing doom passages, as well as a surprising element of dark melody, evoking comparisons to the more diabolical early bands from Sweden, such as Necrophobic and Grotesque, although combining that approach with the tenebrosity and the murkiness of Incantation and Krypts, the violent and chaotic assault of Morbid Angel, the aggressiveness of Dutch bands like Sinister and Pestilence, the modern approach of acts like Grave Miasma and Cruciamentum, and even the sheer lightlessness of bands such as Demoncy and Adversarial. Active since 2021, Thaumaturgy released its debut EP, "Charnel Gnosis", that same year. Two years later came the full-length "Tenebrous Oblations". Now a power-trio after the addition of TG and DS to their ranks, Thaumaturgy present their second album, "Pestilential Hymns", and the fullest, foulest display of their still-growing strength. A descent into both despair and madness, "Pestilential Hymns" instills a warped, charcoal-coated headspace that's strangely addicting. Riffs race and rearrange with palpitating tension, seemingly going both faster and slower simultaneously; tight but never-robotic drums keep up in kind, speaking in slithering counterpoint to that sooty riffing; touches of haunting synth occasionally linger just at the threshold of perception, poignantly highlighting the mangled melody that sometimes surfaces from this rush of crush; and then the vocals spit pain and confusion in a manner most Martin Van Drunen-esque, effectively underlining the palpably human aspect to this otherwise-alien assault. To qualify Thaumaturgy as "blackened" would not be unfair, but "Pestilential Hymns" as a (w)hole wholly feels like a Death Metal record, just one on the fringes of unorthodoxy and angularity, unbound but never belabored. Still, despite this forward-thinking approach, Thaumaturgy retain a sense of the ancient, of elder days in the underground when diabolism truly began to bloom in Death Metal. Capping this madcap experience is suitably ancient cover artwork by Daniel Hermosilla (Nox Fragor Art). This is music to mangle your mind!
 

A CD that compiles the two demos by this old and obscure Finnish band, as well as the three previously unreleased songs featured on the "Endless Tears of the Distant Sea" compilation tape (Old Skull Productions, 2017). Cerebrum was spawned in Turku back in 1992 and is yet another largely unsung name from the early/mid 90's Finnish Death Metal scene, perhaps for having been a bit late to the game, with their solid debut demo, "Demo #1" (1993), being released in a time when many of their peers were already splitting up or moving on musically. Old school Death Metal was the name of the game, as the band proudly wore the influence of bands such as Death, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Carcass, Obituary and Xysma on their sleeve. The band took a more melancholic, melodic and ambitiously progressive direction on their second demo, "Grief" (1994), which displayed a band bursting with skill and vision, willing to expand their sonic range in a way not unlike what other bands such as Carbonized, Phlebotomized, Edge of Sanity, Opeth, Amorphis and Sentenced were doing at the time. However, lineup changes ensued and the band faded into obscurity shortly after. All the songs featured on this compilation of Cerebrum's body of work, titled Vestiges of an Evoked Past (1993-1994), were subtly remastered by Tuomas Virtanen (the band's current keyboardist) for an even more pleasurable listening experience, and the cover art was provided by the talented Finnish artist Toni Hietomaa. Additionally, the booklet contains an in-depth feature/interview by Olivier 'Zoltar' Badin.
 

The crushing debut full-length by this Australian band. No more than a calendar year in the making, Reekmind was conjured up by Nick and Dane after deciding that there wasn't enough bands (especially locally) that showcase music similar to what they were going for. So, after a few short months of conjuring up some tracks, the pair created the songs that'd be featured on their debut full-length. After bringing on Lem on bass and employing Brayden (Aglo, Ghostsmoker) to undertake drumming duties, Mired in the Reek of Grief was recorded in late 2024, mixed by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios (Esoteric, Cruciamentum, Grave Miasma...), mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studios (Cerebral Rot, Mortiferum, Excarnated Entity...) and picked up by Night Terror Records for release in March 2025 on LP and tape. Reekmind display an unorthodox take on Death/Doom Metal with an underlying sludge element that shifts and cracks open the earth beneath to exhibit a melding of influences, such as Necros Christos, Crowbar, Mortiferum, Amenra, Adramelech and Disembowelment, exposing the listener to slow, lumbering passages of woven misery via crushing, sludge-infused riffs that march with ferocity and malice, as well as vocals that cut through the mix with grief-ridden lyrics that tell a tale of mental anguish and struggle. Taking many different angles to perform an extreme debut album that provides the listener with a variety of extreme components, Reekmind is essential listening to further fall down the spiralling hole of sorrow.
 

The much anticipated 3rd full-length by these long-running Chilean fiends. Cancerbero was formed by vocalist/bassist Peter in the city of Concepción in 1987. The band split in 1994 due to musical differences after releasing two demos ("Guardian of Hell" in 1988 and "Perpetual Agony" in 1991). Both demos received worldwide praise from underground bangers and fanzines, and the band got to play with some the best Death Metal bands in Chile, such as Atomic Aggressor, Death Yell and Torturer. The band was reformed in 2001 and regurgitated a number of minor releases to add up to the already cult band's legacy and status. In 2010 a new, unholy era began for the band, introducing a renovated lineup and a rawer, darker and more morbid approach to the band's totally old school based Death Metal, manifested in all its impious glory in the band's debut 2012 album, "At the Portal of Evoked Blasphemies", as well as the 2013 "Malevolence" EP. Over the next years, the band made extensive tours across Chile, spreading their ancient brand of malevolent and loathsome Metal of Death all around, and satisfying the thirst for evil music of old and new fans alike. In 2018, Peter was forced to recruit flesh blood after the departure of all other band members. With this fresh and dedicated lineup, the band conceived a split EP w/ Morbosatan, the sophomore 2019 album, "Reconquering the Throne of Death" -an aptly titled masterpice of olden, thrashy Metal of Death that took the underground scene by the storm- and a split EP w/ Altar of Blood. Now, after yet another deep lineup change, the band is ready to pounce on the underground scene with a new onslaught of ungodly psalms in the name of Death fuckin' Metal. "Sempiternal Decay" is an album that most definitely is yet another lesson in devilish and archaic Death Metal the way it was meant to be in the 80's, not just musically, but also in essence, spirit and attitude. Extremely recommended to fans of Morbid Angel, Possessed, Mortem, Sadistic Intent, Asphyx, Celtic Frost, Mantas/Death, Messiah, Pentacle...
 

The morbid 3rd full-length by this U.S. band. Hailing from Los Angeles, Insineratehymn have managed to position themselves in the taste of underground extreme Metal fans with their powerful Death Metal clearly influenced by classic bands, giving a masterclass in 90's Death Metal, from the spiraling vortexes of early Tampa to the sewage to come from New York, through to eerie emanations from Europe and the dissonance at the dawn of the new millennium. Naturally, the band bend those classic tropes in a variety of ways, all of which bespeak their own identity. Scuzzy, slicing, clanging, angular, brutal beatdown, ignorant stomp, or just straightforward killshot: no weapon is left aside. Simply, Insineratehymn are Death Metal for Death Metal maniacs, by Death Metal maniacs who understand and appreciate the rich-yet-codified history of the genre. Handy references to be made include Sadistic Intent, Monstrosity, Suffocation, Grave, Edge of Sanity, Demigod, Sentenced and, of course, Deicide, who provided their namesake. And while it seemed -at the time, at least- that they had hit a fever pitch of death metalled perfection on 2022's Disembodied full-length, along comes their third album to set the gold standard that much higher. Ominously titled Irreverence of the Divine, Insineratehymn's third full-length goes all in on the evil that should be at the forefront of true, classic Death Metal. Right after its mood-setting acoustic intro, Irreverence of the Divine sets forth an atmosphere of all-consuming, unmitigated diabolism and possession, put into sonic form as Death Metal of a most early 90's vintage. In many senses, Insineratehymn here expand the extremes of their sound; their attack is tighter and more calculated but never sterile, while the songwriting itself steps over the threshold into berserker territory with increasing regularity. Eerily melodic solos likewise crop up more often, really plowing that furlough too often forgotten by nowadays "OSDM" bands. All those aforementioned tools are used - savagely, stylishly- and with the album's eight central songs totaling 40 minutes, Irreverence of the Divine never feels too short nor too epic. Gracefully completed by unholy cover art courtesy of Edgar Roldan, Insineratehymn once again stake their claim as classic Death Metal masters with Irreverence of the Divine!
 

The ominous 2nd full-length by this Argentinian band. The entity known as Ataudes was called forth in Buenos Aires back in 2019, out of a rabid desire to play blackened Death Metal pervaded by destructive riffs, blast beats and gut-wrenching vocals, exhibiting a dazzling taste for haunting sections which create an eerie atmosphere that spreads through their music like a malevolent blend of all things morbid. From the high-speed rampages to the creepier slower parts, Ataudes have a brilliantly grim and defiling sound that perpetuates the odor of vintage Death Metal and hits all the right spots for old school extreme Metal diehards to feast upon. Totally recommended to fiends into Morbid Angel, Blood Incantation, Spectral Voice, Immolation, Dead Congregation, Krypts, Incantation...