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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.
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.
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.
Collectors edition - second press digipak, with slightly different layout than first press
Nel Buio, Italian for In the Dark, is a black wave project born by Clod "the Ripper" De Rosa (Blasphemer, ex-Septycal Gorge) in the Autumn of 2023 to combine black metal and 80s darkwave. The Line up was completed by
Neil Grotti on guitars and Francesco Vellacifer on drums (both of Electrocution and Blasphemer's fame, among the many).
Avantgarde Music is glad to announce the release of Nel Buio self-titled debut EP. Frontman Clod the Ripper chose the following words to introduce the five songs composing the record: “In the shadow of the metropolis, where the echo of alienation seeps through the cracks in the concrete, our music is born. A work that reflects the isolation and hypocrisy of lives obscured by the lights of big cities. Through a feminine eye, our "pure Italian blackwave" is a manifesto for those who find beauty in decay and truth in shadows, a comfort in the darkness for the souls lost within it”.
Uncompromising, dark and sorrowful, Nel Buio debut will leave a mark on all those looking for something more than mere fury in black metal. On June 21st, let the dark guide you.
Gatefold Double LP in black vinyl
Born and raised along the rural shores of the Danube river, the element of water has always had a shaping impact on Marrok's perception of nature and life in general. Throughout the new Anomalie album „Riverchild“ he drew a musical portrait of an entity still present around this immense stream which had always nurtured and taken lifes equally, a force able of spending hope and wisdom but also possesses the strength and wrath to destroy and destruct.Comparable to the multiple faces of a colossal river like the Danube, the music on „Riverchild“ provides a diverse range of facets taking the listener on a journey full of profound and honest emotions expressed through aggressive outbursts of pure Black Metal dissonance as well as fragile moments of introspectivecalmness. Anomalie once again asks for focus and patience, but offers a wider range of rewarding layers than ever before!
Spewed forth by a collective of serpents from the scorching south and sulphurous north of the Old World, Desert Psalms is an act of defiance – an offering to the lawless, the unruly, and the bright star rising in the eastern dawn.
A descent beyond the pale. Across its seven abominations, Desert Psalms drags the listener into howling darkness, where transgression and purification are one.
This is black metal in its most primal and adversarial form: venomous, unrepentant, seared in the flames of desolation. Both scourge and scripture, Desert Psalms is a baptism in bile and blood, stripping away all pretense until nothing remains but raw nerve and burning truth.
Envisioned by A.Ara of Angrenost, Desert Psalms is now manifested with the contribution of Misþyrming members Dagur Gíslason and Magnús Skúlason, Erdsaf of Angrenost, and Ólöf Rún Benediktsdóttir of Svartþoka.
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.
