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European CD edition of their 2017 EP

Crushing Death Metal for fans of Morbid Angel ('Gateways' era), Dead Congregation, Immolation 

Icons of goth and doom, PARADISE LOST will release their long-awaited, 17th album Ascensionon September 19th. The band’s first album in 5 years, following 2020’s critically acclaimed Obsidian, was produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory. Ascension is a testament to the band’s longevity and relevance over their 35+ year career, encompassing their signature styles of gothic, death and doom fans have cherished along the way.

Ascension’s album cover fittingly features the painting The Court of Death (1870-1902) by renowned British artistGeorge Frederic Watts, which hangs in the ate Gallery in London. The painting depicts Death as an enthroned angel flanked by allegorical figures of Silence and Mystery guarding sunrise and the star of hope, while a warrior surrenders his sword and a duke his coronet, showing that worldly status offers no protection. The painting’s bleak, prophetic vision embodies Ascension’s dark, tormented soundscapes as mournful verses collide with dire, foreboding riffs

official reissue on double CD

Track 1 - 5 was used for the PUNGENT STENCH side of the split with DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Trak 6 - 7 were used from "The Pleasures In Life" compilation
Track 8 - 12 recorded live on 10.11.89 at Rockhaus Vienna (AT)

Limited to 300 copies in transparent red vinyl.

Track 1 - 5 was used for the PUNGENT STENCH side of the split with DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Trak 6 - 7 were used from "The Pleasures In Life" compilation
Track 8 - 12 recorded live on 10.11.89 at Rockhaus Vienna (AT)

From the forbidden depths of vampiric sorcery emerges Black Funeral's most haunting conjuration, "Empire of Blood" - a spectral tapestry woven from the arcane mysteries of the undead nobility. This otherworldly opus channels the ancient magicks that flow through immortal veins, where centuries-old rituals bind the living to eternal darkness. Black Funeral is one of the originators of "Vampyric Black Metal" from the early to mid 1990's!
Each track unfolds like an incantation from blood-stained grimoires, driven by haunting tremolo melodies that spiral through the shadows like phantoms in midnight procession. The album's ethereal atmosphere conjures visions of pale aristocrats performing forbidden rites in candlelit chambers, their empire sustained not by conquest but by the dark arts that transcend mortal understanding.
Serpentine riffs weave through the silence like whispered spells, while hypnotic rhythms pulse with the heartbeat of ancient, vampyric. The production's spectral clarity preserves each nuance of the supernatural - every note suspended in the liminal space between life and death, each vocal invocation rising from lips that have tasted eternity.
Melancholic passages drift through the compositions like mist through gothic arches, evoking the profound loneliness of immortal existence. These moments of haunting beauty reveal the tragic splendor of creatures who have traded their souls for dominion over the night.
"Empire of Blood" stands as Black Funeral's most atmospheric testament - a sonic séance that channels the vampiric essence through centuries of accumulated darkness. This is music for the witching hour, when the veil grows thin and the ancient magicks of the blood-sworn nobility stir in their eternal slumber.

Re-issue, 200x heavyweight transparent red 12" (180g) in a black poly-lined innersleeve, gatefold jacket, full-color printed on 350g carton, coated paper (semi-gloss), all assembled in a plastic overbag.

Thavmial will appeal to all fans of Scandinavian black metal while influences of the old Satyricon. LIMITED TO 250 COPIES.