Shop

Ishtar Labbatum is a dark ritualistic ambient recording which exalts and invokes the Luciferian Goddess of ancient Mesopotamia, ISHTAR, represented as the planet Venus: The Morning & Evening Star. The structure of this album possesses interlayers of specifically composed and arranged sounds, atmospheres, and voices. Two tracks on this album, 1. ISHTAR LABBATUM & 2. ISHTAR LABBATUM (Queen of Heaven II) are a ritualistic collaboration of recordings between AKHTYA and CORONA BARATHRI. Ishtar in ancient Assyria, Babylonia and Sumeria (as Inanna) was the Goddess of Love (lust, desire) and War (rejoicing in bloodshed in temple hymns).
Ishtar is the balanced manifestation of the Luciferian Mind as present in the individual who rejects blind faith and outlets such as the media in trying to control human ability to use rational logic and critical thought. Ishtar Labbatum presents ancient hymns and invocations to Inanna/Ishtar in her most violent and lustful incarnations, manifest in a structure of modern sound and ancient instruments including the lyre and frame drums

“Mortal Coil” is Dödsrit's third full-length, featured on a yet short career though wholly filled with soul drenching moments. Featuring four tracks, Dödsrit's "Mortail Coil" hails the smothering ashes of purgatory's flames by forging a wall of soultearing riffing, blistering belligerence conjoining melody with aggression, a genuine blaze of cacophony and heart wrenching melancholy.

Consuming all in its path, this relentless maelstrom of grief finds its vision on the thunderous production - utterly powerful and blisteringly organic in all its dynamism. Such sonic virtues get sheerly enhanced by the lively rhythmic section and uncompromised ferocity. Whether on blastbeating outbreaks, D-beat infused vigour or further atmospheric escapades, pulsing impulses carry an expression and sense of craftsmanship that amazingly translate emotions into cataclysmic beats.

Drenched in anguish, a scourged narrator of tragedies spews every single word with the blood and fiery distress of a heart burdened by the weight of our sorrowed existence, a shivering performance of a tongue absorbed in the (dis)comfort of eternal grief.

High Roller Records, reissue 2021, bone vinyl, ltd 200, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, restored original artwork, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony

Hailing from the cascadian gloom of British Columbia, Canada, Ulvik,
formed by Jade Fadel and George Allen, released a double length with
Avantgarde Music in 2019, Volume I & II. After spending the opening
months of the 2020 pandemic creating Isolation Motifs, a short concept
instrumental album and corresponding video series, Ulvik finished writing
and recording their sophomore album, Cascades.
Cascades is a hypnotic, atmospheric black metal album, incorporating the
old, organic textures of plucked and bowed bouzoukis and violins to create
ethereal interludes, in contrast to the visceral aggressive tone of each track.
This melding is mirrored by shared dual vocals, creating a counter balance
that weaves and crashes between malevolent and haunting.

Hailing from the cascadian gloom of British Columbia, Canada, Ulvik,
formed by Jade Fadel and George Allen, released a double length with
Avantgarde Music in 2019, Volume I & II. After spending the opening
months of the 2020 pandemic creating Isolation Motifs, a short concept
instrumental album and corresponding video series, Ulvik finished writing
and recording their sophomore album, Cascades.
Cascades is a hypnotic, atmospheric black metal album, incorporating the
old, organic textures of plucked and bowed bouzoukis and violins to create
ethereal interludes, in contrast to the visceral aggressive tone of each track.
This melding is mirrored by shared dual vocals, creating a counter balance
that weaves and crashes between malevolent and haunting.

Diabolical Masquerade was the solo-project created by Katatonia's Anders 'Blakkheim' Nyström in 1996, to let off more creative steam away from the gothic/doom metal styling of Katatonia. 

Nightwork, DM's third album, was recorded at The Sanctuary in April 1998 and produced by Dan Swan (Opeth, Katatonia) with Blakkheim.

Although a solo-project, Blakkheim enlisted the help of Dan Swan to perform the drums, as well as contributing with some keyboards and backing vocals.

Diabolical Masquerade was based primarily around symphonic/melodic black metal; creating eerie atmospheres through keyboards and utilizing more high energy & technical compositions than those of his main band, with complex patterns of riffs and hooks. This particular album saw a greater integration of synths than previously, to convey a strong horror theme. To further expand this atmosphere, cello and flute were also incorporated.

The ambitious Death’s Design was the fourth and final album by Katatonia's Anders 'Blakkheim’ Nyström's Symphonic Extreme Metal solo-project, Diabolical Masquerade.

Containing atmospheric synth and sound effects throughout and featuring the Maalten Quartet (Estonia), Death’s Design offers ab orchestral and epic experience mixed with Black and traditional Metal influences. The album consists of 61 seamlessly flowing segments, grouped into 20 movements.

A highpoint in Blakkheim’s impressive discography.

The infamous MAYHEM return this year with an EP called “Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando” that presents the band in a way that has never been heared before! The lords of darkness have dug deep and reflected their influences to create a musical odyssey that shows them multifaceted in several ways. For this goal, cover versions of bands like Discharge, Dead Kennedys, Rudimentary Peni and Ramones were chosen, which in typical MAYHEM manner impressively fit into their bursting and darkenened sound. Nevertheless, MAYHEM would not be MAYHEM, if this musical creation would do without own composed songs. In addition to named cover versions, a brand new track called “Voces Ab Alta” was recorded to continue the musical journey alongside previously released tracks “Black Glass Communion” and “Everlasting Dying Flame”, which were used as bonus tracks for the 2019 album “Daemon”. The EP comes as a 180g LP format which features a two-sided cover artwork and two-page insert, as well as a Ltd. CD Digipak with sleeve and 12-page booklet.

Reissue

Dormant for over a decade, Beyond Man has been awakened like an ancient curse from an old and sandy burial ground. In an epoch of records in which resounds the dull embellished atmosphere of a cozy bedroom, Beyond Man‘s self-titled album smells of old amplifiers drenched in rotten blood, ash and whisky, the reek of a cave I dare you to enter, where the frustrations of a group of Satanic cowboys take sonic form together with their zealot visions and nightmares, veiled by a truly ferocious and sinister aura.

Call it black metal if you wish, or envision Morbid Angel sitting down with Black Sabbath and listening to Norwegian black metal while sharing a bottle of red wine followed by straight shots of heavy smoked whisky.

Nidrosian Black Metal at its very finest, straight from the source with MARE, ONE TAIL ONE HEAD etc. members