CD

After releasing the debut album from his Serment project earlier this year, Moribond is back with something completely different, namely his ambient project Oublieth. Falling somewhere in-between what some would call dungeon synth and the much more cinematographic scopes of artists like Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Klaus Schulz, Oublieth draws its inspiration in classic 70’s and 80’s fantasy themes, as evidenced by a recording done entirely with analog synthesizers as well as the stunning cover art by renowned Dungeons and Dragons and Ravenloft artist Stephen Fabian. This enthralling ambient journey is strictly limited to 500 copies…

The legendary Slow Death recordings from Mortem, fully re-recorded and reworked (including extra tracks), plus the original 1989 demo.

Presented on double CD, the release also includes an extended biography on the history of the band, plus rare and unseen images.

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Before Arcturus there was Mortem. Originally comprised of members now known from such classic bands as Arcturus, Mayhem & Thorns, Mortem was a leading act of the early Norwegian underground metal scene; their ‘Slow Death’ demo a highly inspirational work of early Norwegian extreme metal.

Formed by Marius Vold & Steinar Sverd Johnsen in 1989, Mortem was one of the first black metal bands to crawl out of the woodwork in Norway, releasing the highly coveted and brutal ‘Slow Death’ demo, with Euronymous & Dead of Mayhem acting as producer and cover artist respectively. After the release of ‘Slow Death’, the band was laid to rest with members going on to form and feature in acclaimed titans such as Arcturus and Thorns, both of which would become mainstays in the black metal scene and beyond.

This special release of ‘Slow Death’ contains the tracks newly recorded and reworked in a style more akin to the recent ‘Ravnsvart’ album material, plus also includes the legendary pioneering 1989 demo itself, with a fresh transfer from a new tape source. The new recordings also include a rendition of the old Mortem track ‘Satanas’, plus a cover of ‘Likferd’ (Funeral Fog) by Mayhem, this time sung in Norwegian. Joining the original line-up of Marius, Steinar & Hellhammer is Tor Seidemann of 1349 on bass guitar.

Mark Deeks, who earned his PhD in Philosophy on the topic of "National Identity in Northern and Eastern European Heavy Metal", is also a member of leading UK black metal stalwarts WINTERFYLLETH and keeps himself busy as a musical director, arranger, piano coach, and conductor as well as a best selling author. On "Take Up My Bones", Mark is supported by WOLCENSMEN mastermind Dan Capp on guitars and backing vocals. He is also joined by ATAVIST drummer Callum Cox, and a spellbinding performance from cellist Jo Quail (MY DYING BRIDE et al.) delivers the coup de grace

This is the second chapter of the three cycle release FEUER‚ NACHT and TOD from the (DOLCH) collective...

NACHT feels like a very personal and intimate art of communication of sound and word to us. It can be read as an interpretation of a journey through the night, an urban trip we experienced while writing and recording this album in Seattle, Los Angeles and Berlin some time ago.

It can also be read as a display of the state of the mind and soul, feeling like being covered up by a dark night, floating between the spheres of euphoria and depression, between love and fear, light and darkness.

4-panel digipak with UV spot lacquer

Die-cut

Limited to 999 handnumbered copies

A CD that compiles all three demos by this obscure U.S. band. Cross Fade was formed in Mastic (Long Island, N.Y.) in March of 1991. Scot Trollan (vocals), John Tinger (guitars), Eric Rhodes (drums) and John Colucco (bass) would form one the most intense bands to ever rule a stage. Cross Fade was fortunate to have spawned and thrived in the primordial era of Long Island Death Metal, a force to be reckoned with amongst other global Metal sounds. And Cross Fade was there, absorbing it and spitting out their own unique brand of extreme music. A band with infinite potential, gaining speed and ferocity only to implode like a black star in 1994. A band whose live sound was 100 times more intense than on tape. Cross Fade looked to create fresh diverse extreme sounds, with various influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Primus to Deicide, Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse. A socially aware band, the lyrics dealt with subjects like religious falsehood, global colonialism, pollution and mental illness. A constant on the live front, Cross Fade played early backyard and legion hall shows with what would become and continue to be the core of LIDM (Internal Bleeding, Pyrexia and Suffocation), and would cut their teeth on the stages of infamous N.Y. clubs like L'Amour, Sundance, Sparks and The Roxy, sharing the large stage opening for bands such as Morbid Angel, Sorrow, Internal Bleeding and Pro-Pain. Cross Fade was prolific in the underground zine and trading scene, sending out hundreds of demos to fanzines and Metal fans at cost, as well as handing out hundreds of free demos at the many many live shows and events they did. With the release of the self-titled demo in January 1992, the band showed where both them and the extreme sounds of the next century were going. Releasing the infamous "Ruined" demo later that year, Cross Fade was quickly becoming recognized as a force in the underground. Ferocious, moving, intense, intelligent... The band had established its sound and started doing out of state shows. In 1993 the band continued to play, promote, create, write and record, but the cracks of doom started to show. Internal creative tensions, commitments to responsibilities, all the things that come with being in a real band, were starting to weigh, all the while making the sound sharper, maner, more complex, more musical. 1994 led to the very limited release of the "Untitled" demo. This one was barely promoted or handed out, and the pressures of recording were enough to drive a final wedge in the band and ultimately lead it to ruin. All songs restored and subtly remastered for a more pleasurable listening experience. Cover art and layout by Cesar Valladares. The 16-page booklet features lyrics, photos, bio and liner notes by Scot Trollan and John Colucco. Absolutely recommended to fans of spazztic yet catchy, ridiculously dynamic, highly original, fucked up Death Metal with a vocalist that sounds like a mentally deranged John Tardy on crystal meth.