CD

Valdrin is a U.S.-based melodic black metal band known for their intricate compositions, storytelling prowess, and immersive soundscapes. Since their 2010 inception, the Cincinnati-based band has been focusing on building their own narrative, skillfully crafting an elaborate sci-fi saga. Apex Violator is the latest chapter in the ongoing epic.

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Live Bootleg Recorded Live in Transylvania on March 23rd (2009)

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.

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.

With their fifth album "The Stillness of Dissolution", AUSTERE embark on a dark journey that leads through the abyss of time, the inevitable return of order to chaos into the black void. In the words of the poet: everything that arises is worth that it perishes. The new album brings an overall blacker feel to their sound. This slight change of course does not constitute an easy nostalgic return to the old days as AUSTERE remain within the framework of the more mature and defined version of their particular style of depressive black metal, which reflects their greater experience and evolution as artists. AUSTERE arose from a solo-project run by multi-instrumentalist and singer Desolate alias Mitchell Keepin who joined forces with drummer, keyboard player, and vocalist Sorrow aka Tim Yatras in 2005. Signature frost-bitten guitars, alongside high-pitched screams and wails marked AUSTERE's debut album "Withering Illusions and Desolation" (2007). The sophomore album "To Lay like Old Ashes" followed in 2009 and still featured a raw sound but with a refined production. At this point in time, both musicians decided to focus on other projects and AUSTERE went into hibernation until the duo reformed in 2021. The number of followers had only grown during their absence through word of mouth. AUSTERE are back in black with "The Stillness of Dissolution", yet the Australians also keep all the subtle shades of grey that turn the ongoing evolution of their music into a thrilling experience of new sonic spaces of dark matter.

With their seventh full-length "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL explore the liminal spaces between light and darkness, nature and solitude on an epic album. The ever evolving and shifting Finnish band has reawakened their treasured roots in folk music and psychedelic rock as they artfully weave acoustic interludes, cosmic synths, and spectral piano into the frost-spun threads on their black metal loom. "Nocturne" sounds both familiar and fearlessly progressive as echoes of tradition entwine with a fresh reinvention of their characteristic sound. The seed of this masterpiece was sown by the performance of a commissioned work at Roadburn Festival 2024 that was originally entitled: "Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne". With this album, it arrives fully fleshed in recorded form. This opus magnum blends the raw spirit of Quorthon's black metal with the intricate minimalism of contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, György Ligeti, and Avro Pärt. Its eclectic nature is elevated and underlined by select guest performances, including the vocals of Saara Nevalainen, as well as the avant-garde black metal luminaries Yusaf Vicotnik Parvez (DHG/DØDHEIMSGARD), and ORANSSI PAZUZU's Juho Vanhanen. While HEXVESSEL are based in Tampere, Finland, they were founded by English singer & songwriter Kvohst aka Mat McNerney after he moved to the country in 2009. In many ways, HEXVESSEL reflect their founder. The vocalist and songwriter has instigated and been involved in various bands ranging from UK black metal act CODE, a stint in Norwegian legends DØDHEIMSGARD, and to rock shooting stars BEASTMILK – later 'continued' with GRAVE PLEASURES to name but a few of his success stories. With "Nocturne", HEXVESSEL invite all souls on earth to a transcendental night ritual that is imbued with DARKTHRONE, TANGERINE DREAM, Philip Glass, and sounds unearthed from the dead past, now instilled with new life.

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.

DOUBLE-DISC EDITION OF DARKTHRONE'S 1993 PURE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL MASTERPIECE, INCLUDING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY MASTER, PLUS ADDITIONAL DISC WITH COMMENTARY FROM FENRIZ.

Darkthrone began life in the late 80’s as a thrash/death metal act & progressed through technical death/doom metal experimentation to become legends of the black metal world & one of the original leading bands of the Norwegian scene, as well as inspiring a whole generation of metal bands, as they continue as strong as ever to this day.

‘Under A Funeral Moon’, Darkthrone's third album, was originally released by Peaceville in 1993. The album is a bleak reflection of contemporary times, featuring harsh guitar riffage & hateful vocals in what was the band’s first 100% pure black metal opus; a work completely stripped of the death metal traces of former releases & in its place, a stark & primitive execution. This was aided by an intentionally lo-fi sound that is powerfully cold & entirely unconcerned with any modern-day aesthetics. ‘Under A Funeral Moon’ is the album that many Darkthrone fans hail as the ultimate manifesto for Black Metal.

This edition of ‘Under A Funeral Moon’ is presented on double-disc CD format & includes an audio master created for the album’s 30th anniversary in line with the original 1993 version, plus the 2013 commentary disc from Fenriz with his recollections on the tracks & the time period.