CD

THE VISION BLEAK return in grand style: The German duo's seventh full-length "Weird Tales" constitutes a monumental tribute to the eponymous American pulp magazine and other tales of mystery and dark imagination. The album consists of a single track that is divided into internal chapters, which are each inspired by weird tales, poems, and other literature of horror and the macabre. On "Weird Tales", THE VISION BLEAK are referring to eminent writers of the legendary magazine such as H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, but also allude to authors that were never featured in the magazine, for example Edgar Allen Poe and Lafcadio Hearn, whose "Fantastics and Other Fancies" was very influential for this album. THE VISION BLEAK are pulling every register of their enormous musical prowess. The chapters range stylistically from flamboyant gothic rock via dark doom to harsh black and death metal parts – and about everything in between. All the thrilling elements that the following of the duo has come to expect and love is present on this record: the dramatic and theatrical, the harsh and heavy, the melancholic and eerie, and also catchy and symphonic moments. All of this is woven into a dense sonic tapestry, which is held together by a recurring ebb and flow that is reminiscent of classical composition. THE VISION BLEAK were born out of the friendship between guitarist, bass-player and harsh vocalist Markus Stock aka Ulf Theodor Schwadorf and drummer and singer Tobias Schönemann alias Allen B. Konstanz. After first experimenting with a more gothic rock formula, THE VISION BLEAK shaped up when the duo began to involve their mutual love for the horror genre. Already their debut album, "The Deathship Has a New Captain" (2004) became an instant success in both gothic and metal circles and is by now regarded as a classic. As the debut album's theme was based on classical horror movies, the Germans aptly dubbed their style: horror metal. With the following albums, THE VISION BLEAK cemented their reputation as purveyors of classy and quality music. Each full-length revolves around themes from the horror genre that can easily be deduced from their respective titles. "Carpathia" (2005) was followed by "The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey (2007) and "Set Sail to Mystery (2010), "Witching Hour" (2013), and "The Unknown" (2016). THE VISION BLEAK, the masters of horror metal, are finally ready to gift the world their most ambitious song so far: "Weird Tales" is a beautiful and heartfelt homage to a poetic golden age of horror and mystery literature. Listen with care, but always be wary of the eldritch and forbidding sounds that lurk within this song!

Fourth studio album by Dutch Death Metal machine SINISTER. Originally released by Nuclear Blast in 1998. Here’s the official and limited 2022 CD re-issue in a solid super jewel box on Cosmic Key Creations

Super Jewel Box, 12 page booklet

4-panel digipak with 12-page booklet, plus a designed album download card.

They Came From Visions from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was formed in 2019 in order to create raw and twisted music that conjures the visions of shimmering mist over ancient swamps, of moonlight painting the earth in surreal colours, of unsettling hum and chitter of nocturnal insects, of countless dangers and wonders of a world shrouded in darkness. The three nameless individuals behind the group draw inspiration from bands such as Wiegedood and Yellow Eyes as well es from folk-horror-movies and -games – from the classics released in the 70s and also from modern favorites such as „The Witch“ and „Midsommar“.

„The Twilight Robes" continues that theme while raw and varied riffs, spanning the range from mournful to triumphant, weave a bleak tapestry of struggle, danger, mystery, and violence. The record is dedicated to exploring various facets of the commonfolk's struggle and suffering in dangerous and mysterious times: Human-sacrifice-rituals, nocturnal horrors, powerlessness, and surrender in the face of overwhelming natural and supernatural forces belong to the lyrical themes explored here. Rather than leaning on any particular culture's specific folklore, the band references humanity's shared feeling of weakness and fear before the unknown. „The Twilight Robes“ is a testament to the band's dedication to their craft and their desire to tell stories that speak to the human experience.

The recording process was a unique yet frightening experience for the band, as it took place during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Therefore, the band members imbued their feelings of fear, frustration, and anger into the music to cope with the absurd horror of the situation. The album was fully self-produced by the band to preserve the integrity of the composer's vision, and all instruments were recorded at home - with the exception of the vocals, which were recorded at a rehearsal studio. The album was mixed by the guitarist who plays under the pseudonym Voice of Gloom and mastered by bassist Voice of the Deep. The artwork was created by Ukrainian artist Mykhailo Skop (also known as Neivanmade).

6-panel digipak, 24x24cm Poster, plus a designed album download card.

Switzerland's practitioners of alchemical madness return with their sophomore full-length, "Blut, Milch und Thränen", presenting a concoction of truly mesmerizing sonic movements.

The music contained on "Blut, Milch und Thränen" was recorded somewhat unconventionally as two separate tracks, which were subdivided into several movements to correspond with the album's gripping narrative. With regard to this narrative, Kvelgeyst recounts the tale of an alchemist, beset by visions that leads him to search for an adept who in turn shall serve as the victim in a sinister ritual, hoping to achieve unio mystica. Initially, he is pleased, as he discovers an adept soon enough in the gutters. Regrettably for him, however, he is finally confronted with the realization that he has fatally misinterpreted his visions, and it is not he who sacrifices the adept in his pursuit of revelation, but rather he must serve as the sacrificial lamb in ritual slaughter, thus enabling the adept to achieve unio mystica. This, in turn, drives the adept into utter madness, rendering him free of all his senses and forcing him to the gutters from whence he emerged.

Suffering can be a borderline experience, opening doors to the divine. Canadian black-metal-outfit GIVRE has dedicated its fourth album to this concept. On “Le Cloître” (engl. “The Cloister”) the band continues its exploration of the atoning side of pain and the austere aspects of faith through music that goes all the way from elegiac elegance to disturbing outbursts.

This time, the lyrics are taken from the hagiographies of six saint women and explores freely their relation to god through suffering, from the symbolic poetry of Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) to the disturbing and factual depictions of Marthe Robin (1902-1981). Musically, this album explores a variety of extreme genres while maintaining a suffocating and tormented Black Metal atmosphere.

CD in classic jewel case with 12-page booklet incl. all lyrics, plus a designed album download card.