Preordine

Classic Folk/Black Metal goes progressive! Remastered and finally available again.

In progressive music circles, the genre of Black Metal sometimes seemed to get a treatment as if it is was plague-like. Even a lot of Metalheads themselves cannot bring themselves to develop a taste for it, although diehard fans of the genre swear it is one of the most atmospheric and emotive styles of music in existence to date.

With Vintersorg’s “Cosmic Genesis” it appears as if there is a perfect album for those who are not too much into Black/Pagan Metal (or other extreme forms) but are interested to look into it. Strong melodies and intelligent instrumentation mixed with some more primal, heavy sounding riffs make for a very wellrounded Metal album that a much wider variety of listeners should find appreciation for.

One of the biggest points of contention people seem to have with Black Metal are the high-pitched screams which dominate and help define the genre. While these are indeed present in “Cosmic Genesis”, the main form of vocal delivery rests on the deep and strong clean singing of Andreas Hedlund, at times verging on being operatic in nature. Strong melodies and some rocking guitar riffs are the order of the day for this classic Vintersorg album. A special track worth mentioning here is a great cover of the Uriah Heep track “Rainbow Demon”, which is performed in great Vintersorg style (and has a strong medievalsounding intro). The album is full of great Black/Folk Metal tracks, although the highlights would undeniably include the opener (‘Astral & Arcane,’) the title track, and the powerful ballad ‘The Enigmatic Spirit,’ which should convince anyone to check out this album after hearing it. We think the highly melodic nature of this album will help at least a few people open up to Black Metal as a whole, who are not too familiar with this style, or do not like it too extreme.

For fans of: Falkenbach, Moonsorrow, Borknagar, Finntroll, Kampfar, Einherjer.

High Roller Records, reissue, black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, bonus 7” "Into Dungeons" with p/s and insert

"Summoning Hell" was recorded in 5 days at "Black Magic Studios" in Ilmenau September 2013. Engineered, mixed (at "HMSS Headquarters" December 2013) and mastered by Patrick W. Engel.

High Roller Records, reissue, black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert,

Baby Blue Vinyl

Vintersorg’s classic album remastered! A real gem of epic Swedish Viking Metal!

As someone who listens to Metal albums on a daily basis, as well as being a Metal fan for well over 40 years, there are many great Metal albums out there. But sometimes an album comes along that changes how we look at Metal. We are not sure if that was Andreas “Vintersorg” Hedlund‘s intention when he wrote his debut full length, “Till Fjälls”, but that is exactly what this album did. His intention was to create a sound that was Black Metal based but also focusing more on clean vocals and adding more traditional Swedish folk elements to the that base. He inadvertently patented a new sound and sub-genre.

The album opens with, “Rundans,” which is basically an intro, being part acoustic and part electric. Keyboards take the place of what sounds like wind instruments. “For kung och fosterland,” follows as the first proper song, opening with speed and fury there are tremolo riffs and grim vocals but they lead to a much more melodic approach with the clean vocals taking over. Vintersorg sings here in a low baritone which became his trademark. But it is the way he used those melodies intertwined with the heavier more Black Metal oriented sounds was new and nothing like it existed before.

But what the real magic here is the entire package. Songs about that show how ancient paganism was so rooted in the actual forces of nature; while done so in his own language over top this epic Metal music that was all new.

From the cold of Norrland this album manages to take the cold and grim and add some warmth and emotion. This masterpiece was just the first in a string of absolutely brilliant albums from this incredible talented artist. After 27 years this album still resonated with me the same as it did when I first heard it. This is proof that great music is timeless.

For fans of: Falkenbach, Moonsorrow, Borknagar, Finntroll, Kampfar, Einherjer.

High Roller Records, reissue, slipcase

High Roller Records, reissue, slipcase

Vintersorg’s classic album remastered! A real gem of epic Swedish Viking Metal!

As someone who listens to Metal albums on a daily basis, as well as being a Metal fan for well over 40 years, there are many great Metal albums out there. But sometimes an album comes along that changes how we look at Metal. We are not sure if that was Andreas “Vintersorg” Hedlund‘s intention when he wrote his debut full length, “Till Fjälls”, but that is exactly what this album did. His intention was to create a sound that was Black Metal based but also focusing more on clean vocals and adding more traditional Swedish folk elements to the that base. He inadvertently patented a new sound and sub-genre.

The album opens with, “Rundans,” which is basically an intro, being part acoustic and part electric. Keyboards take the place of what sounds like wind instruments. “For kung och fosterland,” follows as the first proper song, opening with speed and fury there are tremolo riffs and grim vocals but they lead to a much more melodic approach with the clean vocals taking over. Vintersorg sings here in a low baritone which became his trademark. But it is the way he used those melodies intertwined with the heavier more Black Metal oriented sounds was new and nothing like it existed before.

But what the real magic here is the entire package. Songs about that show how ancient paganism was so rooted in the actual forces of nature; while done so in his own language over top this epic Metal music that was all new.

From the cold of Norrland this album manages to take the cold and grim and add some warmth and emotion. This masterpiece was just the first in a string of absolutely brilliant albums from this incredible talented artist. After 27 years this album still resonated with me the same as it did when I first heard it. This is proof that great music is timeless.

For fans of: Falkenbach, Moonsorrow, Borknagar, Finntroll, Kampfar, Einherjer.

If you were talking German thrash metal in the second half of the 1980s, you couldn’t go past Assassin from Düsseldorf, who released their highly influential (go ask the Norwegian black metal scene) first two full-lengths “The Upcoming Terror” and “Interstellar Experience” in 1987 and ‘88 respectively. The latter, which is widely regarded as a quintessential Teutonic thrash album, was tracked at Music Lab Berlin with legendary producer Harris Johns (Kreator, Voivod), who had the band record the material live in studio prior to the actual sessions. Now for the first time ever, these recordings – all album tracks minus ‘Baka’, which was written on the fly later on, while ‘Damned World’ was renamed ‘Strange World’ – will get a proper release via High Roller Records. Entitled “Outer Space Death”, the material was transferred from cassette, restored and mastered by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony in late 2024. The result shows just how good Assassin were as performers, arguably even surpassing the final album versions of the songs. “It’s definitely worth listening to because it sounds very different,” says guitarist Dinko Vekić, hitting the nail on its head

“Emellan Träden” is a raw and haunting journey through icy melodies and endless darkness!

For fans of Enslaved, Vintersorg and Borknagar!
Jord drag their sound deeper into the forest on their new album “Emellan Träden”, a towering, windswept slab of atmospheric Black Metal!
Formed by Jörgen “Jurg” Ström (ex-Rimfrost, ex-Skineater) in 2020 as a solo project, Jord built two albums (“Sol” and “Måne”) straight from the gut, before evolving into a full band. With guitarist Sebastian “Hravn” Svedlund (Rimfrost, Omnicidal) and drummer Stefan “Jansson” Jansson (Omnicidal) locking in, Jord found the weight and muscle their music was begging for.
Recorded again with Micke Andersson at Studio Soundport, the new album keeps Jord’s heart; atmospheric Black Metal shot through with Post Rock and Folk undercurrents, but hits harder, breathes deeper.

Songs weave through towering riffs, soaring clean passages, hypnotic rhythms, and moments of total collapse.

“Emellan Träden” is a raw and haunting journey through icy melodies and endless darkness!

For fans of Enslaved, Vintersorg and Borknagar!
Jord drag their sound deeper into the forest on their new album “Emellan Träden”, a towering, windswept slab of atmospheric Black Metal!
Formed by Jörgen “Jurg” Ström (ex-Rimfrost, ex-Skineater) in 2020 as a solo project, Jord built two albums (“Sol” and “Måne”) straight from the gut, before evolving into a full band. With guitarist Sebastian “Hravn” Svedlund (Rimfrost, Omnicidal) and drummer Stefan “Jansson” Jansson (Omnicidal) locking in, Jord found the weight and muscle their music was begging for.
Recorded again with Micke Andersson at Studio Soundport, the new album keeps Jord’s heart; atmospheric Black Metal shot through with Post Rock and Folk undercurrents, but hits harder, breathes deeper.

Songs weave through towering riffs, soaring clean passages, hypnotic rhythms, and moments of total collapse.

Norwegian melodic Black/Folk Metal classic finally available on vinyl! This edition limited to 150 copies.

Following the success of “Til Alle Heimsens Endar” (2010), Bergen’s Galar returned with their third full length “De Gjenlevende”, a sweeping, symphonic Black Metal journey, now reissued on vinyl.

Recorded at Concleave & Earshot Studios with Bjørnar E. Nilsen, the album continues Galar’s fusion of harsh, melodic Black Metal with rich Nordic Folk elements. Featuring Phobos (Aeternus, Gravdal) on drums and contributions from a string quintet and horn quartet, the sound is both massive and intricate.

Lyricist Jorge Blutaar weaves a concept rooted in Pan-European folklore, where winter symbolizes death, frailty, and introspection, only to give way to the hope and renewal of spring. A reflection on the eternal cycle of decay and rebirth.

“De Gjenlevende” stands as Galar’s most epic and intense work, monumental in both sound and vision. Finally available on vinyl, as it was always meant to be heard.

• First time vinyl reissue of Galar’s 2015 masterpiece
• Symphonic black metal steeped in Nordic folk and classical grandeur
• Recorded by Bjørnar E. Nilsen (Taake, Helheim, Vulture Industries)
• Featuring Phobos (Aeternus, Gravdal) on drums
• Includes full string quintet and horn quartet
• Concept album exploring folklore, death, and seasonal cycles
• Stunning cover art by Robert Høyem (Evoken, Kampfar)

For fans of: Windir, Bathory, Ereb Altor, Immortal, Arcturus

Green vinyl limited to 150 copies

Helheim, one of the founding pioneers of the Norwegian viking metal genre, are ready to release their 12th studio album “HrabnaR / Ad vesa”. On this record, Helheim has made a split album with themselves. For the first time, the main songwriters V'gandr and H'grimnir have divided the album in two, where they solely take care of the vocals on the part they represent musically. This has resulted in two very different expressions - not uncommon for this band, but never as clearly as here. The first half, “Hrabnar”, contains four stand-alone songs written by H’grimnir. The second part, “Ad vesa”, is about the four components in Norse mythology that we know collectively as the human soul. In pre-Christian Norway, the concept of the soul was not a singular, unified entity, but a composite of many elements, of which the four key components were Fylgja, Hamr, Hugr, and Hamingja. Founded in 1992, Helheim are known and renowned all over the world for their authenticity and integrity when it comes to portraying their Norse heritage. Constantly growing and evolving, and staying clear of musical trends and fads, they’ve carved their own way for more than 30 years.