Vinili

The word “katechon” refers to the restraining force or entity tethering the Antichrist, and thus maintaining equipoise between existence and annihilation. Sonically and conceptually, Katechon exhibits the control, power, and restraint associated with the theological concept giving rise to the band’s name. At this point in the lineage of extreme metal, the lines between the various subgenres are nearly indistinguishably blurred. Bands emerging at this stage are almost certainly influenced by Black, Death, and Thrash metal in relatively equal parts in addition to drawing influence from genres outside the traditional spectrum of metal. This amorphous state, has led many bands to retreat into strict rehashing of formulaic retro approaches. Katechon, however, embraces the entropic merging of stylistic and aesthetic projections from the various branches of the genre and beyond. Under scrutiny since the release of its demo last year, Norway’s Katechon now presents its debut full-length recording. “Man, God, Giant” reinforces the sound presented on Katechon’s previous recordings*, but features superb production that amplifies the impact of the tracks. Each of the three songs featured on the demo is reworked and incorporated into the album. Katechon’s sound is an amalgamation of Black, Death, and Thrash metal, but played with a precision and authenticity that avoids dilution. Instead the result is frenetic and possessed, devoid of theatrics and self-indulgent virtuosity, and features highly proficient and intricate songwriting executed with precision. With philosophically oriented lyrics and adorned with an esoteric and surreal visual aesthetic, “Man, God, Giant” presents a unique vision for the future direction of metal in which an equilibrium must be maintained between rote rehashing of past trends and the indiscriminate collision of clashing styles and sounds. Katechon rests perfectly at this equilibrium point, holding at bay the forces of dissolution.

-2nd press of 500 copies on dark green (A/B) and yellow vinyl (C/D), with gatefold jacket.

Devout Records presents two essential Leviathan compilations, “The First Sublevel of Suicide” and “Unfailing Fall into Naught,” both on double-LP format and both containing several additional rare and previously-unreleased tracks. These editions are products of the band’s own label and are thus superior to the notoriously substandard versions from Ascension Monuments Media. “The First Sublevel of Suicide” includes demo versions of songs from the band’s debut album which were not made available to AMM and features new artwork from Brian VDP, who also executed the layout for both releases. “Unfailing Fall into Naught” compiles the recordings from Leviathan’s split releases with Sapthuran and Xasthur and is presented with new artwork from Wrest himself, in addition to the aforementioned bonus tracks. Both compilations were mastered by the renowned James Plotkin and are officially distributed by Nuclear War Now! Productions.

Black and Brown Marble Vinyl.

Behind the bloodshed and chaos wrought by the might of the aggressors, a single man brings forth an unprecedented plan to defend native land not just for one nation, but for all. Tecumseh’s War presents the events leading to his death–the influence of Tenskwatawa, the British alliance and, most importantly, the formation of the largest native Confederacy in modern memory. Eight tracks of woodlands warfare in the name of sovereignty! IN SOLIDARITY, IN WAR! LONG LIVE TECUMSEH!

Blue Vinyls.

On the strength of their 1992 demo and 1993 7” EP, Dutch death doom pioneers Mystic Charm entered Harrow Studios to record their first full length album. Released on the Belgian label Shiver Records (which was still in its infancy at the time but would put out dozens of releases over the next decade or so), “Shadows of the Unknown” is a doom-laden masterpiece of atmospheric death metal. Mystic Charm’s reputation and legacy have always been tied to the vocals of Rini Lipman. The gray, charcoal rasp of her voice adds a sinister quality, darkening the abysmal landscape conjured by the instrumentation while leaving intelligible the sullen and evocative lyrics, most of which were written by Lipman herself. The songs are composed from seamlessly stitched riffs that traverse the chasm between relentless death metal and haunting, melodic doom. Interspersed among the dense, swelling walls of guitars are subtly placed keyboards, whispered vocals, and acoustic guitars, adding a melancholic dimension to the tracks, all of which is braced by the mechanized precision of the drums. Compared with the band’s earlier recordings, the album is more tightly performed and produced. Mystic Charm went dormant following the 1996 release of “Shadows of the Unknown,” but reemerged in 2001 with the very limited “Hell Did Freeze Over” CDR, which featured a mixture of new and re-recorded material. This new double LP, featuring both “Shadows of the Unknown” and “Hell Did Freeze Over,” is the first official vinyl reissue of either recording.

Founded by Gezol, in 1984, as a conduit for releasing Sabbat, Evil Records stood nearly alone as one of the only Japanese labels dedicated to releasing extreme metal. In the first decade of the label’s existence, there were few bands other than Sabbat with releases on Evil Records. In 1994, just as the label was hitting its stride, Gezol organized a compilation to showcase some of the prominent underground bands in Japan and project them to a larger audience. Featuring eight bands that were active at the time, including Sabbat, the “Far East Gate In inferno” compilation provides a snapshot of the mid-90s Japanese extreme metal underground. Initially, Gezol contacted some of the bands directly, but still needed more submissions to fill out the roster. He sent out a flyer requesting demo submissions and circulated it to zines, eventually selecting a few bands based solely on the quality of their demo recordings. The majority of the bands featured had short-lived careers, and the material presented here is among the only documentation of those bands’ existence. Musically, the selection runs the gamut of extreme metal, covering thrash, death, grind, and black metal. At the time, Gezol noted, there was virtually no traditional heavy metal activity in Japan, and, therefore, no heavy metal bands appear on the compilation. (Due to the dearth of Japanese traditional heavy metal acts, Gezol started Metalucifer a couple years after the release of “Far East Gate In Inferno.”) Names like Sigh and, of course, Sabbat are familiar to all at this point, but many of the other bands on this compilation scarcely recorded anything and, if not for this compilation, might have been forgotten altogether. The first side collects tracks from two death metal bands, Worm and Abyss, neither of which released anything of note beyond their contributions to this compilation. Yet both bands demonstrate unique approaches to the death metal genre, spanning from brutal to melodic to hyper-technical. At nearly ten minutes in length, the Sigh track featured on the compilation, which opens side B, is an epic sprawl of furious black metal punctuated with intermittent atmospheric passages. Monarchie Infernale pushes beyond conventional death metal, with a sloppy and frenetic sound that veers closer to grindcore. Like Sigh and Sabbat, Terror Squad has remained active through the years and produced a deep catalog. The band’s contribution to this compilation, a six-minute blitz of relentless thrash, captures Terror Squad in its primitive stage, when they only had a couple demo recordings to their name. Dark Ritual, a band that only released a few demos in the early 1990s, provides a heavier, darker death metal sound than any of the other bands on the compilation. The penultimate band featured here, Voidd, which released its debut album on Evil Records in 1993, delivers two tracks of pummeling deathrash. Finally, closing out the compilation is Sabbat, with three alternate versions of classic songs—“Black Fire,” “Satanic Rites,” and “In Satan We Trust”—that appeared on early releases. Consistent with the time period in which it came out, this compilation was originally released only on CD, and this reissue marks the first ever vinyl edition. Visually, the CD was striking, with cover art, both on the original CD version and this current DLP edition, featuring artwork by then-Sabbat guitarist Elizaveat. Like many of the most memorable compilations of that era, the bands here were striving to present their best material in the hopes of garnering more interest, as opposed to the current era where compilations tend to be repositories for bands’ least listenable output. According to Gezol, “Far East Gate In Inferno” was largely well-received and drew attention to the abundance of extreme metal activity in Japan. He originally intended to follow up with a second volume, but his dedication to Sabbat and Metalucifer left him stretched too thin to dedicate the time and resources needed to curate and release another compilation at the time. NWN! will be working with Gezol to produce a follow up compilation in the near future featuring new tracks from the current crop of Japanese extreme metal bands.

After releasing a series of demos between 1989 and 1992, DAI received an offer to record a full-length album for the Czech label, Monitor Records. Started a few years earlier, Monitor was extremely prolific, mostly focusing on Czech rock and punk bands, but it ventured into metal with releases such as the “Ultrametal” compilation in 1990, “Ritual” by Master’s Hammer in 1991, and various thrash bands such as Debusterol, V.A.R., and Krabathor. By 1993, Monitor was the preeminent label for extreme music in the newly formed Czech Republic, working with other significant bands like Torr and Root. DAI entered the studio in the summer of 1992 to record what would be the band’s only full-length release, the monumental album “The Advent.” Released in 1993 on CD and tape, “The Advent” is wildly eccentric. As if viewing the death and black metal produced in northern and western Europe through some kaleidoscopic distortion, DAI produced a uniquely unconventional work, the oblique sensibilities of which rivaled the contemporaneous works of Master’s Hammer. Indeed, had DAI continued releasing music, the two bands would likely occupy similar stations in the history of black metal. Instead, following the release of “The Advent,” DAI disappeared, leaving behind a concise but distinctive catalog. And given the extreme rarity of the demos, few people outside of the former Czechoslovakia likely ever heard the demos preceding the album. Consequently, DAI mostly remained an obscure curiosity known primarily to collectors. This new edition marks the first reissue of “The Advent” since its initial release almost 30 years ago, as well as the first ever vinyl edition. This new version also features five previously unreleased studio tracks, which are among the band’s most experimental.

In the late 1980s, the former Czechoslovakia was an incubation chamber for some of the most unique and expressive extreme metal ever produced. Coinciding with the rise of death and black metal, the demise of Communism produced a fertile scene of disaffected youth eager to embrace these new radical modes of expression. By the end of the Communist era, the Iron Curtain had become culturally porous, permitting the influx of art and music from the West that catalyzed underground movements in Eastern Bloc countries. Filtered through a youth movement still shaking off the hangover of authoritarian policies, cultural isolation, and the promotion of Soviet values, the sights and sounds of the early Czech scene were unlike those emanating elsewhere in European. While bands such as Master’s Hammer and Root are widely heralded now as progenitors of Czech black metal, a lesser known contemporary act called DAI fully embodied the same approach. The four demos collected on this double LP were recorded between 1989 and 1992, a transitional period for Czech society. Like the aforementioned bands, DAI’s early recordings were primitive in some respects but displayed an idiosyncratic approach to black metal that sets them apart. And these demos by one of the most obscure Czech acts to emerge during black metal’s second wave should be every bit as revered as the early recordings of Master’s Hammer, Root and others.

For more than two decades, Loits has been producing some of the most meticulously crafted and unique black metal. Hailing from the tiny nation of Estonia in northeastern Europe, Loits draw upon the history of their proud people for inspiration, particularly the Estonian underground guerilla resistance movement—often referred to as “the Forest Brothers”—that struggled against Soviet occupation during and after WWII. With its 2001 debut full-length, “Ei kahetse midagi,” Loits carved out a distinct, idiosyncratic niche. Though originally self-released as a cassette, “Ei kahetse midagi” has gained greater attention through the years as the band’s stature has risen, resulting in more than 10 additional reissues on various formats. And for good reason. From the first track, this album is captivating, rich in texture and atmosphere, and operating with an intellectual depth and emotional valence far beyond many of the band’s peers. The eight tracks on this album are compositionally dynamic and epic in scope. Loits demonstrate a penchant for seamless shifts in mood—furious blast-beat driven riffs suffused with lilting melodies deftly adjoined with folkish passages and atmospheric segues. On this debut album, Loits draw influence from Norwegian pioneers like Satyricon, Ulver, and In The Woods, but add to that concoction eccentric elements of Masters Hammer and Ved Buens End. But Loits’ sound cannot be captured or described simply by comparison to other bands; there is something very singular about Loits, something deviant and peculiarly Estonian in their sound. Complementing the musical complexity on “Ei kahetse midagi” are the lyrics, laden with poetic expressions of the pride and sorrow of life and war. The band characterized the conceptual intent of the album as “reviving the bonds between modern day man’s courage and the ancient events that defined Estonian identity as an ethnos.” Indeed, though delivered in the band’s native Estonian language, the English translations provided in the liner notes demonstrate a remarkably literate and evocative approach to lyrical content that adds further depth to the profound impact of this album.

One of the earliest death metal bands to emerge from the American underground, Necrophagia paved the way for pretty much all extreme metal bands with their chaotic and necro sounds. Hailed by the likes of early Mayhem, Nunslaughter, Sigh and many others from the past and present. Unfortunately Killjoy left us prematurely but he left us with a back catalog/legacy that any musician can be proud of. This compilation double LP will contain every demo and rehearsal from the 80′s that lead up to their debut album Season of the Dead. The layout includes unseen photos and an A2 poster of the release poster for Season of the Dead.

As it did with its first album, “Man, God, Giant,” in 2013, Katechon of Trondheim, Norway hereby releases its second full-length, “Coronation,” under the banner of Nuclear War Now! Musically speaking, “Coronation” picks up much where the previous album left off, having also been recorded at Nordstern and mixed, mastered, and produced by the band itself. Katechon’s music is characterized by precise, tremolo-attacking riffs, reminiscent of their Norwegian ancestors, Mayhem and Thorns. There are also hints of Autopsy’s brand of punk-infused death metal, both in the rhythmic patterns employed and the vocals, which oftentimes remind of the death grunts made famous by Chris Reifert, albeit here with more of a black metal influence. As with “Man, God, Giant,” Katechon has once again chosen the talents of artist Mari Oseland to portray its visual aesthetic. Nonetheless, there are noticeable differences between the two albums that enable them both to stand apart on their own individual merits. Whereas the songs on the first album were generally somewhat more straightforward and easily-digested, as well as a bit shorter, “Coronation” places a greater demand on the listener by invoking more dissonance, atonality, and a higher degree of intricacy in its compositions. Thematically speaking, “Man, God, Giant” was more metaphysical and philosophical in nature, complete with Lovecraftian creatures and images. In contrast, “Coronation” explores the autonomy of self – on the one hand alone, but on the other thriving in its complete freedom from society’s imposed norms, rules and doctrines. This album embraces the sickness and delirium that are prone to infect the imperfect being’s mind, and it prefers to proclaim Nietzsche a coward by instead staring directly into the abyss and diving right in.

Golden Vinyls.

To understand the defining traits of Greek Black Metal, one need only to listen to “The Tressrising of Nyarthotep” by the mighty Varathron. This track, first appearing on the “genesis of Apocryphal Desire” demo, possesses all of the victorious grandeur and tragic melancholia that are the essence of the early 1990’s Greek Black Metal sound. Along with contemporary releases by Rotting Christ and Necromantia, Varathron’s demo material firmly established a style that is thoroughly Grecian in character. Thick with a damp and heavy Hellenistic darkness, Varathron explored a sound that was infused with the epic and the ancient. As with so much of the most evocative and potent Black Metal, the ancient currents are revealed through the expression of the modern. Varathron’s music is as mystical as it is visceral. The recordings on this compilation comprise the earliest seeds of what would become one of the greatest bands in the history of the genre. This collection contains all of Varathron’s work leading the band toward the creation of their monumental debut LP, “His Majesty at the Swamp.” The two demos, “Procreation of the Unaltered Evil” and “Genesis of Apocryphal Desire” reveal the steps that Varathron took that would later come to fruition on their first album. This collection also contains the more refined tracks that were utilized on their first vinyl releases – the “One Step Beyond Dreams“ EP and “The Everlasting Sins” tracks from the split LP with Necromantia – and three additional bonus tracks recorded during the early years. As with the forthcoming Rotting Christ demo collection that NWN! will soon release, the songs on this compilation of Varathron’s early recordings reveal the painstaking emergence of a band’s identity. Absorbed in the context of early works by Varathron’s Greek contemporaries, one also witnesses the development of a sound uniquely specific to a geographic region, so specific, in fact, that it is impossible to imagine such a multidimensional approach to Black Metal originating anywhere else. Both the Regular and Die Hard editions of this release will feature gatefold jackets with artwork by Manuel Tinnemans and layout by Tilmann Benninghaus as well as a 48 page zine booklet. The Die Hard edition will also come with a separate LP (with jacket) featuring the “Live at the Swamp” demo material. Originally released on tape in 2004, “Live at the Swamp” features a live recording and rehearsal recording from 1991. These recordings have been remastered and cleaned up by James Plotkin and the sound quality on this LP, although still quite raw, is markedly better than the original tape version.

Italian heavy doom horror!
Originally released on tape by Minotauro Records in 1989, this LP collects the earliest studio recordings of Requiem. Eight raw yet powerful tracks of occult-based doom metal for fans of early Death SS, Paul Chain, and Black Hole.