Vinili

Turkey may seem an unlikely land for Death Metal of supreme quality to hail from (at least for those who are not yet aware of its brooding underground scene), yet it is home to many of the finest acts of the genre historically and currently.

One of these heavyweights are DIABOLIZER whom have returned from the depths to follow their 2016 EP with a debut full length. Blisteringly heavy from the very onset with a ruthless set of tight guitar work, technical yet old school atop a mountainous array of blasting drum work with such ferocity that all temples will shake in the sonic fury of DIABOLIZER.

The rupturing vitriol of the vocals is equally daunting with the full band delivering such a precise and extreme example of Turkish Death Metal that happily lives up to the legacies of the scene, unsurprisingly as the whole band features in a plethora of other superb bands too.

This cavernous and punishing album punches in with a full 47 minutes of superior Death Metal artistry that conjures Lovecraftian visions with tormenting brutality and uncompromising quality that will severely injure all whom do not approach this monolith of creatively diverse and utterly obliterating music carefully.

LP in galaxy effect, oxblood with green. Printed innersleeve

Info: se sei un sottoscrittore del "Circle of Wax" di Avantgarde Music, questo album sarà incluso nel bundle #3 (Febbraio)

Five long years after their fascinating debut, Milan-based duo A Pale December deliver their sophomore album, Death Panacea. Compared to The Shrine Of Primal Fire, Death Panacea steers towards more aggressive, warring sounds. The “atmospheric black metal” label which so aptly described their debut album, is now just one of the many, partial definitions which could be used to define the band’s music.

When asked about their new opus, multi-instrumentalists Riccardo Di Bella and Ernesto Ciotola provided the following, strong statement: “While many metal albums seem to appeal to a feeling of fierceness, a call to war, an urge to fight something, we wanted to express the opposite. Death Panacea is an album about defeat and hopelessness, about the inherent futility of human strife and all our laughable attempts at masking this unescapable nature.

We wanted to praise failing and giving up, as opposed to perseverance, pride and the grinding mentality. We wanted to praise the rejects above the leaders, who naively think they can escape this race towards oblivion, and the coward above the fighting man, whose only fault was believing in the frail concept of nation and a false sense of belonging.

While distancing ourselves from these delusional sentiments, we also didn't want to fall into optimistic nihilism; the idea that the awareness of an impending void can grant any peace is simply preposterous. 

Ultimately, this is the meaning that lies behind the title of the album: death is what keeps us in check and yet is the one and only panacea to all our anguishes. In all this, one could almost find a cold comfort, knowing that the top step of the podium is eventually just a springboard to the abyss”.

Limited to one-press only, 300 copies

Info: se sei un sottoscrittore del "Circle of Wax" di Avantgarde Music, questo album sarà incluso nel bundle #3 (Febbraio)

After two decades devoted to the dark arts within obscure black metal, Wraith (Vanquished) and Luzifaust (Kaifrun, Hostium) present a new chapter, going by the name of Vastatum.

An ancient parallelled entity born into modern existence. Rich with atmospheric maturity and an emphasis on existential impermanence, Vastatum have executed the sonic experience of passing beyond life into death’s immeasurable grasp. Thus melding the elusive soundscapes of disembodiment with the haunting distinctions of absolution. Poetic, and potent, melodic and malevolent.

Vastatum is driven by the dark innate will of creativity and the seductive allure of the occult, and Mercurial States Of Revelation is the first chapter in the band's history. A chapter written in black metal and contemplations upon human existence.

Mercurial States Of Revelation reflects upon the conceptual philosophy that since time immemorial the earth, world and existence (as we comprehend it) have been in a constant state of flux and continual transformation. Thus compelling all planetary inhabitants toward perpetual states of adaptation within a world that is rapidly evolving and transcending beyond the depths of the human species.

Through mighty riffs deeply rooted in both the classic sounds of Norway in the early ‘90s and the Cascadian tradition of the ‘00s, Vastatum find a perfect balance between the old, the contemporary and the esoteric, picturing visions of growing shadows and perishing bodies.

Blue vinyl - official 2022 reissue

Official 2022 reissue

New press, 2022 edition, exclusive vinyl color in gatefold cover 

200 copies, Olive green with black vinyl

Sgàile is the solo project of Scottish multi-instrumentalist Tony Dunn, a venture that was a long time in the making due to Dunn’s commitments with other bands such as Falloch, Cnoc An Tursa and Saor. “For almost a decade, I had concentrated on playing other people's songs, singing other people's lyrics, and not feeling that I had an identity of my own. The name Sgàile means "ghost" or "shade" in Gaelic, and this was born from the fact that I didn't quite "fit in" with the Scottish Black Metal scene that these bands were an integral part of”.

In August 2018, Dunn parted ways with Saor in an amicable manner. It was then and there that “I decided to really concentrate on putting out a body of work that I could put my own name to and be proud of”. Sgàile was officially born. Ideals & Morality was conceived, composed and recorded in most of its parts in late 2019/early 2020. At this point Mike Lamb (Sojourner, Light Field Reverie) was brought on board for the mixing and mastering. “He had a look at the quality of the recordings, and gave me a great deal of advice, so much that in late summer 2020 we decided the best course of action was to re-record all of the guitars and bass from scratch. So in essence, Ideals & Morality was recorded twice”. 

Musically and lyrically, Sgàile’s debut is an emotional record. “It is a record that I feel is both melancholy and quite dark in places, but uplifting and inspiring in others, as during the recording sessions I felt like I was in quite a low place at times mentally, but the actual writing process itself lifted my spirits. I feel that the album certainly has the potential to both haunt and elate in equal measure”. Lyrically, it's almost a stream of consciousness of various aspects of Tony’s psyche, dealing with his love for Scottish mountains (“The Summit”), the feeling of becoming a parent (“Instinct”) or even the experiences of the past decade (“Facade”). Every song comes from its own background, making Ideals & Morality a multifaceted experience. “The album is almost like a peek at what goes on inside my head. My ideals and my moral compass are what have guided me on my path as an artist since being thrust into the music industry and will stick with me through the rest of my journey, wherever that may lead”.