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THE OMEGA SWARM,
an atmospheric death metal group from Germany, started in 2022, very humble, very secluded.
T., renowned from crafting four fabulous albums to date with Sulphur Aeon, did not have a fully fledged live act in mind when composing early demos and shaping the skeleton of his – at that time – nameless new creature. A true creator at heart, T. embraces the meticulous work on riffs, tones, sounds, the adventurous spirit of building and realizing ideas, experimenting with his much beloved set of guitars and synths to produce astonishing vibes and songs that are meaningful yet extreme, melodic yet harsh and mount in THE OMEGA SWARM’s debut album, a record, a testimony dedicated to the essence of art itself.

As down-to-earth T. is, he is not the type of person to stick with one sonic formula, he looks out for ‘something more’, ‘something different’. Having finalized what Sulphur Aeon wanted to express for the time being on 2023’s monumental “Seven Crowns and Seven Seals”, THE OMEGA SWARM are his main focus right now, and the band’s line-up completed by vocalist Christian Schettler (known from his work in label mates Wound) and drummer Max Scheefeldt (ex Misanthrope Monarch), gels perfectly.
Musically, THE OMEGA SWARM were spawned from T.’s experiments with rhythmic patterns, layers of synths, elaborate leads and slightly more technical riffing structures. Probably, the only obvious parallels to Sulphur Aeon are an emphasis on a dense, captivating atmosphere, epic elements, and an overarching darkness as well as realizing after completing their first recordings that also THE OMEGA SWARM bear the quality to be more than just a ‘bedroom project’.

SARKE continue to exploit their unusual mix of 70`s rock, 80`s speed metal and 90`s black metal, resulting in an album full of heavy-rocking and groovy metal while not forgetting the unique psychedelic, doomy and dwelling passages. A monster of an album by a beast of a line-up ft. (ex) members of Darkthrone, Enslaved and Khold!

“Endo Feight” , the 8th full-length of pioneering Norwegian metal act SARKE, covers everything from SARKE’s lightest parts to the hardest. Prepare for a unique musical journey that breaks barriers within the metal scene, of course featuring Nocturno Culto from the legendary DARKTHRONE on vocals.

“Endo Feight” was recorded and mixed at H10 Productions by Lars-Erik Westby and mastered by Sofia von Hage and Thomas Eberger at Stockholm Mastering. The cover illustration was created by Kjetil Nystuen.

Collectors edition - first press digipak

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.

Remastered and joined together in a single release, the first two Nest EPs see the light again! Fabled Lore and Hidden Stream, originally released in 2000 and 2003, will finally be available on vinyl as part of a comprehensive reissue work via Avantgarde Music!

Nest is an atmospheric folk / acoustic group from Finland, formed in the summer of 1999, mainly focusing on the use of the Kantele, a traditional Finnish instrument. The project, led by multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Aslak Tolonen (also member of Syven and several others), has always kept a shy behaviour, releasing three studio albums along the quarter of a century and playing selected live gigs.

Fabled Lore / Hidden Stream is the first instalment in Nest's vinyl and cd reissue schedule on Avantgarde Music and will be followed by the releases of Woodsmoke, Trail of the Unwary (with bonus) and Mietteita - this last one for the first time ever receiving a physical release.

PARFAXITAS - Weaver of the Black Moon

Venturing into the world of Nightbringer, Abigor and Sinmara, with hints of Emperor-esque grandeur, Parfaxitas is a new project by familiar faces;. K.R of Whoredom Rife, B.Einarsson of Sinmara/Slidhr, Azlum of Merihem/Oculus/Manetheren, and YhA from Suffering Hour. It’s a grand declaration of war, a monumental feat of organized chaos, an album filled to the brim of intricate Black Metal. This is an album in full, where every song works as a fundament to make it stand tall amongst giants, an album that demands your attention for nearly 50 minutes.

Submerge yourself in Parfaxitas’ debut album and let the power of Satan compel you.

On the ninth full-length with the tell-tale title of "Subject to Change", XASTHUR took a musical leap of faith: Mastermind, multi-instrumentalist, and singer Scott Conner abandoned black metal as a form of musical expression for the time being, and turned to something stylistically rather comparable to acid folk and neofolk instead. Keeping the minimalistic approach of his previous albums, but embarking on a long journey through the dark underbelly of the American dream, Conner created his own brand of dark Americana. XASTHUR were originally conceived by Scott Conner in California, USA in the year 1995. The project started out in the vein of bleak black metal in the tradition of the Nordic second wave. Over the course of nine albums and a host of split-singles, EPs, and occasional demos, XASTHUR's individual, particularly depressive style became highly regarded within the extreme genre. In 2010, Scott announced the end of XASTHUR and returned with an acoustic dark folk project under the banner of NOCTURNAL POISONING. In 2015, the American artist returned to the name XASTHUR, but insisted that his black metal days were over. On his so far latest album, "Inevitably Dark", XASTHUR have partly lifted the self-imposed ban on black metal, simply because Conner simply did like he felt.

in deluxe Digipak with gold foil incl. 12-page booklet.

For over three decades, Tolis brothers Sakis and Themis have carved a blackened path through the metal world. Architects of the Hellenic black metal, ROTTING CHRIST have been blending histrionic atmospheres, mesmerizing choirs, and neo-classical arrangements for 35 years.
Now, the Greek metal legends present their 14th studio album: ‘Pro Xristou’. Translating to “Before Christ” in Greek, this album is a fervent tribute to the last Pagan kings who stood resilient against the Christian tide, safeguarding ancient values and knowledge. Dive deep into the legacies of figures like Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings through tracks such as "The Apostate" and "Ygdrassil".
‘Pro Xristou’ encapsulates the essence of Rotting Christ's signature style - a melodic symphony with moments of unyielding harshness.

For fans of NIGHTFALL, MOONSPELL, SEPTICFLESH, PRIMORDIAL, VARATHRON.

Gold double vinyl limited to 500 copies

Draconian Times" is Paradise Lost's most recognized and successful album and for good reason, they managed to take a genre of Metal that didn't much recognition until the mid-90's and take it to the next level.

Doom metal and more specifically goth metal itself didn't exist that much in the 80's....outside of say Candlemass and Celtic Frost just barely touching upon the basics of the genre, and they did so with style, but nobody had done it like Paradise Lost.

Paradise Lost sound is pure grimly doom/death metal. "Draconian Times" starts out with a somber-sounding piano, excellent way to start off an album.
"Hallowed Land" is one of favorite song: the lead guitar work of Gregor Mackintosh makes this an epic fist-banger.
"The Last Time" is probably their most blatant attempt at making light of the Goth sound with guitars for a huge hit.
After that depressing-induced song comes the way more upbeat and angrier "Once Solemn".
"Elusive Cure" is one song that should have been the leading single off this album: Gregor just lets his fingers hit those wailing, somber melodies.

This is one of the better cuts off the album. "Yearn For Change" continues the song and picks the mood up a notch.
So this album is their creative peak between their older material and the new style of the band.
Even though recently their last two albums have gone back to their original style of their older material, it's all just more of a nostalgia trip.

There's enough doom and gloom here to almost combat with the previous 2 albums and enough progression that surpasses the rest of their discography.