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With the debut CD in the stores for just a month, the eclectic thrash metal band Soulfly did their first concert at the Dynamo Open Air in May 1998. At that time, this massive event in The Netherlands was the world’s biggest metal event. On this show, Soulfly played songs from their debut as well as Sepultura classics like Beneath The Remains and Roots Bloody Roots. Guests on this very special show include Chino Moreno (Deftones) and Benji Webbe (Skindred).

Thou has always been a force of raw energy and unapologetic dissent, defying easycategorization and challenging listeners to confront the complexities of existence.Though often lumped in with New Orleans sludge bands like Eyehategod and Crowbar,Thou transcends genre boundaries, drawing inspiration from a diverse array ofinfluences spanning from `90s proto-grunge icons like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, andSoundgarden (all of whom they've covered extensively) to the raw intensity of obscure`90s DIY hardcore punk found on labels like Ebullition, Vermiform, and Crimethinc.Their latest record Umbilical, Thou's first full-length release of original music sincetheir 2018 Sacred Bones debut Magus, is their firmest nod to the latter - a record filledwith mosh-ready riffs, heavy breakdowns and scathing vocals. The band's aesthetic andpolitical impulses have always been punk and like anyone embroiled in the subcultureThou have been exploring what it means to exist within and without a rigid morality.That exploration takes thematic center on Umbilical and their self-assessment is asharsh as that of the world around them.

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.

American one-man nuclear black industrial weapon Uranium returns, transmuted into its most astonishing and terrifying form yet. A statement of unseen magnitude and scope, the second full length album Pure Nuclear Death sees the enigmatic East Coast visionary harness a realm of terror and death-torn sonic immensity rarely, if ever, seen before in this plane of reality. Clear from the title alone, Pure Nuclear Death embodies the triumph, definition and consecration of a vision and concept which in the span of a just a couple of years and releases so far has already become classic and by all standards and measures, simply unrivaled. Awe-inducing, imposing and inexorably devastating, Pure Nuclear Death comprises thirty six minutes, split up into five tracks, of omnipotent, death-heaving black industrial immensity designed to devour the listener and deliver to them a world-ending payload of absolute death. The legacy of bludgeoning, visionary post-industrial acts like Godflesh and early (Cop, Filth-era) Swans transposed into total oblivion and coerced into a monstrous, lightless abyss of tectonic and crushing blackened electronics. An antihuman concept on nuclear energy and its most godly and terrifying traits incarnated in a sound which is its perfectly executed and envisioned embodiment. An indissoluble fusion reaction between a concept extrapolated from science, ethical literature and philosophy to convey realities of daunting scientific an technological darkness, and a god-like sound assembled from a critical mass of cataclysmic power electronics, apocalyptic industrial and black metal chained together into an otherworldldly sonic weapon of absolute atomic death.

After the success and lasting impact of their debut 2022 full-length, Where The Shadows Adorn, Indianapolis melodic death-doom purveyors Mother Of Graves return to the surface with a new and prolific dose of melancholy. The Periapt Of Absence, set to be unleashed by the esteemed Profound Lore Records, serves as a testament to Mother of Graves' evolutionary journey and steadfast dedication to crafting their profoundly personal and enthralling rendition of death-doom metal. Highlighted by Brandon Howe's soul crushing and poetic vocals, this offering transcends boundaries, delving even deeper into realms of melancholy and introspection than their past offerings. The album expands on the band's engrossing atmospheres, crushing passages that shine light on their death metal roots, monumental hooks, and melodies that will resonate for years to come. The pulverizing production, provided by the band's Ben Sandman with dynamic mastering by the legend Dan Swanö, amplifies the monumental rhythm section anchored by Don Curtis on drums and Corey Clark on bass, while illuminating the intricate guitar harmonies skillfully woven by guitarists Sandman and Chris Morrison. The Periapt Of Absence is without a doubt Mother Of Graves' most in depth and significant material to date. Each song provides a poignant exploration of the human experience, where moments of despair are illuminated by glimmers of hope and fleeting beauty. Through eight cathartic tales of heartache, love, and loss, Mother Of Graves beckons one to delve deep into the recesses of their dark and gloomy world.

In four short years of existence, Green Lung have risen from the murk of the UK heavy underground to become a true cult band with a devoted following. Debut album Woodland Rites, released independently in early 2019, quickly garnered attention, resulting in a single being named ‘Track of the Week’ in the Guardian, plays on Daniel P. Carter’s Radio One Rock Show, a tour with fellow UK heavies Puppy and festival appearances across Europe.

This brought the band to the attention of the wider music industry, and after multiple offers from a variety of labels, the band decided to stay true to their roots and sign with the Finnish audio wizards at Svart Records, home to several of their doomy inspirations including Reverend Bizarre and Warning. Svart’s deluxe reissue of the album, and the preceding EP Free the Witch, sold out several pressings.

Two years later, the folk horror-obsessed fivesome have re-emerged from their mulchy catacombs armed with dozens of freshly-whittled riffs. Black Harvest, the sequel to Woodland Rites, is a more colourful reimagining of the band’s sound - Dawn of the Dead to its predecessor’s Night of the Living Dead.

Recorded at Giant Wafer Studios in rural mid-Wales over the course of two weeks with longtime producer Wayne Adams (Petbrick, Big Lad), it’s a more expansive and textured record than anything the band have done before, boasting a cinematic quality and more attention to detail. All samples were sourced from the local countryside and from instruments found in the studio, including the haunting opening vocal of ‘The Harrowing’ which was recorded on a whim after the band broke into the local church (the organ can be heard creaking in the background). The album was recorded in late autumn, and the seasonal atmosphere seeped into the music, which is redolent of mists, falling leaves, and the crumbling glory of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, the city the band call home.

The album also soaks in new sonics beyond the ‘Black Sabbath meets Brian May’ blueprint of what went before. ‘The Harrowing’ takes the band’s tradition of instrumental opening tracks to dizzy new heights, like Atomic Rooster jamming with Boston, while ballad ‘Graveyard Sun’, based on the folklore around the ‘Highgate Vampire’, adds gothic synth lines that would give Type O Negative pangs of jealousy. That’s not to say the hooks n’ heaviness approach that made the band’s name isn’t here in abundance, as the Sabbath-meets-Purple chug and groove of revolutionary lead single ‘Leaders of the Blind’ and the Hammer Horror riff frenzy of ‘Upon the Altar’ prove. Closer ‘Born to a Dying World’ is unlike anything the band have written before; an endtimes ballad with an almost gospel feel, tying the band’s omnipresent nature themes to the Anthropocene.

Mastered by John Davis at Metropolis (Led Zeppelin, Royal Blood), Black Harvest comes packaged in stained glass artwork by renowned artist Richard Wells (Doctor Who, Dracula, Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth), and is available in gatefold vinyl and CD formats.

Repress on gorgeous red vinyl of one of Cloud Rat's greatest achievements, the 2019 album Pollinator!Originally released in 2019, Cloud Rat's stunning album Pollinator is finally repressed on red vinyl. One of the fiercest grind albums you'll here, from a band that never stops experimenting.Michigan-based grindcore cult heroes Cloud Rats Pollinator is one of band's most intense and blistering recordings to date! Released thru Toronto-based Artoffact Records, Cloud Rat have taken grind to the next level on Pollinator, and it's vicious."Tempestuous expressions for troubled times." _ Grayson Haver Currin,Pitchfork"Cloud Rat is one of those rare bands whose music connects instantly, painfully--you feel the words, the the riffs, and the all-consuming cacophony deep within the marrow of your bones, vibrating out into a hostile world." -Kim Kelly,Noisey

Introducing the explosive reissue of (Germany-based) Holy Moses' adrenaline-fueled album, "Master Of Disaster"! Following their hardcore-influenced album 'No Matter What's The Cause,' Holy Moses briefly disbanded. However, the dynamic duo of Sabina and Andy Classen reunited in the early 2000s, blessing fans with their ferocious sound once again. The first recordings from this reunion surfaced on the 5-track EP, 'Master Of Disaster' (2001, Century Media Records). Bursting with animalistic energy reminiscent of the early thrash metal scene, this album delivers a relentless onslaught of chaotic thrash goodness. Brace yourself for tracks like "Taste my Blood," showcasing insane speed, and "The Hand of Death," a memorable and explosive tune sure to wake the dead (pun intended!). Each song seamlessly transitions into the next, creating a high-octane thrill ride of speed metal mastery. Sabina's elite vocals harken back to the classic thrash vocal performances of yesteryears, solidifying this album as a must-have for thrash metal aficionados. The 2024 Brutal Planet Records orange heavy-weight vinyl reissue includes all five original tracks, a 12x12 Insert featuring lyrics and band pics, with a killer hype sticker. Limited to just 300 copies world-wide. Get ready for an adrenaline rush like no other! For fans of Overkill, Slayer, Sodom, Vengeance Rising, and Kreator, "Master Of Disaster" is thrash metal done raw, chaotic, angry, and most importantly, done right.

The incendiary proto hard rock and ambitious epic journeys this album delivers are all the more uncanny and devastating when you realize Gary Del Vecchio was

a mere 16 years old when the title track Buzzin was unleashed! Even more astonishing is how far he travelled over the next five years, documented in this brilliant selection of nine tracks from the classic daze of early 1970s underground rock. Ohio was a hotbed for hard rock at the time with bands like the James Gang, Glass Harp, Poobah, Left End, Damnation Of Adam Blessing… what you get here matches the style any of those bands laid down. Gary's music grabs you immediately and grows over time. Grabber and Grower… best of both worlds style!

It makes sense that Gary later owned a recording studio, right out of the gate he was laser focussed on all the aspects involved in making music that stands the test of time. The guitar action is incredible, shards of sound flying free yet hitting the bullseye continuously, vocals confident with none of the macho posturing that ages poorly in much early hard rock. These tracks are all vividly recorded and meticulously mixed in a way that balances fiery performance and intelligent structure to maximum effect. The bass and drumming here are phenomenally inventive and propulsive, the several players involved across the album nail it in their support of Gary's vision. This is rock music born in the 'anything is possible' life affirming energy of the late '60s right on time with where the most enduring artists of the early '70s took it. Had he scored the major label deal he pursued with labels like Mercury or London at the time I am confident we'd be hearing his music on classic rock radio today! The music on this album is both uncompromising and accessible. In particular, the two long tracks Wasted King and Starman have all the moves needed to grab fans of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and the likes by the throat and brain in the extended progressive epic department!

MOLTEN—a San Francisco based death/thrash quintet—has returned with their second full length LP, Malicide. Produced by Greg Wilkinson (High On Fire, Mortuous, Necrot) at Earhammer Studios in Oakland and featuring artwork by Noah Cutter Meihof, the album delivers a darker and deadlier more aggressive sound for fans of extreme music. With lyrical themes revolving around war, corruption, inner turmoil, fantasy, horror, and world destruction, Malicide is set to be an equally melodic and accessible follow-up to their 2019 EP and 2021 debut LP Dystopian Syndrome. Pressed on limited edition marble splatter black vinyl. FFO : Death, Bolt Thrower, Slayer, Celtic Frost & Morbid Angel.

2018’s Opening Fire: 2008-2014 is a complete collection of Power TRIP’s earliest non-LP output. The release documents the self-titled 7”, “This World” (from The Extermination Vol: 2 LP compilation on Flatspot Records), “Hammer Of Doubt” (2010 version from America’s Hardcore LP compilation on Triple-B Records), and the entirety of The Armageddon Blues Sessions. All tracks were lovingly remastered by the band’s longtime producer Arthur Rizk with the release being rounded out by stunning artwork from Portland illustrator Matt Stikker and photography by Angela Owens.

Limited repress of the legendary doom cult album that keeps on spreading Doom Over The World. Possibly the best traditional doom metal act to emerge since Black Sabbath, Finland’s the Reverend Bizarre dig deep into their well of sorrow to offer one mind-blowing, cemetery-haunting, witch finding hell of an album.

Helfró emerged from desolation. When his previous band Ophidian I went into hiatus in 2015, drummer Ragnar Sverrisson started chiseling away at his own cruel vision of black metal, late into the brutal Icelandic night. From that intense period of loneliness, Helfró carved their own way into the extreme metal landscape. Their self-titled debut was released right into the fires of the pandemic, but its chilling melodies and raw aggression slithered onto several year-end lists. Now, the hooded duo are returning with their follow-up. ‘Tálgröf’ rips off plenty of Helfró’s signature, furious tremolo riffs - “Fláráð Fræði” shakes with the fury of a hailstorm. But while their new album delves deeper into addiction and intrusive thought patterns, it also expands beyond the rigid world of black metal. Helfró are still as cold and unforgiving as the winters in their home country, but ‘Tálgröf’ is prime to light a fire beneath Icelandic metal.

Where does reality end and where does it begin? And who, or what, decides this? Multinational experimental black metal enigma 夢遊病者 re-propose this question to us via their masterful fourth album Skopofoboexoskelett, an enigmatic and playfully formulaic quandary of deconstructed visionary counter-music reminding us a simple concept: that reality is dictated by perception, and as such, by manipulating perception (via the arts), any reality is not only possible but also valid. And as is always the tradition with 夢遊病者, music is the alchemical key via which questions are raised and answers are found in the labyrinth of history, culture, lore and world traditions. In the case of Skopofoboexoskelett, an exploration of the notions of self-reflection, intuition, phobia, luck, and failure in the context of the evil eye, its historical, cultural, physical and metaphysical meanings, as well as its psychological effects, carefully unraveled and revealed. Within this paradigm Skopofoboexoskelett takes 夢遊病者's vision, agenda, and intents, further than ever before, with musical boundaries shattered, definitions pulverized, genres, styles and aesthetics ridiculed into a masterful sensorial manipulation which draws the listener into the deceptive and subversive absurdity that is their own perception being stimulated in unprecedented ways. Drawing their own line and dictating the guidelines of music's end as we know it, Sleepwalker use their unique sonic idealizations made of lysergic black metal excoriations, kraut, psych, noise rock, world music, improvised deconstructionism and schizoid free jazz to transcend conscience and reason, devastate the senses (particularly the auditory one) and open the mind unto a new plane of perception of which the only logic is illogicality, as only true and unquestionable experimental arts dictate and demand.

Svart Records unveils “Sutra”, the new album from grand master avant-garde overlords Yakuza.

Formed in 1999, Chicago based heavy hybridizers Yakuza, are in a genre all of its own, which Pitchfork describe as a “a specialized and strange alloy”. So eclectic and hard to pigeon-hole, their music has been described over the years as everything from avant-garde metal, progressive metal, alternative metal to experimental rock, jazz metal, art metal and post-metal. Incorporating psychedelic rock jams that sprawl into heavy, sludging Doom with jazz influences, while also incorporating breakneck grind riffs and grooves, makes Yakuza’s new album “Sutra” a long awaited and insanely enjoyable feast of frequencies.

From their break-out debut album “Amount to Nothing” in 2000, which was met with critical acclaim, Yakuza have been a phenomenon in the world of heavy music, hot on the tongues of those who know. Their second album “Way of the Dead” in 2002 landed Yakuza a deal with Century Media and worldwide notoriety, securing them live slots with like-minded progressive heavyweights like Candira, Opeth, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Lacuna Coil and Mastodon. Several albums of top tier eccentric metal followed with “Samsara” in 2006 which was recorded by Matt Bayles (Isis, Botch, Pearl Jam) and featured Sanford Parker, and Mastodon’s Troy Sanders, the jazzier and spaced-out “Transmutations” in 2007, and “Of Seismic Consequence” in 2010 and “Beyul” in 2012 respectively released on cult underground label Profound Lore. With a diamond back-catalogue of flawless genre breaking metal, having no stylistic constraints, Yakuza are maestros of highly creative, extreme music, ever ahead of the game.

Over 10 years after their last release, Yakuza have returned with “Sutra” losing none of their expansive and wildly artistic approach to pushing the boundaries of heavy music. “Sutra” leans in on redefining the limits of heavy and eclectic metal, with songs like Echoes From The Sky’s epic sung vocals and zig zagging slabs of juggernaut riffing, all sewn together with Voivod chords and King Crimson structures, never coming apart but embracing the delightfully chaotic. Like John Coltrane jamming with Napalm Death, Bruce Lamont (saxophone, clarinet, vocals) has discussed an appreciation for Pink Floyd, Huun Huur Tu, Peter Brötzmann, Battles, Enslaved, Brighter Death Now, George Orwell, Ethiopian music, and Blut Aus Nord, perfectly picking up on the multifaceted angles that Yakuza exhibits.

Standing in a world utterly of their own making, Yakuza’s unique mind-melting post-rock has never felt more ripe and fitting for the current state of the planet. A thinking person’s extreme and inventive metal band. Listen to "Sutra" and have your expectations and understanding of heavy music turned upside down and inside out.

The Rifts is the 3rd album of Swedish duo A Swarm of the Sun and was originally released in 2015. The Rifts is sombre and brooding, heavy and melancholic, crushing and fragile in equal measure: a bleak and beautiful journey through the battered inner landscapes of the heart and soul: a dolorous tale of lost hopes, dreams falling apart, final moments of clarity and redemption... and appositely reflecting the current state of the world 5, years after its release – isolation. The Rifts is the sonic manifestation of a heavy black cloud of abstract yet overwhelming feelings, thoughts, hopes and fears-- a collection of intimate reflections on a very specific, profound and personal struggle which needs to stay somewhat untouchable and diffuse, as further verbal explanations would be divesting this immense work of art of its sheer and raw emotional impact. What initially was a handful of piano sketches, nine song titles, a few lines of lyrics and a notebook full of script-like visual references slowly evolved into something much more dense and layered. Karl Daniel Lidén (The Old Wind, ex- Terra Tenebrosa) was added to the lineup on drums, and he also recorded the album. The sessions culminated with the recording of the pipe organ. The result is absolutely massive, overwhelming, cinematic and pummeling; a sinister foreboding of the emotional truths at the core of this tremendous album. A Swarm Of the Sun is Erik Nilsson and Jakob Berglund. In 2007 the debut EP The King of Everything was released, followed by the critically acclaimed full-length album Zenith in 2010. The Rifts was written and produced by the band and recorded by Erik Nilsson, drums performed and recorded by Karl Daniel Lidén at Studio Gröndahl, mixed and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Refused, Pg.lost). Further contributing musicians are Anders Carlström (The Isolation Process) on bass, Anna Carlsson on vocals, Minna Heimo on pipe organ and Robin Bergh (Aoria) on vibraphone. All artwork and videos directed and produced by the band's own Jakob. Why are we releasing this, 5 years later? Because everyone here at Pelagic agrees that in the nebulous world of post-metal, The Rifts is one of the 5 best albums ever made. We're honored to add this masterpiece to our catalogue.

Sometimes a band grows so exponentially from one record to the next, it’s almost jarring. Hell Fire has already established themselves as the preeminent masters of a new hybrid breed of Bay Area thrash and Nwobhm in just a few short years, but their fourth album Reckoning is the type of ascendance that truly sets a band apart. Reckoning is their Master Of Puppets, their Number Of The Beast, their Defenders Of The Faith. From the very first notes of the album opening title track, you can feel a vital new energy and inspiration to their music. To say Hell Fire used the recent global downtime to dig within and fully refine their sound would be an understatement. It truly is a reckoning. With no touring on the horizon in 2020, the band hunkered down and recorded nearly a full album in preproduction home demos. The band’s heightened professionalism also brings in guest bassist Matt Freeman (rancid, Operation Ivy) on the album after original bassist Herman Bandala departed the band amicably during the initial writing process. New bassist KAI SUN joined Hell Fire in Fall 2021.