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Black vinyl, gatefold sleeve, 12″ insert

Finnish Heavy Metal legends, Spiritus Mortis unveil a grand–scale epic of antique Doom on 16th of September via Svart Records.

Erecting a new monolith in the halls of Doom Metal history with their fifth album The Great Seal, Spiritus Mortis certify true classic status as one of the scene’s modern greats.

There are few modern-day bands that can be uttered under the same breath as the giants of Traditional Doom and Heavy Metal like Spiritus Mortis. Formed in 1987 as Rigor Mortis they can firmly attest to having been “the first Finnish Doom Metal band”, uncovering hallowed ground before the later imitators. Carrying the banner of powerful true Metal, the likes of which stands proudly next to the masters such as Dio era Sabbath, Solitude Aeturnus and Trouble, Spiritus Mortis have established a tradition of catchy song-writing and consummate knowledge of sacred riff-craft. The Great Seal is a collosal album which Spiritus Mortis describes as “a rite of collective suicide and an orgy of self-immolation” and plumbs the depths of epic sorrow with gargantuan slabs of igneous riffs and emotional vocals.

Synonymous with classic Finnish Doom bands like Reverend Bizarre, whose singer Albert Witchfinder intoned previous albums’ vocals, Spiritus Mortis continue to define and cement their formidable legacy. Albert’s replacement, Kimmo Perämäki is more than worthy of the consecrated robes he inherits, delivering a performance which is flawlessly dominating and instantly gratifying. Tracks like Martyrdom Operation and Visions Of Immortality see Perämäki boldly carving his own name in the stone tablets of future history, marrying the riffs of the Maijala brothers and guitarist Kari Lavila with the splendor of magnificent melancholy that Spiritus Mortis is so known and admired for.

Not only will true devotees of the Spiritus Mortis Doom church be raising their fists with full hearts, but those who seek knowledge of the faithful spirit of real Metal can surely look no further than within The Great Seal.

In 2013 Finland’s Oranssi Pazuzu issued their ‘Valonielu’ LP, an album of timeless creative immensity that was met with ubiquitous praise throughout the world, and solidified the band’s position as one of the most forward-thinking and interesting metal bands. Now, in the early months of 2016, Oranssi Pazuzu returns with the follow-up album and fourth overall, the mind-bending masterwork ‘Värähtelijä’.

Oranssi Pazuzu, since birth, has never been satisfied to stick with a formula. Each album has seen the band expand upon its previous incarnation and then, like a supernova, blow it up and transform again into something recognizable but completely new. ‘Värähtelijä’ continues in this vein, giving the band much more room to diverge and explore the vast regions of hypnotic progressive psychedelia and the nebulous outer limits of Scandinavian black metal. Songs explode with radiant ultraviolet color and plunge into the deep black darkness of innermost consciousness. If ‘Valonielu’ was the creation of a universe, ‘Värähtelijä’ is the magnification and expansion of its infinite boundaries.

A 70+ minute sprawling voyage, ‘Värähtelijä’ more accurately represents the stunning live presence of the band where the songs often span new and previously unheard dimensions of form and structure. Not meant for genre purists, Oranssi Pazuzu are on a trip all their own; modern electric pioneers on an expedition to unlock the keys to the hidden spaces all around and inside us. 20 Buck Spin are pleased to once again present the innovative brilliance of Oranssi Pazuzu and ‘Värähtelijä’.

Rising from the deep valleys of Kymi in southernmost Finland, I Am The Night is Black Metal rooted in the classic early 90’s tradition, where walls of guitars and synthesizers raise the forces of darkness in a battle against the heavens and burning angels light up the night sky.

The band’s debut full length album, with cover art by scene legend Necrolord, bears the title “While The Gods Are Sleeping” and shall be released on May 6th, 2022. The record was birthed during the heaviest blizzard Finland had seen in years in the winter of 2021, with the band holed up at the Soundspiral Audio studio during the height of the pandemic. “This album, in a way, is both the thing that should not be and something we should have made flesh many moons ago already”, comments Markus Vanhala, and continues: “It is a passage back in time that dark forest of our minds through which we spent our youth traversing.”

Together with the album announcement the band are set to release a second single from the album, titled “Ode To The Nightsky”. The music video for the song was created by Coldstore Productions, and it is online now at https://youtu.be/YhNpG4u8Xgw

Brought forth by underground titans of Finnish Metal, Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum), Janne Markkanen (ex-Omnium Gatherum), Okko Solanterä (Horizon Ignited) and Waltteri Väyrynen (Paradise Lost, Bodom After Midnight), the band’s origins date back to the dimly lit subterranean rehearsal rooms of the mid-nineties where the fires of Vanhala and Markkanen’s Black Metal zeal were ignited.

“Black metal art has been a continuous and serious pursuit in my personal life since my early teenage years”, explains guitarist Vanhala, and he continues; “In The Nightside Eclipse, Storm Of The Light’s Bane and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas opened the gate to the dark side for me years ago, as can be heard from the music we make with I Am The Night.”

In recent years I Am The Night rapidly began to gather flesh on its old bones, and in 2020 the spark burst into a full blaze when elder statesmen Vanhala and Markkanen hired younger cohorts Väyrynen and Solanterä to help bring their morbid visions into reality. Vanhala states that: “Our debut record, the result of a yearning for ancient darkness, turned out to be just the time capsule we wanted it to be, far removed from modern metal. I’ve seldom found anything interesting in post nineties Black Metal. We wanted to realise this in the underground way that felt fitting to the music, and chose to work with Svart Records.”

“Our songs are stories about the worship of night and the triumph of the powers of darkness. At night, sun to his slumber and shadows all over, the forces of the night rise to the heavens, cast angels out and usher in a new era of individual freedom”, vocalist Solaterä explains

“I Am The Night is a real band not a project. It is unrestrained creation. A ray of darkness for us in the vacuum created by the pandemic. The future remains unseen, and all the better for it.”

Rising from the deep valleys of Kymi in southernmost Finland, I Am The Night is Black Metal rooted in the classic early 90’s tradition, where walls of guitars and synthesizers raise the forces of darkness in a battle against the heavens and burning angels light up the night sky.

The band’s debut full length album, with cover art by scene legend Necrolord, bears the title “While The Gods Are Sleeping” and shall be released on May 6th, 2022. The record was birthed during the heaviest blizzard Finland had seen in years in the winter of 2021, with the band holed up at the Soundspiral Audio studio during the height of the pandemic. “This album, in a way, is both the thing that should not be and something we should have made flesh many moons ago already”, comments Markus Vanhala, and continues: “It is a passage back in time that dark forest of our minds through which we spent our youth traversing.”

Together with the album announcement the band are set to release a second single from the album, titled “Ode To The Nightsky”. The music video for the song was created by Coldstore Productions, and it is online now at https://youtu.be/YhNpG4u8Xgw

Brought forth by underground titans of Finnish Metal, Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum), Janne Markkanen (ex-Omnium Gatherum), Okko Solanterä (Horizon Ignited) and Waltteri Väyrynen (Paradise Lost, Bodom After Midnight), the band’s origins date back to the dimly lit subterranean rehearsal rooms of the mid-nineties where the fires of Vanhala and Markkanen’s Black Metal zeal were ignited.

“Black metal art has been a continuous and serious pursuit in my personal life since my early teenage years”, explains guitarist Vanhala, and he continues; “In The Nightside Eclipse, Storm Of The Light’s Bane and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas opened the gate to the dark side for me years ago, as can be heard from the music we make with I Am The Night.”

In recent years I Am The Night rapidly began to gather flesh on its old bones, and in 2020 the spark burst into a full blaze when elder statesmen Vanhala and Markkanen hired younger cohorts Väyrynen and Solanterä to help bring their morbid visions into reality. Vanhala states that: “Our debut record, the result of a yearning for ancient darkness, turned out to be just the time capsule we wanted it to be, far removed from modern metal. I’ve seldom found anything interesting in post nineties Black Metal. We wanted to realise this in the underground way that felt fitting to the music, and chose to work with Svart Records.”

“Our songs are stories about the worship of night and the triumph of the powers of darkness. At night, sun to his slumber and shadows all over, the forces of the night rise to the heavens, cast angels out and usher in a new era of individual freedom”, vocalist Solaterä explains

“I Am The Night is a real band not a project. It is unrestrained creation. A ray of darkness for us in the vacuum created by the pandemic. The future remains unseen, and all the better for it.”

Fans of Classic Heavy Metal and Doom Metal wait with abated breath for the anticipated debut full album, “Last Days of Babylon”, from Swedish metal saviours THE Sonic Overlords. Founded in 2017 by guitarist Morgan Zocek, who played in an Ozzy tribute band and opted to begin writing original music with the same classic darkness, melody, and power of classic late ‘70/early ‘80s heavy metal but with a more modern approach to the production and sonics. The full sound of THE Sonic Overlords began to solidify as members came in that shared the same vision and enthusiasm, including drummer Per Solang, vocalist Marcus Zachrisson Rubin and bassist Daniel Ramírez. The group's blend of melodic rock majesty and thunderous doom was first revealed with the release of their debut single, “In My Darkest Room,” in October 2020. That song gained rock radio airplay throughout Scandinavia and subsequently spread throughout mainland Europe, the U.S. and Australia as DJs and programmers were drawn to the group's combination of powerful dark riffs and the epic melodicism with influences from the likes of Dio/Martin-era Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, early Candlemass, Yngwie J. Malmsteen/Rising Force, Scorpions and MSG. The band's blend of power, darkness and musicality was recognized by former Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin via a shout-out on his social media channels that led to a friendship and Martin even offering to sing one of the band’s songs, which appears as a bonus track on the CD version.

The first Mizmor full-length, originally released in 2012, has now been remastered and pressed on vinyl for the first time. The release of this self-titled album gave the world its first glimpse of Mizmor, and while many of the elements that we recognize on Yodh and Cairn are present here it's fascinating to hear the foundation for those sounds in a very raw fashion. The Mizmor debut is a document of change. A person losing their faith and finding the trailhead of a new path.

The Cruel Intentions are dangerously skilled and always out to have a great time! Serving you the perfect blend of melodrama and fun this Scandinavian sleaze rock band are ready to bring make the best rock music, and sweetest of street styles great again. For what is rock but a homage to the legends! The band was founded in 2015, by Mats Wernerson, Lizzy DeVine, Kristian Solhaug, and Eiliv Sagrusten who has now been replaced by Robin Nilsson on drums. All of which have a widespread band experience. Notably, Lizzy DeVine lived several years in Los Angeles where he was the singer and songwriter of Vains of Jenna, a band that got their breakthrough the American era of Rock´n Reality tv with performances on shows like Jackass, Viva La Bam, and Kat Von Dee’s LA Ink. This no-fucks-given culture has no doubt shaped DeVine and his attitude towards music that is also evident in The Cruel Intentions’ music In technical terms, the band plays around the esthetics of bands such as Guns ‘N Roses and Mötley Crue, and carries on the legacy of good old Rock ‘n’Roll into the contemporary youth of today. The songs are fast paced, humorous and at times really hard-hitting. The result is feelgood music with a fresh, original and modern expression, albeit strongly rooted in rock history. Easy to love and to relate to.

Limited clear/green split Vinyl.New York-based Undeath have returned from their mutilated tomb to horrify and dominate death metal's insatiable masses once again. Their blessedly sick new album, It's Time... To Rise from the Grave, shows the reconfigured quintet_Kyle Beam (guitars), Alexander Jones (vocals), Tommy Wall (bass),Jared Welch (guitars) and Matt Browning (drums)_have retained their mind-infecting sonic savagery but weren't satisfied in their pursuit to improve it through wicked (yet studied) reformulation. Certainly, Undeath's 2021 Decibel flexi, Diemented Dissection, paved the way, but it's tracks like "Fiend for Corpses," "Rise from the Grave," and "The Funeral Within" that display Undeath's terrifyingly insane trajectory.Undeath traveled to Philadelphia to record It's Time... To Rise from the Grave with Scoops Dardaris at Headroom Studios in March-April 2021. The group spent two weeks tracking_a song a day almost. Dardaris rough-mixed on the fly during the recording sessions, and then required two more weeks after to finalize the mix. Not ones to sacrifice a working team, they brought on Arthur Rizk (CreepingDeath, Enforced) to master. The sonic goal was to get a frenetic, nearly off-the-rails production, but with a discernible, if slightly lived-in line through it.Think: Cannibal Corpse's Vile (Scott Burns) mixed with Carcass' Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious (Colin Richardson).It's Time... To Rise from the Grave isn't just an early contender for death metal album of 2022_it's destined to be a modern-day classic.

M-Theory Audio will be reissuing “Awaiting Evil,” the 2008 debut album from Bay Area modern thrashers Hatchet, on colored vinyl. The upcoming release will mark the first-time appearance of the record on vinyl. The album, which was originally released by Metal Blade Records, received praise upon its release for its “catchy galloping style” from The Metal Crypt. Then-Hatchet vocalist Marcus Kirchen was applauded by Sputnik Music for delivering his performance with “a fast and furious vocal style that fits this type of music perfectly,” and guitarist Julz Ramos was praised by Blabbermouth for his “seriously shredding leads.” Hatchet was formed in 2006 by teenagers that shared a mutual love for the bands that built their hometown Bay Area metal scene two decades prior. Bands such as Testament, Exodus, and the early work of then-Bay Area transplants Metallica infused the initial blueprint that informed Hatchet's sound. The band however forged their own path thanks to layering in guitar melodies that were inspired by other classic heavy metal acts such as Iron Maiden and adding an additional layer of technicality to stand out from the competitive pack of modern bands seeking inspiration from the greats of thrash metal's yesteryear. Three demos and a couple compilation appearances garnered the attention of Metal Blade Records, who put the band in Grizzly Studios with Roger Tschann Saviours, Tiger Army, Tsunami Bomb) to record the young thrashers debut. The same Sputnik Music review that praised Kirchen's vocal performance also noted that Hatchet “don't really sound like a rip-off of their influences but rather they are just five dudes rocking out and putting everything into their music.”

Greece has spawned countless instances of criminally underrated music acts in diverse genres ranging from black metal to electronic to avant garde pop music, and the sophomore al- bum of modern progressive metal act PLAYGROUNDED titled `The death of Death' is yet another striking example.Starting out in 2007, PLAYGROUNDED have been together for over 15 years, playing both national and international tours, while also opening for bands like Riverside and Anathema and even Nine Inch Nails in Amsterdam. Their first EP Athens (2012, Casket Music) portrays an already mature band playing modern prog rock influenced by Tool and Deftones. Their debut full-length In Time With Gravity (2017) shows the band in full flux, experimenting with extended compositions as well as influences from influential contemporary electronic music acts like Modeselektor and Moderat.PLAYGROUNDED's sophomore album lives up to the aspiration of its lofty album title. The death of Death is music that results from mastery rather than lacklustre exploration and experimentation. The album was recorded at MD Recording Studios by Nikos Michalodimitrakis, long collaborator of Stavros in film productions. Mixing was handled by C.A.Cederberg (Leprous, Anathema, Shining, and more) in Kristiansand, NO, while the album was mastered by George Tandero (Madrugada, Satyricon, Jaga Jazzist, and more) in Oslo, NO.TDOD is a collection of songs that reveal PLAYGROUNDED as composers in the act of decomposition. The memorable guitar riffs and vocal melodies serve as gateways to a deeper layer of glitchy synth textures and liquid drumming, until the perspective of radical decomposition consumes one whole. "The shortest sound units become extended themes," explains main composer Orestis Zafeirou. "Steady rhythmical blocks interact with unstable ones. Noise becomes tone and melody. Sonic grains gather to form masses, masses dissolve into a single entity. With every repetition, comes change."

Garden-fresh trail-blazers from the UK, Famyne drag Doom kicking and screaming into the 21st century on epic new album “The Ground Below”. Svart Records unleashes heart-rending game-changer “The Ground Below” from melancholic crushers Famyne on Friday the 13th, May 2022.

Svart Records is proud to present “The Ground Below”, the stellar new album from UK Progressive Doom Rock band Famyne. Hailing from the heart of the garden of England, Canterbury gloom-fathers Famyne slug and soar their way up and out from the underground, shaking off any shackles of genre constraints on their new album “The Ground Below”. Since their inception in 2014, Famyne have been rapidly building an incendiary reputation for themselves, and an epic universe all of their own, magnetising more souls into the orbit of their unique expansion of masterful Doom metal. From their ‘Famyne EP’ in 2015, earning a place at Bloodstock Open Air 2016, to their break-out self-titled debut in 2018, Famyne have been constantly turning heads as a promising new light in the darkness. “The Ground Below” is a brave and inimitable statement which re-draws a line in the sands of Metal tradition. Famyne boldly march over the limits, re-riffing the rules, washing listeners in pristine waves of hypnotic melody on 8 tablets of stone-carved ageless songs that “The Ground Below” lays on the altar. Tracks like For My Sins and Babylon conjure paragon English Doom with a long line of lineage like country-mates Warning, Paradise Lost, Pagan Altar and Cathedral to songs like A Submarine where warm oceans of sweeping guitars and wide-screen desperate euphony bring to mind genre-changing pioneers like Anathema and Porcupine Tree. Mind-blowing Lead vocalist Tom Vane’s omnipotent vocals deliver the shivers in dynamite doses, unearthing perfect hair-raising emotions that are at once timeless and freshly captivating. It is an understatement to acknowledge how exceptionally unforgettable Famyne’s distinct voice is. The guitars of Martin Emmons and Tom Ross range from an Iommi masterclass to Åkerfeldt progression in a heart-beat, delivering breath-taking riff-mountains that are sumptuously original and catchy in both style and opulent panache. It is Famyne’s canny confidence to re-mould traditional Doom metal artistry with their own wave of emotive progression that makes “The Ground Below” a brilliant restoration of the craft, reminding us how crushing and poignant innovative Doom Metal can be if done with passion. Fans of everything from Opeth, Katatonia to Soundgarden and all the trad legends of Sabbath, St Vitus and Solitude Aeturnus will be suitably wowed in Famyne’s wake. “The Ground Below” is a modern classic, reverential but so supremely powerful that Famyne have securely carved their own place on the monoliths of the future.

Garden-fresh trail-blazers from the UK, Famyne drag Doom kicking and screaming into the 21st century on epic new album “The Ground Below”. Svart Records unleashes heart-rending game-changer “The Ground Below” from melancholic crushers Famyne on Friday the 13th, May 2022.

Svart Records is proud to present “The Ground Below”, the stellar new album from UK Progressive Doom Rock band Famyne. Hailing from the heart of the garden of England, Canterbury gloom-fathers Famyne slug and soar their way up and out from the underground, shaking off any shackles of genre constraints on their new album “The Ground Below”. Since their inception in 2014, Famyne have been rapidly building an incendiary reputation for themselves, and an epic universe all of their own, magnetising more souls into the orbit of their unique expansion of masterful Doom metal. From their ‘Famyne EP’ in 2015, earning a place at Bloodstock Open Air 2016, to their break-out self-titled debut in 2018, Famyne have been constantly turning heads as a promising new light in the darkness. “The Ground Below” is a brave and inimitable statement which re-draws a line in the sands of Metal tradition. Famyne boldly march over the limits, re-riffing the rules, washing listeners in pristine waves of hypnotic melody on 8 tablets of stone-carved ageless songs that “The Ground Below” lays on the altar. Tracks like For My Sins and Babylon conjure paragon English Doom with a long line of lineage like country-mates Warning, Paradise Lost, Pagan Altar and Cathedral to songs like A Submarine where warm oceans of sweeping guitars and wide-screen desperate euphony bring to mind genre-changing pioneers like Anathema and Porcupine Tree. Mind-blowing Lead vocalist Tom Vane’s omnipotent vocals deliver the shivers in dynamite doses, unearthing perfect hair-raising emotions that are at once timeless and freshly captivating. It is an understatement to acknowledge how exceptionally unforgettable Famyne’s distinct voice is. The guitars of Martin Emmons and Tom Ross range from an Iommi masterclass to Åkerfeldt progression in a heart-beat, delivering breath-taking riff-mountains that are sumptuously original and catchy in both style and opulent panache. It is Famyne’s canny confidence to re-mould traditional Doom metal artistry with their own wave of emotive progression that makes “The Ground Below” a brilliant restoration of the craft, reminding us how crushing and poignant innovative Doom Metal can be if done with passion. Fans of everything from Opeth, Katatonia to Soundgarden and all the trad legends of Sabbath, St Vitus and Solitude Aeturnus will be suitably wowed in Famyne’s wake. “The Ground Below” is a modern classic, reverential but so supremely powerful that Famyne have securely carved their own place on the monoliths of the future.

Thanatopsis (a Greek word meaning “Meditation Upon Death”) was formed towards the beginning of 1992 in the San Francisco Bay Area, producing several demo tapes and touring the surrounding area. After a long hiatus, the band regrouped in 2015 and decided to create new material, giving some of the timeless songs from the past the chance that they deserved. The resulting output is eight songs that take the listener on a emotionally twisted ride of violent, catchy, thrashy death metal. These are timeless songs reminiscent of the days when bands had their own distinctive sound while also maintaining a modern edge. ‘Initiation’ contains eight songs that take the listener on an emotionally twisted ride of violent catchy death metal. With themes that include corruption, occultism, murder, revolt, and loss of faith, Thanatopsis have delivered an album that keeps the listener engaged from start to finish, wth a sound unlike any other.

Sophomore album from heavy metallers Nite! The San Francisco Bay has a history steeped in heavy metal and Nite carries that torch with pride. Founded in 2018, their blackened heavy metal barrels towards the peril of an unknown future, while still paying homage to metal’s foundations. Guitarists Van Labrakis (Satan’s Wrath) and Scott Hoffman (High Spirits) let loose galloping riffs and harmonies that evoke the classic sounds of the Nwobhm while driving their dark, melodic metal into the modern era. With sophomore album ‘Voices of the Kronian Moon,’ Nite solidifies their place among emerging artists to watch!

Following their spring 2021 Awake EP and shimmering cover of Billie Eilish's "Everything I Wanted," the new single "Animals" finds SOM refining a sound that has been called "doom pop" by Metal Injection, with ethereal heartfelt vocals atop huge riffs alternating between gritty & atmospheric. The accompanying video was directed by Toshadeva Palani (Alcest, Junius, Angel Olsen). "Animals" is the first single from the quintet's second full-length, The Shape of Everything, to be released January 21, 2022 - right on time for the heavy shoegazers' European tour opening for Katatonia and So'lstafir. The Shape Of Everything is full of compelling power. Its concise compositions balance gritty riffs with airy vocal lines that will appeal to fans of Deftones and Tame Impala alike, and are just as primed for rock radio as for shoegaze-loving connoisseurs. The intentional, self-imposed paradigm of minimalism, the aim to reduce each musical idea to its emotive essence is what makes the band sound huge _ and of course the flawless, modern yet incredibly warm and rich production by Will Benoit himself. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at his own Radar Studio in Connecticut - New England's first solar-powered recording facility. The tracks are part of SOM's ongoing mission to "leave this place better than we found it." Frontman Will Benoit co-founded the outfit with drummer and former Constants colleague Duncan Rich, as well as Adai founder and now-Caspian drummer Justin Forrest. While touring on The Fall, the band recruited old friends guitarists Mike Repasch-Nieves and Joel M. Reynolds, both formerly of Junius and Driftoff. While many artists lumbered in inactivity, SOM used the darkness of recent times to create and heal. The Shape of Everything's introspective bliss is an insight into the kind of harmony the quintet seek to cultivate in all facets of life.

A scorching debut from New Zealand's latest sensation, Pull Down THE SUN deliver a blast of celestial power combining elements of prog metal and heavy riff-driven post-rock. Existing within a triangle between Gojira, Isis, and Deftones, Pull Down THE SUN (nz) have mastered the diverse language of modern metal to enrapture the listener with mythical tales from their Maori homeland. `Of Valleys and Mountains' reaches into the heart of the land and reveals its deep mysteries, at times in the pristine beauty of tremolo picked guitars, at times in the sedation of ethereal soundscapes, but most of all in in the massive riffs and huge choruses that pierce right through the mountain forest haze. With over 14 years of experience under their belt Pull Down THE SUN prove to have learned from the best - and they've learned their lessons well. Of Valleys and Mountains is more than just a collection of good songs. It is a sonic ritual that draws you in as it goes along, while vibrant rays of light to pierce through the haze and the mist dissipates to reveal the hidden song at the heart of their enrapturing homeland.