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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.

Haunted Plasma, powerhouse of futuristic synth in symbiosis with the super violence of kosmische black metal, release their debut album in May 2024

The phenomenal three-piece band includes members of Oranssi Pazuzu, K-X-P, Grave Pleasures and Aavikko

Svart Records is proud to release the debut album, I, from Haunted Plasma, a powerhouse of futuristic synth in symbiosis with the super violent atmospherics of kosmische Black Metal. Haunted Plasma is “man meets machine” in a cybernetic wasteland, set to a conceptual backdrop of William Gibson and Phillip K. Dick style mind-melt. The highly evolved creatives at the heart of Haunted Plasma’s sound, cite Terry Riley, Massive Attack, a contemporary take on Krautrock hypnosis, psychedelic Black Metal and 90s Techno, resulting in an orgy of mutant sound.



The phantoms at the beating nucleus of this unearthly machine are Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu, Grave Pleasures), Timo Kaukolampi (K-X-P, Op:l Bastards) and Tomi Leppänen (Circle, Aavikko, K-X-P), transmitting a music form evolved from a life of redefining sonic boundaries in their respective projects. Also featuring guest vocals from Mat McNerney (Hexvessel, Carpenter Brut, Grave Pleasures/Beastmilk), Pauliina Lindell (Vuono, Dust Mountain) and Ringa Manner (Ruusut, The Hearing). Haunted Plasma promises an extraterrestrial experience from some of the foremost contemporary musicians at the heart of the Finnish heavy and avant-garde musical underworld.



Haunted Plasma reveals:

“We are liberated futurists, embracing free-form and natural composition, mirroring the merciless forces of cosmic creation. We have a motto to stay true to our feelings, to spawn a sound that’s never been heard before. Servants of music. Energizing, radical and pure”

The first single from Haunted Plasma’s cascading debut, Reverse Engineer, is a creepy, slowly erupting, synthetic nightmare, of a downloaded being waking up in the wrong future. Ghostly vocals demand the listener to “give us what we want” in an Orwellian glimpse into the current dystopia we live in, where information is controlled, and thoughts are bought and sold. As McNerney intones the words “technology of power” he describes the threat of a malevolent and omnipresent artificial intelligence, as much as describing the oppressive and electromagnetic sonar pulse of Haunted Plasma’s sound itself. Psychedelic guitar hypnosis from Vanhanen snakes around Kaukolampi’s molten and morphing synths, while Leppänen’s uncanny man/machine rhythms pull our strings and animate their other-worldly mechanisms. Have a look at the official visualiser of "Reverse Engineer" on the Svart YouTube channel here

Culminating in the full-blown fast Krautrock of the final self-titled track, oozing with blistering noise elements and enigmatic vocals from Ringa Manner, the album's journey reaches its zenith, taking you to unknown territories on a Kubrikian space trip. I is a rare record of talented musicians coming together to create a completely new sound, which is entirely their own, boldly glowing, where no light has shone before. From the dreamy psychedelia of Echoes to the discombobulated Spectral Embrace, Haunted Plasma is a willful force of deliberate sound contortion.

Whether you want to give in to Haunted Plasma’s sound or not, you are being watched, you are being recorded and your every move is monitored. Haunted Plasma will enter your system on the 31st of May 2024. Turn on your phantom circuits and be prepared for an interdimensional excursion into Haunted Plasma’s alien dreams.

New York City has the historical significance for being the world's melting pot and churning out an amalgamation of cultural diversity. The evolution of New York Hardcore epitomizes the primordial ooze that is generated from mixing of multi styles of heavy music. As the early days of New York Hardcore transitioned from the 80's into the '90's, it's hard to deny the growing influence of metal on the classic hardcore sounds. With bands like Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, Leeway melding their hardcore and punk roots with brash metal riffs, driving drums and signature breakdowns, a new genre of "cross-over" born. The music was hard, fast and melodic. It truly was an amazing period in hardcore music history. New York's Merauder was no exception. Forming in 1990, their cross-over style quickly propelled them to the forefront of the Nyhc scene and beyond. Merauder's musical style was well ahead of their time. The lyrics were deep and insightful. The musicianship was hailed as the next level of hardcore as they weaved in elements of metal with the "in-your-face" New York attitude. For the first time ever, the early Merauder recordings have been compiled into one release, immortalized on tangible formats, confirming the internet folklore about the existence of these recordings. Vocalist, Marco "Minus" Rodriguez became known for his commanding vocal style and scene presence. Add in original members, Javier "sob" Carpio, "Karate" Chris Bozeth, Eamon Carney and Vinny Vitale, Merauder quickly dominated the early 1990's music scene and beyond. Merauder "The Minus Years" is a capture of New York hardcore nostalgia. For those that were there, these recordings will certainly refresh memories that have been tucked way in the memory bank for many years. For those that are relatively new to the hardcore culture, The Minus Years is a time-machine into where so many new hardcore and metal bands have been influenced by. The recordings are raw and analog. The energy that was captured is not masked by overdubs and over-production. Simply, five dudes in a room and when the "red" record button was enabled, history was made.

In the mid-90s, a resurgence in Electro-Industrial was firmly focused on dance-floors. At this pivotal time, two San Francisco metal scene defectors, Mike Wells and Mike Cadoo, connected through a mutual friend. Bonding over their shared appreciation for non-metal influences, Wells, armed with a sampler and a couple of synths, had crafted a few tracks. Cadoo swiftly added vocals to these compositions, and thus, Gridlock was born. With relentless dedication, the duo embarked on sculpting a grittier, more ominous variant of electro-industrial. Steering clear of the upbeat rhythms typical of the genre, they opted for a dystopian, dirge-like pace. Drawing inspiration from iconic acts like Skinny Puppy, Einsturzende Neubauten, and Fields of the Nephilim, they pieced together the Sickness demo. Eager to share their creation, they distributed the demo to anyone who would lend an ear, including many users on the rec.music.industrial newsgroup. Despite numerous rejections from industrial music labels citing its lack of danceability, Pendragon Records saw potential and took a chance. Thus commenced the earnest endeavor of crafting their debut album, The Synthetic Form. Upon its release, it marked a pivotal moment in industrial music, ushering in a fusion of classic, experimental, and dystopian ambient elements. Pendragon Records tantalizingly teased the album as "Unleashing a World of Your Demons," offering a glimpse into its bleak exploration of themes like regret and personal turmoil. Over the years, Gridlock evolved through three subsequent albums, progressively exploring diverse sonic territories beyond the confines of industrial music. However, their journey met an acrimonious end with the duo parting ways, leaving behind their albums as poignant relics, elusive on digital platforms and sought after by collectors at premium prices... until now. In a heartfelt tribute to Mike Wells, who tragically passed away in 2022, Viasonde, with the blessing of the Wells family, embarks on a mission to reintroduce Gridlock to the world. The four main Gridlock albums will be reissued on vinyl for the first time, starting with The Synthetic Form double LP. Available on June 7th, this limited edition release will be featured on clear vinyl with black and bone splatter alongside standard black vinyl. Additionally, 50% of the proceeds from LP sales will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, honoring Wells' memory.

Troll’s fifth studio album, Trolldom, conjures darkened landscapes lit by dying embers, inhabited by beings only found in myth and folklore. With musical influences from 80’s horror films and a solid core of 90’s black metal. Filled with beckoning synth leads and suffusing riffs that pulls you into its strange and nightmarish world.

From their formation back in 1986, to becoming one of Norways’s finest musical exports (with a number of highly revered black metal masterpieces released in the early 90’s helping to solidify their legacy), Darkthrone has continued to evolve and challenge in equal measure, throughout their illustrious recording career spanning over three decades. And now, the ever-productive duo of Nocturno and Fenriz continue their own metallic saga with a new selection of fine, vintage sounding headbanging classics in the making.

‘Astral Fortress’ is itself a swift follow-up to 2021’s ‘Eternal Hails’ opus, as a result of Darkthrone’s consistent and ongoing writing process, which has been in force for some years now. For Darkthrone does not sleep - it only waits.

Carried on the brisk wind of eager rock, with foundations in black, thrash, doom and heavy metal, ‘Astral Fortress’ is the latest album of stellar, eclectic old metal in the Darkthrone odyssey. With a seemingly endless dungeon full of heavy metal influences channelled through Darkthrone’s dynamic riff-machine, plus also with many increasing inspirations taken from their own past catalogue, Darkthrone has truly become its own beast within the metal world. Even though sprinkled with atmospheric touches such as synthesizers and mellotron on ‘Astral Fortress’ to great effect, the Darkthrone sound remains stripped down to the core; always primitive and organic.

‘Astral Fortress’ was recorded at Chaka Khan Studios in Oslo, the same location used for the ‘Eternal Hails’ album, with Ole Øvstedal and Silje Høgevold.

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.

Acid Drinkers ware formed at 21 September 1986 by Tomasz “Titus” Pukacki (vocal, bass) and Robert “Litza” Friedrich (guitar, vocal). Very soon the line-up was completed with Darek “Popcorn” Popowicz (guitar) and Piotr “Chomik” Kulik (drums). Chomik was later replaced by Maciej “Ślimak” Starosta. In this line-up the band started to work on their first compositions: “Barmy Army”, “Del rocca” or “I Mean Acid”. Less than a month after the band started, Titus was called to the army and he left his friends for almost two years. During that time Litza and Popcorn decided to reactivate Slavoy, and after a short time Popcorn was offered to join Wilczy Pająk (Wolf Spider), and Litza to Turbo.

When he came back from the army, Titus tried to reactivate his first band Los Desperados. The attempts didn’t really work out, and after a meeting with Popcorn he chose to reactivate Acid Drinkers instead. Litza and Ślimak came back, too. Their live debut took place on Wyspa Słodowa, Wrocław, at 26 August 1989. After that show the news about a great new metal band started to spread around Poland and more and more people got familiar with the name Acid Drinkers. Very quickly they were offered a recording deal and their career started to roll. In this line-up they recorded such classic albums as “Are You A Rebel?”, “Vile Vicious Vision” or their most popular album “Infernal Connection”.

Towards the end of 1998 Litza decided to leave the band. He was replaced by Przemysław “Perła” Wejmann, a singing guitarist and the leader of Guess why. With Perła, the Acidos recorded three albums: “Amazing Atomic Activity”, “Broken Head” and “Acidofilia”. In the beginning of 2003 Perła left the band. His decision was a result of misunderstandings and contradictory conceptions concerning musical questions.

It took about a month to decide that the new guitarist would be Tomek “Lipa” Lipnicki, known from Illusion. Together with Lipa the band recorded the well received album “Rock Is not enough”. Over a year later, Lipa left for his new project Lipali. The guitar was taken over by Aleksander “Olass” Mendyk from None. The new musician quickly won himself the hearts of Acidos maniacs and plays with the guys up to this day. At the moment the band gigs a lot and is planning to record another full-length album.

Acid Drinkers are to this day the best and the most spectacular thrash metal band in Poland. During their long and eventful career they played over 500 concerts, including still well remembered gigs at Jarocin festival, Metalmania, Węgorzewo, Przystanek Woodstock or Odjazdy. They supported such metal giants as Deep Purple, Megadeth, Bruce Dickinson, Sepultura, Paradise Lost or Slayer. Their albums feature guest performances of Polish artists as Edyta Bartosiewicz, Kazik Staszewski, Tomek Lipnicki, Patrycja Kosiarkiewicz or Grzegorz Skawiński.

Acid Drinkers won the Fryderyk award (the Polish equivalent of the Grammy award) in 1998, 2000 and 2004 for the “Best Hard & Heavy Act”. In 1998 they also won the Złoty Bączek, an award given by the TV Channel 2 in the “Best Band” category. Together with Hey, Kazik Staszewski, Edyta Bartosiewicz and O.N.A. they were acclaimed the best five Polish bands of the 90s in a poll published in Tylko Rock, the most important rock magazine in Poland.

Born from the ashes of the hellish French Alps, Fäust, leaded by Michaël Hellström, just delivered it's first record. "Death from Beyond" is an epic Black Metal album influenced by the Scandinavian scene and bands such like Dissection, Necrophobic, Watain, Sacramentum... From the majestic opening "When Death Spawns Fire" to the epic ending "Hellstorm", this album is real trip through darkness and chaos. With the second single "Night Eternal", Hellström shows his abilities with the songwriting to create cold, obscure but really melodic pieces. The album was recorded in Soulreaper Studio (France) by Michaël Hellström, mixed and mastered in Hellpass Studio (Brazil) by Marcos Cerutti. "Death from Beyond" is made for all those who worship the glorious Scandinavian scene from the 90's. Sharpen your scythe, enter the darkness and beware the Death from Beyond.

Limited to 1000 copies worldwide. White vinyl, comes either with silver or gold splatter. Randomly picked! "Frail hymns at the altar of self defeat_."when all is fullwhen all is fullwhen all us fallwhen all us fallThere are few artists operative at the fringes of popular music today whose sound has not been in some way or another informed or shaped by the works of Justin K Broadrick. As a founding member or sole proprietor of seminal outfits such as Godflesh, Napalm Death, Techno Animal, and Final, Broadrick has managed to help change or even define the now widespread genres of industrial and death metal, abstracted hip hop and dub, grindcore, and ambient electronics. So is also the case with his work in Jesu, who in the course of a very productive seven year existence have taken the churning pummel of his former project Godflesh, augmented it with the textural melody of 90s shoegaze rock and spawned a new sub-genre and the inevitable legions of imitators. And while imitators may abound, as the originator of this relatively newfound musical territory Jesu is still the clearly visible leader.

Vltra was the swansong of the leading Italian late 90's black metal movement. After 2 albums and an handful of demos released on domestic labels, SEW found international recognition with their third and most complete, mature album, Vltra. This was recorded with analog equipment and features some wonderful symbolist/futuristic art by Russian Konstantin Yuon (1920). 1 I2 II3 III4 IVVocals – Il Colonnello5 V6 VI7 VII8 VIII9 IX10 X

Yes, we are extremely pleased to announce the first ever real vinyl versions of “Mater of All Evil” and “Black as Pitch” from Italian Thrash (Deathrash) pioneers Necrodeath! The squadron started out back in 1984 and released two classic piece of razor-sharp Thrash metal in form of the albums “Into the Macabre” (1987) and “Fragments of Insanity” (1989). After a period of hibernation, Necrodeath reunited in the late 90s and released the third album “Mater of All Evil”* (2000) and fourth “Black as Pitch” (2001) shortly afterwards. Now, around 20 years later, I Hate will finally let all wax-lovers experience the albums in their prime! Style wise, Necrodeath has always stood for something unique: their brand of raw, skilful Thrash Metal. With the classic Italian occult aura permeating through the sound! For some name-dropping, think “Seven Churches”, Possessed, “South of Heaven”, Slayer, “Blood Fire Death”, Bathory, “The Awakening”, Merciless, “Anno Domini”, Tormentor.

Repress on black vinyl. Gatefold jacket.

A known entity to the most attentive and adventurous of black metal fans, with Valonielu Oranssi Pazuzu offers a vibrant, colorful cataclysm of psych, space rock, and black metal that cannot be easily categorized as any one particular genre or any single influence. At once celestial and boundless yet malevolently grim and harsh, Valonielu is certain to elevate Oranssi Pazuzu to new levels of importance within the modern music scene.

Oranssi Pazuzu’s previous album Kosmonument was received with great critical acclaim as a brilliant album by a band developing into something all their own. On Valonielu, the band has sharpened their songcraft into a more succinct and salient statement, formidably invoking ’90s-era Darkthrone yet boldly reaching further out into the multiverse of the psych and experimental side they have always inhabited. From the beginning chainsaw riff of album opener “Vino Verso” (“Askew Sprout”) to the climactic, world-downfall of final track “Ympyra On Viiva Tomussa” (“A Circle Is A Line In The Dust”), Oranssi Pazuzu masterfully establish a cosmology all their own.

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Svart Records proudly present the Black- and Doom Metal pioneers Unholy’s compilation of early material – Demology out on July 19th



“Unholy are arguably the most original, avant-garde, definitive, and important Finnish extreme metal band. The paths they have walked have always been lonely and unknown, entering to the deepest celestial forests and psychic graveyards, and the treasures found there dark and exquisite. This compilation consists of their three legendary demos, of which Trip to Depressive Autumn is the best recording ever done in Finland, of any genre or style”. - Albert Witchfinder, Reverend Bizarre



Svart Records is set to release the compilation album “Demology” by Finnish avant-garde death doom metal band Unholy. Including their early demo recordings "The Procession of Black Doom" (1990), "Demo 11.90" (1990) and "Trip to Depressive Autumn" (1992), this is the first time these demos are in the same package with exclusive liner notes.



Unholy emerged from the eastern Finnish town of Imatra in the late '80s. After changing their name from Armageddon to Holy Hell and eventually to Unholy, their mission was simple; to create harder, heavier, and slower music than their idols Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost. The lyrical themes and ideas for the songs came from Satanism, mysticism, anti-Christianity, mushroom trips, and shamanism among others. Finnish deep ecologist Pentti Linkola also inspired the band and their music. Some of the songs came up naturally by jamming riffs and others entirely by improvisation.



While the first two demos already made Unholy a force to be reckoned with, the release of “Trip to Depressive Autumn” caught the attention of the underground metal scene and various labels. The band was hungry for a recording contract, and it finally came into realization when Lethal Records released their debut album “From the Shadows” in 1993.

Svart Records proudly present the Black- and Doom Metal pioneers Unholy’s compilation of early material – Demology out on July 19th



“Unholy are arguably the most original, avant-garde, definitive, and important Finnish extreme metal band. The paths they have walked have always been lonely and unknown, entering to the deepest celestial forests and psychic graveyards, and the treasures found there dark and exquisite. This compilation consists of their three legendary demos, of which Trip to Depressive Autumn is the best recording ever done in Finland, of any genre or style”. - Albert Witchfinder, Reverend Bizarre



Svart Records is set to release the compilation album “Demology” by Finnish avant-garde death doom metal band Unholy. Including their early demo recordings "The Procession of Black Doom" (1990), "Demo 11.90" (1990) and "Trip to Depressive Autumn" (1992), this is the first time these demos are in the same package with exclusive liner notes.



Unholy emerged from the eastern Finnish town of Imatra in the late '80s. After changing their name from Armageddon to Holy Hell and eventually to Unholy, their mission was simple; to create harder, heavier, and slower music than their idols Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost. The lyrical themes and ideas for the songs came from Satanism, mysticism, anti-Christianity, mushroom trips, and shamanism among others. Finnish deep ecologist Pentti Linkola also inspired the band and their music. Some of the songs came up naturally by jamming riffs and others entirely by improvisation.



While the first two demos already made Unholy a force to be reckoned with, the release of “Trip to Depressive Autumn” caught the attention of the underground metal scene and various labels. The band was hungry for a recording contract, and it finally came into realization when Lethal Records released their debut album “From the Shadows” in 1993.

The up-and-coming Dallas, Texas based four-piece Bleed digitally self-released their debut EP ‘Somebody’s Closer’ in 2021. With no label backing and only a handful of shows (thus far) the 4 track introduction left a huge impression on nearly all that happened upon it racking up tens of thousands of streams simply by word of mouth.

With seemingly effortless self-assurance Bleed’s music harkens back to a period of time when the 90s were going from mid to late and grunge and more mainstream metal were converging in a flurry of credibly hard-hitting, melodic heaviness that played equally well on college and mainstream rock radio. The band’s songs hit with visceral heavy impact and infectious alt rock hooks, then given further shape by singer Ryan Hughes whose airy vocals glide fluidly overhead.

As the band continue the work of crafting their full length LP, to be eventually released by 20 Buck Spin, the label will first finally issue ‘Somebody’s Closer’ in physical form on vinyl and tape. In the meantime the EP is streaming in full via all platforms and demanding repeat spins.

In early 2021, Eroded comes as a strong, hopeful voice expressing the suppressed yearning for an end of this madness which we all carry inside.

Back in 2012 LIZZARD recorded with Rhys Fulber in L.A. (Paradise Lost, Fear Factory, Front Line Assembly...) who confesses his love for their "marvelous poly-rhythmical sound". It is true that LIZZARD's songwriting is distinguished by at times intricate rhythmical patterns, but these are always woven into the fabric of immensely catchy song constructs. The technical prowess here is well concealed behind the glaring allure of the immediacy of raw, in your face rock music.

Formed in 2006, when Katy Elwell (drums), William Knox (bass) and Mathieu Ricou (guitar & vocals) met and discovered that they shared a common vision in music, LIZZARD soon set out to work on their sound with a mission to find their own idiosyncratic approach to contemporary rock music – music that makes confident reference to the past without romanticising it. In many ways, Eroded is a trip back to the best parts of the 90's, but in the sound of 2020.

Sophomore album Majestic was released in 2014 and met with great critical acclaim: a more spontaneous and raw affair compared to its predecessor, recorded live and produced by the band themselves, the album captures the intense energy the band unleashes on stage. “We’re very much a live band creatively speaking”, says bass player Will Knox. “All of the writing sessions happen in our rehearsal space rather than at home. We believe that to capture any vibe, the chemistry between members needs to occur in real time... at least for us.”

Shift (produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Junge), released in 2018, opened new doors for the French trio: “Lizzard accomplish the perfect balancing act between music that is challenging and catchy in equal measure”, Metal Hammer raved. The band opened for Gojira and Terry Bozzio who invited them to perform on Drum Channel, and embarked on month-long European tours with the likes of HIGH ON FIRE, THE PINEAPPLE THIEF and the ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO.

Recorded during a long month of voluntary isolation at the legendary Castle Studios in Germany, Eroded brings a light at the end of the tunnel: “The vibe on the album is generally one of hope and an invitation to stay alert to the light within ourselves, and to keep moving towards brighter destinations.”

Bring on the future and for once, let it be the past, as we knew it before the pandemic.

Gaia is one of the most acclaimed and popular songs taken off the "Wildhoney" album. It became one of the keystones in doom metal and evokes the lyrics of a classic melody.
The band, led by visionary guitarist, singer and songwriter Johan Edlund have been at the forefront of doom and rock innovation since the early 90s, deeply influenced by Pink Floyd and paying the pertinent tribute here with their own interpretation of “When You´re In”. With revamped artwork and layout, Alone Records gives Gaia it's first vinyl treatment ever.

Following a 21-year hiatus since their last album release, UK-industrial-metal pioneers KILL II THIS return with a new album, Variant.KILL II THIS guitarist Mark Mynett spoke about the album title and artwork: “We originally had a much more complicated title for the album but the Variant title came about during the Covid lockdown period. It also echoes previous KILL II THIS album titles, especially ‘Deviate,’ and the roman numeral V signifies that this is the fifth album. The artwork was created by Andy Pilkington at Very Metal Art and we are delighted with what he has come up with. There are some really clever touches and the detail is incredible. We’ve recorded a very strong album with Variant and it needed powerful artwork to match.”KILL II THIS released four albums in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Another Cross II Bare (1997) mixed by Colin Richardson, Deviate (1998) and Trinity (2000), both produced by Andy Sneap, and Mass Down Sin Drone (2003).During this period KILL II THIS toured extensively through Europe, both as headliners and as support to SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, FEAR FACTORY, MEGADETH, TYPE O NEGATIVE, SOULFLY, DEVIN TOWNSEND and ANTHRAX. Highlights from this period include a live appearance on national French TV (Nulle Par Ailleurs/Canal Plus, viewed by over 6 million). 1. Messianic War2. Less Human3. Deus4. ComaKarma5. Heart Shaped Grenade6. Dopamine Diatribe7. SleeperCell8. The Future Is Not What It Used to Be9. Fugues of Amnesia10. Prosthetic Gravity

In early 2021, Eroded comes as a strong, hopeful voice expressing the suppressed yearning for an end of this madness which we all carry inside.

Back in 2012 LIZZARD recorded with Rhys Fulber in L.A. (Paradise Lost, Fear Factory, Front Line Assembly...) who confesses his love for their "marvelous poly-rhythmical sound". It is true that LIZZARD's songwriting is distinguished by at times intricate rhythmical patterns, but these are always woven into the fabric of immensely catchy song constructs. The technical prowess here is well concealed behind the glaring allure of the immediacy of raw, in your face rock music.

Formed in 2006, when Katy Elwell (drums), William Knox (bass) and Mathieu Ricou (guitar & vocals) met and discovered that they shared a common vision in music, LIZZARD soon set out to work on their sound with a mission to find their own idiosyncratic approach to contemporary rock music – music that makes confident reference to the past without romanticising it. In many ways, Eroded is a trip back to the best parts of the 90's, but in the sound of 2020.

Sophomore album Majestic was released in 2014 and met with great critical acclaim: a more spontaneous and raw affair compared to its predecessor, recorded live and produced by the band themselves, the album captures the intense energy the band unleashes on stage. “We’re very much a live band creatively speaking”, says bass player Will Knox. “All of the writing sessions happen in our rehearsal space rather than at home. We believe that to capture any vibe, the chemistry between members needs to occur in real time... at least for us.”

Shift (produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Junge), released in 2018, opened new doors for the French trio: “Lizzard accomplish the perfect balancing act between music that is challenging and catchy in equal measure”, Metal Hammer raved. The band opened for Gojira and Terry Bozzio who invited them to perform on Drum Channel, and embarked on month-long European tours with the likes of HIGH ON FIRE, THE PINEAPPLE THIEF and the ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO.

Recorded during a long month of voluntary isolation at the legendary Castle Studios in Germany, Eroded brings a light at the end of the tunnel: “The vibe on the album is generally one of hope and an invitation to stay alert to the light within ourselves, and to keep moving towards brighter destinations.”

Bring on the future and for once, let it be the past, as we knew it before the pandemic.

Haunted Plasma, powerhouse of futuristic synth in symbiosis with the super violence of kosmische black metal, release their debut album in May 2024

The phenomenal three-piece band includes members of Oranssi Pazuzu, K-x-p, Grave Pleasures and Aavikko

Svart Records is proud to release the debut album, I, from Haunted Plasma, a powerhouse of futuristic synth in symbiosis with the super violent atmospherics of kosmische Black Metal. Haunted Plasma is “man meets machine” in a cybernetic wasteland, set to a conceptual backdrop of William Gibson and Phillip K. Dick style mind-melt. The highly evolved creatives at the heart of Haunted Plasma’s sound, cite Terry Riley, Massive Attack, a contemporary take on Krautrock hypnosis, psychedelic Black Metal and 90s Techno, resulting in an orgy of mutant sound.



The phantoms at the beating nucleus of this unearthly machine are Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu, Grave Pleasures), Timo Kaukolampi (K-x-p, Op:l Bastards) and Tomi Leppänen (Circle, Aavikko, K-x-p), transmitting a music form evolved from a life of redefining sonic boundaries in their respective projects. Also featuring guest vocals from Mat McNerney (Hexvessel, Carpenter Brut, Grave Pleasures/Beastmilk), Pauliina Lindell (Vuono, Dust Mountain) and Ringa Manner (Ruusut, The Hearing). Haunted Plasma promises an extraterrestrial experience from some of the foremost contemporary musicians at the heart of the Finnish heavy and avant-garde musical underworld.



Haunted Plasma reveals:

“We are liberated futurists, embracing free-form and natural composition, mirroring the merciless forces of cosmic creation. We have a motto to stay true to our feelings, to spawn a sound that’s never been heard before. Servants of music. Energizing, radical and pure”

The first single from Haunted Plasma’s cascading debut, Reverse Engineer, is a creepy, slowly erupting, synthetic nightmare, of a downloaded being waking up in the wrong future. Ghostly vocals demand the listener to “give us what we want” in an Orwellian glimpse into the current dystopia we live in, where information is controlled, and thoughts are bought and sold. As McNerney intones the words “technology of power” he describes the threat of a malevolent and omnipresent artificial intelligence, as much as describing the oppressive and electromagnetic sonar pulse of Haunted Plasma’s sound itself. Psychedelic guitar hypnosis from Vanhanen snakes around Kaukolampi’s molten and morphing synths, while Leppänen’s uncanny man/machine rhythms pull our strings and animate their other-worldly mechanisms. Have a look at the official visualiser of "Reverse Engineer" on the Svart YouTube channel here

Culminating in the full-blown fast Krautrock of the final self-titled track, oozing with blistering noise elements and enigmatic vocals from Ringa Manner, the album's journey reaches its zenith, taking you to unknown territories on a Kubrikian space trip. I is a rare record of talented musicians coming together to create a completely new sound, which is entirely their own, boldly glowing, where no light has shone before. From the dreamy psychedelia of Echoes to the discombobulated Spectral Embrace, Haunted Plasma is a willful force of deliberate sound contortion.

Whether you want to give in to Haunted Plasma’s sound or not, you are being watched, you are being recorded and your every move is monitored. Haunted Plasma will enter your system on the 31st of May 2024. Turn on your phantom circuits and be prepared for an interdimensional excursion into Haunted Plasma’s alien dreams.

The debut album from Haunted Plasma will be packaged in a beautiful tip-on sleeve, swirling fog artwork, complete with 12” booklet and pressed on 3 exclusive vinyl colours: 300 copies on Standard Black Wax, 200 copies in Amber + Black Smoke and 500 copies of Svart exclusive Turquoise/Black Marble. The album will also be available on CD and digital platforms.

The crown jewel of Finnish Death Metal, reissued in a band-approved new 30th anniversary edition. Features a new vinyl master from the original source by Noise for Fiction, plus a booklet with a lengthy feature by Hippo Taatila and some visual memorabilia. As an added vinyl bonus there's a large poster by the original cover artist Rob Smits creating a new vision of the album cover for the new millennium.

Together with bands like Demilich, Abhorrence, Disgrace, Xysma and Sentenced, Demigod from the wastelands of Loimaa, southern Finland, put Finland on the map in the global death metal scene in the late 80's and early 90's. Having risen to underground fame with their demo Unholy Domain, Slumber of Sullen Eyes was a hugely expected debut album. When it was finally released in 1992 after a complicated creation process at Tico-Tico Studios in northern Finland, it was received with open arms and drooling excitement by the then very active underground death metal scene.

That scene was, however, short lived,and by 1994 pretty much every band had switched from death metal to something else entirely. What was left after the bands had left the building was a number of classic albums that constitute the legacy of Finnish Death Metal. Among them, Slumber of Sullen Eyes is one of the most original and ferocious. There was nobody like Demigod.

Svart Records are proud to reissue this remarkable and quite hard to find album on CD, vinyl and tape.

From their formation back in 1986, to becoming one of Norways’s finest musical exports (with a number of highly revered black metal masterpieces released in the early 90’s helping to solidify their legacy), Darkthrone has continued to evolve and challenge in equal measure, throughout their illustrious recording career spanning over three decades. And now, the ever-productive duo of Nocturno and Fenriz continue their own metallic saga with a new selection of fine, vintage sounding headbanging classics in the making.

‘Astral Fortress’ is itself a swift follow-up to 2021’s ‘Eternal Hails’ opus, as a result of Darkthrone’s consistent and ongoing writing process, which has been in force for some years now. For Darkthrone does not sleep - it only waits.

Carried on the brisk wind of eager rock, with foundations in black, thrash, doom and heavy metal, ‘Astral Fortress’ is the latest album of stellar, eclectic old metal in the Darkthrone odyssey. With a seemingly endless dungeon full of heavy metal influences channelled through Darkthrone’s dynamic riff-machine, plus also with many increasing inspirations taken from their own past catalogue, Darkthrone has truly become its own beast within the metal world. Even though sprinkled with atmospheric touches such as synthesizers and mellotron on ‘Astral Fortress’ to great effect, the Darkthrone sound remains stripped down to the core; always primitive and organic.

‘Astral Fortress’ was recorded at Chaka Khan Studios in Oslo, the same location used for the ‘Eternal Hails’ album, with Ole Øvstedal and Silje Høgevold.

Thou have a bit of a reputation for doing Nirvana covers, even releasing of a full album of them titled Blessings of the Highest Order during the height of quarantine. The infamously ravenous Thou fans were stuck in their rooms, drinking every drop and begging for more and just their luck the band decided to release a full-length compilation of their non-Nirvana covers they recorded and released from 2009-2022. All of the songs on A Primer of Holy Words appeared on limited pressings of various split EPs and benefit compilations. The range of bands being covered is wide: Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains from abandoned tribute projects; Born Against from a small press European compilation; Ginger Quail, an obscure New Orleans punk band from the late 90s; and so on. Regardless of their standing in the civilian world, all of these bands and songs have had a strong imprint on Thou - much more so than "sludge" or metal in general or "the swamp" of New Orleans. New Noise Magazine described some of the tracks saying "They've got a Black Sabbath `Sweet Leaf' cover that they've dirtied up to the point where it sounds like a High on Fire original, a blackend-sludge version of Born Against's `Well Fed Fuck,' a bewitched version of Pearl Jam's `Spin the Black Circle,' and an appropriately gross and desperate cover of Shellac's `Prayer to God.' It's as good or better than their Nirvana album imho." And while the mentioned tracks will be on the vinyl version sans "Sweet Leaf" it will have a different track list from 2020's digital release including a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's iconic track "Maps". This collection includes artwork from former New Orleans -now Mexico City artist Rachel Speck from her Tropical Goth imprint.

Classicks is a compilation album by Alice Cooper, combining studio material from his Glam period with live recordings of his classics. One of the highlights is the great duet with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell “Stolen Prayer”. Other songs from the late-’80s and early-’90s studio recordings are “Poison,” “Hey Stoopid,” and “House of Fire”. The live recordings includes his real classics, like “Under My Wheels,” “I’m Eighteen,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” and “School’s Out.” The last track is “Fire”, a cover of the Jimi Hendrix song.

Thou have a bit of a reputation for doing Nirvana covers, even releasing of a full album of them titled Blessings of the Highest Order during the height of quarantine. The infamously ravenous Thou fans were stuck in their rooms, drinking every drop and begging for more and just their luck the band decided to release a full-length compilation of their non-Nirvana covers they recorded and released from 2009-2022. All of the songs on A Primer of Holy Words appeared on limited pressings of various split EPs and benefit compilations. The range of bands being covered is wide: Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains from abandoned tribute projects; Born Against from a small press European compilation; Ginger Quail, an obscure New Orleans punk band from the late 90s; and so on. Regardless of their standing in the civilian world, all of these bands and songs have had a strong imprint on Thou - much more so than "sludge" or metal in general or "the swamp" of New Orleans. New Noise Magazine described some of the tracks saying "They've got a Black Sabbath `Sweet Leaf' cover that they've dirtied up to the point where it sounds like a High on Fire original, a blackend-sludge version of Born Against's `Well Fed Fuck,' a bewitched version of Pearl Jam's `Spin the Black Circle,' and an appropriately gross and desperate cover of Shellac's `Prayer to God.' It's as good or better than their Nirvana album imho." And while the mentioned tracks will be on the vinyl version sans "Sweet Leaf" it will have a different track list from 2020's digital release including a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's iconic track "Maps". This collection includes artwork from former New Orleans -now Mexico City artist Rachel Speck from her Tropical Goth imprint.

Ritual Clearing have returned, building off of the cold depravity of their 2020 demo and now unleashing their debut full-length effort, Penitence. Continuing their unholy alliance with Eternal Death, this new record showcases six epic tracks of dark, brooding black metal. The band's noble influences they displayed across that well-received first demo—Bathory, Sacramentum, and Lord Belial—have been built upon and refined here, revealing riff labyrinths not unlike the cult '90s work of Sorhin but further fleshed out by bouts of nearly hardcore-punk mania and especially a raw hideousness not unlike their American brethren in the Black Twilight Circle. Still, Ritual Clearing and clearly their own masters, and the alternately linear / darting depths of Penitence open wide to devour the listener in hypnotic, harrowing splendor. Still as melodic-yet-cutting as ever, it's not surprising that the album was written during the grim landscape of the global plague; there's an undeniable sense of dread across Penitence, laced with a resigned melancholia (sickly) colored by opportunely timed acoustics. Fucking Riffs for days, Ritual Clearing provide this offering as the overture to a sick and dying world. Edition of 100 copies.

Violently bleeding out into the mid-90s with their lone release "Feel My Hate-The Power Is The Weight - R.I.P. Cain" vinyl lp then completely disappearing into the ether. Southern Lord compiled all known recordings in 2003 on the "Hortators Lament" compact disc.

Then in commiseration of the label's 20th anniversary (2018), TL allowed Southern Lord to release all these recordings (and even some more cryptic, current musings) on the limited edition 2xLP set: "Cease & Decease".

2024! Toadliquor continues their decades-long onslaught of desolation, despair, and damaged vocal cords with Back in the Hole. Seven prize picks for the communal trough. Strap in and feed.

FFO: Pain, Misery, Destruction. (not bands, emotions/actions)

First new recordings from Godflesh since 2017's critically acclaimed full length 'post Self'.

'purge' musically, amongst the many layers of dirt, revisits and updates the concepts explored on the 'pure' album from 1992; 90's hip hop grooves mangled and put through the Godflesh filter to create something that is still unique and futuristic in style.

Both minimal and maximal, with layer upon layer of filth and heaviness, Godflesh deliver alien grooves that swing whilst also retaining the psychedelic / bad trip edge that Godflesh has always obsessed over. This is, and always has been, feel bad music; the title alone 'purge' references directly how songwriter / creator Justin K Broadrick utilises this music as temporary relief from his diagnosed autism and Ptsd, a journey he has been on since he began creating music and feeling alone and as an outsider in any 'scene' or 'group' from childhood and throughout his adulthood.

Godflesh gives him the means to express a lifetime of feeling misunderstood and overwhelmed by hyper sensitivity, the band being the vehicle to give him some sense of catharsis and transcendence; a way of communicating overload and constant disenchantment at the human condition, and man's abuse of power and the systems that chain us.

The album references the cycle of horror that man has always and will always put us through; those in positions of power revel in the infliction of pain and horror upon individuals, in the name of their religion, their power, their money, their flags....

8 songs, delivered in a concise fashion for fellow outsiders.

Classic 90's crust massacre with Doom, Cruelty, Dirt etc. members.

Nocebo, the first full-length by the Boston, Massachusetts five piece Elizabeth Colour Wheel, is inspired by anxiety, the fear and the desire of being constantly overwhelmed. The album came to fruition over the summer of 2018, when the band embraced a heavy “kill your idols” mindset, crafting an album that is distinctly schizophrenic yet familiar, touching on ’90s heavy rock, shoe-gaze, and black metal influences.

Mixed and mastered by Seth Manchester of Machines of Magnets (The Body, Street Sects), Nocebo is a five-walled haunted house, constructed from the wild, chantlike vocals of Lane Shi, the heavy, reverberant guitars of Emmett Palaima and Alice Jackson, the sludgy, distorted bass of Billy Cunningham, and the powerful, aggressive drumming of Connor Devito. Inside these walls frequencies of spectral anger echo and resound, gathering into thunderous waves, which crash against the borders of the room before dying out into eerie silence.

Hells Headbangers is proud to present a long-overdue reissue of Unlord’s cult debut album, Schwarzwald. Formed in 1989, Unlord are widely considered among the Netherlands’ very first black metal bands, if not THE first. Although they never publicly released any demos, their three albums for the sorely missed Displeased Records – 1997’s Schwarzwald, 2000’s Gladiator, and 2002’s Lord of Beneath – stand as a nigh-untouchable trio of freezing-fire black metal incarnate. Unlord’s proud ‘n’ pure synthesis of bazooka-blown speed and violently melodic riffing reeks of late ‘90s nostalgia but also sounds remarkably fresh today, nearly 20 years after their untimely breakup. In that black metal-rich year of 1997 did Unlord unleash their debut album, Schwarzwald. Adorned with appropriately fiery cover art, Schwarzwald very much sounded – and looked – like its era, and was all the better for it. And yet, crucially, Unlord here offer a variety of songcraft across the 13-track album whilst keeping the focus on cryogenically-cold violence. What’s more, their usage of synths is sparing and tasteful, and on Schwarzwald did they set forth a sterling standard of production: remarkably clear and crisp, but not once sacrificing an iota of power.

Victoria BC's Raw War were a lawless blown out nuclear crust assault that obliterated ears from 2009 to 2013. During that time the band decimated stages and established widespread chaos all over the Pacific Northwest with pulverizing live sets and a sound made of pure apocalyptic terror doused in the ashes of humanity's end. Influenced by '80s and '90s UK D-beat and anarcho-punk bands like Doom and Discharge as well as by early Scandinavian crust bands like Anti Cimex and Totalitär, Raw War soon established widespread terror in their native British Columbia region, bringing their derailing and off the chain assault of primitive, ear-splitting noise-punk cacophony to its inevitable end and extreme conclusions. An unnamed full-length album and 7" EP tentatively tiled Raw Terror were recorded but never saw the light. Marred by debauchery, lineup instability and their very nature as an entity that far too soon had decided to explode in a shockwave rather than quietly fade away, Raw War disbanded sometime around 2013 leaving a thirty-five minute unforgiving, primeval, bulldozing, crustcore onslaught unreleased and completely unheard of for ten long years. Fast forward to 2023, and Sentient Ruin stepped in to honor the legacy and work of one of BC's most uncompromising and visceral hardcore crust bands by finishing the work and releasing the entirety of the band's long-unreleased material (the untitled full-length album and the Raw Terror EP) as the comprehensive 12" vinyl/digital full-length release Total Raw War. Long live the Raw War. Long live Total. RAW. WAR.

From the cold dank fog of Portland, Oregon USA re-emerges Petrification with their highly anticipated sophomore album nearly 5 years in the making titled “Sever Sacred Light”! Conjuring all the dark powers of Death, Doom, Punk and THE Occult, Petrification brings their most barbaric, heavy, and yet sophisticated release to date. This new full-length opus will be released on Svart Records 9th of February 2024.

“Sever Sacred Light” paints a mental landscape of a crumbling universe magnified through the hysterical mind of a deranged and rottenly eccentric undead enigma “Arach-Ned”. “Sever Sacred Light” illustrates vast musical growth from the critically acclaimed 2017 demo “Summon Horrendous Destruction” and the 2018 full length debut of “Hollow of the Void”. They continue to advance and evolve while honoring the traditions and influence of ungodly masters of Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Coffins, and all the celebrated favorites of the early 90’s Finnish death metal scene such as Rippikoulu and Demigod. With Petrification’s top tier sonic depravity this album is promised to be looked back at as the measuring stick of what an old school death metal album of this era should be.

From the cold dank fog of Portland, Oregon USA re-emerges Petrification with their highly anticipated sophomore album nearly 5 years in the making titled “Sever Sacred Light”! Conjuring all the dark powers of Death, Doom, Punk and THE Occult, Petrification brings their most barbaric, heavy, and yet sophisticated release to date. This new full-length opus will be released on Svart Records 9th of February 2024.

“Sever Sacred Light” paints a mental landscape of a crumbling universe magnified through the hysterical mind of a deranged and rottenly eccentric undead enigma “Arach-Ned”. “Sever Sacred Light” illustrates vast musical growth from the critically acclaimed 2017 demo “Summon Horrendous Destruction” and the 2018 full length debut of “Hollow of the Void”. They continue to advance and evolve while honoring the traditions and influence of ungodly masters of Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Coffins, and all the celebrated favorites of the early 90’s Finnish death metal scene such as Rippikoulu and Demigod. With Petrification’s top tier sonic depravity this album is promised to be looked back at as the measuring stick of what an old school death metal album of this era should be.

On Vinyl for the first time. Post-metal auteurs Burst (Sweden) announce return, 2022 remastered vinyl release of their classic 3 albums “Prey On Life” (2003), “Origo” (2005) and “Lazarus Bird” (2008). When Swedish progressive metal quintet Burst disbanded indefinitely after a string of acclaimed albums and an intense live catharsis in Gothenburg, Sweden in December 2009, it marked the end of a 15 year evolution. What started out as young, crusty hardcore band in the 90’s, developed into a unique blend of metal, progressive rock and hardcore, alternating grand atmospheres with abrasive metal and melancholy melodicism. During the following years, the die-hards kept the torch lit while new fans discovered the band’s catalogue, but apart from a one-off appearance at Spain’s Be Prog festival in 2018, the band has remained quietly slumbering. Until 2022. This fall, Pelagic Records will release individual standalone LP releases of the aforementioned albums - the first two for the first time ever on vinyl format. Originally released on CD through Relapse Records, the albums have been remastered and graphically refurbished in 2022, with all new artwork by R obert Samsonovitz. During their tenure, Burst mastered the art of continuous progression, always evolving, always treading uncarefully, never abiding. Burst’s live performances mirrored their albums; a display of meteoric ferociousness and heavy grooves, weaving effortlessly in and out of metallic outrage, stark melodies, and ethereal soundscapes.

Yes, we are extremely pleased to announce the first ever real vinyl versions of “Mater of All Evil” and “Black as Pitch” from Italian Thrash (Deathrash) pioneers Necrodeath! The squadron started out back in 1984 and released two classic piece of razor-sharp Thrash metal in form of the albums “Into the Macabre” (1987) and “Fragments of Insanity” (1989). After a period of hibernation, Necrodeath reunited in the late 90s and released the third album “Mater of All Evil”* (2000) and fourth “Black as Pitch” (2001) shortly afterwards. Now, around 20 years later, I Hate will finally let all wax-lovers experience the albums in their prime! Style wise, Necrodeath has always stood for something unique: their brand of raw, skilful Thrash Metal. With the classic Italian occult aura permeating through the sound! For some name-dropping, think “Seven Churches”, Possessed, “South of Heaven”, Slayer, “Blood Fire Death”, Bathory, “The Awakening”, Merciless, “Anno Domini”, Tormentor.

Grammy Award-winning band Ghost have announced the Popestar U.S. headlining tour - a 34 city run that will include two rituals at The Wiltern in Los Angeles this October. To support this, the band will be releasing a brand new EP by the same name, Popestar. Set to be released on Fri, Sept 16, 2016, this new EP features one new original song and five newly recorded cover songs.

Sad Whisperings was formed in 1990 (as Desecrate) and released several demo’s in the 80’s / 90s up till their split in 2004 and gained a worldwide cult following. Sad Whisperings was pure doom death metal like their early inspiration Paradise Lost and with a touch of the Dutch school of doom death metal like The Gathering. Sad Whisperings got signed by Dutch cult label Foundation 2000 (The Gathering, Gorefest) and released their debut album in 1993 called ’Sensitive to autumn’. The album was recorded at the famous Beaufort Studios with Han Swagerman (The Gathering, Sear Bliss etc). Also featuring guest vocals by Usurper / Moon of Sorrow’s Parick Harreman. As bonus 3 tracks from their demo 1992 are added. The booklet contains rare and old pictures, flyers and posters. Extensive liner notes from Steven Willems (Rock Tribune, Streams of Ancient Wisdom: The History of Dutch Death And Extreme Metal). The band recently reformed, plays live and is currently working on a new album.

Night Crowned, the Swedish blackened death metal powerhouse, has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the heavy music scene. Their debut studio album, "Impius Viam", released on February 28, 2020, via Noble Demon, instantly captivated both critics and fans, solidifying its place as one of the year's most exceptional releases.

Comprised of former and current members of renowned acts such as Dark Funeral, Nightrage, and Cipher System, Night Crowned possesses a musical vision that is as haunting as it is clear. With "Impius Viam", they have crafted a work of art that exudes rage, melancholy, and pure destruction, resurrecting the dormant sounds of the influential Scandinavian acts and masterpieces from the '90s.

This modern-era melodic death/black metal classic seamlessly blends aggression, atmosphere, and captivating melodies, leaving listeners in awe of its flawless and relentless mix. Night Crowned's steady pursuit of musical excellence knows no bounds, as they wasted no time in releasing their highly anticipated follow-up record, "Hädanfärd," on July 9th, 2021.

Inspired by a story penned by vocalist K. Romlin, "Hädanfärd" delves into encounters with death, weaving a far-reaching concept that was meticulously developed during the band's intense demo process. The album's nine atmospheric tracks, accompanied by K. Romlin's written interpretations and explanations, form an infernal and bleak monolith that solidifies Night Crowned as one of Sweden's best kept blackened death metal secrets. With "Hädanfärd", Night Crowned has not only garnered praise from fans and critics alike but has also reached new heights in their musical journey.

On October 11, 2023, the band's highly anticipated third full-length record will be released, again via the esteemed Noble Demon label. With "Tales", Night Crowned embarks on a new chapter, pushing the boundaries of blackened death metal to unprecedented levels. Brace yourselves for an auditory assault that defies conventions and redefines the limits of the genre. Night Crowned is a force to be reckoned with, and their relentless pursuit of musical excellence shows no signs of waning. With lyrics in both English and Swedish, Jonathan Thorpenberg's mixing skills put the band's sound on full display, while Jani Stefanovic's mastering ensures that every note is hit with precision. So surrender to the darkness and let Night Crowned guide you through their captivating narratives!

- Band features (ex-)members of Dark Funeral, Cipher System, Nightrage, THE Unguided among others - First two albums and previous music videos have gotten nothing but extremely positive feedback in the scene and in media so far and most videos reached 6-digit figure views on YT - Playlisting in own and 3rd party playlists

The crown jewel of Finnish Death Metal, reissued in a band-approved new 30th anniversary edition. Features a new vinyl master from the original source by Noise for Fiction, plus a booklet with a lengthy feature by Hippo Taatila and some visual memorabilia. As an added vinyl bonus there's a large poster by the original cover artist Rob Smits creating a new vision of the album cover for the new millennium.

Together with bands like Demilich, Abhorrence, Disgrace, Xysma and Sentenced, Demigod from the wastelands of Loimaa, southern Finland, put Finland on the map in the global death metal scene in the late 80's and early 90's. Having risen to underground fame with their demo Unholy Domain, Slumber of Sullen Eyes was a hugely expected debut album. When it was finally released in 1992 after a complicated creation process at Tico-Tico Studios in northern Finland, it was received with open arms and drooling excitement by the then very active underground death metal scene.

That scene was, however, short lived,and by 1994 pretty much every band had switched from death metal to something else entirely. What was left after the bands had left the building was a number of classic albums that constitute the legacy of Finnish Death Metal. Among them, Slumber of Sullen Eyes is one of the most original and ferocious. There was nobody like Demigod.

Svart Records are proud to reissue this remarkable and quite hard to find album on CD, vinyl and tape.

The debut album from dark esoteric grindcore act Egregore (not to be confused with the Canadian black metal band) takes us into ominous realms rarely explored before by, and in the genre: those of metaphysical occultism and supernatural darkness; a descent into the immaterial self and into alternate realities to transform a tradition inspired by bands like Carcass, Discharge, Convulse, Demigod, Terrorizer and Napalm Death into a destructive psychic mind-weapon. Egregore's grim and mystical amalgam of '90s death metal, crust, and grind aims to use the timeless lesson cemented chiefly by Carcass's Heartwork and Necroticism albums to disintegrate the corporeal self, transfigure the soul and open the listener's third eye unto a superior reality dominated by obscure forces, invisible powers, and higher truths. A passageway album using sonic destruction as a key to dimensions above and beyond the self, Synchronistic Delusions continues the band's explorative synthesis into the unknown, bridging '90s death metal and grind, black metal, crust punk and esoteric projections derived from jungian philosophy, occultism, supernatural theology and paranormal cabalism to destroy reality and liberate the mind from its carnal

Out of the smoke of the pandemic, Intoxicated return with a renewed energy in the form of their debut full length, Watch You Burn. Recorded at Morbid Angel's old rehearsal studio in Tampa that Intoxicated literally rehabbed and converted into a state-of-the-art studio for renown producer, Ryan Boesch (Foo Fighters, Whores, Helmet, Melvins, Andrew WK), now known as Candor Recording, Watch You Burn is a product of a band on a mission who's Florida roots are worn proudly on their sleeves. While you can hear traces of Obituary, Massacre, and Chuck Schuldiner sprinkled all over the album, Intoxicated offer much more than shades of death. There is a heavy crossover vibe present ala D.R.I. or early C.O.C., as well as some Skate Punk /Thrash like the early Venice Beach bands. In addition, there are moments you'll swear you heard a Matt Pike riff or something out of the Nola playbook. With guest spots courtesy of friends Tony Foresta of Municipal Waste and Ken Andrews of Obituary, Watch You Burn is a bonafide rager! Intoxicated took little time off during the pandemic, adding a new guitarist, John Sutton, who is no stranger to the Florida metal scene having spent time with 90's act Pain Principle. In the last 6 months alone, Intoxicated have supported Obituary, Massacre, Nasty Savage, Gruesome, D.R.I., The Casualties, Inhuman Condition and High Reeper. With Andrew WK's disappearance leaving Erik Payne and Gregg Roberts to their own devices, Intoxicated have certainly taken a front seat and there is no sign of slowing down - the band have the pedal to the floor and plan to be out supporting the album all Summer. You can catch them this Summer supporting Obituary and Municipal Waste on select dates as well as Into the Darkness Fest and Full Terror Assault Open Air!

East Coast raw death metal/punk savages Kontusion finally release their pulverizing debut self-tiled demo on vinyl, CD and cassette (reissue) via Sentient Ruin, in the wake of its original 2022 self-release on tape and digital formats. Upon release the four-track, seventeen-minute slab of necrotized terror saw the duo of drummer Chris Moore (repulsion, Coke Bust) and of vocalist, guitarist and bassist Mark Bronzino (ans, Mammoth Grinder) revel into a gore-splattered, chaos-torn disfiguration of lo-fi, blown out primitive death metal and punk-infused carnage reminiscent of (and influenced by) 80's and 90's bands like Terrorizer, Napalm Death, Discharge, and Convulse. The four skull-crushing tracks see Kontusion regress to a state of demented, feral abandon, incorporating influences from raw punk and hardcore to deconstruct death metal and reduce it to a mangled and scattered pulp reeking of terror and shrouded in destruction.

Italian death metal legend official 1997 debut album re-issue. 25 Years OF Rotting Brutal Death Metal. If you talk about death metal with a look at Italy, you can’t do it without referring to Natron, authentically local prime movers. Natron mixed the sheer brutality of 90’s death with the speed of grindcore and became purveyors of a weird and unique style of metal: complex riffing, rotten brutality and a particular focus on horror gore lyrics. For fans of: Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Immolation, Obituary

Recycled Color Vinyl.24" x 24" Fold out poster / lyric sheet included Formed in 2012 out of a mutual love of metallic hardcore but despair at its lack of ambition, Ithaca exist to challenge everything you thought about what a band that makes heavy music should look and sound like. A glitter-covered nailbomb, Ithaca seamlessly blend the brutality of Relapse Records metalcore with blackgaze, 90s industrial metal, 70s prog and even tinges of 80s power pop. Their influences stretch beyond the musical - this album comes with a clear vision and aesthetic: drawing from members' different ancestral heritage, queer/non-conforming identities and iconic figures in avant-garde, new wave and post punk culture.Their upcoming second album 'They Fear Us' is the sound of a band healing from trauma - standing in their own, unapologetic voice. Furious and wildly inventive while also being more coherent and accessible, this album will introduce Ithaca to a wider audience than they've ever had before. To quote the band - 'those who oppose us; your sins will catch up to you. You will fear us'.

Brazilian US-based doomed death metal duo Negative Vortex rise from the depths of torment with their long awaited debut album Tomb Absolute, a fifty four-minute, nine-song double LP of absolute, towering atmospheric death metal oblivion. Years in the making, meticulously produced, and assembled from sheer pain and perfectionism, Tomb Absolute is a colossal slab of grim and hopeless death metal evoking bleak and pessimistic visions of a doomed future to come, and stirring with bitter reflections about mental illnesses, society's role in human failure, dysfunctions of the mind and spiritual hopelessness. Musically the album takes its life force and inspiration from the glory and timelessness of ‘80s and ‘90s death and doom metal (Cathedral, Nihilist, Autopsy, C.eltic Frost), wielding a death-bearing payload of intense, monolithic, gut wrenching death metal riffs alternated by ultra-depressing slow-paced doom sections to conjure an ultimate monolith erected to complete death, pain and suffering. The album's imposing and pessimistic aura is further enhanced by a dense and a multi-layered production, lengthly and trance-like compositions that drag the listener into a labyrinthine realm of utter darkness and despair, and synth-laden ambient dirges and spoken word passages that exalt the album's lightless depths and monstrous atmospheres. Completing and further adorning the massive hellscape are also illustrious guest appearances from veterans of the scene like Nick Holmes (paradise Lost / Bloodbath), KAM LEE (massacre), Moyses Koslene (krisiun), Leon DEL Muerte (impaled / Terrorizer L.A.), VIK (whipstriker), and Caleb Bingham (athanasia), providing additional guitars leads and vocal contributions.

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.”

Thou have a bit of a reputation for doing Nirvana covers, even releasing of a full album of them titled Blessings of the Highest Order during the height of quarantine. The infamously ravenous Thou fans were stuck in their rooms, drinking every drop and begging for more and just their luck the band decided to release a full-length compilation of their non-Nirvana covers they recorded and released from 2009-2022. All of the songs on A Primer of Holy Words appeared on limited pressings of various split EPs and benefit compilations. The range of bands being covered is wide: Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains from abandoned tribute projects; Born Against from a small press European compilation; Ginger Quail, an obscure New Orleans punk band from the late 90s; and so on. Regardless of their standing in the civilian world, all of these bands and songs have had a strong imprint on Thou - much more so than "sludge" or metal in general or "the swamp" of New Orleans. New Noise Magazine described some of the tracks saying "They've got a Black Sabbath `Sweet Leaf' cover that they've dirtied up to the point where it sounds like a High on Fire original, a blackend-sludge version of Born Against's `Well Fed Fuck,' a bewitched version of Pearl Jam's `Spin the Black Circle,' and an appropriately gross and desperate cover of Shellac's `Prayer to God.' It's as good or better than their Nirvana album imho." And while the mentioned tracks will be on the vinyl version sans "Sweet Leaf" it will have a different track list from 2020's digital release including a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's iconic track "Maps". This collection includes artwork from former New Orleans -now Mexico City artist Rachel Speck from her Tropical Goth imprint.

Re-edition (with different sleeve colors) of this cult French Grind/Noisecore hammer originally released on F.O.A.D. in 2015 and sold out very quickly! Total discography of this terrifying unit hailing from France… V.N.A. (Violent Noise Attack) was the side-project of a crew of friends from the late 80ies French scene formed by members of the Thrash band Nomed, Patrick from the highly missed label “Thrash Records” (that released Exit 13, Carbonized, Sorcery, Sentenced, Vital Remains etc) and local HC bands/zine editors. Their debut demotape “Final execution”, the split 7″ with Agathocles and the song on “1984, the fourth” Comp. LP have been always seen as some of the most intense and devastating expressions of the early short-song Grind/Noisecore era, worshipped by the most deranged noise extremists all over the world. Try to imagine a mix of Sore Throat, Napalm DEATH’s b-side of “Scum” and Fear OF GOD and you get the idea of the brain-drilling mayhem these maniacs were able to deliver, with a studio production that was fairly above the average level of the period. This LP collects all their existing recordings, mastered from sources directly provided and licensed by band members.. 90 Songs of absolute ear blasting horror! Side A includes their demo (1988), the split 7″ with Agathocles (1989) and a couple of unreleased studio tracks. Side B has all never heard before stuff: a rehearsal, a full live set and even a sound-check! Comes with a 4 page insert featuring liner notes, photos, original artworks and flyers. This record is entirely dedicated to VNA’s members André Lemesle and Patrick Blondeau that both passed away few years ago.. R.I.P.!

Sealed copy with a bent corner!