Russian Metal trio Second To Sun have released a guitar play-through video for 'Chokk Kapper," a track from crushing new album The Black. Featuring guitarist Vladimir Lehtinen, the video can be viewed at youtu.be/ZgBHu47sSLg

The Black was released on May 16. It can be purchased at this location and is streaming in its entirety on Second To Sun's  Bandcamp page and YouTube Channel. The Black is available on Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, and other digital retailers.

The Black is a reissue of the Blackbound (2016) album, which was re-recorded to add vocals, among several other enhancements.  

www.facebook.com/secondtosun
www.instagram.com/secondtosunofficial
Second to Sun YouTube Channel
secondtosun.bandcamp.com

Reanimated Australian black metal cult Ichor premiere the new track "Noble Ichor" at Decibel magazine's website. The track hails from the band's long-awaited debut album of Australia's  God of Thunder God of War, set for international release on October 5th via Seance Records. Hear Ichor's "Noble Ichor" in its entirety exclusively HERE.

If the name Ichor isn't immediately familiar, it's for good reason: this extremely cult black metal band formed in 1993 and disbanded later that year. During that time, the band recorded and released a self-titled four-track demo tape. But, its disbanding was also for good reason: Ichor's two members, Wraith and Diablore, wanted to focus on their other band, the now-legendary Nazxul. Thus, in the grand context of Australian black metal, Ichor served as an oft-unknown yet crucial puzzle piece.

Late in 2017, the decision was made by Wraith and Diablore to re-form Ichor, and the duo promptly recorded the band's first full-length. Aptly titled God of Thunder God of War, Ichor's debut album thematically focuses on Slavic paganism. In fact, the moniker Ichor itself the ancient Greek word for the fluid that runs in the gods' veins; the concept behind using that word was that the only difference between humanity and the gods is a physical substance or principal, thusly meaning that humanity can rise to the ranks of gods.

With that foundation at hand, Ichor's God of Thunder God of War indeed soars to the heights - and likewise depths - through a sinuous surge of stout, atmospherically inclined black metal. In many ways, the album's a culmination and consolidation of the paradigmatic Australian black metal sound pioneered by Nazxul - and, by proxy, Ichor - as it wends and wends through the sturm und drang, the tragedy and triumph, for which OZBM has become so renown for nearly two decades. Suitably, here is a sound both timeless and current, breathing the essence of ancient days and charging forward across the present simultaneously: grim majesty and bittersweet melodicism commingle, their tendrils locking together as the almost-levitational thrust of Ichor's palpable physicality takes flight. It all makes for high drama, suggestive of a narrative arc, and its remarkably compact six-song/37-minute runtime feels far more epic than it has any right to be. Understandably, the album contains a rerecording of one of the original demo tracks, titled "Daughters Of Wrath" - a song about the cunning folk and practitioners of the Slavonic native faith, witches.

Let it be known, however, that God of Thunder God of War is no mere "retro" gesture: Ichor are currently working on new material, and will be an ongoing band. In the meantime, hail the old gods - God of Thunder God of War!

Continue hailing with the new track "Noble Ichor" exclusively HERE, courtesy of Decibel, North America's only monthly metal magazine. Begin hailing with the previously revealed "Spectres of the Woods" HERE at Seance Records' official YouTube channel. 

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Pagan black metal mystics All My Sins premiere the new track "Vukov Totem" at heavily trafficked web-portal InvisibleOranges.com. The track hails from the band's highly anticipated debut album, Pra Sila - Vukov Totem, set for international release on September 23rd via Saturnal Records. A work of windswept mysticism and pure pagan fury, Pra Sila - Vukov Totem is one which has been brewing since the ancient days, and is now being released into the modern era with a timelessness that's exciting to behold. Hear All My Sins' "Vukov Totem" in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Originating from the southern regions of Europe, Serbia's All My Sins was officially formed by Nav Cosmos and V in the year of 2000. The duo gathered a line-up around the idea of claiming its own place among the already-established second-wave black metal scene. Inspired by the spiritual heritage of the land they come from, the band started making records, each of them conceptually placed around the certain mythological symbols.

The first demo, Night Scupltures, was recorded in 2002. It was dedicated to the nocturnal creatures and the driving force behind The Night as a mythological being. The next demo, From the Land of the Shining Past in 2004, focused on the primordial origins of Slavic spirituality and thus was dedicated to The Forest as a mythological entity.

After the several line-up changes that followed, All My Sins was, with few exceptions, barely active for the next 12 years. During this time, V continued his activities among the ranks of such international acts as Kawir, Terrörhammer, Ulvdalir, and Triumfall.

It was finally in 2016 that Nav Cosmos and V were ready to re-form the band and begin work on a new studio record. The result was the Lunar / Solar EP, which was dedicated to The Sky as a mythic being, centring its basis around the ideas of vanishing, going beyond, and dying as seen through the perspective of southern Slavic mysticism. Black Death Production from Poland released Lunar / Solar on CD in 2017, and the EP quickly got appropriate feedback both from the press and the public.

Already in the second half of 2017, All My Sins were once again in the studio, this time working on a full-length conceptually dedicated to The Wolf as a mythological being. Titled Pra Sila – Vukov Totem (rough English translation: "The Primordial Force of the Wolf's Totem"), the album is thematically focused upon the most important and powerful totem in the culture of southern Slavs.

Reflecting the world of impenetrable places, the symbol of The Wolf carries different, often opposed meanings. In mythology regarded as the ancient ancestor of Serbian people, a creature with unusual attributes is believed to possess obscure divine powers. The meeting of man and wolf is mystically dangerous, yet magnificent at the same time. It is the encounter with demonic being and concurrently the moment when a man meets his native forefather. In the world of wilderness abandoned by man, contradictory and strong, The Wolf represents everything we are not, unknown and terrifying - it is the perfection of a stranger.

With eight individual tracks exploring the metaphysical link between the ancestral prehistoric Wolf and the context of the contemporary age, in order to fully comply with the album's symbolic content, Saturnal Records officially releases All My Sins' Pra Sila – Vukov Totem on the 23rd of September, exactly on the day of the last equinox of 2018.

In the meantime, hear the new track "Vukov Totem" in its entirety exclusively HERE. Also hear the previously revealed "Vetrovo Kolo" HERE at Saturnal Records' official YouTube channel.

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Death metal mavericks Maligner stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Attraction to Annihilation, at heavily trafficked web-portal NoCleanSinging.com. Set for international release on August 31st via Blood Harvest Records and Helter Skelter Productions, hear Maligner's Attraction to Annihilation in its entirety exclusively HERE.

One of the most promising hordes Blood Harvest have come across in some time, Maligner are a deathrashing power-trio hailing from the label's home-town of Malmö, Sweden. To date, Maligner have a two-song digital promo released during the autumn of 2016 and then, a few months later, the five-song Demon EP, which Blood Harvest released on cassette tape and digital formats. Bolstered by the attention afforded Demon, the trio truly come into their own on Attraction to Annihilation.

For a debut album, Attraction to Annihilation is as fully formed as they come. Maligner may be only entering their third year of existence, but the attention to craft and class across this eight-song firestorm is seriously the work of veterans - but, of course, ones not yet complacent with their ideas and especially execution. Right from the very first notes of opener "Oath-bound," Maligner explode with a dazzling array of fleet-footed 'n' finesse death metal in a most late '80s mould, back when actual songwriting mattered most and bands like Death, Sadus, and Dark Angel ruled the underground. Indeed, even nomenclature like "deathrash" didn't really exist; it was simply all METAL, just darker and more deathly than what the aboveground was proffering. But, Maligner are no mere retro retread: their compositional prowess is in a league of its own, and their attention to the finer details of aggression bespeaks a maturity that thankfully isn't neutering. In fact, the longer this 31-minute maelstrom rolls on, the more dizzying it becomes, possessing both body and spirit in a grand celebration of destruction and death.

Try as you may, there's just no denying Maligner's Attraction to Annihilation! Stream it in its entirety exclusively HERE, courtesy of NoCleanSinging.com. Preorder info for the CD can be found HERE, and preorder for the vinyl can be found HERE.

www.facebook.com/malignerband
 
www.bloodharvest.se
www.bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com
www.twitter.com/BloodHarvestRec
www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-Harvest-Records/300012152033

When it comes to Swedish Death Metal, the traditional Stockholm way and death metal per se, there is one band you have to mention: Unleashed! Formed in 1989 by vocalist / bass player Johnny Hedlund, Unleashed have been delivering supreme death metal from day one. Dealing with Viking traditions and values, and honing their craft, they have become extreme metal pioneers, musically and lyrically, inspiring legions of other bands with their sound.

The Hunt For White Christ is the fourth album in the continued story line of the World of Odalheim and their Midgard warriors – a story authored by Johnny Hedlund himself, comprising of the past, present, and what Hedlund’s deems as the future of the Viking traditions and values. The album was recorded in the spring of 2018 at Chrome Studios, and does not simply mark the Swedes` 13th full-length album: it also solidifies the bands impact on history, paving the way to their 30th anniversary in 2019!  Three decades of metal onslaught, and they have neither lost their bite, nor their love for pure death metal mayhem!

Johnny Hedlund about The Hunt For White Christ:

     "On our way towards the bands 30th anniversary in 2019, comes the release of our 13th full length album, "The Hunt For White Christ". The band is very much looking forward to meeting our Warriors all over the World on tours and festivals to hear your comments on the new album. And make no mistake, Odalheim will be ours! Let the hunt begin!

Hail Odin!

Johnny and the Boys”

Napalm Records states:

     "We are more than happy about the upcoming release of The Hunt For White Christ by the Swedish Death Metal institution Unleashed. Being in business almost three decades, they proofed their standing and excellence to fans all over the world. Brace yourself for this brutal monument by the Swedish chief Vikings!“

With their seventh full-length album "Marrow" having hit the streets on Dark Essence Records five days ago, Norwegian Alternative Metallers Madder Mortem have released a new video for a track from the album.

Titled "Far From Home" the symbol-laden video is by the noted Romanian artist Costin Choireanu  and can be seen at https://youtu.be/8DIDksyQJUk

About "Far From Home", the band commented that the track:-

     "grew out of an early morning's vocals idea, and into a very Madder song. Everything we love is here: contrasts and melody, fragility and heaviness, anguish and hope. The lyrics are about a long night's uneasy journey into day, about the gut-wrenching worry that rides on the back of truly caring for someone".
 
Regarding the video itself, and the collaboration with Chioreanu, who has a long-standing history with Dark Essence Records and the Norwegian music scene, Madder Mortem went on to say:
 
     "When we approached artist Costin Chioreanu about creating the video for "Far From Home", we gave him the music, the lyrics, and otherwise an absolutely free rein. The result is his unique interpretation of the song and the feeling, and when we first saw it, we were all tearing up. Costin gave the song another dimension, and we are so grateful to him for expanding our music into the visual realm".  
 
As an album, the eleven-track "Marrow" is complex, covering a wide variety of genres and sounds that range from moments of folk / prog to avant-garde.  From delicate ballads to harsh metal, it  is more doomy  than its predecessor "Red in Tooth and Claw", as well as being at times both heavier, and catchier.  It is, according to the band "about sticking to the essence of yourself.  Your ideas, your thoughts, your values".

"Marrow" comes in CD Digipak, Digital and Limited Edition transparent green vinyl and is available from all the usual sellers, or can be ordered from the following:
 
All formats: https://maddermortem.bandcamp.com
CD and Vinyl: https://www.darkessencerecords.no/webshop/
US Webstore: https://darkessence.aisamerch.com/   
 
http://www.maddermortem.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mmortem/ 

Aeolian, melodic death metal group from Mallorca, Spain, has released a new lyric video from their upcoming album Silent Witness. "Return of the Wolf King" draws inspiration from the disastrous culling of wolves at Yellowstone national park, and how it serves as an example how even well meaning human influence can lead to an ecological catastrophe.

https://youtu.be/NPN-Q0mfta0

The album Silent Witness out on Sep 12th on Snow Wave Records.

https://www.facebook.com/aeolianmetalband/
http://snow-wave-records.com/aeolian.html

Italian epic metallers Sound Storm are both excited and proud to introduce the new members who have recently joined the symphonic metal band.
 
Now made up of 7 experienced musicians each bringing their own elements to the music, Sound Storm will feature two different style of vocals both of which are quite different from the previous singers.
 
Due to ex members’ quitting over the years (due to personal decisions), the band wanted something different than before, as they've been craving for something totally different from the past. Sound Storm is a continuous evolutionary process, and these changes are just the start of their (r)evolution.
 
The new line-up is made of:

Chiara Tricarico - Vocals
Andrea Racco - Vocals
Valerio Sbriglione - Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Elena Crolle - Piano, Keyboards and Arrangements
Massimiliano Flak - Bass
Rocco Mirarchi - Rhythm Guitar
Mattia Rubino - Drums

Sound Storm know their fans will give the warmest welcome to Chiara, Andrea and Mattia as permanent members of the band both in the studio and live activities as they are immensely talented and will help the band reach new heights. The new members will have their official touring debut with Sound Storm in September and October alongside the mighty Haggard on the upcoming "Bards of Symphony and Metal" tour, it will definitely be a blast!

Confirmed tour dates:

Tue 18 Sep - Essen, Turock (GER)
Wed 19 Sep - Z7 , Pratteln (SWI)
Thu 20 Sep - Substage, Karlsruhe (GER) 
Fri 21 Sep - Backstage, München (GER)
Sat 22 Sep - Hellraiser, Leipzig (GER) 
Sun 23 Sep - Bi Nuu, Berlin (GER)

Mon 24 Sep - Markthalle, Hamburg (GER) 
Tue 23 Oct - Szene ,Wien (AT)
Thu 25 Oct - Form Space, Cluj-Napoca (ROM)
Fri 26 Oct - Quantic, Bucharest (ROM) 
Sat 27 Oct - TBA, Sofia (BUL) 
Tue 30 Oct - Dom Im Berg, Graz (AT) 
Wed 31 Oct - Dagda Live Club, Retorbido (ITA) 

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In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, Memento Mori are proud to announce the signing of Mexico's Infesticide.

Dwelling in the festering depths of the state of Morelos since 2013, Infesticide exemplify the ilk of primeval death metal that drew its influences from the rawest, most rabid, most uncompromising thrash metal, and relentlessly took the underground scene by storm back in the mid-to-late '80s. Devoid of sterile and polished muscle, and abounding in unbridled fierceness in all departments - from the riffing to the lyrics, and through the vocal delivery - Infesticide fully embody the vision of death metal being ultimately dark, abhorrent, invidious, yelling, filthy, violent, sinister...a total celebration of death.

Infesticide are highly recommended for maniacs of old Morbid Angel, Necrovore, Possessed, Necrosanct, Mortem, Sadistic Intent, Mantas/Death, Blood Spill, Incubus, Desexult, and Insanity.

Memento Mori will unleash the CD version of their debut full-length album by late 2019. Further details to follow in the coming months. For more info, consult the links below.

www.facebook.com/infesticide.death
www.infesticide-death.bandcamp.com

www.memento-mori.es
www.facebook.com/memento.mori.label

Lux Tenebris, the first new material from Italy's The Secret in six years, will see release next week through Southern Lord, and Invisible Oranges is now streaming the scathing EP in its entirety
 
The Secret ends the extensive period of decay since their 2012-released Agnus Dei LP with Lux Tenebris, the EP delivering the most oppressive, blackened scourge from the band yet. Following three years without communication between members, the band regrouped under the same roof for the first time since 2015 to record this three-song act in sonic exploration of the theme of the sepulchre.
 
With their advance stream of the EP, Invisible Oranges offers in part, "The three songs on Lux Tenebris are the first from the band since 2012's Agnus Dei and as such they serve as more of a reintroduction to The Secret than a continuation of their previous releases... The Secret are a more patient band in 2018, but only in their willingness to let parts develop at a steadier pace. If anything, their raw speed has increased."
 
Stream The Secret's Lux Tenebris EP at Invisible Oranges RIGHT HERE.
 
Southern Lord will issue The Secret's Lux Tenebris as part of the label's special twentieth anniversary subscription series on August 31st with a small portion of the pressing to be available via label direct mail-order. The 12" vinyl pressing bears the three tracks on the A-side, with a silk-screened B-side; the EP will also be released on all digital platforms. Find pre-orders at the label web-store HERE, European store HERE, and Bandcamp HERE.
 
The twenty-minute Lux Tenebris EP sees The Secret abandoning the minimalistic approach of the previous two albums, the band expanding its sound by adding more layered and textural guitar work to the primordial destructive aggression that distinguished the Solve Et Coagula and Agnus Dei LPs. While still physical and confrontational, these songs show no concern for mortality and forget time and deterioration, creating new room for resonation and atmosphere. Lux Tenebris is an ode to the eternal night suspended beyond life and death. The signature sound of the band is pushed to its extreme by further developing the black metal and doom influences reminiscent of Southern Lord mid-2000s catalog, showcasing The Secret as one of Italy's undeniably darkest bands in existence once again. Lux Tenebris was recorded by Steve Scanu and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege and completed with a cover illustration and layout by View From The Coffin.
 
https://www.facebook.com/The-Secret-95794903277
http://thesecret.bigcartel.com
http://www.southernlord.com
http://southernlord.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/twatterlord
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