Black metal visionaries LvxCaelis premiere the new track "The Beginning Was the End" through CVLTNation.com. The track hails from the band's highly anticipated third album, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, set for international release on October 31st via Lamech Records. A symbiosis of spiritual black metal and its Bathorian antecedent, here LvxCaelis create a shimmering cavern of haunting splendor, of cosmic weight verily crushed with the tyranny of true masters. Mystical and mesmerizing, Maher Shalal Hash Baz is the sound of LvxCaelis at the very peak of their powers. Hear "The Beginning Was the End," the first track to be revealed from the new album, in its entirety exclusively HERE.

LvxCaelis was formed in the year 2004 in southern Chile by Irad and former drummer Etlidur. The band was rehearsing actively during their first years but faced many line-up changes. In early 2009, their first demo, Nigredo-The Dead Head, was recorded in the form of a rehearsal. This demo caught the attention of Lamech Records, which later released this recording on pro tape format limited to 300 copies. In the year 2011, LvxCaelis entered the studio and recorded their debut album, Mysteria Mystica Maxima 23, released one year later by Lamech Records. This album got a very good response from the black metal underground worldwide. Frater N. joins the band that year as their bass-player.

In 2012, LvxCaelis decided to perform live for the very first time. Their debut show was held in December 2012 in Santiago, Chile. In the beginning of 2014, the band recorded a new demo called Slaughtering of the Lamb, which was meant to be an advance for their upcoming full-length. This demo was released by Lamech Records on pro tape format and limited to 300 copies. All copies sold out very fast, and it got great response, as well. In the same year, Irad travelled to Sweden to record the new album and perform a few exclusive dates - this time, integrating members of Hetroertzen for the live performances. The Watchers, the band's second album, was then recorded by Irad and Deacon D. on drums and released by Lamech Records in 2014.

In 2015, LvxCaelis was invited to join Hetroertzen on their US mini-tour. This was the band’s first time performing on North American soil, and they got a great response there. Between 2017 and 2018, LvxCaelis focused on preparing material for a new album. During this time, the line-up was completed by the addition of drummer Frater B. Later in the autumn of 2018, LvxCaelis joined Hetroertzen and Sektarism for the "Lvx in Tenebris" European tour where they performed 10 dates over several cities of Europe. After the tour was over, the band travelled to Västerås, Sweden to record their third album, Maher Shalal Hash Baz. Recorded at Lamech Studios by Deacon D., Maher Shalal Hash Baz clearly shows LvxCaelis' musical refinement after 14 years of existence: a vast and visionary work that stays true to the band's original tenets whilst pushing its boundaries ever wider.

In the meantime, hear LvxCaelis' "The Beginning Was the End" - the first track to be revealed from their forthcoming third album, Maher Shalal Hash Baz - in its entirety exclusively HERE, courtesy of CVLTNation.com

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Chilean death metal gods Unaussprechlichen Kulten premiere the new track "The Evil Out of Control" at Decibel magazine's website. The track hails from the band's highly anticipated fifth album,  Teufelsbücher,  set for international release on October 18th via Iron Bonehead Productions. Also on the day of release shall Iron Bonehead reissue the band's cult second album, 2008's People of the Monolith, on vinyl LP format as well as a special compilation of their 7" EPs and their live performance at last year's inaugural Never Surrender Fest, curated by Iron Bonehead and Nuclear War Now! Unaussprechlichen Kulten will also be making their first US performance at this year's Never Surrender Fest, scheduled to take place on October 19th and 20th, 2019, in Oakland, California (more info after the jump). Hear Unaussprechlichen Kulten's "The Evil Out of Control" in its entirety exclusively HERE.

For 20 years now, Unaussprechlichen Kulten have built a commanding canon of eldritch death metal DARKNESS. From their early demos to later splits and especially their preceding four full-lengths - not least of which, 2014's Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath and 2017's Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X), both released by Iron Bonehead to widespread critical acclaim - this Chilean cult have explored the furthest reaches of primordial dread and ancient mysticism, all through pure 'n' authentic Metal of Death. And now, a whole two decades after their formation, Unaussprechlichen Kulten continue to push themselves toward the beyond with the mesmerizing Teufelsbücher.

Although one can easily say that Teufelsbücher encompasses the signature Unaussprechlichen Kulten aesthetic - songwriting that slithers through the slime with a preternatural grace, execution that's barbaric and crusted in mud and blood, production that plumbs the foulest ends of the sonic spectrum - uniquely, this fathomless fifth full-length is arguably the band's densest and most dissonant work to date. Unleashing morbid fascination regarding superstition and witchcraft, Unaussprechlichen Kulten once again suffuse their increasingly angular ruminations with a thoroughly researched thematic grounding.

Teufelsbücher - literally, "The books of the Devil," written in German - had their pinnacle since the end of Luther’s existence in 1545, until 1604. During that consolidation period of the amendment, with 39 original copies, they are in great deal the precursors from the great house of witches. The Devil acquires strength step by step, which will reach its zenith in the 16th and 17th centuries when Europe granted an enormous attention to the Devil. The Teufelsbücher sentenced sharply that every mortal committing a sin would inevitably fall under the powers of the lord of Hell. Written with the purpose of denouncing vices and sins back then, theologists and inquisitors wanted to contribute on this particular fight against evil writing treaties where nature, knowledge, cunning, and the power of Satan were questioned, and where means were established to fight spells, omens, charms, vane healers, the notorious art, etc. Through hundreds of pages, prodigious, fantastic, wonderful, and scary stories were included, as well. However, along with revealing their own perversion finally instead of warning men, they ended up causing fascination and unleashing morbid fascination regarding superstition and witchcraft.

With this quite-literally medieval foundation firmly in place, Unaussprechlichen Kulten proceed to plow through 42 minutes of exceptionally epic and challenging territory. Totaling six stout labyrinths of song, Teufelsbücher twists and turns in diabolically obscene / obscenely diabolical ways, retaining immediacy and urgency despite those daunting song lengths. No less feral and frightening than before, Unaussprechlichen Kulten bend the listener's mind (and body) to their unholy will, slipstreaming with a devilishly nuanced grace paradoxically at odds with their blunt-force trauma. Of course, hallucinogenic tension reaches a fever pitch here on Teufelsbücher, as the powerless listener pleads for sweet release...only to find ever-more-treacherous territory, each barb more gnarled than the last.

Unaussprechlichen Kulten have built a nigh-unchallenged canon that takes all the urgency 'n' ugliness of classic death metal and upends it into the realm of high art. When, this late into their career, they could easily coast into crowd-pleasing catchiness, these revered Chileans take the path less travelled and speak ever stranger tongues: verily, Teufelsbücher.

Continue speaking their dense, dissonant language with the new track "The Evil Out of Control" exclusively HERE, courtesy of Decibel, North America's only monthly metal magazine. Begin speaking their dense, dissonant language with the previously revealed "Cranquiluria" HERE at Iron Bonehead's Soundcloud. 

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Chile's premier thrash band Ripper have launched the exclusive premiere of the title track from their forthcoming new EP, Sensory Stagnation. The stream is online now at No Clean Singing, who had this to say about the track:

     “It keeps things fierce and fast. Imagine early Kreator being covered by Watchtower and you might be honing in on the Ripper sound. And while the promo material name-checks Atheist, it is just as appropriate to mention Sadus, who also constructed technical Death Thrash, and at least on  Swallowed in Black, they stood with the best of them. And while Sadus had Steve Digorgio on bass,  Ripper has its own bass virtuoso in the form of Pablo Cortés, whose awe-inspiring lines are a constant throughout this release.”

Check out "Sensory Stagnation" at this location.

Sensory Stagnation is coming September 30th on CD, cassette and digital platforms from Unspeakable Axe Records, with a vinyl release to follow from Dark Descent Records.

The high-speed thrashing and intricate riffs are still there, as well as the philosophical lyrics and incomprehensibly good bass work. But the band has leaned a little further into their progressive influences, with a more pronounced presence of Atheist riding shotgun with their usual Teutonic and South American thrash forerunners. The result is an outing that feels rich despite a run time of roughly 20 minutes, loaded with some of the band's best playing and most fascinating ideas to date

RIPPER is:

Nicolás Villanueva - Drums
Venus Torment - Guitar /Vocals
Pablo Cortés - Bass
Daniel Poblete - Guitars

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Chilean metal elite Slaughtbbath stream the entirety of their long-awaited second album, Alchemical Warfare, at heavily trafficked web-portal NoCleanSinging.com. Set for international release on September 6th via Hells Headbangers, hear Slaughtbbath's Alchemical Warfare in its entirety exclusively HERE.

For a decade and a half now, Slaughtbbath have prolifically pursued a fierce 'n' fiery vision of total black/death METAL. With a rich yet uniformly exemplary discography, this power-trio have laid waste to the underground across a myriad demos, splits, EPs, and 2013's now-classic debut album, Hail to Fire. Allied with Hells Headbangers since 2016, a split 7" with Grave Desecrator followed that summer, with September 2017 seeing the release of the Contempt, War and Damnation compilation, which precluded the band's first-ever North American tour alongside fellow Chilean labelmates Communion.

Slaughtbbath have kept quiet since then, studiously brewing the firestorm that is Alchemical Warfare. A consolidation of the band's beyond-considerable strengths as well as an extension of them, Alchemical Warfare was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Pablo Clares at DM6 studio in Santiago, Chile during 2017/2018. Here, Slaughtbbath are at the peak of their powers, pulsing with both bestiality and burliness alike, and yet exhibiting a nuanced songwriting nous that is second to none. Their sulphurous maelstrom is a veritable meat-grinder of South American darkness lo these past four decades, both reverent of the past whilst forging an even-darker future, and Alchemical Warfare finds the band hitting a fever pitch, its nine-song/36-minute runtime both succinct and satisfying. Each track invokes utter possession - a hypnotic diabolism, perhaps, in spite of the often-frantic tempos - but Slaughtbbath possess the prolific experience to convey that diabolism in a dynamic manner. If anything, Alchemical Warfare is the band's best-produced record to date, and a survey of its song titles suitably convey the occultic austerity within: the title track, naturally, as well as the closing trifecta of "Amulets of Carnage," "Celestial Overthrow," and "Ascension to the Dragon's Throne," as well as the ever-epic "Rejoined Into Chaos."

However, especially at this point in time and the career high-point that is Alchemical Warfare, it is important to underline the unique differences in Slaughtbbath makeup. For one, the band hail from San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, a small countryside town with no scene at all, whereas most Chilean bands hail from the bigger cities; in fact, early on, Slaughtbbath were branded "rural black metal" when they played live. Secondly and relatedly, they've not once ever strived to "sound South American," much less do there exist any other Chilean bands doing a similar thing musically or lyrically. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, Slaughtbbath have maintained a solid line-up and kept up constant activity - both on record and on the live front - all these years while most bands disappear, fade, change members, come back, or form new bands with the same line-up to fit into the new trend. The Slaughtbbath name is thus iron-fisted, inexorable, and immaculate

With more eyes than ever on the Chilean black/death scene, it's high time that the leaders separate themselves from the followers. Slaughtbbath firmly and furiously take the torch and lead the way forward with Alchemical Warfare. Get fully burned exclusively HERE, courtesy of NoCleanSinging.com. Pre-order info can be found at Hells Headbangers' Bandcamp HERE.

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Lamech Records announces October 31st as the international release date for LvxCaelis' highly anticipated third album, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, on CD, vinyl LP, and special edition formats. A symbiosis of spiritual black metal and its Bathorian antecedent, here LvxCaelis create a shimmering cavern of haunting splendour, of cosmic weight verily crushed with the tyranny of true masters. Mystical and mesmerizing, Maher Shalal Hash Baz is the sound of LvxCaelis at the very peak of their powers.

LvxCaelis was formed in the year 2004 in southern Chile by Irad and former drummer Etlidur. The band was rehearsing actively during their first years but faced many line-up changes. In early 2009, their first demo, Nigredo-The Dead Head, was recorded in the form of a rehearsal. This demo caught the attention of Lamech Records, which later released this recording on pro tape format limited to 300 copies. In the year 2011, LvxCaelis entered the studio and recorded their debut album, Mysteria Mystica Maxima 23, released one year later by Lamech Records. This album got a very good response from the black metal underground worldwide. Frater N. joins the band that year as their bass-player.

In 2012, LvxCaelis decided to perform live for the very first time. Their debut show was held in December 2012 in Santiago, Chile. In the beginning of 2014, the band recorded a new demo called Slaughtering of the Lamb, which was meant to be an advance for their upcoming full-length. This demo was released by Lamech Records on pro tape format and limited to 300 copies. All copies sold out very fast, and it got great response, as well. In the same year, Irad travelled to Sweden to record the new album and perform a few exclusive dates - this time, integrating members of Hetroertzen for the live performances. The Watchers, the band's second album, was then recorded by Irad and Deacon D. on drums and released by Lamech Records in 2014.

In 2015, LvxCaelis was invited to join Hetroertzen on their US mini-tour. This was the band’s first time performing on North American soil, and they got a great response there. Between 2017 and 2018, LvxCaelis focused on preparing material for a new album. During this time, the line-up was completed by the addition of drummer Frater B. Later in the autumn of 2018, LvxCaelis joined Hetroertzen and Sektarism for the "Lvx in Tenebris" European tour where they performed 10 dates over several cities of Europe. After the tour was over, the band travelled to Västerås, Sweden to record their third album, Maher Shalal Hash Baz. Recorded at Lamech Studios by Deacon D., Maher Shalal Hash Baz clearly shows LvxCaelis' musical refinement after 14 years of existence: a vast and visionary work that stays true to the band's original tenets whilst pushing its boundaries ever wider.

First track premiere to be revealed shortly. Cover art, courtesy of Åskväder / 109 Art.

www.facebook.com/lvxcaelis407

www.lamech-records.org
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Following the release of their acclaimed second full-length, Experiment of Existence, Chile's premier thrash band Ripper are back with their first new material in three years. Sensory Stagnation feels like a continuation and evolution of the band's established sound.

Album track "The Unreal" is now streaming at this location.

The high-speed thrashing and intricate riffs are still there, as well as the philosophical lyrics and incomprehensibly good bass work. But the band has leaned a little further into their progressive influences, with a more pronounced presence of Atheist riding shotgun with their usual Teutonic and South American thrash forerunners. The result is an outing that feels rich despite a run time of roughly 20 minutes, loaded with some of the band's best playing and most fascinating ideas to date.

Sensory Stagnation is coming September 30th on CD, cassette and digital platforms from Unspeakable Axe Records, with a vinyl release to follow from Dark Descent Records.

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ripperdeathrashchile.bandcamp.com

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Chilean traditional metallers Hemisferio stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album,  Anacronía, at Decibel magazine's website. Set for international release on July 8th via Dying Victims Productions. Hear Hemisferio's Anacronía in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Hailing from the cult metal hotbed of Chile, Hemisferio have been prodigiously perfecting their iron-clad craft since 2015. A couple singles kicked off their heavy metal march, soon followed by a split tape with Chilean comrades Asedio in 2016. With momentum building, those early singles found their way onto 7" vinyl format, that same year, and then capped off by rough 'n' rowdy live album. Afterwards, vocalist Pedro Antonio departed and was replaced by Carlos Contador.

With that line-up firmly in place, Hemisferio make their grand entrance onto the worldwide stage with Anacronía. Suitably, this debut album encapsulates all the magic, mystery, and might of their aesthetic thus far, except rendered in rich, era-authentic analogue. Indeed, Hemisferio create a truly ancient sound that encompasses many early '80s metals: the NWOBHM taking creative flight, the first rustic rumblings of the contemporaneous US power metal scene, Teutonic metal burning brightly in the night before revving into thrash overdrive, and even Scandinavia's oft-overlooked contribution to the heavy metal lexicon during this era. However, even in their native tongue, Hemisferio's passion pours forth across each of these nine anthems in the making, with moody-yet-majestic solos flying fast and free, underpinned by a subtle yet no less dynamic rhythm section. And as prefaced by the preceding single from last year, Carlos Contador proves to be a commanding frontman, his tone and delivery bleeding the hard-fought/wrought pathos intrinsic to early, working-class metal.

Gaze into the crystal ball, raise thy sword, and rev that motorcycle, for Hemisferio have arrived with Anacronía! Hear the full sound of that arrival exclusively HERE, courtesy of Decibel, North America's only monthly metal magazine. 

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Chilean traditional metallers Hemisferio premiere the new track "Hasta Encontrarte" at Legacy magazine's website. The track hails from the band's highly anticipated debut album, Anacronía, set for international release on July 8th via Dying Victims Productions. Hear Hemisferio's "Hasta Encontrarte" in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Hailing from the cult metal hotbed of Chile, Hemisferio have been prodigiously perfecting their iron-clad craft since 2015. A couple singles kicked off their heavy metal march, soon followed by a split tape with Chilean comrades Asedio in 2016. With momentum building, those early singles found their way onto 7" vinyl format, that same year, and then capped off by rough 'n' rowdy live album. Afterwards, vocalist Pedro Antonio departed and was replaced by Carlos Contador.

With that lineup firmly in place, Hemisferio make their grand entrance onto the worldwide stage with Anacronía. Suitably, this debut album encapsulates all the magic, mystery, and might of their aesthetic thus far, except rendered in rich, era-authentic analog. Indeed, Hemisferio create a truly ancient sound that encompasses many early '80s metals: the NWOBHM taking creative flight, the first rustic rumblings of the contemporaneous US power metal scene, Teutonic metal burning brightly in the night before revving into thrash overdrive, and even Scandinavia's oft-overlooked contribution to the heavy metal lexicon during this era. However, even in their native tongue, Hemisferio's passion pours forth across each of these nine anthems in the making, with moody-yet-majestic solos flying fast and free, underpinned by a subtle yet no less dynamic rhythm section. And as prefaced by the preceding single from last year, Carlos Contador proves to be a commanding frontman, his tone and delivery bleeding the hard-fought/wrought pathos intrinsic to early, working-class metal.

Gaze into the crystal ball, raise thy sword, and rev that motorcycle, for Hemisferio have arrived with Anacronía! Hear the next sound of that arrival with the new track  "Hasta Encontrarte" exclusively HERE, courtesy of Legacy, Germany's defenders of the true. And hear the first sound of that arrival with the previously revealed "Tres Sombras" HERE at Dying Victims' official YouTube channel.

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Chilean speed metallers Sins of the Damned stream the entirety of their highly anticipated debut album, Striking the Bell of Death, at Legacy magazine's website. Set for international release on May 3rd via Shadow Kingdom Records, hear Sins of the Damned's Striking the Bell of Death in its entirety exclusively HERE.

Formed in 2013 in the city of Santiago, Sins of the Damned have become a cult institution in their homeland of Chile, itself a hotbed of heavy metal mania. The band self-released their first couple of demos, totally DIY but 100% professional, and prodigiously perfected their craft with subsequent short-length releases every year since. And now, at last arrives the full distillation of Sins of the Damned's eternal, unyielding aesthetic: the full-length Striking the Bell of Death!

For a debut album, Striking the Bell of Death does everything it should: consolidate all of Sins of the Damned's strengths, unveil previously hinted-at elements, and deliver them in a powerful production. The beauty (or is that ugliness?) of Sins of the Damned is that the quartet maintain such a classic sound, drinking deeply of metal's rich history, and yet exude a freshness of approach that results in something legitimately, respectably modern. Striking the Bell of Death is full, furious proof of that, exhibiting absolutely masterful songwriting - hooks, energy, passion, EVERYTHING - while roughening it up in a manner almost blackened (but not too much!). As such, the record comes highly recommended to maniacs of classic Razor, Whiplash, Exciter, and Deathrow (Germany) as well as current torch-bearers like Desaster, Gospel of the Horns, Deathhammer, and Italy's Barbarian.

Hark! Do you hear that sound? It's Sins of the Damned Striking the Bell of Death - and they're coming for YOU! The full tolling bell of doom can be heard exclusively HERE, courtesy of Legacy, Germany's defenders of the true. Pre-order info can be found HERE at Shadow Kingdom's Bandcamp.

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Thrash or be thrashed! Chilean heshers Critical Defiance are set to release their debut full-length, Misconception.

Critical Defiance goes straight for the jugular with their relentless and intricate brand of old-school thrash metal. Though spawned in the depths of Chile's underground, Critical Defiance bear all the markings of a band that came straight from the 80s Bay Area scene.

Following two demos and a limited-edition split with Santiago's Parkcrest, Critical Defiance signed with Unspeakable Axe Records for the release of Misconception. This eight-track album is an aggressive assault of violent riffs, shredding, yet melodic leads and shouted group vocals.

Stream album track "What About You" at https://youtu.be/TxQ0WKquTPk

Misconception will be out February 8 on Unspeakable Axe Records.

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