Úlfúð

Of Existential Distortion

Dark Descent

Bred in the land of ice and fire, Úlfúð are the latest addition to Dark Descent’s flawless, ever-diversifying roster. Championing their personal blend of black and death metal (with emphasis on the former), the band’s debut album Of Existential Distortion uniquely captures the desolate vastness of the volcanic wastelands like only Icelanders can. Úlfúð’s first full-length is a masterclass in songcraft, showcasing a stunning balance of entrancing atmosphere, haunting melody, and deathless violence. Artist Bahrull Marta was summoned to conjure the breath-taking artwork, whilst photographs by Alma Líf Þorsteinsdóttir adorn the inlay with visions of each offering. “We are extremely excited to be releasing our first full-length album with Dark Descent! This album heralds our entity and declares our intent; to immerse you in our ritual of catharsis and cacophony! We cannot wait to share our music with you. The time is nigh!” Úlfúð’s (pronounced “ool-wooth”, meaning animosity or hostility) were formed in early 2015 in Reykjavik, Iceland. The band self-released debut EP First Sermon in 2018 and recorded debut Of Existential Distortion in 2020. A release truly worth waiting for!

Vacuous

Dreams Of Dysphoria

Dark Descent

London’s Vacuous finally present their debut album to follow the magnificent 2020 EP Katabasis. Greeting the listener along with the equally gloomy cover-art is an array of spectral and atmospheric death metal that is haunting beyond the nightmarish depths of the human mind. Perhaps owing to their fixation on the human psyche, or the equally inescapable reality their music conjures with contorting riffs, rock-solid drumming and bellowed vocals, chasms of atmosphere are opened to pour one’s own psyche into. One of the most unique things about Vacuous is their ability to play such bludgeoning, heavy music while retaining a very anguished emotional side, lending massively to the cataclysmic ambience of Dreams Of Dysphoria. The outcome of this is music is sonically punishing. From eerily dragging moments of graven doom through to the churning malice of sickeningly twisted fury, there is nothing but charnel brilliance on display here in a truly diverse platter of hostilities. While one could wrongfully assume that there is only simplicity to be found in this style of music, Vacuous have an utterly unique, warped way of writing their songs that is like no other. From the gloomier moments to the gut-wrenching hooks, there is always something slightly off-kilter here that is disquieting and unfamiliar. This feverish and unwelcoming side of the music is hard to shake, which gives the album a genuinely disturbing factor while the absolutely ferocious death metal core is never lost, nor anything short of thrust upon oneself. It would be an easy...

Faceless Burial

At The Foothills Of Deliration

Dark Descent

Since 2014, Australian death metal trio Faceless Burial have provided Dark Descent with two scorching albums, an EP and a demo. Well it is now time to see if this winning streak of brutality continues! Never a band to falter, At The Foothills Of Deliration begins on blast-beats and firestorms of malevolent riffing, with more deliciously warped bass lines that provide an intricate tapestry of sound, along with squealing leads and gargantuan vocals. The punchiness and utterly monolithic production instantly captivates the mind while the musicianship bends into inhuman shapes from the onset, taking one into cosmic realms and sepulchral crypts in sweeps of dynamic brilliance. The technical edge is still very much present, thus fans of insane musicianship can rest easy, faces will melt. That said, this is no obnoxious show of skill without substance as the previous material can attest to. No, Faceless Burial are masterful songwriters as well, who can string together beautiful atmospherics and odious grooves into an unimaginably bold and vibrant yet still filthily heavy cut of death metal. Clocking in at just under forty minutes with six diverse tracks woven into a singularity, this new record lives up to the name Faceless Burial with exquisitely interesting and gripping music that shall hold even the dullest attention span—thanks to the malignant heaviness and contorting progressions that are offered in abundance, without feeling too haphazard (though definitely chaotic). As soon as anything can become comfortable, an angular change shifts into play with barbaric aggression conveying extremely...

Strychnos

A Mother's Curse

Dark Descent

Danish extreme metal veterans Strychnos reveal their long-awaited debut A Mother’s Curse on Colorado Springs’ Dark Descent Records... Formed in 1997 by Martin Leth Andersen (also of Undergang fame), Strychnos might just be the Danish underground’s best kept secret. A Mother’s Curse is the product of a craft perfected over twenty-five years of toil, a true celebration of extreme metal mastery that surpasses all genre limitations. “We are proud to finally present eight tracks of pitch-black death metal tragedy as it was always intended to be: dark, atmospheric, brutal, and tragic!” exclaims Andersen. The intricately sculpted compositions shift seamlessly between moods of terror, hope, and tragedy, building a momentous atmosphere rarely achieved in this day and age. Add to this the inventive riffing and bone-shattering vocals of the highest order and the result is A Mother’s Curse. The truly complete work is wrapped in stunning cover by the inimitable Daniel Corcuera: “The chilling motif is based on Danish sculptor Niels Hansen Jacobsen’s statue Death And The Mother from 1892, depicting a young woman in the moment of ultimate tragedy. Jacobsen was inspired by the ending of The Tale Of A Mother, a story written in 1847 by famous author Hans Christian Andersen: ‘And Death walked with her child into the unknown land.’ ”

Hyperdontia

Nexus Of Teeth

Dark Descent

Some of the best death metal out there was made out of accident. But yes, sometimes magic does happen. A bunch of people who, on paper, sometimes weren't even supposed to meet, let alone make music together, share a beer or two, get talking, realize that more in common that they first realize, book a rehearsal room "just to see" and boom, come up with a monster they never thought they would create in the first place. In a nutshell, that's basically the case with Hyperdontia, a surprising gathering of forces of what the Danish and Turkish scenes have the best to offer in terms of vile, sick and disgusting music. Mustafa (guitar) and Malik (bass) had been playing together for years in many different bands (in)famous in the Istanbul scene, among them Burial Invocation. When the latter got invited to play the 2010 edition of the Kill Town Death Fest in Copenhagen, they met co-organiser but also Undergang/Phrenelith frontman David and the trio just clicked. Then, after Malik had moved permanently to Denmark, Mustafa showed his friend all those "cool"' songs he had come up with that just didn't fit the bands he was involved with at the time and asked for advice. Malik urged him to start a new venture, offering his service and suggesting David as their vocalist in the process. Last piece of the puzzle was Phrenelith, Polish-born drummer Tuna. "That when what was initially just a home project turned into an actual band" confirms Malik....

Imprecation

In Nomine Diaboli

Dark Descent

The name Imprecation echoes forth from Hell once again in the form of In Nomine Diaobli. As a direct follow up to their acclaimed Damnatio Ad Bestias, this will prove to be the band’s darkest and most regal album yet. Tendrils of pure evil will engulf the listener with Satanic hymns that recall the greatest days of Deicide and Morbid Angel. Imprecation’s own version of this venerable death metal tradition brings forth moments ranging from blistering and relentless to crushingly heavy, and all shall yield in their wake. Do not mistake this for “old school death metal”—this is death metal the way it was always intended: powerful, malevolent, and uncompromising. Give oneself over in the name of the Devil to experience Imprecation at the height of their powers.

Castrator

(Color) Defiled In Oblivion

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED GOLD WITH BLACK GALAXY VINYL!!! This summer, furious old school mastery returns to Dark Descent Records in the form of Castrator’s long-awaited debut album Defiled In Oblivion. Nearly seven years have passed since their No Victim EP set the scene aflame…yet these were mere warning shots across the bow. With their third release to date, the New York four-piece have perfected their blend of fierce old-school USDM to a fault. More uncompromising and ruthless than ever before, Castrator’s zero-fucks-given approach rips and shreds across nine hypnotically violent new tracks (alongside a cover of Venom’s “Countess Bathory”) and makes Defiled In Oblivion a release to be reckoned with. Boys club beware!

Begrime Exemious

Rotting In The Aftermath

Dark Descent

Edmontonian death merchants Begrime Exemious are back with a devastating long-player on the mighty Dark Descent Records. Rotting In The Aftermath marks the band’s fourth album, all of which were released through the Colorado label. The band's tireless work ethic is renowned throughout the scene, with annual releases the order of the day. Yet six years have passed since 2016’s The Enslavement Conquest’—just what took them so long?! “Following the release of The Enslavement Conquest in 2016, we started to write music for its follow up. We took our time over the next couple years writing the songs, as we were still supporting the last album on the road with tours across the US and Canada,” reveals vocalist / guitarist Derek Orthner. “Naturally, the new songs made their way into our set lists, and by 2018, we attempted to record. This session was aborted in favor of further refinement, as we felt these songs could benefit from faster tempos and even lower tunings in some cases. Finally, in 2019, we recorded the nine tracks of what would become our fourth full length, Rotting In The Aftermath. We pushed ourselves deeper into the realms of death metal, and as such, we feel that [this album] is the best representation of what Begrime Exemious is all about. It was truly forged on the road, and takes our brand of filth to the next level of apocalyptic devastation.”

Castrator

Defiled In Oblivion

Dark Descent

This summer, furious old school mastery returns to Dark Descent Records in the form of Castrator’s long-awaited debut album Defiled In Oblivion. Nearly seven years have passed since their No Victim EP set the scene aflame…yet these were mere warning shots across the bow. With their third release to date, the New York four-piece have perfected their blend of fierce old-school USDM to a fault. More uncompromising and ruthless than ever before, Castrator’s zero-fucks-given approach rips and shreds across nine hypnotically violent new tracks (alongside a cover of Venom’s “Countess Bathory”) and makes Defiled In Oblivion a release to be reckoned with. Boys club beware!

Chaotian

Effigies Of Obsolescence

Dark Descent

Following up on their two hugely respected demos (also available as a compilation) and fairly recent 7-inch, Chaotian are back to release ultimate death metal barbarity into the underground in the form of their debut full length, Effigies Of Obsolescence. Storming into life with a rotten amalgamation of putrescent riffing and blast beats, the instrumental unity of this Danish titan is a juggernaut of pure filth. It is telling when a band can have those super groovy pinch harmonic-laden riffs and not make them sound like all the others. This may seem a weirdly specific observation—perhaps a guitarist just being a guitarist—but it makes all the difference with heaviness, intensity and also the catchiness on the records. When met with the sewer-spewing vocals and weird dissonant spasms in the music, it doesn’t take long to recognise this will be a truly warped and maniacally brutal experience of death metal might. Interlinking primitive hooks that grasp one by the throat then transcend into weird effects or spacious riffs, there’s nothing predictable about the album—yet it has that familiar feeling that all good death metal has, where it feels a bit daunting, unnerving and yet inescapable. Obviously Denmark and this trio does not let the scene down. Amazingly, this small country seems to have so much diversity in their rotten underground movement and Chaotian are a shining example who embody the grotesqueries, masterful songwriting, and tight musicianship that has become associated with this otherwise pretty and peaceful nation. It explains that mysterious...

Begrime Exemious

(Color) Rotting In The Aftermath

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED COLORED VINYL!!! Edmontonian death merchants Begrime Exemious are back with a devastating long-player on the mighty Dark Descent Records. Rotting In The Aftermath marks the band’s fourth album, all of which were released through the Colorado label. The band's tireless work ethic is renowned throughout the scene, with annual releases the order of the day. Yet six years have passed since 2016’s The Enslavement Conquest’—just what took them so long?! “Following the release of The Enslavement Conquest in 2016, we started to write music for its follow up. We took our time over the next couple years writing the songs, as we were still supporting the last album on the road with tours across the US and Canada,” reveals vocalist / guitarist Derek Orthner. “Naturally, the new songs made their way into our set lists, and by 2018, we attempted to record. This session was aborted in favor of further refinement, as we felt these songs could benefit from faster tempos and even lower tunings in some cases. Finally, in 2019, we recorded the nine tracks of what would become our fourth full length, Rotting In The Aftermath. We pushed ourselves deeper into the realms of death metal, and as such, we feel that [this album] is the best representation of what Begrime Exemious is all about. It was truly forged on the road, and takes our brand of filth to the next level of apocalyptic devastation.”

Desolate Shrine

(Color) Fires Of The Dying World

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED COLOR VINYL!!! At long last the successor to 2017’s Deliverance From The Godless Void has been unconfined from the clandestine vaults of Dark Descent Records. Aptly titled Fires Of The Dying World, Finland’s Desolate Shrine delivers forty-six minutes of their unique death metal possession. The masterful craftsmanship on this fifth album is unmistakable—a true portrait of a band at their absolute peak. Yet be forewarned before indulging from the poison chalice of Fires Of The Dying World, for it ensnares its victims in an inescapable maelstrom of death and futility. Absolute surrender is the recommended response, as one descends into a claustrophobic trance that erases the world around and reaches into one’s very soul. Upon awakening… nothing will be quite the same again… Let the fires burn.

The Lord Diabolus

Down There

Dark Descent

Dark Descent Records has the extreme honor to present the official first-time vinyl reissue of BEHERIT's legendary “Down There…” recording that the band released originally as THE LORD DIABOLUS in 1991. This is one of the most significant Finnish Black Metal recordings of all time. Containing four legendary pieces, the release comes as heavy-weight 12” with the B-side presenting the iconic Baphomet sigil etched.

Berator

(Color) Elysian Inferno

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED COLOR VINYL!!! Four years after their devastating debut demo, Chicago death merchants Berator vomit forth twenty minutes of fierce, old school black / death on coke via Dark Descent Records. In an age where an over-polished sound is the norm, Elysian Inferno delivers a welcome reminder of just how ferocious and vehement extreme metal can be. Guitarist Richard Olsen, who left behind his Profanatica duties to focus on Berator full-time, stresses the importance of production: “The Berator EP was tracked live, just me and Dan [Klein] (drums) in his studio, and we built around those live tracks for the record, which in itself, gives it a level of raw power you can’t get from a click. Tim Pearson (bass, ex-The Chasm) and Pat Clancy (guitar, ex- Nachtmystium) then added their parts. The sound is entrancing, excruciating and insane, for people who appreciate forward, to the point, nonstop riffs. It’s a seamless record meant to be heard as twenty some-odd straight minutes of rhythm and violence.” The band will embark on a US tour in late May, including a performance at Decibel Magazine’s Metal and Beer Festival in Philadelphia. “Berator is ready to unleash this long-awaited reign of terror, for our upcoming Venomous Onslaught tour with Craven Idol this May / June 2022.”

Proscription

(Color) Conduit

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED COLOR VINYL!!! Although a brand new entity to some, Proscription’s origins can be traced all the way to the late ’90s, back when Terry “Christbutcher” Clark was still living in his native Colorado, learning to raise hell with Excommunion. A decade later, after relocating to Finland, Maveth became his new vehicle and over the course of two demos, one album and one split CD, redefined how “dark” death metal ought to be and sound. And while the band’s sudden demise in 2017 took everybody by surprise, instead of resting on his laurels, Christbutcher immediately vowed to follow the same path albeit under a new flag of hate: Proscription. Spearheading a new, broader and even darker sound, this isn’t Maveth Part 2, even more so since Christbutcher is here assisted by a whole new line-up, including Cruciatus from renowned Dark Descent alumni Lantern, who contributed to the music of “Thy Black Nimbus Gate,” for instance. The result is as majestic as it is menacing sounding. Simply put, this is the kind of death metal that can swallow worlds and exterminate all light. Only preceded by one digital-only demo back in 2018, their first album Conduit, recorded between March and June 2019, showcases a new side to Christbutcher’s musical prowess while retaining that suffocating yet catchy trademark touch. Almost symphonic in parts (as hinted by the poignant intro “Four Wings Within The Samiel”) and with a new found sense of morbid melody emphasizing even more their taste for the epic,...

Ataraxy

The Last Mirror

Dark Descent

Spain’s ATARAXY is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of Death Metal. Between their absolutely magnificent albums and a couple equally worthy EP’s, there is a small yet loyal following of this band who cannot be shaken. Festering in the Lovecraftian pits of doom-tinged Death Metal played with unforgettable atmospherics and high-quality songwriting (with phenomenal art and production never forgotten) there is no mistaking them. Their new offering opens with a glistening introduction of charnel hypnosis before descending into the depths once more. Once more it will be an instantaneously submerging experience for all whom dare tread their sepulchral pathway into abhorrence due to the expansive instrumental assaults that grip you with their many-tendril led approach. From discomforting vocals and eerie leads to the monstrous guitar riffs and contorted bass backed up by some truly hard-hitting drum work, everything works in unison yet slightly out of sync to bring you further into the nightmare of “The Last Mirror”. This new opus, much like its predecessors, works best when listened to intently as a truly engrossing tale of dread and darkness, though individual songs still stand out on their own merits. Aside from the introduction, the band leads with the longest, most drudging track which will be an effective way at shunning away casual listeners, discouraging their unworthy ears from this ghoulish sonic entity that will only be truly appreciated by those with a keen and patient ear. Those special few will be entranced and rewarded by an album that...

Berator

Elysian Inferno

Dark Descent

Four years after their devastating debut demo, Chicago death merchants Berator vomit forth twenty minutes of fierce, old school black / death on coke via Dark Descent Records. In an age where an over-polished sound is the norm, Elysian Inferno delivers a welcome reminder of just how ferocious and vehement extreme metal can be. Guitarist Richard Olsen, who left behind his Profanatica duties to focus on Berator full-time, stresses the importance of production: “The Berator EP was tracked live, just me and Dan [Klein] (drums) in his studio, and we built around those live tracks for the record, which in itself, gives it a level of raw power you can’t get from a click. Tim Pearson (bass, ex-The Chasm) and Pat Clancy (guitar, ex- Nachtmystium) then added their parts. The sound is entrancing, excruciating and insane, for people who appreciate forward, to the point, nonstop riffs. It’s a seamless record meant to be heard as twenty some-odd straight minutes of rhythm and violence.” The band will embark on a US tour in late May, including a performance at Decibel Magazine’s Metal and Beer Festival in Philadelphia. “Berator is ready to unleash this long-awaited reign of terror, for our upcoming Venomous Onslaught tour with Craven Idol this May / June 2022.”

Corpsessed

Succumb To Rot

Dark Descent

Finland’s death metal pacesetters Corpsessed celebrate their fifteenth anniversary with the release of brand-new album Succumb To Rot on Dark Descent Records. The unholy union of Corpsessed and Dark Descent Records, that began with 2011’s highly acclaimed The Dagger & The Chalice EP, endures to this day. Both entities have since gone to transform the shape of the death underground as one know its, carving out a unique niche reserved only for true old school zealots. With a steady line-up of seven years in place, and a strong foothold on the top of the death metal hierarchy, Corpsessed deliver an arrogantly superior milestone of atmospheric old school death metal enveloped in existential dread. “One circle closes only for another to begin anew. This is the logical conclusion to Impetus Of Death where the limits of human existence gives us a push to even do things in life (art being the pinnacle)—Succumb To Rot is the inevitable end where all things must eventually die and give into the relentless forces of entropy, and disintegrate into nothingness,” reflects guitarist M.M.. The mentally distressing artwork by Vladimir “Smerdulak” Chebakov also continues a tradition of exceptional Corpsessed album covers.

Desolate Shrine

Fires Of The Dying World

Dark Descent

At long last the successor to 2017’s Deliverance From The Godless Void has been unconfined from the clandestine vaults of Dark Descent Records. Aptly titled Fires Of The Dying World, Finland’s Desolate Shrine delivers forty-six minutes of their unique death metal possession. The masterful craftsmanship on this fifth album is unmistakable—a true portrait of a band at their absolute peak.  Yet be forewarned before indulging from the poison chalice of Fires Of The Dying World, for it ensnares its victims in an inescapable maelstrom of death and futility. Absolute surrender is the recommended response, as one descends into a claustrophobic trance that erases the world around and reaches into one’s very soul. Upon awakening… nothing will be quite the same again… Let the fires burn.

Malignant Altar

Realms Of Exquisite Morbidity

Dark Descent

***BACK IN STOCK!!! Note price increase. With only two demos under their belt since inception in 2018, it may seem Malignant Altar have been somewhat quiet by modern standards. This entity has not been slumbering or resting on their laurels, rather crafting the most fetidly obscene album imaginable. With ’80s horror influences, the band introduces a barrage of offal that festers in the phantasmal form of rotten riffing and drudging drums, layering themselves a thick and tarry swamp of instrumental decay. Vocally, the snarly puke that fits the malignantly mesmerizing riff-scape gloriously ensures only the most befitting disgust emanates into one’s speakers from the altar of putridity. Now, some of these metaphors might lead one to think Dark Descent is referring to a regressive band of simple playing ability and limited talent. This would be unforgivably far from the truth, as the restless drumming and technically-edged riffs invoke the likes of Demilich amongst the flow of revolting hooks. Thundering along, through five more typical tracks and a suitably spectral interluding instrumental, the momentum of this record is unforgiving and yet they do not forgo dynamics either. Two years incubation in the crypts of sentient slime and what lurches forth from the slumbering spew is nothing short of magnificent. These Texans have flavor in their death, and know when to add flare or just ride out some obliterating groove ’til the neck is granulated from headbanging.

Hyperdontia

Hideous Entity

Dark Descent

Hyperdontia is a name that needs little introduction. In 2018 this Turkish-Danish death metal machine unleashed A Nexus Of Teeth which proved to be some of the most astounding death metal of recent years, earning the band a huge amount of respect. Along with a couple of EPs and a split with Mortiferum, the quality of their music has remained consistently high. Now they return with their second full length opus Hideous Entity. Opening with a charnel blend of doomy riffs and cavernous drum work, the band draw once more from the spectral vein of old school death metal with their own crushing blend of slower moving extremity. Those lurking riffs that change angle rapidly into ever-evolving depths of ferocity meet a busy and incredibly able drum performance, aided by monstrous vocals to ensure the entire band has a monolithic sound of pure obliteration. To balance such unfathomable musicianship with a tendency for catchiness and groove ensures one receives an expansive and unforgettable experience that will not only destroy but also stick with the listener long after the album finishes. There is a definite progression in instrumentation here as warped bass lines underline the venomous riffing and bombastic drums in a manner that can only be described as otherworldly. While A Nexus Of Teeth was a blunt force trauma of pure death metal hammering, this recording is razor sharp, though holding onto all of the great characteristics of its predecessor, they have not been afraid to experiment and embolden the...

Lvcifyre

The Broken Seal

Dark Descent

Dark and suffocating death metal sorcery from the innermost bowels of the European underground, Lvcifyre’s The Broken Seal is a unique fusion of musical worlds, concocted to plague the reality of flesh. When the band made their way into Milan’s SPVN Studio in early 2020, they had no idea how much everyday reality would be changing around them. As the old world drew its final gasping breaths, Lvcifyre ventured deep into themselves to birth a smothering slab of audible darkness fit to greet the new age.  Calculating and cruel, steeped in an ambience of controlled fury, it offers a jarring journey through the haunted recesses of the mortal mind. Seven painstaking years in the making, Lvcifyre mastermind T. Kaos describes The Broken Seal as “the biggest mountain to climb so far” in his twenty-five years as an active musician.

Sulphurous

The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre

Dark Descent

From the moment one hits play, a lurking sense of dread washes over the body like some all-consuming Lovecraftian terror from the murkiest depths. This feeling lingers long past the ending of the album. This is the kind of death metal that utilizes bold technicality, but stays fearsome and dark in a twisted display of old school might that doesn’t rip off the originators, but honors them with super performances from the entire band. A varied and busy drum performance gives a ruthless backbone to storms of violent, otherworldly riffing and sepulchral vocal grit that functions as a unit to obliterate all in the pathway of this ferocious Danish death metal machine. Sulphurous already has a stellar album, a couple of EPs and a few demos under their belt which all showcase supreme quality. Here one sees that taken even further, so fans can be rest assured that their beloved merchants of morbidity have elevated to even greater heights, while newcomers to this band will be smitten by the sheer excellence of their craftsmanship and musical abilities. Cacophonous atmospheres and eldritch tendrils pulls one into this marvelously eerie record and biting, scathing musicianship will hold the attentiveness of all listeners as the murk clears, showcasing a whole new realm of horrors lurking behind the veil. Gaze into The Black Mouth Of Sepulchre. See what lies beneath and hear the undying sounds of the underworld spewing through into a waking nightmare of pure death metal ecstasy.

Ascended Dead/Atomicide

Ascended Dead/Atomicide Split

Dark Descent

Worlds collide as US juggernauts Ascended Dead combine forces with the relentless Chilean attack of Atomicide to bring you this new eight-song split. Each band provides four recordings including two covers: Sarcofago’s “Christ’s Death” (Ascended Dead) and Sepultura’s “Warriors Of Death” (Atomicide). The pairing combines two unstoppable entities hellbent on destroying one’s ear holes with their vicious style of aural assault. Do not miss what is destined to be the split of 2021!

Craven Idol

Forked Tongues

Dark Descent

Old school stalwarts Craven Idol celebrate their 15th anniversary with third opus Forked Tongues. Swearing by the gods of old, the North London veterans further hone their unique blend of old school extreme metal. “After spending a month on the road with Mystifer, we are a closer-knit unit than ever before. There’s a good reason for this being the longest standing line-up in our fifteen-year existence. The entire band lived and breathed this record in the months preceding the studio, and the performances delivered by each member are testament to their dedication to untarnished extreme metal of old,” says founding member Sadistik Wrath. “Forked Tongues is a vicious and concerted tribute to folly of mankind. In these godless days of Sodom, craven idols are in their element, wheeling and dealing, beckoning you to follow their treacherous causes. The apocalyptic legends of ancient Greece read like unholy divination… and it is from them that we drew the subject matter for the record.” Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tom Dring at Southport’s Vagrant Recordings, Forked Tongues showcases a rawer side of Craven Idol, aiming to bottle the band’s live ferocity.

Craven Idol

(color) Forked Tongues

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED LAVA COLORED VINYL!!! Old school stalwarts Craven Idol celebrate their 15th anniversary with third opus Forked Tongues. Swearing by the gods of old, the North London veterans further hone their unique blend of old school extreme metal. “After spending a month on the road with Mystifer, we are a closer-knit unit than ever before. There’s a good reason for this being the longest standing line-up in our fifteen-year existence. The entire band lived and breathed this record in the months preceding the studio, and the performances delivered by each member are testament to their dedication to untarnished extreme metal of old,” says founding member Sadistik Wrath. “Forked Tongues is a vicious and concerted tribute to folly of mankind. In these godless days of Sodom, craven idols are in their element, wheeling and dealing, beckoning you to follow their treacherous causes. The apocalyptic legends of ancient Greece read like unholy divination… and it is from them that we drew the subject matter for the record.” Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tom Dring at Southport’s Vagrant Recordings, Forked Tongues showcases a rawer side of Craven Idol, aiming to bottle the band’s live ferocity. Gatefold LP with four page 12-inch booklet.

Qrixkuor

Poison Palinopsia

Dark Descent

Note price increase. The recrudescent scourge of Qrixkuor returns to unleash its debut full-length album, entitled Poison Palinopsia. Following 2016’s enigmatic Three Devils Dance EP, Poison Palinopsia is a sordid wound in reality’s distorted veil that spent five restless years aching for a blade to grant it life.  Recorded, mixed and mastered by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios in Birmingham, England, and with cover art contributed once again by the inimitable Daniel Corcuera, the album is a furious and fanatically channeled tempest of feral energy, synonymous in its nightmarish aural attack that seeks to chisel avenues to black inner worlds—a truly fitting soundscape for man’s current state of despondent dissonance. A forty-eight minute, two-part labyrinthine descent into the demented depths of the divine, Poison Palinopsia is less a listening experience and more a voyage—a summoning to scale the treacherous terrains of merciless mountains of madness. The images remain with the light long slain….

Mannveira

Vitahríngur

Dark Descent

Black metal nihilists Mannveira are preparing to unleash their long-awaited full-length debut, Vitahríngur, on Dark Descent Records.  Formed in 2010, Iceland’s Mannveira have been a relatively quiet band during their first decade of existence. Four years after inception, the band released their first EP, Von Er Eitur. Two years later they teamed up with the enigmatic Ellorsith for a haunting split on Dark Descent Records. Silence has largely followed since that split as the black metal band has honed their songwriting skills for 2021‘s Vitahríngur. Recorded in 2018 to 2019, Vitahríngur is a manifestation of the downward spiral which it represents, portrayed in five tracks of abstract misery and violence. This debut album is the culmination of a decade’s work for the band and the darkest journey in their existence. No longer will Mannveira be lurking in the shadow—Vitahríngur is the statement the band has been working toward all along.

Anatomia

Corporeal Torment

Dark Descent

By now, Anatomia should require little introduction. For nearly twenty years, this Japanese cult have explored the darkest and most deranged ends of the death-doom spectrum. Theirs is a sound that’s intrinsically tied to tradition yet evinces a wealth of weirdness, making their sound both classic and challenging in equal measure. And while their countless split recordings are beloved by the band’s ever-growing legions of fans, it is Anatomia’s full-lengths where they truly dive into the deep end, exploring subterranean expanses of the subconscious and sound itself, making each of their three judiciously-spaced-apart albums unique experiences unto themselves. The same can be said for Anatomia’s long-awaited fourth album, Corporeal Torment. Although it’s been merely four years since the critically acclaimed Cranial Obsession —that span of time rather quick between Anatomia albums—Corporeal Torment offers a more concise and daresay “energetic” counterpart to its epically mammoth predecessor. Then again, with tempos rarely kicking above a sludgy gallop as set forth by early heroes Autopsy, it’s not long before second track “Slime of Putrescence” drags the listener well and truly into the void of nulled-senses atmospherics. Indeed, this band’s grasp of mesmerizing mood and dynamics they so masterfully displayed across the aforementioned predecessor is flexed even more fully on their latest: more extremes between crushing and quiet, BPMs often dialed back into the negatives, and reverberating textures that occasionally recall musique concrète. In fact, the slipstream of energy into inertia as the album throbs onward becomes a vortex that’s nigh impossible to escape...but...

Grave Miasma

Abyss Of Wrathful Deities

Dark Descent

Abyss Of Wrathful Deities is Grave Miasma’s latest opus after five years of quiescence. Bone-breaking, aggressive and demonic death metal pairs with the accomplished and progressive production of Jaime Gomez Arellano (Orgone Studios), forming a sepulchral miasma which elevates the band’s songwriting to a previously unrivalled level. Developing on the powerful and dark sound pursued on Endless Pilgrimage, the London trio presents nine distinctively enigmatic tracks on death and resurrection, the demons of far-away lands and Tibetan burial rituals.Grave Miasma are both the circling vulture and the epiphany, equally well-versed in the raw and primitive as they are in technical lead guitar orgies. Music not as a means of style, but as an accurately-wielded sharp scythe.  The reverence to South American titans is obvious, yet the band has the approach of merging (de)composition with creativity, creating a contemporary yet absolutely timeless atmosphere. Brazil’s Pedro Felipe (Ars Moriendee) is responsible for the three-eyed artwork. Do not gaze long into the abyss, for it will devour you….

Undergang

Aldrig I Livet

Dark Descent

Since 2008, Denmark’s Undergang have been pursuing the deepest, darkest depths of total death metal. Steeped in the classics, the quartet aren’t so much “old school” like so many HM-2 worshippers nowadays as they are simply old-sounding, brazenly brandishing a sound that nods to early Finnish death metal and slimy doom-death as equally as timeless goregrind. It’s a sound that’s garnered the band a legion of devotees across the world, and justifiably so. And while it’s been three interminably long years since their last album, Misantropologi, at long last do Undergang arrive with their long-awaited fifth full-length: Aldrig I Livet. Simply put, this is Undergang at their very best, subtly striving for new twists on their characteristic sound whilst making that sound more engaging than ever before. Graced with utterly crushing production, Aldrig I Livet is undoubtedly the band’s most ominous record to date, rooting among the ruins of the most desolate doom-death committed to tape and warping that wreckage with slithering solos that seem to creep like tendrils across an inter-dimensional portal. It’s a sick and sickening slog through the sewers of the subconscious—forecasted by the cover art, once again courtesy of vocalist / guitarist David Mikkelsen—and the band effortlessly lumber forth with a swagger that’s startling to behold. Even this many years into their celebrated catalog, the quartet show no signs of relinquishing their crown as Denmark’s premier death metal champions, and Aldrig I Livet is disgusting proof.

Adversarial

D.e.n.a.t.b.k.o.n.

Dark Descent

***BACK IN PRINT AND FIRST TIME AVAILABLE AT REVOLVER!!! Canadian underlords of nihilistic warrior cult death metal Adversarial have crawled up from the depths to unleash Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism. The band's first full-length since 2010's All Idols Fall Before the Hammer offers nine tracks of hellishly twisted aural blasphemy. Artwork by Danille Gauvin. Mastered by Damian Herring (Subterranean Watchtower). 16 page booklet with lyrics.

Invincible Force

Decomposed Sacramentum

Dark Descent

A relentless whirlwind of proto-death, hysterical thrash and demonic atmosphere full of riffs and blast beats worthy of Morbid Angel Abomination Of Desolation-era or Incubus. Invincible Force have come of age, blasting heaven’s gates wide open in the process…and there shall be no prisoners. Decomposed Sacramentum is perfectly illustrated by the bleak black and white cover artwork designed by David Jorquera.  “Despite having been a band for thirteen years, Invincible Force’s music offers up a youthful exuberance reminiscent of the Brazilian thrash scene in the ’80s, but with a more modern production. This album would absolutely have been the soundtrack to a basement party full of thrash kids in denim jackets crushing cheap beer as their white high-tops became a blur of circle pits.” —Your Last Rites

Lie In Ruins

Floating In Timeless Streams

Dark Descent

***BACK IN STOCK ON LIMITED SPLATTER VINYL!!! Note new price.  Six years since Finland’s Lie In Ruin’s last full-length, 2014’s Towards Divine Death, Floating In Timeless Streams sees a more streamlined approach for the band. While their previous album clocked in at seventy-one minutes of brutality (!), this latest trims some of that excess at just over forty-two minutes—without losing any of the impact.  Floating... continues to hone and highlight the band’s tremendous guitar work by Roni Ärling and Tuomas Kulmala, but the band has also added the extremely talented Jussi-Pekka Manner (Corpsessed) on drums. Roni Sahari’s (Desolate Shrine) vocals add the icing on the cake, making this the band’s magnum opus and a top highlight of 2020. Finnish death metal’s finest!

Gorephilia

In The Eye Of Nothing

Dark Descent

Although initially going under the moniker Goretexx, since the latter part of 2007, Finland’s Gorephilia have been crafting a classically minded canon of death metal might. Two demos under this more-fitting moniker followed in 2008 and 2011, but it was 2011’s Ascend To Chaos mini-album where the Gorephilia legend truly took flight. Surely, their country of origin signaled some of their aesthetic—names such as Demigod, Convulse, and Adramalech rang true—but even this early on, subtle twists of their own identity crept in. Those would fully blossom the next year with their debut album, Embodiment Of Death. Aptly titled, this first full-length ranged beyond Finland to the rich history of ’90s death metal on both side of the Atlantic, again with an even more pronounced identity: swampy yet clear-headed, exceptionally tight but never sterile, and above all, mind-mangling songwriting that somehow sticks in the head.  It would take another five years before the band would deliver their next album. When it at last arrived, in early 2017, it was very much worth the wait. Graced with electrifying cover art, Severed Monolith matched it musically, showing even-more-twisted prowess in the songwriting department, here largely handled by founding guitarist Jukka Aho. This second album also saw the arrival of prolific drummer Kauko Kuusisalo and second guitarist Pauli Gurko—truly a well-oiled machine at this point.  While no doubt still reeling from the tragic loss of founding vocalist Henu, the band soldiered on, undaunted, and now return with their long-awaited third album, In...

Spectral Voice

Necrotic Demos

Dark Descent

Since the crypt of Spectral Voice was first opened circa the miserable Winter MMXII, a lone full length, five rehearsal promos, multiple 7-inch split EPs, and one infamous demo have been released. The band’s death / doom has been slowly rotting across the USA and Europe for years, putrefying the road alongside allies such as Sempiternal Dusk, Undergang, Blood Incantation, Anatomia, Primitive Man, Superstition, Mortiferum, Demilich, Hyperdontia, Grave Miasma, Flowering Blade and Krypts. For the first time, all official non-album material is finally available in one place, in dedication towards all cultists and gloomy fanatics who have supported the Spectral Voice since the early years of these recordings. Their self-released record Necrotic Demos contained the original Necrotic Doom demo and all the tracks from the out-of-print split EPs. Dark Descent Records present this compact disc edition as a digipak with a bonus track—over forty minutes of primitive and raw slow rotting death doom.

Proscription

Conduit

Dark Descent

***BACK IN STOCK!!! Note price increase. Although a brand new entity to some, Proscription’s origins can be traced all the way to the late ’90s, back when Terry “Christbutcher” Clark was still living in his native Colorado, learning to raise hell with Excommunion. A decade later, after relocating to Finland, Maveth became his new vehicle and over the course of two demos, one album and one split CD, redefined how “dark” death metal ought to be and sound. And while the band’s sudden demise in 2017 took everybody by surprise, instead of resting on his laurels, Christbutcher immediately vowed to follow the same path albeit under a new flag of hate: Proscription. Spearheading a new, broader and even darker sound, this isn’t Maveth Part 2, even more so since Christbutcher is here assisted by a whole new line-up, including Cruciatus from renowned Dark Descent alumni Lantern, who contributed to the music of “Thy Black Nimbus Gate,” for instance. The result is as majestic as it is menacing sounding. Simply put, this is the kind of death metal that can swallow worlds and exterminate all light. Only preceded by one digital-only demo back in 2018, their first album Conduit, recorded between March and June 2019, showcases a new side to Christbutcher’s musical prowess while retaining that suffocating yet catchy trademark touch. Almost symphonic in parts (as hinted by the poignant intro “Four Wings Within The Samiel”) and with a new found sense of morbid melody emphasizing even more their taste for the epic, with a...

Deiquisitor

Towards Our Impending Doom

Dark Descent

Picking up not long after the release of the band’s second album Downfall Of The Apostates, Towards Our Impending Doom shows a band whose sound has evolved compositionally; combining memorable riffing and technical prowess unearthing Deiquisitor’s true sound. The Denmark-based trio has never sounded better than they do across these nine tracks spanning nearly thirty-nine minutes. “Catching the energy of a band that’s still in its new and hungry phase, Towards Our Impending Doom is a Death Metal album that sizzles and bursts like an erupting blister in a hellstorm of fire.” —Voices From The Darkside

Faceless Burial

Speciation

Dark Descent

For the past five years, Australia’s Faceless Burial have been flying the flag of classicist ’90s death metal, first across a demo in 2015 and then the subsequent (and acclaimed) Grotesque Miscreation debut album in 2017, along with the follow-up Multiversal Abattoir 12-inch a year later. Those latter two recordings, in particular, portrayed the potency of this power-trio, displaying an unremittingly dark and dexterous sound which draws in a variety of death metal traditions.  Going from strength to strength, the band play their strongest hand yet with the full-length Speciation. Altogether sharper and more finessed than all previous, this release spreads unimaginable death metal might with malignant ease.  This band exudes a charm that’s all their own, which largely comes down to the songwriting itself. Preceding records maintained a murky ’n’ malodorous aspect, predominantly in the sound; here it’s been parlayed into tense ’n’ treacherous textures. Otherwise, no great changes have been made, nor should there be: forever twisting and never stagnating, each of these six songs reveals new corridors through which to spelunk, and efficiently so across the album’s deceptively epic 36-minute runtime.  Thankfully, once again, Faceless Burial evade the riff-salad tendencies of so much tech-oriented death metal; their sound isn’t so much a restless blast through scattershot ideas as it is an endlessly malforming entity making rude shapes, and now one colored by narrative lead work. Which is to say nothing of the album’s powerful production, rendered in authentically analogue tones, further underlining the band’s...

Chaotian

Festering Excarnation

Dark Descent

Melting into one, Festering Excarnation brings together the first recorded carcinogenic gasp in the shape of Chaotian’s debut demo, Where Gods Excarnate, from 2018, and their follow-up, the more style-defined demo Festering Carcinolith from 2019. These are the first stages of a band to keep an eye open for in the future, while waiting on new material to take shape.