The New Music Thread : The North Edition
Serpent Column - "Tassel of Ares" [Fourth album from this US black metal duo]
These guys are always good so I'm looking forward to checking out this new one which hit the streets a week or so back.
Yep. I'm in. Who else is?
Shining - "The Helsinki Tapes"
Bandcamp says:
"In the wake of our Re-Issue of "VIII / Redefining Darkness", we are finally able to reveal that this December, SHINING will close the book on one of the more cursed chapters of their career. They have chosen to do so by having us release an additional album that we have only been hinting at before this official announcement! "THE HELSINKI TAPES".
Niklas Kvarforth has, on countless occasions, mentioned the month that he spent together with Christian Larsson and Yusaf Parvez (DHG) in an apartment that they rented in Finland's capital. The three resolved to use this space as a base in which to write, experiment and cause various forms of unspecified damage before heading to Varberg to record the new album. For years, the band has wished that these infamous demo tapes could be released officially somehow. We here at TSI, who recently issued the definitive edition of the very album for which these songs were created, feel that the time has now come to release the recording that the band themselves have stressed: "Is in so many ways far superior to the actual album itself".
We may or may not agree on that, but there's certainly a mesmerizing rawness and constant feeling of unease contained within this otherworldly material. Not to mention, the tapes serve as an audial retelling of how an obscure Black Metal band from Sweden transformed into something different and ultimately way more dangerous than even those involved ever could have anticipated."
Mesarthim - "Anthropic Bias/Departure"
Anthropic Bias (2022) explores themes of cosmic significance and existential philosophy, echoing the idea of humanity’s tendency to see the universe as centered around itself. The music itself is a fusion of icy, tremolo-picked guitar riffs, blast beats, and haunting, atmospheric synth layers. It carries an otherworldly mood, drifting between aggression and contemplation. The song also incorporates electronic elements and ambient interludes, which provide a vast, ethereal soundscape. This single is both relentless and meditative, capturing Mesarthim’s ability to craft immersive, spacey atmospheres while retaining black metal’s raw intensity.
Departure (2024) leans heavily into the band’s cosmic themes, evoking feelings of journeying through space or leaving behind something familiar. The track opens with a somber and almost melancholic tone, gradually building into a massive, swirling blend of distorted guitars and atmospheric keys. The song shifts through dynamic phases, from soaring melodies to intense, fast-paced sections. Like much of Mesarthim’s work, Departure utilizes synth layers to create a celestial, almost dreamlike atmosphere, suggesting both the awe and isolation of venturing into the unknown. The track serves as a contemplative journey, fitting with the title’s theme of departure and escape.
Sadness/Soulless - "Burning as the First Light" split album
Two lengthy tracks each from these Mexican & Indonesian blackgaze outfits totaling 36 minutes.
Beherit - "Live in Praha CZ"
Aside from the involvement of Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance (“NHV”), the only reliable constant of Beherit’s history is a persistent rejection of stasis. NHV has always insisted upon forging a unique path, one that is unpredictable and militantly unorthodox. Although the band’s history extends back some 35 years, they have played live on very few occasions, most of which were in the early days, when NHV and his confederates were still teenagers, and all took place in Beherit’s native country of Finland. Nearly three decades have passed since the last time Beherit took the stage, but they accepted the invitation to perform their first show outside of Finland at the NWN!/Hospital Fest in Osaka, JP in April of 2024. A few months later, on August 31, 2024, Beherit appeared in Prague, CZ. Accompanying NHV at these shows were Beherit’s original drummer, Sodomatic Slaughter; bassist Abyss, Twisted Baptizer, who played on the Engram album; and guitarist and vocalist Black Moon Necromancer, whose work with Witchcraft represents a tangible manifestation of Beherit’s legacy. With a setlist predominantly taken from Drawing Down the Moon, as well as a few tracks from The Oath of Black Blood and Engram, the band’s current live show is designed to be experiential for the listener, a curated atmosphere that only Beherit can produce. As those present for these shows will attest, the performances were not reducible to a mere recitation of fan favorites. Through the use of intros and interludes, samples and synthesizers, extended passages of hypnotic repetition, and thoughtful arrangements, Beherit created something extraordinary. This album, sourced from a soundboard recording of the Prague show, faithfully captures their entire performance. Whereas most live albums, especially in the underground, are mere catalog filler, this one—like all great live recordings—stands on its own, commanding repeated listens.
The UK's premier atmospheric black metal outfit, Saor, are back with a new album on 4th February, entitled "Amidst the Ruins". Although I thought the last album, 2022's "Origins" lacked bite, Andy Marshall is still a quality producer of epic and sweeping soundscapes, as evidenced on the promo for the album's title track.
Mexican atmospheric black metal artist Trhä has released not one but TWO new albums this month.
Trhä - "monta ana also"
Trhä - "faj den EnΩëtonëghappan nvona Tóvarba dëhajnva ëfpalte∫ eh yënảles §anënbe cetmac eh den léhams selb'ºe nêbam'o∫nëb ◊u∫an d‡éf§"
Labyrinthus Stellarum - "Rift in Reality"
The promise of a new album which will be even more experimental and diverse than the previous one and will include both epic melodic tracks and heavy aggressive ones seems to be fulfilled as atmospheric Black Metal band, Labyrinthus Stellarum who hail from Ukraine, offer new single “Lost in the Void“. Adorned by artwork created by Mark Cooper (Rings of Saturn, Brand of Sacrifice), “Rift in Reality” is set to arrive early in 2025 from the writing partnership of brothers Oleksandr and Misha Andronati.
The band comment: “Lost in the Void is an atmospheric, saturated with space synths, song dedicated to the end of the journey of a group of inhabitants from the planet Nirlakh, who, after the opening of a rift in reality, find themselves in the Void – the original world, the gods of which the Nirlakhians worshiped. However, having got into the Void, they understand that they will not find there what they were looking for, but on the contrary – the Void will become the grave of their kind”
Dark Fortress - "Anthems From Beyond The Grave - Live In Europe 2023"
DARK FORTRESS's march to the grave was inevitable. The journey from signing with American independent Red Stream Records in 2001 to The Cosmic End Tour (with The Spirit and Asphagor) in 2023 was circuitous, full of highs and lows and rife with raw potential. Ultimately, DARK FORTRESS ended life after releasing their lauded final album, “Spectres from the Old World”, in 2020. By all metrics, self-imposed death is better than zombie-lurching into oblivion. Many fans didn't see DARK FORTRESS writing their ‘early’ epitaph, however. DARK FORTRESS uncoiled on their terms, leaving their only live album, “Anthems from Beyond the Grave”, as their final offering to the ancient and unspeakable forces of darkness and evil.
V. Santura says: “I never thought DARK FORTRESS would have a live album. The technical situation–we had multi-track recordings of two shows [Rotterdam and Bochum]–allowed for ‘Anthems from Beyond the Grave’ to happen. I didn’t even listen to the recordings for months after the tour. When I finally did, I thought, ‘Holy shit!’ We sounded incredible, and I'm hardly ever happy with our shows. All of our hard work had finally fallen into place on that tour. When Century Media heard it, they said, ‘We’re gotta release it–it’s too good not to’! If this is our end and it definitely is, then it’s a fitting end to DARK FORTRESS.”
“Anthems from Beyond the Grave” isn’t solely a live album but works as the perfect “best of” that comes with liner notes reflecting on 29 years of pitch-black history.
DARK FORTRESS is dead, long live DARK FORTRESS!
Revenge - "Violation.Strife.Abominate"
The seventh full-length album from these Canadian war metallers is due for release on 31st January & I'll definitely be checking it out as I always enjoy Revenge records, despite never regarding any of them as being essential.
