The track, called “This World Must Burn”, is a terrific blistering example of furious Black Metal. But, [...]]]> Earlier this month I shared some Sammath news and demos with you… Well, now it’s time for another demo and, I’ve got to say, this is my favourite of the bunch so far.

The track, called “This World Must Burn”, is a terrific blistering example of furious Black Metal. But, don’t just take my word for it – check it out below:

Now we’ve just got to wait for the album….

sammath.nl

The incredibly awesome Herfst have returned to unleash another helping of Nekromantic Metal upon us! Yes, folks – the band’s EP, “The Deathcult: Pt: 1 ~ An [...]]]> Ok, so I was going to put this online the other day, but I got too excited… and then I got distracted… I’m sorry… Look! A butterfly!

The incredibly awesome Herfst have returned to unleash another helping of Nekromantic Metal upon us! Yes, folks – the band’s EP, “The Deathcult: Pt: 1 ~ An Oath in Darkness”, will be released on 19th May 2012… but you can pre-order it now! The following message was left on the band’s Facebook page:

ATTENTION: preorders before June will get a personalized, autographed, handnumbered copy with our unique wax sigil + free shipping!

Mail us at info@herfst.org and we’ll get back to you!

So, what are you waiting for? Email them! Do it! Do it now!

… And this is what you’ll be getting:

You can also check out the EP trailer below… just in case my excitement wasn’t enough to entice you…

Check out my review of Herfst’s previous release, “Necrotica”, by clicking here.

herfst.org
facebook.com/Herfstofficial

Italian Black Metal band Handful of Hate have unleashed a brand new track called “Ornaments Of Derison” on YouTube. You can check out the track below:

The song was recorded at the beginning of 2012 and the band [...]]]> I’m a BIG fan of Handful of Hate, so this news excites me greatly!

Italian Black Metal band Handful of Hate have unleashed a brand new track called “Ornaments Of Derison” on YouTube. You can check out the track below:

The song was recorded at the beginning of 2012 and the band are now searching for a new label to release the 6th full-length album.

Handful of Hate’s most recent album was 2009′s “You Will Bleed”. The album was reviewed on Loucifer Speaks in 2010 and you can read the review here. An interview with vocalist/guitarist Nicola can be found here.

handfulofhate.com
facebook.com/pages/Handful-Of-Hate
reverbnation.com/handfulofhate
myspace.com/handfulofhate

The tracks can be viewed below or by heading over to youtube.com/user/DevilishImpressions. Spread the word!

The EP has a very raw, yet atmospheric feel about it. It occasionally reminds me [...]]]> Having only recently discovered Frostwork – the one-man ambient Black Metal project from the mind of Dagon (also of Heathen Deity) – “The Rites of Winter…” feels all shiny and new to me, despite having been released in 2008.

The EP has a very raw, yet atmospheric feel about it. It occasionally reminds me of Burzum or (to a lesser extent – but it’s still there) Bathory, but those influences are not overpowering, nor are they the be all and end all of Frostwork’s sound. I’m also reminded of Forest Silence in places (a project by Winter formerly of Sear Bliss) – and this is wonderful since I love Forest Silence. However, there are more than enough differences in the music to be able to tell the bands apart.

The combination of natural sounds (howling winds, rain, etc) and the harsh, abrasive feel of the music and vocals give the EP a primal edge. Stretching beyond merely being a collection of five tracks, “The Rites of Winter…” feels like a voyage into your own subconscious. A spiritual and ritualistic atmosphere swamps the recording and, as clichéd as it sounds, it leaves me with the almost undeniable urge to spend some time in a forest. With or without corpsepaint.

Tracks such as “The Storm” really showcase the talent lying behind Frostwork. Dagon certainly has a knack when it comes to composing songs. In this particular track, the listener is engulfed within slow-paced, yet extremely menacing piece of music. It’s the sort of thing that can have all of the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end within moments. “The Rites of Winter” increases the intensity and it’s as if Dagon’s screams are echoing around your skull. Superb!

All in all, this is a powerful and thoroughly absorbing EP – a sure fire way to ensure that I’m left begging for more. When’s the album due out?

Rating: 93%

You can listen to some Frostwork stuff, by using the Soundcloud widget below:

facebook.com/frostworkofficial
reverbnation.com/frostwork
last.fm/music/Frostwork
soundcloud.com/frostwork

In case you’re not familiar with the concept of “Freebie of the Week”, here’s a brief explanation… Each week I go on a little hunt through the vast wastelands [...]]]> I’ve actually managed to do this week’s Freebie on a Sunday! I think I should earn extra points for that… Also, this one is a BIGGIE!

In case you’re not familiar with the concept of “Freebie of the Week”, here’s a brief explanation… Each week I go on a little hunt through the vast wastelands of the Internet in search of FREE and LEGAL downloads. So, all of the downloads featured here will be obtainable through trustworthy means… and they’ll be guilt-free. For example, I will only ever feature music available from official band websites, profiles (such as MySpace, Reverbnation or Facebook) and Last.fm (or equivalent).

Swedish Extreme Metal band Netherbird have put up TWO full length albums and THREE EPs for us to download! How generous is that?! Add that to the fact that Netherbird are bloody awesome and you’ve got yourself a perfectly good reason to do a happy dance.

You can download these dark masterpieces by clicking here and grabbing the format of your choice. If like what you hear, please consider buying the CDs or purchasing a t-shirt.

Here’s some goodies to whet your appetite:

Info:

NETHERBIRD is a Swedish extreme metal band with influences from black and death metal with hints of doom. With dark imagery and multi layered lyrics they paint dark landscapes of sound and words with a depth that might surprise even the hard core metal listener.

The band started out as a studio project with a wide array of musicians lending their talents and visions with people like Brice LeClerq (Dissection, Nightrage), Skinny (Deathstars), Kitty Saric (Decadence), Janne Saarenpää (The Crown), Mojjo (the Project Hate, Lord Belial) and Adrian Erlandsson (At the Gates, the Haunted and Cradle of Filth) being some of the noteworthy participants.
NETHERBIRD has now progressed into a full band that has put out two studio albums (The Ghost Collector and Monument Black Colossal) as well as a cover EP. NETHERBIRD puts pride in being in touch with its fans and have been working with Myspace and Facebook from the very early days in order to communicate and to spread their music and these days the releases are available both for download, streaming and on CD:s for those that crave the physical format.

2011 is a busy year for the guys and will see at least two new releases and also live performances where NETHERBIRD can do what they do best: spread the darkness and meet the most important people on this ball of dirt called earth: YOU.

Line-Up:
Nephente – Vocals
Bizmark – Guitars + keyboards
Nord – Guitars + vocals
Tobias Gustafsson – Bass + vocals
Erik Röjås – Drums

Links:
netherbird.com
facebook.com/netherbird
reverbnation.com/netherbird

The band left the following message on their official Facebook page:

As promised, here is a teaser trailer for our new release. It will be titled ‘Into [...]]]> UK Death Metal monsters Ancient Ascendant have posted up a teaser for their forthcoming album (which is being mixed and mastered by the legendary Dan Swano).

The band left the following message on their official Facebook page:

As promised, here is a teaser trailer for our new release. It will be titled ‘Into the Dark’ and represents a new shift in our sound. Watch this space for the next update.

Here’s the teaser:

I can’t wait to see these guys at Bloodstock!!!

ancientascendant.com
facebook.com/ancientascendant
myspace.com/ancientascendant
twitter.com/aabanduk