Rotting Christ have stood the test of time. 'Rituals' is an album that has obviously been written by veterans. The Greek legends inject a 27-year career, 12 albums, and more than 1.200 shows into their songwriting. With confidence and skills derived from experience, each song represents its own sonic universe. Guitarist / vocalist Sakis Tolis and brother Themis on drums achieve a perfect balance of amalgamating their classic and unique style of riffing and rhythm with exciting new elements sprinkled in to keep their material exciting and fresh. Carefully chosen guests are being added for better effect, not name dropping such as the spoken words of Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) on "A Voice Like Thunder" or Samael's Vorph mesmerizingly quoting from Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs Du Mal" throughout the song "Les Litanies De Satan"…

On "Arete", NETHERBIRD return with their signature melodic black/death metal that has become their hallmark. It is deeply rooted in the Scandinavian underground legacy, yet delivered with a strong sense of feel and urgency, allowing these tracks to exude the confidence and songwriting prowess of a band at the peak of their craft. The album itself is the third installment of the trilogy that started on “The Grander Voyage” and continued on “Into the Vast Uncharted”. The journey has come to its completion with this album, where the very concept of Arete – the classic ideal of excellence – is scrutinized from various angles in these songs.

Norwegian metal stalwarts Vreid pay tribute to their homeland with their epic new full-length, ‘Wild North West.’ Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the album takes the listener on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.

Nexus Polaris is the second studio album by the Norwegian metal band Covenant, and was released in 1998 through Nuclear Blast. Starting the new album, Nagash and Blackheart wanted to form an actual band this time. They enlisted guitarist, Astennu (who was playing in Dimmu Borgir at the time with Nagash), keyboardist Sverd (of Arcturus), Sarah Jezebel Deva (of Cradle of Filth and other bands), and Hellhammer (of Mayhem). Nagash took over bass and vocal duties while Blackheart took guitar.

Hiidenhauta, who plays folk-influenced black metal, has released his third studio album through Inverse Records. Hiidenhauda's third album, “Riivin”, is most easily compartmentalized in folk-influenced black metal, but above all it is a balanced ensemble of Finnish devil that exudes the band's ability to regenerate and transform. Once again, Hiidenhauta is like a story he created: earthy, raw, angry, but also sounding like the endless beauty of nature.

Fjord was created in 2019 by Archon von Fjord from Onda Makter. A solo project that is a homeage to nature and paganism. Join the journey!

Katavasia is a unique evil Greek alliance including members of well known occult act Varathron, prog blacksters Aenaon, psychedelic masters Hail Spirit Noir, gloomy doomsters Agnes Vein & archaic Melan Selas. Katavasia's sound is based in original 90s Greek BM. The Mediterranean dark spirits are revived through the unique heavy metal chants and
and the unholy epic riffs.

The Somberlain is the debut album by Swedish black metal band Dissection, released on December 3, 1993. It proved to be a highly influential release for both black metal and melodic death metal. The band dedicated the album to Euronymous, who had been murdered in August the same year. This is the only album that features the band's original lineup. The artwork was created by Kristian 'Necrolord' Wåhlin. The album was composed and arranged between 1989 and 1993, and was recorded between March 1 and 6 of 1993.

Dissection's Storm of the Light's Bane is the unquestionable high-water mark for one of melodic Scandinavian death metal's founding acts. The last full-length completed before vocalist/guitarist Jon Nödtveidt was convicted of murder (thus ending the career of Dissection), the 1996 offering is combined with the EP Where Dead Angels Lie on this 2002 Nuclear Blast dual release. Storm of the Light's Bane is a frightening and highly accomplished effort. The performances and material are first-rate, perhaps even revolutionary – if such a phrase could be apply to music with such a limited appeal. The five selections from Where Dead Angels Lie aren't anything figuratively or literally new. An unremarkable demo version of the title track is followed by a couple remixes and two new cuts that generally aren't up to the standard set on Storm of Light's Bane.

It has been a long eight year stretch between releases for Umeå, Sweden’s black metal nihilists NAGLFAR, but despite the eight year wait, the band hasn’t been resting on their laurels. Like any slumbering beast, NAGLFAR have returned from their respite ferocious and hungry with their seventh full length album “Cerecloth” which is due for a worldwide release on May 8th , 2020. Recorded and mixed by NAGLFAR guitarist Marcus Norman at Wolf’s Lair Studio, and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound, the underlying musical and lyrical themes of “Cerecloth” were succinctly and confidently described by guitarist Andreas Nilsson: “The usual death and destruction.”

Since 1997, HYEMS have been celebrating Black Metal, which, oscillating between hymns and disharmony, is repeatedly thwarted by a snotty punk attitude. The band resists the commercially promising temptations of modern styles and reflects in their music on what once tipped the scales for their foundation: the fascination for Black Metal of the 90s. Free of any aspirations for success, vanity and any expectations of the future.With "Anatomy of Failure" the band presents their ninth release, which "belongs by far to the best we have ever done" as frontman A.E.J. emphasizes.