Dark Descent

Terror Corpse

Ash Eclipses Flesh

Dark Descent

“Low tuned, dark and violent Texas death metal,” comes the uncompromising answer from Terror Corpse drummer Dobber Beverly when pressed to define his newest abomination. Formed in 2025 yet manned by veterans of the US underground, Terror Corpse rise from the remnants of Malignant Altar, continuing where their predecessor left off – still in league with Dark Descent Records.Produced entirely in-house by the skinsman, the record’s sound is as distinctive as it is crushing. From the first pounding kick drum, soon joined by a gut-wrenching bassline, Ash Eclipses Flesh never loosens its relentless grip.“I wanted to essentially have a super low tuned Celtic Frost guitar sound with a modern and large natural drum recording. Big room, big drum sounds. Tack on some cavernous low, Craig Pillard style vocals and bass guitar and you’ve got our sound.”The band’s veneration of the Celtic Frost’s legacy is further demonstrated by the album’s closer, a cover of Into the Crypts of Rays. Dobber makes no secret of Terror Corpse’s influences: “Disciples Of Mockery, Incantation, pre-2000s Morbid Angel; essentially older evil American death metal. Celtic Frost is a massive influence to all of us. From their primitive and violent beginnings to the ultra experimental and dark era of their later records.”Ash Eclipses Flesh is clad in artwork courtesy of the notorious Shoggoth Kinetics, displaying a horrifying future so far and near: “Lyrically the album follows a kind of dystopian downfall of humanity. Something crossing surreality and future outlook based off of current happenings. A race...

Vile Apparition

Malignity

Dark Descent

Australian death metal fiends Vile Apparition are back with their second album. Proudly released by Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records.Mechanically precise drumming violence and crazed riffs fire you into an onslaught of malevolent extremity with intense, guttural vocals spewing through the mix. The ruthless aggression shown from the very beginning will transport you back to the brutality of the 90s with a modern twist showcasing only the most gruesomely barbaric ideas from the band. Warped ideas contort into truly abysmal visions of gore and depravity with only the most malignant of sounds making the cut. Along with the groove-laden riffing, technical solos fit the unwavering madness to give some impressive shred flair to the monstrous hammering assault.If pounding madness and malicious technical flourishes is your thing then Vile Apparition have you covered. This is totally cranked brutality and unwavering musicianship taken to its logical and perverse conclusion. A torturous blend of brutal death metal that takes no prisoners and gives no quarter. Find yourself holding your breath from the unending ruthless musical mayhem (or perhaps the stench of offal in the air). Malignity delivers what the title promises, and your brain matter will be splattered by the end of a single listen of this record.

Castrator

Coronation Of The Grotesque

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED GOLD VINYL!!! Three years after their crushing debut Defiled In Oblivion, Castrator return with Coronation Of The Grotesque, an album that not only exceeds all expectations but leaves them shattered in its wake, firmly cementing the band among the North American death metal elite. “We see it as a leap forward,” exclaims co-founder Carolina Perez (drums). “It’s by far the strongest work we’ve done to date. Writing Coronation Of The Grotesque was an incredibly enjoyable experience, and everything seemed to come together much more naturally this time. While the album still retains elements of who we were as a band, it’s much more refined, cohesive and brutal.”The creative collaboration is primarily driven by founders Carolina Perez and bassist Robin Mazen, with ferocious vocalist Clarissa Badini and newly recruited guitar virtuoso Sara Loerlein completing the lineup.“Sara has been fantastic. She’s incredibly professional, brings a ton of new ideas, and her experience really shines through. She’s added a fresh dynamic to the band, and her guitar leads are absolutely killer! We’re really excited to have her as part of the band.”Lyrically, Coronation Of The Grotesque explores a range of historical and societal themes that reflect on injustice, victimization, and human suffering. Among the topics confronted are the tragic killing of Mahsa Amini, the ancient Sumerian practice of eunuchization, and seething condemnation of predator Naasón Joaquín García. Badini’s exceptional vocals elevate the lyrics, delivering a powerful and precise expression of the album’s themes.Coronation Of The Grotesque was recorded across multiple studios...

Crypt Sermon

Saturnian Appendices

Dark Descent

On the heels of an album widely considered to be one of 2024’s best releases, Philadelphia’s Crypt Sermon presents Saturnian Appendices. A collection of b-sides taken from The Stygian Rose album sessions, the EP offers a deeper look into the psyche behind the story, extending the arc of its predecessor with a darker, more introspective lens. “Conceptually, the new tracks ‘Only Ash And Dust’ and ‘A Fool To Believe’ illuminate the shadowed thoughts of the narrator from The Stygian Rose, expanding on the tensions that arise as one confronts the conflicts between orthodoxy and occult,” offers vocalist Brooks Wilson. Sonically, Saturnian Appendices is firmly rooted in the band’s signature doom-laden dark heavy metal sound. Grandiose melodies wrap around a crushing volley of monolithic riffs for a commanding and epic performance. Featuring three, brand-new, original tracks and a transcendental revisioning of Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis Doom Sathanas” (first heard as part of Decibel Magazine’s flexi-disc series), Saturnian Appendices offers fans a compelling experience steeped in grandeur and philosophical unrest.

Sepulchral Curse

Crimson Moon Evocations

Dark Descent

***LIMITED BLACK AND VERY LIMITED TRANSPARENT RED VINYL!!! Sepulchral Curses’ third full-length Crimson Moon Evocations paints a vivid portrait of a band at their creative and productive peak. On their Dark Descent Records debut, the Turku quintet demonstrate unmatched ferocity and craftsmanship, cementing their place at the very zenith of the global blackened death metal scene. As with many Finnish death metal pioneers, the band incorporates a distinctive sense of weirdness, blending diverse influences in crafting a sound that’s unmistakably their own. “The backbone is death metal,” states vocalist Kari Kankaanpää, “but we’ve never shied away from exploring new inspirations and influences, which shape the unique edge synonymous with Sepulchral Curse. Music needs to be dark, heavy and furious!” Crimson Moon Evocations marks the band’s debut with Dark Descent Records, a partnership that feels both natural and profoundly significant: “Dark Descent Records has always held a special place in my heart. To join their renowned roster with this record is a true honour.” This new collaboration reflects the Sepulchral Curse's unwavering momentum, arriving merely two years after their bold leap forward with Abhorrent Dimensions “With Abhorrent Dimensions we truly began to find our own sound and style, and Crimson Moon Evocations takes an even deeper dive into who we are and crystallizes the essence of the Sepulchral Curse sound.” To capture their vision, the band returned to Finland’s Oxroad Studios to work with producer Tomi Uusitupa, whose influence has been pivotal. “Tomi is like our sixth member. He chooses the...

Phrenelith

Ashen Womb

Dark Descent

Copenhagen’s Phrenelith emerge from the darkness once again with their third and most unholy full-length offering, Ashen Womb. Seven sinister funeral marches, draped in bleak and blackened atmosphere: a lens into the forthcoming end of times.A droning tone fades in, opening up a slow dirge which eases one into the apocalyptic explosion of death that will follow for the next forty minutes.Guitars anxiously scale the fretboard and weave morose melodies while drums pound and smash with the force of the Chicxulub impactor. Interspersed between the infernal, seismic, blackened stampedes are droning psychedelia and ambient noise interludes, immersing one further into the ever growing darkness. But there are also moments of overwhelming beauty, like on tracks “Nebulae” and the eponymous “Ashen Womb,” where Phrenelith indulge in the repetition of their sinister melodies, layering serpentining guitars atop each other, spinning a web of desolate harmonies around the listener.With Ashen Womb, Phrenelith give one the foretold sound of the apocalypse, but whether it’s a warning or a celebration is yet undecided.

Adorior

Bleed On My Teeth

Dark Descent

Bleed On My Teeth is a nightmare absolute, the true nemesis of pseudo-rebellious heavy metal! Play dead or hide behind the modern blinding playlists, this won't be of any help. Just like on their predecessor Author Of Incest from 2005, the pack performs at an unrivaled and unimaginable level of aggression. Perfectly captured and recorded at Priory studios by Greg Chandler and brutally mastered by Patrick Engel, the result is as cruel and mean as never before. Bleed On My Teeth has a lot of dirt under its fingernails, but it finally reanimates the corpse of mind-fucking, repulsive and dangerous music serving the devil, without giving an inch to newer, shitty genre definitions.

Crypt Sermon

The Stygian Rose

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED REVOLVER EXCLUSIVE TRANSPARENT ORANGE VINYL!!! Dark heavy metallers Crypt Sermon unveil their bewitching new album, The Stygian Rose, under the Dark Descent banner. Featuring guitarist Steve Jansson (Daeva, Unrest), vocalist Brooks Wilson (Unrest), drummer Enrique Sagarnaga (Daeva, The Silver), guitarist Frank Chin (Daeva), bassist Matt Knox (Horrendous, The Silver), and keyboardist Tanner Anderson (Obsequiae, Majesties), the Philadelphia-based sextet parlayed their time away from the spotlight into a grander, more mysterious Crypt Sermon. The interflow of doom and heavy metal underpins The Stygian Rose, but these boundaries are effortlessly transcended. From the blistering solo salvo of “Glimmers In The Underworld” and the commanding rhythm of “Heavy Is The Crown Of Bone” to the evocative Near Eastern vibes of “Thunder (Perfect Mind)” and the intricate, masterful journey of the 11-minute title track, The Stygian Rose epitomizes the band’s burgeoning musical and conceptual prowess. “We wanted The Stygian Rose to scratch a lot of itches that aren’t being scratched,” says guitarist Steve Jansson. “That’s my goal when I make music. I want to make things that I don’t hear other people doing or at least don’t hear others doing all in one package. The music also has to have staying power and replay value. [I wanted] that addictive feeling you had when you listened to records as a teenager.” Crypt Sermon tracked The Stygian Rose with acclaimed producer Arthur Rizk (Blood Incantation, Cirith Ungol) and engineer Aidan Elias (Blood Incantation, Wayfarer) at Redwoods in Philadelphia. Although Rizk handled Out Of...

Adversarial

Solitude With The Eternal

Dark Descent

“Dark Descent Records proudly presents Solitude With The Eternal, the third album from Canada’s blistering, serpentine three-piece Adversarial... “Razor sharp. Slithering. Dual chasms yawn. A Janus-faced entity blinks, looking back and forward through the uncanny gloom. Dual tongues chase each other, slithering past cavities in the broken teeth. Licking against the neck, pulling more offal toward the trough. Each face has a black hole in the iris of each eye. As photons evaporate against the retina on the other side of the event horizon, memory fades. A new knowledge, imbued from the excrements of microorganisms trickles through the throaty slough. Yes we’ve been here before. Yes we’ll be here again. “The entity known as Adversarial has opened the portal to a timeless realm of suffocation and agony once more. As leviathan doubles back on itself, sulfer rises from the point of crossing, a bouquet of putrid yolk. This foul chemical will sustain nigredo, as metal black as midnight is tempered under atom smashing might.” —T. Grieco

Strychnos

Armageddon Patronage

Dark Descent

Dark Descent Records proudly presents Armageddon Patronage, the second album from Copenhagen’s purveyors of “accursed death,” Strychnos. Armageddon Patronage embodies the immense drive of a band operating at full throttle, refining their distinct blend of extreme metal bound to no god, master, or genre. Following a string of intense and blood-stained festival performances Strychnos is now the name on the underground’s lips. Propelled by this vast momentum, the band toiled tirelessly to record and release Armageddon Patronage less than two years after their debut. “This release will showcase a natural continuation of what A Mother’s Curse began,” reflects bassist / vocalist Martin Leth Andersen. “The band seeks to refine and push further key elements from the debut—in ways of both aggressiveness and the more atmospheric parts. This follow up also showcases an array of new details like alternative instrumentation, vocal-variations, intros, outros, and a couple of noticeable guest appearances.” Rare is the band within these realms that improves so exponentially with each new release. Do not miss the flight of Strychnos…for one may never know how long the underground can contain them. Armageddon Patronage was recorded and mixed by Lasse Ballade at Copenhagen’s Ballade Studios, and mastered by none other than Necromorbus’ infamous Tore Stjerna.

Spectral Voice

Sparagmos

Dark Descent

Spectral Voice’s Sparagmos unfolds as a momentous second full-length offering under the banner of Dark Descent Records, marking the culmination of a period devoted to katabatic immersion into the material. The title itself, alluding to the Dionysian rite of being torn limb from limb, sets the stage for a profound exploration of life, death, and the untamed essence within. “The content of the album oscillates between lamentation and exaltation. An immersive, morbid atmosphere of funereality longs for the liberation of death and mourns the agony of life. Coupled with moments of frenetic madness, grandeur, terror and ecstasy, the point we are trying to get to is the moment in which—through sacrifice—atavistic wildness is unleashed, and the ultimate exaltation of life through death is realized,” reflects drummer /vocalist E. Wendler. Influences drawn from the esoteric realms of death, black, doom metal, dark ambient, and arcane literature converge to shape Spectral Voice’s most realized manifestation. Featuring the sonic prowess of M. Kolontyrsky (guitar), P. Riedl (guitar), and J. Barrett (bass)—also of Blood Incantation fame—alongside the drummer / vocalist E. Wendler, Spectral Voice weave a sonic tapestry with a level of excellence that surpasses even their own formidable standards. Sparagmos unquestionably stands as a definitive death metal highlight of 2024.

Jim Jones And The Kool-Ade Kids

Trust Me

Dark Descent

Jim Jones And The Kool-Ade Kids are not what they seem…there are no Jims involved, nor are any of the members partial to said flavored drink mix (but more on that below)...and then there’s the heaviness… oh Lord the heaviness! Unlike what the band tag might suggest, the unsuspecting listener is served crushing sounds reminiscent of Dream Death, Hellhammer, Winter, and even Possessed. A grinding cross-over brew of sludgy proto-death metal, thrash, and hardcore-punk awaits! First released back in 1986, Dark Descent Records have truly dug up a lost Michigan gem! “We formed as a hardcore band, which should be obvious from the name,” explains guitarist Paul Pretzer. “Like many our age, we started out loving bands like Black Sabbath, but found hardcore as we searched for music that was more aggressive and urgent, and that we felt we could relate to more as far as socially relevant themes and topics, stuff with which we could identify. By the time we were writing and recording Trust Me, I was just trying to combine my love of music like Black Sabbath, with that heaviness, with my love of bands like Battalion Of Saints, who were aggressive and raw.”

Sovereign

Altered Realities

Dark Descent

***NOW ON LIMITED YELLOW/WHITE MERGE VINYL!!! A full-length offering of Sovereign’s lethal blend of evil death / thrash is set to be unshackled via Dark Descent Records! Formed in Oslo 2018 AD, the band have three releases under their belts: Iron Cast (single 2018), Sovereign (demo, 2019), and Neurotic (EP, 2020). Three years in the making, the time has finally come to complete the set with debut album Altered Realities. A monstrous masterwork of old school extreme metal ecstasy. “Altered Realities is a product of an ever-evolving journey we have taken as a band, from our start in 2018 and culminating in the album’s recording in early 2022,” reflects lead guitarist Tommy Jacobsen. He is joined in the band by former Nocturnal Breed band-mate Vidar Fineidet (guitar), alongside drummer Cato Syversrud, and bassist / vocalist Gravskjender. “We strive to push ourselves, both in terms of speed and technicality, whilst still keeping a groove and dynamic. Our approach to death / thrash is an interplay between fast-paced aggression and a slower, more groove-oriented feel. The lyrical themes of the album mirror events and unrest that happened during the time of writing and is in itself a journey.”

Phobocosm

Foreordained

Dark Descent

***ON LIMITED BLUE MARBLE VINYL!!! Montréal’s Phobocosm continue their career-spanning collaboration with Dark Descent Records with third full-length Foreordained. Foreordained is an amalgamation of everything that came before it. A perfectly balanced fusion of the murky death metal depravity of debut Deprived, blended with the devastating doom of Bringer Of Drought. Remarkably, this was the plan all along: “When we wrote Deprived, we decided that our first three albums would be a trilogy, so Foreordained is the last chapter of that trilogy. We made a conscious effort to pace all three albums in a similar manner, since we wanted them to be linked—starting with a slow, crushing doom song and concluding with a long, epic, depressive one. It’s not a coincidence,” reveals guitarist Samuel Dufour. As their genre of choice would suggest, Foreordained’s lyrical concepts are about death, as well as the futility of denying one’s inherent mortality. Hence the name of the album; meaning predestined, inevitable: “Since death is unavoidable, the end of all life and of our planet is also unavoidable, so there are apocalyptic themes also. The closer ‘For an Aeon’ is about a possible way the world as we know it could end.” Wrapped in artwork by the inimitable Lauri Laaksonen of Desolate Shrine, Convocation and Pestilent Hex fame, Foreordained is set to be a 2024 death metal highlight.

Demoncy

Black Star Gnosis

Dark Descent

After more than eleven years since the release of Enthroned Is the Night, the legendary beast of Demoncy rears its ugly head once more—in league with Dark Descent Records—and perhaps at the top of its malevolent powers. Led by illustrious founder Ixithra, upcoming fifth album Black Star Gnosis is a true testament to constancy and vision in the name of evil. With this new offering, Demoncy deliver the record most sonically akin to 1999’s Joined In Darkness since the turn of the century. The primitive reverb-laden production seamlessly complements the songcraft of unfathomable darkness, resulting in an inimitable hellish soundscape unique to Demoncy alone. The crushing compositions are accompanied by a commanding subterranean bass frequency, as well as Ixithra’s uniquely coarse vocal performances—which also bear a striking resemblance to the second album. Having formed in 1989, Demoncy are among the eldest US black metal bands in existence.

Reverence To Paroxysm

Lux Morte

Dark Descent

Forming in 2020 and with a split and live album already under their belts, Mexico City’s Reverence To Paroxysm, unveil their debut album Lux Morte via Dark Descent Records. Taking a viciously old school approach with disgusting riffs contorting upon pulverizing drums, this macabre descent into decay shall grip one from the very earliest moments. Gurgling vocals spew eldritch slime upon the meaty instrumentals, with thick bass lines giving a chunky low end to the sound. Taking all of the most morbidly revolting elements of underground death metal, Reverence To Paroxysm bludgeons their way into the skull with fleshy hammer blows. The talents of frontman Antimo Buonnano, previously from death-grind legends Disgorge, among many others, brings a veteran element to the band, injecting their abhorrent legacy into his latest involvements. The slower moments will drag one through the sepulchral dirt while more upbeat assaults thrash the meat from the bone like a bladed whip of sonic poison. The gloomy dynamics, visceral hooks and brutal execution will mercilessly execute all in their path and only a fool would not to submit to Reverence To Paroxysm. Eerie soundscapes entwine with putrescent primitive pounding, giving a rancid and yet atmospheric listen. The more one delves into this record, the more subtle nuances will be found scattered throughout, adding texture and detail while falling into the monstrously cataclysmic feel of the entire piece, all very naturally. Although an odiously primal energy is draped across this entire record, there are some very cleverly placed and...

Undergang

De Syv Stadier Af Ford​æ​rv

Dark Descent

Undergang’s signature mix of neanderthalic drumming and stringy, phlegm-like riffs is instantly recognizable to any death metal fan. Equally so is David Torturdød’s signature vomit-snarled vocals, all of which immediately will grip one with the fist of festering decay. Although primal and disgusting as ever, the band has always had a penchant for including gloomy moments betwixt their rot-churning disdain. De Syv Stadier Af Ford​æ​rv has plenty of those disgusting dynamics, which throw a superb stench into the air with remorseless instrumental fury and equally unsavory vocals, taking everything that made the death metal of old great and plunging it furiously into the carcass of today like a rusted knife designed to open seeping sores and spray pus forth upon all within the vicinity. The pulverizing putrescence does not relent… From the slowest drudges to the grinding fury and all sonic sadism in between, Undergang’s newest offering is a viciously unpleasant and a transfixing opus of odors most foul. Woefully brutal, most puny headbangers will simply die from the sheer weight of this thing if they try to lift it onto their turntable. Any remaining will be flattened by the brutal gut-opening notes and will be subjected to twenty minutes thereafter. Although all of the band’s albums contain nothing short of true magnificent monstrosities from start to end, the amount of diversity in this miniature tome of auditory violations is impeccable even by the band’s high standard. If one finds themselves presented with this cacophony of rot, then be sure...

Spectral Voice / Undergang

s/t

Dark Descent

Two longtime contemporaries and label mates, Spectral Voice and Undergang, collide in this epic split. Four tracks spanning thirty-three minutes; three tracks from Undergang and one fourteen-minute doom-ridden epic statement from Spectral Voice. Undergang, once again, delivers their brand of putrid death metal. These longtime Copenhagen-based veterans are spectacular in their consistency. While not quite as prolific as Undergang, Spectral Voice has remained steadfast in creating oppressive, doomy and powerful death metal. This release bridges the gap between 2017’s Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing and the band’s next full-length due out early 2024!

Ageless Summoning

Corrupting The Entempled Plane

Dark Descent

“Ageless Summoning was inspired by the otherworldly death metal of Steve Tucker-era Morbid Angel and the discord of Immolation. We try to emulate the sludgy malevolence and desolate atmospheres of the likes of Gateways To Annihilation and Here In After,” declares vocalist Ali Lauder—a brief, but precise account of the hellscapes evoked by the U.K. band’s debut album Corrupting The Entempled Plane, out on Dark Descent Records. “We felt that the unique atmosphere and mythos conjured by that slower-paced, brutal, and hypnotic style were underappreciated and overlooked, and we didn’t know of many bands doing things in that vein, so we thought we’d try it ourselves.” Whilst admiration of the US American masters is unquestionable, Ageless Summoning display a jaw-dropping level of originality in their approach to the sub-genre. “Our goal has never been to just imitate what has come before, but we’re not trying to hide our influences either. We include plenty of deliberate references, but we’re also trying to develop our sound and continue the exploration of vast and desolate otherworlds.” Featuring members of such long-running U.K. acts as Of Spire & Throne, Haar, Úir, Scordatura, and Abyssal, the band has several combined decades of desecration under their belts. Wrapped in one of the most stunning and sinister Paolo Girardi artworks in recent memory, Corrupting The Entempled Plane is not to be missed.

Thantifaxath

Hive Mind Narcosis

Dark Descent

Thantifaxath’s second full-length Hive Mind Narcosis is not only a giant leap for the band but also for contemporary extreme metal as a whole. From its very first notes, there is a feeling of transcendence beyond genre,beyond its scene and peers. Previously dubbed avant-garde black metal, Thantifaxath surpasses such mundane press tags, instead conjuring forth an expansive, discordant, and mind-altering brew that’s never just black, thrash, death, or doom metal psychedelia. Recorded entirely in-house by the band, the band has tailored their sound to crushing perfection—a production so immense the listener daren’t move until the bitter end. Just like its music, Hive Mind Narcosis is a lyrical blend of two mutually conflicting ideals: “The album has two levels working in dichotomy with one another. On one level there is a strong resistance to something, and on the other, there is a total acceptance of that same thing. Beyond that, we leave it open to your interpretation.” In every truly pioneering band’s career, there is a moment when they set themselves apart from the pack and become an island. For Thantifaxath, Hive Mind Narcosis is that album—an unholy Canadian grail of contemporary black metal, due out via Dark Descent Records. The cover art for Hive Mind Necrosis features the Francisco Goya painting “Witches’ Flight” (1798) on license from Museo Nacional del Prado.

The Chasm

The Scars Of A Lost Reflective Shadow

Dark Descent

One of Mexico’s most respected extreme metal bands, The Chasm was formed in 1992 by ex-Cenotaph vocalist / guitarist Daniel Corchado. The band relocated to Chicago after the recording of Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph in March 1997. They are now back, four years after their highly acclaimed A Conscious Creation From The Isolated Domain – Phase I album with a brand new album. The Scars Of A Lost Reflective Shadow was produced, recorded, mixed and designed at Luxinframundis in 2021-2022. Mastered at Ensomberoom V3, May 2022 by Geoff Montgomery (Macabre, Nunslaughter, Viking). The new album is not an instrumental one like the previous one, with Corchado’s charismatic vocals again!

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.

Dead Void

Volatile Forms

Dark Descent

After some silence since their magnificent demo, Dead Void return from the depths to bestow a crushing debut album—Volatile Forms—upon the world. Drawing in on doomy, yet certainly not meek, atmospherics—the sheer monstrous tone of which will pin one to the wall—it is clear this is something unwieldy. Murmuring bass seeps through buzzing guitars in a manner that sounds profoundly unwelcoming, while the daunting vocals and crashing drums give no alleviation from the bludgeoning force. While the hostile and claustrophobic sounds of this record cannot be ignored, equally impactful are the grooves which hit like a hammer of pure malice when carefully spliced with the caverns of eerily contorting death metal. When the pounding drums break through the guitars, they have a real hard tone, while the seeping filth of the strings is not overshadowed. Clearly the three demos and spacing between them have allowed the band to develop into the best version of themselves, as on this debut album one hears a refined but unpolished and inhospitable cut of truly awesome music taking form. Moving forth, the hooks, the grooves, the expanses of doom and desolation, all conjure something inescapable and dread-tinged while the malignant hammering of pure old school violence is not lost or forgotten, as warped riffs and blast-beats meet gutturally-spewed vocals and occasional lead oddities. Contrasting often nuanced moments with an assault of bestial ferocity, there is no predictability or obvious pattern, rather a chaotic and honest approach to all of the songs. These tracks move...

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!

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.”

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.”

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.