SHADES OF BLACK: POSTHUM, THE STONE, NOCTEM, SAILLE

 

I’ve had quite a fruitful morning of listening to new music, and among the fruits I tasted were the following three premieres and one teaser, which I’ve grouped together as examples of razor-edged black metal that will jolt you wide awake.

POSTHUM

That album art at the top of this post is so damned cool. It grabbed my attention immediately and led me to explore what it signified. And what it signifies is the coming of a new album (the third one) by Norway’s Posthum. Entitled The Black Northern Ritual, it’s scheduled for both CD and vinyl release by Indie Recordings on October 13.

Having been seduced by the album cover, I discovered that Norway’s NRK P3 Pyro (the internet radio station of the state-owned Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) has begun streaming an advance track from the album named “To the Pit”. It’s loaded with riffs and rhythms that both rip and rock, and at its core is a sombre melody that will get its hooks in you. Beautiful guitar solo in this song, too.

Do not delay: go here to listen to this excellent new music (and you can follow Posthum on Facebook via this link):

http://p3.no/pyro/pirrende-ny-lat-fra-posthum/

 

 

THE STONE

We’ve already featured one advance track from Nekroza, the new album by The Stone from Serbia, which is scheduled for release on October 1 through Folter Records, with vinyl projected for December. Yesterday the band premiered a second track, which happens to be the title song. As good as the first song premiere was, I think “Nekroza” is even better.

It’s an assault of rapidly jabbing riffs and hair-raising growls, accented by fleeting discordant arpeggios and a sinuous melody that proves to be awfully damned catchy. As the song eventually slows just past the mid-point, it transforms into a kind of anguished lament with its own bereft beauty that culminates in a striking guitar solo.

https://www.facebook.com/thestonehorde
http://www.folter666shop.de

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOCTEM

We’ve already devoted quite a bit of attention to Exilium, the latest album by Noctem from Spain — which was released yesterday by Prosthetic Records (with two bonus tracks). DGR reviewed the album here; he interviewed the band’s frontman Beleth here; and we premiered one of Exilium’s bonus tracks (“Divine Xib’alb’a”) here. But hell, they continue giving us things to write about — including two more new things today.

First, Metal Injection premiered an official music video for an excellent track on Exilium named “The Adamantine Doors”. It was directed by Henry Menacho of Kronic Produccions. and tells the tale of an alchemist whose frustrations lead him down a dark, occult path.

Second, DECIBEL premiered the second bonus track from Exilium, which is an orchestral version of the same song featured in the video. It’s worth a listen all by itself, and you can go here to do that:

http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/track-premiere-noctems-the-adamantine-doors-orchestral-version/

Check out the video below, and follow Noctem on Facebook at this location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAILLE

Last, but far from least, we come to Saille from Belgium. We were big fans of their last album, 2013’s Ritu, and now they’re already back with a new one. Entitled Eldritch, and featuring cover art by Colin Marks (Rain Song Design), it will be released on November 10 by Code666 Records. As before, the album will include classical instruments such as violin, cello, and trumpet — plus oboe and piano this time — but the band have explained that Eldritch was more guitar-and-drum focused in its composition than Ritu, which was composed first on keyboards.

And the band have further explained that, lyrically, the new songs are heavily based on horror literature with a strong Lovecraftian influence; the forthcoming digipack will includes authorized quotes from the books that influenced the lyrics, along with the lyrics themselves.

We don’t yet have any complete songs we can share with you, but we do have a teaser video with enough music in it to put the frighteners on you.

Eldritch is available for pre-order here.