SEEN AND HEARD: IN MOURNING, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, SINISTROUS DIABOLUS

 

Here are a trio of selected songs that caught our eyes and ears over the last 24 hours.

IN MOURNING

As previously reported, Sweden’s In Mourning have a new album on the way named Afterglow, which features wonderful cover art by Kristian “Necrolord” Wåhlin and also marks the first appearance of the band’s new drummer, Daniel Liljekvist (ex-Katatonia). This morning the band debuted a lyric video for the first advance track from the album, a song named “Below Rise To the Above”.

 

 

The song’s tear-stained, ethereal opening is beautiful, with Tobias Netzell’s singing adding to its allure. But the band soon unleash a flurry of jabbing riffs and rumbling drum and bass as Netzell gives us the gravelly growls. The music gallops, darts, and pounds, eventually segueing into a start-stop rhythm that paves the way to a sweeping crescendo. To cap things off, they deliver a slow, soulful guitar solo.

Afterglow will be released on May 20 by Agonia Records. Pre-order at these locations:

CD/LP/T-shirt:
https://www.agoniarecords.com/index.php?pos=shop&lang=en

Digital:
https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/afterglow

https://www.facebook.com/inmourningband

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT

Austin Weber wrote the following introduction to a song premiere by Imperial Triumphant:

Last year’s Imperial Triumphant full-length, Abyssal Gods, was not only my favorite black metal release of 2015, but a bona fide modern masterpiece, spewing highly abrasive madness driven by eclectic, forward-thinking songwriting. As the band just keeps evolving and shifting into a darker and stranger place with each release, it’s no surprise that their upcoming EP, Inceste, is an unorthodox work of creepy genius.

Yesterday, through Stereogum, the band released the first song from it to the public, a track called “Breath Of Innocence”. At just under 7 minutes, it’s a dense track that covers all the many facets of Imperial Triumphant’s sound, and in the context of the release, serves as an epic closer to yet another exercise in dense experimentation by the band. Having heard it all, I can confidently say that it’s going to be hard for any other black metal release to top this in 2016 for me.

Inceste drops April 15th through Redefining Darkness Records and can be pre-ordered here:

https://redefiningdarknessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/inceste-ep

Head on over to Stereogum to jam the song:

http://www.stereogum.com/1866942/imperial-triumphant-breath-of-innocence-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

 

 

 

 

 

 

SINISTROUS DIABOLUS

In December 2014, the mighty Sinistrous Diabolus from Christchurch, New Zealand, announced their own demise before completing their much-anticipated second album. However, today brought a very welcome surprise. It appears from news on the band’s Facebook page that NKS, the band’s main man, has continued to work on the recordings for that album and it will now be released via Bandcamp on March 31, under the title II.

What’s more, Sinistrous Diabolus made an unmastered version of one of the tracks — entitled “IV” — available for listening. It’s an 11-minute trip into a netherworld populated by shrieking wraiths and disembodied leviathans growling their laments, the massive, blood-congealing riffs and slow drum strikes spreading before you visions of a dim and barren wasteland. The wounded melody bleeds sorrow like oozing ichor, with a shrill, shimmering lead guitar performance that manifests itself like a phantasm.

Frigid, funereal doom that proves to be spellbinding.

https://sinistrousdiabolus.bandcamp.com/album/sinistrous-diabolus-ii
https://www.facebook.com/Sinistrous-Diabolus-160094777389123/