Californian symphonic blackend metal band, Empyrean Throne, has released the official lyric Video for the single “And None Shall Rise” from their upcoming debut album, Chaosborne. The lyric video was produced by Scott Rudd (Opeth, Fallujah, Fear Factory). Check out the track on this page and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Chaosborne was produced by Mick Kenney (Anaal Nathrakh), features artwork by Valadislav Kutusov, and will be released August 11th, on M-Theory Audio (the new label from Marco Barbieri, ex-Century Media President, Nuclear Blast).

Vocalist Andrew Knudsen commented:

‘And None Shall Rise’ is not only the subsequent single from our upcoming debut album, Chaosborne, but the opening salvo in the second act of the record’s story ark. Lovecraft enthusiasts will recognize much of the themes presented within the song, including the barren setting of ice-covered dreamworld, Polaris. Narratively, the somber and treacherous atmosphere of Polaris was a perfect companion for the bombastic arrangement of ‘And None Shall Rise.’ At this point in the album’s story, our main character, a knights templar named Mathias is locked in a battle of wills with beings of the Lovecraftian pantheon. His ideals, sacred truths, and feeble view of the world around him has been fragmented, like a broken mirror that further pains his sanity as he tries to rearrange the pieces. However, with this suffering comes illumination and the awakening of a deeper power within. Everyone experiences agony, but it is within these trials that we are able to unlock hidden parts of our being capable of great feats, strength, and resolve. We hope that you enjoy listening to ‘And None Shall Rise.’ Ever vigilant disciples!

About Empyrean Throne:

Empyrean Throne is a Clandestine Order of chaos gnostic Black Metal practitioners, an endeavor stoked in the fires of inspiration and forged with the hammer of hard experience. While indisputably an American band, the initial spark was in fact ignited by two travelers in Scandinavia, from where it journeyed south and west to the sweltering heat of Lake Forest, California, where in 2011, the first manifestation of the band that would eventually become Empyrean Throne was founded.

Empyrean Throne’s very first recorded music took the form of the ravenous “Demonseed” EP in 2013, with a sound described by OC Weekly as “a vicious mix of raw black metal and traditional death metal” coupled with the haunting strains of a real, organic cello choir, signifying the birth of the band’s trademark approach to composition. With the spoils reaped from this first offering; coupled with favorable reviews from MetalBite.com, The Kosher Metal Blog, and MetalAssualt.com, the Order of Empyrean Throne was still hardly content to stand still, as still so much lay in wait on the road ahead.

In the years that followed, the members of the Order underwent various ordeals that tested their merit as artists and human beings. Grueling punishment, loss, facing one’s darkest fears, and even encounters with that which some may venture to call divine proved necessary to shape Empyrean Throne into what it was to become: a sonic conduit for Chaos. Indeed a gateway leading inward and backward, elevenfold, toward that great intangible place and power. Ave Magnum Chaos.

Empyrean Throne’s upcoming first full-length release, Chaosborne, is a testament to this new unfolding, lurching deeper into the infernal depths of Black Metal and higher unto the celestial realm of orchestral concert music. Telling the story of a hapless Templar knight in medieval Europe and his subsequent descent into the realm of Chaos, the album offers 11 solemn hymns to unbecoming, with the searing Black Flame of illumination and wrath burning brighter than ever before in the hearts of those who have crafted it, the members of the Order themselves.

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Starmourner orders on CD, vinyl, and more are currently available here. Digital orders can be placed via iTunes, Amazon, or GooglePlay.

Out now on Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the 12-track Starmourner was recorded, mixed, mastered, and produced by Josh Schroeder (Battlecross, Still Remains), and features cover artwork Luciana Nedelea (Enbilulugugal, Foehammer).

If you have or are currently listening to “Seraphic,” you might be wondering, “where’s the black metal?” What follows might explain things: Since their inception, Ghost Bath has played atmospheric black metal focused on depression, tragedy, purgatory, and earthly wonders. Starmourner — the second record of a trilogy — takes these concepts to a higher level. It explores joy instead of sorrow, paradise instead of purgatory, and the cosmos instead of earth. Most importantly however, it explores ecstasy — instead of tragedy — as its basic human emotion. With over 72 minutes of heavy, melodic, and dramatic black metal, it is Ghost Bath’s most ambitious undertaking yet.

Ghost Bath is currently scouring the lands on a North American spring headlining tour with support provided by Astronoid. See remaining dates below. The band’s latest trek follows their recent tour with Amigo The Devil.

Ghost Bath Remaining Spring Tour Dates:

w/ Astronoid
4/22/2017 Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
4/23/2017 Yucca Tap Room – Tempe, AZ
4/25/2017 Marquis – Theater Denver, CO
4/26/2017 Riot Room – Kansas City, MO

About Ghost Bath:

Ghost Bath refers to the act of committing suicide by submerging in a body of water. Ghost Bath writes and creates under the assumption that music is an extension of one’s own soul. They journey through the sorrow and sadness that all lives experience, but leave a glimmer of hope. They portray both deep anguish and angelic soundscapes that are sure to leave an impression on the listener. The band started in October of 2013 with the release of their self-titled EP on Solitude Productions. This was followed by their debut album titled, Funeral, which was released on Pest Productions in June of 2014. The band’s sophomore album, Moonlover, was released in April of 2015, through Northern Silence Productions. A reissue was released by Nuclear Blast Entertainment in June of 2016.

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Produced by Kris Hilbert (The Body), who worked with the band on The Red Sect and mixed and mastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust), The Grave Alchemist will see a worldwide release on April 14th. Featuring 12 driving, raucous blackened thrash hymns, the album reveals a marked maturity and growth for these Asheville natives who previously wore their punk rock roots on their proverbial sleeves. The album is a narrative-driven horror concept album that weaves a tale of alchemy, necromancy, and vampirism over the span of three centuries. It is a potent blend of violence, mysticism, psychology, and the occult, distilled into an aural elixir of blood and gold.

The Grave Alchemist will see worldwide release via Prosthetic Records on CD, LP, and digital formats. Pre-orders are available here.

About All Hell:

Spawned in the dark hills of Asheville, North Carolina, in 2013, and influenced by a wide array of genres from punk to thrash to “first wave” black metal to ‘80s deathrock and beyond, All Hell has relentlessly churned out their stygian works while spreading their volatile live show to eager audiences.

All Hell self-released their debut, The Devil’s Work, in 2014, and played with bands such as 1349, Black Tusk, Ghoul, and labelmates, Skeletonwitch. A year later, All Hell released their second offering, The Red Sect, which was released through HPGD Productions. No Clean Singing called the album, “A thoroughly electrifying romp; a ripping rampage of thrashing riffs, punk rhythms, and mad-dog snarls. Hooky as hell and as nasty as a famished wolverine.” Prosthetic Records soon signed the band and reissued the album on LP and CD worldwide. The band hit the road in support of that album, sharing the stage with the likes of Venom Inc., Toxic Holocaust, Lord Dying, Ramming Speed, Horrendous, and many more.

With the release of The Grave Alchemist, All Hell has expanded their sound while infusing different elements to create a unique blend all their own. Fans of Bathory, Celtic Frost, Samhain, Satyricon, Skeletonwitch, Goatwhore, Toxic Holocaust and the like, pay heed.

All Hell will bring their deviousness to the stage for a short run of live dates this spring with additional live incursions in the plotting stages.

All Hell Live Dates:

4/27/2017 The Nick – Birmingham, AL w/ New Masters Of Evil
4/28/2017 529 – Atlanta, GA w/ New Masters of Evil
4/29/2017 drkmttrD – Nashville, TN
4/30/2017 TBA – Knoxville, TN
5/04/2017 Slim’s Downtown – Raleigh, NC
5/05/2017 Raw Ink Live – Gaithersburg, MD
5/06/2017 Kung Fu Necktie (early show) – Philadelphia, PA
5/07/2017 Gallery 5 – Richmond, VA

All Hell Is:

Jacob Curwen – vocals, guitar
Kurt Henderson – drums
Erik Ballantyne – bass

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Now, the one-woman black metal artist, has entered the studio to record the follow-up to Myrkur’s M. It’s been revealed that Randall Dunn is the producer, known for his work with Marissa Nadler, Earth, Sunn O))), Boris, Wolves in the Throne Room, and more. They began work last week in Copenhagen’s Black Tornado studio and round things off the coming weeks in Dunn’s own Seattle studio.

Myrkur commented:

I have spent the last year writing songs for this record and choosing which ones should make it. It has been a very different approach as well as process, compared to my debut album. I am mixing Kulning into the melodies, an ancient Scandinavian herding call and the lyrics are in different languages. I am very happy to have Randall Dunn produce the album here in Copenhagen, even though he is American, he seems to have Nordic blood and music running in his veins. It’s a very exciting juxtaposition for me.

The album will include special guests (to be announced shortly) and an array of special instruments including Nyckelharpa, violin, mandola, folk drums, and Kulning as previously mentioned. The album is slated for release this fall on Relapse Records.

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So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the 17-some minutes “I (Pathway).”

The track finds its way to your ears via Winter, the impending new full-length from English three-piece black metallers, FEN. Set for release on March 10th, via Aural Music imprint Code666, the six-track production and fifth full-length overall was captured by Jaime Gomez Arellano at the Orgone Studios in London (Ulver, Altar Of Plagues, Grave Miasma, Primordial, Solstafir) and stands among the band’s most enticing piece of work yet — rich in sound, beguilingly delicate, and shrouded in darkness.

FEN commented on the track:

This opening chapter ushers in on the sibilant, sinister winds that slice across the mist-wreathed peat bogs of the fens. It represents the start of the journey — uncertainty and resolve warring with each tread across a landscape laced with questions, ghostly voices of past failings drifting from stagnant waterways and thin lines of bent trees. Drawing ever closer on the horizon lies the cathedral — a rearing megalith bleeding the promise of succour across the landscape. What will be found there? Penance? Redemption? Or something as-yet unsought? ‘I’ presents 16 minutes of FEN delivering their trademark blend of punishing black metal and desolate, delicate atmospherics — nevertheless, the cold darkness that lurks at the heart of Winter is palpable throughout the track as it unfurls. It is an inexorable journey towards an ominous fate, the pull of destiny at once unyielding and yet ephemeral, nebulous. Musically, the band allow subtle progressive touches and experimentation alongside a forceful, seismic delivery whilst The Watcher and Grungyn’s vocals seem to summon the very spirits that sank millennia ago into the dark soils.

Winter, which comes sheathed in the cover art of FEN bassist/vocalist Grungyn, will be available in standard CD, double black vinyl limited to 300 copies, and digital formats in North America on March 10th, followed by a European street date of March 17th. Additionally, FEN’s Winter will be available in a Special Collector’s Box limited to 199 copies, which will include the standard CD, an additional bonus CD, the DLP with Side A/Side B in a smashed splatter effect of transparent aquamarine and opaque cream, an exclusive T-shirt and poster, and a certificate of authenticity signed by the band. Pre-orders will be available here.

About FEN:

Formed in early 2006, with the goal of producing atmospheric black metal that incorporates elements of post-rock, FEN has, since then, found themselves at the vanguard of a resurgent UK black metal scene. With an EP, four full-length albums, several splits, and compilations, two European tours and numerous appearances at prestigious festivals under their belts, Winter serves as the band’s most ambitious and fundamental expression yet.

It is an album in which, conceptually, FEN has returned to the roots of their ideology, seeking to embrace and distill all that inspired them when they first set out on this path over a decade ago — that is, to invoke the ambience of bleak reflection and ancient sorrow that permeates the mysterious landscapes of the fens of Eastern England.

Winter‘s six movements are thematically and compositionally linked flowing into each other seamlessly. Ideally, the whole record is intended to be listened to in one sitting to allow the full journey to be absorbed. Musically, the band have sought to push themselves further than ever before and FEN’s trademark use of atmospheric black metal and spacious clean segments have been complemented by shades of ’70s progressive rock, shoegaze, and doom metal.

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Lead vocalist Caleb Bingham commented:

If you got hooked after your first dose of the potent heavy metal concoction that is Athanasia, then you should be ecstatic to know that your next fix is coming in the form of a speedball entitled “The Order of the Silver Compass” taken from our LP of the same name… Max out your volume knobs and prepare to thrash!!!

Album pre-orders are available here.

About Athanasia:

Athanasia is a power trio playing a highly original hybrid of classic arena/black/thrash metal styles. The band was first formed by Caleb Bingham in 2004, under the name Ascension while he was still in high school. As a result of passing around the band’s early demos on the Sunset strip he landed a gig with the then-forming Five Finger Death Punch in 2005. Upon being fired from the group in 2007 (due to his young age) he reformed the band a second time, recording several more unreleased demos and one EP at the behest of veteran Roadrunner Records A&R Monte Conner. Largely due to that label’s merger with WMG, the band lost out on its chance to sign with them and was shelved yet again in 2010, while Bingham played a four year stint with Swedish death metal act Zonaria. Upon parting ways with them due to a leg injury sustained while playing with the group he reformed the band a third time, recording its first full-length release entitled The Order of the Silver Compass. This yet unreleased album is finally about to see the light of day under the new banner of Athanasia!

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Check out the track “Ease of Wretchedness and Wonder” here on Yell! Magazine.

A creation from Australian musician NKSV, who’s most well-known for his work with the black metal/noise group Nekrasov, Rebel Wizard’s delivery is difficult to sum up with one simple label. While containing traces of black and thrash metal roots, with a touch of NWOBHM and the epicness of power metal, NKSV has coined the term “negative metal” to describe Rebel Wizard’s unique output. Negative metal, as defined by NKSV, is an “anarchic alchemical process of outsider energies respecting the power of traditional triumphant metal into a unique sound to smash out the coerced gloom and banality of our times.” The term is not meant to be construed with the sense of depression or nihilism, but instead to focus on self-negation, a doing away of limiting one’s full potential by limiting oneself to a category or label. Rebel Wizard seeks to destroy any hindrance of this sort with triumphant pounding fists.

Described as, “an electrifying, high-intensity collection of absolutely masterful riffs and scintillating lead guitar pyrotechnics, organized into songs that are powerfully addictive from the very first listen” in a review by NoCleanSinging.com, Triumph of Gloom, initially self-released by NKSV will be reissued by Prosthetic Records on February 24th, and will include a previously unheard bonus track, “Defenders of the Gloom.”

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Based out of Los Angeles, California, Witherfall is the collective brainchild of guitarist Jake Dreyer (Iced Earth, Kobra and the Lotus, White Wizzard), singer Joseph Michael (White Wizzard), and the late Adam Sagan (Circle II Circle, Into Eternity). Witherfall are set to release their debut album, Nocturnes and Requiems, on February 10th! Pre-orders are available here.

Witherfall headed to Phoenix, Arizona, to self-produce their debut album, Nocturnes and Requiems, with engineer Ralph Patlan (Megadeth, Brian “Head” Welch, MSG) in late 2014. The album was then sent on to New York City for mixing and mastering by Chris “Zeuss” Harris (Rob Zombie, Queensrÿche, Hatebreed) at Planet Z. Resulting in eight masterfully executed tracks featuring the group’s dynamic blend of darkened melodic and progressive metal.

Nocturnes and Requiems is dedicated to the life of Adam Sagan who died on December 7, 2016, during the final stages of production. The band collectively commented:

This, as we know, is the last piece of work that Adam contributed and played on. Adam’s talent, passion and personality is woven throughout every part of this record as he was easily one-third of the creative force. Nocturnes and Requiems was a name that Adam eerily came up with one evening when we were figuring out album titles would not have sounded the way it does now without his immense contribution on and off the drums. Adam, we love you and it’s a tragedy that you were not able to see this release. You will always and forever be a member of Witherfall. Rest in Peace man.

Witherfall Is:

Joseph Michael – Vocals/Keyboards
Jake Dreyer – Guitars
Adam Sagan – Drums/Percussion
Anthony Crawford – Bass

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In conjunction with the tour, the band recently self-released De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive. Captured live in Norrköping, Sweden, last year during the band’s headlining set at the Black Christmass Festival, the show marked Mayhem’s first time ever playing De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in full. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tore Stjerna and NBS Audio and produced by vocalist Attila Csihar and guitarist Teloch with light production by Anne Weckstrom, stage design and production by Jonas Svensson, video recording by Thornfields Production, and video editing by Tamàs Tarczi. The offering is available now on CD, LP, and DVD (the first 1,000 copies are numbered) as well as digitally.

What the Critics Are Saying:

“This furious live document of the band’s first ever front-to-end performance of it… is clearly not meant to usurp the source material, but it does hammer home exactly how powerful, disturbing, and otherworldly songs such as ‘Freezing Moon’ and ‘Life Eternal’ really are,” wrote The Guardian of the offering, “More a diehard-friendly reaffirmation of potency than a plea for renewed recognition, this is convincing evidence that the grim magic of the mid-’90s has faded not one corpse-painted jot.” In a 4.5/5 score, Sea of Tranquility gushes, “Hellhammer’s insane blast beats are ever present, and Attila’s unique vocal style is ghastly as always. ‘Cursed in Eternity’ just pummels from start to finish, as does the brutal ‘From the Dark Past,’ while the more atmospheric numbers ‘Funeral Fog’ and ‘Freezing Moon’ ooze eeriness in true black metal fashion. As live albums go, this one is top of the line, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive just misses making the cut on my Best Of 2016 list because, well, it just came out too late. Black metal fans rejoice!”

Elsewhere the sentiment echoes. Antichrist Magazine lauds, “The sounds is pristine, very similar to the sound of the 1994 release but far more polished yet still retaining its dark, gritty vibe. The performance is tight as hell and professional, especially the drums thanks to the two-legged powerhouse named Hellhammer… Yet the best and most awesome thing on the album are the vocals. Attila has definitely gathered his second wind on this rejuvenated performance by hitting all the notes a hundred times better than on the album…” Two Guys Metal Reviews calls the record, “a powerful and exciting statement, an album that revisits a piece of art that defined a genre and which reminds us time and time again that black metal ist krieg.” The Metal Forge notes, “As many fans approach middle age, have children, and work in jobs/have careers that are little more than a means to pay the rent or mortgage, the manner in which their hard-earned is spent comes under increasing scrutiny. What I can say for certain is that on the strength of …Alive, a night spent at a venue watching Mayhem blitz the stage is a sound investment. The fact that they have such a profound release and the catalogue to back it up is a bonus.” While Glacially Musical adds, “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive re-introduces the world to the founding days of black metal, and serves notice the ancient masters are still here to deliver its dark majesty.”

For physical orders, point your browser here. For digital orders go here where you can also stream the record. The record is also available digitally via Amazon, Spotify, Apple, Deezer, and Tidal.

For the full concert, VOD, and download, visit Mayhem on Vimeo.

Mayhem Tour Dates:

w/ Black Anvil, Inquisition:
1/20/2017 Club Soda – Montreal, QC
1/21/2017 Phoenix Theater – Toronto, ON
1/22/2017 Agora Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
1/23/2017 Metro – Chicago, IL
1/24/2017 Turner Hall Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
1/25/2017 Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN
1/27/2017 Gothic Theater – Denver, CO
1/28/2017 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
1/30/2017 Marquee – Calgary, AB
1/31/2017 Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB
2/02/2017 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
2/03/2017 Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC
2/04/2017 Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR
2/06/2017 Social Hall SF – San Francisco, CA
2/07/2017 The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
2/08/2017 Club Red – Phoenix, AZ
2/10/2017 Alamo Music Hall – San Antonio, TX
2/11/2017 Trees – Dallas, TX
2/13/2017 Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
2/14/2017 Throne Theater – Wilmington, NC
2/15/2017 The Howard Theater – Washington, DC
2/16/2017 Theatre Of The Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
2/17/2017 The Chance – Poughkeepsie, NY
2/18/2017 Royale – Boston, MA
2/19/2017 Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY

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Abigail Williams has been diligently plotting new material for the follow-up to their critically lauded, 2015-issued The Accuser full-length. The as-yet-untitled long player will be released sometime next year with full details to be unveiled in the coming months. In the meantime, NoCleanSinging.com is streaming a brand-new track entitled “The Final Failure.” It’s a beautiful melancholic track brings on the sadness while at the same time giving you a solid punch in the gut.

Abigail Williams Tour Dates:

w/ Wolvhammer, Amiensus
11/30/2016 ONCE – Somerville, MA
12/02/2016 Katakombes – Montreal, QC
12/03/2016 Gotham Brothers – Syracuse, NY
12/04/2016 Jewel – Manchester, NH
12/05/2016 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY
12/06/2016 Dingbatz – Clifton, NJ
12/07/2016 Cafe 611 – Frederick, MD
12/08/2016 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
12/09/2016 Hank’s Pub – Dayton, OH
12/10/2016 Reggie’s – Chicago, IL
12/11/2016 Riot Room – Kansas City, MO Abigail Williams, Wolvhammer only
12/13/2016 Traliside Caloon – Denver, CO **
12/15/2016 Highline – Seattle, WA **
12/16/2016 Media Club – Vancouver, BC **
12/17/2016 Obsidian – Olympia, WA **
** Abigail Williams only

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