Metal 91 Items

sampled by BDP, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J ...

High Roller Records, regular edition, black vinyl, ltd 600, insert, poster, Original transfer by Marcus Mossmann (R.I.P.) at PHONOGRAPHIC ARTIFACTS in March 2021. Audio cleaning, restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in April 2021. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... The ultimate audiophile edition of this eternal NWOBHM classic!

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, black vinyl, ltd 250, 2 inserts, poster, mastered for Vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony

Heavyweight 180g black vinyl.

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, black vinyl, ltd 400, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover with 5mm spine, 8 page booklet, poster, A5 photo card, Transfer, mastering and audio restoration by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in April 2022. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels

Remastered 180g Vinyl

Rather Death Than False Of Faith (1988) was the debut album from UK thrash metal group Hydra Vein. Rather Death Than False Of Faith saw Hydra Vein hailed as the UK's answer to Slayer. The UK thrash scene at the time (and subsequently) had been lagging behind the US and Germany both in quality of output and exposure in the media and Rather Death ... was widely considered to be a decent riposte on behalf of the underdog. The album's highlights are undoubtedly the breathless title track, the stop-start "Right To Die" and the high octane "Crucifier".

limited edition 180 gram vinyl

Did you know there are horses on the cover of Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version? There are at least three in the right hand corner, gathered inexplicably near a white canvas tent, a human possibly perched among its folds. As widescreen and vast as the cover may seem, those little details-the horses, the possible human, the faint wisp of white clouds-give it depth and wonder, something to which the imagination can return. Did you know that the music on Earth 2-repressed now for its 30th anniversary, back in its original artwork, and accompanied by a riveting set of remixes that demonstrate the reach of what Dylan Carlson long ago called "ambient metal"-works much the same way? The surface is massive and obvious, the meatpaw riffs of Carlson and bassist Dave Harwell pounding and swiping and pawing at the speakers, a true bludgeon in three-dimensional sound. Listen, though, for the details in the corners, for the finesse beneath the force, and Earth 2 reveals new levels of depth and wonder. The widespread impact of Earth 2 suggests that others have indeed been leaning in, listening to these minutiae and making something new of them. A masterpiece without many genre precedents, Earth 2 surely helped send doom metal down its more modern drone, ambient, and avant-garde avenues. Those descendants are obvious. Perhaps more surprising and gratifying are the ways it has influenced electronic music, modern composition, and even hip-hop by realigning our senses of tempo, time, and texture. Earth 2 engendered a rearrangement of expectations, regardless of preferred form.

The Dark Ride is the ninth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 2000.[3][4] The album's style was quite different from Better Than Raw as it had a much darker sound, very tuned down guitars, and gruffer vocals. The album was produced by renowned figures Roy Z and Charlie Bauerfeind. It is also the last studio album to feature Master of the Rings-era line-up with the dismissal of guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch after completion of the supporting tour for the album.

"Howl Mockery At The Cross" is a compilation by one-man black metal act Leviathan. With 2005's "Howl Mockery At The Cross" we have a collection of demos labelled by Wrest (The man behind Leviathan) as "Selections remembered from the damaged cassettes recorded from 2000-2002.", which he follows afterward with the comment "This is not a release of retrogression.... but of chronology".

First-ever US issue of this key 2003 release from Japan's shapeshifting heavy lords, Boris. The album title says it all. Immerse yourself in 43 minutes of sonic waves of slow-building fuzz, feedback and layered dimensions where lysergic solos and unintelligible vocals compete for their place deep inside your id.

Sensing that defenses to their contagion were down, Things Viral (2003) withdrew from any familiar or friendly shapes. On their second offering, the band decelerated to its own tempo, freezing the decay of the debut in a shocking and powerful stasis. Pitchfork lauds, "Khanate have that skill for unfolding an action in such excruciating detail that you're slowly edged off your seat_ Things Viral is extreme enough to appeal to people who don't have any interest in metal; the members cross metal pedigrees with noise-drone-art-damage bands-- from Burning Witch and Old, to Sunn 0))), to Blind Idiot God's Tim Wyskida on drums. It's committed but not overbearing, too resolute and unyielding to resist; it'll grab your skull and hold you achingly still as it thrashes through the depths, then totally, quietly wears itself out."

"Tentacles of Whorror" is the second full-length album by one-man black metal act Leviathan, originally released in 2004. After years of standing in suicidal hell, Wrest (The man behind Leviathan), focuses on what remains of a shattered psyche; the road of dementia leads straight to "Tentacles of Whorror". The pure anger and rage of "The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide" is now taken in a different direction; the emotions mentioned are still present, but the created art here is the product of a madman; a psycho that now gives the impression that these emotions no longer just cause pain but also give Wrest a satisfaction of sorts. Pain now equals pleasure; in a way that makes GG Allin seem childish.

High Roller Records, picture vinyl, ltd 500, handnumbered, insert, A5 photo card, double-sided poster, Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel in February 2023. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels ... The ultimate audiophile reissue!

The Night Creeper is the new album by Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats. Contained within are ten tracks of the type of sonic psyche-frazzling heaviness and blood-drenched pop that have made Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats one of Britain’s great cult bands.
Recorded at Toe Rag studios in early 2015 with engineer Liam Watson (White Stripes, Tame Impala, Electric Wizard), their fourth opus The Night Creeper, finds the quartet in full-on death-tripping, third eye-widening mode. Here songs ooze louche evil over flesh-melting riffs that creep like hot magma bubbling up through the earth’s crust at their own malevolent pace. This album is in no hurry to destroy you. But it will. It will.
In an age when the word is over-used, Uncle Acid are indeed a true cult. Everything they do is covert, their movements crepuscular, the loyalty they inspire fervent. Every sneering melody and every piece of artwork is loaded with meaning, designed to be pored over. Their press coverage is deliberately limited but doesn’t prevent them selling out US tours or joining Black Sabbath at their personal request. They only reveal what they want to reveal: chiefly that Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats began as a studio project circa 2009 in Cambridge, the wild concept of Kevin Starrs. The rest is academic.
And now comes The Night Creeper, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats’ darkest journey yet.

With their mind-melting eighth epos, Cult Of Luna & Julie Christmas bring you to the outer rim of the ever expanding boundaries of the cosmos, where the rules of man are not applicable and the cold, dark nothing envelops the harsh realities of the universe.

Since their beginnings in 1998, Cult Of Luna has released seven albums, been awarded the top rock/metal award at the Swedish National Radio Awards and cemented their status as one of the true progressors of the metal genre, known to most metal aficionados. In 2013, the Swedes teamed up with Indie Recordings for the release of perhaps their most successful work to date in the shape of “Vertikal I” and "Vertikal II".
These cohesive pieces of work received worldwide appraisal and only pillared Cult Of Luna to even greater heights.

For their eight effort, the post-metal pioneers join forces with the talented Julie Christmas from Brooklyn, bringing an even larger depth to Cult Of Lunas sound. Her haunting voice has fronted vital bands such as Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice, and is one of significance in the underground sludge and post-metal scene. Furthermore, she has released two solo albums and features on tracks by bands like Mouth of the Architect and String of Consciousness. Her prowess as a vocalist is powerfully on display on “Mariner”.

North America version of this 2016 release from Germany's SUN Worship. Four tracks in 36 minutes of uncompromising black metal. North American pressing comes packaged in a gatefold mini-LP jacket with insert and limited to 500 copies.

Demos & Live assault from legends of UK punk/metal Sacrilege! Contains the first two ’84 and ’85 Sacrilege demos alongside a remarkable set from the eminent Ambulance Station Squat on Old Kent Road in London, 1985

Info coming soon.

Back On Black Records are set to release the official reissue of the D.R.I. "Greatest Hits" album, originally released in 2001. D.R.I.'s music has combined elements of punk rock, thrash metal, speed metal and heavy metal, while their early material has been described as hardcore punk. They are often cited as one of the key bands that helped create the crossover thrash genre, along with S.O.D., Suicidal Tendencies and Corrosion of Conformity.

"Prime Evil" is the sixth studio album by black metal pioneers Venom. Originally released in 1989, Prime Evil was the first album to feature former Atomkraft bassist and vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan. The album is a thrilling and ridiculously catchy slab of British black/thrash metal that never loses its ferocity or momentum. Often overlooked, this heavy metal gem is a must have in the collection of every metal head out there!

After winning over new audiences with their acclaimed 2018 debut full-length “Age of Revolution” and touring relentlessly alongside fellow shredders such as Marty Friedman, Powerglove and Exmortus, Immortal Guardian gathered in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2020 to begin recording their second album. As the spread of Covid-19 and the subsequent pandemic began to ensue, each member of the band retreated to their respective hometowns. With shutdowns around the world being enforced, the band completely scrapped the record that they had been working on and were heavily inspired to write and create a new thematic record about their emotions surrounding current events. “Psychosomatic” is the next step in Immortal Guardian’s evolution while still capturing the band’s exhilarating trademark melding of melodic power metal with progressive/shred tendencies.

The group – founded by Gabriel Guardian, whose uncanny ability to play guitar and keyboard simultaneously has been showcased on MTV's “Amazingness” and on his unique dual-instrument covers of classics by the likes of Iron Maiden, Pantera and Guns N' Roses that have garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube – began building their following through multiple self-released EPs before signing with M-Theory Audio for the 2018 release of their first full-length record, “Age of Revolution.” The band has also performed live alongside some of the biggest names in metal, including Judas Priest, Dragonforce, Kamelot, Symphony X, Sonata Arctica, Slayer, Metal Church, Soilwork and Steve Vai, and in countries such as Brazil and Russia, and during high-profile performances at ESPN's X Games, South By Southwest and the Fun Fun Fun Fest.

American sludge metal band Buzzov•en was formed in 1990 by Kirk Fisher, Fred ‘Fuzzy’ Hutch and Scott Majors. The band was known for being one of the founders of the sludge genre. In 1994, Buzzov•en released their second studio album Sore. Lasting over an hour, this album perhaps has the most vicious, violent sound ever recorded, but in the purest and most honest way. Sore is a legendary Roadrunner cult release and features the tracks “Sore” and “Unwilling To Explain”.

Sore is available as a 2LP on black vinyl and comes with an insert.

"The fall is near. What to follow?" On their 4th full-length "Rien ne suffit" ('Nothing is enough') unique synthesists Plebeian Grandstand take a violent wrecking ball to the edifice of extreme music, remoulding the pieces as a mirror-portal into psychological, societal and global turmoil. Always unpredictable and extraordinary, the band create constant tightrope-walk tension as they blur the edges of avant-Black Metal, chaotic Hardcore, blown-out Jazz, corrosive Noise, experimental Electronica and death Industrial into an ultra-contemporary form of 'post-Metal' in the truest application of the term. Conceptualised, played and recorded by the band and producer Amaury Sauvé as a piece of aural filmmaking, "Rien ne suffit" is a courageous, challenging and mind-bendingly unique record from a peerless band operating at peak powers. Hypersensitive introspection-mania made flesh.

“I wanted to play guitar since I was born, basically,” proffers Matt Pike when asked about the formative years of his musical maturation. The iconic guitarist of High on Fire and Sleep seemingly came into the world with inherent talent

From reverent youth to Grammy-winning riff-wielder, Pike has always housed a boundless enthusiasm for the six-string and the stupendous sounds that – in the right hands – the instrument can produce.

“Trapped in A Midcave” was the first song we wrote. It’s kind of like “God of Thunder”. I tried to make my vocals mimic a David Lee Roth-type melody. Then I thought, “Who should I play the solo like?”, so I studied a bunch of Michael Schenker solos and then put a Michael Schenker solo that’s like four minutes long on it. It’s such a good riff. Soon after, it felt like ‘I want to record this, this shit’s really good,’” Pike admits.

The Automaton, in Greek mythology, is the big robot that’s the guardian of the Gods, basically. It’s a soulless, big machine named Talos. The big machine that’s working against mankind at this moment. In ‘Jason and the Argonauts’, Jason and the Argonauts have to battle this big machine guy that protects the island. Basically, what the album title is saying, metaphorically, is ‘Pike against the World.’”

“I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High on Fire fans would like,” Pike says when asked for a CliffsNotes description of ‘Pike vs. the Automaton’. “And maybe if you’re not a Sleep or High on Fire fan, you might like it too. I definitely think it’s interesting; it has D-Beat punk, two-step. It’s got everything and it still works together, it doesn’t sound odd. It’s just an off-the-wall psychedelic rock record.”

Terminus' is a varied yet still cohesive album that leaves the crushing heaviness of jesu’s early material behind for the most part while also containing their most introverted emotive cold spaces. following the EP “never” which was released earlier last year, this is jesu’s first full-length release since 2013’s “every day I get closer to the light from which I came”. The space between these two albums is significant as in the interim jesu main man Justin Broadrick resurrected the beyond cult and inimitable Godflesh. Fold out cover with deluxe multi-panel spot gloss art variation. Includes digital download code.

If you’re looking for a band that embody everything hardcore punk should be, then you’re looking for Birds in Row. Sonically, they’re fearless. Lyrically, they’re as poetic as they are recusant. And live, they’re a ruthless force, matching the power of their music with boundless, must-see energy. After debut album You, Me & the Violence sparked listeners’ imaginations, 2018 follow-up We Already Lost the World was an unyielding inferno of brazen ideas. Metal Hammer UK called it “intelligent, poignant art,” writing that “this downward spiral changes pace and weight at every turn.” It screamed for mutual respect in a world of increasingly extreme political divides, and used the vehicles of punk, post-hardcore and post-metal to carry its cries. Now comes Gris Klein. Birds in Row’s third full-length album is their most genre-bending and timely declaration yet. “Water Wings” opens, its scraping guitar strums a ticking clock, counting down to the inevitable barrage of hardcore to follow. “Noah” revs up over its six gargantuan minutes. Its singing slowly spirals into apoplectic screeches. “Trompe l’oeil” is half folk, half punk, and “Winter Yet” has no qualms about busting out seismic metal guitars at its climax. It’s an amorphous beast of an album: always unpredictable, but never out of character for this creative collective. Gris Klein’s lyrics were sculpted by the Covid-19 pandemic, eloquently summarizing the cruel and sometimes nonsensical nature of mental illness. “Trompe l’oeil”, for example, sings, “Most of the times I feel lonely are when my friends are around.” “This is the exact moment where you should feel like you’re surrounded by people you love and you’re not alone,” the band add. “It asks, ‘If I can’t feel loved in this specific moment, then when can I feel that?’” Gris Klein is a portrait of a world enduring its most chaotic era in a generation. Yet throughout, the Birds in Row manifesto is the same as it’s always been: love each other. “We really want people to know that they’re not alone, and that they can count on each other,” they say. “The way we treat each other is political. It’s OK to trust each other. All the movies about catastrophes show people turning against each other, but that’s not what would happen. When people are in the shit, they help each other. That’s what we’re trying to transmit with this record: hold each other’s hands.” Not even a world-shaking pandemic could damage Birds in Row’s invention, compassion and brutality. Now three albums in, they remain the model portrait of punk. – Matt Mills, May 2022

With their new concept album "2222", Chaosbay definitely leave their status as an insiders' tip behind: The Berlin Progressive Metalcore band pushes their unmistakable interplay of unrestrained brutality and inescapable catchiness to the extreme in the almost 45 minutes spread over 12 songs. Almost every song has the potential for an epic stadium hit that couldn't be more festival-ready. The album describes a utopia of our future world in a kind of anti-apocalypse, from the point of view of a person who finds himself in the year 2222. He is surprised how many problems that seem insoluble today have been overcome in the meantime. In the light of the new era, many things that still determine our everyday life seem bizarre. The album is also interesting because of three internationally known feature guests: "What Is War" was created in collaboration with Mirza Radonjica from the Danish band Siamese, to whom Chaosbay feel very close. The other two collaborations can be heard in the songs "Home" (with Alexia Rodriguez from the US band Eyes Set To Kill) and "Passenger" (with Jake Oni from the Canadian band ONI).

Norway’s most far-out and unique prog band Tusmørke is back! This album is not for the faint of heart. Like some great Babylonian harlot, the sinfully sweet sounds held within this record will deny no one, but they extract a great price! There will be no turning back should you proceed on this wretched path and cut your way through the thickets so green, for the path is fraught with danger and temptation. Proceed and you might find yourself sucked off, as it were, to a strange fairyland where every bush and clearing is gushingly alive with the brazen bacchanals of satyrs and nymphs. Continue and you will find yourself in a world where chance encounters of mildew-encrusted adult magazines, carefully stashed away in the shrubs are nothing short of erotic mysteries reminiscent of ancient fertility cults. Life is never just sunshine and rainbows, and the same is true with Tusmørke, whose name means twilight in Norwegian. Like its namesake flower, the coltsfoot, Hestehoven swells forth from the underworld, and this chthonic aspect is heavily present in the conceptual undertones as well.. Tusmørke may conceivably be heathens, but certainly not unenlightened ones. This is music to hum along with as you pass a devil’s pact through the keyhole of your local church, or rock out to as you ride backwards on a dog all the way to the witches’ sabbath. Where warlocks cackle and witches blush. Where the priest, knowing-more-than-his-Lord’s-Prayer, binds Old Eric to his bidding. This is true Norwegian finger-clicking, butt-swinging prog rock. No more, no less – but cerebral in excess! Spring has sprung! If it is all too much to bear, close your eyes and think about the flowers.

High Roller Records, picture vinyl, ltd 500, handnumbered, insert, poster, Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel in February 2023. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels ... The ultimate audiophile reissue!

The highly anticipated new album from Portland’s Vintersea no on vinyl! One of the best and most consistent selling bands on our roster returns with a new full-length, the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Illuminated. Vintersea combines the essential parts of many genres into a melodic, progressive and at times blackened brand of metal that is undeniably inspired by the majesty of the Pacific Northwest. The quintet led by Malaysian-born vocalist Avienne, whose vocal range spans from haunting melodies to fierce growls, has organically built their following through a variety of top-notch music videos (each garnering hundreds of thousands of views) and social media outreach. Vintersea did two US tours in support of their previous record, alongside bands like Dawn of Ouroboros, Graveshadow and Voices of Ruin, as well as playing regionally opening for Fleshgod Apocalypse, Obscura, Thulcandra, Wolfheart, Ne Obliviscaris, Jinger, Arkona and Sirenia. Now with proper management and booking agent Vintersea seek to take things up a step.

A collaborative studio album written and performed by Mizmor and Thou. Created and recorded entirely in secret and revealed for their surprise joint performance at Roadburn 2022. "I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over. And the insect is awake." Thou have released 5 full-lengths and dozens of collaborations, EPs, split releases. They’re regarded as one of the most beloved sludge/doom bands in the US over the last 15 years. They’ve released numerous albums with Gilead Media, Sacred Bones, Thrill Jockey, Deathwish Inc., Southern Lord and dozens of other DIY labels. Mizmor have released 4 full-lengths and a handful of collaborative and split releases. Most recently ‘Prosaic” for Profound Lore Records. Mizmor has built a fanatical fanbase since their founding in 2012.

Black Sabbath – Paranoid. The second epic studio album from the band who instigated the heavy metal genre, and the only Black Sabbath album to top the British charts for the next four decades. This 1LP red and black splatter vinyl re-issue contains several of the band’s signature songs, including ‘Iron Man’, ‘War Pigs’, and the harrowing title track.

Following a 21-year hiatus since their last album release, UK-industrial-metal pioneers KILL II THIS return with a new album, Variant.KILL II THIS guitarist Mark Mynett spoke about the album title and artwork: “We originally had a much more complicated title for the album but the Variant title came about during the Covid lockdown period. It also echoes previous KILL II THIS album titles, especially ‘Deviate,’ and the roman numeral V signifies that this is the fifth album. The artwork was created by Andy Pilkington at Very Metal Art and we are delighted with what he has come up with. There are some really clever touches and the detail is incredible. We’ve recorded a very strong album with Variant and it needed powerful artwork to match.”KILL II THIS released four albums in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Another Cross II Bare (1997) mixed by Colin Richardson, Deviate (1998) and Trinity (2000), both produced by Andy Sneap, and Mass Down Sin Drone (2003).During this period KILL II THIS toured extensively through Europe, both as headliners and as support to SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, FEAR FACTORY, MEGADETH, TYPE O NEGATIVE, SOULFLY, DEVIN TOWNSEND and ANTHRAX. Highlights from this period include a live appearance on national French TV (Nulle Par Ailleurs/Canal Plus, viewed by over 6 million). 1. Messianic War2. Less Human3. Deus4. ComaKarma5. Heart Shaped Grenade6. Dopamine Diatribe7. SleeperCell8. The Future Is Not What It Used to Be9. Fugues of Amnesia10. Prosthetic Gravity