Madder Mortem "Marrow"

Country: Norway
Genre(s): Eclectic Progressive Metal
Label: Dark Essence Records
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date: September 21, 2018
Tracklist: 
01. Untethered
02. Liberator
03. Moonlight Over Silver White
04. Until You Return
05. My Will Be Done
06. Far From Home
07. Marrow
08. White Snow, Red Shadows
09. Stumble On
10. Waiting To Fall
11. Tethered

Line-up: 
Agnete M. Kirkevaag - Vocals
BP. M. Kirkevaag - Guitars, percussion, vocals
Richard Wikstrand - Guitar
Tormod L. Moseng - Bass
Mads Solås - Drums, percussion, vocals

Description/Reviews: 

Everything from progressive rock to Scandinavian-inspired folk, and from avant-garde to doom metal gets an airing. The textures, tones, emotions and atmospheres can vary greatly, often within individual songs. And yet, the final product manages to remain cohesive and never disjointed. Equally, I find the music to be fresh-sounding, remaining modern and relevant in today’s metal world.

Read the full review at manofmuchmetal.com

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Atrox "Monocle"

Country: Norway
Genre(s): Experimental Progressive Metal, Industrial
Label: Dark Essence Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: September 8, 2017
Tracklist: 
1. Mass
2. Vacuum
3. Heat
4. Finger
5. Suicide Days
6. For We Are Many
7. Movie
8. Target

Line-up: 
Rune Folgerø - Vocals
viNd - Guitars
Rune Sørgård - Guitars & Technology
Tor Arne Helgesen - Drums
Erik Paulsen - Bass

Description/Reviews: 

With “Monocle”, the first album from the band since 2008’s “Binocular”, ATROX are back stronger than ever, having fine tuned their sound so that what was once an atmospheric mix of Death and Doom Metal has become much more progressive, experimental and industrial.  It is an album that shows a darker side to the band, with more epic and atmospheric elements than before.  Consolidating the unique ATROX sound within the album are catchy and upbeat sections.

Media/Samples 
Stream 
Mass

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Madder Mortem "Red In Tooth And Claw"

Country: Norway
Genre(s): Progressive Rock/Metal
Label: Dark Essence Records
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date: October 28, 2016 (CD, digital), December 9, 2016 (vinyl)
Tracklist: 
1. Blood On The Sand (5:22)
2. If I Could (5:16)
3. Fallow Season (4:12)
4. Pitfalls (5:20)
5. All The Giants Are Dead (5:11)
6. Returning To The End Of The World (5:56)
7. Parasites (3:12)
8. Stones For Eyes (4:23)
9. The Whole Where Your Heart Belongs (4:31)
10. Underdogs (7:31)

Total Time 50:54

Line-up: 
Agnete M. Kirkevaag – vocals
BP M. Kirkevaag – guitars, vocals
Richard Wikstrand – guitars
Tormod L. Moseng – bass
Mads Solås – drums, percussion, vocals
   With
Patrick Scantlebury - guitars

Description/Reviews: 

...it sounds like they have taken on a bit of a psychedelic tinge themselves, particularly on the bewitchingly haunting “The Whole Where Your Heart Belongs.” On “Returning To The End Of The World”, the band’s menacing crunch is balanced by Kirkevaag’s seductively melodic vocal lines, some of the more accessible of her career. She can still belt out wails just as powerful, even more so than when she was 17 years younger, but there is a blossoming tuneful sensibility that surfaces at least in part on every track. On “Fallow Season,” a crunchy guitar riff would likely have escalated into something fairly bombastic on an older album. Instead, there’s a graceful groove that ties it together with a smoother flow, despite the fact that the band does get worked up into some shouts and punishment of their instruments before the end.

Read the full review by A.S. Van Dorston at fastnbulbous.com

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Hail Spirit Noir "Mayhem in Blue"

Country: Greece
Genre(s): Psychedelic Progressive Rock/Black Metal
Label: Dark Essence Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: October 28, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. I Mean You Harm (3:55)
2. Mayhem In Blue (7:57)
3. Riders To Utopia (4:37)
4. Lost In Satan's Charms (10:52)
5. The Cannibal Tribe Came From The Sea (6:50)
6. How To Fly In Blackness (6:16)

Total Time 40:27

Line-up: 
Haris - synths
Theoharis - guitars, vocals
J. Demian - bass, acoustic guitars

Description/Reviews: 

Mayhem in Blue ... retains the 70s flavor but chases the rabbit even further down the hole. It’s weirder, carnival-esque, swinging. Hammond organs, flutes, and electronic sounds feature more prominently. Compositionally it’s similar but the unorthodox instrumentation is prevalent and the black metal is stretched still thinner. Moments of true blackened ferocity are few and while tremolo-picked guitars and blasting drums are present and correct, their heaviness is gentler: always meshed with keyboards or a jaunty rhythm. Clean vocals are commonplace too but used with lurching tempos and odd vowel emphasis. It’s an eccentric listen but never unsettling – more like the overly chatty guy at your post office than the one who touches your arm too much.

Read the full review at angrymetalguy.com

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Momentum "The Freak Is Alive"

Country:  Iceland
Genre(s): Psychedelic Doom Post Metal
Label: Dark Essence Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: February 9, 2015
Tracklist: 

1. Bury the Eyes Once Gold - 6:53
2. Between Two Worlds - 5:56
3. Familiar Unkown - 2:17
4. Gauntlet - 6:12
5. The Freak is Alive - 5:56
6. A Beast is Near - 4:33
7. Creators of Malignant Metaphors - 4:35
8. Undercover Imagination - 6:28
9. Depth of the Whole - 6:01

Line-up: 
Kristján - Drums
Holaf - Vocals, Bass
Ingvar - Guitar, Vocals

Description/Reviews: 

Starting off as an extreme black/death metal project in 2003, Iceland's Momentum evolved to excel at blending tactful post-rock atmospheres, reminiscent of Isis and Cult of Luna, with a Neurosis-esque level of bone-crushing heaviness broken up by soft singing and relaxed clean passages, intense vocal layering over discordant, staccato bursts and sheets of additional eerie sound textures that explode into high-impact power chords.
Momentum’s upcoming release, "The Freak is Alive", sees the band travelling further into a world of their own. A world portrayed through the artwork, lyrics and concept of frontman Holaf where songs connect on a surreal journey through subconsciousness leaving just enough untold for the observer to get lost in their own interpretation. 

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Krakow "Amaran"

Country: Norway
Genre(s): Post Metal
Label: Dark Essence Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: February 9, 2015
Tracklist: 

1. luminauts - 7:36
2. atom - 5:29
3. genesis - 3:11
4. vitriol - 6:03
5. pendulum - 6:00
6. of aarth - 9:07
7. ten silent circles - 6:49

Line-up: 
Frode Kilvik
René Misje
Kjartan Grønhaug
Ask Ty Arctander

Description/Reviews: 

On their 3rd album, "Amaran", the band has developed their style further, and made an unique and atmospheric record that will definitely stand out. This time, the band explores both the more calmer sides of their sound as well as the more experimental drone sides. This makes "Amaran" a highly variated album, filled with both dreaming soundscapes and a sinister and harsh atmosphere. With the addition of drummer Ask Ty Arctander (Kampfar), the band also have another strong musician in the line-up that has helped to broaden their sound.at

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