Following last year's masterful debut album, Der Wald zwischen den Welten, GRANITADER continue to storm the ramparts with the three-song / 16-minute Schlachtenklang. Short but most definitely sweet, this new EP is absolutely bursting at the seams with triumph and urgency; any longer and the listener might have a heart attack! Whereas that celebrated first full-length showed the Germans' masterful grasp of songwriting and dynamics - and plenty of confidence and charisma to spare - here do GRANITADER light a fire under their pagan black metal, swarming from every direction with swords-aloft bloodlust and righteous bravado. Comparisons to the likes of Windur, Falkenbach, or fellow Teutonic horde Horn are still valid, but daresay do none of them whip forth such a life-affirming fury quite like Schlachtenklang, and the incorporation of occasional deathly vocals is a welcome development. Old souls who exude the effervescence of the new, GRANITADER continue their ascent to the top of the pagan pack with Schlachtenklang!
This is the very first album released by true Norwegian black metallers Emperor. As one of the founding fathers of the symphonic wing of the genre, Emperor have a highly dramatic sound, balancing melodic dark synth melodies with ferocious howling forward movement. 'In The Nightside Eclipse' is reissued via ICARUS.
Since their ...gedenken wir der Finsternis debut album in 2020, EISENKULT have quickly become a flagship band for PURITY THROUGH FIRE, which is perhaps unsurprising given that they include members of labelmates MAVORIM and TOTENWACHE.