Black Metal

First opus of the Black Metal band HERTOGENWALD.

Ancient, dusty, and swampy, somewhere between the old releases of ULVER, SATYRICON, BEKHIRA, VELES.

Featuring members of YSENGRIN, NARTVIND, EFFROI, EOLE NOIR.

Limited to 200 copies. Includes a professionally printed, double-sided 12×12″ lyrics insert.

Noise

The Kansai based noise band Hijokaidan, come with the first ever vinyl reissue of Modern, originally released on 1989 in CD format. Resting at a fascinating juncture between space-harsh progressive, impro and noise, it was years ahead of its time when it first appeared becoming one of the great holy grails of Japan noise. Creatively thrilling – filled with emotive highs and lows – it’s a crucial piece in the puzzle of Japan’s wild and wonderful history of noise music.

The core of the band revolves around the trio Jojo Hiroshighe, Junko and Toshiji Mikawa with sporadically the participation of various artists both for live performances and for studio recordings. On this vinyl shows up in the classic three-person line-up leading the way to one of the best reissues among offerings of their incredible discography.

Modern double vinyl LP, carving out uncharted territory between Faust and mid-70s Soft Machine, pushed improvisation into a near undefinable realm. The sound of Hijokaidan subverts and deconstructs; hits you, not like an avalanche, but like a prolonged electrical discharge on neuromuscular receptors: the most visceral and buried side of the noise is hidden in Jojo’s pick-ups, in Junko’s voice and in the extraordinary as well as exceptional object of Toshiji called ‘’the Mikawa’’.

Noise

Hijokaidan is a Japanese noise band with a turning lineup that has ranged from two members to as many as fourteen in its early days. The group is the project of guitarist Yoshiyuki ‘’JOJO’’ Hiroshige, its one constant member, who is owner of the legendary Osaka-based Alchemy Records. The ensemble began at the very end of the 70’s as a performance art-based unit whose anarchic shows would often involve destruction of venues and audio equipment, food and garbage being thrown around, and on-stage urination. As the group’s lineup changed over time, their focus became less performance-based and more musically based, fine-tuning their sound into a dense wall of white noise created by each member both for live performances and for studio recordings.

Superbly pressed with fully remastered for this 40th anniversary vinyl edition by Nobuki Nishiyama, that bring as well as possible on analogue format the stunning original audio master, and released with original iconic cover art with draw by Hideshi Hino, plus all the inserts that were on the original 1982 LP: live photo book (two A3 double face foldable), one Japanese sheet and a lucky triangle card with, exclusively for this edition, extensive liner notes by JOJO in Japanese and English and 40th anniversary adhesive.

Black Metal

After 2019’s well-received Endless Trails demo via SIGNAL REX, HOLLOW WOODS strike with a full-length debut fittingly titled Cold Winds Cleave the Earth. While hailing from Finland, this mysterious entity largely eschew their homeland’s reigning black metal idiom, instead taking influence from Ukraine (Roman Saenko’s projects), Norway (early Ulver, equally early Gorgoroth), and especially Russia (the Blazebirth Hall collective). In other words, pure & proud BLACK METAL, nevertheless done with personality and charisma.

Black Metal

Side A was recorded in 1997 and originally released as the Promo 1.666 cassette.

Side B was recorded in 1998 and originally released as The Call Of Thuringian Woods cassette.

Remastered in 2020.

RAC/Oi!

The Holstein boys followed up their second work with this release in 1997. The debut album “Back on the Streets” had already been released a year earlier, which received a lot of positive feedback. As is well known, the Holsteiner Jungs were another band of Freikorps frontman Kai Stüwe. The Holstein boys’ music sounded similar, but less melodic than Freikorps, but it came across as a bit harder and snottier. Compared to the main band, the lyrics were more street-oriented and socially critical. All in all, the rough lyrics are characterized by anger at the bourgeois world with a good dose of bite!

Black Metal

By now, Horna should need no introduction. For over 25 years now, the Finnish black metal institution – founded by uber-prolific guitarist/songwriter Shatraug (Sargeist, Behexen, et al) – have built a vast, virulent body of work beyond compare. In fact, when one mentions “Finnish black metal” nowadays, the name Horna is immediately invoked…and for good reason. Simply put, their vision of unapologetic BLACK METAL is proud and pure, and played with an intensity and finesse that’s familiar yet unique.

Black Metal

Released on vinyl for the first time in 2003 (also via Blut & Eisen Prod., in a limited edition of 350 copies),

WTC proudly present a re-issue of Horna’s vicious 2nd Demo, Hiidentorni.

Black Metal

Issued in a gatefold cover sleeve, inner jackets features lyrics.

Black Metal

The compilation of early demos available again on LP.

Black Metal

Just like debut albums properly should, Godslastering Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry straddles both HULDER’s past as well as unearthing new paths. Within the eight songs comprising the 40-minute record, Hulder spans myriad generations and idioms of black metal, but all deeply rooted in ’90s classicism: from the paganisms of earliest Enslaved, Ulver, Isvind, and Kampfar to the hypnotizing grit of classic Judas Iscariot and Grand Belial’s Key, on to the mystical majesty of unsung Greeks like Zemial and Kawir and even over to the woodland wonder of old Opera IX. Which is all to say that HULDER here not so much mimic their forebears so much as meld the idiosyncrasies inherent to each into a masterclass in all-caps BLACK METAL songwriting: dynamic, engaging, nuanced, and transportive, but undeniably physical in its pulsing vistas of darkness and mystery. Likewise, Godslastering Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry is structured like a true album, with Side 1 kicking in an utterly feral manner and cresting along to vicious wanderlust and ending on the eerily restrained near-ambient hymn “De Dijle,” and then Side 2 furthering the synth mysticism and maintaining a more triumphant aspect, with the closing magickal march of “From Whence an Ancient Evil Once Reigned” sounding not unlike a lost relic from Grieghallen circa 1994. And all this is encased in a production that’s rich, robust, and rounded; only the rawness of the performances bleed into the soundfield, a clear division from HULDER’s earlier demo days.

LP size booklet + poster

RAC/Oi!

Full-length from 2008 available on LP.