V/A – Blood & Honour Deutschland Volume 1 GREEN LP

Black Metal

One of the most accomplished newcomers Signal Rex has come across in recent years, the shadowy entity of Valais burst from the voidal womb fully formed in the middle of 2021 with their self-titled debut album. Despite existing in the vast (and vastly inconsistent) wilderness of Bandcamp, Valais in fact imparted a power and poignancy that takes most bands at least a couple records to reach, if at all. Both classically composed and forward-thinking, Valais understood right from the start the core tenets of true black metal, but equally understood how to inject their own personality and poise into such to create something that adds to the language of BLACK METAL rather than mimics its speech patterns (and sloppily so).

No, Valais as a work is a towering monument of tension and release, skillful contours and subtle dynamics, richly malevolent melody and slipstreaming violence. Aesthetic touchstones include the likes of Slidhr, latter-day Leviathan, and even Blut Aus Nord at their wiliest, but Valais also exhibit an understated sense of the pagan – perhaps stemming from their native Ireland, or perhaps from some strange cosmos far beyond our comprehension… Either way, all of this coalesces into a whilrlwinding five-song/37-minute experience that feels far vaster than that succinct runtime otherwise suggests. As such, Signal Rex is honored to rightfully release this tome in all physical formats.

Doom Metal

All copies pressed on a sort of marbled mauve-coloured vinyl, with few colour-variations due to pressing on vinyl leftovers. Comes with a 4-page A5 booklet with Roadburn poster/info.

Live recording from the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands on April 15th 2011.

Black Metal

Building upon that grand fortress is a four-song/22-minute mini-album likewise truly titled: The Oath of the Black Wolf. Here, ORGREL have gone a-hunting, their ’90s black metal classicism stalking and striking with a hunger only hinted at previously. Still, fueled by this fire they may be, the Italians across this mini manage to maximize their epic side, with the predecessor’s flat-yet-full soundfield now becoming slightly more chromatic in the process. Lead lines portend dark truths, ever building in tension and then grandeur, but the record’s swift-yet-satisfying runtime reveals the darkest, most intrinsic truth: black metal doesn’t need to “become” anything when it already IS. Hail The Oath of the Black Wolf!

Black Metal

The awaited return of the United States Raw Black Metal entity VAMPIRSKA is spearheaded by the unveiling of “Torturous Omens of Blood and Candlewax” re-issued for the first time by INFERNA PROFUNDUS RECORDS.

“Torturous Omens of Blood and Candlewax” is the debut LP of Raw Black Metal entity VAMPIRSKA, who has established itself as a titan among the scene of this Lo-Fi and enchanting style of black metal. Originally released in Autumn 2020, “Torturous Omens of Blood and Candlewax” pushed VAMPIRSKA into the eyes of many after a large release on CS, CD and LP format. Six tracks with a consistent blend of furious, depressive, and elegant melodies carried into existence with punishing drumming.

Black Metal

The killer split available on limited LP.