RELEASE DATE AND DETAILS OF MANIAC'S SKITLIV PICTURE DISC REVEALED

With a date set for the 22nd February, details and artwork have been revealed for the upcoming SKITLIV picture disc to be released on Cold Spring Records. Titled “Bloodletting”, the three-track 10” disc features part of a painting by David Tibet on side A, whilst side B is illustrated by a painting by the Norwegian artist Munch. The disc is strictly limited to 777 copies and will not be reprinted again. The disc is available to pre-order at http://www.coldspring.co.uk/

Side A of “Bloodletting” features the track “Slow Pain Coming” (Cold Spring Mix) and opens with the intro “Who Will Deliver Us From Gold And Planets”, which is the piece of music usually used by SKITLIV as an introduction to live performances. “Who Will Deliver Us…” was created and recorded by David Tibet and Andrew Liles at the request of SKITILIV founder and front man Maniac, and is described as “an introductory collage destruct”. Side B of the disc contains the extremely hard to find demo version of the track “A Valley Below”.

Since his departure from the seminal Black Metal band MAYHEM, Maniac has expanded his horizons considerably, moving firmly away from the Black Metal genre with which he is so closely associated, to concentrate on his own bands, one of them being the Blackened Doom project SKITLIV. With a line up that includes SHINING’s Niklas Kvarforth on guitars and backing vocals, and with guest appearances from musical luminaries such as David Tibet (CURRENT 93), Gaahl (GOD SEED, WARDRUNA) and Atilla (SUNN 0))), MAYHEM), SKITLIV recently released the critically acclaimed debut album “Skandinavisk Misantropi” on Season of Mist.

Continuing Cold Spring’s collaboration with Maniac, the UK label is shortly due to release the debut album from the legendary front man’s noise/darkwave/ambient project SEHNSUCHT, which he formed with fiancée Vivian Slaughter (GALLHAMMER) on bass, sax and backing vocals, experimentalist Andrew Liles (NURSE WITH WOUND, CURRENT 93) on FX, electronics and sound-design, and SKITLIV guitarist Ingvar Magnusson.

Maniac and Liles also recently got together with Czral (VIRUS, VED BUENS ENDE, AURA NOIR, DØDHEIMSGARD) to release an album that Maniac and Czral had begun working on in 1996. The 14-track album, “Det Skjedde Noe Når Du Var I Belgia” (Something Happened While You Were In Belgium) was released at the end of last year on the UK’s DIRTER label.

More information about SKITLIV can be found on the band’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/skitliv777

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Skitliv on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/skitliv777
Skitliv on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/skitlivofficial
Skitliv on ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/skitliv
Maniac Management & Booking: patriciathomas@btinternet.com
Cold Spring: http://www.coldspring.co.uk email info@coldspring.co.uk
Sehnsucht on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sehnsuchtofficial
Sehnsucht on ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/sehnsucht
Maniac/Liles/Czral on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/maniaclilesczralofficial
Dirter Promotions: http://www.dirter.co.uk
Season of Mist: http://www.season-of-mist.com

BLACK-FOLK METALLERS GALAR STREAM TRACK FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

Norwegian Black-Folk metallers GALAR are streaming the track “Ván” on the band’s MySpace page, as a foretaste of their forthcoming album "Til Alle Heimsens Endar". Due for release on Dark Essence Records on the 1st March, "Til Alle Heimsens Endar" will be GALAR’s sophomore album, whose eight tracks delve into ancient history of the band’s homeland. The title of the album itself means "until the ends of all worlds", and is taken from Snorri Sturluson's "Heimskringla”, which was originally written around 1230 in Old Norse and is the best known of all the sagas that recount the history of the Norwegian Kings of old. Written by Jorge "Blutaar" Scholz, the lyrics to "Til Alle Heimsens Endar" are all in Norwegian, and the band has provided introductory notes in English, together with an explanation of each track. “Ván” can be heard at www.myspace.com/galarmetal.

Another member of the thriving Bergen music scene, and with a permanent two-man line up of M. Kristiansen on screams, guitars and bass and A. B. Lauritzen on clean vocals, bassoon and grand piano, GALAR has drafted in a set of contributors to the album that draws on notable artists from a variety of musical disciplines including Phobos (GRAVDAL, AETERNUS, MALSAIN) on drums, Ricardo Odriozola on first and second violins, Hans Gunnar Hagen on viola, Siri Hilmen on cello, Morten Nome on double bass, and Cecile Langlie on female vox. It is GALAR’s ability to mix blast beats and grim vocals with haunting melodies played on a-typical instruments, which enables the band to create an atmosphere with their music that is redolent of both traditional folk and the extremes of black metal.

Track listing for "Til Alle Heimsens Endar" as follows:
1. Forspill
2. Ván
3. Paa frossen mark
4. Grámr
5. Det graa riket
6. Ingen siger vart vunnin
7. Til alle heimsens endar
8. Etterspill

ADDITIONAL DETAILS
GALAR on MySpace: www.myspace.com/galarmetal
GALAR website: http://www.galar.no
GALAR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Galar/161537332115
Dark Essence Records: www.darkessencerecords.no
Dark Essence on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/darkessencerecords
Dark Essence on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/darkessencerecords
For further information please contact post@karismarecords.no

GERMANY’S ARRANGED CHAOS SIGNS WITH APOLLON RECORDS

The German Metalcore Band ARRANGED CHAOS has inked a deal with the Netherlands based label Apollon Records, who is set to release the band’s first full-length album “As Time Goes Bye” in late spring of this year.

Founded in Leipzig, Germany, in the autumn of 2005 by drummer Patrick Küffner, guitarist Philipp Küffner, and then-bass player Ricardo, the band started life as GODFACE, and underwent the obligatory name and line up changes that most bands are subjected to, before settling on the name ARRANGED CHAOS. Guitarist Claudius Herbst joined the band following a jam session, and on his recommendation Felix Kießig (BLUTROT) was quickly added as vocalist. Encouraged by a rapidly growing and very enthusiastic fan base, ARRANGED CHAOS continued to work on new material, and the first demo “Unleashed” appeared in July 2008.

For the past year and a half ARRANGED CHAOS has concentrated on perfecting both the band’s own Metalcore sound and its stage presence, with a series of live performances, and participation in a number of national and international contests which saw the band consistently appear amongst the best finalists - an unusual feat for such an extreme metal band. Johannes Richter (NITROLYT (R.I.P.), MSL-BIGBAND) replaced the outgoing Ricardo on bass, and the current line up was completed in September of 2009.

Work is currently progressing on “As Time Goes Bye” and the title track can be heard on ARRANGED CHAOS’ MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/arrangedchaos

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Website: http://www.myspace.com/arrangedchaos
Management/Booking: booking@arrangedchaos.de
Apollon Records Website: http://www.apollonrecords.nl/
Apollon Contact: info@apollonrecords.nl

LIVE INTERVIEW WITH KVARFORTH + FOOTAGE FROM SHINING'S PARIS 09 GIG

You can see an interview with Kvarforth plus live footage of SHINING from the gig in Paris last year.

Just follow the link, and click on the little TV with the SHINING logo on the right of the page: http://www.addict-tv.com/tv.php?idvid=1542

SHINING INFORMATION
Shining on MySpace: www.myspace.com/shininghalmstad
Shining on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shiningofficial ;
Shining on ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/shining
European Booking: http://www.bcp-agency.com
PR: patriciathomas@btinternet.com

GRAVDAL CONFIRMED FOR INFERNO FESTIVAL 2010

Norwegian Black Metallers GRAVDAL have been confirmed to play at the 2010 Inferno Festival. The band will appear at the Garage venue on Wednesday 31 March, and will hit the stage at 22:00 hours.

In April, GRAVDAL will also be joining fellow countrymen GORGOROTH and KEEP OF KALESSIN on a short European tour. The exclusive mini-tour will be the first time that GORGOROTH hits the road following the release of their new album "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt”. Dates for the tour as follows:

09.04.2010 - Belgium, Vosselaar @ Biebob
10.04.2010 - Holland, Rotterdam @ Baroeg
11.04.2010 - France, Paris @ Trabendo
12.04.2010 - Germany, Hamburg @ Marx
13.04.2010 - Germany, Cologne @ Essigfabrik
14.04.2010 - Germany, Ludwigsburg @ Rockfabrik
15.04.2010 - Italy, Milan @ Magazzini Generali
16.04.2010 - Germany, Osnabrück @ N8
17.04.2010 - Germany, Glauchau @ Alte Spinnerei

GRAVDAL, whose line up includes Galge on vocals, guitarists Phobos (AETERNUS, MALSAIN, GALAR) and Specter, and Taakesjel (BIZARREKULT) on drums, are, like GORGOROTH, part of the prolific Bergen Scene. The band recently announced a collaboration with SHINING’s Niklas Kvarforth on a track on “Torturmantra”, the upcoming sophomore album from GRAVDAL, which was produced by ENSLAVED’s Herbrand Larsen, and recorded by Larsen, Bjørnar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and Arve Isdal (ENSLAVED, AUDREY HORNE) at their Conclave and Earshot studios in Bergen.

More information about GRAVDAL can be found on the band’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/gravdal

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/gravdal
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gravdalofficial
ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/gravdal
Band Contact: info@gravdalsadist.com
Management: patriciathomas@btinternet.com
Booking: info@gravdalsadist.com or patriciathomas@btinternet.com

GRAVDAL JOINS GORGORTH AND KEEP OF KALESSIN ON EUROPEAN TOUR

Norwegian Black Metallers GRAVDAL are set to join fellow countrymen GORGOROTH and KEEP OF KALESSIN on a short European tour in April of this year. The exclusive mini-tour will be the first time that GORGOROTH hits the road following the release of their new album "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt”. Dates for the tour as follows:

09.04.2010 - Belgium, Vosselaar @ Biebob
10.04.2010 - Holland, Rotterdam @ Baroeg
11.04.2010 - France, Paris @ Trabendo
12.04.2010 - Germany, Hamburg @ Marx
13.04.2010 - Germany, Cologne @ Essigfabrik
14.04.2010 - Germany, Ludwigsburg @ Rockfabrik
15.04.2010 - Italy, Milan @ Magazzini Generali
16.04.2010 - Germany, Osnabrück @ N8
17.04.2010 - Germany, Glauchau @ Alte Spinnerei

GRAVDAL, whose line up includes Galge on vocals, guitarists Phobos (AETERNUS, MALSAIN, GALAR) and Specter, and Taakesjel (BIZARREKULT) on drums, are, like GORGOROTH, part of the prolific Bergen Scene. The band recently announced a collaboration with SHINING’s Niklas Kvarforth on a track on “Torturmantra”, the upcoming sophomore album from GRAVDAL, which was produced by ENSLAVED’s Herbrand Larsen, and recorded by Larsen, Bjørnar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and Arve Isdal (ENSLAVED, AUDREY HORNE) at their Conclave and Earshot studios in Bergen.

More information about GRAVDAL can be found on the band’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/gravdal

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/gravdal
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gravdalofficial
ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/gravdal
Band Contact: info@gravdalsadist.com
Management: patriciathomas@btinternet.com
Booking: info@gravdalsadist.com or patriciathomas@btinternet.com

SHINING’S NIKLAS KVARFORTH GUESTS ON FORTHCOMING GRAVDAL ALBUM

SHINING front man Niklas Kvarforth has recorded vocals for a track on the forthcoming "Torturmantra" album from Norwegian Black Metallers GRAVDAL. The track, "Mishandlet", was recorded in Sweden at the Erebus Odora studios and produced by Peter Bjärgö. "Torturmantra", is due for release on Unexploded Records in early 2010, and will be the second full-length album from GRAVDAL, whose debut album “Sadist” was released in 2008.

Formed in 2005 by guitarist Phobos (AETERNUS, MALSAIN, GALAR) and drummer Taakesjel (BIZZAREKULT), GRAVDAL is part of the legendary Bergen Scene, which, over the years, has had a huge influence on the Black Metal genre, spawning such seminal bands as GOROGOROTH, ENSLAVED, IMMORTAL, TAAKE, BURZUM etc. GRAVDAL, whose line up includes Galge on vocals and Specter on guitars, originally started life as a studio project, but, following the release of 2005’s demo “Massegrav”, the band decided that they wanted to do more with their music. GRAVDAL first hit the stage in 2006 and has continued to perform live since then, with its own brand of “in your face” Black Metal.

According to the band, "Torturmantra" will be a huge step forward in GRAVDAL’s development: “You will still be able to find the madness that was apparent on “Sadist” but our song writing skills have developed considerably since we produced that album, and our new material has much more depth and variety to it, both in sound and concept. Kvarforth’s handling of the vocals on the "Mishandlet" track caught us completely by surprise. It’s a very different song for us, more along the lines of a Black Metal “ballad”, and his whole approach to it, and his delivery, is amazing. The track deals with abuse, and he conjures up a terrifying atmosphere of pain and suffering”.

"Torturmantra" is produced by ENSLAVED’s Herbrand Larsen, and recorded by Larsen, Bjørnar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and Arve Isdal (ENSLAVED, AUDREY HORNE) at their Earshot and Conclave studios in Bergen. More information about GRAVDAL can be found on the band’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/gravdal.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/gravdal
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gravdalofficial
ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/gravdal
Band Contact: info@gravdalsadist.com
Management: patriciathomas@btinternet.com
Booking: info@gravdalsadist.com or patriciathomas@btinternet.com

SCHWARZKRISTALL REVIEWED IN HIEROPHANT NOX

Schwarzristall reviewed by Ellen Simpson in Hierophant Nox. Read the original review at: http://hierophant-nox.com/issue15/schwarzkristallreview.htm

"Schwarzkristall came highly recommended to me, and I’m going to pass the same tip onto you, just in case you are not at first glance tempted by another underground, corpse-painted foursome pushing seemingly-classic black metal to the chosen few who can get their hands on an indecipherably-covered demo. Firstly, what’s wrong with you? Everyone starts off somewhere, and there are plenty of cracking demos lurking under the metaphorical rocks and trees of the black metal underground. Secondly, well, secondly is a bit like firstly – Schwarzkristall are clearly at the head of this wilderness pack.

The foundation of this Austrian act’s sound is raw, primitive black metal, with muscular riffs, plenty of trem, a machine gun battery of percussion and, pleasingly, buckets of bass. Switching between misanthropically stately and demonically frantic, the icy, screeching, dissonant noise that makes up a goodly portion of this demo is as old as time, but performed with more skill and poise than the band should fairly have at this stage in their career, the guitar especially being employed with both brains and cold, evil soul. I know, proficient blasting and howling alone isn’t enough to tempt you down from your ivory towers of taste. Delve a little bit deeper then, into what makes Schwarzkristall quite so special.

The introduction to the demo, “Und Es Begann”, a lengthy ambient exercise in freezing rain, bassy grumblings and evil, low, ear-scything synths gives you a hint at the band’s imagination, but an atmospheric instrumental is par for the course; it’s when the weird and the wonderful enters their general song-writing that the magic happens. Whether it be the delicious, Shining-esque clean break in the title track, all bending guitar strings, loose percussion and despair, or the corrosive, searing drone of feedback that opens a clean re-imagining of the main theme during “Begrabnis des Lichts”, or even the more orthodox break to an off-beat drum and a dripping, toxic lead on “Gefrierpunkt”, the best thing about Schwarzkristall is the confidence with which they deconstruct the standard black metal templates, re-writing tradition to privilege their own particular skills, especially in the guitar department.

In all, I’m trying to find a convincing way of explaining just what makes “Schwarzkristall” excellent black metal, and I don’t really need to – if you have any love for this genre, you’ll be a fan as soon as you give this band a shot. At the moment they’re free to experiment all the like, resulting in long tracks with many flashes of greatness chained together – given the challenge and focus of a full-length, I think they’ll flourish even more. Black metal to remind you why you fucking liked it so much in the first place".

86/100
Ellen Simpson

SCHWARZKRISTALL on:
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/schwarzkristall
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/schwarzkristallofficial

PROFANE PRAYER REVIEWED IN HIEROPHANT NOX

Greece’s Profane Prayer released the “Bloodred Fullmoon” demo back in 2007, but having started to distribute it again more recently, discovered that there was a wide-ranging and rabid interest. They turned to the wonderful Misantrof Anti-Records to solve the problem, close the circle and get the damned music to the people, which is, of course, Misantrof’s specialty, and as result we can now delve into the nasty, vitriolic racket of their early days.

The band have said that it’s ironic that they were aided in their quest to spread this demo further by Vrangsinn because Carpathian Forest have been such a formative influence on them, and “Bloodred Fullmoon” certainly reflects this in its rumbling, stomping, looseness – a frenzied stabbing which aims for death or glory rather than a cool and calculated assassination, and all the better for it. Profane Prayer have plenty of mean riffs, plenty of pace, plenty of ‘UGH!’… if it wouldn’t be unladylike to point this out…fuck it… Profane Prayer have plenty of great big BALLS.

These protuberances are much in evidence in the pathologically anti-social riff at the heart of “Sorrow”, and again play a part in making “Pain is Taking Shape” an irresistibly groovy, unspeakably filthy slice of black’n’roll simplicity. Despite the snarling harshness of the vocals, these tracks end up being decidedly catchy, and while they don’t re-write any unholy bibles, they switch direction and pace often enough to be endlessly satisfying on repeated listens. Their charm is in that very same rebellious, unapologetic obnoxiousness that makes Carpathian Forest so endearing.

“Bloodred Fullmoon” is worth your time on the basis that it’s a gloriously snotty collection of ripping, noisy black metal, but also because it introduces you to Profane Prayer properly, and given that they’ve since massively sharpened and polished their sound, adding way more depth and far more personal touches but remaining relentlessly, well, horrible, you’re going to want to get to know them. Even if they couldn’t give a fuck about you.

70/100
Ellen Simpson
Original Review:
http://hierophant-nox.com/issue15/profanereview.htm
Additional Information
Download “Bloodred Fullmoon”: http://profaneprayer.misantrof.net/
MySpace: www.myspace.com/profaneprayer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profaneprayer
ReverbNation: www.reverbnation.com/profaneprayer
Misantrof : http://misantrof.net