Black Metal

Although a brand-new entity, WHITE RUNE are a duo of SIELUNVIHOLLINEN frontman Ruttokieli on vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards and his drummer brother Soldau, also currently of Ehre. In 2021, they exploded into being with two shockingly accomplished demos, The Spell of Winter Holocaust and The Eternal Fires of Cleansing, showing a new face to Finnish black metal by, paradoxically, harkening back to old times. And now that face is fully revealed with the full-length Dawn of the White Rune. Indeed consolidating WHITE RUNE’s considerable strengths, the band’s aptly titled debut album bursts forth with an effervescence that’s undeniable – and undeniably unique, within the wider sphere of Finnish black metal. With vampiric organ to the fore but thankfully eluding the mawkish excess of “vampiric black metal,” WHITE RUNE proceed to wind and wend through an ever-surging storm of mysticism and malevolence. Their violence is real and the passion palpable, but there’s a deft touch to their dynamics here; nightsky splendor and astral awe are always present, no matter the tempo, and actual lead guitar plays an equally central role in conveying the emotions coursing through Dawn of the White Rune. And while comparisons to contemporaneous countrymen Faustian Pact, Vargrav, and Mooncitadel are certainly valid, more accurately could WHITE RUNE here harken back to the late ’90s works of Darkwoods My Betrothed, Thyrane, Alghazanth, Trollheims Grott, and even …And Oceans, thereby bringing the lineage full circle like the Ouroboros itself. To celebrate this momentous occasion, HAMMER OF HATE will also release a compilation titled The Spell of Eternal Fire, bringing together both WHITE RUNE demos. In the meantime, open thine eyes and witness the Dawn of the White Rune!

Black Metal

Re-issue, and first time under vinyl.

Black Metal

The classic album from 1998 available again on LP.

Black Metal

Debut album of Grim and Cold Black Metal from Poland with Necrostrigis/Blood Stronghold members

Limited to 100 copies.

Polar Ambient

A contradictory album in some ways, as noted above: it is both airy and oppressive. Light wafts of uplifting chords swell magnificently to greet us, but lurking just beneath the surface are those hints of something darker at work. And that artful repetition: it becomes a burden after it’s been carried for a while, and only becomes heavier. Furthermore, in reality these four pieces never really begin or end – they’ve always been in existence, waiting for the receptive to catch their mournful refrains. And that cover image by British painter, illustrator, and author Walford Graham Robertson (1866 – 1948) – nothing could encapsulate the hidden occult power of ancient woodland better than this starkly monochrome illustration.

Black Metal

Originally hailing from Ecuador, WINTERSTORM belong to the mysterious (and prolific) Pure Raw Underground Black Metal Circle, which includes the esteemed likes of WAMPYRIC RITES, RÜNDGARD, Pyreficativm, Funeral Fullmoon, Mantiel 13th Temple, and Gryftigæn, among many others. In fact, WINTERSTORM drummer Lord Valtgryftåk himself is involved in current labelmates RÜNDGARD, Pyreficativm, 13th Temple, Mantiel, and Gryftigæn, and here is joined by equally prolific veterans Wampyric Strigoi (vocals/bass – also in DUNGEON STEEL and WAMPYRIC RITES) and guitarist Bifrous Nocturno

Black Metal

Finland’s WITCHCRAFT have spent the past decade unleashing a series of demos and splits that feature some of the most diabolical black and death metal to emerge in years. In the vein of legends such as BEHERIT, BLASPHEMY and BARATHRUM, WITCHCRAFT play raw, bestial black metal with a total devotion to darkness, from the uncompromising brutality of their music to the necrotic quality of the recordings themselves. NWN! Productions is proud to present “Bestial Vociferation,” a compilation of previously unreleased rehearsal and demo recordings from 2015-2018. These tracks display an unnerving ferocity from a band who does not simply mimic their influences but injects a manic intensity into the music that makes them worthy successors to the aforementioned hordes. The vocals are exceptionally barbaric, adding a thick layer of cruelty to the already violent atmosphere inherent in the music. The occasional moan of funereal organ further enhances the aura of pure evil, solidifying WITCHCRAFT’s status as one of the most devastating bestial black metal bands today. Featuring tracks from the rehearsals “Necro Molestation,” “Nightmare Goetia,” “Walpurgisatanacht” as well as two demo tracks, “Bestial Vociferation” is a document of a group who truly comprehends the infernal nature of their medium.

Black Metal

Two of Finland’s black metal hordes unite to compile and recite “Dead Christ Prayer,” an eight-track split release that represents both the country’s unique tradition and its future. Witchcraft, whose style pays reverence in no subtle way to the great Beherit, returns to expand its imprint and demonstrate its continued adherence to the unrefined bestiality that its primary inspiration pioneered thirty years ago. Its co-conspirators in Aske first inhabited the same time and space as Beherit, but then began an eighteen-year hiatus in 1998, returning in 2016 to embark on a second blasphemous stint of new recordings, which have culminated in this effort. “Dead Christ Prayer” thus presides over the exsanguination of the lifeless body of the false savior and the ensuing transfusion ritual, combining the old blood of Aske with the new blood of Witchcraft to perpetuate the cycle of evil.