After Mortiis left Emperor, the Norwegian black metal band he was part of starting, in late 1992, he released a number of solo records between 1993 and 1999. Disenfranchised with the brutality and hypocrisy of the record industry, Mortiis didn’t release a new album until 2010, when the band self-released Perfectly Defect as a limited edition CD and a free download through their own website. The next record, The Great Deceiver, was completed around 2013, but didn’t see the light of day until 2016. Now comes The Great Corruptor, featuring remixes of The Great Deceiver material by artists as diverse as Godflesh, Die Krupps. In Slaughter Natives, Rhys Fulber, and many more. Release date is Friday April 21.
Melbourne power metallers Horizons Edge are putting the finishing touches on their new studio album due for release later this year. Album number three from the band is the follow up to their well received 2015 opus, Heavenly Realms. Frontwoman Kat Sproule is flying to Germany in early April to lay down her vocal tracks with producer Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, ex-Gamma Ray), while the overall album is being produced by Bob Katsionis of Firewind and Serious Black.
Melbourne’s heavy experimental creatives Orsome Welles release their long-awaited new EP, Rise, on Friday May 26, and will hit the road to support it in June and July. Rise has been a long time coming, with its first two singles Build A World and Maestro released towards the end of 2016. Both songs caused quite a stir among industry and fans alike with their striking videos being produced by acclaimed film-maker, Adrian Goleby. See them on Saturday July 8 at the Evelyn.
Sweden’s doom darlings Avatarium are back to take the world by storm with their new album Hurricanes And Halos, out on Friday May 26, but you can get a preview of what’s to come with the new single Into The Fire/Into The Storm. “We wanted to get a raw and energetic recording to back up the powerful and dramatic lyrics of this song,” guitarist Marcus Jidell says.
Cut Up have released their highly anticipated second album, Wherever They May Rot, via Metal Blade Records/Rocket. Just as brutal as its predecessor, 2015’s Forensic Nightmares, Wherever They May Rot offers a rougher edge and is catchier overall. “Wherever They May Rot is an utter bloodbath from start to finish,” guitarist/vocalist Andreas Bjornson says. “We have managed to push the savagery even further than before, also broadening our sound without compromising one inch of aggression.”
