Today we have the privilege of sharing an early stream of the debut full-length album from Russia-based black metal trio THANATOMASS. The band arrive upon their first LP having built a small legacy of short yet substantial releases which showcased and developed their elite ‘old school’ minded vision for ancient black metal delivered with a bestial and thrashing character given to brutal longform works. ‘Hades‘ is remarkable for its violent yet intelligent intensity, a horrifyingly sentient darkness which intensifies its grip upon the listener within each piece. The album releases this Friday, May 12th on compact disc, limited cassette tape and digitally by way of the cult people over at Living Temple Records.

Per my review earlier this week: “‘Hades‘ is the realization of the inverted, serpentine readiness that’d been apparent back in 2021, the full-bore realization of their chaotic mass-death noise in a realistic and vibrant render which still reflects the shouting, shredding, and a hammered-at rhythms they’d been working on since the mid-2010’s at least and in this sense we get the complete picture of their intent and delivery upon the ambitions that’d been surmised in previous releases.” Inarguably one of the best black metal releases of the month. FFO: Katharsis, Sarcófago, Denouncement Pyre.

Thanks goes out to the artist, their label and representation for the opportunity to share this album a few days early. Scroll down to the Bandcamp embed below to finalize your descent… As always, please do your best to support the extreme metal underground and grab a physical copy from Living Temple Records this Friday:

• LIVING TEMPLE RECORDS: livingtemple.bandcamp.com
• LVX MorgenStern: lvxmorgenstern.bigcartel.com
• Nomad Snakepit: nomadsnakepit.bandcamp.com

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Per the Press Release:

On May 12th internationally, LIVING TEMPLE RECORDS is proud to present THANATOMASS’ highly anticipated debut album, Hades.

The origins of THANATOMASS are shadowy, but their first public recording – 2018’s MMXV-MMXVI demo – reveals some hints as to that mystery. From there, the conflagration was lit; the power-trio continued to expound upon their lawless black metal ultraviolence, exploding with more eldritch energies and ever-more-ravenous devotion with each successive strike. The following year’s Darkest Conjurations EP saw THANATOMASS link up with current conspirators LIVING TEMPLE, becoming more barbaric and atmospheric simultaneously, which then reached a fever pitch with 2021’s Black Vitriol & Iron Fire EP. These two short-lengths evinced exceptionally more ideas and of course far more violence than records twice their length, and suitably etched the band’s name into the underground as one to watch…and be fearful of.

At long last, THANATOMASS’ first official full-length arises with Hades. Here, immediately, past and present are consumed by unquenchable fire, an absolute bloodlust that cannot be sated – a near-overwhelming display of ultraviolent physicality that takes on a supernatural aspect, so impossibly askew is their attack. With but a minute-long intro to set the stage and prepare the unsuspecting for the cosmic onslaught ahead, Hades kicks into contorting/spiraling form with the 10-minute epic “Templvm Carnalis / Vomit Ceremony,” which mainlines the OTT diabolism of Sarcofago’s INRI into the vortextural slipstream of classic Katharsis. But as the album plays on – and as the listener’s will is reflexively, irrevocably broken down, submission turning to hypnotism and eventually immolation – those sonic signposts are successively uprooted, and it’s brazenly displayed that THANATOMASS are operating with a decidedly unique approach to songwriting. Still ultraviolent, sure, and arguably one of the most dangerous displays of such within nowadays’ underground, Hades presents clear & caustic ideas hammered to their logical conclusion only to birth yet more vulgar shapes that then contort and distort themselves into continually frightening contours…all with nary a pause for breath. But lest one think that THANATOMASS are “chaotic” or “dissonant” or other such loaded descriptors, it must be stressed that their chops and execution are superlative: natural and “live,” as it should be, with no fake punch-ins and the like, honoring the ancient ways of heavy metal fire. And, just like their prior recordings but especially more so here, THANATOMASS are undeniably a black METAL band, flying the flag of the first wave but prepared to burn any banners or standards as needed.

At seven songs across 44 minutes, with two songs topping eight minutes each and another two topping ten, Hades is a tower of ceremonial debauchery writ in shattered-glass sonics. That David Glomba provides stunning cover and interior artwork further underlines the magnitude of THANATOMASS’ debut album, and altogether stands as the momentous event it was destined to be. Submit to everlasting fire!

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