Death metal juggernaut Down Among The Dead Men have assembled a new album that’s filthier and crustier than ever before. Sounding massive, Rogga Johansson has created his best music for the band yet, with Dave Ingram being in absolute top form throughout. Both members have put out highly successful albums in Paganizer and Ursinne respectively this year, not to mention the sensational Echelon release where they joined forces again.
Transcending Obscurity Records owner Kunal Choksi states, “It’s a continued honour to work with legends Rogga Johansson and David Ingram. Down Among The Dead Men have been one of my favourites and I was blown away after listening to their new album. It’s crusty as fuck and crushing as they’ve ever been. I’m sure this will be very well received and it’s great to have the support of both the gentlemen who have been very kind and cooperative all along. Both have been in phenomenal form too, what with their new albums of Paganizer and Ursinne (even Echelon) receiving an overwhelming response. This has been a great signing for the label so far and their new album will definitely be one of the highlights of 2018.”
Dave Ingram comments, “Getting Down Among The Dead Men signed to Transcending Obscurity Records was the ideal move for myself and Rogga, since we both have bands already with this great label (Ursinne for me, Paganizer for Rogga, and Echelon jointly.) This is yet another notch in our respective bullet belts, and we are proud to bring the third Down Among The Dead Men album ‘…And You Will Obey Me’ to the world via Transcending Obscurity Records, one of the most hardworking labels on the scene.”
Rogga Johansson adds, “I just wanna riff, and riffing is what Down Among The Dead Men is all about. Riffing and the immense vocals of the legend himself David Ingram. So we did a new album, and its gonna blow you away, as its a really, really good one! And who better to release it than proven media mogul Kunal Choksi with his Transcending Obscurity? Well no one else at all. I’m utterly proud of this album, and how we release it, and I hope that anyone that needs some dirty deathly crust in their lives will agree to just that too.”
Album lineup –
Rogga Johansson – Guitars/Bass (Also in Paganizer, Echelon, Necrogod, Rogga Johansson)
Dave Ingram – Vocals (Also in Echelon, Ursinne and ex-Benediction, ex-Bolt Thrower, ex-Hail of Bullets)
Kjetil Lynghaug – Session Leads (Also in Paganizer, Echelon, Stass)
Erik R. Bevenrud – Session Drums (Also in Stass)
Artwork by Turkka G. Rantanen (Demilich, Demigod, Darkrypt)
Track listing –
1. Destroy The Infinite
2. Axis Of Insanity
3. …And You Will Obey Me
4. The End Of Time
5. Omega
6. House Of Blue Fire
7. The Age Of Steel
8. Eye Of Harmony
9. Darkness Of Glass
10. Panopticon
The full length is scheduled for release in early 2018 and a new song will be unveiled very soon via the upcoming Transcending Obscurity Records 2018 Label Sampler.
Australian bands have been kind to us. We’ve been fortunate to put out releases already of ones like The Dead, The Furor, Illimitable Dolor, Somnium Nox and Norse, and with more coming up soon such as Arkheth and The Slow Death, things look more than satisfying and we’re pleased to announce another Australian metal band to our roster, Greytomb.
Transcending Obscurity Records owner states, “I’m thrilled to work with Greytomb from Australia which has the drummer of Norse. In fact, he was the one to tell me about the band and their upcoming, much stronger material and he was right – it definitely deserves a wider audience. Greytomb‘s music is atmospheric black metal with experimental touches and it fits snugly alongside their label mates, Norse and SomniumNox. Pre-orders for this release will be up in the first week of October. Keep your eyes peeled.”
Greytomb vocalist N. Magur adds, “We are proud to announce that we have signed a two release deal with Transcending Obscurity Records who deal with some of the underground’s finest black, death and doom metal bands worldwide including our comrades in Somnium Nox and Norse! The first of these releases will be our upcoming ‘Monumental Microcosm’ EP which marks a serious transition from the music we were creating to what we will be creating. A new era of dark, cosmic and nihilistic art!”
It’s not often that you get to work with members of some of the most respected bands in the genre especially when the collective output sounds as good as this. Towards Atlantis Lights is a group with Kostas Panagiotou (Pantheist, Clouds), Ivan Zara (Void of Silence), Riccardo Veronese (Aphonic Threnody, Dea Marica, Arrant Saudade) and Ivan Olivieri. This international supergroup are on the verge of releasing their debut album titled ‘Dust of Aeons’ via Transcending Obscurity Records shortly.
Transcending Obscurity Records owner Kunal Choksi states, “It’s a dream come true to finally work with Kostas Panagiotou whom I’ve revered for years (ever since I heard the 2003 Pantheist debut ‘O Solitude’ to be precise). After being in touch for years, I’m glad things clicked and I got the opportunity to work with Towards Atlantis Lights in its final stage. The music is breathtaking; it’s atmospheric and poignant in addition to sounding absolutely majestic. I’m sure it’ll go down as one of the most memorable releases in the style this year.”
Doom legend Kostas Panagiotou adds, “We are thrilled to announce our signing to Transcending Obscurity Records. Various band members have been in touch with Kunal over a period of time and his passion, dedication and hard work for underground artists to help them transcend their own obscurity are undeniably infectious. Our debut album has been a labour of love for many years now, a period in which we have chosen to dwell in our own obscurity until we were completely sure that we had the best possible material to share with doom metal fanatics across the globe. The time has now come to transcend our own obscurity and we just know we are in safe hands with Kunal and his label, and look forward to a successful collaboration.”
The artwork and 16-page digipak layout is made by the Italian artist Francesco Gemelli (Howls of Ebb, Spectral Lore, Midnight Odyssey). One of the shorter songs from the album can be heard here –
Swedish death metal force Feral have signed a multiple album and format deal with Indian label Transcending Obscurity Records. Their style of music is uncompromising and pure, and in their own way they take ahead the classic death metal sound, finding gnarlier and more twisted expression within the HM-2-driven sound. With four releases already under their belt since 2007, they’re gearing up to unleash their new full length on the new label.
Transcending Obscurity Records owner Kunal Choksi comments, “Transcending Obscurity Records is proud to have another stellar Swedish death metal act in its ranks. Feral are going from strength to strength and their latest EP was gnarly, aggressive and yet redolent of the classic Swedish sound. We believe the best from them is yet to come. We’re happy to work with David Nilsson and the band and have signed a two-album contract, starting with a full length that will be unleashed first. They’re taking the Swedish death metal sound ahead and that’s what’s most appealing about this hardworking band.”
Feral vocalist David Nilsson adds, “We are thrilled to announce that Feral has signed to Transcending Obscurity Records, one of the fastest growing labels around right now. Their passion for the music and dedication to each undertaking convinced us immediately and we can’t wait to reveal our next release through them. The new material we have prepared is some of our strongest to date, and we are sure that it will be in the right hands with Transcending Obscurity Records. At this point we have more than enough material written and plan to start recording later this year, a raging death metal onslaught is soon in the making.”
We’re thrilled to sign Toby Knapp’s black/thrash metal band Affliktor from US. He’s a world class guitar player and is a part of several bands, but his take on a style that’s more often than not associated with lo-fi aesthetics and ‘alcohol-driven’ music is thoroughly refreshing. The debut full length with artworks from a common friend in Mark Riddick will see a release around mid-2017. Watch out for this one.
Transcending Obscurity Records owner Kunal Choksi states, “Toby Knapp is a world-renowned guitar virtuoso and is involved in the creation of music of all styles since the ’90s. He’s been a part of bands like Godless Rising and of late Waxen, Where Evil Follows, Sue’s Idol, Onward, not to mention his prolific eponymous solo band. I first came to know about him when he contributed leads to the recent Fetid Zombie album. When I heard his new black/thrash metal band Affliktor, I was blown. It was refreshing because he’s using his famed method of guitar shredding to play an underground style of music without taking away the intensity or genre’s inherent harshness. The outcome is stunning and I’m pleased to be working with the debut full length of Affliktor. The artworks have been made by none other than Mark Riddick and you can expect a stunning package for this one.”
Toby Knapp adds, “The Affliktor album was originally intended to be a pure thrash album, so the first layer of music is thrashing speed metal riffs. As time went on the album started developing into a new sound. Once the solos and atmospheric guitar effects were recorded the album called for sickening black/death metal vocals. The final result was kind of a technical Black Thrash Metal hybrid. I have been fortunate to have my work released by some of the best labels in the world and with Kunal and Transcending Obscurity Records- the tradition continues.”
In a first, Arallu from Israel sign to the Indian label Transcending Obscurity Records. They happen to be the first band from Israel to be associated with Transcending Obscurity Records and we couldn’t be happier. Their music is scathing black/thrash metal (not too unlike Rudra) and even bears Middle Eastern influences in their music. Their upcoming album ‘Six’ is easily their best yet and is scheduled for a mid-2017 release date tentatively on various formats including box sets and vinyl.
Transcending Obscurity owner Kunal Choksi states, “It is my utmost pleasure to sign my first band from Israel. I’ve always felt a connection to that place and it’s quite fortuitous to receive an email from the mighty band Arallu. It’s just what I was expecting – genuine, vicious yet folk-tinged black/thrash metal music with no compromise whatsoever. The members have been very cooperative and enthusiastic and I’m sure we can do great things together with the new album which should be out in around mid-2017 on Transcending Obscurity Records. Along with Rudra, they’re a great fit and here’s hoping we get to watch the band live soon too!”
Arallu comment, “We would like to thank Kunal and Transcending Obscurity Records for the new record deal. We are looking forward to a great and intense cooporation and we are sure that we made the right choice. We are happy to work with a record label that believes in the ability and the music of Arallu. We confirm our new pre album tour via Metal Gate booking agency and hope to see you all off the stage around east Europe in April 2017! Now we are ready to hit the studio and record our new album titled ‘Six’.”
LUCIDREAMS from Bangalore, India have been around for a seriously long time. There’s a lot of passion in the music and a heady beat to go with it, and we’re glad to put out their latest and indeed much-awaited album, ‘Ballox’.
Transcending Obscurity India (sub-label) owner Kunal Choksi states, “I’m happy to put out the long-running Bangalore-based heavy metal band’s much-awaited album, ‘Ballox’. It holds a nostalgic charm and has its own individual flavour as well. Though originally supposed to be out on the now defunct distribution sub-label, this has been upgraded to the Transcending Obscurity India sub-label and will see a release in March. A slew of wonderful packages have been designed for this one, setting a new standard hopefully for the bands here.”
Narayan from LUCIDREAMS says,”It’s awesome to finally put LUCIDREAMS‘ music out on a CD, considering the band’s been around for more than two decades. It’s even more special to partner with Kunal and Transcending Obscurity, considering everything the label stands for, both locally and internationally. We look forward to an exciting future together.”
Jayanth adds, “This release is extremely special and we’d like to dedicate this to our brother Suraj Dutt. A band that has seen over 20 musicians, Suraj made a massive impact, musically and personally. It’s an honour to see the release out and to work with Kunal from Transcending Obscurity India on this.”
Warcrab have been signed for a two-album deal via Transcending Obscurity Records. They uniquely combine death metal and sludge to create something absolutely powerful and memorable.
Transcending Obscurity label owner announces, “Most of you may have heard Warcrab‘s track in the latest label sampler, and it’s time to open pre-orders for their epic release ‘Scars of Aeons’ for the first time on CD. It merges the heaviness of death metal with the visceral groove of sludge and the result is astounding. It sounds immense and I’m glad to work with this band for not only this album but their upcoming one as well. Cheers to Jools Green, Shrivatsan (my deputy editor) and others for turning me on to this band!”
Warcrab member Paul “Budgie” Garbett adds, “Warcrab are over the moon to be able to finally release ‘Scars of Aeons’ to you all on CD. We have waited a long time for this to happen and are pleased to also tell you that not only is it coming out on CD but there is also going to be a very limited box set available with lots of cool Warcrab bits inside. We are delighted to be working with Transcending Obscurity Records on this release and there will be more to follow.”
Drug Honkey and Transcending Obscurity Records go back a long way. In fact, back to the time when Transcending Obscurity was called Diabolical Conquest. We’re happy to renew ties with this exceptional doom band and also reveal info on the upcoming album.
Transcending Obscurity Records owner Kunal Choksi states, “I’ve fallen in love with Drug Honkey ever since I heard their 2008 album ‘Death Dub’ (which I ended up distributing as well). It gives me immense pleasure to continue working with Drug Honkey for their new album titled ‘Cloak of Skies’ which is supremely atmospheric while retaining the original twisted appeal. Thanks to Paul Gillis and the guys for having faith in my abilities.”
Drug Honkey vocalist/composer Paul Gillis adds, “I am very pleased to announce, the new Drug Honkey full-length album ‘Cloak of Skies’ will be unleashed on May 5th 2017 via the booming, ever-expanding, & awesome Transcending Obscurity Records label. CD, digital, and probably vinyl platforms will all be available, along with some killer box set/bundle options as well. Cover art painted by the ultra-talented Italian madman Paolo Giradi. Avant-garde sax shaman Bruce Lamont of Corrections House/Yakuza/Brain Tentacles has etched his mark on the title track of the album and none other than one of my biggest influences, the main man himself – Justin K. Broadrick, who has done an extraordinarily crushing remix/reconstruction of the opening track Pool of Failure which bookends the album. Pre-order details will be made available in the next week or so.”
Tracklist:
1. Pool of Failure (5:44)
2. Sickening Wasteoid (6:12)
3. Outlet of Hatred (6:48)
4. (It’s Not) The Way (6:36)
5. The Oblivion of an Opiate Nod (10:00)
6. Cloak of Skies (8:11)
7. Pool of Failure (JK Broadrick remix) (6:29)
