SPKR/MC products

Murder Squad - Ravenous Murderous 12,99 €

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:11:13 +0200

In 2001 Death Metal had been in steady decline for many years. The genre once gloriously notorious for stillbirthing some of the vilest filth imaginable had been watered down by harmlessness and mediocrity.
It was exactly at this time that MURDER SQUAD breathed much-needed foul air into a scene so desperately lacking dirt and danger.
Spawned by members of some of the most revered Swedish Death Metal bands (ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, MERCILESS etc.) and driven by their shared passion for intoxication and, above all, American Death Metal band AUTOPSY, the four Swedes would go on to vomit forth two full-lengths and one EP before withdrawing into the nasty hole they crawled out from.

Again, adorned by a disgustingly beautiful cover by the late Timo Ketola, MURDER SQUAD’s second album, Ravenous Murderous, from 2003 still has AUTOPSY-worship written all over it. But while the predecessor was literally made up of riffs that were almost identical or at least very similar to the ones found in AUTOPSY tracks, Ravenous Murderous feels more like an unreleased AUTOPSY album than a different band paying tribute to AUTOPSY. This time around MURDER SQUAD have even been supported in the studio by legendary Chris Reifert of AUTOPSY himself contributing vocals, guitars and drums. These joined efforts resulted in a very dark Death Metal album coming with pleasantly politically incorrect lyrics certain to upset today’s moral police.

Black music cassette with 5-panel j-card, ltd 200 copies

Murder Squad - Unsane, Insane and Mentally Deranged 12,99 €

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:11:13 +0200

In 2001 Death Metal had been in steady decline for many years. The genre once gloriously notorious for stillbirthing some of the vilest filth imaginable had been watered down by harmlessness and mediocrity.
It was exactly at this time that MURDER SQUAD breathed much-needed foul air into a scene so desperately lacking dirt and danger.
Spawned by members of some of the most revered Swedish Death Metal bands (ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, MERCILESS etc.) and driven by their shared passion for intoxication and, above all, American Death Metal band AUTOPSY, the four Swedes would go on to vomit forth two full-lengths and one EP before withdrawing into the nasty hole they crawled out from.

Right off the bat, while the first riffs blare out of the speakers, MURDER SQUAD make it unmistakably clear that they don’t give a damn about originality or sophistication. Sonically almost entirely influenced by AUTOPSY – which had been split-up for six years at the time the album was released – and their depraved legacy, MURDER SQUAD are instead devoted to paying tribute to San Francisco’s most foul and deranged. Unsurprisingly, given the Swedes history and experience, they pull it off very convincingly. Although, their vey fittingly titled full-length zealously and unabashedly worships at the altar of AUTOPSY, the Swedish weirdos do so without lacking style.

Black music cassette with 5-panel j-card, ltd 200 copies

Dissection - Reinkaos 13,99 €

Thu, 28 May 2026 16:45:51 +0200

Vedar-Gal Tiekals Somdus Azerate!
Eleven to kill the Ten!

Originally released on Walpurgis Night in 2006, DISSECTIONs third and concluding opus marks the seminal Swedish band’s crowning achievement.

Everything about Reinkaos feels grandiose, otherworldly and utterly complete: The timeless, majestic music blended with lyrics pertaining to the Anti-Cosmic Current and stunning illustrations provided by the late Timo Ketola together form a black diamond of exceptional elegance and vigour.

Unlike the vast majority of bands which merely adopt the symbolism and imagery of Satanism for entertainment purposes, Reinkaos represents the real deal and is an enduring testimony of genuine Luciferian spirituality manifested as music. The 11 tracks comprising Reinkaos truly are Sonic Invocations to the Endless Dark Aeon!

Hail the dark legacy of Jon Nödtveidt!
Hail the Glorious End!

Black music cassette with 5-panel j-card

Mortiis - Ghosts of Europa 12,00 €

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 22:50:03 +0200

With "Ghosts of Europa", the enigmatic Norwegian artistic entity known as MORTIIS presents an album that he views as a creative liberation. "Ghosts of Europa" is the sonic testimony of an experienced and matured musician, who created what he loves most and does best: electronic rock with stylistic influences from many genres while not being bound by any that creates dark soundscapes, cinematic sonic visions, and a plethora of emotions. Of course, MORTIIS' musical handwriting is ever present. Echoes from the often quite divergent phases of his previous works can be found across "Ghosts of Europa". Yet the creator of musical worlds left hardly a stone not turned in his epic quest for genuinely new ways of expression. As a result, this cinematic and visionary album often feels expansive, strange, and darkly dystopian. In this, "Ghosts of Europa" reflects its maker's struggles while creating the album – as for MORTIIS, these tend to come into existence at the cost of friendships and relationships as well as much soul searching in order to reflect both, the album's general orientation towards electronic and industrial rock as well as the particularly wide range of stylistic influences reaching beyond its core, the choice of sound engineer fell on a most renowned specialist for precisely such sonic experiences: Luckily, Sean Beavan agreed to mix "Ghosts of Europa". His credits include working with NINE INCH NAILS, DEPECHE MODE, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, GUNS N' ROSES, and SLAYER among many other greats. Just when you think that you have finally figured "Ghosts of Europa" out, MORTIIS will surprise you with another facet and fresh aspect of his richly detailed masterpiece.

Tracklist:
1. Ghosts Of Europa
2. Return To The Old Fields
3. The Faith That Fades Away
4. Violent Silence
5. Transcending Morpheus
6. Tundra, Heart Of Hell
7. Tribes Of Dystopia
8. Farewell Romero

Bonus tracks (artbook and box only):
1. The Voice From Within (2020, Pre-Violent Silence)
2. Farewell Romero (2020, Instrumental)
3. Heart Of Hell (2024, Featuring Jyrki 69)
4. Transcending Morpheus (2021)
5. Return To The Old Fields (2023, Featuring Iliana Basileios Tsakiraki)
6. Spectral Fog (2020, Pre-Return To The Old Fields)
7. The Faith That Fades Away (2023, Featuring Sarah Jezebel Deva)
8. Tribes Of Dystopia (Full Version)

MC (black marbled cassette in clear case) with 6-pages inlay (200 copies available)

Soulburn - Quantifying Cosmic Doom 12,99 €

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:00:02 +0200

With "Quantifying Cosmic Doom", SOULBURN renew the dark pact with their loyal following of delivering extreme and harsh metal that always pushes to new frontiers while staying true to its core values of black, death, and doom. Built upon a solid foundation of death metal, "Quantifying Cosmic Doom" seamlessly adds walls of melancholy that are chiselled out of doom bedrock and crowns towering riffs with the fierce and spiritual flames of black metal. A wide range of musical variability as well as the masterful storytelling that runs like a golden thread through the epic songs give SOULBURN away as experienced veterans who are utterly confident and passionate about their extreme craft. SOULBURN rose from the ashes of ASPHYX in 1996, one of the times when the Dutch death metal pioneers fell apart before reuniting sooner or later. Their acclaimed debut album "Feeding on Angels" (1998) doubled up as a statement of musical intent as it contained a stripped down but deadly concoction of doom-laden black metal, which quickly established them as a devastating musical force. Behind the fifth SOULBURN album, "Quantifying Cosmic Doom", lies a long journey that never followed a straightforward road but travelled through many dimensions and took hidden paths. Yet the Dutch metal extremists have undeniably reached a dark and beautiful peak.

Tracklist:
01. The Braveheart of Nightmares
02. Powehi, the Embellished Dark Source of Unending Creation
03. A Pyramid Absurd
04. An Impious Journey Through the Cathedral's Mouth
05. Stalactites of Molten Flesh
06. M87 - What Hopes To Be Born?
07. Iconox Spew Black at the Razor's Edge
08. Down Among the Stars
09. The Desolationist
10. In the Very Time That Will Rot Us
11. An Innocuous Swathe of Sky

Cassette (purple marbled) with 10-pages inlay

Immortal - The Northern Upir's Death 12,00 €

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:02:18 +0200

This compilation includes the only self-titled demo of the band from ’91 when they still played dark death metal, the infamous self titled EP from ’91 and 2 rehearsal-songs from ’92. All carefully remastered for this DSR reissue by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony. Officially licensed from Immortal. 2nd pressing. 180g vinyl, ltd 666, 333 x silver vinyl, 333 x Pic.LP, 12-page 12“ booklet, A2 poster. Incl. download-code.

Black music cassette, 4-panel j-card, ltd 200 copies

Cadaver - Demos & Live 1988-1991 21,99 €

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:24:05 +0200

Thrashy Death Metal excellence from the pits of the Norwegian Metal underground

Prior to Norway becoming synonymous with Black Metal, the land of fjords gave rise to many a noteworthy Death Metal band too. After having recently reissued THOU SHALT SUFFER’s whole musical history, we at Darkness Shall Rise productions are immensely pleased to offer you another slab of historically important Norwegian Death Metal. Founded by underground legend Anders Odden in 1988, CADAVER produced a couple of highly influential demos eventually securing them a deal with CARCASS members’ Jeff Walker’s and Bill Steer’s label Necrosis records for their landmark album Hallucinating Anxiety in 1990.

This long-overdue compilation covering the whole output produced by Norwegian Death Metal kings CADAVER before the release of their landmark album will surely please any fan of the band and then some.
Coming with a huge booklet in old fanzine style and containing a shitload of pics on top of a very detailed interview with Anders about the early days of CADAVER, this retrospective release is both mandatory for fans of CADAVER and anyone interested in the early days of Death Metal.

A vital document of early Norwegian Death Metal history.

The songs were completely new remastered from the original tapes by Patrick W. Engel at the Temple of Disharmony.

2MC White tape-shell, 3-panel j-card, limited to 200 copies

Malfeitor - The Smell of Death 12,00 €

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:18:03 +0200

MALFEITOR - The legendary nucleus for STRID and MANES (Askim)

Despite being called from the grave at a time when Black Metal from Norway suddenly gained worldwide popularity, MALFEITOR always remained an obscure entity. When some of their compatriots signed record deals with international labels, the horde from Askim deliberately acted from within the deepest underground. With a short lifespan of only 2 years, the output produced by MALFEITOR is naturally rather meagre. The releases spawned between 1991 and 1992 only consist of 1 rehearsal- and 2 demo tapes and were back in the day only spread on home-dubbed tapes in very limited quantities. Devoted to Black Metal of the rather stripped-down, minimalist style similar to early BATHORY, ILDJARN or DARKTHRONE, MALFEITOR had the potential to release a great first full-length. Unfortunately, this wasn’t destined to happen since shortly after the release of the very promising second demo Pandemonium MALFEITOR returned to the shadows from which it was conjured. The member’s contribution to Black Metal wouldn`t end with the demise of MALFEITOR, though since out of the ashes STRID and MANES (featuring Vicotnik from DØDHEIMSGARD) rose.

Audo-restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony.

Black music cassette with 4-panel j-card, ltd 200 copies

Immortal - To the North and Into Eternal Winter - Live in Darkness 1993-1995 12,00 €

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:51:42 +0200

Warning!
If you discovered IMMORTAL after 1995, this record might not be for you.
These recordings capture the band during the 1993 Fuck Christ Tour and the 1995 Battle Of The Ages Tour — raw fan-recordings, unpolished, and unapologetically real. No sterile soundboard perfection. No studio correction. Just the unfiltered force of a band in its purest form.
These recordings breathe the spirit of a time when Black Metal was still young, dangerous, and defiantly outside the mainstream. A time before trends, before marketing, before compromise. When the scene was built on tape trading, dedication, and cold conviction.
This is a document of an era that will never return — a glimpse into the formative years of a band that reshaped Black Metal from the shadows.

Restored and remastered by Patrick W. Engel at the Temple of Disharmony.

Black music cassette with 4-panel j-card, ltd 300 copies

Root - Dema 21,99 €

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:24:05 +0200

Black Metal history written by the Czech messengers of darkness!

In 1988 two years prior to the iron curtain’s fall and at a time when playing Rock music could easily land you in jail for violating communist law, Jiří “Big Boss” Valter and Petr “Blackosh” Hošek decided to join forces to found ROOT. Adverse conditions and very low funds couldn`t prevent the eager bunch from marching forward, though. When Big Boss who wasn`t yet the band’s singer but played drums before switching to vocals for good on the fourth demo and ROOT’s guitarist Blackosh found the late Dr. Fe who did vocals on the first 3 demos and Dr. Zet on second guitar, ROOT were ready to strike.

During their initial pre-album stage ROOT managed to come up with 4 legendary demos before eventually releasing their debut album Zjeveni in 1990. Although influences from BATHORY and VENOM are apparent especially on the first 3 demos, ROOT – right from the start - managed to carve their own idiosyncratic niche. Thrashy riffs, a total lack of bass, stomping, primitive drums and Dr. Fe’s original Czech vocals are mingled with and interspersed by acoustic interludes, strange spoken word passages, incantations and samples from movies resulting in an eerie, off-kilter cocktail unheard of even today. It wasn’t until the fourth demo The Trial when Big Boss finally took over vocal duties that ROOT had finally found their unmistakable sound, though. In terms of songwriting and recording quality undoubtedly the best demo of the bunch, The Trial has everything ROOT would go on to develop further on their subsequent albums.

Exactly 10 years after ROOT’s tape box was released by Darkness Shall Rise we are extremely thrilled to offer you this luxurious compilation of the first 4 groundbreaking demos of one of Black Metal’s founding fathers on various formats.

For the first time ever all audio-files were restored and mastered from the original tapes by Patrick W. Engel.

2MC White tape-shell, 4-panel j-card, limited to 200 copies

Triptykon - Melana Chasmata 12,99 €

Mon, 18 May 2026 09:37:24 +0200

Avant-garde extreme metal act TRIPTYKON, the group fronted by singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Warrior (CELTIC FROST / HELLHAMMER / TRIUMPH OF DEATH), announce limited cassette editions (for the first time ever!) of their legendary first two albums Eparistera Daimones and Melana Chasmata.

Proven to be genre-redefining, modern milestones, the cassette versions will be available on black tape with 7-panel j-card each limited to 500 copies.

Black music cassette with 7-panel j-card, limited to only 500 copies

Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones 12,99 €

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:18:03 +0200

Daemonium Regni - Daemonium Regni 10,98 €

Mon, 18 May 2026 09:37:24 +0200

Ominous, sombre and foreboding...

The new solo-project from Micke Broberg (UNANIMATED).
Dark and epic Black Metal for fans of ROOT, BATHORY or ANCIENT WISDOM.

As the notes of the album’s opener crawl out of the speakers; slowly but steadily spreading and paving its way like black lava, the atmosphere thickens with unsettling dread and bleakness. The 8 tracks which together constitute DAEMONIUM REGNI’s eponymous album feel like a liturgy charged with foul energy held in the service of darkness and perdition.

Proficient arrangements with different layers added on top of repetitive riffs and all instruments very competently performed by the band’s sole member turn Daemonium Regni into an intriguing listen. The vocals and the way the exclusively Latin lyrics are intonated play a major role in the album. Mixed to the foreground and in equal measure performed as demonic growls as well as in the form of sombre chanting, the vocals make all the difference in this album.

Daemonium Regni not only marks DAEMONIUM REGNI’s first full length, as a matter of fact, it is the band’s very first sign of existence. Mickael Broberg, its sole member is anything but a newcomer, though. Mostly known as the singer of UNANIMATED he has been involved in various bands and projects throughout the decades. Darkness Shall Rise are very proud to introduce you to his latest and possibly darkest band DAEMONIUM REGNI.

Let the demons enter!

Mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios.
Layout by Daniele Valeriani (MYSTICUM, MAYHEM, TRIUMPH OF DEATH, UNANIMATED etc.)

Black music cassette with 4-panel j-card, ltd 200 copies

Arroganz - Death Doom Punks 12,99 €

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:40:10 +0200

With their seventh full-length, "Death Doom Punks", ARROGANZ deliver exactly what the title promises: the brutality of old school death metal meets the attitude and unpolished directness of punk. This album pulls no punches and hits straight into the gut and face. The German trio has amplified 15 years of experience into a record that comes with their trademark sound but is confident and mature both in songwriting and storytelling. On "Death Doom Punks", ARROGANZ are never afraid to let their influences shine through as they obviously made them their own. Driven by a heavy pumping bass and relentlessly whipped drum skins, the trio stacks massive riffs on top of each other and finishes any remaining resistance off with a barrage of deep-throated growls. Whatever ARROGANZ are doing, it always comes out at 100% while never forgetting the original roots in old school death metal. The trio's unwillingness to compromise has been hailed by many and earned them the hate of others - about which they do not give the slightest… as authenticity and honesty in every aspect are their key traits. With ARROGANZ what you see and hear is what you get, and "Death Doom Punks" is not just the album title but also a declaration of allegiance and intent. Get on board, bang your head, slam and rage - or get out!

Tracklist:
1. Die For Nothing
2. Under Scarred Skin
3. Pain Forged Armor
4. Death Doom Punks
5. Anti-Ideology
6. Arsenic Breath
7. Incubus' Veins
8. Earth's Final Dose
9. Spirit Arsonist

Cassette (black marble) with 4-pages inlay

Old Wainds - Scalding Coldness 12,00 €

Fri, 08 May 2026 09:21:33 +0200

Grim, barbaric, ice-cold blackness from beyond the Arctic Circle.

Murmansk is a Russian city situated north of the Arctic Circle near the Norwegian and Finnish borders. It’s not only notorious for its extremely harsh and long winters but also for being home to one of Russia’s oldest and most significant Black Metal bands - OLD WAINDS.
Arisen from the icy plains in 1995, founder Morok aided by a variety of members throughout the horde’s 30 years of existence managed to produce a remarkable discography. Unaffected by fleeting fashion and with disregard for public exposure three demos, one split album with NAV and five full length albums filled to the brim with barbaric hymns of no-nonsense Black Metal were up to this point spawned under the banner of OLD WAINDS.

Hot on the heels of OLD WAINDS’ latest album Stormheart on Darkness Shall Rise we are extremely thrilled to hereby present long overdue reissues of some glorious titles of their early catalogue.

Some old fanatics who revered OLD WAINDS’ first two albums for their unadulterated savagery were initially taken aback by Scalding Coldness.
It’s on Scalding Coldness that their compositions are presented with a proper studio production for the first time. Although considerably cleaner and therefore less bestial than previous efforts, Scalding Coldness is basically a logical continuation of Religion of Spiritual Violence. Clocking in at over 40 minutes their third full length consists of eight proficiently composed tracks of hateful coldness. Despite the material being boosted by a pro production and the introduction of more melody, Scalding Coldness bears the distinct OLD WAINDS mark and is a mandatory acquisition.

Remastered by Jack Control and Maor Appelbaum at Enormous Door.
With complete restored layout.

Black music cassette with 4-panel j-card, limited to 200 copies

Old Wainds - Religion Of Spiritual Violence 12,00 €

Fri, 08 May 2026 09:21:33 +0200

Grim, barbaric, ice-cold blackness from beyond the Arctic Circle.

Murmansk is a Russian city situated north of the Arctic Circle near the Norwegian and Finnish borders. It’s not only notorious for its extremely harsh and long winters but also for being home to one of Russia’s oldest and most significant Black Metal bands - OLD WAINDS.
Arisen from the icy plains in 1995, founder Morok aided by a variety of members throughout the horde’s 30 years of existence managed to produce a remarkable discography. Unaffected by fleeting fashion and with disregard for public exposure three demos, one split album with NAV and five full length albums filled to the brim with barbaric hymns of no-nonsense Black Metal were up to this point spawned under the banner of OLD WAINDS.

Hot on the heels of OLD WAINDS’ latest album Stormheart on Darkness Shall Rise we are extremely thrilled to hereby present long overdue reissues of some glorious titles of their early catalogue.

Where the Snows are Never Gone... was followed by a 2nd demo before Religion of Spiritual Violence would be unleashed upon the unworthy masses in 2002. Comprising of titles and lyrics entirely in Cyrillic their second album is undoubtedly several steps up in terms of song-writing and production. By and large continuing the trajectory of their previous efforts, OLD WAINDS on Where the Snows are Never Gone... present material more refined and versatile while still retaining the barbaric edge of its predecessors.

Remastered by Jack Control and Maor Appelbaum at Enormous Door.
With complete restored layout.

Black music cassette with 4-panel j-card, limited to 200 copies

Tulus - Morbid Desires 12,00 €

Fri, 22 May 2026 10:45:04 +0200

Hellishly catchy Norwegian darkness.

35 years after their inception Nittedal-based TULUS are still going strong and return with a new album. Only three years after its predecessor, the notorious three-piece is back with their eight full-length entitled Morbid Desires which Darkness Shall Rise are very proud to be releasing.

Instead of straying from their path, Morbid Desires comprises nine tracks that continue the trademark TULUS sound. An abundance of hellishly catchy riffs moulded into concise mid-tempo songs performed by proficient musicians accompanied by Blodstrup’s grim vocals are still the main characteristics of TULUS. Having said that, Morbid Desires is by no means a one-dimensional album. Fast parts, beautifully chanted vocals, flamenco and acoustic guitars etc. woven into some of the songs provide the album with plenty of variety. “Sabbat”, the album’s closer and by far the longest track surely sticks out the most. Undeniably conceived as a tribute to BLACK SABBATH the song is nothing short of amazing and impressively proves the outstanding musicianship of TULUS’ members.

Morbid Desires was recorded, mixed and mastered by Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studios, Sweden. September 2025.

Black music cassette with 5-panel j-card, limited to only 200 copies

Old Wainds - Where the Snows are Never Gone... 12,00 €

Wed, 20 May 2026 20:00:07 +0200

Grim, barbaric, ice-cold blackness from beyond the Arctic Circle.

Murmansk is a Russian city situated north of the Arctic Circle near the Norwegian and Finnish borders. It’s not only notorious for its extremely harsh and long winters but also for being home to one of Russia’s oldest and most significant Black Metal bands - OLD WAINDS.
Arisen from the icy plains in 1995, founder Morok aided by a variety of members throughout the horde’s 30 years of existence managed to produce a remarkable discography. Unaffected by fleeting fashion and with disregard for public exposure three demos, one split album with NAV and five full length albums filled to the brim with barbaric hymns of no-nonsense Black Metal were up to this point spawned under the banner of OLD WAINDS.

Hot on the heels of OLD WAINDS’ latest album Stormheart on Darkness Shall Rise we are extremely thrilled to hereby present long overdue reissues of some glorious titles of their early catalogue.

Often mistakenly considered a second demo tape, Where the Snows are Never Gone..., conceived and released in 1997, is OLD WAINDS' first full-length album. The eight songs whose titles and lyrics apart from the opener are all written in Cyrillic show the band at their most barbaric and unhinged. Musically following in the footsteps of early Norwegian classics, the material sees these mad savages annihilating everything in their way. Those inhuman vocals must also rank among the most insane and hate-filled ever.

Remastered by Jack Control and Maor Appelbaum at Enormous Door.
With complete restored layout.

Black music cassette with 4-panel j-card, limited to 200 copies

Resurrected - Perpetual 12,99 €

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:40:03 +0200

The famous Ruhr Area, or the 'Pott' as it is called, was Germany's industrial heart that beat to the sound of steelworks and miners were risking their health and lives deep down in the eternal night of the coal seams. The Ruhr Area is also the place where RESURRECTED hail from, both mentally and physically, and its history has served as an important part of the inspiration that is driving the brutal death veterans' eighth full-length "Perpetual". Ash, soot, and the ringing noise of steel hammers seem particularly fertile ground for metal – from BLACK SABBATH via JUDAS PRIEST to KREATOR and SODOM. On "Perpetual", RESURRECTED keep a steady course, which remains firmly on an old school death metal trajectory. This is completely befitting for a band that ranks among the earliest pioneers of the brutal style in their country. What makes the difference are the many years of experience, both in songwriting and on stage, which are reflected in the technical proficiency as well as the powerful and absolutely crushing tracks that are a tribute to their craft on this album. RESURRECTED spent a large part of 2025 channelling their decades of experience, talent, and unwavering passion for death metal into "Perpetual": RESURRECTED did not grow old, they got even better!

Tracklist:
01. Unholy Intercession
02. Human Wrath
03. Forever Damned
04. Into Mighty Death
05. Sanity Is Lost
06. Decomposed
07. Immaculate Deception
08. Echoes of Creation
09. Perpetual
10. Infernal Desire (Malevolent Creation Cover)

Cassette (smoky tinted) with 10-pages inlay

Thou Shalt Suffer - Into The Woods of Belial 20,99 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:48:01 +0200

Revealing the emperors’ dark past…

Founded by Samoth and Ihsahn in 1991, EMPEROR became widely acclaimed for their innovation and sophistication. They unquestionably rank among Black Metal’s most seminal bands. Throughout their exceptional career, they released landmark albums that will forever belong to the genre’s canon. Given EMPEROR’s status and popularity, it may then come as a surprise to some that this legendary band was a side-project of the Norwegian duo. This is especially true given that, at the time that EMPEROR was established, Samoth and Ihsahn’s main band was THOU SHALT SUFFER.

Although quite a short-lived entity and bound to forever dwell in the shadows of its members’ celebrated offshoot, the material which had spawned under the name THOU SHALT SUFFER is notable and worth being paid attention to. Even though the three recordings which comprises of a five-track-rehearsal, the EP Open The Mysteries Of Your Creation, and the demo Into The Woods Of Belial that the horde managed to unleash in 1991, are no less dark than what EMPEROR came up with subsequently, THOU SHALT SUFFER weren’t a Black Metal band, but were sworn to Death Metal of a distinctly tenebrous nature. Like many Norwegian bands, including IMMORTAL, ENSLAVED, BORKNAGAR, and HADES ALMIGHTY – who began as Death Metal acts under different names in the late 1980s and early 1990s before shifting towards Black Metal, Ihsahn and Samoth, aided by various members, (most infamously Ildjarn on bass), cut their teeth in a Death Metal outfit. It is sonically somewhat comparable to the earliest period of DARKTHRONE, PARADISE LOST, SENTENCED and the like when all of them still played Death Metal, and with some hints of CARCASS, which are especially audible in the fast parts, THOU SHALT SUFFER put to tape some great Death Metal darkness of lasting quality.

Despite the members being very young at the time the recordings were done, the tracks are proficiently composed and competently performed. They frequently shift between doomy, mid-tempo, and fast sections that are accompanied by Ihsahn’s morbid growls, which have nothing in common with his high shrieks that he would later be known for. This, plus some obscure keyboards on top, which adds a sombre layer to the compositions, the band were able to turn their music into a mandatory feast for devotees of dark Metal.

Darkness Shall Rise is very proud to present this re-release, which features the three recordings that THOU SHALT SUFFER had released during their short lifespan. As usual, we went to great lengths to turn this re-release into something out of the ordinary. Not only was all the music mastered for vinyl to achieve the best sound by Patrick W. Engel, but we didn’t spare any effort to create a thick booklet featuring old pictures, of which many are unpublished, and a lengthy interview with Samoth. Also for this release, the band has opened their vault and for the VERY FIRST TIME EVER, obscure material prior to THOU SHALT SUFFER has been exclusively featured. Namely XERASIA with rare rehearsal tracks from 1990, EMBRYONIC rehearsal tracks, and the official EMBRYONIC demo The Land of The Lost Souls from 1990.

This is the ULTIMATE edition of these ancient Death Metal relics!

The songs were completely new remastered from the original tapes by Patrick W. Engel at the Temple of Disharmony.

2MC Silver tape-shell, 3-panel j-card, ltd. 300 copies