Varg

On their authentic masterpiece Zeichen, the Wolves from VARG return to their roots and embark on a journey further down a new road. Forget anything you have seen or heard about them in the past few years and embrace the new album as a reboot of a band that never ceased to evolve and has gotten rid of everything superfluous. This seventh full length release marks a new era for the Wolves, haunted by wild battles, death and bloodlust - a resurrection from the fields of pagan metal, pairing razor-sharp melodic death riffs with Freki's furious vocals. Within the first seconds of the album opener breaking loose, VARG pulls the listener into the year “793” that heralded the ferocious era of the Vikings. In contrast, "Fara Til Ranar", including additional female vocals, is a melancholic, captivating saga about the Nordic sea goddess Rán, who pulls wandering sailors down into her wet grave. "Verräter", on the other hand, emphasizes the suffering and vengeance towards former allies with rapid guitar leads and ultimately the album culminates in the mighty title hymn “Zeichen”. In addition to the ten new tracks, the mediabook contains a bonus CD featuring alternative versions of each song the band recorded with renowned guest musicians from Eluveitie, Nachtblut and Equilibrium among others. Looking at the final opus, it's not surprising why VARG took four years after the publication of Das Ende Aller Lügen (which hit number 17 on the German charts) to regather their forces, and today, Zeichen shows that Freki, Fenrier, Morkai and Garm consciously took their time to realign their inner compass and are not afraid of musical and intellectual freedom.

SHINING, led by lightning rod front man Niklas Kvarforth, enter their third decade with the epic new album 'X - Varg Utan Flock' (English translation: ‘Wolf Without A Pack’). As is their wont, SHINING use black metal as a foundation upon which to build epic and radical songs that smash all genre convention. The charismatic Kvarforth, ever the conductor of madness, leads the charge with some of metal's most daring and expressive vocals. With 'X - Varg Utan Flock', SHINING proves once and for all that they stand alone as one of black metal's most intrepid bands. This digital deluxe edition of the album features two bonus tracks