LVTHN – Eradication of Nescience [Belgium, Black] (2016)

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Fallen Empire | 6-6-16

Fallen Empire | 6-6-16

“It seems some citizens were so impatient for our new offering that it got leaked. As the leaked version is an unfinished version, we adjudged to release the final version officially at bandcamp as a ‘name your price’ download. This way, everyone is able to attain it there and give us some backing would they wish so. Zazas, Zazas, Nasatanada Zazas! So, it begins…

It is difficult to keep anything a secret even at this level. What you just heard was the collected gasps of a few but a very excited few. One of those gasps was me as LVTHN represented one of the first Fallen Empire releases for me way back int he days of 2014. At the time their debut demo Adversarialism was a blistering step into clear mid fi black metal with the flirtation with raw lo fidelity but none of the morning after headache. Eradication of Nescience continues this work forged in the 11 minute demo and expanding it to a robust 47.

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Lluvia – Eternidad Solemne [Mexico, Black] (2015)

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Fallen Empire | 8-17-15

Fallen Empire | 8-17-15

Back in the waning days of Autumn 2013, Lluvia released his debut Premonición de guerra. This caused a flurry of excitement at least with people like me who already had their top 10s organized and ready to go for the incoming end of the year celebration. Premonición de guerra was raw, hypnotic, and frankly more deserving of attention that what it got in the last month before the new year. Eternidad Solemne has fixed this by descending upon the world in the middle of 2015. Additionally, the singles and previews from this record came out in the early Spring. There should be adequate time to fully process this record. Let us hope that this is enough time. There are no more excuses.

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Misþyrming – Söngvar elds og óreiðu [Iceland, Black] (2015)

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Fallen Empire Records / Terratur Possessions | 2-7-15

Fallen Empire Records / Terratur Possessions | 2-7-15

Seeing the near sneak attack of hype which has surround this record has been not only surprising but exhilarating to be apart of. Not only has Fallen empire, as a label, been reliable over these past years but Iceland has slowly crept up in terms of black metal export. Misþyrming would already be a welcome addition to others who like the same thing but the fact that Söngvar elds og óreiðu is getting the level of praise and attention it is, is nothing short of fantastic. What better way to celebrate 2015 with a record of eternal darkness?

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Death Fortress – Among the Ranks of the Unconquerable [US, Black] (2014)

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Fallen Empire | 11-15-14

Fallen Empire | 11-15-14

Death Fortress was one the first real gems that I mined from Fallen Empire records. The short track “Master-Deceiver” appeared on the SVN OKKLT tape compilation along side other great acts like Axis of Light, Eos, and Witch in Her Tomb. Aside from having a really cool name, Death Fortress always had an air of stoic underground black metal, complete with black and white covers and lyrical themes centering
around domination. This was a project whose music felt natural and unforced as it already had all of this genre’s power guiding their every move. Among the Ranks of the Unconquerable is the debut full length coming out of a sea of demos, EPs, and compilation appearances. For a band that seems to strive for this cosmic domination, Among the Ranks of the Unconquerable is a fantastic opening
move.

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Endlichkeit – Endlichkeit III–V [US, Black] (2014)

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Fallen Empire Records |9-9-14

Fallen Empire Records |9-9-14

This truly is a style that is very personal and dear to my heart. Raw black metal, released on cassette, titled sequentially, and perhaps made by one person. This music is usually densely layered and has little concern for being accessible to anyone outside a narrow audience. It is a style which is easily lampooned for its inaccessibility, acquired taste, and similar imagery in album art. It is also a style which is as refreshing and cleansing as bathing in a natural waterfall in Autumn.

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Skáphe – Skáphe [US, Black] (2014)

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Fallen Empire | 6-6-14

Fallen Empire | 6-6-14

I feel blessed to have a reliable record label which I can walk into an album blind and know that it will be of high quality or, at the very least, interesting. Much like a majority of the Fallen Empire roster, Skáphe is a complete mystery aside from a 35 minute tape release. With little information besides a general region and a full length stretched out across four songs, listening to these types of releases is akin to navigating a dark room which maybe endless in its own dimensions. We have reached the very end of existence and beyond us is a starless abyss.

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LVTHN – Adversarialism [Belgium, Black] (2014)

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Self Released | 1-1-14

Self Released | 1-1-14

I have decided to start tagging record labels as I feel it is important to support ones which put out consistent material. LVTHN is a darkhorse as their existence was unknown to many before a few days ago when the very well liked Fallen Empire put up their debut demo for stream. If one needed any more reason to pay attention to lesser known releases, the two song demo for LVTHN serves as a reminder in the form of a punch to the face.

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