Sunstrike unleashes their debut album: WAR, ECSTASY and DEATH

Sunstrike finally releases their debut album, entitled WAR, ECSTASY and DEATH. These three words, full of evocative power, serve as the band’s mantra, perfectly reflecting the intensity of this release. With an old-school approach but full of personality, Sunstrike delivers a rich and sharp album, in the same spirit as their first EP Moira.

The same musical influences and themes rooted in European mythology and spirituality are present, with Apotheosis opening with an excerpt from Homer’s Odyssey as a striking example. This time, however, the band’s style is even more refined, effective, and charged with a pronounced epic dimension. The tracks are also more aggressive, taking a frontal approach, as seen in Solar Dynasty.

Sunstrike doesn’t follow trends and channels its creative energy into the tradition of Extreme Metal. The 8 tracks of WAR, ECSTASY and DEATH perfectly illustrate this and invite us to approach life as a tragic struggle, pushing us to surpass ourselves at every moment.

As part of the In Illo Tempore collection, Xiphos revisits the great figures of Antiquity through music that blends epic force, historical depth, and dramatic intensity. The fifth release of the series, The Age of Alexander, unfolds as a sound fresco dedicated to the Macedonian conqueror and the destinies surrounding his era.

The album offers a wide range of contrasting moods: some pieces are heroic and warlike (Artaxerxes, Eumenes), driven by martial rhythms and lyrics echoing the clash of battles. Others, more instrumental and contemplative (Timoleon, Phocion), act as meditative interludes between larger tableaux.

The voice stands as the narrative thread, reminiscent of Attic orators, embodying the different tones of the story: storm, victory, bitterness, trial, and glory. Alongside its neoclassical and martial character, the music subtly draws from traditional Greek sounds, with instruments such as the santur and bouzouki, while at times evoking a Darkwave atmosphere.

With The Age of Alexander, Xiphos delivers an almost cinematic work – a tragic commemoration that revives ancient destinies through an intense musical fresco.

Released in our BRÜMES collection, Infinity of Dreams by Contre son remains a timeless work that deserves to be discovered.

With 11 tracks unfolding like so many dreams, the album delivers a dark yet elegant journey, where somber beauty intertwines with a haunting nostalgia, sometimes touched by a futuristic glow. It is a work suspended between past and future, fragility and intensity, shaped by an aesthetic reminiscent of both Expressionism and Romanticism.

From the opening piece Silent Words, the listener is drawn into a dizzying orchestral landscape – contemplative, dreamlike, and immersive. A central duality emerges: ethereal and powerful female voices stand in contrast with male tones closer to declamation, giving the album a unique dramatic depth. Slow, machine-like rhythms and haunting melodies, filled with echoes and reverberations, build a sonic monument both dark and strangely serene.

Through Infinity of Dreams, Contre son masterfully crafts deep and spellbinding atmospheres, where the art of tension shapes each piece. Beneath the shadows lies a fragile serenity, the nostalgia of forgotten childhood dreams, or the tender comfort of a friendly hand. An endless journey opens up for those who listen.

Released on January 25, 2025, Rites of Futility is the debut album by Australian duo Legion:Ritualis, a "Neo Noir Music" project blending martial industrial, black metal, and neo-classical music. This album offers an immersive auditory experience, where each note feels like an incantation.

A unique alchemy

The album opens with striking compositions like Rites of Futility and Forsaken, setting a dark and solemn atmosphere. The track Despair, featuring Kim Larsen, adds a poignant neo-folk touch, while The Opacity of Others, a collaboration with D. Tucceri, explores experimental sound textures.

The limited edition, numbered to 25 copies, includes a CD digipack with an 8-page booklet, a badge, a leather patch, and a sticker, all in a black pouch.

Ritualistic and philosophical aesthetics

Rites of Futility draws inspiration from classical masters like Bach, Wagner, and Stravinsky, while delving into the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Aleister Crowley. Themes of absurdity, nihilism, and existentialism permeate the album, offering a profound reflection on the human condition.

This album is a tribute to Memento Mori, a reminder that beauty and pain coexist in an eternal dance.

Today we invite you to (re)discover a landmark release from our In Illo Tempore collection: Music for Firewalkers, the debut album by Blind Ruler Cursed Land – available in several carefully crafted editions.

Following two EPs and a split album, this work stands out for its singular vision, shaped by influences such as Swans, Popol Vuh, Current 93, Dead Can Dance, Muslimgauze, Rome and Der Blutharsch. It represents a synthesis of styles, combining neo-folk, martial industrial, ethno-ambient, world music, and a strong experimental spirit.

Traditional Indian music intertwines with European-inspired military marches, giving rise to a unique dialogue where East and West dance together in a choreography of life and death, spirit and flesh.

The album constantly shifts between intensity and contemplation, creating an atmosphere that is both abstract and epic. Voices alternate between lyrical singing, declamation, and ritual chant, infusing the music with a sense of dramatic devotion.

A track such as Embrace perfectly illustrates Blind Ruler Cursed Land’s avant-garde approach: repetition and rupture drive its structure, noise collides with melody, chaos confronts harmony. The result is a roaring steel storm, a stage for human destiny.

Beyond its sound, Music for Firewalkers is also a collector’s piece. It is available in CD, in classic black vinyl, and in a special fire-colored vinyl edition, a striking visual embodiment of the album’s burning energy.

Drawing from the roots of a pivotal era — the late 1980s, when a vehement and untamed art form was being forged — Sunstrike release their first EP: Moira. Born from the same creative chaos that gave rise to the early codes of Black Metal, this record carries the torch of the proto-black wave, echoing the spirit of Possessed, Hellhammer, Sabbat and others who emerged from the death/thrash scene to open the gates to the occult.

Sunstrike’s music pays homage to those early sounds. Their razor-sharp compositions slice through with murderous riffs, while frantic rhythms anchor the EP in an old-school, visceral groove. Yet Moira is not only about sheer aggression: the band also crafts ritualistic, atmospheric passages, such as the track Hymna pre Selene, where ambience takes center stage over fury.

Unlike many who focus on infernal redemption or apocalyptic visions, Sunstrike choose divergent paths. The Slovakian band’s lyrical universe draws from European mythology — especially Greek — invoking Selene, the Gorgons, Persephone, and other great queens of the night. Even their name, linked to the sun, conceals a fascination for the extreme and the shadowy, as heard in “Sparagmos”, a reference to ritual dismemberment.

With Moira, Sunstrike deliver an expiatory and incandescent debut, rooted in the legacy of the pioneers yet marked with their own distinct voice. A sincere EP, destined to set speakers ablaze for a long time to come.

A Seed Fallen To Earth is the second album by Sun Vessel, an artist exploring the boundaries between neo-folk, ambient, and contemplative music. Released in 2024 on Gladivs Records, as part of the In Illo Tempore collection, the album immerses the listener in an introspective world filled with melancholy, mysticism, and a deep connection to nature.

Each track invites meditation and attentive listening, combining organic textures with delicate arrangements. The album explores universal themes such as the passage of time, inner transformation, and the fragility of life, offering a rich and poetic sonic journey.

A Seed Fallen To Earth was also available in a limited special edition, carefully crafted to provide a unique tactile and visual experience. Now sold out, this edition remains a sought-after collector’s item, reflecting meticulous attention to detail, from the illustrated booklet to the choice of packaging materials.

This release perfectly embodies the vision of Gladivs Records and its In Illo Tempore collection, dedicated to introspective and artistically coherent works.

With Sacred Sorceress (BRÜCD- 001, Gladivs Records), Alziend Component invites us on a journey into the unseen, where music becomes ritual and each note a spell. This album, available as a 6-panel digipack CD and high-quality download, explores a world where shadow and light, industrial and mystical elements intertwine.

From the very first moments, the listener is enveloped in rich, hypnotic sound textures, where deep drones meet ritual percussion and surprising analog experiments. Each track acts as an incantation, an invitation to meditation and escape.

An A5 poster and a badge accompany the digipack, enhancing the tactile and visual experience of the album. Quantities are limited, making each copy a unique treasure.

Sacred Sorceress is more than just an album: it is a sonic exploration, a contemporary ritual for the soul and the senses. Whether you are a fan of experimental, industrial music, or occult atmospheres, this musical journey promises to captivate and transport you.

Dive into darkness with MMXXIII Prima Solstitium, a rare collaboration between the N.K.R.T. and Temple projects. This split album, available in a limited edition of 100 copies, invites you on an auditory journey between ritual Dark Ambient and introspective Dark Folk.

N.K.R.T. sets the tone with a chthonic atmosphere, where spectral voices and the clattering of bones create an oppressive, almost funereal ambiance. Temple, on the other hand, offers a transition to more ethereal landscapes, where floating arpeggios and delicate rhythms evoke memories of a lost humanity. The two artists converge in a shared conclusion, blending austerity and melancholy for an immersive and poignant experience.underground-alliance.com

This work is the second release in Gladivs Records' « In Illo Tempore » collection, dedicated to Dark Folk and Neo-Folk genres.

Le Sens du Tragique, the first release in our BRÜMES collection dedicated to industrial and electronic music. This project by La Nuit Qui Tombe, originally released by the label Vltima Ratio Regvm, is now distributed under the Gladivs Records banner.

The album immerses the listener in a fin-de-siècle atmosphere, between shadow and light, where each track evokes fragmented, melancholic memories. The compositions shift between noisy soundscapes, suspended piano, and ethereal vocals, offering an immersive and introspective experience.

Available as a limited edition cassette of 50 numbered copies, Le Sens du Tragique is a sonic testimony of a bygone era, capturing the essence of time passing.