2025 NEWS ARCHIVE

UPCOMING RELEASE: novæ - Destroying Angels
December 18, 2025
With a fresh approach on cosmic black metal, novæ conveys the awe, anxiety, and desolation of empty space through the perspective of the Apollo 11 Mission. 

Unfolding like a transmission from the cosmos, discordant guitars clash against ethereal droning synth and authentic samples taken from the Apollo 11 MOCR ACR Collection to craft an immersive atmosphere simultaneously unnerving and transcendent. Combining raw and dissonant black metal with cold distant ambience, "Destroying Angels" builds layers of tension and abrasive unease before giving way to sparse chilling ambience amidst the faint crackling voices of mission control. 

Evoking an otherworldly isolation and malaise, "Destroying Angels" is ambient black metal that sounds appropriately cold and distant, like a beacon in an endless night.



"Destroying Angels" will be released on CD/Digital formats on February 27, 2026 through Hypnotic Dirge Records. 

VIDEO PREMIERE: De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube - Une Pleine Absence
December 8, 2025
We are thrilled to premiere alongside De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube the video clip for "Une Pleine Absence" - the opening track from their forthcoming album "Rituel" Initation".

Speaking of the video release, the band said: " "Une Pleine Absence" was our very first music, who gave birth to our project. To celebrate those roots, we decided to make an home-made video clip with our own skills and dedication rather than a big-production."

Home Made Video filmed and directed by: Dominique Blanc with the help of Lorick 
Filmed at “La Vidondée”, generously loaned by Arnaud Favre from Riddes,
Arts et Culture

UPCOMING RELEASE: De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube - Rituel: Initation
December 5, 2025
PHOTO BY: JACINTE JOMINI
At the crossroads between the emotional universe of Amenra and the initiatory realm of Heilung, De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube (meaning from the abyss the dawn is born) is a project aiming to blend atmospheric and melodic post-metal with tribal rituality, offering a hypnotic, transcendent, and luminous experience.

De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube (often shortened to DANA) is built around a conceptual vision that explores mystical initiation through five interconnected compositions. While Post-Metal forms the project’s backbone, the music moves fluidly between atmospheric black metal, ritualistic elements and progressive structures. Each piece unfolds through tension and release, weaving calm, suspended passages into sudden surges of intensity and shifting tempos. 

The guitar is heavily inspired by Post Rock, layering soundscapes and advancing the tracks with atmospheric leads. The vocals primarily alternate between a sharp, guttural voice, characteristic of Black Metal, and overtone/throat singing borrowed from shamanic techniques. A female voice adds an enchanting touch through more folkloric singing. The rhythm instruments are kept simple yet engaging, designed to enhance the contrast between calm and intense passages. The whole sound is accompanied by a gong, which intensifies the alchemy and emphasizes key moments throughout the trance.

"Rituel: Initiation" will be released on CD/Digital format through Hypnotic Dirge Records on February 13.
A DLP will follow in the first half of 2026 [Date TBA]
PRE-ORDERS LIVE : MOON WISDOM - Let Water Flow
November 28, 2025
We are opening pre-orders for Moon Wisdom's debut album "Let Water Flow" today!

On this occasion, the first single from the band is also available to stream! You can listen to the song "Dark Shades" on our Bandcamp, Youtube, and other digital distributors.

The debut Moon Wisdom album is a 29-minute ritual introducing the band with unrelenting vigor, channeling the raw spirit of black metal’s second wave while weaving a current of punk energy and depressive blackgaze.

“Let Water Flow” distills its ferocity into seven tracks that surge like a glacial flood, Razor-edged riffs carve through each song, blending the primal fury of early black metal with soaring melodies that linger like mist. Punk-infused rhythms drive the onslaught, while a blackgaze edge adds a haunting, melancholic depth.

Releasing January 16, 2026
PRE-ORDERS LIVE: Hekseblad - The Fall of Cintra [10" Vinyl]
November 21, 2025
Originally unleashed on Halloween 2021 - mere months after the band’s inception - "The Fall of Cintra" laid the foundation for what Hekseblad would become today. The roots of what you hear on Hekseblad's 2024 full-length "Kaer Morhen" are present, but this EP is a different beast. 

Order LP | Bandcamp

Channeling a raw primal energy reminiscent of black metal's second-wave, "The Fall of Cintra" is aggressive and atmospheric, with hints of symphonic and melodic flourishes sprinkled within, but with a spirit that summons the ghost of the classic 90's sound. Those who prefer a less polished sound may well consider this Hekseblad's most essential work.

Having now been sold out for a couple of years, Hypnotic Dirge Records is proud to unveil a new limited 10" vinyl pressing of "The Fall of Cintra" - an edition of 200 copies divided into 100 in an "Elder Blood" variant and 100 in a "Waters of the Pontar" variant. The LP is available to pre-order now with shipping scheduled for January 2026.

*One unfortunate note: The postal service to the US from Portugal is still suspended.
We set a handful of these vinyl aside and will put them up for sale separately in 2-3 months when shipping to the US is possible again.
HDR Canada Store is closing!  | SALE UNTIL 31/12/2025
November 17, 2025
The HDR shop in canada is permanently closing at the end of 2025! 
We‘ve reduced prices on everything in the shop including newer albums to try to find homes for as much of the stock in canada before the shop closes.

Many of the items in the canadian shop aren‘t available  from our main shop in Portugal, particularly shirts and other merch printed before 2023. When the shop closes at the end of the year, these items will become permanently unavailable. Every single item in the store in on sale!! Our latest albums are only marked down to €9 but releases from 2021 and earlier are 5€, shirts are 4€, bundles are 8€, and distro cd‘s - a selection of around 500 titles are available for 4€,

Note to Americans: We're still unable to ship to the US from Portugal, so if what you wanted is also available in the Canadian shop, now is the perfect chance to get it while everything is marked down! US shipping from Portugal should become available again in January 2026.

STORE LINK
Happy hunting!
Store closes 31/12/2025
ALBUM RELEASE : Ianthin – Pinacles austères
November 13, 2025

Pinacles austères is the debut mini-album from Ianthin, the singular vision of French multi-instrumentalist Jérôme Bouquet—known also as one half of Extreme Metal duo Ergholae Somptator.

Order CD | Digital

Ianthin’s music has its roots in metal, particularly doom and black, but also takes the liberty of exploring other universes. Threads of prog, pop, jazz permeate throughout the record, painting a rich tapestry on top of an underlying black metal maelstrom, crafting a sound that is unmistakably its own: heavy, dissonant, atmospheric, and strange. Although Bouquet is the sole member in Ianthin - handling virtually all the instruments on the record (keyboards, drums, guitar, bass, vocals) - the record also includes compelling guest appearances - namely Maxime Jeune’s trumpet weeping across “Il pleut”, and the haunting foreboding six-piece choir on closer “Parvenu”.

With Ianthin already quietly working on new music, Hypnotic Dirge Records is excited to share Pinacles austères with new listeners! Limited CD’s - self-released by the band this past summer - are also available.

UPCOMING RELEASE: Moon Wisdom - Let Water Flow
November 10, 2025

Following a quiet year, Hypnotic Dirge will begin what is shaping up to be a very active year with the release of the debut Moon Wisdom album - “Let Water Flow”.

This lean, 29-minute ritual introduces the band with unrelenting vigor, channeling the raw spirit of black metal’s second wave while weaving a current of punk energy and depressive blackgaze.

“Let Water Flow” distills its ferocity into seven tracks that surge like a glacial flood. Razor-edged riffs carve through each song, blending the primal fury of early black metal with soaring melodies that linger like mist. Punk-infused rhythms drive the onslaught, while a blackgaze edge adds a haunting, melancholic depth. 

Song premiere and pre-order launch will follow in December!
“Let Water Flow” is scheduled for release on Friday January 16, 2026

Moon Wisdom Instagram | Moon Wisdom Facebook

ALBUM RELEASE: Norilsk - Gigantes Mortui
November 7, 2025

Gigantes Mortui - a live rehearsal recording commemorating Norilsk's past and present is officially out today! Speaking of the release, Norilsk says: "This is our first and only album recorded live in our rehearsal space, to mark the first decade of the band. We hope you enjoy these new versions of older songs as much as we enjoyed revisiting them.

Thanks to Simon Bouchard for recording the album, and Topon Das and Apt 2 for mixing and mastering it.

The last song on this album is “No Sacred Ground.” This song is an homage to pilgrims of doom: artists and fans who travel long distances to the holy land of underground live music. This is another song which was subject to a few arrangements over the years. On the original version, released in 2018 on the album ‘Weepers of the Land,’ we had Damien Smith from Altars of Grief trading vocals with us.

Enjoy this season of doom everyone."

Hypnotic Dirge Bandcamp | Norilsk Bandcamp
*CD/Digital available from HDR & Norilsk, Cassettes exclusively available from the band!

PRE-ORDERS LIVE: Norilsk - Gigantes Mortui
October 10, 2025

Following the announcement of the album ‘Gigantes Mortui’ last week, Norilsk is now releasing a second song and launching physical pre-orders.

While most of the songs on ‘Gigantes Mortui’ have been played in front of a live audience at one point or another over the years, revisiting NORILSK’s discography was an opportunity for the band to take a fresh perspective, and re-arranging the songs with the live feeling they didn’t have in their original form as they were originally recorded as a two-piece by Nic Miquelon and Nick Richer.

About the second single, “Potsdam Glo,” it is a song from the very early days of the band, and it was featured on the very first EP. With its obstinato bass pattern at the end, the layered melodies of this song represent the vast and crystal-cold atmosphere of a Canadian landscape. Also, this song contains the words that inspired the title of this live album: ‘Dead giants’ on beds of eternal snows.

Pre-orders are available from both Hypnotic Dirge and Norilsk - on CD and digital format from both, and a limited cassette available exclusively from the band. We encourage Canadians and Americans especially to order directly from the band.

Norilsk Bandcamp | Hypnotic Dirge Bandcamp

UPCOMING RELEASE: Norilsk - Gigantes Mortui
October 3, 2025

A new Norilsk album entitled ‘Gigantes Mortui’ will be released on November 7, 2025. The album commemorates the first decade of the band, and was recorded live in Norilsk’s rehearsal space with the current lineup.

Norilsk has become a full band many years ago, and the current lineup has been steady since Tom Hansen and Matt MacIvor joined the fold, respectively in 2016 and 2017. As the band was marking its 10th anniversary in 2024, ‘Giganges Mortui’ brings a new life into these atmospheric death doom songs.

The album was recorded by Simon Bouchard, and mixed and mastered by Topon Das at Apt 2 in Ottawa. The cover artwork was created by Timur Khabirov.

A first single, “Beyond the Horizon”, is available on Bandcamp and YouTube. The band comments: “We wrote and released this song during the lockdown in 2021-22, on the EP Beyond the Mountains. We recorded it again for the live album without having played it live previously, which adds to its frozen-in-time character.”

The album will be released in digital format, as well as in a very limited pressing of CDs and cassettes. Physical pre-orders will be launched shortly.

MERCH: NONE - "A Coffin for a Bed" long-sleeve shirts available for pre-order
August 22, 2025

This autumn, a new pressing of the classic NONE long-sleeve initially printed alongside their sophomore record “Life has gone on long enough” will be available once again.

Out of print for many years, we have received numerous requests for another pressing of the
“A Coffin for a Bed” shirts so with summer dying fast, now seemed like the time to do it.

Available to pre-order now with shipping scheduled for late September.
The new pressing will be handled by Hellsmith and printed on Gildan SoftStyle (64400) shirts.

Pre-Order "A Coffin for a Bed" Long-Sleeve


MERCH: Hekseblad Long-Sleeve Shirts available for pre-order
August 15, 2025

Adorning the “Kaer Morhen” cover art by Aghy R Parakusuma in careful detail on the front, as well as intricate prints on the sleeves and back, this Hekseblad long-sleeve is available to pre-order now with shipping scheduled for late September allowing you to receive it in time for autumn.

The shirts will be printed on Gildan SoftStyle (64400) by Hellsmith and orders will be shipped from Portugal. 

Available on its own, or as part of a LP or CD bundle at a discount!

Pre-order Shirt or Bundle






ALBUM RELEASE: Listless - selftitled
April 25, 2025

Forged in the grey skies of the pacific northwest, LISTLESS evokes a deep sense of foreboding dread on its debut album, transporting the listener to despondency and distress and creating the perfect soundtrack for quiet contemplative evenings. Today marks the official release of Listless' first chapter, so put on some headphones, settle into a dark space (or better yet, a nighttime walk), and let yourself get transported through this record of evocative depressive black metal!

Order CD | Order Shirt | Bandcamp

Album notes:
Listless is a solo Depressive Black Metal project from Victoria, BC, Canada. The project aims to capture an isolated sense of solitude through melancholic introspection. Emotionally resonant guitars, desperate howls, and sorrowful keys aim to hypnotize listeners into a dark, endless oblivion.

The project comes from the mind of Aidan Crossley, the guitarist and vocalist of Victoria-based Atmospheric Black Metal band: Liminal Shroud. Aidan's past musical work includes roles in projects such as Numenorean, Vaaltovashe, and others. This project channels the songwriting, intensity, and surging expansiveness of Liminal Shroud while focusing more on emotive aspects of musical expression.

Listless is inspired by genre-defining depressive acts such as Austere, Woods of Desolation, Coldworld, None, and Gris. The composition also implements depressive rock elements from bands like Lifelover and Psychonaut 4.

[Read More...]

VINYL RE-RELEASE : Hekseblad - Kaer Morhen 
April 19, 2025

Last year when we released Hekseblad's debut album "Kaer Morhen", the vinyl sold out in a matter of days which convinced us to add a third variant to the pressing, and that was also sold out by the summer. Since then, many of you asked if we had extra copies lying around or if we would do a repress. We didn't get to it immediately but the latest pressing arrived here about a month ago and we just held off on the release until today - April 19 - which is fittingly the one year anniversary of the release of "Kaer Morhen"! 

The 2025 pressing is limited to 200 copies, split between the "Yrden Trap" and the "Brokilon Boughs" variants. As mentioned, the vinyl are already here so there are no pre-orders. Orders will ship out immediately in the order in which they were placed. 

Order here
[SHIPPING IMMEDIATELY; NO PRE-ORDERS]

Album notes:
In the waning months of the cursed year 2020, as the seasons changed to the cold, dark months of winter two long time friends joined forces to create Hekseblad, a Melodic Black metal band who would soon take the underground by storm. Bruxa, a vocalist and songwriter from Michigan handles the lore and storytelling of the duo's music (Witch's Amulet, Fanged Imp, Bruxa, Oaken Palace), while Frosk (Frog Mallet, Groaning Retch), a multi-instrumentalist and Studio owner from Massachusetts handles guitars, bass and the entire production process.

Fresh off a run of successful EP releases and a well received Split (w/ Vér and Nachtheir), American Black Metal band Hekseblad returns in 2024 with the release of their debut Full-Length “Kaer Morhen”

Drawing lyrical inspiration from the works of Andrezj Sapkowski's beloved Fantasy franchise “The Witcher” and musically recalling the days of true Black Metal glory (namely the likes of Emperor, Dissection, Gorgoroth and Obtained Enslavement), Hekseblad delivers a furious and magickal take on the sound of late 90’s Black Metal; balancing on the edge of melodic but malicious with their furious barrage of riffs and tying it together with flourishes of Symphonic sorcery conjuring a maelstrom of frozen ferocity.

[Read More...]

SONG PREMIERE: Listless - Bloodstained Memories
April 11, 2025

As the release of Listless' self-titled debut fast approaches, we are excited to share another new song from the record today, entitled "Bloodstained Memories".

Youtube | Bandcamp
(also available on streaming platforms such as Spotify, YT Music, etc)

The self-titled album comes out Friday April 25! Pre-orders are live now and if you pre-order the CD,
you can expect it to ship out to you a few days prior to release. 

[Read More...]

VIDEO PREMIERE: Norilsk - D'ombre et de glace (l'asphyxie)
April 9, 2025

We just premiered the first lyric video from Norilsk's latest album "Antipole" for the track "D'ombre et de glace (l'asphyxie)"

Video Credits:
Filmed and Edited by: Erik Labossiere and Kristin Wagner
Featuring: Sarah Fiset

This song is about anhedonia: the inability to feel anything, and the feeling that someone or something took something away from you. As if your world’s outside crust gets turned inward and your core becomes one cold place. There is an analogy with the quallupilluk, an inuit mythical creature that takes children away.



You can also read the blog "Analog Spectre" from the creative director of this project, Erik Labossiere, for further insight into the creative process

[Read More...]

UPCOMING VINYL PRESSING: Hekseblad - Kaer Morhen
April 5, 2025

On April 19, 2024 we released the CD/Digital version of Hekseblad's debut record "Kaer Morhen" followed by the vinyl edition a couple months later which very quickly sold out. We heard your calls for a new pressing so on the one year anniversary of the release date, we will have a fresh pressing of "Kaer Morhen" available on vinyl!

The 2025 pressing is divided into 200 copies; 100 of the Yrden Trap variant, and 100 of the Brokilon Boughs variant'. There is no change beyond that, just another opportunity for you to pick up the vinyl edition if you missed it the first time!

The vinyl will go online in April 19, and the best news is: The vinyl are already here, so no pre-order bullshit, place your order and it'll be on its way to you in a few days!

In the meantime, listen to the album on Bandcamp if you missed it the first time.

[Read More...]

PRE-ORDER LAUNCH: LISTLESS - selftitled 
SONG PREMIERE: LISTLESS - Devoid
March 7, 2025

We are launching pre-orders for the debut album from LISTLESS, a new depressive black metal from the haunted shores of the Canadian west coast. The opening track from the album, entitled "Devoid" has also been premiered through No Clean Singing:

"“Devoid” is like a gradually expanding spell of sorrow, leading the listener deeper and deeper into its dark grasp until there’s no escaping the torment it has revealed. It’s a beautifully crafted and even elegant spell, whose varying and recurring melodies feed themselves like tendrils into a listener’s head and heart, but it also packs a viscerally head-moving punch before it’s done."

Listless aims to capture an isolated sense of solitude through melancholic introspection. Emotionally resonant guitars, desperate howls, and sorrowful keys aim to hypnotize listeners into a dark, endless oblivion.

The project comes from the mind of Aidan Crossley, the guitarist and vocalist of Victoria-based Atmospheric Black Metal band: Liminal Shroud. Aidan's past musical work includes roles in projects such as Numenorean, Vaaltovashe, and others. This project channels the songwriting, intensity, and surging expansiveness of Liminal Shroud while focusing more on emotive aspects of musical expression.

Listless is inspired by genre-defining depressive acts such as Austere, Woods of Desolation, Coldworld, None, and Gris. The composition also implements depressive rock elements from bands like Lifelover and Psychonaut 4.

CD's, Shirts, and a merch bundle are available to pre-order, as well as the digital album.
PRE-ORDERS: MAIN SHOP | CANADA/US SHOP | BANDCAMP
Album release is set for April 25, 2025

[Read More...]

ALBUM RELEASE: Norilsk - Antipole
February 7, 2025

Today - the new Norilsk album Antipole is released!
Always an exciting time when we can finally share the full album with you all. 

Check it out on Bandcamp - the album is available for unlimited streaming and name-your-price" download as always, and of course LP's, CD's, bundles and exclusive merch is also available! 

The quartet has assembled a brand new chapter in the band’s discography, building on the characteristics that made Norilsk what it is today while offering something undeniably contemporary. The new album, Antipole, picks up where 2022’s EP Beyond the Mountains left: with its slow doomy riffs, cold melodies, recognizable death growls, and a hint of post-metal atmosphere brought by a dual guitar interplay. While offering rewarding surprises to those who have been following the band since its beginnings, this album is also a major step forward for the band, and an ideal point of entry to anyone new to the band or death doom in general.

Norilsk is known for its unique take on winter doom, where cultures and nordicity provide a backdrop for addressing other deeper concepts such as loss, mental illness, or identity with the land. On its new album Antipole, the artist explores the concept of duality. The album flows between slow and faster songs, and highlights the contrasts in death and doom, with its beauty and tragedy, harshness and fragility, light and darkness, reality and fiction, and its gravity and ethereality.

[Read More...]

SONG PREMIERE : Norilsk - Antipole
January 31, 2025

Youtube | Bandcamp

We are premiering the title track from Norilsk’s new album, ‘Antipole.’ The song opens like a portal to the album, presenting cold melodies, ominous doom riffs, and the haunting atmosphere of a seemingly barren land. The song is about the Shadow People, which have been witnessed by various cultures around the world, including in the Arctic region. The antipole unveils what is hidden to our sight. …A storm is rising.

The album was mixed and mastered by James Plotkin. Vocals were recorded by Topon Das at Apartment 2, guitars and bass were recorded by Tom Hansen, and drums were recorded and mixed at Wolf Lake Studios by Mike Bond with assistance from JP Sadek.

Antipole will be officially released on Friday February 7, 2025
Pre-orders have already begun shipping!

UPCOMING RELEASE/BAND SIGNING: LISTLESS -S/T
January 24, 2025

Listless is a solo Depressive Black Metal project from Victoria BC, Canada. Crafted in solitude from the ashes of melancholic rumination, Listless channels despair through emotionally resonant guitars, desperate howls, and sorrowful keys. The resulting tracks are reminiscent of acts such as Austere, Woods of Desolation, Coldworld, Lifelover, and Psychonaut 4.

The project comes from Aidan Crossley, the guitarist and vocalist of Liminal Shroud (formerly on Hypnotic Dirge).
The debut, self-titled full length album will be available April 25.

Cast into the abyss
These vestiges of suffering
Drowning in a vast expanse
Of bloodstained memories

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