BAZ Underground Updates XXVIII

Alright, you know the drill. It’s Tuesday, and as always before our writers Julia Katrin and Tom Boatman are back at it to bring you the latest news and info on upcoming live streams, offers and great merchandise up for grabs.

So, let’s see what’s out there…

Band: Obituary

Up for a livestream concert series? Beginning this coming Saturday, Obituary plans to kick off the first virtual concert out of three, starting out with performing Slowly We Rot in its entirety. Now, the Florida natives as we all know have been around for decades, bringing forth the highest quality death metal and so this is one not to miss. Taking place at 5pm EST on this page you can also follow the same link to get your ticket today for the first show, as well as the follow up ones set to happen on October 24 when Cause of Death will be performed, and November 7 when rare classics & special tracks will be on the menu. We will also make sure to remind you when those dates roll around.

Label: Transcending Obscurity Records

Those wonderful folks at Transcending Obscurity Records (home to such great new and up-and-coming underground extreme metal releases from all around the world from bands like Heads for the Dead, Protosapien and Officium Triste) have yet another special offer. For the whole of this month buy any 3 LPs (including pre-orders) and get an LP of your choice free. The offer is valid at the label’s main store and from their bandcamp page. The label doesn’t just have a bunch of super cool extreme metal releases to choose from, they always have a host of awesome special editions, so do yourself a favour and get yourself a bundle of awesome extreme metal. Below you can listen to their Label Sample 2020 (which you can also pick up a digital copy of at name your price):

Band: Vulvodynia

For those in the mood for some utterly brutalising death metal, Lacerated Enemy Records have just announced several new coloured vinyl editions of 2016’s pummeling “Psychosadistic Design” by South Africa’s Vulvodynia. With track titles like “Drowned in Vomit” and “Forced Fecal Ingestion” and some particularly vile album artwork. It should be pretty clear the kind of horrors you’ll be letting yourself into. Go to the label’s bandcamp page here to check out all the special editions, alongside some new limited t-shirts and long sleeves. And check out some nastiness below:

Band: Ataraxy

From UK underground death metal label Me Saco Un Ojo Records there’s a delightful new dose of atmospheric and doom-infused death metal in the shape of Ataraxy and their 2012 debut “Revelations of the Ethereal”, now available on limited colour vinyl here (as well as CD and digital). This is well worth checking out if you haven’t before, and if you have, well why snag yourself this shiny, monstrous artefact. Click below for a gruesome sample:

Band: Hjelvik

And now for something rather different, namely some blackened, viking, heavy metal from ex-Kvelertak frontman Erlend Hjelvik and his solo project, the aptly named Hjelvik and his new release “Welcome to Hel”. Due out on November 20th, there are a couple of cool, coloured vinyl options you can pre-order, alongside CD and digital. Head on over to the Nuclear Blast bandcamp page and listen to this sample track below:

Band: Dawn Ray’d

Just announced on Prosthetic Records, the raw black metal debut EP from Liverpool’s Dawn Ray’d, “A Thorn, A Blight” is being reissued on a special limited (200 copies) white vinyl pressing. Featuring a violin playing vocalist, you’ll recognise this music as black metal, but the band definitely plough their own path. And if you’re not sure about shelling out the dough for the vinyl, hop on over to the band’s bandcamp page where you can snag a digital copy at ‘name your price’. Check out a sample below:

Band: New World Depression

Fucking Kill Records have a simple mission statement: they release records of music that label owner Chris loves. And there would seem to be plenty of love for brutally visceral old school death metal. This time round it’s Germany’s New World Depression, a band that has been doing their thing in the mettle underground for 15 years now. Their latest release “Descent” will be released on November 19th. Vinyl is limited to 100 hand-numbered copies here, so don’t hang about. If you’re looking for something to fill a Bolt Thrower sized hole in your life, check these guys out.

It appears as if another week is ahead of us filled with activities and merchandise we can all indulge in and keep ourselves occupied with. The bonus on top of that is that by taking advantage of all the things out there virtually from the safety of our own homes we increase the chances of bands surviving these tough times, we keep our minds clear and of course we safely keep social distances and heft the pandemic´s spread. Don´t be a part of the problem and insist that it’s your human rights not to wear a mask; be a part of the solution and follow the rules.

By Julia Katrin and Tom Boatman

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