St. Louis, MO-based black metal duo Stormruler - consisting of midwestern scene stalwarts Jason Asberry (vocals/guitars/bass) and Jesse Schobel (drums/vocals) - recently announced their return with the upcoming new album, Sacred Rites & Black Magick, out October 14 via Napalm Records. Sacred Rites & Black Magick weaves epic tales of war, history, black magick and sorcery beyond the standard confines of black metal, birthing an unforgettable conceptual journey of legend that any metal fan would be remiss to ignore.
Following the album's epic first single and music video for title track "Sacred Rites & Black Magick", which dropped last month, Stormruler have dropped a second single - the grandiose "Internal Fulmination Of The Grand Deceivers". The track shines with heavy bass and blast beats before cascading into icy atmosphere topped by smoke-cloaked vocals. Entrancing guitars match an ebb and flow of carefully paced interludes and merciless, speeding fury, showcasing standout leads and a blazing solo.
Stormruler says about "Internal Fulmination Of The Grand Deceivers": "Fulmination was chosen both as our next single and as the album's opener for the attention that it demands and the journey upon which it will take the listener. It has a commanding delivery carried triumphantly by its soaring leads, stoic howling vocals and ice cold trem. An embodiment of what we consider to be true imperial black metal warfare."
Stormruler broke out in 2021 with the avid subterranean support of their debut full-length, Under A Burning Eclipse – subsequently garnering scores of acclaim upon its wide re-release via Napalm Records. The album introduced Stormruler’s beyond-their-years execution of raw, atmospheric black metal doused in extravagant lyricism.
Produced, mixed and mastered by Gabe Usery at Encapsulated Studios and featuring stunning artwork by Giannis Nakos of Remedy Art Design, Sacred Rites & Black Magick blisters with more unrelenting intensity while maintaining a haunting, visceral aura more ancient and foreboding than ever. As on Under A Burning Eclipse, between each song on Sacred Rites & Black Magick is an intricately positioned interlude building the ambiance and steering the thematic intensity of the album.
Stormruler says about Sacred Rites & Black Magick: "This album is on another level in comparison to our previous offering. It falls in the same vein of the melodic second wave black metal worship of Under The Burning Eclipse, but with a more intense and darker touch. It's got the high speed buzzsaw attack we love, crushing grooves, solid leads, ambience within the interludes and acoustic passages, as well as lyrics that tell a story."
Sacred Rites & Black Magick is available for pre-order in the following formats:
- 4 page CD Digipak
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold Marbled White/Black/Blue - Napalm Mailorder only, limited to 300 worldwide
- Digipak & Shirt Bundle - Napalm RoW Mailorder only
- Full Digital Album
Pre-order here.
Sacred Rites & Black Magick tracklisting:
"Hymns Of The Slumbering Race"
"Internal Fulmination Of The Grand Deceivers"
"Adrift Dark Halls Of Vinheim"
"To Bear The Twin Faces Of The Dragon"
"In Light Of Paleblood"
"Entranced Within The Moon Presence"
"Invocation Of The Black Sacrament"
"Sacred Rites & Black Magick"
"Oathpact"
"Ten Heralds, Ten Desolations"
"The Waters Of Iolamita"
"In The Shaded Vlasian Forest"
"Amid A Smear Of Crimson Cloud"
"Apparitions Across The Ravencrest"
"Sanguinare Vampiris"
"Upon Frozen Shores"
"Shadow Of The Golden Eagle"
"Along The Appian Way"
"By Winters Long Passed"
"A Malice Dead & Cold"
"Sacred Rites & Black Magick" video:
Stormruler is:
Jason Asberry - Vocals, Guitars and Bass
Jesse Schobel - Drums & Vocals
(Photo - JT Ibanez)
