News
4/11/08:
We're proud to announce our two newest onslaughts are now available for
order!
Four Burials 4-way split CD featuring Otesanek, Loss, Orthodox and
Mournful Congregation and Gloria Diaboli's debut opus "Gate To Sheol" are
both in stock. The response to both records thus far has been very good
and we're excited to have both releases flying under the banner of Battle
Kommand. More info on both releases in the 'releases' section, and you
can order both from the BKR store section of this site.
Up next is the reissue of Glorior Belli's long-out-of-print debut
manifestation "O'Laudate Dominus" CD and the debut from Chicago's
Kommandant entitled "Storm Legion". Both releases are sure to turn heads
in their uniqueness and sheer ferocity.
We've received many questions about the Blut Aus Nord "The Work Which
Transforms God" LP's status. We're still waiting for a new layout from
the band. At this time we're uncertain of when exactly this release will
be available, but be certain that this is in the works and will be
released as soon as we receive art masters.
More news soon...
3/19/08:
Battle Kommand & Hate War Productions Present:
GOSPEL OF THE HORNS / CEMETERY URN / SANGUIS IMPEREM / KOMMANDANT
@ The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., Chicago IL
Tickets $12.00 @ the door.
3/17/08:
Battle Kommand Records will be releasing a limited 7" EP split from death
metal hordes SPUN IN DARKNESS (USA) and COFFINS (Jap)!! Cover art by the
legendary Christopher Moyen is being completed now! More info on this
soon. Hoping to have this out by mid-summer!
More news soon....
2/28/08:
After a long wait, the 4-way compilation "Four Burials", featuring
OTESANEK, LOSS, ORTHODOX and MOURNFUL CONGREGATION is now at press for CD
release via Battle Kommand Records! Each band has contributed their own
unique material for this great release. More news in the 'releases' section!
----
Also at press now is the North American pressing GLORIOR DIABOLI's "Gate
To Sheol" CD. We expect to have both of these releases in stock by late March!
----
Chicago's fiercest new band KOMMANDANT are entering the studio in
mid-April to record their debut album "Storm Legion", to be released on
BKR in June! In the meantime, check out the bands myspace page here :
http://www.myspace.com/kommandantofficial1
Kommandant are going to rip your faces off with their brutal black metal
assault...we've heard the material to be on this album and its absolutely deadly!
The band is currently slotted to open for the GOSPEL OF THE HORNS
/ CEMETERY URN U.S. tour date in Chicago on June 25th!
This will serve as the bands CD release party!
More news soon....
2/18/08:
Finally the new BKR website has been completed and is online again! We've
restructured things a bit here and are pleased to have the label back
online and functioning again. After two moves and a massive flood at one
location last year, we were forced to pull the site off line due to the
chaos that came with these situations. It has also been decided that for
the time being, we will only be selling BKR titles, BKR bands merchandise
and specific distributed titles through the BKR store. After having many
issues with back-logged orders, etc, we will no longer have the large mail
order we had in the past as its simply too much of a distraction from
being a 'label' for our bands and not so much of an online store for other
music.
We've got our first slab of releases lined up for this year and some new
bands who've signed on with BKR for their new records!
French black metal tyrants GLORIOR BELLI have
signed a deal with BKR for the official re-release of their debut album
"O'Laudate Dominus".
Canada's GLORIA DIABOLI's debut album "Gate To Sheol" will be the first CD
released on BKR this year. Extreme Satanic black metal savagery performed
with sheer perfection. To be released in April of this year! The bands
website is linked in our 'links' section, check their page for some audio
samples!
Also soon to come is the long-delayed NUNSLAUGHTER "Hell On Holland" live
7" EP! This will be the second co-op 7" release BKR has done with our
friends at Autopsy Kitchen Records. The pressing will be limited to 500
units with both labels receiving 250 units in different colors, our copies
will be on transparent blue vinyl! Release date 4/08!
Plans for the LP pressing of BLUT AUS NORD "The Work Which Transforms God"
are still on, this will be a co-release with AJNA. Currently awaiting art
files from the band, more news to come when this is ready for production!
BKR has received a significant amount of copies of the "Church of the Void
Swimmer" CD New Jersey's doom/sludge act MARCH INTO THE SEA, featuring
Lord Imperial from Krieg on drums/vocals. This record is nasty and ugly
as it should be, droning sludge-doom with HARSH vocals. This title will
be available from the BKR online store. Limited quantities available
here.
New tshirt designs from Nachtmystium and Obscurus Advocam are now
available in the online store.
More news soon...
7/16/07:
BKR is proud to announce that we are licensing from Candlelight Records French black metal extremists BLUT AUS NORD's mighty album "The Work Which Transforms God" for vinyl release!
This will be a high quality, gatefold package with a poster and colored wax. We plan to put this into production shortly. More news soon...
EXALTED "We Are The Grim Throng" CD's are expected within the next 3-4 weeks!
6/18/07:
ZOROASTER - "Dog Magic" CD is at press now! Street date via Caroline / Plastic Head distributors will be September 11th, 2007. We will have copies available directly (as will the band) by mid-July! Cover artwork is below...
Atlanta, Georgia's heaviest band returns with their debut full-length
album, "Dog Magic"! Picking up where they left off with their debut
self-titled EP last year on Battle Kommand, Zoroaster return with a
devastating album of epic psych-doom metal that truely showcases the bands
massive progression over the last two years. Moog synths, theramins,
haunting vocal choirs and even a brass section (!!) are brought to the
table this time to add to the massive heaviness that pertrudes from all
angles of this beast-of-a-bands sound. Truely inovative and totally
devastatingly heavy, Zoroaster are here to let the world know that REAL
doom metal is alive and well in the United States.
Plans for extensive touring are in the works. Zoroaster will be taking on
the United States this fall and will hopefully be reaching European shores
in early 2008.
For booking info contact thunderdomebooking@gmail.com
PR is being handled by ACTION PR. Contact info below...
ACTION! Public Relations
info@action-pr.com
www.Action-PR.com
Zoroaster has a slew of live shows coming up...here are the dates...get out and drone out with Atlanta's masters of doom!
6/22/07 @ Lenny's - Atlanta, GA
6/23/07 @ Repent - Athens, GA
6/28/07 @ Springwater Supper Club - Nashville, TN
6/29/07 @ Juanita's - Little Rock, AK (w/Rwake and Big Business)
ZOROASTER / CHRISTINE TOUR 2007
7/18/07 @ Murphy's - Memphis, TN
7/19/07 @ Downtown Music and Records - Little Rock, AK
7/20/07 @ Jack Rabbit Lounge - Shreveport, LA
7/21/07 @ Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA (w/Mouth of the Architect)
7/25/07 @ Jackrabbits - Jacksonville, FL
7/26/07 @ Crowbar - Tampa, FL
7/27/07 @ TBA
7/28/07 @ Roosters - Auburn, AL
7/30/07 @ Tasty World - Athens, GA
8/01/07 @ Cumberland - Charleston, NC
8/02/07 @ Milestone - Charlotte, NC
8/03/07 @ Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC
8/04/07 @ Jinx - Savannah, GA
8/06/07 @ Knitting Factory - New York, NY (w/Rosetta)
8/07/07 @ Europa Nightclub - Brooklyn, NY (w/Rosetta)
8/09/07 @ Revari Room - Columbus, OH (w/Rosetta)
8/10/07 @ The Hideaway - Johnson City, TN (w/Rosetta)
END CHRISTINE TOUR
8/11/07 @ Ethyl's - Roswell, GA
8/20/07 @ Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA (w/Black Cobra)
8/25/07 @ Repent - Athens, GA
9/19/07 @ Lenny's - Atlanta, GA (w/Daath)
10/06/07 @ Doomed to Fall Festival - San Antonio, TX
More dates to be added shortly!!! Anyone looking to book Zoroaster can contact Thunderdome Booking via email at thunderdomebooking@gmail.com.
In other BKR related news - we've received our full stock of titles from INVOCATION RECORDS. In stock now for individual sale, wholesale and trade are the following titles:
REVENGE - Superion Command Destroy MCD
Pure Canadian war metal cult. This is a re-release of the bands excellent 7" EP release from a few years back on War Hammer Records. Two tracks of devastating war anthems, one of which was written with R. Forrester of the mighty Canadian act CONQUEROR. Some of the most savage REVENGE material ever released. Limited to 1000 units only.
PROFANATICA - The Enemy of Virtue digipak CD
America's first and possibly finest black metal act of all times entire discography manifested onto one CD! Features a great booklet with many old photos, etc. Also features live tracks from the bands ONLY reunion performance to date from 2001! Limited to 1000 units only. Do not miss your chance to own this piece of American black metal history.
Big distro update coming in the next day or so. Tons of new tshirts in from PROFANATICA, ZOROASTER, REVENGE, HELLHAMMER, ABRUPTUM, etc!! Watch the distro from updates.
More news in the coming days....
6/05/07:
Lots of news from the BKR camp!!
The WATAIN / ANGELCORPSE / NACHTMYSTIUM tour was a success all around! We hope to be bringing WATAIN back later this year in an effort with our friends at AJNA for another tour in the fall that will stretch across the USA and into Canada most likely! Plans are being made for that now, along with plans to include BKR artists OBSCURUS ADVOCAM on the tour as well. European Black Metal supremacy will invade our shores once again!!
In label news, we've got two new big release announcements...
LURKER OF CHALICE - "Perverse Calculus" CD/LP.
The brand new full-length record from Wrest (Leviathan / Twilight). "Perverse Calculus" picks up where the amazing s/t album left off, combining raging black metal with dark and moody bleak soundscapes. A true masterpiece. BKR will be splitting the North American CD and LP release with AJNA, and French label END ALL LIFE will be handling the release (CD and vinyl) in the European territories. Art work and release date to be posted shortly.
ZOROASTER - "Dog Magic" CD
Atlanta's heaviest band returns with their debut full-length album "Dog Magic"! We've been really anticipating this record, and its nothing short of brilliant! Heavy as hell, to be expected, with a fusion of chanting vocals, a theramin, a brass section (!!) and other new musical elements, Zoroaster are truely carving their own path within the modern heavy music movement. This CD will go to press shortly and should be available for order direct from the band and the label by the end of July. Street date via Southern Lord / Caroline Distribution is September 11th, 2007. (its a coincidence, don't think too hard about it.)
EXALTED's debut full-length, "We Are The Grim Throng" is FINALLY going to be pressed and should be out by the beginning of July. July will also mark a repress of Nachtmystium's 2nd full-length CD, "Demise".
The BKR distro is being recompiled right now at our new location! We will have our new PO box information and distro back online shortly. Do NOT send us mail until the new PO box address is posted, we may not receive it if you do!
Nachtmystium tshirts are back in stock and will be up on the distro page shortly.
More news soon...
3/06/07:
ANGELCORPSE / WATAIN / NACHTMYSTIUM: Antichrist Vanguards East Coast Tour 2007 announced!
Battle Kommand's first tour booking adventure has been confirmed and announced. BKR and The Ajna Offensive have joined forces to bring Sweden's mighty WATAIN to U.S. soil for the first time, in support of their new record "Sworn To The Dark" (Ajna). Along with them we will also have the recently reformed ANGELCORPSE along for this offensive! Nachtmystium have joined on the tour as well and will perform at all dates EXCEPT the last two dates due to some other obligations of band members. Note: The St. Paul, Minnesota date will only feature Watain and Nachtmystium from the tour package, as Angelcorpse does NOT start the tour until May 10th in Chicago! We hope to see all you maniacs on the road!
Dates:
5.09.07 - St. Paul, MN @ Station Four (w/Teratism and Kommandant - Angelcorpse will NOT be on this show)
5.10.07 - Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle (w/Cianide and Kommandant)
5.11.07 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's (w/Celtic Frost as headliner, Decrepit opens)
5.12.07 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Northstar (w/March Into the Sea)
5.13.07 - Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East (w/Cold Northern Vengeance and Witch Tomb)
5.14.07 - New York City, NY @ BB Kings Blues Club (w/Dimentianon)
5.16.07 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx (w/Negative Plane and Gravewurm)
5.17.07 - Winston-Salem, NC @ Ziggy's (w/Negative Plane and Gravewurm)
5.18.07 - Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn (w/Negative Plane and Gravewurm)
5.19.07 - Tampa, FL @ The Brass Mug (w/Negative Plane and Gravewurm - Nachtmystium is NOT on this show)
5.20.07 - Ft. Lauderdale @ The Culture Room (w/Negative Plane and Gravewurm - Nachtmystium is NOT on thie show)
In other Nachtmystium news, the band leaves for their tour with 1349, Goatwhore and Averse Sefira in the next few weeks. All dates have been posted in the Nachtmystium page on this site.
Exalted's "We Are The Grim Throng" CD goes to press shortly. Expecting a late-April / early-May release date on this record! Expect nothing less than black thrashing madness!
N.I.L. - s/t debut CD is now available! More info in 'releases' section.
1/25/07:
The BKR store is reopened as of 1/24/07 and our entire stock is back online with lots of new items. Check it out!
Great Dawnbringer review online from Silent Uproar Webzine...read below...
Dawnbringer, to those who are familiar with it, is a labor of love from the mind of Chris Black, a Chicago-based musician and writer who has lent his bass, drum and vocal skills to a diverse selection of metal projects such as Pharaoh, Nachmystium and Superchrist. With the release of In Sickness and In Dreams, Dawnbringer has pulled off what has tragically become the rarest of feats in extreme metal music today: a distinctive and exciting album that is memorable and (dare I say it?) fun to listen to.
Breaking new ground in metal is not an easy task and, in truth, it’s usually not worth the trouble anyway. With Pharoah and Superchrist, Mr. Black has helped to create some immensely enjoyable (albeit derivative) music. Each of those bands wears their metal heroes on their collective gauntlet, but at least they throw the damn thing down!
In Sickness And In Dreams, however, is more cunning and clever in the way that it draws blood from an array of metal influences, seamlessly amalgamating sub-genres with remarkable focus and consistency. Black’s vocals jump from demonic Quarthonian snarls to witching Halfordesque falsettos and back. The lyrics are refreshingly vivid, cagey and opaque, but he seems to be simultaneously painting and addressing silhouettes of complex and imperfect characters and the imbalance left by their absence (...or something like that). The guitars find a way to straddle this confluence of metal styles and themes as Scott Hoffman thrashes along relentlessly while Matt Johnsen’s solos flare and flicker with the dramatic iridescence of prime-era Maiden and Priest, harmonies layered with bountiful gratuity.
You will be amazed to find how many fresh ideas can still be found on an album that pretty much plays one beat the entire time (if you do not love that classic galloping hardcore/rockabilly/polka beat, this album is not for you). It is that paradoxical blend of naked simplicity and turbid convolution that makes this album so interesting. In an age when one-trick-pony bands pile on copious wankery and filler just to pass the time, Dawnbringer has managed to borrow elements from 25+ years of metal and smash it into one 24-and-a-half-minute eruption of power, glory, and thrash @#%$*ing metal!
More Dawnbringer press expected to hit soon, including a feature in Metal Maniacs.
N.I.L.'s self-titled debut record has been sent to press. Titles will be available from BKR directly around 2/15/07, and will be released in stores officially in the US and Europe via Caroline and Plastic Head on March 6th, 2007.
1/13/07:
2007 is upon us and we're anticipating another great year. Big news for BKR! We've confirmed a direct European distribution deal with PLASTIC HEAD. Our presence in the UK and mainland Europe will now be stronger than ever! We expect to have titles available through them as soon as the next few weeks. More soon on these details...
The new year kicks off with the CD release of French black metalers OBSCURUS ADVOCAM's debut album, "Verbia Daemonicus", available now! More info in the "releases" section + Mp3 sample.
Our cooperation with German label, VAN, will be taking new form this year at the BKR camp with much more concentration on bringing their great CD and vinyl titles over and helping distribute them exclusively in North America. We've recently added KERMANIA to our releases list and their debut album, 'Ahnenwerk', is now available directly from BKR. Mp3 in the 'releases' section. We'll soon be stocking the new RUINS OF BEVERAST record and other VAN titles. More news to come...
Next to press is Chicago, IL black metal horde EXALTED's debut record, "We Are The Grim Throng" CD and the N.I.L. debut record. More news + mp3 soon.
Another Chicago horde lined up to join the BKR roster are local brethren, KOMMANDANT, a new ferocious black/war metal monster-of-a-band headed by ex-Cianide guitarist, Jim Bresnahan. We're finalizing details on the extent of our cooperation and plans for a debut record, more news soon....
NACHTMYSTIUM head back to the studio later this week and again in early February to complete their work for the split CD/LP with LEVIATHAN. The band is contributing two brand new tracks and covers from DEATH IN JUNE and GOATSNAKE. This release will be handled entirely by Southern Lord in the United States, European release info to be confirmed and announced soon...
NACHTMYSTIUM is also confirmed to appear on the 1349 headlining tour that kicks off in March and runs through April. US and Canadian dates have been announced and will be posted in the Nachtmystium section on this site shortly. Also on board for the tour are US acts AVERSE SEFIRA and GOATWHORE.
More news soon....
12/02/06:
Finally a news update!
Battle Kommand Records has officially signed GATHIENS (formerly known as Beginning/End who we mentioned in a previous update). The bands first album is recorded and we hope to see a release in the first quarter of the new year. GATHIENS will be a unique signing for BKR, as its our first non-metal release. Although the bands music DOES fringe on the heavier side of things, they still possess a unique quality that makes GATHIENS truely a unique beast of its own. Fans of newer ISIS, SHORA, PELICAN and BORIS should find something they will enjoy from this band. More news on GATHIENS and an Mp3 sample will be posted in the releases section soon...
OBSCURUS ADVOCAM's full-length debut, "Verbia Daemonicus", will be released via-BKR on February 6th, 2007. Southern Lord will be handling exclusive North American distribution for this title. Expect nothing less than perfect French black metal from these tyrants! This debut record is sure to shock all in its path with its musical brilliance and ferocity.
DAWNBRINGER's "In Sickness and In Dreams" CD is finally available after months of delays. Find an Mp3 sample in the 'releases' section.
Illinois-based black metal outfit EXALTED have delivered their debut release to BKR. We'll be sending this to press also in the early-part of 2007. Distribution deals for this title are currently being negotiated. Again, we'll post cover art + an Mp3 sample in the 'releases' section sometime soon.
NACHTMYSTIUM hits the road again in about a week for a 2-week east coast stint with labelmates ZOROASTER. See the "Nachtmystium" section for tour dates and info.
Lastly, N.I.L.'s record has also been delivered and we're finalizing the layout now. This will see a release date in early March, 2007. N.I.L. is the new black metal project of ex-Krieg frontman, Imperial. This record is a perfect mixture of experimental drone and black metal. Fans of both genres are sure to find something in this brilliant record.
9/14/06:
Nachtmystium "Eulogy IV" LP has finally been reissued the way it was meant to look / sound originally. As some may or may not know, the band was NEVER satisfied by the horrible job that Germany's Perverted Taste label did with the original pressing of this LP and we apologize to anyone that has paid money for the horrible pressing. The new version, released by USA's Kreation Records, is how the LP was meant to be originally. In color, double sided printed inner sleeve and three colors of wax (clear w/black smoke, black/white marbled, and black vinyl). The audio has been COMPLETELY remastered for this release by the notorious Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer / Agoraphobic Nosebleed) and is far superior in sound quality to any previous release of this record. The LP also features the bands live cover of Earth's "Charioteer (Temple Song)" and Burzum's "Stemmen Fra Taarnet" w/Lord Imperial from Krieg on vocals. These are now available in the "vinyl" section of the online store.
8/26/06:
Zoroaster gets an amazing review in the newest issue of Decibel! See jpeg below...issue hits the streets in the next week or so! (Mastodon on the cover...)
8/22/06:
Obscurus Advocam - Verbia Daemonicus - Coming 11/06. Cover art posted shortly, Mp3 now available in the "releases" section. Behold the debut of one of the worlds greatest new black metal acts.
Nachtmystium has confirmed their date on October 20th, 2006 for the Deicide show in New York City. See the Nachtmystium section for more details.
8/09/06:
Tons of news from the Battle Kommand camp. We'll be doing a full update in the next day or so.
A brief over view of whats going on:
- France's OBSCURUS ADVOCAM have finished their new full length album for BKR entitled "Verbia Daemonicus". The band has created undoubtably one of the best black metal records of the year. Art and more details posted soon....
- We've signed US black metal act EXALTED for their debut full-length "We are the Grim Throng". Mp3 and art coming soon along with more news on this devastating record.
- DAWNBRINGER's "In Sickness and In Dreams" is 100% complete and will be sent to press shortly.
- ZOROASTER's s/t MCD is being repressed already! The album is selling great and the band have a ton of live dates coming up including a slot opening for Japan's BORIS in Atlanta, GA next month! We will be posting all Zoroaster tour dates shortly and news about whats to come from these guys. We also have received a TON of Zoroaster merchandise (tshirts, trucker hats, pins, DVD's, etc!) that will be added and available on the site shortly!!
- NACHTMYSTIUM is onboard for the PELICAN / DAUGHTERS west coast tour! The band will be joining the tour on September 23rd in Tempe, AZ. More details in the Nachtmystium section of this site.
- BKR will be co-op releasing a split 7" EP by two devastating underground black metal hordes TORCH OF WAR and RITES OF CLEANSING. Pure genocide black metal. Art and more news will be posted soon along with a proposed release date. This EP will be limited to 300 units only.
- XASTHUR's "Subliminal Genocide" album is slated for release via HYDRAHEAD RECORDS / BATTLE KOMMAND RECORDS on September 11th, 2006! Copies will be available from us directly for wholesale and individual purchase. Due to the nature of our agreement with Hydrahead, we will NOT be trading this title. Underground merchants contact us for wholesale prices.
MORE SOON!
6/23/06:
BKR NEWS:
BKR012 - ZOROASTER - s/t MCD is now available! Show schedule for ZOROASTER will be posted soon, plus news on upcoming touring activities.
4/24/06:
BKR004 - CULT OF DAATH - The Grand Torturers of Hell CD is finally out! Split release with Deathgasm Records. More info in the 'releases' section.
BKR009 - NACHTMYSTIUM - Instinct: Decay CD is at press. The album will be available off the site within a few weeks and will hit stores on May 30th, 2006. This record is another co-op release with Southern Lord Recordings handling the distribution end of things. This is Nachtmystium's strongest and most complete work to date. 10 tracks of bizarre blackend metal that transcends boundaries and takes an entire new twist on the bands ever-expanding sound. Look for updates in the coming two or three weeks!
BKR011 - DAWNBRINGER - In Sickness and In Dreams CD is finally mastered and the art is almost complete. This album will be sent to press in the next few weeks. Expect an early June release. The first record for this very obscure US entity in many years. 14 tracks in 25 minutes, pure extreme metal entirely composed on staff paper by the bands visionary Chris Black. Sure to satisfy the ears of any metal head that demands more from todays metal scene. More news as it becomes available.
BKR012 - ZOROASTER - s/t MCD is in the works and we have a street date of July 11th, 2006 set up. Another co-op with Southern Lord. This release stands as Battle Kommand's first release out of the immediate black/death metal underground. Zoroaster are from Atlanta, GA and play extremely heavy and slooooow doom metal in the vein of Sleep, Electric Wizard, SunnO))), High On Fire, etc. Excellent band and certainly one to be watching out for as they'll be embarking on a rampage across the USA later this year spreading their doom and gloom to the masses. The band has agreed to this MCD release and a full length with BKR! Behold the most pummeling new heavy band from the USA!!
BKR013 - XASTHUR - Subliminal Genocide CD / LP
FINALLY! It has been confirmed that Battle Kommand Records will be involved in the release of XASTHUR's long awaited new full-length album 'Subliminal Genocide' in a co-op effort with USA's innovative extreme music label HYDRAHEAD RECORDS. This will be Hydrahead's first release within the black metal realm, and BKR will be stepping in to help with distribution within the underground. The record will be made available to chain retailers world wide via Hydrahead's distribution company and the album will be available directly from both BKR and Hydrahead via our websites. We're extremely excited about this cooperation between all three entities involved in the record. Expect more news on this very soon!
Upcoming Nachtmystium live dates:
6/6/06 - Live @ Double Door, Chicago, IL.
6/10/06 - Live @ The Gathering Of Shadows: Rise of the Full Moon Temple, Rocky Mtns., CO.
6/17/06 - Live @ The Sacrifice of the Nazarene Child Fest, San Antonio, TX.
Zoroaster show schedule / tour info coming soon.
Massive distro update can be expected this week.