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Italian ritualistic black metallers Darkend have inked a deal with Norway's Dark Essence Records and will be releasing their fourth full-length album during 2019 on a date as yet to be announced.
Playing what the band calls 'Extreme Ritual Art', Darkend was formed in 2006 by drummer, and only remaining original member, Valentz, who describes the fledgling band as "young guys wanting to let our energy out. And black metal was the only way - the left hand path we all aimed for”.
Having undergone the inevitable round of member changes, Valentz has today found the ideal line-up of like-minded spirits with Animæ on vocals, Antarktica on grand piano/ambience, Ashes and Nothingness on lead guitars, and Vinterskog on bass. Together they create music that "lies at the border between magic and spirituality, where cults and rituals can wander free in the wisdom of infinity, at the crossroads between life and death. Swallowed by the energy of the ceremony, engulfed by the dense smoke of incense, for Darkend there’s no difference between good and evil, dream and reality".
Darkend's enthusiasm at having been selected to be released on Dark Essence Records, a label whose roster boasts some of the most iconic bands in the black and extreme metal genres, and which is well known for its unerring ability to pick out the best of the upcoming batch of black and extreme metal artists, is obvious as the following comments from the various band members demonstrate:
Valentz (drums): "I'm very proud that Darkend is now part of Dark Essence's family. We'll spread our art together! On all of you!"
Animae (vocals): "I feel honoured that such an enlightened darkness has chosen to give loud voice to this shadowed universe that is relentlessly shaking, inside."
Ashes (guitars): "I'm really excited to start working with Dark Essence. The hard work over the years has finally paid off. For us it really has been a big achievement. I thank all my friends and all the staff that supports us and stands by us!"
Nothingness (guitars): "We are really thrilled to start a partnership with Dark Essence Records. Their contagious enthusiasm will surely allow us to reach new goals and will bring our music a step forward."
Antarktica (keys, song writing): "For the new album we wanted something different from The Canticle Of Shadows, yet with the same sound matrix. After more than a year of song writing and hard work, and months locked in the recording studio, we got the result we were aiming for. So we couldn't be prouder than signing for Dark Essence! We are happy they loved our work and we can't wait for the album to be released!"
Vinterskog (bass): "Ever since I first got into black metal, I felt a connection with Norway and its artistic aura. And now, signing and working with one of the best labels not only from the country but from everywhere, everything started is a big checkmark on my dreams list, and I am looking forward to this great collaboration!"
Darkend: "To sum up, we can't wait to start working with Dark Essence Records because we believe that their wide roster is attractive. It's extreme, but not strictly bound to a music genre. It's wider, complex... and we felt we had the music that could fit it! It was a total pleasure when they told us they liked our art. We closed a circle and started drawing together the next lemniscate!"
A video for the track "Of The Defunct" with Attila Csihar on guest vocals from Darkend's 2016 album The Canticle Of Shadows can be seen below. Link
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