Kill-Town Death Fest har netop offentliggjort dette års program, der byder på 40 bands over fire dage. Det hele foregår d. 5.-8. september i Pumpehuset. Her er et overblik over de 40 bands:
Abhorrence (fin)
“It’s also with great pleasure we can reveal the first band of Kill-Town Death Fest VII – “The Decompomorphosis” line-up. We are extremely proud to present the first live show outside Finland since 1990 for non-other than the pioneers of Finnish death metal; ABHORRENCE!!!
Abhorrence’s comeback ep “Megalohydrothalassophobic” was released in 2018 to an unsuspecting audience. It received high praise around the world and ended up on Decibel magazine’s top 40 albums of the year -list.
Originally the band lived for a single intense year of brutal old school death. In 1989-1990 the teenagers released one demo and one ep, disbanded, and left a permanent mark in the history of extreme metal. Guitarist Tomi Koivusaari went on to make a different kind of impact in the history of metal music with Amorphis.
In 2012 Svart Records released the old Abhorrence material as a compilation titled “Completely Vulgar”, re-igniting the band’s heritage and cult status. The following year Abhorrence reformed to play live again. The unapologetic shows were extremely well received. Svart recorded one and released it as the live album “Totally Vulgar – Live at Tuska Open Air 2013”.
The old lineup was joined by the young drummer Waltteri Väyrynen of Paradise Lost fame in 2016. Abhorrence in its present form was ready and the result is recorded on “Megalohydrothalassophobic”. Musically it is a deep dive into psychedelic death metal and lyrically an exploration of philosophical horror at the age of the ecological catastrophe.
2019 marks the thirty year anniversary of the band and sees Abhorrence as vital as ever.
Abhorrence is yet to release a full length album. But stranger things have happened than a classic Finnish death metal band to be working on their first album after thirty decades, full of energy and vision.”
Tomb Mold (can)
“Announcement #2: Are you ready for our second announcement? We are still trying to comprehend what happened yesterday, but that won’t change the fact that we have 39 more bands to announce… So let’s start off with one of our Canadian bands! As many of you most likely have guessed, we have had our eyes and ears locked in on this new entity spawning from Toronto who reared their ugly head for the first time back in 2016. They have been very busy since then, storming forward and gaining a following around the globe in such short time. Now the time has come for their crusade to continue overseas…Therefor we are extremely excited to present for the first time ever in Europe –TOMB MOLD!!!
Canadian death metal band Tomb Mold started as a 2 person project. Having played music together over numerous years, Derrick and Max knew exactly how they wanted to approach this, both from a sound and visual perspective. The goal was simply recording one or two demo tapes and then calling it a day. So much for that. Due to an overwhelming response to “The Bottomless Perdition”, they decided to work with Blood Harvest on “Primordial Malignity” to continue building their sound using the foundation of Finnish style death metal, their first full length. After the 2nd tape “The Moulting”, they turned Tomb Mold into a 4 piece touring band adding long-time friends and former band-mates Steve and Payson on bass and guitar respectively. Their 2nd full length was released with 20 Buck Spin, and “Manor of Infinite Forms” showcases their departure from playing a specific style of death metal and just writing anything they feel comfortable with. As the label puts it, “Constructing monumental towers of obscure shape, jarring yet coherent, Tomb Mold compositions evoke a distorted world alongside our own where all manner of oddity and peculiarity are permitted.” It also continued to build on the cosmic, insectoid infected universe they have been building through their music with the help of Brad Moore’s legendary artwork. Since then they have started touring and playing fests and have had the opportunity to tour with top tier bands like Horrendous and Of Feather and Bone. Continuing on with this momentum, expect to see more music released in 2019.”
Vastum (usa)
“Announcement #3: So tonight we turn our focus towards The States and will present a band that got so excited when the festival sold out the other day, that they announced themselves… So now that the cat is out of the bag we are proud to welcome a one-off exclusive European performance for Bay Area favorites; VASTUM!!!
Death Metal quintet Vastum hails from Oakland, Califormia and have released 3 albums since 2011 via 20 Buck Spin. The current lineup consists of bassist Luca Indrio (Necrot, Acephalix), guitarist/vocalist Leila Abdul-Rauf (Hammers of Misfortune, Cardinal Wyrm), vocalist Daniel Butler (Acephalix), guitarist Shelby Lermo (Ulthar, Extremity) and drummer Chad Gailey (Necrot, Mortuous).
Vastum’s uniquely crushing brutality is enhanced via lyrical prowess on the subjects of sexuality, eroticism, psychoanalysis and the writings of George Bataille among others. If not the for the extremely debased barbarity of the music one might rightly consider Vastum a thinking man’s Death Metal band. Instead the band is an avalanche of punishment, bodily fluids, caved in skulls and naked violence.
The band is noted for its energetic live performance which hits you hard straight in the face. Musically, the band’s releases feature death metal and dark atmospheres based on slow to mid-tempo, grinding grooves, interspersed with up-tempo shifts, and a bellowing, enunciated growl. The band’s third studio album, Hole Below, was listed as number 19 on Pitchfork’s list of “The Best Metal Albums of 2015″. A fourth full length is slated to be released on 20 Buck Spin in late 2019.”
Obliteration (nor)
“Announcement #4: Today we are excited to welcome back for the second time one of Scandinavia’s finest death metal outfits who also happened to put one of the best releases of 2018! The band we are about to announce played the very first and the very last edition of KTDF before calling it quits in 2015, and were in fact the first band to ever be confirmed to play this fest. We honour our long lasting friendship and collaboration by bringing them back once again for your enjoyment. It’s with great pleasure that we can welcome back Norways very own; OBLITERATION!!!
Death metal quartet Obliteration is from Kolbotn, Norway – home of Darkthrone, Aura Noir, Lamented Souls among others. The band started out in 2001 and have ever since left a trail of destruction behind them with hellblazing gigs and rock solid releases. After a rehearsal demo in 2006 Obliteration were asked to sign with cult label Tyrant Syndicate, a sub-label of Peaceville Records, which is run by Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone. Obliteration released the debut album “Perpetual Decay” in May 2007 which got great reviews worldwide, and a UK tour with doomsters Ramesses followed.
In 2009 Obliteration unleashed upon this earth their second album, “Nekrospalms” through the Norwegian label Fysisk Format. Nekropsalms was recorded by the band themselves in their own studio at Kolbotn in one week, DIY style. Nekropsalms is a cosmic blend of old school death metal mixed with the best elements from doom, punk, thrash and old school black metal, and after 8 years, Obliteration have finally found their own repulsive style. The album got rave reviews world wide, both in the underground and in more mainstreem circuits. Nekropsalms was awarded “album of the year” in Norwegian magazine “Natt og Dag” in 2009, and won Osloprisen for best album in 2009. “Well well well, what we have here is the second album of the Kolbotn maniacs, and they have with this recording succeeded at what we in Darkthrone attempted on our “Soulside Journey” and “Goatlord” albums – a death metal masterpiece” – Fenriz of Darkthrone.
After the release of Nekropsalms, Obliteration spread their dark message throughout the earth, touring USA and the UK and had several festival apperances at Maryland Death Fest, Hole in the Sky, Øya Festivalen, Live Evil, Kill-Town Death Fest, several one-off shows and so forth.
In 2013 Obliteration returned after a three year hiatus with another devastating monument of death. Recorded once again in their own DIY studio at Kolbotn, to capture the band’s fire on tape, “Black Death Horizon” delivered seven sepulchral tracks of haunting death metal.
2018 saw the release of the fourth album “Cenotaph Obscure” further expanding on the quartet’s trademark sound; lead heavy old-school death metal with distinct flavours of both doom and black metal. Inventive yet never difficult to grasp, technical without wankery and obscure without being diffuse, Obliteration are masters at their craft. Cenotaph Obscure was recorded in Studio Cobra, Stockholm with Martin “Konie” Ehrencrona at the helm, lending the album an organic yet in your face production. In perfect keeping with the music, the lyrics deal with dystopic, apocalyptic themes, extinct civilizations and interdimensional portals etc. With Cenotaph Obscure, Obliteration cement their status as leaders in the Norwegian death metal scene, delivering a grizzly yet flawless monument to Death metal the way it was meant to be; obscure, ominous and unpredictable.”
Antediluvian (can)
“Announcement #5: Tonight we shift our focus back to Canada where we have an exclusive treat for you guys up our sleeve. The band we are about to announce performs very rarely and the appearance at KTDF will be one out of a few select performances in 2019 which are the first since 2015! They have been on our want list for many years so being able to finally present a one-off European performance is a tremendous honour! It’s with great pleasure we bring you one of Canadas most obscure extreme metal entities; ANTEDILUVIAN!!!
Known for an uncompromisingly unique aesthetic, Canadian experimental Black Death outfit Antediluvian exemplifies the true ethos of Satanic expression through original and creative song writing and visual presentation. Their style incorporates baffling time signatures, dissonant riffing, woven in intricately structured rhythmic chaos. The music is a fitting compliment to the adversarial ideologies presented by accompanying lyrics and art. These themes encompass existential terror, transgression, and death worship, to create entheogenic nightmares of spiritual disturbance. With two full lengths and a slew of EPs behind them, Antediluvian look forward to the release of their third album as well as a new split and EP in the coming year.”
Coffins (can)
“Announcement #6: Tonight we will present the headliner of our “Gloomy Sunday” event taking place on Sunday 8th. As most of you probably know already the “Gloomy Sunday” is our cool down day where we focus on doom/death and funeral doom. The band we are about to announce have been on our want list for years, but for some reason we have never made it happen up until this moment. They played the KTDF warm-up party last year and have prevoiusly played out sister festival Heavy Days in Doomtown (RIP) and now we can finally announce them for KTDF too! We are of course talking about the legendary Japanese doom/death outfit COFFINS!!!
Coffins formed in 1996 and has since scavenged the depths of evil and darkness throughout their decade-plus existence as they slowly work toward a flawless refinement of all the things we love about the genre. According to Exclaim!, Coffins might not innovate but instead “reanimate one of the darkest, most oppressive chapters of metal with consummate style and punishing panache.” Band members have displayed their immense talent and power since their debut full-length, Mortuary in Darkness, released on Razorback Recordings in 2005. A year later, they followed up with their sophomore release, The Other Side of Blasphemy, released through Imperium Productions. This album managed to somehow increase the heaviness of Mortuary, but it wasn’t until 2008’s Buried Death that the band truly reached the sonic nirvana they had been aiming at since their beginnings.
Buried Death, which Metal Reviews referred to as “satisfyingly heavy” as well as “raw and nasty,” was released through 20 Buck Spin and would be the band’s final full-length before signing to Relapse Records in early 2011. Before the signing, Coffins spread their sound across an enormous amount of split-releases with such acclaimed acts as Warhammer, StormCrow, and Hooded Menace. Additionally, the band has performed shows with bands such as Yob and Kylesa, and has made appearances at Roadburn Afterburner and Los Angeles Murder Fest. Coffins also just finished a massive European tour, following thorough excursions in the east and west coasts as well as a successful tour in Australia.
In 2013, Coffins released their fourth full-length and Relapse Records debut The Fleshland. A refreshing and mind-bending amalgamation of doom and death metal’s greatest moments, the LP shows Coffins smashing down everything in their path with nine grisly tracks. Since then they have released no less than 6 splits, 2 EP´s and one compilation.”
Ignovomous (aus)
“Announcement #7: The next announcement comes from all the way down under and will be a rare opportunity to bare witness to. This will be only the third international onslaught in the bands’s tenure – a decade since their last incursion upon European soil. Therefor we are very pleased to bring to you a band that spews forth some of the most focused and abysmally brutal death metal ever unleashed – all the way from Australia; IGNIVOMOUS!!!
Borne out of the members desire to see a resurgence of a heavier, more dissonant style of death metal, Ignivomous were among the first bands in what has since become a recognized movement (and revival) of murky, dense death metal.
Formed in 2006, Australians Ignivomous quickly issued a cassette version of their Path of Attrition demo which soon after sold out. The band then signed to cult US label Nuclear War Now! who re-issued Path of Attrition on vinyl, followed by their debut full-length album Death Transmutation in 2008 and sophomore Contragenesis in 2011.
Heiroglossia, their third full-length opus, is scheduled for production in 2019, featuring — in addition to founding members Chris Volcano, Sean Hinds and Jael Edwards — Lewis Fischer (Altars) and Chris Jordon (Inverloch). Anticipate a churning maelstrom of blast beat laden savagery and harrowing doom passages. Raw death metal building firmly from their own legacy and pushing further into the void. Hostile, sinister and spiteful, as the name translates: vomiting fire.”
Mortuous (usa)
“Announcement #8: Tonight we will go back over the Atlantic to present another band of the flourishing American death metal scene. Even though this band can’t be categorised as new, it’s mainly in the last couple of years that they have really caught our attention, especially with their epic 2018 debut LP. With members and ex members of such prominent bands as Exhumed, Repulsion, Necrot, Vastum and Scolex to name a few – this is a band that delivers! Therefor we are extremely stoked to be bringing you the very first and one-off exclusive European performance of San Jose, California’s, MORTUOUS!!!
Mortuous formed in 2009 from the ashes of Colin Tarvin’s previous project Funerealm in the hope of creating a new death metal band. He started writing music in the vein of Incantation, Autopsy, and Viogression with lyrics emphasizing heavily on philosophical views on death and anti-technological themes. Later that year he released the demo, “Mors Immortalis”, on Skeleton Plague Records which received praise and recognition throughout the underground death metal community. By 2010, Mortuous had a full lineup which included Col Jones and Mike Beams, previously of Exhumed, Al Tarvin-Kibler, and Nick Scarboro. In 2013, Mortuous parted ways with Al and Nick and recruited Clint Roach on Bass. By 2014, Mortuous saw the current lineup formation with the addition of Chad Gailey (Necrot) on drums. In November of 2016, Mortuous went into Earhammer Studios with Greg Wilkinson to record their first Full-Length LP entitled, “Through Wilderness”, which features eight new tracks of total doom and death metal with nods to such bands as My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Rottrevore, and diSEMBOWELMENT. “Through Wilderness” was released in June 2018 through Carbonized and Tankcrimes Records in the United States. Dawnbreed and Extremely Rotten Productions handled the European release respectfully. In September 2018, Mortuous released a split 7” record with Scolex which made its debut at Kil-Town Death Fest VI – The Resurrection!”
Corpsessed (fin)
“Announcement #9: Tonight we will travel up to the forests of Finland to find the next act we are presenting for the KTDF 2019 line-up. The band has played KTDF back in 2012, but since they just put out one of the best death metal releases of 2018 we thought it was about time to invite them back. We are of course talking about the great defenders of oldschool Finnish death metal; CORPSESSED!!!
Corpsessed plays abyssal and harrowing death metal, drawing influences and combining the suffocating and crushing tones of doom metal, and the ghastly ominousness of black metal and horror movie soundtracks – weaving it all within the style of rotting and brutal early 90s oldschool death metal, especially in the Finnish style and tradition. This is what CORPSESSED are all about.
Corpsessed was spawned from putrescent slime in 2007 at the rotting houses of delta-area Järvenpää, Finland. The 5-piece band started honing their abyssal death metal tunes and officially released their first EP titled “The Dagger & The Chalice” on CD by Dark Descent Records (USA) and on vinyl by Me Saco Un Ojo (UK) in 2011.
Corpsessed’s debut full length album titled “Abysmal Thresholds” was released in the beginning of 2014, and strengthened the band as one of the current torch bearers of Finnish death metal.
2018 saw the year of the bands second full-length “Impetus of Death”, an album that manages to top it its predecessors in terms of heaviness and brutality while taking their epic sound a step further.
The band is known for their dark brand of death metal that harks back to the old days of early 90s and has received high praise for their hard-hitting and suffocating live shows, appearing in such festivals as Netherlands DeathFest (NL), Tuska Open Air (Fin), Obscene Extreme Fest (CZ), SteelFest (Fin), Kill-Town DeathFest (DK), and NRW DeathFest (Ger) throughout the past 7 years.
The band has also played 2 successful European Tours with Cruciamentum (in 2015) and Undergang (in 2018).”
Suffering Hour (usa)
“Announcement #10: Tonight we are turning our focus back to America and the abundance of great death metal bands that still hasn’t set foot in Europe. We are extremely proud to announce one of the most anticipated first time performances on European soil for a while. A lot people guessed that they would have been included in last year’s line-up due to their epic 2017 full-length debut LP, but we didn’t manage until this year to get them over here. We are of course talking about SUFFERING HOUR!!!
Suffering Hour is a Black/Death metal band from Minneapolis, USA. Formed as a thrash metal band in 2010 under a previous moniker, the trio steadily began delving into the darker depths of black metal and death metal. The band masters the craft of establishing a dark, mysterious and unsettling atmosphere with its dense and dissonant brand of blackened death metal; strange bending melodies and colossal doom-death riffs are blanketed in a thick, tar-like ooze, creating an ominous vibe.
2017 saw the release of their debut full length “In Passing Ascension” on Blood Harvest records to high critical acclaim. Quickly gaining recognition from the album and its unique and excellently crafted song writing, Suffering Hour started playing a handful of scattered live shows in the US in 2018, opening for a slew of heavy hitters and most notably: Covenant Fest in Montreal and Maryland Deathfest. Suffering Hour will be releasing a new EP on Blood Harvest in 2019 and continuing their live expeditions far and wide.”
Kever (isr)
“Announcement #11: Tonight we will turn focus on the small, but quite active and productive death metal scene of Tel Aviv, Israel. With bands like Sonne Adam, Venemous Skeleton, Mortuus Umbra to name a few, the little core of people have been putting out a lot of good records over the last 10 years. The band we are about to announce feature core members of this scene and their name is the Hebrew word for “grave”, so it’s a given they had to play KTDF. We are excited to present the very first live performance outside Israel for the dark death metal entity known as KEVER!!!
Kever came into existence in 2013 as continuation to Morbid Tendency, a one man project by Alex Lev. After teaming up with Tom Davidov (Sonne Adam) during that year, the MLP “Eon of Cycling Death” was released by Me Saco un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records to great underground acclaim.
As time went on, Chen Dahan (Sonne Adam) joined on bass and the band started to play live as a trio, until Tom Cohen (Mortuus Umbra) joined as 2nd guitarist and Asaf Meiden (Har, Mortuus Umbra, ex-Sonne Adam) joined as a permanent drummer, bringing new influences that helped to expand the borders of the band’s sound, while keeping its roots in classic death metal.
Kever started as a raw, old-school oriented death metal band, but eventually evolved into its own entity with a more atmospheric approach, lyrically dealing with the ancient and the hidden aspects of our world and beyond.
5 years after the debut EP’s release, the long awaited “Primordial Offerings” MLP will be released in early 2019 on vinyl and CD, by Imperium Productions and Dark Descent Records respectively.
The band has already shared the stage locally with such acts as Dead Congregation, Grave Miasma, Blood Incantation and is now ready to raise their banner on foreign stages as well.”
Malthusian (ire)
“Announcement #12: Tonight we go back to Europe, or at least a faraway corner out in the ocean, to find the next act we are presenting. We are turning our eye towards Dublin, Ireland where a man and his label for the past two decades has been spewing out good releases through Invictus Productions. The band we are about to announce are on said label and put out their debut LP last year spewing forth some of the most malignant and haunting death metal to emerge from Ireland since… ever? We are proud to present that the pretty Dublin boys of MALTHUSIAN will grace us with a visit!!!
Manifested in the bowels of Dublin city in 2013, Malthusian have made their presence in the world more known with each festering, ill-conceived release. The well received release of both their demo MMXIII and subsequent EP, “Below The Hengiform”, saw the band on a UK run and two European tours in 2015, as well as a number of dates on the East coast of the US following an appearance at the now defunct Martyrdoom festival in New York. 2016 saw the band play a slew of festivals and one of shows including appearances at Oration Fest in Iceland and Beyond The Gates in Norway.
Back on the terra firma of Èire, with a vision to solidify the abstract horrors of black, death and doom in their own unique way, 2017 saw the band write their debut album “Across Deaths” and record in the fitting surroundings of Hellfire Studios in Dublin. An ugly, malignant demonstration of the band’s power to create dark, oppressive music, as only they know how. Elaborating on previously explored elements and honing their wretched skill to create unease, with “Across Deaths”, Malthusian have created a decaying monument to the unhinged minds, and music therein, of the band’s members.
2019 will see MALTHUSIAN spew forth with more focus and filth than ever before. The future is bleak!!!”
Necromancy (usa)
“Announcement #13: Tonight we welcome back one of Portland’s finest, who last played Kill-Town back in 2014 for the “Funeral Edition”. Last year in 2018, they released via Dark Descent Records, one of our favourite albums of the year. So its with great pleasure we can announce that RITUAL NECROMANCY will play Kill-Town Death Fest VII!!!
Uncompromising, suffocating, and evil – Ritual Necromancy’s approach to death metal is that of predator to prey, sinking its teeth into the listener with violent intent.
Spawned in 2008, Ritual Necromancy haunted Portland, Oregon’s local death metal scene and recorded a self-titled demo. A pact with Dark Descent Records was forged and in 2011, “Oath of the Abyss”, the first offering to the grave, was unleashed. That same year, Ritual Necromancy joined forces with Impetuous Ritual, Grave Upheaval, and Cruciamentum for a maniacal West Coast tour to the infamous Rites of Darkness III Fest, where the band twisted some heads and turned many stomachs.
2014 saw the release of a 3-song EP entitled “Void Manifest,” which conjured a short tour with Bölzer, culminating in the slaughter of Vancouver’s Covenant Festival. That year, Ritual Necromancy also invaded Europe for the first time, unleashing their punishment upon the hordes of Kill-Town Death Fest´s Funeral Edition, then continued the carnage across Europe with Canadian titans Mitochondrion and Auroch.
“Disinterred Horror”, the long-anticipated second full-length album, finally rises from the grave in 2018 to much fetid acclaim. Relentless and bludgeoning, “Disinterred Horror” strangles you with unseen hands, tormenting your soul long after it’s over. Like a nightmare you can’t shake, the malevolence of this album settles in your brain, landing it on many “Best of the year” lists. Also in 2018, Ritual Necromancy savaged audiences at Invoking Black Death and Maryland Deathfest with morbid ferocity.
As 2019 emanates from the pit, no continent or grave is safe from these practitioners of Death’s Metal, as a short attack on Mexico and later dates in Europe have been conjured.
Now Ritual Necromancy returns the chaos to KTDF as they drag you deep into the hell of necrotic torment.
Possessed Death Metal by fiends who worship the Freezing Void, Ritual Necromancy is not for the weak.”
Transgressor (jap)
“Announcement #14: Tonight we have a nice, rare and obscure treat for you! As many of you possibly know, Anatomia from Japan, is one of our favorite bands ever, where a strong bond has grown over the years. Takashi has been visiting and playing two times earlier with Anatomia and last year with Wormridden. Now we thought it would be interesting to go back to where it all began and present to you one of his earliest, formative bands from the late 80´ies Tokyo underground death metal scene. We are extremely proud and excited to present to you a one-off exclusive first ever European performance and reunion of the legendary TRANSGRESSOR!!!
Transgressor was formed by Takashi (Drums/Vocals)(Anatomia/Necrophile/Wormridden) and Junichi (Guitars/Bass) after their former thrash band Gamvetta broke up in 1989. They released their first demo “Transmigration” in the same year which led them to finding of the bassist Akihito (ex-Jurassic Jade) to complete the line-up.
Transgressor started actively to play local gigs and released the second demo “Twisting Brochus” in 1990. Having the demo professionally recorded with some improvements made, the response was satisfactory and promoted greatly to the overseas underground scene.
In 1991, Junichi left the band but soon Kimihide (ex-Meltdown/Quench) joined in for the replacement. Three songs were recorded with Yoshio (ex-Necro-E/ex-Anatomia) joining in as the second guitarist and the first full-length album “Ether for Scapegoat” was released by Dutch label Cyber Music in 1992. Their music slightly changed into a slower death/doom with dark atmospheres.
In 1992, the band broke up again mainly due to Takashi moving to the US for a couple of years. After Takashi returned to Japan in 1996, they reformed by recruiting new members but it only lasted until they recorded few songs for compilation releases.
Although they have played once outside Japan, in Detroit in 1994, the show at Kill-Town Death Fest will be their first time ever in Europe and the first since their reunion show in Tokyo in 2015.”
Of Feather and Bone (usa)
“Announcement #15: Tonight we look back towards North America and this to time the mountainous state of Colorado, where a pack of great bands have sprung from the last couple of years. The band we are about to announce is a band who released their sophomore album last year through Profound Lore Records and immediately caught our attention despite being around since 2014. The band have been busy touring the US and will continue to do so this year with bands like Horrendous, Skeletal Remains and Outre Tombe and in Europe after the festival with Tomb Mold and Ritual Necromancy. We are excited to welcome OF FEATHER AND BONE to the KTDF VII line-up!!!
Emerging from their Rocky Mountain crypts, Of Feather and Bone spread their virulent strain of cryptic death metal on “Bestial Hymns of Perversion”, released March 9, 2018 on Profound Lore Records. Bassist/vocalist AS and Guitarist/vocalist DG herald the endtimes with a dual guttural onslaught atop an everflowing stream of grime-caked riffs and PW’s whirlwind of blasts and d-beats. Invoking the claustrophobia of Autopsy and the visceral disgust of Incantation and Bolt Thrower, Of Feather and Bone’s relentless death assault serves as the soundtrack to mankind’s fall.
After garnering substantial praise for their long sold-out 2016 demo, Of Feather and Bone returned to Goldberg Studios during the summer of 2017 with Steve Goldberg (Cephalic Carnage) at the helm. Mastered by the mighty Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound and featuring stunning cover art courtesy of Stefan Todorovic, Bestial Hymns of Perversion’s seven tracks of unrelenting death metal portend the the destruction of the modern age.
Of Feather and Bone will enter the studio early spring 2019 to record the follow up to “Bestial Hymns of Perversion”.”
Bastard Grave (swe)
“Announcement #16: Today we are looking towards our sister nation to the East, Sweden, where they since day one have had a mayor role in the development of death metal. The band we are about to announce are following that great tradition and keeping it low-fi, raw, punk and oldschool. It’s the first of our announcements for the outdoor stage in ByHaven, where those of you attended last year will know the great vibe of the afternoon shows. This band also played the KTDF warm up show on said stage last year, so now we would finally like to welcome BASTARD GRAVE to play Kill-Town Death Fest!
Bastard Grave is an oldschool death metal band from southern Sweden that likes to keep it primitive and raw. There is no place for technicality and musical show-off here, only lobotomized and disgusting death metal. Started by a bunch of demented minds in 2012, and after releasing their first demo they immediately caught the attention of Pulverised Records in Singapore, and a deal was signed. At the end of 2015 the debut album “What lies beyond” was unleashed. It’s an album firmly rooted in the oldschool death metal of their home country Sweden, with added filth, hooks and punk mentality. Touring soon followed which took them to large parts of europe, and they have since then done a slew of shows in support of the album.
With a new album in the works, ready for release in time for Kill-Town Death Fest, expect a shift in focus from the frantic speed and riffing of the first album, into slower and murkier territories.”
Profetus (fin)
“Announcement #17: Today we go back up to the deep forests of Finland where some of the darkest, heaviest and most miserable music was ever conceived. What we are presenting for you today is a unique opportunity to witness something special and new, never performed before. We are extremely proud and honoured to announce that the heirs of Thergothon, Finnish Funeral Doom cultists PROFETUS will return to Denmark with their new album “The Sadness of Time Passing”, delivering it entirely and exclusively at KTDF´s “Gloomy Sunday”!
Feel the timelessness of grief and sink into one-hour metamorphosis of their bleak hymns, of the most visionary crafts of Funeral Doom to come.
Profetus is a Funeral Doom collective from Tampere, Finland. Originated in 2006, they have created their own craft, a fine blend of 90s Finnish Funeral Doom tradition and Death Metal aesthetics; music that is bleak and crushingly heavy, utterly beautiful, cinematic and meditating. Minimalistic compositions moving at a glacial pace invoke a haunting journey to a world of obscurity.
Profetus has released 4 albums this far, and played tours with like-minded bands as Bell Witch and Mournful Congregation and took part of festivals like Roadburn, Heavy days in Doomtown and Finnish Death Metal Maniacs Fest. In a live context the extreme spatial qualities of Funeral Doom offer a rare setting for personal subliminal excavations.
In it’s current line-up A. Mäkinen (guitar, vocals) is joined by M. Mäkelä (baritone guitar, vocals), M. Saarikoski (guitar) V. Kujansuu (drums) and M. Nieminen (organ, synth).”
Drowned (ger)
“Announcement #18: Today we have the distinct honour of presenting one of our favorite German death metal bands of all time. The band has been around for almost 27 years with various levels of activity, but still managed to put forth some of the best death metal to ever emerge from the German metal underground. Having recently added a 4th member to their line-up, their performance at this year’s KTDF will be a rare opportunity to catch them live and in this new constellation. We are very excited to announce that DROWNED will return to Kill-Town Death fest VII!!!
Drowned was founded in 1992 in Berlin and has since gone through a good number of demos, line-up changes, split-ups and long comatose intervals. Their last full length album Idola Specus fom 2014 contains material written over a period of roughly six years and introducing new members T 2 and G, it takes up the torch from where Drowned left off with their mini-album Viscera Terrae in 2006. Instead of presenting a rehash of times begone, Idola Specus proved to be a valid statement to the gospel of Death Metal as it was meant to be played. Emanating an aura of surreal morbidity with hints of doom and prog, Idola Specus is as esoteric and introspective as it is dark, heavy, and raw.
In support of the album, Drowned played a two-week European tour, as well as a string of club shows and festivals such as Hell’s Pleasure, Nidrosian Black Mass, Metal Mean, Til Dovre Faller, Incubate, Hellfest, Live Evil, etc.
Late 2017 saw the addition of H as a second guitar player, premiered on the occasion of Grave Miasma’s 10-year celebration in London, UK.
Since 2018, Drowned has entered a state of seclusion in order to work on new material for a future album. As the silence will only be broken by very few selected shows, Kill-Town Death Fest will be a rare occasion the see the band perform in 2019.”
Adversarial (can)
“Announcement #19: Turning our attention back now to Canada, we are pleased to welcome a band that has graced the European stage only once so far in their journey, and not yet on the mainland. More than three years since the release of their last album, it is certainly long overdue that we announce that ADVERSARIAL will join us at KTDF 2019!
Formed 12 years ago, it wasn’t long after their 2008 demo that Adversarial joined forces with Dark Descent Records before releasing their 2010 debut LP ‘All Idols Fall Before the Hammer’. With fire and destruction as their impetus, the album was a powerful blast to the face of those who cast their bleeding ears upon it. Rejecting social groups and status, Adversarial channels the knowledge attained through a distancing from man and society into a malevolent assault fuelled by a hatred for such futile concepts.
The band’s last album, 2015’s ‘Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism’, saw the band at their most fierce to date. Described by Cvlt Nation as “a tightly wound beast of destruction that is as dynamic as it is punishing”, Adversarial balances powerful aggression with songwriting prowess.
Be prepared and expect no mercy as Adversarial brings their Nihilist Warcult Death Metal to the stage at Kill-Town Deathfest 2019.”
Druid Lord (usa)
“Announcement #20: Today marks the halfway point of the announcements. 20 up – 20 more to go go! We have made an overview of the bands that have been announced below in case you lost track. To mark this halfway point we have another special treat for you – a band that has never been over to this side of the pond before. We are excited to present, the Florida based doom/death outfit DRUID LORDs first ever performance as part of the the “Gloomy Sunday”!!!
Druid Lord was formed in the scorching wastelands of Orlando, Florida in 2010 by guitarist Pete Slate (Acheron, Equinox) , bassist/vocalist Tony Blakk (Acheron, Equinox, Diabolic) and original drummer Stephen Spillers (Equinox). All veterans of the FL early 90’s Death Metal scene they felt it was time to evoke something new and cryptic. From the beginning, the band’s intent was and still is to create crushing songs that take inspiration from early death metal (Possessed, Necrovore, Autopsy) and the heavy riffing of ’70s and ’80s doom bands like Cirith Ungol, Winter, and Celtic Frost. Druid Lord take considerable influence from old horror films and the classic movies of Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and John Carpenter. It’s a journey that takes twists and turns within the music giving the listener a feeling of constant dread.
Druid Lord released their debut album, “Hymns for the Wicked”, in 2010 on Horror, Pain, Gore, Death productions. The album gained an impressive strong underground following in a short period of time. Over the years a series of EP’s and split records were released including the haunting “Druid Death Cult” and “Baron Blood” EP’s for Doomentia Records. The band went through some various changes over the course of 2015 with current drummer Elden Santos joining the band and adding the perfect piece to their gloomy ensemble.
In 2018, Druid Lord released their 2nd full length album “Grotesque Offerings” with the support of Hells Headbangers, spreading their supernatural death and doom far and wide. The album recorded at Tony Blakk’s own Blakk Magik Studios and mixed/mastered by Mikko Saastamoinen (Hooded Menace) had been festering within the band for the last few years and has received high praises in the death/doom scene. Haunted castles, witchcraft, the occult, the living dead, dark folklore, and cryptic stories: no ancient stone is left unturned here.
Summer of 2018 saw the addition of guitarist Chris Wicklein from the FL Death Metal band Killing Addiction replacing Ben Ross. A series of live shows followed and now in 2019 Druid Lord continues to write new music for an upcoming EP as well as planning tours and festivals in support of “Grotesque Offerings”. Killtown Death fest will be very a special occasion for the band as it marks their first time on European soil.”
Superstition (usa)
“Announcement #21: Tonight we turn our focus back towards the States, where we have the honour of presenting a very fresh new outfit with only a demo out so far, but a very promising one. They are in our humble opinion one of the most interesting new outfits to rear its ugly head from the thriving American death metal underground. We are therefore very excited to present to you the first bombardent on European soil for SUPERSTITION!!!
Superstition was forged in the furnace of death to construct ripping evil in the classic vein of the Americas. Through the smoke of ruin, the four malefactors of the phantom swarm committed the ‘Surging Throng of Evil’s Might’ demo to tape in the dying moments of 2017. Charging themselves with upholding the menacing lunacy of early American bands such as Necrovore and Possessed, Superstition serves as a torch in the dark to fellow subterranean miscreants standing in opposition to modernity. ‘Surging Throng of Evil’s Might’ showcases ripping, riff-focused evil in the vein of early pan-American progenitors from the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, and Peru. Warp speed riffs and searing, chaotic solos played with uninhibited belligerence run headlong into horrific analog manipulation to guide the listener into total spiritual destruction in the outer realms. Quickly after self-releasing their initial offering, the band formed an alliance with 20 Buck Spin for an LP version of the demo as well as future conspiracies.
In mid-2019 a new shapeless evil will be unleashed. Wrought in the discordant shadows of the preternatural world, Superstition’s debut full length will bring humanity to waste in the pan-dimensional realms of illimitable darkness. Coinciding with the release will be a global assault upon the underground with performances across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.”
Dead Void (den)
“Announcement #22: Tonight we are presenting one of the few local Killtown bands performing this years fest. You may recognise DEAD VOID from last year’s lineup, when they kicked off our “Gloomy Sunday” on the outdoor stage. This year they will share their dark, twisted and fucking heavy death metal in suitably darker and more intimate indoor surroundings.
Eschewing trends and recklessly treading their own mysterious path, Dead Void takes you on an unpredictable journey into the murky depths of psychological terror; a slow, punishing descent may at any moment give way to a wild, unhinged assault. Firmly rooted in the more obscure classics, this is a band that appreciates dynamics and confidently plays things their own way without compromise.
Until now, the band has released only ‘The Looming Spectre’, a demo tape released at the start of 2018 just before they played at The Abyss Festival in Gothenburg. Since then the tape has sold out three times and been rereleased collaboratively by Dark Descent Records in the US and Me Saco Un Ojo Records in the UK. It also featured on several publications’ ‘Best of 2018’ lists, including Cvlt Nation and Your Last Rites.
Since the demo tape, Dead Void have been working on new material at a steady pace, with plans for a new MLP to be released in time for their performance at Kill-Town Death Fest 2019.”
The Dead Greed (gre)
“Announcement #23: Today and tomorrow we are presenting something we have never tried before. We are branching out and taking things onto the unbeaten path… We have for years been toying with some ideas on how to expand the “Gloomy Sunday” concept and finally this year we have been able to make these ideas materialize. We want to make an opening afternoon on our outdoor stage with two acoustic acts, both fitting in vibe and atmosphere, but also directly connected to death metal. Therefor we would like to present to you the first of our two scheduled acts for the “Gloomy Sunday” warm-up; the great acoustic one-man death metal act; THE DEAD CREED!!!
The Dead Creed is a mesmerizing one of a kind music project. It was conceived during fall 2014 in a flooded catacomb under a chapel in the middle of nowhere at the Holy Mountain area of Northern Greece. The aim was to create acoustic Death Metal music that resembles to Orthodox Monastery mass. Catacomb Blues, a demo with the first two songs was recorded inside the cave using a mobile phone, capturing the essence of the Creed together with the monstrous reverb created by the cave and the water in it. It was uploaded for free download on bandcamp. Few months later, album material was recorded in a Professional Studio using cutting edge equipment to recreate the sound of the Catacomb. 22 Shows in Europe plus Japan were organized and performed alongside significant metal and non metal bands leaving a very strong impression to the attendees, musicians, organizers and venue owners due to the massive live sound, compositions and imposing performance. Today, the album of The Dead Creed is in the pressing plant, and actions are being taken to organize another series of appearances.
Distinctive sound, Fits no Genre, Can play along different styles of music, breathtaking performance of one person that sounds like a 3-4 piece band without the use of samples or pre-recorded parts. The Creed has proven to be able stand equally next to big bands; on small and big stages. Able to create an atmosphere by opening concerts and festivals, Can perform as an atmospheric interlude between bands, and also as an after headliner. Mystical, capturing, awe inspiring and minimalistic performance; powerful enough to impress the audience of a wide span of musical preferences and put them into a trance.”
Ra Al Dee Experience (ger)
“Announcement # 24: Today we have the honor of presenting a band that we have asked for years to come and play KTDF and it never happened until now. For all of you who have been sitting at home and listening to the oriental interludes on the Necros Christos albums, we have a treat for you – cause Mors Dalos Ra from Necros Christos will be joining us with percussionist Ben Ya Min Al Dee performing the songs of the mighty RA AL DEE EXPERIENCE as part of the “Gloomy Sunday” warm up!!!
Ra Al Dee Experience is performing acoustic oriental craftsmanship with strong mystical content in own compositions. Its name deriving from its two players: Ben Ya Min Al Dee – Percussion, Voice and M. Dalos Ra – Guitar, Saz, Voice.
Founded around 2007 in Berlin, Germany while recording the first demo in 2009, released by Ván Records officially. Heavily inspired by al`Oud players such as Munir Bashir and Rabih Abou-Khalil, the music in itself follows classical Persian and Indian motives with a strong portion of dark extravaganza and even obscure Jazz elements.Titles and themes of the compositions derive from Kabbalah mysticism and the vast secrets emerging by studying Torah.
A Mini Album was released by Ván Records in 2016, entitled “Diatessaron”.”
Chthe’ilist (can)
“Announcement #25: We are sorry about the missing announcement yesterday. One too many margaritas might be to blame… Anywho today we are back with a vengeance and have a strong announcement for you. Turning our focus back to Canada and this time to Montreal, we are excited to be able to present the first ever and exclusive one-off European performance of CHTHE’ILIST!!!
French Canadian Death Metal band Chthe’ilist was founded in 2010 by vocalist/guitarist/bassist Phil Tougas (see also : Funebrarum, Zealotry, Atramentus, Eternity’s End, Cosmic Atrophy, etc) and drummer Philippe “Tyrant” Boucher. Originally formed under the moniker “Phantasmal”, Tougas instead opted to create a new word out of unusual phonetics to name his aberrant creation, because according to him, “the music of unspeakable horrors should not have a plain human word for a name”. The band recorded their first demo “Amechth’ntaas’m’rriachth” in 2011, which was self-released in 2012 and re-released in 2013 by Graceless Recordings. The now sold-out and highly sought-after cassette made the band stick out like a sore (and rotten) thumb in the Montreal metal scene, helping them gain an extremely passionate fanbase overnight and playing various festivals and rare one-off gigs around the country.
Chthe’ilist signed with Profound Lore Records a few years later to release their debut album “Le Dernier Crépuscule” in 2016 and a 7″ EP titled “Passage Into The Xexanotth” in 2018, both causing an enormous stir in the underground. With its thick, otherworldly atmosphere and sickening sonic textures evoking images of abandoned medieval castles inhabited by indescribable, grotesque creatures, combined with dungeon-like, epic-doom tinged sections and shredding solos breaking up the continuous onslaught of eldritch, slime-drenched riffing, complemented with high-precision musicianship, Chthe’ilist’s music tell the tales of unspeakable horrors in an alternate timeline where mankind has fallen back into the medieval dark ages, living on the verge of extinction and in the constant dread of wrathful deities and the unknown entities that lurk in the shadows of ancient towers and spectral realms. From the disgusting, viscous throat-rattling sounds vomited forth by Phil Tougas, to the neoclassical guitar solo duels reminiscent of the Shrapnel Records guitar heroes of old, the outrageous tentacular slap-bass lines and their excentric mix of influences, the band’s sound showcases just the right amount of flashiness and eclecticism through an aura of bitterness, foreboding doom, decay and horror. Chthe’ilist is currently writing music for a 2nd album, with no intentions to rush it.”
Chaotian (dk)
“Announcement #26: Today we have the pleasure of presenting one of the newest offspring of Copenhagen-based death metal bands. With only one demo to their name, they quickly gained attention from outside Denmark being added to the Extremely Rotten Production roster. 2019 will see them release more new material through both ERP and Me Saco Un Ojo. Therefor its with great pleasure that we can announce that CHAOTIAN will perform their first festival appearance on our outdoor stage in Byhaven!!!
Formed in the summer of 2017, Chaotian is the newest addition to the Extremely Rotten family hailing from Kill-town. The band started their sonic devastation with the well-received demo ‘Where Gods Excarnate’ recorded with the help of Tuna (Phrenelith, Hyperdontia, Sulphurous) that many have placed among the top demos of 2018. With inspirations from bands like Immolation, Demilich, Blood Incantation and Infester, Chaotian exists only to bring riff-heavy, god-crushing death metal of the old vein back to life. Armed with respect for chaotic and doomy death metal, Chaotian does not shy away from experimenting with their sound by combining elements of both extremes with strange dissonant melodies under a two-tongued approach to spewing forth apocalyptic prophecies and hellish imaginations. Currently, the trio is working on new material that will produce a new demo in the first half of 2019 aside from a planned demo compilation through Me Saco Un Ojo.”
Ghastly (fin)
“Announcement #27: Today we will once again turn our focus back on the greatest death metal nation of Scandinavia; Finland. Despite being around since 2011, it wasn’t until last year’s release through 20 Buck Spin, that the band we are about to announce caught our attention. With an amazingly twisted psychedelic approach to death metal this release really hits a nerve and was definitely on our top 10 list of releases from last year. Therefor we are excited to present to you, the spaced out heavy sounds of GHASTLY!!!
Ghastly is a Finnish hallucinogenic death metal band from Tampere. They started out as a duo, but slowly been raising it’s ugly presence on stages as a full band. The self-released demo tape “Death is Present” came out straight after the forming of the band in late 2011. Same approach continued on the next offering, a 7” titled “Serpentine Union / The Divine Fire” (Demonhood Productions, NO, 2013), but on the debut full length, “Carrion of Time” (Me Saco Un Ojo Records, UK, 2015) the band had more psychedelic vibes and hooks to offer. After a few years of calmness, the time was right to unleash another psychedelia infused & otherworldly full length album that goes by the name “Death Velour” (20 Buck Spin, USA, 2018).
A five year live hiatus were broken in September 2018, to support the mighty Anatomia, among others. Blending the early 90’s Finnish death metal into an eerie world of horror movies, accompanied with psychedelic sound and chaos. That’s what Ghastly is all about.”
Har (isr)
“Announcement #28: Today we will turn our focus back to the Middle-East and once again dig up a rotten corpse of the Tel-Avivian underground metal scene. Though initially dubbed as a black metal band, the band we are about to announce has over time and especially with its 2018 EP released through Blood Harvest Records, moved more into the realms of obscure, dark and chaotic death metal. We are therefor excited to announce that Israel´s HAR, will be performing our ByHaven stage during KTDF!!!
Hailing from Tel-Aviv, Israel, Har was formed in 2014 as a 4-piece band by members aligned with bands such as Tamut Amen, Kever, Venomous Skeleton and Mortuus Umbra. Initially the intention was playing a form of raw black metal, a period which is summed up in their debut EP “BAAL HA-OV” which was release by Wolfsbane Records and Orgasmatron Records. Yet as time went on and with the addition of a second guitar player, the urge to express chaos and to delve into obscurity took the band in a path which resulted in “VISITATION”, the band’s second EP, released via Blood Harvest Records in early 2018. Following the release and a line-up change, replacing S.Pollak on guitar With T.Cohen (Mortuus Umbra, Kever), the band embarked in September 2018 on its first appearance outside Israel with a mini-tour through Germany and the Netherlands. The band is currently working on new songs for their next recording which will be a continuation and intensification of the path already taken towards frantic expressions of exalting chaos and obscurantism.”
Taphos (dk)
“Announcement #29: Today we are presenting another band of the Killtown family tree – a band who released their debut album last year which ended up among our favorite of the year. They played an amazing show on the outdoor stage last year in ByHaven, so this year we thought it would be great to have them playing inside on the Black Stage. Therefor we are excited to welcome back one of the best newcomers to the Danish scene; TAPHOS!!!
Taphos was spawned in 2015 with the purpose to create music that evokes desperation and hopelessness. Their music is rooted in death and draws inspirations from all darker aspects of life and life thereafter.
The first eruption took place in form of the demo MMXVI and an EP, named MMXVII, followed soon after. Same year Taphos entered Ballade Studios where enough chaos was captured to produce what will be their first full-length. An aftershock from this seance took place in form of the ‘Premonition’ tape.
The debut full-length “Come Ethereal Somberness” was unleashed in May 2018 through Blood Harvest Records.”
Lufifericon (hol)
“Announcement #30: Tonight we have the pleasure of presenting a Dutch band that has been on our radar for years. Their epic debut full-length that came out last year ended up among our favorite releases of last year. 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of this great death metal band who features some old faces of the Dutch death metal scene. We are therefor excited to announce that LUCIFERICON will play KTDF VII!!!
Lucifericon are a study in patience and poise. Founded in 2009, it wasn’t until 2012 when the band’s first public recording, “The Occult Waters” EP, reared its shadowy head. Although “The Occult Waters” was the band’s debut, the seemingly “new” Lucifericon was actually comprised of a number of metal scene veterans, its members having done time as Destroyer 666, Pentacle, Malicious Dream, and Excision among others. Naturally, at this stage, the quartet deeply understood the Metal of Death and proceeded to offer a unique, more atmospheric twist on it. Four years later followed another EP, “Brimstone Altar”, to further critical acclaim. Here, Lucifericon’s death metal was blackened to a crisp, its robust recording allowing every evil nuance to spill from the soundfield and further bewitch the eardrums.
With that envious foundation judiciously set, at last arrives Lucifericon’s first full-length recording, “Al-Khem-Me”. Tongue-twistingly titled but aptly so, “Al-Khem-Me” keeps apace with the developments of “Brimstone Altar” and further masters the art of the “patient payoff.” Its blackened DEATH literally explodes from the very first seconds, but the band’s songwriting builds detail upon subtle detail despite the obvious aggression employed. Utterly gnarled and gnarling, the lurch ‘n’ lunge across “Al-Khem-Me” creates a bewilderingly slipstreaming effect, dragging the listener into a distant, nameless vortex, but always with a keen knack for memorability. For above all, this is METAL, unbending and unyielding, forged in fire and wielded as a weapon; it just so happens that Lucifericon’s is one fully set on attack, its intensity steeped in the grand traditions of late ’80s / early ’90s death. Al-Khem-Me heralds the grand arrival of Lucifericon!”
Phobocosm (can)
“Announcement #31: Tonight we turn our focus back towards Canada and again this time to the Montreal scene where a great band signed to Dark Descent Records dwells. Despite being around for more than 10 years, they have still never made it across to Europe. Therefor we are very excited to present the very first ever European performance of the amazing, dark death metal entity known as PHOBOCOSM!!!
Phobocosm was founded in 2008 with the intent of writing the darkest, most uncompromising death metal possible. The founding members agreed on one thing when they formed the band: its sound was going to be a mix between different styles of dark and extreme music, but its roots would have to remain firmly planted in the “dark death metal” style with an old-school approach while incorporating a lot of elements from other styles of music such as doom metal, black metal and ambient. Phobocosm’s music is comprised of a mix of slow, mid-paced and fast parts with a strong focus on writing the darkest riffs possible in the realm of death metal while never sacrificing the song itself in doing so. The band’s inspiration both musically and lyrically is pure darkness, hopelessness, suffering and knowing that things just won’t be fine. Both of their albums are basically soundtracks to the apocalypse, or at the very least their interpretation of what the apocalypse will sound like. There simply cannot be any light in the band’s music. Having played concerts all over North America in the last few years to support “Deprived” (2014) and “Bringer of Drought” (2016), Phobocosm is now ready to finally take its brand of death metal to European soil. Their third album should be released sometime in 2019.”
Abysmal Dimensions (usa)
“Announcement #32: Tonight we have the distinct honor of presenting to you something special – something that has never happened before. This is what this festival is truly about; presenting live moments of bands from around the globe that you wont be able to see anywhere else. This is one for all you extreme nerds that search the deep corners of Metal Archives to find the obscure side projects of your favorite artists. The band we are about to announce have never performed live and have never done a real recording or release despite lurking in the dark for well over a decade. Comprised by people from the Denver underground scene, we are extremely proud to present the first ever performance and official live recording of ABYSMAL DIMENSIONS!!!
The tentacles of ABYSMAL DIMENSIONS reach deep into the mists of the extreme doom underground… Lurking beneath the slime of the cult Oregonian bands MÜNN and MERKSTAVE, guitarist/vocalist Paul Riedl began writing for a new funeral doom project in the Winter of 2007. When MÜNN vocalist/bassist Joris Brinkerhoff passed away in September 2009, Riedl was left with the unreleased 30-minute sequel to their infamous “Selbstmordwald Pt. One” rehearsal demo, which had achieved notoriety in some circles for its extremely slow riffs, bleak atmosphere, and miserable, tortured vocals.
Relocating to Colorado in 2011, Riedl met guitarist Isaac Faulk from STOIC DISSENTION, an equally dismal and despondent black/doom band. They set out to create a new project together, playing ancient, monolithic and vast funeral doom that would leave its mark on the underground. Under a new moniker, ABYSMAL DIMENSIONS, and rechristening the unreleased “Selbstmordwald Pt. Two” as “Of the Welkin & the Dismal Abyss”, the lost song was finally given new life. At the end of 2018, the duo enlisted the help of bandmates Eli Wendler from SPECTRAL VOICE and Erika Osterhout from SCOLEX to begin rehearsing for the release of their first official recording and simultaneuous debut performance at the legendary KILL-TOWN DEATH FEST VII: THE DECOMPOMORPHOSIS this September 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over a decade in the making, this will be a performance not to be missed…”
Funeral Moth (jap)
“Announcement #33: Tonight we will go back to Japan to present to you a very special surprise that we are very excited to share with you. For the past 20 years Makoto Fujishima has through his label Weird Truth Productions been releasing and pioneering funeral doom from around the globe with a series of excellent releases from bands such as Profetus, Worship, Funeralium and Imindain to name a few. At the same time he was also working on his own project which he releases through his own label. Despite being around for 15 years already they have never played in Europe, so therefor its an extreme honor for us to be able to present the very first and exclusive one-off European performance of FUNERAL MOTH as part of Gloomy Sunday!!!
Funeral Moth was formed by Nobuyuki Sentou (ex-Coffins/ex-Psycho To Black), Makoto Fujishima (ex-deathchurch/nyarlathotep), and Junpei Ishimaru (Morquido) in Autumn 2005. Funeral Moth’s debut live was held on May 3rd 2006 and shared the stage with some international bands like StarGazer(Aus), Gallhammer, Intestine Baalism among others. In November 2006, they recorded their 1st demo at Noise Room Studio, at which Nobuyuki recorded many several artists such as Coffins, Psycho To Black etc. “The Moth Flying to the Funeral Sky” was released by Makoto’s own label Weird Truth Productions.
In the end of 2007, Junpei left the band, but was soon after replaced by Yuichiro Azegami (Brob). With this new line-up, they re-recorded 2 songs as a demo which was released as a CD EP in June 2008 – same time as they shared the stage with German doom cult band Worship in Tokyo.
In July 2010, they toured with Australian doom band Mournful Congregation. During this tour, Takafumi Matsubara (Retortion Terror/ex-Gridlink/ex-Mortalized) joined as a special guest. After the tour, they started to look for a permanent 2nd guitar player and finally in January 2012 Mayo Odium (Dogoh/ex-Ssorc/ex-Stabat Mater) joined.
In July 2013, Mayo Odium left the band and was replaced by Tomohiro Kanja (Realm(Negativeaidguerrilla Realm)/Discrete Corporality). In February 2014, their 1st album “Dense Fog” was released and they toured with Worship again.
In February 2015, they played in Taipei which was the first time for Funeral Moth to play outside Japan. In May, 2008 the self titled EP was released as 12″ vinyl by Chinese label Psychedelic Lotus Order and a 2x 12″ vinyl version of the Dense Fog album was released by Spanish Throne Records. In July, they played at Fearest Death Cult, which is the one of the biggest DIY extreme music festival held in Osaka. After that gig, Nobuyuki left the band to concentrate on other things. He was replaced by bass player Ryo Amamiya (ex-Juki) and they released their 2nd album “Transience” in March 2016 again from Weird Truth Productions.”
Black Curse (usa)
“Announcement #34: Tonight we have another Colorado treat for you guys. It’s a new project formed by veterans of the Denver scene, so despite the lack of available audio, we still decided to take a chance and present this new band to the Killtown crowd. If you are into raw, distorted, obscure punky death metal – this will be right up your alley. Without further ado, we are excited to present the first ever European performance of BLACK CURSE!!!
Formed in 2015, Black Curse is the focused will of four death-obsessed maniacs. Physically residing in Denver, Colorado, the band is comprised of various members of other cults responsible for the outside attention the city has gained in recent years. The band has grown slowly over the years, changing form several times. A meticulous writing process, wrought with intention and focus, demands reflection. With this in mind they chose to let the material take shape over time, evolving into a fully realized vision of something powerful and succinct. Combining ripping, violent rhythms with razor sharp riffing and trancelike pulses, Black Curse creates true malevolence!
In January, Two Thousand Nineteen, the band sequestered themselves within Cave Evil, deep in the Rocky Mountains, and ensnared engineer Arthur Rizk to capture what will soon become their first full length album. That recording will manifest Autumn 2019. Until then, the band has chosen to keep the material close to its chest – only allowing a small window into the evil and madness that awaits through an unhinged, raw rehearsal. Wanting to ensure that every show is of a particular importance and atmosphere, live performances will be rare. Killtown Deathfest 2019 will serve as the debut performance of the album, start to finish.”
Assumption (ita)
“Announcement #35: Tonight we are turning our focus towards south Europe – actually almost as south as you can get – Sicily, Italy. The band we are about to announce has been flying under our radar for quite many years until the band´s debut album came out last year to much international praise. They play doom/death the way it was laid out by the old masters of the craft, so its with great pleasure we can announce that ASSUMPTION will be playing “Gloomy Sunday” at KTDF this year!!!
Assumption was created in Palermo, Italy, in 2011 by Giorgio and David of Haemophagus and formerly of Undead Creep, Morbo ecc. to worship the altar of doom death metal.
Initially started as a studio-project, Assumption have nonetheless managed to set up a live line-up throughout the years, sharing stages with bands such as Esoteric, Demilich, Sub Rosa and so on. The band’s current live line-up is completed by Claudio Troise (Gravesite, Ancient Cult, Bland Vargar ecc.) on bass and Matija Dolinar (Teleport, Escarnium) on lead guitar.
Their latest album “Absconditus” stands as the sonic proof of Assumption’s psychedelic approach to doom death metal, where visionary, Floyd-esque sections are combined with extremely heavy, downtempo riffs in the vein of pioneers like diSEMBOWELMENT, Winter, Sorrow, Evoken or early Paradise Lost.”
Anatomia (jap)
“Announcement #36: Today we have the pleasure of welcoming back a Japanese band that has already played KTDF 2 times prior. They were one of the reasons we started this fest, so we could invite them over all the way from Tokyo. Still a 3-piece entity, but now with a new line-up and new material in the works, we feel it’s time for them to once again perform our “Gloomy Sunday”. Please welcome back one of the best doom death bands around; the great ANATOMIA!!!
Anatomia was formed in 2002 when Takashi (Drums/Vocals), Jun (Bass), and Yoshio (Guitars) renamed and started anew their former band Transgressor. Later in 2003, they recorded self-titled 4-track demo, which caught the attention of the US label Necroharmonic, and the year 2005 saw the release of their first full-length album Dissected Humanity. Amid the trend of ultra-fast brutal death in the scene back then, the response was quite satisfactory, and they started to get a number of offers for split releases, and so far they released 14 splits in all with bands from around the world. In late 2011, they parted ways with Yoshio after performing at Rites of Darkness Fest in San Antonio. Shortly after that Yukiyasu (Guitars) joined to fill the position. Around that time, Jun and Takashi worked together and reentered the studio to record the second full-length album Decaying in Obscurity, which was later released by NWN! Production in 2012. The band have played shows outside Japan several times so far, with their first time at Kill-Town Death Fest in 2010, followed by a show in the US in 2012, a week-long tour in Europe with Undergang in 2013, and some more countries such as India, Taiwan, Singapore, and Thailand. In November 2017, they firmly established their style of dismal slow death metal as they describe themself by releasing the third full-length album Cranial Obsession, which was again released by NWN! Production. Obsessively dark and slow horror ambient doom. In December 2018, Yukiyasu left the band due to personal reasons, but soon they found a session guitarist Makoto who plays in the Japanese funeral doom band Funeral Moth. This performance at Kill-Town Death Fest will be their first time for them with this new line-up, and the new materials are in the works as well.”
Necrovation (swe)
“Anouncement #37: Now we are down to the last 4 announcements and we have been saving some nice treats for the end. Today we are excited to present the first show since 2014 of a great Swedish entity. Back then they supported Morbid Angel, but since then they have been more dormant than some Lovecraftian creatures. Now they are back and with a fourth member to make the line up even stronger. We are excited to present to you the “come back” show for Swedens’s NECROVATION!!!
Necrovation released their debut album in 2008 via Blood Harvest Records after building on some demo and 7” singles-success. What seemed to be a straight forward Death Metal business surprised the scene with 2012’s self titled album. Necrovation have paths laid out in more than one direction and isn’t an easy band to describe mainly because of the many years in service has offered so few products to observe – you simply don’t know what to expect from a Necrovation release or live appearance (which seems to be entirely amusing for these Swedes). The bands line up is steady and consists of the same individuals that recorded their debut album 2006.”
Mitochondrion (can)
“Announcement #38: Tonight we will take one last look towards Canada and it’s flannel clad, maple syrup drenched, CVLT as fuck underground scene. The band we are about to announce doesn’t play much live, so it’s a rare occasion to see them live. In fact this will just be one out of two European performances this year and the only one in mainland Europe. The band is comprised by some of our favourite death metal die-hards, who works hard promoting underground death metal through the Covenant Collective, which is behind the Covenant Festivals, magazine and label. Without further ado we are extremely excited to present to you that the mighty MITOCHONDRION will return to KTDF!!!
Since 2003, Mitochondrion has been wallowing through the mire of putrefaction, harnessing each horrific stage of a grander alchemical working to craft a singular and bizarre death metal sound. Forged in Victoria BC in the long shadow of Ross Bay Cemetery, the band initially gained global attention through the 100% DIY release of the debut album “Archaeaeon” in 2008. The ambitious record borrowed its way into the minds of the unsuspecting and gathered a devout cult following. A pact was sealed with fellow countryman Profound Lore Records to release the truly awful and ruinous “Parasignosis” in early 2011. This record refined Mitochondrion’s terrifying sound into a dense and filthy display uniting harnessed chaos and impenetrable darkness. The wake of this release saw Mitochondrion playing throughout the USA and Europe including the infamous Rites of Darkness III, the final Chaos in Tejas, Dark Descent Fest in Portland, Kill-Town Death Fest, Incubate Festival, Maryland Deathfest, a European tour with Ritual Necromancy, and an American tour with Phobocosm. Within this time, long time comrade Dark Descent Records also unveiled the “Archaeaeon” re-release on DLP, “Antinumerology” 7″, and the “In Cronian Hour” 7″ split with Auroch. After 2016 the band slammed the door shut on public activity, vowing to not return until a new, highly demanded record was (at least nearly) complete.
In November 2017 Mitochondrion started tracking the next grand opus of twisted death metal mayhem. Currently in progress, over a year in the works, and already eclipsing everything previously written, the details of this manifestation will be made public when the time is right. In the meantime, the band will play this new material across the planet at various festivals throughout 2019. Mitochondrion hasn’t played in Europe in nearly 5 years and eagerly awaits the mayhem!”
Funebrarum (usa)
“Announcement #39: We are getting close to the end of the x-mas calendar of death. Tonight we are excited to present to you one of our last headliners who are celebrating 20 years of death metal this year! This performance will be the band’s first appearance in Europe since their last tour in 2017 and at Kill-Town since 2011. We are honoured to announce that New Jersey’s dark death metal stalwarts FUNEBRARUM will return to Kill-Town Death Fest after eight years!
Funebrarum re-emerges from the darkest depths to unleash their offering of morbid and heavy Death Metal. Still dedicated to the late 80’s / early 90’s underground Death Metal scene, the initial drive and motivation for the band remains. DEATH METAL – the old way!!
Formed in 1999 in Clifton, New Jersey by vocalist Daryl Kahan and guitarist Nick Orlando along with drummer Dario Derna (Infester). This original line up recorded the band’s first demo cassette entitled “Triumphant Ascent”, released in 2000. A tape that was well received worldwide.
Joined shortly thereafter by bassist David Wagner and drummer Brian Jimenez they recorded their debut full-length album entitled “Beneath The Columns of Abandoned Gods”, recorded in 2000, released in 2001. This release cemented the band’s reputation as a force to be reckoned with. During this time the band played many brutal and intense shows in the NY/ NJ area with bands like Mortician, Evoken, Crucifier, Nunslaughter, Mayhem, Dead Infection among many others.
A 7″ EP entitled “Dormant Hallucination was released in 2003, a split CD / LP with Sweden’s Interment in 2007 and second full-length album entitled “The Sleep of Morbid Dreams” was released in 2009. With the “Morbid Dreams” line-up including Alex Books (Goreaphobia / Immolation) the band embarked on a successful tour of Europe with Denmark’s Undergang in 2012.
After an extensive period of inactivity several members departed the band to focus on their careers, families or other musical projects. In 2015, Daryl decided to reform the band with new blood including guitarist Samuel Osborne, drummer Charlie Koryn (Ascended Dead), bassist Kyle Winslow and guitarist Yuri Kahan (no relation). With this line-up the band wrote and recorded three new songs (and re-recorded one old unreleased demo song) over the course of three days. This demo recording entitled “Exhumation of the Ancient Dead” was released in 2016 on CD / LP on (Doomentia / Morbid Wrath Records) and was sold on the band’s European tour with Interment (Sweden) 2016.
An upcoming new album is in progress on Pulverized Records coming later in 2019 and also a tour of Mexico is planned with Denial (Mex) in March!!
ENTER THE BURIAL OF THE DISMAL DEAD!!!”
Grave (swe)
“Announcement #40: Tonight we are presenting the final band of the KTDF VII line-up and we have been saving a classic for last. Despite KTDF isn’t about headliners or big bands, we would still like to give homage to the first generation of death metal – the pioneers that started it all a long long time ago. The band we are about to announce has been one of the most defining bands within the Scandinavian scene of the late 80´ies and early 90´ies and performed a crushing set back in February 1993 supporting Bolt Thrower on the very same stage as they will be performing on again during KTDF. A circle will be completed. It’s with the greatest honour that we can present that the mighty GRAVE will be performing an old-school set of demo tracks and songs from “Into the Grave” Thursday 5th September!!!
One of the longest-running Swedish death metal bands, GRAVE has created a sound and style which has been an inspiration on a number of the genre’s more promising younger outfits. Having started out as a band called Corpse in 1986, they released 3 official demos before their legendary 1991 debut. “Into the Grave”, established GRAVE as one of death metal’s most brutal new hopes, and its release was ensued by a host of live performances across Europe and America.
Grave has released 11 full-length albums plus numerous EP´s, live albums, splits, box sets and compilations in the course of its 31 year existence.
Grave is currently signed to Century Media Records and the last release was “Out of Respect for the Dead” from 2015.”