Venerated black metal specialists, Dark Fortress, return with a new album, Spectres From The Old World, out today via Century Media Records.  In celebration of the album release, the band have issued a video for “Pali Aike”.

Santura (guitar) about the song: “’Pali Aike’ is a song with a particularly compelling groove and a very dense atmosphere. If you wanna hear some fast stuff, though, listen to the album in its entirety!”

Morean (vocals) further explains: “An ode to the violent volcanic forces that shaped our Earth, inspired by my visit of a remote, little-known volcanic site in Southern Chile. The area had been inhabited for many thousands of years before the first European settlers arrived, and these natives called this site the ‘home of the devils’ in their language (‘pali aike’). The lyrics are a literal description of how I experienced the place - eerily haunted, scattered with sun-bleached bones left by hunting mountain lions, and filled with mirages invoked by awe-inspiring shapes and colors of moss-covered lava formations and lakes that miraculously disappear when you get close to them. The violent and tragic history of settlement of this remote corner of the world gives a morbid twist to the site’s now tranquil and peaceful aura of abandonment.”

After a six-year gap, Germany’s darkest sons continue where Venereal Dawn (2014) left off conceptually. Morean explains: “Together with the rest of the human race, the protagonist reincarnated as a disembodied creature of pure light in ‘On Fever’s Wings’, the last song of Venereal Dawn. The new album attempts to draw a picture of such a mind’s perspective on life - reincarnating as pure, massless energy. The narrator has become the fabric of the universe itself. This is where heavy physics and string theory come in.”

Spectres From The Old World is more direct, more aggressive than its predecessors. At no time in Dark Fortress’ history have they reached so far out into the darkness, only to find the domine of astronomy non-existent, the end merely an end. Recorded, engineered, mixed, and mastered by V. Santura at Woodshed Studios throughout 2019, Spectres From The Old World marks an important milestone in Dark Fortress’ journey along actual and spiritual left-hand paths.

Spectres From The Old World can be ordered in various formats, here.

Tracklisting:

"Nascence" (Intro)
"Coalescence"
"The Spider In The Web"
"Spectres From The Old World"
"Pali Aike"
"Pazuzu"
"Isa"
"Pulling At Threads"
"In Deepest Time"
"Penrose Procession" (Interlude)
"Swan Song"
"Nox Irae"

"The Spider In The Web":

“Isa”:

“Pulling At Threads”:

The band have confirmed the following shows a month after Spectres From The Old World is released. Morean comments: “To celebrate the release of our eighth studio album Spectres From The Old World, we are happy to announce a handful of release shows in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. More dates later in the year to come. Hope to see you there!”

March
26 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk
27 - Wetzikon, Switzerland - Hall Of Fame
28 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
29 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg

Other live dates:

April
11 - Oslo, Norway - Inferno Festival

May
24 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest

June
27-28 - Los Angeles, CA - California Deathfest

July
23 - Drevenice Reviste, Slovakia - Gothoom Festival
28 - Tolmin, Slovenia - Metaldays

Lineup:

Santura - guitars
Phenex - keys
Seraph - drums
Morean - vocals
Asvargr - guitars