From the annals of the UK black metal history comes a particularly obscure, overlooked and yet utterly devastating release - Devourer by Skaldic Curse.

Criminally, this album never saw an official release at the time, falling beneath the radar of an audience distracted by banal trends and over-marketed, hollow musical product. Finally, in 2019, a whole decade on, it has been decided it is high time this opus was unleashed to the world in the manner it deserves. Devourer is set to be released in both physical and digital format via Apocalyptic Witchcraft on May 3rd.

Skaldic Curse, which features members of Akercocke & Fen, emerged in the early 2000s in London as part of a wave of new acts seeking to re-establish the UK’s reputation on the international extreme metal stag. The band chose to adopt a singular path from the get-go. Eschewing trends and fashions, the five-piece adopted a resolutely cold, intricate path - searing melody, crushing dissonance, and an almost overwhelming intensity were to become the band’s hallmarks.

A handful of demos preceded the Pathogen debut album in 2005 which set out the band’s stall. A raw production draped suitable levels of filth over material that was both caustic and progressive. The follow-up, World Suicide Machine, honed the approach further, accentuating the band’s technical nature but it was 2009’s Devourer that was to become the band’s masterpiece - intricate, powerful and haunting, it represents a high-watermark for the UK’s black metal output in many ways, deftly blending musical accomplishment with nihilistic fury.

Devourer tracklisting:

"Last Humanoid Howling"
"Devourer"
"End - Earth"
"Bloodstained Asylum"
"Pay - War Approaching"
"Impact Winter"
"Abduction Void"
"Self - Replicating Armageddon Assembler"
"Torus"