Hammerheart Records to release remastered editions of three classic albums by Swedish doom/death metal masters Runemagick!
Photo by Robert Höög
Hammerheart Records will release remastered Digi-CD editions of classic albums »Darkness Death Doom«, »Envenom« and »On Funeral Wings« by Swedish doom/death metal masters Runemagick.
All albums will be available on March 31st, 2023. Pre-order here: runemagick.lnk.to/cdreissues
Check out all remastered versions below!
Courtesy of Hammerheart Records:
Swedish doom/death metal classic remastered!
Runemagick – »Darkness Death Doom«:
Runemagick are among the most underrated bands in the history of metal. Their relative obscurity is hard to pin down. Musically, in terms of songcraft, atmosphere, and immersion into the unearthly realms of the occult, they are basically without peers. Yet despite a prolific thirty-year existence, their reputation exists on the fringes: highly regarded by some but not highly enough considering the overall quality of their output.
»Darkness Death Doom« is another monster Runemagick record, twenty years old. When it comes to the elemental power and occult allure of death/doom metal, there is hardly a band to listen to. Runemagick’s morose tunes, occult atmosphere, and penchant for bad trip riffs combine to form another intoxicating batch of criminally underrated tunes! Not just death metal, stoner doom, or death’n’roll but somehow all of the above. Lyrically, Runemagick mines the vast untapped regions of inner darkness. This is dark psyche-stuff, tinged with occult knowledge and a hermetic desire for more than what the surface shows. Taken altogether, there is not a false note to be heard. Some may not dig the somewhat meandering instrumentals but otherwise, this is a front-to-back masterpiece of true (oc)cult death/doom metal from a band who deserves much more!
Runemagick – »Envenom«:
Swedish doom/death metal classic remastered! Doom style with thick, lumbering grooves overlaid by growls of demonic possession and wicked black chants!
Runemagick is much more doomed and extreme than a few years ago, and this is the doomiest they have ever been. The music is just as minimalistic as the booklet: produced very roughly, the creeping guitar riffs, the occasionally interspersed leads as well as the booming bass and the percussion hammering over long distances in slow motion form an abysmally evil brew, to which the occult lyrics, which are presented in the form of hateful grunts, crown the crown.
The dark occult chants which emanate from the five tracks on Runemagick’s »Envenom« pummel the listener with blunt force. The monstrous tones of »Vultures« resonate with the enormous, deeply sustained bass notes from Emma Karlsson that give this trio a distinctly evil sound. Nicklas Rudolfsson handles the guitar and vocal duties for the group, placing melodic, single-note melodies over Karlsson’s bass work when applicable, and at other times opting for a hammering chugging attack. Daniel Moilanen plays simple beats with a lot of start atop action and this technique suits the music of Runemagick very well. He places appropriate fills without overplaying and this is a key ingredient in the group’s overall sound.
Runemagick stays within the bounds of their chosen style, but they always try something new within those bounds, and for such a prolific band to keep challenging themselves is a real achievement, not to mention a treat to hear. Envenom is a wonderfully old-fashioned, extreme death doom record, that also experiments with influences from other areas, which gives the music its own character. It is really successful in terms of songwriting and craftmanship and has its own touch. Take some spins and we assure you it is worth it!
Runemagick – »On Funeral Wings«:
After a couple of listens you will be hooked by the atmosphere and guitarist/vocalist Nicklas Rudolfsson’s recognizable riffs that really feel like riding »On Funeral Wings«. It is amazing how Runemagick’s sound evolves on every album and becomes better all the time. Obviously, the music is most of the time really slow, atmospheric and quite catchy but sometimes the tempo is increased even though you don’t hear blast beats on this album.
As a conclusion we must say that Runemagick really surpassed all expectations (again). If you are into death/doom metal and don’t like this album, then there’s something wrong with you.
• Remastered by Johan Bäckman at Raven Noise Studio 2019
• New artwork by Kurakurakucing 2022
• New Runemagick album coming early 2023
• Runemagick featuring members from Deathwitch, Dracena and Katatonia
Pre-order: runemagick.lnk.to/cdreissues
Shipping after the 31st of March 2023.
For fans of: Asphyx, Grave, Electric Wizard, Bolt Thrower
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well