Dark Essence Records has set an October 4 European release date (September 13 in Norway) for "The Malefactor's Bloody Register", the sophomore album from Norwegian progressive extreme metallers VULTURE INDUSTRIES. The follow-up to 2007's "The Dystopia Journals" was recorded at Conclave & Earshot Studios by Bjørnar Nilsen, who is also the band's frontman and was mastered by Brian Gardner (ISIS, NINE INCH NAILS, DAVID BOWIE). It features a guest appearance by ENSLAVED's Herbrand Larsen on Hammond organ, as well as special guests on cello, viola and saxophone.
"The Malefactor's Bloody Register" track listing:
01. Crooks & Sinners
02. Race For The Gallows
03. The Hangman's Hatch
04. The Bolted Door
05. This Cursed Flesh
06. I Hung My Heart On Harrow Square
07. Crowning The Cycle
08. Of Branded Blood
"The Bolted Door" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
"The Malefactor's Bloody Register" explores the theme of crime and punishment from the perspective of both the criminal and the hangman, and once again VULTURE INDUSTRIES has been able to persuade Helge Jordal, one of Norway's most renowned character actors, to appear on the cover of the album. Jordal had agreed to be featured in the artwork for "The Dystopia Journals" after listening to the album, and his collaboration with the band continues with "The Malefactor's Bloody Register", for which he takes on the role of the Hangman, and is photographed in brandishing a law-book and clutching a noose.
The lineup of Bergen-based VULTURE INDUSTRIES is a veritable "who's who" of black and extreme metal musicians. Aside from Nilsen himself on vocals, synths and programming, bandmembers include guitarists Øyvind Madsen (SULPHUR, ex-ENSLAVED, session guitars for DEATHCON) and Eivind Huse (SULPHUR, ex-SYRACH), Kyrre Teigen on bass and Tor Helge Gjengedal (ex-MALICE IN WONDERLAND, ex-SULPHUR, ex-TAAKE) on drums. The band is due to support TRISTANIA in Norway in late September and early October, and will hit the road to promote the album with labelmates TAAKE, HELHEIM and SULPHUR during October and November, as well as appearing at the Labyrinthic Metal Evening in Bucharest on October 16 along with Sweden's SHINING.
