Kingdoms Bathed in Golden Light

Info

A DIADEM OF DEAD STARS is a solo self-described "misty lowlands black metal" artist located in Volos, Greece who we fell in love with after hearing his epic and ethereal "Mist Bearer" albums, and we're honored to be one of three labels across the world releasing his newest masterpiece, Kingdoms Bathed in Golden Light. A truly international affair, Pest Productions from China released a CD, and Vendetta Records from Germany are handling the vinyl version, while we have stayed true to our most familiar format, the cassette.

With a recording that is as heavy as it is varied, Kingdoms Bathed in Golden Light features soft field recordings of chirping birds, female spoken word recitations, delay-coated epic riffs, piano, distorted shrieks of anguish, and enchanting moments of melodic reserve tinged with bleak, abyssal vocal chants. As an album it runs the gamut of light to dark with acute precision, purposefully guiding the listener from emotional turmoil to elation. A DIADEM OF DEAD STARS' sound harks to classic atmospheric black metal with its mid-tempo reverb-drenched passages, but increases the production value to 10 and adds moments of unrelenting speed and dexterity reminiscent of modern USBM.  It's a mix that rewards persistent listening of the lengthy tracks in full, offering a healthy balance of tones, timbres, and tempos to yield a stunningly realized album composed solely through the work of a single talented individual.

Packaging

– 5-panel J-cards on black/white 110lb cardstock screen-printed in gold ink
– Black or white pro-duplicated type II Cobalt cassette with gold imprinting
– Black/clear or White/clear hardshell cases
– 50 Light Editions / 50 Dark Editions

Tracklisting

A1 – 03:31 – And Trees Faded to Stars
A2 – 20:29 – Earth's Bereavement
A3 – 03:26 – As Morning Light Dances Across Enchanted Meadows
B1 – 27:13 – A Crown of Clouds on the Mountain’s Brow