Year: 2024

Sweden’s mythological Heavy Metal newcomers Templar gives us their Black Knight debut demo, and Jawbreaker Records are ready to present this first conquest to the world through the only proper format for such a release – cassette.

The raw charm of glisteningly mystical guitars and earth-shattering bass is a definitively epic combination. Add to this some crazed, cymbal-heavy drumming and wailing vocals and you have the formula for some glorious Heavy Metal music. Melody and grit coexist in an enchanting and fantastical space that will appeal to the underground lovers of something a bit more rough around the edges but showing the huge potential of a young band with great songs. The catchy choruses and wild verses plough forth in a most intense and gripping manner that is a great joy to behold.

Across five tracks (an intro and four full songs), there is plentiful excitement and dynamics to keep you surging alongside this energetic band. From Steve Harris worshipping bass lines to electric shredding, the furious and unpolished passion of Templar is definitely going to win you over on this demo which serves the purpose of planting their flag prior to world domination. A riveting medieval atmosphere and wonderful musicianship is surely something no headbanger will turn away from. Fall at the sword of the black knight…

Limited to 100 copies on white tape and 100 copies on black tape.

Ever since forming in 2009, Trastorned have unleashed a killer array of demos and most notably their debut album, Into the Void. Jawbreaker Records will now be giving this contemporary cult Chilean classic a tape edition.

Much like many of their countrymen, these maniacs draw a range of influences from the more extreme end of Thrash Metal. Be it German, American or even South American, the horde of violent raging barbarity fire on all cylinders and worship the gods of old. Blasphemous brutality is unleashed with its blackened edge from the very earlier seconds of this record with its thunderous bass guitar, ripping rhythm and lacerating leads. The punk-tinged vocals add further attitude to the hellfire, meanwhile the drums are utterly relentless. If you like your Thrash Metal crazed and hungry for violence, then search no further, Trastorned have you covered!

For the entire (if short) running time, these lunatics ensure you will bang or be banged by true metallic fury. Of course being a South American band, they somehow harness the most bestial extremity and equally traditional elements in a perfect harmony of heinous heaviness, crushing all weakness with their pulverising sound of destruction. Perhaps some wimps were harmed in the making of this beast, but whatever the cost, it is worth it to rage with Trastorned on Into The Void and feel the 80s cult come alive on cassette format, just the way such killer music should be heard. Witness the melodies, stomps, hysteria and total mayhem be invoked as the tape player spits out total venom…

Red tape limited to 50 copies, blue tape limited to 150 copies.

Sword-worshipping Heavy Metal traditionalists Writhen Hilt from Germany are due to deliver their debut EP Ancient Sword Cult via Sweden’s Jawbreaker Records.

Blending the rocking sensibilities of the NWOBHM with Sweden’s catchy hooks and the mystical element of bands such as Warlord, Writhen Hilt shall capture you with their entrancing brand of melodic, all-consuming craftsmanship. Sharp guitars gallop atop unbreakable waves of drumming with some truly unique, spellbinding vocals. Their medieval anthems of metallic fury have that USPM sense of triumph coating every moment. The emotive dynamics take some nuanced doomy touches and give a downtrodden sense of despair to the songs. Glory reigns eternal in the more ethereal passages of the opus. This contrasting and skilfully executed mixture will certainly enthral you.

Packed with grandeur, there is that primal fist-pounding drive, acting as a sonic backbone throughout this record; the wailing chants of a battle cry reverberate in the Heavy Metal splendour. The screaming lead guitars have a captivating quality, which adds some gorgeous soulfulness to the clashing of iron. Thundering bass glows like a fire in a hearth while the steel of mighty riffing and pounding drums keep the songs charging forward. Everything on this record simply screams “epic” from start to finish and it is an adventure you truly must embark upon for yourself.

Release date: 23 February 2024.

Canadian cosmic Heavy Metal mob Kontact will soon deliver their debut album Full Contact. Planet Terra’s leading Sci-Fi Metal label Jawbreaker Records are proud to present the tape version of this otherworldly opus.

If you have never encountered this unidentified object of Heavy Metal oddness, the massive soundscapes of nail-biting guitar riffs, powerful drumming and enchanting vocals will surely grip you instantly with the bands unique approach. As if the likes of Scanner and Manilla Road were coupled with Voivod, but such an analogy would merely scratch the surface because Kontact truly make their Sci-Fi laden rock tunes into a totally new entity. Bizarre is things may seem, the familiarity in the sumptuous synth lines and scathing lead guitars adds a classic element to their anthemic yet anarchic face-melters. Harnessing a mastery of groove and melody while not relying on the usual tropes, it is clear to see this band was never destined to be yet another “NWOTHM” band easily categorised with their contemporaries. Although those epic moments of the past are present, there is no predicting the movements of this unearthly band.

Heavy Metal is a genre that feels very human and grounded, yet Kontact take this and inject the alien elements that project naturally forth from their science fiction world and craft us a record that is as strong in theme and steeped in lore as it is sonically explorative. Where many have failed to combine these technical, progressive and downright unusual elements into a genre as conservative as Heavy Metal, Kontact gel them in such a way that is chaotic and yet coherent. Listen to the sleazy backbeat grooves of “Heavy Leather” next to “Watcher at the Edge of Time” and its progressive sensibilities and witness a band whose combining forces of the norm with utterly absurd concoct a lucid journey into the stratosphere before your very eyes. Love it or hate it, nobody can deny Kontact have pushed Heavy Metal into the further reaches of the cosmos to entirely unique, crushing and exciting new effect. Bare witness to this celestial masterpiece and be transported to the stars…

Cassette limited to 150 copies on Alien Green tape and 50 copies on Cosmic Red tape. Comes with a download code.

Don’t miss out on the LP and CD versions which will be released by our allies over at Dying Victims Productions. The tape version of Kontact – Full Contact will be out on Jawbreaker Records in March, 2024.