DARK ESSENCE RECORDS

DARK ESSENCE RECORDS Dark Essence Records is a record label focusing on the Black and Extreme metal genres. Based in Bergen, Norway. Worldwide distribution. Founded in 2003.

Dark Essence Records is a record label specializing on Black and Extreme metal.

Beyond the Gates 2025 leftover merchandise stock updated!More sizes have been added.Also, the final remaining stock of t...
03/10/2025

Beyond the Gates 2025 leftover merchandise stock updated!

More sizes have been added.
Also, the final remaining stock of the Baseball Long Sleeve + Demon T-shirt is now available in the shop!
Once they're gone, they're gone for good!

Link in comment.

Official leftover merchandise from Beyond the Gates 2025 festival!Beyond the Gates is one of Norway’s most important met...
01/10/2025

Official leftover merchandise from Beyond the Gates 2025 festival!

Beyond the Gates is one of Norway’s most important metal festivals, and longtime friends of ours. We’re helping them clear out some remaining stock from this year’s festival merch.

If you missed your chance to grab a shirt during the event, now’s the perfect opportunity to pick up a piece of festival merch at a discounted price from this year’s Beyond the Gates!

Link in comment.

From the mountains of Madrid comes Antinoë, the haunting one-woman project of pianist and vocalist Teresa Marraco. With ...
19/09/2025

From the mountains of Madrid comes Antinoë, the haunting one-woman project of pianist and vocalist Teresa Marraco. With her ethereal voice and stark, piano-driven arrangements, Antinoë shapes soundscapes where neoclassical elegance collides with the atmospheric weight of metal, weaving music that is at once fragile, immersive, and profoundly melancholic. Fans of artists like Agnes Obel or Enya will find resonance here, yet Antinoë’s world is darker, steeped in reflection, loss, and yearning.

Since its inception in 2021, Antinoë has embraced a uniquely personal approach to darkness, building her songs around intimate piano compositions intertwined with her rich, resonant voice. Marraco’s background in extreme music further anchors her vision: she has collaborated with acts such as Coldborn, Elffor, Balmog, and Empty, and recorded the piano/keyboard parts for Dimmu Borgir’s live performance of Det Nye Riket at Beyond the Gates Festival. Her 2023 debut, “Whispers from the Dark Past”, an acoustic reinterpretation of 90s Norwegian black metal classics, garnered critical attention and cemented her distinctive identity on the border between metal and neoclassical expression.

Now, Antinoë unveils her first full-length album of original material: “The Fold”. A conceptual journey that navigates the acceptance of death, tracing the process of “folding inward,” to confront different stages of grief, one by one, inviting us to walk a deeply personal path that nonetheless exposes universal themes such as existentialism and the embracing of chaos as a necessary part of oneself. With “The Fold”, Antinoë transcends genre boundaries to deliver music that is delicate, symphonic, and unflinchingly dark, an invitation to step into shadows and discover their hidden beauty.

“The Fold” will be released on Dark Essence Records the 21st of November.

The first single from the album called “Threshold” is out today.

"The Fold” can be pre-ordered on MC, CD, Vinyl and limited “Turn to Dust” Transparent Glitter vinyl.

For the first time ever, Noregs Vaapen has been remixed and remastered from the original multitrack recordings, bringing...
10/09/2025

For the first time ever, Noregs Vaapen has been remixed and remastered from the original multitrack recordings, bringing new clarity and depth to one of Taake’s most celebrated works. This collector’s edition comes in a 20-page deluxe digibook, complete with lyrics and rare, previously unpublished photos from the album’s recording sessions.

To mark the occasion, the set also includes the first official Taake DVD: the band’s anniversary concert where Noregs Vaapen was performed in its entirety – raw, uncompromising, and captured in full.

Originally released in 2011, Noregs Vaapen is the fifth studio album from Norway’s black metal institution Taake – and often hailed as their strongest. It sees Hoest sharpening his trademark riffs, melodies, and biting vocals, while weaving in unexpected turns: black’n’roll grooves, chilling mellotrons, and even the now-legendary banjo solo. Songs like the anthemic Nordbundet, the relentless Myr, and the infamous Orkan have long since earned their place in the pantheon of True Norwegian Black Metal.

While Hoest is once again behind all music, lyrics, instruments, and vocals, the album also features contributions from Taake’s then live-lineup - Thurzur, V’gandr, Aindiachai, and Gjermund - alongside a rare gathering of prominent guests: Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone), Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Demonaz (Immortal), Bjørnar Nilsen (Vulture Industries), and Skagg (Gaahlskagg, Deathcult).

Tracklist, Noregs Vaapen:

Fra Vadested til Vaandesmed
Orkan
Nordbundet
Du ville ville Vestland
Myr
Helvetesmakt
Dei vil alltid klaga og kyta

Tracklist DVD, Noregs Vaapen live at Vulkan, Oslo

Intro (Sven Nyhus: Leken hass Steffen Henningsgaard)
Fra Vadested til Vaandesmed
Orkan
Nordbundet
Du ville ville Vestland
Myr
Helvetesmakt
Dei vil alltid klaga og kyta
Havet i Huset
Doedsjarl
Hordalands Doedskvad 1
12 Outro (Gjermund: Nattestid ser Porten vid 1)

Release date 14 Nov, 2025.
Pre-order link in comment section.

KOLDBRANN - INGEN SKÅNSEL the Spellemannpris-winning album, Norway's answer to the Grammy Award, in a 1 year anniversary...
24/08/2025

KOLDBRANN - INGEN SKÅNSEL the Spellemannpris-winning album, Norway's answer to the Grammy Award, in a 1 year anniversary picture disc edition, limited to 300 copies now available to pre-order.

Housed in a die-cut sleeve, including insert with lyrics and translations.

One of the most interesting, aggressive and fierce Norwegian Black Metal albums in modern times!

"Ingen Skånsel" is KOLDBRANN's fourth album, and their first full-length since 2013's "Vertigo", following the 2023 EP "Den 6. Massedød (Manna fra en annen himmel)".

Release date: October 24, 2025.

Pre-order links:
https://www.karismarecords.no/shop/formats/vinyl/koldbrann-ingen-skansel-1-year-anniversary-picture-disc/
https://koldbrann.bandcamp.com/album/ingen-sk-nsel
https://darkessence.indiemerch.com/band/koldbrann (US webshop)

Out today!Taake - Noregs Vaapen - box set.“Noregs Vaapen” is the fifth studio album from the legendary Norwegian black m...
15/08/2025

Out today!

Taake - Noregs Vaapen - box set.

“Noregs Vaapen” is the fifth studio album from the legendary Norwegian black metal band Taake, considered by many to be their strongest album.
The album saw the band refine their True Norwegian Black Metal sound, while also taking a step further, including some new elements.
The album is filled with Hoest’s trademark riffs, melodies and vocals, but also includes more unpredictable parts, more black’n’roll grooves, ice cold mellotrons, and a now legendary banjo solo. Features classics like the catchy “Nordbundet”, “Myr” and the controversial, anti-religious “Orkan”.

3LP Box Set containing “Noregs Vaapen” and the “Kveld” EP on 180g black vinyl, with 16-page booklet.

One-time limited pressing of 500 copies.

Two decades ago we started the band Vulture Industries. Before the band got signed to a proper label and released "The D...
12/08/2025

Two decades ago we started the band Vulture Industries. Before the band got signed to a proper label and released "The Dystopia Journals", we recorded and released two self made demos on CD-R titled "The Enemy Within" and "The Benevolent Pawn". After the decline of myspace, the only platform where these remained available, many have been asking for these recordings. So, to accommodate this request, we have made a small pressing of the two pre-dystopia demos "The Enemy Within" and "The Benevolent Pawn" on vinyl in collaboration with Dark Essence Records. The pressing is limited to 100 copies on black 12" vinyl. The original recordings have been updated with a new mastering, and the cover art have been re-interpreted and re-made by neboa.art.

We only have 10 copies of this available at the Vulture Industries Big Cartel store, so if you are late with picking this up, you need to check the Karisma & Dark Essence Records shop or Bandcamp. This release will not be available in regular stores!

Taake - Et Hav av Avstand, Zip Hoodies are back in stock in all sizes at the Dark Essence Records webshop!
07/08/2025

Taake - Et Hav av Avstand, Zip Hoodies are back in stock in all sizes at the Dark Essence Records webshop!

We just got the new "HrabnaR/Ad vesa" shirts from Empire Merch. Some  of you already picked one up at Beyond The Gates f...
06/08/2025

We just got the new "HrabnaR/Ad vesa" shirts from Empire Merch. Some of you already picked one up at Beyond The Gates festival last week. Everyone else can now get it at the Karisma & dark essence records webshop!

Mannevond of  draped in the new official Koldrann - Ingen Skånsel denim jacket from !Available now at  from the Dark Ess...
31/07/2025

Mannevond of draped in the new official Koldrann - Ingen Skånsel denim jacket from !
Available now at from the Dark Essence Records stance in !

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We've got a special surprise single from  today! Pluton Alfa is released just in time to get you all excited for the  ki...
29/07/2025

We've got a special surprise single from today! Pluton Alfa is released just in time to get you all excited for the kick-off concert tonight, together with and

A very special Vulture Industries LP, collecting their original demos, will be available for sale there. (online sales start at Friday 12.00, Norwegian time) 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

.verftet

Adresse

Nygårdsgaten 2
Bergen
5015

Varslinger

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