STONEHAVEN: Live Video Footage From Northwestern Black Circle Festival IV Available; KNAC Audio Interview Posted

Midwest black metal warriors STONEHAVEN recently returned from the The Harbingers of Ruin Tour,  a rare and special four-date trek that included two live rituals at the Northwestern Black Circle Fest IV alongside blackened tyrants Marduk, 1349, Weapon, Ceremonial Castings and more. Check out live footage from the ceremony at THIS LOCATION or below.

In addition, STONEHAVEN interviewed by Jimmy Cabbs of KNAC.com during the Los Angeles stop. To hear the band discuss their Kansas roots, the commercialization of black metal, their opposition to “the metal brotherhood” and more, scroll your way over HERE or below.

STONEHAVEN released their Concerning Old-Strife And Man-Banes full-length this Spring via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. Described as a “black hearted potpourri of Icelandic saga, Norwegian ashen metal, and Swedish eddas about pagan kings forced to slurp down a nasty snake noodle at the behest of them mean old Christian 10th century evangelists,” by About.com, the offering continues to raise eyebrows throughout the underground for its uncompromisingly punishing brand of black metal menace and carefully crafted odes of wartime grimness. Blistering applauded the band for their “deft knowledge of the style and penchant for dynamic, cunning BM compositions,” Steff Metal noted, “STONEHAVEN bombard the listener with the intensity and brutality of battle,” while Music Emissions gushed over the collective’s “excellently written black metal mixed with groovy viking-metal melodies and anthems,” adding that “STONEHAVEN have crafted an epic-length record that will appeal to the ancient, pagan Norsemen in all of us.” Metal Psalter called Concerning Old-Strife and Man-Banes “a solid album that recalls some of the better early to mid-‘90s black metal while adding their own spin on the music,” while Blabbermouth hailed the record for offering up  eight songs that are “marvelously arranged, packed as they are with killer riff after killer riff and buzzing with that indefinable black metal energy, aura even, that raises an album from good to special."

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STONEHAVEN To Kick Off The Harbingers Of Ruin Tour

Midwest black metal legion STONEHAVEN are pleased to embark upon four special West Coast rituals this week. The Harbingers of Ruin Tour will begin this Thursday and includes two performances at the Northwestern Black Circle Fest IV alongside blackened behemoths Marduk, 1349, Weapon, Ceremonial Castings and more. 

Notes the band of the upcoming voyage: “It is often that this time of year we see fit to assert ourselves on the West Coast. With precision and decisiveness we will ravage the shoreline, and we will meet our foes in climax at Portland.” 

STONEHAVEN The Harbingers of Ruin Tour 2012:
6/14/2012 CIA – North Hollywood, CA w/ Icon of Phobos, Hordes of Hate, Sein Und Zeit
6/15/2012 Casa Sangre – Oakland, CA w/ Icon of Phobos, Hordes of Hate, Sein Und Zeit
6/16/2012 Northwestern Black Circle Fest IV @ Bossanova Ballroom – Portland, OR
6/17/2012 Northwestern Black Circle Fest IV @ Branx – Portland, OR 

STONEHAVEN will be touring in support of their Concerning Old-Strife And Man-Banes, released earlier this Spring via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. Described as a “black hearted potpourri of Icelandic saga, Norwegian ashen metal, and Swedish eddas about pagan kings forced to slurp down a nasty snake noodle at the behest of them mean old Christian 10th century evangelists,” by About.com, commended by Blistering for their “deft knowledge of the style and penchant for dynamic, cunning BM compositions,” and championed by Blabbermouth.net in a glowing 8.5/10 review: “Not only has this 59-minute album of Scandinavian-rotted, traditional black metal kept my interest from one end to the other, it has been without hesitation that I would return for repeat spins and enjoy the experience all over again. And it's not because Concerning Old-Strife and Man-Banes is full of catchy choruses and conventional song structures. Rather, it is merely the case that each of these eight songs are marvelously arranged, packed as they are with killer riff after killer riff and buzzing with that indefinable black metal energy, aura even, that raises an album from good to special." Concerning Old-Strife And Man-Banes continues to captivate the ears with its carefully crafted hymns of grimness.

If you missed it, don’t forget to check out the track “Suffering The Swine-Array,” currently streaming at Cvlt Nation. Described the band : “The song details a field battle in the late 800s between Anglo-Saxon defenders and a large force of Danish invaders. During the song, we hear the boasts of three Danish Viking leaders, Kale, Thorstein, and Halfdan, as they break their way through the Saxon lines, and finally, the lament of dying Saxon warrior as he drifts in between the world of the living and the dead. He cries out in shame as he views the victorious dead of the Viking army carted away to the heavens by valkyries, and his own Christian brother laying in the field to rot.”

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STONEHAVEN: Midwest Black Metallers To Release New Full-Length, Artwork & Track Listing Revealed

Midwest black metal behemoths STONEHAVEN are set to unearth their second full-length offering through Horror Pain Gore Death Productions on April 20, 2012. EntitledConcerning Old-Strife And Man Banes, the album was recorded and mixed at Massive Sound Studios in Kansas City by Corey White and mastered by Mike Nolte.

The cover art -- a scene meant as a direct correlation to the mood of the record -- was crafted by the band's own Caleb May and depicts late 10th century King Olaf Trygvason of Norway and his men at the Godey Isles, torturing Raud the Strong. According to text, Raud was a priest of the local Scandinavian pagan religion, and had refused to convert to Christianity at the point of King Olaf's sword. Seizing him from his bed at night, they dragged him outside, where Raud refused conversion once more. The king decided he should die the worst of ways publicly to set an example. Thus, Raud was held down and after many attempts -- including the use of a drinking horn and hot poker -- he was forced to swallow a snake. The title in turn is meant to resemble the tongue-in-cheek chapter titles of many Icelandic Sagas. Two kennings are used, old-strife (representing historical woes) and man-banes (swords). Kennings are a type of old Scandinavian figure of speech found in Sagas and other writing.

"We pride ourselves on our theme and style," commented the band in a collective statement. "Our album is the end product of years of hard work. It captures the horrors of old world Europe: atrocity, murder, and Norse Heathenism. From aggressive black metal riffs to magnificent Viking melodies, Concerning Old-Strife And Man-Banes encapsulates a journey into the terrifying past of our ancestors."

To view the cover art, point your browser to THIS LOCATION.

Check out “Addressing A Scorn Pole” at the band's OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE.

Formed in 2005 from the ashes of an earlier musical feat Witchlord, STONEHAVEN released their self-released debut, Of Oak And Iron, in 2010. Noted Metal Maniacs of the offering: “Any fan of black metal will love this… the black metal plague has spread to the heartland of America and STONEHAVEN from Kansas City are leading the way!” Following two successful tours of the western United States, STONEHAVEN strives to make dust of this world with , Concerning Old-Strife And Man-Banes.

For Concerning Old-Strife And Man Banes preorder info, go HERE. 

TRACK LISTING:

1. Suffering The Swine Array
2. Death Fetter
3. Of The White Fall And Frozen Walls
4. Addressing A Scorn Pole
5. Coins Under Corpses
6. Cutting The Necks Of The Upstarts
7. Sword Rape
8. Observe The Symbol 

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