"Black Royal make some pretty gnarly sludge n' roll. It's reminiscent of Entombed, a combination of roaring death metal with a Motorhead groove."
METALSUCKS

"Blues and death sludge go together like peanut butter and jelly, and Black Royal know exactly how to smash them together."
ANGRY METAL GUY

"Are you ready to give props to Black Royal for bringing a storm of heavy riffs? You should be because this is a sonic volcanic eruption of molten sludge."
CVLT NATION

Following the success of their sophomore album Firebride in 2020, Finnish sludge metal savants Black Royal emerged as one of the Scandinavian underground's most talked about bands.

Formed in 2013 in Tampere, Finland, Black Royal's infectious brew of metal has garnered praise from the likes of Metal Injection, MetalSucks and CVLT Nation, while drawing hordes of followers with their creed crushing choruses and beguiling riffs, pitched perfectly between the dramaturgy of Ghost and brutality of Behemoth.

This month, the band make an almighty return to the fold. Newly signed to M-Theory Audio, Earthbound, the band's third full-length album will be released later this year, but you can experience the fire and fury it's title-track right here.

"What started out as more of a tribute to one of our favourite bands, Crowbar, quickly took a turn into something with a slightly more epic direction," explains the band. "The lyrical story line was inspired by the ancient Scandinavian/Sami myths of the netherworld. Stories of things like 'northern fire beliefs and the aurora borealis, which have long been associated with perceptions of the afterlife."

Written and recorded at Studio Watercastle in August 2021, mixed by Oskari Hakala Rahko and mastered by Jaakko Viitalähde (Convulse, Oranssi Pazuzu, Dark Buddha Rising), Earthbound will deliver the band's heaviest collection of lurching sludge and groove-laden death metal songs yet. Packed with thunderous guitars and drums that trade blows at the gates of Valhalla, all deftly balanced on a psychedelic knife-edge, the band also takes to the road this summer with a tour across Finland (see dates below).

More info on Earthbound will be released in the coming weeks (along with pre-order details) but for now, kick back and enjoy their new video and single here:

When clicked, this video is loaded from YouTube servers. See our privacy policy for details.

LIVE DATES:

4th June ' Varjobarri ' Tampere, Finland
10th June ' Hard Rock House ' Helsinki, Finland
17th June ' Dog's Home ' Tampere, Finland
9th July ' BarBar Feast 2022 ' Tallinn, Estonia
23rd July ' Vahantarock 2022 ' Ylöjärvi, Finland

DISCOGRAPHY:

The Summoning Pt 1. (EP, Armless Stranger) 2015
The Summoning Pt 2. (EP, Armless Stranger) 2016
'Dying Star' (Single, Suicide Records) 2017
Lightbringer (LP, Suicide Records) 2018
Firebride (LP, Suicide Records) 2020

SOCIALS:

https://blackroyal.bandcamp.com
https://blackroyal.fi
https://facebook.com/blackroyalmusic
https://instagram.com/blackroyal_finland
https://facebook.com/salemrosemusic
https://instagram.com/mtheoryaudio
https://m-theoryaudio.com
https://twitter.com/MTheoryAudio
https://m-theoryaudio.bandcamp.com