As the Swedish doom / death metal act Runemagick led by the energetic Nicklas Rudolfsson is currently releasing its 14th studio album, entitled “Cycle of the Dying Sun (Dawn of Ashen Realms)”, the band actually came back to my mind after I had already interviewed Nicklas in 2018. How time flies....read the interview on the occasion of the release of "Evoked from abysmal Sleep" here.
At this point, however, I would like to mention the brilliant gem of an EP called “Last Skull of Humanity” from 2023, which unfortunately has only now received my full and well-deserved attention. This 4-track EP, which has a total playing time of just under half an hour, contains a pre-production rough mix demo of some songs for Runemagic's second album “Enter the Realm of Death,” meaning it dates back to 1999 (and is therefore not, as one reviewer mistakenly wrote, a current release in relation to the EP's release date in 2023—people, do your homework better!). These four songs were recorded and mixed in just a few days in April 1999. All instruments were played by Nicklas Rudolfsson alone, with the help of legendary Andy La Rocque as sound engineer. The recordings were more or less forgotten and the shadows of the past descended upon them until the beginning of 2023 when these historic recordings were unearthed in a box of old cassettes.
“Enter the Realm of Death” and “Longing for Hades” differ slightly from the album versions in terms of tempo and a few minor details. The song “Last Skull of Humanity,” on the other hand, was not re-recorded for the album, and the last song, “Beyond Death,” has no vocals, as no lyrics had been written at the time of recording.So here you get to hear two tracks that have never been released before. The extra-long final instrumental piece, “Beyond Death,” alone justifies purchasing this EP. Despite the lack of vocals, this almost ten-minute instrumental never gets boring and offers powerfully driving, groovy doom riffs in perfection!
In conclusion, I can only say that Hammerheart Records has fortunately released these long-lost recordings in 2023, even though these days, EPs of old and partly already released (albeit in different versions) material certainly don't sell in large numbers (even in underground circles). Ultimately, this is the perfect soundtrack for the beginning of autumn, for indulging in melancholic thoughts and memories in dimly lit forests and mist-shrouded fields.
