Proscription - Gleam of the Morningstar (Dark Descent Records 2025)

"Gleam of the Morningstar" is the opening track from the sophomore album from Finland's Proscription. "Desolate Divine" is out 29 August 2025 on CD/LP/CS and digital formats through Dark Descent Records. Hearken, ye unbound! Behold the triumphant return of Proscription’s infernal amalgam of Finno-American blackened death metal. ‘Desolate Divine’ merges primal repugnancy with hypnotic songcraft, balancing a calculated, multi-layered offensive with the chaos of a bloodthirsty berserker charge. With grand ambitions for their debut ‘Conduit’ stifled by the pandemic, ‘Desolate Divine’ emerges to reveal Proscription’s terrifying true form. “At least half of ‘Conduit’ was written even before a full lineup was gathered. So when I was writing, maybe I subconsciously had these shackles and speed limits or whatever,“ professes Christbutcher (guitar, vocals). “But when the inspiration came for ‘Desolate Divine’ I had a much better understanding of what Proscription had become and where to go from there.” Proscription’s completed line-up is a formidable force, boasting members from such deathly acts as Maveth and Lantern, among many others. Said collective experience is instantly evident on ‘Desolate Divine’, showcasing exceptional musicianship and relentless, professional execution. As with their debut, visual artist Sam Araya was summoned to translate the album’s sonic despair into a visual hellscape. “I had a long time theme of some devout soul who presumably ascends to the heavens, only to find not but dust. No gates, no choirs, not even ruins or a war torn paradise … just desolation and cold nothingness. The cover is this Behemoth of woe in a sense residing in this bleak sandstorm where perhaps the heavens may have been. And a single flame to attract these wandering souls who, once they touch its warmth, become the very dust that feeds the sandstorm.” True to Christbutcher’s prolific output since his relocation to Finland, ‘Desolate Divine’ was recorded by Kalle Laanto (Cryptborn, Tramalizer) at Sonic Violence studio in Varkaus; then mixed and mastered by Dave Otero at Denver’s Flatline Studios. Artwork by Artem Grigoriev (vinyl) and Samuel Aray (CD) ChristButcher - Guitar/Vocals Cruciatus - Lead Guitar Apep - Bass/Vocals M.K. - Drums Order: Dark Descent Records https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop Dark Descent Records EU Store https://www.ddmsuo.eu/ Dark Descent Records Band Camp https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/ Dark Descent Records Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DarkDescentRecords Proscription https://www.facebook.com/ProscriptionHorde “We are supremely proud of this album, and can't wait to get out and tour and fest to promote it! The timing on ‘Conduit’ was a bit of bad luck and the Corona epidemic robbed us of all touring and festing opportunities for promoting so, let's go!!” And thus, the ravenous beast of Proscription is unleashed from its restraints… poised to wreak indiscriminate devastation upon the masses.