Chapter XII

At the heart of The Wailing Ossuary lies an ancient ritual summoning pentacle surrounded by laughing skulls. They challenge brave metalheads to lead five mighty musicians in an epic performance to try to conjure a monster of metal.

This week we’re trialling a slightly later delivery time for our Chapters going forwards; do get in touch and let us know if you have any strong objections. We’re also sprinkling a little bit of Danish magic throughout our recommendations, enjoy!

The Chorus

Forever Still’s first album Tied Down opens suddenly with hands-down one of the best riffs we’ve ever heard. Scars is the first song on the Danish alt metal 4 piece’s debut and it screams along as relentlessly as it begins. The forceful intro is matched later by the command that kicks off Breathe In, a track which exemplifies the band’s style of layering soaring vocals over grungy rhythms. Tied Down ends with its title track, a slower but no less powerful crunching ballad on the theme of resilience which runs through the entire album. Useful as it’s an attribute you will need plenty of as you attempt your ritual. If you like this record check out Forever Still’s third album which was released just last year!

The Champion - II

Shredhead Franz “Hellboss” Gottschalk has jumped between so many metal genres that he has mastered them all. Probably best know for his groove metal work on Volbeat’s first two albums, joining after having previously played with Michael Poulsen in Dominus, he later contributed to the unique stylings of Nordic death metal legends Illdisposed. Franz’s well-deserved nickname ‘Hellboss’ is one of the coolest we’ve ever seen and makes him especially suited to occupying position II for your ritual. Meanwhile his versatility will allow him to shine in whatever supergroup you cobble together.

The Curse

The Nix which lived in Sørvágsvatn lake on the Faroese island of Vágar is thought to have disappeared when a clergyman trapped it in a pebble. Clearly not, as you’ve managed to draw it into your summoning pentacle. The shapeshifter only holds power over you until you call its name so we hope you’ve done your homework. Once bound its form-altering abilities and siren-like talents would give you an irresistible stage presence, drawing in new legions of fans at an unprecedented rate. The only problem is that once you’re world famous pretty much everyone will know your name and could render you powerless at the worst possible moment, like during an encore. Maybe you should consider changing your name to something unpronounceable?