CRIMSON COVEN - I-The Forge GATEFOLD LP (Pre-Order)

Enigmatic, dark true metal from Spain!

Mysterious Spanish quintet Crimson Coven have arrived with their triumphant first full-length, -I- The Forge, a stout, time-honored collection of true metal anthems in the spirit of early Candlemass, Manowar and Mercyful Fate!

Spanish metal outfit Crimson Coven released its debut demo, -0- The Genesis, in 2025. The demo was issued covertly. No pre-release hype. No warning. Instead, -0- The Genesis fulfilled Crimson Coven’s initial promise of simply letting the music do the talking. The demo featured four songs expertly crafted in the mold of early Candlemass, Manowar and Mercyful Fate—with prevailing swaths of more recent doom entries such as Sorcerer, Argus and Atlantean Kodex. It is an unbeatable combination that earned the quintet praise within the metal underground and quickly set the stage for their first full-length and initial Cruz Del Sur Music release, -I- The Forge.

The nine songs assembled across -I- The Forge are lavished with atmosphere and darkness, honoring Crimson Coven’s own “Spell-Forged Heavy Metal” tag that is no doubt sure to appear on the back of t-shirts. The band’s purpose was resolute when they gathered to write and record -I-The Forge: They wanted to build upon what they started with -0-The Genesis with songs that are expressive and emotionally deep, that carried a magical atmosphere to go along with carefully crafted instrumentation and vocal melodies and lyrics that revisit the myths, legends and historical stories through the lens of social justice.

Atmosphere is core to the band’s sound—it permeates across the eponymous “Crimson Coven” and the sprawling, twin-guitar-driven “Lockheed Electra.” And unlike many of their true metal brethren, Crimson Coven go headlong into rapturous mid-tempo anthems that are tailor-made for headbanging and festival sing-a-longs. Case in point: The epic “The Birth of the Serpent” and “Crowns of Greed.” Closing it all up in glorious fashion is “Unleash the Kraken,” a melody-wielding and triumphant true metal epic for the ages. Adding to that is the album’s cover, which was created by Misanthropic Art—symbolizing corrupt worldly power.

-I-The Forge is the culmination of a journey that began when guitarist M shared with vocalist P that he had some songs that would fit his style of singing. The two immediately began collaborating on music, resulting in the aforementioned 2025 -0-The Genesis demo. From there, Crimson Coven turned into a full ensemble with the addition of drummer T, second guitarist V and bassist J. Their identities are kept secret on purpose, for the music of Crimson Coven is the most important thing in order for the listener to leave all preconceived ideas at the door in the name of spell-forged heavy metal!