The Scottish bards break eight years of silence โ and theyโve brought thunder with them
From the stone-strewn landscapes of Falkirk comes a band who donโt just play Scottish history โ they summon it. Hailing from the heart of Alba, Cnoc An Tursa (translated as Hill Of The Standing Stone) have been carving folklore, fire and fury into black metal since 2006. And after eight long, quiet yearsโฆ the standing stone has cracked. โ๏ธ
Their debut The Giants Of Auld didnโt so much arrive as announce itself, with Metal Hammer praising its โutter elation and triumphโ โ a deeply moving collection of odes to land, legacy and identity. 2017โs follow-up The Forty Five doubled down on the vision, described as a โferocious, thunderously heavy fusion of Celtic rock and black metalโ. Thenโฆ silence. Life did what life does. The fire banked. The echoes faded.
Until now. ๐ฅ
โ๏ธ A CRY FOR THE SLAIN โ A RETURN WORTH THE WAIT
The silence breaks on April 24th, as Apocalyptic Witchcraft unleash A Cry For The Slain โ not just a comeback, but arguably the most powerful and emotionally charged release Cnoc An Tursa have ever forged. This is black metal with mud on its boots, history in its lungs, and pride in its spine.
From the opening defiance of โNa Fir Ghormaโ to the reflective, almost cathartic pull of โThe Nine Maidens Of Dundeeโ, the album is an enthralling journey through Scottish folklore. Weโre talking weeping banshees, shapeshifting temptresses, ancient giants and dragon-devouring maidens โ all brought roaring into life through howling black metal storms entwined with evocative Gaelic melodies. ๐ซ๏ธ
Vocals snarl and soar like a battle cry carried across glens and lochs, dragging the listener beyond the everyday and straight into myth.
๐ค โALBA IN MY HEARTโ โ PRIDE FORGED IN RIFFS
The albumโs opening statement, โAlba In My Heartโ, stands tall as a defiant, impassioned declaration of devotion to Scotland itself. The track moves like a journey across the land โ from jagged coastlines to deep lochs, through sun-lit peaks and snow-dusted silence. Itโs pride without clichรฉ. Love without softness. Proper goosebumps stuff.
Elsewhere, โAddress To The Devilโ, inspired by the poetry of Robert Burns, erupts in venomous black metal before unfurling into something layered, epic and spellbinding. Dark, intense and deeply emotive, it crawls under your skin and refuses to leave.
๐๏ธ SOUND, ART & THE FINAL SPELL
Mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Paradise Lost, Primordial, Hexvessel), A Cry For The Slain carries a rich, textured sound that allows every story to breathe, snarl and surge exactly as it should. The darkly evocative artwork โ created by Olga Kann (Winteria, Withered Land, Ruadh) โ completes the ritual. Every element feels deliberate. Earned.
Released via Apocalyptic Witchcraft, this is more than a return. Itโs a homecoming. When Cnoc An Tursa rise again this April, they wonโt be creeping back into the shadows โ theyโll be welcomed like conquering heroes, banners raised and amps roaring. ๐ดโโ ๏ธ
