Told through intricate guitar melodies; fingerpicked tales of ruin and resignation set against a mountainous skyline and rugged prairies.
Hand-numbered edition of 30 home-dubbed transparent C-30 cassettes with A/B sticker label and hand-cut 4-panel J-card.
“Beneath a Vermillion Moon” is the most recent work from Montana based dark folk artist, Vernal Crown. Written and recorded between spring and autumn of 2025, “Beneath a Vermillion Moon” is the cautionary tale of a man’s bitterness leading to his undoing.
Available on tape Friday, March 20th @ 12pm est.
TDS052 | Vernal Crown - Beneath a Vermillion Moon
"It is all a distant, fading dream now. I will serve my purpose in death."
Mixed and mastered by Spenser Morris (who has also produced material by Panopticon and more) and featuring atmospheric art by Rotting Reign, Bergtagen has truly been brought to life once more.
Hand-numbered edition of 50 pro-dubbed cassettes. Corelease with Nebulae Artifacta.
In a fit of nostalgia, Rosenthal revived Bergtagen with his bandmate in other projects (drummer and acoustic guitarist Anthony W. of Stellar Descent, Boreal) in late 2025, recording more mature versions of the only two songs that survived this 20 year slumber as the "In Forests Eternal" EP
Fueled by teenage angst and an obsession with artists like Agalloch, Empyrium, and Ulver, Bergtagen released an amateur demo later that year, and, with the help of a few friends along the way, Bergtagen quickly amassed a vast arsenal of songs before disbanding in 2008.
Available on tape Friday, March 20th @ 12pm est.
RAR226 | Bergtagen - In Forests Eternal
Initially founded in 2006, Bergtagen was songwriter and musician Jon Rosenthal's emotive, atmospheric dark metal outlet.
“Strange Divinity” is an album of cinematic forward motion; a solitary journey through shadowed woods and moonlit plains bearing the elements, exhaustion, and heartsickness.
Hand-numbered edition of 75 pro-dubbed cassettes with extended UV print and 4-panel J-card.
Realm and Ritual is proud to announce a reissue of Cowl's harrowing 2020 dungeon synth full-length “Strange Divinity”. Helmed by Robin Harris (Wormwitch / Mystic Barbarism), Cowl was active from 2018-2020, releasing two albums of medievalist grandeur steeped in somber atmosphere.
Available on tape Friday, March 20th @ 12pm est.
RAR225 | Cowl - Strange Divinity (6 Year Anniversary Reissue + Bonus Track)
“This album is dedicated to grief: the almighty crucible of transformation”
Titles include a reissue of an early R&R release with a new layout and bonus track, a dark metal release 20 years in the making, the first dark folk entry into the Demo Series, and a side project release from a much beloved new artist.
After a brief resting period, Realm and Ritual returns with new tapes on Friday, March 20th at 12pm est. Announcements start next Monday, March 9th.
- A sale on all 2025 and earlier R&R releases. All sales have been applied on my end, no need for a discount code.
- A third press of Hoarfrost's acclaimed debut album, "The Sun Set Behind Mount Blue Job" in collaboration with Ancient King Records
- A sale on all 2025 and earlier R&R releases. All sales have been applied on my end, no need for a discount code.
The Bandcamp Friday Update is Live:
- 25 new distro titles from @daleofshadows.bsky.social , Gondolin Records, Isilya Records, and Archaic Meditations
The US edition features a white shell with black pad-print and the EUR edition features a black shell with white pad-print. Both editions are limited to 50 copies.
Tapes available tomorrow on Bandcamp Friday (2.6.26). R&R edition goes live at 12pm edt with the distro update.
RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT
Realm and Ritual is proud to partner with Ancient King Records to offer a definitive third press of Hoarfrost's "The Sun Set Behind Mount Job" with extended 5-panel J-card.
- Mythaen - Wings Beneath Krynn's Moonlight
- Hermit Knight - pseudanthium
- Heidespreuk - Veluwe I
- Old Forsaken Realm - Relics Of A Sunken Past
- Glaive Wielder - Spells of Shadow and Snow
- Wizards of Aldur - Enchanter's Endgame
- Age of Barbarity - Giant Slayer
- Varvitos - A Jester's Ode To The Dead
- Barak Tor - March of The Triumphator
- Barak Tor - Regal Hymns of Blood
- Anglachel & Idylls of the Last King - Prometheus
- Batogar - Thy Old Kingdom
- Gilgareth - Ambient Adventures
- Aura Merlin - Moon Gates
US Shipping from Greece continues to be disrupted so this is the best way for folks in the US to pick up DoS titles at the moment. Quantities on each cassette are extremely limited.
BANDCAMP FRIDAY DISTRO UPDATE
This Friday, February 6th @ 12pm EDT.
I will be updating the Realm and Ritual Bandcamp with titles from @daleofshadows.bsky.social
- Lugburz - Behind the Gates of Black Abyss CS
- Lord Bakartia - Priscilla's Dagger CS
- Desiderii Marginis - Songs Over Ruins CS
- Lord Bakartia - All Points Into Dex And Faith CS
- Moth Tower - The Sanity Link CS
- Ordo Funebris - Cantar A La Morte: Fabula Triste CS
- Anglachel - Of the Sea-Longing and the Journey to the West CS
- Umbral Regency - The Black Winds CS
BANDCAMP FRIDAY DISTRO UPDATE
This Friday, February 6th @ 12pm EDT.
I will be updating the Realm and Ritual Bandcamp with sold-out titles from Gondolin Records. Quantities on each cassette are extremely limited.
BANDCAMP FRIDAY DISTRO UPDATE
Friday, February 6th @ 12pm EDT
I will be restocking the store with 20+ titles from Gondolin, Forsaken Relics, Isilya, and Dale of Shadows in addition to running a one-day sale on R&R titles.
Full list of tapes TBA. Mark your calendar.
first DS Sunday of the year is up now, starting with the latest Wych Elm demo to mark its special cassette release through @realmandritual.bsky.social - two special Wych Elm tapes, in fact!
youtu.be/Nwpx0od9210
I'll be laying low for January but expect a store update with lots of distro stock in early February.
Eternal hails,
S.G.
Aside from active releases, I'm planning on putting together more shows in Boston. Having in-person events and a community that exists offline is crucial and it's been so fucking cool to travel all around the US to go to DS shows and then host artists back home.
My goal for 2026 is to do more with less. I'd like to focus my attention on a smaller number of releases and work with people I've enjoyed working with in the past. Having said that, I'm still going to be taking submissions and hoping to bring new folks into the fold through Demo Series releases.
