German extreme metallers DEATH OF DESIRE, whose recording lineup includes MAYHEM drummer Hellhammer (a.k.a. Jan Axel Blomberg), have changed their name to DYNASTY OF DARKNESS for legal reasons. The band currently seeking a suitable label to release its debut album, "Empire Of Pain".

Commented DYNASTY OF DARKNESS founding member Morbid: "After four years of hard work and countless studios, we've finally managed to finish our album. The reasons for the delay go from legal problems with studios and band members, to illness, rehab and life getting in the way, but all through the hardships we've come victorious and completed this masterpiece of an album that will no doubly be a memorable piece in metal history."

DYNASTY OF DARKNESS was born in Bruchsal, Germany in 2008. First recordings and video footage were recorded in an abandoned military complex from the Second World War which used to be the Bundesnachrichtendienst Zentrale or the Secret Service for the Nazis. The compositions were created behind machine-gun-dented bulletproof doors and rusted barbwire cells creating an unmatchable atmosphere of obscure, cold and eerie material which was used for their first demos.

In 2009, the band recruited Hellhammer as their official session drummer, who recorded all of the drum tracks for their debut full-length album, "Empire Of Pain", at the Mølla Studio in Norway, where bands such as ARCTURUS, ULVER, MAYHEM, ROTTING CHRIST, AURA NOIR have recorded. Later on, Attila Csihar (MAYHEM) was invited as a guest singer and recorded an obscure track under his VOID OF VOICES project; in 2010 the band summoned Amund "Pzy-Clone" Svensson (THE KOVENANT) to work on full orchestrations and symphonies on the album, adding an element of epic majestic darkness to the music. The album was produced by Morbid and recorded and mixed by Steve Tucker (MORBID ANGEL) and Charles Logic. For the completion of the CD, more than six studios were used in two different continents and four different countries. Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Frozen", "Diuum Dues", "The Scribe Of The Gods" and "My Nightmare".