Blake Judd's pre-NACHTMYSTIUM (and first-ever!) professionally recorded & released music was for cult Chicago black metal band EZURATE.

EZURATE was one of the first-ever American black metal bands. Founded by lead-guitarist John 'Blackthorn' Ficcardi, drummer Mike "SD Hellstorm" Dicker and 2nd guitarist Tony Baranowski (also of early USBM cult PAZUZU) - they formed the group in late 1993, and released their first demo ("Ezurate '95 Demo") cassette in 1995 and their second demo cassette ("Possessed By the Demon") in 1997. The latter made it's way into the hands of a high-school freshman in Wheaton, Illinois named Blake Judd, whom just about 2.5 years later - at the beginning of his junior year in high school - would join EZURATE as their 2nd guitarist, replacing Baranowski.

During his tenure he helped to both record the debut album, 2000's 'Infernal Dominatio', and was single-handedly responsible for meeting the bands first ever label's owner at a local show Blake was attending in the summer of 2000, mere months after the bands self-financed studio debut had been recorded.

Bill of Forever Underground Records (RIP!) and his wife were passing out printed catalogs of their distro and the top page stapled to the massive list of Cds / Lps / shirts, etc was essentially a flier that said "FOREVER UNDERGROUND DISTRO IS NOW FOREVER UNDERGROUND RECORDS! CHICAGO-AREA BLACK AND DEATH METAL BANDS, SUBMIT A DEMO TO US FOR CONSIDERATION IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A RECORD DEAL!"

Blake took the initiative to not waste any time, and instead of going home and sending a copy to them, he literally marched right up to the owner (Bill) at the bar, waited for a pause in conversation as to not be rude, and when he saw his "in", he said "Hey man, can I buy you a shot and a beer? All I ask in exchange is for 5 minutes to play you a track off my band Ezurate's debut album we've just recorded. We're looking for a deal."

The guy was taken aback by Blake's straight-forwardness and clearly amused that this under-age kid in leather pants and a JUDAS ISCARIOT tshirt was asking to buy him a shot & a beer in exchange for checking out a minute of his black metal band on his CD player in his car outside the venue. He joined him after the promised shot'n'beer, though, and 15 minutes later (and 3 songs heard after liking the first one quite a bit!), EZURATE were on their way to getting signed, and in the autumn of 2000 - 'Infernal Dominatio' was released on CD by Forever Underground Records, catalog number FU002.

This is a reissue of that album. Near-identical CD layout.

Limited to 100 copies!