Thursday 26 October 2017

Morthem Vlade Art – Herbo Dou Diable (1997)


Country: France

Tracklist
1. Leaving The Womb - Ouverture 05:05
2. Ripallus 01:04
3. Beyond Sorrow 05:17
4. Salem 07:25
5. Barbaric Breath 05:30
6. Cortege I (Chimaera's Den) 02:35
7. The Unnameable 02:00
8. Demons Of Buried Joys 05:24
9. Surrender 06:52
10. Cortege II 02:39
11. Closer To Me 04:42
12. Endless Dream 03:34
13. Dor Mee Än - Finale 03:59

Formed in 1995 by Gregg Anthe and Emmanuelle D.
Morthem Vlade Art gained a substantial place for itself within the dark movement with its first album 
"Herbo Dou Diable" (1997) a baroque style alternation of neo-classical atmospheres, 
industrial percussions and strong gothic-rock songs with staggered rhythmics.
Without disowning its roots, MVA lets itself be carried along by its many musical, literary and films inspirations.
The result is "Organic But Not Mental" (2000) an album that demonstrates this point very well in the way 
that it turns over a new leaf and gives up the gothic-rock influences.
Just like its title, it is punctuated with electronic atmospheres of symphonic overtones, 
weird samples and distructured industrial songs.
Then, 2001 sees the birth of "Antechamber", made of aerial electronics minimalism carried by raw voices.
In 2002, the group will sign on the American label Luminal Records for the release of a first compilation "Slow Wave Sleep".
"Photography In Things" (2003), MVA's fourth album, is entirely synthetic,
that is led by the absence of acoustic instruments with a few rare exceptions.
Here the band is blending elaborate electronica, eighties sounds and industrial rhythmics.
In 2004 they completed their fifth album entitled "Absente Terebenthine".
Through loads of rhythms and new-wave melodies, this new album presents a mixture of various music genres 
leading to the future with an incredible coherence: distorted industrial and acoustic ambiance 
with electronic songs gathered together in a rock entity.
In 2005 "Autopsy", a compilation of their early works, compiling the first three demos of the group 
("Order Of The Fly",  "Azazel" and "Allegory Of Putrefaction"), was released.
In the same year however, Gregg and Emmanuelle decided to end the band.
To highlight that sad decision they decided to play one last live show,
co-headlining a festival in Luxembourg on November 26th 2005.
"Uncertain Days - Best Of 1997-2005", that was released on March 30th 2007 its a two CD set, 
with many unreleased mixes and highly seeked songs for the first time ever on CD.
Gregg is meanwhile working on his solo projects In Broken English and HNN (Hsilgne Nekorb Ni)
while Emmanuelle is writing her first book.

Monday 16 October 2017

Asrai – So Clear That You Couldn't Tell Where The Water Ended And The Air Began (Demo 1991)


Country: Netherlands

Tracklist
1. Broke 03:39
2. Running 04:05
3. Decision 02:52
4. Game 03:09
5. Achim 01:54

6. Time 02:18

Asrai is a gothic metal/rock band from Schiedam, Netherlands,
that was formed in 1985 by sisters Margriet and Karin and changed their name in 1988 to Asrai.
From 1989 to 1994 they released several demo-tapes which gained them national popularity.
In 1997 they released their debut "As Voices Speak" on the label Poison Ivy.
Over the next few years Asrai worked on perfecting their sound, image, and trying to find the right line-up.
In the meantime, contracted by Transmission Records
Asrai recorded their second CD "Touch In The Dark" which was released in 2004.
Their third full length album "Pearls In Dirt" was released in 2007.

Sunday 1 October 2017

Warriors Of Nature ‎– The Roots Of Blood (1996)


Country: Portugal

Tracklist
1. Ophiussae 02:27
2. Callaecia 03:15
3. Oestrimis Et Saefis 03:31
4. Sun God Of Legions 02:13
5. Sunwheel's Skies 05:33
6. Seghus 02:08
7. Voluspa 04:14

Warriors Of Nature was a Portuguese tribal/ambient/experimental project 
formed by Bruno Nunes De Sousa aka B. Ardo (Sangre Cavallum, Silence, Zwickau
& Johan Aernus (Wolfskin, Karnnos, Oktober Black etc.) in the mid-1990s.
The project released only one album in cassette form entitled "The Roots Of Blood" in 1996
that contained songs about the Northwest Iberian mountains, Callaecia, the nowadays North Portugal and Galicia.
The cassette was released through B. Ardo's Forgotten Blood label that was specialized in experimental music 
with esoteric and mystical themes from the religious traditions of pagan Europe with specific interest on ancient Portugal.
"The Roots Of Blood" was limited to 60 hand-numbered copies packaged in a velvet pouch with a leather strap and a bell.