Donis – Deinainá (1998)

Country: Lithuania

Tracklist

1. Deinainá 06:45
2. Šokis 02:12
3. Ateičiai 04:55
4. Ryto Rasa 04:18
5. Vai Kur Tu Buvai Bernyti Mano 02:52
6. Ir Atlėkė Juodas Varnas 10:05
7. Sodai, Sodai 04:02
8. Medžių Kalba 07:00

Donis is a Lithuanian ambient, folk and experimental music project

created by multi-instrumentalist Donatas Bielkauskas.

He was also a member of music projects such as d.n.s., Wejdas, Notanga, Ha Lela and Eirimė.

Most of Donis’ works combines old Baltic folklore with contemporary sound interpretations.

His extensive knowledge of instruments, rhythms and music styles allow him to create unique sound projects, 

including both electronic and pure ambient soundscapes,

in which ethnic motifs intertwine with industrial sound structures and sounds of nature.
His well known release "Bitė Lingo" that contains archaic Lithuanian war songs featured folk vocalist Rasa Serra.
The album "Švilpiai" presents ancient ocarina (švilpynė) music,

while the record "Sotvaras" was made together with members from the Lithuanian pagan/folk group Kūlgrinda.
Donis has also made the Greek mythology themed album "Alexandreia".

Memory

Άρης Ρέτσος – Σοφοκλέους Αντιγόνη (1995)

Country: Greece

Tracklist

1. Σοφοκλέους Αντιγόνη 01:14:08

Aris Retsos was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1957 and studied acting at the Veakis School in Athens.
Between 1981 and 1986 he appeared in the films "Oi Apenanti" and "Mania" directed by Giorgos Panousopoulos,

"Bordelo" directed by Nikos Koundouros, "I Fotografia" directed by Nikos Papatakis,

a film considered to be inside the top ten of the Greek cinema,

and in the tv movie "Xoma Kai Nero" directed by Fotis Vianelis.

He became widely known to the public through the part of the consumptive young man Paspatis,

in the television series "Astrofeggia" (1981), based on a novel by I.M.Panagiotopoulos.
In 1986 though, the promising, upcoming young star Aris Retsos,

made a very unusual choice and decided to retire from the movie and theater business.

He became involved in deep and systematic research of the rules and techniques of acting in general, 

and with special emphasis given on the Ancient Greek Drama.

At that time, he also started his practice at the martial art of Tai chi.
In 1993, after seven years of retirement, he returns to the theater, with a solo performance entitled "Anoixti Dokimi".

There, in "EMPROS" theater in central Athens, having only one stringed musical instrument accompanying him,

he recites excerpts from the Greek tragedy "Ajax" by Sophocles in ancient Greek and in a way never heard before.
During that performance, it became vividly understood for the first time, that the musical measures, pace and rhythm, define completely not only the way of acting in the Ancient Greek Drama, but also the direction, the choreography etc.
This totally new proposal, after the initial surprise, was very well received by the audience.

The famous Greek composer Manos Xatzidakis, having watched the performance, immediately asked Aris Retsos 

to record "Ajax" and publicize it through the avant-garde record company "Seirios" that he managed those days.
In 1994, Aris Retsos chooses for his debut in theater direction

the highly praised contemporary Greek one act play "To Tavli" (The Backgammon) by Dimitris Kexaidis.
In 1995 he founds the theater company "Polionimo" (the one with the many names) and presents in "Sfendoni" theater 

the performance "Antigonis Xoros" (chorus of Antigone) based on "Antigone" by Sophocles

and exploring the central part of the "Chorus" in Ancient Greek Drama.

At the same period he released the CD "Σοφοκλέους Αντιγόνη" that features a live recording performance

at "Sfendoni" theater and comes inside a box with a cloth bound book of the performance text.
In 1996 he appears in the international poetry festival "Myrisai To Ariston" (Smell The Excellent), 

directed by Maya Liberopoulou, in Herodes Atticus Odeon, with a performance based on "Ajax" by Sophocles.

In 1998 he participates in the international theater festival "The Ancient Drama In The East"

organized by the European Cultural Center of Delphi, with the performance "Antigonis Xoros".
In 1998 he presents the performance "Strofes - Antistrofes" (Verses and Counter-verses) based also on plays by Sophocles.

During this performance, the musical orchestra "Nikos Skalkotas"

played music by Ianis Xenakis under the direction of Miltos Logiadis.
Between 1993 and 2001, Aris Retsos, appeared in many cultural events and festivals all around Greece 

and was invited by the German - Greek theater festival of Koln, where he presented the performance "Strofes - Antistrofes".
Since 2001, Aris Retsos has adopted a completely new approach concerning his research of the acting technique.

He has concentrated on the modern Greek language, and has been examining the possibility of transferring

the musical rhythm and measures from the ancient Greek language to the modern,

a transfer which is not academic and arbitrary, but organic and meaningful, and actually raises the quality

and gives answers to the questions of acting in the Ancient Greek Drama and in general.
Based on the knowledge accumulated by this longtime research,

in 2008, he directs and plays in the solo performance "Aima Kako" (Bad Blood),

based on the first chapter of the poem of Arthur Rimbaud "Season In Hell" in a modern Greek language translation.
On the July 5th 2011, invited by the Greek Festival he directs, the performance "Thronos Atreidon" 

(The Throne Of The Atreus Family) in Herodes Atticus Odeon, based on excerpts of Sophocles and Aeschylus

 relevant to the legend of the Atreus family, in the modern Greek language and with the cooperation of twenty actors.

He is also in charge of the music selection, the scenography, the costumes and the choreography.

In front of a large audience this time, the vast possibilities offered by the musical measures and rhythms 

of the plays for the upgrading and evolving of contemporary art, became crystal clear and understood.

In 2013, he directs and appears in the solo performance "Epea Pteroenta" (Words That Fly),

where he recites for the first time ever and in a completely new way, monologues from Aeschylus and Sophocles,

and not only parts of the Chorus as he used to do up to then.

Memory

Alejandro Jodorowsky / Don Cherry / Ronald Frangipane – The Holy Mountain (1973)

Composers: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Don Cherry, Ronald Frangipane

Tracklist

1. Trance Mutation 03:31
2. Pissed And Passed Out 01:48
3. Violence Of The Lambs 02:02
4. Drink It 01:37
5. Christs 4 Sale 00:43
6. Cast Out And Pissed 01:47
7. Eye Of The Beholder 02:17
8. Communion 01:23
9. Rainbow Room 04:40
10. Alchemical Room 04:14
11. Tarot Will Teach You / Burn Your Money 08:44
12. Mattresses, Masks & Pearls 05:53
13. Isla (The Sapphic Sleep) 02:21
14. Psychedelic Weapons 01:11
15. Rich Man In A Fishbowl 04:09
16. Miniature Plastic Bomb Shop 03:14
17. Fuck Machine 03:12
18. Baby Snakes 01:20
19. A Walk In The Park 01:31
20. Mice And Massacre 03:27
21. City Of Freedom 03:21
22. Starfish 02:21
23. The Climb / Reality (Zoom Back Camera) 04:14
24. Pantheon Bar (Bees Make Honey...) 03:45

The Holy Mountain (Spanish: La Montaña Sagrada) is a 1973 Mexican surreal-fantasy film

directed, written, produced, co-scored, co-edited by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky,

who also participated as a set designer and costume designer on the film.

Following Jodorowsky's underground hit El Topo, acclaimed by both John Lennon and George Harrison,

the film was produced by The Beatles manager Allen Klein of ABKCO Music And Records.

Lennon and Yoko Ono put up production money and the film was shown at various international film festivals in 1973,

including Cannes and limited screenings in New York and San Francisco.
The film is based on Ascent Of Mount Carmel by John Of The Cross 

and Mount Analogue by René Daumal, who was a student of George Gurdjieff.

In this film, much of Jodorowsky's visually psychedelic story follows the metaphysical thrust of Mount Analogue.

This is revealed in such events as the climb to the alchemist, the assembly of individuals with specific skills,

the discovery of the mountain that unites Heaven and Earth "that cannot not exist"

and symbolic challenges along the mountain ascent.

Daumal died before finishing his allegorical novel, and Jodorowsky's improvised ending

provides a way of completing the work (both symbolically and otherwise).
Before the principal photography would commence,

Jodorowsky and his wife spent a week without sleep under the direction of a Japanese Zen master.
Members of the cast spent three months doing various spiritual exercises guided by Oscar Ichazo of the Arica Institute.

The Arica training features Zen, Sufi and yoga exercises along with eclectic concepts drawn from the Kabbalah,

the I Ching and the teachings of George Gurdjieff.

After the training, the group lived for one month communally in Jodorowsky's home before production. 

Thereafter, the filming started in early 1972 and was shot sequentially, entirely in Mexico, at a budget of $750,000.
Jodorowsky was also instructed by Ichazo to take LSD for the purpose of spiritual exploration.

He also administered psilocybin mushrooms to the actors during the shooting of the death-rebirth scene.

The film was completed just in time for the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, where it was much awaited.

Jodorowsky edited out twenty minutes of dialogue, with the intention of removing as much dialogue as he could.

The film had its premiere at Waverly Theatre, an art house movie theater in New York City on 29 November 1973,

where it had restricted run at midnights on Friday and Saturday for sixteen months.
It was also shown at Filmex on 30 March 1974, which was described as the "American premiere".
At a few places it was released as a double bill with Jodorowsky's 1970 film El Topo

 and eventually became a cult film with its influence on popular culture.

Memory

Sol Invictus – Lex Talionis (1993)

Country: England

Tracklist

1. Blood And Wine 01:32
2. Lex Talionis 06:01
3. Black Easter 04:29
4. Kneel To The Cross 04:47
5. The Ruins 02:50
6. Tooth And Claw 06:52
7. Blood Against Gold 04:24
8. Fields 03:56
9. Abattoirs Of Love 05:23
10. Heroes Day 02:39
11. Rex Talionis 02:25
12. Wine And Blood 02:29

13. Black Easter (Live Bonus Track) 04:15
14. Reynardine & Abattoirs Of Love (LP Version) 05:10
15. The Hammer Or The Anvil (From Original DAT) 03:25
16. Fields (Originally Released On The Yangki Vinyl) 04:07
17. Abattoirs Of Love (Edit - Originally Released On "V/A - Sacred War") 03:18

Sol Invictus is an English neofolk band fronted by Tony Wakeford and formed in 1987

after the disbanding of his project Above The Ruins.
The name Sol Invictus (The Unconquered Sun), derives from the Roman cult of the same name.
Wakeford has been the sole constant member of the group since its inception,

although numerous musicians have contributed and collaborated with him over the years,

including Sarah Bradshaw, Nick Hall, Céline Marleix-Bardeau, Nathalie Van Keymeulen, Ian Read and Karl Blake.
Wakeford repeatedly referred to his work as folk noir.

Beginning with a mixture of a rough, bleak, primitive post/punk/industrial sound and acoustic/folk elements,

the band's music gradually evolved toward a lush, refined style,

picking up classically trained players such as Eric Roger, Matt Howden, and Sally Doherty.
In the mid-1990s, Sol Invictus spun off a side project called L'Orchestre Noir (later changed to Orchestra Noir)

to explore an even more classically influenced direction.
2005 saw the departure of longtime contributors Roger and Blake,

leading to a new line-up including Caroline Jago, Lesley Malone and Andrew King.
In 1990, Wakeford formed his own label, Tursa, to release his material and the music of other artists. 

The World Serpent Distribution previously distributed this material worldwide, followed then by Cold Spring Records.

In 2009, Sol Invictus signed to Prophecy Records and in June 2011,

they announced the end of their partnership both with Cold Spring Records and musician Andrew King.
The band's imagery and lyrical content, in its early days, was influenced by traditionalism

and antipathy towards the modern world and materialism.
A superficial interest was the Italian philosopher Julius Evola while a more serious influence was the poet Ezra Pound.
The band also had considerable interest in heathen and Mithraist themes, often with an explicit antipathy to Christianity,

reflecting the involvement of Wakeford and other members in neopagan groups.
The 1997 album "The Blade" incorporates an Odinic chant, Gealdor, into its varied laments.
Wakeford tended to write from a melancholic position of doomed Romanticism,

which lamented the loss of beauty, love, and culture.

He saw the American influence on global culture as very damaging to Europe.
The later albums have seen a turn to a more personal writing style, as interest in,

what Wakeford calls, "knee-jerk anti-Americanism and anti-Christianity" has been rejected.
Sol Invictus album artwork has often showcased the expressionist paintings of American artist-musician Tor Lundvall.

Memory

Rale – Až Zahřmí (1998)

Country: Czech Republic

Tracklist

1. Až Zahřmí 05:32
2. Přiznání Odysseovo 04:07
3. Řeka 04:23
4. V Každém 03:17
5. Na Niti 04:53
6. Zahrada 07:02
7. Galloping 02:39
8. Žalm Svatojánský 04:18
9. Ve Skulině 05:41
10. Netopýr 02:40

Rale arose in East Europe in the 90s bringing together musicians from folk, world, rock,

improvised, and experimental music backgrounds, retaining the delicate appeal of folk acoustic guitars, 

the complexity of avant-prog, and the distinctive touch of Czech rock.
Formed in 1993, Rale came to life through a chance meeting at the International Music Festival MIMI in Marseille, France.
There the guitar duo from the musical group Dunaj, Vladimír Václavek and Josef Ostřanský 

befriended the Japanese violinist Takumi Fukushima 

(who, among other things, collaborated with Volapük on their album "Polyglöt")

and French-Vietnamese singer and dancer Cynthia Phung-Ngoc.
The four of them sat down to write the material for their first eponymous album that was released in 1994 on Wolf Records.
Their various influences were cemented in East-European folk traditions,

giving the band a sound somewhere at the crossroads of Dunaj,

Iva Bittová (with whom Václavek recorded the album "Bílé Inferno"), and Pavel Fajt's Pluto.
Lyrics were written and sung in English, French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Czech, and Japanese

while Phung-Ngoc's voice on record and presence on stage quickly gained the group a cult following in Europe.
The group was later expanded to a quintet with the arrival of cellist Andrea Konstankiewicz 

who she had already played in one of Ostřanský's other projects, the avant-alternative rock outfit Boo.
Two CDs featuring this lineup saw the light of day before the decade closed, "Až Zahřmí" (Rachot Behémót, 1998)

and "Twilight/Soumrak" (Indies Records, 2000) that featured Miloš Dvořáček as a guest on drums/percussions.

Memory

Toru Takemitsu – Kwaidan (1965)

Composer: Toru Takemitsu

Tracklist

1. Ki 06:00
2. Yuki 06:53
3. Biwa-Uta 11:06
4. Bunraku 03:14

"Kwaidan" (怪談, Kaidan, literally "ghost stories") is a 1965 Japanese anthology horror film

and the first color film of Masaki Kobayashi, known for "The Human Condition", "Harakiri" and "Samurai Rebellion".
It is based on stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of Japanese folk tales,
mainly "Kwaidan: Stories And Studies Of Strange Things", for which it is named.
The film consists of four separate and unrelated stories.
It won the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival

and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
Tōru Takemitsu (武満 徹, Takemitsu Tōru, October 8, 1930 – February 20, 1996)

was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory.

Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre.
He is famed for combining elements of oriental and occidental philosophy to create a sound uniquely his own

and for fusing opposites together such as sound with silence and tradition with innovation.
He composed several hundred independent works of music, scored more than ninety films and published twenty books.
He was also a founding member of the Jikken Kobo (experimental workshop) in Japan,

a group of avant-garde artists who distanced themselves from academia

and whose collaborative work is often regarded among the most influential of the 20th century.
His 1957 Requiem for string orchestra attracted international attention, led to several commissions from across the world and established his reputation as one of the leading 20th-century Japanese composers.
He was the recipient of numerous awards and honours and the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award is named after him.
In under 40 years Takemitsu composed music for over 100 films, some of which were written for purely financial reasons.
However, as the composer attained financial independence, he grew more selective,

often reading whole scripts before agreeing to compose the music, and later surveying the action on set,

"breathing the atmosphere" whilst conceiving his musical ideas.
One notable consideration in Takemitsu's composition for film was his careful use of silence

(also important in many of his concert works), which often immediately intensifies the events on screen

and prevents any monotony through a continuous musical accompaniment.

Some of the films that he score are "Harakiri" (1962), "Woman In The Dunes" (1964), "The Face Of Another" (1966),

"Samurai Rebellion" (1967), "Ran" (1985) and the documentary "Antonio Gaudí" (1984).

Memory

Jocelyn Pook – Flood (1999)

Country: England

Tracklist
1. Requiem Aeternam 04:34
2. Migrations (1999 Mix) 03:48
3. Romeo And Juliet 05:09
4. Oppenheimer 06:46
5. Blow The Wind / Pie Jesu 02:57
6. Masked Ball (1999 Extended Mix) 03:37
7. Forever Without End (Solo Voices) 01:49
8. La Blanche Traversée 03:58
9. Thousand Year Dream 03:20
10. Goya's Nightmare 05:51
11. Forever Without End (1999 Remix) 04:40
12. Flood 03:56

Jocelyn Pook (born 14 February 1960) is an English composer, pianist and violist.
Pook graduated in 1983 from London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she studied the viola and piano.
She took part in ABC's Lexicon Of Love World Tour and appeared in the Julian Temple/ABC movie Mantrap,
continuing with a period of recording and performing with artists including Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, Peter Gabriel
and as a member of The Communards for their three year life.
As a composer her early works were mainly for dance and she wrote scores for DV8 Physical Theatre shows
including Strange Fish which won a Prix Italia Award for Music.
She co-founded neoclassical chamber quartet Electra Strings alongside Australian violinist Sonia Slany.
Electra Strings recorded, arranged and performed with many artists including Jools Holland, Mark Knopfler,
The Stranglers, The Cranberries, This Mortal Coil, Nick Cave, Divine Comedy, Paul Weller, Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Michael Nyman, Laurie Anderson and in 1991 appeared in Derek Jarman’s film Edward II.
Her career as a film composer took off when Stanley Kubrick heard her album Deluge
and asked her to score his film Eyes Wide Shut.
The piece Masked Ball, which incorporates a fragment of an Orthodox Liturgy played backwards
and lyrics sung (or chanted) in Romanian, underscored the masked ball sequence.
Pook's score for Eyes Wide Shut received a Chicago Film Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
Pook's score to Michael Radford's film The Merchant Of Venice with Al Pacino
featured countertenor Andreas Scholl and was nominated for a Classical Brit Award.
Other notable film scores include Brick Lane (by Sarah Gavron), Heidi (by Paul Marcus), Time Out (by Laurent Cantet),
Julio Medem’s Caótica Ana and Room In Rome and a piece for Gangs Of New York directed by Martin Scorsese.
In 2018, she composed the soundtrack for The Wife starring Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater,
which won the 2019 Music & Sound Award for Best Original Composition in a Feature Film.
Pook was nominated for a BAFTA for her score for Channel 4’s The Government Inspector (by Peter Kosminsky)
and in April 2018 she won a BAFTA for her music for the 2017 TV film version of King Charles III (by Rupert Gould).
She also wrote the score for Netflix documentary series The Staircase directed by Jean-Xavier Lestrade.

Memory

Bonpos Tibetains – Traditions Rituelles Des Bonpos (1993)

Country: Tibet

Tracklist

1. Chant De Louange Dédié À La Divinité Protectrice Midü 13:07
2. Cérémonie De Propitiation De Nag-Zhig 35:24
3. Chant D'Offrandes À L'Occasion Du Thé 10:19
4. Tambourinement De Louange À Shenrab 04:17

Bon is considered to be the ensemble of pre-Buddhist beliefs of the Tibetans,

it embodies a vast mass of ritual practices bearing on exorcism, divination and the appeasement of wrathful divinities

 and elaborate teachings for spiritual realization which place Bon among the great mystico-philosophical systems

of the world despite its relatively small number of followers.
These recordings illustrate various facets of the religious activities of the Bonpos 

through their chant and their psalmodic recitation.

They intend to bring to a wider audience the musical aspects of a ritual tradition

that is largely unknown to the Western World and has remained obscure to the Tibetan themselves.
Recorded in Tibet between March 1981 and April 1983 and originally released by Ocora label on vinyl in 1983.
In 1993 was reissued on cd with 20 minutes of extra music.

Memory

L'Ham De Foc – U (1999)

Country: Spain

Tracklist

1. El Nord 01:54
2. Lluna D'Algeps 04:16
3. Al Matí 03:46
4. Veritat 03:48
5. Cançó De Bressol 02:20
6. D'Un Joc De Flors 05:41
7. Nikita I Estelis 03:46
8. Els Camins 03:21
9. La Lluna No Vol 04:18
10. Rodamons 04:32
11. Si 04:38
12. Dels Amors Del Dimoni 06:01
13. Tocs Occitans 03:00
14. La Fe 02:21

L'Ham De Foc ("The Hook Of Fire") were a band from Valencia, 
composing music based on traditions from around the Mediterranean,
mixing it with influences from Medieval, Middle Eastern, and Eastern Mediterranean music,
using a variety of traditional instruments and constantly searching for new and inspiring musical resources.
Their first album was "U" (meaning "One" in the Valencà language),
released in 1999 by the Madrid company Sonifolk.
After a period spent researching on the island of Crete, they went back to the recording studio in August 2001
in order to record their second album, "Cançó De Dona I Home" ("Song Of Woman And Man").
After extensive tour and a long stay of Efrén López in the north of Greece, he returned to Valencia
with the aim of releasing L'Ham De Foc's most complex and delirious album "Cor De Porc" ("Pig Heart") in 2005.
In this work we find, in addition to the usual musicians (Eduard Navarro, Mara Aranda and Diego López),
many others who have been collaborating with the band.
At the end of 2007 the group disbanded and the two key members of the band (Efrén López and Mara Aranda)
continued playing music with their solo projects.

Memory

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.

Memory

Waylander – Dawning Of A New Age (Demo 1996)

 

Country: Ireland

Tracklist

1. Sunrise 03:22
2. Dawning Of A New Age 03:33
3. A Hero's Lament 07:22
4. Emain Macha 06:54

Formed in 1993, Waylander released their debut demo, "Once Upon An Era", in early 1995. 

Mixing Irish folk music with extreme metal, Waylander were soon dubbed folk, celtic and pagan metal. 

In 1996, with the addition of a full time tin-whistle player, they released their 2nd demo, "Dawning Of A New Age"
and soon gained a prominent position in the fledgling folk metal scene.
This was cemented when they signed to Century Media and in 1998, 

their debut album was released, entitled, "Reawakening Pride Once Lost". 

After overcoming some line-up changes, Waylander signed with Blackend Records 

and released their, "The Light, The Dark And The Endless Knot", album in early 2001.
After that the band had some numerous line-up changes for several years. 

Despite this they managed to perform some notable gigs with Ancient Rites, Cathedral and Skyforger.

In 2008 Waylander inked a deal with Listenable Records and their third album, 

entitled "Honour Amongst Chaos" was released, using this time a vast array of Irish folk instruments.
In 2012 the band released their fourth album through Listenable Records entitled "Kindred Spirits".

Memory

Garmarna ‎– Guds Spelemän (1996)

 

Country: Sweden

Tracklist

1. Herr Mannelig 06:22
2. Vänner Och Fränder 05:11
3. Halling Från Makedonien 02:45
4. Min Man 04:20
5. Varulven 04:33
6. Hilla Lilla 06:19
7. Drew Drusnaar / Idag Som Igår 02:46
8. Njaalkeme 05:03
9. Herr Holger 04:38
10. Guds Spelemän 03:27

Garmarna was formed in 1990 in Sundsvall, Sweden.
Stefan Brisland-Ferner, Gotte Ringqvist and Rickard Westman were inspired by old Swedish music 
and Olov Johansson's musical score for a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
After a year of playing together and searching for old tunes and instruments, Jens Höglin joined the band on drums.
In 1992 the band recorded their self titled first EP. 
They thought that female vocals would provide a contrast to the dark mood of their music and invited Emma Härdelin, 
a long-time friend of the band, as the guest vocalist on the EP. 
She officially joined the band in 1993. The debut EP sold well in Sweden, and helped the band tour in Scandinavia.
On the album Vittrad, the band decided to add samples and sequencers to the mix. 
In 1994, Omnium released Vittrad in the USA, with English translations of the old songs.
Garmarna started a long German tour and released the album Guds Spelemän (The Fiddlers Of God) in 1996. 
The album sold well in Sweden and was reviewed favourably internationally.
It received the Swedish Grammy award as Album of the Year.
In 1998 Garmarna did a series of concerts in churches in the North of Sweden presenting their interpretation 
of the medieval works of Hildegard of Bingen, together with actress Felicia Konrad.
In 1999 the band released their third album Vedergällningen. 
The album leaned towards rock and trip hop with the atmosphere of the music being more obscure than in previous works.
Following Vedergällningen, the band returned to the studio to complete their Hildegard Von Bingen album in 2001. 
The tracks are based on the compositions of 12th century German abbess Hildegard of Bingen, and the lyrics are in Latin.
In 2015, it was reported that the band was working on a new album.

Memory

Terra Serpentes (1997)

Label: World Serpent

Tracklist

Disk 1

1. Arkkon – T 2901E 06:04
2. Martyn Bates – Bahnhofstrasse 02:28
3. Chris & Cosey – One Minute More (Serpent Mix) 05:09
4. Coil – Heartworms 07:14
5. Current 93 – Frolicking 07:50
6. Bryin Dall – May You Never Be Alone Like Me 03:07
7. Death In June Presents Kapo! – Only Europa Knows 06:01
8. Roger Doyle – Dark Scenery Court Games 07:12
9. Elijah's Mantle – Wise Words Of Eve 09:57
10. In Gowan Ring – Still Water Bonne 07:05
11. Lemon Kittens – What The Cat Brought In 02:19
12. Loretta's Doll – Love Is Regret 04:26
13. The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud – Untitled 04:35

Disk 2

1. Nature And Organisation – By A Foreign River (The Longing For Mercy And Happiness) 04:33
2. Neither/Neither World – All's God's Dogs 05:01
3. Nurse With Wound – Window Of Possible Organic Development 08:47
4. Orchis – Come Unto Me 05:01
5. The Boyd Rice Experience – Music From The Movie Pearls Before Swine 04:12
6. Sand – On The Corner (Alternative Version) 05:20
7. Death In June Presents Scorpion Wind – Some Colossus 04:51
8. Shock Headed Peters – Oblivion Extract 10:40
9. Sol Invictus – Did You See 04:48
10. Somewhere In Europe – Oblique Realities 05:36
11. Strength Through Joy – Ways To Strength And Beauty 07:02
12. Tiny Tim – The Garden Of Your Heart, Turn Back The Universe, 
You Can't Get Loving Where There Ain't Any Love, A Thousand Love Songs 05:35
13. Zone – The Scavenging Soul 04:50

World Serpent Distribution was a British record label and music distribution house formed in the late 80s 

and was co-owned by David Gibson, Alan Trench and Alison Webster.
 Douglas Pearce of Death In June coined the company name in 1991, 

World Serpent being another name for Jormungandr.
 World Serpent was well known for distributing music by many post-industrial, apocalyptic folk, neofolk, 

avant-garde and otherwise esoteric or experimental artists, such as Death In June (through NER), 

Current 93 (through Durtro), Sol Invictus (through Tursa), Coil (through Threshold House),
Nurse With Wound (through United Dairies), Zone (through Potentia), Elijah's Mantle (through De Nova Da Capo), 

Orchis (through Cryptanthus), Ozymandias (through Ramses Records) and many others.

Many of these artists also ended up collaborating with or being influenced by one another, 

causing the World Serpent name to become synonymous with many of the artists and labels 

distributed through the company during the early 1990s.
World Serpent also functioned as a label, although they released very few records on their own. 

The vast majority of the releases they distributed were on other labels & imprints.
In August 2004 World Serpent went bankrupt and was no longer operating.

Memory

Paul Giovanni – The Wicker Man (1998)

Composer: Paul Giovanni

Tracklist

1. Corn Rigs 02:35
2. The Landlord's Daughter 02:37
3. Gently Johnny 03:32
4. Maypole 02:43
5. Fire Leap 01:26
6. The Tinker Of Rye 01:50
7. Willow's Song 04:40
8. Procession 02:15
9. Chop Chop 01:41
10. Lullaby 00:57
11. Festival / Mirie It Is / Sumer Is A-Cumen In 04:29
12. Opening Music / Loving Couples / The Ruined Church 04:13
13. The Masks / The Hobby Horse 01:25
14. Searching For Rowan 02:22
15. Appointment With The Wicker Man 01:18
16. Sunset 01:05

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British horror film directed by Robin Hardy and written by Anthony Shaffer.
The soundtrack was composed, arranged and recorded by Paul Giovanni and Magnet 
and contains folk songs performed by characters in the film (including some by members of the cast).
Magnet was formed for the purpose of recording the music to the movie.
The band was assembled by musician Gary Carpenter (the film's Associate Musical Director) 
and also featured Giovanni on guitar and vocals for many tracks and appeared in the film in various scenes.
The songs were arranged to hint at a pre-Christian pagan European culture 
and vary between traditional songs and original Giovanni compositions.
The instrumental parts of the score are based on traditional Scottish, Irish, and English tunes.
The soundtrack was unavailable until a 1998 release on Trunk Records of a mono album dubbed from the music 
and effects tapes at Pinewood Studios, from the shorter original cut of the film. 
It was not until 2002 that Silva Screen Records released a stereo version using cues from the tape held by Gary Carpenter, mixed with recordings from the first Trunk Records release.
A live performance of the soundtrack at the 30th annual Brosella Folk Festival in Brussels, on 8 July 2006,
 underlined the cult status of the film and its music.

Memory

Primordial – Imrama (1995)

Country: Ireland

Tracklist

1. Fuil Ársa 04:47
2. Infernal Summer 06:12
3. Here I Am King 04:27
4. The Darkest Flame 05:19
5. The Fires... 05:25
6. Mealltach 01:28
7. Let the Sun Set on Life Forever 04:27
8. To the Ends of the Earth 05:31
9. Beneath a Bronze Sky 03:28
10. Awaiting the Dawn... 05:00

Primordial is an extreme metal band from Skerries, County Dublin, Ireland. 

It was formed in 1987 by Pól MacAmhlaigh (bass) and Ciarán MacUiliam (guitars). 

Their sound melds black metal with Irish folk music and their lyrics deal with cultural heritage, history and struggle.
The band's roots stretch back to 1987 when Pól and Ciarán first began playing together with Pól's brother, Derek. 

The band (who were called Forsaken for a brief period) initially played a rough, hybrid mix of early, 

primitive thrash and death metal (playing covers of Death, Sepultura and the like).
Vocalist Nemtheanga joined the band in 1991.
Upon Nemtheanga's joining the band, the band started to pursue a darker direction citing influence from Bathory, 

Celtic Frost and the emerging Greek and Norwegian black metal scenes.
Primordial was the first black metal styled band to emerge from Ireland with the release of their Dark Romanticism demo 

in the early summer of 1993 (Cruachan were also active at this time combining black metal with folk music). 

The band initially came to the attention of Lee Barrett from the UK label Candlelight Records 

but he failed to move on signing them, so after a live soundboard recording from Dublin was sent to Cacophonous Records, the band signed with them for the release of their debut album Imrama.

The band has released 7 albums in total.

Memory

Nærvær ‎– Demonstration 95 (Demo 1995)

Country: Norway

Tracklist

1. Vage Tanker 00:47
2. Tenk Stille (Dagen Derpå) 05:11
3. I Regn... 03:09
4. En Som... 08:51
5. Tenk Stille 02:58
6. Dvale 01:05
7. Da Skogene Brant... 04:17
8. Vemod 03:35

Nærvær was founded by Terje Sagen and Jan K. Transeth (best known as the main vocalist of In The Woods...) 

after Sagen left the metal group, Innhalator. The influences of Nærvær range from Nick Cave and Bob Dylan 

to bands like Suicidal Tendencies (even though these influences don’t necessarily appear in the music). 

The bands lyrics and philosophy mostly are related with the restoring of the balance between people and nature. 

The music has been described as neofolk, avant-garde, and experimental. 

Female vocals, flute, cello, contrabass and the distinguished voice of Transeth are some of the main elements 

that this demo has to offer. The core of the band has always been Sagen and Transeth, 

but other members include former members of In The Woods..., Green Carnation, and many other people.

The band has also released a 7'' ep in 1997 and a full-length album in 2001.

Memory

Falkenbach ‎– ...En Their Medh Riki Fara... (1996)

Country: Iceland

Tracklist

1. Galdralag 06:17
2. Heathenpride 08:40
3. Laeknishendr 06:15
4. Ultima Thule 03:21
5. Asum Ok Alfum Naer... 07:43
6. Winternight 04:20
7. ...Into the Ardent Awaited Land... 06:00

 Falkenbach is a one-man folk-black metal metal project created by Markus Tümmers aka Vratyas Vakyas
 (literally, “The Searching Wanderer”), also owner of Skaldic Art Productions. 
Vratyas Vakyas lived in Iceland for a considerable time, but now lives in Düsseldorf, Germany again. 
Throughout the band’s lifetime, Falkenbach has progressed from a rawer, more “black” sound towards 
viking-influenced folk metal with mainly clean vocals. Vakyas’ music is nowdays accompanied by session musicians.
After the release of several demos during the period 1989-1995, in 1995 Vratyas entered the Blue House Studio 
to start recording Falkenbach's debut album “…En Their Medh Riki Fara…”, 
which was completed in 1996 and released via No Colours Records.
Most of the lyrics are written in English, but some are written in Norræna (old Icelandic), Latin, and Old German.
Recommended track listening: Winternight.

Memory

Proscriptor ‎– The Venus Bellona (1995)

Country: United States

Tracklist

Act 1. An Initium For You 00:58
Act 2. I Am The One 02:49
Act 3. Our Blood And Veins From The McGovern Regiment 02:28
Act 4. Hi Ri Ri Tha E Tighinn 02:06
Act 5. Lady Day Eve 04:34
Act 6. Madeleine 05:06
Act 7. Kiss Of Shame 01:38
Act 8. Tractatus 01:24
Act 9. My Legacy: A Crysknife 00:51
Act 10. Serpentine Of Six-Fold Stars 05:52
Act 11. The Barren Stones Of Lughnasadh 02:40
Act 12. Far Away From Balkan Hills 01:27
Act 13. De La Fletus Des Athroll (After The Massacre Of Glencoe) Part II 02:34
Act 14. Chomere! 01:02
Act 15. Commanding The Dragon Of Keppoch 02:03
Act 16. Ground's Afire 00:51
Act 17. Defeat 01:24
Act 18. We Raise Our Silver Goblets In Triumph 01:48
Act 19. We Procured The Non-Existence Of Xalteun 01:43
Act 20. Finem Habere: Flames For You / I Ran (So Far Away) 06:55

Proscriptor is more known as the drummer/mainman of Absu. 
His project as Proscriptor is more than a little different to what Absu explore musically. 
"The Venus Bellona" is a wonderfully strange & unique album based around the superstitions, folklore & mythology 
of Proscriptor's ancestral bloodline which hails from Glencoe, Scotland.
Combined with occult themes, & Proscriptor's mystical being, this collection of songs is nothing short of interesting.
At times hypnotic, as evidenced in "I Am The One" with its verbal assault, & chimes, 
while "Our Blood & Veins From the McGovern Regiment" is a more militaristic affair, with marching snare drums, 
bag pipes, & the sinister Proscriptor injecting verbal hallucinations. 
The diversity of  "The Venus Bellona" is one of its impressive features, & the incorporation 
of an extensive range of instruments (synths, percussion, acoustic guitar, grand piano, organs, mellotron & fife) 
is both appealing as well as contributing to this fact.
The 20 Acts presented here range in sound from ambient/darkwave to experimental/acoustic/folk.
For a bit of "new wave" nostalgia, a twisted version of "I Ran (So Far Away)" (originally by A Flock of Seagulls) 
is covered & given a bracing, & thoroughly entertaining, extreme metal treatment!
Released on golden CD as a multi fold-out digipack by Cruel Moon International (sub-label of Cold Meat Industry) 
& also as a red vinyl on a limited edition of 726 copies.

Memory

Fire + Ice ‎– Gilded By The Sun (1992)

Country: England

Tracklist

1. The Horseman's Word 00:43
2. Long Lankin 04:51
3. Corpus Christi 03:57
4. Ljósálfar 05:26
5. Fire Above 03:03
6. Sir John Barleycorn 04:01
7. Blood On The Snow 05:15
8. Basilisk Abode 04:54
9. Gilded By The Sun 06:25
10. Long Lankin Threshing 04:18

Ian Read founded Fire + Ice in 1991. Gilded By The Sun is his debut CD, originally issued on Douglas P.'s NER label.
Read was already familiar to many for his work on Current 93's "Swastikas For Noddy" and Death In June's "Brown Book", later forming Sol Invictus with Tony Wakeford. 

The album is a mixing of some of Ian's songs with a selection of traditional folk songs. 

Most of them are acoustic based, with some exceptions. The music reflects Read's keen interests in magic lore, runes, tradition, renaissance medievalism, Nordic mysticism and other esoteric and occult mysteries.
His work as Fire + Ice have had a large amount of influence on neofolk music.
Some of those who have appeared on Fire + Ice albums are: Michael Cashmore, Michael Moynihan,

 Annabel Lee, Joseph Budenholzer, Douglas Pearce and Freya Aswynn.

Memory

Luboš Fišer ‎– Valerie A Týden Divů (Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders) (1970)

Composer: Luboš Fišer

Tracklist

1. The Magic Yard 05:46
2. Talk With Grandmother 03:55
3. The Letter 01:07
4. The Sermon 02:56
5. Losing The Way 01:14
6. The Visit 02:13
7. The Work Of Death 01:02
8. Dinner 01:09
9. Dense Smoke 01:38
10. The Contract / The Wedding 01:49
11. The Punishment 01:09
12. Disquiet 01:36
13. Awakening 00:59
14. Brother And Sister 00:57
15. Sacrifice 02:15
16. The Letter 2 / Friends 01:52
17. In Flames 01:23
18. Puppets 01:40
19. Homeless 01:26
20. Questions And Answers 02:05
21. Confession 00:50
22. Forgiveness 01:28
23. And The Last 05:07

Release of the delicately haunting and sacred score to Jaromil Jires' essential 
Eastern European hallucinogenic-baroque-witch-flick 'Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders'.
Lubos Fiser provides what is perhaps the greatest musical score of all the maligned Czech New Wave feature-films 
with a gossamer-fragile blend of pastoral-orchestral folk songs and clockwork harpsichords. 
From the very first delicate chord to the final crescendo this joyous sound is as addictive 
as the bizarre imagery seen in this seldom celebrated cinematic gem.
Naturally the list of musical pioneers who freely confess their allegiance to the score 
verifies it's elevated place in contemporary pop. Birmingham's dedicated concrete-pop-psych combo Broadcast 
recently paid homage to the soundtrack on their 'Ha-Ha Sound' LP while groups such as Espers, Fursaxa and Marissa Nadler recently contributed to a live performance of the soundtrack as a homage to its unwaning influence on their music. 
Echoes of the score can also be heard in recent music by Vashti Bunyen and it has been cited as a huge influence 
to the likes of Tim Burton who based the carnival scene at the end of 'Big Fish' on the original film.
Previously unprepared for public consumption the immaculate release has been compiled in close accordance 
to the original storyline which was released in 1935 as a surrealist novel by Vladislav Nezval. 
The orchestral suites of music have been separated into 23 chapters with titles derived from the controversial novella.

Memory