Ornament – Adorers (1999)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Feed The Fortress Of Hate 06:31
2. Burning Blood-Vessels 05:31
3. New Flesh For Your Incarnation 06:48
4. Terminal Equinox 12:05
5. The Absent God 03:19
6. Plague-Spreader 09:57
7. The Finger 04:40
8. Chasm 08:26

Ornament was the first solo project of Italian artist Davide Del Col, that was created in 1999 and ended in 2003.
In 1999 he released his first mini-album on cassette "Strychninlovenectar",

published by the label Ossarium, which consisted of four structured death-industrial tracks.
His second work entitled "Adorers", inspired by the great plague,

was released shortly after on Oktagön Records as a limited edition CD-R.
In 2000 Davide released the album "Unicorn Lullaby" on Ossarium label, where he explored deep dark-ambient territories.
In 2002 "Yzaniaveis" was published by Blade Records followed by "Effortless"

that was made available by the author in late 2003 on his own website

and later in 2006 was published in digital version by the net label Benekkea.
Davide Del Col was also involved with the projects:

O Diabo De Vila Velha (electronic compositions based on 70s and 80s cosmic music), Nimeton Geist (experimental ambient),

Echran (experimental abstract-ambient in collaboration with Fabio Volpi and Accursio Graffeo),  

Molnija Aura (cosmic ambient project in collaboration with Andrea Marutti),
Rhetra (black metal band with guitarist-vocalist Sophia Anna Pezzaliin),

30 Seconds Over Teheran (collaboration with Paolo Romano of I/O),

while his more active ones are Antikatechon, Cult Of Light (with Ascanio Borga)

and We Promise To Betray (collaboration with Giuseppe Verticchio of Nimh).

 
Memory

Hollow Earth – Dog Days Of The Holocaust (1998)

Country: United States

Tracklist

1. Floor Of Hell 11:29
2. Scrawled In Blood 10:19
3. Rape Machine 14:02
4. Whispers Of Hatred 12:20
5. Probe 15:05

Hollow Earth was the product of two unique experimental artist's combined vision,

Michael J.V. Hensley (Yen Pox, Blood Box) and Jonathan Canady (Dead World, Deathpile, Blunt Force Trauma).
The project released only one album offering claustrophobic and suffocating dark ambient

in its absolute disturbing form with the sentience of death permeating every sound.
Released on the American label Old Crowd Control Activities.

 
Memory

Law – Wading Knee-Deep In Your Blood (1999)

Country: United States

Tracklist

1. Negation Of Desire 11:29
2. Sacrificial Key 05:39
3. 7.62 x 39 07:12
4. Negative Silence 09:37
5. Swift And Severe Retribution 03:58
6. Procedure 09:54
7. Flows Through Me 06:44
8. Solitary Determination 12:12

Law was an dark ambient/industrial/power electronics act based in Elkhart, IN, United States,

created by Mitchell Altum, founder of the Triumvirate label, with the help of Marissa Lafferty.

The project was active between 1994 to 2004, with releases on Ant-Zen, Old Europa Cafe, Triumvirate and Nuit et Brouillard.
Mitchell Altum was also involved with the project Citadel.
"Wading Knee-Deep In Your Blood" was originally released by Old Europa Cafe as a limited edition clear red vinyl

in 350 hand-numbered copies and later in 2002 was reissued on CD with two bonus tracks.

 
Memory

Drape Excrement – Born Dead (1995)

Country: Germany

Tracklist

1. Sirayat 01:37
2. Leitbild 04:25
3. Dangerous Gases 03:56
4. Out Of Control 04:14
5. I Want You 02:19
6. Yaum Ed Din 03:48
7. The Lost Age 04:51
8. Sinnlose Opfer 02:27
9. Jammer Und Geheul 04:12
10. Good Grief 04:48
11. I Give My Soul 04:10

German industrial/noise project created by Markus Kropfreiter 

(also known as a part of Söldnergeist and Metaplakia projects) that runs the Art Konkret label.
"Born Dead" offers dark death-industrial combined with deep bass droning
and atmospheric crackling sounds creating a menacing atmosphere.
Released by Art Konkret as a limited edition vinyl of 525 copies.

 
Memory

Luciano Dari – Wajd (1989)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Metatron Of The Sea 07:45
2. Sirens 03:25
3. La Luz 06:35
4. Night Of Djinn 04:05
5. Lotus 04:34
6. Manvantara 05:43
7. Antro Dei Misteri 04:05
8. Inno Ad Helios (Bonus Track) 02:38
9. Lapide Minerali (Bonus Track) 03:49
10. Theatrum Naturae (Bonus Track) 22:13

Luciano Dari is an Italian dark ambient musician/producer

and founder of the Musica Maxima Magnetica label that operated from the late 80s to late 00s.
In 1987 he released "Idrogeni Superiori", as part of the split album together with The Hafler Trio, 

followed by the album "Wajd" in 1989.
He also participated in many cassette compilation releases.
The Memory link contains three bonus tracks that were taken fron Dari's participation in the compilations:

"Hora Aurea (1989)", "Devastating Templaric Sounds (1990)" and "Nature Morte (1991)".

 
Memory

Keep Of Kalessin – Through Times Of War (1997)

 

Country: Norway

Tracklist

1. Through Times Of War 04:31
2. Den Siste Krig 04:43
3. As A Shadow Cast 06:09
4. I Choose To Suffer 06:50
5. Skygger Av Forg 05:22
6. Obliterator 05:42
7. Nectarious Red / Itch 14:19

Keep Of Kalessin is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1993.
The group's early lineup consisted of Ghash on vocals, Obsidian C. (the group founder) on guitars and keyboards,

Warach on bass, and Vyl on drums.
Two albums were released under this lineup, "Through Times Of War" in 1997,

and "Agnen: A Journey Through The Dark" in 1999, before splitting up.
Obsidian C. then toured with Satyricon, but revived the the band in 2003 with the release of the EP "Reclaim"

and all new members featuring Frost (Satyricon, 1349) on drums and Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Tormentor etc.) on vocals.
This line-up did not last and fell apart because of the distances between the band members.
In 2006, Obsidian C. once again reconstituted the group with a new lineup

and released two albums "Armada" in 2006 and "Kolossus" in 2008.
These releases brought a good attention from mainstream media in Norway

and as a result Keep Of Kalessin was nominated for a Spellemannprisen in the metal category in 2008.
In 2010 they also entered a song in the the annual competition Melodi Grand Prix,

to select Norway's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, but they failed finishing in the 3rd place overall.
The band released its fifth album, "Reptilian" in 2010 demonstrating a deviation

from the black metal influenced sound of their previous music in favor of a more extreme metal sound.
Two more albums followed, "Epistemology" in 2015 and "Katharsis" in 2023.

 
Memory

Black Tape For A Blue Girl – This Lush Garden Within (1993)

Country: United States

Tracklist

1. Left, Unsaid 04:37
2. The Broken Glass 03:38
3. We Exist, Entwined 05:17
4. Overwhelmed, Beneath Me 03:20
5. This Lush Garden Within 01:49
6. The Christ In The Desert 06:29
7. The Turbulence And The Torment 05:44
8. The Flow Of Our Spirit 03:28
9. Into The Garden 04:10
10. Decomposed By The Fire Of The Firmament 04:14
11. Gravity's Angel 01:50
12. On Broken Shells Of Crystal Dreams 06:40
13. Our Future Imagined 03:21

Black Tape For A Blue Girl is an American dark wave band formed in 1986

by keyboardist/songwriter Sam Rosenthal, the founder of Projekt Records.
Their music has elements of dark wave, ethereal, ambient, neoclassical, and dark cabaret.
The band released seven albums in their first 13 years, covering the mid-80s through late-90s.

Their debut album "The Rope" was released in 1986.

The band's line-up consisted of a core of Sam Rosenthal,

Allan Kraut (on multiple instruments, including drums and guitars) and vocalist and guitarist Oscar Herrera.
Their second album, "Mesmerized By The Sirens", was released a year later, followed by "Ashes In The Brittle Air" in 1989,

"A Chaos Of Desire" in 1991 and "This Lush Garden Within" in 1993.

The core members through this period were Rosenthal and Herrera, with a variety of guest musicians.
Recording of "Remnants Of A Deeper Purity" began in 1995 in Los Angeles and was concluded in 1996.

This was the second album to feature Lucian Casselman on vocals and Vicki Richards on violin.
In 1999, the band released "As One Aflame Laid Bare By Desire", with Oscar Herrera singing two songs on the album

as a parting favor to Rosenthal. The album owes some artistic inspiration to Marcel Duchamp.
Julianna Towns returned for female vocals and also provided guitar arrangements.

After a 15 city tour in July 1998 in preparation for the album's release, she was ejected from the band.
Elysabeth Grant joined the band as violist, but she soon became the lead vocalist

for the band's seventh studio album, "The Scavenger Bride".
Male vocal duties were given to Bret Helm (of Audra) and Athan Maroulis (of Spahn Ranch).
"The Scavenger Bride" was released in 2002, with only two live appearances, as Rosenthal's son was born.
Two years later, the album "Halo Star" was released, which shifted the vocal focus to Bret Helm.
This release also marked a change in the band's lush, ethereal sound,

with a dark cabaret musical style, very similar to the Dresden Dolls and Katzenjammer Kabarett.
In 2009 Athan Maroulis, who appeared on two songs on "The Scavenger Bride" album,

as well as on a cover of Dead Can Dance's "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book", took over as lead vocalist.
On September 22, 2009, the band released their 10th album, "10 Neurotics",

with the lineup of Rosenthal on acoustic guitar, programming and keyboards,

Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls) on drums, percussion, bass and guitar,

and vocalists Maroulis (Spahn Ranch), Laurie Reade (ex-Attrition) and Nicki Jaine on additional vocals.
From 2013 to 2021 four more albums were released while their 30th anniversary in 2016 with the release of "These Fleeting Moments", was marked with the return of original vocalist Oscar Herrera after 17 years absence from the music scene.

 
Memory