Forbidden Site – Catharsis (Demo 1994)

Country: France

Tracklist

1. Heretic 04:15
2. Celebrating My Desolation 08:40
3. Children Of Doom 09:08
4. Anathema 01:53

Forbidden Site was a French avant-garde/black/gothic metal band from Grenoble, formed in 1993.
In 1994 the group released their first demo entitled "Catharsis".
A second demo followed in 1996 under the title "Renaissances Noires".
Their lyrical themes dealt with poetry and literature inspired by Victor Hugo, Gérard de Nerval,  
Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam and Antonin Artaud.
In January 1997, the group released their first studio album "Sturm Und Drang", which received very positive reviews.
A second studio album, named "Astralgeist" was published in 1999 on the German label Solistitium Records.
The music offered by this release had a distant relationship with black metal 
with many rock and gothic passages take precedence over the traditional metal orchestrations.
The group announced its separation in 2003 at a farewell concert at the Locomotive, in Paris.
During its existence Forbidden Site shared the stage with groups like Cradle Of Filth, Misanthrope,
Dimmu Borgir, Anorexia Nervosa, Siebenburgen and The Gathering.

Memory

Saerpe Metal Union (Split 1998)

Country: Norway

Tracklist

1. Infernal – Bloody Upon The Altar 04:31
2. Infernal – Once Again 02:49
3. Infernal – Holy Unholy 02:01
4. Infernal – The Last Eternal Winter 03:43
5. Infernal – The World Is Mine 01:52
6. Sunshine's Gone – Shield Of Flames 03:34
7. Sunshine's Gone – In The Black 03:47
8. Sunshine's Gone – When Sunshine's Gone 05:35
9. Soul Transition – The Call From Within 03:35
10. Soul Transition – In The Perdition Hearse / Dead While Living 04:09
11. Soul Transition – Nivlheim 03:39
12. Con Anima – The House On The Hill 06:19
13. Con Anima – The Price (Twisted Sister Cover) 03:49
14. Con Anima – The Angel Of Melancholy 06:47

Saerpe Metal Union was a demo compilation of four bands from the Sarpsborg (Særpe) area 
and was released in 1998 by Scarlet Records.
Infernal was formed from the ashes of Baalberith, in early 1997.
The band recorded three demos, of which the second one named "Holy Unholy" is featured here.
This demo was spread to friends and labels, in a very small number of CD-R copies.
Freddy Olsen from Con Anima was also a member of the band that ended splitting up in 2001.
Sunshine's Gone was a project band featuring members of Kharon and Ragnarok.
Thyme (Dag Ronny "Dæskis" Hansen) is providing the vocals here in their selftitled demo,
released in 1997, reminding the early releases of Ragnarok.
Soul Transition was formed by "Kessel" Frode Kobberstad and Stian "Culto" Johansen, both members of Perdition Hearse.
Their first demo entitled "The Calling" is included in the compilation and was originally released in 1996.
Con Anima was another project band of Stian "Culto" Johansen.
They released a demo entitled "The Angel Of Melancholy" (also called "Promo Tape 1998")
and a full length in 1999 entitled "The Book Of Riddles".

Memory

Secret Discovery – Into The Void (1993)

Country: Germany

Tracklist

1. Introduction / Time Has Come 06:36
2. Western World 03:42
3. Execution Day 03:48
4. Despair 04:48
5. Part Of Me 06:39
6. I Left The Real 04:14
7. Let Me Always 07:01
8. Salvation 04:08
9. Into The Void 05:17

Secret Discovery was a rock band from Bochum, whose style was initially based heavily on bands 

such as Fields Of The Nephilim, The Sisters Of Mercy and The Mission.
The band was founded in 1989 by the brothers Kai (vocals) and Falk Hoffmann (guitar),

Michael Gusky (guitar) and Mattes Glathe (bass).
Secret Discovery, alongside acts like Project Pitchfork, Deine Lakaien, Das Ich, Lacrimosa and Goethes Erben,

were not only a strong motor for the renaissance of the German gothic scene in the early Nineties,

but also forerunners of gothic metal made in Germany,

and their 1993 offering, "Into The Void" is still considered a genre classic.
From 1990 to 1994 the band released four albums and in 1995 they signed up to Gun Records 

for the release of "A Question Of Time" album, which saw the light of day in 1996.
This was followed by appearances on the Out of the Dark festival with Moonspell, Crematory and The Gathering.
In 1996, the band went on a tour supporting Rammstein.
"Slave" appeared in 1997 and again used a tougher music style,

featuring a cover version of "Slave To The Rhythm" song from Grace Jones.
In 1999 before their dissolution, the compilation "The Final Chapter" was released featuring rare material and new songs.

After a successful final tour, the band split up.
In 2002, Secret Discovery reunited and "Pray", the reunion album, was released in 2004.
Several single gigs with Oomph!, Tiamat and Nightwish followed. Their last album "Alternate" was released in 2006.
The following tour was completed with Unheilig and also played at the Leipzig Wave Gotik Treffen 

as well as the Blackfield Open Air in Gelsenkirchen and a concert in the Bochum KULT Club.

Memory