Tuesday 31 December 2019

Memories Yet To Come 2019



In alphabetical order:

1. African Imperial Wizard Cetshwayo kaMpande (12'' EP 2019)
2. Aoratos – Gods Without Name
(Full-length 2019) 
3. Blue Hummingbird On The Left – Atl Tlachinolli (Full-length 2019)
4. Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogen
(Full-length 2019)
5. Bölzer – Lese Majesty
(MCD 2019)
6. Carlos Viola – Blasphemous (Original Game Soundtrack 2019)
7. Celestial Grave – Secular Flesh
(Full-length 2019)
 8. Ehlder – Nordabetraktelse (Full-length 2019)
9. Funeral Oration – Eliphas Love
(Full-length 2019)
10. Funereal Presence – Achatius
(Full-length 2019)
11. Gevurahel – Un Nuevo Amanecer Satánico
(Full-length 2019)
12. Ghul – To Profane The Flesh With Crimson Teeth
(12'' EP 2019)
13. Haeiresis – Emanations
(Cassette EP 2019)
14. Hate Manifesto – Herald Of Triumph (MCD 2019)
15. Ice Ages – Nullify
(Full-length 2019)
 16. Imha Tarikat – Kara Ihlas (Full-length 2019)
17. Imprecation - Black Blood Invocation – Diabolical Flames Of The Ascended Plague
(Split 2019)
18. Infernal Conjuration – Infernale Metallum Mortis (Full-length 2019)
19. Lamp Of Murmuur – Melancholy Howls In Ceremonial Penitence
(Demo 2019)
20. LVME – The Blazing Iniquity
(Full-length 2019)
21. Mark Korven – The Lighthouse
(Original Soundtrack 2019) 
22. MZ.412 – Svartmyrkr (Full-length 2019)
23. Pa Vesh En – Pyrefication
(Full-length 2019)
24.
Rammstein – Rammstein (Full-length 2019)
25.
Rome – Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro (Full-length 2019)
26.
Serpens Luminis – Bright Euphoria (Full-length 2019)
27.
Skrawl – Nil (Demo 2019)
28. Tenebrae In Perpetuum – Anorexia Obscura
(Full-length 2019) 
29. Yellow Eyes – Rare Field Ceiling (Full-length 2019)
30. Aiμα – Tragos
(Full-length 2019)

Wednesday 25 December 2019

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.

Sunday 22 December 2019

Blood Storm – Pestilence From The Dragonstar (1999)


Country: United States

Tracklist
1. Wrath and Vengeance 03:46
2. Death Thunder 03:47
3. The Chaos Magician 07:35
4. The Angel Web 06:24
5. Sirius Rebellion 07:33
6. Successor to the Plague Gods 07:07
7. Oruthaaht Xun Xihron (The Intellect Devourer) 04:33
8. Nibiru Assassins 05:42
9. Invader of Darkness 03:46

Blood Storm was formed in 1994 in Philadelphia, United States by Chris Gamble (aka Mezzadurus).
Mezzadurus was heavily influenced by the more 80s conceptual extreme metal artists like
Celtic Frost, Voivod, Sodom, Venom and Pentagram.
The band released two demo tapes and made numerous metal festival appearances
that gained stronger support and cult status.
Also the founder member Mezzadurus, was well known for helping Absu
mostly as a live member from 1995 to 2002 handling the bass and the vocals.
Their debut album "The Atlantean Wardragon" was released on Cacophonous Records label in 1997
and the track "Destroyer" was also featured in the compilation "The Unholy Bible".
The line up here was Mezzadurus on vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
and his older brother, Teloc Coraxo, was handling the drums.
In 1999 they released the "Pestilence From The Dragonstar" album on the American Soul Sold Music label.
The band is still active and preparing the release of their upcoming 6th full length album.
Devastating black/deathrashing metal in the vein of early Absu.

Sunday 15 December 2019

Basil Poledouris – Conan The Barbarian - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1982)


Composer: Basil Poledouris

Tracklist
1. Anvil Of Crom 02:30
2. Riddle Of Steel / Riders Of Doom 05:31
3. Gift Of Fury 03:47
4. Wheel Of Pain 04:05
5. Atlantean Sword 03:53
6. Theology / Civilization 03:10
7. Wifeing 02:07
8. The Search 03:05
9. The Orgy 04:10
10. Funeral Pyre 04:28
11. Battle Of The Mounds 04:48
12. Orphans Of Doom / The Awakening 05:28

Basil Konstantine Poledouris (August 21, 1945 – November 8, 2006) was a Greek-American 
composer, conductor and orchestrator of film and television scores,
best known for his long-running collaborations with directors John Milius and Paul Verhoeven.
Among his works are scores for the films Conan The Barbarian (1982), Flesh & Blood (1985), RoboCop (1987),
The Hunt For Red October (1990), Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man (1991) and Starship Troopers (1997).
Conan The Barbarian is a 1982 American epic sword and sorcery film directed and co-written by John Milius.
The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Earl Jones, and tells the story of a young muscular barbarian warrior named Conan (Schwarzenegger), who seeks vengeance for the death of his parents 
at the hands of Thulsa Doom (Jones), the leader of a snake cult.
The composer was given the opportunity to compose the film's music based on the initial storyboards 
and to modify it throughout filming before recording the score near the end of production.
Poledouris made extensive use of Musync, a music and tempo editing hardware and software system, 
to modify the tempo of his compositions and synchronize them with the action in the film.
The film's music mostly conveys a sense of power, energy, and brutality, yet tender moments occur.
According to Poledouris, Milius envisioned Conan as an opera with little or no dialogue.
The main musical theme, the "Anvil Of Crom", opens the film with a brassy sound of 24 French horns 
in a dramatic intonation of the melody, while pounding drums add an incessantly driven rhythmic propulsion.
Milius initially wanted a chorus based on Carl Orff's Carmina Burana to herald the appearance
of Doom and his warriors for the attack on Conan's village at the beginning of the film.
After learning that the film Excalibur (1981) had used Orff's work,
he changed his mind and asked his composer for an original creation.
Poledouris' theme for Doom consists of "energetic choral passages",
chanted by the villain's followers to salute their leader and their actions in his name.
The lyrics were composed in English and roughly translated into Latin.
Poledouris was "more concerned about the way the Latin words sounded than with the sense they actually made".
He set these words to a melody adapted from the 13th-century Gregorian hymn, Dies Irae,
which was chosen to "communicate the tragic aspects of the cruelty wrought by Thulsa Doom".
From late November 1981, Poledouris spent three weeks recording his score in Rome.
He engaged a 90-instrument orchestra and a 24-member choir from the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra and conducted them personally.

Sunday 8 December 2019

Cydonia – In Fear Of A Red Planet (1999)


Country: England

Tracklist
1. Haunted World 06:09
2. Why? 05:46
3. Columbian Necktie 07:59
4. Cactus 07:30
5. Mindhunter 07:50
6. Animal People 07:20
7. Freakshow 07:02
8. Lightning 08:49
9. Narco Nympho 09:06


Brighton based Cydonia consisted of Dino Psaras, Steve Ronan and Ian Rive (Semsis).
The band was created in 1993 and released several eps in labels like Blue Room, Medium Records and Atomic Records.
"In Fear Of A Red Planet" was the only album from Cydonia and was initially released on Blue Room in 1999.
The band here offers fast, pounding industrial/psychedelic goa trance with eerie/dark sounds.
The album includes a remix version of the classic track "Colombian Necktie" of Frontline Assembly 

that was featured on the 2cd compilation "Re-Wind" and a rebuilt version of the track "Mindhunter" by Tim Schuldt.
In spring of 2003 the album was digitally re-mastered and re-released

on Avatar's sublabel Pro File, with a re-designed CD cover.
DJ Dino Psaras, the main figure in Cydonia, is considered to be one of the most familiar

and influential DJs in the psytrance scene, especially in the 90s.

Monday 2 December 2019

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.

Saturday 30 November 2019

Ewigkeit – Starscape (1999)

 

Country: England

Tracklist
1. Point Of Origin 05:30
2. Unveiling The Mystery 03:39
3. The Legend Of Keshara 03:40
4. The Return Of Planet 'X' 04:01
5. Deviant 00:54
6. Lightspeed Evolution 04:00
7. Starscape 04:06
8. Capsule 04:36
9. Birth Of Horus 03:39
10. Space Symphony 06:15
11. Dragons Burning 03:12

Ewigkeit was formed in 1995 as a musical project of English artist James Fogarty
 aka Mr. Fog (In The Woods..., Old Forest, Orcrypt etc.).
Ewigkeit started out playing black metal but later became much more experimental.
After the release of the first album, "Battle Furies" on a short-lived Neat Records subsidiary called Eldethorn,
Fogarty gave his entire music collection away to an Oxfam charity shop
so that he would be free of influences creating his next work. 
"Starscape" was received well by the extreme music press, but label folded and the project was put on hiatus.
During the missing years, Fogarty concentrated on his other black metal project "The Meads Of Asphodel"
and his collaboration with Jimmy Cauty on the multi-media project Blacksmoke.
In 2003 "Land Of Fog", was eventually released on Metal Age Productions.
Fogarty himself regarded this as the first Ewigkeit album, and it gained him enough attention
to get his project signed to Earache Records, on which "Radio Ixtlan" was released in 2004.
Released in 2005, "Conspiritus", a conceptual album examining conspiracy theories,
has been hailed by many as "marking a maturation of Ewigkeit's eclectic sound.
Also in 2005, a music video was made for the track "Its Not Reality".
In 2006, Ewigkeit made a live video recording entitled "Ewigkeit - Live From A Bunker",
which displayed the project in a live setting acting as a free "online" gig.
The 25 minute set (filmed in a Nuclear Bunker in the vicinity of Brighton, England) was uploaded to Google video.
Also recorded was a free download mp3 EP, "Return To The Land Of Fog".
The project was disbanded in March of 2007 and Fogarty started a new project called The Bombs Of Enduring Freedom.
Ewigkeit was reactivated in 2012 again with a black metal sound, and three more studio albums were released
"Back To Beyond" (2012), "Cosmic Man" (2017) and a re-recorded version of "Battle Furies" entitled "Battle Furies 2.017".
In 2019 "DISClose" album and a re-recorded version of "Starscape" entitled "Starscape 2.019" were also released.

Monday 25 November 2019

Trent Reznor – Quake (1996)


Composer: Trent Reznor

Tracklist
1. Untitled 1 05:10
2. Untitled 2 02:28
3. Untitled 3 08:22
4. Untitled 4 06:07
5. Untitled 5 07:26
6. Untitled 6 08:40
7. Untitled 7 05:37
8. Untitled 8 06:29
9. Untitled 9 03:33
10. Untitled 10 05:18

Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter,
musician, record producer, and film score composer.
He is the founder, lead vocalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails
which he founded in 1988 and of which he was the sole official member
until adding long-time collaborator Atticus Ross as a permanent member in 2016.
Reznor and Ross scored the David Fincher films "The Social Network" (2010), "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (2011),
and "Gone Girl" (2014), winning the Academy Award for Best Original Score for "The Social Network"
and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo".
They also scored the 2018 film "Bird Box".
Quake is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software
 and published by GT Interactive in 1996 as the first game in the Quake series.
Quake's music and sound design was composed by Trent Reznor using ambient soundscapes
and synthesized drones to create atmospheric tracks.
The collaboration between
Reznor and id Software occurred strictly due to a mutual admiration for each other's work.
Reznor provided his services to Quake completely free of charge.
The music on Quake has been described as dark, immersive, and intended to accentuate the game's oppressive tone.
The soundtrack received positive reception, with many appreciating how the music builds upon the game's atmosphere.
Quake's packaging provides no official song titles.
The game also has some ammo boxes decorated with the Nine Inch Nails logo.

Tuesday 12 November 2019

Megaptera – The Curse Of The Scarecrow (1998)


Country: Sweden

Tracklist
1. Disturbance 07:17
2. Cog-Wheel Machinery 06:30
3. Don't Desecrate The Dead 06:34
4. The Curse Of The Scarecrow 09:38
5. More Disturbance 07:00
6. Hear My Bowels 03:34
7. Kingdom Of Death 05:55
8. Skullfracture 03:25

Megaptera is a long-running dark ambient/death industrial unit
and one of the first to be associated with Sweden's Cold Meat Industry label.
They started on the proto CMI-cassette label Sound Source and then released material on several cult labels

like Slaughter Productions, Art Konkret, SSSM, Release Entertainment, Malignant Records and of course Cold Meat Industry.
From their very first release they were noted as one of the early pioneers of death industrial.
The band's sound combined a dense, hypnotic and heavy cinematic/soundtrack-based industrial atmosphere,

with occasional bass-driven metallic machine rhythms.
Megaptera was created by Mikael Svensson and Magnus Åslund (Pettersson), with Peter Nyström joining them soon after.
Their music was influenced by the CMI related sound and bands like The Klinik, Test Department and Cabaret Voltaire.
"The Curse Of The Scarecrow" was recorded by Mikael Svensson and Peter Nyström 

with the help of Magnus Sundström (The Protagonist, Des Esseintes, Third Eye) on his Amiga 500 and EPS sampler.
A slightly different version of the track "The Curse Of The Scarecrow" was available on the compilation "Territoires Sonores" while the track "Don't Desecrate The Dead" was featured on CIM's compilation "The Absolute Supper"

and helped with the promotion of Megaptera.
The band is still active today with Peter Nyström being the only remaining member

and in 2019 he released the latest album entitled "A Horse In The Eye Is Part Of The Art".

Thursday 31 October 2019

Murder (2 x 7'' EP 1994)


Country: United States

Tracklist
Side A
1. Edmund Emil Kemper (Sexual Murderer, Necrophiliac, "Co-Ed Killer")
"I Had Thought Of Annihilating The Entire Block That I Lived On." 06:18
Side B
2. Henry Lee Lucas (Murderer, Rapist, Arsonist, White Trash)
"I Was Death On Women." 07:26
Side C
3. Theodore Robert Bundy (Serial Murderer, "Phantom Prince")
"I'm The Most Cold-Blooded Son Of A Bitch That You'll Ever Meet." 06:51
Side D
4. Kenneth Bianchi (Rapist, Murderer, "Hillside Strangler")
"I Didn't See Anything Wrong With It - It Was Just There." 06:42

"Murder" was the first installment of a special interest series 
that would be dealt with the brutal reality of man's murderous capabilities.
Unfortunately no further installments were ever released.
This release contains portions of interviews with four convicted killers 

that many of them came from the documentaries The Killing of America (1981) and Murder: No Apparent Motive (1984).
"Murder" was released in 1994 by Alamut Records as a 2 x 45rpm 7" EP's, both on red vinyl.

Saturday 26 October 2019

Aeternus – Beyond The Wandering Moon (1997)


Country: Norway

Tracklist
1. Under The Blade Of The Dead 02:08
2. Sworn Revenge 06:35
3. White Realm 06:36
4. Sentinels Of Darkness 08:54
5. Embraced 07:18
6. Vind 07:06
7. Waiting For The Storms 05:57
8. Winter Tale 08:14
9. To Enter The Realm Of Legend 07:53
10. Celtic Harp Solo (The Last Feast) 04:23

Aeternus is a black/death metal band from Bergen, Norway.
It was formed in 1993 as an idea of Ronny Hovland, aka Ares, and Erik Heggernes, aka Vrolok.
Later in 1996 Nicola Trier, aka Morrigan, joined the duo as a bass player,
forming the core trio that created the band's first two albums.
They released their debut album, "Beyond The Wandering Moon", in 1997 on Hammerheart Records 
and toured that year with black metal bands Emperor and Limbonic Art through Europe.
Their second album, "...And So The Night Became" was released in 1998, accompanied by a tour supporting Deicide.
In 1999's "Shadows Of Old" album their sound moved from darkened black metal
toward a faster and more aggressive death metal sound.
Morrigan left the group in 2001 for personal reasons and was later replaced by V'gandr of Helheim.
Later that year they released their fourth full-length album called "Ascension Of Terror".
Their next album "A Darker Monument" was released on the new Nocturnal Art Productions label in 2003.
After the release of their sixth full-length "HeXaeon",
long-time member Vrolok left the band and was replaced by S. Winter on drums early in 2006.
In the period between 2008 and 2011, the band entered a lull.
V'gandr left the band to concentrate his work on his own band Helheim.
Ares reformed the band with Phobos on drums and Specter as a new guitarist
and released in 2013 their seventh full-length album, "...And The Seventh His Soul Detesteth".
In 2018 the band released their latest album entitled "Heathen".

Sunday 13 October 2019

Azmodan – Evil Obscurity (1998)


Country: Germany

Tracklist
1. The Arrival 08:38
2. Hellbound 09:11
3. Evil Obscurity 04:15
4. A Bestia 06:57
5. Remember Them 05:56
6. Once Were Warriors 06:09
7. Signum Vitiosum Dance 06:23

Azmodan was a German melodic/symphonic black metal band created by Lord Azmodan (aka René Pfeiffer).
Lord Azmodan was also contributing vocals from 1998 to 2001 for the German death metal band My Darkest Hate.
Azmodan was created in 1996 and released two albums, "Evil Obscurity" in 1998
and "Of Angels And Demons" in 1999, both of them published by Iron Glory Records.
"Evil Obscurity" featured a full line up, with Lord Azmodan (Vocals, Guitar),
Andariel (Guitar), Vorax (Drums) and Mefastus (Bass)
while for the creation of "Of Angels And Demons" Lord Azmodan went solo handling everything, 
with only the assistance of Carmen Clark on female vocals.
A third album entitled "Everblasting" was about to be released in 2009 but this was never happened.

Monday 30 September 2019

Nagelfar – Srontgorrth (Die Macht Erfaßte Das Meine Wie Die Angst Das Blut Der Anderen) (1999)


Country: Germany

Tracklist
1. Kapitel Eins, Der Frühling: Als Die Tore Sich Öffnen... 16:45
2. Kapitel Zwei, Der Sommer: Die Existenz Jenseits Der Tore 16:11
3. Kapitel Drei, Der Herbst: Endzeit 09:19
4. Kapitel Vier, Der Winter: Trümmer 09:36
5. Kapitel Fünf: Willkommen Zu Haus 18:09

Nagelfar were founded in 1993 by guitarist Zorn and drummer Rykthius Von Meilenwald,
now known as Alexander Von Meilenwald.
It took until 1995 to get a stable line-up, by addition of Sveinn Von Hackelnberg on bass and Jander on vocals.
Together they recorded two demos, a split EP with the German band Dark Embrace,
as well as the two full length albums "Hünengrab Im Herbst" and "Srontgorrth".
With the production of "Srontgorrth", a concept album, they lost Hackelnberg and Jander.
Soon Zingultus (of Desecration, Graupel, Graven etc.) was found for vocal duties, but the band never found a bass player.
On the album "Virus West" that was released in 2001, Zorn and Meilenwald were forced to handled bass duties.
To date, this release is the last official one by Nagelfar.
In April 2002 the band called it quits when Zorn announced that he lacked energy and motivation to continue Nagelfar.
He and Meilenwald were always in agreement that Nagelfar would only exist if both of them were active,
so consequently the band was put to rest.
Alexander Von Meilenwald formed The Ruins Of Beverast shortly thereafter, while Zorn formed Simple Existenz and EgoNoir.
Sveinn Von Hackelnberg is the owner of Ván Records.
In 2009 "Srontgorrth" was re-issued by Ván Records with a bonus cd featuring demo versions 
and a debut album version of "Srontgorrth" plus 20 minutes "Srontgorrth Medley",
which was recorded for concerts featuring Zingultus on vocals.

Sunday 29 September 2019

Molested – Blod-Draum (1995)


Country: Norway

Tracklist
1. A Strife Won At Wraith 04:28
2. Along The Misty Morass 03:34
3. Unborn Woods In Doom 03:34
4. Following The Growls 05:44
5. Blod-Draum 03:18
6. The Hate From Miasma Storms 03:44
7. Carved By Raven Claws 03:17
8. A Glade Of Ingrown Blood 03:44
9. Forlorn As A Mist Of Grief 04:44

The band was formed in 1991 under the name Purgation but they soon changed it into Molested.
This was the first band of Borknagar founder Øystein Garnes Brun,
which also included former Gorgoroth drummer and author Erlend "Sersjant" Erichsen.
A month after their creation Kenneth Lian (bass) and Trond Turnes (guitars) joined to complete the lineup.
They released their only full-length, "Blod-Draum", in 1995 and split after releasing the "Stormvold" EP.
After the split of the band Øystein Garnes Brun wrote some songs that would become part of Borknagar's first album.

Monday 23 September 2019

Hathor – Broad Brook Symptome (7'' EP 1998)


Country: Germany

Tracklist
1. Broad Brook Symptome 04:41
2. Der Pfähler 03:14
3. Knochenflöten 03:22
4. Zeit Des Erwachens 04:33

German black metal trio band from Grossbreitenbach, Thuringia.
They were active during the 1990's and were originally known as Wormy Vomit.
The band released two demos entitled "Dark Satanic Blasphemy" in 1994 and "The Return Of Satanic Rites" in 1996.
In 1998 their final work was the limited to 500 numbered copies 7" EP "Broad Brook Symptome

that was released by Räudig Records.

Saturday 31 August 2019

Paps – Vibes From The Other Side / Digital Ache (12'' EP 1999)


Country: France

Tracklist
1. Vibes From The Other Side 08:55
2. Digital Ache 07:59

Stéphane Papin from France was active in the minimal psychedelic scene from 1999 to 2002
and has produced some real gems of that time.
The first release of his project Paps was in 1999, when TIP.World rec

published the "Vibes From The Other Side/Digital Ash" 12'' EP.
Since that time Paps was kept been busy and quickly became a respected and acclaimed producer/dj 

also spending lots of time playing around Europe, Japan and USA.
His music was released on various labels and also on many compilations.
Paps style is based on driving basslines, powerful rhythm structures 

and synthetic atmospheres with trippy noises and effects.
Stéphane Papin has also collaborated on other projects,

like Tripiatrik together with Laurent Barateau and Pierre Busson of Yumade
and also has produced tracks together with Damien Vergnaud from Droidlock.

Thursday 15 August 2019

Dead Souls Rising – Scented Garden (1997)


Country: France

Tracklist
1. TV - Trauma 04:02
2. Sin 05:09
3. The Sword And The Rose 03:07
4. The Death Of The Lovers 03:18
5. The Sensuous Taste Of Hell 03:09
6. Ritual 03:30
7. Obscured Passion 04:42
8. Fire Dance 04:27
9. Watch 04:59
10. Scented Visions 03:33
11. HalluSINation 03:07

Dead Souls Rising was formed in 1993 by Alastrelle (vocals), Sébastien Ficagna (guitar) and Pascal X (bass).
They released together a 5 tracks self titled demo tape in 1993, and the full-length album "Ars Magica" followed in 1995.
During the recording session of their second album "Scented Garden" in 1997, Laurent (violin) joined them.
In 1997 Sébastien left the band and in 1999 the 2xCD compilation "Clepsydre 1993-1999" was released.
"Clepsydre 1993-1999" contains numerous live tracks, but also their remastered demo tracks and exclusive songs.
In 2000 Renfield was joined on guitar and in 2004 Sand followed on bass.
Dead Souls Rising music is influenced by bands such as Bauhaus, Christian Death, Siouxsie And The Banshees and Alastrelle's voice is inspired by artists like Kate Bush, Nina Hagen, Lisa Gerrard, Diamanda Galas, Björk and PJ Harvey.
The band has played concerts in various places in France and other parts of Europe.

Monday 12 August 2019

Today Is The Day – In The Eyes Of God (1999)


Country: United States

Tracklist
1. In The Eyes Of God 03:11
2. Going To Hell 07:09
3. Spotting A Unicorn 01:20
4. Possession 01:03
5. The Color Of Psychic Power 02:05
6. Mayari 03:22
7. Soldier Of Fortune 01:50
8. Bionic Cock 01:54
9. Argali 02:13
10. Afterlife 01:46
11. Himself 01:40
12. Daddy 01:13
13. Who Is The Black Angel? 01:27
14. Martial Law 02:32
15. False Reality 02:37
16. The Russian Child Porn Ballet 01:36
17. The Cold Harshness Of Being Wrong Throughout Your Entire Life 01:43
18. Honor 02:18
19. Worn Out 00:57
20. There Is No End 08:44

Today Is The Day is an American noise rock/experimental metal originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee.
The band's diverse sound combines influences from areas such as noise music,
avant-garde metal, grindcore, and alternative rock among other genres.
Most of the band's recordings make extensive use of dissonance and sampling,
as well as unusual production techniques and psychedelic overtones.
Lyrical themes include depression, warfare, violence, altered states of consciousness, and mental disorders.
Today Is The Day was founded by Steve Austin in the early 1990s
and reigns as one of the most unique and influential bands of the past two decades.
The band's violent and anthemic style, which blends metal, noise, psychedelia, and rock,
has won worldwide acclaim ever since the debut album.
Eleven studio albums have been released on such labels as Southern Lord, Amphetamine Reptile, Relapse
and their lineup has included such musicians as Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher, who would later go on to form Mastodon.
Today Is The Day has toured the world with Motorhead, Helmet, The Melvins, Morbid Angel
Converge, Napalm Death, Neurosis, Eyehategod, Unsane, and many more.
Steve Austin has also made a name as a producer, creating albums for Lamb Of God, Converge, and many other bands.

Wednesday 31 July 2019

Cyclamen Valley – A Mist-Flowers Exhibition (1996)


Country: Belgium

Tracklist
1. First Thema For Antena 02:04
2. Winter's Garden 03:47
3. Flower's Grave 04:17
4. Quarter To Seven 04:25
5. Constance 03:30
6. Roses Of Final Flight 05:11
7. Mist Flowers Exhibition 03:02
8. Libero Stellarum 04:15
9. Aveux Et Anathemes 05:59
10. Caedes Sub Luna 03:15
11. Slowly Sink Into Obsession 03:25
12. Sweet Lust 02:22
13. Myrna's Domain 02:45
14. Selene's Trumpet 03:42
15. Heaven's Bells (Bonus Demo Track) 03:27

Cyclamen Valley was a Belgian project founded by Marc Durant (Nymphea Alba)
with the help of Gaetan Paternot and Heidi Kanters on vocals and lyrics.
In 1994 the band recorded a demo tape and in 1996 they released the CD "A Mist-Flowers Exhibition".
The music can be described as a mix of ethereal, neo-classical with some touches of darkwave.

Sunday 28 July 2019

Alsvartr – Ett Hedensk Land (Demo 1997)


Country: Norway

Tracklist
1. Ett Hedensk Land 06:23
2. As Ravens Fly 04:49
3. Bloodrevenge 04:46
4. Vikingferd 08:01

Alsvartr was formed in 1997 and consisted of Kjetil Dahlen on drums 
and Jan Steinar Myrvoll on guitar and vocals.
After a while Stian Bakkehaug joined as a bass player and Christer Pedersen joined on synths.
These four members played together for about 6 months 
before they decided to get Tommy Nikolaisen as an additional guitar player.
In October 1998 Alsvartr recorded their demo cd called "Ett Hedensk Land".
After the release of the demo they played on some conserts 
and supported bands like Aura Noir and Myrkskog.
In 1999 they released their live album entitled "Live In Eidsvoll
that featured new tracks beside their demo ones from their gig in Eidsvoll.
After many line up changes the EP "Evighetens Kall" was released in 2001.
Around 2004 a compilation/promo was released that included new tracks and also re-recorded versions of older songs.

Wednesday 10 July 2019

Penitent ‎– ...The Beauty Of Pain... (1997)


Country: Norway

Tracklist
1. Autumn Is The Beauty Of Pain 13:50
2. Black Is The Sun Shining 04:22
3. Into The Great Inferno 07:20
4. A Mournful Bridge Over A River Of Tears 10:56
5. Necropolis 05:15
6. My Secret Garden 08:05


Penitent was created in 1994, when Karsten Hamre (Arcane Art, Dense Vision Shrine, Veiled Allusions),
was obsessed by the idea of combining his poetry with music,
in order to create more powerful atmosphere than one could get by only reading his poems.
Not long after the creation, Asbjørn Log joined the band.
Together they made the material for the band's first and only demo tape,

which was recorded at Eternal Damnation studio and released in March 1995.
The band got offers from several labels, from which the well-known Swedish Cold Meat Industry 

was chosen for the release of the debut album "Melancholia" in 1996.
"Melancholia" was an album of sad and sombre, but majestic synth music,

which together with the spoken poetry awoke the most dark and depressive feelings.
In August 1996 Penitent signed for two albums on Draenor Productions, a division of Napalm Records in Austria.
During November Karsten Hamre spent his time at Sans & Samling studio and recorded

the second Penitent album "The Beauty Of Pain", which represented a drastic step forward for the band.
The synth sounds were largely replaced by piano parts

and the songwriting reached an utterly spellbinding level of development.
Most of the music was written by Asbjørn Log, except the final track,

which was written by Karsten Hamre, as well as all the poems were written by him too.
At about this time Asbjørn Log left the band, and Karsten Hamre became the sole member of Penitent

 releasing several albums from 1998 to 2007.

Thursday 27 June 2019

13 Candles – Angels Of Mourning Silence (1997)


Country: England

Tracklist
1. The Prayer Of Eternal Damnation 01:53
2. Join Me In Death 03:08
3. The Hunger Within 03:56
4. Woman Of Dark Desires 03:15
5. Siren (Nightingale Mix) 06:23
6. Death Awaits You (Dracula The Undead) 06:07
7. Carmille (Addiction) 04:33
8. Bleed My Emotion 04:27
9. Ghosts 03:33
10. In The Name Of Darkness 03:07
11. Ultimatum 03:35
12. Carpathian Moonrise 05:49
13. Between The Dark And The Light 05:55

13 Candles was born in 1992.
Their debut album "Come Out Of The Dark" was released via Nightbreed Recordings in late 1995
and it was while gigging in support of the album as special guests to Cradle Of Filth on their "Dusk And Her Embrace" tour, that they were asked to sign with Cacophonous Records.
The result of this union was the album "Angels Of Mourning Silence" that was released in 1997.
After a brief UK tour however, the band parted company with vocalist Louis Holloway and took a short break to regroup.
They returned in 1998 with new vocalist Danny J. Finch and drummer Paul Mackey.
Soon after, they entered Academy Studios to create the album "Killing For Culture".
Upon its official release on Def2Music in 2003, "Killing For Culture" showcased a heavier direction for the band
with hard rock metallic riffs and industrial strength rhythms joining forces

alongside the established gothic elements that were long associated with the band.
Since then 13 Candles has been playing their own headline shows and making festival appearances nationwide.

Sunday 23 June 2019

Exotoendo – Endorcism Process (1998)


Country: France

Tracklist
1. Inner Picture 1 06:25
2. Inner Picture 2 05:53
3. Inner Picture 3 10:48
4. Between 05:28
5. Outer Picture 1 08:20
6. Outer Picture 2 06:15
7. Outer Picture 3 14:29

Exotoendo was a dark ambient project created by Cyril Herry (Ashes To Ashes, Lecanora, Sechres Mound, Ninth Desert).
"Endorcism Process" was the debut CD by this French "endorcist" (the contrary of exorcism) project 

offering heavily ritualistic material mixed with deep, meditative ambient and dark shamanic sounds.
The album was released by Old Europa Cafe in 1998 and was limited to 500 numbered copies.
The same year the project released on the French label Harmonie the cassette album "Transept"

that is chronologically placed before the "Endorcism Process" album and contains the very first tracks of the band.
In 2000 the last album of Exotoendo entitled "Push Kara" was published by the Athanor label.
"Push Kara" is inspired by the Tibetan Book Of The Dead 

and represents the 6 states between life/death/rebirth, as explained in the booklet.

Friday 21 June 2019

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.

Wednesday 19 June 2019

Uncanny – Splenium For Nyktophobia (1994)


Country: Sweden

Tracklist
1. Elohim 04:11
2. Tales From The Tomb 02:50
3. Brain Access 03:13
4. Timeless 03:35
5. Screaming In Phobia 03:33
6. Enkelbiljetten 01:12
7. Indication Vitalis 03:36
8. Soul Incest 03:49
9. Spräng Skitten 02:04
10. Towards The Endless Throne 03:02
11. Lepra 01:39
12. The Final Conflict (The Pornoflute Pt. 2) 03:09
13. Splenium For Nyktophobia 02:22

Uncanny is a Death Metal band from Avesta, Sweden, that was formed in 1990.
In 1991 and 1992 they released two demos "Transportation To The Uncanny" and "Nyktalgia".
In 1993 they recorded a split 12" ep with Ancient Rites and in 1994 Unisound Records released their full-length album "Splenium For Nyktophobia" that was recorded with Dan Swanö.
Then the band split up and Fredrik Norrman joined Katatonia, Kennet joined Dellamorte and Moondark,
Mats Forsell had his other band Fulmination and Jens continued to do the vocals in Uncurbed.
Several years later in January 2008 Uncanny did a reunion gig at Daniel Ekeroth's second release party 
for his book "Swedish Death Metal" together with Treblinka and Obscurity.
The lineup was updated with Mattias Norrman (ex Katatonia, Dellamorte etc) on bass 
and Johan Jansson (Interment, Demonical etc) on guitar.
In the middle of 2011 Uncanny was offered to release an 7" ep on Dark Descent.
Two new songs were made by Fredrik Norrman that we later recorded in November in studio SoundPeaQ 
by Petri Kuusisto (ex Carnal Forge, In Thy Dreams etc).
The vinyl was released in 2012 entitled "The Path Of Flesh".
In 2016 the ep "Liturgy" was released and featured three new songs.

Wednesday 29 May 2019

Dracul – Order Of The Dragon (1999)


Country: United States

Tracklist
1. Pondering Of Darkness 07:08
2. Blood Stained Chalice 07:24
3. Rise Of Tiamat 04:43
4. Call From Beyond The Dismal Trench 06:58
5. Astral Predator 07:03
6. Sacrifice Of The Lamb 03:54
7. Pondering Of Darkness (Instrumental Version) 07:08
8. Blood Stained Chalice (Instrumental Version) 07:24
9. Rise Of Tiamat (Instrumental Version) 04:43
10. Call From Beyond The Dismal Trench (Instrumental Version) 06:58
11. Astral Predator (Instrumental Version) 07:03
12. Sacrifice Of The Lamb (Instrumental Version) 03:52

Dracul (aka Dracul Order Of The Dragon) was a ritual/dark ambient/neoclassical project from the United States.
The project included as members Faunus Amadeus Loki (Mastema, Endoki Forest etc.), Mephistopheles and Deacon Damien.
In 1999 they released their only album entitled "Order Of The Dragon" (aka "Rites Of The Apocalypse") on a limited CDR,
featuring ritual incantations spoken by Mephistopheles and instrumentation's performed by Faunus Amadeus Loki.
Dracul also performed live in 1997 in New York City.

Sunday 28 April 2019

Bleeding Like Mine – In The Eyes Of Lovelost (1997)


Country: United States

Tracklist
1. Untitled # 5 06:20
2. Shattering A Silver Sky 04:26
3. Red 04:22
4. Like Winter's Rain, Slowly Melting 04:27
5. Willow 03:29
6. Garland 05:30
7. Nothing Seems The Same 07:30
8. Idaho 05:21
9. Castaway 02:24
10. Will This Ever Touch Me Again? 05:09
11. Bleeding Like Mine 05:57
12. Dramatique 03:51
13. Untitled # 8 : Chapter 4 05:36

Bleeding Like Mine was an ethereal darkwave group from Milwaukee, WI, United States,
started in 1994 by multi-instrumentalist Curt Emmer and vocalist Holly Emmer.
Their first album, "In The Eyes Of Lovelost", was released in 1997 on the Italian label Palace Of Worms.
It consists of melancholic and slow darkwave music, where the ghostly ambiences and cyclical piano melodies
created by Curt meet the ethereal vocals of Holly, whose singing is occasionally multi-tracked into an eerie chorus.
Their second album, "Never Again Will I Dream...", was released in 2001, again on Palace Of Worms.
This time the addition of the deep vocals of Hugues Dammarie (O Quam Tristis, Thy Violent Vanities
are combined with the heavenly vocals of Holly Emmer and with bolder percussion and rhythm developments.
"In The Eyes Of Lovelost" was re-released in 2002 and contains approx. 12 extra minutes of music
at the end of the track 13 that weren't present on the original release.
The Memory link contains also this track.