The Fates – Furia (1985)

Country: England

 

Tracklist

 1. Ceaseless Effort 04:40
2. Bridget Of Ireland 03:11
3. Sheila/She Beats In My Heart 06:55
4. No Romance 03:26
5. Strength (I) 06:35
6. Holy Hymn 03:59
7. Who Am I? 08:46
8. Ritual 03:41
9. Strength (II) 00:53

 

The earliest group was started by Una Baines (The Fall, Blue Orchids) and two other women.
The Fates were formed when Blue Orchids broke up after a brief stint as Nico's backing band for a European tour.
In 1985 they released on Una Baines' own label, Taboo Records, the album "Furia"

a sometimes ritualistic, folk/rock with electronic sounds and many improvisational parts.
The album was dedicated to the Lancashire witches

who were murdered because their knowledge of herbal medicine, midwifery and many other skills

and also to the Tuatha De Dannan of Ireland whose way of life centered around a Mother/Goddess named Danu.
"Furia" was reissued by Finders Keepers Records/Bird in 2014.

 
Memory

The Thieves Of Impressions – Trifolium: The Autumn Catharsis (7'' EP 1994)

 

Country: Germany

Tracklist

1. Changes 06:13
2. Leszerazz Galliard 05:42
3. Autumn 02:05

Short lived project formed in 1993 and led by author Aleš Pickar

 who together with Stefan Alt (aka Salt) were the two founders of the cult label Ant-Zen.
The band gathered many members among their releases featuring Aleš Pickar (keys, bass, drums, guitar, vocals, flute),

Erich Kogler (vocals, bass, piano), Katha (vocals), Peter Megele (guitar), Sirod Allabmort (vocals),

Uli Jenne (drums), Wolfgang Hierl (guitars, vocals, flute, keys) and Pia Horn (violin).
The Thieves Of Impressions later reshaped into the band Concrescence 

while Aleš Pickar, together with Brandon Gonsalves, was also involved with the ambient project Tidal Flow.

Memory

Ronan Quays – The Ebbing Wings Of Wisdom (1996)

Country: England

Tracklist

1. As The Spinster Spins 03:02
2. Into The Light 03:39
3. The Well, Endless And Full 04:50
4. Land Left By Time 05:58
5. Salt And Bitter Truth 03:41
6. The Saracen 02:20
7. Malady, Sweet Company 03:53
8. The Final Sigh 05:14
9. Benthos, Beneath The Ice 04:43

Rhett Brewer is a British based singer and film composer

best known for his mix of Classical music with music of Non-Western origin and Electronic elements, 

as well as the use of his own original voice as an instrument.
Born in New York City, Brewer was surrounded by Russian, Middle East and Klezmer music,

all blended with jazz and the classical work he studied as a pianist and childhood vocalist in his local Catholic church.
Inspired by all these sound worlds and by the liturgical atmosphere of the church, he began carving out a distinctive sound.
Brewer was plucked from obscurity with the compilation album "These Wings Without Feathers" 

(featuring Lisa Gerrard, Elijah's Mantle and CoEx),  released in 1996 by the De Nova Da Capo label and World Serpent.
Subsequently, Brewer's debut album "The Ebbing Wings Of Wisdom"

was released under the project title Ronan Quays, and later under his own name to critical acclaim.

In 2000 Brewer began working for media with the BBC production "Keeping Τhe Feast".
Since then, he has regularly composed and contributed music for film and television internationally.
His scores have included music for "Crossing Borders" a documentary by German filmmaker Arnd Wächter,

"The Lot" by American director Kevin Watson, music for the Touchstone Television Production "The Path Τo 9/11",

a documentary about the blind Frisian poet Tsjêbbe Hettinga by Dutch Director Pieter Verhoeff,

and the short film "Together" by Eicke Bettinga.
In 2006, Brewer began a new solo project entitled Hotel De Ville.

Recorded by Brewer, the music was inspired by his film work and is focused on a cinematic narrative of music as a place.

Fusing elements of 60's French pop, classical and electronic percussion,

Brewer recorded all the music at 60 BPM, which is the same as that of the human heart.
Tracks from the album have been used for various films, and the song "Full Circle"

was selected in 2006 by the Italian company Fernet Branca for their current television advertising campaign.

In 2018 Brewer recorded his latest album "The Thaw" with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in Finland.

Memory

Akhenaton – Divine Symphonies (1995)

Country: France

Tracklist

1. Raising (Intro) 00:33
2. Unutterable Verity 07:07
3. Remissions / The Sign Of Herou 08:05
4. In The Circle Of Wizards / Ritual 05:05
5. Chase With The Shadows 03:06
6. Cross The Styx (Dance With The Souls) 02:11
7. The Kingdom Of Wisdom 05:17
8. At The Gates Of Obscurity 03:10
9. Final Battle (Against Your Dark Side) 04:08
10. Pharao (The Karma Of The Hierophante) 03:41

Vincent Urbain aka Lord V. Akhenaton (ex-Amaymon, ex-Winds Of Sirius, ex-The Seven Gates)
released his first album in 1994 under the name Daemonium entitled "Dark Opera Of The Ancient War Spirit".
The album was released by Adipocere Records and was a mix of black metal, medieval and classical music.
In 1995, Vincent changed the name of the project to Akhenaton
and after the recording of the demo "Solar Forces", he released the album "Divine Symphonies".
The album received excellent reviews and remains one of the most sold French extreme metal albums of all time.
A video was also made for the track "The Kingdom Of Wisdom".
After a very long hiatus Vincent decided make his return in 2012 under the moniker Sandragon.
This time, he surrounded himself with musicians to deliver the third part of his trilogy.
In 2015 "Requiem For Apocalypse" was finally released by Wake Up Dead Records.
In July 2016 Adipocere Records released the "Daemonium-Akhenaton-Sandragon: Thy Mystic Trilogy"
vinyl compilation containing all the three albums.

Memory

Enid – Nachtgedanken (1998)

Country: Germany

Tracklist

1. Silentium Obscuritate 01:08
2. Institutio Immortales 08:26
3. Of Wisdom's Shadows 06:13
4. Aurora 06:27
5. Nachtgedanken 09:22
6. Art Of The Blacksmith 04:23
7. Nebelthron 01:58
8. Intransitority 07:28

Martin Wiese and Florian Dammasch found the project Enid in 1997 inspired by Summoning’s "Minas Morgul" album.
The same year they released their self titled demo with music solely composed by Martin.
200 copies were sold to several distribution services and the tape was enthusiastically reviewed by some fanzines.
After the release of the demo the recordings of two songs for a 7“ EP entitled "Der Tag Zur Nacht Sich Senkt...“ began.
This release finally saw the light of day in 2001 as a 10“ MLP limited to 500 copies,
including two bonus tracks and released by the German label Ketzer.
In August 1998 eight new songs were recorded for their debut album named "Nachtgedanken" ("Night Thoughts")
that was released on tape format by Elven Witchcraft.
After signing to Austrian label CCP Records the CD version of "Nachtgedanken" was available in 1999.
In August 1999 the large part of the material for their second album was already completed.
After Florian got in contact with drummer Moritz Neuner (Abigor, DornenReich, Darkwell, Graveworm, Korova, Angizia etc.) and vocalist Maria Dorn (Stardust, Agony, Vanitas) and asked them to join Enid,
the band entered the CCP Studio in April 2000 to record their second album entitled "Abschiedsreigen".
After some line up changes in 2001 Enid signed a deal for 4 albums with the  Italian label Code666 
and in 2002 the album "Seelenspiegel" was completed.
Enid’s first gig took place in Porta Westfalica during the release party of "Seelenspiegel".
Several other live performances followed with bands like Menhir, Odroerir and Anubiz.
In September 2003 their fourth album "Gradwanderer" saw the light of day followed by "Munsalvaesche" in 2011.

Memory

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.

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

Aardia – Embraced By Fear (Demo 1999)

Country: Sweden

Tracklist

1. The Lightning 04:01
2. Old Forgotten Times 02:56
3. Embraced By Fear 04:13
4. Magic Forces 03:43

Aardia is a medieval/dungeon synth/ambient project from Stockholm, Sweden , 
founded by Patric Söderlund and Daniel Johnsson in 1998.
The music brings influences from the medieval age, fantasy, horror films and classical orchestra music.
Aardia's major inspirations comes from H.P. Lovecraft, Tolkien, 
and musicians like Carl Orff, Ennio Morricone and Fabio Frizzi.
The band has released two demos, "Embraced By Fear" (1999) and "Fairy Tales From Beyond" (2002), 
and a full-length album in 2011 entitled "Conquest Of The Ancient Halls".
Apart from their albums Aardia has also composed soundtracks for the movies "Die Zombiejäger" (2005) 
and "Dragonetti: The Ruthless Contract Killer" (2010).
In 2013 the band started working on a new album entitled "A Journey To The Unknown" 
but no news have surfaced about it since then.

Memory

Monastery – Plena Sunt Celestia (Demo 1998)

Country: New Zealand

Tracklist

1. The Mountain 05:59
2. Devotion 05:07
3. Cave Of Light 04:06
4. Garden Of Tranquillity 04:30
5. Mountain Of Prayer 02:05

Monastery was the project of Sean O'Kane-Connolly known mostly for his involvement with bands like

Apnea, Corridors Of Pale, Gaoth Anair, Lyra, Nystagmus, Taur Nu Fuin, Uppsalan Temple etc.
In 1998 Sean became a Christian and devoted his musical projects onto God.
Prayer On The Mountain was his first solo project that was originally medieval based but later took a more industrial path.
Since he wanted to continue musically into the medieval-atmospheric genre he decided to create a new project,  

Monastery, that was inspired by Orthodox traditions, and Celtic Christianity.
With this project he tried to engineer visual music intended to build pictures into imagination, 

taking on a voyage through ancient monasteries, stone structures, statues of angels and icons of the saints.

Sean has used many pseudonyms for various ambient and black metal projects over the course of the past handful of years,

including projects like Bashy Troll Fetus, Verrottentrolls, Seregost, Undiscovered Moons Of Saturn, as well as others.

Memory

The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud – The Smell Of Blood But Victory (1997)

Country: Austria

Tracklist

1 - 24 Untitled 01:33:42

Founded in Austria in 1993, The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud was a medieval martial ambient project 

formed by musician Albin Julius (also in Der Blutharsch) and vocalist Alzbeth.
The music was all created electronically, shifting in style from pure ambient soundscapes to pounding martial anthems, 

while the vocals ranged from soothing ethereal love songs to shouted declarations of war 

and European medievalism including ritual, clerical chants.
When performing live, the band often played in old churches, fortresses, medieval prisons 

and theaters that provided an appropriate atmosphere for their static, militaristic performances.
All the bands releases were through their own personal label Arthur's Round Table 

which was based in Switzerland, and distributed by World Serpent.
With each release the band presented themes traveling further into European history 

and becoming more martial, choral and bombastic in approach, culminating in their final album, 

the largely World War II-inspired The Smell Of Blood But Victory 

which was released as a limited edition box of 2000 copies including CD, a bonus MCD and a poster.
The group disbanded in 1998 after Albin's and Alzbeth's partnership broke up.
In 2000 Alzbeth released ART 13, which is a complete book of lyrics, photographs and references 

for the historical themes used by the band. This book is stated to be the final word in the project.

The Memory link contains also the book in pdf format.

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

Jacula ‎– In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum (1969)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Ritus 04:06
2. Magister Dixit 10:30
3. Triumphatus Sad. 03:34
4. Vereficium 02:21
5. Initiatio 06:48
6. In Cauda Semper 10:05

Jacula is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1968 in Milan as an experiment by Antonio Bartoccetti (Antonius Rex) , Doris Norton (also known as Fiamma Dello Spirito), organist Charles Tiring and medium Franz Porthenzy.
Jacula's music was considered innovative for the time in progressive circles but considered dark and strange by most fans and analysts of the genre, especially in an era that included the development of groups such as Pink Floyd, 
Genesis and Gentle Giant, bands which were the basis of the new progressive rock scene.
Because the band was experimental, and had been labeled by founder Antonio Bartoccetti 
as a youth mistake, Jacula's discography is relatively small.
The group completed two albums: In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum which has a superposition of an organ, 
piano and other sound effects, and Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus which features Doris Norton's vocals, 
with a sound influenced by bands of the Italian underground scene such as Le Orme.
In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum was supposedly recorded in 1969 in London and released in extremely limited numbers (some of them were sent to different religious sects and occult communities!), 
however no original copies have surfaced in collectors circles.This record was released on cd as late as 2001. 
The atmosphere is sinister and haunting based on church organ parts and electric guitar 
with recited vocals, female humming and male chants in Italian and Latin.
After nearly four decades, Jacula released their third studio album Pre Viam in May, 2011.

Memory

Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble Of Shadows – Voyager-The Jugglers Of Jusa (1997)

Country: Germany

Tracklist

1. The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller: A Fragment II 05:06
2. Ein Freundliches Wort Hat Meine Seele Berührt (Defined and Fragile) 05:11
3. Memalon II 07:25
4. The Innocence of Devils: Alone 06:28
5. Modela Est 04:35
6. Birth (Instrumental) 02:50
7. Feralia Genitalia (Arrival of the Jugglers) 06:30
8. Menuetto 01:29
9. Saturn-Impressionen (Jusa, Jusa) 02:48
10. May I Kiss Your Wound? (Saturn: Orion) 06:05
11. Alone II 06:57
12. The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller: A Fragment II (Instrumental) 05:05

Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows is a darkwave musical project based in Frankfurt, 

founded in 1989 by Anna-Varney Cantodea.
Their sound is rooted in renaissance and baroque music, with main use of brass instruments, woodwinds, strings, pipe organs, bells, and guitars. While earlier works used drum machines, later albums feature live percussion. 

Cantodea's work has shown a progression towards livelier arrangements and more wall of sound production, compared to earlier works. Though considered by genre a darkwave band, Cantodea has stated that she creates 

"...-music for dead children (and otherwise wounded souls)".

Major themes of their music include death, unrequited love, karmatic pain, loneliness, sadness, 

spirituality and failure, occultism, sexuality and romance. 

A strong recurring theme is transexuality, especially the removal of male genitalia.

Many allusions to spirituality and Roman deities appear in her lyrics; aside from Jupiter and Saturn, Morpheus, Hades, Uranus and Charon have been addressed by name. Other supernatural figures mentioned include 

the Sister of Self-Destruction, the Goat, the Old Man and the Lord of the Darkest Side.
"Voyager: The Jugglers of Jusa" is the bands first remix album. It was released as a companion to 

"The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller", also released that year, 

and primarily features alternate versions of songs from that album, accompanied by some newer songs.
Most of the remixed songs have had either their backing tracks removed, 

or had extra percussion and drum machines added. "Never trust the Obvious" receives two remixes: 

"The Innocence of Devils: Alone", which contains a recitation of author Edgar Allan Poe's Alone; and "Alone II". 

The signature piece "Birth - Fiendish Figuration" is also featured as an instrumental; 

a remix of "Saturn-Impressionen" from "Todeswunsch - Sous le soleil de Saturne" also appears on this album.
The newer songs include "Modela Est", a cover version of Kraftwerk's "Das Model", sung in Latin; 

and "Feralia Genitalia", another ode to transgenderism as Anna-Varney Cantodea describes her 

"genitals rotting off" and her transformation into a woman.
A band that you either gonna love them or hate them, there is no middle road.

Memory