B.E.T.H. – Blighty/Back To Blighty/The Incredible News To Access (12'' EP 1997)

Country: England / Germany

Tracklist

1. Blighty 7:11
2. Back To Blighty 10:00
3. The Incredible News To Access 09:42

B.E.T.H. (Brain Energy To Human) was a very short-lived project featuring

Dino Psaras (Cydonia etc.), Tim Schuldt and Steve Ronan.

They released only this 12'' EP on the German label Aurinko Records.

The Memory link features as a bonus a fourth track entitled "Harsh"

that it was taken from the 1998 Aurinko Records compilation "Score".

Memory

Allegiance – Blodörnsoffer (1997)

Country: Sweden

Tracklist

1. Intåg 01:45
2. Med Svärd I Hand 04:37
3. Likbål 04:57
4. En Svunnen Tid 05:52
5. Heimdal 07:07
6. Yggdrasil 04:26
7. Korpen Skall Leda Oss 05:43
8. Blodörnsoffer 05:41
9. Blot 05:35
10. Uttåg 03:18

Allegiance was formed in 1989 in Söderköping, Sweden,

featuring in their ranks drummer Fredrik Andersson and vocalist/bass/guitar player Roger 'Bogge' Svensson (aka B. War)

both of them mostly known for their later involvement with the black metal band Marduk.
The same year they released their debut demo "Sick World" delivering old style traditional thrash metal.
By drafting Magnus 'Devo' Andersson in 1990, Allegiance got decidedly more brutal

adding death metal elements on their style and released two more demos,

"Eternal Hate" in 1990 and "The Beginning Was The End" in 1991.
Undergoing a radical line-up shuffle the next years they released their fourth demo, 1993's "Odin Äge Er Alle",

and began to evolve to a more viking/black metal act and also shift their lyrical focus toward more pagan matters.
The "Höfdingadrapa" demo, a year later, solidified this shift

and its three songs would be later re-recorded for the band's debut album.,
Pär Thornell would be introduced on vocals and guitar with Mikael Almgren as new bassist in 1995.
In March 1995 Allegiance was signed to No Fashion Records and in July the same year they entered Unisound Studio

 to record their long awaited debut album "Hymn Till Hangagud" that was released in 1996.
From there, Allegiance would go on to release two more albums, 1997's "Blodörnsoffer" and 1999's "Vrede",

both of which made the Swedes a cult band.

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

Octinomos – Welcome To My Planet (1999)

 

Country: Sweden

 

Tracklist

1. Nuclear Blitz 06:05
2. Divine Terror 05:49
3. Atomic Night 06:40
4. World Pulverization 05:44
5. Totalitarian Might 05:42
6. Plutonium Love 06:14
7. Genocide Mass 06:49

Octinomos was formed in 1993 by Fredrik Söderlund (Puissance, ex-Parnassus, etc.) and Mårten Björkman (Arditi, Algaion).

Two demos were released in 1994 and a promo was followed in 1995.
The same period of 1995 M. Björkman left the band before the release of their debut album "Octinomos"

by Infortunium Records, a sub-label of Full Moon Productions.
The same album the following year was re-released by Full Moon Productions 

under the title "On The Demiurge" with a few track changes.
Subsequently, from 1995 onwards the band existed as a one man project of F. Söderlund.
After a deal was offered with the American label Baphomet Records 

Octinomos released the albums "Welcome To My Planet" in 1999 and "Fuckhole Armageddon" in 2001.
"Welcome To My Planet" was re-released in 2000 by the Dutch label Hammerheart Records.
In 2008 M. Björkman rejoined Octinomos and together with F. Söderlund

started working on an upcoming fourth album entitled "Holocaust Machine".

Memory

The Protagonist – A Rebours (1998)

Country: Sweden

Tracklist

1. The Eternal Abjectness Of Life 06:12
2. Kämpfende Pferde 06:39
3. Mutability 06:30
4. Zoroaster 05:48
5. Song Of Innocence 04:53
6. The Puritan 06:38
7. Imitation 05:08
8. The End 06:02

Between 1987 and 1991 Magnus Sundström (also in Des Esseintes) started collaborating

with Peter Nyström (Negru Voda, Megaptera, Each Dawn I Die) on the projects Fiskebåtarna and First Aid.

After Nyström joined Megaptera Magnus Sundström was involved on another project in 1992 called Twat.

It wasn't until 1994 that Sundström discovered that he could make industrial music

when Peter Nyström asked him if he wanted to participate on a split tape together with his new side project Negru Voda. Sundström accepted and after choosing the name Third Eye

 the split cassette was released later that year on the Italian label Slaughter Productions.
In 1995 Third Eye also appeared on the Death In June tribute compilation "Heilige Tod".
In 1996 after changing the name to The Protagonist Sundström appeared on the "Palace Of Worms" compilation.
More compilation contributions followed like "Riefenstahl" (1996), "In De Ban Van Tiwar" (1996), 

"Ahimsâ" (1997), "Thorak" (1998) and "The Absolute Supper" (1998).
By 1998 the band had already build a well respected name and their forthcoming debut was highly anticipated.
"A Rebours" was finally released in late 1998 through Cold Meat Industry 

and was excitedly greeted and well received by the dark industrial crowd.
The album's modern classical/orchestral music draws a lot of inspiration from cinematic and literary sources

as well as the ancient zoroastric religion, leaving little doubt about the ardour

with which Sundström approaches his compositions.
Guest appearances on vocals featured Mark St. John Ellis (Elijah's Mantle),

Peter Pettersson (Arcana), Mårten Kellerman (Each Dawn I Die), and Izze.
In 2005 Magnus Sundström released the MCD "Interim"

and later the same year his second, and last, album entitled "Songs Of Experience".

Memory

Otus Scops – Les Neiges Éternelles (Demo 1994)

Country: Austria

Tracklist

1. Myth 07:25
2. Everlasting Snow 13:08
3. Myth (Bonus Instrumental Version) 07:25
4. Everlasting Snow (Bonus Instrumental Version) 13:08

Mostly known for the involvement of Renaud Tschirner (Elend, ex-Korovakill etc.),

the band was created around 1992 and had continuously faced line-up problems.
The core trio of keyboards/synths, violin/vocals and drums, untypical for any metal band,

was finally completed by a permanent guitar player in 1993.
From the start, the electric violin used heavy distortion, as a guitar substitute,

and the synths provided the base of the band's sound.
In 1993 with the addition of Roland Wurzer (Darkwell) on bass guitar, Otus Scops set the foundations of a strong line up.
A few concerts were played in 1994, and following the release of the first Elend album 

one month prior to the recording of “Les Neiges Éternelles”,

the band thought the time was convenient for finally trying to secure a record deal.
Two compositions that best captured their sound were selected for this recording.
Unfortunately, they were over a year old by that time 

and what once must have sounded extremely original had certainly lost most of its appeal by late 1994.
The distorted violin, which had surely contributed to Otus Scops’s originality,

was completely dropped for this recording and all concerts during this last phase in the band’s existence.
The violin still plays from start to finish on both compositions, making massive use of various effects, 

but due to the two guitars, which could provide the continuous stereo low end brutality a single guitar and violin could not,

no violin distortion was deemed necessary any longer.
Also the rudimentary recording conditions did certainly not help

at a time when bands generally went into a professional recording studio even for their demos.
No serious record label seemed to be interested, so the band finally dissolved after one more gig was played in early 1995, with the musicians either moving to their main bands, abandoning their instrument, or venturing into other genres.

Memory

Netherworld – Netherworld (1996)

Country: Australia

Tracklist

1. Into The Netherworld 01:24
2. Sacrificial Slumber 04:04
3. Dark Spirit Of Our Time 04:02
4. Netherworld 05:39
5. Succubus Descends 04:04
6. She... The Undead 03:52
7. Grim 03:48
8. Horizons Past 04:58
9. Ascent From The Netherworld 01:58

Netherworld was an Australian black metal band from Melbourne.
The band was created around 1994 and after the release of a promo tape in 1995

they signed with the Norwegian label Head Not Found.
A year later they released their first and only full length album entitled "Netherworld".
The band consisted of Morgue (Bestial Warlust, ex-Corpse Molestation, ex-Orchestra Infernale),
Tom Anvil (ex-Atomizer) and Vanthe.
While the band is leaning towards to mostly typical black metal passages there are also some more melodic,

almost gothic, elements in many tracks utilizing Vanthe's beautiful female vocals.

Memory