Subterfuge – Darkland Awakening (MCD 1994)

Country: Australia

Tracklist

1. Darkland Awakening 07:32
2. Haborym 03:44
3. A Prayer For The Kindred 03:06
4. Pre-Dawn Hours 03:52
5. Darkland Awakening (Pray Hard Mix) 07:34

Subterfuge was formed in 1993 by Clifford Ennis along with Rick Mullen and Brendan Toull in Melbourne, Australia.

Although involved musically together since 1987-88 it wasn’t until 1993 that started to take the whole thing more seriously.
They began work on a 4 track demo tape, briefly recruited a 4th member (Jonathan Mee)

and the self-titled demo tape saw the light of day in September 1993.
One gig at a private party for a newly opened record shop in Melbourne called Heartland Records followed

in December before they started working again as a 3-piece band after they discarded with Jonathan’s services.
On the strength of that live show and the demo tape, they were approached by Heartland Records to release a MCD.
In 1994 after a gig that they played as a 3 piece Brendan left the band and Clifford and Rick decided to continue as a duo

and started working on their debut MCD "Darkland Awakening".
Work on the MCD finished in March and it was released the following month to very favorable reviews.
For the remainder of 1994 Subterfuge played live in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane promoting the MCD.
The time was perfect for an album to capitalize on the success, sadly though, a follow up did not eventuate.
Between 1995 and 1997 they sporadically played live around Melbourne while releasing songs on various compilations.
Subterfuge became less active as the years passed, however Clifford stayed involved in the scene.

 In 1996 he created the project Jerusalem Syndrome, a collaboration band with Chris McCarter of Ikon.
He also joined Ikon and played guitar with them and later created the side project Razorfade 

this time with Mark Tansley from UK goth band Suspiria.
In May 2013 a Subterfuge CD album entitled "Reflect<<Rewind" was released on European label, Strobelight Records.
This was a comprehensive collection containing 16 tracks, including unreleased songs and mixes plus some demos.
in 2016 Clifford found himself back in the studio recording brand new material

and in March 2017 a new album entitled "Blind To Reason" was released.
One third of the album is co-written with Rick Mullen thus essentially keeping the 90s duo alive.
2019 saw a return to the studio and a new CD EP entitled "Heat" was released on 2nd April 2020.

Memory

Fabio Fabor – Pape Satan (1980)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Ad Inferos 02:52
2. Acheron 03:06
3. Infernal Galop 03:14
4. La Forgia 03:26
5. Segno Di Fuoco 02:13
6. Caronte 02:58
7. Dies Irae 03:34
8. Stige 03:20
9. Trillo Del Diavolo 02:39
10. Dalle Sirene 03:49
11. V Bolgia 02:33
12. Diabolic Love 02:40

Fabio Borgazzi (24 April 1920 - 3 August 2011), also known as Fabio Fabor,

was one of the most prolific library music composers in Italy between the 1960s and 1980s.
A versatile and multi-talented musician, he explored almost all existing genres, from classical to jazz, 

from pop to electronic music, and released hundreds of records through his own publishing company, Minstrel,

and its numerous sub-labels, such as World, Hard, Flam, Fonovideo and Ring.
"Pape Satan" was originally released on the Hard label in 1980 and has become a cult record,

one often regarded as a groundbreaking exploration of electronic music.
In this work Borgazzi makes extensive use of synthesizers (ARP 2600, ARP 3620, ARP Omni and Roland System 700),

percussion, keyboard instruments (piano, harpsichord, Fender Rhodes) and voices,

developing an abstract and experimental electro-acoustic soundtrack to a dark and infernal environment,

or, as Borgazzi himself explained in the liner notes, an "eschatological-Dantesque environment

caught in its side of transcendent imagination metaphysics and, sometimes, even ironic interpretation.".

Memory

Fumio Kosakai (コサカイ フミオ) – Earth Calling (1987)

Country: Japan

Tracklist

1. Absent Water 05:09
2. Drive To Universe 18:09
3. Look To The Light 22:05

First solo release from legendary artist Fumio Kosakai

that is best known from Japanese noise acts like Incapacitants and Hijokaidan.

In 1987 and 1993, Kosakai self-released two very limited cassettes (about 30 copies each),

of sublime solo electronic minimalism,  "Earth Calling" and "The Warm Garden".

"Earth Calling" was a live recording of a solo performance carried out at the free jazz venue

"Goodman" in Ogikubo, Tokyo, which ran around 1985 - 1986.

For the performance Kosakai used a self-made transmitter, a mini-keyboard Yamaha synthesizer, 

cassette tapes with environmental sounds recorded and a delay-like effect.

For the two first tracks some sounds were overdubbed later on at his home,

while the third track was released as it was on the live performance.

On the track "Look To The Light" Kosakai tried to recreate the infinite repetition

that Terry Riley had performed on his album "A Rainbow In Curved Air".

Also the title of the cassette originates from the first track on the live album "Space Ritual" by Hawkwind.

Memory

Memories Yet To Come 2023

In alphabetical order:

 

 

 

1. Ancestral Fortitude – Stronghold (Demo 2023)

 

 

2. Arditi – Emblem Of Victory (Full-length 2023)

 

3. At The Altar Of The Horned God – Heart Of Silence (Full-length 2023)

 

 

4. Auriferous Flame – Ardor For Black Mastery (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

5. Carlos Viola – Blasphemous 2 (Original Game Soundtrack 2023)

 

 

 

6. Epheles – Promesses (Full-length 2023)

  

 

 

7. Hate Forest – Sowing With Salt (EP 2023)

8. Hate Manifesto – Αποστάτης (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

9. Homo Deus – First Conquest Of Sastamala (EP 2023)

 

 

 

10. Infernal Curse – Revelations Beyond Insanity (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

11. Kommodus – Wreath Of Bleeding Snowfall (Full-length 2023)

 

 

12. Maȟpíya Lúta – Wowahwala (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

13. Motstand – Motstand (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

14. Nahasheol – Serpens Abyssi (Full-length 2023)

 

 

15. Nattfärd – The Abyss (Full-length 2023)

 

 

16. NHV Beherit – WBRRR (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

17. Orgasm 666 – Blood Vagina Angel (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

18. Pa Vesh En – Martyrs (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

19. Reverorum Ib Malacht – Kyrie Eleison (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

20. Slidhr – White Hart! (Full-length 2023)

 

 

21. Sodality – Benediction Part 1 (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

22. Stygian Ruin – A World Past Hope And Fear (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

23. Thanatomass – Hades (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

24. Thantifaxath – Hive Mind Narcosis (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

25. Todverhexen – Verbotene Hexerei (Full-length 2023)

 

 

26. Trhä – Alëce IΩic (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

27. Urfaust – Untergang (Full-length 2023)

 

> 

 

28. Urkraft – Lyset Skinner Best I M​ø​rket (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

29. Verminous Serpent – The Mailgn Covenant (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

30. Virulent Specter – Satanic Territorial Moloch (Full-length 2023)

 

 

 

Sortsind – Sår (1999)

Country: Denmark

Tracklist

1. Vandrer Blandt Dødninge 05:19
2. Blot 04:36
3. Drømme Om Evig Nat 05:54
4. Blandt Grå Monumenter 06:05
5. Sår 05:31
6. Sorte Tårer 03:00
7. Jeg Er Kulden 06:49
8. Vandrer Du I Natten Mørk 09:28
9. Skumring 05:00

Obscure short lived Danish black metal project that operated in the late 90s

consisting of Svig (vocals, guitars), Smerte (bass, keyboards) and Sorg (vocals, drums).
Their debut album was released in 1999 under the title "Sår" on the Danish BTB label

and with the help of Herr. Overgaard handling the drums on two tracks.

The same year a 7'' EP was also released entitled "Tomhed"

featuring three new songs and a forth one taken from their full length album.
This was their last release as the band disbanded after the death of Smerte that committed suicide in 1999.
A third limited edition compilation CDr release followed in 2001 on MP3.com label

and featured various tracks from their two previous releases.
Svig and Smerte were also members of the band Daarlig Stemning.

Memory

James Plotkin & Mick Harris – Collapse (1996)

Country: United States / England

Tracklist

1. Momentum 11:57
2. Collision 10:28
3. Collapse 19:21
4. Drench 14:39
5. Dissolve 09:49

Collaboration album between American guitarist and producer James Plotkin,

known for his role in bands such as Khanate and O.L.D. with participation in acts like Phantomsmasher and Scorn,

and English musician Michael John Harris that was the drummer for Napalm Death between 1985 and 1991,

before joining Painkiller with John Zorn and Bill Laswell

 and since the mid-90s he has worked in electronic and ambient music, with his main projects being Scorn and Lull.
"Collapse" was recorded in Harris’ Black Box studio using looped guitars and a variety of processed sound sources,

resulting a haunting set of five dark ambient/drone soundscapes.
A second collaboration album was also in the future plans, to be released by Sub Rosa label, but this never happened.

Memory

Witching Hour – Exhumation (1994)

Country: England

Tracklist

1. Your Cries 03:52
2. Secret Garden 04:16
3. Dead Of Night 03:22
4. Witchcraft 04:14
5. Afterlife 06:34
6. Slave To The Night 06:18
7. Kissed By Death 05:29
8. Fire & Sun 03:44
9. Eyes Of Dawn 04:08
10. Resurrection (Bonus) 04:54
11. Ligeia (Bonus) 05:19
12. Slave To The Night (Bonus) 06:31

Witching Hour formed in 1991, with Trevor Barnes (Vocals/Guitar), Alys Sterling (Bass) and D.B (Keyboards).
Their first gig was performed at the Turk's Head in Richmond and soon they went on to play at Scream and Club Dead Zone

 which were both held at the Camden Underworld and supported bands such as Nosferatu and The Marionettes.
In 1992 D.B eventually left the band due to differences and was replaced with Alex Winton on keyboards.
Also in the same year, a self-produced vinyl EP called "Hourglass" was released to high acclaim.

To promote the EP, they continued to gig, supporting such bands as The Dream Disciples and London After Midnight.
In 1994 Alex left the band to pursue other interests and replaced by the third and final keyboard player, Ash.
1994 also saw the release of the second EP "She's Alive" and the band's first album "Exhumation".
Due to irreconcilable differences things went bad with Ash and he was asked to leave,

with Trevor and Alys continuing to gig as a two piece.
New songs were written and a new album was planned, but this never materialized

due to financial problems and in 1997 Witching Hour disappeared from the scene.
In 2006, after a very long hiatus, Trevor and Alys agreed to play live at a private Halloween party

and this pretty much triggered their official return.
The renewed interest in the band was very positive,

which led finally to their back catalogue being digitally remastered and re-released.
New gigs followed, including a couple of spots at The Purple Turtle in Camden

and at an all-day goth festival in Birmingham.
This also led to Witching Hour playing in Madrid with The Eternal Fall.
In October 2011, the band finally released their second album "Raven",

to coincide with a live performance supporting the band Pretentious, Moi? at Nambucca in Islington, London.
There were plans for more gigs, more releases and more promo videos, but since then no news have surfaced.

Memory