A short one for an ‘older’ release, but just too exceptional to ignore…
For the release of their fifth studio album, Austria’s finest Asphagor signed a deal with the mighty Immortal Frost Productions community. The result, called The Aphotic Vortex, is an eleven-tracker that clocks thirty-seven minutes or so; half of the tracks being ‘average-lengthy’ pieces (four up to five minutes), interluded by as much shorter intermezzi that last one and a half to two minutes.
About twenty years ago, Pulverised members Dennis Onsia and Cees De Wit decided to start a side-project, next to their leading Death Metal act, in order to canalize the rather Thrash Metal ideas they had at that moment. Thus Dystopia was born. After a short hiatus, they evolved towards a more Blackened Death Metal oriented act, and throughout the years, their approach got more and more technical and complex.
René Thuys is a well-known Flemish musician, acting under the moniker of Ronarg. he’s involved with Ars Veneficium and Antzaat, two of the most notorious Scandinavian-styled acts from the Field of Flanders. Recently, he also joined Cirith Gorgor and Ronarg collaborates with Nachtmaer too. What a curriculum vitae. Lesser known, unfortunately, is his solo-outfit Bloedmaan (Dutch for ‘blood moon’), which he started almost four years ago.
I have never hidden my appreciation for the Tasmanian outfit Atra Vetosus, which might be one of my favorite acts on the great Flemish label Immortal Frost Productions. For more than one decade, both parties have been working together, with always a satisfying result in mind.
Dutch act Dystopia will celebrate its twentieth anniversary next year; okay, there used to be a hiatus somewhere during their first years, yet this band recorded their first demonstrational material during the start of the second half of this century’s first decay, eh, I mean decade (got it?). Initially, this outfit was created as a rather Thrash-oriented alternative for Pulverised.
Finally, after four and a half years…
I will keep my introduction short and concise, and I’d like to refer to one of the other reviews I did in the past for Ars Veneficium, one of the leading Belgian bands within the current Black Metal scene. Links: see below.
Welcome to nekrotronic nightmare and terror of your pathetic artificial illusion of life!
The legendary sword of Turin Turambar strikes again!
The German rulers MNHG return with their second album, about three years after their fine debut Mundare (link for the review: see below). Like the debut, this one gets unleashed via Belgium’s premium Black Metal label Immortal Frost Productions, and it’s quite evident that it gets released on compact-disc (including a twenty-page booklet; 500 copies), and on vinyl in two different editions / colors (250 copies, with a poster and a lyric sheet included).
Purification through fire! Rebirth through flames!
For an introduction on this Italian act (like ‘formed in 2020 as a duo’, and that kind of interesting stuff), I’d like to refer to my review on this band’s debut-EP, ingeniously called Pyra (link: see below).
