On June 8th 2015 Concreteweb did upload my review for Transmissions, a split in between Finnish act Moonkult and Hungarian one-man combo Solus. With certainty the latter was the best out of two on the split, at least to my humble (and totally subjective) opinion. I did have one remark (which did eventually influence my score) and that was the inferior sound quality.
I have to admit that I was not that eager to listen to this album, if only because of the band’s name, The Hell. I did actually expect some infantile would-be act with more ego than writing capabilities. Yet seen the label(s) involved, this could be something quite different as well. The choice of those labels releasing an album by a band called this way, would it prove me wrong?
I was limitedly pleased with Montes Insania’s debut album Song From Beyond A Gray Veil, this duo’s debut for Satanath Records (Russia’s Andrey ‘Andrew T.’ Tvorogov and Ukrainian Yevgeniy ‘Zhenya Marduk’; both of them have several other projects, and work together under the name Poezd Rodina aka Поезд Родина too; check out April 29th’s update for the review on their album Белая даль aka Belaya Dal’, or prepare for the upcoming review on this ban
‘MabThera’ is medicine based on the active component rituximab, as well as a Hungarian Black Metal project based around Tibor Terebesi. The band did record one single album in 2012 - 2013, but that self-release (2013) now, finally, gets the promotion it does deserve; once again thanks to Aleksey from Satanath Records.
Iscarioth are a pretty young Russian formation, on this debut album consisting of Dmitry Martyushev (acoustic and electric guitars, lead and backing vocals, bass guitars and synths; as well as music and lyrics), and drummer Alexander Epishkin. FYI: in mean time Iscarioth recruited Vitaly Smirnov (bass; he co-wrote some lyrical parts too) and Maxim Smolyaninov (guitars).
Grimorium Verum (or ‘grimoire of truth’) are a Russian duo named after the ‘legendary’ book of ceremonial magic. They were limitedly active at the end of last century, and they took a five-year break. But in 2006 this Syktyvkar-based act returned, with Retaliation (2008) and Reborn (2011) as result.
Soul Collector is the first full length by German act Pestkult, released in an edition of 500 copies via Russia’s Satanath Records and German label Narbentage Produktionen; the latter, for your information, took care of the band’s last year’s split as well (with Erakko, Stardust and Funeral Dust).
With 6 Ways Of Hell, Satanath Records, undoubtedly one of the most important Russian labels lately, collects six bands from the Far East and the South-East of Asia. Each of them comes with two tracks. And totally within the vein of the label, there is quite some difference in sonic approach.
An ‘angakok’ is an Inuit shaman. Thanks to ivanpedia for this interesting info…
Onkel Hryum are a side-project of Grobut Neerg members Yuri and Anton, and known from their 2013-EP Захребетник especially. Apparently last year the duo did record and a release a digital track as teaser for their upcoming full length, which is smartly called Ragnaroll. Based on that title, I sort of detected a word-play of ‘Ragnarok’ and ‘roll’, bringing heathen thoughts to mind at the one hand, and a rock’n’roll-y attitude at the other.
