Season Of Mist

Two years ago I reviewed a split called Triunity with bands / projects from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus (via Casus Belli Musica), but that has nothing to do with this split-release, which is a French co-operation.

Ad Patres are a French combo that recently signed to Grind / Death label Kaotoxin. As a first result of this collaboration, there will be a re-issue of Scorn Aesthetics. Scorn Aesthetics is an album originally released in 2012 on CD, and it will be available right now on vinyl (limited to 500 copies only, amongst which half of them on red vinyl) and on cassette (limited to 100 copies), albeit remastered.

It is not because I am chauvinistic, but normally we consider the U.S., Sweden and Germany as the most important countries when it comes to Death Metal. I think the Lowlands, i.e. Belgium and (especially) the Netherlands, are at least as influential for the worldwide scene. It was the case in the earliest years, and it has not changed.

Spectral Lore are a Greek one-man project, formed in 2005 by Ayloss, whom you might recognise as well from Divine Element or his assistance for Warbled Arma. He created and released several recordings under this moniker, including I and II (how original), as well as some splits (amongst which one with Locust Leaves, and via the current label, the mighty I, Voidhanger Records, one with Mare Cognitum).

Revelation is the first full length studio album by Malhkebre, despite about twelve years of existence. In the past there was a very limited demo-cassette, an EP (Prostration) and a split-EP (with Aosoth), and that’s it. At the other hand, the band built up a fine live reputation, having shared the stages with the likes of Hell Militia, Antaeus, Ofermod, Embrace Of Thorns, Deströyer 666 etc.

Lorn are an Italian band that were formed more than a decade ago. They released an album in 2006 (Towards The Abyss Of Disease via Eerie Art Records) and some really splendid splits (!!!). The trio recently signed to one of my actual favourite labels, I, Voidhanger Records, in order to release the second full studio record, called Subconscious Metamorphosis, an album with a total running time of an hour.

Something In Us Died, is the debut full-length album from France's hot post-rock/metal band Lodz. It is a fairly young collaboration of this Lyon based chaps as there is little to non info about them yet.

Everything I, Voidhanger Records (an independent division of Aeternitas Tenebrarum Music Foundation aka ATMF Records) do is of a superior quality. This wonderful label releases nothing but excellent stuff, and this time it is not different. With Converge, Rivers Of Hell, this Italian label compiles material from three solo-projects by an Australian guy who calls himself Dis Pater (I have no idea who the person behind those projects is, but actually it does not matter, does it).

Without any doubt, the duo Ævangelist (multi-instrumentalist, composer, lyricist, producer, engineer and mixer Matron Thorn and vocalist / lyricist / music co-writer / co-engineer Ascaris) created (one of) my absolute 2012-Number One-album (s) De Masticatione Mortuorum In Tumulis (via I, Voidhanger Records).

Bordeaux… I do appreciate some of the wines coming from that era, even though not every sub-region out there can completely please me (I am a connoisseur-amateur, with a profound passion for wines and distillates, but that’s another story). However, there’s another Bordeaux-based existence I do appreciate enormously: Year Of No Light. This band was formed at the beginning of this century and they did record a handful of highly acceptable releases with a mostly breath-taking atmosphere.