It is always a great thing to get confronted with new material on Eighth Tower Records, for this Italian label, part of the Unexplained Sounds Group family, did release some excellent stuff in the past. This time the release deals with a four-way partnership, which includes at least one project that I deeply adore – and now, after a couple of listens, that number did increase up to four!
The name ‘Aornos’ comes from a fortress in contemporary Pakistan, more or less ‘close’ to the Himalayan mountains and the Indus river. It was a fortified site known for the passing of Alexander the Great and his final siege (or at least one of the latest ones), some centuries before our modern era. It is the moniker as well for a productive outfit by Tatrai ‘Algras’ Csaba, a Hungarian multi-instrumentalist who is member of Frost too, and who used to be in bands like Carcharoth and Bornholm.
I used to be a devoted Death Metal fan at the end of the Eighties and during the Nineties. However, so many new bands showed up, and the better part was (and still is) crap! Okay, the very same goes for Black Metal, but the average level is, to my opinion, still much higher when talking about the latter. Within the Death Metal scene, so many fake stuff appeared, and that’s why I am quite sceptic when getting introduced to a new band.
I am not about to write a huge introduction on MZ.412. I am intending to get little deeper into the history of this legendary act when reviewing the re-release of 1995’s In Nomine Dei Nostri Satanas Luciferi Excelsi (to be released on vinyl in a couple of weeks via AnnapurnA). But praise the Horned Lord of Black Industrial, because Nordvargr, Drakh and Ulvtharm joined forces once more to continue their aural saga of diabolical destruction.
It is a very sympathetic thing to do, dearest Aleksey, to celebrate you 200thSatanath Records release by means of Panchrysia. Good idea, respect, haha!
Often it is a pleasure to experience the result of a collaboration in between two artists from the Drone / Ambient / Experimental / Noise scene.
Because I am quite thrilled by Sombre Présage, I heard about Occultum Productions, a label hailing from Lyon, a city in the South-East of France. And the first time when I was delving deep into their catalogue, I was so impressed. This label, unfortunately underestimated (but I will change that, haha!), houses several highly qualitative bands and projects – it would be stupid to list up some of them, for (almost) all of them a worth being mentioned.
From the underground for the underground!
Despite all melancholy and tristesse involved – see further – it is a pleasure to experience the Dark Aural Art created by an Australian woman, named Samantha Kempster. You might know her from her activities in (sadly defunct) Sydney-based Atmospheric Doom-Death act Myraeth (one of the better acts in their specific genre from Down Under, but unfortunately inactive since a couple of years). She has been working as well with bands like Rise Of Avernus or Inclemency, being a guest / session member on viola and / or violin.
I must say that I do not know that much bands, or projects, if you want to, hailing from the state of Alaska. But one of my faves for sure is this one: Common Eider, King Eider. This multi-artistic collective has created several highly interesting recordings in the past – with gratitude to e.g.
