Ivan Tibos.

Open de hellepoort voor verse zieltjes…

(‘open the gate of hell for some fresh little souls’)

Incipient Chaos are an act from Nantes, France, formed somewhere in 2014. That very same year, they recorded and released a first EP, called Sulphur, which was based on the first alchemic presentation of sulphur, represented through symbolisation aspects like Earth and Fire, Spirit and Man (the masculine representation of humans). It was, just for your information, released in Summer 2014 via their own sources (digital) and Mortis Humanae Productions (physical edition).

Earlier this year, Infernal Inquisition did celebrate its tenth anniversary. However, throughout a decade of existence, this Brazilian act did not record that much material at all. Earlier this year, there was an EP and a split (with those sweeties from Uraeus), but before they hadn’t but two ‘real’ releases and some contributions on samplers. Their sole full length was Sob O Obsesso Ocaso Lunar, and it was released in 2015.

After The Abyss Stares Back # 1, The Abyss Stares Back # 2, The Abyss Stares Back # 3, and, indeed, The Abyss Stares Back # 4, we can now welcome The Abyss Stares Back # 5, the final instalment of this vinyl series. Under the collaborative flag of Absent In Body, this time too, The Abyss Stares Back stands for a co-operation by some of our world’s most unique, prominent and authoritarian (smiley…) artists.

Last year Entropia Invictus celebrated their tenth anniversary (though until that celebration day they were called Entropia, without the Invictus suffix), and as a present to the audience they came back with a third full length release (there are some EP’s as well), called Human Pantocrator (the first official release under the new moniker). It’s an eleven-tracker that was registered at the Tower Studio (for mastering duties), with cool artwork courtesy of Above Chaos.

Zurvan are an act that originates from Persian soil, but in mean time the main member moved over to Germany. Yet still, the core lies in Iran. Nowadays, there are some more combos and projects coming from those areas, and I do appreciate quite a lot of them, whether dwelling in spheres of Funeral Doom / Black Metal, or rather Drone / Ambient / Noise laden stuff. For sure, there’s a modest, somewhat hidden, yet quite potential scene going on out there in Iran. Zurvan surely are part of that current.

It’s with a huge dose of shame, but I must admit: I have not (been able to) write down my thoughts on the Distant Voices debut for Sadness, Somewhere Along Our Memory…, released at the very end of 2016. In mean time, this re-issue (there was a first pressing via Depressive Illusions, if I’m not mistaken), is sold out, so I need to apologize to the label. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

I will review two live registrations for Swedish act Sanctum, both being released via Raubbau. In a couple of days / weeks / millennia it will be a review on their performance on CBGB, but this review deals with their co-operation on the famous Maschinenfest happening in Oberhausen (Germany) on October 10th 2015. In 2004, Sanctum was part of the Maschinenfest line-up as well.

To celebrate their 30th (!!!) anniversary (indeed thirty years of raison d’être), Skullflower (finally) release the Cold Spring-successor of the magisterial album Draconis. The latter was released at the very beginning of Autumn 2014, and undersigned published a review on that material on November 10th 2014. For some biographical and discographic information, you can check out that (superb, but that’s evident) review; enter the band’s name and you’ll come to the specific page).

Time Lurker started in 2014 as a solo-outfit for Mick, hailing from the French city of Strasbourg. Intention was to create post-modernistic Black Metal, conceptually based on the nature of humanity, and mankind’s struggle with inner demons, created by our own uncertainty, fears, subconsciousness and failures. It’s meant to be a sonic travel through worlds described by both Jules Verne and H.P. Lovecraft.