Ivan Tibos.

Germany’s project Emerge did create quite some stuff in mean time (also under different monikers, like as part of the fabulous Martwa Natura-collaboration), and once in a while previously unreleased material finally gets the attention it deserves. That’s the case right here, with Hiding Place. It consists of some stuff that was recorded in September 2013 (if I am not mistaken, more stuff from those recording sessions were released under the Attenuation Circuit-banner, which is the project’s own label - cf.

"The world is a mess. and what's worse is that to a certain extent society would have us be complacent of this fact. However, it is up to us that are aware to stand up and say something in protest against the madness. In that spirit Set Self On Fire is the musical equivalent of self-immolation."

Nowadays it’s quite difficult to create something unique and, at the same time, something great. Some renewing acts bring stuff that simply sucks, that is filled with exaggeration, or that lacks cohesion or a vision. Besides, in mean time it might seem that we’ve reach all borders of the sonic spectrum – since Harsh Noise Wall or simplistic field recording / sounds of nature are considered being ‘musical styles’ (and hey, you won’t hear me complain), it’s almost unthinkable what’s next to come.

About four years ago, two friends from the Tienen-area (in the East of Flanders, in between Leuven and Sint-Truiden) started jamming together in some moisty and smoky cellar. Sometimes it seemed to come with a modest hit-potential, then again the material could not satisfy the members’ ear drums. But that good stuff, well, slowly on they started memorising the better elements from their jam sessions. Finally, some first songs became reality. In a next step, the band started playing live too, trying to remember the songs they created before.

Ritual Genocide are a pretty young (formed in 2013) three-piece (drummer Immolater, vocalist / bassist S19 and guitar player Hydra73) from Reno, Nevada, sharing members with Blasphemous Creation and Terroreactor. In 2015 they had a split with Phosphore Blanc (Invidious Allegiance; two tracks on this EP, by the way, did appear on that split), and now we can enjoy their first six-track mini-album, Commencement Towards Annihilation.

Two years after their great debut EP The Abyss (you can still read the review posted on March 26^th 2015; just enter the band’s name in the ‘search’-tab on top at the right), Belgian combo Ars Veneficium, an outfit that includes Immortal Frost Productions’ label owner S., return with the debut full length album. I did truly adore that first effort, and it was not just a lucky shot.

Once in a while I want to keep it simple, short, to-the-point. Right now too I am not going to deep within bio, history, background, whatsoever. Please welcome Germany’s Sømerset, a four-piece consisting of Nadine (vocals – not really of the operatic kind), Daniel (drums), Marvin (guitars and vocals) and Michael (bass). Welcome and goodbye, for apparently this releases seems to be the last effort by the band (???)…

Released on vinyl in an edition of 666 copies, crystal clear, by the way…

Well, I was enormously surprised, the positive way, when I received a message from Cyclic Law telling that there was a new Sophia album coming up. For more than a decade we did not hear anything anymore, at all, about this project by Arcana’s Peter Bjärgö. And indeed, it was true that there was a new work in the making.

Phragments, the main outfit of Slovakian artists Matej Gyárfáš and Nenad Branković, return with their fifth studio recording, after 2013’s New Kings And New Queens. That last one did slightly differ from the first recordings, for being less martial and orchestral in nature, yet rather Drone-oriented than before. And that indeed is sort of the direction this album goes on once again.

Aki Klemm is one of the most active guys within the (current) Finnish (Black) Metal scene. Not only he owns the Patologian Laboratorio Productions and the Patologian Laboratorio Studio, but he’s active in several band and projects too: Grimirg, Oath, Lathspell, Hautakammio, Seal Of Beleth, and some others.