CD

When I heard the debut full length of Brussels-based act Cult Of Erinyes, called A Place To Call My Unknown (released in spring 2011 via Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions, a French label that never disappoints; for the review on that first studio full album, check the update on June 2^nd 2011 in the Archive-tab on this superior webzine…), I was completely blown away (still there are some fleshy leftovers and bloody spots on the wall behind me). That album must have been one of the strongest, most surprising albums from 2011!

Russia’s Bjarm were formed five years ago in the North-West of this immense country. They hail from Severodvinsk at the White Sea, an era that was called Bjarmaland in several Norse Viking-sagas. That is where they took the inspiration for their band’s name from, as the smart ones amongst you might have guessed…

Beneath The Storm are a solo-outfit by Igor Shimon, a guy hailing from Slovenia, which was formed at the end of 2012.

One of the most interesting splits I came across lately is The Antichristian Symphonies, a five-way sampler with both new and old material from five quite differing European acts. The double album gets released as jewel-case in an edition of 500 copies.

Alor are a very young solo-outfit by Miguel Black aka Amarok, former member of shortly lived (yet productive) duo Lyset, and briefly active in Nangilima too. He created this piece called Haerfest at the end of 2013, and he had the opportunity to have it released via the professional label Northern Silence Productions earlier this year. Amarok did all instruments and vocals (there’s one single track with guest vocals), as well as the production and mix.

I was very pleased with the evolution Xerath underwent in between both first albums. The debut I was acceptable, but with II, Xerath did surprise me a lot. That’s why I was pleased to notice that now, after almost three and a half year of impatiently waiting, there is a new Xerath full length, ingeniously called III.

With so many bands performing during the 4 day event, Wacken probably is one of the best known, and also one of the biggest an oldest metal festivals in the world, welcoming some 75.000 festival gangers during 2013’s edition.

The Autumn League are a new collective from Sydney, Australia. They recorded this first album, Concept Of Irony, at the end of 2013 at Bright Lights Sound Room, and had it mixed and engineered at MCM Recording by Russell Finch in early 2014.

After releasing an EP in 2012, these Swedes now return with a full album.  I guess for anyone who loves AOR music with it’s roots in the eighties, this album could turn out to be a real gem.  To start with the vocalist Marcus Nygren immediately made me think of Bobby Kimball.  The music this band brings sounds a bit like a mix between Toto and Survivor, with maybe a hint of Journey thrown in as well.

I have to admit: I did not know Spüolus, at least not before Kunsthauch were so kind to send me (and in extension, ‘us’, for I am part of the Concreteweb-crew, of course…) the first, and sole full length album Behind The Event Horizon. The only other thing this project did, if I am not wrong, was a split (with Mare Frigoris) in 2013, which has been re-issued as well via Kunsthauch.