Distiphyxia are a project by Absent Heat’s O.L. (vocals, guitars, synths, programming) and his session partner in crime in that outfit, P. (drums, design / layout). They joined forces under this moniker in early 2014, and very soon after they came up with a first two-track EP, from which both compositions are on this debut album as well.
Order Of 315 are a French act which I actually hadn’t heard of before. Okay, I can’t know each single band and project around our (rotten, but that’s another story) globe, but apparently this act released an album before, called Near-Birth Experience (2012).
Since a couple of years, Cold Raw Records from the United Kingdom have become one of the most important Black Metal underground labels from West-European soil. Just click on the label’s name above to read the (many?) reviews undersigned did for them as from December 2014. And there’s more to come, but first I’ll focus on a split called Triumph Of Death (damn, haven’t I heard of this title before???)… It comes in a very limited hand-numbered edition of 120 copies only.
Unmercenaries are a collaborative of two members from Who Dies In Siberian Slush (amongst others, but I do refer to this one specifically, for I recently wrote a review for their split with My Shameful; see update December 24th 2015), and a member from My Shameful (amongst others, but I do refer to this one specifically, for I recently wrote a review for their split with Who Dies In Siberian Slush; see update December 24th 2015).
It’s always a sardonic pleasure to listen to a (new) album on Lower Silesian Stronghold. With this sixth album by Poland’s Demonic Slaughter it’s no difference. This time in co-operation with French label Hass Weg Productions, Lower Silesian Stronghold prove once more that they are able to find qualitative bands (and releases) that are able to please a selected yet superior audience, and able to irritate the stupid, ignorant masses on our filthy globe.
Enthroned Darkness are quite an active outfit by Simone ‘Nex Umbra Domini’ Ghizzinardi, whom you might know from for example Absum, Suspiria Profundis, Aevum, Nebbia and many more. Under the Enthroned Darkness-moniker, Simone returns with a third full length studio album, which he did record during Winter 2014-2015 at his Dark Sound Studios.
Okay, the Finnish band Sad Parade might surely not hit the very same status of acts like, let’s say, Sisters Of Mercy, Christian Death or Nine Inch Nails, but for sure they are of a comparable level of craftsmanship. During the nineties, they were quite influential, especially in their home country, with a couple of attractive EP’s going around. At the very beginning of this new century, the band ceased activities, but the rumour goes that Aku-Tuomas Mattila has plans to reform this band???
Actually Missa Mortvm were formed almost five years ago, but Et Lux Perpetua Luceat Est isn’t but this Chilean band’s first official release. The album was initially released independently the digital way in very, very, very early 2015, and then pressed on CD in order to get released via the unholy trinity Satanath Records, Sphera Noctis Records and Darzamadicus Records (a co-operation that appeared before in other constellations).
One of the many releases that did came out on Russia’s Satanath Records in 2015, and since I promised label owner (and friend) Aleksey to give my attention to all of them, is Ecstasy, the third full length of Polish act Manipulation. This band was formed at the very beginning of this millennium, but after the recording (+ release) of their debut, they did split up. Eventually, the band reformed, and some more releases did follow, but their ‘success’ remained somewhat local.
Assisted by a score of big names in our music genre, like Michael Sweet (Stryper), Jeff Pilson (Dokken), Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) and a whole list of other artists, this is the first solo album by Veronica Freeman, frontwoman of heavy metalband Benedictum.
