CD

Boar are a band from Oulu, Finland, formed at the end of last decade. They recorded and released a couple of cassettes / EP’s and contributed on some splits, and they performed live on stage with the likes of Conan, Weedeater or Dark Buddha Rising. Last year they started recording Veneficae at their own studio Stoner Katakombs Of Doom. Seen the name of their studio, and seen the label they have released their debut on, you can guess what kind of sonic pleasure this band does perform, I think.

Ether are an outfit from Canadian guy Scythrawl, whom you might know as well from several great projects such as Unquintessence, Nefastus Dies or Trails Of Anguish. Under this moniker’s name, Scythrawl did release a first album about eight years ago, called Deprived, Repressed Feelings. Those who know, and appreciate that first effort, will certainly be pleased with the sophomore album, Hymns Of Failure, a double-CD with six pieces that last for ninety (!) minutes.

Greek outfit Diabolical Principles is a project by members of e.g. Mortuus Caelum and Divine Blasphemy. Throughout the past decade, they released a handful of stuff, and now they return with the third full length, which is called The Final Step Before The Dawn. The material was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered at the Abyssal Studio and Studio 5 by main members Gareth and Geegor, and the result lasts for sixty two (!) minutes.

I was quite surprised, but I did listen two or three times to Reverie’s debut album Bliss before I noticed that the members involved are younger than twenty years of age! What a maturity they do inherit; it’s truly remarkable! There were two demonstrational recordings before, but I am pretty sure that there is much more professionally recorded material to come. But let’s not run too fast, and focus on the first-things-first principle.

On June 8^th 2015 Concreteweb did upload my review for Transmissions, a split in between Finnish act Moonkult and Hungarian one-man combo Solus. With certainty the latter was the best out of two on the split, at least to my humble (and totally subjective) opinion. I did have one remark (which did eventually influence my score) and that was the inferior sound quality.

Solitvdo are an Italian one-man act which I hadn’t heard of before. Apparently there was one single demo before, and Immerso In Un Bosco Di Querce is the first full recording. The material was released on tape in September 2014 via Eremita Produzioni, and on CD (digipack) in December 2014 via Naturmacht Productions. And for sure this material fits to the label’s roster, known for integrity and introspection, nature and purity, translated into a black-edged aural square.

Drawn Into Descent are a new band from the city of Mechelen (Flemish part of Belgium), formed after the demise of Galgenveld.

I have to admit that I was not that eager to listen to this album, if only because of the band’s name, The Hell. I did actually expect some infantile would-be act with more ego than writing capabilities. Yet seen the label(s) involved, this could be something quite different as well. The choice of those labels releasing an album by a band called this way, would it prove me wrong?

When I got in touch with French top-label Les Acteurs De L’Ombre Productions in very early Summer 2014, I went to my (permanent?) record shop in Leuven to search for some of this label’s ‘older’ stuff. Amongst this material: the album Regarde Les Hommes Tomber by French act Regarde Les Hommes Tomber. In the vein of pretty much all stuff on Les Acteurs De L’Ombre Productions, I was truly impressed by that debut album.

In their five year of existence, German act Porta Nigra did release a couple of mini-releases, one full length, and they contributed on one of the Elemental Nightmares splits. Now the duo returns with the second full album, Kaiserschnitt, a Decadent Dark Metal album that lasts for more than three quarters of an hour.