Vacula Productions did surprise me a lot last year and this year with quite some hands full of fine releases, such as Grimwald, Aeons Ov Frost, Nyx, Northern Tod or (evidently) Emptiness Soul, amongst many others. Just click on the label’s name on top of this review to check out some other reviews undersigned did for this Ukrainian label.
Catalonian combo Cendra return with their second album, 666 Bastards, after 2013’s Sang, Suor I Alcohol (independently released). In mean time there was some other material, like a compilation, but I did really look forward to this new collection of lullabies.
Finnish act Seal Of Beleth was formed in 2007 by vocalist / guitarist Jyrki Kostamo (he was part of the last Lathspell line-up), bassist / vocalist Aki ‘Grim666’ Klemm (who owns this label, Patologian Laboratorio Productions, and used to be part of Lathspell as well; besides he’s active in many other bands and projects, such as Oath, Hautakammio, Dead Girl 13, Grimirg, Kalmankantaja and many others
I lost it, counting the releases by Vardan. Does it matter? Yes and, at the same time, no. No, because the origin of this stuff is, like it has always been, very pure, decent, professional, convincing, grrrrimmmmm… Yes, it does matter, for it is once again another typifying Vardan-release… Well, to be honest, I do have a couple of Vardan’s recordings (being both promotional editions I did receive throughout the past decade, as well as several ones I did steal buy myself), and never it did disappoint me.
Canadian act Harrow were formed by Ian Campbell in 2009 under the Wraith-moniker. In 2011, Wraith became Harrow, and during those years the band (with new members, yet with Ian being the sole remaining musician from the original line-up) did record and release several mini and full length albums. In early 2014, Harrow recorded the Fallow Fields album, which was initially released on tape in early 2015 (via Broken Limb Recordings).
Spain for sure has one of the most prominent Death / Grind scenes from Europe, excuse me, from our whole globe, and now it’s time to strengthen this statement by means of the third album by Kevlar Skin, an Andalusian quintet that was formed at the end of last century. This newest recording was recorded, mixed and mastered at the NO! Studios during the second half of 2013, and a while ago it got released via Ukrainian Extreme Metal label Eclectic Productions (cf.
I was limitedly pleased with Montes Insania’s debut album Song From Beyond A Gray Veil, this duo’s debut for Satanath Records (Russia’s Andrey ‘Andrew T.’ Tvorogov and Ukrainian Yevgeniy ‘Zhenya Marduk’; both of them have several other projects, and work together under the name Poezd Rodina aka Поезд Родина too; check out April 29th’s update for the review on their album Белая даль aka Belaya Dal’, or prepare for the upcoming review on this ban
‘MabThera’ is medicine based on the active component rituximab, as well as a Hungarian Black Metal project based around Tibor Terebesi. The band did record one single album in 2012 - 2013, but that self-release (2013) now, finally, gets the promotion it does deserve; once again thanks to Aleksey from Satanath Records.
Iscarioth are a pretty young Russian formation, on this debut album consisting of Dmitry Martyushev (acoustic and electric guitars, lead and backing vocals, bass guitars and synths; as well as music and lyrics), and drummer Alexander Epishkin. FYI: in mean time Iscarioth recruited Vitaly Smirnov (bass; he co-wrote some lyrical parts too) and Maxim Smolyaninov (guitars).
Grimorium Verum (or ‘grimoire of truth’) are a Russian duo named after the ‘legendary’ book of ceremonial magic. They were limitedly active at the end of last century, and they took a five-year break. But in 2006 this Syktyvkar-based act returned, with Retaliation (2008) and Reborn (2011) as result.
