Ominous Sounds is a meeting space between artists passionate about dark ambient and ritual sounds. Interested in the ancestral and the ominous. This introduction drew my attention a short while ago. Shortly after, I got in touch with Juan Carlos Toledo, the very sympathetic and kind guy behind this totally new label from Spanish soil.
An ‘older’ release, but who cares?...
Acoustics Of Shadows is a collaborative work of two persons who do know each-other well (no further comment), yet above all, it’s a mutual work by two beautiful, sympathetic people with a cool vision of / on sonic finesse. Both Oleg and Sasha are known for their subtle yet intriguing recordings, and this mutually recorded effort strengthens their connection.
[review for an older release (November 2022) yet of such high qualitative level]
This review does not deal with a new recording. It’s all about a physical re-release of an album from just a few minutes ago (ironic-looking smiley included); a release by an act that might be, for what it’s worth, one of my personal greatest surprises / experiences lately: the Brazilian, or is it Canadian, outfit Móđir, curated by Lady IO.
Location: Singapore
Members: Andi (the talking that accompanies the dead into the Lahad = lead vocals) / Khairil (the emptiness upon excavation of Kubur = all guitars) / Edi (the embedding of the Nisan = drums & percussions)
Formed: 1991-1993 / 1999-now
Recorded: at Studio 47 by Nizam Aziz
Artwork: Armaada Art (Andreas Christanetoff)
Format: jewel-box CD with twelve-page booklet & digital
Edition: 1,000 copies
Location: Ukraine
Members (sort of anonymous): M. (guitars) / J. (drums) / V. (bass) / A. (vocals, synths)
Mix / recording studio: Forest Den Studio
Artwork: Hellcatfairy Art (logo: Paint-It-Black Design)
Type: jewel-box with eight-page booklet
Edition: 500 copies
Duration: 37:29 minutes
Genre: Second Wave Black Metal
The power of the will directs the destiny. And so, in the perpetual cycle of life and death that defines the tragic fate of the human, a gloomy epilogue can unexpectedly lead to an auspicious prologue…
Apparently, Cromworx is a solo-outfit by Grom, part of the original line-up of Slovakian Gothic Metal act Orkrist. They were active – and quite ‘popular’ – at the very beginning of this millennium, and after a pretty long ‘break’ they sort of returned a couple of years ago.
Dutch act Infinity started almost three decades ago and still consists of two of the original members: Draconis (okay, he left this project for a while) and Balgradon Xul. During the first decade of this millennium, they did record four albums, yet as from then on, they did take their time before releasing new material. In this case, we, the impatient audience, had never awaited so long, for it has been six years (and a couple of times) before we could now, finally, bit welcome to this band’s seventh full-length studio album.
I think it would be a waste of (my precious) time to introduce Pantheïst (or Pantheist, without the diaeresis on the ‘I’), for this is one of the most influential acts on our fabulous Planet within doomed and melancholic spheres. It’s the main act of Kostas Panagiotou, whom you might know as well from Sermones Ad Mortuos, Wijlen Wij (unfortunately defunct), Towards Atlantis Lights, Landskap or Aphonic Threnody (ex), amongst others.
