A short review, this time. And yes, I know this compilation was released more than a year ago, in the meantime, but so what?...
This review deals with the fourth volume within Darknagar Records’ series that pays tribute to the huge, yet sometimes underestimated Death Metal scene from Russia. Seen the title, you smartass was aware of that, of course…
Agonia Black Vomit are dwelling around for about a decade. This duo, being Marco ‘Pesten’ Bomboi (also in e.g. Tundra) and Marco ‘Agonia’ Rosati (think Zedher / Zedher’s Coffin or Nailed God), created a first album, called Satanic Black Vomit, which was released in 2011 via Mexico’s Black Cult Records (hey guys, are you still around?).
My ‘knowledge’ of the scene from Kyrgyzstan is enormously limited. With exception of Shahid, Darkestrah (though I admit that I have not been following them anymore for more than a handful of years) and Panzer Bulldozer, I have no idea what’s going on out there, in the centre of Central Asia. And then, suddenly, Aleksey K. did send me an album by a band from the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, called Kashgar.
Pure are a young project by one of Switzerland’s most notorious (Black) Metal musicians, Sergio ‘Ormenos Bornyhake’ Moplat. He’s best known as drummer, yet as well as multi-instrumentalist, currently or formerly active with the likes of Enoid, Borgne, Gerbophilia, Kawir, Cryfemal and many others.
Nikolay Seredov is a (pretty young) guy from the Southern part of the small country Russia, and active in several combos out there. Besides being involved with e.g. Taiga and Stakhanovtsy, he’s also known as the sole member of Funeral Tears, an outfit which he started in 2007.
Finnish horde Gloomy Grim were formed in 1995 by Juha ‘Agathon’ Hintikka, who was in bands like Airdash and Corporal Punishment back then, and known for his membership (little later) in known acts like Thy Serpent, Walhalla and Soulgrind (of which he is still a member, like some other former or current Thy Serpent and Gloomy Grim members).
Aleksey from Satanath Records did sign the duo Lava Invocator in order to release their debut via this open-minded Saint-Petersburg located Metal label.
As you can read in my review for Necroheresy’s debut Divine Betrayal (published on June 16th 2015), I was very pleased by the intensity and craftsmanship of this Slovakian band. Those actual and former members of e.g. Karpathia, Silva Nigra, Evil Dead and Aeon Winds did convince me, so I was impatiently waiting for some new material. It took a while, but here they are, once again, with their first full length.
Soul Extremist is the very first release by a young duo (I do not know whether the members are young – just like I am – but the project was formed in 2015, and that’s what I meant with ‘young’ – except, once again, compared to my juvenile virility…). They’re called Temple Of Nihil, hailing from the Kaluga Oblast, somewhere in between Moscow at the one hand, and Ukraine and Belarus at the other.
Zurvan are an act that originates from Persian soil, but in mean time the main member moved over to Germany. Yet still, the core lies in Iran. Nowadays, there are some more combos and projects coming from those areas, and I do appreciate quite a lot of them, whether dwelling in spheres of Funeral Doom / Black Metal, or rather Drone / Ambient / Noise laden stuff. For sure, there’s a modest, somewhat hidden, yet quite potential scene going on out there in Iran. Zurvan surely are part of that current.
