Weltfeind are a new label, formed by Castellum Stoufenburc’s Soldat D. This label, with three releases at this moment (all of them will be reviewed, evidently), was founded in order to support and promote ‘Depressive Underground Music’. Two projects out of these three perform so-called DSBM (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal), but the label does not want to focus on that specific genre only, which I think is very honourable.
I like to read the great works by the hand, and mind, of J.R.R. Tolkien. Everyone knows The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit in mean time, thanks to the two movie-trilogies, but Tolkien’s other works are at least as interesting, if not more attractive! In The Lord Of The Rings, the ‘Dagor Dagorath’-battle gets mentioned, but there was a first reference to it in the posthumously published The Silmarillion (the Valaquenta-edition, more specifically).
Humiliation are a band from Malaysia, not immediately the country-number-one when it comes to Death Metal nowadays. There was quite a vivid scene at the end of the eighties (as well as in the neighbour countries, like Indonesia – it truly was the case!), but nowadays it’s rather an exception to hear (new) material from bands hailing from that part of our ugly globe. But Humiliation are such a band that will put Malaysia on the map again.
Everyone knows that Czech Republic-based Bizarre Leprous Productions are (one of the) most prominent labels when it comes to Grindcore. I think it is somewhat doubtful. At the one hand they house several splendid acts, with sublime release that caress every Grind-freak’s ear drum with rusty razor blades and electrified barb wire. At the other hand, unfortunately, there’s quite some ‘pulp’ around to within this scene, and I think Bizarre Leprous Productions sometimes took a wrong choice by signing band X or Y.
Irish top-act Cruachan needs no introduction anymore, I guess. They are active for more than two decades in mean time (with a brief break), and I do follow them as from the release of their first full length, Tuatha Na Gael. More info: search the net…
It isn’t that strange anymore to sing in the mother tongue. French, Slavic languages, German, Scandinavian and so on; almost each single country houses bands or projects that do not use English as lyrical source of expression, yet their very own tongue. This goes as well for the Dutch language. In both the Netherlands and Flanders (the Northern part of Belgium), the Dutch speak gets used within the texts. This also goes for the new act Laster (it means ‘defamation’, ‘calumny’, ‘vilification’).
Eschatonic Records are a label formed by members of Inhuman Remnants, and they take care of the release of Ashes, which is the first official recording by young Australian act Undermine The Supremacy.
I am always unhappily happy when Taake release a new album. I follow this project as from the release of Nattestid…, and each single album that did follow that magnificent debut was at least worth killing for. Kill! (it’s Kristmass-time, so I can’t help myself…)
The World Terror Committee is known for quality as from the early years, but 2014 is a top-year for this label. Some material I reviewed this year was for the likes of Thy Darkened Shade, Tortorum, Dysangelium, Ascension, Sargeist etc. (check the site to find out…), and without exception I was very pleased (some more than others, evidently). Now this label will release the album Fire & Brimstone by a new project, called Principality Of Hell.
In Aevum Agere will celebrate their tenth anniversary in 2015, but despite ten years of activity, these Italians haven’t released that much yet.
