One of my personal favourite labels from France are Debemur Morti Productions, active for about a decade and, to my humble opinion, grown up to one of the most important Dark Music labels with more than one hundred releases on their roster, in mean time. In 2012 the label signed French Doom-act Monolithe, resulting in the release of the albums III (review: see update February 6th 2013) and IV (review posted on October 26th 2013).
The first time that I listened to this album – I bought it shortly after the release date in my favorite CD-store – I was pretty enthusiastic about the approach of this Illinois-based duo, consisting of Dylan Taylor (bass and guitars; he also writes the lyrics) and Nostaum (vocals, guitars, drums and keyboards) (he’s a founding member of Wrathful Plague as well; the review on the Thee Within The Shadows-album will follow very soon, by the way).
Sometimes I am ashamed (yes, even in my case it might occur) - I just mean that, apparently, Atrum Tempestas recorded and released an EP before, 2012’s Ne Deus Crede, and I was not aware of it… [weep weep weep and shame shame shame]. That’s a pity, and I will certainly search for that material, especially after having experienced this first full length, Néant (which actually is French for ‘denying’).
I admit that this review deals with an older release (once again), but for the 666th time I just say: [self-censorship].
Unfathomed Of Abyss are a project by Kevin Price, a guy from Texas that started writing material for this solo-outlet in 2000. Kevin constantly re-adapted and re-arranged what he had created, with a final result, each time again, that did not come close to the original structures. That’s of course one of the reasons why it took almost a decade and a half to have the first album finished. Yet I prefer this kind of working, of course, instead of writing and recording stuff too hasty (commercial pulp, I call it).
Halo Of Flys… Hello Alice Cooper… This Illinois-based band, however, did adapt their moniker a little, but they do not hide their appreciation for this master of Shock Rock, and even mention him in their thanks list.
Goats Of Doom were formed as a solo-outfit by a young guy who calls himself Scaregod, and who was active under different monikers since his childhood. With Alesteir Alhazred he wrote and recorded a first demo in 2009, Perkeleen Luonti, and a second one a year later, entitled Herjaus Kaikkia Ihmisen Jumalia Vastaan.
Despite many years of existence, Duskmortym, the solo-outfit of Ethan ‘Dusk’ Bowes, did not release anything official at all. …until now. Under the Duskmortym-moniker, Ethan wrote, composed and released the full length One Night Over The Baltic…, which has a total running time of about fifty five minutes. And the Baltic as lyrical source of inspiration is quite remarkable for a Canadian project. Other lyrical sources are taken as well from European soil, but that aside…
Switzerland’s Bölzer surprised the underworlds with last year’s debut Aura, which was released by Iron Bonehead (who else…). So it was quite satisfying to notice this band returning with a new EP, two-tracker Soma. Both tracks are an ode to the goddess Luna, by the way, ‘set amidst a thematic backdrop of war and the surrender of the fleshly temple’ (taken from Invictus Productions’ biography).
Astarot are a Mexican project by multi-instrumentalist Gonzalo GB, aka Astarot, in co-operation with singer / lyricist Alfonso ‘Tortured’. Both of them are also active in e.g. Suicidal Years and Alasthor (the Mexican one, of course), as well as in Abysmal Depths.
