There are several reasons why one must appreciate this given: the dedicated human being behind the label / these anthologies, the stunning releases offered by the whole USG-family, the possibility to ‘explore’ known and unknown musical territories, you know… This newest compilation / anthology just follows that adorable trend as part of the Sound Mapping Project…
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.
[No political messages in here, yet let’s say that imperialist war can only be supported by those who lack intelligence or vision. And of importance: not every human being from Russia supports the invasion of Ukraine. This said…]
Raffaele Pezzella, musician, master, label owner and so much more, came with the idea to have a kind of ‘contest’, an award in order to go even further with the promotion of the scene. This ‘election’ must be seen as a dedication to the underestimated worlds of sonic satisfaction, where / when ‘darkness’ and ‘innovation’ meet.
I do not think that it is absurd to consider the Necronomicon as one of the most enigmatic and secretive books in history of occultism and (black) magic. It was once written by the Mad Arab aka Abdul Alhazred. The latter, however, did not really exist, as you might probably know; yet it’s a character coming from the unique brain of Howard P. Lovecraft. I am not going too deep into this subject, even-though it is of an undeniable fantastic (and important) weight.
I think most people do recognize the name of David Cronenberg for his (horror) movie The Fly, or films like A History Of Violence, eXistenZ, Naked Lunch or Eastern Promises. And I know that this site deals with reviews about Aural Art and not motion pictures or any other form of (visual) artistics, but I have to admit that this Canadian film director and screenwriter is one of my personal favourites.
Cyclic Law, currently located in France, were formed in 2002 ‘to promote international musicians working in the field of Ambient, Experimental and Industrial Soundscapes’. The label gets run by Frédéric Arbour, who is the same mastermind behind projects like Visions, Instincts and some others.
This review deals with the sixth release in the dark-mythological Tomb series, ‘a dark exploration of the multifaceted entities of Sumerian mythology and the many dark places they inhabit. Places that still resonate with raw, ancient power’. This newest chapter invites the listener ‘to the dark realms of Mesopotamia, where over 5.000 years ago a civilization both physical and spiritual was founded’.
The compilation Sounds Of Hell Series Volume IV is, indeed, the fourth one in a series compiled by Sounds Of Hell, a young yet deeply dedicational label from Flemish soil (the ancient-historic city of Diest, more specifically, in case of interest). The series focuses on lesser known and not that unknown bands and projects from the Benelux area (i.e. Belgium, Holland and, who knows, Luxembourg too).
I know, a fourth one got compiled and released in the meantime, yet then again: so what? Indeed, this third compilation deserves all additional promotion and support too, just like the first and the second, and hopefully the fifth up till the 667th one!
