Ivan Tibos.

Well, the joy of ‘excitement’ and ‘happiness’ is a rare and specific experience to me, but when Mister Sina Winter let me know that a new From The Vastland album was about to be released, I went through those strange stages of emotion, of arousal, and of impatience. …so glad I did put my concerns about affective sensation and vivid ebullience aside, because I have always been sort of a ‘fan’ of what From The Vastland did came with before. Check out, beneath, some more (links to) reviews I did for this combo in the past.

Greek outfit The Black Monolith is, dixit the act, ‘a conduit for the forces that lie beyond the veil of existence’. The project deals with archaic and / or celestial entities, ‘primal energies that stir within the earth’, dwelling around in the deepest and darkest corners of the universe, and of the (archetypical) psyche.

This was quite a nice surprise. Very recently I got in touch again with Dutch act The Shiva Hypothesis. I wasn’t sure, to be honest, whether these guys were still active. I was truly impressed by their promo-EP from 2015 and their sole official release, 2018’s full-length Ouroboros Stirs. However, as from then on, things went extremely silent.

Since this review deals with a re-release, I will keep it concise, but still it is of unchallengeable importance to focus on the majestic result behind this sonic expedition.

As armies march and tanks rumble, The satisfied slaved stumble forward towards self-extinction. In despair, the powerless see the world crumble in the steps of the self-righteous. Bombs keep falling. With this happy message, Swedish troopers Ditch State announce their purpose to cleanse and purify…

Those who are trusted with the divine Aural Art by Rojinski do know that this project is enormously productive (this review deals with the third [!] release in 2025 by this prolific outfit!), with each single release coming with its very own-faced approach. Throughout the years, Rojinski did slowly evolve, with all recordings having a comparable identity, yet also their specific content and attitude.

I am sure that many human beings did look forward to this release: the newest effort by Swedish project Sophia. It’s a ‘product’ from the almighty Cold Meat Industry family, and related to Cyclic Law for some time as well.

I admit that this is an album that was released almost four months ago, yet it is still worth reviewing, and this for three reasons: the excellent label involved (I have always appreciated the Cryo Chamber community), both acts involved (no further comment, at least not yet), and the superb sonic pleasure that characterizes this collaboration (see below). Futuristic Dereliction is like a doomed, dystopian soundtrack once more, offering a post-apocalyptic view though sonic excavations. I will keep it concise, yet thorough.

I have never hidden my appreciation for the Tasmanian outfit Atra Vetosus, which might be one of my favorite acts on the great Flemish label Immortal Frost Productions. For more than one decade, both parties have been working together, with always a satisfying result in mind.

As we do all know, the Centipede Abyss community consists of bands with strong relationships in between the members. Okay, not all projects share musicians, yet many (most) of them are like an intra-familial gathering. With Zvylpwkua it is not different. This North-Atlantic outfit (I mean, the members hail from both the United Kingdom and the United States) still consists of Ionnonnisssz (involved as well with e.g.

The Abyss Of Purification is a work by four projects, each of them contributing with one (lengthy) aural ceremony. It is not their first collaboration, for they did gather forces two years earlier (I mean, before this specific release, at the end of August 2022), under the banner of The Abyss Of Illumination. It’s evident that all respectful and humble appreciation goes to the label, i.e. the Noctivagant family, and the acts involved.