Finally! It took long, way too long, but now, after nine years, Northaunt finally return with a completely new epos. Hærleif Langås worked on it as from 2003 or 2004 until 2014, but the result is truly impressive: eighty (!) minutes of truly amazing and atmospheric Ambient, available on double compact disc (edition of 700 copies) and on vinyl (double-LP, limited to 300 copies, with one black and one white disc, and co-produced with Tesco Organisation).
German DIY-label Vomit Bucket Productions is focusing on projects by founder Gag only as from a couple of months ago. One of the last releases that were not composed by Gag (he’s the guy behind the likes of Ataraxy, The People’s Noise Project, Vomitous Discharge, The Thousand Arms Of Compassion and several more), was At Night Time, created by Nekro:mancer.
It’s no secret. Everybody knows that Finland houses an impressive list of great Doom-acts, whether it be within the Traditional / Classic Doom current, the Epic Doom, Doom-Death, Funeral Doom, or the Doom-Doomer-Doomiest Doom one. And one of the best known and, to some, most impressive projects out there is this one, My Shameful.
With exception of Hallucination, Necrolepsy and mighty Barzak (they changed their name in mean time), I think I have never heard of any Bangladesh-based Metal-band before. Don’t worry; it’s not that Bangladesh houses such a huge scene. But one cannot deny the qualities of the few bands that (seem to) dwell out there. Brings me to this band, Morbidity, also from the capital of Dhaka, debuting with Revealed From Ashes on mighty Memento Mori.
Deviator are a project from Ukraine around Dmitry ‘Lord Hastner’ Kundelski. As from 2007, there were quite some releases (demos, some contributions to splits, some singles / EPs, and two full lengths; compilations and this specific album not included). A couple of months ago, I wrote a review for the compilation To Forgotten Path – Triumph Of The Will, published on October 11th 2014, released via Pesttanz Klangschmiede. But the last ‘real’ full length release dates from 2012, actually.
In quite an impressive series of majestic albums, Germany’s Castellum Stoufenburc release a fantastic four-way split, consisting of (new) hymns by all projects involved (three compositions each), as well as some collaborative compositions. Great Aural Art once again, but the visual aspect is at least as impressive (once again done by Cold Sun Arts). One sad remark, however: the limitation to 200 copies only; as a matter of fact, that’s a sad thing for you, for I have mine ;-) (indeed, undersigned did add a smiley…)…
Apocryfal are a band from Jyväskylä, Finland. In 2012 they recorded and independently released their demo Ravens, which I unfortunately didn’t have the chance (yet) to listen to. This release, the Aberration Of Mind-five tracker, follows the very same path, but, so says the band, it is ‘much more controlled and prepared manifestation’.
2014 was truly a year that did put the Doom-Sludge scene on the highest step. There were so many releases, including lots of disappointments, but amongst them also tens of fabulous ones; something we didn’t experience since this genre was sort of ‘born’. We have to make sure that this trend does not overrule itself, but as for now, I think there is no silly overcrowding.
Gag isn’t the guy behind this label only (Vomit Bucket Productions, for your information, will focus on his own projects only as from now on), but he’s the same dude who plays in Vomitous Discharge (review on the split with No One Gets Out Alive: see January 24th 2015), Sewage Cocktail, Splattered Nachos or The People’s Noise Project (review on Man! I Feel Like Noise! … coming soon).
One of the most satisfying 2014-discoveries for undersigned was the roster of Germany’s Castellum Stoufenburc, a label named after the Staufenburg Castle aka Feste Stauf. It’s not a new label, though still very young, but they sort of fill a hiatus I underwent for quite some time.
