Ivan Tibos.

This review does not deal with a new album, yet with a re-issue of what I do consider a monument. That’s a personal opinion, but many Black Metal adepts will surely agree. And those not aware (yet) of this stuff will mostly follow my opinion too. I did write a review on the original edition of All Pain As Penance ‘back then’ (2019). It was (soon) sold out (all physical editions), and one of the labels involved at that moment, i.e. Inferna Profundus Records from Lithuanian soil, decided to have this stuff reprinted again.

Being a reviewer can be very harsh and confusing sometimes. But one needs to be open-minded and objective, on top of the unavoidable subjectivity that influences your opinion and preferences too, evidently. No, I won’t start any philosophical discussion right here. It’s just, well, it isn’t always easy to find words, or to express thoughts, when you have to ‘out-of-the-box-thinking’.

I think it would be a waste of (my) time to introduce this project / artist. The guy behind the project Sonologyst is Raffaele Pezzella, who works as master under that name, and who runs several prodigious labels within the worldwide Experimental / Ambient / Field Recordings / Drone / Musique Concrète / Electroacoustics / … genres. He’s the (co) author behind documentary works referring to these related genres, and curator of podcasts, compilations (anthologies) with lesser known artists and / or genres, you know…

[review for ‘an older’ release, but once again: so what?! It is never too late to focus on intriguing Aural Art, even after a couple of years after an actual release date]

Once again thanks to the fabulous partnership of Armenia’s Funere and Japan’s Weird Truth Productions, German one-man act Sinister Downfall is able to release its third full-length. After Eremozoic (2018) and A Dark Shining Light (2020), The Last Witness was created to bring grief, oblivion, doom and despair in its purest – and therefor most beautiful – form. Herr Eugene Kohl (a very productive wandering spirit, also active behind the likes of e.g.

Maybe the name ‘Xenoglossy’ might not be that ‘huge’ (yet), but actually Xenoglossy Productions are a not-to-underestimate-label (from Italian soil) at all. Illuminated Manuscripts, Deathvoid or Gonemage; it’s just a limited yet interesting collection of acts on this label, which do deserve any additional support.

At the very end of last decade, Swiss vocalist (and keyboardist) David Genillard aka D.G. (known from his collaboration in e.g. Nightshade, Sic Semper Tyrannis or Duthaig) decided to start a new outfit that dwells within spheres of traditional Doom-Death Metal. He joined forces with string-master J.G. Arts (here active as J.A.), who you might know from his notorious Doom-act Doomcult (the Netherlands).

[older material, but way too interesting to ignore; and a (late) promise / commitment to the guy behind the label involved; actual release-date: June 10^th 2018, but since I can’t go back that far in the release date’s scroll-down-menu on top…]

[short but necessary]

I did express my adoration for Aesthetic Death - and the sympathetic guy behind this label - a hundred times before. I won’t go too deep into this English label’s fabulous existence this time. But here’s a review on another excellently chosen release, being a split in between two semi-Arctic entities. And I admit that this deals (once again) with an older release, but then again: so what?! Indeed (grim-looking smiley included)…