French act Silent Opera was formed in 2007 by Olivier Sentenac (b), Romain Larregain (g) and Laure Laborde (v). They (and ‘they’ includes some new members) recorded a first album at the Laguna Records Studio, which got released as Act One in 2010.
Patrons Of The Rotting Gate are the solo-outfit of a Belfast-born guy, Andrew Ross Millar. Despite his very young age, he was capable to create this first full length all by himself: lyrics and music, vocals, guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, programming, production, engineering, mix and mastering, and even the artwork! Only a friend of his, Adam Irwin, helped him out on some additional guitar lines. And seen the result, it is enormously impressing.
When Dutch band MaYan were formed, they drew the attention of the worldwide press immediately. Reason: the great line-up. MaYan were formed by Mark Jansen, the guy behind Dutch top-acts such as After Forever, Sahara Dust / Epica or Les Faidits, and After Forever-colleague Jack Driessen.
[released almost half a year ago, but in our possession very recently; for this material, however, is way too interesting just to ignore, I will be so kind, once again, to have this stuff reviewed]
Sami Hynninen aka Sir Albert Witchfinder is especially known from projects and bands such as Opium Warlords, KLV, Reverend Bizarre, Spiritus Mortis, Armanenschaft, Orne, The Candles Burning Blue, Azrael Rising and many others. These entities do differ from each other, yet all of them have one common idea: the creation of weird, dark and extreme sonics.
Greek band Kult Of Taurus did release a demo, an EP and a split before, and Divination Labyrinths is the combo’s debut full length studio recording, which lasts for thirty two minutes. The material was mixed and mastered by Yusaf Parvez aka Viper aka Vicotnik, known from Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, Code, Manes, Strid and many other notorious yet slightly unusual and extreme acts.
When Nathan Gray (also in the like-it-or-leave-it formation Boysetsfire; personally I am part of the ‘leave-it’ trend) formed I Am Heresy in 2011, he wanted to express his passion for complex Extreme Metal. He wrote and recorded a first (self-titled) album shortly after, with assistance of his son Simon, who did the main guitar parts.
Greek act Dodsferd are very productive (more than a hand full of full lengths, besides some other stuff; you can, for example, find the short but clear review undersigned did on Spitting With Hatred The Insignificance Of Life within the Archives’ update on May 22nd 2011), and without any doubt I do appreciate everything they ever did. Signing to Moribund, for example, is something I do appreciate a lot, for the collaboration of a great act and a great label results in nothing but superlatives.
It’s not a secret anymore, I guess, to admit my passionate devotion to the Moribund Cult (read: Moribund Records). Only once in a while I do not get that ecstatically horny by a release via this Washington-based top-label, and that was, unfortunately, the case with Bleeding Fist’s 2011-EP Devil’s Ferox … It was not bad, but compared with former material by this Slovenian band, I thought it was a step back (see update August 7th 2011 within the Archive-tab).
Ancient Ascendant are an English four-piece that recorded two minis and one full length before. When it comes to the latter, that full length, which was called The Grim Awakening, I would kindly like to ask you to search for the review done by truly-yours-undersigned, posted on October 2nd 2011 as part of the ‘Siege Of Amida Records Special 2011” I did.
