Ivan Tibos.

Drones Of The Awakening is the first Eyeconoclast-album with new vocalist Giuseppe Di Giorgio, whom you might know from his collaboration with Black Therapy.

Norway has always been one of my elected countries when it comes to so-called Nordic-styled Black Metal, of course, yet also when talking about whipping, possessing Traditional Folk Music. I’m not only referring to, for example, some of the project done by Black Metal artists (like Darkthrone, Satyricon, Windir with a couple of folkish side-projects), even though, when introducing this band, I have to refer to the Norwegian Black Metal scene as well.

The first part of a trilogy by legendary Californian act Von. Fifty-five minutes of icy, painful, misanthropic and desolate Aural Darkness.

Pessimist were formed in 2006 and after some demonstrational recordings they debuted with Call To War in 2010 (Firefield Records). Since then, little things happened, but Pessimist started working on a new full length, which is about to be released through Germany’s MDD Records.

October Tide were formed in 1995 by two members of Katatonia, Jonas Renske and Fredrik Norrman. Initially October Tide were meant to be a temporary Katatonia-side-project, and after two full length albums the project was put on hold.

After some independent vinyl-releases, Impious Baptism officially full-lengthily debut with Wrath of the Apex Predator. This project by nuclear exterminating boy J. (Nocturnal Graves, and also involved with Deströyer 666, Destruktor etc.) brings a no-nonsense collection of straight-forward tracks, the kind that balances in between Old School Purism and Early Style Purity (do you understand the balance?).

Encorion were formed by Dutchman Danny de Graaf in order to pay tribute to his passion for both music (with an accent to Metal in general, as well as Folk and Classical Music) and cultural tradition (read: traditional culture; I guess this flag covers the package much more). Soon his project was joined by some same-minded souls, and after signing to Sleaszy Rider, Encorion released a first full length, Facing History And Ourselves, some collection of demonstrational material done in the (short) past.

Hailing from Slovenia, Chains must be one of the most obscure bands out there. The project was formed in 2010 and released a first album, called Of Death, in 2011. When Hour Of 13’s Lord Samhain joined Chains, the style changed a lot, yet without losing the elements of the origins.

French horde Aosoth, with members known from e.g. Antaeus and Temple Of Baal, return with their fourth full length, again via Agonia Records (the reviews on the former full length albums Ashes Of Angels and III are still available within Concreteweb’s Archive Section; see the update on April 13^th 2010 and May 7^th 2011 respectively).

One of Ireland’s most prominent bands return with the third full length studio recording, almost exactly two years after Mammal (see Concreteweb’s Archive Section’s May 9^th 2011-update for the really fabulously written -hehe- review done by undersigned). The stuff, coming with rather sober artwork, lasts for forty eight minutes, by the way.