Ivan Tibos.

I do really appreciate the things Swedish band Grief Of Emerald has done since the second part of the nineties. Their characteristic Scandinavian-influenced Black Metal did always convince because of the nice symbiosis in between melody, aggression and persuasion, and the members’ craftsmanship is impeccable. Unfortunately, Grief Of Emerald have not been able to reach the upper top because of the overflow on same-minded bands, among which several that are at least as convincing, and probably slightly better.

Opium Warlords, the brainchild of Sami A. ‘Witchfinder’ Hynninen (whom you might know from e.g. Reverend Bizarre, Spiritus Mortis, Armanenschaft, Lohja SS, Punisment, KLV and several more), return with We Meditate Under The Pussy In The Sky, a five-tracker that lasts for thirty five minutes. We Meditate … is a mainly instrumental record, with an approach rather typifying to Svart Records.

Zaklon are one of the very few bands I know from Belarus (the western part of the former USSR), but with this release they might gain some success outside their home country’s borders. The project was formed at the very end of last century by a guy called Temnarod and this album, with lyrics (again, like the project’s former releases) done in the Belarusian native tongue, was originally recorded during late Spring 2009 and released in a very limited edition in early 2011 through Forestland Prod.

Ævangelist are a Benighted In Sodom-side project, consisting of Ascaris and Matron Thorn. To the core, this project differs a lot from Benighted In Sodom. As a matter of fact, Ævangelist are different from any known music-k-al entity all over the world.

After a break of eighteen years, Finnish band Convulse return with a bright future in mind. In antecedence to the upcoming full length later this year, this band (which was originally formed at the end of the eighties as S.D.S., but due to different circumstances, amongst which military service, mandatory all over Europe in the early nineties, Convulse was put on hold in 1995) recorded two new songs to tease our impatience. And believe me, with this two-tracker, called Inner Evil, Convulse make me inquisitive…

Album number four by German forest-friends Finsterforst. Seven titles, lasting for more than seventy five minutes!

Yurei is one of the projects Bjeima is involved with. Some might know this Norwegian guy from his solo projects Alfa Obscura or The Ghost Conspiracy, his work as bass guitar player in Virus, or his key contributions in, for example, -M-, Delirium Bound or Swarms. -M-, by the way, will release a full length through this very same label, Norwegian / Belgium co-operative Adversum, in a couple of weeks / months.

This split-record has been released on vinyl (12”EP) in a limited edition, in 333 copies. 2/3^rd of it will be sold at live shows exclusively, 1/3^rd was made available via mailorder, yet I guess this edition has been sold out in mean time. So check it out at the band’s live performances.

Bunker 66 hail from Messina, an historical city on Sicily, Italy. The band debuted in 2009 with the grandiose EP Out Of The Bunker, originally self-released in a limited edition, and re-released later on both CD and vinyl. Infernö Interceptörs is the second studio release (there was a live-EP in mean time, which was brought out as part of Fenriz’ Band Of The Week vinyl series) and this eight-tracker is an enormous step forward in comparison to the former record.

Do you know Hatred For Mankind, Dragged Into Sunlight’s debut full length studio record? It was one of my favourite releases from 2008 (the stuff had been re-released in 2010/2011 through their current label, Prosthetic, and was reviewed very positively by colleague Tony, who shared my enthusiasm about this UK-based act; for the review: see the archives section, posted on the very end on October 2010).