I am often thrilled by split albums, especially when the bands or projects involved are much appreciated by my eardrums. Well, that is exactly the case with this (untitled) split in between two French acts, Paris-based Cepheide and Time Lurker from Strasbourg. I will give a brief description on both projects’ presence immediately, but I’d like to focus, in the first place, on this album itself.
French label Occultum Productions houses many great projects and bands, especially from their home country, yet some international acts as well. One of those is My Deathbed, hailing from Greece. It is an outfit by a human being (I think) named Void, who promotes joy and happiness (completely following the ideology of the label indeed). It is quite a productive project, with almost two hands full of releases in less than two years.
Despite being formed at the beginning of this century, Sigillum Diabolicum are not exactly the most productive outfit from West-European soil.
Czarna magia is Polish for ‘black magic’, so when I did receive an album from a band with that specific name (I got it from The End Of Time Records’ chieftain Dev), I knew this wouldn’t be a Pop or Rock album, yet something that might tease me. Well, believe me: it does!
The story of Hermann starts in 2014, when four musicians joined forces. Amongst them are former or actual members of e.g.
After two albums that were released via Cephalopagus Records, Portuguese one-man army Sílení signed to Eighth Tower Records (creating superspectrum sounds from ultraterrestrial dimensions), run by Sonologyst’s Raffaele Pezzella, to have this next album released.
The young Russian label Distorted Void has a small yet very interesting roster. It houses material by acts like Psionic Asylum, Onasander, Hiemal and Uzbazur, and they did compose and release some very attractive compilations too. I recently wrote a review for the first Forgotten, Abandoned, Desolated compilation, and this review deals with another compiled sampler, consisting by thirteen pieces by as much projects from all over our globe.
I do not exactly exaggerate when defining Distant Voices as a very unique label. Okay, about the musical taste one can discuss (I do not discuss, for I adore about all releases), but each single release is like a unique thing, almost like a collector’s item. Every release is handmade and extremely limited, with no repressing whatsoever, so all copies must be adored, idolised.
When composer / guitarist David ‘HellRazor’ Meza and bass player / vocalist Maria Alejandra ‘Blasfemia’ Pacheco Zambrano started playing under the moniker of Lucifera (it was somewhere in 2008), they did play cover songs in the first place. Everything from AC/DC to Metallica, or from Rock Goddess to Motörhead passed the revue. Yet soon, the band started writing, recording and playing self-written stuff.
If I am not mistaken, Haiku Funeral were created in 2008 in the south of France by two guys, Dimitar Dimitrov (vocals, electronics, keyboards, hailing from Bulgaria) and William Kopecky (fretless bass, vocals, sitar; originating from the U.S.) under the influence of hallucinogenic and psychotropic pleasure. After three official recordings in the period 2008-2010, the duo signed to Aesthetic Death, and those trusted with this mind-blowing label will not be surprised.
