Tarnkappe are a Dutch combo with (former) members of e.g. Krocht, Lugubre, Kjeld, Gheestenland and Salacious Gods, and admit: that does sound promising, does it not! They recently re-released the album Tussen Hun En De Zon, which means ‘in between them and the sun’, via Kult-label Hammerheart Records, but it was originally released in October 2013 via Sabbath’s Fire on tape.
Italian act Embryo returns with a new album, which was recorded, mixed and mastered once again by long-time producer Simone Mularoni (you might know him as well from his assistance to bands like Vision Divine, Ravenscry, The Modern Age Slavery, Anatomy Of I, Stigma a.m.m.). It took quite some time, because their last album, the highly acclaimed No God Slave, dates from 2010, but the fans will not be disappointed.
The ‘issues’ in between Ukraine and Russia do not always infect ‘our’ sonic scene. I am talking about the collaboration of musicians, joining to start up a new project (or continuing an existing one), or labels from both countries taking care of the release and / or distribution of stuff from one of both countries (or another).
Despite almost eight years of existence, Epitaph For Life isn’t but the first full album, and their second official release. Once again kindly offered to the audience by mighty Russian top-label Satanath Records, this time in co-operation with Black Plague Records (from California), it saw the light at the very end of 2014.
My first acquaintance with Xaos Oblivion was in 2008, when this Polish horde did release the album Antithesis Of Creation. Before there were some demonstrational recordings under the name Oblivion, yet since there were several Polish acts with that very same moniker, the name turned into Xaos Oblivion. Some more albums did follow under the Xaos Oblivion-moniker, each time praised and hailed, at least by those who understand quality.
Sigihl are a young Polish act, formed in 2012 in the city of Katowice. The quartet, with former and current members of e.g. StrommoussHeld and Thaw, had this album, Trauermärsche (And A Tango Upon The World’s Grave), recorded, mixed and mastered in their home town with Krzysztof Kurek (drummer Grekh’s former colleague in Thaw). And they climb out of the shadow, these prophets of the Bringer of Light, marching under the flag of his sigihl.
I was extremely confused when I listened to The Kudos Of Serial Killing the first time, and actually, right now, listening to this album for the third time, I am still brain-twisted. And when I read some info about this project on Aesthetic Death‘s home page, it didn’t quite help me to understand what was going on. But I think it’s charming to be submerged to the unexpected.
The first time that I came in touch with New Era Productions was when I bought the Bloodwraak – Verdoem Al ‘t Christelijk Leven album by Mordaehoth at the beginning of this century. It’s this label once again that takes care of this must-have compilation, because of the rarity of the material on it. And it was the first time I listened to Mordaehoth too.
Mor are a Serbian act (‘mor’ means ‘death’ in Archaic Slavic) which I hadn’t heard of before. They recorded some material during the second part of last decade, with a full length in 2009, but I didn’t experience this material (yet). During Autumn 2013, Mor recorded their second album, Lutanja Sakatoga Bespućima Samsare, which means something like ‘wanderings of the crippled one through moors of Samsara’, and in early 2014 the whole was finished studio-wise.
Transmissions is a split-album by a Finnish and a Hungarian project. The album lasts for almost fifty minutes and gets released via mighty Russian Satanath Records, once again in co-operation with two other highly professional labels: Metallic Media and Black Plague Records.
