The Brooklyn-based quartet (Brandon and Chris Cruz, Danny Moncada and Etienne Vazquez) So Hideous are one of the most exciting surprises I met lately. The band, formed in 2008, debuts with Last Poem / First Light, which was originally self-released last year, but now it gets a proper promotion after signing to Prosthetic’s roster earlier this year.
Schammasch are an act from Basel (a historical city in Switzerland, close to the border with both Germany and France), which was formed in 2009. The name is based on the Babylonian god of the sun. The band released a first album, called Sic Lvceat Lvx, in 2011, and they performed live on stage with the likes of Forgotten Tomb, Evoken, Temple Of Baal, Jex Thoth or Vorkreist, amongst others.
The Norwegian trio Purple Hill Witch (Kristian-g, v; Andreas-b, and Øyvind-d) was formed in 2011, and their 7”EP Alchemy was received with open arms within the Doom-underground. They were recently signed by The Church Within Records, and they now release their self-titled debut full length, which lasts for forty seven minutes.
Goodness...this takes me back some time...like over a decade, to my reviewing of the Topeka, Kansas based Technical Death Metal act's sophomore album Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas, released through Relapse Records in June of 2002! Regretfully, that review is now no longer available, as due to the 2005 computer crash at ConcreteWeb headquarters, all of the site's material prior to that date is gone.
Neal Schön, founding member and lead guitarist of Journey (and as a matter of fact also the only musician that’s been in Journey from their beginnings up to now), but who has plucked the chords in Bad English and even in Santana, has teemed up with fellow Journey bandmate Deen Castronovo, and bass player Marco Mendoza (Ted Nugent, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy) to record this album.
Rome-based act Hour Of Penance was formed more than fifteen years ago in the capital of Italy, Rome, and they recorded a first demo in 2000, which drew attention of Xtreem Music. On this label they released two full lengths, Disturbance (2003) and Pageantry For Martyrs (2005), followed by 2008’s The Vile Conception and 20101’s Paradigma, both via Unique Leader Records.
Graven Dusk are a Canadian one-man project, courtesy of Yves Allaire aka Evil Lair. He’s also the guy involved with the Epic Doom-act Dark Covenant (with two former members of Malleus Maleficarum) and frontman of Nordicwinter (still active???), and formerly sole member of orchestral Black projects Strigoi Mort and Azkiria as well. The album this review deals with is the sole album under the Graven Dusk moniker till now.
Greece-based Dødsferd are the kind of band that did confuse me a while ago. I could appreciate the things they did in the past (cf. the early years), though I have never been that enormously enthusiastic; let’s not exaggerate. …until 2011. The band came up with Spitting With Hatred The Insignificance Of Life (once again via Moribund) and I was truly blown away! What a cult-album! Check out the Archive-tab, May 22nd 2011-update for the review.
As from the very beginning I am truly in love (oink?) with Germany’s Desaster. They debuted in 1996 with A Touch Of Medieval Darkness.
Despite their well-appreciated live reputation and a huge selling number, I for myself have never been such a big ‘fan’ of Germany’s Burden Of Grief. Don’t get me wrong, for I do not dislike any of the former releases they did (at least the ones I do know). But even the productional duties provided by top-meisters like Dan Swanö couldn’t guarantee fulfilment or satisfaction.
