Recently I had the honor to be part of a jury within a contest / award organized by Unexplained Sounds Group’s chief Raffaele Pezzella. The most interesting thing was, of course, the ‘Music’ involved. I was trusted with several acts that contributed (for some of them I did write reviews in the past), others I just knew by name, and there were some projects I did not know yet at all.
Location: Sweden
Members: Linnea Hjertén (everything; also active in Shaam Larein) + samples by Ludvig Swärd (Forndom)
Production & mix: Linnea Hjertén
Mastering: Tore Stjerna (Necromorbus Studio)
Type: digital + CD (jewel-case + booklet)
Duration: 35:40
Genre: esoteric Nordic Folk
Location: Japan
Members: Masami Akita
Mix & mastering: James Dunn
Remastered: Martin Bowes
Artwork: Abby Helasdottir
Type: double-CD, gatefold eco-pack / digital
Duration: 104:59 minutes
Genre: Japanoise / Harsh Noise
As (Black) Metal ‘fan’, one might recognize the name Admetos from the Greek projects Elegos (Epic Symphonic Black Metal; all instruments) or Faunus (solo; melancholic Doom-laden Atmospheric Black Metal). Admetos, however, also runs a non-Metal outfit, called Anglachel. It’s a productive project, inspired by Tolkien and this author’s immense imaginative worlds.
I’ll keep my introduction on the band brief and concise. Suffer Yourself were formed in 2011 in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a solo-outfit by Stanislav Govorukha. After writing some tracks, and the recording of an official demonstrational five-tracker, he joined forces with some other musicians. These original tracks got re-recorded and made it to the first full-length, 2014’s Inner Sanctum.
[No political messages in here, yet let’s say that imperialist war can only be supported by those who lack intelligence or vision. And of importance: not every human being from Russia supports the invasion of Ukraine. This said…]
Country (for what it’s worth): U.S.A. (formerly: Sweden)
Music + lyrics: Simon Heath
Production + mastering: Simon Heath
Artwork: Simon Heath
Type: sixteen-paged hard-cover digi-book CD (with liner notes & conceptual poetry) + digital
Duration: about fifty minutes
Genre: Esoteric / Ritual / Cinematic / Dark / Apocalyptic / Droning / Dungeon / Horror Ambient
Introduction: not necessary (for this is such famous project)…
[another ‘older’ recording which this review will deal with, so I’ll keep it short; yet this material is worth being promoted anyway]
Songs seen through the eyes of the dying…
Country (for what it’s worth): Denmark
Members: Casper Axilgård (drums), Atli Brix Kamban (vocals and guitars), Niels Asger Svensson (bass)
Mix & recording: Troels Damgaard Holm (Farvemøllen & Black Tornado Studio)
Mastering: Brad Boatright (Audiosiege)
(released May 21st 2020, yet the scroll-down menu does not go back that far anymore…)
Country (for what it’s worth): Romania
Members: Alex Costin (bass guitars), Flaviu Roșca (synths & piano), Xander Coza (vocals, guitars, synths), Liviu Pop (guitars), Luca Breaz (drums & percussions), Cosmin Farcǎu (guitars), Florentin Popa (backing vocals & field-recordings)
Lyrics: Florentin Popa
