Since I was quite impressed by Blood Oath and (especially) by With Hoof And Horn, I did look forward to listening to this newest album by the trio Rituals Of The Dead Hand. Well, after a couple of listens, my appreciation for this act has not disappeared; on the contrary.
Although their first album was released in 2013, followed by another album in 2019, I had never
before heard of this band, who hails from Portugal. And a rather pleasant surprise for me it was,
discovering this band.
How to classify their music ? Well, it’s got elements of progressive metal, but it’s far for what you’d
expect if your vision of progressive metal is bands like Dream Theater and Queensrÿche, to name but
two of the well known bands. Apotheus music is not as intricate as the beformentioned bands, but is
[review for a release that is more than two years of age, yet since it is never, ever, too late to focus on worthy stuff / and because of my appreciation for the label involved…]
Location: Medellin, Colombia
Members: Domos Aidaou (vocals & guitars), Maldito (bass), GoreRoman (guitars), Cadáver (drums)
Recorded: 11/2020-05/2021
Production, mix, mastering: Alvaro Alvarez (Nebuloza Producciones)
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Members: Harlow MacFarlane (Funerary Call, Grey Towers Stone Temples, Between Voices, Sistrenatus, A Thousand Plateaus etc.)
Production: Harlow MacFarlane
Mastering: James Plotkin
Artwork: Lindsey Roderick
Type: compact-disc (300 copies) in LP-like format
Duration: 35:53 minutes
Genre: Industrial Horror Ambient
Drifting into the sacred ocean of creation through the symbolic imagery of death…
Country (for what it’s worth): Russia (Ord) & U.S. (Demonologists)
Members: Ord Err (Ord), Cory Rowell (Demonologists), Evan Price (Demonologists)
Production: Ord & Demonologists
Mix: Andrey Volkov / Ord Err / Evan Price
Location: Sweden
Members: Marcus Lönebrink
Guest: Pär Boström (on Sanctum)
Mastering: Frederic Arbour
Artwork: Viktor Kvant
Type: 6-panel digipack compact-disc (300 copies)
Duration: 48:51 minutes
Genre: esoteric, mystic & ritual Dark Drone Ambient
Location: Kansas City, Missouri (U.S.A.)
Members: Allen Gingerich (strings [and drum-programming?]) & Skyler Nohrenberg (vocals & lyrics)
Mix & mastering: Allen Gingerich
Artwork: no idea who created it, yet the cover painting is just stunning!!!
Type: digipack-CD
Duration: 32:32
Genre: Brutal Technical Death Metal
[a short review (once again), yet dealing with another unique recording]
Country (for what it’s worth): Spain
Members: David Muñoz (everything; also known as keyboardist for Sun Of The Dying Sun and Arwen)
Type: jewel-case compact-disc
Duration: 46:21
Genre: Dark / Gothic / Doom-Death Metal
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
