CD

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 21^st 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

Country (for what it’s worth): Italy

Members: Xes (vocals), Nekroshadow (guitars), Apsychos (guitars) and new (on this recording) members Postmortem (drums) and Asdraeth (bass guitars)

Engineering / mix / mastering: Christian d’Onofrio (Atrocity Exhibition Studio)

Artwork: Zizi Amri (cover artwork) / Apsychos (layout & design; adjusted by WrathDesign)

Quite recently, Immortal Frost Productions introduced me to a new project, which is called Bloedmaan. It’s Dutch for blood moon, by the way. I did not know this act, but apparently it is a new outfit by no one else but Ronarg, whom you might know from Antzaat and Ars Veneficium as well. Both these two bands are signed to Immortal Frost Productions, and the owner of this label, S., is part of the Ars Veneficium line-up too.