Formed a decade ago, South-France’s Pestiferum did offer the audience a limited yet highly acceptable number of releases; amongst those two splits (one with mighty Fhoi Myore) and a first album in 2009, being Solstice d’Hiver. Then, un moment donné, Pestiferum signed to (also mighty) Hass Weg Productions in order to release the sophomore full length studio album, Déchus Du Fléau, coming in an edition of 1,000 copies, including a sixteen-page booklet.
The Polish horde Aryman was formed at the very beginning of this century, but initially it was a band without name, without an aim (besides playing Black Metal!), without any official and professional recording or release. I guess it was in 2006 when main members Nefarius and Non Serviam decided to baptise their sonic brainchild as Aryman.
Let’s start with an open question: is it possible to seek for, and find, some symbiosis of melodious beauty and chaotic harshness? Can Power-Electronics and semi-divinity result in acceptable structures? Let’s find out…
I think the Greek scene has always been largely underestimated. Some ‘big’ names did reach the rest of the world (as from the Eighties), but there’s quite an impressive underground scene too with some excellent outfits, and unfortunately they do not (always) get the attention they (sometimes) deserve. With gratitude for Hass Weg Productions (and distributing partner-in-crime Lower Silesian Stronghold), at least one band sort of crawls out of the bottomless pits of oblivion.
I am glad that the Indonesian scene is on its revival. Actually, there were quite some fine underground bands during the earlier nineties in that era (Indonesia / Philippines / Singapore / Malaysia), but for one reason or another (hello mono-theistic religion?) those slowly faded away (except for the Singaporean one, I guess).
This album is a remarkable one, for it deals with an underestimated recording from quite a while ago. Actually, Yang-Tul was recorded and released on tape and vinyl in 1998 on Anomalous Records, a label run by Eric Lanzillotta.
Well, let’s be honest: Cold Spring do come with quite some excellent re-releases lately. Amongst those, please welcome a recording from 1985 (!), a creation of Japanese Noise god Akita Masami aka Merzbow. This ‘old’ guy (he’s sixty in mean time!) named this solo-outfit after some piece of art by Dadaist artist Schwitters, the ‘Merz-bau’, for what it’s worth.
Despite being formed in 1992 (!), Riga, Latvia based act Claustrum did not actually realize a proper full length. There were some CDr’s before, live and split material, but Legion Of Silence seems to be this project’s very first ‘real’ full length. But believe me if I say that is was worth waiting for!!! Legion Of Silence, consisting of thirteen beautiful hymns, gets released via the mighty Old Captain label in a digipack edition, and this limited to 300 copies.
After Russian Death Metal and Russian Death Metal vol. 2, we can finally enjoy Russian Death Metal vol. 3, indeed the third volume with nothing but Russian Death Metal. I guess the smartest ones amongst you were aware of that; but just to make sure you’re perfectly informed, it’s my pleasure to make sure you’re with me… You’re welcome…
To celebrate their fifteenth year of existence, Quercus present us their third full length album, two years after Sfumato. This Czech act, with members from Umbrtka (vocalist Ondřej ‘Lord Morbivod’ Klášterka and multi-instrumentalist Lukáš Kudrna, with newly recruited keyboardist Marek ‘Markko’ Pišl), recorded this lengthy five-tracker over a period of almost one year.
