I am not sure whether I must call Raubbau a sub-division of Ant-Zen, or a sister-organisation. What I do know, however, is that this label is a highly interesting one, with quite some projects on its roster that used to be part of the legendary Cold Meat Industry majesty. Next year, by the way, they will celebrate their tenth anniversary. This review will be the first one I will do for them, but I don’t think it will be the last.
The Italian band Mortifier, which shares (or better: shared) members with e.g. Buio Omega, was formed during the first half of the nineties. In that period, they did record some demonstrational material, as well as the full length Darkness My Eternal Bride - which was, by the way, one of the first releases on the Battlegod Productions roster (hello Buio Omega once again…).
Ovtrenoir is the name behind a new-born collaborative of some known and lesser known names. The project was formed by photographer William Lacalmontie (vocals and guitars), Julien Taubregas (drums; known from The Great Divide), and Dehn Sora (guitars and backing vocals; a musician known from e.g. Treha Sektori or Sembler Deah, and visual artist as well).
I was quite surprised when I read the biography of Electric Sewer Age on some forum. Apparently this project nowadays run by Danny Hyde, indeed the guy behind e.g. Coil, Psychic TV or Aural Rage, was created by the Coil-fan John Deek in 2006, soon after joined by colleagues (deceased) Peter Christopherson (Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) and aforementioned Danny Hyde.
Arsenic Solaris is the name for a new label by Arthur Arsenne, who runs Death Carnival Records too (as from February 2016, I did write and upload a handful of reviews for material that got released via this French Noise / Drone / Ambient-label).
Vorbkt are a one-man outfit from the windy South-East of Canada, where the Atlantic crushes and smashes upon the shores of civilization. The guy behind the project (-z?) started this project in 2011 and since then he recorded and released two hands full of stuff, especially independently released.
20 years in mean time, this Dutch Thrash band has climbed up to the highest regions of the international scene. Now, finally, after several years of silence, they return with their fifth full length, The Ferryman’s End, once again via France’s Listenable Records. It got recorded at the famous Soundlodge Studio and lasts for forty two minutes (I know, a very short introduction, but since their ‘popularity’, you will find everything you want to know on the net).
Young formation Lifestream hail from the Bordeaux era, one of my preferred regions when talking about rich French wines: Saint-Estèphe, Margaux, Pomerol. But this isn’t an oenological essay but a (serious) review on the band’s first official release, called Post Ecstatic Experience. The band consists of members from e.g. Demented and Otargos and they recorded (+ mixed and mastered) this debut at the Darkened Studio.
It was at the end of last decade that Balkor (the Toulouse-born guy involved with e.g. Pestiferum, Mourning Forest [(1)] or Caterva Runa) decided to start a new project in order to focus even deeper on the whole Old School current we all adore. So he started writing new material under the Halsfang-moniker, and step by step the realisation of an album transformed into a final stadium.
Blåkulla are an outfit by a French guy who calls himself Surtr Blackmoon Emperor aka S.B.E. (sometimes also active as Sveigdir Bölverks Einherjar). He released two recordings before, Darkened By An Occult Wisdom in 2011 and the EP Hymns To The Past Glory in 2013. Now he returns with his second full length, which gets released in an edition of 1,000 copies via Lower Silesian Stronghold, the label of Dark Fury’s band leader K.
