Sulphur Nurse/Roopkund/Tartarus Records/2022 Cassette Review

 

  Sulphur  Nurse  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  Lung  Knots,  Catafalque  and  Clawing  and  play  a  mixture  of  experimental,  industrial  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "RoopKund"  which  will  be  released  in  February  on  cassette  by  Tartarus  Records.

  Power  electronic  and  grim  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  and  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.  Harsh  noises  and  programmed  beats  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  give  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  and  the  music  also  has  its  experimental  moments.

  Elements  of  industrial  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  each  song  also  sounds  very  different  from  each  other.  Tortured  voices  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  aggressive  vocals  bringing  in  more  of  an  early  90's  industrial  metal  vibe  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  some  high  pitched  screams  also  being  added  on  a  couple  of  tracks,  a  couple  of  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Sulphur  Nurse  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  experimental,  harsh  noise  and  industrial  and  mixes  it  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  horror  stories.

  In  my  opinion  Sulphur  Nurse  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  experimental,  harsh  noise  and  industrial  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Headless  Body  in  A  Cave  Near  Idaho"  "The  Vaults  Of   Myrrh"  and  "Trapdoor  Gait".  8  out  of  10.

Sulphur Nurse Bandcamp
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Knullkompis/Crepuscular Entity/Basement Corner Emissions/2022 Split Album Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Finland's  Knullkompus  and  U.S.A's  Crepusculae  Entity  which  was  released  by  Basement  Corner  Emissions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Knullkompis  who  returns  with  a  mixture  of  experimental,  industrial  and  harsh  noise.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  programmed  beats  and  power  electronics  while  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  industrial.  Harsh  noises  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  most  of  his  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  calmer  sections  of  the  songs  going  into  more  of  an  experimental  direction.  

 Synths  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  most of  the  track  also  sticking  to  an  instrumental  direction  as  well  as  a  couple  minutes  of  silence  also  being  utilized,  all  of  the  songs  also  sound  different  from  each  other  and  one  song  shows  the  music  going  into  more  of  an  apocalyptic  direction,  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  briefly  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Knullkompis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental,  industrial  and  harsh  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Bite  The  Pillow.

  Next  up  is  Crepscular  Entity  who  returns  with  a  mixture  of  experimental  and  harsh  noise.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  harsh  noises  which  also  get  very  diverse  sounding  at  times  and  experimental  soundscapes  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  power  electronics.  All  of  his  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  each  song  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  as  well  as  always  sticking  to  an  instrumental  direction  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Crepscular  Entiry  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  and  harsh  noise,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Raw  Meat  Serenade".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  experimental  and  harsh  noise.  8  out  of  10.

  https://basementcorner.bandcamp.com/album/knullkompis-crepuscular-entity     

Regen Graves/Climax/Pariah Child/Yoshiwara Collective/2021 CD Review

 

  Regen  Graves  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  with  a  member  from  Abysmal  Grief  and  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Climax"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Pariah  Child  and  Yoshiwara  Collective.

  An  almost  silent  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  dark  ambient  orientated  soundscapes.  Synths  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  as  well  as  adding  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  added  on  a  couple  of  songs.

  Electronic  sounds  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  programmed  beats  and  noises  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording.  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie  soundtrack  along  with  all  of  the  songs  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  and  most  of  the  music  is  also  instrumental,  electric  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  song.

  Regen  Graves  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dark  ambient  soundscapes,  noise  and  electronic  music  and  mixes  them  together   to  create  a  sound  of  his  own  while  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and lo-fi.

  In  my  opinion  Regen  Graves  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Last  Stage  Of  Decline"  and  "Nothing  Will  Be  Better".  8  out  of  10.

  https://regengraves.bandcamp.com/album/climax

     

1695 Interview

 

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit more about the solo project?

1695 is a manifestation of imaginations and thoughts gone havoc and as a result creating weird sound patterns - sometimes soothing, other times disturbing. 

The music of the album was born in the lockdown spring of 2020. During the long hours at home I listened to quite a lot of dark ambient. Since the work with my regular metal and folk bands had also slowed down I decided to use the time for some individual exercises in creativity. So once a week I went to the rehearsal room/studio without special preparations to force my creation – with the help of the various instruments lying around – to come up with all kinds of soundscapes and other absurdities. The sessions gave birth to the album “Lennud loojangusse / Flights to Dusk” which is my first and so far the only official release as a solo artist.

 

2. You released an album a few months ago, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

I had thought about launching a ritualistic ambient project for a long time, so now the stars were finally right for this endeavor. But to gather all the songs under the banner of a single genre name is a tricky task. The music itself meanders from a pretty much classical dungeon synth to the metallic dark folk with brief deviations to the world of hectic noise or - on the contrary - strictly organised choir harmonies. The common themes would be a slow flow, liminal journeys over landscapes (both physical and spiritual) and melancholic darkness.

 

3. You also have experience playing in metal bands, how would you compare your solo stuff to the material you have released with your metal bands?

Most of my work with the metal bands like Langenu, Ulguränd and Swarn is predominantly much faster compared to my solo stuff. Doing different things from time to time helps to keep the spring of creativity fresh and flowing. 

I must admit, I probably have more bands than I can handle but they are all quite different from each other. Langenu falls into the pit of experimental and avant garde’ish black metal, Ulguränd has vowed loyalty to a blackened heavy metal and the songs about distant history, while Swarn is a rather straightforward occult death metal. 

Besides them I also play in a number of acoustic folk bands, so I cannot really complain about the lack of musical variety in my modest life.

 

4. A lot of your song themes focus on 'Gregorian Traditions', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Only one song, “Põhjakaar / The North Arc” is directly referring to the traditions of the Gregorian chant. It’s one of the two songs in a capella arrangement and the lyrics of it, although containing just two words, are in Latin. I am not quite a choir singer material myself - maybe because of the deep rooted individualism - but it was interesting to put different layers of harmony together and see how it sounds. The outcome was pretty satisfying and gives an idea what a choir of a dozen clones of me could sound like if there was one. 

 

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name '1695'?

I came up with my artist name ’1695’ about 15 years ago or so when I began to play in a black metal Langenu. I got seduced by the name of the Norwegian band 1349. Just to think of it – an artist name which is simply a sequence of numbers! 1349 happened to be the year of the outburst of Black Death in Norway, so I began looking for a similarly drastic event in the history of Estonia. 1695 was the first of the three infamous years of crop failure that culminated with a great famine. Ca 20% of the Estonian population died – altogether about 70 000–75 000 people, especially the old and weak.

Modern metal music in general seems to be pretty obsessed with the heroic side of history. Fighting in battles, crushing one’s enemies, hearing the lamentation of their women… You get the point. Natural disasters like plagues, famines, droughts etc on the other hand may easily nullify all the human goals and therefore have great power over our vanity. ’1695’ stands as a grim reminder of this.

 

6. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?

The songs were all born in the time of twilight – hence the album name „Flights to Dusk“. Every time I went to record another piece I rode across the river Emajõgi that flows through my hometown of Tartu, Estonia. The dusk colours of the sky and their reflection on the water surface of the river inspired the overall feeling of the music to a large extent. When having to decide how to visualize the essence of the music on the album artwork the evening colours of the river were the number one choice. The walks to the river offered wonderful spectacles of the twilight; I am glad that I managed to capture some of these valuable moments in the photos. 

7. With this project you record everything by yourself but have experience with full line up's, which one do you prefer?

Every combination has its pros and cons. The full line ups help to create music as a group and every member can have an input to the whole. An artist who creates everything alone doesn’t have to (and cannot) rely much on anyone else. My solo works are therefore deliberately mostly much more minimalist than the songs of the actual bands. In a way things got done much faster than with a full line up band which needs a period of rehearsing and discussing things through. But on the other hand, doing things alone may sometimes give one-sided results which may lack a certain depth.

Anyway, imperfection is something that 1695 as an idea strongly stands for.

 

8. The album was released on 'Warhorn Records'. how did you get in contact with this label?

Kruxator, the brains and the musculature behind Warhorn Records is a good friend of mine and a real powerhouse of the whole Tartu metal scene. He happened to hear the songs at my place and immediately found this suitable for being released via the label. The rest of the process was fairly easy – we prepared the songs and the artwork and the rest is history.

 

9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of experimental, ambient and metal?

The album has not reached any top list and I would have been very surprised if it had. It was intended to belong to the shrouded underground spheres with very little availability and it has faithfully remained there. So I haven’t gotten a huge wave of reaction from the wide world. However, the people who have listened to the music in a bit deeper manner have said some positive words and this is enough to keep me motivated. 

There have even been some (not really serious) suggestions to go live with the material but I don’t believe this will be done in this aeon.

10. Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

In the near future I hope to focus more on the possibilities of the classical guitar. Maybe the next album under the name of 1695 will also be much more acoustic and lyric. Still, the dark beauty is what I see as the most important in my works, despite the concrete ways to express it. And I will definitely continue with my passion for metal as well. 

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

The album “Lennud loojangusse / Flights to Dusk” itself got its first actual impulse when I was listening to a Mortiis album “Født til å Herske” (1994). From that came the longest song of my album “Värvi loojang oma hingeverega / Paint The Dusk With The Blood Of Your Soul” which is the most dungeon synth-ish thing I’ve ever done. Much of the rest of the material owes to the dark neofolk - acts like Seventh Harmonic, Tervahäät, Sol Invictus, Current 93 etc. There used to be an annual festival called Darkland Fire here in Estonia that introduced these kinds of artists to the local audience - that’s where I got acquainted with this mystical genre. Since my profession and lifestyle involve a lot of writing (mostly history and music related texts), calm ambient-like music helps a lot in keeping my thoughts focused.

Besides all of this, I am a keen admirer of the black metal bands, especially like Emperor, Dødheimsgard, Drottnar and so on. Their ambitious compositions which blend harmony and dissonance have shaped me as a creator a lot. Also, the innovation of the early hard rock / heavy metal pioneers like Deep Purple or Black Sabbath should never be forgotten. Their legacy is simply immeasurable.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Never get tired of searching for new things in the world, whether it is music or knowledge about something or whatever! The best and most valuable things are usually hidden under the crust of shiny nonsense. Take a deeper look and drown yourself into it - it’s all worth it! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2x_yKC2ub4

Bank Myna Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

Hi John, hi everyone! Since the recording, we have been 100% involved in the live set. Spoiler alert: we’ll play with a drummer instead of a beat-box to give more power and loudness to the music. More news soon! 

 

2.In 2022 you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The first EP always feels like a collection of songs more than something really thought of as a concept. And indeed, we feel like our first EP lacked some coherence. It was just like a flower that had not really had the chance to bloom, in a way. But we’ve really “grown up musically” since then, and that’s somehow good news because it was 6 years ago! We’ve also reached a kind of alchemy, playing together as a band for several years. 

There was also a turning point in 2019, when our drummer left Paris and the band. We had no rhythmic basis anymore and we probably really tried to turn this constraint into something challenging. We started writing ambient-drone music and really pushed the experimental aspect, with the use of an old clock but also a “noise box” Daniel created with strings, spirals and contact microphones connected to guitar pedals. We feel like we’ve pushed the experimental/creative card to the max of our means. What we’ve obtained is something much darker than before, much less conventional, somehow still accessible… We really feel like this record finally sounds like us.

 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

It is overall a very introspective album. We wanted to conceive it as a dive into someone’s sleeping subconscious. It is quite dreamlike, one could say. It is like being drowned into your own thoughts or stuck in a mystical or ritualistic journey where your consciousness is altered. The lyrics of the different tracks echo each other and you can really read it like a story with a beginning and an end, throughout the album. However, we did not go really deep lyrically speaking. We wanted it to sound like messy thoughts. It does not always make a lot of sense, it’s not always clear-cut. We think words, vocals and instruments walk hand in hand in this record. At least, that was our main goal.

 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bank Myna'?

We were looking for a name related to nature, open spaces and travel because we all migrated to Paris and none of us were born there. We thought a migratory bird could be a good fit so we looked for bird names that we liked. We chose bank myna bird (even if it doesn’t migrate…) because at the time it was the lesser evil of the ideas we had. So there is no exciting story behind it but it grew on us. We’re now quite happy with it: it’s us! 

 

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

We opened for Big/Brave in 2018 and were absolutely thrilled by it. We got to know their drummer called Louis-Alexandre. He turned out to be a great graphic designer and we had been following his work ever since. We were really eager to work with him on this! We asked him for a monochrome visual because that’s how we feel the album “looks” like. Other than that, we sent him the tracks and gave him complete freedom. We really love how he translated this into an artwork! It really shows the “bumpy journey towards the subconscious feel” we wanted to get. 

 

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We remember our show in Dijon (east of France) at Café de l’Univers. The place looked really shady and we were quite unsure we were going to perform at all because we had only had a phone confirmation for the show. When we got there on the time previously agreed on, the place was closed with, apparently no-one inside. We rang the bell and some funny looking man opened the first floor window half asleep and wearing a dressing gown. That wasn’t the most welcoming hello! We set up our gear in the basement later on, not sure anyone would show up. Not that many people did but we performed anyway and it was the warmest, loudest audience ever!! It turned out to be a really good night.

The other show we want to mention is the Post in Paris festival in 2019. It was not long after our drummer left the band. We only had 2 months to write new songs (complete madness knowing we needed several years to complete our first EP!!), with new gear, new instruments (a glockenspiel, a clock, a sampler…) for a great festival. We were so anxious before starting to perform. It was a complete leap into the unknown! But we took our courage in both hands with a great urge to write a new page to our story. 

To be frank, we really couldn’t describe our current live set as we haven’t played in almost two years but over time, we’ve tried to build something really immersive and to really translate our alchemy to the audience. We are not sure we have really reached our full potential in that matter but we’re working on it for the next shows.

 

7.The new album is going to be released through a variety of many different labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the record labels you are working with on the new release?

The first one that was on board was Araki Records. Simon contacted us a long time ago to let us know that he was interested in hearing our new material. He jumped at the chance when he saw on our social networks that we were about to start recording.

When he had a first pre-mix, we sent it to other labels we thought could be interested. Stellar Frequencies, Cold Dark Matter Records, Duality Records and A la dérive records all agreed to work with us with a lot of enthusiasm. Today we are so glad that these five labels trusted us enough to help us release this LP. All of them offer really great support whether it be financial, of course, but also with bookings, promo, distribution. It’s so great to be surrounded with people who are really involved and take our music to heart. 

 

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of drone and post rock?

It’s maybe early to have an idea as for the time being we have only released 1 song, so far we are quite happy of the feedback we received.

As you say, it’s pretty hard to tell because we’ve only recently started promoting our soon to be released record. We feel like the press and webzines have been quite enthusiastic Aurora (Vi ska sova), got released in December. We’ve had a number of broadcasts on radios all over the world, from California to Australia, a number of really fine reviews too, just like yours! We have never had this kind of exposure before. It’s quite heartwarming to know that our music resonates with some people.

 

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Maybe for the first time, the three of us have a common artistic direction we want to follow. It will be a continuation of what we have done with VOLAVERUNT but with drums so it’ll most probably sound heavier and louder. 

We also really dig the experimental side of our music that we feel we can also explore more deeply. 

 

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

To name a few, we are obsessed with Oiseaux-Tempête (and the like - Foudre!, Saaad, Mondkopf), Anna von Hausswolff, Swans. Year of no light also released an insane record last year.

We also listen compulsively to our friends’ records: Echo says echo, Nordkapp, Frise Lumière, Alpha du Centaure… looking forward to Orbel’s next release as well.

 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Maud: I love photography. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed Daido Moriyama and Shomei Tomatsu’s works that were exhibited at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. There’s a dichotomy between shadow & light that I find really similar to music and especially post-rock music. I’m overall really into visual arts. Whenever I’m fed up with music, I switch to photography / drawing (spoiler alert: I am not close to being good at it but I really enjoy it!) and recently I got really into linocutting, hoping to make Bank Myna’s DIY merch!

 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 

Thank you for your support. It might sound really unoriginal but it’s sincere. We really hope some people will get into our record and feel just as much heart and effort we poured into it!

 Linktr.ee/bankmyna

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FrazyL/Mon Odyssee/Epictronic/2022 Full Length Review

 

  FrazyL  are  a  solo  project  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  dungeon  synth  and  neo-classical  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album  "Mon  ODyssee"  which  will  be  released  on  January  21st  by  Epictronic.

  Ocean  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  dungeon  synth  style  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  add  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys.  All  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  ambient  and  neo-classical  elements.

  All  of  the  music  is  also  instrumental  while  all  of  the  tracks  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other.  On  some  tracks  while  the  keyboards  also  bring  in  a  more  tragic  style  at  times  along  with  the  music  also  capturing  the  atmosphere  of  a  movie  soundtrack  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  few  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  electric  guitars  can  also  be  heard  and  towards  the  end  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  are  also  utilized.

  FrazyL  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dark  ambient,  dungeon  synth  and  neo-classical  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own  as  well  as  keeping  everything  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  song  themes  focus  on  Homer's  "The  Odyssey",  Greek,  Celtic  and  Norse  Mythology.  

  In  my  opinion  FrazyL  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  dungeon  synth  and  neo-classical  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "L’Initiation  Mystique  d’Odin"  "Prière  en Nouvelle-France"  and  "Orphée,  Eurydice  &  les  Lamelles  d’Or".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/Frazyl/      

Hiemis/Zothique/Noctivagant/2021 CD Review

 

  Spain's  solo  project  Hiemis  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  drone  and  ritual  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Zothique"  which  was  released  by  Noctivagant.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  while  the  synths  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  ambient  elements  and  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys.  When  percussion  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  tribal,  shamanistic  and  ritualistic  feeling  and  chants  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Night  sounds  and  fire  burning  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  all  of  the  tracks  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other.  Most  of  the  music  is  also  instrumental  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  breath  use  of  water  sounds,  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  songs  also  start  getting  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  this  recording  Hiemis  takes  dark  ambient,  drone  and  ritual  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  diverse  yet  occult  orientated  album.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  song  themes  focus  on  Theosophy  and  Clark  Ashton  Smith's  Lovecraftian  mythos  and  Lost  Continent  Stories.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hiemis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  ambient,  drone  and  ritual,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cincor"  "Sotar"  "Zul'Bha'Sair"  and  "Chaon  Gacca".  8  out  of  10.

https://noctivagantcollective.bandcamp.com/album/zothique

Pseudodoxia/The Sun And The Mirror/The Eerie And Radiant Doorless Rooms Of Pain/Brucia Records/2021 Split Album Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album between  Italy's  Pseudodoxia  and  U.SA's  The  Sun  And  The  Mirror  called  "The  Eerie  And  Radiant  Doorless  Rooms  Of  Pain"  which  was  released  by  Brucia  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Pseudodoxia  a  duo  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  drone,  doom  metal,  experimental  and  noise  with  some  touches  of  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  drones  along  with  some  clear  vocals  a  few  seconds  later.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  adding  some  noises  in  certain  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  bass  guitars  also  ad d in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  also  showing  an  influence  of  black  metal.  Screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  both  of  the  tracks  also  sounding  different  from  each  other  and  touches  of  dark  ambient  are  also  added  in  some  parts  of  their  music,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  suffering  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pseudodoxia  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  drone,  doom  metal,  experimental  and  noise  with  some  touches  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Holy  :  PIG  :  Solace".

  Next  up  is  The  Sun  And  The  Mirror  a  duo  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  orchestral,  doom  metal,  drone,  folk,  minimalistic  noise  and  psychedelic.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  drones  along  with  some  heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  that  also  brings  elements  of  doom  metal  onto  their  side  of  the  recording.  Their  only  track  is  also  over  22  minutes  in  length  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  experimental  sounding.

  Clean  vocals  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  track  as  well  as  adding  in  a  touch  of  neo-folk.  When  cello's  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  more  of  an  orchestral  touch  and  the  song  also  mixes  in  touches  of  noise,  minimalism  and  psychedelia  as  well  as  always  sticking  to  a  slower  direction  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while t he  lyrics  cover  suffering  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Sun  And  The  Mirror  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  orchestral,  doom  metal,  drone,  folk,  minimalistic  noise  and  psychedelic  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  i  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  experimental,  drone,  noise  and  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://bruciarecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-eerie-and-radiant-doorless-rooms-of-pain      

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with      

The Slumbering/Looking For Sorrow Within Ones Fear/Dead Games Records/Aesthetic Death/2021 Full Length Review

 

  The  Slumbering  are  a  solo  project  from  Phoenix,  Arizona  that  plays  a  musical  style  he  describes  as  being  'astral  doom  noise'  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Looking  For  Sorrow  Within  Ones  Fear"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between Dead  Games  Records  and  Aesthetic  Death.

  Power  electronics  a nd  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  while  the  slow  heavy  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  elements  of  doom  metal.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  instrumental.

  Effects  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  harsh  noises.  When  vocals  are  brought  into  the  music  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  each  track  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  and  capturing  a  sci-fi  orientated  atmosphere  at  times.

  The  Slumbering  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  harsh  noise,  power  electronics,  experimental  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  onw.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  music  focuses  mostly  on  astral  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Slumbering  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  power  electronics,  experimental  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Daddy  Doesn't  Love  You  Right"  "Suffocation  March  Phrase  1"  and  "Conflict  From  The  6th  Dimension".  8  out  of  10.

https://theslumbering.bandcamp.com/releases    

  

Autumn Tears/The Glow Of Desperation/2021 CD Review

 

  Billerica,  Massachusetts's  Autumn  Tears  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  mixture  of  neo-classical,  world  music  and  goth  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "The  Glow  of  Desperation".

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  ethnic  and  world  music  a  few  seconds  later.  Operatic  vocals  and  choirs  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  neo-classical  elements  and  the  female  vocals  also  add  in  a  touch  of  goth.

  The  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  orchestrations  and  stringed  instruments  while  male  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  When  percussion is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  tribal  feeling  along  with  each  song  also  sounding  different  from  each  other  and  the  album  also  has  its  symphonic  moments.

  On  this  recording  Autumn  tears  takes  neo-classical,  world  music  and  goth  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  tragic  and  melancholic  sounding  record.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic,  melancholic  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Autumn  Tears  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  neo-classical,  goth  and world  music,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Shadow  Of  Perseverance"  "For  You  The  Namelss...We  Sing"  "The  Voice  of  Spring"  and  "The  Glow  of  Desperation".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/TheTrueAutumnTears

https://open.spotify.com/artist/32WFfO8pMkrpupMgDiXlDE?si=VR6ePdo8R-uPKGNniK6P2g

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkKsJaicCl1nPIKZOdawhpA       

Carved in Stone/Wafts Of Mist & The Forgotten Belief/Schwarzdom Production/2021 CD Review

 

  Carved  In  Stone  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  which  consists  of  a  member  from t he  Viking  metal  band  Taunusheim  and  plays  a  mystic  form  of  folk  music  and  this  is  a review  of  her  2021  album  "Wafts  Of  mist  &  The  Forgotten  Belief"  which  was  released  by  Scharzdom  Production.

  Atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  finger  picking  and  full  chords.  Vocals  are  done  in  mostly  a  clean  style  while  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  folk  music  and  each  song  also  sounds  very  different  from  each  other.

  A  lot  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  more  of  ancient  and  mystical  style  while  one  song  also  introduces  flutes  onto  the  album.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  ballads  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  harp's  and  piano's  and  the  whole  recording  also  sticks  to  a  more  acoustic,  slow  and  melancholic  direction.

  Carved  In  Stone  plays  a  style  of  folk  music  that  is  very  mystical,  ancient  and  melancholic  sounding.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a mixture  of  English  and  German  and  cover  fantast,  dreams,  nature  and  melancholic  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Carved  In  Stone  are  a  very  great  sounding  mystic  folk  music  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Night"  "It  Is  Me"  "To  Fantasy,  Mother  of  Dreams"  and  "Ruins".  8  out  of  10.

Website: http://www.carvedinstone.de

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ carvedinstonefolk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tnqp5Mz-gg       

1695/Lennud loojangusse/Flights To Dusk/Warhorn/2021 Full Length Review

 

  1695  are  a  solo  project  from  Estonia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  experimental,  ambient,  dungeon  synth  and  dark  folk  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Lennud  loojangusse/Flights  To  Dusk"  which  was  released  by  Warhorn.

  Ambient  style  synths  which  also  add  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  start  off  the  album  while  also  mixing  in  the  darker  side  of  dungeon  synth,  Acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  also  bring  in  elements  of  folk  music  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  instrumentals.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  melancholic  sounding  while  the  music  also  goes  into  more  of  an  experimental  direction  as  the  recording  progresses.  All  of  the  songs  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  drum  beats  as  well  as  some  melodic  electric  guitars  leads  and  heavy  riffs  also  being  utilized  briefly  which  also  shows  some  influences  of  metal,  one  track  also  introduces  Gregorian  chants  and  folk  instruments  onto  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  1695  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  experimental,  ambient,  dungeon  synth  and  dark  folk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  diverse  sounding  recording  while  the  production  sounds  very  dark.  

  In  my  opinion  1695  is  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  experimental,  ambient,  dungeon  synth  and  dark  folk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Päevaveeru  Kroon /  Crown  Of  The  Day's Edge"  "Värvi  Loojang  Oma  Hingeverega  /  Paint  The  Dusk  With  The  Blood  Of  Your  Soul"  and  "Öötõus  /  Nightrise".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2x_yKC2ub4  

  

Vornoff/Retrospekt/Floodgate Moods Productions/2021 EP Review

 

  Denmark's  solo  project  Vornoff  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  ep  "Retrospekt"  which  was  released  by  Floodgate  Moods  Productions.

  Dark  ambient  style  synths  which  also  add  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  start  off  the  ep  while  also  bringing  in  a  very  atmospheric  sound.  Elements  of  dungeon  synth  can  also be   heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  drum  beats  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  all  of  the  tracks  sound  very  different  from  each  other.

  On  this  recording  Vornoff  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth  that  he  had  established  on  previous  releases  as  well  as  keeping  everything  instrumental  while  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vornoff  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  ambient  and  dungeon  synth,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Taagens  Klokkeklang".  8  out  of  10.

Retrospekt | VORNOFF | Floodgate Moods Productions (bandcamp.com)