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30 Sep 2010 Lia Fail are a dark/neofolk outfit from Italy who have been doing the rounds for a while now. Restless Eyes is a little two song demo/single CD presented in classy packaging. For what it is I quite enjoyed it…but the great brevity of the release makes it hard to really form a concrete opinion of the band. … 29 Sep 2010 All in the Merry Month of May is a one-woman (with a few guests) folk outfit; with the debut release At Home we are offered a warm, quirky, DIY folk gem. … 25 Sep 2010 There is a real mystique and awe surrounding Halo Manash, experimental psychic-sonic pioneers from Suomi whose unique menagerie of drones, found instruments, and primal spirit combine to yield a truly sonic experience of solemn but untamed ritualism. … 25 Sep 2010 Review: The Empty Circle Part II: Trails of Blood and Fragments of the Tradition (The Joy of Nature)Earthy, richly layered, alternately dreamy and visceral, Trails of Blood and Fragments of the Tradition is a noble tribute to The Joy of Nature’s musical forebears, and a true celebration of life. A marvellous continuation of the trilogy of The Empty Circle, and a release which leaves me very excited to hear the concluding release of the series… … 25 Sep 2010 Heavily laden with synchronistic beauty, this is an album that rewards deep exploration and reflection. The music is rich, subtle, and evokes a string of all-encompassing worlds, like pearls on the necklace of the hermaphrodite Mercurius. Couto has fulfilled the ambition of this release with an assured genius that bodes well for the sequel albums in the series of The Empty Circle. … 8 May 2010 Imagine being seduced into the world of Merrie England, as John Michell would say: a quasi-mythical realm of music, craft, magic, the whole rustic tapestry of rural life. A world where animals are wiser than humans, and hedgerows bristle with mystery. No, that isn’t quite the world of Telling the Bees – they’re far too wise to naively devolve into such idealism – but it certainly echoes through every note of their new album, An English Arcanum, and if ever the folk mythology of Merrie England were attested by any kind of evidence, this album would be it. … 8 May 2010 Telling The Bees are a four piece folk band with a strong classical influence and they sing their stories with a poignancy and magic all their own. Oh, and every time I put this album on to play I am immediately, utterly obsessed. … 6 May 2010 US nature-loving doom outfit Celestiial are an unusual beast. Where Life Springs Eternal, their second full length album, is a fascinating mix of heavy, droning funeral doom guitars, tortured vocals, and glacial percussion. Somehow they’ve managed to take the usually oppressive and choking tools of the funeral doom metal trade to evoke an almost soothing animistic atmosphere of forests and streams and mist on the air. It’s a strange and impressive achievement. … 4 May 2010 Loss is the debut album of UK black metal band Wodensthrone. It was recorded with the assistance of pagan black metal giants Negura Bunget, and sets out to explore the historical and cultural spirit of Europe’s pagan roots… … 4 May 2010 Nechochwen’s second album, Azimuths to the Otherworld is an unusual and very creative release which takes time for the listener to fully absorb. The effort is worth it … 17 Apr 2010 Blood of the Black Owl have carved a formidable reputation with their characteristic brand of Heathen-inflected “blackened doom metal,” as I am wont to call it. Knowing the impeccable standards to which band leader Chet Scott holds all of his creative projects (Ruhr Hunter, Elemental Chrysalis with Blood of the Black Owl comrade James Woodhead, etc), I was positively bursting at the thought of hearing this new album. And high as they were, my expectations have been completely exceeded. … 17 Apr 2010 While many musical artists have tried to draw together naturalistic and industrial influences, few are particularly successful – the delicate synergy of elements required is all too easily missed. This album, however, is a brilliant example of how good a combination of musical genres they can be. … 21 Mar 2007 Emotional electronica with a mistletoe arrow, this limited edition CD (only 333 originally available), leads us on a city mouse journey through the winter holiday. From entering the station to catch a homebound train, to being awaken on a snowy morning by bells and the promise of mysterious gifts, to the end of Yule and the beginning of the New Year, we are led by Xmas ghosts. … 21 Mar 2007 Consisting of seven tracks, this ambitious metal journey begins by delivering the listener to the heart of the storm immediately upon pressing ‘play.’ A broad range of instrumentation is woven through the heavy rhythm guitar in a unique and entrancing manner. The stark, raw vocals of the opening turn to echoing screams and cavernous growls, surrounded by doom tempo drums and meditative breaks of pure drone. … 21 Mar 2007 The sound of Agnivolok is an often uneven, yet masterfully produced fusion of European classical and folk with dark, atmospheric experimentalism. The lyricist and songwriter, Vera Agnivolok, creates some beautiful, warm melodies through the use of guitar, piano, and accordian. Yet her jarring and haunting vocal style, is one of the strong ingredients which sets this band apart form all others. … |
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