Old reviews (2010−2017)

Parece que mis numerosas plegarias al cosmos para que emergieran nuevas bandas de doom en nuestro país han dado sus frutos. Sí, es cierto que algunas de estas bandas que he ido descubriendo estos últimos dos años no son realmente nuevas, pero o bien su actividad discográfica había comenzado hace poco o bien no las conocía y, como bien dijo Charles Manson en Padre de familia, “si no lo he visto (escuchado en este caso) para mí es nuevo”.

Bromas aparte, qué bien le vienen a la escena bandas como SHATTERED SIGH. Sorpresón el que me he llevado con esta gente de Barcelona. Formados en 2010, cuentan con una demo editada en 2011 y con un single perteneciente al disco que analizamos hoy, Distances, completándose así su discografía evidentemente. Indagando sobre ellos me di cuenta de que aquella demo estaba en Spotify, así que la escuché unas pocas veces y la verdad es que obviando algunas pequeñas carencias en la producción (típicas por otra parte de muchas “primeras demos”) me gustó muchísimo y me predispuso todavía más a analizar como es debido Distances.

Practicando un death/doom melódico muy conciso y resultón, estos barceloneses andan con paso firme por el camino que han escogido para expresar su música, siguiendo la estela de los pesos pesados patrios como EVADNE o HELEVORN. Junto a los relativamente también recién descubiertos SUN OF THE DYING o IN LOVING MEMORY, forman la cabeza de lanza de una prometedora oleada de bandas del rollo que espero que poco a poco vaya engrosando sus filas.

Con respecto a Distances, como os decía, es un ejercicio de death/doom melódico practicado con pureza y sentimiento. Así nos lo muestran las melancólicas melodías de guitarra a lo largo de todo el trabajo. Esa marca distintiva de ese tipo de música me es totalmente adictiva; la manera en la que se funden las melodías desprendiendo tristeza y dolor con las pesadas guitarras con distorsión me flipa. Pero si encima le añades teclados, a un servidor lo tienes en el bote. Pocas cosas hay como el sonido de un piano para transmitir con notas un sentimiento del tipo que comentábamos antes. Es totalmente desgarrador como acompaña este instrumento al conjunto, añadiendo un toquecito atmosférico muy fino, además de darle en muchas ocasiones tintes góticos, recordando esporádicamente a los primeros GRAVEWORM. Excelente trabajo el de las teclas, ¡sí señor!

No se dejan llevar por los embaucadores ritmos tediosos y lentorros como les pasa a algunas bandas del estilo, que rozan el funeral doom en muchos momentos. SHATTERED SIGH se atreve a incluir otros recursos que, sin ser novedosos, le otorgan de más versatilidad al álbum, haciendo que los treinta y seis minutos de duración se te queden cortísimos. Muy buen trabajo en las voces también, sólidas y profundas las guturales, plácidas y embellecedoras las limpias. Desde aquí profeso mi amor hacia “Thou say goodbye“, probablemente mi favorita del disco si tuviera que escoger alguna.

Si te va el rollete SWALLOW THE SUN, RAPTURE, los mencionados anteriormente EVADNE y HELEVORN o incluso IN MOURNING, SHATTERED SIGH no te van a defraudar.

Subterraneo Webzine Nov. 2017

Chicote dimostra ampiamente d'essere un musicista rispettabile e ciò rende sicuramente gradevole un disco che potrebbe rappresentare, in qualche modo, un punto di svolta per i Graveyard Of Souls, fino ad oggi interpreti onesti ma non di di primissimo piano della materia death doom.

I Graveyard Of Souls sono una band attiva da inizio decennio e con alle spalle già un buon numero di full length.

Questa volta Angel Chicote decide di fare tutto da solo rinunciando al consueto apporto del vocalist Raul Weaver, il quale è sempre stato presente nei precedenti lavori: il risultato è un album interamente strumentale come Mental Landscapes, la cui uscita segue di circa sei mesi quella del precedente Pequeños fragmentos de tiempo congelado.

Tale scelta condiziona inevitabilmente lo sviluppo del sound, che perde per strada le ruvidezze del death doom, non solo per l’assenza del growl, orientandosi verso sonorità più ariose e di buon impatto melodico: ne scaturisce un lavoro senz’altro gradevole, per molti aspetti più riuscito dei suoi predecessori dalla configurazione più canonica, anche se la soluzione integralmente strumentale finisce per favorire una certa ripetitività.

D’altronde, parlando proprio di Pequeños … rimarcavo il fatto che a mio avviso i Graveyard Of Souls offrivano il meglio appunto nelle parti melodiche, mentre la maggior parte dei dubbi sorgeva allorché il duo si spingeva verso sonorità più robuste o ritmate: in effetti, con questa configurazione l’album si mostra più morbido e scorrevole, esibendo alcuni brani davvero molto belli (uno tra tutti il trascinante Eclipse)

Essendoci stata fornita l’occasione di ascoltare i Graveyard of Souls in un’altra veste, non si può fare a meno di apprezzare quest’ultima incarnazione, anche se la soluzione ideale, in futuro, potrebbe essere proprio quella di proseguire su questa linea tornando ad inserire le parti vocali, magari modulandole rispetto ad un’espressione musicale meno estrema.

Chicote dimostra ampiamente d’essere un musicista rispettabile e ciò rende sicuramente gradevole un disco che potrebbe rappresentare, in qualche modo, un punto di svolta per i Graveyard Of Souls, fino ad oggi interpreti onesti ma non di di primissimo piano della materia death doom.

7

Iyezine Jan. 2018

Come spesso accade, la musica che ci giunge dalla Siberia non delude e il misterioso Nordmad riesce nell’intento di produrre un bellissimo lavoro, tramite l'esibizione di un funeral doom melodico ma al contempo molto essenziale.

Nordlumo è il nome di questa nuova one man band proveniente dalla Siberia e dedita al funeral doom.

Come spesso accade, la musica che ci giunge da quelle fredde e lontane lande non delude e il misterioso Nordmad riesce nell’intento di produrre un bellissimo lavoro, tramite un’esibizione del genere melodica ma al contempo molto essenziale.

Sono pochi gli inserti vocali mentre risultano invece pressoché nulli i momenti in cui il sound viene diluito con passaggi ambient o sperimentali: qui tutto è finalizzato alla creazione di una melodia dolente ma d’immediato impatto e, in tal senso, si rivela emblematica la prima traccia, interamente strumentale, The Autumn Fall, la quale prepara il terreno a quello che sarà il fulcro dell’album, la meravigliosa Devotion, oltre 23 minuti di sofferenza pura oltre che sicuro nutrimento per i soli adepti del genere.

E’ sempre un profondo senso di malinconia ad aleggiare per quasi la metà del brano, nel corso del quale il musicista russo mostra anche una certa eleganza nel pizzicare gli strumenti a corde, prima che l’interminabile finale ci scaraventi in un vortice di inalienabile dolore, con la reiterazione di accordi rallentati all’inverosimile.

Altro picco del lavoro è il quarto d’ora intitolato Dreamwalker, brano di chiara impronta Ea che si apre negli ultimi cinque minuti in un meraviglioso crescendo emotivo; non da meno comunque è anche il resto del lavoro, che oltre alla già citata The Autumn Fall, propone la nervosa e più cangiante Scripts e la stupenda cover di Weathered dei Colosseum, sentito e doveroso omaggio al genio musicale del compianto Juhani Palomäki.

Nordmad dimostra d’essere un musicista di grande spessore, regalando un esordio inattaccabile sotto ogni aspetto e dotato di tutti i crismi per lasciare il segno negli appassionati di funeral doom.

8,7

Iyezine Jan. 2018

Dead Men Do Not Suffer, grazie al lavoro chitarristico di grande classe fornito da Cristiano Costa, pur essendo catalogabile alla voce death doom potrebbe rivelarsi molto appetibile anche per chi apprezza l’ heavy metal dai tratti più malinconici.

Il Brasile non sembrerebbe essere terreno fertile per il doom come per i generi più estremi o il metal classico, almeno a livello quantitativo; la qualità, invece, non può essere messa in discussione se pensiamo ad una scena capace di offrire nomi già consolidati come HellLight eMythological Cold Tower, o di più recente affermazione come i Jupiterian.

A provare ad inserirsi in tale novero provano gli Aporya, band nata solo scorso anno per l’impulso del chitarrista Cristiano Costa che ha poi trovato il suo ideale completamento nel vocalist Tiago Monteiro: Dead Men Do Not Suffer è il titolo del loro interessante esordio, all’insegna di un death doom melodico che a tratti ricorda i Tiamat epoca Clouds, specialmente in un brano come One More Day, forse anche a di un’impostazione vocale a tratti simile a quella utilizzata ai tempi da Edlund, con un growl non troppo profondo e a tratti quasi sussurrato.

Al di là di questo, si capisce che gli Aporya sono un progetto nato dalla mente di un chitarrista proveniente dal metal classico, visto l’abbondante quanto appropriato ricorso ad assoli dolenti e melodici che prendono piede, soprattutto, nella seconda metà dell’album, invero ingannevole al suo avvio con un brano death tout court (ma notevolissimo) come Cry of the Butterfly, che va a spezzare l’iniziale incantesimo creato dalla tenue intro Blood Rain.

Da The Sad Tragedy (I’m Crushed Down) in poi il lavoro comincia ad assumere le coordinate promesse, ovvero quelle di un death doom melodico, elegante ma dall’impatto emotivo che si mantiene sempre apprezzabile, grazie al connubio tra le linee chitarristiche, il soffuso supporto delle tastiere ed un’interpretazione vocale che non va a sovrapporsi in maniera eccessiva alle tessiture strumentali.

Dead Men Do Not Suffer prende quota ancora più nella sua parte finale, in coincidenza con quei brani nei quali Costa sfoga tutto il suo sentire melodico abbinato ad un tocco chitarristico di grande classe; anche per questo l’album, pur essendo catalogabile alla voce death doom, potrebbe rivelarsi molto appetibile anche per chi apprezza l’ heavy metal dai tratti più malinconici.

In definitiva gli Aporya si rivelano una gradita sorpresa e l’approdo alla configurazione di band vera propria, finalizzata alla riproposizione dal vivo dei brani contenuti nell’album, non potrà che rivelarsi un valore aggiunto nell’ambito di un percorso iniziato nel migliore dei modi.

7,6

Iyezine Jan. 2018

V poměrně rychlém sledu se v ruských funeral doomových kanálech objevilo druhé album „Ephemere“ od trojice říkající si SUFFER IN PARADISE, která tímto počinem navazuje na rok starý debut „This Dead Is World“. Ten nabídl v podstatě „základní žánrovou jakost“, nikterak urážející, ovšem o nějaké velké senzaci se nedalo mluvit ani v nejmenším.

Pokračování v podobě „Ephemere“ pak přináší docela zásadní zlepšení, a to v podstatě ve všech ohledech. Líbí se mi, že SUFFER IN PARADISE zapracovali především na celkové atmosféře své produkce. Dlouhým kompozicím nechybí patřičná hloubka a ke slyšení je i několik „nestriktních“ momentů. Na mysli mám především občasné zabroušení do středně rychlých temp, byť se tedy jedná pouze o „nádechy“. I tak to ale stačí na to, abych v hudbě Rusů vystopoval náklonnost k death metalu. O něco menší ozvláštnění se ovšem týká i vokálů, jenž jsou sice „murmurovatě klasické“, avšak najdou se zde skladby, do jejichž struktur byly zakomponovány čisté recitace.

Nejedná se sice o nic neobvyklého, ale nutno podotknout, že i v tak striktním žánru, jakým funeral doom metal bezesporu je, se občas hodí nějaké to prosvícení tmy. A co se úplně nepovedlo? Nejspíš zvuk. Nejedná se sice o žádný totální průser, ale při poslechu jsem narazil na něco, co mi opravdu vadí. Jsou to v prvé řadě kytarové vyhrávky (sice jich není moc), po stránce soundu fakt nevýrazné a zastrčené za nástrojový „zbytek“. Když ale kytary přejdou do režimu riffování, ejhle, všechno je najednou jinak. Myslím, že lepší termín než „zvuková nevyváženost“ se snad ani najít nedá. Fanoušky funeral doomu by však mělo album „Ephemere“ uspokojit. I navzdory silnější konkurenci.

R.U.M. zine Dec. 2017

Questo doppio cd è l’esauriente compendio dell’attività svolta in un decennio di attività dal musicista finlandese E. Hereticius (Emil Paavola) con il monicker Funerium.

Questa volta non c’è trucco non c’è inganno, il nome rimanda in maniera del tutto coerente al genere proposto, ovvero un funeral doom eseguito con competenza e di buona qualità, come da sempre si produce nella nazione che ne ha visto i primi vagiti.

E. Hereticius prende tutto il meglio della fertile scena, partendo ovviamente dai Thergothon per spingersi ad un’interpretazione misantropica alla Colosseum, piuttosto in quella di matrice atmosferica appannaggio di Skepticism o Shape Od Despair.

La natura di one man band rende inevitabilmente più minimale il sound nel suo insieme, ma non in maniera così evidente come accade spesso in simili frangenti, sicché Cvltvs Deorvm Aliorvm (full-length risalente al 2012) e Nihil in Omnino Nvsqvam (ep uscito sempre nello stesso anno) si rivelano sodisfacenti nella loro resa sonora (in effetti più il primo che il secondo, afflitto da qualche sfrigolio di troppo).

L’opera è un claustrofobico tour de force di oltre due ore, che vede il suo picco nella lunghissima The End – MMXII, traccia che mostra in maniera eloquente un’altra influenza illustre, questa volta extra finnica, come quella dei tedeschi Worship.

Una compilation di tale fattura, arricchita nel secondo cd dalla bonus track From Infinity to Oblivion, un brano che risale al 2007, quando fu pubblicato sotto il monicker Bastard Ov Bethlehem, va ovviamente assunta in piccole dosi, vista la sua lunghezza, ma mostra sicuramente più di un motivo di interesse per quel manipolo di appassionati fatalmente attratti da queste sonorità pachidermiche, forse anacronistiche, ed irrimediabilmente affascinanti.

Iyezine Dec. 2016

Le notizie sui russi Morphugoria sono poche: il progetto sembra sia nato nel 2013 e i due componenti che ne fanno parte sono Maahzur Phalmorg (basso, voce, batteria e chitarra) e Arkhatriis Metus (chitarra). Non si capisce se siano una costola o una evoluzione dei Mohraang, altra band sorta per volontà di Maahzur Phalmorg. Del resto, entrambe le realtà si muovono in territori death e doom metal; i primi sono maggiormente orientati verso il death, i secondi più incentrati sul versante doom e atmosferico, mentre per scenari e tematica sembrano a dir poco connessi.

Il primo lavoro dei Morphugoria, intitolato "Resounding From The Obscurity", si basa sugli eventi svoltisi sul pianeta Khorrendus, nel quale si risvegliano spaventose creature predatrici sotterranee (i dormienti) affamate di carne umana e sull'unico album sino a ora pubblicato dai Mohraang ("Underworld Of Khorrendus"). Il legame fra le due realtà è perciò impossibile da non notare.

L'EP in questione si compone di cinque pezzi denominati con l'ordine numerico romano: l'ingresso viene affidato al più classico degli intro oscuri e carico di presagi negativi, mentre dal secondo atto in poi ci si immerge nella melma canonica, ma efficace per effetto e compostezza. Il suono è marcescente, grezzo, crudo e astioso, riconducibile al filone anni Novanta del genere.

"Resounding From The Obscurity" non necessita di particolari spiegazioni: si pone a muso duro, incorrotto, nero come la pece, infoltito da un tocco di atmosfera plumbea e da un growl cavernoso che fortificano la sensazione di lenta e inesorabile avanzata, che ben si sposa con l'immaginario sorgere dei mostri. Da notare le brevi e ficcanti accelerazioni che permettono di identificare la famelica ferocia che guida le creature, le quali si saziano dell'ormai lacerata umana esistenza, spezzando e vivacizzando l'assalto messo in atto.

Vi piace essere avvolti da ambientazioni horror? Una razione giornaliera di death-doom metal non può mancare nel vostro stereo? Siete sempre desiderosi di scoprire nuove band? A tutte queste domande possono rispondervi i Morphugoria: in loro compagnia avrete di che compiacervi.

Aristocrazia Webzine Sept. 2017

È la terza volta che mi trovo fra le mani un lavoro dei Mirror Morionis. In passato avevo scritto sia del debutto "Eternal Unforgiveness" che del suo successore "Last Winter Tolls", album che mi avevano lasciato un buon ricordo. Con piacere mi accingo, quindi, a dire la mia sull'ultimo parto discografico del progetto di cui è mente Cataract (autore delle composizioni, dei testi e interprete vocale), supportato nuovamente dalla sola voce femminile di Selena.

L'uscita è di quelle ambiziose: un doppio CD contenente undici pezzi per un totale di un'ora e tre quarti di traboccante doom-death metal melodico misto gothic, stile al quale ci hanno ormai abituato. Una proposta di stampo classico per il genere, ancora una volta impeccabile per atmosfere e convincente a livello compositivo. Del resto, non sembrano esserci ingranaggi meno oliati o che girino stentatamente nello sviluppo del lavoro, trovandoci così a tu per tu con episodi che, pur non mutando di una virgola quanto già raccontato da molti altri in passato e nutriti da un'innegabile natura scandinava, si rivelano gradevolmente grigi e avvolgenti.

L'album paga un lieve dazio a causa delle durata troppo estesa, ma giustificata dalla voglia di raccontare attraverso la musica le possibilità, gli intrecci e le scelte che danno forma a una vita e accompagnano nel momento della fine. "When I Am Dead" è un pezzo molto intenso, interpretato quasi esclusivamente da Selena; il testo riporta le parole scritte dalla poetessa britannica Christina Georgina Rossetti dopo un lungo periodo di malattia che la coinvolse, facendo trasparire le sensazioni di sofferenza e volontà di andare oltre, lasciando qualcosa di sé a coloro che verranno.

Mi sembra superfluo dare rilievo a un brano piuttosto che a un altro: l'insieme si presenta qualitativamente livellato, al di sopra della media, con l'unico neo rappresentato dal non del tutto convincente incastro del canto pulito femminile. Selena non risulta più come un elemento quasi evanescente (come avveniva in "Last Winter Tolls"), ma continuo a chiedermi se sia davvero necessario il suo apporto per la riuscita del disco.

La linea tracciata dai Mirror Morionis è sempre più chiara, corposa e stilisticamente inquadrata, "Our Bereavement Season" non fa altro che confermare la bontà di una realtà in grado di farsi apprezzare dagli appassionati del genere e non escludo che dopo un paio di ascolti approfonditi decidiate di acquistare l'album. Un progetto e un lavoro da non prendere sottogamba.

Aristocrazia Webzine Sept. 2017

Španělská doom metalová skupina (či spíše projekt) nepatří na Rumzinu k úplným nováčkům, neboť s jedním z jejich děl jsme se v našem prostoru už potkali. Tehdy se jednalo o druhé řadové album, které už toho času vydali ruští nadšenci z Endless Winter, a přestože si oba subjekty daly v průběhu minulého roku přestávku (loni vyšlo album „Todos los caminos llevan a ninguna parte“ u mexických Concreto Records), letos opět nastoupily na společnou loď.

Jakkoliv se ovšem mohlo zdát, že kapela udělá oproti předchozím letům nějaký zásadní pokrok, opak je bohužel pravdou. GRAVEYARD OF SOULS zcela uvízli někde v polovině devadesátých let minulého století a zároveň se jim nepodařilo aktuální skladby nikterak zatraktivnit. Dřevní zvuk sice může na staromilce zapůsobit svou sentimentalitou, nicméně veškeré skladby jsou natolik průměrné, že zkrátka není důvod k tomu, aby se stará kultovní alba musela třást strachy o místo v poličce. Jedinou zajímavostí tak paradoxně zůstává historický kusanec „As Lightday Yields“ z dílny LAKE OF TEARS, střep, jenž do celé skládanky pochopitelně ideálně zapadá. A co dále? Zmínit mohu nevšední španělštinu a skvěle zpracovaný obal CD, nemluvě o bookletu. Vše zabaleno do historického stylu a musím uznat, že po stránce vizuálu vypadá komplet naprosto skvěle. To hlavní mi to ale zatraceně chybí.

R.U.M. zine Nov. 2017

Pequeños Fragmentos De Tiempo Congelado, literally translated as ‘small fragments of frozen time’, is the fourth album by Spanish Melodic Doom/Death band Graveyard Of Souls and comes only four years after debut release, Shadows Of Life. Graveyard Of Souls’ sound is highly atmospheric, with fantastic lead guitar work, which sets it apart from many other bands in the genre. The sound is quite similar to Godless Beauty-era Cemetary, but the vocals are all deep, powerful and indecipherable growls.

The opening couple of tracks are quite good, but don’t really stand out. They have their moments, such as the memorable lead guitars in both tracks and the great synths that add atmosphere and depth to “Entre Fragmentos De Locura”, but it’s from “Beyond The Black Rainbow” that Graveyard Of Souls really hit their stride. Every track from here on in is an out and out winner. Take “Cementerio De Ilusiones”, which has it all – melodic and hugely atmospheric backing synths, big guitars, monstrous growls and a really memorable chorus. What’s not to like?

The fine cover of Lake Of Tears’ “As Lightday Yields” is where the band sounds most like Cemetary and is followed with the finest point on the album – “Al Atardecer”, combining melody, melancholy and heaviness to great effect with more breathtakingly good lead guitars.

“Across The Cygnus Loop” is the most ambitious track here, an instrumental consisting of gentle synths that create a sighing effect, occasional drum beats and faint, wailing lead guitar like the sound of a poor creature in its death throes. It’s a quiet, calming piece and therefore adventurous and risky in comparison to the rest of the music on Pequeños Fragmentos De Tiempo Congelado, but the band pull it off, producing something that is quite beautiful.

Pequeños Fragmentos De Tiempo Congelado is an excellent album, thanks to Graveyard Of Souls’ expert blending of melody, heaviness and great songwriting, so fans who like plenty of lead guitar with their Doom/Death should lap this up. The stronger songs here also leave the impression that this is a band capable of producing even better, so their next album may be one to keep an eye out for.

The Metal Observer Dec. 2017

Anche se in ritardo, eccomi qui a dare il mio contributo ai calabresi BRETUS, pronti a trasportarci tra le grinfie del doom metal con "...From The Twilight Zone", lavoro in cui convivono caratteristiche incentrate sul fascino maledetto di uno sviluppo concettuale ricco di riferimenti al passato, e registri sonori che conducono verso le peculiarità naturali del genere musicale in questione. Questi musicisti catanzaresi sanno come macinare riff oscuri accompagnandoli con litanie vocali fluttuanti una nell'altra, arrivando così a scoperchiare uno scenario Lovecraftiano dalla poetica crepuscolare. "...From The Twilight Zone" è un disco più maturo, sancito da costanti cambi di registro in modo da creare una dinamica decisa, che potesse sedurre l'ascoltatore e tenerlo impegnato senza perdita di interesse. L'energia maligna è soltanto una delle polarità dell'album, e senza di essa le altre non potrebbero esistere, perché gli opposti sono complementari. Da provare senza indugio alcuno.

SON OF FLIES Nov. 2017

With the baroque, mournful opener, 'Blood Rain' 'Dead Men Do Not Suffer' an album by Brazilian melodic doom death band Aporya begins exactly as expected, until the first surprise kicks in, the second track 'Cry Of The Butterfly.' There's nothing 'Gothic' about this track, the black laced veil is ripped away in a Strapping Young lad blend of rampant riffery.

However, Aporya is essentially a band burdened with angst and melancholy, and the weight on its shoulders soon drags the tempo down again to just above snail's pace.The many guitar solo's cry crystalline tears of sorrow, enhanced by an excellent mix that draws the pain into your marrow. The clever use of keyboards, used sparingly so not to distract from the crunch of the riffs, creates an atmosphere that has you brushing imaginary cobwebs from your face and helps elevate the band just beyond the gloom of funeral doom.

The closing tracks, the gloriously haunting 'Pain and Loneliness' which sounds like the funeral doom band Worship dipped in honey, and the title track 'Dead Men Do Not Suffer' are the lamentations of the recently bereaved before the coffin lid finally shuts.

You can find this album on the Narcoleptica Productions Bandcamp page.It shows two tracks for $2, but pay it and you receive all seven.

The Shrieks From Below June 2017

Dreary enough to help get you in the mood for the coming dark season the winter solstice is about to usher in, these guys do have a gothic enough sound with the atmosphere created by the keyboards. Funereal doom might not be goth in the traditional sense, but doom metal has crossed over into goth with bands like My Dying Bride so I see Funeral doom being the spawn of that band. What is more goth than a funereal? The ten minute title track opens the album. I am always hungry for this kind of doom so the atmospheric melancholy is sweet to my ears. In the tradition of other bands I love like Evoken and Mournful Congregation. The songs have a beautiful creep to them. The atmosphere this Russian band creates is different from that of their predecessors as it is more steeped in a contrasting gentleness to the melodies.

The guitars tremolo pick on "My Pillory" in way that sound more like strings and not black metal at all. They hit a similar majestic territory as Mournful Congregation going into the verse. The guitars blend well with the organ sound. The production on this album is admirable.The drums sound a little programmed and tinny going into "the Swan Song of Hope". While the synths worked on the first two songs, they work best with more of the guitar's low end set against them.The rest of the song doesn't tap into the power I heard on the first two songs and is what I want more of. The piano part in 'the Wheels of Fate" sounds really good, but the drums need more balls to the as the patter of double bass is too lightly mixed.The low end gurgle of the vocals still works but could also use a little from the mix which finds the synths way too forward and the heaviness getting lost in the atmosphere. The clean guitar break half way into the song would have had more impact if things had seemed heavier going into it. At the seven and a half minute mark things take a more organic turn and it sounds like they really plug and showed up. The vocals are also more layered.

"The Bone Garden" finds the increasing metallic attack of the guitar over powered by the piano and softer elements that the mix is bolstering. The strings sound fine and the classical elements have their place in what these guys do, I think the heaviness really needs more love. You can hear some of the cool ideas they had in mind for the guitars but the execution is thwarted by the mix. Ironically "Call Me to the Darkside" could stand to be a little darker. They do beef up the metal, so the synths are not drowning it out. So at least it moves in a heavier direction and does get darker at the end so it must have takne time for that call to go through, I will give this album an 8 most of it's problems are in post-production. The first to songs are great and none of the songs are bad some times the point comes across better than others.

8

Abysmal Hymns Oct. 2017

Tengo la oportunidad, por fin, de revisar la más reciente entrega de Aura Hiemis, uno de los nombres, a mi juicio, mas interesantes de la escena chilena, en lo que a Doom Metal se refiere (junto a Procession, obviamente), luego de la desaparición de los notables Mar de Grises y el incierto futuro de Poema Arcanus. Asi es que sin mas preámbulos, es hora de sumergirse en los desolados y grises paisajes de este “Silentium Manium”, cuarto largaduración de Aura Hiemis.

La placa comienza con la breve introducción instrumental “Maeror Demens I” (la primera de 5), una base acústica y un solo bastante simple, que nos adelanta la melancolía que presenciaremos mas adelante. Como siempre digo, a veces “menos es mas”.

El segundo track (“Cadaver Fessum”), uno de los mas extensos del disco -mas de 8 minutos de duración-, irradia desolación desde el primer acorde: atmósferas lentas, pesadas, oscuras, densas, con voces desgarradas. Mención aparte el notable trabajo de guitarras y teclados en este tema, siendo estos últimos los que le dan el toque de elegancia y dinamismo a un tema cuya base principal se mantiene sin mayores variaciones.

Es el turno del segundo interludio instrumental (“Maeror Demens II”), basado en el mismo concepto musical de la primera parte, esta vez explayándose por más tiempo -algo mas de 3 minutos-, dando lugar a un solo de guitarra electroacústica que le agrega emotividad a esta pieza musical. A juicio personal, muy bien logrado, sin lugar a dudas. Y la mejor elección para anteceder a uno de los temas mas destacados del disco, me refiero a “Sub Luce Maligna”, una canción cuya base musical que se mueve entre la melancolía y la amargura, pero con una belleza instrumental notable. Un tema que se hace corto por su calidad.

“Maeror Demens III” -tercer interludio instrumental y quinto track del álbum-, no presenta mayores variaciones respecto a sus anteriores partes, acá la base acústica se presenta sin mayores acompañamientos, para dar paso al sexto corte del disco, “Between Silence Seas”, un tema -tambien instrumental, por cierto- que calza perfecto con el tema anterior, dandole fluidez al disco.

Ahora toca repasar el corte más extenso de esta placa (más de 9 minutos), me refiero a “Frozen Memories”, otro track instrumental, que llama la atención por las variaciones rítmicas y atmosféricas, un ensamble de “estados de ánimo” que a mi parecer muy bien estructurado y logrado. Otro de los momentos destacados del disco.

Como es de esperar, toca el turno de la cuarta parte de “Maeror Demens” (IV), una leve variación de sus versiones anteriores, un poco más dinámica, pero manteniendo la base y estructura.

Llegando ya a los minutos finales de esta placa, nos encontramos con la desgarradora “Danse Macabre”, un corte del doom más clásico, de excelente factura, una pieza imponente, lúgubre, oscura, que da lugar, para finalizar este notable álbum, a la última iteración de “Maeror Demens” (V), la versión mejor lograda de estas piezas instrumentales. Una base de guitarras pesadas, contundentes, definitivas.

En resumen: un disco que demuestra que los años no han pasado en vano para Aura Hiemis, un trabajo prolijo, con una excelente producción y dirección musical. Sólo le criticaría el sonido de las baterías y percusión, se nota demasiado que son baterías programadas, lo cual le resta “peso” y naturalidad al producto final, pero bueno, ese muchas veces es el gran inconveniente que tienen los proyectos solistas como éste. Igual, un disco absolutamente recomendable para todos los amantes del lado triste, desolado y sombrío de la música. Disponible a partir del 1 de diciembre a través del sello ruso Endless Winter Records.

Blood Metal Alliance Nov. 2017

En este preciso momento, cuando el sol derrite el asfalto y mi sentimiento de querer abstraerme de tal horrendo momento, busco en la música una especie de refugio perfecto: Melodías melancólicas que generen un ambiente más bien lúgubre y desolador. Esto me dio como resultado esperado al escuchar “Silentivm Manivm”, que es lo nuevo de AURA HIEMIS.

Para lograr dar forma a esté esfuerzo, V busca en Lord Mashit un aliado para crear darle a su cuarto opus un sonido más denso, más depresivo que sus antecesores. Lo cual hace que se aleje de la vena más Doom Death Metal para presentar un producto más cercano al Funeral Doom, que tiene como influencias a MOURNFUL CONGREGATION, MONADS, EVOKEN y BURIAL CHOIR.

El concepto de “No Dreams, No Hope, No Fear”, que trata de plasmar el cerebro de esta agrupación, se hace patente en lo minimalista de cada una de las creaciones. Que no se entienda esto como un descuido o como un trabajo sin mayor elaboración, ya que quiere evitar la pomposidad para lograr en la simpleza emular un sentimiento de desolación.

Me llama la atención la importante cantidad de temas instrumentales que se incluyen en este álbum, siete en total (“Maeror Demens I”, “Maeror Demens I”, “Maeror Demens III”, “Between Silence Seas”, “Frozen Memories”, “Maeror Demens IV” y “Maeror Demens V”), lo que a mi parecer si bien da una continuidad para desarrollar una especie de historia, podría confundir al oyente. Sin embargo eso pasa a ser un mero detalle debido a que los tracks cumplen y cuentan con un sonido acorde al camino que ha tomado la banda.

De los tracks en los cuales V hace gala de su brutalidad y versatilidad vocal, considero que el que se lleva el premio del Festival de la Sandia es “Danse Macabre”; ya que en seis minutos y fracción resume lo que es la propuesta de una banda que, a pesar de no tener tanta continuidad o formaciones estables, ha logrado plasmar en las partituras y en sus otros trabajos, su sentimiento más misántropo.

El nublado y solitario sendero encuentra en “Silentivm Manivm” su banda sonora perfecta. Un disco más bien elaborado, sin tanta vehemencia y que más bien concentra su oscuridad en música creada desde el dolor y la desesperanza.

No me atrevo a vaticinar este trabajo como lo mejor que ha realizado AURA HIEMIS, ya que considero que su cuarto larga duración puede ser una especie de punto de inflexión hacia sonidos más instrumentales, dejando un poco atrás aquellas creaciones en las cuales la voz de su vocalista sonaba llena de odio y rabia.

The Pichangas Nov. 2017

Bretus is an Italian doom metal band with a long story. It was formed in 2000 but for long eight years guys didn’t produce any worth material for real record. Slowly they elaborated their own style, gather right people in the band and their debut full-length “In Onrica” (2012) shown that Bretus has some potential to create gloom trad doom music.

The sophomore concept album “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” crystallized few features to Bretus sound: recognizable deranged vocals of Zagarus, dirty retro sound Ghenes extracted from his guitar and creepy, “hollow” effect of rhythm section performed by Azog and Striges. Few months ago guys returned with new full-length work “…From The Twilight Zone”, and if you missed their previous records then you should check this one, it deserves attention of every doom fan. We had a talk with Ghenes, here it is.

Ciao Ghenes! How are you? Bretus latest album “…From The Twilight Zone” was released in June. What does the band do now?

Cheers Aleksey is a pleasure to hear you again. After the recording we were invited to play at the Doom over Summer in Lecco (Italy) and in October at the Doom over Karalis in Cagliari (Italy). As you can understand, we do not play live very often. We live in the southern part of Italy and we are forced to travel for long time, not easy for us, so for the moment we decided not to do long tours, we only play in festivals, possibly DOOOOOM ...

Bretus debut “In Onrica” was released on Ukrainian label ARX Productions, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” seen the light of day through Blood Rock Records and now you’re returned on post-USSR territory with Russian label Endless Winter. How did they find you?

Zagarus sending the master around to understand who was interested in the press of the album. Among those who replied, Gennady (Endless Winter) was the one that gave us more guarantees. The fact that there is an interest in our music in that part of the world is a great pride for us. Latest new is that an Indonesian label called Hellas Records will make also a tape version of the album.

I’m wondering why didn’t you get an offer from any local labels, because the album has something of that famous “dark Italian sound”… So how do you work with Endless Winter? Do you provide the band enough promotion or you already used to do everything by yourselves?

After the release of “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” the relationship with Bloodrock was at a dead point for some reasons, including the lack of release in the vinyl version of the album. We did not receive any good replies from other Italian labels. In any case, the relationship with the Endless Winter is solid, Gennady the owner, he is a honesty and straightforward person. Regard to the promotion, each of us has its own channels and manages them at best. It is a small but combative label, it was what we wanted.

Two years ago Bretus took part in split album with Black Capricorn, you offered the new song “The Haunter Of The Dark”. Can we suppose that it was a bridge from Lovecraftian horror (“The Shadow Over Innsmouth”) to horror cinematographic (“…From The Twilight Zone”)?

Sure. Old Horror movies and mystery stories are a source of great inspiration for us. Sometimes the two ways of making art have met together in a great way, but honestly, no one Lovecraft's stories never had a worthy representation on screen.

But Spanish “Dagon” movie is really creepy, didn’t you watch it?

I saw the movie and I must say that I really liked the first part. The setting brought to my mind the loose scenarios of Lovecraft’s novel. Until the Amphibian creatures appeared and entered the free imagination of the screenwriter... in my personal opinion some scenes are a little kitsch, but the real problem of Lovecraft's movies is that you should never enter any love story inside.

Ha-ha-ha! Bull’s eye! Love stories in Lovecraft’s writings are forbidden! However that I like the most in new album is your following in the same direction you took with the first album, you know – there’s nothing unnecessary and all Bretus features are on their places. More by token, how would you distinct these features?

It's a difficult answer. There is nothing studied in our way of writing. What we do is the result of our listening and sensations, for example today's music does not fit in our tastes. We chose from the beginning not to record drums with “click”, maybe this may be one of our features. Actually I can only say that we do not like sounds too clean and the metronome aha ha ah ...

I guess that these songs surpass your previous works in both production and song writing that turns to be murderously effective. I like “Innsmouth”, but you know – it has a bit of slime and dirty as everything that connected with those amphibian bastards. So… how do you value “…From The Twilight Zone” from your position?

Thank you very much. About the sound, what we really think is that "In onirica" compared to our last record, was more produced, if you understand what I mean. The sound you hear on the final mix of ...from the Twiligt Zone is the same that came from our amps, there was not a big mixing / mastering. On the other hand, about the writing, I do not think it changed a lot, certainly playing with the same line up for long time helped us, and a bit of more experience.

But I believe that you agree – “…Twilight Zone” is your strongest release up to date. Did you already feel it through feedback? By the way, how do local fans support you or do you get it mostly from your friends and relatives? How often do you feel recognition?

Feedback for this record was great. Both the reviews and the guys who wrote us showed themselves very excited about the new album. I do not say a lie if I say that for us this is the greatest recognition. In our area there are some guys who follow us, but I cannot say that we are part of a real scene. We do not really feel sorry for that, we are a bit misanthrope ah aha. A few years ago, we also managed the first Doom festival in our city, and the turnout was quite well. We like to think that we have planted some seed.

Azog on bass, Ghenes on guitars and bass, Striges on drums and Zagarus as vocalist. What make you keep to work together for almost 17 years?

It’s not easy, because you have to confront with the others personalities, opinions was not the same ever. To play is a way of expressing yourself, not a business affair. It's also important to stay well together, to travel the world if is possible, and to know so many interesting and stimulating people.

How did you work out that retro-styled sound for the album? It fits absolutely to the album’s concept, so I don’t even ask why did you choose it.

Aside from some keyboard parts, we always try to get the most realistic sound possible. Our first Ep was recorded on a 7/tracks recorder. We always thought about how the songs could play live, so we can eliminate the unnecessary stuff.

You have that old school vibe and nowadays a lot of bands try to copy “retro sound”, though Italian bands tend to avoid this trend. How do you like this trend in wider sense?

Personally I do not like trends. I think it's just that historic moment in which the great record labels decide when and what we have to listen to. That said, in the last few years many guys have joined the great train of heavy and acid sounds, so not all is bad. Better Doomers than Nothing!!! Who will survive?

The new album is based on horror movies’ plots and you chosen really ancient films. Why didn’t you take some more recognizable movies like those which inspired Electric Wizard and Reverend Bizarre?

No reason. It's just our way of rediscovering and at the same time to pay homage to small jewels that time could make you forget. We never look at what others do, maybe in some cases we could be influenced without knowing (I’m laughing...), but it's better to think with your head.

By the way, do you know your country mates Arcana 13? I’m asking because their debut record “Danza Macabra” is also based on eight different horror movies…

We know the band, but the idea has not come to them. As you know, we had already made a concept album for Lovecraft, this time it was the turn of some of our favorite movies. If you looking to our biography, you will find that we have chosen from the very beginning to following a certain way of making movies, music etc etc

Didn’t you try to get in contact with them and organize common horror tour?

It would be great, but as I told you about organizing a tour (long or short) it is not very simple, the costs would be excessive for us. Never say never, but for the moment I do not think it's possible.

How do you see general peculiarity of Italian horror and giallo movies?

I also appreciate a lot of other non-Italian directors, but I think the Italian ones particularly (Fulci, Margheriti, Bava, Deodato, etc ...) know better how to showing the madness and perversion that lies within us. Although in Italy we have the headquarter of the Catholic Church, I must admit that we are a strange and unusual people.

How did you choose movies for the album? And why did you stop only on seven ? I would be happy to know that there are song or two left and you have plans to release something else soon.

The choice was made, as I have already said, according to our tastes, and by the year. Nothing about modern movies but we prefer old scripts. Aside from this , we find that the acting, actors and settings of old movies are very fascinating and of great inspiration. We first selected the movies for the record, and then we composed the music. I'm sorry Aleksey, but the seven tracks included were the only ones we composed. We are already working on some new ideas, news will coming soon.

Okay, what can you already reveal about your future plans?

There are no clear plans at the moment. We are waiting for the inspiration... We are still looking for a label that is interested in printing the vinyl version of ... from the “…Twilight Zone”. There are new ideas for songs. Of course we would like to get another 7"/ split with some other band we appreciate. We'll see!!!

Do you remember your first horror movie? What did catch you back then into it?

Someone said that in order to respect something you must first be intimidated. Maybe me… Now I'm too old and I do not remember well. My first horror movie may have been a nightmare as I slept ... as a kid I was really scared by the darkness and the noises aha ha ah ...

There are six songs on “…Twilight Zone” and one track without lyrics. Why is "Lizard Woman" instrumental track?

Certainly, “A Lizard in a woman’s skin” (English movie’s name) is most psychedelic than the other movies, so we decided better to make it as an instrumental track. Inside the song there is also an homage, which wants to be a tribute to one of the greatest Italian soundtracks composer. But I do not mean to say anything else, I leave you the taste of finding it.

Thanks for the answers Ghenes! How would you like to finish the interview?

We would like to thank all the guys who follow us for so many years and are always pushing us to do the best. See you around for a beer guys! Thank you so much Aleksey for your interest in our music and support. We also wanted to wish you good luck for the great initiative you had for Doom metal Lexicanum. Honored to be part of it. Take care!!!

We are all DOOMED))) Ghenes

Outlaws Of The Sun Nov. 2017

Il progetto italiano Bretus vede i suoi natali nel 2000, nella città calabrese Catanzaro. Ispirati da temi horror, da argomenti di natura mistica e dal famoso autore H.P. Lovecraft, la band inizia a lavorare seriamente solo nel 2008, quando incidono il primo demo di quattro tracce. Subito nel 2009 il gruppo musicale produce un EP di cinque pezzi intitolato “Bretus”, che garantisce 26:07 minuti di ascolto. Dopo tre anni, il 9 maggio 2012 Bretus tornano a farsi sentire creando il primo full-length dal magico titolo “In Onirica” (39:20 minuti), presentando al pubblico sette tracce, tra le quali una, “The Black Sleep” esclusivamente strumentale. “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” è il lavoro che Bretus sforna nel 2015, il 18 aprile, sorprendendo nuovamente con le sue otto tracce il pubblico (46:45 minuti). Nello stesso anno, il 6 luglio, Bretus collaborano con la band sarda Black Capricorn per uno split. Il 5 giugno 2017 è la volta di un nuovo interessante lavoro creato dal progetto calabrese:” ...From The Twilight Zone” contenente 7 potenti tracks per una durata complessiva di 40:46 minuti. Questo terzo album di Bretus vede la band totalmente immersa in un crudo approccio con il classico Doom Metal avente sfumature Stoner, con una chitarra che sicuramente ama mettersi in mostra mediante oscuri riffs, accompagnata da una ritmica che dona una base solida a tutto il complesso dimostrandosi una colonna portante. Nonostante anche nei precedenti lavori sia evidenziato quanto Bretus siano in grado di attenersi al loro genere sicuramente in questo se ne ha una prova più che certa e confermata, dato che rispetto agli altri “...From The Twilight Zone” sembra essere più coinvolgente. Il lavoro di mix e mastering è cambiato, sembra migliore rispetto a ciò che è stato prodotto in precedenza, la qualità audio è nettamente superiore. Si denotano dei miglioramenti della parte vocale, che ora sembra molto più sicura ed affermata, si adattta meglio al sound delle tracce, tuttavia non è ciò che attira veramente l’attenzione. Le soluzioni non mancano di fantasia, ascoltando le varie tracks non ci si annoia e ognuna di esse ha il suo particolare che la rende unica, l’album ha un inizio acustico che in seguito passa le redini ad un ottimo riff, e ciò è un punto di forza di questo lavoro. Tuttavia Bretus non è esattamente una band da mettere nel piedistallo, e che possa essere definita come la migliore ed esperta nel campo del Doom Metal, di miglioramenti ancora ce ne sono da fare. Sicuramente i fans del genere troveranno in Bretus un’ottima band e in “...From The Twilight Zone” vedranno del pane per i propri denti, e potranno deliziare le proprie orecchie con le note di quest’ultimo. Una band giovane rispetto ai predecessori praticanti lo stesso genere musicale, tra le quali vi sono esponenti importantissimi della scena Metal. Da annotare il fatto che forse Bretus sia una delle rare moderne bands che fanno onore al Doom Metal, portando avanti tale genere musicale senza alterarlo in maniera esagerata e significativa, ma neanche bloccandosi alle solite matrici e schemi. Insomma, un orgoglio per la Nazione italiana che merita attenzione da chi adora tale genere, “...From The Twilight Zone” alla conclusione è uno di quei lavori che riesce ad annidiarsi all’interno della persona che ascolta, lasciano sentimenti ed emozioni ben precise e vivide. Riesce a condurre l’ascoltatore in un mondo a se, accompagnandolo nei meandri più oscuri della propria anima portando un senso di ansioso turbamento che però piace, lascia annegare nel mix di letteratura, cinema e musica, che la band ha saputo ben coniugare. Bretus hanno dunque presentato un ottimo lavoro, con decisivi miglioramenti, e si è tenuti a pensare che i prossimi saranno ancora più belli e perfezionati.

79/100

I.V.L. Nov. 2017

Purtroppo sono arrivato a diffidare dei gruppi russi con copertine rivedibili. A furia di propinare dischi di merda, i distillatori di patate hanno una lunga e tortuosa via da scalare prima di riacquistare credibilità agli occhi degli appassionati. Per fortuna che, di tanto in tanto in luoghi ben nascosti, danno i natali a progetti insospettabilmente clamorosi come Mohraang, che arriva nientemeno che da Nachodka, ossia dai confini del mondo.

Superata la diffidenza iniziale nei confronti della grossolana copertina, scesi a patti con l'ennesimo teschio davanti all'ennesimo corridoio di aculei puntuti che porta all'ennesimo occhio di qualsiasi cosa sia che dal 2001 a oggi sembra sempre e comunque il Sauron di Peter Jackson, parte una mina devastante.

Con un profilo bassissimo, questa one man band di cui nessuno ha mai sentito parlare butta fuori una mezz'ora di funeral doom-death metal marcissimo, lentissimo, profondissimo e tutto quello che di -issimo può venirvi in mente nella semantica del metallo più putrefatto. Non penso che l'interezza del lavoro metta insieme uno spartito da più di quattro note, ma ciascuna è una badilata incredibile: riff neri come la pece, anzi, più probabilmente un riff unico spalmato per tutte le sei parti, qualche parola qua e là raschiata direttamente dalla laringe di Belzebù.

Sarebbe bello sapere cosa siano Mohraang, Khorrendus, o anche solo da dove arrivi il soprannome dell'unico musicista coinvolto, Maahzur Phalmorg, ma ovviamente online non c'è uno straccio di informazione e il libretto, oltre all'illustrazione e a qualche scarno verso che parla di mostri e lande desolate ricoperte di teschi, è completamente e inequivocabilmente nero. Essenziale, esattamente come questi trenta minuti di musica.

"Underworld Of Khorrendus" è un vero e proprio disco di sottrazione, dove c'è una quantità appena sufficiente di tutto, che siano le voci, i riff, le tastiere, i battiti al minuto, eppure è quel tanto che basta a farne un ottimo album.

Abbandonata la massiccia, monolitica teatralità degli Skepticism, le atmosfere eteree degli Shape Of Despair o le deviazioni dei Mournful Congregation, quello che resta è il minimo necessario: il disco ne risulta sorprendentemente diretto, godibile, per quanto strano possa suonare questo termine viste le circostanze. Il funeral doom è un genere essenziale di per sé e con Mohraang lo diventa ancora di più.

Aristocrazia Webzine Oct. 2017

Hailing from Italy, horror inspired doom band Bretus have released their new album, …from the Twilight Zone via Endless Winter. A concept album based around seven legendary horror movies.

The ominous sound of a crow cawing & a distant bell lead us into soft melody before a heavy groove takes over. Terror Behind the Mirror brings doomy riffiness with an air of wonder & the macabre, helped by the theatrical style of vocals. It’s a great opener on an album that has a real unique style.

In the Vault drops the tempo, giving off a much slower & darker vibe. However, the most impressive moment sees the doom drop away switching to sorrowful guitar melody before building back up to the heaviness.

…from the Twilight Zone is an enthralling listen, one that perfects the sound horror based doom. A lot of this is helped by the sinister style of vocals & tempo switches. Songs like Old Dark House, The Murder & The Creeping Flesh are packed with exciting riffs, flashes of guitar solos & really memorable vocals. While the likes of Danza Macabra have a more gothic, melodic style. Different but in a good way as it helps break up the doominess of the record.

As far as putting you in the right mind frame, …from the Twilight Zone does a great job. The final track, Lizard Woman is a culmination of an album that looked to leave an impression & did so with ease. The riffing that makes up the majority of the track is sublime, the track’s beat soaring into a solo before coming to a halt. It builds back up with jarring effects & a strumming bass note that then kicks into a more familiar doomy sound.

An impressive release from Bretus. There haven’t been many doom releases like this, this year.

8,5/10

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life Oct. 2017

Dalla letteratura al cinema, si sa, il passo è stato storicamente quasi obbligato, nonostante i due celebri fratelli di Besançon si fossero sbilanciati a definire la propria creatura “un’invenzione senza futuro”. Certo, la sfida tra incorruttibili pasdaran del primato della scrittura e cultori del nuovo linguaggio visivo ha vissuto e vive talvolta attimi di tensione (quante volte siamo incappati nel lapidario “molto, molto, ma molto meglio il romanzo, del film…”?), ma, a poco più di un secolo dal fatal brevetto, possiamo sostanzialmente affermare che la settima arte sia stata accolta ormai con pari dignità sulle pendici di quel monte Elicona che dalla notte dei tempi ospita le alunne predilette di Apollo.

Una volta entrato nell’augusto consesso, il cinema ha potuto così interagire con le nobili e più attempate sorelle, in un rapporto di inscindibile simbiosi che ha dato frutti qualitativamente spettacolari sul piano dell’ispirazione, allargando potenzialità e prospettive ma risultandone anche trasfigurato, basti pensare all’effetto dirompente dell’avvento del sonoro in un mondo inizialmente fatto di sole immagini. In questo varco, non poteva non entrare a vele spiegate la musica, sia come elemento di decorativo accompagnamento sia, soprattutto, come moltiplicatore di emozioni, tanto che non sono rari i casi di colonne sonore altrettanto memorabili dei film che hanno accompagnato.

Letteratura, cinema e musica sono anche i vertici di un ideale triangolo d’oro entro cui si dispiega il raggio d’azione di una delle band più interessanti sulla scena doom tricolore, quei Bretus che cinque anni fa avevano stupito con un solidissimo debutto sulle lunghe distanze (In Onirica) e che sono stati capaci di ripetersi nel 2015 con The Shadow over Innsmouth. Eccolo subito in evidenza, l’elemento letterario, con il richiamo a uno dei migliori romanzi di H.P. Lovecraft, dove rivive il tipico gusto fantasy/horror di un maestro del genere tra incubi, visioni e paure geneticamente connaturate alle debolezze della nostra specie. Inquadrati in una solida cornice letteraria, gli spunti multidirezionali di In Onirica si erano così organizzati intorno alla forma di un horror doom dai tratti spiccatamente tradizionali e con l’esclusione di qualsiasi virata verso il lugubre (soluzione invece cara a un’altra delle italiche eccellenze, gli Abysmal Grief). Come al solito, in presenza di operazioni in cui la macchina del tempo sposta artificialmente le lancette in un’era lontana per gusto e retroterra anche culturale, il rischio era quello di disseminare il percorso di banalità vintage più di posa che di sostanza (per un risultato in cui anacronismo e derivatività lottano con esito incerto per il primato, mentre intanto a perdere è di sicuro l’ascoltatore), ma i Bretus erano riusciti nell’impresa di modulare con grande intelligenza le spinte verso epopee di altre decadi risultando contemporaneamente moderni anche per chi non abbia vissuto gli echi immediatamente successivi al primigenio big bang post-sabbathiano.

C’era dunque grande attesa e curiosità intorno alla nuova fatica del quartetto e i ragazzi non sbagliano davvero il colpo, spostandosi stavolta verso il vertice cinematografico del triangolo a cui accennavamo. Lo spunto per questo …from the Twilight Zone, infatti, viene da una delle serie tv in carsica apparizione sugli schermi americani tra il 1959 e il 2003 e approdata anche ai tubi catodici italiani con il titolo “Ai Confini della Realtà”. E fino a qualche lontana frontiera si sono davvero dovuti spingere, i Nostri, intanto per entrare in una nuova scuderia dopo l’abbandono della genovese Bloodrock Records; si è trattato, in realtà, di una replica di quel viaggio verso est che già aveva contraddistinto il debut (allora la Arx Productions di Donetsk) e che ora conduce alla cittadina di Taganrog, sul mar d’Azov, dove la piccola ma qualitativamente agguerritissima Endless Winter sta radunando un roster doom di tutto rispetto.

Ma a non mutare sono soprattutto le coordinate stilistiche della band, sempre alle prese con l’ingombrante eredità sabbathiana declinata con un’essenzialità e un’asciuttezza di fondo che riportano immediatamente alla lezione dei Saint Vitus, sia pure con consistenti integrazioni figlie di echi Pentagram e Reverend Bizarre. A giovare alla resa dell’insieme è soprattutto l’intreccio impeccabile tra le possenti strutture edificate della sezione ritmica e le “libere uscite” concesse a sei corde e voce, che, a seconda dei casi, alimentano o sciolgono la tensione accumulata dalla coppia Azog/Striges.

Eccellente, anche stavolta, la prova al microfono di Zagarus, col suo timbro vocale rigorosamente in clean e sempre molto carico in termini di pathos, a esaltare una sorta di vena recitativa/teatrale quanto mai opportuna, considerati gli approdi horror e i richiami alla cinematografia. E, quanto a imprescindibilità, non è certo da meno il contributo della sei corde, magistralmente brandita da Ghenes in modalità NWOBHM squadernando riff assassini, ad aprire improvvisi squarci luminosi che risaltano ancora di più andando ad innestarsi su trame in prevalenza oscure, quando non plumbee. Completa il quadro un intelligente ricorso all’arsenale “storico” del genere, in cui l’hard rock settantiano gioca ovviamente un ruolo di primo piano ma senza dimenticare venature delicatamente blues o addirittura accennate escursioni in territorio prog, a certificare l’impressionante livello di maturità raggiunto dai calabresi alle prese con le sfide dei classici.

Spente le luci in sala, si parte subito alla grande con l’opener Terror Behind the Mirror, distillato perfetto di ciò che si dipanerà nel resto dell’album con la sua atmosfera in progressivo appesantimento, mentre Zagarus occupa la scena da mattatore nei panni di uno Scott Wino Weinrich in versione marcatamente declamatoria, prima di consegnare il finale al primo memorabile assolo di Ghenes. Il tasso di pachidermicità aumenta ulteriormente nella successiva In the Vault (rieccole, le reminiscenze lovecraftiane, in un titolo che rimanda a un racconto del 1925), ma un improvviso stop centrale funge da colpo di scena per spalancare le porte a un inserto figlio della metal temperie ottantiana, in cui di nuovo la sei corde stampa un ricamo memorabile. Rispetto alla coppia d’avvio, l’andatura cadenzata di Old Dark House (che rimanda al lungometraggio del 1932) sembra ridurre la densità della struttura privilegiando piuttosto la componente “sinistra” dell’ispirazione, ma anche stavolta non mancano le sorprese, che si materializzano con un’improvvisa dilatazione melodica e un tocco avantgarde che sposano alla perfezione le velleità sceniche dei Bretus. Il quarto atto è affidato alla rievocazione di un film del 1964, Danza Macabra (con tanto di estratto vocale in presa diretta dalla pellicola) e si declina in forma di semi ballad intrisa di suggestioni blues, che tengono il campo per metà percorso in vista di una chiusura tra coriandoli Deep Purple e sabbia Saint Vitus.

Rispetto all’impressionante qualità andata finora in onda, colpisce un po’ meno l’attitudine settantianamente hard rock di The Murder, anche se va riconosciuto che a questo punto del viaggio una scarica di energia può comunque svolgere una funzione salutare, nell’economia del platter (senza contare che già il finale in oscura dissolvenza ci riporta alla dimensione canonica della tracklist). E’ ancora un richiamo “dal vivo” al film di riferimento ad avviare The Creeping Flesh e in questa occasione i Nostri sfoderano la loro migliore prova classic doom dell’album, impreziosita da un passaggio in doppio timbro vocale forse meritevole di approfondimenti, nelle prossime prove, considerata l’ottima resa. C’è ancora spazio per un’ultima perla e i Bretus sembrano compiere una scelta spiazzante, affidandosi alla strumentale Lizard Woman; niente paura, però, perché dal campo psichedelico improvvisamente arato germoglia un capolavoro che riporta in vita con la giusta delicatezza sonorità che, pur trasfigurate, sono ormai indissolubilmente scritte nel nostro metal dna e al cui richiamo è impossibile restare indifferenti.

Viaggio multimediale all’interno di antri in cui l’oscurità raddoppia tra immagini e suoni, coperto da un velo di artistica inquietudine in cui rivivono senza stucchevoli manierismi le lezioni delle band che hanno fatto la storia del doom più affacciato sui balconi hard rock, …from the Twilight Zone è un album che trasuda classe da ogni solco e per cui non c’è alcun bisogno di scomodare un occhio di riguardo nel nome della tricolore conterraneità. Da Catanzaro alle pianure intorno a Rostov, a parlare per i Bretus è solo la qualità.

Metallized.it July 2017

Aaah, che bella scoperta il disco di questi doomsters calabresi! Anzi, che bella scoperta i Bretus in sé, dato che leggendo la bio della band scopro come la stessa sia stata molto prolifica sin dal 2008 (con una serie di album, EP e split) e che le sette tracce incluse in quest'ultima release siano dedicate ad altrettanti horror movies di culto (eccezion fatta per “In The Vault”, ispirata all'omonimo racconto lovecraftiano). Non sono mai stato un accanito cinefilo, ma la connessione tra doom e cinema è spesso ricorrente ultimamente – vedi gli Arcana 13 – ed è comunque fuor di dubbio che le due atmosfere (quella iconografica e quella musicale) si combinino alla perfezione.

Dicevo, bel disco davvero questo “… From The Twilight Zone”, anche se sulle prime i Bretus mi avevano ricordato due band laziali del passato: i Garden Of Cry (tra i primi ad incamminarsi timidamente sul sentiero di collegamento tra goth e metal, complice la passione per gli arpeggi) e i più longevi e blasonati Martiria, anche grazie alle atmosfere cadenzate e alle ritmiche schiacciasassi che caratterizzano da subito l'opener “Terror Behind The Mirror” e che sembrano mutuate dai citati maestri del doom italico, autori di “On The Way Back”. Un'impressione solo parziale che va ovviamente integrata con l'ascolto del disco per intero, che di per sé è caratterizzato da un approccio “folle” del vocalist che sposta un po' le coordinate dalla seriosità del doom europeo (di scuola italiana, britannica o scandinava, poco importa) all'ecletticità schizzata del genere nella sua versione a stelle e strisce. Il resto lo fa un chitarrista aderente ai dettami chainiani e sempre attento alla funzione descrittiva del proprio rifferama, come nel caso della già citata “In The Vault”, uno dei brani migliori.

E a proposito di America, sulle sfuriate di “The Murder” fanno capolino echi alla Manilla Road (complice la velocizzazione dei tempi), mentre la conclusiva “Lizard Woman” ha un mood molto più settantiano: atmosfere tirate, con la band che non ha fretta di arrivare al dunque e lo dimostra appieno con un cipiglio improvvisativo in studio e un finale mastodontico, degno del favoloso decennio a cui è ispirato. Toccherà informarsi anche sul passato (e perché no, sul futuro) di questo quartetto...

HM Magazine July 2017

Doom! Horror! Riffs! Though it starts out with quiet acoustics and unfolds in echoing weirdness, Bretus’ new album, …From the Twilight Zone, more or less shouts these things from the proverbial cathedral rafters throughout its seven tracks. The Catanzaro, Italy, foursome weren’t shy about bringing an air of screamy sludge to their 2015 sophomore outing, The Shadow over Innsmouth, but …From the Twilight Zone shifts more toward a Reverend Bizarre trad doom loyalism that suits the Endless Winter release remarkably well. Those acoustics pop up again in expanded-breadth centerpiece/highlight “Danza Macabra” and closer “Lizard Woman,” and thereby provide something of a narrative thread to the offering as a whole, but on the level of doom-for-doomers, there’s very little about the aesthetic that Bretus leave wanting throughout, whether it’s the faster-chug into drifting fluidity of “The Murder” or the nodding stomp of “In the Vault” and crypto-NWOBHM flourish of “Old Dark House”. Not trying to remake doom in their own image, but conjuring an eerie and engaging take in conversation with the masters of the form.

The Obelisk July 2017

Mi ritrovo qui pronto a scrivere della nuova fatica dei Bretus intitolata "...From The Twilight Zone", ma prima vorrei fare due semplici considerazioni.

     1. Trovo assurdo che nessuna etichetta italiana abbia dato garanzie o fatto una proposta seria per supportare l'uscita di questo disco e non c'è bisogno di sapere a chi mi riferisca, dato che credo sia palese quali sarebbero potute essere le possibili interessate. Sono comunque contento che un personaggio affidabile come Gennady della Endless Winter non se lo sia lasciato sfuggire.

     2. I Bretus non sbagliano un colpo e rientrano in quel giro di formazioni italiane che all'estero funzionano.

Data la premessa, vi sarà facile intuire quanto il sottoscritto attendesse questo disco. Del resto, non ho mai negato la personale simpatia verso la band, poi la qualità dei dischi sin qui rilasciati ha fatto il resto.

"...From The Twilight Zone" è il tassello che consolida e definisce al meglio lo stile con il quale i Bretus affondano nel mondo doom. Più che fare riferimento alla serie televisiva, come più volte ho letto in rete (comunque una delle chiavi di lettura possibili), credo che il titolo si riferisca al posto in cui il gruppo vive e si muove mentalmente, quella realtà in cui tutto e il contrario di tutto sono tangibili, dove l'incubo diventa reale e il reale è di per sé un incubo.

Ancora una volta i testi si nutrono in maniera costante del filone letterario lovecraftiano e di vari altri cinematografici. L'album è pieno zeppo di riferimenti a pellicole del passato, tanto che ho avuto modo di apprezzarne due che non conoscevo, quali "Danza Macabra" di Antonio "Dawson" Margheriti (1964) e "M. (Eine Stadt Sucht Einen Mörder)" di Fritz Lang (1931); per consultare l'elenco delle restanti, vi invito a visionare il libretto allegato al cd.

Questa massa di oscurità, deformazioni e perlustrazioni viene incanalata all'interno di visioni sonore che si fanno strada attraverso quasi cinquant'anni di storia della musica, vibrando di rock e metal. In particolare gli influssi stoner, doom metal e psichedelici sono innegabilmente figli di vere e proprie leggende dei rispettivi filoni, eppure ormai hanno acquisito tratti così personali da appartenere ai Bretus e a nessun altro.

Non mi soffermerò nel descrivere un pezzo piuttosto che un altro, né perderò tempo in una tediosa e anestetizzante narrazione traccia per traccia. Vi suggerisco piuttosto di aprire il cassettino del lettore CD o di far girare il vinile. Siamo dinanzi a un'uscita che non necessita di un fiume di parole, ma solo di essere ascoltata e riascoltata, godendo sia della moltitudine di minacciose ombre sia delle sparute flebili luci che la compongono.

I Bretus provengono dalla zona del crepuscolo e sono abituati a risiedervi: voi sarete capaci di fare lo stesso? L'incontro con "...From The Twilight Zone" potrebbe aiutarvi nel trovare la risposta a tale quesito.

Aristocrazia Webzine Sept. 2017

Tato recenzovaná nahrávka není úplně z nejnovějších, ovšem Endless Winter ji i tak přibalili do paklíku svých aktuálních produktů, takže proč se na ni trochu nepodívat. Zvláště pak, když debutové album „Thanatochromia“ patří stále k tomu poslednímu, co tato ruská „no name“ sestava vymyslela (na sociální síti VK se však objevuje i kontakt kamsi do Nepálu, ale to bych bral spíše jako záměrnou dezinformaci). A když mám na mysli „no name“ sestavu, myslím tím pochopitelně minimalismus, jenž se ukrývá za informacemi, které o ABYSSKVLT můžeme zjistit. Opravdu nic moc kloudného, štěstí, že jednoduchý booklet nabízí alespoň texty…

Co si budeme povídat, tento „nulový“ přístup s ohledem na propagaci, má něco do sebe (hlavně tedy v případech, kdy se jedná o ryzí funeral doom metal). Zároveň ale musím podotknout, že anonymita ABYSSKVLT na mě nepůsobí nikterak hystericky, kapela tu a tam poskytne rozhovor a k dispozici jsou i nějaké fotografie, kde je i částečně „někdo“ vidět. :) Zkrátka trocha toho nadsazeného humoru neuškodí, věřím, že i členové posádky jsou jenom lidské bytosti a tu a tam se rádi zasmějí. V rámci tvorby však na žádný druh smíchu není absolutně prostor, neboť Rusové holdují uhrančivé formě funeralu doomu, který mohu s čistým svědomím označit za excelentní! Kapela ABYSSKVLT se sice může jevit jako společenství nováčků (dle „prázdné“ diskografie logicky), ale podle mého názoru máme co dělat se zkušenějšími harcovníky scény, působících v mnoha jiných projektech. Nevím, dost možná se pletu, avšak nahrávka na mě působí maximálně přesvědčivě – od první do poslední vteřiny. Navíc disponuje neuvěřitelnou atmosférou a neméně impozantním zvukem.

ABYSSKVLT svůj žánr označují jako ritual funeral doom metal a s tím se dá bezpochyby souhlasit. Rozvláčná hudba je postavena na těžkotonážních kytarových riffech, totálních kladivech, jejichž zmírňujícím protipólem jsou pochopitelně rozvláčné klávesové plochy. Nad tím vším ční brutální growl, jehož parametry jistě ocení velká většina příznivců žánru. Decentního prostoru se ovšem dostává i chladnému čistému přednesu a ve vybraných kompozicích se lze dokonce setkat s četnými lidskými nářky. Tahle „hrůza“, byť se zdá být zcela triviální záležitostí, vnáší do hudby ABYSSKVLT další penzum bolestných emocí, a přestože je nahrávka stylově dlouhatánská (víc jak 70 min.), nestalo se mi, abych se v ní utopil. Navíc každá ze čtyř kompozic je svým způsobem odlišná – existuje zde model jakési jediné varianty rozsekané do více pojetí, což mi přijde jako nápad po čertech i démonech promyšlený.

ABYSSKVLT prostřednictví „Thanatochromia“ stvořili hydru, černé zabijácké monstrum, snažící se posluchače stáhnout dolů pod hladinu. Ke své činnosti však kupodivu nepotřebují nikterak originální prostředky. Čarují výhradně s tím, co jim přenechali úspěšní předchůdci, čarují s velkou grácií a lehkostí, čarují ve světě, ve kterém se vyznají. Pánové, všichni mrtví se Vám klaní. Jen tak dál a houšť!

R.U.M. zine Sept. 2017

Přidušení, umírání, vyklizení ráje a pád na samé dno propasti… Inu, vítejte v ruském městě Voroněž, kde od roku 2009 působí nenápadná skupina SUFFER IN PARADISE. Ta na sklonku minulého roku předložila metalovému posluchačstvu svůj funeral doomový debut a hezky pěkně se zařadila do početné fronty žánrově podobných kamarádů. Jak rodný list ukazuje, trojice muzikantů si na svoji velkou nahrávku musela počkat docela dlouho (sedm let), avšak určitá trpělivost se dost možná i vyplatila. Jde především o to, že kapela nejprve vydala nahrávku digitálně, vložila ji na web a následně poté se s nabídkou ozvali agilní Endless Winter. Pro neznámou kapelu ideální postup.

„This Dead Is World“ si podporu rozhodně zaslouží. Co na tom, že něco podobného jsme už slyšeli od desítek jiných formací? Přetíženost trhu je dnes opravdu neuvěřitelná, ale to je všeobecně známý jev. Ruští melancholici si z čísel velkou starost nedělají a prostřednictvím svých aktivit vyznávají lásku doomu z devadesátek. Nahrávce vévodí syrový deathmetalový sound a na brutální growling byste si mohli (pochopitelně) vsadit. V podstatě by se dalo i uvést, že SUFFER IN PARADISE holdují zákeřně pomalému death metalu, z jehož temného stínu vystupují paprsky v podobě melodických kytarových vyhrávek. Ty ovšem nejsou nikterak výrazné, spíše se jedná o takové úsečné náznaky, jenž pak z celku nevytvářejí snadno zapamatovatelnou selanku.

Abych však mohl tvorbu ruského ansámblu s definitivní platností uzavřít, musím se zmínit ještě o druhém poznávacím prvku, pochopitelně neméně zásadním. Pokud jste si vsadili na klávesové nástroje, máte bod k dobru! Těch různých variací se tu nachází vskutku požehnaně. Od zvuku kostelních varhan, až po klasické klavírní vyhrávky. I díky tomu je tvorba Rusů atraktivní i v partech, ve kterých se toho „nic moc složitého neodehrává“. Na dlouhatánské kompozice byste však mohli vzít jed zatraceně, to tedy jo. Ani jedna ze šesti však není nikterak poddajná a lapidárně by se dalo konstatovat, že ani jedna není nikterak marná. :) Domnívám se, že milovníci doom metalu, kteří na hudbě milují především ono romantické provzdušnění, najdou zalíbení i u SUFFER IN PARADISE.

Co se týče mé osoby, jsem na tom ve své podstatě obdobně – pomalý a hutný doom metal mě ještě bavit nepřestal. Určitá kvalita tu je, avšak s délkou časové stopáže to pánové přece jen poněkud přehnali… Nahrávka se v závěru bohužel neproměňuje v „rozuzlení“, ale spíše jakési „dokončení z nutnosti“. Kdyby CD disk neměl předepsanou kapacitu, považoval bych ho za nikdy nekončící „kouzelné kolečko“. :) Ale jinak OK nahrávka, která vybranou skupinu posluchačů určitě potěší.

R.U.M. zine Aug. 2017

Salve a tutti lettori di Steel On Fire, sono sempre io a parlarvi del lato più misterioso, arcano e pesante del Metal, in particolare del Doom metal. In Italia il Doom trae ispirazione da tante fonti, come ad esempio il cinema di genere horror, il Dark degli anni ‘70, ed ovviamente dai gruppi cardine del Doom stesso. Tuttavia i Bretus non sono solamente dei semplici esecutori, che si limitano a “ricordare” sonorità ormai belle che dimenticate nei meandri del tempo.

I Bretus nascono con questo obiettivo, ma il risultato è talmente sopra le aspettative, che ormai hanno raggiunto uno status anche oltre tutte le previsioni. Nascono nel 2000 a Catanzaro, ma trascorrono ben 8 anni prima della vera e propria uscita allo scoperto con brani che finirono in alcune raccolte, demo e compilation. Il vero e proprio debutto con un full album avviene nel 2012 con “In Onirica”, album che riscosse un successo tale da permettere al gruppo di essere notato all’estero e specialmente a Malta, dove suonarono al Malta Doom Festival, o al Doom over Vienna, per dirne un paio. Solo 3 anni dopo la band, composta da Ghenes (Chitarre ed Effetti), Zagarus (Voce), Azog (Basso) e Striges (Batteria), si dedica alla stesura del secondo album “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”, un vero e proprio concept album basato sulle storie di H.P. Lovecraft. Questo album consacra la band nell’ambiente Doom, Stoner ed affini. Nel 2017, la band annuncia l’uscita di un nuovo album: “...From The Twilight Zone”; questo nuovo lavoro contiene sette tracce che traggono ispirazione da altrettanti capolavori del cinema horror. Questo ci porta a capire che la band propone un genere personale, pesante, permeato da sonorità psichedeliche ed al tempo stesso raffinate.

Il disco si apre con la travolgente “Terror Behind the Mirror”, brano roboante che vi catapulterà nelle sonorità spettrali dei nostri. Verrete trasportati in un viaggio tra riff pesanti ed atmosfere lisergiche, queste ultime anche arricchite da tastiere. Il Doom si percepirà di più in “In The Vault”, uno dei singoli fatti uscire dalla band insieme a “Old Dark House” e “The Creeping Flesh”. Dicevamo, “In The Vault” è un classico brano Doom caratterizzato da un riffing molto curato ed al tempo stesso cattivo e serrato. L’intermezzo semi-acustico, sul quale poi si sviluppa un assolo di chitarra, è un piccolo gioiello all’interno del brano. Sulla stessa scia abbiamo “Old Dark House”, brano decisamente meno strutturato dei precedenti nel quale Zagarus può dimostrare tutte le sue doti vocali, dalle parti in pulito alle parti più rozze e sporche, che ricordano un po' il buon vecchio Lee Dorrian. Il nostro viaggio continua con “Danza Macabra”, altro brano decisamente nello stile personalissimo dei Bretus, nel quale si alternano riff pesanti a sezioni semi-acustiche, ritmi tribali e sezioni ritmiche più serrate a seconda del tipo di sonorità voluta. Anche in questo pezzo si possono notare le doti canore di Zagarus, capace di essere raffinato nelle parti più calme e più teatrale quando il brano si apre nel “chorus”. Dopo il secondo ritornello i nostri si lanciano in un mid-tempo coinvolgente che offre al bassista di intavolare un riff che sarà poi sorretto da tastiere. Il tutto è miscelato ad una prestazione vocale validissima, nonostante i cambi di sonorità siano più o meno rapide nel susseguirsi. In “The Murder” possiamo ascoltare un brano tendente all’Heavy/Doom, influenzato da sonorità tipicamente anni Settanta. Certo non mancheranno delle fioriture stilistiche proprie del gruppo di Catanzaro. Interessante è il connubio che si crea tra sezioni più spedite e serrate e sezioni quasi Blues. In “The Murder” la sezione ritmica dimostra di essere veramente adatta ad ogni tipo di situazione sonora: che sia ossessiva, rapida o più calma. Notevoli le prestazioni vocali di Zagarus che riesce a trasformare il semplice cantare in una narrazione trascinante, onirica e spettrale. A mio avviso la penultima traccia è la più rappresentativa, interessante e sperimentale dell’album intero: infatti “The Creeping Flesh” è un brano nel quale i nostri ci trasportano in un’atmosfera ossessiva; nel pezzo si susseguono riff più doom, sezioni aggressive e breakdown spietati. Un vero e proprio capolavoro. Il disco si chiude con un pezzo strumentale titolato “Lizard Woman” nel quale si incontrano sonorità Blues, Psichedeliche e Dark in un connubio più unico che raro, caratterizzato anche da una sezione ritmica fluida, che riesce passare dallo shuffle al mid-tempo più quadrato possibile. Spettacolari inoltre gli arrangiamenti su tastiera e chitarra, sia elettrica che acustica. Tra riffoni hard rock, atmosfere spettrali e blues vario i nostri si lanciano in una sperimentazione sonora variegata e piacevole, che sembra quasi voler essere una vera e propria colonna sonora all’interno di album già realizzato bene di per se. Quest’ultima traccia lascia inevitabilmente il marchio dei Bretus. Horror, Doom, Dark, Psichedelia e quant’altro riassunti in un solo brano. Fatto veramente molto bene.

Questi sono i Bretus, questo era “...From The Twilight Zone”. Questo è il nostro saper fare musica a livelli elevati non solo musicalmente, ma anche concettualmente. Non lasciatevi perdere quest’occasione, è un consiglio il mio, che spero seguirete.

9,5/10

Steel On Fire Aug. 2017

From my point of view Nagaarum is one of the most promising new names in Hungarian Black Metal, and I don't really like this type of bands/projects that release countless full-length albums in short time (for example Nagaarum has 14 albums released in less than 6 years...), I feel that this one man project has a tremendous potential. At the moment it seem the topics Nagaarum (both the band and its sole member are called Nagaarum) touches in it's lyrics are more related to science and space, I'd see its music more adapted to topics about the human psyche, mental illness, maybe even touching the proverbial Hungarian predisposition to suicide. The music is, indeed, quite chaotic and psychotic, even schizophrenic I'd say, the combination of Hungarian Folk-like vocals with desperate, raspy shrieks, on multiple layers of atmospheric / spacey keyboards and synths, and all this on a structure of Black Metal mixed with an obvious Death Metal influence, make from D.I.M. a scarry, deeply unpredictable monster, one that if you'll take your time to explore and absorb, it will prove to be highly rewarding. The album has a few weak points, too, but overall is a tremendous new display of sick, ugly, experimental and expressive Black Metal, try it yourselves.

8/10

Pest Webzine Aug. 2017

Η αλήθεια είναι ότι μία τέτοια κριτική δεν θα έπρεπε να γίνει μέσα στο κατακαλόκαιρο, καθότι αφορά δίσκο που θα απολάμβανε κανείς κατά τη διάρκεια του χειμώνα. Το metal όμως δεν κοιτάζει τις περιόδους του έτους και τις καιρικές συνθήκες, οπότε προχωράμε κανονικά. Σήμερα θα μιλήσουμε για ένα άλμπουμ που μπορεί να κυκλοφόρησε πριν τεσσεράμισι μήνες, όμως δεν θα ήταν δυνατόν να λείπει από την συγκεκριμένη στήλη. Ο λόγος για το δεύτερο άλμπουμ των Αθηναίων doomστερς, Decemberance, με τίτλο “Conceiving Hell”, το οποίο βγήκε εφτάμισι χρόνια μετά το ντεμπούτο, “Inside”.

Το “Conceiving Hell” ακολουθάει, ως προς τη συνολική έκτασή του, τη συνταγή του προηγούμενου δίσκου, καθώς τα τέσσερα τραγούδια του διαρκούν 1 ώρα και 13 λεπτά, με τη μικρότερη σύνθεση να είναι πάνω από 17 λεπτά. Εδώ θα σας δημιουργείται εύλογα η απορία αν είναι δυνατόν τέσσερις συνθέσεις, με μέσο όρο διάρκειας τα 18 λεπτά, να καταφέρνουν να κρατήσουν το ενδιαφέρον του ακροατή. Η απάντηση είναι πως οι Αθηναίοι το καταφέρνουν και μάλιστα με άνεση, καθώς δεν πέφτουν στην παγίδα του να κρατήσουν ένα σταθερό μοτίβο, που θα ήταν πολύ εύκολο να οδηγήσει στην επαναληψιμότητα και κατ’ επέκταση στη βαρεμάρα.

Καταρχάς, το πρώτο πράγμα που καταλαβαίνει κανείς ακούγοντας το “Conceiving Hell” είναι πως οι Decemberance έχουν μια αδυναμία στους παλιούς My Dying Bride και στις μουσικές φόρμες που αυτοί ακολουθούσαν: αργές, βασανιστικές μελωδίες, με λυπημένες κιθάρες και πολλή όμορφη συνοδεία βιολιού σε διάφορα σημεία, με τη διαφορά ότι ο ντράμερ Γιάννης Φιλιππαίος, που εκτελεί και χρέη τραγουδιστή, χρησιμοποιεί εντελώς growling φωνητικά, τα οποία ταιριάζουν απόλυτα με την σκοτεινή και θανατερή ατμόσφαιρα που αναδύεται, ειδικά στα πολύ αργά σημεία, με τα βαριά και παρατεταμένα riff.

Όμως, όπως ανέφερα πριν, οι Αθηναίοι δεν επιμένουν συνεχώς στο μοτίβο αργός και μαύρος θάνατος, απόλυτη κατάθλιψη και απόγνωση. Αντιθέτως, βάζουν πολλά εμβόλιμα σημεία όπου τα τραγούδια απογυμνώνονται από τη βαριά metal μουσική και αποκτούν ένα πιο ήρεμο και ταξιδιάρικο ambient χαρακτήρα, ο οποίος γαληνεύει τον ακροατή, κυρίως χάρη στη χρήση βιολιού και την απουσία παραμορφωμένης κιθάρας. Επίσης, σε κάποια λίγα σχετικά σημεία υπάρχει ένα ανέβασμα της ταχύτητας και ένα ξεκάθαρο πέρασμα σε πιο Black / Death μουσικά μονοπάτια, πράγμα που μεταφράζεται σε βαριές mid-tempo στιγμές, αλλά και σε γρήγορα ξεσπάσματα με blast-beats.

Το “Conceiving Hell” είναι ένας πολύ καλοδουλεμένος δίσκος, που θα ικανοποιήσει τους οπαδούς του Doom και κυρίως εκείνους που λατρεύουν την παλιά περίοδο των My Dying Bride. Οι 4 συνθέσεις που αποτελούν το άλμπουμ είναι καλογραμμένες, καλοεκτελεσμένες και πλαισιωμένες από μια μία φοβερή παραγωγή, που δένει τα τραγούδια και κάνει το δίσκο να ακούγεται ακόμα πιο συμπαγής. Ένα άλμπουμ που δεν πρέπει να λείπει από τη doomοδισκοθήκη σας.

83/100

Rock Overdose Aug. 2017

Výlet z Česka až na Dálný východ, resp. přímo do přístavního města Nachodka, to je ten hlavní cíl recenze. Právě z těchto končin pochází hudebník Maahzur Phalmorg, jakožto další z nositelů funerální doomové kultury, která v Rusku našla druhý domov. Tohle je ale opravdu hodně jadrná verze pohřebního muzicírování, to je tedy fakt. Nicméně i přes hudební minimalismus se debut „Underworld of Khorrendus“ může chlubit řádně hnilobnou atmosférou, a to i v porovnání se zavedenějšími značkami. Při poslechu alba jsem si hned několikrát uvědomil, že se na ploše třiatřiceti minut neděje nic kloudného, abych posléze došel k závěru, že ona prázdnota je vlastně to důležité „černé NĚCO“!

A když už jsem u toho slova „NĚCO“, tak MOHRAANG navázal ve své stylistice i na kámoše, kterým nedělá dobře dávat názvy jednotlivým skladbám, takže posluchač se musí spokojit jen s označením „Part I až VI“. Ono je to ale jaksi stejně jedno, neboť nepředpokládám, že by se Maahzur nějak páral s texty. Pochopitelně mu není rozumět ani slovo, avšak jeho umrlčí ryk padne do hudby jako ulitý. V podstatě by se slušelo napsat: „však to všichni moc dobře znáte.“ Funeral doom metal je opravdu hodně specifická disciplína a svým způsobem mě baví pozorovat, jak se někteří jedinci snaží dostat až za hranice zabarikádovaného žánru. Může nám to lézt na nervy, může to na nás působit nedůvěryhodně, ale někteří umělci mají zkrátka tuto nevšední zálibu. A mě tento způsob hudebního umírání nikterak nezneklidňuje...

Rezervy však projekt MOHRAANG ve svém černém nitru ukrývá taktéž, to si nebudeme nic nalhávat. Na mysli mám především průměrný zvuk, ale to je zkrátka daň, se kterou se musí počítat. Autor zjevně pořizuje hudbu ve svém domovském kutlochu, a přestože obrušuje hrany svého produktu tak, aby nedostatky nebyly až tak znát, je zjevné, že na úplnou špičku ledovce zatím nedosahuje. Určitý potenciál však MOHRAANG s určitostí nabízí. Ze „zvukového toku“ cítím určitou slabost pro vyobrazení detailu a osobně si dovolím tvrdit, že Maahzur patří rovněž k milovníkům hudby filmové (pokud tedy nežije někde v jeskyni a do civilizace si neodskočí jen pro pořízení nahrávky).

„Underworld of Khorrendus“ je na poli funeral doomu nahrávkou nenápadnou. Introvertně vedená hudba patrně nebude ani nikterak zásadně zasílána do světa, přestože zanícenost labelu Endless Winter je vpravdě obdivuhodná. Myslím si, že tato spolupráce může v budoucnu přinést nejeden zajímavý příběh. Teď už je jen otázka, jestli se hlavní protagonista dokáže popasovat s tou obrovskou konkurencí… Funeral doom metal je sice naprosto minoritní žánr, ale v Rusku je obdobných kapel či projektíků celá řada, ono stačí prolistovat archiv Rumzinu…

R.U.M. zine Aug. 2017

Ruský label Endless Winter pokračuje ve vyhledávání doomových kapel napříč světem a DECEMBERANCE z Řecka budiž další vlaštovkou, která si našla přístřeší u této renomované značky. Další poměrně značnou pikantností je to, že DECEMBERANCE působí na scéně už od roku 1997, což je s ohledem na počet nahrávek poměrně překvapující (doposud jen tři dema a jedno jediné album „Inside“ z roku 2009). Od časových skutečností není v případě Řeků daleko k hudebnímu vyjádření, neboť pětice hudebníků se svou tvorbou opravdu uvízla někde v devadesátých letech, čímž si u současných posluchačů jistě zadělala na problém.

Na druhou stranu se však několik staromilců jistě najde, vzpomeňme jen na současné aktivity Pařátu, pod jehož záštitou vychází na CD stará dema death-doomových kapel. Pokud jste toho všeho velkými fandy a nevadilo by Vám, že i dnes existují výrazově úplně stejné bandy, pak si „Conceiving Hell“ určitě pořiďte. Když jsem tak poslouchal všechny čtyři dlouhatánské skladby (všechny dosahují takřka dvaceti minut), nabyl jsem pocitu, že i tento materiál musí notně pocházet z časů dávno minulých… Ale? Kdepak! „Conceiving Hell“ je čistá aktuální práce a zvuková nedokonalost budiž jakýmsi tributem všech death-doomových materiálů, které to tehdy měly k CD disku daleko asi jako český turista k řeckým ostrovům. Nakonec by mě ale stejně zajímalo, jak to pánové z DECEMBERANCE udělali, že se jim podařilo vytvořit takový „retro sound“. Kdyby mi někdo chtěl tvrdit, že tato nahrávka prošla ryze analogovým procesem, přiznávám se, nejspíš bych mu věřil.

Co se týče hudební naléhavosti, tak i zde je v podstatě všechno takříkajíc standartní. Pomalá a střední tempa znamenají oddanost zkázonosnému žánru, avšak důkladnějšímu rozvinutí brání „povinná“ příslušnost taktéž k death metalu. Moc dobře si vzpomínám na dobu, kdy některé deathmetalové kapely začaly rok co rok doomovatět a od mnohých fanoušků to dostávaly pěkně sežrat. Zpětným pohledem to vypadá docela směšně, ale opravdu tomu tak tehdá bylo. Nicméně DECEMBERANCE se nachází přesně v tom podstatném bodě zlomu, ze kterého ale asi jen tak nikam neuhnou, neboť tímto druhém umění (kterému byl jeden čas avizován absolutní šlus) jsou do puntíku fascinováni. „Conceiving Hell“= nekonfliktní album. Není nikterak nápadité, atmosféra rovněž nepodlomí kolena nikomu z posluchačů, ovšem jako příjemná kulisa poslouží dokonale.

R.U.M. zine July 2017

Nikdy nehovor nikdy. Túto vetu predo mnou povedali mnohí ľudia a poniektorí aj odspievali. Xx rokov nazad, keď som prvýkrát počul švédsku kapelu, dnes už ako je pomaly zvykom, legendu epic doom metalu Candlemass som si povedal, že toto nie je pre mňa. Ja som chcel čo najväčší rachot humbuk. Muselo uplynúť xx rokov, aby som aj ja osobne dozrel a našiel mnohé pravé orechové a Candlemass je jedným z nich. Všetko nie je len o death growlingu zmixovanom s ťažkými, pomalými a hutnými gitarovými riffmi. Ako sa hovorí, old school doom je o pocitoch, ktoré vokalista dáva do skladieb a vyhrávať sa s emóciami za pomoci hudobných nástrojov. Toto je presný prípad stoner doom smečky z Talianska zvanej Bretus. Toto spoločenstvo už existuje neuveriteľných 17 rokov a tento rok pod značkou labelu Endless Winter (Russia) vydali v júni svoje tretie dieťa „…from the Twilight Zone“. Na rovinu… na chuť daného albumu som prišiel až po treťom počúvaní a druhom zaspávani pri ňom. Nechcel som sa unáhliť ako kedysi u Candlemass. Už samotný názov nasvedčuje kam ideme. Hororová tématika so seriálu 70 rokov je jasná. Hudobne sa chalani neženú do ťažkých pochmúrnych melódií, ale vyhrávajú sa so svojimi inštrumentami. Do úplnej dokonalosti poprepletali melancholické stavy s depresívnymi prvkami, preťahujúce jemnými až metalovými riffmi ako sme zvyknutí u King Diamonda. Pri dôkladnejšom posluchu započujete tóny ala Black Sabbath, alebo ranná psychodelická tvorba Pink Floyd. Toto je tam počuť, ale toto je BRETUS ! A spev Zagarusa je stelesnené šialenstvo. Žiadny murmur, growling ale čisté vokály siahujúce až do šialeného prednesu. A keď si pomyslite, že nič už Vás neprekvapím prídu klávesové linky a v momente sa nachádzate uprostred hororového seriálu. Už len dve slová : DOKONALÝ ALBUM !

Slovak Metal Army Aug 2017

I Graveyard Of Souls passarono sulle nostre pagine un paio di anni fa con "Infinitum Nihil", disco che aveva qualche problema di produzione, ma che metteva in mostra le doti della band. A due anni di distanza, li ritroviamo con "Pequeños Fragmentos De Tiempo Congelado", uscito ancora una volta per Endless Winter, dopo una parentesi con Concreto Records.

La prima novità che salta all'occhio è l'uso della lingua spagnola in molte tracce, lasciando l'inglese solo in due episodi. Non è una grandissima differenza — anche perchè il growl di Raúl non è proprio intelligibilissimo — tuttavia è una scelta che merita di essere menzionata.

Un altro cambiamento importante riguarda la qualità dei suoni, questa volta più curati per fortuna, seppur qualche difetto qua e là salti fuori. In particolare sono i momenti saturi a essere più problematici, soprattutto quando molteplici strati di chitarre, tastiere e voce devono contendersi il poco spazio a disposizione, suonando un po' troppo confusionari. In generale, però, i passi avanti sono evidenti e l'ascolto non appare tanto difficile da risultare fastidioso.

Per il resto, il duo prosegue sulla strada già intrapresa con "Infinitum Nihil": un Doom-Death Metal dal sapore vagamente gotico-magico, nel quale le tastiere sono usate principalmente come sottofondo atmosferico e la chitarra solista — ampiamente presente in tutte le tracce — fa da traino per la maggior parte dei pezzi. L'approccio dei Graveyard Of Souls non è mai eccessivamente estremo, ponendosi esattamente a metà tra i due generi che compongono questo ibrido. È invece presente una forte componente melodica data appunto dalle sei corde, che risulta il punto di forza del disco; al contrario, nei momenti in cui essa viene messa da parte, la band sembra non trovarsi pienamente a proprio agio e fatica ad apparire più che semplicemente standard.

A livello ritmico, il gruppo sceglie ancora una volta di mantenersi su tempi mai eccessivi, nè in lentezza nè in aggressività; ciò permette al basso di offrire numerosi spunti a supporto della chitarra, apparendo quindi come un altro elemento positivo dell'album. D'altro canto, la batteria si limita a seguire l'andamento dei brani, a volte con pattern un po' troppo elementari, altre riuscendo a sfruttare bene i tom per donare maggior vigore ad alcuni passaggi, nonostante la produzione talvolta tenda a non darle troppo risalto.

Generalmente più che sufficiente senza però eccellere, quindi, la prestazione di Angel sul comparto strumentale, così come il growl di Raúl è sostanzialmente senza infamia nè lode: sicuramente adatto al contesto, profondo quanto basta ma con ben poche variazioni sul tema, a eccezione della parte di spoken word nella cover di "As Lightday Yields" dei Lake Of Tears e di qualche riverbero di tanto in tanto.

"Pequeños Fragmentos De Tiempo Congelado" è in sostanza un discreto album di Doom-Death, a cui sarebbe servito qualche tocco personale per poter fare il salto di qualità. Per il momento, i Graveyard Of Souls si confermano come una realtà che potrà indubbiamente essere apprezzata dai fanatici dello stile, ma che fatica a uscire dalla propria zona di comfort.

Aristocrazia Webzine July 2017

Niente preamboli per "The Dead Is World" e altrettanti voglio farne in questa recensione per rendervi l'idea: dalla prima traccia (la titletrack) si parte subito con note di chitarra che danno l'impressione di essere in medias res e che il lavoro cerchi di avvolgere l'ascoltatore da subito, con il suo incedere lento e maestoso. I Suffer In Paradise sono russi, suonano funeral doom e si può dire che amino la lentezza in tutti i sensi: questo loro debutto segue una demo del lontano 2010.

La musica è maestosa, cupa e ripetitiva, non eccelle per originalità ma riesce a coinvolgere l'ascoltatore e trasportarlo in un mondo fatto di freddo e solitudine, grazie all'uso intelligente di quelle due o tre idee musicali a disposizione. Il growl è profondo, chiuso, riflessivo, subentra tra le note di tastiera e il riffing lento, che sembra uscito da una versione più lugubre dei My Dying Bride classici, accompagnati da note di tastiera e ritmi di batteria molto scarni.

Le parti di tastiera variano dal puro accompagnamento a una certa centralità scenica, come nei due brani più melodici "Sonnambula" e "Insects". Se ai primi ascolti questi prendono di più, pian piano ci si rende conto che "Archetype" non ha poi molto da invidiare. L'album termina nello stesso modo brusco con cui è cominciato, nella coda di "Cantus Cycneus" troviamo un riff malevolo che si interrompe di netto, lasciando solo il silenzio: malgrado il numero non esiguo di ascolti, trovo tuttora questa chiusura a dir poco spiazzante.

I Suffer In Paradise hanno scritto un disco che non si può definire superlativo, tuttavia suonerà godibile a chi ascolta funeral doom e nel genere favorisce l'atmosfera alla pesantezza.

Aristocrazia Webzine July 2017

Bajo la advertencia de que este material no es un álbum conceptual pero que busca homenajear a algunas de las mejores películas de horror de todos los tiempos y recordar a sus actores y directores, la banda italiana Bretus ha publicado su tercer disco que lleva por nombre ...From the Twilight Zone, en referencia directa al viejo programa de televisión norteamericana de los años sesentas.

Por medio de la disquera rusa Endless Winter, la banda originaria de puerto italiano de Catanzaro ha lanzado en junio de 2017 su último disco, una colección de siete temas que mantienen el paso marcado en su The shadow over Innsmouth de 2015 que los colocó dentro de la escena doom europea. Para esta ocasión, Bretus buscan mayor intensidad en cada uno de sus temas hasta lograr hacerlos más directos sin perder su esencia doom que se ha convertido en el sello personal de la banda, pero con un mejor trabajo de producción que logra darle mayor claridad a su sonido y con un ligero toque psicodélico que los tenues pero fúnebres teclados incluidos en algunos temas construyen para reforzar el mórbido ambiente.

Abajo de las capuchas encontramos nuevamente a Ghenes en la guitarra, Zagarus en las vocales, Azog en el bajo y a Striges en la batería quienes en siete temas logran asegurar un lugar dentro de la historia del nuevo doom del siglo XXI. Atmósferas lúgubres nos van ahogando poco a poco mientras todo se vuelve más obscuro segundo tras segundo, pero al tronar las bocinas por culpa de la intensidad de los instrumentos sabemos que el temor se vuelve ira bajo la luz de la luna llena.

La lluvia cae mientras los cuervos graznan, los lobos aúllan y las campana repican mientras una guitarra acústica entona una melancólica melodía. Así inicia ...From the Twilight Zone, pero todo queda olvidado tras un minuto y medio al dejarse escuchar las guitarras como un eléctrico lamento. El recuerdo de Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus y Pentagram es inevitable, pero al comenzar a cantar Zagarus las neuronas se inundan en el Danzig solista de finales de los ochentas. Sangre, almas en pena y muertos vivientes salen a nuestro paso como si se tratara de una casa del terror, pero a final de cuentas termina convirtiéndose el disco en un museo cinematográfico que busca recrear los momentos más sublimes de los clásicos del horror.

...From the Twilight Zone arranca con "Terror behind the mirror" para asestar un golpe certero a nuestro deseo doom incontenible que nos precede por los materiales anteriores de Bretus, pues su figura cortante como navaja ritual logra cortar las venas para saciar la sangrienta sed del maligno. "In the vault" la velocidad se reduce para ofrecernos un verdadero tributo al primer doom de los años setentas, aunque la fuerza es retomada en "Old dark house" como si se tratara de una continuación más desgarradora de la canción anterior. Aunque Bretus mantiene el uso de extractos de las viejas películas que han inspirado a los temas, la banda nos ofrece nuevos elementos en este disco como los pasajes acústicos de "Danza macabra" o el lisérgico viaje instrumental de "Lizard woman" con sus más de siete minutos de duración.

Sin embargo, Earthquaker desea rescatar y profundizar lo alcanzado en el tercer disco de Bretus a partir de su primer single llamado "The creeping flesh". El tema comienza con una guitarra que marca su acorde para permitir que los armónicos surjan al cubrir las cuerdas para que estas dejen de vibrar, como si un psicópata buscara asfixiar lentamente a su víctima. El bajo y la batería golpean desde su sepulcro cuatro veces como si solicitaran salir a pasear por la fría noche. La intensidad aumenta y todo se convierte en un ritmo infeccioso que fácilmente regresa a sus lúgubres orígenes cuando la voz de Zagarus nos narra parte de la historia del clásico filme de Freddie Francis, logrando que con su entonación pareciera un demente a punto de saltar sobre nosotros. Los cambios de ritmo logran que "The creeping flesh" nos tenga a la orilla del asiento en tensión permanente, haciendo que el tema se convierta en uno de los mejores del disco e indiscutible sencillo promocional.

Bretus lanzó en abril de 2017 el video de promoción de "The creeping flesh" como preparativo a su ...From the Twilight Zone. Como era de esperarse, el trabajo visual está realizado a partir de diversos extractos del clásico del terror británico que Freddie Francis realizara en 1973, la cual fue protagonizada por Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing y Lorna Heilbron. La historia nos cuenta como un esqueleto humanoide es encontrado en Nueva Guinea, el cual es llevado para su investigación a Inglaterra. Ahí descubren que tiene la capacidad de regenerar su carne al estar en contacto con el agua, pero una vez que está por completar el proceso, entienden que en dicha joya antropológica reside el mal. Sin embargo, la película no se basa sólo en el monstruo, sino en la locura que radica en el hombre, la envidia y la búsqueda mórbida que llega hasta la obsesión.

Bretus se encuentra en plena promoción de su nuevo material, situación que los ha llevado a compartir escenario con Jucifer y Goatness. No sobra decir que la banda ha consolidado su estilo en los últimos años, dejando a un lado los largos y densos pasajes instrumentales del pasado para enfocarse a crear ambientes ideales para sus líricas cada vez más trabajadas. ...From the Twilight Zone merece ser escuchado con calma para ir descifrando todo lo que esconde tras las capas de ruido, es necesario ir cavando en sus terrenos para descubrir al verdadero monstruo que hay en su interior. Aquí está el primer arañazo, ahora les toca seguir rasgando hasta su obscuro abismo que aguarda en los surcos del disco...

Earthquaker July 2017

Fra le rare compagini dedite a sonorità metalliche attive in Calabria, i Bretus approdano nel loro piccolo al terzo full-length, a due anni dal discreto “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Allora il gruppo interpretava a modo suo una delle storie più note della produzione lovecraftiana, mentre con “…From The Twilight Zone” ripercorre sette pellicole horror, attraverso il suo doom tradizionale che, con il passare del tempo, è andato costantemente ad avvicinarsi ai crismi del tipico dark sound ‘all’italiana’. Agli esordi di “In Onirica” il riffing si sporcava di frequente di stoner e sludge, mediando con la componente settantiana e, in misura minore, ottantiana del sound; nel secondo disco, era la psichedelia a prendere campo, immettendo fin troppa quiete lisergica in alcuni frangenti. Adesso, invece, viene compiuto un passo in un’altra direzione ancora, collocando l’act calabrese nella nicchia di Abysmal Grief e The Black, depurati degli orpelli gotici e classic metal più evidenti. Al centro dello scenario permane la vocalità di Zagarus, punto focale dell’intera proposta; un cantante che interpreta i testi come se fosse su un palcoscenico e si configurasse quale protagonista di una performance che lo vede quale unico attore. Il suo baritonale umorale si slancia a più riprese in urla demoniache e recitazioni possedute, seguendo da vicino lo svolgersi delle liriche e incorporando tutte le macabre suggestioni che i film ispiratori sono in grado di evocare. Attorno la musica si presenta in una forma piuttosto arcaica, dovuta a una produzione secca e scarna che a dirla tutta mortifica lo slancio delle singole composizioni. Infatti, il songwriting appare meglio focalizzato dell’immediato predecessore e non si evidenziano quei cali di tensione che rendevano faticoso in alcuni punti l’ascolto di “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. La coesione interna è sicuramente aumentata, le strutture sono rimaste abbastanza semplici ma la gestione dei tempi e l’infervorarsi dei ritmi, quando il doom prende concitati movimenti hard rock, porta a una presa sull’ascoltatore superiore a quella del secondo album. Trascinate dall’enfasi del singer, le tracce migliori le rintracciamo laddove si ricorre senza ritegno alcuno ad atmosfere care all’horror d’annata. “Danza Macabra” non ci pare stia per caso al centro della tracklist, ad esempio: un riff introduttivo amarognolo sfocia in un arpeggiato nebbioso richiamante i bergamaschi Thunderstorm, il cantato prende presto una piega narrativa, incastonandosi in una nenia elettroacustica sospesa fra quiete e presagi sinistri. La seconda parte si porta su un passo vivace, reso più imprevedibile da brevi incursioni tastieristiche. Buona anche l’apertura affidata a “Terror Behind The Mirror”, le aperture psichedeliche mutuate dai primi Black Sabbath ben si incastrano al tema principale a base di doom quadrato e ossessivo. Un’idea, quella di alternare tenui pizzicate a rumorosi girovagare nelle paludi del fuzz, che fa le fortune pure di “In The Vault”, trascinata e sarcasticamente solenne per la fetta prevalente del suo corso, in qualche istante catatonica e rassegnata. Nel suo complesso “…From The Twilight Zone” scorre piacevolmente, non presenta picchi qualitativi considerevoli né idee memorabili, collocandosi comunque in una dignitosissima fascia media, quella di molti act di oggi che, pur senza avere il talento per scrivere nuovi capolavori del genere, reinterpretano con passione e credibilità un genere immortale come il doom.

6.5/10

Metalitalia.com July 2017

Non si sa quasi nulla degli Abysskult, eccetto che sono russi e suonano funeral doom. Internet stavolta non è stato di aiuto: nessuna pagina Facebook, nessun contatto rilevante, soltanto una pagina Bandcamp spoglissima. La formazione è apparsa praticamente dal nulla, non ha demo all'attivo, ma ha rilasciato il proprio debutto "Thanatochromia" nel 2015, dapprima in versione autoprodotta e successivamente supportata dalla Endless Winter.

In "Thanatochromia" sembra di incrociare una combriccola di buontemponi decisi a disfare il nostro animo, tesi a condurlo per mano in un luogo nel quale l'orientamento non è necessario, il grigio impera e perdersi, intrappolati nella solitudine e nella dimenticanza, è l'unica via sensata da seguire.

Musicalmente, immaginatevi di essere trascinati in un incontro a cui prendono parte i connazionali Ea, Comatose Vigil e Abstract Spirit. Va stabilito a priori tuttavia che gli Abysskvlt hanno ancora un bel po' da apprendere da questo spaventoso e funereo trio, sia per quanto concerne il lato prettamente compositivo che per ciò che riguarda il trasporto emotivo.

Il disco è composto da quattro canzoni mastodontiche, all'interno delle quali riff allungati e pachidermici, sinfonie leggiadre quanto ancestrali e decadenti, un growl abissale e sensazioni spesse, ma non troppo esaltate, vanno a caratterizzare una formula statica e avviluppante. Talvolta essa viene adornata da elementi in stile dark-ambient, talvolta idealmente corrotta da effetti inattesi (lo scacciapensieri di "Over Cold Tombs") e campionamenti. Inoltre è capace di mostrarsi ingannevole e malevola in "Between Two Mirrors", estesa in maniera infettiva tramite l'imponente uso dei sintetizzatori, così come angosciosamente lucida nello spargere dolore in "House Of Woe", dall'incedere tragico sino al midollo.

Ciò che è stato impresso a questa prima uscita possiede le carte in regola per far sì che gli Abysskvlt attirino su di sé le simpatie degli appassionati del genere, una base solida per affrontare il futuro a testa alta, potendo già da ora rivaleggiare senza particolari problemi anche con nomi in circolazione da molto più tempo. Per avere una riprova effettiva delle qualità e di eventuali migliorie apportate alla proposta, bisognerà aspettare il successore di questo mortifero viaggio intitolato "Thanatochromia", ma l'invitante ombra da esso generata non può che farci ben sperare.

Aristocrazia Webzine July 2017

Mohraang (a name that sounds like a large piece of metal being struck) is another dark and moody one man project from Russia, who last year released their first, and so far only, record. Released on CD by Endless Winter (a label whose 'Only Doom Metal Label' motto always seemed incredulous given, you know, all the other Doom Metal labels, until I realised they were probably trying to state that they only do Doom Metal, which is a laudable aim), 'Underworld Of Khorrendus', is a 33 minute fullish-length slice of atmospheric Dark Ambient Doom. The 6 tracks are all unnamed, and flow together seamlessly as a complete piece.

The CD artwork pre-empts a theme of minimalistic darkness, with a four page booklet all in black and dark greys, the slightly naff cover artwork complimented by not one, but three different band logos of various derivative styles. Fortunately, I am not an art critic, but just a music fan who occasionally gets set loose on a word processor, and in this case, the music, whilst keeping with the sparse and blackened atmospheres leaves the slightly shaky qualities of the presentation behind.

The first record that came to mind as a comparison is Goatpsalms last release 'Downstream' as it shares some similar elements of slow and atmospheric bleak soundscapes and percussion. 'Underworld Of Khorrendus' is far more stripped back however, down to the basics of fizzy guitars, 80's reverbed drums, and simplistic synth pad sounds that work mainly to pad (go figure!) out the overall sound. Think 'Stream From The Heavens' if Thergothon had turned their flanger pedal off so make the record sound truly heavy. As anybody who knows about music production will tell you, sparse music is much easier to mix in a way that retains space and dynamic variation, and as a result this is a record that really shines when played loud, the space in the mix letting every sub-bass sound and floortom/guitar chug resonate through your spine.

If you are a fan of all that is slow, simplistic and sparse (interestingly that is my precise definition of Funeral Doom - although the term has now been applied to so many bands that play fast bits that it has lost all meaning) then I would definitely give Mohraang a try. 'Underworld Of Khorrendus'is not horrendous, in fact it is quite enjoyable for fans Skepticism, Thergothon, Comatose Vigil and the like. Just don't go expecting any kind of variation on mood and atmosphere, as 'Underworld Of Khorrendus' is quite intentionally monolithic in its dedication to a single sound - and when it pulls it off so expertly, who am I to complain?

8/10

Doom-metal.com July 2017

Bretus, the Italian heavyweights of Heavy Horror Doom, return from the unknowable depths of their dark dwellings with their third full length album, '…From the Twilight Zone', which, much like the seminal tv show alluded to in the album name, is an anthology of scary stories. That's right, this is a concept album, each song being inspired by some form of the macabre. Whilst previous album, 'The Shadow over Innsmouth' was based entirely on works of the master of cosmic horror himself, H.P. Lovecraft, this most recent release draws on an eclectic array of sometimes obscure horror, to create a chilling cornucopia of Doom-filtered curios.

Horror fans may recognise the source material of certain tracks with relative ease, others may be found, with some difficulty (as this reviewer discovered), using google, whilst a number can only be guessed at by anyone not possessing an encyclopaedic knowledge of scary movies. Either way, it's fun trying to figure them out. Fittingly, opening track, 'Terror behind the Mirror' begins with the sound of pouring rain and the plaintive cries of a crow, or perhaps, I dare quoth, a raven. An acoustic, slightly folky, riff follows, gently pulling the listener into the nightmarish world of Bretus before unleashing a vicious Doom riff. When the vocal starts, though, that's when the fun really begins. Zagarus's voice is wonderfully dramatic and theatrical in a way that perfectly complements the material; imagine how Freddie Mercury might have sounded after a week holed up in an abandoned cottage watching a perpetual loop of Hammer Horror movies and dropping acid, and you might be somewhere close.

As fun as the concept behind the album undoubtedly is, there's far more to enjoy here than just an interesting idea; the impressive vocals are backed admirably by an extremely tight band. Riffs so monstrous they'd have struck fear into the hardened hearts of Hammer stalwarts Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing abound, whilst crunching bass lines and powerful drumming create an accomplished sound, each instrument complementing the other to create something greater than the sum of their parts. It's hard and heavy, but there are moments of respite here and there with acoustic passages, organ effects and classic horror movie voice samples, all of which add to the Doom-laden atmosphere the album creates. 'Old Dark House' is a particular strong point; a down tempo malevolent riff begins the track followed by an outstanding solo that morphs into peels of thunder. Zagurus's vocal is heavily accented, but this actually adds to the mystique. Would Bela Lugosi have sounded quite so iconic if he'd spoken with a Barnsley accent? Everything about this album just, well, works.

Whether you're a horror fan or not, the music speaks for itself on this album, and it can be enjoyed by Doom fans that may never have watched a horror film in their lives. Whether such Doom fans exist is perhaps questionable, but if they do, and it's you, you will still enjoy this album. If you are a horror fan, though, particularly if your interest extends to the obscure, long-forgotten flicks of the early 70s, the type they don't make anymore, you'll have real fun with this gem. Long after masterful final track, 'Lizard Woman' draws a red velvet curtain on '…From the Twilight Zone', you'll have the unique sound of Bretus echoing in the fragments of your mind.

9/10

Doom-metal.com July 2017

Forti emozioni occulte, suono piacevolmente scorrevole ma positivo nel suo essere “stantio” e tanta voglia di fare bene. I Bretus riversano tutta la loro passione per la causa e il sacro mondo doom metal per la terza volta su lunga distanza (questa volta sotto la russa Endless Winter), lo fanno al top per quanto concerne ombre e songwriting. Ebbene si, perché il nuovo …from the Twilight Zone (omaggio alla serie “Ai Confini della Realtà”) non funge solo da “esercizio nostalgico” come ogni buon prodotto di classic doom richiede già dall’etichetta, qui le cose verranno lavorate saggiamente e con la necessaria pazienza. In certi casi non otterremo la nostra “zuppa” pronta, ma sarà proprio questa l’arma definita di un disco che potrà giostrare le sue avvenenti caratteristiche solo con l’insistenza dei giusti ascolti.

Rapisce quel sound che tutto sembra voler sottolineare tranne che la potenza (o meglio, non fatevi ingannare da queste parole perché la presa non mancherà) scavando e lavorando nei meandri di territori perennemente ombrosi, settantiani e dal taglio ora progressivo, poi sconfinante a tratti nell’hard rock. I brani finiranno per diventare -nel loro speciale modo- piccoli dannati tormentoni iconici, non mi vengono altre parole pensando ad esempio all’attacco della grandiosa Terror Behind the Mirror giusto per ancorarci alla partenza di un album che offrirà diverse sfaccettature senza chiederci l’urgenza di “scomporci” più di tanto.

Serve nominare la triade Black Sabbath/Electric Wizard/Candlemass per rendere l’idea di cosa troverete all’interno di …from the Twilight Zone? Se riuscite ad immaginare un po’ di questo e un po’ di quello avrete colto il bersaglio ancor prima di iniziare e potrete cominciare a gioire senza remore. D’altronde questi quaranta minuti passano così in fretta da rappresentare un concreto sinonimo di costante intrattenimento.

Il riff portante di Terror Behind the Mirror è da antologia e lancia di fatto nel migliore dei modi il terzo full-lenght dei Bretus. Il cerimoniere Zagarus infiamma sgraziatamente ogni piccolo anfratto di ogni canzone scegliendo di volta in volta il mood necessario, giostrando così su più registri come solo un navigato capitano può fare. In the Vault accresce il fattore nefasto/oscuro scandendo lentamente il ritmo prima di lasciare spazio alla sinistra epicità di Old Dark House. Danza Macabra a metà disco funge da “nenia-rituale-ciondolante”, un gradino gradito prima di una aperta, “baldanzosa” e più leggera The Murder. L’album trova conclusione con due tracce azzeccate come The Creeping Flesh (che crescendo! la mia prediletta assieme alla opener) e la psichedelica-heavy-strumentale di Lizard Woman.

I Bretus sono una freccia non importante ma importantissima per il panorama doom metal nostrano, evitare di fare la loro conoscenza sarebbe davvero un piccolo insulto rivolto a noi stessi cultori del genere. Solo così, con quei piccoli accorgimenti, e via verso la cima di una faticosa scalata, perfezione e nobiltà possono essere raggiunte solo in questa maniera. Loro lo sanno bene, voi potrete dire lo stesso?

73%

Disfactory.it July 2017

I greci Decemberance hanno già ricevuto le nostre attenzioni in passato. Sia io che LeonardZ 666 fummo piacevolmente colpiti dal loro debutto "Inside". Da quella prima uscita sono trascorsi la bellezza di otto anni, una lunga ed estenuante attesa finalmente giunta al termine con il concepimento del secondo album a titolo "Conceiving Hell", rilasciato attraverso l'etichetta russa del solerte Gennady, la Endless Winter.

I musicisti in questione sono esperti e profondi conoscitori del panorama doom-death metal. Lo hanno ampiamente dimostrato con "Inside": intenso, dall'animo complesso e in cui più generi convivevano in maniera alquanto naturale, all'interno di un'ambientazione profondamente ancorata al periodo dei primi anni Novanta. Ora lo confermano in quello che, in tutto e per tutto, potremmo considerare il naturale successore; infatti, sembra che il tempo non si sia fermato e fra l'uscita dei due dischi non sia trascorso che un attimo.

In "Conceiving Hell" è innegabile la presenza di un feeling oscuro dal passo pesante, ma raffinato, così come di quell'aura inconfondibilmente albionica devota al verbo proferito dalla triade formata da My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost e Anathema. A tutt'oggi, queste componenti sono un'unica cosa con la morbosità del metallo della morte statunitense in stile Morbid Angel. Altrettanto lampante è come non sia altresì venuto meno l'apporto conferito a questa unione dalla visione avanguardista in dote ai Phlebotomized e per alcune peculiarità ai Cynic.

Tale commistione ha condotto ancora una volta il gruppo a plasmare pezzi ostici, il cui vissuto contrastato è costretto a dibattersi costantemente, creando un quantitativo esagerato di sensazioni, anche opposte fra loro, in grado tanto di attrarre quanto di straniare l'ascoltatore. Allo scenario dipinto dagli Attici prendono parte così le rovinose e asciutte scanalature del death metal, lo stringente e incatenante grigiore plumbeo del doom metal funereo e il romanticismo melancolico e decadente di quello gotico, mentre l'inserimento di sonorità acustiche e l'ingresso in scena del violoncello aumentano la drammaticità della proposta.

Non riesco a considerare un brano migliore di un altro e le movenze articolate mi fanno pendere per il più semplice, e forse logico, dei consigli: cedete sia al lato muscolare e asfissiante che a quello dolente e psicotico di "Conceiving Hell". Se siete abituali fruitori del genere, difficilmente vi eviterete un simile incontro e con tutta probabilità troverete pure posto nella vostra collezione per il disco. Con estremo piacere affermo: bentornati Decemberance!

Aristocrazia Webzine July 2017

One of my favorite traditional styled doom bands, Italy’s Bretus, will soon return with a brand new offering in this month of June. That offering is entitled ‘...From The Twilight Zone‘ and it will arrive via the Endless Winter label.

To get a bit further into the details, the new release is a conceptual album, where each song is inspired by a classic horror film. Bretus, or more specifically, guitarist and vocalist Ghenes, vocalist Zagarus, bassist Azog, and drummer Striges are the ideal band and players for such a grand undertaking (in my opinion).

I say such because Bretus, who are in their seventeenth year of existence this year, have always steeped themselves in occult images and lyrics. One need only refer to 2015’s ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’, 2014’s self-titled LP, or 2012’s ‘In Onirica‘ to grasp this reality.

The descent into the unknown begins here with a thunderstorm, acoustic music and some eerie organs as ‘Terror Behind The Mirror‘ unfolds. It suddenly breaks into a monstrous riff and tumult of drums and organ stills. Once on keel, some very animated vocals cue in, as the music reaches a very Sabbath-y vibe. See, Black Sabbath are where most of our doom originates and the boys from Bretus are clearly disciples of such.

Take the full-on doom deluge delivered via tracks ‘ln The Vault‘, the amazing ‘Murder‘ and ‘The Creeping Flesh‘. The latter two are just stellar, stand out songs with Murder being a very uptempo throwback to the days of proto-doom. It powers away like some careening locomotive and then breaks into fiercely bluesy grooves.

The Creeping Flesh starts with a rather appropriate film sample, before delving into somewhat furious metallic styling. It may just be me, but I get a certain Mercyful Fate/King Diamond feel from this song, along with some other moments on the album. That, of course, is a damned fine thing, too.

Several of those moments permeate the ‘Old Dark House‘, a true doom epic sounding song. The section where the vocals take the spotlight, while the music dies down, becoming barely audible and sparse is grandiose. The song is followed by one of the more experimental, well textured tracks here, ‘Danza Macabra‘. Another heavy cut that delves into slower-paced doomy excess, laden with beautifully melancholy melodics.

Things end on the new album with the magnificent instrumental ‘Lizard Woman‘, a lengthy foray into doom psychedelia. Thunderous bass lines rumble throughout the song, before it takes on an enthralling rhythmic path. Lighter acoustic touches enhance things nicely, as do the organs and synth flourishes. They enter heavily mid-way after some fiery guitar antics. Oh, and the instrumental designation maybe challenged since there are some very basic, airy and eerie, trippy as hell vocalization touches laid down for a brief moment.

Just as they have always done, Bretus are the living, breathing embodiment of modern doom with traditional influences. ‘…From The Twilight Zone‘ continues that tradition with formidable heaviness and great grooves.

They take inspiration from what has come before and instill it with their own superb styling. The result is another intense, powerful album from the always bad-ass Bretus!

Riff Relevant June 2017

Bretus’s third full-length album sees the Italian group adhering to their established meat and potatoes approach to traditional doom metal. The guitar takes center stage with a riff style and tone reminiscent of The Gates of Slumber and Place of Skulls while the rhythm section provides a basic but sturdy foundation. In addition, the pulp horror theatrics are aided by a flamboyant vocal performance that is a dead ringer for Reverend Bizarre. These elements were in full force on Bretus albums past but …From the Twilight Zone may be their strongest usage of them thus far.

This album’s biggest source of strength in comparison to previous efforts is its polished production job. While Bretus has always been a melodic doom band making its best assets known, there’s a lot more clarity on here that makes the riffs even punchier and gives the bass a more melodic backbone. The vocals also sound a lot more confident than before, reinforcing the idea that the improvements are based on more than a mere superficial makeover.

It also helps that the songwriting has a lot of variety to it. The riffs and vocal lines aren’t always the most attention grabbing but each song finds a way to stand out. “Terror Behind the Mirror” is the strongest track thanks to its acoustic opening transitioning to its bombastic riff set in an appropriately sinister fashion though the borderline balladry on “Danza Macabra” makes it another highlight. Also, a Tony Danza-themed doom band called Danza Macabra seriously needs to be a thing…

Bretus may not be at the heights of the doom metal pantheon just yet but the improvements on …From the Twilight Zone suggest that they may well be on their way there. Fans of the genre are sure to find this to be a pleasant listen that highlights everything there is to love about old school doom. And in a scene that is stereotyped for its emulation of Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard, I’ll be more than happy to try out a Pentagram rip-off any day!

Indy Metal Vault June 2017

Con Bretus tengo una relación que viene casi desde el comienzo de la historia discográfica del grupo. El casi no es casual, pues en realidad los conocí cuando sacaron "In Onirica", su muy buen primer disco full, allá por el año 2012. Hice la reseña del disco y comencé a tener contacto con la banda, quienes me pasaron los links para descargar y escuchar los trabajos previos, el Demo del año 2008 y el EP autotitulado del 2009. Antes de que el segundo disco de la banda ("The Shadow over Innsmouth", del año 2015) viera la luz, yo ya lo había recibido en mi cuenta de e-mail. Entusiasmado por los resultados obtenidos en los trabajos previos, me lancé de cabeza a escuchar el segundo larga duración de la banda de Catanzaro. No encontré lo que buscaba pues Bretus habían cambiado. Seguían tocando Doom Metal (y creo que jamás van a dejar de hacerlo), pero ya no era aquel Doom monolítico, hipnótico y ultra pesado de "In Onirica". La banda había virado hacia un Doom más anticuado, habían viajado hacia los orígenes del género, adoptando como propio un sonido añejo, estructuras y atmósferas de corte 70's, e incorporando influencias de bandas como Cirith Ungol, Manilla Road y Witchfinder General. El resultado no fue el mejor, algo propio de un disco de transición. No era, ni es, un disco malo; sería injusto calificarlo de tal manera cuando tiene unos cuántos momentos muy logrados. Pero le faltaba el poder y la consistencia de su antecesor. Recuerdo que en aquel momento pensé que Bretus estaban buscando un nuevo rumbo, y que aun no habían llegado al camino, sino que recién estaban en el (nuevo) punto de partida.

Dos años después de "The Shadow..." aparece el tercer disco full de la banda italiana en cuestión (en el medio lanzaron un split junto a Black Capricorn). "...from the Twilight Zone" sigue la misma línea que se predecesor, pero las diferencias son notorias. Bretus han vuelto a ser una verdadera potencia dentro del mundo del Doom Metal. Manteniendo intacto el estilo encarado en el disco del 2015, la banda demuestra haber ajustado todas las tuercas, aceitaron cada uno de los engranajes de la maquinaria, y pusieron énfasis en un detalle que no es menor: las composiciones. Es por eso que éste nuevo trabajo de la banda de Ghenes (guitarra) es un buen disco de principio a fin.

Las atmósferas típicas de las películas y series de horror y ciencia ficción de los 60's y 70's (basta con ver el nombre del disco), más la consabida influencia de los filmes de la Hammer a la que son afectas este tipo de bandas. Los riffs clásicos, anticuados ya desde el sonido y las estructuras, pero sonando frescos por la naturalidad con son ejecutados. Los ritmos lentos que tienden a irse hacia el medio-tempo, fluidos y con mucho groove. Las entonaciones de Zagarus jugando siempre con la locura, emitiendo gritos que hacen pensar en alguien al borde de la demencia, pero luego volver a cantar con firmeza y dureza, y sin perder de vista la melodía de la canción. El bajo sosteniendo el pulso rítmico de la banda con simpleza y melodía a la vez, tal como las primeras bandas de Heavy Metal. Todo aquí suena muy familiar, pero, a la vez, suena auténtico. Mientras muchas bandas se hunden en su obsesión por sonar retro, perdiendo de vista lo más importante de todo (las canciones), a Bretus les sale con mucha facilidad eso de sonar añejos, como si realmente fueran una banda de los 70's.

"...from the..." no es un disco de grandes canciones, pero sí es un disco que entretiene en todo momento, apoyándose en la homogeneidad y la magia para mantener atento al oyente. Así y todo, no dudo en elegir a "The Lizard" como lo mejor de la placa, pues Ghenes exhibe en dicha pieza lo mejor de su repertorio, que no es poco. Es que éste guitarrista, lejos del virtuosismo estéril, entiende a la perfección que lo simple puede ser bello y oscuro a la vez, y que no hace falta caer en lo rebuscado para sonar atractivo al oído.

Ahora sí, puedo confirmar que "The Shadow..." fue un disco de transición. Hoy puedo decir que Bretus sigue siendo una de las tantas buenas bandas italianas de Doom Metal, una de las que se pueden tildar como Emblemáticas dentro de dicha escena. En otras palabras, puedo decir, sin temor a equivocarme, que el tercer larga duración de Bretus es un buen disco.

Puro Ruido June 2017

Fondati nell’anno 2000 i Bretus, band horror doom calabrese, rilascia per l’etichetta Endless Winter il suo terzo full lengh intitolato “..From the Twilight Zone” preceduto anche da diverse uscite in 7’’ split e MCD. Particolare quanto accattivante è lo stile della band che con le proprie tendenze oscure rende ancora più sinistro e cupo l’intero clima che si respira nel corso dell’ascolto. Il doom realizzato dal quartetto è nitido, pulito con le andature caratteristiche del genere, mai sopraffatte da effetti o da quanto possa offuscare il classico sound doom. Moderazione ed andature lente che ti affondano i timpani come una lama che recide la pelle è a poco a poco in sostanza il senso horror che viene trasmesso. La parte clean dalla multiforme interpretazione, si trova a suo perfetto agio tra le melodie che vengono a susseguirsi nei sette brani proposti spesso alternati nel loro interno da arpeggi e da atmosfere inquietanti. “Terror Behind the Mirror” è forse l’esempio migliore di come la band voglia fare colpo sull’ascoltatore: una breve atmosfera introduttiva horror e subito dopo un pacato arpeggio in anticipo ad un’andatura splendida realizzata con un motivo avvincente; segue “In The Vault”, classica andatura doom inarrestabile, all’interno della quale lo splendido cantato rende quella giusta atmosfera tra sofferenza, paura e disperazione; è poi la volta di “Old Dark House” e della successiva “Danza Macabra”, due esempi diretti quanto significativamente coinvolgenti, soprattutto il secondo per il particolare doom acustico oscuro, opaco, triste ma splendido allo stesso tempo; “The Murder” si orienta invece su un doom con qualche richiamo a potenti riff più hard rock ed annessa andatura; “The Creeping Flesh” altro incredibile brano che con la conclusiva “Lizard Woman”, dalla proposta iniziale molto settantiana e con un evolversi tutto da ascoltare, fanno di questo disco un ottimo lavoro su cui fare pieno affidamento materializzando un’altrettanta meritata promozione della band.

81/100

Metalwave.it June 2017

Οι Αθηναίοι Decemberance έχουν διαδρομή στο χώρο. Βέβαια εμφανίζονται ανά άτακτα χρονικά διαστήματα και κινούνται σχετικά αργά.

Doom/death παίζουν, δεν το λες και παράλογο.

Στο φετινό τους δημιούργημα ακούμε βαρύ, σκοτεινό, πνιγηρό doom κατά κύριο λόγο, με death φωνητικά και εξάρσεις, αλλά και κάτι prog περάσματα εδώ και εκεί που δίνουν μια ποικιλία.

Το πραγματικά σπουδαίο στοιχείο του δίσκου, έχει να κάνει με τα φωνητικά, που αποτίουν φόρο τιμής στον τεράστιο Aaron Stainthorpe, με απόλυτο σεβασμό στο είδος και στις απαιτήσεις του.

Μαύρο άλμπουμ, θέλει ακροάσεις για να το αντιληφθείς, θα το προτιμούσα συντομότερο σε διάρκεια, μιας και 4 κομμάτια σε πάνω από μια ώρα δίσκος, είναι φιλόδοξο εγχείρημα.

Βέβαια για να είμαστε δίκαιοι, αποτυπώνει και μεγάλη εμπιστοσύνη της μπάντας στις δυνατότητές της και στο υλικό που έχει να διαχειριστεί.

Υπάρχουν στα κομμάτια λυρικές και ρυθμικές αλλαγές που εξυπηρετούν τις ανάσες και υποβοηθούν τη δημιουργία ατμόσφαιρας.

Kudos για την μεστή δουλειά που έχει γίνει στην παραγωγή και στον ήχο της κιθάρας, που δεν λασπώνει (ίσως και να έπρεπε λίγο βέβαια), αλλά είναι στιβαρός και ογκώδης.

Δεν προτείνεται για ευκαιριακές ακροάσεις, αλλά για εμβάθυνση.

Εξαιρετικό το κλείσιμο του ''Departures'', που ανεβάζει τις ταχύτητες, και προσφέρει το highlight του δίσκου, πάνω σε ένα επικό riff.

Οι φίλοι του παλιού, σωστού, Αγγλικού doom/death θα βρουν έναν δίσκο που θα σκοτεινιάσει τον Ήλιο και θα φέρει χαμόγελα ικανοποίησης σε όσους-ες αγαπάνε το συγκεκριμένο ιδίωμα.

Rock 'N' Roll Monuments June 2017

Ritornano i calabresi Bretus, una delle migliori band italiane in ambito doom.

La loro proposta musicale è un doom classico, cantato con timbro chiaro e possente, e poche distorsioni strumentali, seguendo la lezione di St.Vitus e Pentagram.

Per fare questo genere minimale e renderlo interessante devi avere delle specifiche caratteristiche che non sono alla portata di tutti. I Bretus tengono incollato l’ascoltatore alla poltrona dall’inizio alla fine, non lasciando mai scendere la tensione, come nelle storie horror che loro adorano. Ispirati nella loro opera dal sommo vate di Providence, per questo nuovo disco esplorano i territori di …From The Twilight Zone, una serie televisiva americana del 1959 che esplorava in maniera incredibile la fantascienza e l’orrore, tenendosi sempre vicina alla sottile linea che divide il nostro mondo da altri mondi e multiversi. Il doom dei Bretus in questo disco si addolcisce leggermente e va a bagnare gli strumenti nei fiumi ottantiani del doom americano ed inglese, trovando una formula vincente, perché ogni canzone è interessante e godibile. Il disco è oscuro ma non è una tenebra fine a se stessa, bensì è una luce diversa per capire la realtà in un’altra maniera, o per cominciare a scorgere le altre che ci circondano. Ascoltare dischi come …From The Twilight Zone smuove qualcosa nel cuore di chi ama il doom e più in generale la musica oscura ma fatta bene. In alcuni momenti ritornano all’orecchio reminiscenze dei grandi del doom, come i Candlemass ad esempio, ma ascoltando il disco si comprende la via personale adottata dai Bretus, un modo originale di fare doom. Il disco può anche essere goduto come un film, poiché c’è un filo conduttore nella narrazione. I Bretus con questo disco si confermano un ottimo gruppo doom che non sbaglia un disco.

7.5

Iyezine June 2017

Doomster calabresi, dal forte richiamo evocativo e dalle sonorità sinistramente horror: è con queste premesse che i Bretus si presentano. Il loro nuovo lavoro, ispirato fin dal titolo dell’album ‘…from the Twilight Zone’ alla omonima serie statunitense di fine anni 50, è composto da 7 songs, dove le influenze doom di band anni 80 si intrecciano a meraviglia nei riff chitarristici di Ghenes, nei marziali ritmi rompi ossa del basso di Azog, nel drumming preciso di Striges: il tutto si amalgama perfettamente nel pathos che le vocal di Zagarus infonde come un sapiente mistico, che richiama ed evoca dal profondo innominabili e arcani misteri. Brani articolati dal minutaggio medio di 5 minuti si susseguono talvolta iniziati da arpeggi, altre volte da schegge filmiche o brusii di presenze primordiali; i brani ci immergono in atmosfere che la band di Catanzaro riesce a organizzare in modo magistrale. Analizziamo per es. ‘In The Vault’: la pièce si snoda in un iniziale riff heavy/super doomy davvero micidiale, la voce fa da contraltare con un doppio stile evocatorio/inquisitorio, poi un sorta di intro a metà pezzo che è come una svolta, un presagio ad un riff che sfocia in un assolo NWOBHM style da far accapponare la pelle, poi un travolgere e ritornare sui propri passi, infine un tocco di campana. Imperioso. Siamo di fronte ad un album intrigante pieno di stile, di idee e ben congegnato. A giugno fuori per la russa Endless Winter.

8/10

Salad Days Magazine May 2017

“… From the Twilight Zone” é o terceiro álbum de estúdio da banda italiana Bretus, lançado via Endless Winter Records. Seguindo os passos de seus antecessores, o álbum reúne toda aquela atmosfera de horror complementada pelo conteúdo lírico que aborda temas relacionados ao misticismo e influências das obras de H.P. Lovecraft.

A banda se mantém fiel ao estilo old school e tradicional do Doom Metal, com influências de nomes como Reverend Bizarre, Sain Vitus e Black Sabbath. E por mais que muitas bandas sigam essa abordagem a Bretus consegue ser uma das mais equilibradas, a banda sabe como introduzir suas influências mas sem se manter presa às mesmas, as percepções e ideias de como a banda deseja conduzir sua música também estão presentes.

Em “… From the Twilight Zone” a banda entrega um repertório que passa por faixas mais imediatas como a abertura “Terror Behind the Mirror”, que conta com uma passagem acústica interessante, ou “The Murder”, de longe a faixa mais intensa do disco.

A dedicação da banda é colocada em evidência ao decorrer do trabalho, o esforço para criar composições mais elaboradas resulta em faixas como “Danza Macabra” e “Lizard Woman”, essa última repleta de progressões incríveis e uma riqueza de detalhes. E ainda destaco “In the Vault” e “Old Dark House”, as faixas que mais me agradaram no álbum.

Doombringer June 2017

The prolific Spanish duo Graveyard of Souls are back with their fourth album in four years, 'Pequeños fragmentos de tiempo congelado'; their second on Endless Winter. It's a relentless barrage of Doom/Death metal with a sound far more massive than your average two-piece band, thanks to multi-instrumentalist Angel Chicote's layering of multiple guitars and synths over the usual bedrock of bass and (programmed) drums. Graveyard of Souls' other member, Raul Weaver, turns in a fittingly aggressive if run-of-the-mill performance on harsh vocals, utilizing some cool panning and echo effects now and then.

'Pequeños fragmentos de tiempo congelado' opens with a gentle tick-tock that may lull you into boosting the volume on your stereo, leading to a rude awakening when the lead-off track 'Todo se desbanece lentamente' kicks in the door with nary an intro lick to warn the unsuspecting listener. It's immediately evident that Endless Winter is a fitting label home for the band's style, which holds few surprises but a lot of enjoyability. This is a very pleasing set of top-shelf Doom/Death with an unusually strong emphasis on melody.

Melodic themes weave in and around each other throughout, sometimes two at a time beneath a vocal line. The second track 'Entre pedazos de locura' really showcases Graveyard of Souls at their best. At times, the arrangements remind me of a "lite" take on modern Esoteric. Other moments start to resemble a sped-up Type O Negative; 'Cementerio de ilusiones' for example. Easy comparisons might imply that Graveyard of Souls aren't the most original of bands, but these songs are among the album's most memorable. 'Pequeños fragmentos de tiempo congelado''s best passages are those with maximum melodies; other times where the melodicism is dialed down in favor of rhythmic focus or relatively listless chord strumming, the music fades more towards ho-hum genericism. The album leans a bit toward monotony despite a playing time within tolerable range of whole-album listenability.

The album notes that the songs were recorded across a multi-year time span, including times coinciding with their previous album releases. However, there is no obvious difference in production from track to track, and no track repeats here from prior albums.

'Pequeños fragmentos de tiempo congelado' is an easily-recommended album that successfully combines Doom/Death's strong points from different points on the musical spectrum: its capacity for engaging, melancholic melody and its merciless, swirling heaviness. It's ruthless, but accessible. It's tuneful, but crushing. It's an oppressively bleak album...and a joy to listen to.

7

Doom-metal.com May 2017

Decemberance are a five piece band hailing from Greece. They have been active since 1997, and so far have produced three demos and two full-lengths, including this latest 'Conceiving Hell', being released by Endless Winter. (Eight long years have passed since 'Inside' was released). The music has elements of horror and insanity. One thing that has not really changed is the length of each track. There are only four on this album, but each one is over seventeen minutes long. It is a huge amount to digest when listening to each song.

I found each song had its ups and downs, some odd samples, and at times I did find the direction hard to visualise. Maybe these were the parts where horror crept into the music - I found the acoustic passages brilliant and really enjoyed the style, sound and feel of these parts. Filled with emotion, and the added sound of cellos just gives you the feeling of pure sadness.

Because each song is so epic in length I thought I would write about the actual album as a whole rather then each song separately. The strengths of the album for me are the ones where the music is allowed to breathe. The acoustic parts, the flowing melodies with cellos, open up your inner thoughts leaving you to ponder the outside world. To get the balance right is hard and to keep enough riffs and tempo changes in the right places needs to be spot on to keep the listener interested. I wandered off in a few parts I must admit, and found it hard to stay completely focused.

The guitar parts, when heavy, are solid enough. They pay homage and stay true to the genre, and you can dig the vibe of old-school running through them. The tone of the guitars is nice, and Chris and Nikos blend effortlessly together. The sound is crisp and never gets messy or over-complicated. Some of the riffs are not catchy or mind-blowing, but still serve justice to the songs. The drums are varied and change the tempo and direction of the songs. They are punchy and are mixed very well. Yiannis also provides the vocals. These are deep growls that hold everything together, whilst other shrieking takes you to different places.

Aggelos's bass lines are solid enough, and it would be nice to hear more of his parts flow more openly throughout. Overall, these songs will appeal to many people because of the crossover from Doom/Death to Funeral Doom within the quieter, slower passages. It is epic in parts, and grows on you with every listen.

7.5

Doom-metal.com May 2017

I greci Decemberance sono una band i cui primi passi risalgono addirittura a vent’anni fa, anche se, fino ad oggi, l’unico full lenght pubblicato era il buon Inside, del 2010.

Il gruppo guidato da Yiannis Fillipaios (voce, batteria) e Chris Markopoulos (chitarra) ritorna quindi dopo un lungo silenzio con il suo death doom arcigno e dalle frequenti propensioni funeral, nulla a che vedere perciò con i bravi Immensity, band dai toni ben più melodici nella quale i due militano, così come l’altro chitarrista Nikos Loukopoulos in veste live; a completare la stretta connessione dei Decemberance con la scena doom ateniese va ricordato anche come la sezione ritmica, formata dallo stesso Fillipaios e da Aggelos Malisovas, sia la stessa dei ben noti Daylight Misery.

Anche se il tempo scorre e la modernità spesso deforma in maniera determinante qualsiasi retaggio del passato, i Decemberance offrono un death doom saldamente ancorato agli anni novanta, quindi ai primordi del genere, risultando a tratti piacevolmente vicino ai primissimi Anathema.

Così, l’aspro growl del vocalist domina la scena stagliandosi su ruvidezze death che vengono intervallate da rarefazioni acustiche e, soprattutto, da rallentamenti ai confini del funeral nei quali la chitarra solista tesse splendide e dolenti trame melodiche.

Questa adesione fedele alle origini del death doom è manna del cielo per i suoi adoratori, almeno per quelli che ritengono ancora oggi brani come Under The Veil o Lovelorn Rhapsody tra i suoi capisaldi: i Decemberance dimostrano in ogni frangente una conoscenza della materia che consente loro di mettere in scena quasi un’ora e un quarto di musica, suddivisa in quattro brani, senza che il suo incedere risulti mai prolisso o ridondante.

Conceiving Hell offre un sound asciutto che trova i suoi punti più alti nei rallentamenti funeral di Departures e nello sviluppo piuttosto cangiante della magnifica The Blind Will Lead the Way, ma sempre mantenendo ben alto il livello anche dei restanti brani, grazie anche al misurato ma essenziale lavoro tastieristico di Alexandros Vlahos; il disco si muove fluttuando con disinvoltura tra il death asfissiante dei Morbid Angel di Covenant ed il doom della Sacra Triade albionica, con in più un pizzico di vena sperimentale che fa capolino in certi passaggi, come nel finale dominato dal basso della già citata The Blind Will Lead the Way.

L’opera dei Decemberance, a mio avviso, va anche ben oltre le aspettative, perché riavvolge il nastro riportandoci ai fast del death doom più verace, intriso di ottundente dolore e privo di sbocchi melodici consolatori; Conceiving Hell per essere apprezzato pienamente va ascoltato diverse volte, dopo di che si manifesterà inesorabile in tutta la sua bellezza.

8.4

IyeZine May 2017

Πάντα έλεγα πως για να γράψεις καλή μουσική, πρέπει να τη ζεις λίγο, πολύ. Έτσι και οι Αθηναίοι death/doomsters DECEMBERANCE, φαίνεται ότι ακολουθούν αυτή τη λογική. Τα χρόνια κυλάν για τη μπάντα, όσο αργά είναι τα riffs τους. Γι αυτό άλλωστε κάναμε να δούμε νέα δισκογραφική δουλειά 8 χρόνια και συγκεκριμένα από το “Inside” του 2009. Η μπάντα του Γιάννη Φιλιππαίου (DAYLIGHT MISERY, IMMENSITY), κοντεύει τα 20 χρόνια ύπαρξης, αλλά παρόλα αυτά δεν έχουμε δει και πολλές κυκλοφορίες. Είμαι από αυτούς που ακούν τη μπάντα από το περίφημο demo “Just a Blacklad…”, το οποίο είχα πάρει φρέσκο στα χέρια μου, από ένα πρώην μέλος της μπάντας. Θυμάμαι μου είχε κάνει εντύπωση ο ήχος τους και γενικά η ωριμότητα των συνθέσεων. Οι DECEMBERANCE αν ήταν πιο συνεπείς δισκογραφικά, θα έκαναν μεγάλη καριέρα στο συγκεκριμένο είδος. Αυτό φαίνεται έστω και από τα λίγα μουσικά πονήματα τους, τα οποία είναι σταθερά υψηλότατου επιπέδου.

Η καινούρια δουλειά της μπάντας, η οποία κυκλοφόρησε τον περασμένο Απρίλιο, φέρει το τίτλο “Conceiving hell”. Εδώ η μπάντα ακολουθεί το ίδιο στυλ, όσο αφορά στη πληθώρα των τραγουδιών, αλλά και τη διάρκεια τους. Τέσσερα μόλις κομμάτια, τα οποία όμως είναι συνολικής διάρκειας 75 λεπτών! Ως death/doomsters δε κρύβουν την αγάπη τους στους πατέρες του είδους MY DYING BRIDE, έχοντας όμως προσωπικό ύφος. Εύκολα διακρίνεις, περισσότερο από ποτέ, prog επιρροές στον ήχο τους, κάτι που κάνει το αποτέλεσμα πιο… φαντασμαγορικό. Πάραυτα δε ξεχνούν τις ρίζες τους, με αρκετές oldschool doom πινελιές, αλλά και death metal ξεσπάσματα σε κιθάρες και drums. Υπάρχουν στιγμές, που φτάνουν black metal ταχύτητες και παγωμάρα, για να επιστρέψουν άμεσα σε αργόσυρτα ή mid tempo riffs. Γενικά, οι DECEMBERANCE είναι μπάντα που ξέρει να παίζει με το συναίσθημα… άλλοτε το απογειώνει και άλλοτε το ρίχνει στα τάρταρα. Στιβαρή παραμόρφωση, ωραίος ήχος χωρίς να γίνεται υπερβολικά digitalized και να χαλά το συναίσθημα. Ωραία μελωδική lead, με χαρακτηριστικά, κολληματικά riffs, όπως για παράδειγμα αυτό του “The blind lead the way”. Τα γρυλίσματα του Γιάννη, μοιάζουν σα να βγαίνουν από ένα πληγωμένο θηρίο. Από τα αγαπημένα μου φωνητικά στο είδος. Φυσικά, από το άλμπουμ δε λείπει το τσέλο, που συνοδεύει, την ήδη μαύρη κι άραχνη ατμόσφαιρα του δίσκου, κάνοντας τη ακόμα πιο πεσιμιστική. Σε ένα δίσκο με ισάξια τραγούδια, θα ξεχωρίσω το “Departures”, στο οποίο θα ακούσουμε samples από τη υπέρτατη ελληνική ταινία του Ανδρέα Θωμόπουλου “Ένα γελαστό απόγευμα” (1979), με την χαρακτηριστική, ανατριχιαστική φωνή του Γιώργου Μιχαλακόπουλου, να λέει «Τη Κυριακή, ξοφλάς», συνοδευόμενο από το γλοιώδες γέλιο του!

Άλλη μια φορά λοιπόν οι DECEMBERANCE, μας παραδίδουν ένα άλμπουμ υψηλών προδιαγραφών, το οποίο θα φέρει το σκοτάδι στο καλοκαιράκι που μας έρχεται. Σκοτεινό, ζοφερό, πεσιμιστικά συναισθηματικό. Το Ελληνικό doom/death, μπορεί να μην έχει και πάρα πολλά συγκροτήματα να το αντιπροσωπεύουν, όπως του αξίζει, αλλά αυτά που έχει είναι μεγάλου βεληνεκούς!

8/10

Rockhard May 2017

Degli spagnoli Graveyard Of Souls ci eravamo già occupati qualche anno fa, in occasione del loro primo full length Shadows Of Lifes.

Autori di un buon gothic death doom, all’epoca i nostri non erano apparsi in grado di elevarsi oltre un livello medio, comunque apprezzabile, e non è che l’impressione vada a modificarsi più di tanto con questo nuovo Pequeños Fragmentos De Tiempo Congelado, album che arriva dopo altre due opere su lunga distanza, Infinitum Nihil e Todos los caminos llevan a ninguna parte.

L’interpretazione del genere da parte di Raul e Angel non lascia spazio a particolari critiche né dal punto di vista esecutivo né da quello della produzione (anche se quest’ultimo aspetto è senz’altro migliorabile), perché in questo genere li ritengo elementi marginali rispetto al potenziale emotivo di un’opera: il problema è che, in buona sostanza, vengono meno quei guizzi capaci di rendere identificabile il sound.

Va detto, ad onore dei Graveyard Of Souls, che alcuni brani si dimostrano senz’altro all’altezza della situazione, specie quando questi possiedono un maggiore respiro atmosferico: non mancano così spunti melodici di buona fattura, come nelle buone Entre fragmentos de locura, Cementerio de ilusiones e Al atardecer, che contribuiscono a mantenere l’album al di sopra della linea di galleggiamento senza però che l’attenzione dell’ascoltatore venga catturata con la necessaria continuità.

Sicuramente il duo iberico mostra il suo volto migliore quando approccia il death doom con ritmi più ragionati e una maggiore ricerca dell’emotività, mentre le fasi contraddistinte dal tentativo di rendere il sound più catchy, nei passaggi prossimi al death melodico o al gothic, non convincono anche per l’apparente discrasia stilistica che si manifesta in alcuni momenti dell’album (piuttosto superfluo, per esempio, lo strumentale Across the Cygnus Loop).

Come per l’album d’esordio, non resta così che derubricare l’operato dei Graveyard Of Souls ad un’interpretazione gradevolmente retrò di queste sonorità, senza però che lo scorrere del tempo abbia portato all’auspicato salto di qualità.

6.8

IyeZine May 2017

Οκτώ ολόκληρα χρόνια πέρασαν από το debut “Inside” των αθηναίων Decemberance. Μια doom metal μπάντα που ενώ συμπληρώνει αισίως μια εικοσαετία ζωής, οι κυκλοφορίες της ήταν πενιχρές (τρία demo με μόλις ένα full length), κάτι άξιο απορίας σε σχέση με το ποιοτικό υπόβαθρο που επέδειξαν ως μπάντα.

Το πλήρωμα του χρόνου έφτασε λοιπόν και οι doomsters επανέρχονται με μια νέα δουλειά της οποίας η ακρόαση κατέληξε με έναν γράφοντα με ανοιχτό το στόμα, να ατενίζει απλανώς στο άπειρο. Και εξηγούμαι.

Εντυπωσιάστηκα με την απόδοση των επιρροών μέσα στα τέσσερα υπερμεγέθη κομμάτια που συνθέτουν το “Conceiving Hell”. Μια ανέλπιστη μίξη κάποιων πολύ συγκεκριμένων στοιχείων, ένα πλαίσιο επιρροών απολύτως “λακωνικό” όσο και ευδιάκριτο, σαφές και πρόδηλο για να μην υπάρξουν παρερμηνείες, με έναν τέλειο ήχο που μεταφέρει ιδανικά το “άραχνον”, το “μέλαν” του πράγματος.

Οι παλαιοί My Dying Bride (ή και οι σύγχρονοι όταν εφαρμόζουν back to the roots πρακτικές ενίοτε στις δουλειές τους) είναι κυρίαρχοι της γενικής νηνεμίας. Είναι καθοριστικοί ως προς το συναισθηματικό υπόβαθρο και παρόντες σε ισχυρές δόσεις πολλών δομικών riff των κομματιών των Decemberance, χωρίς ουδεμία υποψία αντιγραφής. Η επιρροή των μεγάλων βρετανών έγκειται στο doom (διανθισμένο με post πινελιές, post hardcore / black φυσικά) πνεύμα το οποίο παρουσιάζεται αυθεντικότατο από την μπάντα. Φιλτράροντας μέσα του πολλά “μπαχαρικά”.

“Μαύρα”, ξερά growling από τον drummer (!) Γιάννη Φιλιππαίο, τσατισμένη, οργισμένη όσο και δυναμική φωνή μετά από τρία πακέτα Sante άφιλτρο, χροιά που εγκολπώνει μέσα της τον όρο doom στην κυριολεξία του. Εφιαλτική μελωδικότητα στις κιθάρες, άλλες φορές σαν μέγγενη που σε πιάνει από την καρδιά και την στραγγαλίζει και άλλες φορές λειτουργώντας λυτρωτικά (όπως για παράδειγμα στο εξαιρετικό ρεφρέν του “The Blind Will Lead the Way” ή στο intro του “Sailing...”), άκρατη τεχνικότητα με προοδευτική οπτική πλήρως απομακρυσμένη από οποιεσδήποτε pirli-pirli φλυαρίες, funeral ρυθμικό υπόβαθρο το οποίο διακόπτεται ευφυώς σε στιγμές από διάσπαρτα blasts που λειτουργούν αποφορτωτικά πριν επανέλθει η συνθετική “ασφυξία” (στο ύφος των Edge Of Sanity), με τεχνικά drums / guitars αλισβερίσια λαμαρινάτων riff και black progressiveισμούς εκατέρωθεν (“The Scepter”) με έναν τρόπο που τον άκουσα από τους νορβηγούς Ansur στο θεόρατο “Warring Factions” του 2008 ενώ με άφησαν άλαλο οι αισθητικές από τον σπουδαιότερο (κατά την προσωπική άποψη του γράφοντα) concept δίσκο που εμφανίστηκε ποτέ στα metal πράγματα. Το “The Death of Art” των βέλγων Renaissance που κυκλοφόρησε εκεί γύρω στο 1995 (και που όποιος το έχει υπ' όψιν του, έχει αναλύσει το prog φάσμα με ένα πρίσμα κατά κάτι μονάδες “ανώτερο” από τους υπόλοιπους, έτσι δεν είναι κύριε Παπαδάκη;), πραγματική κεραμίδα επί κεφαλής.

Οι συνθέσεις συνειρμικά μου εμφάνισαν πολλές φορές “παραλλαγμένες” σταθερές του ιδιώματος, αναλαμπές σχετικά “απογυμνωμένων” Haggard μελωδικώς με πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο και έξοχη χρήση του βιολιού σ' αυτά τα σημεία, ενώ μου άρεσε η post intro ξεραΐλα του “Departures”, η ερημιά και ο φουτουριστικός απόηχος ενός ενορατικού πολέμου (ίσως όχι και τόσο μελλοντικού, εν πολλοίς έχουμε ήδη, μην το γελάς μωρό μου), ένας μικρός Pink Floydικός χωρόχρονος με καταπληκτικό melodic black προ-επίλογο.

Οι Decemberance με το “Conceiving Hell”, προς τιμήν τους, το μόνο που αντικατοπτρίζουν είναι οι ψυχές τους. Απευθύνονται σε εξαιρετικά περιορισμένο ακροατήριο, η μουσική είναι πλήρως αντισυμβατική ακόμη και για τους “σκοτεινότερους” των ακροατών της. Δεν τη βρήκα ούτε ένα δευτερόλεπτο κουραστική παρά τη μεγάλη διάρκεια των κομματιών, η ροή είναι χειμαρρεύουσα παρά το γεγονός της “κηδειακής” φύσεως του ακούσματος και η κυριότερη αιτία αυτού του γεγονότος είναι ότι το ενδιαφέρον των συνθέσεων είναι με μια λέξη πανύψηλο. Τέχνη που δρα ως γεννήτρια εικόνων και προκαλεί mindbanging, ένα κριτήριο που ίσως να είναι ο σημαντικότερος παράγοντας στα αντιδημοφιλή αυτά εικαστικά ρεύματα.

Το προϊόν της διαδικασίας φυσικά ανήκει στον εγκέφαλο – καταναλωτή του. Αν έχεις πιάσει πάτο, αν σε έχουν σκοτώσει μια φορά, αν για σένα ο ήλιος είναι πλέον απλά μια γαμημένη λάμπα πάνω από το κεφάλι σου κάθε μέρα που ανοίγεις τα μάτια σου, τότε ιδού ένα ιδανικό soundtrack για την απώλεια που βιώνεις. Του ίδιου σου του εαυτού. Προσωπικά ομιλών, ο γράφων αισθάνεται doomικώς πλήρης. Σαν μια Κυριακή που ξόφλησε, απλά με δυο λέξεις.

Rockway.gr May 2017

I greci Decemberance ci propongono la loro maratona musicale, non tanto per rievocare l'evento epico della corsa di Filippide, che dalla città di Maratona andò all'Acropoli di Atene per annunciare la vittoria sui persiani, più che altro perché i quattro pezzi qui contenuti, costituiscono una lunga prova di sopravvivenza di ben 74 minuti dediti ad un death doom psicotico. Ci hanno impiegato otto anni i nostri per rilasciare un nuovo album dopo che il debut 'Inside' era uscito addirittura 12 anni dopo la loro fondazione. Gente riflessiva mi viene da dire, ma veniamo ad analizzare un disco tra i più difficili che mi sia capitato di ascoltare nell'ultimo periodo. Dicevamo che 'Conceiving Hell' include quattro song, tutte che si aggirano sull'estenuante durata di 18 minuti. Si parte con il robustissimo techno death di "The Scepter", che mi lascia un attimo perplesso di fronte alla proposta della compagine greca: dopo qualche minuto di tortuosi giri di chitarra, ecco che i nostri fanno in modo che chi li ascolta sia inghiottito dalle fauci delle bestia, con un sound catacombale. Là dove la luce non è contemplata, il vocalist sussurra qualcosa nelle vostre orecchie, forse che non vi è alcuna speranza di uscire vivi dalle viscere infauste del mostro. Invece, inaspettatamente ecco apparire dei riffoni death e delle growling vocals che hanno il merito di cavarci fuori da quell'impasse spaventosa. Il sound è complesso, lo devo ammettere, perché questo gioco di luci e ombre si ripropone più e più volte nel corso della song, che trova la sua summa nella presenza del violoncello di Ioanna Bitsakaki che per un attimo smorza l'incedere distorto di una band che nel finale mi ha richiamato 'Gothic' se non addirittura 'Lost Paradise' dei Paradise Lost. I primi venti minuti se ne sono andati ma che faticaccia: parte la chitarra acustica di "Departures" accompagnata dalla struggente melodia del violoncello, poesia per le mie orecchie, un po' meno quando il robustissimo riffing del quartetto ateniese fa in modo che cali improvvisamente una notte senza stelle in una splendida giornata di sole. Il sound è totalmente rallentato, gli echi degli Anathema di 'Serenades' emergono forti, cosi come le influenze di primissima scuola My Dying Bride. Il trittico del doom per eccellenza l'abbiamo rievocato in toto, per descrivere un lavoro che se fosse uscito nei primi anni '90 avrebbe sicuramente rappresentato un must per tutti coloro che seguono il genere. Nel 2017, i quattro ragazzi dell'Attica hanno dovuto applicare qualche variazione al tema per suonare credibili, ed ecco spiegato perché accanto alle drammatiche e decadenti atmosfere imbastite dalle meravigliose corde del violoncello (suggestivo il break a metà brano), sia anche altrettanto facile trovare dei riff che con il genere hanno ben poco a che fare e sembra piuttosto di trovarsi di fronte i Morbid Angel. Ecco, i Decemberance potrebbero essere etichettati come un insolito ibrido tra l'Angelo Morboso e La Mia Sposa Morente, facile no da intuire a questo punto il sound granitico dei nostri? Non ancora direi perché accanto al rifferama death old school potrete trovarci anche elucubrazioni ambient, intermezzi schizofrenici o lunghe intriganti fughe di musica prog ("The Blind Will Lead the Way"), ma poi sarà sempre la bestia ad avere l'ultima parola, sfoderando suoni dissonanti, psicotici a tratti orrorifici, in linea con le liriche malsane della band. Se ancora non l'avete capito, 'Conceiving Hell' non è assolutamente un album facile a cui accostarsi, bisogna avere la mente sgombra di pensieri e senza paura si affronti l'elevata possibilità di terminarne l'ascolto frastornati, disorientati o forse totalmente pazzi. Di sicuro il suono del mare della conclusiva "Sailing..." mi ha aiutato a riprendermi dall'ascolto di un album controverso e mastodontico, che potrebbe fare la gioia degli amanti del death più ostico ma anche di coloro che apprezzano il doom più romantico, o forse nessuno di questi. Bel rischio si sono presi i Decemberance, a voi l'ultima parola...

75

The Pit of the Damned May 2017

Ακούτε Doom? Αν ναι, πιθανώς θα έχετε μυριστεί το release αλλιώς, ποτέ δεν είναι πολύ αργά για να ακούσεις κάτι διαφορετικό! Για όσους δεν τους ξέρετε οι Decemberance υπάρχουν από το 1997 και έχουν δημιουργήσει αρκετές ενδιαφέρουσες μουσικές. Πιστοί στον ήχο τους, πάντα Doom, πάντα δυναμικά.

Το εν λόγω άλμπουμ (Conceiving Hell) κυκλοφόρησε στις 15 Απριλίου από τη Ρωσική εταιρεία, Endless Winter, αποτελείται από 4 κομμάτια και διαρκεί ολόκληρα 73 λεπτά. Το πρώτο είναι το The Scepter. Ξεκινά δυνατά με brutal φωνητικά και σε εισάγει στο σύμπαν των Decemberance. Εμβληματικό όπως και ο τίτλος του δημιουργεί αμέσως τη διάθεση να χαμηλώσεις τα φώτα και να συγκεντρωθείς στον ήχο. Ο βασιλιάς μας διηγείται την ιστορία του.

Αμέσως μετά ακολουθεί το Departures. Κάτι σε αυτή τη λέξη αγγίζει ευαίσθητες χορδές και μαζί ξεκινά μια μουσική πιο αργή και με χορδές που χοροπηδάνε στον συναισθηματικό σου κόσμο. Περιγραφή θανάτου, αλλά μην τρομάζετε, έχουμε και άλλο να ακούσουμε!

The Blind will Lead the Way. Ακολουθώντας το πνεύμα του συγκροτήματος έρχεται και κουμπώνει πάνω στο προηγούμενο και αρχίζω να πιστεύω ότι ο ρυθμός αυτού του δίσκου θα πάλλεται στα αυτιά μου για μέρες.

Τέλος το Sailing…. Θάλασσα και αίσθηση μελαγχολικού ταξιδιού. Νομίζω πως μόνο αν το ακούσετε θα μπορέσετε να το αντιληφθείτε….

Το Conceiving Hell Ηχογραφήθηκε και υπέστη mastering στα Dysmorphia Studios στη Νεα Φιλαδέλφεια με παραγωγό και μηχανικό ήχου τον Αντρέα Καραγιάννη. Τα τύμπανα ηχογραφήθηκαν στα Soundflakes Studios από τον Γιάννη Μακρή (Ανώριμοι). Το εξώφυλλο του δίσκο είναι ένας πίνακας του Αλέξανδρου Βλάχου (πλέον μέλος της μπάντας). Το artwork του δίσκου και το layout καθώς και το νέο logo είναι του Γιάννη Νάκου (Mortal Torment).

AfterNoiz May 2017

Lo de los burgaleses Graveyard Of Souls no tiene nombre, tan buenas composiciones como estas y que no tengan un mínimo de promoción ni siquiera en su país de origen… De casualidad me he enterado de que esta banda existe y es que éste es ya su cuarto disco, con un quinto en la sala de mezclas y con la cuenta atrás activada para su salida.

El estilo no es lo más habitual pero tampoco es de esos discos que carecen de aspectos musicales. Aquí encontramos una música que está compuesta para aquellos que buscan un doom metal del estilo de Swallow The Sun o un atmospheric death de la talla de Novembers Doom. Sin duda con Graveyard Of Souls quedarán agradecidos.

Este es un proyecto unipersonal, liderado por Ángel Chicote (Mass Burial), el cual compone toda la música y representa todos los instrumentos, a excepción de la batería, que, aunque no lo parezca debido a su buena producción, no es acústica, sino programada. A parte, cuenta con la colaboración de su compañero de filas en el mismo grupo, Raúl Weaver, aportando la oscuridad y desolación necesarias para que estos temas entren dentro de un atmospheric doom con toques death.

En sí las composiciones son buenas, hay momentos importantes de guitarra, elemento más notable, como la inicial “Todo Se Desvanece Lentamente”, con la que animan a escuchar el resto de temas. El final instrumental de “Beyond The Black Rainbow” es también de elogiar, no esperaba algo así en un disco de este estilo, la verdad. Pero cuando llega “Cementerio De Ilusiones” me doy cuenta de que el que no está acostumbrado a escuchar discos así soy yo, porque este es un grande entre el conjunto.

La intercalación de temas en castellano e inglés es, por lo que parece, algo ya habitual en la banda, cosa que los debería ayudar a promocionarse en todo el mundo.

También hay hueco para representar alguna versión de vez en cuando, en este caso es “As Lightday Yields”, original de Lake Of Tears, buena dosis de death metal desde su rápido inicio que desarrolla un ritmo de guitarra muy oscuro. “Al Atardecer” es de esos cortes que tiene una larga duración, siete minutos en este caso, que parecen bastante más debido a su ritmo cansino y melancólico, pero solo por escuchar la parte central la espera merece la pena, ¡qué gran solo de guitarra!

Tras la ambiental “Across The Cygnus Loop”, un poco larga para lo que tiene, llega la final “Kristallnacht”. Esta palabra en alemán está asociada con los eventos que acontecieron a la Segunda Guerra Mundial que coinciden con la “caza” de judíos por parte del Partido Nazi, en la que por las noches invadían los hogares rompiendo los cristales de las ventanas al tirar por ellas pertenencias o personas discapacitadas. Por ello, el nombre significa literalmente “Los cristales de la noche”, porque al caminar de día por esas calles solo se oía el rechinar de los cristales. El tema, a mi parecer, representa muy bien esa odiosa etapa de la historia contemporánea, con un doble bombo y una voz gutural aún más grave, que aporta una sensación de repulsa por estos hechos. Buen tema y temática lírica.

Buena sorpresa la que me he llevado con este disco, no soy seguidor de este estilo, pero he de decir que con discos así consiguen atraer a mucha gente. La nota que le doy es un 7,8/10.

Dioses Del Metal Apr. 2017

Sometimes a band name and album title can both fit the actual music incredibly well, as I’m reminded of interpretations of hell including an impossibly frigid wasteland.

With 4 epic length songs on “Conceiving Hell”, each nearing 20 minutes, the length is used to reflect a wide variety of depressive states that include slow moving dissonance, saw blade like chords that move with steady energy, to classic, soul-sucking melancholic doom/death melodies, harrowing growls and all. Cellos and long acoustic guitar breaks fit in perfectly with that old-school doom/death tone as “Conceiving Hell” forges that classic sound into it’s own voice.

Also intriguing is when the performance on “Conceiving Hell” picks up quick enough to old-school death metal, most often reflected in slow and steady pounding chugs that can even move up to rare fast blasts. There’s a hint of simplified progressive in those passages, which is absolutely an compelling take on the style. The deathly moments reflect the angry side of depression well. There’s a few other creative tricks up the sleeves of “Conceiving Hell”, but you’ll need the take the trip yourself to discover its secrets.

Decemberance’s idea of doom/death hell manages to take classic influences from the genre and beyond to forge a voice on “Conceiving Hell” that’s all its own. It’s concept will have you take a journey through its cold hell.

Good!

8/10

Cvlt Legion Apr. 2017

Οι Decemberance ανέκαθεν ήταν από τα πιο παράδοξα ελληνικά σχήματα. Από το 1998, όταν κυκλοφόρησαν το πρώτο τους ντέμο, έως τις μέρες μας, κράτησαν μια απόμακρη στάση από τις εγχώριες μουσικές τάσεις. Ελάχιστες, πολύ αραιές μεταξύ τους κυκλοφορίες, ακόμη πιο αραιές ζωντανές εμφανίσεις – αραιές, αλλά στοχευμένες, ίσως έχοντας κατά νου την νοοτροπία του ελληνικού κοινού – και εμμονή σ’ ένα μουσικό ιδίωμα που μόνο την τελευταία δεκαετία έγινε μόδα, και αυτό αφού πρώτα πέρασε από αρκετές μεταλλάξεις.

Κυρίως, όμως, οι Decemberance ανέκαθεν ήταν απρόβλεπτοι όσον αφορά το περιεχόμενο των κυκλοφοριών τους. Δύσκολα θα μπορούσε κανείς να προβλέψει ότι η ίδια μπάντα που έβγαλε το Just a Blacklad το 2001 είναι η ίδια μπάντα που έβγαλε το Inside το 2009 ∙ ο υποφαινόμενος θεωρεί ότι ο εν λόγω δίσκος ήταν όχι μόνο εξαιρετικός, αλλά ένα πραγματικό κατόρθωμα για το doom metal γενικά – ένας δίσκος που, παρά τη δυσκολία του, εξαιτίας των διαρκών αλλαγών στις συνθέσεις, που περνούσαν απ’ το καθαρόαιμο doom στο τεχνικό death metal κι από’ κεί στο progressive rock και ξανά πάλι, ακουγόταν – και ακούγεται ακόμη και σήμερα – πρωτότυπος, συναρπαστικός και δουλεμένος μέχρι την τελευταία λεπτομέρεια ∙ για να το πω διαφορετικά, το Inside ήταν ένας ένας δίσκος που δύσκολα μπορεί να τον ξεπεράσει ο δημιουργός του.

Απ’ αυτή την άποψη, το σημαντικότερο ίσως χαρακτηριστικό του Conceiving Hell, της τωρινής κυκλοφορίας των Decemberance μετά από ολοκληρωτική απουσία έξι ετών, είναι ότι δεν αποπειρώνται καν να ξεπεράσουν το Inside. Αντιθέτως, αν κάτι είναι άμεσα εμφανές είναι ότι οι Decemberance προσπαθούν πρωτίστως να ξεπεράσουν την μέχρι τώρα ιστορία τους, κι αυτό γιατί στο Conceiving Hell μπορούμε να διακρίνουμε στοιχεία που παραπέμπουν τόσο στις βαρύτερες, πιο αργόσυρτες, αλλά και πιο τεχνικές στιγμές του Inside, με σκεπτικό όμως που παραπέμπει στους πιο πρώιμους Decemberance (ευτυχώς, περιορίζονται μόνο στο σκεπτικό – κάθε τι άλλο έχει εμφανώς προχωρήσει από εκείνη την εποχή). Μ’ άλλα λόγια, στο Conceiving Hell, οι Decemberance απεμπόλησαν τα progressive στοιχεία, τα πολλά πλήκτρα, και εστίασαν στο καθαρά doom/death metal σκέλος, με τρόπο που αναμφίβολα θα καταγοητεύσει – εάν δεν ενθουσιάσει – τους οπαδούς της παλιάς doom/death metal σχολής των ‘90’ς, θυμίζοντας το παλιό, καλό doom/death των πρώιμων My Dying Bride, Anathema και άλλων παρεμφερών κλασικών σχημάτων του είδους, σε συνδυασμό με μέρη που παραπέμπουν στον ήχο της πρώτης δεκαετίας του 21ου αιώνα (π.χ. την μεσαία περίοδο των Esoteric). Η ποικιλία των μουσικών θεμάτων είναι μεγάλη, αλλά όχι τόσο καταιγιστική όσο στην πρώτη δουλειά των Decemberance, πράγμα που επιτρέπει τόσο τα θέματα, όσο και τα κομμάτια συνολικά, να αποτυπώνονται πιο εύκολα στην μνήμη, παρά την μεγάλη (έως πολύ μεγάλη) διάρκεια των κομματιών ∙ τα κάνει να ακούγονται περισσότερα σαν κομμάτια, παρά σαν ασκήσεις ενορχήστρωσης θεμάτων.

Παρ’ όλα αυτά, θα ήταν σωστό να πούμε ότι το Conceiving Hell είναι κι αυτό μια ακόμη τακτική επιβίωσης διαμέσου της επιστροφής στις ρίζες, κι ένα ακόμη δείγμα ότι το doom metal, υπό την τρέχουσα μορφή του, έχει κορεστεί; Θεωρώ πως όχι, κι αυτό γιατί το Conceiving Hell πρωτίστως αναδεικνύει και φέρνει στην πρώτη γραμμή χαρακτηριστικά που υπήρχαν απ’ την αρχή στους Decemberance – εξάλλου, μιλάμε για ένα συγκρότημα που υφίσταται ήδη κοντά είκοσι χρόνια στα πράγματα –, αλλά το κάνει αυτό με τρόπο που να δείχνει όχι πισωγύρισμα, αλλά εξέλιξη. Δεδομένου ότι, όπως ανέφερα πιο πάνω, οι Decemberance είναι απρόβλεπτοι, δεν θα αποπειραθώ καν να εικάσω πως μπορεί να είναι η επόμενη δουλειά τους, εάν και όταν υπάρξει. Αυτό που μπορώ να πω με σιγουριά, πάντως, ότι το Conceiving Hell είναι ήδη στο προσωπικό μου τοπ 5 για το 2017.

Against the Silence Mar. 2017

A Nagaarum néven alkotó Tóth Gábor, akit leginkább a rendkívül egyedi, beskatulyázhatatlan GuilThee zenekarból lehet ismerni (mára ő maradt egyedül alapítótagja a 2006-ban létrejött csapatnak), még 2008-ban hozta létre egyszemélyes projektjét és hét-nyolc év alatt összesen tizenkét (!) albummal rukkolt elő. A tizenharmadik, "D.I.M." címre hallgató friss korong, mely fizikai formában mostanában jön ki három orosz kiadó összefogásával, de az Endless Winter szárnyai alatt, egy zeneileg letisztultabb elegye mindannak, amit eddig Nagaarumtól megismerhettünk. Ez természetesen önellentmondás: ezeknek a lemezeknek a spontaneitás, a szembenállás, a teremtő káosz, a zabolátlanság, a vállalt tökéletlenség a lényege és jellemzője, az egyediség érzete pedig pontosan ezek eredőjeként alakul ki a hallgatóban.

Manapság, amikor egy album felvétele egy laptoppal, a megfelelő programokkal, némi baráti segítséggel, no meg tettvággyal megspékelve tulajdonképpen a korábbi költségek töredékéért (ha nem ingyen és bérmentve) megoldható - főleg, ha egy személy felelős minden hangszer feljátszásáért, a feléneklésért, továbbá az anyag megírásáért és a kvázi-hangmérnöki feladatok ellátásáért, no meg a borítóért és az illusztrációkért is - és csak az alkotó időbeosztása szab határt ennek, akár rá is csodálkozhatunk, hogy miért telnek el hosszú-hosszú évek egy-egy lemez kiadása között számos zenekar esetében.

Nagaarum munkamódszere anakronisztikusnak tűnhet: valami megragadja a figyelmét, a fantáziáját (általában tudományközeli dolgok, természeti jelenségek), a pillanatnyi lendülettől hajtva nekiáll és szinte egy ültő helyében be is fejezi az aktuális anyagot. Mindeközben egy kézben tart mindent, a teljes művészi koncepciót. Hogy aztán ebből milyen zenei stílusú és témájú produktum kerekedik ki, az hallgatóként előre szinte megjósolhatatlan és egyedül tőle függ. A "D.I.M." album fenti alkotói folyamata mindösszesen három hetet vett igénybe, és jól illeszkedik abba a tempóba, amely már 2008 óta tart.

Kétféleképpen is kilóg ez a mai posztmodern esztétikából. Egyrészt ma már minden (élelmiszer, művészeti alkotás, iparcikk) elsősorban termék, mégpedig hosszas fogyasztói ízlésfelmérések és közvélemény-kutatások által alátámasztott, patikamérlegen kimért, gondosan megtervezett és kivitelezett, élcsiszolt, fogyasztásra előkészített, a végletekig tökéletesített termék. Nagaarum azonban mintegy hirtelen felindulásból, a pillanat megragadásának szándékából alkot: ami megfogja, azt nem ereszti addig, amíg ki nem írja magából. Ezt párhuzamba lehet állítani azokkal a reneszánsz vagy barokk alkotókkal, akik mai ésszel felfoghatatlan mennyiségű zeneművet, festményt, szobrot, színdarabot, verset vagy regényt (több száz vagy ezer művet) alkottak rövid életük során. Nagaarum felvállalja a tökéletlenséget, a hibákat, az esetleges feleslegességet is, mert fontosabb számára a megvalósítás ténye, mint a hibátlanság (ami egyébként tipikus emberi illúzió).

Másrészt pedig a XXI. század elejére megszűnt a polihisztorok, a reneszánsz emberek, a felfedezők szerepe és figurája: minden terület ezer részterületre bomlott, a tudományágak, az ipari folyamatok, az egyes munkakörök is oly mértékben specializálódtak, hogy mindenki csak az orra hegyén pár centire lát túl, a nagy egész felfogására vagy megértésére esélyünk sincs. Robert M. Pirsig írta A zen meg a motorkerékpár-ápolás művészete című esszéregényében: "Most kezdte megérteni, mekkora volt az ember vesztesége, amikor hatalmat szerzett, hogy a világot dialektikus igazságai szerint kormányozza. Tudományos lehetőségek birodalmait építette, hogy a természetet hatalmi álmainak képére alakítsa - ezért azonban a megértés birodalmának éppen akkora hatalmát kellett cserébe adnia. Megértését annak, hogy része ő is a világnak, nem az ellensége." Ezzel az ipari forradalom óta tartó folyamattal, a technológia ördögének hatalmával szembefordulni csak tudatos döntés lehet: pontosan ezt teszi Nagaarum is, amikor mindent ő valósít meg a legkülönbözőbb stílusokban és tematikával megírt albumai készítése során.

A "D.I.M." korong Dimitrij Ivanovics Mengyelejev orosz kémikus, a periódusos rendszer megalkotója tiszteletére készült, a dalok pedig egy-egy kémiai elemről, azok tulajdonságairól, az ember által hozzájuk kötött mítoszokról, képzetekről szólnak olyan magyar nyelvű szövegvilággal, mellyel nem igazán találkozhattunk eddig, engem leginkább Tandori Dezsőnek Hc. G. S. Solenard álnéven írt A Stevenson-biazmagóra című fantasztikus agymenésére emlékeztetett játékosságával és szokatlanságával.

Zenei értelemben egy igen eklektikus elegyről beszélhetünk: a metal felől közelítve találunk itt death, thrash, post-black és hagyományosabb black elemeket, de Nagaarum gyakran hoz be noise/atmoszferikus/dark ambient összetevőket, hangulatokat, így egy rendkívül változatos anyagot kapunk negyven percben, ami pontosan az a játékhossz, amit ebből a nyers, szikár, sokszor igencsak barátságtalan, de mindenekelőtt különösségével mellbebökő zenéből egy ültő helyünkben be lehet fogadni.

Nem minden tételt érzek egységesen erősnek: a Hg című dalban például indokolatlan módon dominál a nyers black metal károgás, szinte egyedüliként a lemezen és egész egyszerűen már nem passzol ahhoz a hangulathoz, ami a korong sajátja. A Po című dalban pedig a hosszas narráció válik egy idő után öncélúvá.

A választott tematikából, zenei megközelítésből és az egész produkcióból azonnal kiderül, hogy Nagaarum szándéka nem a közönség áradó tömegeinek megnyerése, hiszen valljuk be, a post-black metal érdeklődésű, vegyész végzettségű, a XIX. századi orosz tudománytörténetben elmerülő zenehallgatók közös metszete igen szűk. Ez a zene az underground undergroundja, de pontosan létével bizonyítja, hogy ki lehet (sőt, kell) törni az egyenformák, a fröccsöntött késztermékek, a sablongondolkodás keretei közül, és igenis lehet művészi ambíciókkal (ha nem is hibátlanul) alkotni a rock/metal színtéren is.

8/10

Rozsdagyar Apr. 2016

Druhé album španělského projektu GRAVEYARD OF SOULS mám už hezkých pár pátků doma, ovšem dost dlouho jsem nevěděl, jak se k němu vlastně postavit. Při poslechu jsem měl kolikrát naprosto protichůdné dojmy a opravdu hodně dlouho mi trvalo třídění všech podstatných myšlenek v souvislosti s napsáním recenze. A to se GRAVEYARD OF SOULS nevěnují nikterak komplikovné hudbě. Jenže ne vždy je posluchač schopen se naladit na správnou vlnu atmosferického death/doom metalu staré školy. Nahrávka zkrátka vykazuje nejeden rozpor, ovšem jako celek nepůsobí vůbec špatně.

Za vším důležitým stojí dva nerozluční parťáci, Raúl Weaver (vokál) a multiinstrumentalista Angel, jenž je zodpovědný za veškerou muziku a texty. Na tomto místě musím ještě zmínit takovou spojitost s prvně jmenovaným, neboť to byl právě on, kdo si nedávno vyzkoušel odpovídání na mé otázky prostřednictví rozhovoru. Ten se však netočil kolem záležitostí GRAVEYARD OF SOULS, ale naopak se soustředil na domovskou partu MISTWEAVER (melodický death metal). Jak se tedy ukazuje, i španělská scéna je bohatá na všemožné kooperace a hudební uskupení zde rostou jako houby po dešti, ostatně jako všude jinde. GRAVEYARD OF SOULS jsou pak projektíkem patrně méně ambiciozním, přestože „ Infinitum Nihil“ je už v pořadí druhé řadové album, o jehož vydání se postarala šikovná ruská firma Endless Winter.

A na co přesně se mohou posluchači těšit? Řekněme na zvuk devadesátek a s ním spojenou death/doomovou hitovost, vkrádající se pod kůži s obrovskou grácií. Pokud existuje soubor vybraných doomových klišé, pak si při poslechu desky nezapomeňte vzít do ruky smetáček a lopatku, neboť v tomto případě je opravdu co zametat. Ale vyhodit všechny ty omamné drobky do koše? Připouštím, je to jedna z variant, jenže při práci by se vám mohlo klidně stát něco podobného, co se stalo mně. Tak nějak nechtěně jsem přijal nahrávku za svou, dost možná došlo z mé strany i k pochopení skladatelského rukopisu. Stylistika desky mě v konečné fázi dokázala vcucnout. Kupříkladu hned úvodní kompozice „Poison in the Mouth of God“ je reprezentantem prolínání death metalu s gothic/doomovými vlivy, přičemž neuvěřitelně „divné“ jsou kytarové mezihry, které jakoby sem vůbec nepatřily. A znovu ta sámá písnička! Chvílemi to působí divně, po několika vteřinách pikantně a progresivně. Tak si vyberte.

Každopádně jedním z velmi důležitých nástrojů jsou na albu klávesy, jež sice surovost nahrávky netupí, ale stejně je jejich podíl na atmosféře dosti významný. Do časů „tiamatovského“ alba „Clouds“ nás posléze přivádí omamný track „My New World“, ve kterém lze snadno a lehce podlehnout zejména překrásným kytarovým melodiím. Všechno je tak „nakažlivě vábivé“ a samotný zvuk znovu mává na všechny pamětníky… Prakticky totéž se dá ovšem říci o vzorovém growlingu, dominujícím to hlasu – ten je v některých skladbách podroben spolupráci s hostující zpěvačkou Gergoinou, která se nejvýraznějším způsobem zaskvěla v kompozici s názvem „Mirrors Of Pain“ (i přesto, že byl její hlas úmyslně zastřen a schován za morbidní Raulův murmur.

Zkrátka klasická to dávka tradičnosti, nikterak objevná a nepřekvapující. GRAVEYARD OF SOULS si však i tak mohou gratulovat, jelikož se jim povedlo vytvořit vskutku chytlavé a atmosferické songy. Absence důležitých surovin v lednici tedy ne vždy musí zaručovat smrt hladem. Pohled na „devadesátkový“ death/doom se vším všudy.

R.U.M. zine Apr. 2016

Nah, I'm not even going to try to sell you Nagaarum as any sort of Doom project. It's one of those oddities that lives outside our particular world, sometimes flirting with it, sometimes taking elements of it, but generally doing its own thing. And still, we've had the Hungarian band on our books for a long old time, based perhaps, mainly, on the joint release with Funeral Doomsters Dreams After Death (before my time, to be fair, so I don't reallly know the motivation). But whatever else Nagaarum may be - or not be - it is, at least, consistently interesting to anyone with a passing interest in the underground. And so...

2014's 'Rabies Lyssa' gave us lengthy, cinematic Doom-infused soundtracks to a plague-ridden extinction event, and, true to the band's previous form, it's now been followed by something completely different. From a usual arc of influences that span everything from experimental Electronic/Ambient to full-on Black Metal, 'D.I.M.' is constructed more of the latter, but with a generous helping of psychedelic and post-rock textures along with some injections of dark ambience. You could almost call it Stoner/Black, if that's not a complete oxymoron: somewhat softer, dreamier and with more outright strangeness than other practitioners of prog/psych-influenced Black Metal, such as Nachtmystium.

Once again released through GSP - this time in conjunction with Endless Winter and Outer Line - it's still not an obvious attention-grabber. Trees silhouetted against different-coloured skies, a faded, almost-invisible, logo and title for the cover, and a booklet mostly printed in Hungarian make for an obscure and understated package. That extends to the track titles - obviously, chemical elements, but not an obvious list or combination, and with the lyrics being amongst the untranslated information, not easily decipherable as to meaning. I didn't want to guess (especially not incorrectly!), so I asked the band about their significance. So: the album is an homage to the 'D.I.M.' of the title - Dimitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, the Russian scientist who originally formulated the Periodic Table - and the tracks are representations of the different characteristics and qualities of various elements, representing each of the classic 8-period + transition metals model of the table. (Plus, of course, from the unstable Actinides block, 'Md' is Mendelevium). English translations of the lyrics are available on the Nagaarum website.

So, it's more of a loose-linked association than a full-blown concept, but one that certainly explains something of the "Stoner" idea - to be honest, if a musical exploration of chemical elements and their natures doesn't provoke memories of artificially-stimulated late-night existential musings, it's hard to think what would. Though, even then, it's not an entirely weird idea: there's clearly a certain correlation for each element, depending on how volatile, reactive and destructive it may be, that lends itself to a baseline for musical interpretation.

I don't say this very often, but, for my money this whole album would have been fine - possibly even better - as an instrumental. Not that the vocals, a pleasant enough mix of male clean and harsh voices, are bad. They're far from that, but - as ever - in native tongue, they simply add a layer of sound rather than meaning to non-Hungarian speakers. It's more that the real beauty of the album is in the surging dynamics of the music. Sure, it's best to know a bit of chemistry to get the best out of interpreting them, but if there's one thing Nagaarum does brilliantly, it's blend together their various diverse elements and instruments to create an eclectic, yet consistent, whole. The musicianship, as always, is top-notch - particularly the percussion: for a solo project, being an experienced drummer makes a huge difference to having to use programming. But there are also deft, spacy touches of keyboards steering the melodies, distinct basslines mingling with the layered and satisfyingly heavy lead guitar lines, and a crystal-clear mix bringing them all together, all of which turn the basic idea into a very solid and well-executed actuality.

At just over 40 minutes, 'D.I.M.' sticks very much to the point, wasting little time on build-up or fade-out, and transitioning quickly and smoothly between different passages within the longer tracks. There's a certain amount of doominess to be found on tracks like the solemn 'Ar', but the bulk of it steers a "Post-Black" path of ambience, atmosphere and aggression that actually deserves to have quite a wide appeal, sitting somewhere on the spectrum between Agalloch and Wolves In The Throne Room but without the long-windedness of either. Like all Nagaarum albums, though, it's a singular beast, once again occupying a very different niche to the rest of the discography - I recommend taking it entirely on its own merits, whether or not you've encountered other works by the band. It's not Doom, but - regardless of you want to call it - it's still a damn fine trip into what the underground has to offer.

8/10

Doom-metal.com Aug 2016

Mi is, vagy pontosabban ki is az Nagaarum? Nagaarumról sok mindent állíthatunk, de azt semmiképp nem, hogy populáris. Nagaarum egy igen sokoldalú, mára már nemzetközi szinten is elismert alkotó jelenség, aki sokáig kínosan ügyelt arra, hogy véletlenül se értesüljön a nagy nyilvánosság arról, hogy polgári nevét tekintve ki is Ő valójában. Nagaarum nem egy kiszámítható alkotó, hisz lemezenként más és más arcát mutatja, kivéve persze, ha az adott album által felskiccelt „keretek” megtartása a koncepció szerves részét képezi, mint a Belaja Tajga 1-2. esetében. Az általa feldolgozott témák egy átlagos érdeklődésű hallgató – bár jelen esetben nem hiszem, hogy ők alkotnák a többségi halmazt – értelmezésében leginkább elvontnak nevezhetők, a nyitottabb egyének számára viszont határozottan érdekfeszítők.

Az Endless-Winter gondozásában megjelent D.I.M lemez egy mindannyiunk számára ismert, az Univerzum létének szerves és szervetlen alkotóelemeit rendszerező tudós alakjának állít igen rendhagyó emléket.

A koncepció adott, hisz minden egyes tételt egy-egy elem ihletett, zenei stílusok szerint kategorizálni ezt a lemezt elődjeihez hasonlóan igen hálátlan feladat lenne, hangulatát tekintve viszont leginkább az avant-garde felfogású black metallal rokon, súlyos, kaotikus és szállósabb hangulati elemekkel bőven ellátva.

Mindezekhez egy természettudományokért rajongó elme egyedi megközelítésében íródott dalszövegei társulnak, melyek a már említett kémiai elemeket felismerhető személyiséggel ruházzák fel. És ha már a kémiánál tartunk, ebben a kiadványban elmerülni, pont olyan akár egy savas fürdőben, hisz egyszerre nyújt a hallgatónak fájdalmat és feloldódást.

A D.I.M. nem egy könnyed hallgatnivaló, az elemekkel való küzdelem komoly összpontosítást igényel. Ha az ember képes áthallani a nyers, néhol kifejezetten sorjás zajfüggönyön és eljut hozzá a dalok összetett mondanivalója, igen érdekes tapasztalatokkal gazdagodhat. Néha az üzenet az alig érthető szövegfoszlányokban rejlik, így érdemes elmélyedni a hallott tartalmon túl a szövegkönyvben is.

4.5 / 5

Rockstation Sep. 2016

Ha jól számolom, akkor ez már a 13. kiadványa a veszprémi Nagaarumnak, amely nemrég jelent meg a ruszki Outer Line, Endless Winter és GS Productions jóvoltából. Az egyszerűen csak „D.I.M.” névre keresztelt CD, 9 számot rejt közel 41 percben. Némi vizsgálódás után persze azonnal kideríthető mit, pontosabban kit rejt a korong: Dmitrij Ivanovics Mengyelejev orosz kémikusnak állít emléket, aki a Periódusos rendszer megalkotójaként vált leginkább ismertté.

In medias res módon kezd az első track (Rb): harmadik hullámos norvég black metal ridegsége keveredik az atmoszférikus, kísérleti területekre bátran átkalandozó Nagaarum dallamvilággal. A változatos énektémák miatt van egy érdekes space feelingje a dalnak, mely elsőre biztos furán hat egy idegen fül számára. A továbbiakban ez az érzés lesz jelen a lemezen, csak mindig kiegészül egy újabb gondolati elemmel, harmóniával. A beteg videoklippel rendelkező kettes nóta (Cl) is ezen a csapásvonalon menetel tovább.

Rövid elszállás-merengés a hármas (C), mely után a negyedik track (As) egy lassabb, doomosabb tétel és némi rituális íze is van a dolognak. A végén van egy olyan elgondolkodtató rész, amiért szerintem érdemes mindig megnyomni a repeat gombot. Jó a balansz, mint ahogy a következő dal (Hg) kezdése és úgy maga az egész, ahogy van. Ez szinte végig őrlés, nagyrészt grind elemek záporoznak, az ének a reszelős károgós fajta, melyben jellegzetes gitárriffek duruzsolnak. Az (Ar) a kedvenc nótám a lemezről, csipetnyi Neurosis van benne elrejtve, amolyan éteri repülés ismerős tájak felett. Eléggé elvont. (Md): ismét szerepet kap a gyorsaság grindok formájában, viszont valahogy azt kezdem érezni, hogy kezdi kiformálni magát az anyag és ez jó jel, mert valami történik… alakul. Létrejön. Az utolsó szám (H) egy lassú, hömpölygő zárás, itt hallatszik ki legjobban a magyar nyelven előadott ének mely által kiteljesedik a kép/let.

A D. I. M. egy ésszerűen felépített album, minden okkal történik rajta, nem esik szét, kémiai kohézió fogja össze, végig élvezhető és változatos. Az összes Nagaarum-i trademark megmutatja magát. Hangzásilag rendben van, minden témát kihallani. Ha lehet azt mondani idáig ez a legjobban sikerült kiadványa TG-nek, melynek külleme is végre szép lett és illik a zenéhez.

Beszerezhető és meghallgatható a zenekar oldalán, illetve a GSP-től és az Endless Winter, Outer Line kiadóktól.

Rockbook.hu May 2016

Nagaarum - D.I.M. | Nagaarum a tavaliy Gleccserek után ismét új lemezt adott ki. A D.I.M a számai kémiai elemek után kapták nevüket, és az előadótól megszokott sötét, pszicheledikus világot kapjuk tőlük is. Már egy éve, hogy utoljára foglalkozta a műfajjal, és azóta se lettem a szakértője, így leszögezném még most, hogy ez újfent egy külső szemszögből megírt kritika lesz.

A számok felépítése, hangszerelése és világa nagyon hasonlít az eddig kiadott dalokhoz: ugyan az a kemény riffek és lassú, mély breakek rendszere, változatos eszközhasználat, tényleg mindent felhasznál, amit csak talál otthon. Talán egy kicsit nehezebben emészthető a külső szemlélő számára, elvontabb lett, mint a Gleccserek.

A szövegek most is elgondolkodtatóak, bár nekem már a túl mély kategóriába esnek: ahhoz hogy számomra értelmes összefüggés jöjjön ki, túl sokat kell spekulálni, hogy mi is lehet az. Számomra elveszik az élvezet így, de lehet hogy csak nekem nem egyértelmű.

Viszont a kémiai elemekkel való játék kifejezetten tetszett. Érdekes volt, ahogy újragondolta akár a legegyszerűbb anyag, a hidrogén létét is, és új jelentést adott neki. Mondjuk az is igaz, hogy véges kémiatudásom miatt a számok felének ezt a nézetét nem tudtam megnézni, mert egyszerűen nem tudom, hogy milyen a rubídium például.

Megint egy jó albumot hozott össze Nagaarum, de sokkal nehezebb az avatatlan fülnek. Belehallgatni mindenki megpróbálhat, de csak a mélymetálfanoknak és a kémikusoknak tudom ajánlani feltétel nélkül az egész albumot.

6 / 10

Mymusic.hu May 2016

Nagaarum lemezről írni több szempontból is megmérettetés. Először is szeretném minél inkább elkerülni a Fémforgácsos kollégámmal szembeni részrehajlást, másodszor pedig Nagaarum zenei világa a művészi elme aktuális szeszélyeitől függ, nem ragaszkodva semmilyen bekategorizálható műfajhoz. Persze mindig van, amihez éppen közelebb áll az adott anyag, de annyira atipikus a végeredmény, hogy jobb, ha nem vesszük készpénznek a skatulyákat.

Ismerkedésem Nagaarum zenéjével a 2011-es GuilThee lemezzel kezdődött, és nem titok, hogy a Szemantikai Háromszögektől leesett az állam. Azt a korongot több tucatszor meghallgattam és máig nem tudom megunni. Az érdem nyílván többeké, de erről talán majd máskor. Később aztán megismerkedtem a saját művésznevén kiadott lemezeivel is, amelyek közül leginkább az Űrerdő, a két Belaja Tajga album, de mindenekfölött a 2014-es Rabies Lyssa nyerte el a tetszésem. A tavalyi Gleccserek viszont egy teljesen más Nagaarum arcot mutatott. A nagyszerűen sikerült előd után nekem személy szerint kicsit idegen volt a Gleccserek, de az is igaz, hogy a pszichedelikus 70-es évekkel nem mindenki tud és akar azonosulni. Ehhez képest a vadonatúj D.I.M. a black metallal rokon, és úgy érzem, ennek nagyobb visszhangja lesz, mint elődjének.

Aki ismeri Nagaarum korábbi lemezeit, az tudhatja, hogy a témaválasztás, a koncepció, maguk a szövegek messze elkerülik a közhelyeket, és legtöbbször valamilyen egzakt tudománnyal hozhatók kapcsolatba. A szóban forgó mű Dmitrij Ivanovics Mengyelejev (D.I.M.) orosz kémikusnak adózik tisztelettel, akinek a periódusos rendszert köszönhetjük. Meg is állnék egy pillanatra a szövegeknél, ugyanis szokatlanul ritka az, hogy az ember ennyire egyedi megközelítésű sorokkal találkozzon. Egy magamfajta laikusnak, és bárkinek, aki a természettudományok terén nem jeleskedik, nagyon nehéz megérteni, miről is szólnak pontosan a dalok. Én kaptam némi segítséget a megértésükhöz, utána is olvastam a számcímekben szereplő anyagok tulajdonságainak, így sikerült a tudomány ridegségét izgalmassá változtatni, és sokadjára rácsodálkozni a bennünket körülölelő matéria sokszínűségére. A szövegek gyakran megszemélyesítik ezeket az elemeket, így magányukkal, párkeresésükkel, elektronrablókkal éppúgy találkozunk, mint a vegyi hadviselés következményeivel, jelen esetben a klórgáz első világháborús szereplésével.

Nekem általában sok időre van szükségem, míg felfogok, átérzek egy lemezt, és addig nem is kezdek recenzióírásba, míg nem jutottam valamilyen meggyőződésre, legyen az bármilyen szubjektív. Nem kell feltétlenül valamilyen nehezen befogadható koncentrátum legyen, elég egy sajátos hangzás, mint jelen esetben, és csak keringek az anyag körül, mint valami elektronpályán, majd egyszer csak reakcióba lépek vele. Így történt ez most is. A Nagaarum lemezek nyers hangzását, ha tapintani lehetne, érdes, durva felületről beszélnénk. A gitár zsigeri, ráspolyos megszólalása révén azonnal felismerhetővé válik az elkövető, de én azért nem bánnám, ha vastagabban, teltebben szólna, mint ahogyan, például, a tavalyi In Vacuo lemez. Mivel nem vagyok zenész, a szakmai megközelítés előnyével nem élhetek, a fülem pedig nem azonosíthat be olyan beállításokat, megoldásokat, amelyeket nevén sem tudok nevezni. Megállapításaimat, tehát, a zenét kedvelő kívülálló hallásának írásos vallomásaként kell kezelni. Ebből kifolyólag, az album hatására kiváltott érzéseimet meg tudom osztani, a technikai paramétereket viszont meghagyom a hozzáértőknek.

A dalokat illetően viszont bátran elmondhatom, hogy ötletekért nem kell Nagának a szomszédba mennie. Az ambient, instrumentális lemezek hangulati molekulái remekül illeszkednek a vadabb témákkal, és a fekete (alkáli) fém részecskéivel. Az így keletkezett ötvözet katalizátora pedig a vokál, és annak dallamai. Rajtuk keresztül jut az ember igazán az anyag vonzáskörébe. A Rb kimondottan dúdolható melódiái csak a kezdet, a Cl már sokkal drámaibb hangvételű, nagyszerűen időzített sorokkal, rímekkel, de az Md vokáltémái is említésre méltóak. Az As című tételt azonban külön ki kell emelnem, mert a közepén hallható elnyújtott, beteg hangjáték az album csúcspontját jelenti. A felsoroltakhoz hasonlókból kellene több, úgy érzem. A tiszta énekre írt dallamvonalak annyira az erősségek közé sorolhatók, hogy nem is értem, mi szükség a Hg-ban hallható acsarkodó orgánumra, annak ellenére, hogy ez az album legvadabb és leggyorsabb szerzeménye. Narrációval több dalban is találkozunk, ami a Po esetében hozzátesz a drámaisághoz, megteremti a korábbi lemezeken domináló űrbéli atmoszférát, de a H zárótételnél már kicsit soknak érzem a szavalást, jót tett volna neki egy As-hoz hasonló megközelítés.

A black metal sodrások sosem tartanak túl sokáig, így amikor felzendülnek, az erejük sokkalta jobban érvényesül, főleg, hogy azok mögött is hangulati töltet található. Az azokat váltó űrben úszó dallamvilág rideg, sivár, és megőrizte a Rabies Lyssáról ismerős nyugtalan, világvége-érzetet. A Cl-ban, például, a végítélet-szerű zaklatottságot metalosabb, zakatoló riffek váltják, majd szép dallamok követik. Az As elején hallható vészharangkongatás-szerű gitár a Dead Congregation Promulgation of the Fall címadójához hasonlít, de ismerve az előadót, ez a pár másodpercnyi hasonlóság csupán a véletlen műve lehet.

Több átkötő elem is tarkítja a 40 perces albumot, amelyek közül az öt perc fölötti Ar sercegése kevésbé, a Po hangulata viszont sokkal meggyőzőbb. Az utóbbiban olyan hangokra is felfigyeltem, amelyek a régen vetített Delta című műsor zenéjére emlékeztettek. A lassan hömpölygő H zenei tartalma jellemzi talán leginkább az alkotót. Bizonyos szempontból az Inga című GuilThee dal ugrott be róla, nagyon hangulatos darab, öt perc ebből meglehetősen rövidnek tűnt.

Még mielőtt teljesen atomjaira bontanám az albumot, elmondanám, hogy a D.I.M. egy színfolt az általunk ismert és kedvelt zenei palettán, de csak az közelítsen hozzá, akit nem zavar, ha kizökkentik a komfortzónájából. Nagaarum nem azért zenél, hogy bárkit is kiszolgáljon, hanem azért, mert savként oldódik a vérében a kényszer, hogy hangszert ragadjon, és kiírja magából az ötleteit. Bár ez elvi kérdés is, de művészetről lévén szó, ez a hozzáállás mindennél előbbre való.

8.5 / 10

Femforgacs Mar 2016

With this release, Suffer In Paradise gives a therapeutic glimpse into the world of slow, crawling Doom, one whose home lies in longevity. The songs are tragic and woeful pieces, only half of which make it under the ten-minute mark. 'This Dead Is World' is full of crunching, or roaring guitar chords, synth interludes and accompaniments, and deep, growling vocals, which mesh nicely with the open, but forbearing sound of the album. While most of the songs are drawn out, crawling pieces of Doom, the track 'Suffer In Paradise' picks up the pace a bit - its approach reminiscent of My Dying Bride, at least as far as the riffs are concerned. All these efforts across 'This Dead Is World' are mostly successful, but some are muddled by the abuse of a few melodic themes, and what I would call the tasteless use of keyboard in some spots.

The natural, and raw sound of all the instruments is one of the most notable things on the album. The distortion on the rhythm guitars gives the chords a crushing feel, and the reverb on the lead guitar parts hits just the right balance, making the soaring, but deliberate melodies sound distant enough to evoke feelings of tragedy, while still standing firm and clear in the mix. And while the bass guitar seems to be lost for the most part as far as distinctiveness is concerned, the drums are quite coherent. The combination of minimalism the drums use, and their excellent treatment on the soundboard - particularly on the cymbals - makes for pleasing percussion in the arrangement.

Sadly, the keyboard/synth effects are a hit or miss depending on the song. What's most notable are some poor piano interludes, like towards the end of track one. These could be called minimalist, or atmospheric, but in my opinion they are painfully simple, and uninteresting. A few other interludes follow in these footsteps in much the same manner, whether they be on the settings of pipe organ, choir, or piano. This is not to say the album would be better off without these arrangements, but that the album would benefit from a more deliberate, and tasteful use of its keyboard effects.

Vocal-wise, Suffer In Paradise's singer could stand to show more variety, as the vocals hang on exclusively growls, but regardless, their placement and usage is appropriate, and I found myself entertained by their booming sound and slow rhythms. The growls follow behind the music, never drawing too much attention to themselves, often taking quite long breaks while the instruments play by themselves. There is a good bit of bass to their tone on certain words, but they are still enunciated well.

One salient thing about 'This Dead Is World' is its longevity, which isn't quite justified. Repetition is a key feature here, and certain songs, notably 'Somnambula' and 'Insect', seem to squeeze their main melodic themes as much as possible. The melodies themselves are great, but their repetition leaves me bored after a few minutes, and usually by this point the song is only halfway over. Thus, 'This Dead Is World' may not be an album to actively listen to, but its beautiful melodic approach is unforgettable at certain moments. To me, the highlight of 'This Dead Is World' was the song 'Archetype', the fifth song of the album.

6/10

Doom-metal.com Aug 2016

Interesante banda Suffer in Paradise procedentes de la prolífica cantera rusa de Death/Doom. Esta banda practica un Death/Doom con mezcla de Post Metal y Funeral Doom bastante interesante, melodía, melancolía y lentitud máxima son las características de la banda, siempre tirando de fuentes muy clásicas.

La banda surgió en el 2009 en la ciudad de Voronezh y éste es su primer trabajo. Arrancamos con This Dead is World, esas espaciadas notas de piano consiguen introducir un factor melancólico en el tema, con unos riffs envolventes, distorsionados y típicos del Post metal, recreando una atmósfera de lo más bucólica y lúcida. Cambian completamente de registro con el corte Somnambula. Es interesante la introducción de un órgano Hammond a la música de los Suffer in Paradise, consigue darle al tema una atmósfera lúgubre e inquietante de Occult metal setentero y trasladarnos a otra época. Tema con 14 minutos de desarrollo que no se hacen largos ni tediosos. Aunque quizás para mi gusto, se recrean demasiado en ciertos aspectos de su música (sobre todo la melodía) y pierden de vista la oscuridad del Death Doom.

Suffer in Paradise es un corte de nueve minutos de duración, más en la línea de lo que es habitual en el Death Doom ruso, pues es un estilo con tirón y mucha escuela desde hace 20 años… no solo bandas, sino muchos sellos rusos que se dedican a buscar bandas de Death / Doom para su Roster. En cuanto a este tema es más clásico, lentísimo, con un riff de Funeral Doom típico, con mucha distorsión, atmósfera y distorsión pero esta vez sin atisbo alguno de melodía. No esta mal, pero les falta agresividad y mucha además para practicar este estilo, mi conclusión es que esta banda brillaría más en el Post metal.

Insect es el cuarto corte del álbum, con 13 minutos de duración y es un intento por tratar de remontar vuelo y volver a lo que mejor se les da que es la melodía. Me recuerdan a los primeros My Dying Bride, me recuerdan a Morgion… son muy clásicos. Quizás la labor de los teclados y sintetizadores en este corte son demasiado plomizas, más si le añadimos que la batería es programada pues la base rítmica de este trabajo es una auténtica chufla y es un lujo que no se puede permitir una banda de Death/Doom.

Archetype al menos tiene una construcción de guitarras mucho más interesante, hay más variedad y esta vez sí que consiguen un riff atmosférico y envolvente bien acompañado por el riff rítmico que potencia este clímax que tratan de buscar desde el inicio, como todos los temas los problemas de Suffer in Paradise siempre son los mismos, el desarrollo de los temas no me resulta nada creativo.

Finalizamos con Cantus Cycneus y es un tema que al menos deja la bandera ondeando bien alta, el único tema que diría que sí que consiguen sonar realmente como una banda de Funeral Doom, el ritmo nace muerto y se desarrolla con profunda tristeza, arrastrándose, lo típico de este estilo. Pero vuelvo a remarcar que es una banda que se mueve mejor por otras aguas como es el Ambient o el Post metal, y que deberían replantearse un cambio de estilo.

4,75/10

Metal Brothers May 2016

Una bellissima sorpresa questo album dei Suffer In Paradise, autori di un funeral doom dal notevole impatto emotivo.

Il trio russo attinge soprattutto alle sonorità degli Ea per l’afflato melodico, di Skepticism/Profetus per il tocco tastieristico, ricordando a tratti anche gli Ordog di Remorse, e l’esito finale avvince ed affascina nonostante la palese derivatività del sound proposto.

Ma nel funeral, più che in altri generi, non è così importante fare le cose per primi, lo è molto di più farle per bene, ovvero esprimendo la propria sensibilità in modo da coinvolgere emotivamente l’appassionato (al quale, di fronte ad un disco che sa toccare le giuste corde , dell’originalità non può fregare di meno).

This Dead Is World riprende due dei brani presenti sull’unico segnale di vita discografica fornito in precedenza, ovvero il demo auto intitolato risalente al 2010.

Tempi lunghi ma risultati efficaci, quindi, e qui ci sono tutte le carte in regola per tessere trame dolenti ed evocative nel corso di più di un’ora, durante la quale le tastiere creano il tappeto sonoro ideale per poggiarvi un ben delineato lavoro chitarristico.

Un brano meraviglioso come Somnambula depone insindacabilmente a favore del talento compositivo dei Suffer In Paradise, i quali compongono il disco che quelli come me vogliono ascoltare quando vanno alla ricerca di una consolatoria catarsi, tenendosi alla larga da sperimentazioni e tentazioni droniche, da assimilarsi invece con altro spirito, e lasciando spazio ad un sound lineare quanto efficace.

In attesa del ritorno sulla scena dei nomi di punta, questo lavoro è un ottima panacea e dovrebbe rivelarsi senz’altro gradito a chi apprezza le band citate in precedenza.

7.9

Iye Zine May 2016

Ah, Endless Winter Records. Proof positive that Russia has some good doom metal labels. This time they've signed a band from Spain, a two piece that has put out a full length previously. Instrumentation wise, it reminds me after many spins of Forest Stream and the like with the wintery, icy synths and lead guitar patterns. 'Nada Es Eterno' starts the CD off with a nice ambient synth piece, followed by acoustic guitars and synth progressions before the heaviness kicks in. Right into what is unarguably their best track in 'Poison In The Mouth Of God.' It's interesting how the death metal styled vocals almost contrast against the somewhat lighter and more "uplifting" instrumentation. Synth voices abound as well on this disc, and many of these tracks have TONS of instrumental passages. Followup cut 'My New World' continues things in fine fashion, and I must say it's nice that the synths don't overpower the music, rather it blends in quite nicely to times where you have to really listen to hear the synthesized passages. Female vocals accompany the death vocals in a few spots, one of only two tracks to feature them (more on that in a minute). Track 4, 'Mirrors Of Pain,' is where we start to see a downward decline in the album. Some odd synthesized choir like voices rear their heads, and also here some of the guitar work starts to sound quite a bit familiar. Still, it's a decent track; the synth voices not distracting too much from the overall proceedings. It's track 5 where things don't sit well with me, as 'Masticatione Mortuorum' has very odd female vocals right behind the death styled ones, and are a bit too "syrupy" sounding for my taste. Probably my least favorite cut on the disc, also noteworthy are the odd "alien" like synth notes towards the middle of the track. Still, it's not a bad cut, while followup 'Poisoned Air Theory' contained more of the weird, alien like synths. This track presents a darker and heavier doom style, as if they're trying to get away from the more "uplifting" and higher ended guitar/synth combinations, and it works for the most part. CD ender 'Infinitum Nihil' definitely took a few minutes to right itself, especially with the odd guitar and synth passages. Probably a bit too long at 9 minutes and 22 seconds; much of this could have been cut out though you'll probably enjoy a lot of the instrumental passages. Like most doom bands with longer songs, the vocals can tend to take a back seat to longer instrumental only passages, but it seems while there is quite a bit of enjoyable material here, this would have been a much stronger effort if things had been "tidied up" a bit. Still makes for the passing 3/4 grade to put on one's CD shelf...

79/100

Vibration of Doom Sept. 2016

No surprise here, another Russian doom/death group making some damn good music. This being their first output is a really solid effort, and I could see these guys becoming much bigger than they are right now. Long songs abound folks, and I can see where some tracks might need a bit more variety for their length, but they do create nice, enjoyable soundscapes. 'Beyond The Fatal Edge' starts things off in fine fashion, with trademark melodic acoustic guitar patterns right before the heaviness kicks in. The vocals are very harsh death metal style, as you would expect. I will say this about this band. Even if they have a rough start, this band KNOWS how to finish songs with killer instrumentation! Every song has a fantastic finish. The mournful lead guitar work takes a rather different approach as far as guitar work of this sort goes, choosing to rarely ever venture into the higher note range, save for the well crafted lead solo or the instrumentation ending the track. The title track reminded me a bit of Evoke Thy Lords, with the somewhat stoner rock laced riffery, though the sudden and rather jarring shift to heavier notes here was the album's biggest downfall. Hey, all is not perfect here! Still, there's quite a bit to enjoy on this almost 12 minute track, as there damn well better be! They also can do some sick, heavy and dark crushing doom, like on followup 'Flowers On My Grave,' which shows a better transition phase from more melodic and melancholic to dark and dreary doom. Still, track 5 should have ended the CD rather than the 6th cut, as 'Inside A Dirty Cage' has such amazing emotional solo instrumentation, and once again we talked about how Di Mortales KNOWS how to end a song well. CD ender 'Release Me' is no slouch, though, containing some of the most diverse amount of instrumentation of any cut on the disc. This 11 minute track does have a bit of a rough start for the first minute and a half or so, which lost a few points, but they right the ship rather quickly. This track ALSO has the distinction of containing a TON of instrumental passages, so live I hope the vocalist can entertain himself for quite a few minutes! All in all, a solid effort, and it proves why Russia is no fluke when it comes to solid masterpieces of doom metal. Solitude Productions isn't the only Russian doom label that can crank out the prizes!!

91/100

Vibration of Doom Sept. 2016

Hello! Please, tell us about the history of your band and its members…

This band was formed in April 2010. All the participants of the group knew each other for a long time, including other musical projects. It started with Vyacheslav Gromov (bass-guitar) and Alexander Udalov (guitar) proposal to play together. I had some music material, and it was the starting point for our work. About half a year we played with a drum machine, and then a drummer Konstantin Chuykin joined us. Now we can to play live music. At that time, there were no such bands in our area and somehow it played into our hands. The band has existed for two years, accumulating and honing the material for the first album, before Alexander Udalov leaving. Semen Vdovin was his substitution. He already was at the recording of “Dead Pages”. Besides local performances, we took part in the Moscow Doom Festival in 2013, together with MOURNING BELOVETH, AMBERS TEARS, ABSTRACT SPIRIT, VIN DE MIA TRIX. And in 2014 we were in the Shadow Doom Festival with bands such as MARE INFINITUM, REVELATIONS OF RAIN, WOE UNTO ME and AUTUMN LETHARGY.

You’ve recently released your debut album “Dead Pages” , what has the reaction to it been like so far?

Yes, the album finally was released, although we uraged out with it. We recorded it in 2013. Well, what kind of reaction might be on the debut album of an unknown group? And we did not seek popularity, we played mostly for fun.

How did the writing process work on the new album. Were the songs a gradual accumulation or did you write them at once?

The material, of course, accumulated gradually. We chose the most decent songs in our opinion. We planned to include seven songs to the album, but due to technical reasons “My Dying Love” was not included in it.

Where do you seek inspiration for your lyrics? Would you say that you have any special influences that might have affected your lyrics somehow? What is the concept behind “Dead Pages”…

Inspiration for texts were our personal experiences. Maybe there are slightly veiled. As for the concept of the album, it’s not well-defined. But the main idea can be distinguished as experiences and feelings of people, who are aware of their imminent death.

Please, can you tell me something about song “Flowers On My Grave”? How often do you think about death? Is it beginning of the new life form?

These song were recorded at home studio, the mixing, mastering, album cover were done by ourselves.

What kind of music do you listen to? Do you listen to a lot of scene music or prefer to draw influences from a wider range?

Our musical preferences, we are very different. There are several groups that have influenced on our work, and they are not always doom bands. Moreover, the impact is not so obvious, for example, it just might be the mood of the musical composition. I will not enumerate concrete groups, but if speaking about areas of music, it looks like this: doom, sludge, stoner, post-metal, post-rock, grunge, hard rock, black metal.

Can you categorize listeners of your music?

I think we shouldn’t classify our audience. They are certainly very different people who find something close to themselves in our music.

Can you introduce your home? Is it a good place for life? What’s the local metal scene like in Murmansk region?

North, night, beautiful nature – perhaps this I may say about our home. I think, whether it is a good place to live? Rather “no”, than “yes”. Otherwise, we would play something funny. Metal scene in our region is very diverse, from the heavy to the brutal death metal. I can not say that it is different from any other. Different teams, different levels. Just like everywhere.

What do you think about Russian metal scene? How would you compare the difference in styles between Russian and rest of European extreme metal?

We can say one thing about Russian metal scene: this is not something you can earn a living, with very few exceptions.

There are so many genres these days, in your opinion is it still worthwhile to describe a band’s style using genre references or have you found a better way to get the point across?

We can explain the ownership of the group, referring to the genre, but it is not always the precise definition. Each group is unique, even if they belong to the same genre.

What can we expect from the next DI MORTALES album? Do you work on the follower of the debut? What way will your new material possibly lead to in comparison with “Dead Pages”?

Yes, we are working on the next album, it is now at the stage of mixing and it will be the last in our collaboration work. Perhaps it can be called posthumous. It can be described as doom / post-metal / modern metal, or something like that. I do not like to pick up all these definitions. And it won’t be the same as “Dead Pages”. It is more aggressive, more evil. While our first album is more pessimistic. In connection with the collapse of the group, I can say that this will be a new round of creativity. Now I am preparing a new material that will be a logical continuation of DI MORTALES. Now it is difficult to judge, in what format the new project will be one man band or full band. But in near future it is planned to split with THE EXTINCT DREAMS.

Thank you very much, good luck! Do you have anything you’d like to say to your fans?

Fans – it sounds loud). But if you exist, thank you from the DI MORTALES!

R.U.M. zine Mar. 2016

La scorsa settimana affermavo di nutrire diversi dubbi nei confronti di artisti che sfornano decine di album all'anno e con diversi progetti, dubbi che gli Abysmal Growls Of Despair effettivamente non erano riusciti a smentire. Se c'è veramente qualcuno nell'alto dei cieli o nelle profondità infernali, molto probabilmente ha le sembianze di uno di questi musicisti, dato che come una punizione divina anche oggi mi ritrovo a parlare di un altro personaggio dai mille volti. Eppure, in barba agli angeli e ai demoni citati nel titolo, questa volta non è andata così male.

Thanataur è padre di diverse creature di vario genere, tutte decisamente giovani e con una discografia molto ridotta; quella che tratteremo oggi, denominata Without Dreams, rappresenta il suo lato più funereo e si presenta a noi con "Rejected By Angel, Betrayed By Demon", due sole tracce per oltre un'ora di Funeral Doom. L'ispirazione arriva da maestri del genere quali Skepticism e Pantheist, con una forte enfasi sulle tastiere che prendono la forma di organo e pianoforte, oltre a creare un costante sottofondo cupo; nel secondo brano la presenza di questo strumento diventa talmente forte da avere diverse fasi che si avvicinano alle atmosfere del Dark Ambient.

È evidente che Thanataur cerchi di variegare la proposta, pur mantenendo l'anima Funeral come punto di partenza: le chitarre, solitamente dense e annichilenti in questo genere, si prendono invece la libertà di ammorbidirsi con riff melodici e malinconici che appartengono più al Doom melodico; anche i ritmi spesso si alleggeriscono, non troverete infatti solamente tempi pachidermici ma anche alcuni mid-tempo in "Demon Of Suicide". Proprio questo pezzo offre infine un passaggio alquanto bizzarro intorno al ventesimo minuto, l'atmosfera da parco giochi maledetto è un esperimento interessante. Le due metà in cui è suddiviso questo disco — il demone e l'angelo — risultano due facce della stessa medaglia: la prima più dinamica e aggressiva, la seconda più eterea e spettrale, tuttavia entrambe figlie di una sofferenza di fondo.

I quasi settanta minuti scorrono piacevolmente e per essere un debutto il risultato è già soddisfacente, i difetti però non mancano e al momento limitano le potenzialità del progetto. In primis l'organo: quello stacco che si sente tra una nota e l'altra è fastidioso e in alcuni frangenti suona davvero troppo artificiale; essendo uno strumento di primaria importanza, una maggiore attenzione in futuro porterà sicuramente a una maggiore efficacia di tutto il sound. Un altro problema minore riguarda il passaggio da una fase all'altra, che in alcuni casi spezza fin troppo l'atmosfera; non è una questione compositiva, in quanto a quel livello tutto fila liscio, è la staticità eccessiva della sezione ritmica che non consente di eseguire propriamente questi dettagli. Non è da dimenticare comunque il fattore acerbità, spesso e volentieri causa principale di questo tipo di carenze.

In definitiva "Rejected By Angel, Betrayed By Demon" è un disco decisamente sopra la sufficienza: è da lodare la voglia di mettersi in gioco, evitando di limitarsi ai soliti standard del genere e preferendo un approccio che mostra una timida personalità, ancora in fase di sviluppo; le due tracce, così simili ma allo stesso tempo diverse, dimostrano come Thanataur abbia varie idee da cui trarre spunto. Consigliato a chi apprezza il Doom nelle sue forme più estreme e al contempo atmosferiche.

Aristocrazia Webzine Feb. 2016

L'aria tetra, gelida e malinconica scaturita dalle note dei Mirror Morionis torna a farci visita. Il progetto del siberiano Cataract (voce e strumentazione) ha partorito il successore di quella suadente prova intitolata "Eternal Unforgiveness". Questo "Last Winter Tolls" ne raccoglie in toto l'eredità, ahimè facendo registrare qualche pecca non riscontrabile nell'esordio.

Dal punto di vista strettamente musicale e atmosferico, la prestazione è quanto di più classico e conosciuto ci si potesse attendere, confermando l'abilità dell'artista nel navigare agilmente nelle fredde e grigie acque del doom-death metal melodico attraversate da correnti funeree. Le composizioni nella loro espressione semplice risultano infatti fluide, allentante e affascinanti, grazie a quell'aura talvolta quasi romantica donata dalle pregevoli armonie ed estensioni ambientali a carico delle tastiere. Formalmente non c'è proprio nulla che non vada in pezzi come "As Winter Arrived", "Sunless Within", "I'm Not. You Are The One" e "Offtime" ma...

Purtroppo il «ma» c'è e il motivo di questa sua presenza è essenzialmente uno: se dietro al microfono Cataract se la cava particolarmente bene sia nell'impostare il più tipico dei growl da cavernicolo che nell'inserire brevi parti sussurrate e recitate, non si può affermare altrettanto per ciò che riguarda Selena (November Dreams e The Extinct Dreams), la voce femminile di turno. La cantante pare sia quasi evanescente, la sua partecipazione lirica non è mai così concreta da garantire quel quid in più alla canzone e al massimo le si può riconoscere di fornire un minimo di stabilità nel contrasto vocale fra bella e bestia, aspetto che invece era senz'altro più che gradevole con l'ex Mirror, peccando oltretutto di una scarsa intelligibilità del cantato, dovuta a una pronuncia inglese non perfetta. Qualcuno potrebbe giustamente asserire che il suo ingresso in scena sia solo un arricchimento non riuscito a dovere e quindi una cicatrice marginale, tuttavia la Nostra va a intaccare il valore ben più che discreto espresso da "Last Winter Tolls", un album per il resto ben prodotto e curato graficamente (entrambi settori di cui si è occupato personalmente il titolare del progetto), in grado come lo fu "Eternal Unforgiveness" di smuovere l'interesse emotivo degli appassionati del genere e che con tutta probabilità avrebbe anche potuto fare a meno di tale orpello.

Le idee che frullano in testa a Cataract sono decisamente chiare e i suoi Mirror Morionis si incamminano profondamente lungo un sentiero che li potrebbe condurre a togliersi varie soddisfazioni. Vi suggerisco quindi l'ascolto del disco: se avete apprezzato il debutto, troverete sicuramente lieta anche questa compagnia.

Aristocrazia Webzine Feb. 2016

Funeral-Projekte sprießen überall auf der Welt aus dem Boden, aber die meisten stammen aus der Kategorie "Ich-AG mit Angelo Sasso", sind sterbenslangweilig und schaffen es nicht, dem Genre nennenswerte Impulse zu geben. Russland dagegen hat - neben derartigen Egotrips - auch eine wirklich hochkarätige Funeral-Doom-Szene mit auf Doom spezialisierten Labels und echten, kompletten Bands, die tonnenschwere und dabei häufig doch sehr eigenständige Kost abliefern, ganz vorne die Moskauer Doppelspitze Comatose Vigil/Abstract Spirit.

Von ersteren sind Abysskvlt unüberhörbar stark beeinflusst. Abysskvlt sind eine anonyme Vier-Mann-Entität, die anno 2015 mit "Thanatochromia" ihr Debüt auf dem aufstrebenden Doom-Label Endless Winter vorlegt. Die breiten Gitarrenakkorde, das omnipräsente Keyboard mit seinem verhallten Gothic-Sound, das barbarische Grunzen, die Art der Melodieführung, die Art, wie die Gitarren manchmal abstoppen, die farblose Stimmung, alles erinnert an Comatose Vigil. "House Of Woe" könnte mit einigen Abstrichen auch auf "Fuimus, Non Sumus ..." stehen.

Was sind diese Abstriche? Abysskvlt sind nicht so minimalistisch. Ihre Riffs wechseln häufiger, es gibt Farbtupfer wie Leads oder Sprechstimme und sie haben Einflüsse aus dem Dark Ambient, die sich in Intros und Intermezzi, Maschinengeräuschen ("The Dawn My Unawakening") und Samples äußern. Außerdem sind die Keyboards dominanter und sinfonischer, ohne aber in Kitsch abzurutschen. Die führende Rolle der Tasten kann man in "Between Two Mirrors" bewundern, mit 13 Minuten das kürzeste Stück das Albums. Die anderen drei bewegen sich jeweils um die 20 Minuten, so dass "Thanatochromia" bei vier Tracks und einem Durchlauf insgesamt 72 Minuten Hörerzeit beansprucht.

Die sind mit diesem auch optisch ansprechend aufgemachten Album bestens angelegt. Man merkt, dass "Thanatochromia" kein Schnellschuss ist, die Band sich Gedanken gemacht hat und ein Gesamtkonzept anstrebt. Wenn Abysskvlt auf dem nächsten Album noch etwas aus dem Schatten ihrer Vorbilder treten, steht uns wahrhaft Großes bevor.

Crossover Mar. 2016

Magnifico esordio per i misteriosi russi Abysskvlt, con un funeral doom melodico degno dei migliori Ea.

E sono proprio questi ultimi a fungere come punto di riferimento per i nostri, sia per l’approccio mediatico che lascia ben poco spazio agli ego dei musicisti, mettendo in luce esclusivamente il prodotto musicale, sia soprattutto per uno stile analogamente evovativo, basato su un incedere lento ma sempre focalizzato su un impatto emotivo creato dal muro di chitarre e tastiere.

Quattro brani per un totale che sfora i settanta minuti, sono l’eloquente biglietto da visita di una band che darà soddisfazione a chi ama questo particolare segmento stilistico del funeral, che ovviamente annovera tra i propri esempi più fulgidi i seminali Shape Of Despair.

Immagino e spero che la citazione di questi punti di riferimento sia sufficiente per capire di quale spessore sia Thanatochromia: gli Abysskvlt non vogliono riscrivere la storia del genere ma, essenzialmente, fanno nel migliore dei modi ciò che si aspetta di ascoltare chi ama le band menzionate; forse, a voler cercare il pelo nell’uovo, mancano quei picchi emotivi che altrove vengono regalati a profusione, ma per converso l’album non presenta mai cali di tensione o momenti interlocutori.

Un dolore soffuso ma ininterrotto sovrasta i brani nella loro interezza, anche se House Of Woe, rispetto alle altre tracce, grazie ad una scrittura ancor più volta ad accentuarne la drammaticità con il corollario di voci singhiozzanti in sottofondo, regala una ventina di minuti di livello del tutto all’altezza delle migliori espressioni del genere.

Abysskvlt come nuovi Ea, quindi ? Un solo album non consente ancora di poterlo dire con certezza, ma Thanatochromia introduce una band che appare ampiamente in grado di ripercorrere le orme degli altrettanto misteriosi campioni del funeral doom.

8

Iye Zine Jan. 2016

A cinque anni dalla loro formazione, i Di Mortales debuttano direttamente sulla lunga distanza e per un'etichetta di tutto rispetto: se il nome Endless Winter non vi è nuovo, dovreste già avere una vaga idea di cosa aspettarvi.

La copertina, che sembra voler infondere un senso di vuoto e di assenza, è un'ulteriore conferma che ci troviamo davanti a un album Doom Metal, più precisamente quello che unisce i suoi tempi dilatati all'aggressività del Death Metal; la spiccata attitudine melodica e atmosferica del quartetto russo potrebbe portarvi alla mente nomi quali Officium Triste, Saturnus e tanti altri. A differenza dei gruppi citati, le fasi più rilassate non sono però ricreate tramite tastiere, bensì dall'uso di chitarre acustiche; sono diversi i passaggi in cui le distorsioni scompaiono del tutto o quasi, lasciando il posto a suoni caldi e sognanti. L'accoppiata di asce offre una prestazione lodevole e variegata anche nei frangenti più spinti: troverete momenti in cui la pesantezza tipica del Death si fa sentire prepotentemente, tuttavia è quando la melodia la fa da padrona che i Di Mortales riescono a regalare il meglio di sé. È altrettanto vero comunque che la capacità di evolversi costantemente nel corso di brani discretamente lunghi è un fattore importante, pertanto l'idea di incrementare la dose di cattiveria di tanto in tanto è assolutamente azzeccata e funzionale alle composizioni.

Anche l'operato della sezione ritmica è apprezzabile e riesce a seguire gli sviluppi delle tracce; in particolare il basso ha l'abilità di appesantire e alleggerire il carico a seconda del contesto in cui si trova, riuscendo inoltre a mettersi in risalto in qualche occasione, così come il lavoro alla batteria è in grado di infondere la giusta dinamicità ai pezzi e di mantenerli sempre interessanti. Non va dimenticato infine il contributo del cantante: il suo growl non troppo grave e in un certo senso quasi soffocato dalle chitarre diventa pressoché un elemento di supporto, lasciando alle sei corde il ruolo di indubbie protagoniste; una scelta che funziona, in quanto la voce non offre troppe variazioni e non sarebbe quindi stata adatta a essere in primo piano, mentre in questo modo svolge il proprio compito degnamente.

"Dead Pages" è un debutto di tutto rispetto che regala alla scena Doom una realtà già pronta a seguire il proprio percorso; capacità compositive più che buone, una produzione che riesce a dare il giusto spazio a ogni strumento e una personalità forse ancora non troppo pronunciata ma comunque non del tutto assente sono caratteristiche che fanno ben sperare per il futuro dei Di Mortales. Attendiamo i prossimi sviluppi, sperando di non dover aspettare altri cinque anni.

Aristocrazia Webzine Jan. 2016

Mystical winter enters your room through your speakers, channeled from Mirror Morionis' fittingly-named sophomore album, 'Last Winter Tolls'. Essentially the solo project of main musician and songwriter Cataract plus a frontwoman, Selena, this 2015 album presents just past an hour of melodic, keyboard-washed Doom/Death metal that is expectedly glacial, but accessible and pleasant to the ear.

Hovering somewhere between Esoteric and Forest Stream, Mirror Morionis aren't as bleak or detached as the former, nor quite as melody or synth laden as the latter. For 77 minutes, Mirror Morionis stays pretty much in one gear, stretching itself out on one template, but for listeners in the mood for this will find a satisfying 77 minutes with no disruptions or unneeded experimentation. Really, this can be thought of as a project that celebrates melodic, funereal Doom/Death by utilizing – quite well – those elements that must hold the most appeal to Cataract, who feels no obligation to do anything other than hold to that blueprint.

After a fair and pretty synth intro, the album's first song 'As Winter Arrived' is a gargantuan long-hauler that's first in a series of gargantuan long-haulers. A listen through this song is representative of the whole album: a laborious snowshoe journey through wintery wooded landscapes guided by growling vocals at once bestial and gentle, patiently flowing guitar lines, and occasional breaks into percussion-free piano interludes. Mirror Morionis don't do much to break away from the pack of Russian Doom/Death bands, but Cataract finds his niche by evoking a sense of romantic harmony and beauty, without overly harsh or pained overtones. Vocalist Selena's decidedly operatic delivery adds a welcome layer, elevating the music and giving it further emotional pull wherever her soaring-dove voice appears (see especially the later two tracks on the album).

An album for the mournful and the patient, 'Last Winter Tolls' is an admittedly one-dimensional album, but has no shortage of appeal within that dimension. Some albums straining this much mileage from few ingredients might end up seeming aimless or lackluster, 'Last Winter Tolls' successfully avoids the pitfall of monotony. It feels deliberate and meditative, giving itself plenty of time to unravel and thoroughly examine each musical idea; ideas that home in on serenity rather than anguish. A good accompaniment to swans gliding across a glass-surfaced lake under moonlight, or to a walk in the woods during snowfall.

6.5/10

Doom-metal.com June 2015

In the last year I’ve come across countless doom metal albums and have loved just as many as I didn’t, and the same exact thing goes for split albums. And yet before today I’ve never heard a split album between two doom bands, and that’s just what “Metamorphosis” from bands The Extinct Dreams and Unsaved is. Sticking to true doom fashion, “Metamorphosis” is 49 minutes long with but 4 tracks to its name that consist of crushingly slow paced guitars, vocals that sound like the harbingers of the apocalypse, and drums that have the beat of doom itself. I will admit, though, that some points throughout this split were a tad lackluster as they didn’t stand out or have anything intriguing about them, but that was just sometimes. Overall, this was a very entertaining album between two bands that show that they know their way around with doom metal as both The Extinct Dreams and Unsaved have a great sound that really pulls the listener into and experience that only doom fans can know about because it truly is a unique experience that once you go through you will not forget that feeling, and “Metamorphosis” definitely knows how to create that feeling in all of its infinite glory. As a split, “Metamorphosis” does an excellent job showcasing two awesome bands and showing their own styles that are some very nice doom metal that is criminally unknown to say in the least.

Metaladdicts Dec. 2015

A darkened sky full of grey clouds and blackbirds. A scattering of old dead trees in the distance. A vast landscape of open, unmarked graves. These images haunt the cover of Graveyard Of Souls’ sophomore release, Infinitum Nihil. Inside the booklet, you'll find lyrics printed atop old etchings from the Middle Ages. This artwork aides to inspire feelings common to the Doom genre: desolation, despair and hopelessness. This is a place where only sorrow lives. It's a good thing this two-piece collaboration from Spain provide a fitting soundtrack for such tragic scenery.

Graveyard Of Souls classifies themselves as Doom/Death. When it comes to Death/Doom versus Doom/Death, I'm not entirely sure what the difference is (or if there even is one). It makes sense that the first genre listed would be the dominant sound with a heavy influence from the second. Swallow The Sun, Daylight Dies and November’s Doom each seem to have melodic Death Metal elements in the forefront with Doom as the backbone. Whereas, bands like Hooded Menace, early Anathema and the now defunct Morgion tend to borrow styles from the classic, more traditional Doom sound and amp it up with some Death Metal flavors. Whether this idea holds any weight or not, is yet to be determined. From my research, there appears to be two camps; one that believes there is no difference and it's simply a matter of preference, while the other holds to the aforementioned notion that the order of genres is specific to the style being played. Regardless of which side you choose to align with, Graveyard Of Souls are a perfect example of the latter cross-genre; Doom/Death.

The band plays slow, heavy Doom layered with familiar gothic keyboard textures accentuated with a growling vocal style vaguely reminiscent of Death Metal. In addition to displaying a strong sense of traditional influence they also give a nod to their Epic Doom brethren. The album has a dirty, raw feel to it, but is also quite catchy. Old school heavy metal is also quite abundant; complete with guitar squeals, rocking drumbeats and the occasional solo.

The album opens with an acoustic folk piece alongside some atmospheric synth, bringing to mind early Ulver or Into The Woods…. Track 4, ‘Mirrors Of Pain’ has an almost - dare I say it – Groove Metal feel with its start-stop intro riff. As terrifying as that might sound to some, I can assure you it's done tastefully and fits the overall esthetic of the song. Typical pretty female vocals show up on a couple songs as well to add yet another layer of sorrow.

Infinitum Nihil is one of those rare albums that takes awhile to grow on you. But once it does, you'll have a hard time listening to much else. The riffs are extremely memorable and will stay with you long after the album ends. So, the next time you're wandering through a cemetery late at night and come across an open grave, climb in, kick back, put on your headphones and let Graveyard Of Souls take you on a journey into infinite nothingness.

8/10

Doom-metal.com Dec. 2015

Recensire dischi non è sempre un compito facile. Capita quello difficile da comprendere, quello di un genere poco conosciuto da chi scrive, quello che richiede più tempo e così via. Tra le tante difficoltà in cui mi sono imbattuto, non ne avevo ancora trovato uno che mi causasse mal di testa a ogni ascolto. Ebbene, il secondo album dei Graveyard Of Souls ha avuto l'onore di essere il primo.

So bene che iniziare un articolo così non dà molte speranze, eppure questo non è un brutto lavoro, tutt'altro. Ma andiamo con ordine e partiamo dagli aspetti positivi. Il duo spagnolo viaggia a cavallo tra Doom e Death Metal, dove i ritmi non raggiungono né gli abissi del primo né le sfuriate del secondo; siamo dalle parti dei Paradise Lost, con quelle atmosfere tipiche delle primissime opere tendenti al Gothic che qui vengono decisamente amplificate. Sono principalmente i cori e le tastiere a ricreare sonorità magiche a metà tra luce e ombra, tuttavia è altrettanto rilevante il contributo delle chitarre che regalano continuamente riff e assoli di ottima fattura, per quanto indubbiamente derivativi. I brani sono tutti sopra la media e scorrono piacevolmente, arrivando spesso e volentieri a picchi qualitativi non indifferenti; la capacità di sfornare melodie orecchiabili ed efficaci viene fuori in diverse occasioni, pezzi come "My New World" e "Infinitum Nihil" rimangono impressi fin dal primo ascolto. Notevole inoltre il contributo del basso, in certe fasi sembra quasi che ci sia un'interessante vena Prog che cerca di farsi strada. A coronare il tutto, abbiamo una prestazione vocale discreta, forse un po' monotona ma per nulla fastidiosa; è un growl aggressivo e non eccessivamente profondo che si adatta senza problemi al contesto.

A me sarebbe piaciuto concludere la recensione dicendo che questo è un album più che buono, perché — come avrete capito — in fondo lo è. Il problema principale di "Infinitum Nihil" è il lavoro abbastanza approssimativo in fase di missaggio e masterizzazione: non sto parlando di una produzione pessima, sia chiaro, anche perché ho dovuto ascoltarlo qualche volta per capire dove stesse l'inghippo; poi ho iniziato a notare che in alcuni momenti il suono gracchia leggermente, che le diverse tracce di chitarra spesso si impastano e che gli strumenti sembrano sovrastarsi a turno. A questo va aggiunta un'esecuzione qualche volta non proprio precisa, che può generare una leggera confusione nell'ascoltatore, basti vedere l'intro per notare questo difetto comunque minore rispetto all'altro. Tutto ciò, unito al fatto che il disco è comunque godibile, mi ha spinto ad ascoltarlo più e più volte, però al tempo stesso mi ha anche costretto a tenere il volume a livelli abbastanza alti per poter scorgere gli elementi soffocati dalla produzione. Da qui nasce la mia emicrania.

Per quanto la mia esperienza da recensore sia stata disastrosa, mi sento di consigliare caldamente "Infinitum Nihil" ai seguaci del genere; la band ha comunque messo in mostra i propri sforzi, la propria passione e tanti pregi, lasciarsi fermare da questo tipo di difetti sarebbe alquanto stupido. Le capacità e le idee indubbiamente ci sono, se i Graveyard Of Souls impareranno a sfruttarle al meglio, avremo una realtà che può puntare molto in alto.

Aristocrazia Webzine Dec. 2015

Gli In Oblivion sono una band texana di recente formazione, che debutta nel 2015 per la sempre attenta Endless Winter con un lavoro eponimo; trattasi di un breve EP di due tracce, considerando però il genere di cui fa parte forse il termine «breve» non è proprio il più adatto.

Il disco infatti arriva quasi a sfiorare i trenta minuti e lo fa con un Funeral Doom che non nasconde una certa inclinazione verso il Death Metal, il che non dovrebbe stupire troppo guardando le esperienze con altri gruppi dei vari componenti. Tali influenze si possono notare principalmente nel riffing, tuttavia troviamo anche un'accelerazione e qualche altro dettaglio che rendono la cosa ancora più evidente. In generale il sound si allontana parzialmente dalle sonorità asfissianti e dalle atmosfere funeree tipiche del genere, preferendo un approccio più essenziale; siamo dalle parti di gente come gli Evoken e gli Ophis, con ritmiche lente ma spesso dinamiche, tastiere lugubri perlopiù in sottofondo ad annerire il clima, un growl cavernoso quanto basta e chitarre che sadicamente scavano nelle profondità più tetre dell'animo umano.

Le abilità compositive del quintetto vengono fuori in diverse occasioni con scelte che mostrano una buona capacità di variegare la proposta, penso ad esempio al riff pregno di dolore represso intorno all'ottavo minuto di "Memories Engraved In Stone" o all'intermezzo atmosferico di "Wreathed In Gloom" a cui segue un gustosissimo assolo; al di là di questi episodi, entrambi i brani risultano godibili per tutta la loro durata, riuscendo a trasmettere costantemente sensazioni grigie e decadenti con un pizzico di aggressività. Proprio per questo aspetto va inoltre premiata la produzione, che permette a ogni strumento di far percepire il proprio contributo, consentendo di convogliare le emozioni citate in precedenza. Ultima piccola nota di merito va alla copertina: qualcuno potrebbe criticarne la scarsa originalità, ma è un'ottima rappresentazione visiva del contenuto dell'EP.

"In Oblivion" scorre senza intoppi veri e propri, gi In Oblivion sembrerebbero già pronti per poter creare un disco di maggiore durata; il limite delle due tracce — per quanto comunque sostanziose — lascia un po' con la curiosità di sapere cosa potrebbe uscire fuori da un lavoro più completo. La capacità di imprimere un certo tipo di sensazioni alla propria musica è in ogni caso notevole e fa ben sperare per il futuro della band, proseguendo su questa strada — rendendola magari un po' più personale — potrà diventare un'ottima realtà del genere. Per quanto mi riguarda entra di diritto nella lista di nomi da tenere d'occhio e sono abbastanza sicuro che diversi seguaci di questo stile si troveranno d'accordo con me.

Aristocrazia Webzine Dec. 2015

Při pohledu na album WITHOUT DREAMS mě nejprve zaujal samotný obal, na kterém je malba ženy zabodávající zkrvavenou kudlu do zrcadla s cílem (patrně) spáchat sebevraždu. Fakt, hleděl jsem na tenhle obrázek dost dlouhou dobu a musím se přiznat, že už dlouho se mi nestalo, že by mě mě takto sejmul čistě ilustrovaný cover. Má zkrátka hloubku, vybočuje z řady a ještě obsahuje návaznost na hudební obsah. Ideální.

To největší kouzlo debutu „Rejected by Angel, Betrayed by Demon“ ovšem nespočívá jen v obrazech, ale především v hudebním menu, ze kterého mnozí smrtelníci vyskočí z kůže hned při pohledu na track list. První kompozice má neuvěřitelných jednačtyřicet minut (už to je v podstatě délka jednoho alba) a druhá zaostává jen o necelou čtvrthodinku. Ano, na první pohled nepochopitelná šílenost, ale až zázračně snadno poživatelná. Hlavní protagonista zde sice nepředvádí nikterak složité instrumentální orgie, nicméně jeho vyjadřovací prostředky i tak stačí na vyvolání emočního zemětřesení.

Krásné a neuvěřitelně skličující je toto funeral doom metalové umírání, jehož hlavní devízou jsou vyhrávky představující kostelní varhany, dále pak postupně a především pomalu rozvíjející se motivy a v neposlední řadě nelze opomenout ani brutální „hrobor“ vokál, tj. v podstatě další legitimní nástroj. Další zásadní moment spatřuji i v jakémsi blackmetalovém feelingu, který celou hudební produkci zastřešuje takřka neviditelně, jenže onen ústřední (a dosti líbivý) motiv skladbou probíhá v podstatě celou třičtvrtěhodinu. Otravné? Geniální? Řekl bych něco mezi, ale rozhodně to funguje. Vzpomeňme na nezaměnitelnost legendárního opusu „Tomhet“ z „Hvis lyset tar oss“ od BURZUM… Apropo! „Demon of Suicide“ je de facto takovou romantičtější a vznešenější sestřenkou. V pravdě velmi povedené a účinné představení, byť jeho rozvleklost může být pro každého druhého totálně nestravitelná.

Druhá položka, nebo-li příběh druhý s názvem „Fallen Angel“, přivádí tvorbu WITHOUT DREAMS do stádia ještě mnohem internějšího a příčinou je především namixování funeral doomu s ambientem. Čili spousta minut druhé položky je o něco monotónnější, avšak i tato verze Thanataurova umění působí interesantně a je až s podivem, kterak hlavní protagonista pracuje s minimalismem a bez velkých fanfár dokáže přebít i renomovanější nahrávky s navoněnější produkcí. A shodou okolností je to právě undergroundový duch, jenž nahrávce pomáhá v její uvěřitelnosti a opravdovosti.

„Rejected by Angel, Betrayed by Demon“ – bizár, lákavá zvláštnost a pro spoustu posluchačů neposlouchatelná padající láva ze sopky jménem WITHOUT DREAMS. Vyvolení tu však naleznou útěchu. V nadcházejících podzimních dnech neuvěřitelně působivé. Pozor na předávkování!

R.U.M. zine Nov. 2015

Toulky po ruských doomových zákoutí pokračují i s projektem MIRROR MORIONIS, který tvoří výhradně multiinstrumentalista říkající si Cataract a jeho něžná polovička Selena, jež se stará o sopránové nápěvy, tradiční to doom metalovou povinnost. Na albu je ale hodně sympatické především to, že se pan vrchní skladatel postaral nejen o hudbu, ale také o texty a v neposlední řadě i o grafiku CD. Když jsem se poprvé podíval na obal, došlo mi jediné: milovníci teskného klišé musí být zákonitě katapultováni do nirvány, neboť žena v kápi a ještě k tomu v zasněženém lese, to je vzorec totálního doom metalového základu.

A právě zima se stala pro album „Last Winter Tolls“ největší inspirací, ostatně samotný titul hovoří za vše. Jakkoliv je ovšem nahrávka předvídatelná a nikterak překvapující, nabízí i s tímto břemenem poctivý hudební zmar, který vykazuje kouzelnou dávku čarovné romantiky. V tomto ohledu je naprosto úžasná úvodní kompozice „As Winter Arrived“ , nabízející příjemný mix tvorby SWALLOW THE SUN a raných THEATRE OF TRAGEDY. Ruská dvojice je však ve svém vyjádření krapet ponurejší a zároveň i syrovější. Nicméně i tak z hudby vyvstává celá řada jemných elementů. Hybným nástrojem jsou v tomto ohledu hlavně klávesy, jejichž síla dominuje hned v úvodu další plus mínus čtvrthodinové položce „Nine Coldest Days“. Ta pokračuje ve vykrajování temnoty souvislým tokem brutálního marastu, přičemž zhruba v půlce stopáže rozřízne skladbu orchestrální intermezzo, aby druhá část přetavila kompozici do barev gothic-doomových.

Síla brutálního „ponoru“ ale naštěstí nevymizela ani tentokrát a totéž se dá tvrdit o hutném kytarovém zvuku. Na tomto místě by mohlo album klidně skončit, ovšem MIRROR MORIONIS zachovali desce „dlouhohrající“ punc a i v dalším čase servírují ryzí doom metalovou porci plnými doušky. „Sunless Within“ je poté dalším poctivým tributem debutu THEATRE OF TRAGEDY. Pokud se vás tahle hudební forma stále drží, rozhodně si pošmáknete i na variaci od MIRROR MORIONIS. „I’m Not. You Are the One“ posléze navrací produkci do hrubější roviny, byť i zde je hudba tu a tam prosvícena Seleniným sopránem. Hodně tíživě působí i občasná ambientní intermezza, která logicky natahují kompozici k hranici další čtvrthodinky. Neméně působivý punc má však i finální skladba „Forest of Lovelorn Hearts“, jejíž charakter vyhlíží milostně a vznešeně, přičemž znovu se kolem mě vynořil duch původní tvorby už výše uvedených Norů. Ta podobnost tu zkrátka je, přestože album tématicky sahá do úplně odlišných teritorií. A pak už jen ambientní outro „Offtime“ a ticho po pěšině…

„Last Winter Tolls“ není albem nikterak osobitým a už vůbec ne inovativním. Domnívám se, že spousta posluchačů by ho byla schopna poslouchat maximálně dvě minuty. Nicméně se rozhodně najdou i ti příznivci, kteří na tvorbě MORROR MORIONIS jednoduše „ujedou“, neboť samotné provedení je opravdu dosti poutavé a vábivé. Ano, na světě je obrovské množství kapel, ovšem pokud patříte k milovníkům romantické doom metalové struny a tato ruská dvojice se vám připlete do cesty, budete dost možná příjemně překvapeni provedením, které „Last Winter Tolls“ nabízí.

R.U.M. zine Nov. 2015

O ruské čtveřici DI MORTALES se mnoho informací sehnat nedá. Samozřejmě že vše podstatné je na přiloženém CD, ovšem mě osobně zajímalo hlavně to, zda-li v této kapele působí nějací známí hudebníci. Album „Dead Pages“ je totiž vpravdě suverénním počinem v ranku post-doom metalovém a skutečně mi udělalo velkou radost. Tím spíš, že jména jednotlivých hudebníků středoevropanovi nic moc neřeknou. Ale pojďme rychle k věci… Když se poprvé zadíváte na obal, uvidíte stahující se mračna, mezi kterými stojí tři stíny (možná tam bude někde i čtvrtý, aby to dávalo komplet kvarteto). Při rozboru bookletu následně překvapí kompletně anglický text (včetně textů), což u ruských doomers nebývá až tak časté. Už to tak zkrátka dnes je, že si bohatá ruská enkláva kapel zakládá na uzavřenosti a internacionalizmus vůbec neřeší.

DI MORTALES jsou ovšem poněkud jiný případ, neboť je z jejich produkce cítit spíše západoevropská příchuť, a především po zvukové stránce je debut DI MORTALES hitparádou pro ušní bubínky. Žánrová muška byla poté namířena do míst, ze kterých před časem profitovali dnes nespravedlivě zapomenutí ORPHANAGE. I tihle Holanďané tvořili atmosférickou, ale také dosti hutnou hudbu, postavenou na zasekávačných kytarových riffech. Něco podobného je např. ke slyšení v titulní kompozici, ovšem také s dalšími progresivními úryvky, které nemají daleko k post-rocku. Nicméně ve všech ohledech hudbě vévodí ukázkový growling, jemuž je ale dost dobře rozumět, takže si posluchač rozhodně užije i obsahovou stránku alba.

Dalším prvkem v tvorbě DI MORTALES jsou však i notně melancholická intermezza, přičemž nejvíce jich nalezneme v baladické kompozici „Flowers on My Grave“, ve které vyčnívají silné kytarové motivy. Přesně za takové by se nemuseli stydět ani finští GHOST BRIGADE, byť Rusové si dávají pozor na to, aby se jejich hudba příliš nepřibližovala klasické písničce. Důvodem ovšem není ani to, že by DI MORTALES nestáli o jisté zjednodušení, ale jejich podstatné know-how spočívá přece jen v kombinaci post-rock/metalu s klasickýcm death-doomem. Tohle je zkrátka základ, od kterého se kapela s radostí odráží a při zvolnění občas přidá i nějakou tu monotónnější sekvenci. Třeba takovou, která se nachází ve skladbě „Inside A Dirty Cage“, jež patří asi k nejtěžším věcem z hlediska poslechu.

Jinak je opravdu hodně zajímavé hlavně to, že se kapele podařilo natočit hodně členitý materiál, a přestože si jsou jednotlivé položky podobné po stránce image, jednoznačně nelze mluvit o nějakém splývání v jeden neohebný tvar. Řekl bych, že DI MORTALES se povedlo něco, o čem většina kapel při vydání debutu jen sní. Ano, Rusové nevytvořili žádné revoluční dílo, na které se bude desítky let vzpomínat, ovšem ruku na srdce, komu se dnes něco podobného může povést? Vlastně ani nejde o to, aby se posluchač spokoj s málem. Tady se hraje pouze o možnost poslechnout si kvalitní album od prakticky neznáme kapely – i za předpokladu, že si vždycky můžete opatřit alternativu obdobného charakteru. Nicméně pokud máte rádi death-doomovou hudbu s tvrdým riffingem a post-metalovými atributy, měla by vás kolekce „Dead Pages“ uspokojit. Stejně jako mě.

R.U.M. zine Dec. 2015

Slyšte hlášení obecního rozhlasu! „Pokud chcete slyšet „hudbu“ pohřebnější než samotný funeral, dekadentnější než filmový snímek Mad Max a shnilejší než všechna červivá jablka Sněhurky, zavítejte do společnosti THE COLD VIEW, pod jehož vlajkou se mohou sejít opravdu jen ti nejotrlejší, avšak hodně vnímaví posluchači – vymaštěnci.“ Za to poslední slovo se fakt omlouvám, ale nemohu jinak…

Tohle je zkrátka NĚCO! NĚCO totálně brutálního, NĚCO podmanivě skeptického, NĚCO totálně bizarního, NĚCO shnilého… možná nějaký druh disharmonické infekce, těžko říct. Vlastně se i trochu bojím nazývat materiál na „Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste“ hudbou, neboť se v mých očích jedná spíše o nástrojovou produkci, zvukomalebnou stěnu, ze které každou vteřinou odpadává jedna cihla. Je opravdu neuvěřitelné, že byť hlavní protagonista, německý umělec říkající si A.A.S., používá povětšinou klasické metalové nástroje, nevytváří jimi naprosto žádné melodie, a to vlastně ani v sebemenších náznacích. V jeho shnilých pařátech jednotlivé instrumenty „pouze“ rezonují (snad s výjimkou výraznějších kláves), někdy něco málo naznačí, avšak v základu se shodně podílejí na „zvukovém toku“, na zpomalené lávě, jež se slimáčím tempem dostává do údolí.

V kontextu vlastní charakteristiky, jež říká něco o drone/funeral doom metalu, připojil bych ještě nálepku ambient, možná by se hodila i zkratka s názvem psychedelic experimental music. Všech těchto atributů se THE COLD VIEW zásadně dotýká, přičemž příslušnost k doom metalu si zachovává mručivý vokál, jehož cílem rozhodně není předkládání slov a vět, kterých je mimochodem plný booklet. Texty ovšem vzhledem k hudební složce nevyprávějí nic o konci světa, ale naopak popisují v podstatě to, co je možno shlédnout v bookletu. Dráty elektrického vedení, jejich nekonečná délka ztrácející se v zapadajícím slunci, jindy pak v neprostupné mlze a mrazu…

Na autorovi je zřetelně vidět, že je ve všech ohledem zabořen do svého vlastního světa, sám pro sebe si sbírá fascinace, vytváří fotografie a zároveň k nim skládá temnou hudební hmotu, jež je vtěsnána do čtyřech bloků/kompozic (těžko toto skupenství přesně definovat). Každá z položek je ovšem řádně dlouhá a co si budeme povídat, ne vždy je člověk nastaven natolik, aby pozřel celou kolekci na jeden zátah. Někdy však i čtvrthodinka poslouží k tomu, aby si člověk vychutnal palčivou atmosféru tohoto nevšedního druhu umění.

R.U.M. zine Dec. 2015

V USA existuje hned několik skvělých funeral doom metalových kapel či projektů, avšak s ohledem na velikost země se rozhodně nejedná o rozšířený hudební druh. I výjimky se však najdou a IN OBLIVION o tom vědí své. Vždyť jejich debut vyšel u ruských Endless Winter, což je zároveň i důkaz, že v hudbě není prostor pro připitomnělé války ani poučky. Zkrátka romantismu naproti: tohle je jedna velká doomová rodina a IN OBLIVION do ní vstupují debutovým EP.

Kapela ovšem není tvořena úplnými začátečníky, neboť všichni zastoupení mají celou řadu zkušeností z působení v ostatních projektech napříč žánry. Specifika IN OBLIVION jsou ovšem jasně zřetelná a nejvíce se s nimi popasují samotní milovníci pohřebního žánru, na které čekají dvě plus mínus čtvrthodinové kompozice. Co se týče hudebního obsahu, tak ten se dá dost dobře vyjádřit obrazotvorným způsobem (viz. obal), neboť socha anděla, jež pozvedává ruce k nebi, je myslím dostatečně výstižná. Bolest a stesk, nekonečná beznaděj, zkrátka doom metal až za ten poslední hrob.

Nicméně extrémně hrubý vokál přece jen distribuuje svůj žal až k hranicím ranku deathmetalového a v polovině úvodní skladby se dokonce objevuje jedna rychlejší pasáž, což je s ohledem na předchozí produkci docela překvapení. Závěr kompozice je ale naopak silně depresivní, monotonní a korunu všemu nasazují zvuky noci, kde především větrné útržky náležitě čarují s atmosférou nahrávky – nutno podotknout, že v její prospěch.

Dvojka „Memories Engraved in Stone“ následně pokračuje v nastoleném trendu, změna se dala v tomto ohledu očekávat jen stěží. Osobně jsem však na „pravidla hry“ přistoupil už od prvních vteřin, čili s oním „postupným propadáváním se do bahna“ nemám výraznější problém. Určitou výhodou je paradoxně i to, že materiál není svou délkou nikterak protivný, co chtěli Američané na první pokus říci, to se jim vesměs podařilo. Pokud ovšem patříte k posluchačům, jež v této doomové formě potřebují melodie, raději na IN OBLIVION zapomeňte. Jejich hudba je totiž „pouhým tokem zmaru a děsivé recitaci černých veršů“. Vlastně jediný náznak melodie je ke slyšení v závěru první kompozice, jinak se není nic moc čeho chytnout. Celkově je to o tom, jestli vás dokáže dostatečně oslovit tragický přetlak zmaru, vypouštěný arsenálem duchů v kápích. IN OBLIVION vytvořili solidní metalovou umrlost, za kterou se rozhodně nemusejí červenat. Pro funeral doom fans solidní alternativa.

R.U.M. zine Nov. 2015

A wonderful one man project from Hungary. When we first hooked up with Endless Winter out of Russia, we were contacting them due to Ankhagram being on their label, and me just HAVING to have their latest full length. This album came out in 2011, right at the end of that year, but regardless it would be criminal of me not to have touched on it. Right off the bat, the synthesizers are going to play a very large role in defining the shape and sound of the band. These are long songs, folks, though not as long as you might think. The 10 minute track 'Genesis' starts things off quite nicely, the synths doing some spacey and serene ambience before the harsh guitar work and vocals come in. There's a ton of instrumental passages in these songs, not unlike mainstays of the funeral doom genre like The Howling Void, Ea, etc... Right away I must say one of the biggest flaws of this particular track (which really sounds almost like 2 different songs, the way he splits the tempo and structure up over the last half of the song) is the almost carnival like synth notes that sometimes grate at me, sometimes they don't. 'Funeral' is absolutely amazing, however, and the synths here take on a wintery, funereal like quality. The vocals I really started noticing have a unique death growl to them, almost like a winter chill is mutating the vocal chords, but then I noticed some blackened vocals beside them! Folks, Dreams After Death possesses some of the harshest and most tortured vocals in all of doom metal, bringing out a sick, torturous quality that few can match. And here we also have another interesting development: those guitars can also crank out some emotional riffing! Heavy and mournful, though that's not ALL this guitarist is capable of. Add some beautiful piano notes as well, and this track really pulls at the heartstrings. As does the followup 'Meeting With The Ancestors,' starting off with amazingly beautiful synthesized layers, with guitar work as rich and as astounding as anything you'd hear on a My Dying Bride album, mixed with the slow and doomy atmosphere of a Shape Of Despair. Folks, it's THAT good. Followup 'The Endless Time,' at a 12 minutes in lehgth, is one of the darkest and most hauntingly sinister cuts this band has on the disc. Still, it takes a LONG time to really get anywhere, as mostly it's dark haunting piano notes and single note heavier guitar riffs that slowly fade in; it's almost 7 minutes before you hear the harsh vocal work and heavier guitars. Still, once that dark and haunting passage gives way to the heaviness, it's ultra sinister. A lot could have been cut out of this track, especially since right at the end it contains a lot of more silent parts. Followup 'From Time Immemorial' contains just as much darkness, though it doesn't waste time bringing the heavy instrumentation and harsh vocals to the forefront: not even a minute passes before you're right into it. It's a crushing dark and doomy masterpiece, before CD ender 'Outer Space' ends the album with an 8 minute instrumental... Yes, you heard me right folks, and it's got some of the most beautiful and melodic passages on any one song. It's interesting that most of the synths represent lighter versions of some riffs from a previous track, though sadly this track meanders a little bit near the ending. The intricate piano layers raised an eyebrow as well, choosing to include complex piano notations as opposed to slow and doomy one note pieces here and there. This track could also have used a bit of trimming, but despite it not being a perfect CD, it's absolutely amazing what this one man project is capable of, and it's not all haunting, dark, and melancholic. Yes, two other offerings have passed since this disc saw the light of day, but what a shame it would be if I didn't turn as many people on to this disc as possible, lest Andras Illes become yet another in a long line of frustrated bands that called it a day WAY too soon in their careers.

91/100

Vibration of Doom Sept. 2014

In the last ten years, scores of one-man bands have sprung up like persistent little saplings among a forest of mighty oaks. These talented acts grow to be strong and respected alongside their full-band brethren, whereas the less creative solo efforts fall short and quickly find themselves to be nothing more than brittle kindling. When faced with the task of writing all of the instrumentation, vocal patterns, song arrangements and lyrics as well as playing everything proficiently, most solo projects are expectedly hit or miss. Luckily for Russia's Without Dreams, this doesn't appear to be a problem and the former case holds true.

Helmed by a man known as Thanataur (aka Sergey Andrievskih), Without Dreams' debut album is a bona fide Funeral Doom epic. Clocking in at well over an hour and containing only two tracks, 'Rejected By Angel, Betrayed By Demon' delivers an essential slit-your-wrists soundtrack.

The cover art depicts a young woman brandishing a bloody knife at her reflection in the mirror. Her image appears to be distraught and full of immense sorrow. It has a classic hand-drawn feel reminiscent of the Thrash and Death Metal artwork by Ed Repka in the early '90s. Behind her reflection, multiple ghostly faces twist into shapes of anguish, torment and hatred. This imagery foreshadows the sonic sadness that awaits.

The album opener, 'Demon of Suicide', starts off with a simple yet eerily hypnotic guitar melody. This riff reappears numerous times throughout the song, but given its lengthy 40 minutes plus, it can hardly be deemed repetitive. If anything, it helps give the song a sense of continuity; a return to the story being told. Gothic-tinged keyboards abound alongside dark single-note guitar and rich guttural vocals drenched in reverb. The only part that really loses me is the uptempo "circus music" about 20 minutes in. Maybe it's supposed to represent the demon's attempt to toy with the suicidal subject? "Come, put the razor to your flesh. It'll be fun!" Unfortunately, the lyrics fail to provide insight for this listener since they're printed and vocalized entirely in Russian. Whatever the intention, the part lasts over a minute and a half, but is thankfully redeemed by Thanataur's monstrous growl, which ushers a return to true Funeral Doom form.

Track two is titled 'Fallen Angel'. Although a bit shorter than its predecessor, what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in movement. In essence, this second song is comprised of three main riffs that build up and drop down into near silence. The introductory guitar piece runs in the background for the first half of the track, while various other instruments are layered atop this melody until it recedes into a mellow break. The second half of the song follows a similar format only with a different primary riff. It again comes to a close by way of another subdued section. Finally, this track is rounded out by an outro piece that sounds somewhat familiar to the intro riff of the first song, which lends to the album’s circular structure and gives it a sense of closure.

The overall ebb and flow of 'Rejected By Angel, Betrayed By Demon' makes it a compelling listen. Rather than getting stuck in the typical ultra slow drone of a lot of their Funeral Doom counterparts, Without Dreams keeps it fresh with a heavy reliance on organ and keyboards. The strong gothic influence give this debut a dark presence that will leave you feeling as if Angels and Demons just finished playing tug-of-war with your very soul.

8/10

Doom-metal.com Sept. 2015

Last full-length of this amazing band, incredibly it's the project of only one man. Their style is Funeral Doom with magnificent melodies full of sorrow, mournfulness, melancholy and darkness. The atmosphere is very well worked with sad keyboards. The vocals are deep grunts, accompanied by painful choirs. Their sound, choirs and slow march remembered me "Shape of Despair" and "Remembrance"; also perhaps anything of "Pantheist" and "Skepticism"on keyboards.

My favorite track is "In Misery", the harmonies are so beautiful and so dark. The melancholy is too heartbreaking. The desolation is infinite, and the suffering is eternal... The pain runs deep!

Ankhagram must be the best Russian band, and this album is one of the best releases of the year! Highly recommended!!!

Doomstermaniac Dec. 2008

Most of Russia's metal scene is located in the westernmost part of the country. It's located in cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Tula. However, I managed to find a band from Murmansk which is located far to the north close to Finland and the Arctic Sea. Their name is Di Mortales. They're a doom/death band that formed in 2010 and released their full-length debut Dead Pages five years later.

The Russians definitely know how to make doom/death that has a rich atmosphere. The production is clean but not so clean that it ends up becoming sterile. It still features a great deal of heaviness. The drums are played by Konstantin Chuykin. He plays a lot of slow and plodding beats that feature a really powerful snare. It makes you feel like you're trudging through deep arctic snowbanks. Sometimes he picks up the pace slightly and throws in some pounding toms. The bass is played by Vyacheslav Gromov. Although he mainly follows the guitars, he still makes the music sound really heavy.

The vocalist is Denis Ignatkin. His growls are hoarse yet filled with great anger. His performance feels like a lone wanderer calling out in the frozen wastes, trying to find a virtuous man in a world full of depravity. The guitars are played by both Denis Ignatkin and Sayman Bass. I thought Sayman Bass would be the type of person to play the bass, but whatever. The guitars are still the best part of this album. They play a few mid-paced shredding riffs that feature a low, dark tone, and sometimes they play some crushing chugs. What really makes the guitars special is that they play a lot of slow, high-pitched riffs that feature an incredible level of grace and melody. These riffs make the music profoundly emotional. They exude loneliness and sorrow. They almost reminds me of Forest of Shadows.

However, there is one major problem with this album, namely their heavy focus on non-metal passages that feature a great deal of acoustic guitars. Don't get me wrong, non-metal elements are fine in small doses, but if you include too many non-metal passages then you end up diluting the actual metal passages and as a result you end up becoming like Deafheaven. I hate Deafheaven, and I don't want this band to be like them. Other than that, this album was great. It's really heavy but it's also filled with emotion.

Servile Insurrection Aug. 2015

If Shape of Despair had followed up 'Shades of...' with the brilliant formula they created, it probably would've sounded strikingly similar Ankhagram's 'Under Ruins'. This album brings to mind the similarities that Ashes You Leave's debut had to the My Dying Bride's 'As the Flower Withers'. However this isn't out and out plagiarism but it is pretty damn close.

This one man Russian powerhouse hit things off right with his third release. Surprisingly good production helps bring each song to its full potential. The slow chugging guitars contrast nicely with feedback laden droning dirges. There are no real solos but there are some mournful leads. The keyboards provide a sufficient if buried atmospheric backbone to each song.

The music is beautiful and doesn't lack for much of anything. The subject matter is akin to its forefathers and is delivered with decidedly better growls than the aforementioned. The music itself, tranquil in its delivery, does well to lull the listener into a peaceful if dark state of mind. Building on its borrowed foundation the band does well to fuse small amounts of drone with their more unique funeral structures. The long sustained passages are both dark and oddly uplifting; something highly original to Ankhagram.

The songs are heavy but tempered with enough melody to make them more accessible than your average funeral doom band. Soft piano notes play damning patterns under despondent riffs. This isn't as keyboard/effects heavy as his later work which is a nice change to his more orchestrated albums. The songs are slow with mid(up)-tempo bits here and there. Shining hope into the darkest most inhospitable of abysses.

This is a band (project) that has a vast amount of untapped potential and continually delivers high quality doom metal and is one to watch. This band would appeal to fans of atmospheric doom.

80%

Metal Archives Jul. 2014

Mein Therapeut hat mir empfohlen, ich soll meiner Vorbelastung folgen, auch wenn sie Doom Metal und in diesem speziellen Fall sogar Funeral Doom Metal heißt. In den düsteren Klanglandschaften, die über Gitarren, Keyboards oder Synthie gelegt werden könne ich mein allzu oft ungruftig fröhliches Gemüt etwas abkühlen. Denn wen bei Funeral Doom nicht sofort eine eiskalte Düsternis anfällt, der begebe sich in sein Gefrierfach und schließe die Kühlschranktür.

Nun ist mittlerweise ja erwiesen, dass traurige Musik gut tut, vor allem wenn man Kummer hat. Doch auch, wenn ihr wie ich keinen habt, möchte ich gern diese musikalische Therapiestunde mit euch teilen. Die Auswirkungen sind mental erfahrbar, aber körperlich unbedenklich. Weder ist zu Funeral Doom schon mal jemand adrenalingeschwängert durch den Raum getanzt noch sind Fälle der selbsttätigen Rückgabe des Lebenslöffels bekannt, die eindeutig auf diese Musik zurückzuführen wären. Funeral Doom erfordert einfach nur Hingabe, Einhören und Hinfühlen – idealerweise des Nachts im Kerzenlicht mit einem alkoholischen Getränk vor der Nase. Oder auch ganz ins Dunkel gehüllt lauschend vor sich hinliegend. Fertig soweit? Gut. Dann lege ich jetzt mal meine momentane Lieblings-Bestattungs-Untergangs-CD von The Cold View ein.

Beim Hören von The Cold View empfiehlt es sich, wie der Bandname schon sagt, innerlich einen kalten Blick aufzusetzen. Mit dieser kühlen, die Welt befremdlich findenden Sichtweise vertont Musikmacher A.A.S. seine Emotionen und Gedanken. Übrigens betrachteten auch einige Philosophen der Avantgarde zwischen 1910-30 gesellschaftliche Verhältnisse mit diesem “kalten Blick”. Fasste A.A.S. im Debüt “Weeping Winter” noch seine inneren Winter-Konflikte in tiefdüstere Töne, so tritt er im zweiten Album aus sich heraus und beschäftigt sich musikalisch mit der Kälte der modernen Gegenwart und Gesellschaft, der Entfremdung von Natur und Zivilisation. Dieses Hauptthema spiegelt auch die Booklet-Gestaltung des diesmal endlich auf CD erschienenen Tonträgers oder das weltschmerzige Wortspiel des Albumtitels mit den vier W – “Wires” of “Woe”, “Ways” of “Waste” wieder.

“Wires” beginnt wie ein vor Kälte knarzender Eissturm, an alten, echten Industrial a la Cabaret Voltaire erinnernd. Überhaupt ist Track 1 in meinen Ohren das am exzessivsten überarbeitete Stück, mal abgesehen von einer melancholisch tiefenwirksamen Minute mit gedronedter Akustikgitarre. Es ist auch das längste Stück mit 18 Minuten Spielzeit. Doch die anderen Tracks versprechen ebenfalls je mehr als eine Viertelstunde Düstergenuss. “Woe” geht verhältnismäßig gut vorwärts, kommt für mich manchmal schon fast martial-kämpferisch daher, was an den im Hintergrund mal schneller, mal langsamer mitlaufenden Drumsequenzen liegt. Es läutet langsam aus mit Gitarrensaiten, die wie das Glockenspiel einer Spieluhr gezupft sind. Dann startet brachial #3 “Ways”. Ein sehr finsteres und kompaktes Stück, mit fast durchgehend intensiven Grunzlauten (Growls), die stärker im Vordergrund sind als bei den anderen Stücken. “Waste” beginnt daraufhin sanft, mit moll-igen Streichertönen, um dann in intensive Growls und später in gequälte Gitarrenriffs überzugehen. Es geht trauervoll auf symphonische Art zuende.

Rhythmusarm, getragen, düster, als würde man sich herzensschwer in einem Trauerzug dahinschleppen schleifen sich die Töne über die Erde, wird man hin und wieder von symphonischen Arrangements und orchestralen Zäsionen aufgeschreckt. Untermalt wird alles von A.A.S.’ langanhaltenden Growls aus der Tiefe, zu denen es auch einen Text gibt, den man im Booklet nachlesen kann – und muss (!).

               Blocked by heavy black buildings,
               trash and dirt allow no passing,
               wet by the rain and mist.
               Nothing that could reflect a light.

               There even is no light anymore,
               so the ruins can’t cast shadows.

               Day and night are melting to a
               viscous mass,
               time has no room where life is
               finally erased.

               Lyrics zu “Ways”

Auch das zweite Album von The Cold View klingt für mich wieder harmonisch düster. Es spiralisiert sich mit jedem Stück nach unten in den Abgrund der Seele, schleift Gedanken hinter sich her und ist dabei niemals dissonant. Einzelne Kältefelder lösen andere ab – mal läuft das Ohr leichter darüber, mal schwerer.

Diesmal habe ich auch kein Lieblingsstück – es ist die Gesamtheit aller vier, der düstere Reigen ist perfekt aufeinander abgestimmt. “Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste” klingt im Vergleich zum wirklich kältezerfressenen, abgrundtiefen ersten Album “Weeping Winter” nicht mehr ganz so düster und hoffnunglos, aber immer noch trostlos und finster genug. Rhythmusarm, aber nicht so festgefroren wie im Debüt. Die einzelnen Instrumente haben mehr eigenen Raum und dadurch Wirkung, sind nicht so stark miteinander verschmolzen, sondern effektvoller arrangiert. Die Grunzlaute/Growls sind stärker verfälscht und unverständlich, bleiben aber für meine Ohren mehr im Hintergrund als beim Debüt. Auffallend sind auch mehr Gitarren, die extrem manipuliert und mit Effekten überlegt wurden, dafür weniger Synthies. Wenn es nach mir ginge, könnten die aber gern im nächsten Album wieder etwas aufgedreht werden.

Insgesamt würde ich sagen: hier meint es jemand ernst. Man kann sich dazu im Welten- oder Menschenhass suhlen ohne Gefahr zu laufen, einen Hoffnungsschimmer zu entdecken. Oder wenn man alles toll und positiv findet, mal in eine ganz andere Welt abtauchen. Wer zum Hören einer Beschäftigung nachgehen möchte, sollte es wie ich mit Nähen versuchen. Funeral Doom wie dieser lenkt nicht ab und die schleifenden, repetitiven Töne unterstützten meine Geduld (das, was man beim Nähen am meisten braucht ;) ).

“Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste” ist wie erwähnt auf CD erschienen – limitiert auf 200 Stück, mit einem 6-seitigen Booklet, allen Texten und Bildern, die im oft endzeitlich anmutenden Darmstadt aufgenommen wurden. Wenn euch also die Musik-Therapiestunde gefallen hat, könnt ihr das Album hier für nur 8 € erwerben. Passend zur Musik bewahre ich meines im Eisfach auf.

Der schwarze Planet Feb. 2015

Boy, oh boy. I’m not sure whether to congratulate you on the beasts you have created there or tell you that you should seek professional help! But then again, if you need help, so do I, because your albums ‘Weeping Winter’ and ‘Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste’ are simply awesome. What is this particular type of funeral/drone doom, this utter blackness that you create on your records, able to express what other types can’t?

First, no need to worry, I’m fine. I may not be the happiest person alive, but I get along quite well. I have a passion for intense and extreme expression in music, which led to my particular style of slow droning sounds. Apparently my concept of Drone Doom and Funeral Doom seems to be slower and more monolithic than of other bands. Also some of these other bands are using very melodic lead guitars, whereas I have not used really melodic lead guitars on the previous two albums. Instead I was using many layers of guitars, combined with drones and synths. This way many overlays and feedbacks got generated, so that the particular guitars sometimes may not be recognizable that much. Many Funeral Dooms bands create a sound of grief while the expression of my creations seem to evoke emptiness, depression and despair in some listeners. Others, including myself, don’t get dragged down by my music but have a kind of enjoyment in these extreme sounds. That enjoyment maybe also leads to catharsis or relief. But of course my creations are more suitable for the brooding and solitary moments.

On ‘Weeping Winter’ you seem to deal with the dark season. I haven’t seen the lyrics. What do you express thematically in your lyrics and how does the music fit in?

‘Weeping Winter’ was a more personal album dealing with my nature experiences and emotions aligned to every particular winter month the songs are named after. The concept consisted of creating one song per month, so these defined times had a high impact on the songs. I used one accompanying attribute in the song names to describe how the particular month felt and how the songs turned out: empty, dark, gray, freezing, mournful.

As I have explained in another interview, The Cold View is a project that derives from a concept how to see the things in the world: to see them with a cold view. This concept was fundamentally inspired by Nietzsche and was popular in a small “intellectual” group for a short time in the beginning of 20th century. While the first album was from an ego perspective and the second one had a neutral view onto the things in the world, the third album will consequently turn to a second-person narrative.

The lyrics of ‘Wires of Woe…’ on the other hand seem to be post-apocalyptic and somehow appear to describe, in combination with the music, the blackest of the human mind and an inherent antagonistic relationship between human creation and nature. Is that so?

That is almost completely to the point. I just think it is not post-apocalyptic but a very up-to-date scenario.

The music on the album is just pure darkness and leaves no joy whatsoever. The artwork on the other hand seems to be somewhat hopeful and shows the catenary of rail tracks and sunsets. A contradiction? Or in other words, how does this fit together?

I don’t think that there is just pure darkness on the album, I also think there are some trails of (gray) light in the music. For example take a view onto the lyrics of “Woe”. But of course you are right, the overall picture is black or dark. I myself perceive my photographs for the front and back cover as melancholic, longing and yearning. The pictures are like a farewell and they illustrate the dusk which will descend into the darkest of night. A darkness that was created by mankind itself. The rails, catenaries and wires are important metaphors for the thematical concept of the album. They do also appear at the pictures of the booklet, which should appeal less bright even for the ones who seem to see some hope in the cover artwork.

What would a live show of The Cold View look like? Would that at all be possible?

I never thought about how a live show could be like. I never wanted to play and never will play a live show. The Cold View is a one man project and I would have to find musicians who have the same vision of Drone and Funeral Doom like me. Apart from that I don’t think that it would work out very well. The Cold View is intended to get listened on one’s one and not at a live show.

You use organs and strings in your music, which, of course, is not very exotic, but which give a very certain feel to your music. Could you imagine to use other, more exotic instruments, for example the Australian didgeridoo or, say, an alpenhorn?

Generally I am open minded for every type of instrument. Whatever instrument it is, I probably would use effects and filters on it, so it may not be obvious where the specific origin of the sound is coming from. I already used synths and sequencer with different types of woodwinds, brass and keys on both records. For the second album I even made field recordings of stuff like a washing machine or a vacuum cleaner and used them as a sound base for different drones.

Will The Cold View be only about drone funeral doom or could you imagine going into a different music direction under the same name?

I could imagine to integrate more influences of other styles of music into my creations. But I would not like to make something completely different under the name of The Cold View, let’s say Dark Wave or Grindcore.

Disharmony is a recurring element in your music, but you use it not overly prominently. What are the criteria for you to delve into the realms of disharmony vis-à-vis more orchestral and harmonically saturated parts?

It is just a matter how everything fits to the mood and overall concept of the song or even the whole album. I have experienced disharmony as a stylistic device to create certain atmospheres and as a tool that is suitable to avoid trumpery in a song.

How does the song writing process work in the The Cold View camp? Do you watch the news, absorb all the shit which is going on in this world and turn it into music?

Thematically and lyrically the concept of the records is already existing a longer time and is not tied to up-to-date news. It is just my “cold view” unto the things in the world. It is about the individual that looses it’s individuality, it’s soul, identity and purpose in an technocratic society of egoism, consumption, delusion and decline. But I do not have a political or social agenda. You may call it philosophical, but I myself would not dare to go this far. Musically the most songs arise of spontaneous ideas while thinking about different things that bother me or while I’m practicing. Such an idea gets composed to a frame or structure of a song. On this base I start experimenting, writing and recording.

Do you in fact listen to your own music a lot thinking to yourself: yes, the world is bleak and mostly black!

When I am listening to my creations I am primary reflecting about my compositions, what works out well and what could have been done better and should get improved the next time. Yes, the world is bleak and black much too often, but when I am listening to my stuff I am just enjoying that it turned out this extreme and in a way quite satisfying to my creative demands.

Thanks for your time, A.A.S. (fitting name, by the way, giving that ‘aas’ is the German word for ‘carrion’ – coincidence?)! Please share your final thoughts with us!

Let’s call it intended coincidence. “A.A.S.” is the abbreviation for my first, middle and family name. Sometimes things just fit together.

For everyone interested, there are still some copies of the limited digipak of both albums left at The Cold View Bandcamp page and the label shops of Endless Winter and GS Productions. There are also good news for those who want to hear some new creations: Already last year I have finished an over 30 minutes track for a split release, hopefully getting released this year. Furthermore I have started to work on the third album, but it should not be expected before 2016. Thanks for your questions and the opportunity to participate in this interview! Cheers!

Cheers!

Vendetta Metal Magazine Jan. 2015

It’s total darkness. I can hardly see the glass of red wine on the table, let alone decipher my handwriting on this piece of paper which I found somewhere. You may wonder: What’s this guy up to? Well, he’s listening to the second album of The Cold View, ‘Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste.’ And after the first seconds of this monster of an album it became clear that no light shall enter the room. No sign of life can surround you, no joy be part of a listening experience which invokes pure darkness. Because that is what A.A.S. has created on this album: A lifeless worship of a darkness that can only be described with the recently developed Vantablack.

‘Wires…’ is not a funeral doom album anymore. A.A.S. has redefined that genre which I, henceforth, shall call Vantadoom. The inertia of the songs is stunning, like a horror that never ends. Of course there are doom-typical elements, such as the utterly deep growling vocals, but also somewhat higher pitches can be found, supplementing the vocal range with a layer that underline the darkness of the vocals.

And the second you think there is a light at the end of this darkness, yet another element or riff (well, you can’t really call them riffs) pulls you further down. The music is droning in my headphones, an undeniably crucial element in experiencing this journey, and overdriven drone sounds, disharmonic and tritonus-based chords and eerie electronics suck up the last hope of mankind.

But also the utilisation of strings, organ and other synths contribute to the feeling of despair that the songs unleash. Then again, also not using the drums in the first track ‘Wires’ makes this track particularly dreading and the first vanta symphony the world has heard can be noted here. This is further used towards the end of the second track ‘Woe’ in which the slow drums disappear and a multilayered, synth-driven and almost electronic segment slowly drives the horror deeper into you. While the drums reappear, the songs ends on a strange, reverb-filled, almost happy something… Whatever it is that the synths generate. What comes to my mind is a skeleton in a wedding dress, enjoying itself in a rocking chair.

But all remains of happiness are crushed under tons of sorrow in ‘Ways’. While in essence following the trademarks of the first track, drums are added here, which in a way are the windchime in the good life of the skeleton bride. But she suddenly twitches when the drums start to play a faster pattern and the droning is replaced with a sawing tone resulting in a (more or less) solo part of the drums. But the drone returns with a disharmonic layer that adds to the picture of the skeletal wedding in the vantablack.

The album ends with the track ‘Waste’, the fastest or, let’s rather say, speediest of the songs. But a full-fledged droning, an utterly unpleasant underlying dissonance and swaying and straying melodies in the background immediately lead any hope for light into the void of the horror of emptiness.

The album ends. And so does this review. Exhausted yet refreshed I shall type up these words into the computer in the morrow. For now, I press ‘Repeat’. To delve yet again into the blackest of black. The vantablack.

10/10

Vendetta Metal Magazine Jan. 2015

Dunkelheit und abgrundtief schwarzer Morast, Kälte, bittere eisige Kälte - in den Tiefen der menschlichen Seele - beklemmender, destruktiver und hoffnungsloser Zerfall der menschlichen Existenz - so und nur so kann man die Stimmung des Albums beschreiben. Auf "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" herrscht das Ende! Der Hörerschaft wird hier nichts - aber auch gar nichts - leicht gemacht.

Der Protagonist dieser Scheibe möchte, dass die an grenzenlose Bitterkeit reichende und unerträgliche Last, von seinen durch tiefsten Schmerz geplagten Körper, genommen wird. Dieses Drone Metal oder auch Funeral Doom Metal-Einmannprojekt eines gewissen A.A.S., zieht einen so tief runter, dass man nach dem ersten Durchlauf erst mal frische Luft schnappen muss und dabei feststellt: Gott sei Dank, man weilt noch unter den Lebenden. Zu hören gibt es abgrundtiefe Growls, etwas Gitarren (?) und latent beklemmende Keyboard-Passagen, die schwärzer nicht sein können. Die Growls sind über weite Strecken so dominant, dass man meinen könnt, sie sollen doomig schleppende Gitarren ersetzen. Dieses Werk bereitet dem Schreiberling wirklich Schwierigkeiten, da er so etwas noch nicht gehört hat. Dem einen oder anderen wird es wohl ähnlich gehen.

Vier bitterböse Songs kriechen zäh und finster aus den Boxen, dabei erreichen sie problemlos eine Gesamtspielzeit von 66:16 morastigen Minuten. Ich kann euch nur raten, dieses Werk mit Kopfhörern zu entdecken. Es hat nämlich gleich zwei Vorteile.

     1. Man kann somit die Gradwanderung zwischen Monotonie und Vielfalt und die daraus entstehende seltsame Stimmung besser verarbeiten.

     2. Ihr verschont eure Umwelt und Personen, die eventuell leicht in depressive Gemütszustande verfallenden könnten.

Eine eindeutige Punktezahl kann ich hier irgendwie nicht verteilen, da zu diesem Monolith nur SCHWARZ, DUNKELHEIT, FÄULNISS und unaufhaltsamer ZERFALL passen. Definitiv nichts für schwache Nerven...

Metaltalks.de Jan. 2015

"Pathways through the waste of human life have no intent. They are a maze of inevitable failure and dishonest regret."

Holy shit, that's dark. Flipping through the liner notes of the Cold View's sophomore release, _Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste_, these are the lyrics that struck me as most gritty and poignant. On their own, words like "failure" and "regret" evoke a kind of romantic melancholy, a rearview sadness that can be accepted and recovered from. Frontloading those sentiments with "inevitable" and "dishonest" drains all possible consolation, though, by forecasting our own crass choices and betraying our shame. Nothing quite encapsulates the stripped-down stoicism of the album like the quote above.

There might not be any album in the history of recorded music that wants to be in your record collection less than _WWWW_ does. By his own admission, the Cold View's main man A.A.S. is strongly influenced by drone music, and the muted core of _WWWW_ bears this out. This is no extreme cousin to the guitar rock album; in fact, debut record _Weeping Winter_ derived from synthesizer and sequencer sounds, and while the new music includes more guitar, there has been no great leap away from the buzzing crawl of old. The new artwork might even be a bit misleading: color photographs of cloudy industrial sunsets, as opposed to _Weeping Winter_'s bare contrast of black on dark gray, might indicate a broader overall palette, but beyond a few precious details, this is not the case. _WWWW_ groans in its own lonesome darkness, and it might choose to put out its own eyes if it even hallucinated about a hint of light.

With four tracks that each top fifteen minutes, _WWWW_ is not an album for aggression hounds, or even for the dewy drone/doom novice. Its uneventful sloth and dogged inward spiraling are harrowing, maddening, and will absolutely repel all but the most dedicated depressives. Luckily, the album lives in digital form at Bandcamp, so you can wallow in it on a trial basis. But settle in. _WWWW_ resists snap judgment, and it refuses to give you anything you want. Either give yourself up to what it is or give up and go away.

7/10

Chronicles of Chaos Dec. 2014

The Cold View is a drone/funeral doom metal project from Germany, that released their sophomore record earlier in 2014, called Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste, via Endless Winter.

As the name suggests, The Cold View’s music feels like a cold, sober look on loneliness, desperation and life’s darkness. The new album is slow, dark, atmospheric, but perceived from a more neutral point of view than the more esoteric previous album, poring over the materialistic modern society and the negativity a greedy, physical world has over humanity’s presence.

If you live in a big city, score your next walk through it with Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste and take in the alienation. As much as something like this would be disturbing, it would feel liberating as well.

Destroy//Exist Dec. 2014

The Cold View is German outfit and this ‘Wires Of Woe, Ways Of Waste’ is their newest release. This one-man act plays funeral doom metal with many drone elements. So we get four huge monolithic tracks that are painstakingly slow and dirge-like. The drone elements are somewhat of a let-down. They do not feel oppressive or heavy and seem only there to stretch the length of the tracks. Another point of criticism goes out to the vocals, especially the high-pitched ones, which sound weak and forced. However, the slow funeral doom, spiced with synths and piano, is well done. Properly atmospheric and depressive, showing just enough variation to prevent total boredom, which is a smart choice. So in the end, ‘Wires Of Woe, Ways Of Waste’ has some good and some bad aspects and the overall mark reflects that. Not bad at all, but not great either.

60/100

Lords of Metal Dec. 2014

To doom/death είναι είδος που μας έχει παρουσιάσει πάμπολλα άλμπουμ «διαμάντια», με τη συντριπτική πλειοψηφία αυτών, να προέρχεται από μπάντες της Σκανδιναβίας. Όμως δεν υπάρχουν μόνο εκεί αξιόλογα συγκροτήματα του είδους. Υπάρχουν και σε άλλες «παγωμένες» χώρες, όπως καλή ώρα στην Ουκρανία, από όπου έρχονται οι MOURNFUL GUST.

Έχοντας ως έτος ίδρυσης το 1999 και κάνοντας το χλιαρό ντεμπούτο τους το 2000, με το “She’s my grief”, διαλύθηκαν 2 χρόνια μετά, για να επανενωθούν το 2004 και να ηχογραφήσουν το κατά πάρα πολύ ανώτερο “The frankness eve”. Το τρίτο τους άλμπουμ και καλύτερο μέχρι σήμερα, “For all the sins”, κυκλοφόρησε πέρυσι. Έτσι, φέτος, και με την ευκαιρία των 15 χρόνων από την ίδρυσή τους, οι Ουκρανοί κυκλοφορούν μία best-of στην ουσία συλλογή, αλλά λίγο διαφορετική.

Αντί απλά να μαζέψουν τα 11 κομμάτια από τους 3 δίσκους τους και να τα βάλουν σε ένα άλμπουμ, αποφάσισαν και μπήκαν στο στούντιο, έπαιξαν ζωντανά, one take (όπως λέει το δελτίο τύπου τουλάχιστον) και χωρίς edits, overdubs, εφέ, επιπλέον ηχογραφήσεις και το αποτέλεσμα είναι το “If we were alive”.

Η αναλογία κομματιών/άλμπουμ δεν είναι και η καλύτερη δυνατή, αλλά σύμφωνα με τη δυναμική και την ποιότητα του κάθε δίσκου, είναι δικαιολογημένη. Έτσι εδώ, έχουμε 1 μόλις κομμάτι από το ντεμπούτο τους, 2 από το δεύτερο άλμπουμ και τα υπόλοιπα 7 είναι από το τελευταίο. Μέσα σε αυτά είναι και η πολύ ιδιαίτερη διασκευή που είχαν κάνει στο “Rainbow eyes” του μεγαλύτερου τραγουδιστή που πέρασε ποτέ από το χώρο του «σκληρού ήχου», του μεγάλου κοντού, του Ronnie James Dio.

Η απόδοση της μπάντας είναι πάρα πολύ καλή, ο ήχος επίσης και το όλο εγχείρημα κρίνεται απολύτως πετυχημένο και ιδανική ευκαιρία για όποιον αρέσκεται στο μελωδικό doom/death, να γνωρίσει μία μπάντα που ίσως αγνοούσε, αλλά αξίζει της προσοχής του. Τα φωνητικά του Vladislav Sahin κλέβουν την παράσταση, τόσο στις brutal, όσο και στις καθαρές στιγμές, οι οποίες παρότι περίεργες και οριακά σωστές τονικά πολλές φορές, είναι τόσο ταιριαστές στη μουσική και το ύφος των τραγουδιών που δε σε ενοχλεί καθόλου. Μαζί με τα φωνητικά, το φυσικά βιολί, φλάουτο και πιάνο, απλά προσθέτουν στην ατμόσφαιρα του αποτελέσματος.

Μία απλή ακρόαση του υπέροχου “let the music cry”, ή των “Until I’m bright” και “Words of farewell” θα σας πείσει.

Αν οι SATURNUS και OFFICIUM TRISTE σας «χτυπάνε καμπανάκι» και θέλετε να βρείτε ακόμα μία μπάντα στο χώρο, αλλά και με προσωπικότητα, τσεκάρετε το “If we were alive”.

8/10

Rockhard Greece Nov. 2014

Last year we featured a German drone/doom project called The Cold View, who had, at that point, recorded a five-song suite called Weeping Winter that could successfully leech all heat-potential from a newborn star and leave behind only frozen dust and brittle ash.

Luckily for anyone still able to feel positive emotion after listening to Weeping Winter, The Cold View’s mastermind didn’t stop there. He has since recorded a bonus track for WW‘s physical release through Russian label GS Productions, as well as a new album called Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste through the Endless Winter record label. Beyond getting double the W’s (quadruple-u?), you’ll hear over an hour of new depressing darkness in the form of four new tracks (named, unsurprisingly, “Wires” and “Woe” and “Ways” and “Waste”).

We caught up with A.A.S. again for an update on his project and his impressions of the new album. Develop your own impressions with a full stream from the Cold View Bandcamp site, and be sure to check out the Cold View official website. Maybe your loneliness won’t feel so lonely.

The last album was winter-themed, and songs were actually written around the winter months. Last time we spoke you mentioned that you had another concept in mind for the follow up: is this the concept you developed into Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste?

Everything that I create with The Cold View, from music to artwork and to lyrics, is in some way interconnected. It is all part of a concept that is proceeding from record to record. This concept should get clearer with the second album Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste. But maybe it will not get comprehensible until the release of the third album – at least I hope it will come to a third album.

I do not want to reveal too much of the underlying concept. I do not want to make a huge affectation out of it and I want to leave it to the listener, if he or she wants to make some thoughts about my creations.

But for those interested I would like to give some hints. Just look at the album titles, the song titles, how stylistic devices get used, repeated, altered, enhanced and progressed. Or look at the themes and the point of view in the lyrics. This all should make some sense by considering the band name, that derives from a concept how to see the things in the world. This concept was popular in the intellectual avant-garde of the early 20th century for a short time and was fundamentally inspired by Nietzsche. The first album was written from an ego perspective dealing with the cold season and personal emotions connected with it. The second album takes a more neutral view and is dealing with the “coldness” in the modern world and society.

Musically the concept changed from using much more sequencer and synthesizer as on the debut album Weeping Winter to using much more guitars on the second album Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste. Many layers of guitars got arranged one upon the other. I made extensive use of acoustic guitar, that was recorded clean and re-amped afterwards. Many drones are based upon field recordings that got excessively manipulated. I did a lot of experimental sound creation. So I played synths through guitar amps or used guitar recordings for sequencers, to name just two examples.

Did you approach the writing or recording process for the new songs any differently than on Weeping Winter?

Of course I got more experience over the time so I could optimize the work-flow of the recording process. I also bought some better equipment and switched from 16Bit/44,1hz to a more professional 24Bit/88,2kHz recording quality. So there were some changes from the technical side.

The creative process in contrast did not change that much. I am always developing ideas in my mind and use them when I am writing some base compositions. The main creative work still happens while actively working on a song. The most experimental sounds and compositional refinements also get created while working on the song. The advantage of this approach is maximum freedom, spontaneity and also a higher involvement while recording. The disadvantage is that the outcome is not projectable in every case. I at least reject as many recordings as I retain.

As I said before, the compositions of the debut were mostly based on synths and sequencers. On the second album the compositions were mostly aligned to the guitars. Of course this had an impact on the process of composing and creating. Also the songs got much longer than on the debut. On both albums the song structures are far away from usual pop compositions and did change from record to record. Even though I intentionally wanted to create longer songs, the compositions on Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste needed a longer runtime to breathe and proceed.

Did the album turn out the way you first imagined it?

I am very happy with the result of the new album. Nevertheless there is always much room for improvement, from recording to composition to musical skills. And of course there is a gap between intention and result. The trick is to be aware of this mismatch of imagination and realization. I creatively use these shortcomings to create something that maybe gets different from what was intended, but in the end is satisfying and fitting well.

Your doom sound is much sparser than most other albums in that style. Why do you think this is?

I do not really know if everybody would agree that my doom sound is “sparser” than of others. In fact, I do think that my sound is different from other Funeral Doom albums. My songs are less melodic and rhythmically less varied. The reason for this is that my music is very influenced by Drone. That’s why I actually think that I do not create music in a tight sense. I do judge myself as creative with sound. I am utilizing many effects and I am using the interferences of different track layers to shape sounds. So also the riffs are even more far away from the clearness of other records. To sum it up, my creations are strongly focused onto sound. Everyone who feels up to listen close enough will find many details. Good headphones or good speakers are mandatory.

How did you get hooked up with Endless Winter for this release?

As I did for the first album, I again wrote to a couple of smaller labels which are dedicated to Doom, Drone or Extreme Metal in general. I did not get a label for the first album, so I was very happy to have two labels interested into the second album. Endless Winter and GS Productions from Russia were interested and both left a good impression. The persons behind the labels do know each other and in the end we agreed that Endless Winter would do the second album and GS Productions the re-release of the debut including one bonus track. The guys are great people who are doing what they love and helped me to put my records into great physical releases. I have the impression that Russia is a country with a higher interest in Doom Metal and Funeral Doom than somewhere else. But also in Russia the Doom genre still is just a niche of Metal and extreme music, of course.

Are there any specific personal reasons you chose to explore “the loss of identity in the modern world, about the alienation which is born out of a technocratic material civilization” on the new album, or is this just a theme that happens to fit your music well?

Indeed I think that this theme fits to the music very well. And I think it is a theme that many people out there are familiar with. Personally it is something where I am concerned. The most people seem to be affected by it even more, independently if they know it or not. The theme also is part of the underlying concept of The Cold View. The first album is about the self, tortured by personal struggles and lost in nature. The second album deals with the isolated individual human existence, completely absorbed by consumption, technology and left in separation of nature. Even though my thoughts are not new, they may be not too common for the lyrics in Funeral Doom. This album and its perspective are the logical progression if you consider the concept of The Cold View.

Decibel Magazine Nov. 2014

The Cold View is een Duitse 'band' die zich bekwaamt in het neerzetten van een uiterst desolaat drone/funeral doom-concept. Band staat tussen haakjes, het betreft hier een enkel persoon, die slechts bekend staat onder de initialen A.A.S. Hij (zij? wie weet?) is verantwoordelijk voor alle instrumentarium en eventueel aanwezige vocalen.

Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste is het tweede album van The Cold View, waarop de bandnaam volledig wordt waargemaakt. Deze muzikale uiting is zeer basic van aard. Geluidstapijten vormen de hoofdmoot, en leggen een zeer deprimerende sfeer neer. Er staan vier titels op het album, die ieder voor zich rondom het kwartier aan speeltijd in beslag nemen.

Het concept verhaalt over het onvermijdelijke einde dat onze beschaving te wachten staat. Het menselijke bestaan verliest zijn identiteit, en hart en ziel. Dit maakt plaats voor materialisme, voortschrijdende technologie en sociale vervreemding. Wat mij betreft wordt dit concept via de 'muziek' perfect tot uiting gebracht.

Muziek in de traditionele zin komt nauwelijks voorbij. Drums bijvoorbeeld, zijn slechts zeer zelden te horen; de gitaren zijn zo vervormd dat je nooit kan weten wanneer precies een riff begint, en slechts te horen op de achtergrond. Een zeer laag en vervormd gegrom gaat door voor vocalen, en geeft diepte en vooral een dreigend effect.

Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste laat zich het best beluisteren als de soundtrack van een uitermate somber wereldbeeld.

Wings of Death Oct. 2014

"Above the ground/But all they can hear is the sound

Of the wind in the antennae/It's a human zoo:

A suicide machine."

Hawkwind, in 1979, for the curious: a rather cheerless warning about the dehumanisation of life in a 'High Rise'. It could also have been a prophecy for the coming of this, The Cold View's sophomore release, opening its own window on the suicide machinery of humanity with the cruel, jagged, static squeal of antennae that introduces 'Wires'. "Cheerless" is an inadequate word for what follows: the fatal plunge of Hawkwind's protagonist seems like a pleasant trip in comparison to the sunless and desperate depths awaiting here. Even the band's name is somewhat understating its case: there is much worse than simple cold in this view.

Anyone who experienced the previous outing by sole band member A.A.S., on the 2012 debut 'Weeping Winter', will have an idea what to expect: Funeral Doom with industrialised drones, metallic-edged percussion and distorted guitar over layers of white noise and static, cavernous vocals dragging dispassionate syllables into an abyssal eternity, dissonant keyboard near-melodies thrown in to emphasise rather than relieve the leaden miseries on display. In short, the epitomy of unwaveringly depressive extreme metal.

Clearly, anyone expecting or wanting even the slightest sense of optimism from their music would be in the wrong place, and know that within about 10 seconds. Even those with a penchant for being on the receiving end of grim sonic experiences might find 'Wires Of Woe...' something of an endurance test: none of the four tracks making up the extended concept clock in at less than 15 minutes, and almost none of those minutes offer any sort of easy listening.

Still, for all that, the uncompromising purity of the material has a certain stark appeal: it presents the suffocating, monolithic slabs of its motifs like slow-moving tides, vast shapes gliding, more felt than seen, below the dark surface. It can suck you in and make you part of the desolate lament for life that The Cold View expresses; watching the sun set over a landscape disfigured by the sharp, skeletal infrastructure of power lines and the decaying ruins of buildings. Knowing that, after this, the light will never return. It isn't a new concept - human life losing all value, not with a bang but with a drawn-out, choking whimper - but the bleak soundscape conveys it well enough.

Production-wise, it's just a little smoother and more polished than the debut, which brings out the near-subsonic background drones and rumbles that much more clearly, and gives the hypnotic nature of the music space to work in. The glossy limited digipack, courtesy of Endless Winter, is neatly presented, with a full-colour booklet containing all lyrics (these, it should be noted, are well-done: creating thoughtful and articulate vignettes), making it worth the extra cost over the download version.

'Wires Of Woe...' isn't going to appeal to everyone: it's about as slow, tortuous, deliberate and unrelenting an album as any out there. But if you have a sneaking suspicion that Until Death Overtakes Me could be a little too upbeat and melodic in places, you should feel right at home here, where - as A.A.S. puts it - "In this cold gray light, all is in woe".

7/10

Doom-metal.com Oct. 2014

You cannot criticize the stunning, bleak and emotive cover art that adorns this release can you?

Hailing from the Ukraine comes a death/doom quartet by the name of Tectum and this is their new album released through Russian label Endless Winter. Entitled Path to Eternity this debut album begins with Scorn, Greed, Damn and sees Tectum set a surprisingly upbeat tone for all the darkened and bitter subject matter and the general consensus of the genre. With a hint of My Dying Bride influence about the vocal work, there the similarity ends as Tectum grace us with a moderate to fast pace pretty much for the whole album, a catchy and endearing quirk not often heard when it comes to the death/doom sound.

Played with great talent and composure and sporting a level of song craft that keeps the whole album gripping and atmospheric, Tectum play hard with their dagger like riffs, venomous guttural growls and methodical drumming, yet they have a soaring, melodic undertone that keeps their music flowing superbly.

A very different prospect when compared to the usual death/doom fare and its nice to see a band try something just a little bit different. You can be mournful, sombre and depressive whilst setting a catchy, upbeat tone!

8/10

Destructive Music Feb. 2014

Im Sommer wird das zweite Album von THE COLD VIEW über das Doom Metal Label Endless Winter (endless-winter.org) veröffentlicht. Das neue Album "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" erscheint als ein auf 200 Stück limitiertes Digipack mit 8-seitigem Booklet.

THE COLD VIEW hat sich dem Funeral Doom mit Drone Einflüssen verschrieben. Bedrückende Growls, pechschwarze Keyboardpassagen und erschütternde Gitarren erschaffen einen Sound, der die Ausweglosigkeit des menschlichen Daseins verkörpert. Das neue Konzept-Album behandelt den Verlust der Identität, der mit dem Austausch ideeller Werte mit einer technokratischen, materiellen Kultur einhergeht.

Das Debüt-Album von THE COLD VIEW wurde 2012 als digitales Release veröffentlicht und von Doom-Fans sowie Metal-Webmagazinen sehr positiv aufgenommen. Auf thecoldview.com und thecoldview.bandcamp.com steht es weiterhin zum Download bereit.

Stormbringer May 2014

"Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" ist kein normales Album. Das zweite Album vom Funeral/Drone Doom Projekt The Cold View schafft es z.B. mit nur vier Songs auf über eine Stunde Laufzeit zu kommen. Doch besonders macht das Album sein bis in kleinste Detail durchdachte Gesamtkonzept, welches sich in Musik und graphischer Gestaltung widerspiegelt.

Bei "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" geht es A.A.S., dem Mastermind hinter dem Projekt, darum, die existenziellen Sackgassen der modernen Welt zu zeigen. Als ich mir mit diesem Hintergrund die graphische Gestaltung des Booklets anschaute, kam in mir der Vergleich mit einer Galerie auf. Unter dem übergeordneten Titel des Albums werden vier Bilder bzw. Songs präsentiert, wobei jeder für sich stehen kann, aber auch seinen Platz im Gesamtkonzept einnimmt. Die einzelnen Songs bekommen als Klangbilder jeder einen Raum für sich, damit sie ihre ganze Wirkung auf den Betrachter/Hörer entfalten zu können.

Diese Räume sind zu Beginn immer dunkel und leer, erst wenn der Hörer einen betreten hat und sich der Song nach und nach entwickelt, füllt sich dieser langsam mit den Bildern, die beim Hören der Musik aufkommen. Auch wenn The Cold View eine Hauptaussage hinter "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" stehen hat, lassen die einzelnen Songs, gerade in ihrer spartanischen Gestaltung, genügend Raum für eigene Interpretationen und Gefühle, die man beim Hören empfindet.

Alle vier Stücke sind durchdacht, atmosphärisch dicht und düster aufgebaut und regen einen dazu an, sich bewusst mit dem Song auseinander zu setzen. Wie oben schon erwähnt, ist die musikalische Gestaltung der Songs sehr spartanisch. Drums hört man zum Beispiel nur sehr selten, die Gitarren sind so verzerrt, dass man nie genau sagen kann, wann ein Riff beginnt und im Hintergrund läuft ein an- und abschwellendes Dröhnen, welches den Songs, gemeinsam mit den sehr tiefen und verzerrten Growls, Tiefe und eine bedrohliche Wirkung gibt.

Von den vier Kompositionen bleibt mir "Wires" am nachhaltigsten im Gedächtnis. Beim Hören des Songs kommen in mir beklemmende Bilder auf, wie der Mensch die Erde und am Ende sich selbst in seiner Abhängigkeit von Strom und Energie vernichtet. Das für mich Verstörende daran ist, dass es The Cold View schafft, mit minimalistischen Mitteln ein so starkes und emotionales Erleben der Musik zu erzeugen, dass meine Angst vor dem oben genannten Szenario für mich nahezu greifbar wird. Ein Band, welches sich um meinen Brustkorb legt, wird mit jeder Sekunde, die "Wires" läuft, enger und enger und schnürt mir nach und nach die Luft ab. Selten hat mich Musik so körperlich gebannt und gefesselt!

Ich weiß nicht, ob man "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" so einfach mit einer Punktezahl beurteilen kann und ich will mir dies auch nicht anmuten, zu tun. Denn die Art und Weise der Musik ist zu zweischneidig und kann nicht einfach in gut oder schlecht eingeteilt werden. Es ist in meinen Augen ein sehr gelungenes Gesamtkunstwerk, welches mich emotional voll gepackt und gebannt hat. Wer es mag, sich beim Hören von Musik auch mit Inhalten und den aufkommenden Gefühlen und Emotionen auseinander zu setzen, der bekommt mit "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" genau das richtige Album. Alle anderen sollten die Finger davon lassen, denn zum bloßen Hören ist das Album nicht geschaffen worden.

Undergrounded.de Aug. 2014

Madonna’s 1980’s pop anthem ‘Material Girl’ addressed modern materialism in a fun, upbeat style. Thirty years later, The Cold View’s ‘Wires Of Woe, Ways Of Waste’ is the absolute opposite of that in every possible sense. This one-man project of Berlin-based A.A.S. approaches the soullessness of today’s technology-enshrined culture in a totally literal and terrifying manner, creating an album of such desperate bleakness that afterwards you might feel like listening to some Madonna just to cheer yourself up. Only joking – that desperate hag is more depressing than anything on offer here.

You’d be better off sticking with this daylight-swallowing, droning ambient funeral doom. It’s not easy listening. The Cold View’s music is slow, sullen and sparse. In its understated efforts to replicate the sheer futility of existence, the album’s quartet of songs – each 15-minutes-plus – can feel a little underpopulated. Minimalism, after all, must be very carefully managed.

Moments of beauty are rare, although they do appear, particularly in the piano accompaniment on the second track ‘Woe’ and the intro to ‘Waste’. The first moments of standout track ‘Ways’ offer some glimmer of synthy warmth, and although they are soon drowned by funereal sorrow, they return later on with an unexpected majesty. The four songs are called ‘Wires’, ‘Woe’, ‘Ways’, ‘Waste’, perhaps in an effort to go one step further than Robert J Sawyer’s ‘WWW’ sci-fi trilogy (‘Wake’, ‘Watch’, ‘Wonder’) which touches upon broadly similar subject matter.

The Cold View’s dissonant, buzzing guitars sound like a rusty telephone cable. Hushed, sinister vocals murmur and slice through the grey clouds of misery, and their message is evidently not a cheery one. A.A.S. seems intent on pointing the way towards humankind’s inevitable demise, engulfed by its own cleverness. It would be particularly ironic, therefore, to find yourself enjoying this album on Bandcamp, using a laptop. It might be advisable to use a wireless connection though – at least, you might feel safer that way, safer from the technological finale that The Cold View seems to foretell.

Perhaps this is one for hardcore funeral doom fanatics, as the incessant emptiness can feel slightly frustrating and soul-destroying at times. That said, The Cold View certainly lives up to its band name with its second album, giving a harsh and at times mesmerising exploration of the frustrations of living our lives wrapped in wires.

7/10

DoomMetalHeaven Aug. 2014

A A S, der Mann hinter dem Drone Doom Projekt The Cold View ist wieder da. Mit seinem Zweitwerk "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" bekommen wir ein Album geliefert, welches direkt dort weiter macht, wo das Debüt "Weeping Winter" aufhört. Nachdem dort die kalte Jahreszeit ziemlich gut vertont wurde, tun man nun selbiges mit Kummer, Leid und Verfall.

Die vier Stücke der Scheibe sind zwischen 15 und 18 Minuten lang und kommen, wie wir es bereits vom Debüt her kennen, zäh wie Klebstoff aus den Boxen gekrochen. Hier und da gibt es auch mal Ansätze von klaren und feinen Klangbildern, aber im Großen und Ganzen geht A A S auch auf dem neuen Langeisen mit schweren Linien aus Samples und Keys zu werke. An manchen Stellen, besonders beim Opener "Wires", trägt die Musik auch etwas von Noise in sich, was die "Krach-Fraktion" freuen wird(wenn sie sich auf diese geballte Macht Doom einlässt). Wenn sich die verzerrten Klänge zu einem "schmerzenden" Ton vereinigen, sollte dies jedenfalls bei den Freunden des "gepflegten Krachs" punkten.

Die Atmosphäre unterstützt das Thema der Platte bestens und der Apokalyptische Unterton lässt eine gewisse Kälte aufkommen. Die Vocals, welche eher als ein schwerer Hauch des Todes, denn als Gesang daherkommen(mit gutem Willen vlt. bei "Waste", wo sie etwas von Ahab haben), geben dem Ganzen eine große Finsternis und versprühen eine Art Endzeitstimmung.

"Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" ist genau wie das Debüt, sehr drückend und tief produziert, lässt aber auch kleinere "leichtere" Töne zu, die in ihren Momenten einen Hauch von "Hoffnung" tragen; die aber alsbald von der dunklen Seite der Scheibe wieder verdrängt wird.

Mit Endless Winter hat A A S übrigens ein reines Doom Label für seine Musik gefunden und die Russen tun gut daran, einen Künstler wie ihn, in ihren Reihen zu haben, denn nicht zuletzt an Solchen wird man den eigenen Erfolg messen müssen.

Fazit "Wires of Woe, Ways of Waste" setzt den Weg des Debüts "Weeping Winter" fort und verfeinert diesen sogar noch. Was in diesem Bereich gar nicht so einfach ist, ist The Cold View auf dem neuen Album gelungen. Nämlich einen gewissen Grad an Abwechslung in die Musik zu transportieren ohne dabei das Gesamtbild des Albums auf dem Gefüge zu heben.

Aber Vorsicht Leute; auch hier gilt es richtig hinzuhören. Genau wie das Debüt ist das hier was für Puristen und nichts für Jedermann!

8,5/10

Metalglory Aug. 2014

Hermandad, término necesario para catalogar el impecable trabajo de los penquistas doomers, Endimion, y su esperada placa debut vía “Canción Desde La Voz Primera”. Lazos irrenunciables que forjaron ocho tracks tras las mentes unidas en sangre por la dinastía Ibáñez Yáñez (Tomás, Víctor y Matías, guitarra, bajo y voz, respectivamente).

Fueron casi cinco inviernos en concebir de forma autónoma composiciones frías, personales y en tonos sepia, facturados entre Octubre de 2007 y Mayo de 2011 en variadas localidades, desde home studios hasta universidades del sector. La cosa era tenerlo de una vez por todas.

Con su formato físico inspirado en parajes de su natal región (Concepción) y construido en la lejana Rusia, el quinteto, junto a la participación desinteresada de Cristian Carrasco (voz de Poema Arcanvs), reutilizan de modo original papiros sludge y siluetas grises en los 48 minutos de su carta de presentación, como primer párrafo ‘Lady On My Dreams’. Aplicando viejas técnicas importadas desde los helados parajes nórdicos de principios de los noventa -tanto en voces como en producción- se oye un dejo de pulcritud en querer sonar a los viejos estandartes del Metal oscuro (Darkthrone, Hades, Limbonic Art), sonando sucios y a una toma como dictan los jeroglíficos de dicha rama. Mismo caso en la purista ‘The Land Of Fear’, monolítica en guitarras, incesante en baquetas, arrastradísimo e irascible en voces.

A ratos pareciese ser un desempolvado disco extraído del inner circle por su grado de crudeza, pero todo se aterriza en esa quinta esencia que cada cierto tiempo nos llega desde el sur de Chile, sobre todo en la original ‘We Are The Sky’, guturizando visceralmente las líricas hacia la tierra y los elementos galácticos. Muy profundo por lo demás. ‘Naked In The Sun’ es la mejor propuesta del disco, recordando lo realizado por Mayhem (transición ‘94-’00), dónde los spoken words inflexionan a la tradicionalidad de growls y gritos de ultratumba. Violentamente, pasa a momentos de calmas breves para seguir lo impuesto desde un principio, acudir a lo tenebroso.

Tras ‘Gutura Profana’, no hay mucho que ofrecer y mayores detalles que recalcar tampoco es necesario. ‘Agony’ por fortuna se empina como la mejor del álbum: en base Depressive Doom, escalofriante y con recuerdos nostálgicos a los misteriosos -sin exagerar- Uaral. Pero eso no es todo, pasada la mitad, da un vuelco olímpico en su estructura, tomando desprevenidamente a lo que originalmente nos propone. Travesía arriesgada que logra impecable resultados.

Llegando a las últimas hojas del booklet, sigue el trazo de su anterior track en ‘Come With Me’. Para una próxima placa, la mano va por esa dirección si desean confirmar su reivindicación. Finalmente la más extensa de estas ocho pistas (9:15) corre por ‘La Gruta Del Terror’, vocalizada por su invitado de grueso calibre. La voz de Poema Arcanvs plasma sombríos senderos, caracterizado por su reconocible timbre forjado por más de veinte años. Intención que cumple su objetivo, en dar carácter de invitado especial a la obra, pues pelea codo a codo con variados puntos altos del registro. Atentos ahí.

Aprueba. Nuevamente los húmedos bosques y amplias praderas codiciadas del sur chileno visten de inspiración el estreno de un buen nombre a destacar dentro de la escena nacional. Ahora el consolidarse es prioridad necesaria dentro de Endimion, ya que perder un decente comienzo, como lo es “Canción Desde La Primera Voz”, sería una real pena.

Rockaxis

Doom-gothic is a genre which achieved its peak in the 90s, as many other styles which can be considered extreme in the widest sense of the word. Bands like Paradise Lost established the essence of the style in their sophomore album called "Gothic", which is considered a milestone of the genre. That album, as other ones, influenced heavily an incipient scene in Norway, leaded by the pioneers Theatre of Tragedy and their fellows Tristania and The Sins of Thy Beloved. Unfortunately, the moment of inspiration of these bands didn’t last too much and after a couple of magnificent albums they started to experiment which, in my opinion, didn’t work too well. Since then no bands have even been near to reach that level of greatness, which the sole exception of the Swedish band Draconian, which has released two albums and an EP which have been hailed as masterpieces of doom-gothic. Fortunately, it seems that in Eastern Europe it has been growing a little scene where some groups are trying to revive this kind of gothic metal, free of the awful modern influences. For example, the Russian scene has given us interesting proposals like Autumn Rain melancholy, the newer Amederia and Mirror Morionis. In this case, I would like to review a quite interesting debut from a totally unknown band who released its debut two years ago.

Symphonian comes from Ukraine and it plays a typically 90s doom-gothic metal, slightly more oriented to the gothic side than, for example, the Russian band Amederia, but still with all the classic elements of the style. "Incarnation of Reality" was released by the specialized Russian label Endless Winter, which usually assures qualified doom music, and this is not an exception. The album begins with which is undoubtedly the best tune of all the cd, "Forbidden" contains all the elements that a great songs needs, low tempo riffs, consistent growls, excellent atmospheric keys and pianos and which is the most valuable element in this style, a beautiful, touching and sweet voice by the gorgeous Lana Sokolova. Its rather difficult to find really good singers in this style, because nowadays the scene is overcrowded by sopranos and similar voices, which are great but don’t suit this music in such an unique way as the voices of Liv Kristine, Sharon den Adel or Anneke. Their sweetness was a key element in the "beast and the beauty" concept which lies behind the doom-gothic music.

As I have mentioned before “Forbbidden” contains all the desirable elements of this genre, which are carefully added in a song which slowly evolves through its almost nine minutes length, it also includes a slightly change of tempo, adding some dynamism which perhaps is missed in the rest of the album, or at least in the shortest songs. Though compositions with slightly faster tempo like “Betrayed” are welcome because they add variety to the album, I think that the band reaches its best moments in the “doomiest” and longest tracks, where they are capable of creating an intense atmosphere. Moreover, in these longest songs they add more elements which enrich the compositions, like in the closing song of the album, called "Depressed”, where they introduce a simple but effective organ tune. Elements like longer piano sections, organs and more dynamic “doomish” riffs are resources which suit perfectly well their sound, so a more intense work in those aspects in the next albums would help the band to top and improve the best songs of this solid debut. The entire band makes a great work so the principles for a great improvement are there.

In conclusion, Symphonian has released an excellent debut album with some interesting ideas, and though like in many debuts some areas can still be improved, it is undoubtedly that this band has talent and hopefully an expectable bright future. If they are capable of maintaining their strengths and reinforcing their composition skills, a desirable second effort could help them to gain a greater notoriety in the scene. Doom-gothic is still alive.

85/100

The Metal Archives Sep. 2013

“Beauty and the beast”, una definizione da brividi. Con tale locuzione si suole esprimere, come certamente gli appassionati di (gothic metal) sapranno, l’alternanza canora di una voce femminile eterea (spesso un soprano) con il growl o gli screams maschili. Una soluzione musicale decisamente interessante, soprattutto quando a proporla, tra i primi nella storia del metal, furono i Paradise Lost in alcuni brani del celeberrimo Gothic (la title-track e Eternal), capolavoro di rara bellezza nonché capostipite di un filone metallico dal quale gli stessi inglesi hanno preso successivamente le distanze (ma questa è un’altra storia). Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania prima, Draconian ed altre bands dopo, hanno basato le rispettive carriere su tale proposta stilistica, con ottimi risultati e album di indubbia qualità. In tempi recenti, tuttavia, sembra che il beauty and the beast singing sia diventato una scelta di moda nonché certamente inflazionato, con rare produzioni interessanti e tantissimi dischi di una pacchianeria e noiosità uniche, rendendo per l’ascoltatore sempre più difficile riuscire a scovare perle sorprendenti in un mare magnum di schemi musicali scontati e che puzzano di già sentito da lontano un miglio.

Gli ucraini Symphonian si muovono nel suddetto orizzonte musicale e giungono, dopo tre anni di alterne vicende musicali e di formazione, al tanto agognato debutto Incarnation Of Reality, prodotto dai russi della Endless Winter. Il pregio della band, innanzitutto, è quello di dichiarare apertamente la propria scelta stilistica, senza celarla in definizioni pacchiane piene di avverbi e aggettivi magniloquenti privi di senso. Gothic/doom metal con influenze death e dark è il genere proposto dai Symphonian nelle sette tracce del loro esordio, con Dmitry Merva e Lana Sokolova ad alternarsi in un intreccio vocalico che, se certamente non è nuovo od originale, risulta piacevole e raramente noioso. Nei 49 minuti di musica il gruppo ucraino riesce a riprodurre tutti gli stilemi tipici del gothic/doom, riuscendo a realizzare brani comunque accattivanti e dagli arrangiamenti interessanti, soprattutto per una band al debutto. Alle tastiere, mai eccessivamente invasive o monocordi seppur onnipresenti, si affiancano riff di chitarra decisi e un drumming pieno, che riesce ad esaltare i diversi momenti di ogni brano, dai passaggi più lenti a quelli più veloci e carichi di pathos. Purtroppo il basso, uno strumento che in certi dischi riesce a fare la differenza, non è altrettanto efficace e risulta penalizzato da una produzione non sempre perfetta. Peccato, avrebbe potuto dare un tocco di qualità e varietà in più ai brani della band. Veniamo al capitolo voci: interessante e azzeccata quella del mastermind della band, che si esibisce in un growl molto profondo, quasi death, alternato in alcuni brani (Withered su tutti) ad un cantato pulito carico di effetti, che un po’ ricorda certe soluzioni vocaliche di Aaron Stainthorpe dei My Dying Bride (difficile, d’altronde, trovare un cantante death/doom non influenzato da un artista di tale caratura). La voce femminile ricorda Vibeke Stene (ex-Tristania), per dirne una, ma non si distacca per nulla dal classico trademark di cui in apertura. V’è da dire, però, che il suo cantato risulta certamente adatto a valorizzare i pezzi di Incarnation Of Reality, lungi dall’essere stucchevole o addirittura sgraziata come in taluni dischi senza né arte né parte pubblicati oggigiorno.

Il disco dei Symphonian, in conclusione, è uno di quei dischi che, nel panorama gothic odierno, sebbene nulla aggiunga a quanto già detto in precedenza, risulta ben fatto e piacevole all’ascolto, senza il rischio di sbadigli multipli, grazie anche ad una media qualitativa dei brani di tutto rispetto. Per chi vuole ascoltare un po’ di gothic/doom senza smania di originalità ma di buona qualità, in attesa di un secondo disco che ci dirà quale ruolo occuperanno gli autori di Incarnation of Reality nel mondo metallico di oggi.

Metallized

Ho spesso pensato a come sarebbe stato complesso per me comporre un'intera canzone senza ricadere nel banale o nel terrore che, non potendomi confrontare con qualcun altro, il lavoro sarebbe stato orrido, usurato, terribilmente scoordinato e disarmonioso.

Fortunatamente Juan Escobar, unico compositore e componente degli AstorVoltaires, è riuscito a creare qualcosa che va al di là della melodia, che arriva diretto in noi pungendoci come uno spillo. Niente mediazioni, niente melodrammatici giri di note che non portano a nulla. La musica arriva a colpire le nostre più intime sensazioni, senza alcuna indulgenza per noi, travolgendoci e non lasciandoci nemmeno respirare.

Ma ritorniamo a noi: il progetto è quello che si suol dire una one man band, in questo caso nata dal lavoro di Juan Escobar (ex Lapsus Dei, Aura Hiemis, Lethargy of Death), nome abbastanza noto nell'ambiente del doom soprattutto per la sua presenza come vocalist e tastierista nei Mar de Grises.

Per quanto riguarda Katan Nagantu la formula che ci viene sin dall'inizio proposta è incentrata su di un ampio sviluppo della melodicità - diversamente dalla carica più "calcatamente doom" cui Escobar ci aveva abituato con gli altri progetti - costellata di cambi di tempo ed arricchita da una poliedricità eccentrica e coinvolgente.

Certo, alcuni tratti sono particolarmente monotoni, dal ritmo martellante e molto scandito, ma ciò appare in un certo senso voluto, come per non far svanire al primo impatto ciò che proviamo: i riff seguono difatti una linea essenziale e semplice; la batteria si materializza in giri calcati, pesanti e privi di ritmiche svolazzanti, ornate di elementi decorativi; l'atmosfera è spesso colma di un tappeto di note tastieristiche; la voce, a tratti straziante, altre volte sopraffatta dalla rabbia, dirige quasi sempre il brano, indirizzandoci verso ciò che ne è l'essenza stessa.

Masacra apre la tracklist con una intro malinconica, dominata dal suono lontano ma avvolgente di un pianoforte, nel quale si introducono in modo violento delle pennate che evidenziano la melodia e danno alla voce la possibilità di inserirsi e definire la driving force del brano, espressivo e lancinante. Segue Tiempo de Perder, track dai ritmi piacevolmente molto sostenuti, ma purtroppo caratterizzata da una linea melodica quasi irritante, stridente, che sfuma, fortunatamente, in uno stacco pregno d'atmosfere cupe.

Ci troviamo poi davanti Crisol, un brano evocativo al 101% e forse tra i migliori dell'intero Katan Nagantu proprio per la sua incidenza nella sfera sensoriale "interiore": le ritmiche, per quanto concerne la prima parte della composizione, sono assimilabili al funeral doom; la canzone si sviluppa in seguito in un climax di riff arrabbiati e ricchi di tragedia personale, malessere, astio, per poi ritornare definitivamente alla sfera prettamente lenta, per mantenerla sino alla conclusione.

Degno di nota è anche Ansiedad, track lenta e dolce che mantiene un'essenza pulita e lineare, ma pur sempre ammaliante.

Rappresentativa della possibilità - eccezionale - di poter sfogare i propri sentimenti tramite la composizione di un brano è Escamas de Óxido: qui il tormento e la rabbia sfociano come un fiume in piena tramite i riff, più intricati e taglienti del solito, e le vere e proprie urla che Juan ci propone come manifesto della sua arte.

L'unica critica, purtroppo non così irrilevante, riguarda alcune scelte discutibili in fase di mixaggio: la voce, in particolare, risulta in alcuni tratti troppo forte, quasi ad oscurare il resto del mix per il volume esageratamente alto. Un errore grossolano, avrei preferito una maggiore attenzione alle parti strumentali, lasciando sì alla voce l'importanza che le spetta, senza però dare luogo a questa sovrapposizione infruttuosa e coprente.

Sviluppi versatili, emotività e coinvolgimento interiore sono quindi i punti cardine di Katan Nagantu: ciò che infatti Escobar ha composto rievoca in noi immagini del tutto private sepolte nel nostro inconscio, stimolate senza controllo proprio dai brani stessi.

Eccellente quindi il tappeto idealistico sul quale l'autore lavora, peccato per la mancanza di cura, che mi ha lasciata con l'amaro in bocca, verso alcune importanti sfumature che nel genere, ai giorni nostri, fanno la vera differenza.

Metallized

Endless Winter has an impressive roster of doom flavored bands and Falling Leaves certainly shines through as one of the better ones. Hailing from Jordan, of all places, their debut is a excellent modern interpretation of a classic form.

Hints of early Draconian (sans the female vocals) and oddly The Sins of Thy Beloved (only better, tighter and listenable) mesh with The Gathering (Always...era) and Ashes You Leave (The Passage Back to Life era). Downtrodden leads drive each song over more melodic guitar work which is accented by atmospheric keyboards. The session violin work is beautiful and avoids the cliches and sloppy gypsy nonsense that TSOTB ruined every album with.

Mournful mid-range clean vocals flit around more traditional guttural howls and semi-spoken words. Their not as menacing or powerful as their peers but their not as one dimensional either. The other instruments; bass and drums obviously, don't do much to impress but rather blend in to each song accordingly. The piano work is standard in its passion and general melancholia. Subtle key strokes melt together with the somber violins only barely avoiding being cheesy.It's odd that the violins were only from session members as they tend to take on larger lead rolls.

The biggest criticisms here are the band tend to wear their influences on their sleeves. There is a fair amount of originality but they come to close to their idols too often.

Over all the music is very enjoyable. To call it laid back wouldn't be completely accurate. It's more of a slow succumbing to an eventual fate and simply taking its disheartened time to get there. This band has a lot of room to grow and should satisfy bands of the style.

75/100

The Metal Archives Jul. 2014

Y por segunda vez tenemos en nuestras manos un trabajo de este “One Man band” llamado AURA HIEMIS titulado “Five”, el cual nuevamente fue lanzado por el sello ruso Endless Winter (que entre su catalogo tiene a otra banda nacional como Endimion) en año 2012. Cabe mencionar que nuevamente tenemos el agrado de escuchar la voz de Selenia de UNNAMED DESIRE.

Si realizamos un paralelo para comparar este trabajo con “While The Rest Of The World Sleep…”, la diferencia no es tanta, ya que siguen en la misma línea Doom, quizás más enfocado a bandas como EVOKEN y los dioses MY DYING BRIDE. Cabe mencionar que en este trabajo encontraran las nuevas versiones de los temas pertenecientes a “Terra Umbrarum”, “Ruin & Misery” (2005) y “Maeror Demens” (2006).

La canción que abre este trabajo es “De Tenebris” (del disco debut), un corte bastante denso, pesado, lento pero lleno de oscuridad; nunca nos hemos considerado como unos “succionadores de manhuacos”, pero el trabajo vocal de “V” es versátil, ya que utiliza voces limpias y un gutural que no suena forzado y eso sumado a la excelente performance de Selenia hacen de este track algo digno de escuchar. “Penta Imperium 2012” es la reedición de un tema que salía en el debut de este grupo (“Ruin & Misery – 2005) no tuvimos la posibilidad de escuchar esa primera toma, por ende, no podemos hacer la comparación con la versión del presente año, la cual sigue en la vena de la oscuridad, densidad y voces desgarradoras en ciertos pasajes. El tercer tema titulado “Doomentia 2012”, también es una reedición, acá se juega un poco más con la velocidad ya que es una de las más extensas del disco.

“In Noctem 2012” una vez más nos lleva esa oscuridad tan característica del Doom Metal, en esta canción encontramos algo del sonido de TYPE O NEGATIVE; una vez más adornado con la excelente interpretación vocal de Selenia y “V”. Si no nos equivocamos, este disco en su parte instrumental fue ejecutado en todos sus instrumentos por su vocalista, lo cual se nota ya que cada nota suena precisa. La emotividad en su máximo esplendor se “ve” reflejada en “My Sweet Desire”, un verdadero réquiem: desolador, atmosférico, lúgubre y la cabeza se nos sigue llenando de sinónimos asociados a la oscuridad, el tema que más sensaciones nos causo y sin dudas el punto más alto de esta producción.

Creo que en esta oportunidad las palabras están de más… si no nos cree, consiga el disco y tenga un encuentro con la soledad, la melancolía y las cortadas de venas. Disco más que recomendable para los seguidores de PARADISE LOST, MY DYING BRIDE, la primera época de THERION y MAR DE GRISES.

Salud y larga vida en la oscuridad para AURA HIEMIS.

The Pichangas Dec. 2012

The Cold View are a 1 man band from Germany that has been featured before in this zine and plays a mixture of ambient, drone and funeral doom metal and this is a review of his 2014 album "Wires Of Woe, Ways of Waste" which was released by Endless Winter.

Harsh noises and drones start off the album along with a mixture of growls and screams which also gives the music a black metal feeling and after awhile synths find their way into the music and the recording also has an experimental and avant garde edge along with all of the songs being very long and epic in length.

Guitars are mostly background noises that have no rhythm or emotion to them and you can alos hear a small amount of acoustic guitars in the music at times and they bring a more ritualistic feeling to the recording and on the second track the synths add in more elements of funeral doom and dark ambient.

After awhile distorted yet melodic guitars leads find their way into the music which leads to the music sounding more metal along with some slow yet dark heavy rhythms being added onto the recording and the music gets more heavy and dirge like on the following track and the last song sees the album going for more of a dark and atmospheric ambient direction while still having a funeral doom metal sound.

The Cold View bring in a more heavier funeral doom metal with this recording along with the music being very atmospheric and experimental with elements of avant garde, drone and ambient, the production has a very dark, raw and heavy sound while the lyrics are a concept album dealing with the alienation from the natural world, the loss of identity that comes along with the replacement of ideal values with an technocratic and material culture.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from The Cold View and if you are a fan of drone and funeral doom metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Woe" and "Waste". 8 out of 10.

DarkUndergroundMusicZine Jul. 2014

The Russian doom/death one-man project, "Ankhagram", has recently released the album "Thoughts" to all the fans of the atmospheric doom music around the globe. Before giving the tracks the first listen, I was thinking that this album will be a total waste of time, but as the tracks were flowing from my speakers, I realized that there are many good moments in this album. If you have the time to discover what I am talking about, then you have to get this cd now and start browsing through the melodies of this record.

This year is a great year for doom metal fans around the world because there are a lot of doom metal records that have been released and now this record has participated to be a part of these records. The music of Ankhagram is really slow, so I don't recommend this record for the fans who search for some fast and progressive riffs. To be honest, I really love the slow-paced drumming and the slow motion of the melodies because they create a really good atmospheric environment sometimes. The tune of the rhythm guitar is really fragile on this record, maybe because the production of the album isn't perfect.

The sound of the keyboards dominate all the tracks and covers the sound of the guitar and the bass together. The drumming follows the melodies of the keyboards carefully and creates a wall of sound behind the sound of the guitar. The tracks "I'm Fake" and "Don't Feel This Life" are my favorite pieces on this record because they actually have a lot of dynamic elements most of the time. The vocals on this album weren't enough for me because there are a lot of parts that really needed more vocals in their huge spaces, and honestly I hated the vocals on this record because they weren't strong enough to dominate the entire atmosphere. The lead guitar on this record is totally missing, so don't expect to hear any kind of lead guitar sections and this really made a lot of moments on this album really boring and empty.

In general, the album is enjoyable for doom/death metal fans who seek atmospheric music, but it wont be enjoyable for the fans who search for a brutal guitar tune or fast-moving riffs. This record has meant to be so dreamy and atmospheric most of the time, so if you are ready to go through this kind of music, then you have to get your copy now.

60/100

The Metal Archives Oct. 2012

Krief De Soli is one of those doom metal bands who focuses on creating a really deep melancholic atmosphere, using a lot of keyboards and a lot of eerie sounds in the structure of the tracks. The album "Munus Solitudinis" is the second piece for this band after releasing the debut album "Procul Este, Profani..." in 2010. To be honest, I didn't like the debut album of this band, but I looked forward to the second album because I expected a lot of improvements in the recording and the songwriting.

The melancholic and the funeral atmosphere of this album is way better than the environment that has been created in the debut album, but the quality of the guitars and the inaudible sound of the drums have destroyed all of my good expectations. The raw/low quality of this record could be a good feature for those who search for low quality funeral doom atmosphere, but it wasn't my cup of tea and I didn't enjoy the harsh distortion of the guitars. The growling vocals are also hidden behind the annoying sound of the guitars, and a lot of effects have been added to the vocals to fit the total eerie sound. The first track was a real pain in the ass, more than 20 minutes of raging and painful slow guitar riffing, and the only good moments in this track were the moments when the keyboards dominated the whole sound without the meaningless wall of sound of the guitars.

The other long tracks "Vita Memoriae - Apogaeus Rerum Vitae" and "Deo Volente... Calo Tegi" are following the same texture of the first track, though the beautiful sound of the keyboards are painting the background with good music, the guitars keep destroying the atmosphere with a very disturbing tune. I wouldn't recommend this album for the fans who search for good guitar works, because the only good thing about the record is the wonderful keyboard efforts. I will be waiting more releases for this band in the future, but I hope the quality of the guitars and the bass and the drums will be clear and audible. Overall, if you have the ability to enjoy low quality records, then you may enjoy some tracks of these long pieces.

60/100

The Metal Archives Nov. 2012

VERDIKT: Uskupení Krief De Soli, co by představitel funeral doom metalu, se rozhodlo zaživa pohřbít své posluchače. …Nebo je alespoň unudit k smrti…

Jsou to už tři roky co individuum jménem Egregoir De Sang dalo dohromady hudební uskupení jménem Krief De Soli. V roce 2010 vyšel debut a letos jeho následovník. Nová deska se jmenuje Munus Solitudinis a směle kráčí v nastolených funeral doom metalových šlépějích.

Když jsem psal recenzi na prvotinu Procul Este, Profani…, cítil jsem v hudbě naději budoucího směřování a rozvíjení se. Ta hudba byla zádumčivá, melancholická, vskutku taková, jak má funeral doom znít. Tehdy mi to přišlo zajímavé a na hodnocení jsem moc nešetřil. Zřejmě euforický záchvěv… To, co nám autor nabídl na své nové desce, není ničím jiným než omíláním stejných nápadů. Musím drobně předeslat, že v daném hudebním korábu nejsem nejlepší námořník, leč těžkou duchnu tónů si od mistrů funerálů nechám tu a tam líbit. Krief De Soli k nim však nepatří. Ačkoliv se kapela zprvu jevila jako zajímavý článek v řetězci, ke kterému se budou mnozí jistě rádi vracet. To vše však už jednou zaznělo. Není třeba to samé slyšeti znovu a v bahnitém terénu se tak plahočit nanovo. Interpret je názoru jiného. Do svého pohřebního repertoáru pak zahrnuje nutkání umučit i samotného posluchače, aby mu příslušná hudba byla zároveň requiem.

Skladby nám vzrostly na slušný počet pěti kousků. To celé rozložené do celé jedné hodiny. Slyšet toto všechno na jeden zátah je věc takřka nemožná a nelehce překonatelná. Já sám jsem s albem bojoval jak komár s biolitem. Občas je vážně třeba říci: „ne, přátelé, tudy cesta nevede“. První skladbu zkousne snad každý posluchač, který se rozhodl objevit taje tohoto tělesa. Jen možná trochu nechápu její schizofrenní rozdělení. V jistém okamžiku (zhruba v polovině) jaksi utichá, aby pak mohla znovu ožít a dál pomalu vláčet tu prohnilou rakev. Působí dojmem dvou skladeb vložených v jednu stopu. Nevadí, přehoupneme se přes drobnou čtyřminutovou mezihru a rozkládají se před námi prostory třech čtvrthodinových písní. Stejné šablony jako u skladby první. Stejné tempo, stejné zvraty, stejná rozháranost. Dostavuje se pocit nudy a nutnosti spánku. Východiskem může být vypnutí přehrávání, či bolestivá tortura uší a samotného rozpoložení posluchače. Zcela nepodrážděn může vyjít jedině ocelově silný jedinec, ne nepodobný svalovcům zdobící obaly power metalových kapel. Možná, že i taková bytost by propadla depresi, či cholerickému záchvatu vzteku.

Zvukově posloucháme kanální ozvěny, kde kdesi za ohbím tluče někdo do bicích a jejich zvuk k nám nepatrně doléhá. Kytara to celé táhne, neb jí třímá ten umrlec, který ještě z posledních sil cosi chrčí do mikrofonu. Aby kompozice nebyla strohá, slyšíme ještě rozladěné hlasy symfonie, která tu navodí pocit naděje, tu zas pocit zmaru a úpadku. Nutné vypíchnout, že se tyto jevy bezprostředně střídají. Um udělat z hovna skvost každý prostě nemá a řemeslná hudební vyspělost tohoto díla se vskutku rovná hlíně, kteroužto následně házíme hrstičkami na nebožtíkův penál. Tisícikráté opakování stejných postupů zapříčiní jistou zmatenost ve skladbách. Orientace mate, kterou že to věc vlastně slyšíme. Minuty se nekonečně vlečou. Album splňuje akorát onen pohřební nádech a atmosféru, jinak nelze hovořit o ničem, co by mělo být vyzdviženo. Nic… raději se jdu zmátořit pomocí živelnějšího stoneru…

Echoes Zine Dec 2012

VERDIKT: Debutová práce nového funeral doom metalového spolku. Nic naplat, tuctová vycpávka, která se v davu podobných ztrácí.

Zbrusu nová kanadská kapela KRIEF DE SOLI dala o sobě vědět první deskou. Na svém debutu „Procul Este, Profani…“ ukázala směr, kterým se hodlá ubírat. Abych byl přesnější, jedná se o one-man projekt. Z tohoto faktu tedy vyplývá, že veškeré nástroje a vokální plochy na počinu nahrála jedna osoba. Její tvář dosud nebylo možné spatřit a biografii této osoby též neznáme. Můžeme se spokojit jen se jménem, či snad pseudonymem Egregoir de Sang. Tento človíček svůj projekt pokřtil jako Krief de Soli, což je použito z anglického znění The Grief Of Solitude (smutek samoty). Jak už ze samotného názvu vyplývá, bude se jednat o něco pomalého – smutného. Mnozí jistě již tuší, že na paškálu se nyní objevil doom metal. Ano, je to tak, ovšem ne tak docela. Nálada, kterou vytváří toto hudební těleso, se lépe odráží ve škatulce s nápisem funeral doom metal. Taktéž mohu dodat jistou příkrasu ambientu. Pro debut byla zvolena trojice ochutnávek. Tři písně, které svou délkou nejdou pod patnáct minut! Posluchač se ocitne v osidlech deprese, chmuru, žalu, bolesti a majestátného smutku. Umělec tvořící tuto hudbu zvolil vskutku pohřební tempo, jak už to u kapel hrajících tento styl bývá. Nebál se trochu zaexperimentovat s ambientními vstupy a příkrasami. Deska tedy vyznívá dosti temně a tajemně. Jenže podobných uskupení a nahrávek najdeme nepřeberné množství. Posluchač se tedy nesetká s ničím neobvyklým, či novým. Proto se musí spokojit s průměrným funerálem. Jistou jiskrou zůstávají klávesové plochy a jejich rozličné použití, ale i to nepříliš vyniká. Typickým rysem tohoto hudebního resortu je délka skladeb, proto se nelze příliš divit zvolené stopáže. Ovšem po jisté době nastává nuda a uspávání. Samozřejmě, že se může jednat o záměr, ale v podobných písních posluchač vyhledává spíše pestrost a proměnlivost. Nehodlám tedy příliš horlivě a detailně studovat tento počin, vždyť je to teprve debut. Uvidíme, čím se autor vytáhne na příští desce.

Prvotní skladbu rozeznívají klávesy a symfonie v doprovodu bití zvonu. Záhy se přidá hororový šepot. Chvíli před druhou minutou se přidají bicí. Ty nastolí ono pochmurné pohřební tempo a mrazivou náladu společně s growlingovým zpěvem. Ve třetí minutě a přibližně pětadvacáté vteřině se přidá el. kytara. Nastává poměrně apokalypticky znějící pasáž, do které občas vstoupí rychlejší hra na bicí nástroje. Druhá věc se nebojí být ještě pomalejší a utahanější než její předskokan. Začíná hrou na piano, později se přidají metalové nástroje – bicí a kytara a taktéž i zpěv. V deváté minutě svého trvání promění svůj dosavadní styl, který ovšem nenechá dlouho působit a tak se vrátí do svých předurčených kolejí. Závěrečný song je ryze instrumentální. Zdá se býti daleko pestřejší než ostatní dvě skladby. Začíná hrou na akustickou kytaru, ke které se připojí varhaní tóny. Zanedlouho svůj hlas rozezní i bicí a el. kytara. Skladba utvoří přijatelnější atmosféru. V šesté minutě a zhruba čtyřicáté vteřině se rozezní pouhé piano. Později se do písně zapojí i klávesy. Těsně před samým koncem své struny uvede v činnost i harfa, která je tak velmi působivým zpestřením.

Echoes Zine Feb 2010

Tectum is a region of the brain should you be too lazy to google (I know I had to find out what it was), and this is their first full length album.

Scorn Greed Damn opens with an interesting guitar effect, and gets down to business quickly. These vocals have a truly savage feel to them. Burning passion is next with heavy riffs, with some quirky changes that are nearly treading Mr Bungle territory. There is no denying what they're about though, and I love the simple lead and guitar effect over those overpowered rhythms. These guys have a well equipped bag of tricks. A Liar among us starts with a quieter intro and guitar, some keyboard and emotive vocals for a quite dramatic feel. A poem about lost past begins with a soaring lead, and develops into a grinding beast.

Splitted soul is a brooding piece, and the whispering intro to Autumn sets up the pounding beats perfectly. It's alive takes us to what would be called the B side back in the day, and while this is where the weaker material on an album generally resides, Tectum have decided instead to step the intensity up a notch here. Wolf pounds away from the get go, with surprisingly melodic vocals, and you never know quite what to expect with every song. His melodic voice is actually quite pleasing to the ear which not too many bands around this genre can say. A very solid first full length album.

Metal-Roos May 2014

Hang around the fringes of extreme music long enough, and you'll come across bands from all sorts of unusual and far-flung places: Sadael comprising just over one-tenth of the active Metal bands listed for Armenia (although it has now apparently relocated to St. Petersburg). With a scene that small to draw upon, it may not be a shock to discover the original project was primarily a solo one, named after the multi-instrumentalist behind it. Having initially charted a path that steered through Dark Ambient/Black Metal territory and thence into Funeral Doom, 'Dreams' sees an arrival at what new label Endless Winter describes as "atmospheric death/doom metal with neoclassical elements".

I guess I'd concur with that description - although there's a case for giving 'atmospheric' a less prominent position, it's certainly moved into more uptempo and aggressive territory that leaves the Funeral tag behind. It's also not entirely solo, this time, with lyrics co-written by V (Aura Hiemis) and guest vocals by Vladimir Melikyan (who also plays in Disfinite with Sadael).

In amongst a back catalogue of demos, splits and limited editions, 2010 saw two almost-simultaneous full-length label releases: contrastingly, the grim, raw 'Essence' and the lush, keyboard-laden 'Diary Of Loss'. It is the latter sound that 'Dreams' builds upon, taking the same dramatic, sometimes almost histrionic, interplays between keyboard and guitar, alternating clean and growled vocals and backed by functional drumming as a partial template. The remainder is constructed from fairly frequent shifts that unleash distorted, brutal guitar, harsh growls and shrieks and rapid-fire drum blasts.

Much like the cover art, it's taken some while to puzzle out what exactly is being crafted here, and why. The artwork: a left hand, reaching towards the light...with five fingers and a thumb. Intentional surreality, or flawed execution? One could ask the same question of the music, which is described as "...romantic and emotional...embodied dreams, mixed with reality, lyrical reflections on love, about loss...". And, in some respects, it is: those aspects are captured, and captured well, with a certain theatrical air - there is often little doubt of the emotion it is meant to evoke in the listener - evident in the clean sections of vocals and guitar, each of which convey a sorrowful, resigned sadness. So, too, in the keyboard, whether in background as quiet piano melodies or coming forward for more sweepingly symphonic arrangements, or even simulated orchestral instruments. Yet the transitions, chaotic and and dislocating as they may be, are neither the hazy stuff of nightmares or the starkness of reality. Instead, they are muscular outbursts of squalling violence: polar contrasts to the soaring, atmospheric and ambient passages around them. Not flawed, exactly, for it is all well within the parameters and expectations of the genre, but with the harsh interjections only partially capturing any mood redolent of dream or romance and equally falling a little short of reflecting the philosophical introversion of the included lyrics.

That said, if the distracting conceptual baggage of the intention is set aside, what remains is the actuality of a well-produced, decently-packaged and vibrant Death/Doom work occasionally marred by overly-thumping drum machine blasts and abrupt discords (cf. the closing section of 'Dreams'), but more often enhanced by clever and varied use of keyboard (as in 'Purple Mantis'). The extended presence of the latter gives it some distance from other bands who work in a similarly mixed emotive-yet-also-harsh vein - Revelations Of Rain, or perhaps The Fall Of Every Season, for example - but focus more on guitar for gentler passages. The end result is not entirely consistent but nonetheless intriguing: by no means essential, it still accomplishes enough to be worthy of notice and attention. Highlights: the triplet of 'Dark Glowing', 'Purple Mantis' and 'Rain, Wash My Tears'.

Doom-metal.com Jan. 2014

Il progetto Aura Hiemis, dietro il quale si cela la mente di Felipe V. (ex chitarrista dei Mar De Grises e attuale cantante dei Timecode), giunge al suo terzo lavoro di natura estesa e al quinto complessivo, considerando le uscite "Maeror Demens (Remixes & Demos)" e lo split "Synthèse Collectif - The Dark Whormholes", che lo vedeva in compagnia degli Ego Depths e degli Sculptor. Il titolo scelto per questa nuova fatica è semplicemente "fiVe".

Se da un punto di vista numerico dovremmo trovarci di fronte a un album originale, e in parte è così, da un altro sembra invece di avere a che fare con una celebrazione riguardante ciò che è stato. Scrutando la scaletta, infatti, è possibile notare la presenza di ben quattro tracce rinverdite, ma provenienti dalla prima creatura partorita da V.: parlo di "Terra Umbrarum - Ruin & Misery" rilasciato nel 2005.

Il passo ritmico mantenuto dall'artista cileno — in questo caso supportato da Eduardo GJ al basso, Eduardo Vidal (anche voce) e Blasphemo Da Morte alle chitarre e dalla cantante Ninfalidae — si poggia su orme note che hanno scavato in profondità, fissando le radici del genere doom gotico e le sonorità evocano nomi quali Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride e i primi Tiamat. Al tempo stesso però vi sono sezioni melodiche più affossanti e una similitudine di approccio con artisti quali Worship e Shape Of Despair nelle aree più grigie e funeree.

La gamma di influenze percettibili all'interno di "fiVe" è ampia e l'utilizzo proposto ha dato modo a V. di aggiornare le canzoni presentate in seconda veste, garantendo loro un'esposizione maggiormente elaborata e affinata sia nell'esporre una pesantezza più incline a velocizzarsi (come avviene nell'accostarsi al territorio death di "Doomentia") che nello sfoderare il lato più elegante della propria aura ("In Noctem"). Ed è in quest'ultimo brano che appare Ninfalidae, la quale si rifugia in una gradevole esecuzione caratterizzata da tonalità pulite, ma bigie, evitando celebrazioni operistiche. Il disco viene poi concluso da "My Sweet Desire", unico pezzo nuovo di pacca e incentrato su atmosfere e soluzioni inclini in maggior misura a favorire l'area funerea nefasta e pressante: un requiem buio che ben svolge il compito del quale è stato investito.

Gli Aura Hiemis sono una delle positive realtà che pullulano nell'underground di un panorama in continua espansione qual è quello doom: una di quelle formazioni a cui ci si può affidare nelle giornate in cui si ha voglia di inserire nello stereo un lavoro che non sia dei soliti paladini, rimanendone comunque soddisfatti. Non posso quindi esimermi dal consigliarvene l'ascolto, ne vale davvero la pena.

Aristocrazia Webzine Apr. 2014

Le etichette russe in ambito doom si danno un gran da fare: se la Solitude è sicuramente quella più conosciuta al momento, non posso negare che altre come la Satanarsa e la Endless Winter abbiano rilasciato materiale alquanto interessante e proprio dall'ultima delle tre citate ci giunge il debutto dei Mirror Morionis, l'ennesima band connazionale. Il gruppo proveniente dalla zona sud-occidentale della gelida Siberia è fautore di un doom atmosferico e melodico che si rifà a quello prodotto da compagini scandinave quali Saturnus, Draconian e Theatre Of Tragedy, con una compartecipazione nel sound di elementi al limite col funeral capaci di conferire alla melancolia dolciastra, ma tetra, che avvolge le tracce di "Eternal Unforgiveness" quella profondità aggiuntiva che serve per esplorare territori maggiormente estesi e desolati.

Le canzoni sono ritmicamente scandite da partiture diluite sulle quali s'impone il growl abissale di Cataract, intervallato o accompagnato dalla celestiale voce di Mirror, ricamano trame e allestiscono scenari che con tutta probabilità risulteranno riconoscibili ai fan del genere, ma lo fanno con un'estrema naturalezza, supportati da un fascino drammatico e suadente che si divive fra attimi in cui sembra rivelarsi un epico bagliore e altri delicatamente incentrati su un obliarsi voluto, cercato; in tal senso pezzi quali "When Mirror Cries", "The Sun Will Never Rise" e "Her Morion Eyes" sembrano esserne le sfaccettature più pregiate.

Il disco in questione — pur pagando pegno per la derivazione dai nomi citati poco più su (e non solo da loro) — è comunque il parto di una formazione che ha un'idea chiara e precisa del doom che vuole suonare, raffinato ed elaborato adeguatamente; inoltre è stato supportato dal buon lavoro svolto dal cileno Juan Escobar (AstorVoltaires, Nibdem ed ex Lapsus Dei e Mar De Grises) in sede di produzione e mastering, quindi è pronto ad accondiscendere alle richieste in termini sonori dei famelici fruitori di questo stile.

I Mirror Morionis sono da inserire nella categoria inerente alle "sorprese", una di quelle realtà che potrebbe togliersi parecchie soddisfazioni: dato che la loro prima volta è andata decisamente bene, auguriamoci che in futuro sappiano ripetersi, offrendoci del materiale apprezzabile almeno quanto "Eternal Unforgiveness", un album che vi consiglio vivamente di aggiungere alla vostra lista degli ascolti perché non ve ne pentirete.

Aristocrazia Webzine Mar. 2014

Sadael are a band that you can't pin down into one genre and this album presents the listener with a weird mix but is a worthwhile and interesting journey through the eight tracks.

"dreams" is the opening track. at the start we have dual guitars with a slightly weak tone and a slight timing issue. "dreams" (the album as a whole) switches between two varied vocal styles - a gravelly 'death metal' vocal and a 'normal' 'power/prog metal' vocal for want of better descriptions which makes for an interesting mix. - i'm not sure if the 'normal' vocal is slightly weak or just mixed too low. this song is quite slow in places and the drumming quite 'basic' until the end of the song; its quite a mismatched song but is interesting as an opener. there is a stand out chunky riff section that i really like which is repeated once or twice.

"dark glowing" has a strange (we're attempting ethereal) but nice opening before the guitars with a nice tonality kick in. this again is quite a slow track and while the drumming is again 'basic' (and doesn't overpower the song) there are some interesting fills and rolls and some very good blast beats. we switch again between the vocal and an interesting moment where we are treated to a duet (there should be more of this). there is some interesting 'piano' work on this track which doesn't overpower and plays us out very nicely.

"purple mantis" (!) is opened by harpsichord and piano before some blast beats and low in the mix/overpowered by the 'synth' work guitar comes in; the guitar work clashes a little in places but there is a really cool riff section in the middle that i really enjoyed. i did not like the inclusion of 'clarinet/oboe' - the choice is too harsh but it lasts only for a moment. this is a mid tempo song with a lot of different 'sections' some of which work and some don't which makes for a weird song overall - perhaps too many ideas and perhaps its a little too long.

i thought "rain, wash my tears" would have a sadder feel. it starts off quite sad but its mid tempo. there is some interesting guitar work which is a bit harsh at times but overall has a nice tonality. the piano/synth chosen also has a nice tonality and floats throughout the song well. the drumming is again a little 'basic' but has good rolls and fills and therefore doesn't overpower the song. perhaps this would of been a good song to experiment with a vocal duet; the 'normal' vocals are low in the mix. there is a nice instrumental/piano which fades out but its quite harsh transition and we're left in the rain a little too long at the very end of the track.

the fifth track "wave" has a great slightly 'distorted' guitar opening before a little piano kicks in. the 'normal' vocal doesn't seem to have much range and begins to sound the same in every song. there is a limited bassline in this song (but at least it can be heard !) there is some nice guitar work through the faster sections of the song and the guitar tone is great on this track and i really liked the 'mirror' of the 'distorted' guitar for the opening and closing of this song. the drum work is once again not overly complex but is still a strong part of (all) of the songs.

a strong kick drum and a quiet (at first), strong guitar riff work opens "love overdose". this song has song of the stronger/chunkier guitar riffs of the album but they seem to be mixed quite low in places. the 'lead' guitar has a nice tonality but the piano chosen is a little 'tinny'. this song doesn't have many lyrics and not the best vocal performance or mix of the album and as a whole this track is a little disjointed - again too many ideas and an overeagerness to use them all.

"bring back the sun" is the shortest of the eight songs and is the heaviest at the start. the last two thirds are a bit 'power/prog metal' and the two haven't quite blended together for this track - its an odd decision to make. there is some strong drumming at the start and some chunky riffs but it isn't quite mixed right - it all seems a bit low. when it gets slower the guitar tonality is nice and we're back to 'basic' drumming. its very disjointed for such a short song.

i really like the distorted guitars for the opening of "inner circle"; its almost perfect doom and is one of my favourite parts of the entire album. while the drumming is sparse it is some of the best of the album - perhaps it could have come up a bit in the mix. the song continues into a 'power/prog' section and then into an 'ambient' section; the transitions are a little odd - would of preferred if it stopped after the two minutes of doom ! (or continued/expanded it !) its an odd instrumental to close the album with.

"dreams" by Sadael is almost a great release. it has all been played well and for the most part is mixed well; there are one or two instances where the vocal or guitar is mixed too low and some of the transitions between genres can be abrupt. it is the mixture of styles that keeps this interesting and will make it stand out. there are some really nice chunky riffs to headbang to scattered through the tracks and some standout riffs but these can be quite brief and that is a little disappointing from a listener's point of view. the songs are bursting with ideas perhaps sadael should leave one or two for the next track and use these 'standout' moments during a song more often ! the vocals could do with a bit more power and/or better mixing; the gravelly vocal is the stronger but could do with a bit more grrr ! there is for the most part a nice tonality to the guitars and making use of lead and rhythm guitars adds another layer to the songs. the drums while not overly complex are a strong part of this album; there are some nice blast beats and great rolls and fills. some of the synth work/soundbank choices are a little harsh and hollow in their tonality but have been played well.

this is an album of a good length about 45 minutes with enough variation to hold your attention. i would recommend this album however and look forward to hearing new (and old) material from Sadael.

Funereal Drone Feb. 2014

La one-man band Sadael, del multistrumentista... Sadael (già attivo in una manciata di altri gruppi), è per me il primo contatto in assoluto con un progetto estremo armeno. Immagino che non ce ne siano molti, visto che il Paese conta poco più di tre milioni di abitanti: sono quindi ben felice di dire che "Dreams", quarto album (ma ennesima uscita, contando tutto il materiale pubblicato negli anni) sotto questo nome e prima uscita sotto la russa Endless Winter, è un bel disco.

Il lavoro, che si basa fondamentalmente su radici funeral doom, presenta numerosi innesti che riescono a renderlo vario e allo stesso tempo equilibrato, un piacevole ibrido dalle molteplici sfaccettature. Il trittico iniziale, dal minutaggio più lungo e le chitarre più protagoniste, è un esempio di funeral di scuola: down-tempo in prevalenza, riffing opprimente, tastiere lugubri e growl cavernoso, cui di quando in quando si alterna un cantato pulito che si adatta perfettamente al contesto. Considerando che non mancano nemmeno le sporadiche accelerazioni (e, di nuovo, sempre contestualizzate all'interno del brano), è davvero il caso di dire che l'Armeno riesce a mettere in mostra un campionario di tutto rispetto senza sbavatura alcuna. Il pezzo che più tradisce le "vere" origini di Sadael, nato come progetto (dark) ambient strumentale, è "Rain, Wash My Tears": cinque minuti in cui il testo si esaurisce in pochi versi, la chitarra si mostra solo nella parte centrale e il resto viene lasciato a trame di tastiera e sintetizzatore che ricordano da molto vicino il fu progetto Dreams Of Dying Stars dell'allora prolificissimo Stijn Van Cauter.

La seconda metà della scaletta, nettamente più breve, è un'ulteriore mistura di doom, ambient e alcune parti death ("Bring Back The Sun") che deve molto alla scuola Novembers Doom: chitarre galoppanti, addirittura qualche ritornello e assolo sparso, prima di tornare a rallentare e a sprofondare in un abisso di tastiere. I testi, asciutti ed essenziali, spaziano tra l'onirico e — addirittura — le pene d'amore, senza chiaramente perdere di vista l'orizzonte della sofferenza umana e fondendosi con l'atmosfera cupa e soffocante dei brani.

Un album dai numerosi spunti, tutti sviluppati con dovizia e mestiere da Vahe Soghomonyan, in arte Sadael, proveniente da una terra insospettabile che evidentemente nasconde elementi di sicuro interesse.

Aristocrazia Webzine Feb. 2014

Released back in 2011 through Endless Winter comes Embraced by the Light, the debut full length album from Hungarian one man Atmospheric/Funeral Doom project Dreams After Death!

The brain child of András Illés, this six track opus begins with Genesis (Interestingly also the name of the projects debut demo) and soon expands out into a bleak landscape of down tuned, slow riffs and beats but with a soaring, mournful atmosphere! Through the use of subtle synth tones and haunting organ play, this album has a vast repertoire of sounds and styles to choose from and al of them swirl and undulate around the core sound of sombre, crushing riffs.

Add into the mix the despairing, roaring growled vocals and this blend of death/atmospheric/funeral doom is complete!

7/10

Destructive Music Feb. 2014

Back in 2012 Russian label Endless Winter unveiled a new release from Canadian funeral doom one man band Krief de Soli.

The brainchild of Egregoir de Sang, this sophomore full length album goes by the name of Munus Solitudinis and opens its five bleak tracks with the twenty one minute epic that is Náscentés Morimúr. Ah monk like haunting chants, is there a more soothing yet ominous sound in the world? Mixed with sombre piano tones, that is this album gets under way, with pure, bleak ambiance. From there things build and progress at a snails pace with snarling venomous growls rising like a predator from the darkness and all the while a grand operatic undertone swirls atmospherically around the chilling bite of cold riffs and methodically sluggish drums.

Essentially this album is a long drawn out dirge, a web of atmospheric tendrils that spread out to vast meandering lengths and wrap themselves around slow, foreboding evil, fast thrashing blast beat driven savagery and the grand, symphonic landscapes that this projects creates! It certainly isn’t boring and will keep you guessing until the very end!

7/10

Destructive Music Feb. 2014

As I was checking the doom metal releases of the label Endless Winter, I noticed that the one-man metal band Dreams After Death has released the debut album, "Embraced by the Light", in the ending of 2011, so I decided to check this record immediately. The total sound of the tracks is really atmospheric and that was really my cup of tea. The album opens its arms with the track "Genesis" that has been previously released on the band's first demo album, and the heavenly keyboards and the dreamy environment of the track have been surrounded by a real slow drumming performance which gave this track a pure atmospheric flavor. The same slow atmosphere continues in the track "Funeral", though this track has more dynamic lead guitar performance and more interesting elements. The tracks "Meeting With The Ancestors" and "The Endless Time" contain a lot of keyboards sections which made the whole sound predictable and boring most of the time.

As a doom metal fan I hate to hear the sound of the keyboards leading the tracks all the way to create an excessive dreamy sound, and that's why I fell in love with the track "Funeral" and the track "From Time Immemorial" more than the other tracks. If you are into the slow atmosphere of the bands Shape Of Despair and Evoken, then I am pretty sure that you will love the total sound of this record. The harsh vocals in the tracks gave a huge depth to the instruments and completed the atmosphere, and I really loved every single vocal part here.

Overall, I didn't imagine that a one-man metal band from Hungary will have the ability to create such an atmospheric record, and every track on this album has been created well to satisfy the fans of Evoken, DOOM:VS, and Skepticism. Get your copy of this album now from the doom metal label Endless Winter and start sinking in this unlimited void of heavenly music.

80/100

The Metal Archives Oct. 2012

En este su tercer disco Aura Hiemis consolida un trabajo en el más oscuro camino del doom death metal. Vía Endless Winter, Rusia, plasman cerca de 42 minutos de lúgubres pasajes y melancólicas melodías a través de coros en voces limpias recuerdan a Woods of Ypres y por ende a Type of Negative. Si bien el tema “Doomentia” inicia y termina con más velocidad de la habitual, la placa muestra principalmente un gusto por alejarse de los patrones típicos del estilo y acoger tintes dark, lo que está bien, pues no todo tiene que sonar igual.

En este álbum también destaca el sonido, con mucho más peso que en su trabajo anterior, lo que aporta a la atmósfera tétrica que la banda logra. Sobresale el sonido de guitarras y los diversos juegos de voces limpias, guturales y coros femeninos, condensados en el corte final, “My Sweet Desire”. El disco contiene cinco temas y fue publicado bajo etiqueta Endless Winter, con una excelente factura. Recomendado.

Ciudad Metal Nov. 2013

Sadly not much is known about this doom/death band that hails from Chile of all places, signed to a Russian label known as Endless Winter. This is one of the first things I listened to from this label, and right off the bat let me tell you they have quite a few things going on from song to song, though there is a surprising lack of variety in some of the framework of these tunes. Not a HUGE deal, since this five track CD (geddit?) boasts a few 5, 6 and 7 minute songs. Where it REALLY hurts the band is the CD closer, but we'll get to that shortly. In a mere 5 minutes and 32 seconds, Aura Hiemis manages to create a song that has you thinking you've heard it longer, and that is opener 'De Tenebris.' Now right away you'll notice they utilize clean sung male vocals. A LOT. And thankfully they're not a problem to listen to. The death metal vocals are present too, and they're quite forceful. The mood bounces around a lot on this cut, and the crushing heaviness is not to be ignored. The female vocals are supposedly guest on this album, but they mix nicely here. This is a great emotional doom piece, and the drum work is quite varied as well. Followup 'Penta Imperium' is a mere 7:50, and the slow doomy guitars and pianos struck me in the face as sounding like they were lifted straight off a Draconian disc! And yes, the clean sung male vocals are back; obviously it seems like there's a bit of a gothic touch to the record. There's not a whole lot of instrumental variety here, in fact most of their "variety" comes when they take a structure change midway (maybe they play a solo, do some vocal differentiations), and then it's right back to where they started. This isn't a problem on this track. The "alarm bell" pace of the cymbals was a little odd, but it's a minor problem for me. Next comes the biggest surprise in 'Doomentia,' because it doesn't start out doomy paced at all! It's a riff fest and pretty fast compared to what you've heard so far, but the middle to end of the track (yes, all 11:37 of it) is nice and doomy, complete with clean sung vocals and some AMAZING high ended guitar work that goes on forever! The crushing heavy fast paced instrumentation coupled with the death metal vox are very attention keeping, and as small a role as they play on such a long track, they are the highlight. Gothic HEAVY is the followup tune 'In Noctem,' and the female vocals get solo time and are featured the most on this track. The piano and guitar work still has the ring of doom, but trust me, it's not JUST the womanly vocals that give this a goth edge. It's a decent track to be sure, but not as great as the rest, though I don't see myself passing it. CD ended 'My Sweet Desire' is the longest cut here at 11:50, and it suffers BADLY from the lack of variety that other tracks dealt with. First of all, this cut starts off beautifully with acoustic guitar and an amazing ambient set of synthesized landscapes, but the vocal work gets SO repetitive that it drags the whole thing down. You don't get to hear the first chorus until 4:30, and it is SO embarassing with the death metal vocals going "you could be my angel!!" I mean lyrically this really is hard to listen to, and the chorus is supposed to be an important part of the song! Thankfully, the instrumentation, especially the midway point, has some fantastic solo guitar work, but once the 8:42 mark hits, they drop RIGHT back into the overrepetitive vocals. It's definitely an enjoyable effort, not quite on par with the amazing doom bands I've heard before, but damn it, sometimes you gotta praise a band that can give you 4 great songs out of a 5 song disc. I definitely want to check out their earlier releases!!

83/100

Vibration of Doom Nov. 2013

While I've always been a major power metal fan and mostly listen to fast-paced CDs, 15 years ago I was greatly drawn to female fronted bands and eventually opened my arms to bands with the "beauty and the beast" vocal style. This led to my discover of atmospheric/gothic/doom metal masters Draconian - a killer band that's been around for over a decade and they already have a bunch of high-quality CDs. Since learning of Draconian, there have been other bands surface, and I've always given them a chance, hoping they could one day match the greatness of Draconian.

Throughout the years, some of the other bands that have popped up are Edenian, Amederia, Aut Mori, Symphonian, Auto-De-Fe, Locus Titanic Funus, Edenfall and Lorelei. Most of these bands are from Russia, which is exactly where Mirror Morionis is from, and for this debut 'Eternal unforgiveness' they've signed with Endless Winter, a Russian-based label that specializes in doom. While some of these Russian bands sing in Russian, Mirror Morionis has chosen the English language for this debut.

Musically, the CD is an atmospheric/gothic/doom metal blend that's fairly slow for the most part, just like what's heard from the mentioned bands. It's perhaps a bit slower than Draconian's style overall, and as you'd expect, some of the songs are extra-long. Though the production isn't at the level of what's heard from Draconian, Aut Mori and Lorelei (for quick comparisons), it's fairly good and in line with the sound from the other bands mentioned. I also think that this CD is more atmospheric than most CDs in the style, and Amederia is probably the best direct comparison.

Vocally, I like this band a lot, as the "beast" has a typical and deep death-style voice that's perfect for the style, and the "beauty" fits in well too, flowing nicely with the music, as opposed to overpowering it. The songs in general are definitely solid for the style, but they haven't quite captivated me like some of the songs from Draconian (for sure), or even from other new bands like Symphonian, Lorelei and especially Aut Mori, which is probably my favorite band from the style besides Draconian. Still, this is a promising debut and if you're into this style and some of the mentioned bands, you should certainly check out this CD.

3/5

Metal CD Rating Oct. 2013

I have waxed lyrical before about well played Doom Metal, but as it’s been a while let me remind you. Doom Metal is one of the most extreme forms of music around; slow, powerful, stirring, epic and dark. Doom Metal is usually associated with scenarios of despair, sombreness, emptiness and grief; but when played well, it creates an uplifting release through these scenarios: a blissful oneness with the despair and the emptiness. It opens the darkness up so that you may own it and rule it: the powerful, yet haunting atmospheric and melodic sound of desolation consumes you, and as it does so it lifts you up above it as its master and holds you there for as long as you are willing to be ruler of the darkened depths, instead of a mere overlooked unit in the overcrowded shallows.

“Farewell, your life erases me. Forever fail. Forever die…”

And here, if you dare to descend further, you can gaze into the mirror of morion – a mirror of black crystal quartz that can only reflect a darkness greater than your own; a mirror that lets you stare into even darker depths of your subconscious; and reflects each time something darker than before; and so ever deeper it goes and ever darker it becomes. All a little dramatic so far? That is because Mirror Morionis makes some very dramatic music!

”In all other realities, I’ve dug my own graves

To bury myself in every incarnation

To disappear forever

But now I fill them with my dreams

With their cold, fragile corpses…”

See, I told you so! Don’t look into the mirror if you can’t handle it! Mirror Morionis formed officially in 2010 (the creative project having begun in 2005) in the Siberian city of Tomsk, north of Novosibirsk. They play a brand of atmospheric and melodic (Gothic) Doom Metal, in similar vein to early Draconian and Theatre of Tragedy, only bleaker, more desolate and more primitive. The female vocalist, Mirror, sounds closer to a more overwrought version of Sharon Den Adel than the early vocalists of the two aforementioned bands – I’d say this is probably what Sharon Den Adel would sound like if she looked into the mirror of morion and faced her darker darkness. I’d also say that Mirror Morionis is about as bleak as a band can get without venturing completely into Funeral Doom territory (they do mention Funeral Doom as one of their influences, and it does show). Bleak, yes, but it is a hauntingly beautiful and melodic bleakness. In some ways, they remind me of a more atmospheric and melodic version of another Russian Doom Metal band called Amederia…. but enough with the comparisons now.

“Eternal Unforgiveness” was a case of love-at-first-listen for me (as you have probably guessed by now) and it is growing with every listen (…or darkening further with every glance, to keep in line with the theme). The album is full of long, sombre anthems that deliver those bleak and haunting soundscapes relentlessly. The interplay between Mirror and the male vocalist, Cataract, is excellent; as is their interplay with the music. The guitars are typically downtuned and the heaviness underlying the haunting melodies is ever present, helped by a very full and powerful bass. There are also plenty of sombre piano (and atmospheric keyboard) passages throughout. No major chords are even reflected by the mirror of morion, that’s for sure! The songs are all masterpieces, but the two biggest standouts on the album for me have to be named: they are “Her Morion Eyes” (seriously epic; and could have been even more epic lyrically if Cataract had not been hindered by writing in his second language, which I feel caused him to miss a few tricks with the potential for vocal interplay between Mirror and himself – their character roles could have played opposing parts more prominently) and “The Sun Will Never Rise” (especially the combination of the guitar and vocal melodies together when “Farewell, your life erases me, forever fail, forever die” first comes in – it is absolutely stunning – a moment of exceptional musical greatness even on an overall great album that is full of great moments). “Eternal Unforgiveness” could well be considered a concept album as all of the songs cover the same topical themes so all of them are connected in that sense, and some of them are directly connected to each other.

This album is an absolute must for all fans of well-crafted Doom Metal; for those who have looked into the mirror and watched with awe the ever darkening darkness that reflected back at them, embraced it and turned it into art. It is very deep into Doom territory, and one of the best examples of it. For those who have not yet been converted to this kind of music, and to Mirror Morionis specifically, you might first need to overcome your apprehension and fear of what you may see before you dare to look into the mirror, because once you’ve looked, Mirror Morionis will never release you. On the other hand, that might be exactly what you need.

95/100

Femme Metal Webzine Oct. 2013

Hola Aura Hiemis, Simplemente, ¿Como surge la banda?

Aura Hiemis surge formalmente en al año 2004 aprox, luego de un par de años intentando consolidar una banda, finalmente, con la ayuda de Luis soto (Actualmente en Target y en esos años juntos en Masaya) y Felipe Godoy, decidí trabajar como solista, escogí el nombre actual, recopile los temas compuestos desde el año 1999 y grabe el primero disco "Terra Umbrarum". En un comienzo al intentar formalizar la banda el año 2001 tuvo el nombre de "mor amarth" (sin yo tener idea de la existencia de Amon Amarth), algunos de los temas de Terra Umbrarum fueron rescatados de un proyecto paralelo que nunca funciono llamado "Luxuria" y dos temas descartados de Terra Umbrarum hoy suenan en "Unnamed Desire".

¿La formación de la banda ha pasado por diferentes integrantes? Si hubo cambios, ¿quienes la conforman en la actualidad? y cuentanos de tus otros proyectos en los que participas y tu experiencia en ellas Aura Hiemis como tal fue formado como proyecto solista.

en un inicio y luego de grabado el disco terra umbrarum, participo en el proyecto activamente Aina Laer en voces femeninas durante un año, con ella nos presentamos varias veces en vivo, los dos solos con bases. Cuando Aina Laer se retiro de AH para dedicarse a sus proyectos personales, yo continué presentándome en vivo solo con bases... en algunas presentaciones participo como bajista Draco (Hydra) pero por tiempo mas gue nada, no continuamos tocando juntos y yo seguí presentandome solo... en al año 2011 se integra Blasphemo en guitarras, principalmente por la necesidad de mantener una interpretación mas fiel de los temas del disco "While the rest of the world sleep" en vivo, pero aun asi tocamos solo los dos mas las bases, a alguna gente le gusta a otra no... Aparte de AH participo activamente en Timecode como vocalista con quienes lanzaremos un disco este año, una experiencia muy gratificante y que me ha servido mucho para desarrollarme como "músico" además de involucrarme mas activamente en otras áreas asociadas a la banda. También estoy participando en Proyector, con quienes grabe un Demo y se esta componiendo el disco debut. Además otro proyecto en el que estoy trabajando actualmente es Unnamed Desire con quien también se esta trabajando en un EP previo a la grabación del disco que será editado este año.-Como ustedes, Mutilador eZine se difunde en México y diferentes países de América.

en Chile, ¿que nos pueden comentar de la escena que allá se vive?

Aca en Chile el metal es un movimiento gigante, mucha gente involucrada, muchas bandas... hay de todo y para todos... hay estilos menos populares y otros mas, como en todo orden de cosas, así mismo con las bandas... no sabría que mas decir al respecto... aparte de que gracias australis records el nivel de las bandas ha mejorado, la gestión y el trabajo también.

¿Como definen el estilo musical de Aura Hiemis? ¿Alguna bandas que los hayan influenciado?

Yo le digo visceral metal jajaja pero considerando el por que, Unammed también lo seria y son totalmente diferentes musicalmente hablando, así que Aura por concepto general es doom, doom death... y con intenciones de ser algun día funeral death doom jajaja

por medio de su música y filosofía... ¿Que busca aura hiemis?

solo liberar lo que esta en el interior, en la mente en el alma y en el corazón... dejar fluir lo que nace.

¿Que nivel y visión tiene Aura Hiemis de la escena Chilena?

a veces creo que simplemente no hay escena, si no es Black metal o death metal... considero que no hay escena... alguna vez hable con bandas mas de la tendencia doom para generar un pseudo movimiento y generar una escena, apoyarnos, tocar juntos, ir a diferentes lugares, al final nunca resulto y algunas simplemente derivaron a otros estilos... aquí en chile considero que no hay una escena doom... todos hablan de mar de grises y poema arcanus, pero con dos bandas no haces una escena, la gente no sale de ahí o a lo mas conoce a bandas como lapsus dei y endimion por una trayectoria mas que por ser de una escena... además grandes exponentes como letargy of death no tocan en vivo y no son parte de la escena, bandas como letargy of death o AH son mas reconocidas fuera de Chile.

y en terreno, como ustedes saben el público metalero es fiel, pero exigente... ¿Que respuesta han recibido del público?

de todo un poco... es poca la gente que realmente le gusta el estilo pero como tu dices esa gente es fiel, compra los discos y pregunta que pasa con la banda, esta pendiente y apoya... el resto de la gente que no gusta del estilo simplemente no esta presente, no faltan los clásicos chaqueteros, negativos y quienes echan mierda gratuitamente, pero como dice el dicho, mejor que hablen mal a que no hablen, la propaganda gratuita nunca es mala... y bueno como dice Celso de timecode, no se le puede dar el gusto a todo el mundo y el doom es un estilo para pocos, mas aun en Chile que es un país de otra escuela, mas death metal, mas thrash y muy engrupida con lo que es Black...

No les voy a quitar mas su sagrado tiempo, y con esperar saber noticias de Aura Hiemis en el futuro... Algún mensaje para nuestros lectores y seguidores de la Revista o nuestro facebook...

Gracias por su disponibilidad!!! Claro estaremos en contacto para futuras novedades, pronto habrán noticias, No DEJO DE TRABAJAR EN AURA aunque COMO EL ESTILO, LO HAGA DE FORMA MAS LENTA, Como mensaje solo puedo decir que ojala se den el tiempo y escuchen Aura si no lo han echo y si pueden, como todos lo esperan y necesitan, compren los discos para tener dinero para poder sacar muchos mas!!!

Mutilador Aug 2012

- Hola Lapsus Dei, Simplemente, ¿Cómo surge la banda? (Redacta alguna biografia del grupo, inicios, anécdotas etc)

Hola que tal, saludos desde tierras australes!! La banda se inicio en el año 1998 por iniciativa del entonces bajista y mia. Nos demoramos algunos meses en ponernos en marcha pero luego todo se dio de forma natural y rápida. En el 1999 decidimos cambiarnos el nombre a LAPSUS DEI, antes nos llamábamos Nameless

Para Uds., el nombre LAPSUS DEI... ¿Que significado tiene?

Es bien literal, “Error de los Dioses”, en resumen, y por todo lo que hemos visto en el transcurso de los años, solo somos eso, el ser humano es un error de los dioses.

¿La formación de la banda ha pasado por diferentes integrantes? Si hubo cambios, ¿quienes la conforman en la actualidad?

Bueno, siempre en la banda se ha priorizado el total compromiso con nuestro proyecto. Por lo tanto si en algún momento hay un músico que se va quedando atrás, da un paso al costado y le da la oportunidad a alguien que sea merecedora de ella.
Lineup 2012:
Julio Leiva - Voces, segundas guitarras
Rodrigo Poblete - Guitarras, segundas voces
Danny Cerda - Bateria
Juan José Ulloa - Bajo

Como ustedes, Mutilador eZine se difunde en México y diferentes paises de América... en Chile, ¿que nos pueden comentan de la escena que allá se vive?

La escena en Chile es muy fuerte y profesional, acá la mayoria de las bandas de tiempo complezo, tienen sus propias salas de ensayo full equipadas con cabezales. Los eventos son también con buena organización. Asi es como por ejemplo ahora viene el The Metal Fest Chile, con grandes bandas del mundo y del pais.

¿Como definen el estilo musical de LAPSUS DEI? ¿Alguna bandas que los hayan influenciado?

El estilo de Lapsus Dei es bien característico y propio de la banda, algunos nos clasifican como la rama mas power del doom (Brutal Doom Metal), pero la verdad es que si el día de mañana queremos hacer algo mas suave, lo haremos, por ende, prefiero que nos encasillen solo como METAL. Influences? Claro!, Novembers Doom, Opeth, Hypocrisy, Bolt Thrower, My Dying Bride.

por medio de su música y filosofia... ¿Que busca LAPSUS DEI?

Primero que todo buscamos la satisfacción personal, somos bien honestos en decir esto, no buscamos la aprobación del fan, si al fan o bangers le gusta nuestra música, nosotros felices, pero no son una influencia en nuestra música ni letras.

¿Cuales son los planes a largo y corto plazo?

A corto plazo se nos viene la grabación del disco doble llamado Sadness Reflections, el cual es la continuación del In Our Sacred Places (ambos conceptuales) A largo plazo es poder concretar la gira por Sudamérica que dejamos en standby por la muerte del padre de nuestro ex vocalista.

con el paso de los años de tocatas y eventos en diferentes escenarios del país, ¿Como describes la evolución de LAPSUS DEI?

Ha sido una evolución extraña, evoiución/involucion - Pasamos por el death doom metal, para luego caer en el doom gothic, luego volver al doom death metal, y ahora... quien sabe!!

¿Que nivel y visión tiene LAPSUS DEI de la escena Chilena?

Bueno como te decía antes, es profesional, no hay mucha cabida a bandas de "hobbie" que se junten una ves al mes y cosas así, el publico es exigente. Muchas bandas chilenas ya andan haciendo giras por Europa y Asia.

¿Creen ustedes, que el Metal en Chile, tiene un lugar de reconocimiento que se merece?

Un lugar de reconocimiento, si, definitivamente, pero ese reconocimiento no se ha traducido en nada. La cosa sigue tal cual, la escena debe mantenerse sola

y en terreno, como ustedes saben el público metalero es fiel, pero exigente... ¿Que respuesta han recibido del público?

Siempre hemos tenido una respuesta muy buena y respetuosa del pubiico, siempre los locaies se llenan cuando tocamos. Como anécdota, hace unos años en pieno evento tuvimos un desperfecto técnico y el show se demora casi media hora en empezar, nadie reclama, nadie hiso siibidos, todos nos esperaron alentandonos.

No les voy a quitar mas su sagrado tiempo, y con esperar saber noticias de LAPSUS DEI en el futuro... Algún mensaje para nuestros lectores y seguidores de la Revista o nuestro facebook... Gracias por su disponibilidad!!!

Muchas gracias a ti por el espacio en tu prestigioso zine, esperamos poder tener mayor contacto con bandas de tu país, y que el metal viva siempre en nuestros corazonesl! Cuaiquier duda o consuita ya saben... estoy a su disponibiiidad. saiudos cordiales \m/

Mutilador Aug 2012

칠레의 둠메탈밴드 Aura Hiemis 의 풀랭스4번째 앨범이다.

2008년앨범에 6번7번 트랙을 첨가해서 디지팩으로 2010년 Endless Winter 레이블에서 발매한 앨범으로서

칠레산 둠메탈의 수준이 어느정도인지 생각해볼수있는 수준높은 둠메탈 앨범이다.

얼마전에 포스팅한 역시 칠래산이자 Endless Winter레이블의 Lethargy Of Death와는 또다른 리듬의 웅장한 퓨너럴둠메탈을

제대로 감상할수있는 강추할만한 앨범이며 Endless Winter란 메이커로만도 알만한 사람은 신뢰가가는 앨범이다.

동시구매한 Krief De Soli그리고 Lethargy Of Death. 3개의 앨범다 각기다른 퓨너럴 둠메탈 앨범으로 대만족했기 때문이다.

66분이라는 제대로의 풀랭스 앨범으로 전채적인 7곡 중 한곡도 버릴것이 없는 훌륭한 앨범임이 분명하다.

고로 이앨범이 보인다면 질러야할 우선순위에 두는것이 아마도 나중에 후회하지않을것이다.

08년앨범을 구매하지 못해서 후회해본 경험이 있는 사람의 말이다.

약점이라면 A5 디지팩이라는 것이 관리나 또는 포스팅할때 디카보다 A4 스케너로 스켄하는 나로서는 상당히 성가시다.

물론 화려한 자켓을 좋아하는 사람에겐 장점이겠지만 귀차니스트인 나로서는 그것이 만점에서 별반개 깍이는 약점이다.

Dark Zone Nov 2011

Habitante de los rincones mas sombríos del under metalero criollo, Aura Hiemis surgió en 2004 como la “one man band” de Felipe V (vocalista de los poderosos Timecode y ex militante de Mar de Grises), y desde ese entonces ha engrosado destacadamente las filas del Funeral Doom, trinchera que se caracteriza por llevar los tiempos del Doom Metal a un grado extremo de lentitud, pesadez y desamparo, y cuyos padres son los finlandeses Thergothon.

Con 2 Larga Duración a cuestas, el mastermind de este decrépito engendro decidió ofrecerle al mundo “FiVe”, producción que contiene regrabaciones de 4 capturas que aparecieron en el debut discográfico de Aura, más una reversión para un escrito incluido en un antiguo demo, apuesta que se grabó a inicios de 2012 y que finalmente el sello ruso Endless Winter editó hace algunos meses para calmar las ansias de los fanáticos mientras se afinan los últimos detalles del nuevo material.

El espectral periplo se inicia con la sofocante e hipnótica ‘De Tenebris’, más pausada que su versión primaria y cuyas voces masculinas (limpias y guturales) se combinan a la perfección con las cálidas y seductoras líneas vocales a cargo de Ninfalidae. Destacadas también son las atmósferas a medio camino entre la psicodelia y el terror, las que tiñen de desesperación un pieza pesadillesca, vibra que se repite en ‘Penta Imperium’ y sus melodías perversamente adictivas que dialogan con una voz de una tristeza tan penetrante que termina dotando al corte de una faz trágica pavorosa y demoledora.

Al llegar a ‘Doomentia’ nos convertimos en testigos privilegiados de una vuelta de tuerca al género tan ambiciosa como interesante, pues el primer tramo de la pista cuenta con una velocidad inusual, la que además guiña tanto al industrial como al gótico. En efecto, su halo a The Sisters Of Mercy pero, por sobre todo, a “N.W.O.”, de Ministry, es innegable. No obstante lo anterior, al minuto 3 se abre un portal vampírico que le roba el alma a la rapidez y convierte al tema en una de las franjas más deprimentes, mustias y desoladoras de todo el CD. Punto alto también es la orquestación, mucho mejor desarrollada que el modelo original, lo que permite elevar exponencialmente la carga dramática de la composición, nivel de mejora ostensible que también exhibe ‘In Noctem’, donde la participación femenina lleva al tema al siguiente nivel, especialmente en el exquisito e inolvidable coro. A pesar de que en ciertos momentos se pueden distinguir algunos sonidos en plan My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost e incluso Tiamat - es decir, de un “Doom” mucho más “popular” – la canción se ubica sin problemas como uno de los peaks de la placa sin abandonar el domicilio estilístico.

El cierre del opus lo protagoniza ‘My Sweet Desire’ y su arribo acústico de belleza arrebatadora que luego da paso a una instrumentación estridente y marcial, donde destaca el fraseo marcado, intenso y desgarrador que timbra V. El aroma del track deja la sensación de estar escuchando una oda al amor imposible en clave melancólica, cuya verdad y pasión demuestran que las almas en pena también son capaces de navegar los mares de la sensibilidad y la hermosura, bajando magistralmente el telón del álbum.

En un disco que deja en el paladar del oyente el inequívoco sabor de la superación, se elevan como ejes articuladores de la evolución el mejor y más contundente y expansivo sonido - responsabilidad de Eduardo Vidal quien grabó, mezclo y masterizó el trabajo – las voces femeninas, y el mejor desarrollo de las capas y ambientaciones, triunfos a los que contribuyeron Blasfemo (Suffering Dusk) en algunas guitarras, Ninfalidae y el mismo Vidal, quien también laboró en las 6 cuerdas y regaló algunos coros. Quizás el único aspecto negativo sean las baterías programadas. Con un intérprete humano, el registro hubiera llegado aún más lejos. Afortunadamente, el proyecto se convirtió en banda, por lo que el talentoso V (voces y guitarras) ya ha tocado en vivo junto a Eduardo GJ en bajo, Eduardo Vidal en guitarras y voces, Cristián Gutiérrez en Batería y Nicole León en teclados.

Por otra parte, para ser un compacto que se circunscribe disciplinadamente a los marcos de un estilo que asoma a priori monótono y limitado, “fiVe” ofrece muy buenas ideas, variedad y ciertas cuotas de dinamismo, junto con todas las señales emotivas que caracterizan al nicho desde donde emana su música. Además, la calidad de L.P. le otorga al conjunto credenciales de avanzada a la hora de imponerse como una marca registrada en el cada vez más amplio panorama de oferta extrema nacional, junto con permitirle competir con actos como Worship, Shape Of Despair, Evoken o Ataraxie por un lugar de vanguardia a nivel global.

Sin lugar a dudas, Aura Hiemis se alza categóricamente como una interesante alternativa en el cada vez más densamente poblado paisaje subterráneo chileno.

Rockaxis Aug 2013

I was aware of two meanings of the word 'morion'. Unfortunately, these covered a kind of beetle, and the rather fetching helmets traditionally modelled by Spanish conquistador types - either of which, conceivably, could be turned into attractive mirror shapes, but would still be a rubbish name for a band. So it came as some relief that a third meaning was waiting to be discovered: this being a type of smoky quartz, which not only makes more sense as an adjective, it sounds a whole lot better as a moniker. Ahead of the game already: I hadn't even opened the CD before learning something new.

There are some other things to be learned, too. Mirror Morionis are a six-piece of Russian Atmospheric Doomsters who have been together since 2010, although various band members have served with other Tomsk-based groups for longer than that. This, their debut release, has lyrics based around a Ukrainian novel "Skrut", about the betrayal of a loved one. And they favour fey nicknames that perhaps sounded better pre-translation, such as Mirror, Cataract, Gothfather (presumably not THE Peter Murphy, though) and...erm...Gilbert, who may be letting the side down a little there.

Presented as a tidy, informational package by Endless Winter, the booklet includes all lyrics - in English, as they are sung, which bear the usual minor idiosyncracies and errors of writing in a foreign tongue with a certain charm rather than grating - along with credits for the source material and guest musicians, and lots of sepia-tinted pictures of trees. The CD itself comes with a strikingly clear mix and production (mastered by Juan Escobar, ex-of Mar De Grises) ideally suited to the stately, layered atmospherics of the music.

I've called that Atmospheric Doom above, for convenience. It is, broadly, just that, but in a style that is a little hard to quantify: the band cite Remembrance and Lethian Dreams as particular influences, and, indeed, draw from both the former's Funeral pace and the latter's female-vocalled, slightly symphonic Gothic flourishes. The result sounds more polished and European than the often quite folk-influenced flavour of Russian Atmospheric bands, such as the Autumn collective - although the (presumably synthesised) strings such as at the start of 'When Mirror Cries' do also lean on that heritage.

If that isn't exactly a boundary-shattering innovation, it doesn't need to be. Except to the most jaded of ears, there is always room for a well-executed example of an existing or familiar genre. And this is where Mirror Morionis excel, delivering compositions that are both mature and displaying a formidable array of musical weaponry. Despite the large number of performers involved, the sound is an uncluttered and distinct one that gives all instruments space to breathe. It's a little surprising, given the lush and perfectly-fitting textures added throughout by the keyboard, that this is all guest-work. Still, it makes for a great complement to the interesting, deliberately chunky bass lines and precise, ornamented drumbeats, and underwrites the clean, often soaring, vibrant guitars. The vocals, perhaps the most Gothic overtone, mix the expected clean/harsh male contributions with high and clean female, but also throw in some wordless choral moments. Sampled effects of running water and wind bracket the songs with neatly-integrated emphasis, adding an organic feel to the evolution of the storyline as it wends between the ominous opener 'Towards The Woe' and desolate closer 'Towards The Loss Within'.

In between those largely-instrumental pieces, the centrepiece of the album is the 14-minute monument of 'Her Morion Eyes', a dignified and cruelly emotive lament for the end of love. Either side of that, the album builds towards tragedy then arcs away into regret and loss, both moods crafted with a rather lovely equal and symmetric melancholy and in which the stand-out tracks 'Inner Waste' and 'Graves Filled With My Dreams' showcase the full range of the band's ability to vary melody and pace.

As a debut, I'd have to describe 'Eternal Unforgiveness' as, quite simply, exceptional. In terms of capturing a concept and mood of exquisite and beautiful sorrow, though the music isn't especially comparable, it strikes a chord similar to The Morningside's excellent 'Treelogia'. And in musical terms, not only is it better than one would have a right to expect from newcomers, but better than many established takes on the Gothic-tinged Atmospheric genre. Thoroughly recommended.

Doom-metal.com Sep. 2013

Russia is FULL of great bands... And not all are signed to Solitude Productions! When Ankhagram's album "Where Are You Now" (see issue #52 for details) came out, they were signed to Silent Time Noise Records, a label that DEFINITELY likes bands that have a LOT in common with Shape Of Despair. So I was surprised to hear that not only did Ankhagram have a new album out, but now they were signed to Endless Winter Records! I've received a lot of stuff from Silent Time Noise, but nothing yet from Endless Winter, so we will have to see how that label develops. Ankhagram is full of surprises with their brand new release "Thoughts," however, and if you were expecting another Shape Of Despair clone album, you'll be a little disappointed. That being said, even though Dead disagrees with me, this is a band that has the talent as well as the songs to be signed to a label like Solitude Productions. Read on...

With the new album "Thoughts," I noticed that many songs featured very little vocal work... It kinda continues this from your previous album "Where Are You Now."

I have found that music has the atmosphere regardless of the vocals. With vocals or without - music, pitch, melody, composing has not changed. Sometimes I don't want to listen to the words. The music speaks for itself.

Speaking of the new album, I noticed that you are on a different label now; you were on Silent Time Noise Records, which I thought was a perfect label for this band. Why the change of labels? It seems like you have had a different record label for each album!

Silent Time Noise is a good label. All the labels I've worked with were great. I just want to try different things.

So I'm seeing some of the details for your earlier albums like "Neverending Sorrow" and "ReANKHarnation," and the running times on most of these songs is a lot shorter...

I can not really answer that question. When I write a song, do not know how long it will last.

How is the music scene in Russia, especially the doom metal scene? It seems like Solitude Productions has become one of the best doom metal labels in the entire world, spawning many fantastic and memorable bands from around the globe, not just in Russia...

To be honest, I'm not really familiar with the Russian scene. There are a few bands that I've identified for myself sometime. For example, no longer an active band Quasar. Solitude Productions (is) a great label. They have a very serious approach to their work.

I always thought that Russia had a favorable environment for not just black metal, but doom metal as well. Everyone always associated the icy guitar tones of black metal with the cold and harsh Scandinavian landscape, but truth be told, Russian winters are even more brutal and at the same time I'm sure you have many more miles of majestic mountains and snow covered forests...

Russia is rich in nature. Many people (are) just inspired by nature. But I live in a small town where (it's) not so nice. Personally, I am inspired only by my own experiences, thoughts, (and) relationships. Although, what I would not give to live half a year in Iceland. I think there is a perfect depressing atmosphere.

I was really intrigued by the album "Where Are You Now," as it seems to have a huge Shape Of Despair influence to it. I'm assuming that's one of your favorite doom bands?

You're right. Shape of Despair - this is my favorite band in doom metal. When I first heard their songs, I thought "This is it, this is exactly what I want to hear in my music." But still Ankhagram is independent music, which at one time appeared under the influence of Shape of Despair. Currently, the album "Thoughts" - to compare with Shape of Despair is not entirely correct.

I have never heard of the band MGMT, but the cover you did was extremely well done; I'm curious about why you chose this band to do a cover of? I saw their video on youtube and it was pretty frightening!

I like to listen to different music. MGMT is one of those bands that I listen to sometimes. And yet, I like to play unusual covers. I like their song "Kids." It partly reflects the idea of the album. A cover version of the song ends the album perfectly.

So is there any chance Ankhagram performs live? Maybe you've done some concerts outside of Russia?

Life is very unpredictable. But at the moment I have no plans for live performances. There are several reasons. I do not like to be on stage. I have no time for the stage, and no money for stage equipment. Although, sometimes I really want it.

A lot of other bands have come out of the Ukraine as well. Acts like Nokturnal Mortum and Khors have done very well for themselves. I am aware that The Ukraine was formerly part of the Soviet Union but was always trying to establish their own independence, even though they were one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. How do you feel about Ukraine these days, are you fans of any bands coming out of this region?

Ukraine is a wonderful country. There are many fans of Ankhagram (there). But, as I said, I'm not really familiar with the Russian scene, and post-Soviet scene.

I am kind of surprised that Solitude Productions hasn't picked up on your band as of yet; especially "Where Are You Now" would have fit perfectly with many of the other bands on the label.

Solitude Productions has very high standards for sound quality. Unfortunately, I can not afford professional mastering. (It) just seems to me that Ankhagram (is) still very far from such a label.

A lot was made during the late 50's and early 60's about Communist influence in American every day life and politics, however I have learned about how the "red scare" was trumped up by powerful politicians to spy on it's own citizens and remove their opponents without due process of the law. How do you view Russia's history with Communism today; I know personally I have many allies and friends in Russia, and it seems to me like our own government has covered up many details about their "secret dealings" with other countries.

I am very far from politics. It never interested me. All that was between the two countries - is history. The most important thing now is friendship.

I've read a lot about the history of rock music in Russia; I'm not sure if you're aware of all it's history but I did find it interesting that for a time, the government decided to sponsor and fund Russian rock music which had to draw suspicion from the people! I do know that once Communism fell, it seems like much of the music from outside became more readily available... Especially underground music...

I do not know about the political component of rock music. But thanks to the Internet, I learned of a great many Russian bands in different styles of music.

So this latest album "Thoughts," the opening track probably caught some people unaware as it has a lot more melodic and ambient moments, however there are still lots of keyboards and synth passages; in addition there are also some tracks like 'Don't Feel This Life' that are perfect dark and heavy masterpieces so I guess the newer influences don't totally overshadow everything else.

(The) "Thoughts" album isn't difficult to understand. This new road + experience. Ankhagram moves on, using past experiences. (I) do not want every year to give the same material. But the past can not be forgotten.

I'm curious as to the theme of the album "Thoughts," however, as I know on the cut 'Lost In Reality' there seems to be this high speed train, or subway, ambience that takes up most of the song. Any lyrical ideas, thoughts, or subject matter you referenced for this album?

The train, subway - is part of our life. Boarding the train is like the beginning of life. You go to the train and see another life, how other people live their lives. You look out the window. When (you) arrive to your destination - life ends. Other lives have not changed. That's what I was thinking when I wrote the songs for "Thoughts".

So finally, as we wrap this up, I'm curious if you think the doom metal genre has "run it's course," so to speak. Even though lots of doom bands come out and release great albums, it seems like it gets harder and harder to come up with something new or groundbreaking within this genre. Of course, it seems like that for all genres of underground music, though metal seems to have a "revival" stage every ten or 20 years or so, what with thrash making a comeback and newer bands incorporating styles and sounds from the 60's and 70's...

Doom metal is a very highly specialized genre. As is black metal. It has not changed (in) over 20 years. There are new bands that play the same old black. Thousands of them. I think this is a dead end. With doom metal the situation is repeated. It's necessary to bring something new to the genre. And most importantly, we must try to understand the new.

Something I always wanted to ask someone from Russia... In Scandinavia, the government supports musicians and will help pay for rehearsal space, recording time, etc. and the schools over there have kids as young as elementary school learning the guitar in school. Plus, English is taught from a young age, so it seems a lot of Scandinavian bands speak better English than us native born English speakers! How is education in Russia and does the government support musicians or bands?

Good question. In Russia there are music schools paid for children. The state supports only classical musicians, music students of academies and colleges. Still, there is support for only those musicians who can take part in local and regional competitions, and as a victory for their cultural institutions sector employees get bonuses. Most of these musicians are small orchestras, choirs, and Russian folk singers. Rarely - very young rap artists, and kids. If you can agree, the state can provide space for rehearsals in a smoky basement, and they may even give the recording studio. The sound quality is just awful.

In our country we are taught several languages. Just a lot of people still have the old Soviet education that says "why should my child learn English?" I think that this is not correct. English language is the international language and to know it is necessary. If you want to play music in Russia, prepare for the enormous difficulties: Money, place, and attitude.

Are you working on songs for another full length? Any song titles, ideas, influences or album themes you want to tell us about?

Yes, now we are working on new tracks. And it definitely will not be doom metal. Working on a project "THE FUTURE." This is an instrumental audio-visual project in the genre of ambient/post-rock. Tracks are available for free download on the official site. Watch the video on YouTube channel. It is planned to release a full-length post-rock album. The timing still is not known, as well as the title of the album. I hope this year to succeed.

If there's anything else you want to mention or talk about, that we didn't cover, now is your chance. Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing your next full length!!!

I want to thank all the fans of Ankhagram. If it were not for your support, it would not make sense to play the music. Many thanks for your donations, which are very helpful, and thank you for your interest in Ankhagram. When it all began, in 2005, I could not imagine that we would have Ankhagram fans. And we could not even dream of full-length albums released on CD. I never thought of Ankhagram music as good. Yes, I'm too self-critical. Thank you very much for the interview. I was very glad to answer your questions.

Vibration of Doom Mar. 2013

After their brilliantly received "Where Are You Now" album (reviewed last issue in case you missed it), I was quite surprised to hear that this Russian funeral doom styled band had left Silent Time Noise Records. Part of the reason may have to do with their structural shift in influences, especially when you hear the opening instrumental only song 'Gates In Mind.' A mere 5:50 of beautiful and melodic piano notations are quite shocking given what the band usually writes, begging the question: is Dead leaving the doom metal genre behind altogether? I definitely enjoyed it, however, and the violins were a nice touch. Fear not, however, as we hear some of Ankhagram's darkest instrumentation on the followup 'Don't Feel This Life.' Harsh and howling winds permeate this track for much of it's 18 minute length, perfectly capturing the essence of such cold and cruel winters the Russian landscape is well known for. The vocals kick in here, and are quite reminiscent of "Shades Of..." era Shape Of Despair, sounding very ancient and very much like thousand year old trees speaking for the first time in ages. A very unusual and DIFFERENT type of vocal style than the usual death metal fare. There's not a ton of variation in this track, though the beautiful Shape Of Despair like synths get their fair share of foreground space. The track may run a little too long for some, especially when the synths are running through several minute passages. The followup 'Lost In Reality' has a somewhat overused moving train sound that sometimes detracts from the beautiful ambient synthesized passages. This is a 14 minute track that adds some nice doomy instrumentation amidst some amazing horn like keys and you will start to notice, these songs contain VERY little in the way of vocals. Yeah, the train sounds do get annoying, but followup 'I'm Fake' has some of the best instrumentation on the album! The trumpet like horn sounds bring to mind a slight Colosseum influence almost instantly, though nowhere NEAR a "carbon copy." The beautiful piano notations also retained a hint of sadness, showing Dead's mastery of emotional presence within his chosen instruments. That "light and uplifting" feeling blends well with the heavier stuff. 'Without Us' is noteworthy of being a very dark and slow funeral doom piece, and here is where things were most noteworthy for me: an almost 12 minute piece containing ONLY 80 seconds of actual vocals! (That's 1 minute and 20 seconds). Immediately the heavy doom presence is felt from the start, though the synth only passages end this track a bit far from where it started. CD ender 'Thoughts' raised eyebrows a bit as a 12 minute instrumental, and by far one of the weakest cuts on the disc, as it seems to be "playing it safe" instrumentation wise; not only taking a few minutes to really flesh out, but the main synths seem to be very unemotionally involved, not like the other tracks. Still, this cut has a tendency to be somewhat relaxing, further throwing you off balance by adding heavier instrumentation at the end of it all. Not their best piece of work, but overall the ambient dynamics prove that this newest addition to the Ankhagram repertoire works well in the hands of the composer Dead, and I look forward to hearing how the sounds develops on their next full length.

87/100

Vibration of Doom Mar. 2013

De derde full length van Aura Hiemis, anders eventueel bekend van de split met Ego Depths en Sculptor. De doom death metal begint met De Tenebris zwaar, traag en duister, voorzien van diepe grunts en wat keyboardelementen voor het sfeereffect. Penta Imperium is een wat ‘lichter’ nummer, maar tegelijkertijd net zo dreigend. Bij de dubbele zanglijnen komt een zeer diepe grunt net onder de cleane vocalen door. Doomentia is met twaalf minuten een afwisselender nummer, in het begin en het einde zit het tempo er goed in met een dikke geluidsmuur van scheurende gitaren. In In Noctem is de zang vooral weggelegd voor de vrouwelijke rol. Geen klassieke- of operazang maar scherpe heldere zanglijnen met een grauwe dynamiek. Het afsluitende My Sweet Desire klinkt verlangend en biedt ook weer trage death en doom met beestachtige growls. Het album biedt een fijne middenweg tussen de echte funeral doom en de ‘standaard’ doom, dus de deathmetalliefhebber moet ook vooruit kunnen met deze plaat.

ZwareMetalen Aug. 2013

Este disco llegado de Rusia presenta un potente material en solitario. Se trata del último LP editado en 2012. Ankhagram se forma el año 2005 y desde entonces no se ha detenido en la búsqueda de sonidos que reflejen lo sublime de la tristeza. “Thoughts” se levanta como su quinto larga duración, desde el inicio con una perspectiva bastante urbana y desoladora, pero que deja una idea de esperanza en este mundo podrido donde el humano arrastra su culpa por vivir. En cada pasaje se respira esa grata sensación.

El disco consta de seis temas que contienen pasajes ambientales basados en strings y teclados. Pero también presenta tramos pesimistas de funeral doom, donde las guitarras cortan el denso paisaje en la forma de una desgarradora voz gutural. Esta marcha hacia el abismo se complementa a la perfección con unos largos y tristes leads en guitarra. “I`m Fake”, el tema cuatro, debe ser mi favorito. Si pensaste que ya nada podía ser peor en tu vida, te equivocas, la angustia plasmada en él es majestuosa. Con una melodía en piano que se abre paso frente a un desolador y amplio pasaje de inicio a fin trae a la mente nuestros momentos más aciagos.

El disco termina con un tema instrumental y viene como una vorágine urbana, una búsqueda entre un tumulto humano sin salida logrando el caos existencial a la perfección. En resumen, un excelente material para los amantes del género y los que no también. Dead, su único miembro, es quien ejecuta e interpreta todos los instrumentos, acompañado de una excelente calidad de sonido y una sobria edición por parte del sello Endless Winter. Para conocer más de este interesante proyecto dirigirse a su sitio web oficial.

Ciudad Metal Mar. 2013

El lanzamiento del disco “Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun”, de Falling Leaves, ha sido un acierto de Endless Winter en este último tiempo. Sin duda. Se trata del álbum debut de esta banda originaria de Jordania. Una pieza de doom/death metal triste y abrumador contada en ocho tracks con outro incluida, mostrando una angustiante ejecución de todos los instrumentos y donde mi principal fijación fueron las líneas melódicas de las guitarras, filosas y suicidas plasmadas con un sentimiento increíble.

Las voces captan la atención de manera fuerte, en especial en los segmentos más pesados y con guturales muy graves otorgándole una presencia espectacular. Aquí contaron con la participación de Josep Brunet de Helevorn en el tema “Reaching My Last Haven”, Pim Blankenstein de Officium Triste en “Blight” -que considero mi favorito- y Paul Kuhr de Novembers Doom en “Vanished Serenity”. O sea, todo un lujo que no se da cualquier banda.

Hablamos de una placa importante dentro del estilo y lo destaco por lo siguiente: es una banda completa, sin desmerecer aquellos proyectos editados por un único instrumentista, que toca instrumentos reales casi en su totalidad. Tenemos pasajes muy profundos de piano y otros con líneas de violín melancólicas. Los temas conservan una estructura sólida y te llevan de uno a otro siempre con la angustia de lo que vendrá. De esta forma se hace un disco muy dinámico y atractivo para quienes la senda del dolor y la muerte son su elección.

En “Blight”, en mi opinión el mejor tema del disco, los leads melancólicos de las guitarras junto a la voz profunda se transforman en atmósferas que reviven el recuerdo o la experiencia más deprimente de tu vida. Si a eso le sumas la fúnebre melodía en violín cerca del final, solo puedes bosquejar un largo y solitario camino de condena.

Otro punto importante es el arte, el cual contiene una ilustración muy otoñal que complementa de manera perfecta lo que la música proyecta. Una edición sobria pero precisa para un disco altamente recomendado.

Ciudad Metal May 2013

Após a resenha do bom “Where Are You Now”, de 2010, venho até aqui novamente para resenhar o último álbum do Ankhagram, batizado “Thoughts”, lançado em 2012. O álbum chega até nós via Endless Winter. O registro começa com uma longa instrumental no piano chamada “Gates In Mind“, as melodias impostas são boas e até bem alegres, por assim dizer. Mas de qualquer forma é uma faixa longa para o começo de um CD (Quase seis minutos). Logo após temos “Don’t Feel This Life” e seus dezoito minutos de pura tristeza e depressão, com os vocais de Dead cumprindo bem o papel e superiores comparado ao cd anterior da banda. É uma ótima faixa e seu longo tempo não é notado devido a fluidez que a mesma apresenta. Logo após, temos “Lost In Reality” e seus teclados bem impostados (atenção no começo da segunda parte da música).

A quarta música da bolacha recebe o nome de “I’m A Fake” e novamente mostra bons teclados e levada na medida certa, monótona (nesse caso, não soando pejorativamente) e enérgica ao mesmo tempo, mantendo assim a linearidade em um nível superior. A próxima música se chama “Without Us” e possuí um vídeo oficial lançado no canal da banda (veja aqui). A música mantém o nível das outras (o final atmosférico é de uma beleza ímpar), porém, a banda usa de forma cansativa a mesma fórmula, fazendo assim com que o ouvinte sinta um cansaço na audição do CD, porém, sem perder a qualidade musical hora alguma. E por fim, temos a gigantesca instrumental de doze minutos nomeada “Thoughts” (que também tem um clipe oficial, veja aqui), terminando de forma perturbadora o registro. Um bom CD que mantém a regularidade do lançamento anterior, porém com alguns momentos cíclicos. De qualquer forma, um bom material para fãs do gênero.

Funeral Wedding Apr 2013

Novamente tenho contato com essa banda jordaniana de Melodic Death/Doom e só posso dizer uma coisa: que disco maravilhoso.

Está certo que não há nada de novidade, mas podemos sentir que são composições honestas e de muito bom gosto.

A influência de Saturnus é evidente, principalmente nas linhas de guitarra, com uma fazendo a linha melódica e a outra segurando as bases.

Além das músicas serem um atrativo por si só, há convidados de peso nesse debut. Nomes como Pim Blankenstein, Paul Kuhr, Josep Brunet para você ter ideia do que lhe espera.

Reaching my Last Heaven abre esse petardo, logo somos transportados pela linha melódica da guitarra principal, e em meios a vocais falados e guturais (por Josep Brunet) nos deixam num certo estado de catarse.

Blight é uma faixa com uma grande carga Saturniana, e com a presença do ilustre Pim, o que deu uma carga emocional muito grande à ela. O contraponto dos vocais guturais com os vocais falados são de muito bom gosto. A linha de violino ficaram a cargo de Olaf Gothlin e foram executada por uma forma desumana e certamente essa faixa é uma das melhores do disco.

Trapped Within é uma faixa concisa, com uma harmonização e linha melódica muito boa. Aqui a linha de violino ficaram a cargo de Pete Johansen e que também é responsável pelos mesmo violinos na faixa Memories will never Fade.

Silence Again é uma faixa que nos traz a mente a boa fase do My Dying Bride, da época do Turn Loose the Swans com a faixa de abertura Sear Me MCMXCIII, trazendo consigo os vocais “falados” em uma linha de piano executando a parte sonora, mas nem por isso deixa de ser bela. Aqui a linha de violino foram tocadas novamente por Olaf Gothlin.

Vanished Serenity tem uma linha melódica alá Saturnus e com o inconfundível vocal de Paul Kuhr. Os vocais limpos fazendo as linhas principais na estrofe e sendo acompanhados por algumas palavras do segundo vocal, nos traz uma sensação de desespero e é como se você estivesse assistindo uma confissão de uma pessoa obsediada, onde ela e o seu espírito obsessor confessassem sobre os planos que tramavam.

Celestial é uma faixa boa, com variações ritmicas e quebradas em seu andamento trazendo um resultado moderno para o doom tocado por eles.

E para encerrar temos Dying Sun que serve também como o encerramento da vida do sujeito após o massacre ouvido nesse material.

Item indispensável na coleção de qualquer doomer de carteirinha.

Funeral Wedding Feb 2013

Další rybou v síti ruských Endless Winter jsou FALLING LEAVES z cizokrajného Jordánu. To je překvapení číslo jedna. Překvapení číslo dvě spočívá v početné enklávě zajímavých hostů, kteří se na nahrávce prezentují. Jak se brzy dozvíte, nejedná se o žádné začátečníky, ale o otřelé hudebníky, jejichž minulost má u hudební veřejnosti váhu nemalou.

Jak už název titulu napovídá, budeme se nyní brouzdat ve vodách čistě doom metalových. FALLING LEAVES tomuto žánru jistojistě propadli a ve svém počínání se snaží přiblížit především slavnějším kolegům ze západní Evropy. Dokonce bych si dovolil tvrdit, že pro Jordánce jsou největším zdrojem inspirace ty kapely, které slavily úspěchy v devadesátých letech před ukončením milénia. A přesně ve stejném duchu se nese i úvodní skladba „Reaching My Last Heaven“, jež bez nějakých okolků zahajuje exkurz do nitra „zkázonosného kovu“ a zároveň představuje prvního pěveckého hosta, kterým je Josep Brunet ze španělské kapely HELEVORN. Ten se také dle dostupných informací postaral o hypnoticky čistý přednes, jehož úloha zdála se být po několika málo vteřinách výsadní, leč následující minuty ukázaly pravý opak. Hudbě vévodí growling vokalisty Abdula – Azize Asaffa, přičemž tradiční doom metalový příběh se pochopitelně nejvíce opírá o mocnost atmosféry a totální tlak na posluchačovu kůru mozkovou.

FALLING LEAVES i přes poměrně jednoduchou strukturu skladeb umějí vtáhnout posluchače do děje a taktéž se jim daří brnkat na srdce romantických povah. Především houslové party ve skladbách „Blight“ či „Trapped Within“ jsou dokáží vymodelovat vpravdě pohřební náladu, která pochopitelně vede pouze a jen do stanice smutku a zmaru. Ještě skličující atmosféra dýchá z kompozice „Vanished Serenity“, kterou lze bez nadsázky označit za výsadní „know-how“ souboru. Reklama na doom metalové řemeslo je podtržena další vokální asistencí, tentokráte se jedná o skutečně renomované tváře, kterými jsou Pim Blankenstein (OFFICIUM TRISTE) a Paul Kuhr (NOVEMBERS DOOM). Marketingový tah? Dost možná jen v rámci podzemních parametrů. Nic víc bych v tom nehledal.

„Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun“ není nikterak revoluční album. Díky atmosféře se však dostává nad brány prokletého průměru, a to i díky solidnímu zvuku. Pro příznivce tradičního doom metalu může tedy být tato nahrávka poměrně zajímavou alternativou. Na můj vkus se však až příliš drží zafixovaných mantinelů. Pro příště by to rozhodně chtělo více zariskovat. Slušný debut.

R.U.M. zine Dec. 2012

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time I've encountered a Jordanian band of any sort, let alone a Melodically-inclined Death/Doom one. In truth, there's not all that much of a direct Death influence apparent in the compositions or techniques: it's more that they are influenced by, and have some passing resemblances to, bands which have been labelled Death/Doom. Still, it's a broad category these days, and if that's what they prefer to identify as, I'm not going to argue too strenuously against it - merely to point out that this is definitely at the refined and tuneful end of the spectrum.

It's fairly easy to see why Russian label Endless Winter have picked up this debut release: its closest kinship, in many ways, is to the slower, atmospheric Gothic-Romantic-influenced branches of Scandinavian/Slavic Doom. Pretty much all of them at once, that is: 'Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun' covers a lot of ground as it shifts from different variants of melancholy acoustics to orchestral strings and synths to guitar-driven, harsh-vocal passages within the course of almost every track.

That's maybe to be expected. It isn't clear which band members contribute to the compositions, with credits simply to Falling Leaves, but one would guess at all seven of them. That's two guitars, two vocalists, bass, drums and keyboards. In addition, they have featured a surprising number of guest vocalists and violinists, some of whom should need no introduction (Paul Kuhr, Pim Blankenstein and Pete Johansen), although Josep Brunet (vocals, Helevorn) and Olof Gothlin (Swedish session violinist, has recorded with Draconian) may be less familiar names. That's a serious pool of influences, opinions and specialities to be catering for, especially for a relatively short album where all but one (much shorter) track clocks in at around 5 - 7 minutes.

In fact, this contributes to the one real criticism of the album: taken as a whole, it lacks a certain sense of identity and risks being identified more by the guest performances than the band's own vision. For all that, it isn't by any means a bad effort, and the individual songs are creditable in their own right: they just don't combine into a completely coherent entity. This is particularly noticeable - perhaps ironically, on a track without any outside assistance - in the mercifully brief 'Dying Sun (Outro)'. It's a pleasant enough acoustic instrumental, overdubbed with an incredibly obtrusive scratched-record effect that seems completely pointless in an album that makes no other attempt at implied or actual old-style vinyl 'authenticity'.

Apart from that, though, all the necessary ingredients are in place. There's a good balance of vocals, covering harsh, a slightly-flat sounding but nonetheless appropriate clean voice and spoken words, with some harmonic backing; while the guest contributors offer performances appropriate to their pedigree (the highlight of those being Paul Kuhr, on the slightly Anathema-esque 'Vanished Serenity'). The guitars, whether acoustic or largely-clean electric tend towards either melancholy or soaring melodic lines, alternating with keyboards that follow a similar format, using piano for the former and sweeping synths for the latter. The percussion section do an adequate, rather than outstanding job, with bass providing depth rather than distinctness and drums that largely keep time and avoid much in the way of flourishes. Adding the guest violins brings an additional melodic feel to proceedings: not overused in a gimmicky way, but enhancing the particular tracks on which they do appear - the demented, recognisably The Sins Of Thy Beloved part concluding 'Memories Will Never Fade' being the best of them.

Only 'Celestial' (bar the aforementioned 'Dying Sun') is entirely Falling Leaves' own, and hence may be deserving of some additional interest: as a pointer to what the band can do without any outside influence, it's a promising one. The gentler introduction merges well into an urgently-riffed, almost desperate climax before dying away: not spectacularly original, but well-executed enough to pique curiosity over what would have happened if they'd focussed more on developing this into something more personal.

Overall, it's a solid debut, well-presented and clearly-produced: it may not have quite a clear enough direction to stand out hugely in a crowd, but that's something which could easily come in time. For comparison purposes, there are quite a lot of bands one could draw upon: personally, I'd go for a mix between the Gothic (such as later Draconian, minus the female vocals) and Melodic of, say, Autumn, and file the result under the category 'worth a couple of listens, at least'.

Doom-metal.com Dec. 2012

Kanadská provincie Quebec je v současnosti prorostlá nevšedními metalovými projekty, jejichž kvalita je mnohdy fascinující. Tamní umělci sice nepatří k instrumentálním velikánům, byť jejich cit spojený s komponování hudby leckdy převyšuje počínání slavnějších partiček, které máme zde v Evropě denně na talíři.

A právě jedním takovým příkladem je rovněž kanadský jednočlenný projekt KRIEF DE SOLI, za kterým stojí tajuplná postava jménem Egregoir de Sang. Celý den i noc byste mohli shánět něco o tomto člověku a stejně byste nebyli úspěšní! Fakt, že hlavnímu protagonistovi nefunguje ani předepsaný link MySpace stránky je už docela na pováženou. Ale takhle jsou zkrátka karty rozdány a mě nezbývá nic jiného než tyto okolnosti akceptovat. Á propos, abych nezapomněl, CD jsem obdržel od ruské firmy Endless Winter, takže tady mate jasný důkaz s razítkem mezikontinentální „UG“ kooperace. Kdo by si někdy pomyslel, že ruský label bude vydávat CD kanadské kapele!? Z těchto miniaturních věcí mám stále obrovskou radost!

Ale teď už konečně k tvorbě Mr. De Sanga. Jak už možná mnozí víte, Endless Winter je label zaměřený výhradně na doom metal, takže už dopředu mi bylo zřejmé, že si s nahrávkou „Munus Solitudinis“ neužiji příliš legrace. A přesně tak tomu opravdu je! Totálně pomalá a absolutně funerální záležitost na hraně posluchačových smyslů, smrtonosná jednotvárnost zavánějící pachem rozkládající se mrtvoly.Odtud zkrátka není úniku! Na ploše necelých sedmdesáti minut se nachází čtyři dlouhatánské kompozice s dodatkem osamocené instrumentálky „Vita Memoriae – Exordium Sanctus“, prostřednictvím které se dostávám k charakteristice konceptu. Ten je opřen o religiózní podstatu lidského bytí, a aby účelu bylo učiněno zadost, tak texty jsou v bookletu vepsány v jazyce lékařském, čili v latině. Při poslechu samotném pochopitelně nelze zachytit jediné slovíčko, vokál je jednoduše dalším instrumentem, nehledě na jeho abnormální hloubku.

Hned úvodní skladba „Náscentés Morimúr“ je pro trpělivost posluchače pernou zkouškou. Jednadvacet minut pomalu přetékající krupicové kaše vás buďto dokonale otráví, a nebo naopak obejme a pohltí. Má maličkost patří pohříchu do té druhé skupiny šílenců, byť připouštím, že nic převratného nahrávka nepřináší. V rámci minoritního žánru se však i přesto jedná o pozoruhodný počin. Na desku však rozhodně nelze pohlížet jako na nějakou sbírku básní. Jedná se spíše o „zvukomalebný prostor“ elegií, do kterého je třeba se nejprve vpravit. Rovněž lze materiál chápat jako takový test toho, kam až se dá v doom metalu zajít. „Nalomené“ potenciální posluchače mohu ještě na tomto místě ujistit poznámkou o velice zdařilé zvukové kvalitě, bez které by aura kompozic byla sotva poloviční. Příznivci totálního funeralu bděte, tenhle životabol je opravdu to pravé ořechové pro vaše uši!

R.U.M. zine Oct. 2012

Krief de Soli is a one man funeral doom act from Quebec – Canada, active since 2009. Its first impact on the “metal scene” was with the release, in 2010, of “Procul Este, Profani…”, their first full length album.

Now, two years later, the second full length album was releases, via Endless-Winter records. “Munus Solitudinis” seems to be a more complete album, it has a total playing time of almost 1h : 10 minutes, split between 5 tracks, compared to 46 minutes and 3 tracks in “Procul Este, Profani…” and by the looks of it, it has a very mournful presence, thanks to its artwork.

Náscentés Morimúr is the first track on the album, a heavy 21 minute long song that starts with a very profound chorus. This and the small keyboard passages give the song a very gloomy atmosphere, a very inspired way to prepare the listener for the minimalistic funeral doom approach.

The song is indeed long, with heavy and repetitive riffs, low growled vocals and with some little “droning” effects, or so I’ve heard. It is very minimalistic and quite repetitive, but a dark, funeral doom song.

“Vita Memoriae – Exordium Sanctus “ is a small buffer between the first and the third song, a intro like song, 4 minutes keyboard atmosphere second by some martial industrial passages at the middle of the song.

“Vita Memoriae – Apogaeus Rerum Vitae” continues the minimalistic funeral doom approach but something interesting happened somewhere at the middle of the road, the song takes a more “melodic” approach with sorrowful guitar solos, atmospheric passages, a true moment of grief.

The last two songs, “Deo Volente… Caelo Tegi” and “Sanguis Et Umbra Sumus” continue the same path of the album, with some classic funeral doom sequences and some atmospheric a little bit more melodic passages.

All in all, the album respects the genre, a classic funeral doom release, but a little bit too classic for my taste. It is very repetitive, quite heavy and for a hour it’s quite difficult to keep focused

7/10

Hymnes Funeraires Oct. 2012

ANKHAGRAM je název projektu, o který už od roku 2005 pečuje jistý Dead z ruského Jekatěrinburgu a jelikož je umělecky dosti plodný, může se v tomto roce pyšnit vydáním již pátého alba s název „Thoughts“. Díky labelu Endless Winter se nyní jeho děťátko dostává trochu více do světa – alespoň tedy tak usuzuji. Přiznávám se bez mučení, ostatní Deadovu tvorbu vůbec neznám…

A co se to tedy na nás z Ruska valí? No domnívám se, že slovo „valí“ je v tomto případě skutečně na místě. Pokud jsou mezi vámi milovníci totálního funeral doom metalu, zbystřete svou pozornost. „Thoughts“ představuje totální trýznění duše, zkázu a nekonečnou bolest v srdci. V podstatě obdobné pocity semnou cloumají při poslechu finských „elegistů“ SHAPE OF DESPAIR, přičemž je pochopitelně zjevné, že i ANKHAGRAM se pohybuje na obdobné žánrové vlně.

Co mě však na této nahrávce baví úplně nejvíc? Především její netuctovost. Jistě mi dáte zapravdu, že spousta funeral doomových projektů si je podobná jako vejce vejci, ovšem v případě ANKHAGRAM to až tolik neplatí. Dead sice neprodukuje nikterak revoluční „smutno“, nicméně jeho vášeň pro tvorbu teskných kompozicí je natolik silná, že ji posluchač musí zákonitě podlehnout naprosto samovolně.

Další zásadním trumfem je ale také používaní ambientních ploch, které ovšem nejsou nikdy osamocené, ale velmi vkusně se zapojují do stěžejního (hudebního) dění. Nechci rozhodně celou věc zlehčovat, ovšem představte si to asi tak jako kdybyste si do hudby VINTERRIKET pustili nějakou zahuštěnou doomovku. Tato zvrácená kombinace sice může ve vašich myšlenkách vyvolat takřka infantilní představu, ovšem celé tohle melancholické peklo funguje zatraceně dobře.

Na co se tedy ještě v souvislosti s tímto albem připravit? Především na dlouhatánské kompozice, časovou rozvleklost a děsivý murmur (plnící funkci dalšího nástroje). Jináč… v průběhu více jak sedmdesáti minut se ANKHARGRAM ve své pomalosti nepohne ani o milimetr, výjimkou potvrzující pravidlo je pouze skladba „Without Us“, ve které tempem zfanatizované uši z ničeho nic zpozorní, aby se jim poté dostalo poněkud nečekaného „zrychlení“ (uvozovky jsou zde opravdu na místě). Zajímavým prvkem je také poměrně časté vkládání enviromentálních zvuků (zurčení potůčků, vítr, déšť atd.), ale i tady se nejedná o nicneříkající tok přírodních krás, jelikož i tyto momentky jsou důstojnou součástí celku.

CD „Thoughts“ rozhodně není určeno masám. Jak už jsem výše předeslal, existuje spousta alb, která by vás „funeralem“ jednoduše unudila k smrti. V případě ANKHARGRAM to však naštěstí neplatí. Uchopení atmosféry, nenásilnost a především schopnost korigovat tok melodií v součinnosti s monotónním podkladem, činí z této kolekce dílo vysoce nadprůměrné. Pokud patříte mezi milovníky tohoto minoritního žánru, rozhodně se po této nahrávce porozhlédněte. K současnému podzimnímu počasí se tento metalový odstín skvěle hodí.

R.U.M. zine Oct. 2012

Here we have the latest Ankhagram release, entitled “Thoughts”. The album was released this summer via Endless-Winter, it has a total playing time of almost 1 hour and 15 minutes; one hour of some fine atmospheric funeral doom.

“Thoughts” gives me the feeling that it’s more mature, a very well put together and balanced album. It is an album that manages to express through music some thoughts that are well hidden within us, some thoughts that are continuously fed with everything around us. With this album, Dead manages to transpose his inner thoughts in music, an escape from his burden.

“Gates in Mind” is the first track on the album and it’s entirely instrumental. At first audition, the song seems very surprising, you wouldn’t expect to hear 6 minutes of relaxing music, a somewhat “optimistic” piano, something like an intro for a movie. However, it seems to be just a little illusion, it calms our mind letting us believe that everything around us is just fine, preventing us from seeing the cruel truth out there. Still, all of this is not forever, there’s a time when we need to stop lying to ourselves and then the cold gets into our bones, all around turns grey and we can’t feel this life anymore. “Do not feel this life” is the second track on the album, 18 minutes of some atmospheric and very “cold” music, it is also the place where the funeral doom influence start, something similar to Comatose Vigil, a cruel awakening to reality.

“Lost in Reality”, and the rest of the songs, “I’m fake”, “Without us” are similar in composition to the first song, simple heavy riffs and with a low tempo, supported by very atmospheric passages and some very well thought keyboards or other instruments, like a small trumpet intro (so I’ve heard) in “I’m fake”. Small details that create diversity in a genre where “diversity” is something exotic .

Thoughts, the last track on the album, like the first song, is instrumental, though towards the end it increases in intensity and turns into a very rhythmic post-rock moment

The album itself is very atmospheric, with great details and inspired passages, which makes it easier to listen, compared to a classical funeral doom album.

Close the door, turn off the lights and bring out your own thoughts by listening to this album.

8/10

Hymnes Funeraires Oct. 2012

Dead but dreaming. Dead but very busy playing music and releasing albums: "Dead" is the nick the musician behind Ankhagram chose to preserve his identity from the curiosity of the outside world. Listening to his music, I picture Dead as a very quiet man, loving nothing more than seclusion and inner contemplation. "Leave me alone!", or more likely, "Would you please just leave me alone?" could be the subtitle for all his discography. Ankhagram is a rather ancient project, born around 2005; it has aged gracefully, I must say. While 'Neverending Sorrow' and 'Under Ruins' still sounded very much like a more despondent, less bombastic Shape of Despair, the album that came next, 'Where Are You Now' already moved slightly away from the Finns' wake, defining a more personal sound, vaporous, tragic, more restrained. This new album, 'Thoughts' goes even deeper into that soft and cloudy personal inner sphere of the author. That title describes fittingly the grey, melancholic, yes, thoughtful soundscapes which build the album's texture, thoughts written in red ink in a leather-covered diary; they drift away underscored by the haunting keyboard lines: simple, sombre, weaving a mysterious, very climatic background.

Almost a decade has now passed under the bridge, during which Dead has refined his own take on Funeral Doom. Being Russian, his music bears all the expected symptoms of the Russian spleen. Deep growls, a large part left to the keys, wide scope, depressing moods... But there's more in Ankhagram's music: there's a sense of the intimate, a peculiar care for simplicity, even austerity; every department is governed by that quasi-Protestant asceticism - piano, riffing, drumming, growls. No turmoil breaks the harmony of the music. Dead has managed to channel his energy, diluting it into mellow, but very 'inhabited' monochromatic atmospheres. His long funereal dirges are cleverly interlaced with very down-to-earth sounds: mostly the sound of a train running on its track and the murmur of a crowd coming through the music like from a dream. Those prosaic moments don't interrupt the flow at all, far more, they convey a feeling of hopelessness, of alienation mixed with an understated nostalgia.

The album's structure makes it appear as a cohesive whole rather than a succession of different songs, a dark painting of a world seen through a blurred surface. Ankhagram's contribution to Funeral Doom could be overlooked by many, its only flaw being its modesty. All those others, who are capable of enjoying bitter-sweet moods, aren't disgusted by elegance and can stand large moments of pure ambient music (the closing track is a masterpiece of the kind, with a great progression). Please, do yourself a favour and listen to this album.

Doom-metal.com Oct. 2012

I don't usually enjoy the split albums, but when the Russian label "Endless Winter" presented the split album "Synthèse Collectif - The Dark Whormholes" I really changed my mind immediately. The bands Sculptor and Ego Depths and Aura Hiemis created very enjoyable tracks for every doom metal fan around the world, especially the fans of the funeral doom metal music, so if you are ready to live this amazing experience, then you have to play this release right now.

The first track in this album is "Visceral Laments", for the funeral doom/death metal Aura Hiemis from Chile. More than 26 minutes of slow and odd funeral metal elements have been manufactured by this band to present a long piece of doom metal art. The track started with a slow drumming pattern and a heavy guitar tune to get every listener into the atmosphere of the track, but in the middle of the rack the tempo has been changed and a very fast section captured the environment of the track to show a real violent and brutal musical side. The solos and the tune of the lead guitars were really enjoyable because they create a mist of melodies inside the arm of the heavy tune of the rhythm guitar.

The second track "Feed My Ravenous Worms" and "...Into the Empty Maw of Universe" have been performed by the Ukrainian funeral doom metal band Ego Depths. One of the tracks runs for about 14 minutes and the other one runs for about 12 minutes, but both of the tracks have the same atmosphere and the same musical structure. The slow riffing and the repetitive drums pattern capture the whole background behind the growling vocals and the melodies of the lead guitar. The other track also contains the same atmosphere with some new movements, the pattern of the drumming changes from time to time to cover the sound of the riffs in a very dynamic way through the track and the drumming stops its activity at the last minutes of the track, leaving only the sound of the crashes to overcome the cascading riffs that intend to end the song.

The final track in this split is "The Three Shadows" has been performed by the Russian doom/death metal band Sculptor, and it starts its melodies with clean vocals and slow doom metal riffs. The calm energy and the powerful growling boosted the energy of the guitars and the active lead guitar that bend and swim through the texture of the track in a very charming way. The tempo of the track gets faster after passing about 10 minutes of its length, and the energy of the guitars increases for some minutes before a total silence capture the whole atmosphere of the track. And the track finishes its journey with a solid death/doom metal riffing and a very active drumming sections.

In general, this release is recommended for every doom metal fan around the world, because these tracks simply have been created for all of you. Every riff and every melody has been cooked well for all those who enjoy the taste of the slow and atmospheric doom metal art, get your copy now and enjoy the taste of the real doom metal spirit.

75/100

Metal Archives Oct. 2012

This is going to be a surprise for any Metal fan, it is Doom Metal, but here comes the incredible part: the songs are short. Yes and that is the bitter truth, the songs are not as long as normally in Doom Metal as it has always been used, and guess what?, it works, it really works.

Doom Metal is characteristically slow, deep and depressive, something that FALLING LEAVES have managed to mix very well, the instrumentation is nothing but excellent, whether they use the same tempo or not, each song gets deep inside of your soul, voices changing from harsh to deep, excellent percussion, the riffs are almost all the same, but they are good, and a great difference here, the production, an impeccable production, for a doom metal album, this is truly a good innovation.

For the rest, is only for the lovers of this genre, but this time, somebody else could give a chance, the songs are short, so you could fully appreciate the core of the Doom, give a chance, rest assure you will not regret it.

Metal Temple Oct. 2012

Del pacco di roba mandatomi dalla Russia da Endless Winter gli Ankhagram sono indubbiamente l'episodio più curioso che ne è saltato fuori. Infatti a differenza ad esempio dei Krief de Soli e del loro Funeral claustrofobico di stampo finlandese qua si va veramente oltre i confini del genere, ma in realtà anche ben oltre i confini del metal. Infatti questa stranissima one man band russa non si fa troppi problemi a mischiare con tranquillità sonorità doom lentissime con tastiere ed effetti ambientali che sanno di industrial e passaggi sconfinanti con la musica classica e qualche passaggio anche vagamente jazzato. La cosa più sorprendente è che tutta quella che può sembrare una strana accozzaglia di suoni di provenienza diversa funziona assai. Attraverso i lunghissimi brani del disco (eccetto il primo che serve da intro ed è lungo come una canzone normale) sia proiettati in una galleria di dolore e sconforto con tutti i mezzi possibili, dai più delicati ai più pesanti, dal suono dolce del pianoforte acustistico al growl lancinante del mistico mastermind Dead.

Thoughts è un disco non per tutti, infatti bisogna avere la pazienza di entrarci dentro e di capirlo a fondo, cosa non facile proprio perché bisogna superare l'ostacolo di queste diversissime e non collimanti influenze. Una volta fatto però resta a mio avviso quasi impossibile non commuoversi di fronte a passaggi come il malinconico treno in transito che apre Lost in Reality o i passaggi con le tastiere sfacciatamente progressive che vanno a chiudere il disco con la title-track Thoughts. Un disco che si indirizza forse più agli amanti dell'ambient che del doom in generale, ma che comunque non manca di avere il suo fascino anche su chi è ben abituato alle sonorità Funeral.

7.5/10

Church of Deviance Oct. 2012

A dispetto di molti che hanno sempre intessuto elogi infiniti per gruppi come i Saturnus (dei quali salvo a stento il primo disco) non sono mai stato un appassionato del genere che in molti casi non mi ha mai detto pressoché nulla, mancando di quelli che sono secondo me i tratti caratteristici del doom e del death, quali la sofferenza e quel po' di cattiveria che non guasta mai. Tuttavia la proposta di questo gruppo giordano non mi dispiace affatto. Infatti mi sembra che più che rifarsi al pastone del Death Doom melodico basino gran parte del loro sound su quello che può essere un mix delle parti più melodiche di gruppi come i Mourning Beloveth o i primi Celestial Season. Ho appena citato due gruppi che già di loro si rifanno ai My Dying Bride ed infatti l'ispirazione ultima sono indubbiamente loro. Tuttavia citare le parti più melodiche dei My Dying Bride per descrivere un lavoro come Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun potrebbe essere in qualche modo fuorviante, in quanto il gruppo non ha nessuna intenzione di rinunciare all'uso del growl, cosa che invece in un gap di parecchi anni i My Dying Bride hanno fatto. Comunque per i fan sfegatati del gruppo (tra i quali potrei includere anche me stesso) non manca l'inserimento di una ballad, Silence Again (Silence Pt II), che molto deve a For My Fallen Angel.

Quindi se mettete insieme un calderone di Death Doom di scuola My Dying Bride e togliete le parti più feroci la cosa più verosimile è che vi appaia un lavoro molto simile a questo dei Falling Leaves, che forse potrebbe non essere il top dell'originalità, ma resta comunque buono. Infatti risulta per niente difficile da ascoltare e sopratutto a non annoiare, cosa che invece con altri gruppi del genere succedere, perché scambiano facilmente il "melodico" con il "lagnoso". Alla fine la cosa più convincente è l'uso delle tastiere, che nel metal è sempre la cosa più difficile. Infatti senza piantare là un suono che rischia di restare sullo stomaco per l'eccessiva presenza e far sembrare il resto del gruppo un contorno i Falling Leaves riescono a dosarle nel modo giusto, delegando la gran parte del lavoro melodico ai lead di chitarra. Considerando anche che è il primo disco di un gruppo di un paese dove il metal non è certamente diffusissimo siamo di fronte ad un buon esordio, non del calibro da gridare al capolavoro, ma certamente i Falling Leaves sono da tenere d'occhio per future uscite.

7/10

Church of Deviance Oct. 2012

In questi anni seppur a tratti abbiamo seguito l'evoluzione del progetto gotico-funereo Ankhagram, la creatura di Dead giovane musicista russo di Ekaterinburg ha visto passare sul nostro sito "Neverending Sorrow" e "Where Are You Know", quest'ultimo recensito da Insanity, che ci hanno permesso di conoscerlo, il 2012 ci consegna il quinto full dal titolo "Thoughts" e la certezza che la maturità e gli obbiettivi prefissatisi sia dal punto di vista emotivo, sia per quel che concerne l'aspetto compositivo non sono stati disattesi.

Equilibrio in caduta libera, la musica di questo nuovo capitolo è probabilmente la più densa ed emotiva raccolta di sensazioni sinora espresse dall'artista, "Gates In Mind", il brano più breve inserito in tracklist, con quel giro di pianoforte che ciclicamente si ripete e ripete ammorbando di malinconia e ricordando l'effetto provocato dalle melodie dimenticate dei carillon sembra non volersi interrompere mai supportata da sample atmosferici che ne aumentano il pathos.

La semplicità è da sempre una delle armi più affilate i Dead e con "Don't Feel This Life" la formula spostandosi da lidi strumentalmente ambient a quelli del doom/death da "funerale" non esclude quella componente melancolica che approfitta delle spirali di vento che soffiano impazzite al di sotto per farsi trasportare e pervadere così lo svilupparsi di una canzone che accenna allo sprofondare in un baratro di solitudine una volta spogliata d'esse, possiede un costante e sottile filo grigio che la regge mantenendola al di fuori delle zone più nere e claustrofobiche.

Non è una pillola amara quella che gli Ankhagram ci somministrano, il gusto evidenzia degli sbalzi palesi fra l'agro e il dolce, con "Lost In Reality" è il rimanere intrappolati in una capsula senza tempo, il trascorrere dei secondi, minuti e ore si annulla, l'amarezza e il tedio di una vita che prima o poi deve spegnersi s'incrocia con i tratti più rosei forniti dal ricordo di ciò che è stato e il gorgogliare del growl non fa altro che enfatizzare il contatto tra la componente terrena e quella spirituale ma mentre in questo pezzo è l'ambiente che intrappola e costringe alla riflessione il cardine portante, nelle successive "I'm A Fake" e "Without Us" è l'astrattismo degli spazi infiniti, la fuga da una realtà che come l'intonaco vecchio e ammuffito si stacca dalle pareti rifiutando la parte che lo vede inserito come parte di un contesto a prendere il sopravvento, le note affondano nelle radici più pesanti e canoniche del mondo funeral lasciando che l'unico privilegio in loro possesso sia quella capacità d'impregnare l'aria di una compagnia svilente ma tremendamente armoniosa.

Con la titletrack e secondo inno strumentale di "Thoughts" si chiude un'opera di ben oltre un'ora che nel suo perpetuare lo scontro tra il dannarsi l'anima e attendere una fugace ma risollevante carezza tiene banco dal primo all'ultimo secondo, l'affinata bravura di Dead nel contemplare quanto nell'esplicare i propri passaggi di stato sentimentali facendo aderire la melodia alle tracce al pari di una patina vellutata viene esaltata anche in sede grafica dall'artwork curato in maniera esclusiva dallo stesso autore, le scelte cromatiche che immergono il suo mondo in tonalità tutt'altro che vive sono la conferma di ciò che ci si attendeva.

Coloro che in passato si fossero innamorati, o semplicemente abbiano riconosciuto agli Ankhagram il fascino di chi sa conquistarti privandosi dell'uso di pirotecnie, dovrebbe assolutamente dare un ascolto a "Thoughts" e meditarne l'acquisto.

Vedremo verso quali lidi l'artista russo vorrà condurre l'incessante seppur minuto mutare della sua natura compositiva, aspettando quindi il sesto disco, conoscendolo non dovrebbe farci poi aspettare più di tanto, rimetto su questo e ne approfitto per abbandonare anche solo per un po' la routine giornaliera e v'invito a fare lo stesso.

Aristocrazia Webzine Oct. 2012

Una cattedrale d'agonia, un posto grigio, dimenticato dal tempo nel quale chiedere infinito perdono all'esistenza vissuta, è tornato con il secondo disco il canadese Egregoir de Sang e neanche la più forte e insistenti delle luci riescono a scalfire il millenario velo che i Krief De Soli riescono a spiegare.

La one man band in questione aveva sorpreso in maniera positiva nel 2010 con il debutto "Procul Este, Profani..." un album che definire "maledettamente religioso" nel suo litanico e incessante incedere pachidermico è il minimo, l'ortodossia della quale si nutre ha condotto il mastermind a evolvere il suo progetto in una forma ancor più claustrofobica, monumentale, complicata da afferrare e facile da subire.

"Munus Solitudinis" è un percorso periglioso, irto di brividi che percorrono la schiena pietrificandola, un incrocio devastante fra le creature "madre" del funeral quali Thergothon e Skepticism, la solennità in dote ai Pantheist, la capacità comunicativa dei Colosseum e l'estraniante voglia di ricerca ancestrale e la melancolia degli Ea, è un frullato musicale ed emotivo talmente ingombrante e pesante nel vero senso della parola, può stendere un ascoltatore incauto, non è un lavoro da prendere sottogamba.

La struttura architettonica di questo luogo "sacro" nel quale ogni singola nota espande dolore, mestizia e costanti echi di una insoddisfazione morale mai appagata, sono scanditi da monolitiche schitarrate, da synth a cavallo fra sonorità ritualistiche e una rievocazione horrorifica di ciò che è il malessere umano, non vi è un secondo in cui le tracce fornite dell'assistenza vocale pronfonda e cavernosa che "recita" testi in latino, diano la possibilità di appigliarsi o prevedere una mutazione ambientale che li affidi ad atmosfere meno cupe, il solo momento nel quale si ottiene una lieve e insperata parvenza di pallore, oscurata comunque quasi nell'immediato dalla gigantesca massa plumbea, è la striminzita esistenza di "Vita Memoriae - Exordium Sanctus" brano di stampo univocamente strumentale che pare abbia il compito di preparare l'ingresso definitivo al cammino di purificazione e fustigazione annunciato da "Náscentés Morimúr" e concluso in perenne decadenza da "Sanguis Et Umbra Sumus".

"Munus Solitudinis" è un diamante allo stato rozzo, il suo fascino funereo, l'incanto sprigionato dalla prova di Egregoir è racchiuso nella maniera in cui è capace d'innalzare una teca di cristallo millenaria nel quale rinchiudervi, è una strada priva di sbocco ma dalla quale non si ha nessuna intenzione d'uscire, la dimenticanza è padrona e il chiedersi il dove e il perché di quest'andare non portano con sé che altri quesiti ai quali trovare risposta.

Per i "follower" della scena funeral un lavoro assolutamente da possedere.

Aristocrazia Webzine Sep. 2012

Creatura unica del misteriosissimo mastermind polistrumentista Egregoir de Sang i franco-canadesi Krief de Soli (nome che a quanto pare potrebbe essere tradotto come il Dolore della solitudine, Grief of Sorrow, ma che non riesco a capire da quale lingua provenga) arrivano al secondo full-length Munus Solitudinis e consolidano la loro fedeltà alla label Endless Winter con la quale avevano pubblicato anche il primo disco Procul Este, Profani.... A partire dall'artwork la proposta è tra l'incredibile e lo scioccante: sulla copertina del disco vediamo campeggiare l'immagine di questo frate incappucciato, poi sotto il nome del gruppo, già di per sé incomprensibile e il titolo del disco in latino. Poi se si vanno a sbirciare i titoli delle canzoni e i testi si vede come sostanzialmente tutto il disco sia scritto in latino, ma non finisce qui, in una prolusione di citazioni da vari testi di cui tra tutti campeggia la Bibbia. Possiamo concluderne che i Krief De Soli vadano a inserirsi nel non ben precisato calderone del White Metal? Egregoir de Sang non si sbilancia in proposito, l'ispirazione religiosa c'è ed è evidente, ma resta nel limbo del mistero se sia una cosa cosa sentita oppure soltanto un espediente per rimandare alla mortalità e all'insignificanza dell'uomo come tipico di molto Doom (delle molte croci che hanno campeggiato nella storia del Doom, quelle usate come simbolo religioso non sono un numero altissimo a mio avviso, basti pensare a Black Sabbath, Paradise Lost o Reverend Bizarre).

Musicalmente i Krief de Soli mantengono le coordinate del primo album, presentando un Funeral Doom soffocante basato molto sull'impiego delle tastiere usate molto bene, poiché seppur molto presenti non rendono il disco troppo melodico o sminuiscono la carica plumbea che il gruppo si porta dietro. Il riferimento sovrastutturale per l'impianto del sound viene ovviamente dai maestri Skepticism e dalle loro atmosfere ecclesiastiche di organo, ma quello che si sente anche qua e là è l'influenza di altri gruppi finlandesi come i Tyranny o americani come i Catacombs, autori delle pagine più pesanti di tutto il Funeral mondiale. Certo che però i Krief de Soli non sono da meno e meritano anche loro un posto in questa classifica dei gruppi Funeral più pesanti mai concepiti da mente umana. Infatti gli accordi lentissimi della chitarra, la batteria minimale (che tuttavia non si lascia sfuggire la possibilità di qualche passaggio in doppia cassa), le tastiere onnipresenti e glaciali di ispirazione classicistica condite dal growl soffocante ed intellegibile di Egreogoir de Sang vanno a creare un sound in qualche modo unico, che lascia l'ascoltatore prostrato a terra dinanzi a tanta inconcepibile oppressione. Inoltre la vena classica di Egregoir de Sang trova la sua espressione in alcuni stacchi interni alle canzoni, oppure all'intero primo movimenti del pezzo Vita Memoriae, Exordium Sanctus, con veri e propri passaggi di musica classica per archi e pianoforte. Un disco da ascoltare se amate il Funeral Doom e non vi lasciate spaventare da quanto può essere asfissiante e claustrofobica la proposta musicale di un gruppo.

8/10

Church of Deviance Sep. 2012

Doom Metal is a double edge weapon in these days, in only two simple things: for one side, the very wide field in this genre is very well used by the musicians in letting their minds go free and fulfill it with any instrument they feel that fits; on the other, the same wide field may sometimes to be very difficult to fill and that’s when the music became boring and then you are just sleeping, because the music fits in dreams too.

In this case, Dead has managed to make some good music and some notes that will became part of the darkness into you, but the other half hour is in debt, just because it fell into the cliché that the Doom Metal has: repetitive atmospheres, nor ups or downs, and 17 minutes of the sound of shades; and that, to me, is just a waste of talent, shades are already implicit in the album, you do not need to remember them for half album.

Good points: this album is full of thoughts, and for nowadays when stupidity invades the earth, is amazing to see someone to feel free to do music independent of what a fool like me may think, overwhelming rhythms, deep and ripped voices from the death valley, excellent production, and some very well written lyrics if I may say.

Bad Points: Well… I do not remember them, I fell asleep.

ANKHAGRAM truly deserve a chance if you are a Doom Metal fan, Dead made a really good job, and has a lot of talent, but remember: try to stay awake, or you will have the same fate that I did… went to Morpheus’ world.

Metal Temple Sep. 2012

La Giordania non è una patria metal per antonomasia, di sicuro non è una delle terre dalle quali ricordo provenire act doom e affini rilevanti a meno che non si parli dei solitari e piacevoli Bilocate, trovarsi quindi fra le mani un disco di una band che si cimenta nel genere e giunge da quelle zone sapeva molto di terno al lotto, il problema era: diverrà una vincita o la solita schedina da buttare? I Falling Leaves sono attivi da appena un triennio, un solo demo pubblicato nel 2010 a titolo omonimo, il successivo accordo con la Endless Winter e la pubblicazione di "Mournful Cry Of Dying Sun" in questo 2012, passi importanti e repentini.

La label di Gennady si è rivelata una fonte dalla quale attingere e rinfrescarsi per gli amanti delle atmosfere doom a 360 gradi, questo in effetti mi forniva di base un minimo di fiducia nel lavoro della formazione, fiducia che è stata confermata dal platter contenente quasi cinquanta minuti di gothic doom/death con evidente influenza del panorama musicale europeo primorde di act quali My Dying Bride e Paradise Lost dediti a fornire le basi sulle quali espandere e apportare modifiche in futuro.

Già, perché "Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun" per quanto sia un album piacevole, dalle atmosfere melancoliche e perlacee intense rafforzate dalle incursioni sognanti e cullanti di violino a cura di Olof Göthlin dei Draconian ("Blight" e "Silence Again") e Pete Johansen dei The Sins Of Thy Beloved ("Trapped Within" e "Memories Will Never Fade"), capace di attrarre per l'elegante combinazione vocale clean-growl che vede il cantante Abdul-Aziz Assaf coadiuvato in più tracce da colleghi illustri quali sono Pim Blankestein degli Officium Triste ("Blight"), Paul Kur dei Novembers Doom e These Are They ("Vanished Serenity") e Josep Brunet degli Helevorn ("Reaching My Last Heaven"), perde parte del suo fascino a causa di una composizione sicuramente matura per la conoscenza approfondita del genere e per il modo in cui impronta l'uso delle soluzioni stilistiche a esso coniugate, ma che al tempo stesso mette in mostra un legame sin troppo profondo con i grandi nomi che ne han fatto la storia, i due citati all'inizio sono una minima parte di quelli che potranno venirvi in mente.

Parliamoci chiaro, la derivazione non è reato ed è difficile pensare che un qualsiasi disco di un qualsiasi filone musicale non ne subisca "il danno", ascoltando però pezzi come "Vanished Serenity", "Silence Again (Silence Pt. II)", "Celestial" e sommando a esse la delicata e carezzevole chiusura acustica affidata ai due minuti e poco più di "Dying Sun" si ha la certezza d'avere a che fare con una compagine delle doti innate nella quale i meccanismi ruotano alla perfezione, ciò che manca è quella personalità, e i guest non aiutano anzi gambizzano la formazione perché se da un lato apportano una maggiore qualità con le loro prestazioni praticamente perfette, dall'altro non fanno altro che rimarcare e spingere nelle direzioni a loro più affini il sound, che "non mi permetto" di chiedere con veemenza a un debutto ed è per questo che reputo i Falling Leaves una di quelle "promesse" che attende e pretende di essere mantenuta.

Non vi consiglio l'acquisto diretto anche se sono quasi certo che ogni amante di questo affascinante scenario musicale si troverebbe a proprio agio con un "on air" simile, non escludo pertanto che il voler possedere "Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun" divenga uno sviluppo naturale dell'incontro con la loro proposta e personalmente non potrei che rassicurarvi sul fatto che i vostri soldi sarebbero comunque stati più che ben spesi.

Aristocrazia Webzine Sep. 2012

Ya para nadie quien sea mas instruido en el doom, es desconocido el sello Ruso Endless Winter, quienes han sacado varios discos de nuestro hermoso país. Hablamos en esta ocasión de AURA HIEMIS, quienes ya tienen un larga duración con este sello doomero.

Este split contiene tres agrupaciones y/o OMD (one man band) y está totalmente cargado al funeral y demás corrientes doomers. Como estos nombres ya poseen discos lanzados con anterioridad la vara debe subirse un poco mas y la verdad es que la supera bien. Desde lo externo, en este caso el artwork y presentación, hasta la calidad de la grabación, van de la mano con los altos estándares de hoy en día especialmente en Europa. El Artwork del split es en formato digipack de tres caras en tonos oscuros negros y azules enfermos, sin librillo, a cargo del diseñador ruso Roman Corvinus Kamin. El cual dio en el clavo con la orientación artística del split.

Aura Hiemis abren los fuegos de este trabajo con una intro bien espesa que da comienzo a la parte central del tema. Un correcto doom death contemporáneo con pasajes funeral y otros más místicos componen un track de veintiséis minutos, ‘Visceral Laments’ es una oda a la marcha de las guitarras, totalmente predominantes, con rasgos que hacen del metal chileno inconfundible, ese “no se que” el cual caracteriza la música nacional. Varios nombres nobles del género son parte invitada de este trabajo, entre otros Matias Ibáñez de la Ibañes Army (ENDIMION) y Eduardo Guajardo, ambos como vocalistas acompañantes de V, el cerebro tras Aura Hiemis junto a Blasphemo da Morte.

Un trabajo bien estructurado que no dejará indiferente a nadie, brutalidad controlada, bien por esta banda nacional.

Con su respectiva intro también, como diciendo “es hora de pasar a un nuevo trance” arremete con todo EGO DEPTHS, canadienses con un demo, un álbum debut y tres splits!!, algo más melódicos que nuestros nacionales, mas en la onda temática de Devil Doll, sin entrar en lo gótico por supuesto. Dos temas componen el aporte de esta banda, los temas ‘Feed My Ravenous Worms’ y ‘…Into the Empty Maw of Universe‘, un metal oscuro de gran calidad.

SCULPTOR es una banda de Rusia, quien más aporta musicalmente al split, ojo no se mal entienda, musicalmente más atractiva por tener cambios de ritmos, más dinamismo, en dicho país este tipo de bandas son grito y plata, nuestros queridos hermanos rusos son muy adeptos a todas las ramas que salen del doom metal, quizás la más explotada corriente del Metal, con más matices. Siguiendo en lo nuestro, dicho track de Sculptor llamado ‘The Three Shadows’ posee un final perfecto para el split, con muchos guiños al black en sus riffs y terminando con un piano que nos dice que la gran marcha fúnebre ha terminado bajo las sombras de estas tres bandas.

Collapse.cl Aug. 2012

Dalším střípkem z chilského undergroundu je kapela LAPSUS DEI, pocházející z tamního hlavního města Santiaga. Zajímavostí určitě je, že toto EP vyslala do oběhu ruská firma Endless Winter, úplně stejně jako tomu bylo v případě ASTORVOLTAIRES. Že by ruští chasníci našli zalíbení v jihoamerické kultuře? Možné to je, byť třeba právě LAPSUS DEI nejsou pravými šiřiteli tamního pohostinství. Jejich hudba totiž spadá spíše do ranku evropského, alespoň tedy s ohledem na stylové ražení.

LAPSUS DEI spadají do ranku, který se v dnešní době už příliš nenosí a možná i díky tomu je materiál „In Our Sacred Places“ poměrně zajímavý. Kapela produkuje hutný death metal, který v některých okamžicích zabrušuje až do vod doommetalových, přičemž samotná kvalita je na poměrně důstojné úrovni. Přiznám se, že některé skladby mi připomínají období devadesátých let v našich končinách, přesně v době, kdy deathmetalové kapely začaly postupně zpomalovat“, aby se postupně etablovaly v ryze doommetalová tělesa. Byli však i tací, jenž zůstali věrni onomu klasickému death/doomu a právě v této fázi vývoje se momentálně LAPSUS DEI nacházejí.

Na nahrávce naleznete čtyři skladby, ve kterých si kapela vyřizuje účty se soudobou modernou, a to především prostřednictvím „vytříbeného“ retro zvuku. LAPSUS DEI se zkrátka zvysoka vykašlali na letopočet začínající dvojkou a hezky se vrátili do doby, kdy třeba takoví AMORPHIS pilně pracovali na tvorbě své první desky. Tím však nechci říct, že by zvuková kvalit nahrávky byla špatná. Spíše lze zřetelně rozpoznat záměr, se kterým se Chilané vytasili. Toto snažení alespoň mě osobně proti srsti vůbec není, zvláště pak proto, že kapela disponuje slušnými instrumentálními dovednostmi. Jednotlivým skladbám pak rozhodně nechybí patřičná atmosféra, kterou zajišťují především kytarové vyhrávky, přicházející nařadu přece jen ve volnějších usecích.

Důležitou informací ještě budiž fakt, že LAPSUS DEI využívají pouze klasického nástrojového obsazení, čili zvuk kláves byste zde hledali skutečně marně. I proto je matroš „In Our Sacred Places“ víceméně deathmetalovou záležitostí. Určitě však bude zajímavé sledovat, jaké obrátky kariéra kapely vlastně nabere. Doufám, že se ještě setkáme!

R.U.M. zine Feb. 2011

2010 saw Chilean Melodic Doomed Death Metallers unleash a beast of an EP, namely 'In Our Sacred Places' features a range of scary and spine-chilling vocals, beats and riffs. All of the songs (except the intro) are longer than six minutes, so a massive amount of time for death and religion (lyric wise) and naturally a slab of Doomy Melodic Death Metal. On this release the pace is somewhat mid-tempo, but with that the vocals sound a little stretched and so diminish the quality of this album, still a decent effort.

Terrorizer.com Apr. 2011

Wading through the mountains comes Chile's latest offering, the one-man project Astorvoltaires playing Melodic Doom Metal in native Spanish. Dark atmospheric scenes and depressing, thick guitars emanate the protruding spike of Extreme Metal whilst the enchanting and mysterious vocals of this Chilean musician is almost powerful as the country itself. A strong band in a developing Metal scene, one that sure is to bring many more along. For fans of Black Sabbath, Sun O)))) and Sadael.

Terrorizer.com Apr. 2011

I Krief de Soli tornano sulle scene con il secondo disco che segue, a due anni di distanza, l’interessante “Procul Este, Profani...” ; la one-man band canadese (Quebec), creatura del misterioso Egregoire De Sang, continua sulla strada già tracciata proponendo un funeral doom che estremizza in senso claustrofobico quanto già concepito in passato dai capiscuola del genere.

Per meglio chiarire le sonorità presenti in “Munus Solitudinis”, si potrebbe dire che questo lavoro, come già il suo predecessore, si pone come un'ideale evoluzione di quel monumento alla mestizia quale fu “Tides Of Awakening”, rimasto l’unico parto su lunga distanza dei Tyranny.

Evidentemente, pur non essendo il funeral certamente musica per tutti, questa sua particolare espressione si rivela, se possibile, ancora più ostica e di tormentata assimilazione; in gran parte dei suoi quasi settanta minuti, il disco si presenta come un inaccessibile monolite sonoro che, alla stregua di una processione di dannati, procede con lentezza esasperante verso una fine che pare non giungere mai.

Il growl di Egregoire è una sorta di rantolo che ben si addice alle atmosfere presenti nel lavoro, come si evince dalla prima traccia, che chiarisce subito gli intenti del nostro sia per il suo titolo, “Nascentes Morimur”, che per la sua durata superiore ai venti minuti.

“Vita Memoriae - Exordium Sanctus” è un breve (se rapportato al resto del disco) strumentale che rappresenta una pausa all’interno dell’ineluttabile cammino verso il nulla.

Ma è con “Vita Memoriae - Apogaeus Rerum Vitae” che il musicista canadese raggiunge il suo apice compositivo: partendo dalle medesime atmosfere della traccia iniziale, il brano si apre progressivamente verso un barlume di luce, un’illusoria speranza descritta con uno stile meno apocalittico e molto vicino al malinconico incedere dei magnifici Ea; la chitarra tratteggia pochi ma toccanti accordi e il senso di soffocamento lascia finalmente spazio alla commozione per ciò che non è stato e, sopratutto, per ciò che mai sarà …

“Deo Volente... Caelo Tegi” riporta il disco alle atmosfere soffocanti che tornano così a raffigurare quelli che potrebbero essere gli estremi ansiti di vita (ammesso che una vita ci sia mai stata), mentre “Sanguis Et Umbra Sumus” è dolore puro portato a livelli parossistici tanto che, quando si giunge all’ultima nota, non si capisce se si tratti di una liberazione o se questa sorta di catarsi purificatrice, per compiersi, debba continuare all’infinito.

“Munus solitudinis” è un’esperienza sonora che respingerà senza alcuna misericordia chiunque vi si avvicini privo della necessaria “conoscenza” che il funeral impone, ma che, al contrario, attrarrà come una falena chi possiede la sensibilità per farsi avvolgere dalle spire di questo puro concentrato di angoscia esistenziale.

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Krief de Soli return to the stage with the second record, which follows, two years later, the interesting "Procul Este, Profane ..."; the canadian one-man band, mysterious Egregoire De Sang’s creature, continues on the path already delineated by proposing a funeral doom that reinforces the claustrophobic feeling of leaders’ genre.

To clarify the sound of "Munus Solitudinis", you could say that this work, like his predecessor, stands like the ideal evolution as a monument of melancholy which was "Tides Of Awakening", the only Tyranny full length.

Evidently, this funeral particular expression is revealed, if possible, even more difficult and troubled assimilation; in most of its seventy minutes, the disk appears as a inaccessible monolith of sound that, in the same way as a procession of the damned, proceeds with painful slowness towards an end that never seems to come.

Egregoire’s growl is a kind of death rattle that’s well suited to the album’s atmosphere, as the first track evidences, which immediately makes clear the intents by its title, "Nascentes Morimur", and its longer duration.

"Life Memoriae - Exordium Sanctus" is a short (if compared to the other tracks) instrumental, which represents a pause to the inevitable path to nowhere.

With "Life Memoriae - Apogaeus Rerum Vitae" the Canadian musician reaches its composition peak: starting from the same atmosphere of the initial track, the song opens progressively toward a glimmer of light, an illusory hope described with a less apocalyptic and very close to Ea’s magnificent melancholy gait; the guitar traces few but poignant chord and the sense of suffocation finally makes space to emotion for what never was and, above all, for what never will be ...

"Deo Volente ... Caelo Tegi" brings the record to the stifling atmosphere that making back to represent what might be the extremes gasps of life (if there ever was a life…), while "Sanguis Et Umbra Sumus" is pure pain leaded to paroxysmal levels and when you reach the last note, it’s not clear whether it’s a liberation or if this sort of purifying catharsis, to be accomplished, should continue indefinitely.

"Munus Solitudinis" is an audio experience that will reject without mercy who comes close without the necessary "knowledge" that the funeral doom requires, but, in reverse, who have the sensitivity to be enchanted by this pure concentrate of existential anguish, will be attracted like a moth.

Iye Zine Jun. 2012

I Falling Leaves arrivano dalla Giordania e indubbiamente, nonostante il paese mediorientale abbia già regalato alla scena metal una grande band come i Bilocate, costituisce sempre e comunque una piacevole novità poter ascoltare metal proveniente da paesi tradizionalmente e culturalmente lontani da questo tipo di sonorità.

Immagino che per i nostri non sia semplicissimo proporre in patria il loro raffinato gothic-doom (chi dalle nostre parti si lamenta provi a consolarsi pensando che c’è sempre chi sta peggio), ma è evidente che ciò non li ha affatto scoraggiati a giudicare dalla riuscita dell’album e, soprattutto, leggendo i prestigiosi nomi della scena che si sono mossi per contribuire alla realizzazione di “Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun”.

Diciamo subito che gli ospiti di grido, da soli, non sono mai garanzia di qualità, ma i Falling Leaves dimostrano, nel corso del lavoro, di poter tranquillamente camminare con le proprie gambe.

Risulta infatti sorprendente la maturità compositiva esibita dalla band in ogni brano, dando vita così a una raccolta di brani splendidi, in particolare per la capacità di produrre atmosfere malinconicamente crepuscolari e ammantate di una morbosa eleganza.

Altro ragguaglio fondamentale per chi vorrà ascoltare il disco è la totale assenza di qualsiasi rimando alla tradizione musicale araba, a differenza di quanto fatto dai già citati Bilocate: il gothic-doom della band di Zarqa è quanto di più ortodossamente fedele alla tradizione europea si possa immaginare.

Si diceva degli ospiti: il primo a entrare in scena è Josep Brunet degli spagnoli Helevorn, che presta il suo efficace growl all’opener “Reaching My Last Haven”, brano che non lascia molto spazio all’ottimismo con le sue atmosfere drammatiche che accompagnano un battito cardiaco nel suo lento spegnersi.

In “Blight” tocca a Pim Blankenstein degli Officium Triste fornire il proprio contributo vocale a una traccia molto evocativa, mentre in “Trapped Within” si erge a protagonista il violino, cosa che, ovviamente non può che riportare ai capiscuola My Dying Bride.

“Silence Again (Silence Pt. II)”, sequel del brano presente nel demo del 2010, accentua ancor più questa vicinanza ai maestri albionici, collocandosi sulla scia di quella perla di decadenza gotica che fu “For My Fallen Angel”.

Ma è con “Vanished Serenity” che i Falling Leaves raggiungono, a mio avviso, l’apice del disco: il brano inizia con una meravigliosa melodia di chitarra che introduce il growl del mitico Paul Kuhr (Novembers Doom); il gigantesco (sia per statura artistica che fisica) musicista americano si impadronisce letteralmente del brano regalando anche clean vocals e un recitato da brividi (no sun, no light, no hope…).

Anche quando i sei ragazzi si mettono completamente in proprio (coadiuvati solo dal prezioso violino del musicista norvegese Pete Johansen), come accade negli ultimi due brani, il livello si mantiene assolutamente inalterato e “Celestial”, in particolare, mette in mostra le ottime doti vocali di Abdul-Aziz oltre alle pennellate chitarristiche di Ala’a e Anas.

I quarantasette muniti del disco volano via senza momenti di noia; se vogliamo trovare il classico pelo nell’uovo (molto sottile in questo caso) non si può fare a meno di notare che, se gli ospiti, con la loro presenza, forniscono una sorta di imprimatur alla band, dall’altra spingono istintivamente la scrittura dei brani che li coinvolgono verso territori più affini ai gruppi di appartenenza.

Ma questi sono aspetti del tutto marginali quando, come nel caso di “Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun”, ciò che ne scaturisce è l’ennesima perla di gothic-doom regalataci da questo ricco (purtroppo solo musicalmente parlando ...) 2012.

Iye Zine Jun. 2012

Two years after the release of Procul Este, Profani..., Krief de Soli comes back with his sophomore effort Munus Solitudinis, also released on Endless Winter records. Liturgical keys, Latin lyrics, atmospheres close to Ahab’s debut were the main keywords describing the first album of Egregoir De Sang, the band's éminence grise.

In this respect, not much has changed, but the progression lies elsewhere. Despite all the good qualities found on the debut, there was a small amateurish feel about it, making it a good but perfectible album. The few flaws found here and there were most likely pertaining to some lack of maturity from Egregoir De Sang and/or the urgency to record. As if the man had already his own vision but was still missing the clear-sightedness and maturity to render it perfectly. Krief de Soli’s Munus Solitudinis has shed its adolescent skin to reveal a new, more mature flesh.

While the analogy with Skepticism was only accessory on the debut, the ties grow stronger on the new record. This is not per se Skepticim’s burial’s organ fest, but rather a lighter version of it, still bathed in religiosity, calmer, more eerie than the music of the Finns so that when you reach ‘Sanguis Et Umbra Sumus’, the final chapter of this new symphony, you’ve at last landed on the shores of a mystical country where oblivious peace is enthroned. That serenity, this peace are exactly what the progression between the two records is about. For some reason, Procul Este, Profani... packed too many things in too little a time, and felt immature in this regard. On the other hand, Munus Solitudinis accepts the constraints of time and plays with them to eventually subdue and annihilate the very concept of time.

Keys still play the main role here and again, if you are allergic to an overabundance of them, you’d better skip this purchase. However, you should not believe this to be some kind of re-reading of Colosseum or Shape of Despair or some Russian avalanche of kitsch. Their solemn and grandiose character is really what makes Krief de Soli so special. The almost Medieval approach, emphasized by the Latin lyrics, provides bold and epic moments and gives even more credibility to the religious side of Krief de Soli.

It doesn't really matter if you are acquainted with Krief de Soli’s debut or not, because this new release, blessed with even more grandeur, is a safe buy if you look for original and great Funeral Doom. At this rate, we even could expect the impossible from Egregoir De Sang in the next two years.

Doom-metal.com Jul. 2012

Další z řady jednočlenných projektů a další pecka. S ANKHAGRAM jsem se poprvé setkal, když jsem slyšel jejich předělávku „Fragile Dreams“ („Letters From the Past vol. 1“) od ANATHEMY. Pokud chcete slyšet, jak by zněla novější ANATHEMA s growlingem, vřele doporučuji.

Jak již bylo řečeno v úvodu, ANKHAGRAM tvoří pouze jedna osoba a to multiinstrumentalista vystupující pod pseudonymem „Dead“. Pochází z Ruska z města Jekatěrinburg a ANKHAGRAM založil v roce 2005. Za sedm let stačil vydat jedno demo, dvě splitka, pět řadových alb a dvě alba předělávek. „Thoughts“ je zatím posledním nahrávka, která pod hlavičkou ANKHAGRAM vyšla. A o jakou hudbu se vlastně v případě ANKHAGRAM jedná? Atmosférický funeral doom metal s ultrahlubokým growlingem. Přiznám se, že mně předposlední „Where Are You Now“ uniklo, tak nevím jak velký posun v tvorbě ANKHAGRAM nastal, ale oproti albu „Under Ruins“ působí „Thoughts“ daleko více atmosféričtěji. Přibyla spousta pasáží, kde se kytary odmlčí a posluchač může slyšet pouze klavír, smyčce a různé ruchy v pozadí. V úvodní, instrumentální skladbě „Gates In Mind“ se kytar nedočkáme vůbec, pouze se v druhé části přidají bicí a basa. Následující (nejdelší na albu) „Don’t Feel This Life“ začíná zvukem meluzíny, která zní i v průběhu skladby neustále v pozadí, nám už představí ANKHAGRAM v celé své kráse. Čekání na úder do bubnů je takřka „nekonečné“, kytary drhnou své umrlčí melodie a do toho zní Deadův nelidský hlas, jemuž na síle projevu přidává použití efektu s pozvolným nástupem chroptění. Třetí v pořadí „Lost i n Reality“ pokračuje v nastoleném trendu a je pro změnu podbarvena zvukem (smyčkou) jedoucího vlaku. Vlastně všechny písně na albu jsou podbarveny různými ruchy, které mně osobně připadají jako zvuky z nádražní haly nebo metra. Nevím, jestli je Dead takovým fanouškem železnice (obal by tomu nasvědčoval), ale každopádně na albu zní tento prvek dokonale. Vzhledem k délce skladeb si můžeme poslechnout už jen tři a poslední, titulní „Thoughts“, mimochodem opět instrumentální, nás v závěru překvapí nečekaným zrychlením. Texty jsou plné deprese a osamění a i když i samotná hudba ANKHAGRAM je do značné míry depresivní, přesto v ní plápolá plamínek naděje a chvílemi mně připadá vysloveně pohodová.

ANKHAGRAM nám s novikou „Thoughts“ předkládají velice kvalitní album plné ponurých melodií. Vzhledem k tomu, jakou hudbu ANKHAGRAM tvoří, ale zůstanou i nadále spíše jen lahůdkou pro „fajnšmekry“.

Criticmusic.cz Jul. 2012

Avevamo lasciato Ankhagram nel 2010 alle prese con “Where Are You Now”, un buonissimo lavoro impregnato di death-doom atmosferico, che lasciava presagire interessanti sviluppi per il futuro.

Nonostante l'ancora giovane età di Dead, questo il nickname del musicista russo che è unico depositario del progetto, “Thoughts” è il quinto full-length pubblicato in sei anni: un intervallo di tempo già importante nel corso del quale il sound si è progressivamente evoluto, guadagnando in personalità e maturità rispetto ai primi album caratterizzati da apprezzabili slanci creativi alternati a evidenti ingenuità.

Ankhagram nel 2012 significa funeral-doom dall’accentuata componente ambient, un mix sonoro che scongiura la segregazione negli antri rumoristici del drone a vantaggio di un’indole melodica che solo di rado viene screziata dal growl di Dead.

L’opener “Gates In Mind”, pur essendo il brano di gran lunga più breve del lotto, risulta già indicativa dell’indirizzo stilistico dell’album, con il delicato giro di pianoforte che ci accompagna dall’inizio alla fine senza risultare, nonostante ciò, prolisso o stucchevole.

Ben più impegnativo si rivela l’ascolto di “Don't Feel This Life” che ci riporta in territori funeral, sulla falsariga di Ea e Comatose Vigil, tanto per restare all’interno dell’ex-impero sovietico; i diciotto minuti di sviluppo della traccia sono pervasi, piuttosto che dalla disperazione o dal cupo nichilismo di altre uscite nello steso ambito, da un soffuso senso di malinconia che si rivela una caratteristica costante di “Thoughts”.

“Lost In Reality” è un altro bell’episodio di stampo ambient nel quale il costante sottofondo rappresentato dallo sferragliare di un treno non può che rappresentare metaforicamente lo scorrere del tempo, mentre “I’m A Fake” e “Without Us” ripropongono il funeral di stampo atmosferico che, come abbiamo visto, è nelle corde di Dead.

La title-track chiude degnamente l’album dopo quasi settantacinque minuti di ottima musica riportando alla ribalta il volto ambient della one-man band russa.

Proprio perché la componente ambientale è accompagnata da un deciso tratto melodico, l’ascolto dell’album si rivela tutt’altro che faticoso, ovviamente rapportando il tutto al genere proposto; personalmente non mi sento di muovere alcuna critica al musicista di Ekaterinburg, anzi, ritengo che “Thoughts” ne rappresenti il raggiungimento della definitiva maturità artistica.

Resta solo da vedere in quale direzione Dead vorrà eventualmente spingere il suo progetto negli anni a venire, per ora non resta che ascoltare con piacere questo ottimo lavoro.

Iye Zine Jul. 2012

The act of finding your musical identity is quite a thrilling one, as all of a sudden the stuff that's flying out from under your fingers or out of your lips starts making sense and actually sounds pretty good in a somewhat objective manner. Some bands seem to enjoy it so much that they tend to do it all the time, flying from genre to genre like a leaf blown in the wind, but that's material for another day. It's even more thrilling if the stuff coming out isn't a blind emulation of an established sound, but rather the musicians' own take on a certain idea.

2010 Falling Leaves publish the first demo collection of three tracks that based on trite melodic doom death melodies , but the unbearable dissonant melodies cast here and there seemed to promise that the band wants to experiment and find its own niche... regardless of how much they detracted from an already feeble listening experience. A two years later, they launched a second assault in the form of a new full-length titled "Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun". Just how evident would their progress be, if any progress would be made, of course some major change in the song structure for me I enjoyed the album specially with the doom icons in it.

The first track "Reaching My Last Haven" keeps the listener is welcomed by a somewhat mundane-sounding acoustic intro that doesn't branch out much from the area of content covered on their first demo, but then right as it's about to end the phrasing becomes somewhat more sophisticated, a prominent bass pattern emerges, and expectations soar as one realizes the band grew... rightly, in fact Josep Brunet did his best growls here. Pete Johansen and Olof Gothlin both of them are legend in violin world, both work specially in the next two track "Blight" and "Trapped Within" it's really gives me that sorrow feelings that Alaa the lead guitarist was trying to compose it, Pim Blankenstien did his outstanding deep growls here alongside with Waseem the main harsh vocalist for the bands , drumming it's really typical for a doom song a nothing special notice here.

About "Silence Again" The keyboards have a semi-laidback feel to them, with a few passing nods to My Dying Bride (and NO they aren’t cloning! Picture ‘Icon’ with a happier feel and an epic attitude.) There are a couple of parts and several harmonies. The drums are very sharp and never sound muddied. The songs are (on average) moderately slow to slow, here again the violin part keep killing with the clean vocalist/spoken vocals, Aziz vocals were the overwhelming aspect of this album in some parts. he really shows how the songs structure can be held by a vocalist, he just gently leaving his touch to this outfit. "Vanished Serenity" it’s the fifth track in this outfit , its where Paul Kuhr shows us the meaning of being from the best vocalist in doom metal field he really own my respect, showing all his pain in his track, it's the most brutal track on the album. Alaa clearly knows how to write a track with a direction. Although not entirely epic , but a melodic doom/death metal record very worthy of your attention.

"Memories Will Never Fade " The track begins with a very quiet and bad produced intro that explodes after two minutes into one very loud metal guitar solo. The overall speed of this track is rather slow in order to capture the feeling of depression. The song is loaded with guitar solos riddled throughout Like Tears tearing down on some pretty woman face. The lyrics and violin are simply mind-blowing. the overall music becomes more intense and Pit’s drumming becomes even more harder. The song ends with all instrument vocalists simultaneously singing while the music quickly plummets towards oblivion.

This song "Celestial" starts out quite suddenly, and is probably the best song on the disc. Although not as morbid as the rest of the songs, it still manages to have a doomy and eerie feel to it, which I really like a lot. The track contain elements with a heavy and almost epic intro containing acoustic and electric guitars and a keyboard. After the intro follows multiple keys atmosphere, both vocals shows best of them here. The lead guitar is crude, slow and heavy, also with reverbs and effects. This is the hardest guitar of the two. Sometimes it follows the lead guitar with more low notes. There are no stops. The rhythm guitar does not pause at all. This rhythm guitar creates the background for the music. To be more precise.

The outro of this album titled "Dying Sun" two minutes of highly touch acoustic guitars just to keep track that the listener will falling in sorrow after hearing falling leaves atmosphere. wouldn't say that Falling Leaves was necessarily innovating anything here, though they seem to improve wherever they transition from the leaden weight of the guitars to something more tangibly atmospheric. I like that they're so heavily riff-based, and I did feel as if the actual note progressions of the metallic rhythms were all that involved, ominous or interesting.

Highlight : Trapped Within , Celestial

Album Rate: 6.5/10

Jor Zine Feb. 2012

A band’s debut album is definitely both controversial and revealing; especially in the case of Falling Leaves as it’s a band from Jordan -which is a country that has no Metal bases what so ever, except in the fan base of northern countries’ music.

This album emphasizes the influences of traditional straight-up death-doom bands, and as the first song begins in its gloomy, somber and dark atmosphere, the album keeps going in the same direction further fortifying the band and the album within this genre. The melodies stay down tempo and sometimes go beyond that. Vocals were variant with harsh and spoken being the main choice.

Many artists are featured in the album, and it is in that where the negativity may lay, as it can affect the band’s own original identity.

“Reaching my last haven” is certainly the best and the highlight of the album as it features Josep Brunet, his gutturals are harsh and very deep, adding a very distinctive style to the band elevating them to their full gloomy potential with a good intro and a great solo.

The violin does its job well, mostly by following the guitars or doing an exquisite background. It occasionally breaks off and stands out, and all this is done professionally as both featured violinists Pete Johansen and Olof Gothlin maintain haunting, precise rhythm complimenting the melodies. Mentioning Trapped within where it hits off with a magical violin intro and solo, where it starts mellow and peaks up to a heavier, more powerful tune. The drumming is good. However, this it is barely noticeable and not doing anything over top.

Paul Kuhr performance is brutal as hell, emphasizing the dark atmosphere that this album is drenched in, as the song Vanished serenity is performed by him alongside with Waseem Al Nemri the band’s original member.

All in all, the vocal arrangements are done very tastefully and professionally, not forgetting Pim Blankenstien in Blight, as he takes the second part of the song to new amazing levels with his passionate dark and powerful voice.

The lyrics are not innovative, and primarily deal with the subjects of mourning, pain and inner struggles. yet, they are written well, and coupled with the music.

I recommend this for death/doom fans, as well as for whoever wants to know what the band has to offer, giving the album a chance, it’s well worth it.

Melodic Reviews Feb. 2012

Com certeza se o "Falling Leaves" continuar mantendo as características presentes neste disco de estreia, conseguirá trilhar uma excelente carreira, pois "Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun" é muito bom! Oriundo da Jordânia, este quinteto (Abdul-Aziz Assaf, vocal, Anas Safa, guitarra, Ala'a Swalha, guitarra, Waseem Al-Attal, baixo e Rami Mazahreh, bateria) pratica um Doom/Death muito bom e extremamente dependente do trabalho de violino. Pode não ser uma ideia original, porém a banda utiliza sabiamente o instrumento para dar um tom melancólico nas músicas. Ouça, "Trapped Within" e sinta isso, logo na introdução. É importante ressaltar que a banda convidou algumas pessoas de peso, entre eles, Pete Johansen que é quem toca o violino e já passou pelo "Sirenia" e "Morgul". Outras convidados ilustres como, Paul Kuhr ("Novembers Doom"), Pim Blankenstein ("Officium Triste"), Josep Brunet ("Helevorn"), Maria Zvyagina ("Wine From Tears") e Olof Göthlin("Draconian") fazem participações excelentes e ajudam bastante neste registro de estreia. Quando digo que ajudam não é só no sentido de acrescentar idéias, mas também na parte de divulgação da banda. A nível de curiosidade, todos esses convidados foram chamados pelo guitarrista, Ala'a Swalha. Uma coisa que me chamou a atenção na banda é a falta de influências regionais ao longo do disco como fazem algumas bandas mais tradicionais do Oriente Médio. Quem sabe no futuro, a banda não opte por isso? Embora tal influência não se faça presente e nem necessária, uma característica me chamou a atenção em quase todas as composições, que foi o uso de partes faladas e que lembram muito bem as utilizadas pelo "Anathema", em "Eternity" (1996). Comprove e sinta com a grandiosa, "Silence Again". Com certeza, a banda buscou algumas influencias no "Anathema", pois, basta ir ao youtube e procurar por alguns vídeos do "Falling Leaves" que veremos um cover de "Lost Control". Voltando, "Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun" é o tipo de disco perfeito para ser escutado no inverno e que possui uma atmosfera melancólica, típica dos primeiros registros do "My Dying Bride". Outro ponto muito bem acertado pelo grupo foi o tempo de duração de "Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun" que possui apenas 47 minutos e que ao final, consegue deixar o ouvinte com um gostinho de quero mais. Uma bela estreia e que mostra que podemos esperar um futuro promissor para o "Falling Leaves". Os destaques são: "Reaching My Last Haven", "Trapped Within" e "Silence Again".

Skull Review Jun. 2012

Im nahen Osten ist Doom Death seit 20 Jahren eine feste Größe, das hat gerade erst die Wiederveröffentlichung von „Kaddish“ (Salem) und dem Orphaned Land-Demo „The Beloved’s Cry“ gezeigt. FALLING LEAVES passen ebenso wie ihre jordanischen Landsmänner Bilocate und Chalice Of Doom in das Schema und sind zuallererst von den elegischen, ausufernden My Dying Bride-Kompositionen inspiriert. Deutlich wird das nicht zuletzt am komplett unmetallischen Melancholie-Opus in der Albummitte dieses Debüts: ‚Silent Again’ fußt auf Piano, Keyboard-Teppichen sowie dem Wechselspiel einer Erzählstimme und der Geige – ganz so wie ‚For My Fallen Angel’ auf „Like Gods Of The Sun“. Diese Stilmittel werden auch in anderen Songs benutzt – beispielsweise ‚Trapped Within’. Das selbstbetitelte 2010er-Demo der Jordanier hat in einem bekannten Metal-Online-Nachschlagewerk eine der vernichtendsten Kritiken überhaupt bekommen: Unglaubliche Tristesse im Songwriting und ein katastrophaler Sound wurden bemängelt. Ersteres ist Geschmackssache, letzteres wurde auf konkurrenzfähiges Niveau gebracht. Lediglich das als unbetitelter Hidden Bonustrack angehängte Akustikgitarren-Instrumental (vergleichbar mit dem Fortsatz von Ulvers Debütalbum) breitet sich bewusst auf Vinyl-Knistern und anderen klanglichen Sepia-Effekten aus. Insgesamt erinnert das Panorama aus kargen rhythmischen Parts, klagenden Melodien und verschiedenen Gesangsstilen an die Israelis Substance For God. Hauptkritikpunkt ist dabei der oft jämmerliche, zu ausdruckslose Klargesang. Die Hooklines beispielsweise von ‚Blight’ verkümmern gegenüber der einfachen, aber emotional starken Leadgitarre. Assafs Growl-Stil ist hingegen über alle Zweifel erhaben, an frühe Opeth oder November’s Doom angelehnt. Also sehr tief und voluminös mit diesem gewissen vibrierendem Schleim in den Stimmbändern. Unterstützen und im Auge behalten.

Legacy Feb. 2012

Jordan, yes, very active metal scene this country has. I have discovered almost 10 bands in the last years and they are close and not behind at all from the same genre of bands from Europe / America ... Falling Leaves are one of them. they are making doing and they are quite good at it. Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun is their first full length album and they are very busy on advertising and promoting nowadays.

They used some guest vocals and musicians at some parts of the album. You can find the guest list below. Metal bands from low reputation countries ( unknown and undiscovered countries ) are making good job and progress over there. while we already have a little amount of an international level bands. These guys performing a self-sacrificing work and have to perform this music in a much more difficult condition getting the results much more quickly and much more comfortable than the bands that have same genre in a musically comfortable country like turkey.

Their style is death doom metal. But we can say that they are not using death metal much. Brutal vocals are used as a general vocal style. Adding clean vocals made it quite good. They have a melancholic dark atmosphere. Remembering me of first albums of Anathema / My Dying Bride / Lacrimas Profundere / like Novembers Doom.

I suggest you drink wine while listening to this album. An album of total 41 minutes makes you to float in the dark corridors of loneliness and the melancholy of it will consume you slowly. You may loss in the arms of this curse which rises from the middle east and will let you feel the winter. These countries probably never felt the winter. Time I wrote the critique was -3 degrees and snowing weather in Istanbul. This album and this weather are suiting very well.

As I mentioned above this album has a word class set of guests contributed with them. Definitely the major contributors are Paul Kuhr(Novembers Doom),Pim Blankenstein(Officium Triste),Josep Brunet(Helevorn)Olof Göthlin(Draconian),violins Pete Johansen(Ex-Morgul,Ex Sirenia). a Remarkable people from Doom metal arena is really showed a great example of modesty ...

Personally I smelled Anathema-The Silent Enigma In the air. I really enjoyed the album, it is really a great album, I hope they find the value they deserve, and a label they deserve ...

Extreminal Webzine Jan. 2012

Embraced by the Light is Hungarian funeral doomster, Dreams After Death’s debut album. Heavy on atmospherics and intensity, slow and plodding in true funeral fashion, this album is filled with much crushing moments.

Almost every song features heavy layers of sound, from synth-like strings to distant bassy rumblings. The album is replete with evidence of the thought and care that went into crafting the perfect funeral sensation. In particular, the accompanying organs in some of the songs have a strange uplifting effect, especially in the song, Funeral. An uplifting funeral… morbid.

My favourite song off this album has to be Meeting With The Ancestors. It is a nice amalgamation of the aforementioned crushing heaviness with milder moments of guitar solos which gives off a heavy Esoteric vibe, providing much variations throughout the whole 11 minutes of the song.

For a one-man band, this album is a spectacular effort, especially taking into account it is only his debut album. I have high expectations for this band. The only gripe was that certain instrumental parts did not seem to fit the overall flow of the album, as well as sounding slightly rough around the edges, but these certainly do not detract from the good compositions of Dreams After Death.

Heavy Metal Tribune Sep. 2011

Magyarországon nemhogy a doom metal extrémebb formái nem dívnak, de hagyományos doom csapatot se nagyon találni (a stoner vonulat ugye nem tartozik ide). Ezért ért nagy meglepetésként, amikor értesültem egy Dreams After Death nevű "csapat" létezéséről. Azért az idézőjel, mert a halál utáni álmokat egyetlen ember, Illés András álmodja.

S nem is akármilyen álmok ezek, ugyanis remek funeral doom zenét tartalmaz az album. Már kb. 10-szer végighallgattam a lemezt, s még mindig találok benne felfedeznivalót. Az egyik oldalon a lassú death metal, a másikon pedig a (dark) ambient zenék határolják azt a terrénumot, amelyen belül a Dreams After Death zenéje mozog. Valami különös érzéke lehet Andrásnak a borús hangzásokhoz, mert már erre a debütalbumra olyan zenét alkotott, hogy sok nevesebb csapatnak nem vagy csak sokadik nekifutásra sikerült.

A lemez témája az utazás a túlvilágra, tehát zene és szövegek egy egységes egésszé állnak össze. A lemezre minden hangszert András maga játszott fel, amiért elismerésemet fejezem ki felé. A billentyűs hangszereknek kiemelten fontos szerep jut a kompozíciókban, András billentyűsként is írja le magát. Nagyon hosszú billentyűs témák hallhatók a lemezen, de egyszer sem éreztem, hogy csak időhúzás, helykitöltés lenne a szerepük. Különösen tetszetős a szinte álomba húzó gyönyörű zárótétel, az Outer Space, s a hangszínek is nagyon jók, változatosak.

Természetesen a gitárok is hangsúlyosak; a totál elborult The Endless Time-ban például olyan ultra-doom riffek vonulnak, amelyek hallatán az Evoken tagjai is elismerően csettintenének. Ugyanez mondható el a From Time Immemorial-ról is, melynek közepén egy egészen nagyszerű fülbemászó dallam hallható. Az ének természetesen hörgés, ahogyan az a műfajban lenni szokott, de ebben a zenei világban fokozottan igaz a megállapítás, hogy az extrém ének is egy hangszer. Egyébként változatosnak mondhatók az énektémák. Külön öröm megállapítani, hogy noha hatásokat hallok az anyagban (Evoken, Skepticism, Thergothon, Unholy), egyetlen zenekarra sem tapad rá az album.

Mindenkinek, aki kedveli a funeral doom zenét, melegen ajánlom a remek Dreams After Death CD-t. Aki teheti, rendelje meg az eredetit, a külcsíne is teljesen rendben van, Andrásnak pedig gratulálok ehhez a teljesítményhez!

Metal Hammer (hun) Mar. 2012

I absolutely love funeral doom music. It makes me happy to be alive within the past decades to see this genre come to fruition beginning with bands like Skepticism, Thergothon, and Funeral beginning in the mid 90′s to today bands like Worship, Shape of Despair, Depressed Mode, Esoteric, Colosseum, and so many others that paved the way for such emotive music. I can see the next chapter of funeral doom and that is Dreams After Death. Headed solely by András Illés hailing from Budapest in Hungary, he has crafted a fine debut of beauty and darkness. Dreams After Death has raised the bar towards the funeral doom genre with amazing musicianship and his vision of melodic grave ladened fields.

The 6 song album, “Embraced by the Light,” takes from many influences, I hear Shape of Despair and Colosseum distinctly along with dischordant, ambience resonanting pure chaos within the simplicity of death. Just as creation, “Genesis” sends you upon your journey within the mind of Andras and this solo artist guides you through the winding trails as if in the end of your life, it has only just begun. On through the “Funeral” and with the “Meeting with the Ancestors”, your soul has only crossed the halfway point. With emotive twists and turns, the soul has pure elation with this seemingly uncharactized path. This writer/composer has seen this pat, and is a great guide into “Endless Time”. Finishing off the experience, Andras gives us trancendance with “From Time Imemmorial” and lastly into the void with “Outer Space”.

Many of these bands, like Dreams After Death, must be experienced. I will say this album is an epic masterpiece on his first known endeavor. Dreams After Death has such depth, precision, and well written pieces that would rival some of the pioneers of this genre. This album is a MUST in anyone’s library.

Rockbox Nov. 2011

A technikai világ fejlődése a zenészek előtt is rengeteg új kaput tárt fel, így sokaknak lehetősége adódott hogy akár otthon is elkészítsék lemezeiket. Részben emiatt, részben a "zenészekre" egyre inkább jellemző komolytalanság miatt adják sokan a fejüket szólóprojektezésbe. A következő hetekben javarészt ilyen emberekkel fogok beszélgetni. Első vendégem Illés András, a Dreams After Death nevű, nagyon különleges, egyszemélyes funeral-doom produkció mindenese. Igyátok szavait. :)

Az ember nem is gondolná hogy ilyen jellegű egyszemélyes projekt is működik az országban. :) Nem érzed magad különcnek?

A funeral doom valóban nem egy main-stream metal alműfaj. Ettől függetlenül én nem tartom magamat "különcnek" a zeném miatt. Vagy talán mondjuk úgy, hogy nem lehetek különcebb, mint más elhivatott zenész, hiszen egyszerűen csak csinálom, amit szeretek. Ha pedig a zenészeket különcöknek nevezzük, az is inkább azért van, mert jó színvonalú eszközökkel, hangszereken zenélni manapság olyan luxustevékenység, ami anyagiakban nem térülhet meg - még is munkálkodnak, ráadásul imádják, amit csinálnak.

Miért döntöttél úgy hogy egyedül alkotsz?

Több dolog is közrejátszott a döntésemben. Ha az ember egyedül zenél, akkor nagyon hiteles, személyes munkát adhat ki a kezéből, mindenféle kompromisszumokat elkerülve, amik egy zenekar esetében az alkotási folyamat természetes velejárói. Már önmagában a kihívás is sokkal nagyobb, hiszen a feladat jóval összetettebb, és szélesebb hangszeres ismeretet is megkíván a zeneíráson kívül.

Természetesen zenekarban zenélni nagyon jó. Koncentrálhat az ember a kedvenc hangszerére, adhat a zenekar koncerteket, illetve kisebb az anyagi teher is, hiszen már alapjáraton nem kell megvásárolni az összes szükséges hangszert. Zenéltem én is zenekarokban, amit nagyon élveztem és örök élmény marad.

A legfontosabb tényező persze a sikertelenség, ami ide vezetett. Billentyűsként 5, énekesként 3 évig zenélni zenekarokban úgy, hogy aztán semmi maradandó nincs a belefektetett munkából, pénzből, időből... gondolok itt egy lemezre vagy jelentősebb elismerésre - nagyon demoralizáló tud lenni. Természetesen nem minden zenekar jár így, de én mindkét esetben olyan helyzetbe kerültem, hogy képtelen volt kialakulni egy stabil, állandó, elhivatott csapat, ami konkrét eredményeket is elérhetett volna. Egyedül az ember, ha lassabban is, de legalább biztos irányba halad.

Nem egy hétköznapi stílus a tiéd. Mesélsz egy picit erről az irányzatról?

2003-ban egy nagyon jó zenei ízlésű tanárom adott nekem egy lemezt, konkrétan a Shape Of Despair formáció Angels of Distress korongját. Az album akkor már két éves volt, nekem viszont az volt életem első funeral doom albuma. Akkoriban szimfonikus black-et, illetve black/death metal bandákat hallgattam, egy örök kedvencem például az osztrák Summoning.

Az Angels of Distress egyszerűen letaglózott, afféle "mindent megváltoztató" zenehallgatás volt az akkor. Mostanra teljesen elsüllyedtem a doom metal világában. A hihetetlen súlyos, még is gyönyörködtető témák teljesen elvarázsoltak. Mindig is azokat a zenéket szerettem, amik kiragadnak a környezetemből, amik érzelmileg megmozgatnak, amiken el lehet merengeni, de csak akkor tudtam meg, hogy pontosan milyen ízű is az étel, ami nekem kell.

Az is igaz, hogy nem voltam valami nagy "true black" párti, mindig szükségem volt a zenében a színesítésre, mint szinti, női ének, hegedű stb. Ez a funeral doom-al sincs másként. Azokat a bandákat szeretem a műfajon belülről is, amik kellő atmoszférát adnak ehhez a súlyhoz, illetve nem vesznek el az abszolút monotonitásban. Innen ismerszik meg a szememben a jó doom metal. Attól, hogy fogunk egy riffet és a lehető leglassabban eljátsszuk ezerszer, még nem kapunk doom metal-t. Mivel virtuozitásról nem beszélhetünk, a számok hangulatának letaglózónak, a szerkezetüknek pedig izgalmasnak kell lenniük, mesterien kell eltalálni, hogy egy adott téma maximum hányszor ismételhető, hogy érzékeltesse az adott érzés végletességét, még se váljon feleslegessé.

Vannak zenekarok, akik szándékosan vagy sem, de erre nem adnak. Az ilyen ekte, montoton, száraz funeral doom albumokat én sem tudom élvezni, mert egyszerűen megunom őket, a jóból is megárt a sok, ugyebár.

A saját stílusomat ezen gondolatok mentén igyekszem alakítani, melyet alapvetően "atmospheric / funeral doom"-ként írok le, amin egy nagyon apró death és ambient hatás is érezhető. Az "atmospheric / funeral doom" irány egyébként nem új keltű, de tudtommal csak 5 ilyen banda van eddig (velem együtt).

Magyarországon a funeral doom lényegében halott. Még tradicionális doom bandánk csak-csak akad, de extrém, funeral doom banda nem igen. Itthon a Füsty Soul összesen 4 demó anyaga és a Burial Stone demó anyagai említhetők még meg, (hisz a Burial Stona nagylemeze már nem doom), így az orosz Endless Winter által kiadott debut nagylemezemmel egyfajta úttörőnek tekinthetjük itthon a projectem, ami nagyon megtisztelő a számomra.

Nem terveztél még olyasmit, hogy vendégzenészek körében bemutasd a dalaid a közönségnek?

A dalaim jelenleg is megismerheti, aki csak szeretné. Sajnos ez Magyarországon nem jelent túl sok embert. Kinek adjak koncertet? Csak azért nem látom értelmét a hatalmas plusz munkának, időráfordításnak, anyagi vonzat vállalásának, hogy legjobb esetben pár 100 a műfaj iránt teljesen érdektelen ember előtt mutogassam magam, de szerintem addig se jutnék el, hogy találjak magam mellé 5 zenészt, akikkel ezt végig tudnám csinálni. Ha ezek a tényezők egyszer jelentősen megváltoznak, akkor én is elgondolkodom az ötleten.

Nem hiányoznak a koncertek egyébként?

Pillanatnyilag nem mondanám. Jó volt régen, de most nem férne bele az időmbe, és nem is vagyok akkora "parti arc", ha érted mire gondolok. Nem is tudom már, hogy mikor volt az utolsó koncert, amin mint hallgatóság voltam kinn. Sajnos idehaza nincs túl sok extreme doom koncert...

Tervezel más zenészekkel közreműködni a közeljövőben? Esetleg vendégszereplések, vagy hasonlók?

A hamarosan megjelenő nagylemezem után, egy Split lemezt tervezünk készíteni idén a Nagaarum project-el, ami egy veszprémi zenész (az úr művész neve is Nagaarum :) ) egy személyes munkája (Űrerdő, Űrkert, Nanoverzum). Már önmagában az egy személyes felállások érdekessé tehetik a lemezt, de tervezünk egy közös számot is az anyagra, egyfajta "ütközőt", ahol a két zenét átvezetjük egymásba. Ilyenről még nem hallottam, és biztos vagyok benne, hogy érdekes feladat lesz.

Ez a Nagaarum dolog majd érdekes lesz, abban biztos vagyok. Viszont mesélj a közelgő lemezedről egy kicsit. Milyen téma köré épülnek a szövegek majd?

Míg az első nagylemezem a túlvilágba vezető utazásunk egy átfogó képét elevenítette meg, a Fading Chains emocionális oldalról közelíti meg a halál utáni létezést. Azokon az érzelmi és mentális folyamatokon vezet végig, melyek az ember elméjében zajlanak "felemelkedésünk" során. Lényegében a lemez 6 érzést, illetve azok elmosódását, egymásba hajlását fedi le számról számra. A korongon tiszta hangon is fogok énekelni, és kicsit jobban előtérbe kerül az Atmospheric Doom irány a Funeral Doom mellett. Ezt alapvetően az album koncepciója követeli meg, hiszen az emberi érzésvilág nem csak negatív skálán, mint gyász és bánat, hanem pozitív skálán is mozog, mint szeretet és elégedettség, melyeket az Atmospheric Doom misztikusabb, mesésebb, álomszerű világával jobban meg lehet közelíteni. Azért nem kell aggódni, így sem egy tündérmeséről van szó ;)

Ezen az albumon is hasonlóan hosszú dalok fognak szerepelni mint az Ebraced by the Light lemezen?

Igen. Igyekeztem megtartani a jó dolgokat az előző albumból. Az egyik ilyen pedig a számok hosszúsága, melyek valójában nem olyan hosszúak, ha a doom mezőnyhöz hasonlítjuk őket. A "rövidség" pedig annak tudható be, hogy a számok struktúrája - a régi albumon csak néhány szám esetén, most pedig majd az összes esetén - nem követi a szokásos ismétlődő refrének és témák láncát, helyette a számok több különböző témából állnak, nem ismétlődve. Ez elősegíti, hogy az album ne váljon unalmassá (ami a műfaj gyakori kritikája), nem mellesleg jól illik a "Fading Chains" témájához, hiszen az album folyamatosan változik, formálódik. Lényegében, ha kettévágnánk a számokat és ismétléssel újra feldupláznánk őket, akkor 2 órányi anyagot kapnánk a "hagyományos struktúrával". Persze, mivel doom témákról van szó, így a hömpölygés, a súly és a nyomasztó hangulat megmaradnak.

Hangszerelésben lesz valami új, valami különleges?

Ilyen téren nem szolgálhatok újdonsággal. Természetesen idő közben voltak hangszercserék, de új hangszer nem került be az arzenálba. Talán a következő albumon.

Otthon fogod felvenni a nótákat?

Igen, ez sem változott. Egyébként a mellett, hogy a lemezkészítés nem térítené meg a stúdiózást, talán nem is akarnék stúdiózni, hiszen így sokkal kényelmesebb, könnyebb a zeneírásra koncentrálni.

Igen ez így igaz. :)

Kukkantsunk bele kicsit a házi stúdiódba. Mesélj, miket használsz? Hogy építesz fel egy nótát?

Van egy EMU0202 külső hangkártyám és egy 4 magos PC-m windows Xp-vel. A gyártó szavával ellentétben a hangkártya sajnos nem rendelkezik win7-en valóban működő driverrel, ezért van szükség a régi operációs rendszerre. Illetve van egy Behringer C1 kondenzátor-mikrofonom (következő alkalommal ezt lesz szükséges jobbra cserélni). A "stúdió" fizikai része ebben ki is merül, amihez a következő programokat használom: Sonar 8, Addictive Drums VST, és Izotope Ozone 4 a keveréshez. Minden szinti hangzást a zenémben a Roland JUNO STAGE + total. orch. exp. modulom segítségével készítettem és használom, tehát azok nem szoftveresek. Ezen felül egy LTD F-414 és egy LTD mh-401QMNT basszus és szólógitáron játszom, mindkettő csodálatos hangszer, aktív EMG hangszedőkkel és átmenő nyakkal. A gitárok torzításához, effektezéséhez pedig egy Line6 POD HD300-as multieffektpedált használok. A konfigurációm sok éves spórolás és munka eredménye, és mivel életre szóló szenvedélyről van szó, igyekszem megbocsájtani magamnak. :)

A számok írásához nincs konkrét algoritmusom :), de általában utoljára veszem fel az éneket. Az első dolog pedig, amit tisztázok magamban, hogy miről szól majd az anyag és milyen hangulat, sebesség, hangszer-kompozíció megy majd rajta végig. Eztán a már konkrét elképzeléshez, hangulathoz, mondanivalóhoz lényegében témákat improvizálok és szelektálok. Mindezt pedig próbálom lineárisan, számról számra. Hogy milyen hangszerrel kezdem az "improvizációt", számírást az azon múlik, hogy melyiket szeretném dominánsnak az adott nótába - igyekszek egyensúlyt tartani ezek között.

Borítóra van már valami ötleted? Az előző nagyon odarakott.... :)

Nagyon örülök, hogy tetszett az előző! Köszönöm szépen! Ha az "Embraced by the Light"-t esetében kritika felől kérdeznél, nos a borító nagyon sok embernek nem tetszett. Úgy hiszem, hogy az emberek megszokták a "digitális", "fotószerű" albumborítókat és ez a klasszikus, egyszerű, festett borító igénytelennek hatott sokaknak. Személy szerint én nagyon szerettem (ki hinné, hisz én akartam ilyenre :D), így aztán marad a stílus és a festő: Kató János is. A borítón pedig egy szellem lesz a tervek szerint.

Mikorra várható körülbelül az album megjelenése?

Ha minden jól megy, az albumot augusztusban már csak masterelni fogom, és ez alatt az idő alatt készül majd el az artwork is. Eztán legalább két hónapot kért az új amerikai kiadóm, hogy a velük szerződött PR cég hirdesse az albumot. Így gondolom októberben lesz a hivatalos megjelenés.

Tényleg, mindig is érdekeltek a kiadós dolgaid. Hogy kerültél be külföldi kiadókhoz? :)

Miután elkészültem az anyaggal, egyszerűen végignéztem az aktív doom metal kiadókat, és felvettem néhánnyal a kapcsolatot. Az orosz Endless Winter szíves örömest vállalta a kiadást. 500 lemez készült a debut anyagból, ebből 100-at kaptam meg én. Egyébként ha valaki véletlen kiadót keres, tudom javasolni, hogy minél korábban kezdje el a kutatást, mert a legtöbb kiadó azzal utasítja el az embert, hogy már készen van az egész éves kiadási tervük. Az indie kiadók költségvetése alacsony, ezért nem tehetik meg, hogy egy hirtelen a semmiből előtűnő, akár fergeteges albumot kiadjanak, mert egyszerűen nincs rá keret, jó előre beosztják a pénzüket. Az amerikai kiadót, ami a következő albumom fogja megjelentetni, az alapító révén ismerem, aki korábban split-et szeretett volna velem készíteni (ő is zenész). Már az első albumom is ki szerették volna adni, de addigra szerződésem volt az orosz kiadóval. Nem kell nagy példányszámos dolgokra gondolni. Annyi lemez készül, ahányat megvesznek. Elméletileg idén már lesz Dreams After Death póló is! :)

Inkább itthon, vagy inkább külföldön vevők a zeneiségedre?

Attól függ, hogy milyen irányból közelítjük meg a dolgot. Magyarországon kevés olyan ember van, aki hallgat metál zenét. Ebből még kevesebb, aki doom-ot hallgat, és abból is ritka, aki funeral doom-ot. Ilyen szempontból a 10 milliós Magyarország nem produkálhat nagy érdeklődést, de aki szereti a műfajt, az biztosan nagyon örül a projektemnek - valószínűleg jobban is mint a külföldiek -, hisz az itthon egyedüli. :) Ha ettől konkrétabb infóra vagy kíváncsi, akkor azt mondanám, hogy mind a visszajelzésekben, mind mondjuk lemezeladásban 1 az 50-hez az arány, természetesen a külföld, azon belül is döntően az USA javára.

Köszönöm hogy itt voltál András. Sok szeretettel várom az új lemezedet és jó munkát kívánok a hátramaradt munkálatokhoz! :)

Én köszönöm, hogy írtál rólam, illetve az olvasóknak is köszönöm az érdeklődést! :) Bátran lehet osztani az igét. ;) Live long and prosper Blackbird Music!

Blackbird Music Jul. 2012

Desde la Octava Región, cinco músicos dan vida a ENDIMIÓN, banda que en poco más de seis años cuentan con un demo, un Split (con MAGNA VERITAS) y con un LP que hoy comentaremos para ustedes. Se titula “Canción Desde La Voz Primera” lanzado por Endless Winter durante septiembre de 2011.

Este quinteto ejecuta un Doom/Death Metal en la misma línea de los primeros discos de PARADISE LOST y los nacionales POEMA ARCANUS. En pocas palabras, música bastante densa y pesada. Un detalle importante para recalcar, es que estos temas fueron re-grabados con un sonido mucho mejor al que tenían en el Split.

Abre los fuegos “Lady Of My Dreams”, corte en el que se mantiene la base rítmica del estilo, algunas variaciones en cuanto a la velocidad pero no tan marcadas. En la segunda canción, “The Land Of Tears”, se mantiene la misma tónica en cuanto a composición musical; no son temas calcados pero se sigue en la misma línea. La performance de Ibañez en “We Are The Sky” nos sorprendio gratamente a los que no conociamos a la banda, acá estamos en presencia de un tema muy bien logrado porque se juega mucho más con la velocidad, dándole incluso un toque más Death Metal. El disco con el correr de los temas ha ido ganando en intensidad y muestra clara de eso es “Naked In The Sun”. La banda demostró más “atrevimiento” en cuanto a la musicalización y lo mismo hace su vocalista, ya que su forma de interpretar no es tan gutural.

Definitivamente este trabajo va en alza; “Gutura Profana” es otro corte en el que existen matices vocales, de hecho, este tema nos recuerda mucho la propuesta de los nacionales Procession; el bajo va marcando el pulso de la canción al igual que el buen trabajo en batería. La sexta en la lista es “Agony”, una creación oscura y con cambios rítmicos que te llevan por un pasaje de soledad y rabia. “Come With Me” es el regreso a las melodías que pudimos apreciar en los dos primeros cortes en un comienzo algo más relajado, lo que cambia drásticamente en la mitad del tema para luego retornar a la “densidad” antes mencionada. Cerrando el disco, viene un tema cantado en español: “La Gruta Del Terror”, una de las más entensas del disco, tema en el cual Carrasco de POEMA ARCANUS colabora, siguen en la misma formula de los temas que encontramos de la mitad “Canción Desde la Voz Primera” hasta ahora.

Buen disco, el que como lo expresamos, fue ganando en intensidad gracias al atrevimiento de los músicos; nos gustaría sí un mejor aprovechamiento de la voz, jugar un poco más con los tonos ya que cuando se atrevió no desentonó. También es digno de destacar que una banda nacional que no esté en Santiago haya lanzado su primer larga duración a través de un sello internacional, que esto sirva de aliciente para otras agrupaciones de provincia, porque como por ahí dicen: Querer es poder.

The Pichangas Apr. 2012

Endimion banda nacional proveniente de Concepción,gentilmente nos hizo llegar su flamante trabajo Canción desde la voz primera,edición realizada bajo el sello ruso especializado en bandas Doom, Endless Winter.

Debo reconocer que no soy muy adepto al genero pero eso si he disfrutado de actos clásicos del estilo,de hecho mi gusto por algunas bandas Doom,se acerca a un sonido más crudo, sin tanta elaboración y depuración de este, y en eso creo que ENDIMION deja bien marcado ese formato en la música,que ellos ejecutan. En este trabajo, puedo ver ciertos atisbos como los primeros discos de TIAMAT,algo de los ingleses MY DYING BRIDE, los primeros ANATHEMA.

El contenido del CD, muestra una selección de 8 temas, en la línea clásica del Doom Death Metal, temas con atmósfera oscura y melancólica, pero con una base melódica que hace de este compendio,bastante interesante. Con una portada sencilla de caracter sobrío y sin muchos efectos de diseño. Conpenetrándonos en la parte musical, Canción desde la voz primera abre con el corte “Lady Of My Dreams” como mencionaba antes temas con atmósfera oscura y melancólica, pero con una base melódica y riffs bastante intensos,“The Land Of Fears”muestra estructuras, en las cuales se complementan los ritmos Down Tempo con la ejecución vocal por parte de Matías Ibañez Gutura Profana, Come with me, temas destacables tambien, en que se aprecian ciertos Blast Beats cortos pero efectivos. Esta entrega finaliza con “La Gruta Del Terror” tema cantado en castellano con mayor duración que los cortes anteriores siendo este más melódico y con sus buenos guturales donde destaca la inclusión de Claudio Carrasco POEMA ARCANUS.

En sintésis el debut de los doomers nacionales ENDIMIONdemuestra que aún sigue vigente el género, trayendo desde el pasado el sonido Old,sin tanto maquillaje y efectos de sonido, que hacen perder la esencia de este.Bien por los nacionales y su promisorio debut.

ENVENENOMED'ZINE May 2012

And here I am reviewing a new comer in the metal realm, this time we have a special band from Ukraine called Symphonian, which was created in 2008 but released their first full length album only in 2011. So, what can we hear in Symphonian’s music? A combination between Gothic metal and old school Death/Doom metal specific in the first records released by bands such as Anathema or Shape of Despair. However, I prefer to integrate these guys in the Gothic Doom Metal section alongside another important name of this genre, Draconian.

In fact, Symphonian’s music is very similar with Draconian’s one, the same atmospheric sound is present in their record and the lyrical themes are similar as well. What makes them so special is the duo between Slava Kuz, the one responsible for the harsh vocals featured in this song, and the angelic yet sorrowful voice made by Lana Sokolova. In terms of voice duo, they are really close with Draconian, probably the only exception is the fact that Lana tends have a higher pitched voice compared to Lisa Johansson (Draconian) while Slava Kuz’s voice is like a rip-off of Anders‘s voice.

With this album, Symphonian managed to get a hold of an important contract with a record house mainly known for their works with many doom metal names, for example Astor Voltaires or Dreams After Death. The tonality of this album is very low, massive weight and expresses feelings and emotions, being both passionate and depressive at the same time. Regarding the lyrical content, unlike Draconian, their lyrics are not entirely focused on rhyme but I would rather categorize them as free lyrics. This album manages to create that superb atmosphere specific for any death/doom metal band because we have a female voice in it, it can be included in the “Beauty and the Beast” concept which was first introduced by Theatre of Tragedy back in the old Aegis days with Liv Kristine as their front woman and by The Gathering with Anneke van Giersbergen.

You can witness the usage of other instruments specific for symphonic metal bands such as violin even organ also synth and programming are used in this album. For a band such as Symphonian which is only at the beginning of their career, I believe that this album, if it will manage to get a fan-base, might be the start of a successful career. I said in another review, usually the first album for a band might not be that great since it usually signifies the fact that the band has not reached their musical maturity yet, still searching for an unique style that could define them. However, by listening this album I gather that the style that best fits them has long been found and not only that, they even managed to pull out something incredible, something that I was stunned. After hearing, A Rose For The Apocalypse from Draconian released in the summer of the same year, I had doubts that another band could release a better record in this genre, especially because Draconian for a long time did not have any rival in this genre. Who would’ve though that a new-comer could match them in creativity and artistic quality with only their debut album. Think about it, we speak about a band that has only been active for 3 almost 4 years and Draconian has a history of over 15 years of existence. Nevertheless, if I were to find an album that would best define Symphonian’s debut, it could be Where Lovers Mourn Draconian’s debut album and I could find some traits similar with the avant-garde elegance present in Celtic Frost’s masterpiece, Monotheist, released back in 2006 (check out especially songs such as Obscured or Drown in Ashes, where there is a duo between male and female vocals).

The album begins with a sombre song called Forbidden which firstly introduces us the gentle voice of Lana. As an introduction, this song might appeal but it is rather boring and monotonous, definitely not the song I wanted from Symphonian when I started listening this album. However, the fun starts with the next track entitled Betrayal, where the duo between Slava Kuz and Lana Sokolova shines the best, it feels like the voices of these two singers flow with the instrumental, it’s absolutely stunning. In this song you could hear the usage of synths and programming. Two other songs that put this album into the spotlight are the 3rd track, Last Words and the 4th track Path of a Soul, absolutely amazing death/doom creations. Silver Streams and Withered continue this majestic album which ends with the 7th track Depressed (Lithiated).

All in all, if you were disappointed by Draconian’s newest record, then Symphonian’s debut might have a surprise or two for you. For old school death/doom metal fans, this album is an obligatory lesson, especially for those that are infatuated with Anathema’s and The Gathering’s older works. In any case, give them a chance, even though they are new-comers, they have the skills and the creativity which rivals with a fully matured band. After hearing this album, I am dead curious how their second work will be and if my guess is correct, it might mark the beginning of a great band. Probably the only thing they need to improve the production quality, which was not that bad in this album but there is definitely room for improvement.

Overall Impression: 95/100

theartofblasphemy Feb. 2012

Yes, man, you’re right! The band with name such as this has no chance but to play some kind of old school death doom metal. And what is difference? Well, here we go! First of all, I’ve known about Falling Leaves due Pim Blankenstein’s New Year interview for doommantia, he said that he recorded vocals for some band from Jordan, so as you see it was about Falling Leaves and it was enough to awoke my interest and check their MySpace. And there I found information that Falling Leaves has done a record of their first full-length album “Mournful Cry Of a Dying Sun” with such honorable guests as Paul Kuhr (November’s Doom), Josep Brunet (Helevorn), Pete Johansen (Tristania, Sirenia, Morgul and etc.) and Pim Blankenstein himself (Officium Triste, The 11th Hour). Oh, things turn more interesting now, do they? I know not too much bands from Middle East (only 2 indeed and 1 of 2 is disbanded), so it was natural choice to write few questions to Falling Leaves crew. Abdul-Aziz Asaf (vocals) has patiently answered all of them.

Good day comrade! I’ve read your interview for exterminal.com e-zine but – sorry – I’ll probably repeat some of those questions and I hope that you’re not bored too much with such questions as “how did your band started?” Aren’t you?

-Good day, not at all, as something to begin with – Ala’a and me got the idea of starting the band late in 2006, when we DID some jamming on some songs. We gathered the rest of the band members in 2009 after long time discovering talents to work and to find a teamwork spirit with... Such a boring exchanges were made but we still had our dream together to stop in that point...

I wonder what did drive you to step upon the path of doom… I’m sure that you understand that doom death band from Jordan is a bloody rare thing! What are your motives besides passion to play slow and mournful dirges?

-I think that might be a positive thing... beginning a new market in the music industry here in Jordan by this style .. Where there's not much of a competition even in the whole Middle East melodic doom death metal is something rare to find... At the same time and actually this goes above what I started .. you just can't be creative in something you don't love... This style has been something we're so attracted to and loving it... even if it's sad but still makes us happy to do so.

When and how did you learn to play instruments?

-Well, I don’t play any instruments, only a little bit bass guitar, I started singing since I was a little kid in school's band...

Your music has absorbed mostly European traditions of doom death scene, most songs’ composition, instrumental techniques, certain number of clichés are taken from middle of 90s, though you have few uncommon for now features. How can you describe them? What are main characteristics of Falling Leaves?

-Us... the way we work together... the things that influence us... how we like it and since we mostly were born listening to bands from the 90s... This influenced us the most to get that style... And for me I think it's the golden age of all kinds of music... this new age sound is as much beautiful as much disturbing... You can find some new ideas and good feelings but still not like the past days of us...

Yes, I understand you but look – you seek for “old school” sound, but your songs mostly sound smoothly and atmospheric, it’s okay for me because I’m not a fan of brutal aspect of death doom but was it your own conscious decision or it just happened in this way?

-Composing something to be likeable in this new era with its beauty is missing something. That's what we thought about when we start composing. The old school sounds prettier to all and gets more in touch with our hearts and minds.

I guess that initially classical doom death bands were somehow inspired with European decadent and romantic poetry or they played something with lyrics in this clue… Why didn’t you try to get something in cultural legacy of your country to perform it in your songs?

-This would be our next step my friend... On the mean time we're trying something from our legacy, our experiences and what we're bothered from.

What feelings did you try to express via the new songs and do you feel that you finally did it as you planned?

-Oh yes we did… it’s mostly about inner struggles and how life and personal problems can put somebody in a closed box where he's totally lost and can’t forget to mention the grieving that can be touched from the music and the lyrics .

How do you think – is it possible to use radically new lyrical conception in doom music? Something actual and vital – not only romantic stuff or themes of witchery and dark philosophy…

-Doom music has every single feeling you can search for. Not just what you mentioned. Actual and vital mentality is something more receptive for any human being. Talking about facts makes us feel real. So, it would do just fine. And actually, it does because it's already exists.

I’ve read that your first demo was taken coldly, what do you think about this record?

-It was our first time entering the studio. We paid the price for lack of experience, bad mixing and mastering. But I believe it was a good try. I believe the Demo still has good ideas and nice melodic sad atmospheres. We officially stated at our fan pages that the demo will be re-mixed and mastered at Clintworks by Dennis Israel, You will feel the good progress that we made since the demo album.

Look, man, you have a full line-up for the band but you have an astonishing company of great doom-musicians into your début album “Mournful Cry Of A Dying Sun”. Did you suppose to play live? It’s quiet unimaginable to get all these guys in one place though there’s possibility… if you’re going to take part in some European fest, are you?

-Its one of our goals to take part of the world metal scene, having the great guest list, which we really work hard to get. Of course we have the ability to play our own songs without them, but in the other hand some of them gave us the approval to join us on stage.

Do you play live in Jordan or in neighbor countries? What is a common attitude to heavy music in your environment?

-We played in Jordan once and hope to play again that's a sure thing. Hoping to make other concerts soon in the neighbor countries too. It's just like most environments, having a problem with heavy music.

Of course we must speak about honored guests who did their contribution in “Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun”, but first of all how did you record your parts of the album?

-We did it in our guitarist Ala'a Swalha home studio... We tried to make it as much simple as we could but with as high quality as it should...

Okay, and now… How did you recruit Paul Kuhr of November’s Doom, Josep Brunet of Spanish Helevorn, Pete Johansen (Tristania, Sirenia, Morgul and etc.) and Pim Blankenstein (Officium Triste, The 11th Hour) for this record?

-Our guitarist Ala’a done all of the communication with our guest list, they showed the approval after reading the lyrics, and hearing the songs sample.

Also you announced participant of Niclas Frohagen (Forest of Shadows) and Natalie Koskinen (Shape of Despair, Depressed Mode, Before the Rain), but as I understand the “Mournful Cry of a Dying Sun” has been recorded without them, am I right? What did happen with them?

-It was a recording issues, so we decided to include the song with the upcoming mixed and mastered demo "Falling Leaves 2010".

Don’t you fear that people will not take Falling Leaves as independent band after participant of such good company of famous musicians from other bands? It’s really interesting idea to call all these guys, but how many of yourself in Falling Leaves after all?

-In the end it's our music my friend. We're independent with our own music. We called these great musicians to improve our selves with their experience and working with them was more than amazing. So, having them by our side I think would never make us non-dependent.

I’ve seen that you promoted Falling Leaves via METALITY UAE Radio, tell us about it please.

-Yeah, we played some of our upcoming album songs on METALITY UAE Radio, and Mr. Yusef Hashish helped us a lot, and there's next show soon. Of course there's other radio stations who`s promoting our songs like Metal Messiah Radio & Extreminal Radio.

How do you promote Falling Leaves beside that Radio station?

-Well of course with our pages, besides the metal zines, metal magazines, commercial sites, also we are currently looking for a good label..

It’s not a secret that disturbances in countries of Middle East are closing to their highest peak, I hope that situation isn’t so fatal, but I would like to know your opinion of the situation because western media mostly lie and it’s hard to find any truth in that they say.

-It’s a new revolution I have to say but... There’s a big chance for it to be an inside job even... as much as we're happy as much as we're afraid it might be an inside job from the same group that destroys our lands and minds everyday and every time... Hope it would be better in the next days...

Do you feel that you need changes in your country? Do you feel that it’s right when another country from the other corner of the world try to make it’s rules in other regions? I always think that such shit always means “colonization” and pathetic words of “fight for democracy” is amazing bullock.

-As for my country I think we're having enough of what we can get. Our country doesn't suffer any of the "fight for democracy" theory. So, I think we're good.

Okay, thank you for your answers, man. I wish you all the best on your way and hope that your road will lead Falling Leaves to success. Good luck!

-First I'd love to thank you Mr. Evdokimov (comrade, Evdokimov! – I insist! – comment by Aleks). I think you've done a good job in here. Thanks for the beautiful guests for their support to us. We love you so much. All supporters and Falling Leaves for making a dream come true. It's our beginning. But, I must say a beautiful one having you all by our side. Hope you'll enjoy listening to our Debut. And, have a good idea about the demo. The remastering will be a better idea. Thank you all.

Doommantia Feb. 2012

I was thinking about the biggest changes in the metal scene of the last 10 years and one of the biggest changes is the up-surge of the 'one-man band.' Starting with the early days of Myspace, the scene saw the birth of the one-man band and it has grown into a music-world of its own making. One of my rare non-metal friends is into this musician Owen Pallett, who is the man behind the one-man indie group Final Fantasy. Well you might be thinking who in the hell cares, well in an recent interview he had this to say, "Drummers ruin bands," he said simply, as if the fact were common knowledge. "There are probably about 10 people in indie rock who know how to play the drums. If you’re in a mediocre band, just fire the drummer, and chances are you’ll have the best band in the world." The same article goes on to say, "Advances in recording and performance technology now make it possible for musicians not only to fire the drummer but also — if so inclined — to do away with accompaniment altogether without losing the richness, or seemingly the spontaneity, of a full-size band." (NY Times)

My opinion on the one-man band approach to making music is I am still not convinced. While there are some truly remarkable albums being made by just one guy and an array of instruments and imagination, there still seems to be something missing most of the time. Like it or not, this trend is likely to get even more popular as people look for the "easy way out" approach to putting an album together - not that putting music together without the help of other musicians is easy but it does leave the artist free to make his or her own decisions without any outside influences or interference. When I first started hearing one-man doom bands, they were usually pretty awful. Cheap home-recorded albums slapped together by Myspacers who claimed to be musicians or even worse - rockstars! These days though, times have changed. Like the quote above rightly states, technology has improved to the point where one-man band recordings can be just as effective as a full band. Now with the CD market verging on extinction and venues for live music disappearing worldwide - this is the era of lone musician making albums for whoever wants to download them. Look at the rise of bandcamp for example, CD's and full bands are fading away, one and two person bands and downloads are here to stay....Sad but true.

One guy making doom metal all by himself is András Illés with his Dreams After Death project from Hungary. This funeral doom/death doom project has released a début album via the Endless Winter label titled 'Embraced by the Light.' On first hearing the album, I immediately thought of Shape of Despair and Thergothon but the more I listened, the more originality came out of the music. Every track on this album features layers of sound whether it be guitars, keyboards or the vocals. The sound is huge and extremely well produced so the fact it is a one-man band means little to the power of this album. The songs here are discordant, majestic, and intensely dramatic - almost cinematic in many ways. Make no mistake, this is funeral doom, bleak and foreboding but it has a strange, uplifting funeralized vibe in some of the passages that is rarely heard in the funeral doom genre.

The opening tracks, 'Genesis' and 'Funeral' are both very hypnotic. The heavy side of the music produced is similar to Skepticism, Thergothon, Shape of Despair and Colosseum while the softer side which is usually when leads are present reminds me a lot of Esoteric so I can't say this is totally original but it is still far more unique than 80% of other funeral doom releases released in recent years. András Illés is a great songwriter just as much as he is a very talented musician. Songs have great variations but perhaps the best example of his songwriting craft comes in the third track, 'Meeting with the Ancestors.' Over the course of 11 trance-like minutes, the song goes through stunning variations in light and shade. 'The Endless Time,' 'From Time Immemorial' and 'Outer Space' are more of the same but not quite as spectacular but I think like most funeral doom albums, it all starts to sound the same after a while.

Now for some nitpicking; The vocals are your typical deep growl, not bad but don't add a hell of a lot of emotion to the songs. Some instrumental passages throughout the album seem to steer off-course ever so slightly and a couple of sections seem to be a bit roughly played like the passage wasn't perfected before the recording took place but this particular gripe is an extremely minor one. Overall, this is a very impressive album that should suit most funeral doom fans as long as you don't mind the odd goth-rock detour. So yes, going back to my opening rant, one-man bands can indeed be very good and this is one of the better ones....8/10

Doommantia Feb. 2012

It has been two years since Krief de Soli released their début album 'Procul Este, Profani... which was a solid release that held great potential for the future. This new album is again released on the very good Endless Winter Records label but if anyone is looking for the big progression album, you may be disappointed. This new album follows the same formula that was set on their début.....long funeral/death doom pieces with a crippling atmosphere and Latin lyrics. While the first album had three songs, this new one has five for a total playing time of almost 70 minutes. Four of the five tracks are 14 minutes or longer, the longest being the opening track 'Náscentés Morimúr' that plods and drags along for a painful 21 minutes. The length of these doom epics are what makes or breaks the album depending on your patience threshold but there is also one other questionable element and that is the overwhelming use of keyboards which get a bit too much to take at times.

While this album isn't really much different from the first album, there are signs of a more mature approach to songwriting. The band is mainly the work of one man Egregoir De Sang and it seems on the surface at least that he is becoming a very ambitious writer within the funeral doom genre but in terms of the instrumentation, not much has changed at all in the last couple of years. The songs are mostly based around long, depressive keyboard arrangements that while are atmospheric, do tend to overshadowed everything else on the album. The epic tracks here are a bit hit or miss and sometimes the opening 21 minute track is all you really need to hear as nothing much changes for the next 50 or so minutes of the release. At its best it is a good take on the formula created by bands such as Skepticism but at its worst, it can be a tedious, long-winded journey of monotonous funeral doom. Funeral doom of course is not the most diverse or exciting brand of doom metal and this project is certainly more advanced than a lot of others bands I could mention but like the first album, you get the feeling something is missing.

The album is ritualistic and tries awfully hard at being hypnotic but without ever getting there. The length of the songs are really the main problem as they don't have enough twists and turns to keep them interesting. Also like 'Procul Este, Profani...' the album has a budget kind of vibe about it. It is not that the production is weak, it is actually pretty good but the songs themselves seem like more of a tribute to other funeral doom bands and lack any identity of their own. The lack of originality aside, the pieces have their moments of crushing, atmospheric brilliance but they do tend to be just moments and nothing more. By funeral doom standards Krief de Soli are very slowly progressing to something special but it still seems to be a couple of albums off if this is anything to go by. Compared to the début, this album is more grandiose but it is also a bit harder to absorb so it requires some dedication from the listener. Still funeral doom fans should find it more than listenable but don't expect anything groundbreaking and make sure you are comfortable because this album goes on and on and on.....6/10.

Doommantia Jul. 2012

Canadian Krief de Soli is one of most perspective one man bands in a doom scene. Egregoir de Sang, an author of this project, already has shown really good results with début monumental album “Procul Este, Profani…” which was released via Endless Winter records in 2010; and now 2 years later he’s ready for second act of burial with brand new CD “Munus Sloitudins”. While almighty gods of North American funeral Longing For Dawn are rest in their slumber Krief de Soli is taking their ritual wand and break through with litanies and heavy riffs occupying doom throne of Canada. We already spoke with project’s mastermind Egregoir about 2 years ago but as I’ve got “Munus Solitudnis” CD I have few questions to it’s author, so this brief interview is about new stuff and only about it.

Salute Egregoir! Let me congratulate you with release of second Krief de Soli’s full-length album "Munus Solitudins"! What kind of feelings do you experience knowing that finally your "Gift of Solitude" is ready to be granted to doom followers all over the world? Are you proud with your work?

Greetings Alexey. Thank you very much for the felicitations, I am glad that the album has finally seen the light of the world (out of my chamber). I am also glad to say, that the present work establishes the next level in KdS’s music experience. This step up was very important for me. Concerning the feelings, the proudness is not what I am exposed to, but comfortable feeling of a finished chapter is possibly the right definition.

By the way, what kind of resonance has your first work "Procul Este..." caused? Was the response of listeners and critics loud enough to reach your years?

You may wonder, but I am not really aware (except our last interview and your review at doommantia.com) and not really interested in making some kind of a resonance to the public with my works. At the other hand, I am sure there is always a small audience who will find my work as pleasant as I find it to create regardless the “resonance it has caused or will cause. That is why we collaborate with Gennady at Endless Winter, to spread the word and nothing more.

Did you take into account an experience of "Procul Este..." record during a process of creation of new stuff? May you say that experience of composing doom or funeral doom music somehow helps yourself in your development - not only with skills as a musician but also a man?

Of course I did, Alexey. I had acquired a good but tentative experience through creation of the first record and have successfully used it during the creation and production of the second one. First of all, it points out the recording/mastering process, than some compositional and arrangement ideas you may discover by your own just simply by practising and finding new possibilities, learning some theory and make it a useful part of your musicianship. Regarding the development of myself as a man... well, we all are changing across the time flow and because of different reasons. Yes, the music is one of my occupations, a part of my organism of things that I can and have pleasure to do. It maybe helps me to maintain the right level of life by concluding the chapters and dealing with my human consciousness, but not more than that. Lengthy road should be surmounted on your way to self-development as a man through creation. That is my point.

Did you have concrete musical ideas which you wanted to express via "Munus Solitudins" when you started the record-session?

Not really. Musically speaking, I wanted to achieve the unknown (to-me) before deepness and detail of creative expression. On the other side, with the only thought about the cult of lifelong solitude and its meaningful content for our lives I had started the work, step by step emphasizing and introducing the branches and their details conceptually and musically. So, I would say the main idea started from the simplest one, it has served as a starting point for all others. I would say, the process, similar to thinking versus time.

Do you feel yourself free from outer musical influences? And do you have a band which you would like to follow in your way of oeuvre?

Of course I cannot be free from outer musical influences, I am kindly acknowledging it. Everything is mutually bound. I hold myself pretty strong influenced not only by early and classical music, but of the modern world and so-called extreme music also. Opposing to the latter, I do not want to follow any band that I enjoy on my path in music; the matter of creation of your own music, even only based on the experience of the other ones, is the principal thing for me.

I see some differences between "Procul Este..." and "Munus Solitudins" - for example your arrangements became more complex and mature, I guess that very composition of songs became more complicated. But what do you think about it as an author?

I appreciate your kind words. Yes, I made everything in a more complicated way than it was with my debut work. I tried to open myself as a composer as fully as I was able to. Even if at some point after I felt like I have gotten what I wanted, for now I clearly see some weak points which are the subject to improve as I will be proceeding forth. I have expanded the musical palette, so consequently I have gotten a proportional amount of problems I have to battle with.

The conception beneath the album line became more complicated also, in comparison with the first record and its epistle, but at the same time it is simple and obvious, I think. You just have to use your imagination and follow the lines, which you have to see by yourself.

Your songs are written in Latin once again but if previous album had texts of New Testament, now the new one has something different... Name of first new song "Nascentes morimur" means "From the moment we are born, we die", and it looks like a conception which describes the whole album. How did you come to an idea of embodiment this subject in your songs? Most of a doom bands write lyrics about death...

You are right in your guessing, Alexey. The first track sets the tone of the whole album and instantly starts the musical narration exactly as I wanted to present it. On the question “exactly how I came to this idea” there is no answer... I wanted to draw the palette revealing the fact that being alone is not the thing we all used to think it is, but something given to us; something we achieve naturally. Something we have to use accordingly; the origin of the consequence. This is not a matter of death, as most, you say, of doom bands used to write the lyrics about, but of feeling of upcoming death, whereas the main sense is lost and everybody have forgotten or even have not been thinking about the verity of what they are coming through. But from the moment we are born, we instantly begin to die and this must be understood spiritually; there is a way to it. The end is foretoken by the nascency, “finisqu ab origine pendet”.

Well, and after all if anyone just take a look around… Then it’s easy to see how modern world is crumbling down in pieces. Do you think that we have a time to just take a break, sit down and let ourselves plunge in heavy tunes of decadence? I’m meaning that doom / metal or other musical experience is aesthetic one which sometimes draws our attention much more than real things with which me must deal to.

Yes, that is what everything is about. “Just take a break” and pay some attention to your own personality, understand yourself, your way and la oeuvre qui tu es destiné, si tu veux utiliser un peu de français ici... Multiple “real things” in modern life are not that real, but build on artificial emotions and, consequently, goals. That is why the rare aesthetic things draw our attention much stronger, because they are real. And the lack of real inner dialogue based on “real” feelings makes us going that way...

If you have a bit of free time and ready to do it then I would like to ask you about few comments for each song of "Munus solitudinis".

I have already said about Nascentes morimur and you know its translation. The phrase comes from Astronomicon Liber Quartus by M.Manilius(i). Vita memoriae – the “life of the memory”, is a story in two acts, continuing to speak about the moment frame between birth and death. Deo volente... caelo tegi – cannot be directly translated, must be understood inwardly; “from the God’s will there is no funeral” is only approximation. Sanguis et umbra sumus – blood and shadow we are; presumably this translation says everything on its own.

So “Deo volente…” is a kind of discuss with those who think that “God is bad ‘cause He let people suffer”, is it? Please correct me if I’ve got you wrong.

I let this discussion to the inner dialogue, the term I have almost introduced few lines back. I am sure you will find the answer...

You know that nowadays artists and labels have to do something special releasing CDs - some jewel cases and etc., but inlay of "Munus Solitudins" looks quite ascetic though it contains lyrics and it's already fine for me. What kind of bonus would you like to add to your CD if you could?

Nothing in particular, I am comfortable with what we got and personally I do not think there is something that needs to be added. Ascetic booklet leaves enough space for your own imagination and frees out your ears, allows consuming the music entirely by your mind. That is it.

Thanks for your time Egregoir – thank you and good luck! Let us finish our interview with questions about your plans and Krief de Soli perspectives if you do not mind.

Lots of things are planned to do this summer... not too much details so far, but I will be starting the creation of new material somewhere soon. Some studio improvements are scheduled to date...

Thanks a lot for this conversation and your wishes, Alexey! Your support is much appreciated. Best regards,

E.

Doommantia Jul. 2012

Doom Interview Spectacular Part Two ...

As you remember we have similar quiz in January of 2012 and the idea of gathering a lot of doom-bands in one interview was not a bad one, so it was absolutely natural to do something like that a bit later. And here we go with 5 questions of Doom once again:

1. First question is about current band’s state and future plans. Why not?

I am currently in the state of devotional watching through which I do accumulate the feelings and powers from the outer world intended for creating music. Great plans about the next release, but nothing is clear yet.

2. Next one is a bit more difficult: what was most important, cardinal event during band’s existence?

Perhaps, the creation of the project is that kind of event. Once I realized that the piece of music I had created is worth to be given a name.

3. The third one is about doom-expectations of 2012 – about all of these doom-releases, events or even global “doom” situations.

I do not feel “doom” about the things which are going to happen. Except maybe the fact, that the fall in Canada this year will be started at the end of summer.

4. Next questions sounds like “What is essence of doom for you? And what is most expressive and important symbol of doom would you name?” I guess that here we have a wide range of different opinions – let us see!

There is no expression or essence of “doom” personally for me. “Doom” is one of diverse definitions in styles’/genres’ space, which were invented by critics to be able to distinguish. I create music with no line to follow. However, I have heard that some folks chose the crucifixion as a symbol. That is maybe it.

5. I suddenly have remembered one song of Iron Maiden as I was thinking about 5th question. It’s unorthodox song, it’s name “Virus”… So last question for today is about modern social diseases which disturb our respondents more than other. It’s about politics, war, McDonalds, TV-zombabox and etc.

Since I do not care a lot about the social life, I am not aware of its diseases. If I am not aware of its diseases, they do not disturb me much.

Doommantia May. 2012

Krief de Soli are a ambient Funeral Doom one man band from Canada. Egregoir de Sang handles all the instruments and vocals but apart from the songs on the Myspace site, i know very little about the project. Luckily Aleks Evdokimov from Russia is here again to save the day with another great interview, reading this has really made me want to hear more from Krief de Soli. Check it out.

-Salute Egregoir! It's really hard to invent bloody original questions for an interview with band if there's no any info about it! So what are the reasons for such secrecy? There is no info in "Procul Este, Profani..." CD's booklet, there's no info in your Krief de Soli MySpace profile. It looks too pompous, man - don't you think?

-Salut à tous, Aleks! In my opinion to possess the characteristic aspect such as "pompous" or whatever else, something should exist before and if you say that there is no info about my project, how may it look as some kind of "pompousness"? I don't think so. Moreover, I am proposing Krief de Soli, not the story of de Sang' kin life. Gennady (Endless Winter Productions) wrote quite fair words on his website, which are more than enough to know about me… the rest is possible to know through Krief de Soli's subject by listening at least. However, you had contacted me and we're having this dialog now - it is discrediting the mentioned "secrecy", isn't it?

-Well, I guess that you're right! So do you differentiate your true personality, Egregoir de Sang, and the man who stand behind Krief de Soli?

-Of course I do, but I'm not suffering from the dual personality, you can be sure.

-Of course we are interested not in what you are eating right now or what is the name of your cat but what do potential listeners of Krief de Soli have to know about you and your project? And… well… do you have any home pet indeed?

-Krief de Soli was born in a small town called Sainte Agathe des Monts in Quebec. There I am the owner of a small studio where "Procul este, profani..." was recorded. The project's birth reason first of all was music; the slowest, tragic, depressing atmosphere and cold movements which will draw in one's mind some savage landscapes… The further understanding depends only on that one's perception and ability to analyze as well as to infer… And btw, yes, I have a male Labrador, his name is Pierce.

-You have the studio, so I can suppose that you recorded there not only your own CD "Procul Este, Profani...". Do you work there with other bands? Though if you live in a small town as you say it could be quite difficult to find some underground bands there… What are the good sides of living in Sainte Agathe?

-No, I didn't record there anybody and there any plan to do so in the nearest future. I built it a few years ago with a single thought about KdS, so I did it monopurposely. As long as I am loosing the interest in doing something in monotonous manner, so I would use your idea at the first available moment in far future... but it is really hard to find some underground bands in my hometown… Sainte Agathe des Monts has quite a lot of things to see and enjoy, including the beautiful Saranac Lake. It is very attractive in the Fall… but, objectively, it is an ordinary provincial town, not far from Montreal, with an interesting history and very kind people.

-How it happened that the first Krief de Soli album appeared in January 2010 at Russian label Endless Winter? I still can't get accustomed when foreign bands go to Russian labels, does a percentage of trust to Russia grow in Canada?

-I can imagine that this question had been waiting for me regardless of label's home country where my album would be released in. The story about how I was trapped to Endless Winter and how I did communicate with Gennady is simple: I was looking for a label in the Fall 2009 and had paid quite a lot of attention to Russian side. I wrote to Endless Winter also, which was the beginner-label for that time and immediately got an answer. Gennady had asked me for a demo, I sent it to him and soon I've got a reply with an offer to issue the available material as a full-length album. His offer was the best; material was ready and there was no any obstacle on the way to release it. The reason of such movements is not in trust to Russia or vice versa - the reason is Russia itself. It is unique and attractive for the people, who were all this time behind the Iron Curtain. I know very well (unfortunately not personally) bands Comatose Vigil and Abstract Spirit, which are from your country. They are writing a very good stuff possessing a special uniqueness that nobody in the world has.

-Ok, you released "Procul Este, Profani..." this year and I would like to say that music in itself is good, it's normal if someone will remember Skepticism listening this album and the questions of musical influences are unnecessary, though I want to ask you: from where did you take this Christian "mass" fragments and parties of organ? Do you like religious music?

-No side fragments were used in "Procul Este, profani...". Everything had been composed and played only by me. However, I cannot disclaim the fact that by introducing an organ (I think we both know that we are speaking about the synthesized organ, right?) in my music I will attract the comparison with somebody else, who had used it once before. I know and adore Skepticism; they had an influence on me, but not-so-much-to-say that the using of organ was inspired by them. Yes, I like religious music, but the question should be clarified: religious music which is Bach, Wagner (their oratories and etc) or that religious music which you are not able to buy at any regular music store? The music which only bears the religious context is an exception. I prefer all, in each of them you can find something interesting and fascinating, therewith inspiring. I'm trying to create something in between, possessing the characteristics of both sides.

-But the music was always some kind of ritual though now most of musicians do not know which forces they drive with their tunes, don't you think about Krief de Soli from this point of view?

-Hm… Really good question… As long as we all are different and so different are our feelings, including feeling perception, everybody will understand the current situation in different way than somebody else. I cannot fully be sure, but I should say that I know which plug I'm pushing. Otherwise, I would not receive my inner feedback and KdS had not been in that shape as it exists now. Obviously, the next work should be the first manifestation of the path I have chosen.

-You used photos of some graveyard decorating "Procul Este, Profani...". What is this cemetery? Why did you take these photos? Don't you think that such tendencies are orthodox and unoriginal from middle of 90es?

-I think that won't be very good to mention directly where when and by whom the pictures which decorate the booklet had been taken, but sure any copyright has not been broken. If somebody will recognize the place, well it will be as a tribute to memory, if not so let it be unknown. In any case, pictures represent the purport which I embedded into the music very precisely.

-I am not sure but it seems that there is a photo of Saint John's sculpture in the layout too and anyway your songs' lyrics were taken from his "Revelation". Chapters of Catholic Bible are same as in Orthodox, so the lyrics first two songs are a strange choice, man. It's a part of "addresses" to Churches. Why did you take these chapters?

-No, there is no sculpture of St. John in the booklet. Let me clarify, that there is a one traditional view of The Holy Bible among the other interpretations. The Book of Revelation was written by John the Apostle while he had been exiled on Patmos. Any other differences come from different misinterpretations of the original text and sense. Yes, you're right in the direction of thought: in the original text the first part is just a prologue, and two further chapters are dedicated to "Seven Churches". That's why the text of "Mei Oculi…" based on self-introduction of the writer himself and explanation of who is speaking with him. "The Word of God" is mentioned and established for the first time. Then, second song partially reflects the addressing to the Churches being stopped at the Pergamon: the Satan is mentioned for the first time by "[2:13] I know where you dwell, where the seat of Satan is, and that you hold to my name and have not denied my faith…" and in my point of view, the first curve at which I was needed to stop the story was reached. Logically, you can catch on mind that the story hasn't been finished… what is just the question of further work.

-What did you want to express as you took encoded Bible lyrics for your songs?

-…to set the parallel between the occurrence described in these chapters and the present being of humanity. No prediction, but prevention…

-You know that there is a lot of interpretations of The Book of Revelation because it's thrilling writings, and most of readers remember these apocalyptic visions, the beast, the scarlet whore and same stuff but rarely tries to understand what lies in other chapters - in such which you used in your songs for example. There are a lot of riddles in Bible and there's no key to some of them in the Testaments indeed. Don't you think that it could be hidden in some another sources? Parallels between Bible's story and modern days are intelligible but parallels between Bibl? and Bhagavath Ghita's teachings for example or some Indian sacred writings are most useful, they simply help to understand.

-Theoretically, everything is not deprived of the right to exist. I have to say that everything is more or less bound between each other, even though these units are completely incompatible. Exactly a few theories exist in that direction and a lot of agreements have been evidenced for now, but the contemporary Church won't allow these facts to spread out… …it was the aim from the very beginning. The process of our creation was only one, but the numbers of stories told are a lot… I don't really want to go deeper in this speculation now… It is something, what you should think alone with only your own thoughts and arguments.

-These lyrics are the part of your songs therefore there's another logical question: how does the lyrics supplement your music? How do they fulfill each other?

-We can spend tons of paper describing the impression and understanding of the whole Apocalypse. We can argue for hours about the interpretation of one or another phrase. One famous person have said once: "When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic as well as fundamental truths indicate clearly otherwise."

-What is your conception of God?

-I forbore to answer on this question; don't feel insulted.

-You hang in Quebec and I know that dudes from Longing for Dawn hang there too; there is also Menace Ruine as I know, and do you communicate with other doom musicians?

-No, I don't. A few times I have seen both bands on the stage, but did not communicate with them. There are a lot of other good bands from Quebec; the majority is from Montreal or from outskirts (as I am). However, funeral doom isn't widespread here, more and more modern styles becoming popular, a lot of new and old black metal bands.

-Which good bands would you like to mention?

-The first, what comes on mind…? Misere Luminis (Gris et Sombre Forêts), Forteresse, Unexpect.

-What is modern Canada like now? It always seems like silent place but there was G8 summit two months ago. How do you think was it useful for the country? Was it useful at all?

-Canada is growing up with every year in all directions… except spiritual. This is very sad. More and more industrial areas replace natural scenery, but still Canada remains to be the country with smallest density of inhabitants per square unit and Quebec is the first proof of it: most population is concentrated to the south and south-east (Montreal, Quebec city, Sherbrook), while north territories are feebly occupied or mostly unoccupied with very beautiful and untouched nature landscapes. That is real "silent place" for body and spirit... I don't like politics and don't follow its events, as well as don't care about G8, sorry.

-I have to ask you about your future plans because I really want to get next Krief de Soli CD. Do you already plan to record another album? What will it be about, man?

-I have just finished new material and if everything will go well, the record session will be started in the Fall 2010. We have to discuss with Gennady some aspects, but I'm quite sure that the next album will be released at Endless Winter. Album is called "Munus Solitudinis". The name means "crafted alone". It is about the monolith of our life which we have to build… I would say that there will not be so much religious context as I had put into the previous one, but darker and more ominous by all means... The plans are great and immediately after, the further work on preparing the continuation of the Book of Revelation based story will be started.

-Does it mean that you will base future releases on New Testament once again? Truly to say I think that it's strange: saying about "loneliness" ("Krief de Soli", "Munus Solitudnis") comparing funeral doom or another underground musical genre we could say about standard "human" solitude, but saying about solitude considering Christianity we say about state of lack of God in human life. What do you think?

-Oh yes, for sure I will. The second question is quite opaque… I'm touching the topic of solitude because it is very close to me and to my being. Frankly saying, religious component in my being is sufficient and I had dared to base the lyrics of my first album on the Holy Scripture… No way to speak about the lacks neither in my surroundings, nor inside. However, I'm doing everything alone and it fits the conception too as the most simple and unsophisticated approach. We may agree on this variant of conception from now just to cancel a few other unclear moments...

-That's all for this time! Thank you for the answers; hope to hear about Krief de Soli soon. Do you want something to add?

-I appreciated this nice conversation with you and I want to thank you for the interest in what I'm doing and, mainly, for your support! The best of luck in your work! Take care, my friend.

Doommantia Jul. 2010

1. Why did you decide to found the funeral doom metal band?

I love this genre, I love to create and I always wanted a project like this. It was only a matter of time for me to begin.

2. How long have you been into this depressively beautiful kind of music? What other genres do you listen to?

I got immersed into the world of doom metal about 8 or 9 years ago. I listen to black and death metal in addition to doom.

3. What bands are the most inspirational for you?

From the genre I'd highlight Shape of Despair, The Howling Void and Esoteric primarily, but many other bands had some influence on me of course. If we're not talking funeral doom, I'd highlight the band Summoning and a hungarian artist: Ákos.

4. Your first album is very promising. You have a lot of atmospheric „quasi-ambient“ parts there, too. They are different from old UDOM ambient (synthetical) style, I think, they are very refreshing and guitar - oriented. How did you come to this innovation?

Thank you very much! Funeral doom and basically all doom music is not about technique but rather mood and heaviness. Maybe the mayor difference between atmospheric doom and funeral doom is that while one is completely mournful, negative and depressive, the other can be a bit fairytale-like, uplifting or sanguine. I'm trying to mix these two emotional spectra in my music. This is one of the main features of my music. If we can call my work innovative, this is what I would emphasize, not the guitar work or the ambient elements.

5. Is it difficult to play all those instruments alone?

Hard? Not at all! If you love playing instruments, it's more like fun. The number of instruments is just a detail.

6. What kind of light is the figure on the cover-artwork embraced by? The light at the end of the tunnel?

Yes, our aim was to illustrate the tunnel of light, described by many people after near-death experiences, on the cover.

7. What do you mean by „Genesis“? Is it about creation of the world, or the beginning of something different?

That's a question of interpretation. Just as human life is just a moment in infinity, so can the creation of Earth or the whole world be. The fact that Genesis is followed immediately by Funeral is a symbol of that. Despite that, the lyrics describe existence from the individual viewpoint, the title of the song could've been Life just as well.

8. Whose „Funeral“ do you mean in the second track?

The line of thought continues from where I left off. The song Funeral can be interpreted as the death of the individual or the death of everyone. Since, as I write in From Time Immemorial, this has been going on for all time. We are all born, then we all die one day...

9. Would like to you meet with your ancestors? If so, what would you ask them?

I'd be very interested to see who my ancestors were. I'm sure possessing their life-experience would be a treasure, but what I'd ask of them even I don't know. If the album's message has some truth in it, I'll have endless time for that. ;)

10. Have you ever wanted to travel into space? Do you like the endlessness of universe, time, or unknown entities in space?

Space and the Universe fascinates me. If I was given a spaceship, I'd set out! :) I'm suspecting a lot of things incomprehensible to us out there. Aliens might exists on other planets, though it's questionable if we ever meet them.

11. Is it good that people can`t see the whole future, and they can only predict something, isn`t it?

A linear existence has it's perks and drawbacks. I can't chose either way until I've tried both. Though I'd like to see the future if I can also change it.

12. Are you a Christian or an atheist? Can you explain why you are atheist or Christian?

I'm an atheist, more specifically a materialist. Of course I respect everyone's beliefs, I just don't need any religion to help me explain the questions inherent in the world.

13. Do you believe that after death we will live better (or worse)? What state will we reach? Definitive immaterial state (of dreams) or reborn (newborn)?

I don't believe in anything, I just hope that there is some other form of life after death into which we get transformed, and I hope it's nice. There might be reincarnation, or it's possible that we see an endless dream after death. Who can tell?

14. Why is atmosphere so important in your music? Can you imagine your music without relaxation parts?

There is nothing better than when a music can have such an influence over me that it makes me feel like I'm taken to another reality. I don't think the best way to achieve that is by tiring my ears with complex guitar solos, rather by giving me time to brood, get caught up in the music, melody and sound. I'm not looking to take my music in a different direction exactly because of this.

15. What are you going to do in 2012? Have you ever imagined that you would hire some musicians and you would go play some live gigs in Hungary?

I might search for musicians for my project one day, though I don't expect this to happen soon. Since my album came out with considerable delay, I'm in the middle of working on my next release, which I hope to finish this year.

16. Do you have some message for fans from Czech and Slovak republic?

Thank you for contacting me and I'm grateful for the interest of czech and slovak readers. If you like my music, please join my Facebook page, check my website out and suggest it to your friends. That would help me a lot!

Mortem Zine Apr. 2012

Naga: Üdv Andris! Kérlek mesélj egy kicsit arról, hogy mikor, hogyan, minek a hatására kezdtél el zenélni!

Andris: Szia Naga! Kiskoromban volt egy apró úgy 2 oktávos szintetizátorom, amit nagyon szerettem. Mindig, mikor hallottam valamit, megtanultam lejátszani rajta... A kedvencem a Himnusz és a Honfoglalás című dal volt. Valahogy így kezdődött. Nem sokkal eztán a szüleim beírattak a helyi zongoraiskolába, amit sajnos nem igazán szerettem meg, és egy év után be is fejeztem a tanulást. Évek múltán újra kedvet kaptam és gyakorolni kezdtem, nagyon motivált a Summoning nevű formáció középkori dallamvilága black metallal keverve. Akkor éreztem először, hogy valamit én is alkotni szeretnék. Ez úgy 14 éves koromban volt, ekkor készítettem az első kezdetleges felvételeimet. Azóta 10 év telt el, közben voltam 3 évig énekes és vagy 5 évig billentyűs egy zenekarban, amik sajnos nem jutottak semmire a folytonos tag és egyéb problémák miatt, majd végül feloszlottak.

Naga: Akkor tulajdonképpen azt az egy évet leszámítva magadtól tanultál meg zenélni. Milyen hangszereken játszol?

Andris: Leginkább a zongora, szintetizátor áll közel a szívemhez, billentyűsként vagyok a legjobb. Ettől függetlenül nagyon szeretek gitározni is. A zenémhez persze a basszus is elengedhetetlen, de az áll tőlem legtávolabb. Próbálkoztam úgy egy évig hegedűvel is, de egyszerűen nem volt alkalmas a hangszer az otthoni, esténkénti gyakorláshoz. Zavartam a környezetem, a hétvégi gyakorlás pedig kevés volt. Lehet, hogy egy elektromos hegedűvel (lévén azt fülessel is használhatom) majd újrakezdem. Én azt vallom, hogy bizonyos alap elméleti tudás után csak gyakorlás kérdése, hogy valaki hány hangszeren, és milyen szinten tud játszani, de sokat tanultam a korábbi zenész társaimtól is.

Naga: Tavaly decemberben jelent meg a Dreams After Death nevű egyszemélyes projected első lemeze Embraced by the Light címmel, amit egy orosz kiadó az Endless Winter jelentetett meg. Nagyon fiatal vagy, ami egy örvendetes dolog a kiadós hír mellé. Elmesélnéd hogyan sikerült a dolog?

Andris: A demo felvételem publikálása után kaptam 2 ajánlatot, de nem voltam velük elégedett, így az album elkészülte után magam kerestem fel néhány kiadót. Alapvetően doom metal orientált kiadókat kerestem, mert nagyobb lehetőséget láttam bennük. Az Endless Winter vállalta a feladatot, és igen hosszú késés után, de decemberben végül megjelent a korongom, amivel egy álmom vált valóra.

Naga: Nem csodálom. És netes anyagokat küldtél a kiadóknak, vagy postai kézzelfogható CD-ket?

Andris: Minden kiadó oldalán azt látni, hogy postai címre várják a promóciós anyagokat, demo-kat. Mégis az interjúkból, amiket olvastam, feltűnt, hogy korántsem minden banda postáz. Így először email-ben érdeklődtem, általában két számot csatolva. Mikor az Endless Winter komolyan érdeklődni kezdett, elküldtem nekik az egész CD-t postán, amire a válaszreakció az volt, hogy teljesen felesleges volt, inkább küldjek egy képfájlt a lemezről. Végül is teljesen logikus - a posta drága és lassú, egy képfájl pedig tökéletes minőségben tartalmazza az anyagot.

Naga: Hazai kiadót próbáltál?

Andris: Alapvetően külföldi kiadót akartam, mert úgy érzem, hogy a hazai érdeklődés elhanyagolható a műfaj iránt. Ettől függetlenül a Psychedoomelic Records-ot (úgy tudom, hogy magyar érdekeltségű) számításba vettem, de nem felelt meg azon elvárásomnak, hogy legyen legalább egy elfogadható honlapja a kiadómnak. Szerintem ez manapság elvárható lenne.

Naga: Tervezel a Dreams After Death-tel koncerteket? Magyarul tervezed kibővíteni a tagságot, vagy jól érzed magad egyedül?

Andris: Volt szerencsém korábban koncerteket adni, amiket nagyon élveztem. Az embernek szüksége van rá, hogy lássa mások visszajelzéseit, amire nincs jobb mód egy előadásnál, meg egyébként is jó érzés játszani. Sajnos, még sem látom valószínűnek, hogy az elkövetkezendő években ismét színpadra állnék. Fontos nekem, hogy egyedül írhatom meg a zeném, ami nehezen egyeztethető más zenészekkel, hisz nem csak rám igaz, hogy szeretek zenét írni. Arról nem is beszélve, hogy nagyon nagy szerencse és rengeteg többlet munka, idő kéne, hogy egy stabil bandát építsek magam köré, ezt a korábbi években már megtanultam. Azt sem hiszem, hogy túl nagy érdeklődés lenne itthon a zenémre. Nem mondom, hogy lehetetlen, hogy lesz egyszer Dreams After Death koncert, de biztos, hogy nem mostanában.

Naga: Ezek szerint nem vagy kimondott csapatjátékos. Néhány műfajban egyébként ez a szemlélet - mindent egy ember kezel - beválni látszik. Te magad játszottad fel az összes hangszert az Embraced by the Light lemezen?

Andris: Igen, nem kértem külső segítséget a felvételekhez.

Naga: Az éneket/hörgést is te magad csináltad ezek szerint, gondolom. A kiadó belenyúlt a hanganyagba? Maszterre gondolok. Vagy az is otthon készült?

Andris: Természetesen a hörgés is az enyém. A kiadó nem nyúlt bele a hanganyagba, a keverésért is én vagyok a felelős. Jócskán van még mit fejlődnöm ezen a téren, de ez volt a legköltséghatékonyabb megoldás, amit szem előtt kellett tartanom.

Naga: A szintetizátorhangzások és témák nagyon izgalmasak. Rendes szintit használtál, vagy VSTi-ket?

Andris: Köszönöm szépen, jó ezt hallani. Rendes szintetizátort használtam a felvételekhez. Egy Roland Juno Stage-et SRX orchestra expansion modullal. Igyekeztem a felvételeken változatossá tenné a szinti hangzását, hogy közben azért egységes is maradjon az anyag.

Naga: Mik a további terveid? A kiadó több lemezre kötött veled szerződést esetleg?

Andris: Az "Embraced by the Light" lényegében már 2011 nyarán készen volt. Azóta kidolgoztam a következő anyagom koncepcióját, illetve mostanra el is kezdtem írni a számokat. A kiadómmal nem szerződtem több lemezre, de gondolom vállalná a következők kiadását is, ha továbbra is jó kritikákat kapok, bár egy másik cég is szóban forog. Tervezem, hogy majd valamikor kezdek más projekteket is, atmospheric black illetve romantikus doom/death műfajokban.

Naga: Mennyit molyolsz a dalokkal? Ösztönösen írod őket egy szuszra, vagy inkább aprólékosan, időnként visszatérve egy-egy tételhez?

Andris: Talán a kettő együtt. Általában egy szuszra sokat zenélek, megteremtem a számok alapját, legtöbbször csak az álmosságom szab határt, hogy meddig dolgozok. Eztán utómunkázok velük, egymáshoz igazítom őket. Sokat szöszmötölök, de van, hogy az alap, amit eredetileg kitaláltam mégsem passzol az elképzeléseimbe, és akkor egyben megválok tőle.

Naga: Akit érdekel a lemezed, hol tud belehallgatni, illetve hogyan tudja beszerezni?

Andris: A teljes albumot feltettem YouTube-ra, illetve MySpace-re is. A honlapomon (www.dreamsafterdeath.com) megtalálhatók ezek elérhetőségei is. Ha valaki lemezt szeretne rendelni, arra kérem, hogy engem keressen fel a dreamsafterdeath@gmail.com email címen, mert van 90 dedikált korongom, amit szeretnék eladni, ez a jussom a kiadásból. Ha ezek elfogynak, akkor lehet rendelni a kiadóm honlapjáról is.

Naga: Van olyan kérdés, amire mindig szerettél volna válaszolni, de még sosem tették fel? Esetleg valami egyéb mondanivaló?

Andris: Szeretném megemlíteni Kató Jánost és Szijj "Enterprise-E" Krisztiánt, akik segítségével olyan artwork-öt készíthettem, amilyet szerettem volna. Nagyon hálás vagyok nekik!

Naga: Köszönöm a válaszokat! Sok sikert a Embraced by the Lightnak, és a következő anyagnak is!

Andris: Köszönöm, hogy megkerestél, és hogy lehetőséget kaptam a Fémforgácson szerepelni, illetve köszönöm az olvasók figyelmét is. Kérem, hogy aki tudja terjessze a zeném, hallgassák minél többen, hiszen ezért készült!

Fémforgács Jan. 2012

We live in a time when technology dictates our life and it’s really hard to imagine our lives without it. It make our every day much more easy, it helps us to create / promote our own vision about anything and especially in our case, music. This are the times when you don’t really need a band ( members ) to really have one. Yes, here we are again, back to the “one man” bands, quite a lot of them lately, especially in the doom metal and depressive zone.

This “new” one man project is called Dreams After Death, a funeral-doom metal band from Hungary, formed in 2010, a band where all the instruments and vocals are handled by András Illés, a very talented musician and composer.

Embraced by the Light is the first full-length album, six songs with a total playing time of almost one hour. The album was released by Endless Winter at the end of 2011.

Honestly I was not too familiar with the doom metal scene in Hungary, at a first thought I expected a somewhat minimalist production, poor in terms of composition and sound, maybe because the doom metal scene around our countries it’s not that impressive.

Well, I was proven wrong right from the first song! “Genesis”, now this is a song where you’re hit right from the start by a very mystic, yet creative atmosphere, here you will find some really inspired keyboard passages. The low tuned and repetitive riffs are giving the song the right amount of substance to have a direct impact on the people listening to this album and combined with the mystic atmosphere, low growled vocals it lets you know that a very crushing album is “born“.

The atmosphere is sometimes very dramatic, there is a very strong emphasis placed on the keyboard and the good thing is that it’s not overpowering the other instruments, all of them blend in perfectly.

The album creates a image beyond death, a “world” imagined by a dying soul “embraced by the light“. It is a journey that starts right from the first step, the creation / genesis of this new ideal world, it continues with our maturity and then it comes to death. Death, in this new “imagined” world is not the final step, the journey continues towards infinity.

“Meeting With The Ancestors”, a 11 minutes long song ranging from atmospheric intros to funeral doom passages, heavy low tuned guitar notes, low growled vocals, some very sorrowful guitar lines is the best song in this album to recreate this long journey.

I was surprised with the album, really good production, a very heavy atmosphere and lots of sorrowful, deep, funeral-doom moments. András Illés – Dreams after Death, you proved me wrong, this is one album that many fans of the atmospheric funeral-doom genre will enjoy.

8,8/10

Hymnes Funeraires Jun. 2012

Non è facile affermarsi nel mondo funeral doom, non è facile perché il genere è di quelli non proprio di semplice ascolto, perché ci sono dei colossi che vengono copiati con costanza senza però avere un reale ricambio, perché questo modo di inabissare i sentimenti avvolgendoli all'interno di un sacco nero e spedendoli nelle più recondite profondità non è roba per chiunque, sia per quanto riguarda il comporre che il solo entrarvi in contatto.

András Illés è un giovane ungherese alla prima uscita ufficiale non tenendo conto del demo "Genesis Demo" del 2010, è l'album "Embraced By The Light" a regalare uno degli ultimi scossoni terremotanti più belli e stranamente poco celebrati del 2011.

Prendete la scuola finnica di Thergothon, Shape Of Despair e Colosseum, aggiungete un pizzico di Russia con i Comatose Vigil, puntate il Brasile con gli Helllight, l'Inghilterra con gli Esoteric e gli U.S.A. con gli Evoken, miscelatele e per ognuna delle band citate estraete quella che vi sembra la qualità affine ai Dreams After Death e avrete compreso il modo di animare le canzoni dell'artista in questione.

È raro avere fra le mani un disco che sia così coinvolgente, nero, drammatico e malinconico tanto da sfiorare molto da vicino i capolavori rilasciati dai maestri dello stile, i nostrani (EchO) in parte si son avvicinati a quel valore, "Embraced By The Light" li sorpassa in curva seppur di poco grazie a una prestazione strumentale accurata, un lavoro certosino nell'esibire il growl, la capacità d'incanalare un mood in pieno sviluppo nel quale la luce diviene un puro riflesso dell'ombra, doti alle quali viene a supporto una produzione praticamente perfetta.

La lamentela classica di chi segue la scena con costanza è "belli sì ma quanto son derivativi", ecco, questa frase per quanto sia veritiera nel 90% dei casi è adattabile solo in parte a questo solo-project. È evidente che la maniera con la quale András si pone nei confronti del genere sia inevitabilmente nota, è altrettanto vero però che le soluzioni e le combinazioni adottate si sposano con una personalità che non è del tutto inglobata dal fattore "già sentito", le tracce possiedono un battito proprio e ciò si percepisce.

Ogni canzone potrebbe esprimere una precisa situazione, "Genesis" è un viaggio nell'angoscia più pura, "Funeral" arrendevolezza carica di tristezza dolciastra, "Meeting With Ancestors" è ancestrale, è uno sguardo rivolto al passato che con teatralità melodica scandisce lo scorrere di un tempo che interminabile in "The Endless Time" non concede riposo, la quiete apparente delle partiture ambient infatti fa affiorare una instabilità dilagante.

Le facce del doom estremo e tombale si tingono di gotico, di classico, vengono di volta in volta alternate, riprese, elaborate e con "From Time Immemorial" è l'aspetto sinfonico a dire la sua, il pezzo è di quelli monumentali, il gelo di un'era ormai passata che torna a impossessarsi degli attimi a lei rubati e dopo cotanta bellezza "Outer Space", unico "strumentale" in un disco che fa delle sezioni strumentali l'arma di distruzione di massa, impone la chiusura scivolando con grazia intrisa di melancolia nell'oblio.

Se non aveste ancora inteso l'antifona, "Embraced By The Light" è da possedere in originale, András Illés ha velleità artistiche ambiziose e se il buon giorno si vede dal mattino (o dal funerale che passa sotto casa) si sta incamminando sulla via che conduce alla grandezza, starà quindi a lui confermare di voler far parte di quel circolo d'eletti che ci costa un piacevole botto di soldi, a noi invece il piacere/dovere di supportarli.

Aristocrazia Webzine Apr. 2012

Una de las cosas que tiene el Under es que a veces no es necesario salir a buscar bandas, discos, etc. En ocasiones, el músico viene hacia vos, el disco te llega sin que lo busques. Eso pasó con Dreams After Death, un proyecto unipersonal comandado por el húngaro András Illés. Pasó esto: un día entro a mi cuenta en You Tube y me encuentro con un mensaje de Illés, en el cual me contaba acerca de su proyecto, y me invitaba a escucharlo. Pues eso hice, y lo que escuché me gustó tanto que me puse en contacto con él a través de Facebook. El muchacho resultó ser de lo más amable y buena onda. Pero, y más allá de su buena onda, y tras escuchar el disco completo varias veces, me di con que es un muy buen músico. Y cuando digo Músico, me refiero a que es un muy buen compositor e instrumentista, o sea, es completo.

Llama poderosamente la atención, la facilidad que András tiene para generar climas en donde la oscuridad y la luz fluyen mutuamente, con naturalidad asombrosa. Llama la atención la forma en que maneja los climas, los tiempos, la duración de cada canción, y los matices que les da a las mismas para que la extensa duración de los temas no juegue en detrimento de los mismos. Y llama la atención la clase que derrocha como tecladista, ya sea tocando el piano, ya sea tocando toda clase de teclados. Le sobra talento cuando se sienta a desangrar su alma a través de las preciosas melodías ejecutadas con ese instrumento. Digamos que esas creaciones, melancólicas hasta decir basta, se sostienen sobre el teclado, y los demás instrumentos se van sumando a la creación como en un crescendo majestuoso, fúnebre (claro) y elegante. Por momentos recuerda a Mounrful Congregation, por otros a Funeral, pero siempre con su propia impronta, con esa carga de melancolía y buen gusto que siempre dicen presente. Suena etéreo, es una especie de viaje espiritual a través del cosmos. Un viaje que permite ver las miserias existenciales desde una distancia que provoca nostalgia, paz y agonía al mismo tiempo. La portada es, a su vez, un fiel reflejo de lo que es la música.

Por cierto, estamos ante el primer trabajo de Dreams After Death; un muy buen disco, por cierto, que lo posiciona, de cara al futuro, como un artista a tener muy en cuenta. Artista que, por cierto, vino a engrosar, y a potenciar, el gran momento que vive el Funeral Doom.

Puro Ruido Mar. 2012

Funeral Doom is like Janus, the ancient Roman God: it’s a two-faced genre. Janus looked to the past and to the future at the same time. Funeral Doom opens the gates to two different realms: one is made of cold marble, gleaming under tragic skies; it’s the face Shape of Despair, Colosseum or Longing For Dawn wear with honour. The other passage is more obscure, it leads to inhospitable regions haunted by pests and vermin; Wormphlegm, Of Darkness and Thergothon look in that direction.

Admittedly, Funeral Doom is often conceived by both fans and artists as a testimony of a dignified grief. What also can produce fake watered-down elegies. You will guess just from the name of the band that the one-man project Dreams After Death builds on that first idea of Funeral that I described: it’s all solemn, sober and wrapped in Victorian violet velvet.

’Embraced by the Light’ is yet again another hint towards the band’s scope: The music strives to develop a majestic aura, making an intensive use of deep layers of dramatic keyboards, rustling like a warm night wind; they flow so gently that you barely notice their ever-present undulations. As the cover art suggests too, Dreams After Death’s ambition is to plunge you in a trance-like state, flooding you with cosmic rays of a Divine Light. I have to admit that the music does meet the challenge and lives up to the expectations.

András Illés is a skillful singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentist. His songwriting, implementing the grand scheme conceived from the start, is very mellow and soft; all roughness is kept aside, carefully planed. This is an aspect you have to deal with because for the rest, it is very well thought-out, modulating the musical progression that is structured in different emotional zones: somber when the deep growls grumble the bitter-sweat lyrics, smooth and deeply layered when the soaring leads let echo their ample chords, liturgical when the violins weep and intimate when the piano enters the dance and make you want to lie in your coffin and close the eyes for some time.

Sweet dirges have a heady perfume, they learn you to love the mystery surrending us; Dreams After Death’s music releases that very scent, Illés has managed to avoid the trap of bombast that turns marble into plastic and Funeral Doom into a vulgar sham. ’Embraced by the Light’ is his first full-length album and I can say that it is in every aspect a success. If you can tolerate Doom with a soft melancholic texture, if you like also The Howling Void, a band that Dreams After Death owes a lot to, then go blindly for it, you won’t regret the visit.

Doom-Metal.com Feb. 2012

A hazai Dreams After Death neve kevesek számára csenghet csak ismerősen, hiszen az egyszemélyes formáció nem köszön vissza túl beszédes múltra. Illés András 2010-ben hívta életre (ez az a szó, amely legkevésbé sem jut eszébe az embernek a közel egy órás debüt hallgatása közben) ezt a mély és lassú haldoklást. A kiadásért az orosz doom föderáció, avagy az Endless Winter volt a felelős, a bookletet és fedőt pedig Kató János dobta össze. A hangzás jó, és a külsőségek is a maguk egyszerű árnyaiba burkolózva vonaglanak egy életen túli világ felé. Lassú monstrumok hadakozása a fényt vesztett beteljesedéssel és a vakok színek nyomorította pupilláiba oltva a fájdalom eszenciáját, avagy sokféle képen lehet megfogalmazni a zenei koncepciót és a stílusgyakorlatok rétegződéseit, de lényegében a funeral doommal állunk szembe, amelyet Európa keleti blokkjából hasonló minőségben még a szintén orosz Solitude Productions, illetve Bad Mood Man égiszei alatt szoktak érkezni. Érdekes, hogy a gazdasági válság porondján műsoridőben megy az összeomlás, ezek a ruszki kiadók mégis képesek piacra dobni korongokat, és meg is élni mellette-belőle. No, de hagyjuk a nyomasztó és zord valóságot, mikor adva van egy olyan médium amely megnyitja a kaput az álmokon túli birodalomba a maga szépségével és rémségeivel karon öltve cammog a lét periódusain keresztül ringató bölcsőjében vagy végleg elveszünk és tovább álmodunk vagy figyelni kezdjük a suhanó árnyakat a plafonon...

A kezdő Genesis dalnak kapásból múltja is van, hiszen a nótával megegyező címmel két verzióban is felkerült a 2010-es szerzőiben napvilágot látott demóra, aztán András újrahangszerelte és ezzel vezeti be a hallgatót a sötét és félelmekkel teli erdőbe. Az ezt követő Funeral mély fájdalmakkal vonaglik s a végére gyönyörű és tiszta zárással foszlik köddé. A helyzet némileg más a Meeting with the Ancestors tétellel, hiszen temetői fátyla és penészes szemfedője magával ragadó szomorkás melankóliából merül alá és lassan metszi el artériánk rejtette életünk elixírjét. A cammogó gitárok és a sejtelmes hörgés amúgy itt érvényesül legerőteljesebben s hat igazán egésznek, a közepe fele szétfolyó lebegő szólók monumentális önismétlődése végül visszabillent a derengő káprázatba. A The Endless Time vészjosló zongora és szóló témái a süvöltő téboly mellett végül nagylemezen mégiscsak beteljesedik és magával vonszol, de nem üt akkorát mint a From Time Immemorial, amely a debüt legerősebb és súlyosabb tétele. Durva hogy ez a perspektíva és koncepció idehaza is megszületett és nem messzi földől érkezve hallhatjuk a távoli ismeretlenbe temetve. Hihetetlenül eltaláltak a leállások, és a mellettük tépelődő szólók mellett, melyek dallama engem a ha nem is megegyezően de a Grieg: Peer Gynt - A hegyi király barlangjában darabra emlékeztet (infó itt). A záró tétel pedig egy csendes és szomorú, már-már klasszikus zenei befejezés Outer Space címmel, itt nincsenek dobok, gitárok s még ének se, helyette mintha ez lenne az ébredés egy izzadsággal és félelmekkel teli rémálomból... az ablakon a hajnal fénye pislákol be, madarak csicseregnek és érezni a friss harmat zsenge illatát...

A végére marad természetesen némi konklúzió és persze értékelnem is kellene, ami nehézkes ezekben a zenei kultúrákban, hiszen réteg zene s így mondanom se kell a befogadás is rétegződő, meg és átszűrt. Hazai szinten mindenképpen egy hihetetlenül gazdag és erős debüttel indított Illés András, amelyhez kiadót is talált, tehát az útja ha előre meg nincs is írva, de mindenképpen érzékelhetőek a mérföldkövek, ez a lemez pedig az első jelzés volt a lyukakkal és toldozással teli aszfalton, amelyre a kísérletezők egy része soha rá se fordulhat a földes ösvényekről érkezvén...

9,7/10

ILoveZombies Feb. 2012

Andras Illes è un giovane musicista ungherese che con questo suo esordio discografico si annuncia come il nuovo talento emergente del funeral doom.

Il suo progetto “Dreams After Death”, alla resa dei conti, si va a collocare non lontano da coloro che hanno segnato, con la loro arte funerea, gli ultimi due decenni.

Qui, come già detto in altre occasioni, nulla si crea e nulla si distrugge, l’unico scopo è di tradurre in musica, in maniera onesta e sentita, la malinconia, la tristezza e il dolore che talvolta ci accompagnano nelle diverse fasi della nostra esistenza.

Tra le note di “Embracing By The Light” troviamo naturali riferimenti a tutti i numi tutelari di Andras, dai progenitori Thergothon agli altri totem del movimento finlandese come Colosseum, Skepticism e Shape Of Despair, passando dagli Ea, per il tappeto sonoro delineato dall’andamento dolente delle tastiere e dagli Worship, per la loro opprimente lentezza .

Il polistrumentista ungherese riesce nella non facile impresa di assimilare queste influenze e amalgamarle presentandole in una forma del tutto personale e senza apparire mai derivativo.

Se spesso le one-man band risentono di diversi sbalzi qualitativi a livello strumentale e compositivo, qui non c’è proprio nulla da eccepire : ogni strumento è suonato con la dovuta perizia, il growl, pur se usato con parsimonia, è sempre all’altezza della situazione e la produzione riesce a valorizzare degnamente il tutto.

Tra i sei brani, tutti di una lunghezza standard per il genere proposto, spicca in particolare il trittico iniziale : “Genesis”, che con le sue atmosfere a metà strada tra Ea e Comatose Vigil è l’ideale introduzione al senso di angoscia e disperazione che il musicista magiaro vuole rappresentare; “Funeral”, che fin dal titolo si presenta come il manifesto musicale di Andras, e “Meeeting With The Ancestors”, certamente il brano cardine del disco con i suoi 11 minuti intrisi d'intensa drammaticità e caratterizzati da azzeccate linee melodiche.

“The Endless Time” inizia a mostrare un altro aspetto dei Dreams After Death, ovvero quello ambient, decisamente efficace e mai fine a se stesso come spesso accade, mentre in “From Time Immemorial” Andras libera il suo probabile retaggio classico con alcuni passaggi che potrebbero apparire come una rilettura in versione doom delle composizioni di Bela Bartok.

L’album si chiude con il delicato e malinconico strumentale “Outer Space” lasciandoci l’impressione di aver scoperto un’artista che già ora merita un posto di rilievo in ambito funeral doom e che, in un futuro prossimo, potrebbe ambire a eguagliare se non superare i propri maestri.

iye zine Feb. 2012

Vajon elgondolkodott már azon a kedves olvasó, hogy hazánkban mely stílus az a metálzenén belül, amiből az elmúlt évtizedekben totálisan hiányt szenvedtünk? Hosszas gondolkodás után akik jobban képben vannak, minden bizonnyal rávágnák hogy ez a stílus a funeral doom, és valóban, de bevallom, én magam is mint e stílusnak nagy kedvelője és elkötelezett híve, mióta az eszemet tudom áhítoztam egy ilyen hazai zenekar után, hallgatva mondjuk a Colosseum, Evoken, Ahab, vagy éppen Esoteric csodálatos lemezeit. Azt azonban nem gondoltam volna, hogy mindezt az élményt pont a nemsokára 24 éves Illés András fogja szolgáltatni egy személyben Dreams After Death nevű formációjával, vagy projectjével, kinek hogy tetszik. Az Embraced by the Light című nagylemeze Andrásnak tavaly év végén jelent meg a death/doom illetve funeral doom stílusú rétegzenékre 'szakosodott' orosz kiadónál, az Endless Winter-nél, sajnos elég nagy csendben és hírverések nélkül...

...de ugyebár azért vagyunk itt, hogy ezen változtassunk! Hat szerzemény közel egy órában, maga a transzcendentális lélekvesztett utazás, valami olyan iszonyatosan magas szinvonalon előadva, annyi ötlettel, egyéniséggel, nehezen felejthető dallamvilággal, ami ténylag csak a stílus legnagyobbjainak sajátja! A jó funeral doom arról ismerszik meg a már-már klasszikuszenei megkomponáltságon túl, hogy az ember olyankor nem hangszereket hall és x percig tartó szerzeményeket, hanem olyan hangulatokat és transzcendentális önkívületet tapasztal, ami tartson akár másfél óráig mint egynémely Esoteric album, szinte mágnesként vonz minket vissza a természetfeletti világába. Az Embraced by the Light szerzeményei olyan irtózatos súllyal nehezednek ránk, mintha csak a világ gyötrelmét és az éterben kallódó lelkek milliót vonszolnánk magunkkal, felkavaró, gyönyörű, lenyűgöző, mély és érzelmes. András zenéjében a szintetizátor központi szerepet kap eme csodálatos atmoszféra megteremtéséhez fantasztikusan igényes hangszínek formájában, de az ízlésesen és jókor elhelyezett billentyűleütések is sokat dobnak a dalokon, főleg akkor félelmetesen hatásos, amikor elcsendesülnek a hangszerek, és csak az orgona illetve a zongora hangjait halljuk! A dallamvilágot már említettem hogy pazar, András vokális teljesítménye is elismerésre méltó, ráadásul amikor a szólógitár szépen építkezve, elnyújtva hozza a dallamos témákat, na ott aztán végem van! A gitárok hangzása valami ultrasúlyos, szinte monolitikus formában magasodnak fölénk, betemetve mindent, ami az útjukba kerül...De ez csak így működik, így hatásos igazán! Technikai oldalról is csak elismerés illeti Andrást, és aki esetleg amiatt szokott panaszkodni, hogy a funeral doom metálban két lefogott hang között akár el lehet menni megebédelni, nos az komolyat csalódhat az Embraced by the Light-ban mozgalmasságát tekintve!

Ne felejtsük el azt az el nem hagyagolandó tényt sem, hogy a hazai porondon innentől kezdve a Dreams After Death neve viszonyítási pont lesz, ami elképesztően nagy és fantasztikus dolog számunkra is és András számára is! Talán most még ez nem tűnik akkora tettnek, mert nagyon friss a dolog, az élmény, de tekintve hogy az Embraced by the Light az első, minőségileg a külföldi elit zenekarokkal is bátran összevethető funeral doom lemez itthonról - elismerve terészetesen a korábbi honi próbálkozásokat is - , Andrásnak elévülhetetlen érdemei vannak, és remélem hogy ezt minél többen észre is veszik majd! Bár depresszióban és öngyilkossági hajlamokban gazdagon megáldott nép a magyar, azért attól nem félek, hogy a jövőben túl sok eféle kiadvánnyal lesz dolgunk a 'hazai piacon', még az is elképzelhető hogy jó pár évig nem is lesz szerencsénk ilyen stílusú lemezhez, hacsak András addig nem lepi meg egy újabb adagnyi csemegével a lélekgyötrésre vágyó publikumot! Akit esetleg érdekelne behatóbban is a zene, ne habozzon felkeresni Andrást egy saját példány megvásárlásával kapcsolatban, egyelőre ugyanis hivatalos itthoni terjesztő híján - ha eljut egyáltalán hazai disztrókba a lemez - vele tudja ezügyben felvenni a kapcsolatot minden érdeklődő! Andrásnak pedig boldog születésnapot innen is, és természetesen nagy gratuláció az Embraced by the Light-hoz!

9,6/10

Vaskarc Feb. 2012

Hazánkban aligha létezik olyan, hogy funeral doom hőskor, vagy ha mégis, az most van. Léteznek ugyan korábbról próbálkozások, és az Encyclopedia Metallum is említ magyar funeral doom bandákat, azonban egészen mostanáig nem volt olyan, hogy ezen bandák valamelyik lemeze kiadóhoz is eljutott volna.

Illés András mindössze 23 éves, ennek ellenére lenyűgöző dallamvilággal bűvészkedik az Embraced by the Light lemezen, és a műfaji elemeket hatásosan itatja át egy olyan atmoszférával, ami alapján a funeral doom csak a váz jellemzésére alkalmas, minden szempontból jóval több ez annál.

Nem vagyok híve egy lemez aprólékos szétvesézésének, talán azért nem, mert inkább a régi bandákról szeretek írni, itt viszont egy debüt lemezről van szó, ami ráadásul két hónappal ezelőtt jelent meg, így bocsátassék meg...

A lemezt nyitó Genesist hallgatva támadhat a gyanú, hogy a szerző fő hangszere a szintetizátor, hisz finoman kúszik be a dal, majd később is főszerepet vállalnak a légies - elszállós hangzások a gitárok helyett. Ne értse félre senki, ez egy metallemez, annak minden erejével, de sokkal nagyobb hatást fog ránk tenni a billentyűvarázs, mint a riffelés. A dal második felében a masszív hörgés alatti lépegetések például kiválóan dominálnak ki a dalból, miközben a gitár csak finoman besegít a dobnak a lüktetésbe.

A második tétel szép harmóniákat, melódiákat sorakoztat fel, ám ez még csak a felvezetése annak, amit a lemez többi részén kapunk.

A Meeting With The Ancestors gyönyörű szintetizátorakkordokkal indul, majd hamarosan belép mellé a súly is. Ráérősen lépeget a hangjegyek között, majd a harmadik perc elején ismét megkaristolja a fülünket András mocskos torkának a rezgése. Ami nagyon tetszik az orgánumában az az, hogy a magánhangzók változatosan szólalnak meg, nem egy egysíkú, érzelemmentes acsarkodás ez, hanem teátrális, igazi szenvedélyes hörgés. Ezen a dalon is végigvonul a monumentális, óriási atmoszférát nyújtó szintetizátor.

A negyedik tétel, az Endless Time hosszú és bizarr bevezetője a mozdulatlanságba dermedt végtelen rónákat juttatja a hallgató eszébe, esetleg az olvadás legelejét, amikor még csak lecsöppen a jégcsapról egy-két csepp víz, és nem lehet tudni, hogy milyen lavina zúzul alá a közeli hegyekből. A bevezető azonban nem is jó kifejezés, hiszen ez a rész nem csupán bevezeti a dalt, hanem több, mint a felét teszi ki annak, hogy aztán az előbb említett lavina megérkezzen. Lassan nyomul előre, így rájövünk, hogy az időperspektívánk torzult, hiszen ez nem lavina, hanem egy méltóságteljesen, napok alatt pár métert előrenyomuló gleccsertömeg.

Majd pedig érkezünk a kicsúcsosodáshoz a lemezen, a From Time Immemorialhoz, ahol a három és fél perc után következő, katedrálist felidéző hangzással előadott hosszú monoton szintetizátor dallammenet a maga epikusságával az egekig hajít fel, majd egy lágy szellőcsúzdán tesz le a gitárszóló a puha hóba.

A lemez zárása pompás, igazi elmúlás, kiszenvedés (nem kínszenvedés)...

András szerint egyébként a két leginkább funeral doomra emlékeztető darab a lemezen a Genesis és az Endless Time. A Funeral, és a Meeting With The Ancestors pedig a legkevésbé. Az atmoszférikus vonal becsempészésével célja az, hogy a letaglózás mellett gyönyörködtessen, ne csak az elrettentés legyen a végső hatás. Saját szavaival:

"...A From Time Immemorial, szerintem eléggé a műfajok szélére került, de akartam a lemez végére valami lendületet. Igyekeztem a számokat felváltva írni, hogy szórakoztatóbb, izgalmasabb legyen a hallgatásuk. Aztán természetesen nem zárhatja más a kavalkádot csak az üresség, a hiány..."

"...Nekem pl. a funeral doom, először is persze lassú, de nem ez a legeslegfontosabb, hanem hogy súlyos. Méltóságteljes, mély, abszolút negatív, gyászos, és nem tudok rá jobb szót - heavy - ...."

A lemez a 2011-es év közepén készen volt, és rövid kiadókeresés után az orosz Endless Winter vállalta a kiadását, így december elsején kiterjesztette szárnyait a világra. A komponálásért, a feljátszásért, a hörgésért és a szövegekért is teljes egészében András a felelős, a kiadó készen kapta meg a lemezt, semmit nem változtatott azon. A hangzás kellően kemény a gitár szempontjából, igazi 100 tonnás massza, ami átjön a hangfalakból, ugyanakkor néha finom légiességgel árnyal, máskor pedig nagy teátrálissággal dominál a szintetizátor az összes dalban. A gépdob egy kicsit statikus, de ezt nem vagyok hajlandó figyelembe venni a pontozáskor. Különben sem zavaró. Kátai Tamás sikerekor még csak sejtettük, hogy elkezdődik valami az undergroundon belül, mostanra viszont már biztosak lehetünk benne, hogy kis ismeretséggel rendelkező, de tehetséges zenészek nem fognak a süllyesztőbe kerülni, ha megvan a kitartásuk.

Milyen személyiség legyen Ön ahhoz, hogy ezt a lemezt szeresse? Először is ne legyen felületes vagy sietős zenehallgató. A szárnyaló fantázia és álmodozó hajlam nagy előny, valamint a harmóniákra való érzékenység, ugyanis abból van itt bőven. Egy végtelen utazás ez egy sötét tundrán, viszont a csendes és már fájdalommentes agónia minden gyönyörét átadja a résztvevőnek, ahogyan ebben a stílusban kell. Könnyelműsködésnek, jópofis gyerekességnek, igénytelenségnek semmi nyoma, a hanganyag minden pillanata finoman művészi, de sosem tolakodó. Egyszerűen nagyon jó hallgatni. Semmi okom nincs arra, hogy kevesebbre tartsam, mint 10 pont.

A kritika mellé készült egy interjú is Andrással, aminek az elkészülte közben egy nagyon érett gondolkodású embert volt szerencsém megismerni. Idővel az interjú kibővült egy tartalmasabb magánbeszélgetéssé, amikor is azt fejtegettük, hogy miért nem születik több ehhez hasonló emocionális és nem a technikára kiélezett alkotás hazánkban. Ennek a miértjeinek boncolgatását azonban már a kedves olvasóra bízom, csakúgy, mint a lemez kóstolgatását.

10/10

Fémforgács Jan. 2012

Las preguntas: G

Las respuestas: Rodrigo Morris (R.M.), Alejandro Arce (A.A.) and Sergio Alvarez (S.A.)

Interprete: Yana Budyak

- Vamos a empezar por una pregunta tradicional: que significa el nombre de su grupo?

A.A.: Bueno, son.. En espanol respondo o en ingles? Prefiere en espanol?

- Como quieres.

A.A.: Significa muchas cosas. Por un lado, significa como vemos nosotros el color de nuestra ciudad, el color distinto de tonos de grises. Y cada persona en su mundo interior dando vuelto por alli, por las calles de la ciudad. Y por otro lado, es como un algun estado.. Yo lo interpreto como un estado emocional o creativo, un poco ambigua, en el que no hay nado muy negro, nada muy blanco, nada muy concreto, solo tonos de grises. Y yo confio que este estado emocional es muy interesante para crear. Gracias es una interpretacion personal. La idea es que es una pregunta que permite interpretaciones libres. Ninguna interpretacion es errada.

- Que es su estado en los limites de dum metal? O cree que los limites estilisticos no son muy importantes?

A.A.: No, no los son. Estamos tocando dum metal por que es la musica que nos gusta, que mantenemos en comun entre nosotros. Cuando iniciamos la banda, la iniciabamos tocando el dum metal porque fue lo que nos gustaba. Por la idea de ese empreso fue no poner mucho dinero en cuanto a lo creativo, simplemente ?? fluidos. Y salga lo que salga. Creo que la idea que los limites, el etiquetado de la musica venga despues de crearla, no antes.

- Puede ser, otros chicos quieren participar en la intrevista?

A.A.: Si, si.

- Otra pregunta. Su musica no es para recreacion, es para el corazon. Puede ser, hay algo que quiere decir con sus canciones? Puede ser, sus oyentes deben pensar en algo?

S.A.: No que yo puedo provocar. No creo que a la hora de crear estoy totalmente consciente de lo que creo provocar, sino de lo que quiero yo, lo que estoy sintiendo yo en eso momento. Entonces, para mi la relacion entre la gente es algo que viene despues. Es un resultado de lo personal.

- Y hay algunos ideas que quiere propagandar con su musica? Es una pregunta dificil, no?

R.M.: Si. Yo creo que a traves de historia nosotros tenemos, desde el primer disco, en segundo y tercero, hay una historia que es como una especial abrasion espiritual.

- Y quiere cambiar algo en sus oyentes? Hay que cambiarse algo en estas personas despues de escuchar a su musica?

S.A.: No. No creo que es nuestra intencion cambiar, sino que descubrir. No es lo mismo.

- Intereasante.. Y hay algunos grupos que influyen a su musica?

R.M.: Que a nos influyen?

- Si.

R.M.: Hay muchos, muchos..

- Por ejemplo? Uno o dos?

R.M.: A mi? Porque todos tenemos influacion distinto.

-Si, a tu.

S.A.: Creo que lo que tenemos en comun, es Nevrosis, Ulver, In the Woods.

- Quienes son sus oyentes en su patria? Son las personas mas jovenes o mas mayores quien recuerden a su inicio diez anos antes?

R.M.: Creo que es la gente relativamente de nuestra edad. Si, que empezaron con nosotros, en los anos siguientes se han sumado un poco, pero son mayores como yo creo.

S.A.: Si, hay personas que son menores que nosostros, que son, mas o menos, el publico de dum metal en Chile. Y hay bandas mas jovenes, la gente joven de dum metal.

- Un poeta ruso dijo que el rock'n'roll esta muerto, y en que piensa ustedes?

R.M.: No, yo creo que es algo estetico, solamente. Decir que el pan rock esta muerto y Creo que el rock ya se esta establecio en la memoria colectiva y el rock no puede morir.

- No puede morir, si.

R.M.: Es una muerte emocional necesaria, lo intenso, el sonido fuerte.

- Y han conseguido a ganar dinero con su musica, o tienen otaos trabajos?

R.M.: No, tenemos trabajos distintos.

- Y que son estos? De quien trabajan?

R.M.: Bueno, yo soy musico, profesor de musica, trato de traductor, etc, etc.,etc.

- Y Ustedes invitan a otros musicantes para participar en sus conciertos? Por ejemplo, Luis Soto, hay aqui Luis Soto?

A.A.: Luis Soto? Esta alla!

- Y como?..

S.A.: En nuestros discos todavia no hemos invitado a otro musico.

R.M.: Hemos invitado a una persona, en nuestro ultimo disco, a una cantante...

S.A.: Claro!

R.M.: ..que canto el ultimo tema. Fue el unico que fue invitado.

S.A.: Alguna vez hemos invitado a gente para que toque con nosotros, y a las banda amigas.

- Otra pregunta. Su musica es bastante melodica. Quiere actuar en un concierto acustico, sin todos los fomentos, solo acustico?

R.M.: Si, lo hemos pensado.

S.A.: Si, si, si, lo hemos pensado.

R.M.: Es dificil. Es muy dificil hacer una buena convercion a la version acustica. Requiere mucho tiempo, trabajo, y ahora estamos trabajando en el siguiente disco con el cello. Y el concierto acustico es complicado. Pero yo creo que en algun momento sera un concierto.

S.A.: Pero nos has propuesto hacer uno o dos temas, tocarlos en vivo, uno o dos temas, una cosa bien corta, eso es algo que podemos acceder en un corto tiempo.

- Aqui en Rusia dum metal de Chile es muy valorado. Y saben alguien de dum metal ruso? Algunos grupos?

S.A.: No, sino a los grupos que han tocado..

- Les gustan?

R.M.: Si.

S.A.: Si, a mi me gusto mucha la primera banda. La encontre bastante buena, y me gusto mucho.

R.M.: Pero la verdad es, en Chile no se conocen. Muy, muy poco.

- Y aqui en Moscu de vez en cuando hay conciertos vivos con transmicion a la Internet. Has participado en algunos?

S.A.: No. Hemos participado en un entrevista en vivo, pero nunca en un concierto.

- Yo se que es la segunda parte de su gira amplia que empezo un ano antes. Y en que paises ya han tocado?

R.M.: Ahora? En la segunda parte o?..

- En ambas partes, en total. En la primera parte y en la segunda parte.

S.A.: En muchos paises europeos: en Portugal, Espana, Holanda, Francia, Italia, Republica Checa, Eslovakia, Polonia.. Muchos, muchos.

- Casi todo el mundo:)

S.A.: Ahora aqui, en Moscu..

- Les gusta aqui, en Moscu?

S.A.: Si, mucho.

- Que tal los oyentes aqui?

R.M.: Creo que responden en una forma muchos mas energica, estan ms abiertos.

- He oido que estan aqui con el apollo del gobierno de Chile. Es verdad? Y como han conseguido recibirlo?

R.M.: El gobierno de Chile tienen un concurso. Es el proyecto cultural.. Bueno, ya tenemos experiencia armando los proyectos y todas las cosas...

- Otra pregunta es mas personal: que les gusta a beber? Puede ser, de alcohol?

S.A.: Yo soy fanatico de la cerveza.

- Cerveza?

S.A.: si.

- Y vodka?

S.A.: Si, tambien. Me gusta la cerveza y vodka, y el ron, por ejemplo, no.

- Hay algunos esrereotipos de rusos. Por ejemplo, es vodka, osos blancos, balalaika..

R.M.: Si:)

- Y hay algunos estereotipos de Chile, de chilenos?

R.M.: Cuales son los estereotipos que tu conoces acerca del?..

- No, Uds. Uds conocen algunos estereotipos de Chile?

R.M.: Si, el guachaca.

S.A.: Si, el tipico es el roto chileno.

- Que?

S.A.: El roto chileno es una persona que es tipica chilena, que no es una persona muy adinerada, es una persona promedia..

R.M.: Que toma mucho..

S.A.: Claro, que bebe mucho, tiene la nariz roja..

- Entiendo :)

R.M.: Es como la caricatura de Chile.

- Otra pregunta es un poco dificil. Aqui, en Rusia, valoran mucho al general Pinochet, porque creen que el salvio el pais de la crisis en los setentos. Pero yo se que es una tema dificil para los chilenos. Que piensan ustedes de esta figura historica?

S.A.: Tu dices que aca valoran?

- Si, respetan, porque el salvio el pais de la crisis...

R.M.: Uff...

- Pero no se, que Uds piensan en el.

S.A.: Cuando Pinochet intevino al gobierno, era un gobierno socialista que estaba tratando a repartir toda la riqueza a la gente, a toda la gente. Y a Pinochet y a los Estados Unidos no les gusto esa idea. Los Estados Unidos hizo un bloqueo comercial con Chile, como esta haciendo con Cuba y muchos otros.

- Y fue mal para Chile.

S.A.: No pudo subsistir.

R.M.: Y alli vino el golpe. No fue porque el socialismo no funcionaba..

S.A.: ..fue el bloque que hicieron ellos contra Chile.

R.M.: Entonces lo que paso es que en eso tiempo habia muchos, muchos artistas.. Bueno, dentro de otras cosas que pasaron habia muchos artistas que estaban floreciendo la musica chilena y con el golpe los mataron.

- Oh..

S.A.: Si. Entonces, el golpe fue para hacer un experimento en Chile con la economia neoliberal. Es un experimento. Es una imagen de Estados Unidos. Y las cosas ahora ya.. Bueno, todos saben que la economia esta muriendo y es parte de eso. Pero nosotros no le respetamos.. Estamos en contrario.

S.A.: Rodrigo y yo estamos..

R.M.: Por ejemplo, nosotros dos estamos en contras.

- Entiendo. Bueno, la ultima pregunta. Es un poco extrana, pero fue mi tio que la escribio..

*rien*

- Uds saben que todos los musicos famosos, como Freddy Mercury, Michael Jackson, emitian los albumes postumos. Y si, por ejemplo, su avion caiga al oceano, que musica puede ser incluida en su album postumo?

S.A.: Nuestro album postumo?

- Puedo preguntar de otra manera. Que son sus canciones y albumos mejores...

S.A.: Para nuestro funeral?

- No, no, no... Que quieren que sus oyentes consiguen a escuchar durante mucho tiempo...

R.M.: De los albumes de nosotros?

- Si.

S.A.: Creo que no entiendo bien la pregunta.

- Que quiere que otros recuerdan?

*ambos*: Aaaa..

S.A.: Yo creo que mas que el disco es la energia que nosotros proyectamos al tocar nuestra musica. Y me gustaria que nos recordaran por eso, por ser una banda que se expresa y cree con el corazon en que esta haciendo.

R.M.: Si, yo creo que a mi me gustaria que se me recordaron por luchar por algo que tiene mucho sentido.

- Es todo. Puede ser quieren decir algo para nosotros, para esta entrevista?

S.A.: Si. Bueno, el concierto de hoy esta increible, nos parecio un publico increible, una audiencia que nos apoyo mucho, hemos sentido muy queridos, y nos gustaria mucho volver a estar aca, en Moscu, el mas pronto que se puede.

- Gracias.

A.A.: Fue la experiencia increible para nosotros. Venimos desde muy lejo, y es muy magico para nosotros estar tan lejano sentiendo tan acogidos y queridos por la gente. Gracias.

- Gracias a Uds.

S.A.: Muchas gracias.

Hello, Matias! First of all, can you introduce the band to our readers?

Well, Endimion is a Doom Death band from Chile, born in 2005. Our music can be seen in the Old Doom Death, as the Peaceville trio in the beginning, but with many influences from the most current Black, Death and Doom Metal, and some rock ... it is a convergence of many things!

What are the band's main influences?

Mmmmh, it is hard to answer ... Like I said, there is much influence by what was My Dying Bride and Anathema in the beginning, our first songs (those that appear in the album) are markedly influenced by those bands, those songs have more than 5 years each! But we are currently exploring other sounds; extracting elements of punk, progressive metal, without losing the essence Death Doom that led us to create Endimion, this will be reflected in an upcoming job.

he band is now launching its first full-lenght, Cancion desde la voz primera. Tell us a little about the album. Are there plans to tour with the album? Maybe even playing in Brazil?

That's right; our first album is kind of a closure process, which we wanted to capture the songs that gave rise to the band, which are like hymns that vibrate 5 or 6 years ago, when recently dreamed to play some concert…once. About a tour with this album, I see it difficult; we planned a couple of concerts in our city (Concepción) and a few in Santiago. We do not even have the means to leave the country to promote our material. If someone wants to help us come to Brazil we have no problem! Just let us know, jejejeje.

Chile seems to have a pretty healthy metal scene, specially regarding doom metal. How do you see it compared with neighbor countries like Brazil, Argentina, Peru, etc?

I think Doom Metal scene in Latin America is gaining more and more force, however, the countries that are causing this movement are Chile, Peru and Brazil; these three countries have a very powerful scene! In other countries there are other strong as metal, Argentina does not have much Doom, nor Venezuela, Bolivia, etc. I do not know how they work in Brazil, but in Peru the doom metal community is very organized, and here in Chile there are also organizations making doom metal festivals that may become reference for South America, we are fortunate to have many bands of the genre in this country, some of them internationally renowned as Mar de Grises, Poema Arcanus, Lapsus Dei… amongst many others.

How the Chilean scene works? Is there a sense of union among bands or they are each on their own?

Like I said, we are slightly organized, making mid-sized concerts, where we can expose new bands and enjoy classic bands. There is communication between many bands, with several of them are friends, there is also a Chilean community of doom metal, where we have a very complete cadaster for national doom metal scene, it is housed in www.doomdeathanddarkness.tk momentarily .... Visit it!!

You also used to have a poetry project, Gruntode. Is this still active?

Yes, Gruntode still active, just resting a while, soon a new collection of poetry and tune acoustic grunts (perhaps not so acoustic) will see the light. It will surprise the few people who know the project ...

What do you see as the main difficulty here in South America for us to have a stronger and more participative scene?

I think the main difficulty is the geographical distance between one country and another ... and even within countries, the distance between cities. These factors can generate a movement like that of Europe, where every country is like a city on a Latin American country, so it is very easy to make an international recital. For example, if Endimion would like to play in Brazil, traveling by land would be more than 36 hours! And to do it by plane, it would be horribly expensive! I think the first thing is to strengthen local scenes, making each country have its own circuit, and after that, start to expand, together. If there is no organized local scene, there will hardly be a United Latin American scene.

Can you give us your opinions about christianism and christian metal? Do you see it as possible to a band to be sincere both about metal and its faith?

Personally I have nothing against Christianity although I do not share their beliefs, each person is free to follow that which satisfies. As for the Christian metal, I do think that a band can express their faith through the metal, I think the music, whatever it is, is the best way to express a thought, an ideology or feelings. And if there is a satanic metal, it also assumes that there is a Christian metal.

Well, Matias, thanks for your time and attention, feel free to leave some words for our readers!

Ok! Thanks for your time, and readers of The Book Zine, best regards and hope you enjoy our music. Doom On!

The Book Zine

Debo reconocer que cada vez que me encuentro con el lanzamiento de un álbum que sea de regiones me da una satisfacción enorme de saber que hace tiempo “Santiago no es Chile”. Endimion es una banda que la integran 5 músicos de los cuales 3 son hermanos, la “Ibañez Army” como les dicen, todos oriundos de Concepción. Una ciudad que no se caracteriza por sacar muchas bandas Doom, sólo recuerdo algunas como Daedeloth y After World, sin embargo nuestro país es reconocido a nivel mundial por haberse transformado ya hace un par de años en la “nueva Finlandia” del Doom Metal, y Endimion es parte de esa camada doomera.

En el mundo ha nacido un nuevo tipo de doom llamado Brutal Doom Metal, mas cercano al Death Old School (ya lamentablemente en vías de extinción), varias bandas son pioneras en el estilo como Skeletal Spectre,Novembers Doom, From Beyond, o los mismos chilenos de Lapsus Dei y Afasia. Endimion se suma a esa pequeña lista de fundadoras y lo hace en grande con su disco debut Cancion desde la Voz Primera, placa que ha sido lanzada en el ocaso del 2011 por Endless Winter, sello ruso que puso sus ojos en varias agrupaciones nacionales

Vamos al grano, el disco Canción desde la Voz Primera comienza con el tema ‘Lady of my Dreams’, muy en la vena de los primeros discos de My Dying Bride pero más dinámico, creo que fue un acierto ponerlo al principio ya que este track es bien canchero y con buenos riffs.

Es importante recalcar que quien decida adquirir este material, se va a encontrar con un sonido crudo pero poderoso, sin tanto manoseo en la mezcla, con un sonido bien natural, destaco aquello, ya que al parecer la moda plástica europea por fin empieza poco a poco a ceder ante el sonido más “en vivo” de los discos de metal de antaño. Lo ideal es que se lograra un sonido término medio entre la vieja y nueva escuela.

El segundo track ‘The Lands of Fears’ sigue muy en la linea del primer corte con bastante incapié en riffs lentos de guitarras quienes en ningún momento dejan el rol principal de Endimion, cuando escuchas esta banda no esperes encontrar tristeza y desolación como en el común del género Doom, los penquistas son pura fuerza, así lo demuestran en el tercer tema del disco llamado ‘We are de Sky’, que da la sensación de una tranquilidad pero es solo momentanea ya que al poco recorrer vuelve a la rudeza comparable a discos como Gothic o Lost Paradise de Paradise Lost, es más en este tema tenemos incluso “blast beat” y mucha energía corriendo por la batería.

‘Naked in the Sun‘ es un tema extraño, con muchos matices y cambios de ritmo abruptos, una especie de tema de transición de lo que está haciendo ahora la banda, una especie de Clouds de Tiamat si se quiere tener algún tipo de comparación. El quinto tema se llama ‘Gutura Profana’, no sé por que, quizás es el tema menos trabajado del disco, pero es uno de los que más me agrada, tiene una fuerza increíble en la vena de Dismal Euphony. Con las comparaciones que doy no quiero que piensen que es una mescolanza de ideas y riffs, más bien tómenlo como una búsqueda de identidad. Sin embargo el tinte “Endimion” se nota en todos los temas y eso es un plus en el futuro para esta agrupación.

‘Agony’ comienza con una aplastante sensación de que algo termina y te mantiene así en buen pasaje del tema hasta que todo vuelve a su curso “semi forte”. En esta composición se pueden escuchar pasajes vocales más narrados, por lo general en el resto de las canciones te encontrarás con mucho trabajo gutural. El siguiente tema, y penúltimo del disco, es ‘Come with Me’, una especie de invitación a compartir lo más oscuro de nuestras almas. Buenisimas frases tiene la lírica aquí, como “And we fall in a morbid hell” ¡que gran frase!

Para terminar este álbum, la gente de Endimion nos entrega un tema algo más diferente, con una frescura que da a entender que debe ser el resultado de esa búsqueda que se siente a través de todo el disco, más maduro. Aquí destaca la invitación hecha por los chicos oriundos de Concepción al señor “Conde” don Claudio Carrasco de Poema Arcanus. Si bien se logra el matiz que seguramente se quería plasmar en este tema con la inclusión de Claudio, a nivel personal no sé si habrá sido una buena idea quebrar el equilibrio que impone Matias Ibañez (vocalista) a lo largo del disco, lo mejor es que juzguen ustedes mismos. En este tema Francisco Campos hace su mejor solo de guitarra, el cual está lleno de sentimiento y sin la necesidad de gritar a los cuatro vientos su calidad como tal. Lo cual se agradece muchísimo. Un perfecto outro acústico dentro del mismo tema para finalizar el disco.

Si se dan cuenta no me referí mucho a la lírica de los temas, son totalmente metafóricos y de necesidad personal de traducción, muy poéticas. En cuanto al arte del disco, nos encontramos con un CD jewel case con librillo de 12 carillas con las letras de los temas, saludos, datos de la grabación. Todo en un exquisito arte con hincapié en tonos verdes, muy elegante, muy buena creación gráfica de Cristina Herrera. Lo único que se podría decir son algunas faltas graves de ortografía, pero que a la luz de la calidad de este trabajo, se hacen ínfimos detalles.

Espero de todo corazón que este sea un apronte a un segundo larga duración de la banda y que logre entrar “Directo a las entrañas secas de mi alma”

Collapse.cl Dec. 2011

ENDIMION es una banda oriunda de Concepción, tierra muy golpeada este ultimo año por todos los acontecimientos naturales que todos sabemos ellos son cultores de un doom/death metal con voces guturales y guitarras con riff intensos casi al limite con una muy variada gama de sonoridades.

Nos presrentan esta vez su obra prima “Canción Desde La Voz Primera” editado por el sello Ruso Endless Winter, lo primero que se debo comentar es que este primer trabajo de los doomers chilenos es de muy buena factura con un arte que si bien no marca presencia absoluta, tampoco abusa de las herramientas y excesos de los editores que últimamente estamos acostumbrados, un cd mas bien sobrio con un bookled con las letas de las canciones y un cd muy bien presentado.

En la parte musical estaba muy expectante con escuchar el trabajo de estos chicos y en verdad no me decepciono para nada esta larga espera, el álbum comienza con “Lady Of My Dreams”un tema en realidad intenso con unos riff y armónicos que me hicieron recordar a bandas de los tiempos gloriosos de los 90, pero llevados a un plano mas actual y con matices de down tempo que en realidad demuestra una muy buena estructura.

La segunda entrega en este album es “The Land Of Fears” en donde destaco la voz de Matías con una voz que si bien va mas por el lado doom death aun logra transmitir sentimientos y atmósferas depresivas matizando un poco a la monotonía del tema en si.

“We Are The Sky” y “Naked In The Sun” son los temas que continúan a esta placa el primero con un redoble notable y quiebres a atmósferas down tempo en donde las voces conjugan con la melodia logrando buenos pasajes similar a l cuarto corte de esta placa.

Otro tema destacable es con el cual finalizan esta entrega “La Gruta Del Terror”tema en español y bastante extenso con buenos melódicos y guturales en donde se destaca la colaboración de Claudio Carrasco de Poema Arcanus.

En resumen esta entrega de los doomers chilenos me deja un muy buen gusto y claro es recomendable a todos aquellos seguidores del doom mas tradicional y por que no decirlo con sonidos casi de la vieja escuela un poco olvidados o enmascarados en tanto tecnicismo y ediciones de efectos que un poco terminan enmascarando el real sonido de las bandas.

Penurium Webzine Dec. 2011

La label russa Endless Winter ha uno strettissimo legame con la scena doom cilena, non è un caso che nel roster di Gennady siano presenti monicker quali AstorVoltaires, Aura Hiems, Lapsus Dei e Lethargy Of Death, tutte realtà che hanno mostrato di poter dare il loro apporto a questo mondo oscuro ognuna a proprio modo, a esse si aggiunge quella entrante degli Endimion.

La formazione, nata nel 2005 e con all'attivo il demo "Rehearsal 1206" e uno split con i Magna Veritas, vede adesso in line-up l'ex cantante dei Lapsus Dei, quel Matias Ibañez che prestò la voce al mini del 2010 "In Our Sacred Place", quale sarà il loro modo di proporsi?

È un sound aggressivo, più death che doom tirando le somme e se non fosse per l'assetto melodico che viene di volta in volta impiantato e qualche rallentamento realmente efficace, "Canción Desde La Voz Primera" sarebbe un disco di death metal pesante e diretto.

Le canzoni sono grevi, pestano, l'opener "Lady Of My Dreams" e "The Land Of Fear" mettono in evidenza quelle che sono le pecche dell'album: a) La produzione, il basso in più casi è praticamente travolto, b) La mancanza di varianti e dinamiche che diano una garanzia di fluidità e potenza alle tracce.

I primi due episodi scorrono in maniera quasi uniforme, con "We Are The Sky" grazie a un'ambientazione ancor più scura e l'utilizzo degli innesti melodici in maniera sapiente e di buon gusto si riesce a sollevare il morale, peccato che la spinta energica e tirata per quanto cattiva fornita dal cambio di tempo improvviso spezzi inesorabilmente il feeling creatosi, solo il diluirne successivo riuscirà in parte a recuperarne il valore.

Esplicita e non priva di forzature da parte di Matias dietro il microfono si pone "Naked In The Sun", così come la successiva "Gutura Profana", l'errore (se tale lo si può definire) commesso dagli Endimion è quello di continuare a giostrare le due correnti musicali con approssimazione preferendo la parte death e dando a quella doom poco spazio per esprimersi al meglio, cosa che avviene a esempio nella finale "Come With Me" finalmente percorrente zone più profonde e la conclusiva "La Gruta Del Terrore" intrisa di atmosfere melancoliche che il cantato in spagnolo acuisce.

"Canción Desde La Voz Primera" è un disco che va avanti fra alti e bassi, c'è da far quadrare un po' la situazione in futuro ripartendo da quanto di buono si riesce a estrapolare da tale lavoro, gli Endimion sembrano avere le carte in regola per poterlo fare, stiamo a vedere che succede.

Aristocrazia Webzine Dec. 2011

It is reviewing albums like this one that make the inclusion of the donation button on this site essential. Having to listen to this album from Endimion was a chore and I wish I could have the time spent all back again. To be fair, I have heard worst albums overall but I have heard very few albums as frustrating to listen to as this one. This release is on the Endless Winter label which is a mob that (no offense) seems to release an extremely high amount of average, run-of-the-mill albums; not bad albums but just instantly forgettable.

Endimion's 'Canción Desde La Voz Primera' is almost but not quite a total disaster and having to listen to this is one of those times in a reviewers life when you sit, waiting for that little spark, that killer riff or hook and it never arrives. I guess this falls within the realms of death-doom metal but only just and this is where some extra frustration occurs. It is not doomy enough to be doom, not deathly enough to be death metal and all the while they have all the elements from each genre, it still misses the mark totally.

Songs just trundle along, usually at a mid-tempo pace. The singer does a generic death growl that has been heard before on a million other records. The guitar riffing is alright but lacks spark, energy, and has no redeeming memorable quality. Even now after listening to this some 7 or was it 8 times, I still can't remember one single riff or melody.

There is nothing wrong with the band on a musicianship level. There is some nice leads here and there that suggest that these guys are indeed accomplished players. The flaws all live in the boring songwriting. The frustrations happen right from the get-go. Opener, 'Lady of my Dreams' begins with a lot of promise but ends up going nowhere. There is flat production which doesn't help the lack of atmosphere and basically the track just sounds unconvincing on all levels but without being a total failure. 'We Are the Sky' suffers the same fate, starts out interesting enough then falls flat, leaving you to say to yourself, it is over yet? I could mention other songs but really there is no point, it is all the same uninspired, seemingly forced-out watered down death-doom material.

Rather than just bash the album for the sake of a review, I will leave it here. I'm done, there is potential but this is weak.....

3/10

Doommantia Oct. 2011

Hace varios años atrás escuche acerca de una joven agrupación que comenzaba sus pasos dentro de una complicada y poco conocida escena del Doom metal en la ciudad de Concepción, por lo cual es grato encontrarme con este material lanzado este año, Endimion para mi representa la perseverancia y el esfuerzo de jóvenes que todo lo comenzaron por diversión pero que pronto se volvió una pasión. “Canción desde la voz primera” es un disco que consta de 8 canciones, llenas de melancolía y tristeza en cada acorde y estrofa ejecutada en sus 47 aproximadamente de duración.

Debemos acordar que Endimion cultiva un Doom metal con varios matices, pero que se aleja bastante al acostumbrado prototipo de bandas Doom actuales que solemos ver en distintos medios. “Lady of my dreams” es la canción que abre el disco, con unos Riff casi rituales y serios redobles en la batería, sin duda un punto bajo es la grabación de las voces y la propia interpretación de este, me fue casi imposible tratar de seguir al vocalista junto a las letras, a veces no basta con cantar guturalmente, si no que la entonación, pronunciación y el encanto que ponga el vocalista será de vital importancia en el transcurso del disco, lamentablemente es algo que se repite en todas las canciones a excepción del ultimo track que es en español, sin embargo no puedo negar la el tono alcanzado por Matías Ibañez es bastante bueno, solamente lo invitaría a jugar más con sus matices y tal vez a cantar un poco más limpio en ciertos pasajes en los que sea necesario.

Luego seguirán ”The Land of Fears” y “We are the Sky” temas bastante similares entre si pero bastante contundentes en cuanto al peso de las guitarras y sus melodías, si se debe resaltar a “We are the Sky” con su triste introducción y cambios bastante buenos en cuanto a la batería y guitarras, el sonido logrado en los tambores es bastante orgánico y por algunos momentos me dio la impresión de estar escuchando alguno de mis antiguos cassettes. “Gutura Profana” es quizás una de las canciones más oscuras de todo el disco, con letras llenas de pesimismo y oscuridad hablándonos de misterios y sentimientos viniendo desde nuestras sombras, lo entretenido de esta es que a medida que va cambiando la letra de la canción o cambia el ritmo de esta con fuertes cambios en la batería y las guitarras, también es la canción donde mejor se puede apreciar el movimiento del bajo, luego de quizás uno de los mejores temas del disco, volveremos a los ritmos tipo Iomi y Compañia con “Agony” el cual es lento y real, totalmente denso en cualquier ambiente, esta canción refleja ciertos toques melódicos en cuanto a sus guitarras que son las que mandan la melodía central de este, las cuales marcan grandes cambios en los tiempos, teniendo incluso ciertas influencias de Iron Maiden en ciertos Riff y solos y es que es innegable el legado de los Británicos. ”Como with me” es otro tema más con con un gran tejo de oscuridad y fuertes Riff pero la verdad es que algo paso que no me convenció demasiado, encontrándolo algo desordenado en su estructura, quizás las ideas no era del todo mal pero compositiva mente creo que tiene un pésimo inicio y un excelente final.

“La gruta del Terror” es el tema con que cierra este disco y que mejor que con un invitado reconocido a nivel nacional dentro de todos los Doomers; estamos hablando de Claudio Carrasco, vocalista de Poema Arcanus y es que es inconfundible su estilo al cantar, el cual se acomoda perfectamente a las mejores guitarras limpias del disco. Lentamente van pasando los versos y acordes que acompañan a la mejor canción del disco, y no por que este Claudio al comienzo si no por el nivel y la onda que inunda esta canción, haciéndola más digerible que el resto. Matías se mimetiza perfectamente entre los Riff y hasta diría que al escucharlo cantar en español, siento cierta comodidad y soltura que no se da con las otras canciones en Inglés ( Quien sabe si es aconsejable repetir esta formula).

“Canción desde la voz primera” no es un material que podríamos catalogar de imperdible, pero si considero que se les debe dar la oportunidad, existe potencial y la verdad es que la calidad de esta agrupación es más que meritoria , quizás una re formulación en cuanto a ciertos parajes de la propuesta ayuden a esto. Tomando en cuenta el inicio de las grabaciones que fueron en el 2007 y finalizaron este 2011, supongo que ya muchas de estas canciones tienen ya más de 5 años con lo que creo que Endimion debe sacar nuevo material pronto, para revalidar su propuesta, sinceramente creo que hay futuro en esto, no por nada fueron fichados por un sello Europeo para su álbum debut (Endless Winter). Para finalizar, más allá de las criticas que se pudiesen hacer, prefiero ver el lado constructivo y fomentar bandas como Endimion que de una u otra manera, suben el pelo a nuestro metal nacional.

Zerovarius Webzine Nov. 2011

El primer álbum de larga duración de Endimion presenta un material adscrito al doom/death metal, a través de ocho piezas que transitan por diferentes senderos de melancolía.

En la primera mitad del disco predominan las atmósferas rockeras y a ratos se pierde la tristeza por la presencia de cortes más rápidos. Así lo demuestra el tema que abre el trabajo, “Lady of my Dreams”, que despliega una línea de guitarra bastante heavy. Si bien este segmento no adhiere por completo al doom más doliente, también muestra temas que recuerdan al “Crestfallen” de Anathema, en particular los más simples y con esa voz onda Darren White que en lo personal encuentro genial.

A partir de “Agony” los ritmos se vuelven más fúnebres y las melodías de las guitarras más tristes. Nos enfrentamos a un trabajo vertiginoso que descarrila melodías y ritmos. De cierta manera me gusta el conjunto de ideas porque presenta una mirada libre del concepto doom sin seguir patrones o esquemas admitidos por defecto. Si está a la mano, se utiliza y punto. El tema “Come with me”, que tiene el inicio más lóbrego del disco, es el que desarrolla en mayor medida las armonías en guitarras que en la generalidad del material están algo ausentes. Cierra el tema “La gruta de terror”, que cuenta con la participación especial de Claudio Carrasco de Poema Arcanvs otorgando un toque muy poético con una voz limpia del nivel que lo caracteriza.

El sonido del disco es de muy buena factura, acompañado del arte bastante otoñal apropiado al contenido musical de la obra. Un buen aporte al metal, también fichado por el sello ruso Endless Winter. Totalmente recomendable.

Ciudad Metal Nov. 2011

And here we are with a high quality material rising out of the Chilean doom scene. Endimion is already a quite experient band, and this album proves to have arrived in the right moment. The teamwork among instruments is evident, even with a rhythm session more aggressive than what I used to see in other Chilean bands, as Poema Arcanvs and Mar de Grises, and this gives the band a quite interesting personality. The more aggressive sections, as those in Lady of my dreams or Naked in the sun, are effortlessly mixed with guitar arrangements as those in We are the sky, that has an atmosphere kind of similar to that in Rotting Christ's more gothic days, and once again, not losing the bass and drum's aggressive aspects. An interesting effect, indeed! Moreover, there is the fact that the songs are not exaggerately long (at least for doom metal standards), resulting in an album that manages to be simultaneously straight to the point and well worked. A sure shot for doom metal fans and a good entry for people more used to styles such as death and black that are not too familiar with doom.

The Book Zine Oct. 2011

I received a promo the other day which prompted a number of questions. First of all, who the heck are Endimion and what makes them think I would want to hear about anyone’s “Lady of my Dreams” or being “Naked in the Sun”? Well, I soon learned they are from Chile and have recruited the excellent bass singer Claudio Carrasco of Poema Arcanvs as a guest for one of the songs. This might get interesting. The next question was, what is all this pompous “Endless Winter – Only Doom Metal Label” thing about? Well, a closer look tells me “Made in Russia”, and here we are again: Another underground label ready to release anything regardless of quality just to be part of that scene which has been so very much in vogue in Eastern Europe for the last few years. This might not get that interesting after all.

Shortly after I had pushed the play button for the first time, a new question crossed my mind: Why does a supposedly “Only Doom Metal Label” release this? For I could hardly hear any Doom at all. The guitars play their chords, the drums play their patterns, the growler growls his growls and everything flows along neatly in midtempo boredom. When I listened to Canción desde la voz primera for the second and third time, I really tried to follow the arrangements more actively and get the idea behind them, and I did see what the Chileans were trying to do, but I still could not shake off the impression of a bunch of guys grabbing some instruments and amps because they figured out that playing heavy music themselves might be fun, and then choosing Doom (or maybe slowed-down and watered-down Melodic Death would be more apt) for a start because it would not require any extraordinary skills in fast and technically challenging musicianship. Unfortunately for them, the minimalism of Doom Metal does all the more call for the skill of effective, to the point songwriting. It probably requires a stronger and more individual musical vision than any other subgenre of Metal, as well as you will need a good sense of atmosphere to create something captivating; for you cannot hide such shortcomings behind impressive technicality and rampant aggression in Doom. While Endimion pull off a professional sounding recording with a sufficiently powerful production and solid instrumental work, all of the other aspects I have mentioned are almost entirely missing.

There are moments in which the uninspired arrangements are slowed down and make you expect a healthy dose of Death Doom. But after a promising first chord and a dragging drum pattern, these parts always leave you unsatisfied because there is still no atmosphere in the notes played, there is no emotion at all. The chord sequences are anything but original and, what is worst, they are simply not going anywhere. What is more, these Death Doom parts are by far outnumbered by midtempo arrangements and faster doublebass or blast parts. The occasional nice lead guitar playing is the only element which shows some potential here.

Despite all this, there is one exception to the album’s generally negative impression: “La Gruta del Terror” featuring Carrasco’s voice (which is superb as always and adds a great deal of emotion), and that is not only due to the guest vocals; here we finally get a song – you know, a combination of melodies and an arrangement of instruments which actually works and has obviously been composed to create a certain atmosphere. Until Endimion have arrived at a musical vision of at least this quality which can fill a CD, they should wait with recording a new album. It is totally okay to spend your time having some fun with music, but it is their time – I see no reason for us to invest ours in the result.

Doom-metal.com Oct. 2011

In un periodo storico nel quale una fascia d'ascoltatori gotici attende con ansia l'ultima uscita dei Lacuna Coil (???), nel quale Morten Veland fra Mortemia e Sirenia ha deciso di stracciarci le palle e il power/symphonic goth degli Epica con la Simons sempre più prorompente continua a far arrapare quattordicenni in calore, c'è ancora chi si ricorda cos'era una volta questo genere.

Sono una piacevole sorpresa i Symphonian, la band ucraina è da poco entrata a far parte del roster della label russa Endless Winter che ha rilasciato il primo album dei ragazzi intitolato "Incarnation Of Reality".

Dopo un paio di ascolti mi son reso conto che il disco e lo stile sembravano indicarmi una direzione precisa, quella che porta agli svedesi Draconian, pensiero che si è rafforzato con i successivi passaggi nello stereo e la quantità di soluzioni che li ricordano, dal modo in cui si interscambiano la voce in clean della dolce e suadente Lana Sokolova e quella in growl robusto e greve di Slava Kuz, al reparto sinfonico melancolico decadente che incide notevolmente sul comparto atmosferico del chitarrista tastierista Dmitry Merva. Incrociando "Betrayal" vi accorgerete di come la proposta sia tutt'altro che moscia o powereggiante, echi dei Paradise Lost e dei My Dying Bride percorrono il disco affiancandosi alla influenza madre e più odierna degli antecedentemente citati Draconian, la melodia la fa da padrone ma il melenso è lontano, molto lontano.

Ovviamente è difficile non percepire in più di un'occasione una sensazione di deja-vù forte, eppure i Symphonian riescono a imprimere un passo personale ai pezzi e con un'esecuzione pulita e a tratti elegante, una produzione che svolge ampiamente il proprio dovere offrendo una più che discreta resa sonora, riuscirete sicuramente ad apprezzare brani quali l'opener "Forbidden (Der Apfel Aus Gold)", "Last Words", "Path Of Soul" e "Depressed (Lithiated)" (bello l'organo che si staglia solenne al suo interno) trovandoli anche più freschi e piacevoli al cospetto della fanghiglia che gira sotto falsa nomea inserita in questo stile, certo è che i riffoni groove che fanno capolino in "Whitered" sono davvero inaspettati, non che ci stiano neanche male a dire il vero, però...

I Symphonian con "Incarnation Of Reality" immettono un bel po' d'ossigeno in una scena che alle volte tende a boccheggiare e andrebbe in molti casi nominata fra quelle "modaiole" e sin troppo "commercialotte" nell'intento.

Se è questo il gothic metal che amate, quello che in parte ha saldamente ancorate in sè le radici del genere, la formazione ucraina potrebbe risultare di vostro interesse, ancor più se aveste amato le prove degli artisti tirati in ballo nel testo, non siamo su quei livelli ma chissà, magari un giorno anche loro potrebbero tirar fuori un album stratosferico? La speranza, si sa, è l'ultima a morire.

Aristocrazia Webzine Nov. 2011

Yet another Ukrainian Gothic Doom band...HEY, DON'T LEAVE!!! Upon a quick first glance, one could easily think that Symphonian is another member of this horde of cliché wannabe bands that even a Twilight fan wouldn’t want to see in his/her favourite movie series. And this would be a big mistake.

Truth is that Symphonian bring nothing new to the table, and it’s perhaps their biggest flaw. Mid-tempo songs with melodic riffs, keyboards in the background, Beauty and the Beast vocals and sorrowful/depressive lyrics...We've all heard that before a million times since the release of ’Theatre Of Tragedy’. Yet, behind this avalanche of clichés actually lies a good album. For Symphonian may be a strictly by-the-book Gothic Doom band, but they are very good at what they do.

Let's take a song like ‘Withered’as the epitome of Symphonian’s art : it's a simple song, awesomely played and composed and dripping with feelings. The guys know how to play their instruments and singer Lana Sokolova is blessed with one of the best voice I heard since Draconian, lighter than the tears of an angel. Like I've said, you've heard that before. But rarely clichés have been so convincingly invested. Each song is finely carved like a Swarowski crystal and never hesitates to venture into some more daring grounds (to dwell a bit longer on ‘Withered’ : the very aggressive guitar parts create a crushing atmosphere you don't entcounter so often these days in Gothic Metal, and even less in Gothic Doom). And to complement that, the production is simply excellent, adding a lot of depth to every track.

Symphonian have not released the best Gothic Doom album of 2011 (ties are still between Ava Inferi's ’Onyx’ and Draconian's ’A Rose For The Apocalypse’), but they have indeed produced the best debut in the genre in 2011 (if not in a long while). They are indeed the best Gothic Doom newcomers I had the pleasure to listen to this year which, considering how much the genre is a small niche, is something akin to a real performance. They just need to develop a oh-so-little thing in term of personality and they could actually become really big. As far as it goes right now, they've just created what is, in my opinion, the best Gothic Doom album ever released by an Ukrainian band. Any fan of well-played Gothic Doom should absolutely support Symphonian.

Doom-metal.com Nov. 2011

Antes de comenzar la reseña, hay cosas que siempre es necesario mencionar según la ocasión lo amerite. Chile es reconocido mundialmente por varias cosas. Por este párrafo sólo me enfocaré en lo positivo y diré que entre esas “varias cosas”, además del vino y los parajes naturales, cargamos con un cartel oscuro: Somos buenos exportadores de Doom Metal; y no es menor considerarlo teniendo a bandas de la talla de Mar de Grises, Poema Arcanvs y Procession.

Probablemente sea la posición geográfica extrema o alguna condición político/climática que afecta la creatividad, pero coincidentemente, mientras más al norte o más al sur del mundo te encuentras, la música tiene sellos más característicos y se hace más representativa de los estados de ánimo que genera el entorno. Chile es particularmente pesimista (y yo también), por lo que no me extraña que tengamos buen Doom Metal.

Volviendo a lo que nos convoca, un año atrás aproximadamente, en este mismo sitio, mi amigo personal Carlos González realizaba una entrevista a Lapsus Dei donde repasaban pasado, presente y posible futuro de la banda, promocionando de alguna manera el EP al que hoy tuve la labor de criticar: In our Sacred Places.

Según la propia banda, este EP conceptualiza la “historia de una mujer agobiada por lo que cree ser, dedicando su vida a tocar música. Luego, tras tener un accidente y caer al hospital, se da cuenta de que su presencia solo era un mundo ajeno con relación a sus virtudes y defectos“. Autoinferida o provocada, la consecuencia es una sola: Muerte. Me es inevitable relacionar este concepto con una de las grandes de la música nacional: Violeta Parra. Quizás la cantante sureña no tenía idea que más adelante unos vecinos de Temuco, hoy más radicados en la capital, estarían haciendo un EP de Doom/Death Metal con un tema que singularmente, quizás, la haría sentir identificada.

In our Sacred Places comienza con un intro de corte atmosférico, con algunos sonidos de conversaciones tipo pasillo, efectos de sonido y, aventurándome a apostar por el sonido, el acompañamiento de una sutil viola que se quiebra bruscamente con el sonido de un cristal roto y una sirena de emergencia. ¿Coincidencias con la portada del disco quizás? es muy probable, y es un gran punto a favor de la banda, ya que es notoria la integración de la gráfica, letras y composición musical en pro del concepto señalado en el párrafo anterior. Si la coincidencia no es tal, mi imaginación creó este escenario del espejo roto y el accidente; y aquello es lo “bonito” de las artes: las interpretaciones. Nunca dejaré de agradecer cuando una agrupación logra plasmar ideas coherentes entre todo lo que quieren comunicar, por lo que ya empezando el EP, Lapsus Dei se gana inmediatamente la intención de seguir escuchándolos.

Posterior a este accidente, viene ‘Bones Dissolved’, el tema de mayor duración del EP, con más de siete minutos (Considerando un promedio de 6:30 minutos entre los cuatro temas del compacto). Esta canción cuenta con los elementos necesarios para no “aburrir” al oyente cuando se trata de temas largos: ir mezclando distintos ritmos y momentos para cada cosa. Bajo esta senda de cambios destaca este tema además por ser quizás la única que integra elementos del Black Metal Melódico (riffs rápidos y agudos más una batería con blast más pausados), junto al estilo que pregona Lapsus Dei, el Doom Death Metal. A diferencia del antecesor LP Beyond the Truth, los cinco años de diferencia no pasaron en vano. Hay un sonido más maduro y un poco más de densidad, cargando la mano intensamente al Doom/Death.

Terminado el segundo track con un monitor cardíaco de fondo más sonidos de ambiente, se confirma ahora que el disco se enmarcará en una expedición introspectiva sobre aquel “accidente” de la mujer en cuestión, lo que no es más que el reflejo de las ideas de Lapsus Dei para este EP en si. Luego del retorno de la viola entre canciones, ‘Eternal Places‘ toma el tercer lugar de la lista, con un Doom Death Melódico correctamente ejecutado entre la guitarra de Rodrigo Poblete, la batería de Danny Cerda y el bajo de Juan José Ulloa.

Sobre este último, hay un detalle importante a destacar, no tan sólo porque en este tema es donde adquiere protagonismo sonoro al escucharse el bajo acompañando un sampler, sino por el tipo de bajo que utiliza. Ulloa en este disco hace sonar un “Fretless“, o un bajo sin trastes, de compleja ejecución técnica pero con el que puede lograrse una gran gama expresiva. Este bajo es como un hijo entre el bajo eléctrico y el contrabajo. No puedo dejar de mencionarlo, ya que está especificado en la información del disco, pero que sin duda al poner oído al material, es posible captarlo. Espero tener la oportunidad de presenciar un evento en vivo para “degustar” este detalle, ya que no es muy usual escuchar este tipo de bajos en el Death Metal.

El cuarto tema, ‘Bio-Lence‘, comienza con un riff “oreja”, pero de aquellos excelentes para el cabeceo y el puño en alto para animar a las bandas, con los cambios de ritmo usuales que ya se daban en las anteriores melodías. Un muy inteligente título para este tema, y bastante adecuado también al concepto general del EP, donde quedan plasmadas las letras de Matías Ibáñez (Quien actualmente ya no es el vocalista de Lapsus Dei, reemplazado por Julio Leiva el 2011). ¿Qué podemos decir de la voz? Un gutural clásico, correcto y sin “esfuerzo” o desgaste al escucharse, pero que quizás pudo haber dado más intención según la temática del EP y lo que en si tiene como característica el Doom Metal: vocalistas capaces de transmitir emociones. De todas maneras, es una buena voz, que si hubiera poseído más “agudos” y “desgarros” me habría trasladado a Andras, el alemán one-man-band de Infestus.

También quisiera mencionar lo agradable que es escuchar temas donde los solos no están forzados ni suenan para demostrar un “Aquí vengo yo“. Merito para Rodrigo Poblete (Guitarra) y sus compañeros por los buenos arreglos en este sentido.

Y para concluir, la quinta parte del EP es un agradable “ralentí“. Esta última corresponde a ‘Reborn‘, pieza que comienza con una agradable ejecución acústica y que por su pausada interpretación y gran melodía, es donde más podemos notar a todos los instrumentos y voz “sacándose el jugo“. En lo personal, se adjudicó mi favoritismo dentro del resto por una cuestión de feeling, y porque se hizo una excelente adaptación del poema “Le Phénix” (Ave Fénix) del poeta francés Paul Éluard. Muy bien pensada despedida, bajando la intensidad del ritmo para finalizar con el outro entre cantos gregorianos y el monitor cardíaco indicando el cese de una vida (el clásico pito extendido que indica que un paciente ya no tiene actividad coronaria).

In our Sacred Places es tan solo un EP, pero es probablemente uno de los pocos discos en los que he podido ver coherencia en lo que significa integrar sonido, imagen y letras. Como antesala a un posible larga duración que está prometido por la banda, creo que el piso está totalmente pavimentado para tener un ascenso y superar lo que se hizo en apenas cuatro canciones. Lo negativo se centra en detalles, pero totalmente corregibles y que no delatan falta de talento. Dentro de esto podemos encontrar un poco de pérdida del sonido del bajo, el cual debería adquirir un poco más de protagonismo considerando el tipo de instrumento que se está usando; y sobre la batería, bajar un poco el sonido de la caja.

Respecto a datos duros, este disco fue producido por Lapsus Dei, distribuido por el sello ruso Endless Winter; grabado en Ecos Records Studio entre Agosto-Septiembre del 2010; mezclado y masterizado en BG Prods. en Septiembre del mismo año; Cover Art e Ilustración por Gastón Lobos; el diseño fue realizado por BG Prods; y la fotografía fue concretada por Otsego, Marco Art, Haszczu para Deviantart.

Respecto al artwork, este EP está contenido en un CD jewel case con un sencillo booklet de cuatro páginas, con la inclusión de letras y datos de producción, junto a un trabajo gráfico que pudo haber mejorado en la impresión respecto a la oscuridad de ciertos detalles, que junto al tono sepia estaban un tanto solarizados, pero que a nivel fotográfico e ilustrativo son coherentes. Como un detalle menor, pero que no deja de ser importante, la tipografía de In our Sacred Places en portada se desmarca completamente del contexto, pues no se ve relación entre el concepto del disco y una tipografía medio-oriental.

En resumen, si bien Lapsus Dei quiere decir “Error de Dios”, este EP fue un Exĭtus Humani, no ofreciendo nada nuevo bajo el sol, pero corroborando y augurando un prometedor nuevo trabajo, el que esperemos, les brinde oportunidades internacionales y los posicione a la par de los estandartes del Doom Nacional. Y que para Lapsus Dei, tal como Éluard lo dijo en su poema, que “todo sea color de aurora“.

Hasta pronto.

Collapse.cl Dec 2011

Lapsus Dei pasó de trabajar a “media máquina” a ocuparse casi de tiempo completo en los quehaceres de la banda. Tras una prolongada pausa discográfica, el grupo originario de la Araucanía publicó el EP conceptual “In our Sacred Places” y anunció la salida de su segundo álbum, que ata los cabos sueltos de la obra ya mencionada. Como si fuese poco, ajustan detalles de una gira por Perú programada para agosto y ordenan sus agendas personales para visitar Ecuador y Argentina antes que finalice el año. Rodrigo Poblete, guitarrista y miembro fundacional, conversó con Ciudad Metal sobre los tópicos abordados en el larga duración que preparan, el tour sudamericano y cómo mudarse a la capital aceleró el ritmo de sus labores.

- La primera semana de agosto realizarán una gira por Lima y otras ciudades peruanas, ¿qué conocen de la escena doom de ese país y cómo se gestó la visita?

Rodrigo: Hola Loreto, primero te saludamos a ti y a todos los que trabajan en esta prestigiosa webzine. Perú tiene una cultura bastante antigua en Doom, más en el traditional doom. Hay bandas buenísimas como Reino Ermitaño, Hijo de la Aurora, también las hay en el doom más extremo como Despondent Chants. El tour Chile/Perú en realidad es el remanente de lo que sería la gira completa (Chile, Ecuador, Perú, Colombia). Por problemas de tiempo y de permisos de trabajo tuvimos que reducirla drásticamente por este semestre, lo más probable tomemos Ecuador o Argentina a fin de año. Tenemos la suerte que en Sudamérica la banda es muy conocida, hasta casi diría que más que en nuestro propio país (síii, ¡¡¡lee lo que estoy diciendo!!!) Y Perú no es la excepción, así que no fue difícil encontrar productores que quisieran tomar la agenda completa, y optamos por Wilmer de Naturaleza Pagana Prods. ¡Serán más de tres semanas muy movidas para todos!

- Este año ha sido de particular actividad para la banda. Después de un receso de cinco años publican un EP y anuncian el segundo larga duración, ¿qué sucedió durante este silencio discográfico?

Rodrigo: La verdad es que la banda nunca ha estado en completo receso, tocábamos unas cuatro veces al año, digamos que media máquina. Lo que si pasó es que tuvimos una especie de evolución musical en la que nos costó encontrar un equilibrio con lo que queríamos hacer, y por ello era como irresponsable para la banda publicar cualquier “garabato de composición”, no había unidad musical total. Y lo otro es que la banda decidió por ABC motivos radicarse en Santiago, lo cual fue la mejor decisión tomada en años, pero tomó tiempo establecerse y compactarse. Ahora estamos componiendo mucha música, más madura, más nuestra además, y lo más probable ya nunca haya un silencio tan prolongado entre trabajo y trabajo.

- ¿En qué etapa se encuentra el segundo disco?

Rodrigo: El disco a nivel conceptual y compositivo está listo, de hecho ya estamos haciendo la preproducción para ver los detalles, arreglos, etc, Estamos grabando el disco completo a modo de “ensayo” para ver estos detalles y corregirlos, ya que lo que deseamos lograr es un trabajo pleno e integral. Volverán en cierto modo los teclados, también cuerdas como violas, voces líricas por aquí, por allá, algo sutil que no opaque la verdadera esencia de nuestro doom, que está un poco apartado del típico doom sentimental y desgarrador, sino más bien entrando en una faceta más dura, poderosa, fría, más brutal. Nuestra meta es grabar en septiembre, dejarlo cien por ciento listo en diciembre y publicarlo en enero/febrero.

- “In our Sacred Places” es un trabajo conceptual, ¿de qué habla y cómo surgió la idea?

Rodrigo: Es una pregunta corta pero con una respuesta larga, así que lean y tengan paciencia. El trabajo de todo el álbum, o sea, música y artwork es conceptual. Se trata de una mujer agobiada por lo que ella cree ser su vida tocando música. Sufre un grave accidente, en el transcurso del disco, mediante temas y puentes entre temas, en el hospital se da cuenta que lo que pensaba era su vida, solo era un mundo ajeno a sus virtudes y defectos. Solo ella sabe el valor real de lo que verdaderamente ha sido su vida, ni dinero, ni sentimientos, ni belleza, ni religión, ni poder, solo su espíritu que vaga con rabia junto a muchos más, entre nuestros hermosos lares a los cuales tanto daño hacemos con nuestros anhelos de poder y magnificencia. Finalmente se libera de la pesada carga que es su propia existencia.

- ¿El EP guarda relación con el nuevo álbum?, ¿de qué manera?

Rodrigo: Así es, totalmente relacionada. A nivel literal (porque las letras están en modo más metafórico que describiendo escenas concretas), como leías en la pregunta anterior, la mujer debe decidir qué hacer con su esencia, su vida y opta por liberar su alma. Dicha alma liberada de su parte física, queda atrapada en un espejo que puedes ver en el artwork de “In our Sacred Places” en el hospital. Pues bien, esta mujer tiene una hija, la cual hereda dicho espejo en su niñez y queda oculto en la casa que habita junto al padre de la niña, pero no es hasta su adolescencia que tiene la oportunidad de conocer su existencia, ahí parte el nuevo disco.

- ¿Alguna recomendación musical para los lectores?

Rodrigo: Uff, muchas pero seré breve. Traten de ubicar la música que compone Tuomas Saukkonen, tiene varios proyectos increíbles como Black Sun Aeon, o lo que está haciendo ahora el vocalista de Emperor Ihsahn y su último disco AFTER donde tiene hasta un Saxo. A otro estilo que no tiene nada que ver, el disco de Emma Shaplin que sacó en 2009 “Macadam Flower” es increíble a nivel compositivo, aunque a nivel vocal no logra superar al “Etterna” del 2002, pero es muy recomendable. Algo más rockero, hace un tiempo encontré una banda buenísima que hace un cover a Björk (“Army of Me”) llamada Klone. A nivel nacional, destaco plenamente lo que ha estado haciendo mi gran compadre y vecino Juan Escobar con Astor Voltaires, un trabajo de primerísima línea, traten de obtener el disco, es una muy buena obra de composición. También hay que mencionar el discazo que sacó Futhan “Sendero del Guerrero”, black metal del sur, ahora tocarán con Immortal. Ojalá lo tomara un sello discográfico para que puedan explotar todo su potencial.

- Las últimas palabras son para ustedes. Gracias por su tiempo.

Rodrigo: Nunca pierdan las fuerzas en apoyar la música chilena, da lo mismo si es rockera, metalera, clásica, etc. Si es buena y te gusta, para adelante, el apoyo debe comenzar por casa siempre! Pueden visitarnos en nuestros principales links sociales: Facebook, Website y Myspace. Un saludo a todos los que leen esta zine y con mayor énfasis a los que ponen su día a día en ella, porque no es fácil hacerlo y no es fácil mantenerse en el tiempo, eso se llama fuerza de voluntad, y me saco el sombrero ante eso.

Ciudad Metal May 2011

“In Our Sacred Places” es el EP 2010 de esta banda chilena que hace un buen tiempo trabaja en la creación musical dentro de las líneas del doom y el death metal. Lapsus Dei acaba de firmar por Endless Winter, sello ruso que editó este potente material muy en la línea death metal melódico, con pasajes en tiempos medios alternados con quiebres de batería y acompañados de una vigorosa voz gutural durante los cuatro temas del disco (seis, más intro y outro).

En cada corte aparece la veta más doom de la banda con alguna melodía en la guitarra. Se me vinieron a la cabeza muchos pasajes de Poema Arcanvs, sobre todo en las guitarras, y se advierte que de allí tomaron más de una influencia. Los temas también cambian a tramos black, como en “Bones Dissolved”. En general, el sonido de la guitarra crea una atmósfera siniestra que logra cautivar, mezclada con cortes algo más técnicos en el track “Bio-lence”. Lo único que se pierde es la base del bajo y la caja de la batería que suena muy aguda.

Un muy buen sonido para este EP. Eso sí, me faltaron más partes densas y arrastradas clásicas del doom/death metal. El tema que más alcanza ese nivel es “Reborn”. En cuanto a la edición debemos decir que Endless nos envió un álbum muy sencillo (librillo-díptico) pero que cumple con las expectativas. Buen arte en la portada y el disco. Éxito muchachos.

Ciudad Metal Feb. 2011

Después de cuatro años, Lapsus Dei nuevamente sorprende a sus seguidores, esta vez con la entrega de su segundo EP titulado In Our Sacred Places, conceptualizando durante treinta minutos la historia de una mujer agobiada por lo que cree ser, dedicando su vida a tocar música. Luego, tras tener un accidente y caer al hospital, se da cuenta de que su presencia solo era un mundo ajeno con relación a sus virtudes y defectos. De esta forma, logra darse cuenta que el valor real de lo que verdaderamente ha sido su existencia (olvidando factores como el dinero, los sentimientos, la belleza, la religión y el poder), es solo su espíritu que vaga con rabia junto a muchos otros. Dándose cuenta que la mejor solución es simplemente dar un paso al costado y liberarse de esta pesada carga que es su propia existencia.

La banda busca expresar sus opiniones en contra de los anhelos de poder y magnificencia, plasmando al idea de que estos sentimientos traen como consecuencia solo hacer daño a las personas y en general al ambiente social.

Los 6 temas que componen In Our Sacred Places son:

I. Intro

II. Bones Dissolved

III. Eternal Places

IV. Bio-lence

V. Reborn

VI. Outro

Este EP fué editado por el sello Ruso dedicado solo al Doom Metal Endless Winter, con quienes la banda ya tendría un contrato, el cual además contempla la producción y distribución de un nuevo LP agendado para el primer semestre del próximo año.

Collapse.cl Oct 2010

Lapsus Dei es una banda oriunda de Temuco que ya poseen más de 10 años en el circuito, contando con varios trabajos ya editados, contando entre estos un LP, dos EP y un par de Demos. En esta entrevista la banda aborda temas como su historia, alguna información de su nuevo trabajo llamado In Our Sacred Places y algunas noticias sobre su unión con el Sello Ruso Endless Winter.

Lapsus Dei ya posee varios años en el cuerpo, comenzando el 1998 bajo el nombre de Nameless, donde alcanzaron a registrar solo dos temas. Si comparamos la banda de esos años con la actual, se ve una evolución al momento de generar movimiento musical y contenido. ¿A qué se debe este cambio de mentalidad? ¿Qué factores existían en los años 90 para generar este cambio radical de actitud?

“Primero que nada, gracias por el espacio, respecto a tu pregunta, creo que el cambio en la banda, la evolución; se debe principalmente al movimiento de integrantes que hubo al interior de la banda hasta principios de este año. Creo que en los 90, el grupo y sus integrantes estaban más influenciados por los mismos conflictos que se vivían en esos tiempos y en esos lugares, es decir, Lapsus Dei se originó en Temuco y existía una fuerte arraigo a la cultura Mapuche, por otro lado, en esos tiempos la credibilidad de la iglesia ya se encontraba decayendo, y Lapsus Dei no fue ajeno a esos procesos. En la actualidad el pensamiento que mueve a la banda se interiorizó, es decir, se volvió una actitud más introspectiva, primero porque creemos que las temáticas religiosas y pro Mapuches ya están siendo suficientemente abordadas por otras bandas en variados estilos, y segundo porque la nueva alineación posee también una mentalidad distinta, más orientada al pensamiento reflexivo personal, nuestra posición frente al mundo y a lo que día a día vivimos. Ojo que esto no quiere decir que hallamos dejado de lado cierto grado de crítica social, que por supuesto abarca desde religión, hasta la relación del hombre con la tierra”.

Si revisamos su evolución de estilo musical entre los años 1998 y 2002, la banda sufre un cambio de alineación dando paso a la interpretación de temas más ligados al Doom Gothic Metal, incorporando flautas y teclado a sus creaciones, y de paso cambiar el nombre de la banda al que actualmente posee. A partir de esto, ¿Cómo se ven reflejados todos estos cambios en las diferentes actividades que realizaron posteriormente?

“La verdad es que este proceso de cambio aún no se ha detenido, ya que luego de ligarse mas al gothic doom, Lapsus finalmente tomó una senda bastante más agresiva, ligándose definitivamente al Doom Death, que es lo que se escucha en Beyond the Truth, nuestro anterior trabajo. En la actualidad existieron, como ya te dije, muchos cambios de integrantes hasta llegar a los que somos hoy, y esto también llevó a que se radicalizara aún más un sonido mas pesado y brutal, rozando ya el death metal pero sin abandonar los campos doomeros que son los que nos mueven, y esto se refleja en que, actualmente, Lapsus Dei no usa teclados, ni flautas ni violines”.

El 2001, tras la incorporación de Cristian Ramírez en Bajo y Rodrigo Navarrete en teclados, nuevamente hay un cambio de actitud musical, regresando a un Doom Death Metal mucho más oscuro, lo que se ve reflejado en su EP “When A Dead Cries For His Soul…” (2003) ¿Qué tan buena fue la aceptación de este trabajo por parte del público?. A partir de este punto ¿Cuáles fueron sus nuevas metas a realizar?, ¿Las han podido volver una realidad?

“Bueno, como te decía antes, en 2005 la alineación de ese tiempo sacó Beyond the Truth, que es un disco mucho más crudo y pesado que los anteriores trabajos, y es precisamente una de las metas que la banda se había propuesto, ya que con esta placa Lapsus Dei salió más allá de las fronteras chilenas, recibiendo muy buenas críticas en los medios especializados extranjeros, además de posicionarla dentro de la escena nacional como una de las mas pesadas bandas Doom Death de esos años”.

Dejando un poco de lado el pasado, y enfocándonos en el presente de la banda: Su último trabajo se titula “In Our Sacred Places”, siendo un EP conceptual que cuenta la historia de una mujer agobiada por sus pensamientos al verse atacada por el mundo. Primero que todo, ¿Qué motivo los mueve para hacer un disco conceptual?, ¿Por qué razón la historia de esta mujer representa sus propios pensamientos a nivel musical?

“La idea de hacer un disco conceptual nació de la inquietud que nos generaba hacer algo innovador dentro de lo posible, y que además tuviese un sentido para nosotros como banda. La historia de esta mujer representa nuestros pensamientos a nivel musical porque somos personas muy ligadas a ella, y a lo que expresamos al hacer música, en este sentido, nuestro pensamiento esta plasmado en cada canción, en cada lírica y en cada acorde que escuches en “In our sacred places”,por medio de la música podemos mostrar como vemos el mundo dentro de una sociedad hipócrita que esconde todo lo “anormal” todo lo que vaya en contra de los estándares de belleza en el sentido amplio del concepto. A través de nuestro sonido mostramos el otro lado del espejo, lo que cada uno esconde para poder funcionar en este mundo enfermizo”.

Respecto de la buena aceptación de su ultimo EP por parte del público, y teniendo en cuenta que con solo tres días de preventa ya tenían encargadas casi cuarenta copias, ¿Por qué creen que existe este gran interés en su nuevo trabajo?, ¿Acaso será un plus extra el hecho que sea un disco conceptual?

“Creo que este interés se genera en el largo silencio que mantuvo la banda a nivel de producciones, ya son 5 años sin haber publicado nada nuevo, lo cual generó bastante expectativa entre los seguidores de Lapsus Dei. Por otro lado genera mucho interés la nueva alineación de la banda, donde han ingresado integrantes bastante jóvenes que han participado o participan de otras bandas con una trayectoria que está empezando a ser conocida. Respecto al tema conceptual, también es un factor a considerar, ya que me parece que la gente esperaba algo más en la línea de nuestra anterior producción, en cambio, vamos a presentar una historia, donde imagen, sonidos y voces hablan todas del mismo tema, esta todo vinculado a través de sonidos bastante más diversos y maduros que en Beyond The Truth”.

Otra noticia importante acerca de “In Our Sacred Places” es que fue editado y está siendo distribuido por el Sello Ruso Endless Winter, llegando no solo a Chile, sino que también a diferentes localidades en el continente Europeo. ¿Cuáles son sus expectativas con esta alianza?

“Ufff! Tenemos hartas expectativas con esta alianza! El hecho de que vaya a existir distribución en Europa es algo que nos da mucho orgullo, y nos abre la posibilidad de ingresar a un público que no nos conoce mucho pero que alguna noción tiene de nosotros. Creo que cualquier banda se sentiría la raja sabiendo que su material va a tener distribución casi mundial. Esperamos que a partir de esto se vayan generando nuevas y mejores oportunidades de difundir nuestra música”.

Enfocándonos en la producción de “In Our Sacred Places”, ¿Cuáles fueron las mayores dificultades que experimentaron en el proceso de grabación del nuevo EP?

“La verdad, no fue un proceso muy complicado, la buena comunicación que existe entre todos los integrantes permitió un proceso de creación y grabación bastante fluido, tal vez lo más complicado fue la creación del concepto que envuelve el disco, en el sentido de darle la forma a la idea básica que manejábamos desde que comenzamos a componer y a grabar las maquetas; solo al finalizar la grabación del disco fue que pudimos definir bien todos los elementos de esta parte que nos parecía tan importante”.

¿Por qué razón deberíamos adquirir su nuevo trabajo?

“Porque está muy bueno! Cuando lo escuchen verán que no habrán malgastado su plata”.

¿Cuáles son sus planes a futuro?

“Luego de este EP, ya estamos enfocándonos en el disco mismo, componiendo nuevos temas para que esté todo listo ojala a mediados de 2011; por otro lado, estamos viendo la posibilidad de girar por Sudamérica también dentro del próximo año, y más adelante tal vez evaluar la salida al viejo continente”.

Agradecemos la disposición que han tenido para responder esta entrevista, pero antes de terminar ¿Algunas palabras para quienes leen con frecuencia Collapse?

“Gracias a todos por el apoyo que han brindado a Lapsus Dei en esta especie de retorno, y esperamos que les guste nuestra actual propuesta. Salud!!!”.

Collapse.cl Nov. 2010

La banda en solitario de Juan Escobar (ex vocalista de Mar de Grises), publicó hace un tiempo su primer álbum titulado "Katan Nagantü". Conversamos con él respecto de su música, el disco, la vida, su trayectoria, la forma particular que posee de crear y las melodías que lo habitan…

Rx: Primero que todo saludarte y agradecerte por concedernos ésta entrevista. Háblanos de “Katan Nagantú”, lo primero que llama la atención al escuchar el disco es justamente la variedad de mixturas musicales que interpretas...

J.E.: Hola gente, primero que todo quiero saludarlos y darle las gracias por su apoyo y darme la oportunidad en este espacio para contar sobre AstorVoltaires.

Bueno, la verdad es que los estilos musicales nunca han sido un tema para mí, creo que cuando hago música porque me nace. No empiezo a componer pensando en que tiene que ser Doom metal o algo más sofisticado o algo heavy, etc., solo trato de convertir mis emociones a notas musicales. En el proceso de crear pasan cosas quizás un poco sobrenaturales, por llamarlo de una forma. “Katan Nagantü” fue creado así.

Rx: ¿A partir de qué instante comienzas a gestar “AstorVoltaires”?

J.E.: Desde que me encontré con muchas grabaciones acumuladas. Bueno, creo que es la necesidad del creador; mostrar, darse a conocer. Algunas de las canciones del disco tienen 5, 6, hasta 8 años. Algunas otras son más recientes… Fui recopilando las que tenían más sentido y desechando muchas otras. Algunas más experimentales y otras ya derechamente sin pies ni cabeza.

Rx: ¿Qué tenías en mente cuando estabas creando este disco? Pasó mucho tiempo desde la producción de tu proyecto anterior “Ad Noctum”.

J.E.: Adnoctum fue el intento fallido de AstorVoltaires. Desde hace muchos años que vengo creando música y grabando en mi computador. Así acumulé más de 30 canciones, entre las cuales estaban las que viven ahora en “Katan Nagantü”.

Para mí este disco fue, como quien dice, “sacarse las ganas” de editar la música que estaba guardada por tanto tiempo, juntando “polvo” o simplemente olvidada. Es una gran oportunidad que no deje pasar.

Rx: ¿Qué piensas de la simpleza de tus letras? Es algo que llama muchísimo la atención. ¿Trabajas de una forma minimalista en ese sentido?

J.E.: Algunas veces sí. Hago las cosas pensando en un resultado. Me gusta mucho el estilo minimalista (también como forma de vida o en otras áreas, no solo musicales). Pero también hay veces que sólo lo hago, sin pensarlo o meditarlo mucho y las acciones me llevan a resultados. A veces buenos y otras veces no. Generalmente solo lo hago y ya... dejar que la creatividad me maneje.

Rx: El arte del disco es muy especial y luminoso. ¿A qué se debe ésto, un sentimiento particular al interior de AstorVoltaires?

J.E.: Bueno, es algo así como la representación de la vida; el árbol representa el vivir y el morir, atravesar por ese camino.

Rx: Por eso viene el título del álbum, ¿no?

J.E.: El título quiere decir atravesando el atardecer o algo similar a eso. Pero es un juego de palabras, o más bien leer entre líneas; “Atravesando la vida”.

Rx: ¿Cuál es tu relación con los medios de difusión y redes sociales? ¿Estás de acuerdo con la liberación de la música?

J.E.: Los medios son muy útiles al momento de querer dar a conocer tu música o lo que hagas. En estos días no puedes darte el lujo de desechar esta manera de promocionar tu arte, ya que son miles de usuarios los que ven y escuchan tu música por las redes sociales. Así también el asunto de la descarga pirata. Hay un porcentaje de usuarios que si baja de primera gratuitamente, después es muy probable que, una parte de estas personas o usuarios, la compren. Así que es un arma de doble filo y bueno, algo ambiguo lo que está sucediendo con las descargas piratas.

Rx: ¿Puedes contarnos cómo fue la grabación del disco y la relación con el sello ruso Endless Winter?

J.E.: El disco se grabó en mi homestudio “SmokersRoom”, y lo hice totalmente solo. Creo que me tomo algo como 3 o 4 meses de grabación y 3 meses más en mezcla y masterización.

La verdad es que la relación con Genne, la persona detrás de Endless winter, ha sido muy buena y fluida. Él tiene una fijación por las bandas chilenas, dice que son la nueva cuna del Doom metal. ¿Será así o no?

Rx: ¿El hecho de tener el estudio de grabación en tu casa te hizo definir un horario para ponerte a escribir o cada vez que te sentías inspirado corrías a grabar?

J.E.: La verdad es que cuando grabé el disco la gran mayoría de las canciones estaban terminadas, con arreglos y todo. Fue muy poco lo que hice cuando grabé el disco completo (en cuanto a arreglos, letras y composición en general). Pero cuando compuse las canciones, claro, a veces me venía la inspiración a mitad de la madrugada o en realidad en cualquier momento. Eso pasa cuando compones, la inspiración cae a veces, no es fluida y tampoco es, necesariamente, genial todas las veces.

Aunque yo me “entrené” para hacerlo sin sentir una gran inspiración, es a veces un poco frustrante no poder componer nada bueno en semanas. Como dice el dicho: “la práctica hace al maestro”.

Rx: ¿Qué puedes contarnos sobre este disco? ¿Es más íntimo, al menos en las letras o en la sensación en la cual fue creado?

J.E.: Claro que sí. Es un disco lleno de historias personales y asuntos muy íntimos, difíciles de describir. Es casi una confesión.

Rx: Sabemos que “Katan Nagantü” fue realizado íntegramente por ti, respecto de las composiciones, música y producción. ¿Quieres hacer presentaciones en vivo? ¿Has reclutado a músicos de sesión para dichas presentaciones?

J.E.: En un momento no fue mi prioridad hacer presentaciones en vivo, ya que es un proyecto netamente de estudio; pero si, ahora con el tiempo me dan ganas de montar en vivo y hacer giras, etc. Como bien saben mis pares músicos, es muy difícil hacer estas cosas, requiere tiempo, ensayo, etc. Y las condiciones no siempre son las mejores…

Recluté músicos de sesión para hacer presentaciones, pero les puedo contar que no serán pronto, ya que quiero tomarme el tiempo necesario para dar un show único y eso requiere tiempo. Los músicos que me acompañarán en vivo son: Bauda (Guitarra), Álvaro (Batería) y Leo (Bajo), de las bandas; Bauda, Desire of Pain y Bitterdusk, respectivamente.

Rx: Respecto de la interpretación de las canciones y los matices que utilizas en los tonos de las voces, tiene como resultado que tu música se potencie, partiendo de la base que el tono desgarrador que utilizas se torna llamativo para el espectador. ¿Cómo definirías tu estilo vocal y musical?

J.E.: El estilo propio de cada músico se va dando durante el camino. Uno lo va descubriendo y amoldando creo. Más que crear uno propio, es descubrir el que llevas dentro, al igual que el musical

El tiempo es un factor importante. Mientras más compongas, más te conoces. Así también con la práctica; mientras más practicas, más conoces tus habilidades musicales.

Rx: ¿Nos puedes contar qué cosas te desilusionan y cuáles te entusiasman del hacer música?

J.E.: No se si sea “adecuadamente correcto” tirar mierda gratis al lector o dar a conocer situaciones de baja categoría, pero te puedo decir, como persona, como músico, que no me gusta el “faranduleo”. Hablar mal de otras personas por la espalda, ni menos desearle mal a otros o tirarles mierda gratis. Al contrario, con mis pares y con las personas que gustan de la música que hago, generalmente he sido una persona abierta, agradecido del que me/nos apoyan/apoyaron.

Cuando estuve en Mar de Grises y tuve la oportunidad de conversar con las personas que iban a nuestros conciertos, fue una muy bonita experiencia; intercambiar ideas, palabras, buenas vibras como se dice… Muy agradecido de eso, del cariño, de la pasión, y no como piensan algunos que “uno ya se cree estrella del rock porque te felicitan”, para nada, al contrario… El que me conoce sabe que soy una persona de bajo perfil y muy centrado en ese aspecto. El que no me conoce puede hablar mierda de mí, solamente porque puede…

Rx: Tienes años participando como músico y productor de muchos proyectos, en su momento llevaste a cabo a “Subtenebras”, fuiste por mucho tiempo el vocalista de la destacada banda nacional “Mar de Grises”. Actualmente participas en la banda de grunge “Delonelyman” como músico y productor, también en el proyecto “The Bitch Boys” cuéntanos sobre aquello…

J.E.: Si, bueno, es a lo que me especialicé. Soy compositor y arreglista de profesión y trabajo no solo en la música rock o metal. Como miembro de sesión participo con las bandas nacionales: Bauda, Perpetuum y Delonelyman. Hay varios proyectos en “Stand by” y otros en los que ya no participo. También he producido varios discos de diferentes artistas y estilos, además del Rock/Metal y sus derivados; Pop, Hip hop, Electro house, Etc.

Mi proyecto principal es ASTORVOLTAIRES, y para que funcione y se puedan hacer cosas mejores, hay que concentrarse en un proyecto a full, más que estar “tirando dedos por todos lados”.

El proyecto más importante en el que trabajé, sin duda, fue Mar de Grises. Del cual guardo recuerdos increíbles. Mucha suerte para ellos en el futuro.

Rx: Retomando tus últimas palabras… Estando en el mejor momento de Mar de Grises, culminando con una gira exitosa en Diciembre de 2010. ¿Por qué decides retirarte de la banda? Háblanos de tu salida.

J.E.: Mi salida de MdG es un tema totalmente personal, mi decisión no está relacionada con un tema de banda. Puede que esté demás decirlo, pero no fue una decisión fácil ni que haya tomado de un momento a otro, pero aun así creo que fue bueno para mí. De todo corazón les deseo lo mejor en el futuro, sé que MdG tiene mucho que decir y entregar… El show debe continuar.

Rockaxis Dec. 2011

Nos encontramos con el material de Juan Escobar, ex voz/teclado en Mar de Grises, en un proyecto solista recientemente editado por el sello ruso Endless Winter. No es el único intento de Juan en solitario, pero sí el primero que trasciende nuestras tierras. Bajo el alias de Astor Voltaires, éste disco muestra una faceta muy íntima y bastante cercana al doom metal en algunos temas. Destaca el gran trabajo de voces que pienso es el fuerte del trabajo, con fraseos melódicos en tonos graves, otros muy rockeros y susurros que hacen de este disco una pieza interesante.

Al tratarse de un proyecto individual existen segmentos que se enriquecen y otros que inevitablemente permanecen en segundo plano. Por ejemplo, en los tramos limpios la batería midi resta intensidad, asunto que no es tan visible en las partes pesadas del álbum. El disco está formado por diez temas que abordan diferentes emociones de amargura y desolación apelando a una receta diferente, una donde el trabajo vocal marca la diferencia alcanzando toques progresivos que recuerdan incluso obras del maestro Pancho Sazo de Congreso, como en el tema homónimo “Katan Nagantü”. Las líricas son en su totalidad en español lo que agrega dificultad al momento de crear un fraseo dinámico en cada track. Los 52 minutos del disco transcurren bastante rápido y se torna entretenido de escuchar.

El álbum tiene muy buen sonido y no se satura con arreglos ni capas de guitarras con diferentes ecualizaciones. Es más bien una mezcla minimalista y no entorpece la interpretación. En cuanto a la edición es de muy buena calidad, aunque algo austera en la presentación constando de un librillo tipo díptico sin líricas y prisionero. Los temas son: Máscara, Tiempo de perder, Crisol, Busco un final, Ansiedad, Katan Nagantü, Escamas de óxido, Fuente, El Momento y Vísperas de dulces melodías cósmicas. Éxito a Juan en este proyecto y es de esperar poder disfrutar de estos temas en vivo pronto. Adiós.

Ciudad Metal Jul. 2011

Juan Escobar, la verdad es que este nombre nos dice mucho a los que estamos más “inmersos” en lo que a música nacional se refiere. Este nombre está detrás de muchas bandas reconocidas en Chile y todo el mundo, tales como Mar de Grises, Lapsus Dei y ahora Astor Voltaires.

Haré algo fuera de lo común, primero les daré mi resumen antes del desarrollo, es que pienso que es necesario dar una introducción a un disco que, si no estás predispuesto a escucharlo puede pasar sin pena ni gloria al baúl de los recuerdos, pero si por el contrario estás con el deseo de escuchar, se transformará en uno de tus discos favoritos.

Juan Escobar ha estado metido en varios proyectos personales, que pese a su calidad han quedado durmiendo o en el olvido. ¿Por qué? supongo que cosas de la vida que jamas sabremos, pero personalmente estoy seguro que Astor Voltaires se viene con todo. Posee una madurez propia de años de carrera musical. Casi diría que inconscientemente el disco es una especie de auto-reflexión. Esta vez nuestro músico en cuestión tiene el respaldo de un buen sello discográfico dedicado 100% al tipo de música que toca Astor Voltaires, por lo tanto tiene un gran respaldo como base, hablamos de Endless-Winter y su C.E.O. Gennady Semikin, quien ha tenido buen ojo en contrataciones chilenas.

Vamos a la parte física del disco, el cual está constituido por un disco CD PRO, más un librillo simple de 4 carillas, jewelcase. El artwork se basa en imágenes de la naturaleza, aire libre y horizontes, todo color madera, lo que va como anillo al dedo al título del álbum, Katan Nagantü, lo cual en nuestro idioma ancestral tiene un significado simbólico, algo así como “atardeciendo” o “atravesando un pasaje del día”. Esto le da un nuevo significado al disco. Es lo que decía antes, una madurez, una reflexión, un desarrollo con un final.

El primer track del disco es ‘Máscara’, un tema que comienza fuerte, poderoso y que podría resumir todo lo que es el álbum, luego lo siguen ‘Tiempo de Perder’ que suena como una continuación del primer tema por lo parecido de la temática musical, con fuertes guitarras, doble bombo y su necesaria inflexión a pasajes más calmos, un buen solo de guitarra a cargo de la imaginación infinita de nuestro músico chileno.

‘Crisol’ es el tercer tema, y en particular el que más me gusta. Imagínense un tema del The Final Cut de Pink Floyd con pasajes psicodélicos sinusoidales y una botella de vino a los pies del sofá, mirando una TV apagada y reflexionando sobre la vida. Quiebres inesperados, acordes tétricos sobresaturados, un tema completísimo y musicalmente de alto nivel, no apto para cualquier oído no entrenado. Pasamos a ‘Busco un Final‘; el cambio es brusco en cuanto al track anterior, pero necesario para cambiar el switch, un tema más pesado y ralentizado. Pasamos a ‘Ansiedad‘ una canción donde los buenos juegos de voces toman el control y nos llevan a dulces imaginaciones personales.

Tenemos un mini-relajo, y viene el tema que da nombre al disco, si, ‘Katan Nagantü‘, agradecemos el hecho que por fin en un disco, la batería no sea algo preponderante, aquí definitivamente lo que se lleva el premio, es la composición en conjunto, y las voces como punta del iceberg, esto me hace desear que las letras hubieran venido en el disco. Pasamos a ‘Escamas de Oxido’, un track relajado, hasta más menos pasado la mitad de la canción donde la mente distorsionada de Juan hace de las suyas y nos lleva a tétricos ambientes. “Toma mi vida antes de preguntar, junta tus manos en redención”, parte de la letra del tema ‘Fuente‘, letras inmersas en mucha metáfora son las que tiene este disco, una de las tantas particularidades. Otra particularidad es la forma que tomó la mezcla del disco, con las voces por fuera en algunos temas, las guitarras por dentro en otros, realmente es necesario escuchar el disco, te da nuevas ideas, una frescura.

Seguimos con el track ‘El Momento’ con más de la misma esencia del álbum, mucha distorsión perfectamente controlada, pasajes vocales majestuosos, acordes fuera de lo común, inmersos en la mente del señor Escobar. Terminamos de escuchar el disco con ‘Vísperas de Dulces Melodías Cósmicas’, definitivamente el disco tiene muchos guiños a diferentes estilos musicales, desde raíces Pink Floydianas, hasta momentos a lo Divididos, “solos” vocales (cosa que no se ve mucho por acá, y se agradece!).

De verdad espero de todo corazón que podamos ver en vivo alguna vez a Astor Voltaires en su completa magnificencia. Compartiendo alguna vez una cerveza en un bar rockero de la capital, Juan me contó que se vienen gratas sorpresas para su proyecto, “pronto será tiempo de ser, y será cuando aprender, necesario entender a Astor Voltaires“.

Collapse.cl Jul. 2012

È possibile definire split "Synthèse Collectif - The Dark Whormholes"? È una delle ultime release della russa Endless Winter, un lavoro mastodontico che in durata supera l'ora e un quarto di musica e che se non fossi stato a conoscenza della componente multipla di band che lo vanno a costituire, avrei pensato fosse un album di funeral doom dalle svariate sfaccettature.

Tre act, uno cileno, gli Aura Hiemis del "prezzemolino" Juan Escobar, il Kvarforth del Sud America dato il numero di act in cui milita, ha militato e ha prestato "servizio", uno ucraino/canadese, gli Ego Depths che ho già recensito in accoppiata con i Dispersive Light con lo split "Follow The Skua" di cui troverete il testo inserito nel database e uno russo, gli Sculptor dotati di spiccate venature deatheggianti.

Il fattore accomunante è di sicuro il passo lento e spesso macerante che le tre formazioni sono capaci di imporre ai propri brani, a rompere il ghiaccio ci pensano gli Aura Hiemis con "Visceral Laments", un colosso di ventisette minuti dalle movenze agonizzanti, disperate in cui la combinazione fra doom funereo e marcia di stampo death innesca una catena di emozioni che dirigono la freccia diritta verso il basso, è decadente, greve e malsano nell'attimo in cui il ringhiare di V. si affaccia sulla scena.

A seguire è la doppietta firmata Ego Depths che vede susseguirsi "Feed My Ravenous Worms" autolesionistica, tombale, dall'aura putrescente capace di appestare l'aria con il suo puzzo di morte, si è scavati da dentro in un crescendo atmosferico massiccio perdurante che le melodie malsane rafforzano, conclusosi solo dopo che il "banchetto" verrà consumato e "...Into The Empty Maw Of Universe" sequenzialmente perfetta nel perseguire quel precipitare in un baratro, in un luogo che pur essendo tutto intorno a sè è semplicemente colmo di nulla, una via dalla quale non si può sfuggire e che le cadenze funeree con il loro irrobustirsi o spegnersi improvviso fanno divenire di grande minacciosità, così si chiude il secondo capitolo di "Synthèse Collectif - The Dark Whormholes".

Terza band, tocca agli Sculptor con "Three Shadows" farsi largo sulla scena ed è un ultimo imponente monolite nero che si estende per ventiquattro minuti ciò che andiamo ad affrontare, è un sipario pronto a celare definitivamente quel minimo di speranza coltivabile annichilendola con fraseggi death/doom, aloni depressivi e dissonanze malefiche.

Sculpto autore della musica, non rinnega il suo recente passato che l'ha visto coinvolto in una formazione black, i Grimnorth, facendo trapelare tale influenza e seppur riesca a mantenere vivo il songwriting puntando sulla varietà, provando in corsa a cambiare le carte in tavola, appare purtroppo abbastanza chiaro che pur avendo molte frecce al proprio arco non riesca a mantenere il pathos oscuro elevato se non in alcuni frangenti, cadendo in deja vù alle volte banali e perdendosi dietro fraseggi ripetitivi, il che non sarebbe un male dato lo stile se fossero però adeguati a creare un ciclo addensante o psichedelicamente disturbante, nessuna delle due qualità appartiene a questi, ci sono quindi un paio di cosucce da sistemare chiudendo comunque dignitosamente il platter.

"Synthèse Collectif - The Dark Whormholes" non è semplice da assimilare, se non siete amanti del genere la vedo addirittura dura, ha bisogno di più ascolti per cogliere le sfumature che differenziano le realtà messesi in gioco, chi le conoscesse già potrebbe ponderarne l'acquisto mentre coloro che le incrociassero per la prima volta potrebbero pensare o meno d'approfondire il discorso, in entrambi i casi un paio di "on air" a questo disco concedeteli.

Aristocrazia Webzine Dec. 2011

Russian label Endless Winter aim to support and distribute work at the extreme, underground and non-mainstream ends of the doom spectrum. The Synthèse Collectif three-way split is a part of that mission, allowing three different projects approximately equal playing time in which to demonstrate their potential. It should be stressed that this is not, however, a demo release: all the projects concerned have previously produced full-length albums in their own right. Expectations, therefore, should be set somewhat higher than might otherwise be the case.

The projects represent a diverse spread, geographically. Aura Hiemis is the work of Chilean multi-instrumentalist Herumor V, previously of Mar de Grises and now joined by Blasphemo Da Morte on guitar and Matias Ibanes on guest vocals. Ego Depths is an alias for Ukrainian solo artist Stigmatheist, who also records as Blutenstrasse and has worked with Slaughter Brute. Finally, Sculptor is a solo project for Sculpto, from Russia. The three are connected by offering works here intended to fit under the label of Extreme/Funeral Doom.

Aura Hiemis open proceedings with the 27-minute 'Visceral Laments'. An omnipresent, programmed drum marks stately and measured time throughout most of the piece, occasionally fading away during bridges and once exploding into a swift flurry of beats. Brief, sporadic snatches of keyboards swirl into background ambience but, really, this track is all about guitars and vocals. The former are mixed high, clear and distinct, laying down long, slow knifing riffs that trail constant distortion in their wake. The latter are primarily a deep, resonant, angry growl playing off against a selection of other voices, most effectively used in clean, sonorous form during the opening passage. Overall, it is a brutal, heavy, oppressive slab of music interspersed with lighter bridging pieces that contains enough progression to maintain interest despite the extreme length: stylistically, somewhat reminiscent of Mournful Congregation.

From Ego Depths comes two tracks of 15 and 12 minutes duration respectively. 'Feed My Ravenous Worms' starts off cold and echoing, almost prog-rock in approach, then expands into raw, drawn-out growls against a background wall of distortion and layered melody notes. '...Into The Empty Maw Of Universe' continues in that vein, introducing some hoarsely tortured whispers and a central section of jagged riffing. The content of both songs is thin, though, and dragged out for too long. It sounds like an attempt to pitch somewhere between Esoteric and The Nulll Collective, but falls a long way short of either.

Sculptor closes the album with 'The Three Shadows', clocking in at 24 minutes. Sharp-edged and melodic, employing more instrumental variety than the previous tracks, the drums, keyboard and bass occupy a greater proportion of the soundscape. So, too, do tempo changes: from a medium-slow start, followed by a semi-acoustic spoken section, the pace then reaches quite frantic Black Metal-style levels during the second half of the track. Musically – although not vocally, as these are largely growls – somewhere near Forgotten Tomb territory and surprisingly listenable, if not completely original.

The CD itself is neatly packaged and well-produced, and certainly offers value for money, even leaving out the largely-disposable (after the first 5 minutes or so) Ego Depths. As a representative sample to kindle interest in the participating bands, it succeeds on two out of three counts. Definitely worth a listen, if you have leanings towards the underground extreme, and quite possibly worth further investigation afterwards.

Doom-metal.com Nov. 2011

Le Chili dispose aisément de la scène Doom la plus vivace d'Amérique du Sud, et Lapsus Dei est l'un des ses plus anciens activistes avec ses douze ans d'existence. Toutefois, un tel âge n'a pas mis le groupe à l'écart des aléas de la vie musicale, et c'est suite à un split qui l'a éloigné du milieu pendant 5 ans que Lapsus Dei revient aujourd'hui avec ce nouvel EP dans un style qu'ils qualifient de Brutal Doom Metal. Moi qui m'attendait à quelque chose de lourd, malsain et punitif à la Moss ou Coffins, je me suis donc retrouvé à écouter un disque qui occille entre le Brutal Death old school ('Bones Dissolved' et ses accents à la early Runemagick et Dissection mélangés), le Doom/Death ('Eternal Places') et un mélange réussi entre les deux sur la même chanson ('Bio-lence'). Comme si la schizophrénie musicale ne suffisait pas, il faut aussi qu'elle apparaisse dans les thèmes abordés, le groupe se réclamant aussi bien des poètes romantiques français du 19ème siècle ('Reborn' est une adaptation d'un poème de Paul Eluard) que d'un classique athéisme Byronnien renvoyant dos à dos Dieu (peu étonnant compte tenu du fort soutien que l'église catholique donna à la dictature d'Augusto pinochet, et de l'influence énorme qu'elle continue d'avoir dans la vie du pays) et Satan (déjà plus original). On a donc un EP qui présente deux facettes du groupe, et comme pour le premier album de The Extinct Dreams, on ne peut pas s'empêcher de penser qu'il serait peut-être plus judicieux de présenter deux groupes différents (un pour chaque style) que d'essayer obligatoirement de vouloir mixer les deux au sein du même. En tout état de cause, j'ai quand même apprécié l'écoute de ce 'In Our Sacred Places' (j'avoue avoir un faible pour tout groupe reprenant du Bolt Thrower en concert) malgré ma déception de ne pas retrouver le très bon Gothic Doom/Death de leur album 'Beyond The Truth' de 2005...Lapsus Dei a les qualités nécessaires pour trôner aux côtés de Mar De Grises et Poema Arcanus, si seulement ils voulaient bien accepter d'être plus Doom que Death dans leur musique, comme ils le sont déjà dans leur inspiration. Un groupe à soutneir, en espérant que leur retour soit de longue durée.

Bells of Armageddon Dec. 2010

Chile shows to be the next big sensation for new extreme doom metal bands. Lapsus Dei alongside with with Poema Arcanus and Mar De Grises with their new full-lenght album 'In Our Sacred Place' shift from the gothic doom metal of the previous 'Beyond The Truth' to a more heavily death metal influenced combo (not a real surprise since Bolt Thrower have always been a source of inspiration).

The songs are very well structured and played and here you can find a lot more dynamism that helps the flow of the songs and also some good ol' headbanging. Being the second effort by Lapsus Dei, 'In Our Sacred Place' shows a huge improvement in songwriting, abandoning the over abused My Dyng Bride style to a more personal adaptation of what death/doom metal should be (actually what it was, go and take a listening to the first albums by Paradise Lost and MDB...). The result are four songs (plus intro and outro) for about 30 minutes of raw, maybe old school, but incredibly catching death (influenced) doom metal in its purest form with lyrics dealing with early 19th century Romanticism poetry.

My only complaint is for the (short) lenght of the album, but all in all this has been a good hit, let's hope something more for the future.

Obscura Webzine Dec. 2010

I Lapsus Dei sono una delle tante band che popolano il panorama doom cileno, sono melodici e accattivanti pur mantenendo un mood greve ed esasperato da sensazioni negative che si collegano al concept su cui l'album è imperniato.

Gira tutto attorno alla storia di una donna che basa la propria vita sulla futilità dell'avere, del potere e del qualunquismo sentimentale che riduce l'essenza di una persona a una gara che di frequente non vale la pena affrontare se non col rischio di sentirsi frustrati e derubati di ciò che è realmente un'esistenza, fatta di cose semplici e alla portata di mano mai volute vedere.

La formazione prova a farci ragionare indicando la via della grandezza e delle lotte per la conquista di una predominanza sull'altro come un danno sociale e non relegabile a un solo individuo, pensateci bene, una decisione non incide mai su una sola figura ma sempre su contesti di portata maggiore.

I ventotto minuti di "In Our Sacred Places", nel modo più conosciuto e per certi versi aggrazziato, ci fanno intraprendere un percorso lastricato di tonalità scure, melodie pregne di tristezza chiamando in soccorso anche la letteratura, "Reborn" è infatti concettualmente ispirata da "Ave Fenix", un poema di Paul Eluard.

Non ci sono bellezza o credo che tengano quando il mondo cade a pezzi, è questo che la donna, finita in ospedale, sarà costretta dalle circostanze a combattere per decidere se vivere o annullarsi sino a spezzare la propria vita prima del tempo.

Delicate e sognanti come gli Opeth e melancoliche alla My Dying Bride, le tracce di "In Our Sacred Places" cullano l'ascoltatore fra la voglia di rinascere e l'oblio che a un passo si pone.

"Bones Dissolved" è lo scontro che porta alla tappa iniziale del viaggio, "Eternal Places" il luogo della dimenticanza dove le riflessioni della protagonista si dividono fra incubo e sogno, "Bio-lence" la lotta interna contro se stessa e ciò che circonda la falsa esistenza creatasi arrivando alla già nominata "Reborn", attimo in cui la scelta vien fatta, questi pezzi disegnano un tracciato in cui è facile perdersi e rimanere incastrati in una dimensione da cui uscire diviene complesso se non liberandosi delle spoglie umane.

La musica riflette il continuo regredire/progredire del dualismo accentuando e attenuando la visione con spruzzate tendenti al death/doom più classico e massiccio o puntando sull'atmosfera ingannevolmente languida.

Pregevolmente prodotto ed eseguito, "In Our Sacred Places" è una prova matura, la conferma che si attendeva dopo un debutto, "Beyond The Truth", che possedeva già le carte in regola per farsi apprezzare dagli appassionati del genere.

Se conosceste quindi il primo atto importante dei Lapsus Dei accaparratevi assolutamente questa mini prestazione, in caso non vi foste ancora avvicinati alla scena sudamericana e vi capitasse fra le mani questo lavoro, godetevelo, è davvero ben fatto.

Aristocrazia Webzine Dec. 2010

Chile can easily boast about the most active Doom scene of South America, and Lapsus Dei is one of its oldest activists with its twelve year history. However, its age didn’t preserve the band from the hazards of musical life, and this new Ep comes after a split that has put Lapsus Dei aside during 5 years.

They call their style ‘Brutal Doom Metal'; that let me expect something heavy, grim and punitive like Moss and Coffins, in fact, this is more like an album the temperature of which varies between old school Brutal Death ('Dissolved Bones' and its accents a la early Runemagick mixed with Dissection elements), Doom/Death ('Eternal Places') and a successful blend of both influences on the same song ('Bio-lence').

As if musical schizophrenia wasn’t enough, it also stamps the themes the band plays with: they quote both 19th century French Romantic poets ('Reborn' is an adaptation of a poem by Paul Eluard) as well as a more ‘classical’ Byronian atheism referring to God (hardly surprising given the strong support that the Catholic church brought to Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, and the enormous influence it still has on the life in the country) and Satan (a bit more original). You therefore have an EP that features two sides of the band, and like the first album by The Extinct Dreams, one can’t help thinking that it might have been more accurate to set up two different bands (one for each style) than to try to mix the two under the same moniker and in the same album.

In any case, I still enjoyed listening to this 'In Our Sacred Places' (I admit to being partial to any band covering Bolt Thrower live) despite my disappointment at not finding the great Gothic Doom/Death from their debut album 'Beyond The Truth' in 2005 ... Lapsus Dei have the qualities needed to be enthroned next to Mar De Grises and Poema Arcanus, as they already are as for their inspiration. A band to support, hoping that they are now back for good.

Doom-metal.com Dec. 2010

Gracias a Forense por su gran dedicación y pasión por la música para que The Void and the Noise transcienda, y también a Juan Escobar por abrirse a nosotros. Muchas gracias!

"La segunda entrevista en The Void and The noise, es a un gran músico, a Juan Escobar (Mar De Grises) , que en el 2010 edito un trabajo bajo el nombre de AstorVoltaires, un disco muy variado titulado “Katan Nagantu” cargado de elementos del doom, de la música clásica, de la electrónica, del rock. Este talentoso músico chileno, en cada grupo en el que esta, dota a la música de algo especial y único.

Antes de nada muchísimas gracias por concederme esta oportunidad de hacerte esta entrevista, tu disco “Katan Nagantu” engancha, con las voces en castellano y esa base rítmica doom; bueno comencemos con las preguntas:

1. Nos puedes decir un poco sobre tus comienzos en la música

J: Fue hace mucho tiempo, cuando tenia alrededor de 6 años aprendí a tocar flauta y después a los 7 u 8 años, empecé tocando guitarra en el colegio (primaria)

2. ¿ Principalmente eres conocido por tu labor a los teclados y en aspecto vocal, es difícil compaginar ambas labores cuando tocas en directo?

J: Claro, es difícil, pero no imposible. Es algo así como “automático”. Cosa de práctica

3. El año pasado vio la luz tu disco de AstorVoltaires, en el cual tú tocas todos los instrumentos, y lo haces muy bien; como fue el proceso compositivo de dicho disco?

J: Gracias. El proceso fue con muchísima calma, algo así como un par de años para componer todo, algunas canciones son más antiguas, casi 8 años a lo mejor, pero arregladas para este disco

4. No es muy común el uso del castellano en el metal extremo y en el doom menos, pero en Astorvoltaires y Defectoscura lo haces de manera sublime, ¿crees que de cara al oyente de este estilo le resulta en primera instancia chocante?

J: No lo creo, para nada. Al contrario. Encuentro q la sonoridad es mas romántica que el ingles, me pasa algo similar con el finlandés

5. El disco de AstorVoltaires se llama “Katan Nagantu” ¿Qué significado tiene? La portada del disco parece como un reflejo del paso de las estaciones y el tiempo ¿Cuál es el mensaje que se esconde tras esa portada y tras las letras?

J: El significado es algo así como “atravesando el atardecer”, o algo muy similar a eso. Es una metáfora con alusión a la vida, como “vivir la vida”, contar lo que a sucedido en la vida. Las letras son directamente contar situaciones en la vida que me han sucedido. Algunas mas directas que otras, pero es casi un reflejo de mi experiencia, así mismo el Artwork (Geert Van Mook), algo así como: Niñez, Juventud, Presente…

6. Al tocar tu todos los instrumentos, ¿será difícil que algún día presentes a AstorVoltaires delante de un público con otros músicos?,

J: Eso es un hecho. AstorVoltaires tiene músicos de sesión en este momento y estamos preparando futuras presentaciones, cuando tenga novedades al respecto serán oportunamente publicadas.

7. Seguirás adelante con AstorVoltaires, o lo tomas como un proyecto para dejar fluir tu capacidad compositiva.

J: Al principio a lo mejor fue eso, pero ahora es mas serio, es algo que necesito hacer

8. Dentro de “Katan Nagantu”; hay multitud de influencias y estilos, doom, progressive rock, incluso electrónico y música clásica, haciendo un sonido muy especial, como describirías tu música

J: Para mi la música que hago solamente fluye, casi nunca pienso en hacer; Doom, metal, rock, electro, clásico, etc. A veces solo me siento y hago lo que siento. Claro, las influencias están, porque son parte de la vida. Aunque de todas maneras siento que AstorV tiene su sello propio, o por lo menos va para un lado, aunque no me gustaría encerrarme en un estilo solamente. La música es demasiado amplia para hacer eso, pienso personalmente

9. Ni que decir tiene que te considero un maestro del teclado, incluso denoto cierta cercanía a compositores de la música clásica; tienes estudios de ese instrumento, o eres una persona autodidacta.

J: Gracias nuevamente. A decir verdad no soy un “maestro” pero si tengo estudios varios. De profesión soy Compositor y especialista en arreglos, estudie postitulo de composición clásica, estudié piano por 5 años y guitarra por muchos años más, desde muy joven, entre varias cosas mas

10. Algunos te consideramos como el Dan Ruano de Chile, por la cantidad de proyectos en los que estas o has estado, tales como Lapsus Dei, Mar de Grises, Aura Hiemis, Delonelyman, BitchBoys, Defectoscura, Fosa Comvn, Golem,Aseidad, Guest in Bauda, Zohak, Subtenebras (Chl), Nibdem ) ; mucha variedad en dichas bandas, con cuales de ellas te sientes más cercanas y en cual de ellas sigues tocando.

J: Jajaja en realidad es una comparación que no tiene sentido. No me considero un Dan Swano Chileno, para nada, solo un Juan E. En los proyectos que sigo activamente son: Mar de Grises, AstorVoltaires, Delonelyman y Bauda. Los demás están “temporalmente fuera de servicio” o simplemente no siguen activos.

11. Personalmente el disco de Defectoscura fue mi descubrimiento hace ya dos años, ¿este proyecto sigue adelante?

J: Hay intenciones de seguir con ese proyecto, de hecho tenemos un nuevo disco grabado, pero es poco el tiempo que nos queda para trabajar como banda lamentablemente. Aun así nos seguimos juntando y tenemos, aparte de este disco nuevo terminado y grabado, nuevas composiciones

12. Como han sido estos años que llevas en Mar de Grises.

J: Han sido lleno de experiencias buenas y gratificantes. Se convirtieron en parte de mi familia y hemos vivido cosas increíbles juntos.

13. Bueno esto es todo; si quieres añadir algo más; Y ante todo mostrar toda mi gratitud hacia tu persona y hacia tu labor como música, y gracias por hacernos sentir esas emociones a través de tu música en cada uno de los grupos en los que estas. Aguante Juan Escobar.

J: Yo también muestro mi gratitud hacia ti por el apoyo que me/nos has dado desde años atrás y a cada una de las personas que me/nos apoyan. Un gran saludo para Islas Canarias y España, con mucho cariño y respeto J.

The void and the noise blogspot

Juana Escobara mnozí znají jako přední personu čím dál úspěšnějších MAR DE GRISES. Juan je však chlapík nadmíru pracovitý, aktivně se podílí i na dalších projektech a zrovna na jeden z nich se nyní společně podíváme. Jmenuje se ASTORVOLTAIRES a pod jeho visačkou uzřelo světlo světa debutové CD s názvem „Katan Nagantü“. Nebylo proto od věci uspořádat rozhovor na trase Česko-Chile. Juan je skutečně hodně sympatický chlapík…

Ahoj Juane! Jak se ti momentálně daří? Poskytuješ v současné době hodně rozhovorů?

Ahoj Aleši! Teď příliš ne, tohle je ve skutečnosti ten úplně první!

Je pro tebe fascinující poskytovat rozhovory pro média z úplně druhé strany zeměkoule? Předpokládal jsi někdy, že o tvou hudbu bude třeba v Evropě takový zájem?

No je to opravdu velmi zvláštní. Lidé z Chile z velké většiny mou hudbu neznají a neznají ani mé jméno. Ovšem v Evropě je tomu rozhodně jinak a určitě bych si dovolil tvrdit, že ASTORVOLTAIRES jsou mnohem oblíbenější u vás, než tady v Chile.

Velice mě překvapilo, že máš kromě kapely MAR DE GRISES ještě další projekt vysokých hudebních kvalit! Kde bereš onen potřebný čas? Zbývá ti ještě na nějaké jiné k aktivity?

Díky chlape! Ano, jsem skutečně hodně zaneprázdněný muž. Pracuju, studuju, dělám hudbu a ještě se snažím nezanedbávat svůj osobní život. Jinak v současné době pracuji jako učitel hudby a zároveň se snažím dokončit svůj studijní titul. Kromě MAR DE GRISES a ASTORVOLTAIRES pak mám ještě další hudební projekty a v některých dalších se objevuju jen tak napůl úvazku. Jedná se o tyto záležitosti: BAUDA, BITCH BOYS, DEFECTOSCURA, FOSACOMYN, DELONELYMAN, NIBDEM. No a pak mám samozřejmě kamarády, se kterými zaskočím rád na pivo, poslechnout si nějakou dobrou hudbu.

V nedávné době vyšla první deska tvého projektu ASTORVOLTAIRES, která je skutečně hodně povedená (alespoň tedy mě se moc líbí). Kde hledat příčiny a kořeny jeho vzniku?

Jsem muzikant v podstatě od samého dětství. Celých třiadvacet let. V podstatě celé dětství jsem byl obklopen různými hudebními nástroji a také samotnou hudbou. Když pak člověk od patnácti let začne skládat svou vlastní hudbu, je přirozené, že je hladový po seberealizaci, je zkrátka hodně motivovaný. Je tedy úplně přirozené, že jsem se vydal i touto cestou.

Má album „Katan Nagantü“ nějaký ucelený koncept? Některé skladby jsou skutečně hodně smutné a depresivní…Bylo tvým cílem přenést tyto nálady také na posluchače?

Ano, deska má svůj vlastní koncept! Zabývá se zrozením života, růstem a následně umíráním. Je to taková metafora, která tak trochu reprezentuje můj život. Není to nic složitého na pochopení. Obecně však nikdy dopředu neplánuju, opírám se vždy o své prožitky, což se posléze projeví v hudbě i textech. Špatná nálada, smutek a všechno okolo, to je zkrátka součást života. Všechny skladby na „Katan Nagantü“ patří k součásti mého života, celkově jde v podstatě o mojí autobiografii. Někdy mě však dokáže překvapit, když ostatní lidé objeví v mých písních svůj vlastní význam.

Nahrál jsi na album všechny nástroje anebo jsi využil pomoci některých svých kolegů?

„Katan Nagntü“ jsem nahrál skutečně celé sám. Mám však připravený nějaký nový materiál pro další album a pracuji na něm s opravdu dobrými hudebníky.

V ATORVOLTAIRES využíváš španělské lyriky, což je skutečně hodně pikantní – alespoň pro mě jako Středoevropana). Nicméně ve tvé hudbě zní Španělština skutečně svěže a osobitě, jedná se o tvůj mateřský jazyk? Vidíš, já měl pocit, že se v Chile hovoří spíše portugalsky…

Španělština je můj mateřský jazyk, stejně tomu je i u většiny jihoamerických národů. Pouze Brazilci hovoří portugalsky. Jinak je možné, že některý další materiál bude v angličtině. Možnosti jsou v tomto ohledu různé.

I když tvým textům pochopitelně nerozumím, připadají mi jako zhudebněné básně! Máš obecně rád poezii?

Ano, samozřejmě! Poezii mám skutečně hodně rád. Chile má velmi slavnou básnickou minulost, pro zdejší poezii je příznačná především pocitovost. Ti umělci měli skutečné nadání. Zapátrejte po nich!

Co je tvou největší inspirací? Čerpáš výhradně ze svých životních zážitků, využíváš i další prostředky jako např. literaturu, filmy…atd.

Většina mé inspirace pochází z životních zkušeností za přispění různých metafor. Víš, někdy prostě vezmu tužku a píšu a jde to samo. Prostě píšu, aniž bych u toho přestal přemýšlet. Právě teď však píšu nový materiál o životě ve starověkém Salpetru.

Máš rád kapely, které do své tvorby zakomponovávají prvky typické pro zemi, ze které pocházejí? Přiznávám se, že třeba pro mě je velice vzrušující poslouchat tvou hudbu, ve které jsou zřetelně cítit vlivy jihoamerické kultury…

Mám rád různé žánry a nemusí se výhradně jednat jen o metal či rock. Má rád třeba hudbu B. Bartóka, jenž do své hudby začleňuje folkovou hudbu. Dalším příkladem jsou TENHI z Finska, využívající rovněž svého mateřské jazyka pro potřeby poezie. Opravdu unikátní! Jinak můj přímý vliv na propojení hudby a zdejší kultury spočívá asi nejvíc ve způsobu života. Snažím se proto smíchat kouzlo alba s tzv. „Mapudungun“, což je mateřský jazyk domorodých lidí z Chile.

Budeš s ASTORVOLTAIRES hrát i živá vystoupení?

Na úplném začátku nebyly koncerty mojí prioritou z mnoha různých důvodů. V současné době se však situace změnila, dávám dohromady sestavu pro živé hraní, ale všechno jde skutečně hodně pomalu…

Desku vydal ruský label Endless Winter, což je pro mě osobně docela překvapení. Proč ses rozhodl právě pro něj?

No, něco k tomu povědět určitě mohu. V jednoduchosti jsem hledal vhodný label pro své sólové aktivity a posléze jsem narazil na Genneho, majitele firmy Endless Winter. Poznal jsem ho jako velice seriózního člověka, který je dost v pohodě. Společně jsme se pak dohodli na vzájemné spolupráci, která by se však neměla týkat pouze ASTORVOLTAIRES.

Jak bohatá je metalová hudební scéna v Chile? Je po obdobné hudbě u vás poptávka ze strany mladých posluchačů? Přiznávám se, že já osobně mám Chile spojeno především s fotbalem…

Tahle otázka je velmi zajímavá, ale není úplně jednoduché na ni odpovědět. Většina lidí z Chile však nejčastěji vyrostla na thrash metalu osmdesátých let, ovšem v současné době je už všechno jinak. Většina kapel rozličných žánrů vydává desky samostatně, nebo pod vlastním labelem. Ostatní pak vydávají u lokálních vydavatelství. Kapel je tu teď skutečně hodně a já se domnívám, že na tenhle počet není naše kultura vůbec připravena.

V nedávné době jsi navštívil Českou republiku s tvou kapelou MAR DE GRISES, a to po boku SÓLSTAFIR a SWALLOW THE SUN. Jak se ti tady líbilo, a jak bys samotné vystoupení zhodnotil?

WOW!!! Byla to neuvěřitelná show, opravdu jsem si to vychutnával (především ten delikatesní zvuk, který jsme tam měli!). Jinak lidé od vás byli velmi milí, nemluvě o krásných ženách:). Jinak náš playlist byl proto toto turné zaměřen na všechna naše dosavadní alba, a tak jsme nehráli pouze z toho nového. Ne všichni posluchači nás znali, a tak jsme se rozhodli, že jim v podstatě ukážeme, kterak se naše hudba postupně vyvíjela. Celkově to byla taková jedna velká duha zvuků a emocí.

Jaké máš s ASTORVOLTAIRES další plány? Máš už představu, jak by mohlo vypadat tvé další album?

Určitě nahrát nové album, které by mělo být hodové do konce tohoto roku. Když to půjde, udělat pár koncertů. Jinak stále píšu nové, tak uvidíme, co z toho nakonec bude…

Skvělé! Měj se moc krásně, nechť ti všechno skvěle vychází! Posílám srdečný pozdrav do Chile!

Aleši, velice ti děkuji! Zdravím z Chile!

R.U.M. zine

Chile keeps keeps on giving us new talent in the doom metal genre that is simply astonishing. Astorvoltaires by Juan Escobar (also in Lapsus Dei, Mar de Grises) is the new one man project developed to offer a very melodic variation upon the classic doom metal genre. Aleks Evdokimov put together this interview with Juan.

Q: Salute Juan! True to say I was thinking about interviewing with you right after receiving for review the debut album of your project AstorVoltaires but then we did the interview with Alejandro Arce who played with you in Mar de Grises and I decided to take a break from that idea. But here we go! I would like to ask you to introduce yourself to our readers, for those who maybe do not know about your merits into dark scene.

-Hi Aleks and everybody who is reading this. I`m Juan from Chilean band ASTORVOLTAIRES.

Q: You’re more than modest! Therefore I have to ask you to tell us what is your main musical project in this period? Because I know it well – you practice your skills not only in AstorVoltaires.

-Well, recently I left Mar de Grises, and now I’m working with my own project ASTORVOLTAIRES and a Folk-avantgarde band call BAUDA (both from Chile).

Q: I’m sure that you’re waiting for this question and here we go! Why did you leave Mar de Grises? You had another European tour with the band last December, you achieved more than many death doom bands can dream about! What is a reason Juan?!

-Ok, isn`t just “a” reason for that, but let me say was a very difficult decision. Some of them very personal and another more simple, like: I just needed a change.

Q: Don’t you ever feel that you have nothing more to say in some certain genre? Maybe this could be a reason…

-Music genre? No, indeed I don’t like “labels”, of course sometimes is necessary, but isn’t a topic for me. Music is from our hearts, minds, souls… and that is unlabeled.

Q: What is Bauda? There’s not too much information about it but it looks like interesting project.

-Bauda is “the” project of Cesar Marques, is like a Folk-Avantgarde music. He sign with Chinese label PEST PRODUCTIONS and release his third album with them called “Oniirica”. Also he was part of a compilation from PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS "Whom The Moon A Nightsong Sings", with the biggest band from genre; Tenhi, Ulver, Empyrium, Les Discrets among others.

Q: What is your occupation in Bauda? Are you an active member or just session musician?

­I play Keys like session musician and working on the keyboard arrangements for the next album.

Q: How did you come to the realization that you needed to create AstorVoltaires? You played in one of the most famous South American death-doom bands, you took part in few other projects including Aura Hiemis, wasn't you satisfied your hunger of expression through the music?

-Like musician I always have energy to create music, since I have 10 years old or something. So I start my first band project like 15 years ago. Is not like “I didn’t satisfied”, it just like “I wanna do it”. Not necessary metal music. I had been part of some B-sides projects like electro-pop-house and stuff. I compose classic and neo classic music too. Music is to big just for play only metal music or just one band, I think.

Q: Juan, sorry for stupid questions (I checked one or two on-line translator) but what does AstorVoltaires mean?

-No stupid questions my friend, stupid are people who don’t ask… Astor Voltaires is just a name.

Q: You announced names of session members of AstorVoltaires – does it mean that you’ve decided to transform this project into a real band and you’re going to play gigs and etc.?

-Yes it is. I (we) will play LIVE sometime, but anyway isn`t a target for me, but will be great play LIVE and make some gigs. Couldn’t advance anything in detail right now, but there are some good ideas and project which will be live presentation.

Q: When a musician starts some project or band he always has some certain musical influences and ideas which he would like to impress in his songs. Your lyrics are in Spanish, your music is strange mix of doom and some progressive rock, I guess that we can’t name your music with some simple label… AstorVoltaires is a kind of mystery for me and for a part of listeners, Juan, you must reveal your secrets!

-OK well, is a kind of innocence feelings, lucky and a vast knowledge of musical genres. I just search my feelings, experiencing, emotionality and put this together. I think isn`t like a secret, just been truly with your own and the rest of the world. Almost when i wanna create my music, the target is make the most fantastic and depress music ever (in my case), so it is work. I don’t think about labels or what people will think about it, just wanna shake your hearts and blows some minds.

Q: How long did you spend recording “Katan Nagantu”?

-Recording like 2 months and mixing and mastering like 2 months more.

Q: Believe me, it’s necessary! I would like to ask you to comment on the songs from “Katan Nagantu” because not all of us know Spanish and Google doesn’t help very well in such situations.

-OK, this will be long:

1.- Máscara means “Mask” and talk about how much you hide from your real “Mask” or face to the people you love, and how your death can change people, revealing the truth. This composition was made under 3 ideas: Piano idea, riff 1 idea and the final section idea, riff too.

2.- Tiempo de perder means “Time to loose” and talk about loose your faith… from people, religious, moral, the world, etc. everyone are fuckin nuts !!!. This song is very simple (talking about the structure) just 3 chords and high vocal choir

3.- Crisol is a glass that is used to melt metals. Well this is very personal lyric. Sometime in my life I felt like a “thing” who is used to “melt the past” from a girl of course. Is a “unloved song”. This composition was made under 2 ideas: Slow and deep

4.- Busco un final is like a “Seek my end”. Talk about low mood people and how little person you feel. Here I just wanna made more heavy riffs and lyrics

5.- Ansiedad means “Anxiety”. This lyric is very textual. Is like a war among you and anxiety. I hate it. This song for me is the deepest one. More clean guits and polyphony choirs to create “that” mood.

6.- Katan nagantü means “Through the sunset” (this means “through the life” for me). This is a very romantic song. Talk about love after love. Very painful and full of emotions. Something similar with “Ansiedad”: To create that mood I used a rhythm cadence /chords very simple: VI – I – V7sus4_3 (is like a classic and romantic cadence)

7.- Escamas de Óxido means “Flakes of rust”. This is similar to “Mascara”, but in this one you like your mask, and don’t wanna change it. Totally disappointed of everyone. This composition was a lineal idea of slide the chords. Need a balance between soft and heavy sections

8.- Fuente means “Fountain”. I think this is the more metaphorical lyric ever. Fountain of life, love, energy, white magic, etc. Music is more complex that the others, more expresive and changing. I try to made some “non tipical cadences”

9.- El momento means something like “time”, but really is “time of death”. Talk about of pass away. The form is very important, cause are just single words, without grammar context but with context among themselves. Music is a Piano idea, like Dodecafonic music and a new principal idea with soft electronic drums and then the same idea more heavy.

10.- Vísperas de dulces melodias cósmicas means Sweet cosmics tunes`s eve. Well this is very personal lyric too, talk about my childhood, that`s all. Music is simple; two chords on the A section and 3chords on the B section. Changes perfume the music.

Hope you could understand better my lyrics after this resume.

Q: Oh, yes, I do! But true to say I thought that lyrics of AstorVoltaires was more harmonious, peaceful and not so emotional. I supposed that “Crisol” and “Vísperas de dulces melodias cósmicas” characterize “Katan Naganti” better than other songs though now I see that it’s not exactly right. Which songs from your point of view define AstorVoltaires music clearer?

-I think all songs define it. Emotionality is the answer, is my target.

Q: Now when we see that it’s not just a temporary project for you… now can you say that there will be more of AstorVoltaires in nearby future? Do you have a few more songs for next release?

-Exactly, AV is here to stay. I have a new material, but now i`m on a “break” for a while little one in fact. Maybe for early 2012 will be a new release.

Q: How long did you searched for a label to release “Katan Nagantu”?

-I don’t remember well, but I think something like 2 or 3 months. Wasn’t funny but AV not fulfilling the expectations cause wasn’t Doom metal, just in essence I think. Anyway, Gene, after 2 month I think accept me like his son and happy end for all.

Q: Man, who is the real Juan Escobar? The man who played in Mar de Grises or the one who stands behind AstorVoltaires? Which sides of you are represented in Mar de Grises and AstorVoltaires?

-The real JescobarC is just a person with some kind of “musical talent”, and a deep person who like slow and heavy music. I was a good fit in MdG when Marcelo left the band and with the time we had a good chemistry. Parallel (all the time really), I was working on my own music and ASTORVOLTAIRES is just equivalent to the sum: be musician and be a restless person. Maybe my real side is behind AV, but I put my soul playing with Mar de Grises, no doubt on that. Surely was a greatest time for me.

Q: Why did you leave Lapsus Dei? Was it from some disagreement at some creative questions or did you feel yourself tired of such music? Okay, do you ever feel yourself tired from music? Maybe from certain kind of it? Brutal for example?

-Well, I have contact with Lapsus Dei`s guys from time to time. Truth, I hadn’t time among MdG, AV, work, study, etc. Strange, but I’ve never feel tired with music. Maybe yes, I don’t ear some brutal, just time to time, but it wasn’t reason to leave the band. Take the opportunity to send greetings to Rodrigo and Lapsus Dei (He is my neighbor, no kidding. LOL).

Q: Can you tell us about main musical tendencies in South American doom metal (or just metal) scene? Maybe its a mistake but it seems that Chile are strong representatives of death doom genre, I know about good psychedelic and traditional doom bands from Peru but I know only about Mythological Cold Towers in Brazil and know nothing at all about Argentine!

- Well, is very difficult questions cause I don’t know all the South american scene, maybe I could talk about “Chilean Metal Scene”. Is like if I ask to you about “European Metal Scene” and talk to me about the bands hahahahaa… anyway, Chile have a metal scence since 80´´ with some Thrash metal bands like; Pentagram, Dorso, Sadism, Necrosis, Atomic Aggressor, Massakre, among others. Today is different: We have all kind of metal music styles and with time “are own metal lexicon”. Bands like: Poema arcanvs (Doom metal), Animus mortis (Black metal), Electrozombies (Sludge/doom metal), Mar de Grises (Post Doom), Octopus (Progressive metal), Yajaira (Rock/Stoner), Six magic (Power metal), Nuclear (Thrash metal), Undercroft (Death metal), Devil presley (Rock), Folkheim (Folk metal), Death yell (Death metal), Uaral (Folk/doom metal ) among so many others We have Doom metal, but more than that we have METAL MUSIC. Anyway, I don’t like labels, but it works sometimes.

Q: Good! It was an interesting discussion so I would like to thank you for this interview Juan! I wish you all the best and I hope that you will not make us wait too long with new stuff ;-) Good luck! And please add few more words for our readers, man!

-Thank you so much to you Aleks. I just want to leave the invitation to people who dare to listen AstorVoltaires, will take more than a few surprises. Cheers from Chile!!!

Doommantia

Astor Voltaires es el proyecto unipersonal del destacado músico nacional Juan Escobar, quién se desempeño por largo tiempo como vocalista y tecladista de la banda Doom “Mar de Grises”, con los que logró realizar dos tour por Europa presentándose en más de 10 países con gran éxito. Como músico empedernido, Juan ha estado involucrado en una inmensidad de proyectos, tanto como músico de sesión y vocalista. Ésta vez ha decidido seguir su propio rumbo, y en solitario realizó su primer álbum de estudio donde queda en evidencia el talento innato del iquiqueño que llegó a Santiago en busca de un sueño… La Música.

La propuesta de Astor Voltaires nos concede una postura análoga y personal, en lo que podríamos definir como su primera placa discográfica de gran envergadura, pues con una trayectoria de casi 10 años en el ambiente rock, y un trabajo anterior -Ad Noctvm- que no tuvo la misma difusión, contrastado, con el disco que hoy nos presenta.

Con una interesante muestra de doom y fusiones de rock llega “Katan Nagantü”, producido por el propio Juan Escobar y grabado en su estudio “The Smookers Room”, a través del sello Ruso Endless Winter.

Tomando las propias palabras de Juan refiere que: “Sobre el título del disco, este es en Mapudungun y su significado literal es "atravesar la tarde", aunque implícitamente su significado es otro: es la historia que lleva la vida en sí, es la carrera que cada uno corre, contar parte de lo que nos pasó, está pasando y nos pasará, es atravesar la vida, experiencias, penas, alegrías, el amor y el odio, etc.".

El álbum se destaca por tener una fusión de melodías siderales, donde confluyen el Doom, el rock, las guitarras, las voces limpias y guturales, dándole una mística armoniosa a la totalidad de las canciones, cabe destacar, que son íntegramente con letras en español. No cabe duda que dicha apuesta se dirige por rumbos subjetivos, con texturas y matices melodiosos, pero con la dualidad de expresar mediante sus líricas, mensajes que asumen sensibilidad y empatía con las situaciones de la vida cotidiana, con los sentimientos que afloran con cada experiencia personal que vivimos.

En diez temas que oscilan entre los tres y siete minutos, Astor Voltaires desarrolla una sugerente proposición de rock, la que parte con ‘Máscara’, de la que emanan voces guturales y el potencial sonido de la guitarra. ‘Tiempo de Perder’ es el segundo track, que es innegablemente la canción más rockera del disco, fusionando lo desgarrador de sus letras con un rock colmado de riff melódicos. ‘Crisol’ es un tema armonioso, que va desde lo ligero y llega a una mezcla de psicodelia.

‘Busco un Final’ aporta con acordes muy atractivos, y con líricas que apuntan a la temática de la muerte, presentada como parte de la vida. ‘Ansiedad’ es una balada que posee atmósferas de nostalgia y armonía; podríamos determinar que es single de este álbum. ‘Katan Nagantü’, canción que le da nombre al disco, y con una temática que nos invita a desprendernos de ciertas emociones; se destaca la batería y la guitarra que contienen estruendosos momentos al final del track.

Luego continúan ‘Escamas de Oxido’, ‘Fuente’ y ‘El Momento’ en las anteriores sobresalen los riffs de guitarra y exhaustivas batería, en donde confluye la mezcla de lo pesado-sinfónico. ‘Vísperas de dulces melodías cósmicas’ es la canción que da por concluido el álbum, incluyendo guitarras melódicas en fusión con la voz gemebunda de Escobar, y una letra llena de sentimentalismo.

No podemos dejar de mencionar que la sutileza del álbum queda plasmada desde las melodías hasta el artwork, el que fue diseñado por Geert Van Mook: Ikuinen Kaamos (Finlandia), Remembrance (Francia), Mourners Lament (Chile), Fall of the Idols (Finlandia), Shattred Hope (Grecia) y Thurisaz (Bélgica).

Innegablemente Juan Escobar es un músico prodigioso. La fusión entre el doom y el rock, tanto en las letras como en las composiciones que se conciben en el transcurso del disco. Sin duda estamos ante un trabajo con gran proyección. El trabajo de Astor Voltaires queda plasmado en su disco, que en un futuro no muy lejano será merecedor de grandes reconocimientos

Rockaxis Oct. 2011

Já chegaram a imaginar uma banda na linha do Sentenced “Killing Me Killing You” cantado em espanhol?

É mais ou menos o que temos nesse cd do AstorVoltaires só que com um approach mais doom e não tão gótico como o já citado Sentenced. Esse projeto é de Juan Escobar, que já fez parte de bandas como Lapsus Dei, Mar de Grises, etc.

Faixas como Tiempo de Perder e Crisol são exemplos disso. Busco un Final é bem interessante principalmente pelas linhas de vocal cantadas em cima dos riffs de guitarra, que dá uma diferenciada no som desse chileno. Ansiedad tem um clima bem Anathema na fase Alternative 4, com linhas de piano e violão e bateria ditando o ritmo da música.

Visperas De Dulces Melodias Cosmicas segue uma linha mais melódica encerrando de forma muito legal esse play.

O Chile está se tornando um paraíso de músicas experimental/depressiva. Vamos voltar os olhos para nuestros hermanos.

Funeral Wedding 2011

Na globalizaci se všeobecně hodně nadává, ačkoli ji díky technologickému pokroku nelze zastavit. Příkladem budiž i tento nosič, jehož autorem je v Česku dobře známý chilský hudebník Juan Escobar (MAR DE GRISES), jenž přivedl na svět svůj další projekt za asistence ruského labelu Endless Winter. A že Rusové věděli na jakého koně vsadit. Pokud MAR DE GRISES v současné době skutečně „frčí“, dost možná je bude následovat i pomalu rozvíjející se květ – ASTORVOLTAIRES. Na první pohled by se mohlo zdát, že si Juan nahrál všechno sám, ale úplně tomu tak není. Dostupné zdroje dokonce uvádějí, že se na desce vystřídalo několik hostů, ačkoliv samotný přebal obdobné informace nenabízí.

Ať je to ovšem jak chce, ASTORVOLTAIRES je další velmi zdařilé dílko z jihoamerické kuchyně, vůbec o tom není třeba pochybovat. Hudební produkce čerpá z nejmelancholičtější doom metalové formy, která ovšem nezapře výlety do post-rockových končin.Při pečlivém poslechu lze vystopovat určitou podobnost s britskou ANATHEMOU, byť samotný emoční náboj je přece jen odlišnější, nehledě na fakt, že ASTORVOLTAIRES stále nepřekračuje metalové hranice až tolik výrazně. Některé skladby jsou i přes kupu melancholie řádně hutné a možná i díku tomu vzniká „split“ mezi uměleckým vyjádřením a samotnou hudební produkcí.

Co se týče vokálních partů, tak i ty jsou více než zajímavé. Juan se totiž nesnaží o hrubiánský murmur, ale dává přednost své přirozenosti, a to i přesto, že jeho přednes není nijak extra školený. Nějakým záhadným způsobem se sem však hodí a pomáhá dotvářet atmosféru o jejíž autentičnosti se dále starají texty, které jsou komplet v jazyce španělském. Přiznávám se, že kdyby mi tohle před puštěním CD někdo řekl, měl bych nejspíš pochyby. Naštěstí jsem však desku nikterak nezkoumal a prostě si ji pustil a hned po několika málo vteřinách jsem samovolně zjistil, že právě španělština dodává hudbě určitou majestátnost, nehledě na osobitost, které v poslední době není nikdy dost.

„Katan Nagantü“ je naprosto vyzrálé album a rozhodně nenechá chladným žádného milovníka ponurého metalového žánru. Abyste si však CD vychutnali, potřebujte mít kolem sebe prázdno a klid. Zároveň upozorňuji na melancholickou vlnu alba, může trvat hezky dlouho než se do něj dostanete.

R.U.M. zine Feb. 2011

Katan Nagantü son dos palabras de origen mapuche. Katan significa "perforar algo" y Nagantü significa "tarde". ¿Perforando la tarde? Quizás. Habrá que preguntarle a Juan Escobar C. qué quiso realmente dar a entender con el singular título de su primer disco solista. ¿Juan quién? Quizás el nombre no les dice mucho, hasta que averiguan que se trata del vocalista actual de MAR DE GRISES. Juan no sólo compuso toda la música y escribió la letra de las canciones de esta placa sino que también produjo el disco y tocó todos los instrumentos. "One man band" o banda de un solo hombre es como usualmente se les llama a este tipo de proyectos, que resultan interesantes de por sí debido a que no son muy comunes. Editado por el sello ruso Endless Winter, Katan Nagantü es un viaje melancólico compuesto por diez canciones bastante melódicas pero no excesivamente depresivas. La carátula del disco que muestra un árbol en la mitad de la nada podría dar a entender lo contrario, pero en realidad la música no es como para saltar de un décimo piso. Tiene influencias poperas, rockeras, metaleras (obviamente) pero esto definitivamente no me parece algo que podamos tachar de "doom", término que acota mucho el espectro. Pero más importante que todo aquello es que la música no se parece para nada a MAR DE GRISES. A veces ocurre que un músico de una banda va y saca un disco solista que se parece mucho a la banda de donde viene pero no es el caso con ASTORVOLTAIRES. De hecho Juan ocupa aquí voces limpias y canta exclusivamente en castellano. Quizás la atmósfera y la pesadez de las guitarras se parezcan pero el resultado final lleva un sello absolutamente distinto y se aparta de MAR DE GRISES ampliamente, y vaya que aquello se aprecia en estos tiempos en que cuesta encontrar originalidad. Otra cosa que me llamó mucho la atención es el nivel de composición. Aquí tenemos canciones que fluyen espectacularmente y que quedan dando vuelta en la cabeza y el disco en su totalidad es una experiencia a vivir de principio a fin. Así, no hay canciones que destaquen sobre otras, siendo cada una más bien parte del puzle emocional que el músico ha querido plasmar. Este es definitivamente un trabajo que recomiendo, no sólo porque sea un disco de un compatriota, sino porque de veras que se trata de un trabajo de calidad superior que nada, absolutamente nada debe envidiar a producciones europeas o americanas. Estamos haciendo buena música en Chile, y eso sí que hay que darlo a conocer.

Grindermagazine Jan. 2011

AstorVoltaires is a one-man band lead by Juan Escobar who is perhaps best known as the vocalist and keyboard player in Mar de Grises. Juan has been involved with many bands over the years including Aura Hiemis, Lethargy of Death, Delonelyman, BitchBoys, Defectoscura, Fosa Comvn, Golem, Aseidad,Bauda, Zohak, Subtenebras, Nibdem, Sea Of Grey and I am sure there is even a couple more bands I have forgotten to mention. Being more or less a solo album, it explores another side to this musician which has resulted in something much lighter and melodic than his regular doom outlets. It would even be a big call to even class this as doom-metal although at times it does sound a little like Katatonia but for the most part, this is more of a prog meets folk rock experiment with elements of doom and death metal thrown into the melting pot so it is similar to bands like Kauan as it is even a bit poppy in parts. This has been released on the Endless Winter label.

The album still maintains the melancholic darkness associated with doom-metal but this is pretty light in the guitar department as its focus more on piano, acoustic guitar and keyboards. Occasionally it gets a bit complex with prog-rock elements but the overall key to this album is melody and emotional lyrics although I had to find that out the hard way as the songs are sung in Spanish. I don't know too many people though that would go through the trouble of translation like I do but it can be worth it sometimes. Musically I must say, most of this kept my attention while just a few moments I felt were verging on the tedious. The tracks I do like though are great and very inventive in their own way. "Busco un Final" is one of the better tunes as it has a mesmerizing melody and great vocal hooks despite being sung in a language I don't understand. "Vísperas de Dulces Melodias Cósmicas" has a hypnotic vocal chant and an excellent bass line but it has been rather unfairly left to being the last track on the album.

My favorite tune here is "Fuente" that is given a nimble beat and a very dramatic atmosphere which is in sharp contrast with the soothing, laid back moods that the bulk of the album is built around. Oddly enough I found the album's opener "Máscara" to be the weakest track on the album and I almost hit eject right then, lucky I persevered as "Katan Nagantü" turned out to be a very engaging recording overall. What I find to be most effective is the way the album flows in melancholy but still has bursts of aggression that fit very nicely and don't just sound like a after-thought like they do on similar albums. I think this album will appeal to fans of Mar de Grises who have a genuine interest in what Juan is expressing with this solo venture. More traditional fans of doom-metal may find this a bit light on the riffage despite the album having a couple of crushing guitar passages. Conclusion - This is varied, fairly diverse, sometimes complex both thematically and lyrically but overall pretty inventive. Juan Escobar should be proud of this work....

Doommantia Jan. 2011

AstorVoltaires is a one-man band lead by Juan Escobar, vocalist and keyboardist of Mar de Grises. The project explores the softer edges of its elder and develops dark and energetic elegies where the guitar has the main part. It’s soft, romantic and all swollen up by complex Prog Rock outgrowths, a tentation toward sophistication that already laid in the core of Mar de Grises’ music. Here, all Death elements are left aside and only the clean and powerful parts remain.

The voice is a clear male baritone, warm and fluent that sometimes turns into an angry scream; all the lyrics are in Spanish, which also brings a typical melodicity. The instrumentation is very varied: piano, acoustic guitar, keyboard, drums, bass... the guy really masters everything; the result reminds of Katatonia, Kauan, Office of Strategic Influence – OSI, for the discrete electronic effects. It’s thoughtful, mellow and flows quietly all along with, now and then, some more intense momentums that explode in a burst of violence.

On the whole, AstorVoltaires’ music sounds like a musical diary covered with melancolic and bitter thoughts. Some songs conceal a real inventivity like ‘Busco in Finale’, where the vocal lines follow the guitars’ melody and bring nice dynamics, or ‘Vísperas de Dulces Melodias Cósmicas’, which is a swaying chant with great bass lines, ‘Ansiedad’ where Juan shrinks his voice to a whisper and displays nice round bass lines, acoustic guitar and dry drumming to highlight the scope of his band’s intentions: a romantic ride in an autumnal soundscape. That’s a nice trip we’re invited to... relaxed most of the time, it can also turn into a savage gallop, like the song ‘Fuente’ dramatically demonstrates. It’s the most aggressive track of the album, with rolling drum blasts and death-ish shouts and it reminds you that a ride in the countryside can also be quite hectic.

Doom-metal.com Jan. 2011

Il nome di Juan Escobar agli amanti delle sonorità doom dovrebbe portare alla mente più di un riferimento, l'eclettico musicista è infatti uno dei membri dei Mar De Grises, fa parte del progetto Aura Hiemis, è un ex dei Lapsus Dei e porta avanti la sua creatura da solista AstorVoltaires. E' di quest'ultima nello specifico che si parla dato che è stato da poco rilasciato sotto la Endless Winter, label che ha supportato anche l'altro suo solo-project, l'album di debutto "Katan Nagantü".

E' ancora una sorpresa che ci prepara il buon Juan, niente funeral stavolta, niente paesaggi estremizzati, è il lato più melancolico e post/rock a prendere piede, le tracce suonano sì pesanti e il riffing trasuda la passionalità grigia che fa delle note una buona rappresentazione del doom, la versione è però orientata su uno stile più accessibile e riflessivo inteso come sognante, le sfaccettature leggere e la voce per io più delle volte pulita portano con loro una strana sensazione di luce, fioca ma non arrendevole che tenta di aprire una strada attraversando un reticolato stretto e angusto fatto di tristezza e sconfitte.

Intriganti come gli Amorphis più diluiti e atmosferici, piacevoli ed eteree al pari di alcune soluzioni adottate negli anni da Katatonia e Anathema, le canzoni risultano intime e ben congeniate affrontano gli aspetti di una vita che seppur costellata di avvenimenti spiacevoli può ancora invertire la rotta: si veda ad esempio l'inquietudine di una "Tiempo De Perder", la visione psicotica con cui deve confrontarsi una "Ansiedad" o l'arrendevole calma di "Crisol", del resto sono niente male anche le punte d'epicità che fuoriescono, anche se per un breve momento, in "Busco Un Final" e che basterebbero già per farvi innamorare di questo "Katan Nagantü".

La sezione dedita ad espandere ed empatizzare notevolmente l'approccio è fornita dalle movenze offerte dal riffing tendente a richiamare le band post/rock e quella capacità del genere d'incanalare un flusso emotivo forte tenendolo sospeso all'interno di forme sonore che fanno della limpidezza viaggiante un'arma da tener pronta e sfoderare in qualsiasi momento, in questi attimi il supporto delle tastiere e delle linee di basso vivide acuisce la sostanza vedasi "Fuente", così come nelle canzoni in cui l'aria diventa più tesa e pressante quali "Escamas De Óxido" e la poco prima citata, Juan riesce a mantenere intatto il percorso fatto di sensazioni che vanno progredendo sino ad arrivare alla propria conclusione con un crescendo che fa di "El Momento" e "Vísperas De Dulces Melodias Cósmicas" un'accoppiata perfetta per porre la parola fine a "Katan Nagantü" dando un'impennata improvvisa e poi una lieve e incantevole decadenza che sigilla come un requiem il completato corso.

Disco gradevole e ben prodotto, la strumentazione possiede una più che discreta intellegibilità, in qualche punto la batteria picchia forse troppo al cospetto di basi così legate a una raffigurazione evocativa ma nel complesso è una prestazione da tenere d'occhio, potrà magari non avere un gran riscontro fra chi è amante del doom nel senso stretto del genere, non fatevi incatenare però dalle catalogazioni, "Katan Nagantü" potrebbe sorprendervi.

In ogni caso un ascolto per farsi una propria idea è l'unica soluzione adatta per verificare le reali potenzialità di quest'ennesima opera del'iperattivo Escobar, concedetevelo.

Aristocrazia Webzine Dec. 2010

Chile keeps on erupting new talents in doom metal genre and that's simply astonishing. Astorvoltaires by Juan Escobar (also in Lapsus Dei, Mar de Grises) is the new one man project developed to offer a very melodic variation upon the classic doom metal genre. Gifted with a very expressive vocal range which reminded me of early Messiah Marcolin of Candlemass and smart talent, Juan Escobar succeded in releasing something that goes directly to the "inside", without losing too much time at the "outside" sphere.

Melodic acoustic guitar tunes, along with piano and vocals make the core of 'Katan Nagantü' a good album that possibly could have tried something more. Yes, because when you have good cards on your deck, it's quite mandatory to look for the poker, not being satisfied by the low points. But anyway what we have here is a satisfactory debut album that leaves a lot of open doors for the next future to walk through.

If it's true that sometimes echoes of Anathema are in the air (Pentecost III era) Astorvoltaires can be effectively labeled as a pretty original band as long as we assume that hardly nothing can be 100% original nowadays in metal music.

Obscura Webzine Jan. 2011

The same old story! Endless Winter should be more attentive to contemporary tendencies in the doom-metal underground, concerning the album cover art: plotless "dark" indistinctness through the whole booklet is a bad form. Moreover, the one would seem that there was no place found to mention at least bands contacts. I understand that it is "true" and that it is dark objectiveness of reality or asceticism, oh yes! Why I should go to MySpace and do the phishing of information when it was possible to reflect the minor required info in the booklet? But well - to the matter of this review.

Edo Depths is a one-man band from Donetsk (Ukraine). And what I've remembered due to the name of the project: according to some ideas, the man has an immortal, pure and unchangeable individuality, what is a kin for all men. Also, there is an Ego - superficial side product of man's being in a material world. Ego counts itself as real and asks for satisfaction, persists and subjugates and that's why there is a great sense to strict and differentiate your desires while trying to identify their origin… but that is philosophy… And Ego Depths is just a musical project where the author gravitates to weird and merciless funeral doom metal. Ego Depths represented here by two tracks with the total length about 30 minutes and both of them are, literally speaking, choking, destroying, and mutilating your consciousness... Surprisingly, both tracks possess quite well and strong record (this is not first experience of author in the art of musical researches, though). Moreover, the author had not been failed by his intuition - some tunes and vocal lines sound really intriguing. Perhaps, there is no rival of this work on the territory of Russian Federation for now, which would be able to compete… but I did not listen to last album of Abstract Spirit, maybe they could fight for a first place of most effective burial organization here. However, that is not the main thing… the present work is really strong and convincing in its sound, not only in "the best tradition" but also with an atmospheric zest… if there won't be that pathos, the amount of which on the official MySpace page is more than sufficient (this is Ego!), the whole impression would be better.

Dispersive Light is a project from Kiev and, frankly, "gladdens" my ears with its unkind drone/noise/ambient mixture, it's like a rough balm which you need to drink to overcome disease or surround in it's slimy embraces. When you're writing about the band like this, thoughts about violence, rusted iron and misanthropy come on mind unintentionally. "Sure Mrod" shows mystical, industrial drone which is hypnotic and at the same time obnoxious. This music is impossible to enrapture and simultaneously cannot be rejected. It obduces and clings; this obscure and weird inhuman ambient treat you to go deep into his nightmare, but all your attempts will be useless - it is hardly to make out this technical spell. "Baal" - is a tacit emptiness, it is an apogee of the terse expression and schizophrenia, it is a complete devastation of the country-side town "Silent Hill" and where all inhabitant creatures were fully eradicated suffering disgrace from a purer form of evil... "Purple Twilight" is a big pure ravishment - deep acoustic ambient, which dwells in weird but at least three dimensions. It does not oppress but also does not calm down… It slightly disturbs, trying to imply about something ahead, alarms… Maybe, that was about devastating "Incest Autumn Winds" which reminds the freakiest experiments of the last musical experiments of Vir band… Short "Little Owl" is as good as "Purple Twilight" - the silent and simple, but amazingly drastic track. I am very happy that I hold this release even due to these two tracks! Moreover, the present project can be familiar to those who follow the news from Solitude Productions - Dispersive Light appeared there a year ago with self-entitled album, but they were caught by Endless Winter, well, that is normal…

Here, something should be said to sum up all what had been written above… ok! "Follow the Skua" presents two not new projects, which are different but quite attractive for followers of extremal doom genres. Their material is made in time even if it is brutal funeral or spooky drone-like lobotomy. As it follows, the album is dedicated to the admirers of both styles only, who hold the stainless nerves. I would not recommend this release to a wide auditory, but certain good aftertaste has been left anyway…

Doommantia Jul. 2010

Emiaj is a musician who started in 2000 his funeral one man band LETHARGY OF DEATH project, which seeds the gloomy mood of Grim Reaper presence in the world. "Necrology" debut album isn’t maybe so famous over here, but everyone who searches for atmospheric Funeral Doom, he would try to listen to it. Some exotic feeling is guaranteed by a fact Emiaj lives in distant Chile, but there is no need to worry for distribution because Endless Winter label is based in Russia. Since the "Necrology" was released in August 2010, he could have done some new songs, but Emiaj itself will say more.

Hi, can you say what's up in LETHARGY OF DEATH? The debut "Necrology" album was released quite a long time ago. Have you got some new songs? How are you satisfied with reviews on the debut, there was enough of them? What would you say about your lyrics? Are they important to you? Do they have some deeper meaning or they only serve as accompaniment for music?

In these moments I’m working on new songs composition, although in a slowly way because of some technical adjustments.

In addition, I’m very satisfied and grateful for the critics I’ve read; there are a lot of them.

About the lyrics, they’re a lot more than a simple accompaniment. They reflect an estuary of thoughts, feelings, own experiences, and how I assimilate certain themes of life in general.

How is it possible the Chilean band's album was released by the Russian Endless Winter label? Are you satisfied with their distribution? Will you continue with them in the future?

I’m very comfortable in “Endless Winter”, and I appreciate their interest and confidence to Lethargy of death. Undoubtedly, I hope to continue with this record label in future.

Why did you decided to play just funeral doom, and not e.g. death / black metal? And actually do you fit LETHARGY OF DEATH into funeral doom genre, or that box is tight for you? I suppose you probably do not play live gigs since you're in charge of everything yourself. Would you like more band members? Does this suit you, or it is difficult to find someone else?

Funeral Doom was simply the best style adapted to the ideas, and the feelings of what I wanted to do as a music project. Regarding to playing live, I’ve already decided not to do it; I think this kind of music isn’t for stages, and personally, I don’t feel the need.

On the other hand, I’ve think about adding someone or other female voice, but it’s not sure yet, and regarding to the music per se, I’ll keep doing it, and creating everything by myself. I prefer it in that way.

Is it difficult for you to create a song? How long does it usually take and where you are drawing inspiration, from other funeral doom bands or from completely different genre? What are your favorite albums, or what recently disappointed you most?

It’s been a little bit complicated for me lately, for no having certain technical tools that would do a better work; moreover, inspiration doesn’t came in the perfect moment, however, all the time I’m creating new compositions, some of them convince me, but not all of them.

I’ve heard Dreams after death band recently, which has been very nice to me, musically speaking; however, the sleeve (directly speaking) is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.

It is interesting there are always present keys in your music to create a strong mystical atmosphere. Do you think true funeral doom should be built on the atmosphere? Would you prove to listen to your music alone in the middle of the forest at night? Also all your cover arts are interesting, where have you got them from?

I don’t know if Funeral Doom should be only in one way. From my point of view, atmospheric part is essential in my project. I like to unleash sensations according to the lyrics; I love to play with weird sounds, visceral ones; to create instruments and new sounds, whenever they’re well combined with what I want to give expression in that moment. It’s like going to an art exhibition and give it your own interpretation.

Regarding to the discs pictures, they have been created by me, and some of them are borrowed with some modifications. I’ve drawn my entire life and I like to do it, nowadays I work creating designs for my next disc, in fact, I’ve already develop more than the front cover of the disc, that will be named “Death is the throne where my poem dwells”.

Are you interested in the Chilean mythology? What's your stance on the Mayan civilization? Do you know how they disappeared? How do you feel there are no castles in America? Do you have there any interesting cultural heritages, or natural attractions? Maybe some long, dark caves...

Chile is very rich in mythology, and deserves the interest of any person that likes mythology in general, although my lyrics have a different approach. The beings I occasionally talk in my lyrics are from my own nightmares, nightmares that follow me since I was a kid.

Regarding to your question about the Mayas, I can only say that it’s another mystery in life.

I love architecture and mediaeval period; in Chile I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying south woods and all their legends.

Do you think only death is certain?

Death is true, in the sense of stop existing as we know. Death is more for the body than consciousness.

Ok, that would be all from me, thanks for the interview and you have the last words for fans. Can you write your current top 5?

It only remains for me to say: thank you for the interview, thanks to Endless Winter label, and thanks to all de people interested in this particular style of music.

I hope to launch the disc as soon as possible, and say that Lethargy of Death is an active project, which still has a long life ahead.

Necrosphere Mar. 2012

I do not even remember when I listened to a full-length funeral doom album the last time, it seems that it was Longing For Dawn… Anyway there is too much fascinating traditional doom bands now in the world scene, so I was busy discovering new names in that genre. However I was lucky enough to have got from a Russian doom-label Endless Winter, a brand new CD from Canadian one-man band funeral project Krief de Soli. We already had the factual discussion with the Krief de Soli author - Egregoir de Sang, and must I say it was pleasure indeed to speak with such a logical and intelligent gentleman. Besides that he is from Quebec which is famous with it's sonorous mournful ambient doom-act Longing For Dawn or dirge-act of Menace Ruine, Krief de Soli follows their path step by step guided by the somber light of Northern doom-legend Skepticism and everlasting killer-albums of Johan Sebastian Bach himself! Of course I try to do not compare those artists with each other - it's a deal of honor and respect, but Egregoir reveres his inspirers well and does his best not to copy them, he demonstrates a high potential and enthusiasm which grant Krief de Soli competitive advantages before other new funeral doom-acts.

Although let me start with a few cons of this release, to them I would include weak CD's design with a Catholic cemetery and it's marble sculptures. Didn't you see it hundred times before? I do. Sixty four times at least. But I like "Procul Este, Profani..." not only because of my zealous religious fanaticism! Yes, lyrics of the three tracks that are included in this album are taken from the Latin version of the New Testament's "Book of Revelation" which is widely known under it's Greek name "Apocalypse" (tremble, miserable humankind!); the content of this book is well known to each advanced doom-head for this book foretold Doom and Death for sinners, the coming of "beast from the abyss", and there were few verses about it's number - 666. Who dare to imagine heavy metal without these symbols?! Fortunately, there are lyrics written in CD's booklet and marked with the chapters from where it was taken. There are no horror-tales at all, man, but it's better for you to know these strophes. The text of the third, fifteen-minute "Benedicto Domini Sit Vobiscum" is very brief: "And showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb". This last song - in contrast with the first two - is more fragile, though there is firm darkness with brief light's sparks beyond the grave solemnity and majesty of some distorted Catholic Mass, "Benedicto Domini…" doesn't sound so bloodthirsty as "Mei Oculi Devorati Sunt Tenebris" or "Vocis... Imago... Funebris".

It's real, concrete funeral doom, and that religious or rather spiritual red line sipping through the accords and verses of gloom gospels from Krief de Soli connected with some chronicle sources where its very shadows were born. Material of "Procul Este, Profani..." is saturated with organ samples and deep inhuman growl as funeral master Stijn van Cauter like to extort. It's a reliable turn, it always works. All components of Krief de Soli are taken in right proportions and heavy-sounding guitars' pressure and heavenly-inspired lyrical' depths. Though in my opinion deep lyrics must not sound in such a way - you just do not understand any meaning! You can growl texts from "Book of Tasty and Healthy Food" in a microphone with the same success - rare when one will find a difference. Here I would like to mention Italy's Abysmal Grief: they adopt a themes of occultism and it's accompanying rituals (including burial one) with similar ways - organ "mess" sound, Latin lyrics. But clean deep voice helps to feel it keenly. But the general impression from the first Krief de Soli release is more than just good, it's a successful debut with few fresh ideas and I dare to suppose that Egregoir holds all the aces, and I bet that his next release will be even better. He already has avoided all traps which are set in a way of doom-followers, well, the next rank is a doom-hieroglyph. Let us see how it will be earned.

Doommantia Sep. 2010

Eis que temos aqui um dos projetos deste músico que já figurou em inúmeras bandas chilenas e aqui se intitula como Emiaj, e este projeto é nada mais nada menos que um puta funeral doom. Andamento arrastado e vocal gutural, lembrando o timbre do Pasi Koskinen (ex-Shape of Despair). Damnation abre essa missa fúnebre nos melhores momentos de Skepticism, para vocês terem uma referência. Guitarras morosas e teclados que vão dando o clima triste. Remains of a Remembrance é uma das mais funestas e atmosféricas faixas, sendo tocado em sua totalidade no teclado, com algumas viagens ao longo dela, e um vocal sussurrado que vai agoniando o ouvinte, nessa hora é bom esquecer o jogo de faca lá na gaveta da cozinha. The Treason traz novamente o projeto em suas linhas perturbadoras e arrastada, envolvendo o ouvinte e convidando para o seu interior e acabar por rever todos os momentos de sua horrenda e insignificante vida. Essential Process seria uma faixa dispensável, se não a encararmos como uma enorme introdução para a bela Adrift, que se o ouvinte não se matou até aqui, com certeza dessa ele não passará. E Finale vem para dar a última pazada de terra em cima do indigente moribundo.

Um ótimo disco para os amantes de melodias depressivas e depreciativas.

Funeral Wedding 2011

Další novou neznámou akvizicí ve spojení s Mortem zinem je chilský projekt LETHARGY OF DEATH. Ten má na svědomí týpek slyšící na jméno Emiaj, porůznu se ukrývající před veřejností, aby hodil na celé své snažení několik nezodpovězených otázek spolu s jistým závojem tajemnosti. Důležitá je ovšem tvorba - a u té zůstaneme. LETHARGY OF DEATH bývají označování jako symfonický či atmosférický funeral doom metal, u čehož bych také zůstal, protože nic jiného ve spojení s poslechem debutu ''Necrology'' si ani představit neumím. Ano, tohle je první oficiální plnohodnotné album, se kterým na svět chilskému hledači vesmírných zákoutí pomohla firmička Endless Winter. A to přesto, že projekt funguje už něco málo přes jedno desetiletí. Zmíněné vydavatelství pro změnu pochází z Ruska, tedy ze země poslední dobou doom metalu zaslíbené a vyvrhující jeden zajímavý soubor za druhým. Jak moc zajímaví jsou v tomto ohledu LETHARGY OF DEATH se dozvíme za okamžik.

To, co se na ''Necrology'' odehrává, by se dalo pojmenovat jako snový, vesmírný či symfonický doom metal, pohybující se v tom nejpomalejším, tedy pohřebním tempu. Otázky existence na tomto světě, universa, neustále se opakujících dotazů kolem věčnosti a síly umírání. Atmo stránka je mnohokrát tak důrazná, že celé to zoufale vleklé metalové tepání zalehne v uších a ani o něm pořádně nevíte. Někdy to až leze na nervy, ale v podstatě jde jen o to si zvyknout a neprudit. Nakonec člověk zjistí, že se to dá snést a z úvodně myšleného nedostatku se při vkusném zacházení se symfoničnem může stát i přednost. Poslech LETHARGY OF DEATH vyžaduje jak zvláštní rozpoložení, které je pro funeral doom zkrátka třeba, tak i potřebné porozumění při stále kolem se nabalujících tunách keyboardů. Tento projekt není o syrovosti a kytarách, je o snech, smutku a představivosti.

Musím říct, že první setkání s ''Necrology'' mě trochu vylekalo. Připadalo mi jako umělé snažení o funerální obřad, který díky těm kolikrát naivním atmosférám vyzníval spíš komicky, než jakkoli pohnutě. Přičemž u prvního songu alba - ''Damnation'' ve mně tento pocit zůstal nadále. Úvod této desky skutečně proklínám, a pokud to jen jde (což jde vždycky), milerád ho přeskočím. Prostě nevím, co si o něm mám myslet... To u druhé věci v pořadí ''Death'' si už umím spravit chuť. Atmosféra se prohlubuje, je uvěřitelnější a i přes to dotěrné množství světelných klávesových bodů dokáže pěkně pohltit a v závěru i pohřbít, což je při poslechu posledních tónů myslím patrné. Ukradené, ale mile nepovzbudivé, víc neprozradím... ''Remains of a Remembrance'' je naopak ambientně funerálním zrozením nového jedince, celou dobu k tomu děj skladby spěje a závěrečný dětský pláč to pak jen potvrdí. Jednoduché, ale funkční. Nejvíce mě uspokojuje předposlední pohřební válec ''Adrift'', který umírá společně s námi za doprovodu saxofonu (či alespoň jeho docela vkusné náhražky). Nevypátral jsem, jak je tomu doopravdy, ale zní opravdu působivě. Řekl bych, že debutové album LETHARGY OF DEATH nemá nějakou určitou atmosféru, chce to trochu silnější nervy a leccos skousnout. Někdy se to v jeho nitru hádá, ale výsledek, byť není zrovna výhrou v loterii, stojí minimálně za pozornost.

Prvotní nedůvěra nakonec přerostla v solidní přátelství a ''Necrology'' si pouštím docela rád. Ne, abych v něm hledal, co jinde nenacházím, ale spíš jen jako tichou kulisu po těžkém únavném dni, kdy člověk vypne a nechá se unášet do říše snů. Svobodně a bezmyšlenkovitě.

7/10

Mortem Zine Sep. 2011

The truth is I don't know many doom metal bands from Chile and to be honest I wasn't expecting much when I discovered Lethargy Of Death. I found the name utterly interesting though and of course the cover artwork, even if it might seem simplistic, something like a photo with skulls & bones (Necrology is the title of the debut) injected with some photoshop filters, it definitely suits the occasion in the most appropriate way.

So, Lethargy of Death is a one-man band and Emiaj, the main and only figure behind this obscure act, seems to have studied well bands like Skepticism, early Shape Of Despair etc, with a heavy use of keyboards/orchestrations that forge a core of negative energy that suddenly explodes in a moment in time and devours everything. The guitars are ultra slow, ultra heavy, with a hypnotic aura lurking in the background like a wraith being drained by the magnetizing keyboards/orchestrations that craft a prison of souls, evoking a pompous, menacing, hallucinating, doleful, devout, even triumphant in its own demise ambiance that soaks your dreams and turns them into nightmares. I don't know if there are any bass lines in the ruins, it doesn't matter anyway, the keyboards and the guitar distortion hold a wall of sound on their own along with the slow-paced yet imposing funerary drumming/percussion. Emiaj's unearthly boiling grunts consent to the overall hallucinating death-like atmosphere that surrounds the listener, seducing him with lies and finally consuming his conscience.

Although not so original, you have to cherish the grandeur of sorrow through "Damnation" and "Death", the lethargic (what a coincidence!) and unearthly keyboard/FX/sample/recite-driven "Remains Of A Remembrance", the magnum opus of entrancing ambiance "The Treason", the eerie "Essential Process", the desolate "Adrift" and the grand "Finale". All of them coming in the nice price of 57 minutes full of symphonic/atmospheric funeral doom with the ideal production for your ears only. Necrology is an immense experience of haunting beauty straight from the whispers of dead. Don't forget to keep a coin for the boatman.

9/10

Metalstorm Oct. 2010

Lethargy of Death is a one man Funeral Doom band from the musical vision of Emiaj, a musician from Chile and while hearing anything from that country is a unique experience in itself, you never really know what to expect. This man started making these depressive tunes way back in 2000 and has a couple of EP's available with "Tribulations" released in 2005 and "Robe Of Death" released the following year. This début full length effort has been released on the Endless Winter label. The first thing to delight me was the cover artwork, I have always been a sucker for skulls and bones and the name of the band plus the album title is as stimulating for my morbid, depressive tastes in music. The overly obvious influences of Skepticism and Shape Of Despair are all over this recording but there is also one other factor to consider and that is the dominating use of keyboards so if those two elements don't impress you, you better stay clear of this album.

This album drowns itself in orchestrated keyboard sounds that are the driving force behind every song, other instruments are also used but they are very distant most of the time but strangely still very heavy. The distant but ambient use of the guitar on this album though creates a very mournful atmosphere as the instrument seems to be weeping along with effects like the child voices in the background. Something about this makes everything seem very depressive and mesmerizing. Synths are used in a very dramatic, almost cinematic way as the orchestrated feel of the songs carry a very hypnotic quality. The vocals are a succession of other-worldly grunts that are very predictable but they also fit the feeling of despair this album has. Like most one man projects, the weak element is the drums and here its again the weak-point of the recording as they sound very thin and lets just say fake to the point of irritating. However with the keyboards and guitars being so powerful in their presence, it's not something you spend too much time listening to anyway. Same goes for the bass and I am not even sure if there is bass on this album, either way it matters not at all.

Opening track, "Damnation" is a grandiose Funeral Doom track without sounding pompous as it's actually very hypnotic and menacing at the same time, the following "Death" also has a kind of ambiance that you can lost in. The next track though is a major highlight, this one titled "Remains Of A Remembrance" is a perfect blend of Funeral Doom sadness and Space Rock other worldly ness. The mixture of effects and larger than life keyboard driven atmosphere is beautifully delivered. "The Treason" follows nicely but is a little overblown at over 13 minutes in length but the album gets back on track with the shortest tune here called "Essential Process", this track is a very creepy, sinister piece of work that beautifully sets the mood for "Adrift". The feeling of isolation and that all hope is lost comes through in this track and then the album finishes the way it started, huge and grand with the symphonic "Finale". Apart from the weak drum sound, this album is beautifully produced and played. There is nothing original to offer fans of the Funeral Doom style but its a worthy addition to any Funeral-Doom lovers collection. You could do a lot worse than this so you have nothing to lose by checking out this mans work, Emiaj is one of the best doom musicians around at the moment and this is an engaging release. Recommended.

8/10

Doommantia

First full-lenght album for the one man band by Emiaj coming from Santiago, Chile. Lethargy Of Death, that's the name of the project, is another heavyweight champion in south american extreme doom landscape, and 'Necrology' is the first effort.

Faithful to the classic features of this forlorn subgenre (one of the few real underground ones by definition) that claims it to be slow, sorrowful and incredibly heavy, Lethargy Of Death (or better Emiaj) although incredibly skilled to create eerie and gloomy atmospheres (thanks to a good work on synths) doesn't do anything to try and get something really original. In 'Necrology' the quality is very high indeed, joy and delight of those who love funeral doom, but on the other hand it's pretty sad how in the end the tune is always the same.

Very similar to other 10 records at least, if this does not affect the "beauty" of the compositions themselves (which remain high) it does on the longevity of an album itself that, after a couple of full listening sessions, probably will be ignored and left to catch the dust.

Obscura Webzine Nov. 2010

If keyboard-driven Funeral Doom makes your ears bleed and your nose drip, stay away from this album: keyboard is the main attraction, the epicentre of its dark architecture. You can hear it much better that the drums for instance and even the crunchy guitars sound far away in the symphonic vortex Lethargy Of Death organize with care and … well yes, talent.

I didn’t expect that but its all very well done, like a mix between Shape of Despair for the vocals and the overly symphonic approach and Skepticism for the dread and the organ-like synths. ’Necrology’ is the third album of this chilean one-man band, it comes after two eps and 6 years of activities. I don’t know how the other works can sound, but this is quite mastered as a matter of fact. Dark ambient, droning and dramatic waves of synth whirl and expand in the void where a thin raspy voice murmurs its last word before vanishing. Those very ambient non-doom passages (piano, voice, keys) bear a strange force of suggestion; tiny child voices can be heard in the distance, crying like out of an abandonned nursery. It’s the big force of this release, beyond it’s funeray abilities and all the Shape of Despair possible comparisons, it evokes things that crawl and memories that shiver beneath the frozen surface.

It all progresses very slowly, repeating the same patterns over and over like an eternal sunset. I like the way some guitar lines weep in the background, this is warm and carefuly set with a vast emotional magnitude.

Lethargy of Death is aimed to those who like their doom soft, a wait-and-see bleak and atmospheric music. Mellow and round, it doesn’t offer anything you wouldn’t have heard elsewhere but it’s rightly done, with a good understanding of the goals of Funeral Doom. I can only regret the clumsy plastic drummings that seem to have to stay the forever-weakest part in those one-man bands… As often, it detracts from some (and sometimes a lot) of the efficiency, if not of the sincerity and overall interest.

Doom-metal.com Sep. 2010

Nuova uscita per la label russa Endless Winter, è il turno della one man band funeral doom cilena dei Lethargy Of Death annichilire l'ascoltatore con una sonora e grevissima mazzata devota al verbo della morte.

Questo annichilente progetto è la creatura di Emiaj, nata artisticamente nel 2000, aveva prodotto sinora due ep nel biennio 2005/2006 intitolati "Tribulations" e "Robe Of Death" arrivando in questo 2010 a pubblicare l'album di debutto "Necrology".

Non è sicuramente davanti a una proposta innovativa che ci troviamo, sono sette tracce che dell'insegnamento impartito da gente come Thergothon, Skepticism, Shape Of Despair e Pantheist hanno fatto virtù.

Vi sono infatti internamente tutte le caratteristiche per appassionare sia i fedeli del movimento più classico e ortodosso, sia quelli che ricercano una trama melodica che faccia da supporto ed estensione delle atmosfere cineree e claustrofobiche che i brani innalzano al pari di mura invalicabili, è presente (e come poteva non esservi) quello strato spesso di malinconia strisciante che l'uso dei synth eterei e ben calibrati addensa appesantendo ancor più un incedere che alle volte sfiora l'essere marziale.

La strada intrapresa per fortuna non si limita solo a una riproposizione standard del genere provando a dare "vivacità" alla composizione con alternative al più tipico andare inserendo parti ambient/neo-classiche in "Remains Of Remembrance" o calcando la mano sull'aspetto horrorifico in "Essential Process", non si può neanche negare che Emiaj sappia dare ai pezzi una forma pregiata e quindi uno sviluppo estetico che crei interesse facendosi ammantare dalla dolcezza straniante della morte come avviene in "Death", in fin dei conti quando si mette nello stereo un platter di funeral cosa si pretende di trovare se non un velo nero di disperazione, angoscia e perché no rabbia nelle sue imponenti esecuzioni?

Inutile perdersi in giri di parole e allungare il brodo, se lo stile vi piace i Lethargy Of Death con quest'album rientreranno nei vostri canoni e un paio di passaggi on air vi convinceranno della bontà dell'operato sinora svolto, a voi adesso dar loro la possibilità di farlo.

Aristocrazia Webzine Oct. 2010

Otra pieza más de la disquera rusa Endless Winter, dedicada en exclusiva al doom metal. Se trata del álbum de un compatriota que capturó el interés del sello, como ya lo han hecho otros proyectos criollos en la vena del funeral death/doom.

El disco presenta un trago amargo del más puro y miserable existir. Un trabajo realizado por completo por un solo integrante (se me hace familiar) quien usando teclados, midi y samples varios ahonda en los más lúgubres pasajes. Meritorio el logro de tal oscuridad en una gama amplia de strings de teclados y una leve inclusión de leads en guitarra. Hablamos de una perfecta pócima de extremo doom que cautiva y no aburre abusando de los teclados.

Los gruñidos de voz profundos son perfectos para complementar la fórmula, ya que se transforman sutilmente en un extenso susurro de dolor y agonía. El disco posee un buen sonido a pesar de que debe establecerse que la batería es programada y el resto de los instrumentos casi en su totalidad fueron creados por teclados o controladores midi. Esto no le quita valor, pero si ayuda a alcanzar un sonido más nítido.

“Necrology” consta de siete pistas muy coherentes que nos hacen transitar como almas en pena al compás condenatorio de una marcha sin fin creada por la característica percusión del estilo. El disco se me hizo un poco corto al escucharlo y eso habla muy bien de la secuencia y orden de los tracks y cómo se desencadena cada uno de ellos. Un gran logro de Emiaj, hombre tras estas oscuras notas. A esperar que nos siga sorprendiendo de igual forma en el futuro.

Ciudad Metal Oct. 2010

Depression, sadness and coldness ride on this Chilean one-man project's debut album “Necrology”. Aptly put, the Funeral Doom Metal subgenre is one for funerals, but sacrilegious to churches in hindsight. If anyone thought emo music was a cause to slit wrists, this album certainly fits the pattern. The vocals are the main cause, hard-to-understand and with that in mind, the music just adds more unhappy feelings, ah “Necrology”, stay away from the subject, let alone the album.

Terrorizer Sep. 2010

Split contendo duas bandas não tão novas, mas também não muito reconhecidas no cenário: Ego Depths e Dispersive Light.

Ego Depths: Projeto de Stigmatheist e responsável por todos os instrumentos e nos traz logo de cara uma faixa instrumental para abrir essa missa fúnebre com pouco menos de 12 minutos e mostrando-nos o que está por vir. Na seqüência Let us Prey for the Worthless Life nos mostra um funeral doom vigoroso nos melhores moldes de Skepticism, ou seja, muito depressivo e lento. Se ao menos tivesse mais um som para nos dar um parâmetro melhor ou mesmo para nos brindar com mais uma bela canção…

Dispersive Light: banda estadunidense de Drone, possui 5 faixas nesse split com a maior dela beirando os 8 minutos. Sura Mrod e Baal seguem a mesma linha com barulhos e uma atmosfera caótica, já Purple Twilights da uma animada por ser “diferente” e ser tocada com baixo e piano. Incest Autumn Winds é a melhor dessa banda, com um baixo ultra distorcido mostrando uma certa melodia em meio ao caos. E para terminar o cd uma viagem de piano chamada Little Owl. Se toda a participação do Dispersive Light seguisse a linha dessas duas últimas músicas com certeza mereceria os 5 depressivos de pontuação.

Funeral Wedding 2011

Split by Endless Winter Records that shows two almost unknown bands: Ego Depths (recently moved from Ukraine to Canada) for the first two tracks and mysterious Dispersive Light for the remaining five. Unfortunately, the best part of this 'Follow The Skua' is the Ego Depths one, being the first two songs (of which the first being an instrumental). Interesting mix of sad guitars, claustrophobic mood. guttural growl and eerie synths, this could be called funeral doom as we know it today. Very atmospheric music indeed, and the two songs included in the split cover about half an hour, giving a pretty idea of the skills of the band (a one-man band). A little bit monotonous for their lenghts, this is my actual and only remark, waiting to hear soon something more complete by this band to have a better overview.

Let's go on to the second part. Dispersive Light do not play any kind of metal, doom especially since there are no guitars, no drums, no vocals at all: their production is instead more into ambient/drone style.

As mentioned before there are only synths here, and the first thing I thought as I was going on with the listening was that they could have been easily featured as composer for such games as Silent Hill (with all the respect due to Akira Yamaoka) because that would be the perfect match for such music. Sick, thrilling and painful, but maybe boring in the long run, just because music like should need a "visual" counterpart to go along with (like a movie, for instance).

I wish you all a joyful and safe Happy New Year.

Obscura Webzine Dec. 2010

Endless Winter es una discográfica con base en Rusia y que debe ofrecer el metal más sombrío del catálogo actual. En el split “Follow The Skua”, por ejemplo, reúne las creaciones de dos bandas originarias de Ucrania, en un trabajo de casi una hora de duración.

Ego Depths tiene a su cargo la apertura del disco y lo hace con un intro de guitarra acústica que rememora el sonido clásico del funeral doom. La sección eléctrica recrea una melodía sepulcral que me recuerda la primera vez que escuché a Thergothon. Esta extensa marcha fúnebre emplea la característica percusión densa y parsimoniosa del funeral doom como un presagio de algo terrible. La alternancia de hi-hat, bombo y caja actúa como antesala de los angustiosos leads de la primera guitarra, que al comienzo y en los minutos 7 y 11 irrumpen en la forma de un arpegio.

A diferencia del inicio, en el segundo corte predominan los sonidos electrónicos. En el minuto 4 sobreviene el quiebre de la sección eléctrica con una guitarra rítmica que conserva la atmósfera inquietante de la melodía orquestada por los teclados, en tanto al minuto 6 da un paso al fragmento más memorable de esta banda, gracias a la incorporación de susurros y voces de ultratumba, junto a una espléndida melodía. Empleando sintetizadores, Ego Depths emula con éxito el sonido vernáculo del género. Si hubiese una percusión más definida, hablaríamos de un excelente material.

Dispersive Light aporta cinco temas a la obra, todos más afines al drone que al doom. En lo personal, y como amante del funeral, el uso exagerado de la electrónica no me satisface en lo absoluto. “Purple Twilights”, donde guitarra y bajo construyen una polifonía, es uno de los tracks fuertes de esta banda, pues elabora una atmósfera coherente y emotiva en algunos tramos. Lo demás: todo demasiado etéreo y ambiental. “Little Owl” es mi juicio la mejor contribución de esta banda, aunque se extraña la arremetida de las guitarras.

“Follow The Skua” constituye un esfuerzo plausible de parte de Endless Winter y vaticina un interesante futuro para ambas agrupaciones.

Ciudad Metal Sep. 2010

Ego Depths continue son œuvre…

Après un premier album très bien accueilli, le jeune hongrois tend sa main à une nouvelle expérience, et cette fois-ci sous l’angle d’un Split avec son compatriote Dispersive Light. Rien qu’à lire ces deux noms les décors sont campés…Mais ça reste tout de même insignifiant si on comptera le nombre de groupes qui cachent leurs niaiseries derrière des patronymes tirant un taureau par les cornes…

Sachez-le donc ! Chacun a besoin d’évolutions voire de changements radicaux comme les généraux ont besoin de soldats. Ego Depths n’en fait pas l’exception. Quid de ses longues ivresses Death/Doom.

Elles se font défrayées par un Doom plus mélodieux certes, mais moins artificiel et conventionnel. Rien n’est plus représentatif à cet égard que cette intro instrumentale assez inattendue. En d’autres termes, le combo a fort à faire et prend tout le temps nécessaire pour étaler ses ambiances. Des notes clean mettent l’esprit dans un niveau très terre-à-terre avant de le trancher dans une louche bien lente teintée d’une bonne dose mélodique. Je dirais même qu’il s’agit d’un clin d’œil à quelques Worship. Précisons tout de même qu’on a accès pour la première fois à ce genre de tonalités et ce n’est pas pour nous déplaire. Le retour des notes clean au milieu du titre installe un aspect feeling romantique insoupçonnable. L’agencement de l’ensemble est bien soigné grâce à une fluidité assez remarquable.

Le deuxième titre remonte le niveau avec ses 17 minutes…une longueur qui confère un impact certain à la globalité du travail. Le clavier s’introduit en guise d’intro tout en oscillant entre l’atmosphérique et l’épique. L’ambiance est campée : le renvoi à Sunn O))) en tant que référence est inévitable. La rupture se fait au bout de la quatrième minute avec un growl qui pourrait sonner kitsch pour quelques uns mais son bon emplacement demeure au-dessus de tous les mécontentements. Puis, on assiste à l’émergence de deux guitares, l’une pour submerger le riff, l’autre pour le salir. Un jeu typiquement Sol sur Let There Be A Massacre mais moins propre et hétéroclite. Le chant caverneux prend toute son ampleur au seuil de 10 minutes avec quelques parties légèrement Death/Metal qui sautent à l’oreille ici et là. Bref, avec ces deux titres, Ego Depths a montré un changement de voie bien considérable. Je ne sais pas s’il s’agit véritablement d’une continuité mais en tout cas j’espère que le nouveau chemin sera fait sous le feu des projecteurs…

Venons à Dispersive Light. Une découverte que ce split a permis…mais s’agit-il d’une bonne ? Après une vingtaine d’écoutes, mon jugement se trouve toujours devant une impasse. Un style minimaliste. Si vous utilisez un casque, impossible de ne pas diminuer le volume. Un seul élément sonore. Un bruit électronico-industriel à la Sunn O))), mais sans âme. Est-ce bien ? Je ne sais pas. Pour moi, pas vraiment. Pour un esprit dérangé, peut être. Ambient et Drone sont là. Leur inclusion demeure néanmoins bancale et réside à toute appréciation explicite. Question d’humeur. Je ne sais pas. Le troisième titre est le plus facile d’accès grâce à un son plus ou moins clair et correctement placé. D’ailleurs l’ombre de We Wait for the Snow déferle perpétuellement, juste un peu plus mou. Le dernier titre n’est pas franchement mal, et son aspect Ambient explicitement exprimé renoue avec le bon "son" et nous permet de finir l’écoute de façon beaucoup plus sereine voire cathartique. De toute façon, les fans de Permafrost ne resteront jamais indifférents.

Au final, je serai très balzacien face à ces cinq titres. En d’autres termes, La critique est une brosse qui ne peut pas s'employer sur les étoffes légères, où elle emporterait tout. Dispersive Light est léger, trop même. A prendre ou à laisser.

16.5/20 pour Ego Depths.

09.5/20 pour Dispersive Light.

Sombre Arcane Sep. 2010

La label russa Endless Winter rilascia l'ennesimo lavoro adatto agli amanti delle atmosfere tetre e claustrofobiche, la scelta di accoppiare in soluzione unica le due formazioni ucraine, Ego Depths e Dispersive Light, frutta uno split dal titolo “Follow The Skua”, contenente sessanta minuti devoti a un trascorrere lento e greve.

Le due tracce iniziali “Henceforth I Suffer (Ego D.)” e “Let Us Prey For their Worthless Life (Ego D.)” a opera degli Ego ci regalano complessivamente quasi mezz'ora di musica, allungate, pesanti, cariche di pathos si slanciano, il lavoro svolto dai synth nel creare una forte pressione malinconica e quietamente triste fa sì che l'artista non nuovo alla scena e con alle spalle un album di tutto rispetto come “Equilibrium Sickness” riesca a confermarsi esponendo materiale della stessa pasta e capace di tener testa ai rivali nel genere spesso provenienti dalla stessa zona geografica.

Le composizioni sono istintive, stringenti, una morsa dolorosa che si trascina sin dalla nota iniziale avviluppando l'ascoltatore e trascinandolo per vie dove la luce è fioca.

Tocca quindi ai Dispersive Light entrare in scena e si cambia totalmente musica, l'ambient/drone proposto è alienante, misantropico, un'ossessione continua che si sviluppa fra ridondanze forti, un teatro d'orrore che fra sensazioni industrial martellanti e noise riesce a evocare incubi e infondere una schizofrenica voglia di distruzione che ha una sola reale pausa in cui il ricordo sembra essere dolcemente amaro, incastonato nell'acustico discernere di “Purple Twilights”.

Rimembrare che verrà annientato dalla violenza di “Incest Autumn Winds” rimarcando ancora una volta quanto la musica di questo progetto possa essere lobotomizzante.

“Follow The Skua” si attesta come produzione relegata a un target preciso, gli amanti dei due stili si troveranno di fronte un platter che sia col funeral doom degli Ego Depths sia con la musica dei Dispersive Ligth potrà viaggiare attraverso sinistre lande.

Se è ciò che ascoltate abitualmente non fatevi mancare occasione per mettere su questo disco e chissà che non vi scatti la voglia d'acquisto.

Aristocrazia Webzine Jun. 2010

Oneman band nacional, que durante el año 2010 lanzó bajo Endless Winter, su segundo larga duración bautizado como “While The Rest Of The World Sleep…”. En este trabajo, V contó con la colaboración de Juan Escobar, Draco (LUCTUS HYDRA). Moundres (SARKUS) y Selenia (UNNAMED DESIRE).

AURA HIEMIS, ejecuta un Funeral Doom bastante denso, el que crea atmósferas oscuras, pasajes desoladores y todo lo que pueda acercarse a la depresión; sin embargo, incluyen en sus creaciones ciertos ritmos cercanos al Death Metal. Bandas que pueden influenciar este sonido: MY DYING BRIDE y TYPE O NEGATIVE.

“V Demonae”, es un corte oscuro y lento el que te envuelve en una atmósfera depresiva que podría atrapar hasta al más optimista de los seres. En “Chained & Bonded”,sigue en la misma línea doom, una batería que suena con fuerza, la voz de V tiene matices y si a eso le sumamos el apoyo de una segunda voz (que el mismo interpreta), hace que el producto final sea interesante. El tercer track, “Whispers In The Dark”, tiene riffs cortos como ha sido la tónica de las dos canciones anteriores, un teclado bastante tenue que le da ese toque de oscuridad tan característico en esta rama del metal. En la mitad del disco suena “Made To Lose It All”, que es un instrumental en el que se escucha una especie de conversación, de hecho, hace recordar al diálogo que sale en un tema de THEATRE OF TRAGEDY (“And When He Falleth”).

En “A Mourning To Fade Away”, aparecen las colaboraciones realizadas por Draco, Selenia y Moundresellos tienen formas de interpretar bastante particulares por eso el tema gana en “emotividad”, ya que los tres registros son distintos y se complementan de excelente manera. En “Divine Intervention” (bonustrack), encontramos una influencia demasiado clara de Theatre Of Tragedy; se trata de una canción bien en la onda de lo que esa agrupación nos ofreció durante su carrera… una de las mejores del disco. Cerrando este trabajo, encontramos el segundo bonus track titulado “Sponsa Obscuritas”, en esta V se luce ya que demuestra que con su capacidad vocal puede ir ocupando distintas técnicas interpretativas (algo como que hace el actual frontman de Amorphis); musicalmente es similar al Doom que hacen los nacionales POEMA ARCANUS, aunque en este tema se notan algunos tintes Death Metal.

La escena Doom cada vez cuenta con nuevos exponentes, lo importante es que los últimos discos que he escuchado no tienen nada que envidiarle a lo ofrecido por agrupaciones internacionales y en el caso de “While The Rest Of The World Sleep…”, lo podrán comprobar, un disco que te lleva como lo dijimos en un principio a pasajes y atmósferas desoladoras, de tristeza absoluta y soledad.

The Pichangas Nov. 2011

If you missed the “While The Rest Of the World Sleep...” 2008 release by FunerART Records; you still have a chance to get your hands on this second album by Aura Hiemis as it just has been re-released by Endless Winter with a complete re-thought artwork and packaging and a slightly different tracklist. The presentation is really ambitious: the digipack is twice as long as a normal jewelcase for the same width!!. If you like naked women imprison in serpentine tree branches and if you can stand an overwhelming photoshopy touch, you’ll love it!

You all know how melodic Death Doom is a waymarked genre; hard to come up with something original with so worn-out tools. The vast majority of bands that have made them a nest in this niche can be put one behind another and nothing would stick out. You can describe them all with the the same old references.

Aura Hiemis is a one-man band hailing from Chile; Herumor V is also active in Mar de Grises. And you can hear there’s something that stands out here. Frankly, this is barely explainable; it’s something in the tone and some sort of epicness that give me that feeling. The languid guitar lines expand with majesty, they are hold during a long time in every song, but never sound to drag in a boring way. Between melancholy and despair, there’s a vast room let for an aural temple to settle. The voice is quite versatile also, Herumor V explores the dark ressources of his vocal abilities: whisper, raspy growls, black-ish shrieks, sensitive wailing clean chants; you’ll even have ethereal female voice entwined in some songs.

That big temple that Aura Hiemis builts is essentialy made of long languid and somber guitar leads that underlie the compositions; they really knock you down, cover you with a heavy shroud, making you numb. It’s the strong frame of the bands’ instrumentation. The songs flow in one another fluently, giving the impression of being part of the same strong architecture. Those leads are most often enhanced by simplistic riffs that hammer their Doom with perseverance while you hardly notice the keyboards which bring even more depth and lightness to the music. There’s even a passage made from exracts of the american broadcast that, together with the Doom section, conveys a suprising intensity!

Aura Hiemis stand above average. Under the analysis, you only perceive some simple songwriting, some expurgated skills, but the fact is undeniable: something strong is operating. “While The Rest Of the World Sleep...” (sic) is a very good Death Doom album that should find its place in your collection between Mar De Grises/ “The Tatterdemalion Express” and Lethargia/ “The kingdom Of Unrealizable Hopes”.

Doom-metal.com Jul. 2010

Hoje em dia com as facilidades de se encontrar programas de composição/gravação de músicas, muitos projetos pipocam aqui e ali, e isto que rola com esse Krief de Soli. Projeto formado em 2009 por Egregoir de Sang em Quebec – Canadá e nos apresenta um funeral doom extremamente arrastado e depressivo, lembrando em algumas passagens o grandioso Skepticism. Esse play contém apenas 3 sons, chegando próximo dos 50 minutos. Mei Oculi Devorati Sunt Tenebris abre essa depressão sonora, guitarras pesadas, vocais urrados mas em tons baixos, vão levando o ouvinte em direção ao apocalipse. Vocis… Imago… Funebris vem dando seqüência a esse opressivo material, com um clima de teclado e notas de piano vem estilhaçando o peito do depressivo. Linhas melódicas de guitarra surgem dando um toque especial na música. Uma coisa legal nessa faixa, que abruptamente ela muda de velocidade e cai numa pancadaria de fazer inveja à bandas tipo Dark Funeral. Benedicto Domini Sit Vobiscum começa com um violão dedilhando notas até o surgimento de um órgão de igreja, e aí sim começa a depressão dessa faixa. As letras/encarte abordam temas religiosos e recitados em latim os versículos do apocalipse.

Altamente recomendado para os seres que esperam pela Senhora Morte carregar o seu corpo cadavérico já cansado em direção a sua tumba e lá ficará esperando pela última pazada de terra.

Funeral Wedding 2011

Ambient and doom metal have always been fascinating me since I listened to Dusk band. Krief de Soli from Canada, one-man band by Egregoir de Sang is deeply interested into religion, as we can see from lyrics of debut album 'Procul Este, Profani...' (translated from latin as Far off, ye that Profane...) all taken by the Book of Revelation by St. John (often referred to as the Book of Apocalypse) in ancient latin language.

Musically speaking, we have an incredibly slow and pounding funeral doom metal, in the more claustrophobic form ever, and that's good. Funeral doom metal, for his own nature, ain't never been opened to many improvements and/or changes of any kind: its structure is monolithic and incredibly heavy, just like a slow behemoth that is inexorably approaching to the end of its path, accompanied by the monotonous litany of the passages of the Bible by Egregoir de Sang. Each song has an average lenght of about 15 minutes and very little spoken parts, since the instrumental ones are the majority. The production and graphic layout are all in all nothing particularly special, being simply the right things at the right place, but that is not a cons.

To sum up this is a pretty good release, humble and passionate, atmospheric and eerie. Thumb up

Obscura Webzine Dec. 2010

Krief de Soli es el proyecto unipersonal del canadiense Egregoir de Sang, quien ejecuta todos los instrumentos e inspiró esta obra en el Apocalipsis de San Juan. El objetivo del autor es avanzar hacia una dirección de crecimiento espiritual, revelando el conocimiento que fue dado por Dios y más tarde propagado por el mundo. Su tesis es que esta sapiencia es un mecanismo muy poderoso, que en manos torpes puede causar daño.

El álbum “Procul Este, Profani…” es una pieza dividida en tres actos. Si hubiese que asociar cada uno a una emoción, el primero encarnaría el miedo. En él destacan las armonías en teclado que permanecen a través de los 15 minutos de duración del track, en los cuales se suceden distintas variaciones del ánimo, todas cubiertas de un aura obscura. El segundo acto sugiere tristeza y se construye a partir de una melodía central de 16 minutos, donde un piano sutil establece un cambio respecto del corte precedente. Por momentos, el rever llega incluso a deformar la voz y la batería se percibe tan distante que desaparece.

El tema final posee un sonido distinto. Quizá se registró en otro lugar o de modo intencionado se mejoró el sonido, siguiendo la evolución natural del disco, donde cada corte es más pulcro que el anterior. Este capítulo personifica la condena y resalta por una melodía majestuosa interpretada con teclados y una mayor claridad en la percusión. Los dos últimos tracks, en especial el tercero, indican la línea que debiese tomar la banda en un próximo trabajo, pues compendia de modo magistral la tristeza inherente al género.

Ciudad Metal Sep. 2010

Au moment où les artistes (si on peut les appeler ainsi) s’amusent à jouer les « New Heros » de la scène Metal actuelle, Krief de Soli n’obéit pas à la règle et inscrit son nom parmi la lignée des mystérieux qui broient les traces de leurs identités et les pistes de leurs travaux.

Il est d’origine québécoise. C’est tout se ce qu’il se contente d’afficher afin de laisser la véritable parole à sa musique toujours fidèle au principe de « gommage ». Comment ne fait-elle pas ainsi s’elle se concentre dans un Funeral Doom religieux et extrêmement atmosphérique ? Voyons suivre de près la démarche de sa première offrande Procul Este, Profani....

D’abord, le visuel nous plonge de plain-pied dans le bain. Un jeu de couleurs à la fois simple et dérangeant qui sied à merveille avec la spirale théologique de l’album. Et l’intérieur recycle l’extérieur…Trois titres, mais également trois différentes occasions d’hanter l’esprit du Christ…un seul objectif : le profaner !

Dans un océan de lenteur, l’étiquette du genre prend toute son ampleur. Le premier titre Mei Oculus Devorati Sunt Tenebris... nous fait porter la jaquette de seize minutes avec des riffs extrêmement sommaires touchant même la frontière de la banalité. Toutefois, la précision se fait très vite ressentie et on ne peut que songer aux travaux de Doom : VS. La propreté du son et la clarté du jeu ancre leurs différences mais le québécois se débrouille quand même pas mal, mêlant montées classiques en crescendo mais pas dénuées d'intérêt et passages plus distants voire écartés du reste. En d’autres termes, même si les angles de vue semblent différer d’un riff à l’autre, l’idée directrice s’avère toujours bien visée et suivie. Vers et revers d’une même médaille !

Sur une logique évolutive, KDS couronne ses morceaux avec un clavier, jamais original ou innovateur, certes mais suffisamment pesant pour servir l’ensemble. Les notes pianistiques insufflent à l’atmosphère une vraie douceur, ce qui rivalise avec la sauvagerie de quelques riffs ou même les accélérations de la boite rythmique. Celle-ci se dévoile très mise en arrière et même les blast les plus véhéments sonnent à nos oreilles très discrets. Quant au chant, il oscille entre des murmures et des growls assez conventionnels. Ce vagabondage se fait sur les toits d’une langue latine, chose bien attendue dès qu’on se rend compte de l’importance de la spiritualité dans la conception générale de Krief de Soli

En effet, on ne va pas rendre justice au travail que lorsqu’on combine toutes ces facettes. Car, si on fait l’économie du fond, on risquera de ne pas savourer un rendu très axé sur l’aspect feeling mais sans en faire trop, ce qui facilite vraiment l’écoute. Par exemple, le deuxième titre Vocis... Imago... Funebris... se dévoile baptisé via une aura mélodieuse qui se laisse glisser entre les deux extrémités du tempo. En cela, le musicien souligne un doute métapsychique allant du Christ à ses plus zélateurs disciples…Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani.

De même le musicien pousse encore plus loin sa vision de musique doomesque et atmosphérique dans son troisième et dernier titre. Le clavier, extrêmement omniprésent renoue le fond avec la forme de la parfaite manière qui soit. Ses différentes couches s’entremêlent diablement jusqu’à créer une douceur…que j’ose qualifier de macabre. Ni peur ni joie, juste une sérénité enveloppeuse dans 15 minutes de jeu instrumental aussi clean que grandiloquent.

En conclusion Procul Este, Profani... est un album concept qui dessine les grandes lignes d’une musique ayant souci du fond et de la forme. Ses défauts sont très vites ressentis surtout au niveau d’une originalité plus ou moins faiblarde. Une anomalie à soigner…un travail à saluer.

14.5/20

Sombre Arcane Sep. 2010

Krief de Soli’s approach of Funeral Doom is not revolutionary. Still, it is a pleasant one. Hailing from Canada and under the sole direction of Egregoir de Sang, Procul Este, Profani… brings forth three tracks, each exceeding the 15 minutes mark.

If you like your Funeral Doom liturgical and loaded with keyboards, there’s a good chance you might appreciate Krief de Soli's debut effort. All the lyrics are sung in Latin and are excerpts from the Apocalypsis. That sets the tone. Still there is more light than darkness in this record and somehow it happens to remind me of Ahab’s The Call of the Wretched Sea, not so much musically but rather for all the atmospheres created that have somehow an epic edge to them.

Each song is built following the same canvas: long and slow introductions and then the momentum picks up to end in final apotheosis. Simple and yet very effective. Egregoir de Sang even blesses us with muffled blast beats on Mei Oculus Devorati Sunt Tenebris... which gives some welcome and yet unexpected dISEMBOWELMENT flavor to it.

On the other hand, if you're somewhat allergic to keyboards, you may find yourself overwhelmed with them, especially since they have a naive feel to them. In 'Benediction Domini Sit Vobiscum', they almost sound like the soundtrack to a Bollywood film, but strangely this adds up to the religiosity of the track and blends in nicely.

Obviously it’s nothing close to Skepticism or the aforementioned Ahab but it is reasonable to imagine that the band's future may exceed greater expectations. Despite a few flaws, Krief de Soli’s debut is perfectly enjoyable and, among the many stillborn projects pertaining to the genre, this certainly stands out as being one of the most pleasant releases of this year.

Doom-metal.com Aug. 2010

Nuove uscite per la label russa Endless Winter, fra esse vi è anche l'album di debutto della one man band canadese Krief de Soli. L'act composto dal solo Egregoir de Sang si cimenta in un funeral doom claustrofobico e opprimente dove le movenze statiche e ampie la fanno da padrone puntando a sotterrare l'ascoltatore sotto una pesante coltre di grigiore crescente.

Tre episodi per quasi quarantasette minuti di musica espansa e priva di vitalità che hanno in comune una spettralità maligna e asfissiante, un lavoro che fa quadrato con le sue poche e sufficienti peculiarità legate al genere per ricreare un muro impossibile da scavalcare, l'animo della titletrack “Mei Oculi Devorati Sunt Tenebris...” n'è buona rappresentazione.

Egregoir riesce in più casi a sfoderare una prestazione convincente, soprattutto per quanto riguarda “Vocis... Imago... Funebris”, l'intensità schiacciante della traccia è da brivido in alcuni punti, l'uso di quelle poche note di piano a sostegno del riff pachidermico e i synth carichi di malinconia struggente ne fortificano l'evocazione sanguigna delle liriche estratte dall'Apocalisse di San Giovanni così come del resto tutto ciò che verrà decantato proverrà da quel libro.

Intrigante il triste entrare della chitarra acustica che da vita a “Benediction Domini Sit Vobiscum” prima che il riffing si tramuti divenendo straziante, lascia ancora una volta alle note imponenti delle tastiere tessere una trama ripetitiva e struggente che prenderà le redini della situazione. L'entrata del piano sul finire del sesto minuto spezzerà quella monotonia andante offrendo una variante che dopo un paio di giri ricompatterà quella sensazione di circolo chiuso sconfortante prima creata, la traccia si conclude con una citazione di burzumiana ispirazione.

Come un gatto che gioca col topo, le atmosfere di “Procul Este, Profani...” esalano sparuti momenti d'innalzamento morale per poi ricadere in uno solitario giaciglio.

Che sia un album di stampo religioso (senza per questo definirlo white visto che non si ha certezza) lo si nota o si potrebbe far collegamento logico già prima d'inserire il cd dall'artwork esterno e interno del booklet che a più riprese ci mostra immagini relative a figure e luoghi sacri mesti e probabilmente fonte da cui attingere per l'ispirazione, le parole emesse ne sono conferma e si prestano alla musica poggiandosi al pari di macigni sulle note cineree.

Il Funeral Doom è un genere che, non sfruttando un impatto veloce nè cullandosi su iper produzioni o costruzioni tecniche ricercate, punta sull'emotività di chi si accosta alle release di questo tipo, alle volte anche una prestazione definibile standard può divenire un capolavoro proprio per le atmosfere e la capacità di trasmettere che lo rendono tale.

“Procul Este, Profani...” ha ciò che serve per farsi piacevolmente apprezzare da chi segue il filone, a ognuno poi andare a scavare in fondo con il proprio io e trovare quello che quest'album può realmente dare, l'ascolto è consigliato.

Aristocrazia Webzine Jun. 2010