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orchestral

Lingua Ignota – All Bitches Die (2018)

Discogs.com

I was looking around for music to add to my “women in extreme music” playlist when I ran into a name that did not ring a bell. Lingua Ignota appears to be a classically trained artist who released two albums by herself. The second album has been rereleased on a label that I did not know, Profound Lore, which does have releases by artists that I do know.

“All Bitches Die” opens with noisy and pompous electronic music which is accompanied by the tortured screams of Ignota. The music leans a bit towards martial industrial, but heavier, especially because of the vocals. Then about halfway the music goes over in piano music with normally sung vocals. Towards the end of the 15 minute track, mayhem returns.

The second track is lot shorter, just below five minutes. It contains singing and some organ on the background. Then follows a longer track, also with singing over piano, but with a noise-backdrop halfway. The screams return in the next track, but more muffled over what could again have been part of a martial industrial album, an organ and dark ambient tones. The last track is more tranquil again.

Like Diamanda Galás we here have a woman wandering through the darker parts of music and using her powerful voice in a variety of ways. I especially enjoy the darker tracks of this album and “All Bitches Die” made me curious about the debut album called “Let The Evil Of His Own Lips Cover Him”.

Links: Lingua Ignota, Profound Lore Records

Laibach – Also Sprach Zarathustra (cd 2017)

During their long activity Laibach made quite a few things that I enjoy, but also a lot that is not my taste. Therefor I do not follow them closely. Perhaps it was the title of the new album that caught my attention, but I put on the new album and it is great!

“Also Sprach Zarathustra” is something like a hearplay, but there are not too many vocals. The music is slightly orchestral, tranquil, minimal and every now and then there are the typical low frequency Laibach vocals (spoken). I guess parts of Nietzsche’s book.

There is not much more to say about the album. Musically it does not represent the best-known side of Laibach, but that certainly is no problem to me.

Links: Laibach, Mute

Angelic Foe ‎* Mother Of Abominations (cd 2015)

Angelic Foe is half of the late Arcana. I did not know Angelic Foe, but Annmari Thim and Cristian Ellingsen did release an album before. On Prikosovenie, which is fitting, because Thim’s singing remind of the “heavenly voices” type of music of times past. The vocals remind of sToa.

There are other comparisons for Angelic Foe. In the more tranquil moments the music reminds me of music released on the Hyperium label. There is also a lot of drumming which brings memories to In The Nursery. Arcana itself does not make a strange comparison either, but Angelic Foe is (even) more pompous. Speaking of Arcana, Peter Bjärgo mastered the album and Cecilia Bjärgo made the cover photo.

“Mother Of Abominations” is a nice album to jump back in time a little with bombastic, orchestral tunes with soprano vocals.

Links: Angelic Foe, Equilibrium Music

Parzival * Casta (cd 2014)

I have Last.fm and Deezer informing me about new releases yet I had to accidentally find out about the latest Parzival. But then again, the album is only two weeks old and released on a label that I never heard of.
“Casta” has the more bombastic orchestral style, rather than the ebm-ish side of this Danish band. I prefer the sound of for example “Urheimat”, but “Casta” is a nice album with the typical Parzival vocals and pompous orchestrations. The band announced a tour, so I hope they will play somewhere near some time, because this is a band that I would like to see live some time.
Links: Parzival, Mighty Music

Parzival * Die Kulturnacht (cd 2012)

I was curious if Deezer would have Parzival releases that I do not and then I saw this new album! It was not even listed on Discogs and just today I got a Tesco newsletter with the cd in it. Inspite of the year 2012 still fresh I guess. “Die Kulturnacht” does not have the oldstyle EBM sound of Parzival, but an orchestral sound, sometimes pompous with drumming, sometimes more neo-classical, but usually with the typical vocals. Parzival manages the sound quite well, but I noticed that I enjoy the previous albums better. A suggestion for people into martial industrial and pompous neoclassical music.
Links: Parzival (note, when I write this (12-2-13) Google has blacklisted the website because of malware!), Euphonious Records

Arcana * As Bright As A Thousand Suns (cd 2012)

I am sorry for the band and the label, but just as with the recently released mini-cd “Emerald” I can only say that for me “As Bright As A Thousand Stars” is yet another Arcana album. The music is soft and atmospheric and reminds of Dead Can Dance more than once. I must say that in some tracks Peter’s vocals sound better to me than sometimes, he sings less forced, I am not sure what it is. Musically there is nothing new under the sun so I guess this new album is mostly for people who have been fans of Arcana for some time.
Links: Arcana, Cyclic Law

Arcana * Emerald (mcd 2012)

In the early days (1996) I loved Arcana, as everybody seemed to do. Then after a few releases everything kept sounding the same and especially when the vocals became ‘lyricless’ I lost interest. I heard a release every now and then and this time it is this 3 track, 13 minutes mini-cd that reached me. In the opening track Peter does not use his usual way of singing and the track is very nice. Then in the second track we are still presented soothing orchestrations and the vocals of the Bjärgö’s and it still sounds nice, but it just does not work for me. In track three, Cecilia tries a more operatic approach over a piano and soft orchestrations. Again, not for me… I am sure that people who do like Arcana (still) will also love this new mcd, but for me the magic has gone a long time ago. Oh well, what can one say about musical taste?
Links: Arcana, Cyclic Law

Peter Bjärgö * The Architecture Of Melancholy (cd 2011)

This second solo album of Peter Bjärgö (Arcana, Sophia) is a melancholic, orchestral album. It reminds me a lot of Arcana. There is a lot of focus on Bjärgö’s voice, there is guitar and orchestrations. 7 Tracks that span 40 minutes. In the early days of Arcana, I was gripped by Pettersson’s (as his last name was before he got married) music. Arcana soon started to sound too much the same to me, but then he came with Sophia. The later albums of Arcana that I heard are good, but not really my thing. The same I can see of “The Architecture Of Melancholy”. The music is certainly good, but does not ‘work’ for me. People who are gripped by Bjärgö’s music will undoubtely love this new album.
Links: Peter Bjärgö, Cyclic Law

iNsCissorS * Mnemosyne & Structure of Time (cd 2011)

Zoharum uses the term “cinematic ambient” to describe the music of iNScissorS, but as the cover already suggests (to me at least), the sound is more neoclassical / orchestral, but indeed there are also ambient elements to the sound. The album is a concept album telling the story of the Hellenic goddess of memory. The cd mostly comes accross as a soundtrack with soft (neo)classical music and eerie singing. The album is definately interesting, but I find myself losing my attention every now and then when the music remains the same too long. Soon after some soothing rhythm sets in and I like things better again. Definately an album that I have to hear a few times more before I can form a definate opinion.
Links: iNsCissorS, Zoharum

In The Nursery * Blind Sound (cd 2011)

I have known In The Nursery for many years, but never really got to get any of their music. I saw them opening the Wave Gotik Treffen some years ago (and my girlfriend got the DVD of the lightshow on the Völkerschlachtdenkmal with the music of ITN) and last year I saw them giving away a very nice show. I thought ITN was more of a tranquil, orchestral project, but their WGT show was very energetic with much drumming. Very entertaining in a stuffed Volkspalast (I mean: Kuppelhalle). So, I got their last album to see if they would sound as nice on cd. “Blind Sound” opens with some energetic tracks which are very good. I am not completely happy with the vocals, but the opening songs are very nice. Furtheron the music becomes more tranquil, but still nice. “Blind Sound” is not entirely my kind of music, but the pompous orchestrations and drumming are nice to put on once in a while.
Links: In The Nursery / ITN Corporation