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orchestral

v/a * Cavalcare La Tigra – Julius Evola: Centenary (compilation cd 1999)

A compilation dedicated to the Italian philosopher Julius Evola with the following acts:
Von Thronstahl (this track sounds like an old version of “Under The Mask Of Humanity” on the cd), Orplid (nice tranquil neo-folk), Blood Axis (“Herjafather” you all know it from “Blòt” by now), Alraune (an eerie minimalistic song), Camerata Mediolanense (in their known bombastic medievalish style), Lonsai Maikov (atmospheric), Allerseelen (a very nice mysterious industrial track with a beautiful title, “Gletscherlicht”), Ain Soph (boring neo-folk), Waldteufel (a nice folky song) and a very long track of Scivias.
Most songs are alright.

v/a * Audacia Imperat! (12″ 2002 öktagön)

It was a long wait for this not-too-great compilation. First edition is a picture 12″ and a normal 12″. Rumours say that the cd-version will come afterall, but with different bands/tracks. Anyway, after having been postphoned countless times, I got the picture lp version in my hands this week. What we get is new versions of old tracks by Of The Wand And The Moon, Von Thronstahl and Dies Natalis and all three aren’t too great and of course we already know the Von Thronstahl track from his “E Pluribus Unum” cd. There are new tracks (or at least to me) by Tribe Of Circle (not too great, ambient-like), Spiritual Front (by far the best track from this lp, another crazy, folky experiment), Waldteufel (very strange), Kirlian Camera (a nice and long atmospheric track), The Days Of The Trumpet Call (sounding exactly like most of his other tracks) and Sonne Hagal (terrible). The last track to mention is one of a band that I didn’t have anything of: Cadaverous Condition. The bandname suggests a metal band. Musically we get a neo-folkish song with a vocalist that seems to be a deathmetal vocalist who doesn’t know whether to roar or to sing, awfull!
All in all not the most brilliant compilation of recent times.

v/a * All My Dead Friends (cd 2006 cold meat industry)

It was a long wait after the previous compilation from CMI. The new one has a rather dull title, but it is about the music of course. CMI-samplers are always looked forward to by many people. “All My Dead Friends” has a different ‘concept’ than previous CMI-samplers. On this cd, no acts from the old guard; no Brighther Death Now, no Deutsch Nepal, no Raison d’être, even no Sephiroth or The Protagonist. The oldest band on this new compilation is Coph Nia. I don’t know most of the projects and, I believe, none of the tracks. Most tracks are nice to good (except for a horrible song by Stormfagel). The previous compilation “Flowers Made Of Snow” rose the suggestion that CMI would move towards more popular folky sounds, but “All My Dead Friends” fortunately doesn’t continue this path. Dark ambient (the famous CMI-sound), more industrial, even ‘old-fashioned’ industrial (reminding of Memorandum) and a few less-electronic bands make a compilation that I will probably play more than the compilations with tracks that were later released on the bands’ cds.

The Protagonist * Songs Of Experience (cd 2005 cold meat industry)

After many years of nothing, The Protagonist comes with a mcd (recently reviewed) and shortly after that this cd. The mcd “Interim” has a promising very bombastic sound. Well, this cd has too. The first tracks are relatively tranquil, the later tracks are more bombastic. The sound is still ‘pretty The Protagonist’ (very orchestral) and however the music is very nice, there isn’t a too big progression in sound or quality (which was already high). Maybe I had too high hopes for this album, but it may be good, it is no masterpiece.

The Protagonist * Interim (mcd 2005 cold meat industry)

I had to wait so long for this cd that when I was looking for the cover, I noticed that the new album “Songs Of Experience” is (almost) out. Since this is a mcd, I can be short about it. The Protagonist made bombastic orchestral music on the debut album “A Rebours” (1999), but the sound got much more bombastic on this mcd, more in the direction of Sophia or Karjalan Sissit. Nice! The last song is more tranquil though. Very nice, I am curious about the upcoming full-length.

The Days Of The Trumpet Call / Von Thronstahl * s/t (cd 2004 der angriff)

These guys prove hard to keep up with. I hadn’t heard of this cd until someone asked me if I had it. While trying to order it from Raymond he told me that there is another split cd as well. Later I heard that both bands would play live in Belgium. So last Saturday I not only watched the great Von Thronstahl show, the interesting Trumpet Call show and the alright shows of HERR (bel) and Dead Man’s Hill (bel) but I also bought these two cds there (for the other one see below). This one is a split mcd with three tracks of both bands. The Von Thronstahl tracks are quite tranquil and nice. The Days Of The Trumpet Call is not my favourite band, but the exclusive track that they also played live (“Lebendige Mensch”) is by far the most interesting Trumpet Call track so far. The Days Of The Trumplet Call are a little less orchestral on this cd and there is more room for the guitars. This 22 min cd costs the same as the other full-length (see below) and is limited to 500 copies.

The Days of the Trumpet Call * Purification (cd 2000 black rain)

Orchestal music from the Feindflug label! Trumpet Call is a project of Raymond P., a name that you may know from his participation in the controversial industrial/folk band Von Thronstahl. With this in mind I actually hear some similarities between these two bands, but I doubt I would have noticed that if I didn’t know about the connection.
Anyway, The Days… makes rather primitive orchestral music (neo-classical in a way). It all sounds quite nice, but it isn’t smashing. The music is mostly tranquil, but at times a bit more bombastic. Once in a while there is drumming. There are quite a lot of vocals on this cd for an orchestral cd, but who says that everything has to sound similar? Here and there I even hear a folky tune, but for the largest part the music is quite typical.
All in all an alright cd.

Skrol * Dances And Marches For The Orphan Age (cd 2005 dagaz music)

It has been six years ago that Loki Foundation released the brilliant “Martyria” 10″. In the same year the debut cd of this Czech band was released by Membrum Debile Propaganda. Skrol makes completely original and weird industrial. The music is made from cut-up orchestral samples, weird singing and organ sounds and all this made into an industrial, rhythmical style. I think this is really a ‘love it or hate it band’, but I sure love them. They are not too generous with releases. Somewhere in 2000 or 2001 I ran into a live video which is again from 1999. Then it was silent for a long time, at least, that was what I thought. The man behind Skrol proves to have an internetsite which covers all of this projects (I didn’t know that there were more). Also I missed Skrol albums. There are quite a few mp3s available so you can get a good idea of Vladimir Hirch’s music. The different projects tend to sound the same a bit, but who cares!
“Dances And Marches…” is a bit ‘softer’ in sound than the other releases that I have, less bombastic and more tranquil. But still the sound of Skrol is original and nice and I can’t say that of too many bands from the scene. <15/6/05><3>

Skrol * What The Eye Have Seen Have Not Seen (video 1999 ars morta universum)

You are a damn lucky bastard(ess) if you are still able to get your hands on one of the 99 copies of this live document of the strange Czech industrial act Skrol. Therefor we better regard this review for archive-purposes.
Both the “Martyria” 10″ and the “Heretical Antiphony” cd were already reviewed here, but on this video are a few tracks that I hadn’t heard yet. Most of it sounds familiar though. The visuals are as I expected: live features tried to make to look more interesting by irritating and cheap visual effects. The sound is exceptional though. The live images show a crazy woman and a fairly normal guy on a small stage (I haven’t seen any audience) doing their thing. The tape lasts for 45 minutes, which is agreeable. I am not too fond of videos, because the sound of a cd is better and the visuals don’t keep my attention very long, but an item like this is a nice one to have. <23/12/00><2>

Skrol * Heretical Antiphony (cd 1999 membrum debile propaganda)

Skrol recently debuted with a 10″ on the notorious German industrial label Power and Steel. You will find a review of this 10″ further down the page. (up!)
Skrol makes industrial in a very strange way. Besides the fact that there’re vocals (and what vocals) and piano, the music is undescribable. There’s screaming, female vocals, male ‘singing’ and odd sounds. All in all this makes an atmosphere that I hadn’t experienced before. It’s not really dark, but it’s the strangeness that makes this band particularly interesting. I don’t know what to say about this cd, besides that you all need to get it.
Membrum Debile Propaganda * Lessingstr. 21 * 97990 Weikersheim * Germany <3>