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ritual

v/a * The Fossil Dungeon (cd 2000 memento mori)

Dark Age Productions (DAP) was ‘founded’ to make the Cernunnos’ Woods demos look more “official”. This man now runs the Battle Helm heavy metal magazine for which I do the alternative pages When three demos had seen the light of day (94/95/96) “Bard Algol Eriboas” decided to release the demo of another band “Under Crushing Wings” (usa 96) which was more or less the start of DAP growing into a label. Then a folkrock band caught Bard’s ear and he urged the band to go for a more medieval approach and two …The Soil Bleeds Black demos were released. Two of the three members of this band (the Riddick twins) proved to be active music makers who also ran a tape label of their own called “7th Key Creations” that for example released the early Equitant demos (known for playing in the metalband Absu). Later the Riddicks and Bard decided to work together and more later sir Prosciptor MacGovern (also of Absu) joined the ranks and DAP from then on consisted of three “Towers”.
The three towers more of less independantly released their material under the DAP banner and still all releases were limited to about 100 copies in most cases. Of the 20 releases before the split of the towers, I only miss two items. The full discography is (with all other information) in the booklet of The Fossil Dungeon.
Somewhere in 1996 Cernunnos’ Woods was asked by the Swedish cultlabel for a cd on a to be founded sublabel “Cruel Moon International”. Roger Karmanik also showed interest in …The Soil Bleeds Black (in my ears always the best DAP act). Things didn’t exacly go as planned.
In 1996 DAP released a red double 12” of Prosciptor called “The Venus Bellona”. This would be released on cd by Cruel Moon being the third DAP act on CMI. CMI not only released the cd, but also a vinyl version that more or less made the DAP vinyl superfluous. Other problems caused the third act (Prosciptor) being the first Cruel Moon release, the second act (TSBB) the second and Cernunnos’ Woods was released after two long years. Plans for an Equitant on CMI were never carried out.
Profane Grace also became quite well-known, but more in the dark industrial scene, releasing cds on the same label who made this compilation possible (and for who Michael Riddick does the artwork).
As you probably know …The Soil Bleeds Black was the fastest rising star of the DAP firmanent. After the cd on CMI, they released two cds on Draenor Productions (a sublabel of Napalm Records from Austria) and now they are on the notorious World Serpent label.
The tracks on “The Fossil Dungeon” as mostly taken directly from the mastertapes for the demos. 4 Tracks are exclusive, Cernunnos’ Woods, Profane Grace, Prosciptor and …The Soil Bleeds Black. The music ranges from medieval, to atmospheric and extremely dark ritual industrial.
Because of the ‘strange’ and mostly pretty good music, DAP was called the “American CMI”. After several years of activity, changing interests, quarrels and maybe a lack of things to be released, caused the demise of DAP. The second Prosciptor cd “The Serpentine Has Risen” was released after the break-up by Prosciptor himself. “The Fossil Dungeon” may be regarded as DAP 022, the final release of the label.
The Riddicks have plans to continue DAP as a new sublabel of CMI under the name… The Fossil Dungeon.

v/a * Saturn Gnosis (2×10″ compilation loki)

In an extremely luxery box comes this compilation of the German Loki label. A label that with the growing acceptance of more extreme ideas in the gothic scene gets more distribution and knowledge.
As expected from this label, the compilation has a theme. It is dedicated to the Grandloge “Fraternitas Saturni” in Berlin, which is an irregular, magical masonic lodge. At first sight there also seems to be a link to Satanism here (a Saturn/Satan connection?) because of the cover which is a painting of a face of that looks a lot like that of A.S. LaVey. The face just represents a demon though.
But, let us move to the music. The bands featured here are Inade, Herbt9, Blood Axis, First Law, SRP, Predominance, Endura and Turbund Sturmwerk. Definitely not the least bands and all in close relation to the Loki-circle. All tracks are pretty minimal dark ambient tracks, so you should not expect any bombasm, not even from Blood Axis or Turbund Sturmwerk. None of the tracks belong to the best that I have heard of the various projects, which is a bit of a pitty. Blood Axis brings a piece of spoken word. A poem accompanied by violin-playing and some synthetic sounds. Turbund’s track is pretty typical, but fits the musical concept of this compilation very well. The Endura track sounds similar to what they do on “The Watcher”. When you know Inade you will have a good idea of what to expect here. Predominance are not as industrial as usual and then we have to bands that I never heard music of. Herbst9 just released a cd on Loki, but their track is not too good. SRP contributed with a great track, but I don’t know anything about them further.
This box is pretty expensive and I recommand it only to people who really admire the bands on this compilation.
However I don’t really like the cover painting, the rest of the artwork is really beautiful.
Please check out the rest of these pages for reviews of releases of some of the featured projects. <13/6/00><3>

v/a * Incendium (cd 2003 loki foundation)

I almost missed it, this cheap compilation of the fine Loki label. I was thinking, I know Loki for 8 or 9 years now but I don’t have many of their releases, mostly some of the older tapes. Still I know most of the tracks on this compilation. It proved to be a label promotion compilation with tracks from older releases. If you are not too familiar with Loki, this cd is a good introduction. Loki freaks will already have everything. Darkambient lovers may want to get this cd anyway. Personally I think most dark ambient on Loki is too monotous.

Profane Grace * Serenity Of The Endless Graves (cd memento mori)

Some of you may remember Profane Grace as one of those dark electronic black metal side projects. I must say that their music still sounds like those projects of years back. It’s dark, monotous and has ‘evil vocals’. Years back I liked these crappy demos sometimes, but I never figured that such projects would end up on quality labels as Cold Meat Industry (Valor, Valefor) or Dark Vinyl (of which Memento Mori is a sub). There’re much better and darker projects within the industrial scene itself too!
The great artwork of Michael Riddick fits perfectly in the CMI/Dark Vinyl style though.

Organisation Toth present Birth Ov Light (cd 2002 old europa café avs)

He, OEC still exists. I don’t hear much of them recently. Organisation Toth is no new name to me, but I don’t have any of their earlier releases. On this 40 minute full length cd, they make very dark ambient with quite a lot of industrial influences. The music is just not too monotous, quite enjoyable but not brilliant. A nice dark ambient cd. <25/10/03><2>

Hexentanz * Nekrocrafte (cd 2004 fossil dungeon)

“The Soil Bleeds black & Psychonaut 75 present: Hexentanz”. Yes yes, a cd of this coproject of the two named bands. In may 2002 I reviewed their wonderfull 7″ and here we have a fulllength cd. Ehm, fullength? 35 Minutes is a little short. Anyway, back to the times in which dark and occult alternative projects appeared in the black metal scene. Hexentanz makes dark industrial/ritual music, while other tracks are slighly more bombastic or medievalish. Sometimes the music reminds me of Akhkharu who you may know from the same label (“The Fossil Dungeon” compilation), the opening track maybe a bit TMLHBAC? This project is inspired by medieval and modern witchery and the sound is dark, occult and yet there are medieval sounds played on medieval instruments. Really a wonderfull release. Much better than the Equimanthorn cd that was made available several months ago which more or less sounds the same as their 1994 picture lp. Hexentanz sounds more mature and modern than that. Just one thing: too short!

Genitor Lvminis * Deam Adessa (10″ 1999 state-art)

When I finally got this 10″ it was long sold out. This review is therefor more for informative reasons than to tell you to buy it. Genitor Luminis is a Swedish act that released a demo called “Heliokrator” in an edition of 50 copies. On it you find some Puissance kind of apocalyptic orchestral industrial, not very good. This 10″ was supposed to be brilliant, but I’m not too crazy about it myself. There’re four tracks,which are all -more or less- in the vein of tranquil tracks of industrial acts like Der Blutharsch and Turbund Sturmwerk, but not as good. Sometimes I hear similarities with Swartalf and Elhaz. The music is very monotous and repetative. In the beginning I quite enjoy all the tracks, but after a few minutes I’d liked to hear some change in it.
The German label State-Art is now frequently launcing releases, read reviews of other 10″s from this label elsewhere.

Funerary Call * Beckoning At The Black (mcdr 2004 fossil dungeon)

A Canadian project that I have known since the very beginning. Demos in 94/95, a few 7″s and for a long time there has been talk about a mcd. After many years Funerary Call has alligned with the Riddick twins (of the Fossil Dungeon label, *The Soil Bleeds Black, etc., etc., etc.) who have the same background of electronic music in the early black metal scene. The result is a 22 minute mcd with dark industrial/ambient tracks with a sound that was almost lost. Six tracks of which some are more industrial, others more soundscapish, but all with a nice dark tone. After a contribution to the “On The Brink Of Infinity” compilation (1999) FC is finally again available for the masses.

Funerary Call * “promo winter 2002”

Many years ago I hunted the black metal scene for ‘alternative’ electronic demos in a style that we refered to as “ritual”. Funerary Call from Canada has always been one of my favourite projects in the vein and for many years I wrote with the guy. Somehow we lost contact for too many years and recently I not only found out that “Impius Erga Deum” is still around, but also still making music as Funerary Call and even found his way to the internet. So here I have a cdr with material that I didn’t have yet (that means after 1999) and the inserted cover says “promo winter 2002”, but I don’t know if there is more recent material here as well. Anyway, FC used to make tranquil threatening music with occult texts, later went to more dark ambient/industrial and dark industrial and on this cdr I hear very dark ambient with industrial influences in a style that I don’t hear too often anymore. This is a pitty, so I am glad that FC is still around, still has material available and (still) has plans for a cd. So far over 10 years of existence has brought a few demos, two 7″s and a contribution to the wonderfull “On The Brink Of Infinity” sampler. Check out the FC website and order everything that is still available if you are into dark ritualistic ambient/industrial music!

Equimanthorn * Lectionum Antiquarum (cd 1999 unisounds records)

Equimanthorn is one of the early so-called “ritual” projects from the black metal scene, releasing their music since 1992. Yet not much of their work has been unleashed upon the masses. Only in 1994 a cd/picture lp called “Nindinugga Nimshimshargal Enlillara” was released by the Greek label Unisound, but further I knew of nothing.
According to the booklet (which is the most ugly I have ever seen by the way) this was supposed to be the debut cd of Equimanthorn, but it took five years of negotiating before it was finally ready to be released. Also the follow up of “Nindinugga…” is said to have been finished for years.
Anyway, “Lectionum Antiquarum” contains recordings datum from 1992 and 1997. The first three tracks will please anyone who enjoys projects like Profane Grace, Valor and Valefor with their dark ambient/ritual sound with evil distorted voices and blasphemous lyrics. The next two tracks are somewhat similar, but end up in metal with highly distorted vocals. The newest last five tracks are very short and dark ambient tracks with (almost) no vocals.
Conclusion: not too good. I’m more curious about recent recordings.
Unisound Records * 84 Acadimias Ave. * 106 78 Athens * Greece