Skip to content

Blood Axis

Blood Axis * Ultimacy (cd 2011)

The people who were present at last Friday’s Blood Axis show in Waregem, Belgium, were the lucky ones who could get the latest cd on the first possible day. “Ultimacy” is an overview of the carreer of Blood Axis, presenting newly produced (by Robert Ferbrache) compilation and 7″ tracks in reversed chronological order. I (of course) had most of them already. However Michael Moynihan usually is abundant with information in his booklets, saying where samples come from, etc., “Ultimacy” does not even say where the tracks originally appeared. I first heard Blood Axis on the 1996 compilation “Mysteria Mithrae”. I knew about the track “Electricity” that appeared on “The Lamp Of Invisible Light” compilation of 1991, but these contributions are here listed as tracks 9 and 10 from 14! Still, “Ultimacy” is subtitled: “MCMXCI – MMMXI”, so the next four tracks have to have appeared in 1991 as well. The tracks concerned are “Light”, “Eternal Soul (Germania mix)”, “The Storm Before The Calm” and… “Walked In Line”. The only track from “Ultimacy” that I did not have, is the Alraune song “Mandragora”. The cd is of course musically varying. From folksongs such as “The March Of Brian Boru” to the dark soundscapes of “Der Gefallene Engel” and the old bombast of “Electricity”. In most cases I hear but little of the re-producing of the tracks. Especially “Lord Of Ages” would do well with a ‘ticker’ mixing. Overall “Ultimacy” makes a very enjoyable cd with tracks that not every new Blood Axis fan may know.
Blood Axis / Storm

Blood Axis * Born Again (cd 2010)

To be honest, I did not have too high expectations for “Born Again”. The early Blood Axis sound is about my most favourite music, later albums became less dark and bombastic and in recent years it became obvious that Blood Axis was evolving towards more of a folkrock sound. In that tradition “Born Again” comes as no surprice. Especially in the beginning, the sound is quite folkrock, lateron more folky, but a lot of songs are both folky and poppy and actually better-sounding than I expected! Many tracks are nicely catchy and there is still a lot of focus on Moynihan’s voice and the texts that he chose or wrote. In the earlier track it seems as if Moynihan has made a leap in his spiritual development, but in later tracks the lyrics are not all that joyous. The album comes in a luxery digipack with a booklet featuring all lyrics (translated if needed) on heavy paper. A great album.
Link: Blood Axis, Storm Records
See here for the most read-worthy lyrics.

Blood Axis / Andrew King * split 7″ (2010)

  • folk

Blood Axis is born again! This split 7″ announces an album in 2010 and after all these years there is some kind of a Blood Axis website with is updated (a Myspace with new songs)! Actually two albums are announced for the end of this year according to the fan-site BloodAxis.com, “Born Again” and “Ultimacy”, a compilation with compilation tracks and rare releases. Hearing the latest songs that Blood Axis made, I am sure that you too expected a folk song, right? Especially on a split with Andrew King. “The Dream” is a nice folk(rock) song in middle high German with a few electronic elements. Andrew King also made a nice song in middle high German with a repetative folk sound. Limited to 500 copies, so probably sold out in no time.
Links: Blood Axis, Andrew King

Witch Hunt * The Rites Of Shamhain Incompleto

I heard about this project of Blood Axis and In Gowan Ring, but I didn’t know there were any releases. “The Rites Of Shamhain Incompleto” is a live registration. The music is folky, songs from In Gowan Ring, Blood Axis and songs that I didn’t know. Nice to good, a funny thing to run into. u

Blood Axis / Les Joyaux De La Princesse * Absintha Teatra (cd 2004 athanor)

If my memory doesn’t fail me there was a special recording sold only at the 2001 Portugal show. Later this special recording was released together with live-recordings in a very expensive box. I have neither of these two releases. The normal “Absinthe” split cd is from the same year and now it seems that the box has been rereleased on a normal cd for a normal price. The first 11 tracks seem to be older versions of the “Absinthe” tracks and then you get live recordings from the Portugal show. The music isn’t better than on the normal cd, but different versions make this cd a nice archival release.

Blood Axis * Blòt: Sacrifice In Sweden (cd 1999 cold meat industry)

Late 1998 the Swedish cultlabel Cold Meat Industry had its 10 years aniversary which they celebrated with a feast/concert. As main act (after Ordo Equilibrio), they didn’t get one of their own bands, but Blood Axis, who by then had reached a cult status themselves. The concert was recorded, the sound was polished and released as the cd “Blòt: Sacrifice In Sweden”. Many tracks known from the debut cd, tracks from several compilation on which BA appeared throughout the years and even tracks that I didn’t know yet can be found on this cd. The sound is incredible, the performance of the tracks powerfull and nowhere you have the idea of listening to a live cd. Maybe this is is even a bit better than “The Gospel…”. <25/12/00><5>

Blood Axis * Storms Of Steel Over Germany 1998 + Unreleased

Two P2P items that were new to me. The first is a live-registration from the 1998 tour, I was in Gent, Belgium, this was recorded somewhere in Germany. The playlist is similar to that of the “Blót” cd (live in Sweden). The sound quality is… alright. It seems that this recording was released as a bootleg.
“Unreleased”, a Blood Axis folder that you can find on some computer actually doesn’t contain unreleased material, but mostly tracks that appeared on various compilations and by far not all. There are only nine tracks, while there have been many more contributions to compilations. But… there are a few versions that I didn’t have yet, so… <16/12/06><3>u

Blood Axis * The Gospel Of Inhumanity (cd 1995)

I still remember when this cd was released for the first time. I was still crawling out of the black metal scene, had my share of CMI releases and knew a metalhead that has loved Blood Axis since the demos and who reviewed The Lamb Of Invisible Light compilation on which BA was the first time on cd (1991). I had no idea what that music would sound like but when I got myself a compilation with BA on it (I believe that was Im Blutfeuer). After that this masterpiece was released in an exquisite digipack with some of the best music that I ever heard. It still is one of my all-time favourite cds.
I suppose most of you will know it, but for those who don’t, the music of BA is victorious, dark, orchestral, mysterious, sometimes slightly industrial, sometimes folky and (as far as I know), totally unique. If you don’t have this cd yet, get yourself one of the rereleases! Also again anounced to be rereleases (and remixed) by Tesco. (25/12/00 – chthulhu records / storm records)

Blood Axis & Les Joyaux De La Princesse * Absinthe, la folie verte (cd 2001 athanor)

It has been a long wait since “Blót” and even longer since “The Gospel…”, but here is new material of Michael Moynihan. It was recorded together with the well-known French industrial act LJDLP, who had much influence on the music. Therefor “Absinthe” doesn’t contain the orchestral bombast that we came to love Blood Axis for, but more minimal industrial and ambient with here and there Michael’s voice and sometimes a short moment of bombast. The lay-out and lyrics were found in the “musée de l’Absinthe” in Callé, France and are an hommage to liquor. However I find the lay-out nice and original, the music is a bit too LJDLP for me. Still quite nice, but I like Michael on his own better.