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Divine Comedy

Omnicore * Mass Murderer (cd 2004 divine comedy)

Three albums were nagging me, three albums of new bands from which I heard good and less interesting things, three albums which I didn’t dare to just buy and take the risk. In the end I got myself a P2P program and decided to hunt them down. One album I got recently, the boring “Reflejos Del Sol” of Der Arbeiter. Another album I am still looking for “Dialogue” (or anything else) of Divine Muzak and today was a good day, because I finally got “Mass Murderer” of Omnicore. I already had the brilliant “March for victory” and the not-too-good “Dying in Berlin”, but the album as a whole is fortunately very good. Bombastic, industrial, orchestral and even quite original in sound. This album is good enough to buy, so I already ordered a copy and now I hope that this 2004 album isn’t sold out yet. The only bad thing about this cd is that the French(wo)man have an awfull pronounciation of English… <3/2/07><4>u

Land * Opuscule (cd 2002 divine comedy records)

I don’t have the 10″ on Eis & Licht of this French act and I have doubted for quite a while whether or not I should get this cd, but afterall I did. “Opuscule” is mostly a darkambient cd that will please Cold Meat Industry fans. There are some industrial influences in the second half of the cd, but most of the cd is darkambient. Not too monotous, quite good, some rhythm here and there. Nice but not smashing.

Horologium / Foundation Hope / Project Winter / Artefactum * Pere Lachaise (cd 2006 steinklang / divine comedy)

There should have been a new Horologium cd by now, two actually, a new one and one with old material. For some reason the cds do not arrive at the distros, so I suppose they are delayed. Then I saw this split cd at a stand at the Coph Nia concert in Arnhem last weekend, so I thought it would be a good item to fill the gap. Unfortunately the Horologium tracks are rather cheap. Foundation Hope makes quite minimalistic ambient (with some orchestral influences) which is alright, but not groundbreaking. Project Winter has a bit of a LOKI-sound and their tracks are the most interesting of this cd. Artefactum makes dark ambient that sometimes touches to noise, their tracks are quite enjoyable. “Pere Lachaise” is not a boring cd, but not a great one either. I remain in wait for the new Horologium material.

Horologium * The Fire Sermon (cd 2006 divine comedy records)

However this Polish one-man-act has quite a few releases out, “The Fire Sermon” is the first that I hear of him. Too bad! Horologium makes a weird kind of industrial music, weird in the good sense of the word! In the beginning it seems that “The Fire Sermon” is characterised by a mix of clear and distorted (noisy) sounds, from orchestral to ‘oldschool’ industrial. There is more though! Most tracks are relatively tranquil with a nice haunting atmosphere and a high level of experimentation, maybe reminding a bit of a project such as Ginger Leigh. There are samples of choirs, violins, voices, etc. some tracks have an industrial background while other are more overall industrial in sound. All this results in strange tracks with a very original sound and atmosphere. It is all hard to describe, because Horologium is very original and I like that, especially when it is good! People who like the earlier mentioned Ginger Leigh or projects such Cruelty Campaign, Propergol or Cyclotimia are advised to have a listen to Horologium too!

Empusae * Funestus (cd 2002 divine comedy)

Well, definately a cd that I wouldn’t have bought myself, but I got a copy of it from a friend. A Belgiun technoish industrial act reminding a bit of their country-mates This Morn’ Omnia. Quite nice actually, dancable but still industrial.

Der Arbeiter * Reflejos Del Sol (cd 2005 divine comedy)

This album was the main reason to get myself P2P after all, but it is too easy to get. I have a few nice compilation tracks from this Chilene band, but I didn’t know if I would want to have a whole album. Well, there is only one good track on “Reflejos Del Sol” and I already had it. Der Arbeiter makes tranquil music with trance-beats and a bit of a ‘neofolk’ style. Original, but not good.

A Challenge Of Honour * Oradour Sur Glane (10″ 2004 divine comedy records)

Much later than planned ACOHs last part of his trilogy about the madness of mankind. This time the story is about Nazi soldiers who commit genocide in the French city Oradour sûr Glane. There are five tracks on this 10″ that give the story of each of them well. The 10″ opens with a tranquil track (‘morning’) when nothing was wrong yet. Then a bombastic and slightly militant track anounces the coming of the Nazi troups. The next track tells what happened in the village and the other what was done to the people who were driven into the church. The last track is the evening, quiet again, but of course everybody was dead. ACOH sure developed in style and this 10″ is another fine release of this Dutch act. Now we have to wait until the new cd that was anounced for januari of this year. <21/5/04><3>

A Challenge Of Honour * Angelic Torment (10″ 2002 divine comedy records)

In a beautiful cover comes the new material of the Dutch ACOH who released the successfull “Only Stones Remain” cd on the same label last year. Where the previous material is mostly bombastic industrial, “Angelic Torment” is filled with dark industrial / ambient. Side A has a really nice, long and dark track, side B opens with an a bit too ambient track, but then we get some of the old bombastic sounds. “Angelic Torment” is the first of 3 10″s that will be dedicated to the madness of mankind. This one is about the allied bombings of the German city Dresden on 13/2/45 that killed somewhere between 35.000 and 135.000 civilians. A nice 10″ limited to 500 copies, so be quick. <25/5/02><3>

A Challenge Of Honour * Only Stones Remain (cd 2001 divine comedy)

Strange history of the band. First ACOH was a German named Johan König, who got to know Peter S. of Above The Ruins / Materialschlacht, who eventually released the “The Right Place” demo on his Stahlklang Audio label. Later Johan and Peter made some music together and now ACOH is only Peter S. This definately did do anything wrong to the music though! The demo is alright. I haven’t heard the cd-r “Wilhelm Gustloff” (which will be rereleased) yet, but this cd is actually pretty good. Martial industrial reminding a bit of Dernière Volonté sometimes, but mostly sounding very original. Pretty simple, sometimes orchestral, sometimes folky and with a few magnificent tracks. Including two tracks from the demo “Only Stones Remain” is a 52 minute cd with 11 tracks. Plans and contracts for future releases are already there and I am very curious what the future for ACOH will bring! <29/9/01><4>