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Loki

Inade * Audio Mythology Two (cd 2014)

Regular readers of these pages will know that I am not too keen on dark ambient. Inade might not be the exception, but I do listen to them every once in a while. I have known them since the 1993 “Burning Flesh” tape, but obviously I do not follow them closely enough. Deezer (a Spotify competitor) ‘informed’ me about this new album. I had no idea that Inade is still active, so I listened to “Audio Mytholgy Two” (more about that later. When I checked Discogs before I started to write this review, I noticed that this is actually one of six 2014 releases! There are four “seasons” of “Colliding Dimensions” with live and rehearsal material (two of these albums are available on Deezer), available as mp3 downloads (in 2005 this was released as a 4cd box celebrating a world tour); also an mp3 album called “Delineation. Metamorphosis. Permanence” which title rings a bell, so this material might have been available before too.
In any case, “Audio Mythology One” was released in 2012 and it seems that I missed it. Number two has the typical Inade sound. Dark, droning ambient with ‘ritual rhythms’ (to call it that), deep spoken vocals. Other tracks are very dark soundscapes with no rhythm or vocals. Great music to read books to!
Nothing surprising when you know this German project, but since the music is always qualitativelly good, you can just get your hands on this latest release when you like Inade.
Links: Inade, Loki Found

Land:Fire * Incandescent Sonic Lodge (cd 2014)

I have seen Land:Fire live a couple of years ago in Wuppertal, but I was eager to see them again at the 2014 Wave Gotik Treffen. When on walking out before the show for something to eat, my eye fell on a “new album” on the merchandise stand which I of course bought since I am very curious if this duo can top their excellent “Shortwave Transmission” album of 2009. The show was wonderfull, but the “new album” proves to contain old material, more specifically the 2007 “Incandescent” and the 2006 “Live At Sonic Lodge 13./14.05.2006” both self-released. You can guess that I had neither album otherwise I would have recognised the title of this “new album”.
In any case, the material is again pretty damn good. Very dark ‘cinematographic’ ambient with noisy elements. A good album to get if you, like me, missed the originals but like the sound of this German duo. Still it is high time for some real new material gentlemen!
Links: Land:Fire, Loki Found

v/a * Incendium III (cd 2011)

This is the third of of cheap label compilations of Loki-Found / Power & Steel (I got mine for 3 euros at the label’s WGT stand). Loki mostly releases dark ambient in a slightly distinctive, ritual style. I like much of the material that the label releases, but I do not listen to dark ambient all that much these days, so I do not buy their every release. There are 13 projects on this compilation, with each one or two tracks of a recent release. I did not have the tracks yet of Bad Sector, Fjernlys, Penjaja Insaf, Herbst9, Blood Box, Inade (apparently they have a new album that I did not get yet), First Law, Circular, Phelios, Kammerheit and S.E.T.I. Tracks that I did have are of Land:Fire, Ex.Order and Inade (of the previous cd). The compilation is again a nice one. I like the darker sounds of Inade and especially the more noisy sounds of Land:Fire and Ex.Order best, but that is nothing new.
Link: Loki Found

Land:Fire * Shortwave Transmission (cd 2009)

I always thought that Land:Fire was a dark ambient project. I have some music on compilations and maybe I (unconsciously) heard that Herbst9 is another project of this duo, but when I recently heard a great noise track of Land:Fire it became time to really listen to this project. “Shortwave Transmission” opens brilliantly with very dark ambient noise with industrial rhythms. There indeed are a few dark ambient tracks, but the larger part is really my kind of noise. Great material!
Links: Land:Fire, Power & Steel

Inade * Incarnation Of The Solar Architects (cd 2009)

Incarnation Of The Solar ArchitectsAt this year’s WGT I bought the shirt of this album (since it wasn’t black) and I figured I might buy the album with the shirt! As you all know, Inade makes dark but meditative dark ambient soundscapes and their latest album is no exception. “Incarnation…” is not a masterpiece, but has some very good tracks and some nice experimentation with sounds and voice. For some reason also this album has arguments with my cd-player, just like that other Inade cd that I have and contrary to all my other cds. Anyway, much better dark ambient than the recent CMI releases and also for lovers of the more ‘ritualistic’ side of the genre.
Links: Inade, Loki Found

v/a * Incendium II (cd 2008 loki)

Incendium III don’t listen to dark ambient all that much. I do like the music, but I find it often too monotous or (nowadays) not dark enough. Loki has always been a label that tracked down the better industrial and ambient projects, also projects that have a nice twist in their sound. Incendium II is almost completely a dark ambient compilation. It has the maximum length and old and new bands on it. The tracks are certainly varried enough, most of them are pretty good as well and there is some pretty dark stuff here. Therefor I suppose that for the few euros that this compilation goes, you can get some of the better stuff here. Of course, this being a label compilation, all tracks can be found on other Loki releases as well.
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Circular * Shaping The Unknown (cd 2007 loki foundation)

Slow, dark and minimal soundscapes. If you like the style, Loki could be your label. Inade, Herbst9, Combative Alignment and now Circular. However the description sounds a bit like the ‘avarage’ CMI-release, Loki releases usually sound a bit different, but I think that if you like the dark ambient CMI-sound, you will also enjoy the releases of the projects that I mentioned. Personally I find the Loki dark ambient sound often a bit too monotous and the same goes for Circular. They sure set a very dark atmosphere, but sometimes I get the feeling that not enough happens in this music. Nice, but not brilliant.

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.

Turbund Sturmwerk / Inade * Peryt Shou (12” box 2002 loki)

I was excited to hear that there was new material of Turbund. A box, second in the “Germania Occulta” series of Loki, that was started with the “Saturn Gnosis” compilation. This time dedicated to the esoteric writer Christian Georg Schultz (living around the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century) who took the name Peryt Shou. According to the booklet “Peryt” refers to “ray” of light (snake) and “Shou” to the god of air. “Peryt” is the sowing time in the Egyptian mythology and “Shou” the first generation of gods, but also the feather of thruth. Anyway, the gatefold sleeve has an article of Peryt Shou and in the box there is a book in 10” format with more info about the project.
To the music then. The Turbund side isn’t very impressive, too monotous ambient. The Inade side is already a bit better, some darker industrial/ambient. A bit like the Saturn Gnosis box, visually and informationally impressive, but musically not too much.