Reviews

Albireon - I passi di Liu' "O QUAM TRISTIS... " - Les Chants Funestes Second Skins -Illa Exuro In Silentium Various - Nikolaevka Daemonia Nymphe - Remixed "O QUAM TRISTIS... " - Meditation Ultimes Silent Love of Death - The Poet's Sense
Second Skins - Black Eyed Angel Conscientia Peccati - Draco Rex Thy Violent Vanities - Come to Dust Conscientia Peccati - Culpa Somniorun Various - Defende the Palace "O QUAM TRISTIS... " - Les Rituel Sacre
Luna In Caelo - Aquellos Ddesgarradores Gritos Llamados Silencio Bleeding Like Mine - Never Again Will I Dream Various - New Aeon "O QUAM TRISTIS... " - Funerailes des Petits Enfants Vehemence Realized - Severe Various- Storm the Palace Runes Order - Waiting Forever
Bleeding Like Mine - In the Eyes of Lovelost Stay Frightened - Still Various - Palace of Worms Various - Heilige Tod

 








Gothtronic
Albireon is an Italian neofolk outfit that is active for some 10 years now. The creative forces in this band are Davide Borghi (vocals, guitar. Lyrics) and Carlo Baja-Guarienti (keyboard, piano, flute). Later on Stefano Romagnoli (programmer, samples) and drummer Lorenzo Borghi joined the band. The sound of Albireon had become characterized by acoustic guitar and piano as well as ambient and industrial soundscapes. The band released album via Cynfeirdd and work with amongst others Sonne Hagal, Ian Read and Oda Relicta. The new album however gets released by the Italian label Palace of Worms . I Passi Di Liu can perhaps be considered the first serious full length album of the band on which all characteristics of their sound fall into place. The atmosphere on this recording is tranquil, modest and sometimes almost sacral. Yet not without emotion, since how could Italian vocals be possible without emotion? Those who love the isolationism side of ambient will definitely appreciate the soundscape like basis which supports the vocals, guitar and piano. Albireon obviously has grown over the past few years and I Passi Di Liu is an exceptionally beautiful recording.

Heathen Harvest
Sometimes music tends to bring you to a complete stop, as if the mere sound and sensation of the tune lingers and blends into every aspect of life. When music gets this good its usually the closest thing I come to realising its power over the human mind.. Albireon gets pretty damn close but sadly it hovers on the borderline between great and fantastic, as if the music wants to evolve into a butterfly but gets stuck halfway to perfection. I Passi Di Liù is a magical album with a haunting almost otherworldly mood.The core of the music is based around ambient structures with various instruments blended into it, hovering over this landscape is a male voice almost chanting out with a sad and yet strong conviction. The music brings with it a strong package of emotions that overwhelms and brings a lingering curtain of sadness over once mind. Its really hard to define this music as anything else then a sad Mediterranean dream evolving as the night travels by on ethereal wings. The album starts out with a track that reeks with otherworldly whispers, in the background a guitar can be heard playing a lamenting tune accompanied by a sad passionate song. It's a damn shame I cannot understand the spoken word but in this case the emotion that manifests in the lingering tunes are heavy enough for me to feel even though the words fail to transfer their hidden meaning to me. The album goes on with its haunting combination of guitars and ambient landscapes, and this combination works extremely well most of the time, although some of the times the vocals tend to get a bit to similar and could use some variation.The first song that really sticks out is Cendra. By adding female vocals to an interesting riff and changing the general composition of the song it goes from the more ambient to something that reminds me of medieval neofolk. Cerebastri is a step back to the more emotional and clean male vocals with the ambient background and it sure cuts a piece of the soul out. Marea is the next step with darker, deeper vocals and a more brooding sensation to it, if the earlier parts of the album were an aspect of sorrow this is a plunge so deep into emotional desolation that the joy fails to exist. It's a great track that add a deeper sensation to the earlier more shallow catatonia, its almost as if the album goes into its next step from this stage and onwards.Falistre is a pure ambient track with a more mechanical sound to it, like a weird alchemist's lab in the steam punk renaissance of Europe. After this a sad almost storytelling song with the same sad and forlorn feeling that have haunted this album, it ends with Gennajo, a 12 minute travel through both ambience, folk, ethereal and its almost as a recollection of the album in itself. A short preview of the greatness that's about to come and the feeling and sensation is thick in this prefect balance of atmosphere and sadness. Il Passi Di Liù is a fine piece of art and although it might not always reach into the depths of my psyche its definitely bordering on the edge with its haunting songs of passion and lost love. It's a shame I cant really comment on the written text since my Italian is bad at best but this music is really bordering to the speechless. It need not words to declare its message, its universal in its feeling and that is the raw strength. It's a great passionate album of a fantastic mix of ambient and neofolk, although it might not appease all it sure is enough to evoke thought and a lingering sadness in the heart of the sensitive.

Chain dlk
At three years from their latest album "Il Volo Insonne", Albireon are back with a particular new one titled I PASSI DI LIU'. The ten tracks of the CD differs a lot from their new-folk tunes as it has been created as a sort of concept album to commemorate the memory of a dead girl (it isn't specified if she's an hypothetical one). Musically the album is sounding more like an experimental Italian progressive rock work (like the early Le Orme albums such as "L'uomo di pezza") and it's nice to see the band looking for new ways of expression. If you aren't used to Italian progressive music of the seventies, well, forget the word rock for a moment, because on some cases it wasn't sounding like rock music at all. On our case, Albireon recalled me that kind of sound mainly for Davide Borghi vocal style, because if we talk about music, most of the tracks are composed of oneiric treated sounds. Only "Cendra", "Cerbastri", "Nymphalidae" and the closing "Gennaio" have folkish acoustic guitar parts. A particular interesting work full of pathos and sadness.

Versacrum
Gli Albireon continuano ad essere uno dei progetti italiani più interessanti e proseguono il loro cammino attraverso una complessa selva di sonorità differenti. I primi brani che mi capitò di ascoltare risalgono, se non ricordo male, al 2001 e l'ultima loro opera che ho avuto modo di apprezzare è stata Il volo insonne , pubblicato ormai tra anni fa. L'evoluzione di questo progetto nostrano che, va detto, ha sempre avuto caratteristiche piuttosto personali è evidente, al punto che quest'ultimo CD potrebbe è difficilmente associabile ai precedenti lavori a me noti; ad esempio, la chitarra acustica è quasi assente e, laddove se ne sente (o, addirittura, intuisce) il suono, è assolutamente in secondo piano. Di fatto I passi di Liù è costituito da basi dark ambient su cui viene sovrapposta la voce, spesso recitante o caratterizzata da quel cantato minimale che ha sempre caratterizzato gli Albireon. Per quanto assurdo possa sembrare, quest'album mi ha fatto pensare ad un impensabile connubio tra un Arturo Stalteri all'epoca dell'esordio dei Pierrot Lunaire e un moderno gruppo di ambient scura ma non immobile: nn avrei mai pensato che liriche recitate in italiano potessero combinarsi così bene con una chitarra in lontano sottofondo e drone rugginosi. A concludere il tutto, un lungo brano (12 minuti abbondanti) che si distacca alquanto dai precedenti, caratterizzato com'è dai suoni di corde pizzicate e di un violino minimale che si sovrappongono e si vanno a stemperare in strutture noise ambient in continuo movimento e crescendo che, a loro volta, scompariranno in un arpeggio di chitarra accompagnato dalla voce.

Ritual
E' un anelito amaro quello che caratterizza il quarto disco degli italiani. Un ritratto dalle tonalità morbide, che si allontana dalle atmosfere cantautoriali e neo folk dei precedenti lavori per adagiarsi sulle manipolazioni sonore del dark ambient più raffinato e atmosferico. Il volo è planare, tanto personale nella forma quanto voluttuoso nei contenuti, ricchi di simbolismi e immagini sonore significative. Un flusso emozionale di pensieri e vissuti, che riemergono dal gorgo dell'anima in una veste poetica che non ha precedenti nella carriera della compagine, autrice (come suo solito) di un lavoro prezioso e curato anche dal punto di vista iconologico. Un passo importante, all'insegna della libera espressione artistica e fuori dai luoghi comuni delle restrizioni di genere. Al riparo da luce accecante, il loro è un cono d'ombra che cela una sofferenza profonda (la perdita di un'amica) e si divincola sinuosamente tra lirismo raffinato e amplessi musicali naif. (Maurizio Gabelli)

Compulsion
On I Passi Di Liu the Italian group Albireon take a strong step away from neo-folk compositions for an album of gloomy, mournful laments, lead by the almost hymnlike voice of Davide Borghi. Albireon have released several albums on Cynfeirdd, and last year they collaborated on a 10-inch with Sonne Hagal released on Final Muzik. I Passi Di Liu, while maintaining a traditional folk feel places more emphasis on atmospherics than the folk melodies they are generally associated with. I Passi Di Liu recalls the more ethereal moments of Gordon Sharp's Cindytalk. Borghi's vocal takes on an almost sacred feel on 'Gli Equiseti' amidst soft bass tones and gentle atmo-wash. It's this moody atmospheric touch that makes Albireon so distinctive here. I Passi Di Liu is sung and spoken in Italian and is concerned with memories of a lost beloved one - a point amply conveyed by the mood of the music and cover art.
The sound is so fragile that it almost breaks, as it does on 'Cerbastri', a skewed folk ballad set against woodwind and background whistling. Even when guitars and piano enter the fray, the effect is slight, as they appear little more than embellishments to Borghi's haunting vocal. The same goes for 'Naufraghi' where Borghi's vocal hovers over classical piano notes, reverbed guitar and atmospheric hum. The spoken voice on 'Nymphalidae' is surrounded by creaking electronics, ringing guitar notes and ambient drone and when eventually an acoustic folk strum does appears it remains distant.
I Passi Di Liu carries elements of ethereal and traditional folk, and on initial listen the entire thing may sound too understated to cause much of an effect. Repeated listening, however, shows I Passi Di Liu to be an effective transitional release from Albireon. It will be interesting to discover how Albireon follow this up. I Passi Di Liu is available as a regular CD, while a CD and DVD package featuring a film by Albireon is available in an edition of 100.

Obliveon
Zehn Jahre existieren Albireon nun in einem musikalischen Umfeld, das sich aus Einflüssen von Neofolk, Dark Ambient und Heavenly Voices zusammensetzt. „I Passi Di Liu'“ erscheint rechtzeitig zu diesem Jahrestag, doch so recht begeistern will mich das neue Werk der Italiener nicht. Auch wenn „I Passi Di Liu'“ durchaus seine (wenigen) Momente besitzt, an die EP „Indaco“ reicht dieses Album bei weitem nicht heran und über weite Strecken hat man den Eindruck, die ruhige und atmosphärische Stimmung lähme Albireon allerorten. Albireon verlieren sich dabei zu häufig in monotonen Klangsphären, in denen die Stimme zu einem Flüstern verkommt und für Emotionen ausser denen einer kataklystischen Schwermut einfach kein Platz ist. Das Album besitzt kaum einmal dynamische Momente und treibt emotionslos und ohne Esprit vor sich hin und man muss schon sehr viel Langmut aufbringen um die wenigen Höhepunkte zu entdecken. Im Grunde ist erst das letzte Stück, das über zwölfminütige „Gennaio“, wirklich erwähnenswert. Schade, dass Albireon es nicht verstanden haben ein abwechslungsreiches und songschreiberisch spannungsvolles Album zu erschaffen. 6/10

Tristan
Mittlerweile gibt es die italienische Band Albireon schon fast zehn Jahre und zu diesem Anlass erscheint die Veröffentlichung I passi di Liu' , welche sowohl als reguläre CD als auch als Sonderedition mit DVD, die aber nur auf einhundert Stück limitiert ist, erscheinen wird. Da die DVD nicht vorliegt, muss diese außer Acht gelassen werden und es kann nur etwas zu der CD gesagt werden. Konzentriert man sich also nur auf diese, präsentiert sich dem Hörer eine Mischung aus Folk-Elementen, Ambient und sehr starken, ins sphärische gehenden Klängen. Diese wechseln sich außerdem mit seltenen Krachkollagen wie dem Lied Talistre ab, wobei man als Hörer von einem Wechselbad ins andere geworfen wird.Dieses Wechselbad ist aber nicht unbedingt musikalischer Natur, denn obwohl diverse Stilrichtungen verwendet werden, klingt die CD in sich schlüssig, was besonders auch am sehr ausdrucksstarken weiblichen und männlichen Gesang liegt, der der Musik eine sakrale Aura gibt. Das Problem ist vielmehr, dass Albireon zwischen wirklich schönen Ideen und völlig uninspirierter Belanglosigkeit hin- und herstreifen. Sorgen Lieder wie Marea mit Orgeleinsatz und düsteren Drohnen oder Cendra mit Rabengekreisch und sphärischen Klängen für richtige Gänsehaut, sind es Lieder wie Nymphalidae , die das Bild wieder stark trüben. Denn hier wird dann einfach ein Klangteppich erzeugt, in dem man vor- und zurückspulen kann und alles immer gleich klingt. Warum so ein Lied dann auch noch über sieben Minuten gehen muss, ist da unverständlich.Letzten Endes fällt es schwer zu sagen ob das Album gefällt oder nicht. Glänzende Augenblicke sind genug da, aber diese werden genau so wieder zunichte gemacht. Letzten Endes sollte man einfach hin und wieder mal die „Skip“-Taste drücken. Dann kann man sich auch voll auf die guten Seiten des Albums konzentrieren

Kronik
Per crescere e diventare adulti Liu' deve morire. Non si può crescere senza perdere una parte di se. E' la natura. E' la sua legge. Se vuoi diventare uomo devi perdere le illusioni e i sogni del fanciullino. Da giunco devi trasformarti in roccia in modo che le pioggie ti schiaffieggino senza effetto. Devi avere corteccia al posto di pelle perchè la vita non deve più graffiare fin dentro a toccare il cuore.Per crescere musicalmente deve morire la parte ingenua di un suono, il bozzolo che la protegge. Albireon l'ha fatta morire, l'ha persa nello scorrere del tempo, spogliandosi della struttura del folk di umore nero e dimenticandola nel mondo passato. La differenza con i lavori precedenti è abissale per capacità di guardarsi dentro, per emotività e per l'abilità nel tessere un nuovo linguaggio. Dei vecchi canoni non c'è praticamente più nulla. Ora si parla una lingua rarefatta, minimale e intimista, che se ne sta tra l'ambientale e il post rock, che sa di universale e non più di genere. Il passo in avanti è talmente notevole da trasformare Albireon da un gruppo di "settore" in un progetto di ampio respiro. Niente più barriere nè steccati.E' indubbio. "I passi di Liu'" è il migliore lavoro di Albireon. Trasuda nostalgia dai testi, che sono poesie, al libretto, dai toni delicati e dolenti. Ma è il suono l'elemento che più colpisce. E' come se tutti gli strumenti e i musicisti con loro abbiano fatto un passo indietro, poi siano rimasti in silenzio per ore, per anni, fino a cogliere il lieve rumore del cuore che batte, fino a carpire il brusio della lacrima che scappa veloce dalla guancia di Liu'. Le chitarre sono arpeggi minimali e a volte dissonanti, il suono è carico. E' pregno di piccolezze che lo fanno completo. E' questa la novità che più colpisce.Dalla iniziale "Liu' dorme" fino a "Gli equiseti" con la loro poetica malinconica del ricordo, per passare a "Cendra", con un duetto di voci che a me ha riportato alla mente certe cose del vecchio periodo neofolk dei Current, ed arrivare a "Marea" la sensazione di un suono figlio della natura è sempre presente.Se devo fare un appunto, lo faccio alla voce: ancora troppo cantautoriale per il nuovo stile, a tratti troppo impostata quando al contrario io l'avrei voluta "sgraziata", avrei voluto sentirla urlare perchè il canto delle emozioni non è mai educato, ma si dibatte come le tempeste che attraversano il cuore.Liu' deve morire ma non deve essere dimenticata. Perchè una volta cresciuti non si può fare a meno di lei. Perchè una volta diventati roccia si scopre la nostalgia per quando ancora si credeva nei sogni, e allora Liu' ritorna, la si cerca ovunque, nei ricordi, nel volo di una rondine che batte le ali, nel volto della sola persona che sa ancora farti accellerare i battiti del cuore oppure nel sorriso di una bimba che non conosce ancora il significato di "compleanno" ma ride, perchè lei è Liu' e tu al suo fianco dimentichi quanto sia poca cosa la vita.

Debaser
Liù dorme. Ben desta è invece l'ispirazione degli emiliani Albireon, giunti alla quarta prova ed alla piena maturità, che permette loro di confezionare quello che possiamo ritenere, ad oggi, il loro capolavoro.Uscito in sordina nella seconda metà del 2008 , "I Passi di Liù" sancisce da un lato un netto distacco dalla dimensione neo-folk/cantautoriale abbracciata negli album precedenti, e dall'altro celebra il felice approdo ad una nuova formula, unica se vogliamo, che fonde armoniosamente tessiture ambient e sofisticato post-rock , il tutto funzionale alle belle parole di Davide Borghi, autore di un concept denso di significati e profondamente poetico .Liù potrebbe essere sul letto di morte, assistita dal suo amante, o da un suo amico, una voce fuori campo che ripercorre con trasporto i ricordi di un'infanzia spensierata, ma non priva di fratture ("Ma noi abbiamo danzato, a volte anche tra i rovi, lasciando che le spine ci ferissero il sorriso" recita il ritornello della bellissima " Gli Equiseti ").Oppure Liù potrebbe attraversare una fase di passaggio della sua vita, dirigersi verso nuovi orizzonti, lasciandosi, non senza traumi, qualcosa alle spalle; e la voce narrante potrebbe essere quella di un poeta, o di un angelo custode, che legge attraverso la metafora della morte i cambiamenti che intervengono nella vita di tutti noi (" Ed ora sorridi, ne sono sicuro, dimentica dell'orologio sul muro, un fremito d'ali, nel buio giardino, voli leggera, incontro al mattino " narra la conclusiva "Gennaio ", nel momento più intenso dell'album).Fra il primo Battiato (impossibile non pensare a "Le Corde di Aries") e i Current 93 di lavori come "Of Ruine or some Blazing Starre" e "Sleep has his House", i "Passi di Liù" è un viaggio onirico e sfocato su una zattera di legno in cui, sonnecchianti, siamo cullati dallo sciabordio dolce delle onde (frequenti i rimandi al mare e al fluire inesorabile delle correnti: si prenda i testi di brani come " Naufraghi " e " Deriva ").Squarci di sole fendono le nuvole nel cielo, mentre passato e presente si confondono e sfumano in un abbraccio febbrile, fra scenari bucolici senza tempo, il chiuso di una stanza ombrosa ove giace un letto, e l'universo che sta nel cuore e nella mente.In altre parole: emozioni emozioni emozioni.Arpeggi di chitarra appena sfiorata, una vibrante elettronica ambientale che evolve impercettibilmente, squarci di tenue rumorismo qua e là a richiamare vagamente gli esperimenti esoterici dei primi Ain Soph, mentre nell'intensa " Cendra " compare la voce fiabesca di Paola Farasconi che recita all'unisono con Borghi una filastrocca infantile (ricordando non poco i duetti fra David Tibet e Rose McDowall): un intenso e fragile flusso emozionale che pare spezzarsi in ogni momento e che in ogni momento, come per miracolo, rimane in piedi, fino agli imperdibili dodici minuti della conclusiva "Gennaio" , apice emotivo dell'opera, forse la più bella canzone italiana da dieci anni a questa parte.Procedere oltre mi è difficile, perché mai come in questi casi le parole sono impotenti nel descrivere le sfumature innumerevoli di cui è pregno questo piccolo-grande capolavoro, uno scrigno di emozioni capace di muoversi con eleganza fra nostalgia, malinconia e speranza: un equilibrio unico e perfetto in cui la Fine è in realtà un nuovo inizio, e dove a muovere il tutto è lo stato di grazia in cui si trovano i musicisti, non certo dei virtuosi, eppure magici nel riporre nella loro opera tutto quello di cui c'era bisogno e nella forma più congeniale al disegno complessivo.L'unico appunto che mi sento di fare è la resa della voce eterea di Borghi , che si perde riverberata fra i suoni dell'album, non per colpa del pur bravo cantante, ma per un mixaggio un po' confuso che, ahimè, non permette all'ascoltatore di cogliere tutte le sfumature dei bellissimi testi. Per certi versi, un vero peccato.Da segnalare infine l'elegante booklet che accompagna l'opera, le cui pagine sono costellate dalle illustrazioni di Lorenzo Borghi, l'ideale controparte visiva agli umori malinconici e fanciulleschi che pervadono l'album.Nella versione in mio possesso vi è inoltre un DVD, il quale tuttavia rimane privilegio dei cento fortunati in possesso dell'edizione limitata. Tipo me.Non sarà facile trovare questo album, ma se vi capita fra le mani, non fatevi sfuggire quella che probabilmente è la migliore uscita discografica italiana dello scorso anno , nonché un'opera unica nel suo genere, capace di toccare temi come la vita e la morte con quella delicatezza e quella maturità che rimangono appannaggio di pochi.Davvero di pochi. Recensione di: mementomori , Voto: ????

Rosa Selvaggia
Appena ho avuto fra le mani il nuovo lavoro di Albireon, non so perché ho avuto una strana sensazione, inquietudine soprattutto. Cosa confermatami sin dal primo ascolto del disco, o meglio forse mi sono lasciato suggestionare dall'aver visto prima il dvd e poi aver ascoltato l'album. Comunque siano andate le cose, vedrò di approfondire meglio il tutto c on l'intervista che sto preparando a Davide Borghi. Lui mi ha solamente anticipato via e-mail, con la consueta sensibilità che lo ha fatto da subito diventare mio 'amico di email' (oltre che aver avuto il piacere di organizzare con lui un concerto qualche anno fa), che il disco rispecchia il ricordo di sua nonna morta 4 anni fa, o meglio “le sue ultime 4 ore di vita”. In senso positivo, non come qualcosa “di morboso” ma piuttosto un modo per ricordarne la sua figura. In realtà io continuo a vedere nell'album (sì, nei brani, non nelle immagini) una serie di percorsi che attanagliano alla gola, come leggere i sentimenti di qualcun altro. E, ripeto, tanta tanta inquietudine. Probabilmente non era nelle intenzioni del gruppo emiliano trasmettere quella che io dico “incantevole sofferenza”, ma di fatto ritengo che questa sia una definizione più che appropriata. Bene, finora direte voi, ci hai rifilato le solite elucubrazioni mentali, ma stringendo: e la musica? Bene, quella va solamente ascoltata, come si può pretendere di descrivere un continuo, ininterrotto flusso emozione? A partire dall'iniziale “Liù dorme” che introduce l'ascolto in un loop musicale sul quale la voce di Davide vuole coinvolgere e circondare, a “Naufraghi” e “Gli equiseti” con la loro malinconica base di piano; l'idea di un viaggio in mezzo ad un mare scuro ritorna con “Deriva” e “Marea”, sperimentali e sempre condotti da deboli loop che si chiudono a cerchio dentro di loro. Chi si aspettava il “solito dischetto neofolk” rimarrà deluso e, se ha un minimo di sensibilità, sconvolto da tanta ricchezza di suoni, di vibrazioni, di voci a volte anche quasi urlate, come a rimarcare un ricordo che non deve spegnersi. Ultimo appunto: “Cerbastri”, persino bucolica negli arrangiamenti, forse questo sì un episodio che può essere considerato 'neofolk', e la conclusiva “Gennaio” che parte quasi in stile 'noise' per poi introdurre pian piano i diversi strumenti, di cui la voce è inevitabilmente parte. E il dvd? Beh, quello non ha bisogno di alcuna parola, è semplicemente purezza, (dis)incanto e turbamento: anche qui si tratta di un flusso ininterrotto di sensazioni, e mai come in questo caso, ciascuno ne dovrà trarre le proprie conclusioni, anche se avverto: sembra quasi che le immagini mutino al mutare dello stato d'animo del momento in cui le si guarda, col cuore, naturalmente, non di certo con i soli occhi.
(Anialf)

Luker's realm
Os Albireon detêm já uma carreira recheada de grandes discos e participações de prestígio. Que se vê agora alargada com o lançamento de " I Passi Di Liu ", o seu mais recente longa-duração, cortesia da Palace Of Worms .
Juntos desde 1998, a sonoridade do colectivo italiano percorre os meandros emotivos das composições baseadas em guitarra acústica e teclados, com a adição de outros elementos acústicos e de vocalizações intensas. Mantendo-se fiéis ao especto Dark Folk, souberam percorrer caminhos paralelos do Neofolk e alternativos do Industrial e Experimental ao longo da sua carreira, culminando agora numa demonstração de capacidade, sensibilidade e talento como é este novo trabalho.
Para além desta edição, vai ser também disponibilizada uma edição especial limitada a 100 cópias, contendo um DVD bónus. Aqui podemos encontrar um filme surreal criado pelos próprios Albireon, para representar visualmente o conteúdo do novo disco, e para adicionar uma camada de enriquecimento à música propriamente dita. Recomendado.

Darksite
This latest release for the Italian outfit Albireon , lead by Davide Borghi , sees some of the most introspective and enchanting moments in the history of the project. The ten tracks featured are drenched in foggy, oneiric ambiences, so thin and fragile, they give the unreal feel of being sculpted out of mist and are free-standing in an abstract dimension, a layer far above the reach of human beings. Davide 's poetry is sublime as we are used to and learned to love. His words are delicate, they embed themselves gently in the surrounding mist. There's a fair bit of experimentation in the backdrops to this unreal story, billed as a "collection of memories of a lost beloved one". A solitary guitar moves shyly through the haze. I passi di Liú see Albireon breaking from the neo-folk paradigm, around which the band had already reached highly respectable levels, to explore a self-crafted way that conjures up visions ranging from Fin de Siecle to Ain Soph . Curiously, the last of the ten tracks spans about a quarter of the duration of the whole work, featuring more courageous experimentation, subtle noise and ambient research, that solitary guitar which occasionally picks up a melody, a strum duetting with background noises and the hazy vocals that turn ethereal at the apex. I have loved each and every work by Albireon , always for slightly different reasons, and I have to say that even if I passi di Liú lacks an "headline" song, a sublime ballad whose melody leaves a lasting memory, there's a lot to go for declaring this probably the most accomplished work to date for the band.

Kultur Terrorismus
Das seit fast 10 Jahren existierende Projekt Albireon aus Italien blickt auf einige Vollzeitwerke, ein Split mit Sonne Hagal & eine Vielzahl an Samplerbeiträgen zurück, die meiner Person zum überwiegenden Teil gänzlich unbekannt sind, weshalb mich die Übersendung des aktuellen bzw. neuen Albums “I passi di Liù” zur Besprechung sehr freut, um eine so genannte Wissenslücke zu schließen.Hinter Albireon verbergen sich die Protagonisten Davide Borghi, Stefano Romagnoli, Carlo Baja Guarienti, Lorenzo Borghi, Massimo Romagnoli & Paola Tarasconi, die gemeinsam mit “I passi di Liù” eine sehr experimentelle Arbeit erschuffen, welche die Genres (Dark) Folk, Industrial (Noise), Drone und Ambient in einem emotionalen Gewand vereint. Diesem Oeuvre inhaltlich näher zu kommen, verhindert eine Sprachbarriere, welche meine Wenigkeit nicht zu nehmen vermag (leider). Die hervorragende Cover- wie Bookletgestaltung malte Massimo Romagnoli, der mit gedeckten Farben sehr fein den Charme dieses Opus transportiert.Musikalisch soll dieses Release von den vorherigen Publikationen von Albireon abweichen, weshalb sich die fortlaufenden Aussagen ausschließlich auf die CD “I passi di Liù” beziehen, die als Sonderedition von 100 Stück noch einen Film für den geneigten Konsumentenkreis bereithält. Diejenigen, die pure Stringenz bei Tonträgern favorisieren, können “I passi di Liù” für sich komplett von der nächsten “Einkaufsliste” streichen, hingegen Hörerinnen und Hörer, welche freigeistige Tonkunst mit experimentellen Einschüben schätzen, müssen diese Veröffentlichung von Albireon unbedingt antesten. Sie verknüpften auf “I passi di Liù” Gitarrenlinien aus dem Dark Folk bzw. Neofolk, vereinzelte Akkorde die an My Dying Bride in ihren besten Tagen erinnern, dunkle atmosphärische Soundcapes, die auch von Tor Lundvall stammen könnten, leichte Droneanleihen, sanfte Noisestrukturen (kein Geballer!) und sehr emotionale Stimmbandarbeiten (mehrheitlich männlich) miteinander, woraus sich eine sehr dunkle & zugleich ergreifende Symbiose ergibt. “I passi di Liù” in einem Hördurchgang erfassen zu wollen, scheitert alleine an der Komplexität, die diesen Tonträger auszeichnet. Gerade Rezipientinnen und Rezipienten, die sich für “Lapsis” von Darkwood & Chaos As Shelter begeistern konnten, dürfte diese Tondokumente auf “I passi di Liù” von Albireon zusagen bzw. gefallen.Auf “I passi di Liù” einen Anspieltipp zu empfehlen, entfällt wegen der Tatsache, dass alle Tracks gemeinsam ein Gesamtkunstwerk offenbaren, welches als solches konsumiert werden sollte.Die von Albireon vermittelte Gesamtstimmung schwingt zwischen Dunkelheit und Bedrohlichkeit, wodurch sich nach mehrfachem Konsum ein Gefühlschaos aufdrängt. Emotionslose Lebewesen sollten von “I passi di Liù” die Finger lassen, ihnen wird sich der wahre Geist nie erschließen.Fazit:Albireon legen mit “I passi di Liù” eine sehr vielseitige Publikation auf, welche durch tiefe emotionale Berührung besticht. Individuen, die nach gehaltvoller wie kunstvoller Untergrundmusik verlangen, sollten sich “I passi di Liù” unbedingt zulegen – meine Empfehlung!

Mantenebre
"I passi di Liù" es un trabajo de Albireon editado en Palace of Worms (Ref: PO26W-2) en Noviembre de 2008.
Interpretado por Davide Borghi a las voces,guitarras y samples & Stefano Romagnoli en programaciones,samples y filmaciones & Carlo Baja Guarienti como pianista,teclista y flautista & Lorenzo Borghi en la batería y la percusión desde Italia y navega entre los estilos Ambient & Ethereal y tiene una duración de 46 minutos.
Enlaces Relacionados: Albireon & Palace of Worms
valoración: 7.5 sobre 10
Aunque para mí este disco ha sido el primer contacto que he tenido con Albireon, lo cierto es que este proyecto musical italiano ha tenido una intensa trayectoria musical desde sus comienzos, allá por 1998, cuando publicaron su primera demo en la que contaron con la colaboración de Vitorio Vandelli, guitarrista de Ataraxia. Tras este primer paso, la banda empezó a aparecer en diversos recopilatorios y continuó sacando demos y cds hasta llegar a este "i passi di liù", que la discográfica Palace of Worms ha sacado en dos ediciones diferentes, la normal en caja de plástico y una limitada en la que se incluye un dvd con imágenes rodadas por la propia banda con objeto de representar visualmente la música incluida en el cd.
El sonido de Albireon me resulta difícil de clasificar, no porque sus elementos sonoros sean difíciles de reconocer sino porque para mí no es habitual escuchar un proyecto musical cuyo fondo sonoro es abiertamente ambient-industrial y cuyas melodías vocales están más cerca del neofolk ( 'Nymphalidae' ) que de otra cosa. La mezcla, en un principio chocante, va ganando enteros con cada nueva escucha gracias a su original propuesta. Sin embargo, todavía sigo pensando que le falta algo de fuste, algo más de consistencia, algún elemento que me enganche definitivamente. Seguro que con unas cuantas escuchas más conseguiré pillarle el punto completamente a este disco. Lo cierto es que la unión de fondos ambientales y melodías vocales neofolk produce en el oyente una agradable sensación de sofisticada fragilidad, como de un delicado y fugaz equilibrio a punto de rompersey que a duras penas consigue mantenerse a flote. Eso es lo que sucede cuando se escuchan temas como el de apertura del cd, uno de los más oscuros pero a la vez uno de los más delicados. La fragilidad se torna en inquietante amargura en canciones como 'Gli equiseti', en la que la voz tiene más predominancia sobre la música, transmitiendo a través de su lamento una honda sensación de melancolía y tristeza. Uno de los cortes más destacados de "i passi di liù" es 'Cendra', cantado en exclusiva por una voz femenina que se eleva sobre el paisaje sonoro más extraño de todo el cd. 'Marea' y 'Falistre', por su parte, aportan dos perfectos ejemplos de la capacidad que tiene Albireon para crear murallas sónicas profundamente sobrecogedoras y oscuras, cuyo negro efecto se ve notoriamente suavizado por la voz masculina en la primera de ellas. La segunda es sin duda la más oscura de todo el disco; totalmente instrumental, añade a su sonido inquietantes y extraños efectos de corte netamenteindustrial. Uno de los elementos fundamentales en este lanzamiento es, junto a la música, el artwork tanto del libreto del cd como de la web de Albireon. Figuras humanas desdibujadas, de rostros imprecisos, se pasean por entornos brumosos y fantasmales en lo que supone una representación visual más que acertada del contenido musical de "i passi di liù". Aunque la edición que ha llegado hasta la redacción de Mentenebre es la sencilla, no dudo en recomendaros que os hagáis con la edición limitada que incluye el dvd, pues a buen seguro será un complemento perfecto para escuchar y entender la música de Albireon.

DSide
Album licenziato dalla Palace of Worms e scrigno di profondi contenuti emozionali scaturiti dalla personale sofferenza di Davide Borghi riguardo la scomparsa di una persona a lui cara eppur ancora vivida e presente tra le note dell'opera, come una successione disincantata di tormento e struggevolezza. Ci siamo occupati l'anno scorso della band di Reggio Emilia, precisamente in occasione del precedente album "Indaco", auspicando all'epoca strutturali interventi migliorativi sul piano tecnico: i risultati, come del resto ci attendevamo, sono infine giunti. Le songs, più mature ed ispirate, riflettono un vibratile desiderio di sperimentare innovative sonorità "looppate" a cura di Stefano Romagnoli oltre ad una più tangibile padronanza della materia oscura. "I passi di Liù" si dispone sul mercato in due versioni: una limited edition di 100 copie con annesso dvd realizzato con i filmati di Massimo Romagnoli, oltre la canonica stampa solo su cd limitata però anch'essa a 400 copie. Gli Albireon, inoltre, militano anche nella compilation "Nikolaevka" con la song "Il deserto dei Tartari", offrendo aun'ulteriore occasione per soppesarne le qualità. "Liù dorme", prima traccia dell'album in esame, si erge catartica, impalpabile, su vocalizzi meditativi adombrati da un flusso di key, chitarra distante arpeggiata con scarni accordi, in una song che amplia il concetto di sofferenza e mestizia intrecciandolo all'inesprimibile emozione della dipartita e privando il pentagramma di ogni melodia circoscrivendolo contemporaneamente nella compostezza di un atonale cantico di morte. "Naufraghi" è una traccia livida, intorpidita da una lunga folata di rumore sintetico, viola e cristallizzate note di piano. In "Gli Equiseti" la preminenza dei vocals di Davide intessono delicati filamenti dal sapore amaro, ammantati di malinconia ed allineati su un greve rollìo di basso mentre "Deriva" evoca fosca poesia trafitta da frammenti stilistici attigui ai This Mortal Coil di "Filigree & Shadow" attraverso ampissime dilatazioni delle atmosfere ed utilizzando il suono come strumento di meditazione. "Cendra" emana evaporazioni liriche fiabesche in duetto tra Davide e Paola Tarasconi, sorrette da un unico accordo di chitarra appena pizzicata ed un ripetitivo campionamento rumoristico che ossessiona l'intera percorrenza della traccia, così come "Cerbastri" propaga quiete galassie vocali meravigliosamente evocative e poggiate su un disadorno tappeto di key dalla timbrica sibilante, pallida guitar e rarefazioni di piano. "Marea" abbina i fraseggi del singer a sonnolente emissioni monocromatiche in un episodio dalla brevissima tempistica e "Falistre" rumoreggia con striduli loops imbarattando di gelida impurità un capitolo dark-ambient; raggiungiamo "Nymphalidae", fosco poema sciorinato sotto un plumbeo cielo di sordi venti tastieristici e stentorei tocchi di chitarra d'accompagnamento che anticipano l'ultimo brano rappresentato da "Gennaio", dall'intro lunghissimo che incorpora un lamento accordato inizialmente su sole tre note incessantemente modulate su un background di torbidi cigolii interferiti da sinistri rumori, con la voce di Davide che solo al sesto minuto interviene ad echeggiare una song intricata ma che nel segmento finale intercala lente melodie di keyboard e chitarra. Nessuna percussione, nessuna ritmica: l'album si tuffa in prolungate immersioni di ambient oscuro e gelido ed essenziale plasma sonoro intriso di un palpabile sentimento di afflizione che in questo "I passi di Liù" diviene parte integrante di ogni singola nota, rendendo i contenuti del lavoro toccanti, riflessivi ma percepibili esclusivamente dall'ascoltatore predisposto e sensibile. Fautori di una rentrèe matura quanto significativa gli Albireon si evolvono nell'algido livore di una realizzazione che ha il pregio di aver reso timidamente luminoso perfino il buio. In eterno.

Apostazja
Choc zawsze w miare docenialem twórczosc tego wloskiego projektu, nie spodziewalem sie specjalnie cudów po tej plycie. A tu prosze, "I Passi di Liu", wydana przez zmartwychwstaly niedawno Palace Of Worms to jak dla mnie jedno z najlepszych wydawnictw 2008 roku. Z tego co wiem za tym wydawnictwem stoi autentyczna tragedia, która spotkala jednego z muzyków. I to slychac jak chyba nigdy dotad. Wlasnie ta szczerosc przekazu, która wyziera z kazdej nuty na plycie postrzegalbym jako najwieksza zalete "I Passi di Liu". Sama muzyka moze nie grzeszy specjalnym skomplikowaniem pod wzgledem formalnym (choc do prostoty oczywiscie równiez daleko), ale ma swój charakter i na swój sposób jest dosc oryginalna. Ma w sobie ten album cos z poetyki Canaan, podobnie silnie oddzialuje na emocje sluchacza, choc muzycznie - nie liczac wokalu w jezyku wloskim - to inne klimaty. W ogóle mam problem z okresleniem przynaleznosci gatunkowej plyty. Niby pogrywa tu sobie gitara, czasem jakis klawisz, ale - jakkolwiek dziwnie to nie zabrzmi - glówna role gra tu tlo. Kazdy numer podszyty jest ambientowymi plamami, szumami, które niezbyt nachalnie, ale konsekwentnie buduja atmosfere zagubienia, niemalze namacalnej samotnosci, przemijania, straty. I to tak naprawde one graja tu glówna role. To wszystko plus charakterystyczne brzmienie, w którym wazna role odgrywa poglos (przywodzi mi to troche na mysl "Natanael" Ildfrosta) oraz pelne pasji, chwilami wrecz desperackie wokale powoduja, ze w okolicach czwartego "Deriva" niemal fizycznie krwawi mi serce i chce mi sie plakac. Ja wiem, ze uzywam tu takich troche kiczowatych, pseudogotyckich okreslen, ale nic na to nie poradze - "I Passi di Liu" naprawde bardzo silnie dziala na wrazliwego odbiorce. O wiele silniej niz wlasnie jakies tam gotyckie smuty. A juz najbardziej wzruszajace sa ostatnie sekundy ostatniego fragmentu "Gennaio", jakby z pokora godzace sie z bezlitosnym losem. Piekna plyta, a najlepsze jest to, ze to zupelnie niespodziewany strzal. Ale czyz nie takie lubimy najbardziej? Stark

Herz und Geist # 8
E' la Palace of Worms a battezzare il nuovo lavoro degli Albireon. La formazione emiliana, dopo tanti anni di “carriera” e vari lavori sul groppone, si riconferma ai soliti livelli a cui ci ha abituato. Il gruppo capitanato da Davide Borghi ancora una volta ci introduce nel suo mondo fatato fatto di colori tenui e delicati, dai contorni minimali e incerti.
Una musica spoglia e asciutta, che sfocia nella dark ambient isolazionista, fa da tappeto al mondo di Liù, ipotetica creatura che si muove in una realtà incantata e disincantata cha fa da specchio al suo carattere sensibile e romantico.
I vari brani sono delle istantanee fredde e crepuscolari di pensieri e situazioni. Un disco difficile ed impegnativo, assolutamente non scontato, che ci consegna gli Albireon lontani da situazioni acustiche che già conoscevamo. Un lavoro che mi sento di paragonare ad alcune cose di Colloquio (quello di alcuni demo del passato) o dei grandi Nenia.
L'approccio è simile e forse anche la resa finale. La descrizione di un dolore inconfessabile e intenso che accompagna la protagonista del racconto. Un concept sul male di vivere (“La luce inclinata del giorno che muore, s'imbeve di tutto il dolore che provi”) e sulla ricerca di una fragile felicità/serenità (“fremito d'ali nel buio giardino, voli leggera incontro al mattino”).
Da centellinare e assaporare lentamente.
(Ottavio Chiodo)

Ascension # 20
Per seguire o ricordare i passi di Liù, era naturale che gli Albireon cambiassero veste, atmosfere e percorsi sonori. Ma anche se questo non fosse stato l'argomento da trattare, personalmente dubito che il gruppo sarebbe rimasto ancora fedele a una proposta quasi interamente acustica, folk o neofolk che la vogliate chiamare; una "divisa" che comunque sarebbe andata stretta, e per questo portata male. Con ogni probabilità, "I Passi Di Liù" è solo uno dei tanti interessanti capitoli che gli Albireon scriveranno da quì a venire, perchè è un album in cui i ricordi vengono descritti come sogni lontani; e i sogni, è naturale, si dissolvono. Non ci sarà un altro "I Passi Di Liù",perchè se ciò che sparisce può restare vago e confuso, ciò che invece raccoglie il ricordo che l'ha generato resta e vive, perfettamente, in questo album. Dieci brani che sono come un grande respiro, un unico grande sguardo suddiviso in dieci scene, in dieci momenti che, senza che ce ne accorgiamo, si fondono in un bellissimo caos di percezioni. C'è la parte acustica, le chitarre, c'è l'elettronica, le percussioni educate, i samples, loops e drones di varia foggia e natura; c'è la voce di Davide Borghi che, grazie alla postproduzione, diventa non più mezzo per distribuire parole, ma ne è l'accompagnatrice, colei che le rincorre, ci gioca insieme, nascondendosi fa suoni, melodie e rumori, come un ragazzino in un vecchio solaio impolverato. Gli Albireon non sono diventati un progetto ambient, non sono più "eterei" di prima, non rimpiangono i concept prog, non si sono convertiti ai nuovi pastori erranti del folk psichedelico nè sono l'acido e deviato risultato di strane jam sessions protratte per ore in studio. Gli Albireon descrivono sguardi, ricordando sospiri profondi, seguono passi fra sentieri silenziosi e di tutto questo ricordano sia la bellezza quasi irreale che il dolore degli istanti più tragici, innaturali. Lo fanno con melodie dolci e stranianti, con filastrocche narrate vicino ad una candela accesa, con strumenti che prima sembrano immobili e poi, improvvisamente, impazziscono inebriati per ritornare successivamente a note e racconti più familiari. E' un album da ascoltare come se lo si facesse veramente quel grande respiro, chiudendo poi gli occhi per sentire l'eco di quei passi. Consigliato. (Gianfranco Santoro)

Filth forge
"I Passi Di Liù" is the third official full length album of the Italian project Albireon, this time released by Palace of Worms. Since the early demos and albums, Albireon has always been involved in a guitar-driven wave music: this new album is a strong step away from neofolk compositions into an album of gloomy, mournful laments, led by Davide Borghi's solemn voice. The darkness of the sound creates a kind of nihilistic expression: everything sounds pretty desperate, surreal and distant when riverbed guitars and classical piano begin to play, the effect is slight, as they appear little more than embellishments to Borghi's vocals. Surely "I Passi Di Liù" is Albireon's best work to date: the mood is nostalgic, lyrics are like little poems, it's not anymore folk, it's a new kind of sound between ambient and post rock, that can be developed in a very interesting way in the future. Guitar sound is so minimalist and dissonant and it's the texture of evocative songs like "Gli Equiseti" and "Cendra", reminding somehow of early Current 93. Moreover "I Passi Di Liù" recalls the more ethereal moments of Gordon Sharp's Cindytalk in some vocals moments. The entire album is sung and spoken in Italian and is concerned with memories of a lost beloved one, Liù, that can be seen as the symbol of lost childhood - a point amply conveyed by the mood of the music and cover art. - Roberta T.

Side line
Except for some early demos, cdr's and mcd's, this is the 3rd official full length of the Italian Albireon. Since its inception in 1998, the project always has been involved in guitar-wave music. This new album is presented as their most emotional piece to date. That's hard to say or confirm, but they for sure tried to compose a kind of melancholic ballad style. The darkness of thesound creates a kind of nihilistic expression. Everything sounds pretty desperate and surreal. Unfortunately they never really touched my most sensible snare. The Italian language never convinced me when listening to gothic music and that's one of the main reasons why Albireon has never become one of my favorites. But it's not only about language! The music does not totally catch me and I don't really find some real emotional content here. It's all about feeling and vibes, but I'm missing some kind of melody or carrying lyrics. “I Passi Di Liù” sounds like a moonwalk under a black sun… something unreal and hard to catch. “Marea” is the single song that affected me the most but that's definitely not enough to speak about a success!

Kogaionon
Tare incalcit proiectul lui Davide Borghi! Inceput in urma cu zece ani, se pare ca areusit sa se faca cunoscut in Italia prin cateva materiale underground. Cu o muzica mai degraba de film, soundtrack melodic, axat pe chitara, keyboards, flaut si pian, echipa lui Davide ne prezinta acum cateva piese interesante, ce penduleaza intre Dark, NeoFolk si Ambient, cu un accent pedimensiunea teatrala, cam greu de descris in cuvinte. Am inteles ca albumul se bucura si de o varianta limitata la 100 de bucati unde este inclus si un DVD, pentru cei interesati ina intra cat mai adanc in conceptual ALBIREON. Nota Dark este uneori balansata de aroma unor balade remarcabile si unde vocea interesanta a lui Davide pare sa graviteze in jurul unui sound exclusivist, elitist. Destul de greu de inteles acest proiect, cu un mesaj deloc comercial si o abordare originala… dar pentru cei interesati in ciudatenii, ALBIREON poate fi o alegere inspirata.
Rating: 0.82/1



Second Skins -Illa Exuro In Silentium

Darkroom
Il gothic rock è morto? Intendo quello più dark, oscuro e tenebroso, figlio dei miti ancestrali che portano il nome di Sisters Of Mercy o Rosetta Stone, Mephisto Waltz e, se irrorati nel sound dalle tastiere, Clan Of Xymox... Quello che ci ha fatto ballare dalla fine degli anni '80 e che ancora oggi riscontra apprezzamenti sul dancefloor, sebbene la proposta artistica sia ridotta all'osso. Il trio Second Skin, proveniente dall'Arizona, grazie anche all'intuito della Palace Of Worms (di cui parleremo di nuovo a breve nelle prossime settimane), con abilità e controcorrente propone le 11 tracce di "Illa Exuro In Silentium", sulla scia del recente passato di un genere così fondamentale nella musica oscura. Attenzione però: sarebbe stato semplice e banale aggregarsi alla lunga schiera di cloni di Sisters Of Mercy & co., e difatti il genere e le sonorità sono tipici, ma in realtà la musica dei nostri è più oscura se contrapposta alle nevrosi delle chitarre tipiche del death-rock americano. Il risultato è gradevole in tutta la durata del dischetto, ballabile ed ascoltabile. La cover/booklet è un piccolo poster con fotografie in puro stile dark-western (...che ricordi viaggiando a ritroso fino ai Wall Of Voodoo!) e notizie riguardanti la band e i collaboratori esterni. Vista la provenienza geografica, è un tributo alle proprie leggende che nasce in modo naturale e non forzoso: gradevoli i costumi di Kitty, tra goticismi di frontiera e dolcezze dal sapore 'fanciulla del West' di memoria pucciniana. Arron è l'artefice principale del sound dei Second Skin, tra giri di basso e stesura dei testi, coadiuvato da Mark Kitty Cady alla chitarra elettrica e da Lizzy alla seconda voce. Leggendo la dedica "in memoriam" tra Dee Dee Ramone, Ian Curtis, Joe Strummer, Rozz Williams ed altri, trovo in ognuno di loro una piccola fonte d'ispirazione, piccoli tasselli che formano l'insieme dei suoni del disco in esame, la voglia di mantenere alta l'emotività di oltre vent'anni di sonorità che volano tra malinconie depresse, narcisismi velati e non, rabbia generazionale. Un motivo in più, quindi, per lasciarsi ammaliare da diverse song, tra cui segnalo "The West", "London Bridges" ed "Unwritten", perché a volte 'macchiandosi' di suoni industriali si distinguono e qualificano. Dopo varie produzioni, tributi a band come Cure e Mission e comparse su varie compilation, senza dimenticare i tre album precedenti, questo gruppo americano merita in pieno la propria consacrazione ed un posto legittimo sotto i riflettori. Chi ama le band sopraccitate, così come Nosferatu e a tratti anche Mephisto Waltz, scopra con fiducia questo quarto lavoro dei Second Skin (il secondo uscito sotto l'egida della Palace of Worms): è solo dark-rock, ma che classe! Nicola Tenani

Obliveon
Fünf Jahre haben die Amerikaner Second Skin gebraucht um endlich einen Nachfolger zum formidablen Vorgänger „Black Eyed Angel“ einzuspielen, und dass Second Skin in all der Zeit nichts verlernt haben machen gleich die ersten Töne deutlich. Noch immer wird Gitarren Goth in Reinkultur geboten, der seine britischen Wurzeln wie auch die latenten Einflüsse des Death Rock nicht verleugnen kann. Auch „Illa Exuro In Silentium“ wartet mit elf Goth-Hymnen der Extraklasse auf, die eine Band wie London After Midnight, die sich und ihre Fanschar mittlerweile anscheinend nur selbst langweilt, um Längen in den Schatten stellen. Second Skin besitzen noch den Spirit ruhmreicher Goth-Tage, sind grossartige Songschreiber mit Melodien, die im Ohr bleiben, was Stücke wie der Opener „She Burns“ oder „The West“ deutlich machen und besitzen diese mystische und ein wenig geheimnisvolle Image, das die frühen Goth-Bands immer ausgemacht hat. Dass die Produktion von „Illa Exuro In Silentium“ dabei etwas kraftvoller hätte ausfallen können fällt kaum ins Gewicht, erinnert man sich an die Frühwerke der Sisters of Mercy oder Christian Deaths, die produktionstechnisch auch keine wirkliche Offenbarung waren. Das Album hat alle meine Hoffnungen, die ich nach „Black Eyed Angel“ in die Band gesetzt habe, mehr als erfüllt, und wer als Fan traditioneller Goth-Klänge nach dem Ableben Garden of Delights nach einem potentiellen Nachfolger sucht, der findet fraglos Gefallen an Second Skin. 10/10

Darksite
Welcome to those good'ol'days. Good, I hear you say? Death punk-goth-rock of vintage connotations can be classified as good, specially when conceived and executed with a good dose of know-how. Second Skin do know their way to the market square, selling unsuspecting 'ballads' manufactured with a perverse sense of cartoonesque malevolence that is subtly scaring. From Rozz Williams through Virgin Prunes all the way to very early Sisters of Mercy , they pick and mix clues of a musical past and revive them with nonchalance in a work that is bound to titillate abundantly the batcave-styled posse that still crawls impudently the underground scenes worldwide. Anyone else might find this simply anachronistic. But then, they simply need no apply. www.secondskin.

Gothtronic
Illa Exuro In Silentium is the fourth album by these stylish deathrockers. Founded in 1992 and led by mastermind Arron this US band is best known for its contribution to a considerable number of new wave/gothrock compilations and tribute albums. The sound of Second Skin is reminiscent of the late 80's and early 90's goth-rock, with Rozz Williams' Christian Death as a clear point of reference. The band performed live with Christian Death in the 90's, so the musical connection went beyond mere inspiration.
The album kicks off with the alienating, ominous sounds of "She burns", after which "The West" and the driving "Kick and scream" treat us to swinging and melodious deathrock. "The narcissist" with its weeping, occasionally screeching guitars criticizes vanity, the sinister "London bridges" features reflective, poetic lyrics. "Blood and glass (the impact)", "A methunderstanding" and "Black picket fence" further amp up the deathrock feast with uptempo, catchy rhythms and melodies. After the dramatic tunes of "Unwritten" the more restrained sounds of "Prince harming" and the wry "Birthday girl" make for a placid landing. In comparison to many current acts this piece of skilfully crafted goth-rock appears very serious and confident. Great care has been taken for the CD-booklet, the fold out insert is even so bulky that it hardly fits in. With this strong album Second Sking can attract a new following, embarking on a tour with these new tunes is highly advisable.

Chain dlk
I was reading a scrbd pdf about the dark side of Walt Disney, something so bad that is better not to write down, this work from SECOND SKIN given to me the same incredible sense of wonder and dark, the same pleasure to discover the Hell inside BAMBI. They play with Hollywood darkside, with ballads-punk-wave-dark so great and well played that is not possible to say “I dont like it”. This work is F.... GREAT, I love it. The guitar, Lynchesque with some New Order influence is pure “black velvet”, the voice and the choir around is spine chilling. I have to say that Second Skin makes my day opening a whole world of great media icons like: Greta Garbo, Dalì, Brothers Marx and the ghosts of Old Hollywood...; believe me when I say that this band is showing and researching for us an area really interesting of death beautiful myths of our dying world. Best track...I cannot say bullshit, all the tracks are hypnotic, pure controlled madness inside the perfect dome of wave-death-rock. Thank you Second Skin.

Versacrum
Anche i Ghoultown (qualcheduno se li ricorda? A me erano simpatici!) si rifacevano all'iconografia dark-western, i Second Skin sono più seriosi, dal punto di vista dell'abbigliamento, e se i primi mi parevano sbucati fuori dal back-stage de “Dal tramonto all'alba”, questi mi ricordano i Wall Of Voodoo di “Seven days in Sammystown”. Musicalmente parlando, Arron (che dei SS è indubbiamente il main-man), Mark Cady (lead guitarist e dark hero, oltrecchè hangman e picador!) e Greg Gory propongono un sound decisamente british , con rimandi neanche tanto velati ad insiemi quali ad esempio Vendemmian (ma pure agli australiani Meridian, dove ho messo “Sundown empire”, che me lo riascolto?), non rifacendosi adunque allo spaghetti-western (se non, vagamente, in “Blood and glass”) che rese celebre il gruppo di Bruce Moreland (e di Stan Ridgway che sul disco che ho riportato non c'era). Il fosco leader si occupa di piano, chitarra, basso, composizione, oltre ad offrirci il peculiare crooning che impreziosisce queste composizioni, come le gradevoli “The west” e “Kick and scream” e la più variegata “The narcissist”. Voglio spendere qualche parola per il magnifico look esibito dalla conturbante Heather Hurley, fasciata di pelle nera, che del gruppo è la cover-girl, la modella e la… femme fatale (ebbè, ruoli irrinunziabili!). Fra belle sciabolate di chitarra, narrati inquietanti, suoni poco rassicuranti, Illa exuro in silentium (quarto disco del combo di Scottsdale, Arizona) scorre piacevole coi suoi rimandi sisteriani/nephiliani (e progenie varia, of course), offrendoci ancora spunti interessanti in “London bridges”, nella veloce “Black ticket fence”, in “Prince harming” e nella compassata “Birthday girl”, pur se badando a non compiere deviazione alcuna dal solco segnato. Produzione ottima, grande cura nel packaging, i Second Skin li promuoviamo senza titubanze!

DSide
Dalle incandescenti lande dell'Arizona i SS propongono il loro quarto studio-album battezzato dalla label italiana Palace of Worms: un prodotto interessante, angosciato, pregno di quegli elementi così cari ai Sisters of Mercy e Fields of the Nephilim. La band, capeggiata dal frontman/vocalist/songwriter Arron, approda alla sua ventinovesima realizzazione ufficiale dopo aver composto ottime soundtracks e compilations. In particolare, Arron, ha suonato al fianco di illustri nomi dello spessore di Rozz Williams, Shadow Project e The Mission UK, sviluppando progressivamente ulteriore esperienza nella manipolazione del dark sound accorpandolo a misurati influssi wave-goth. La tracklist si apre con "She burns", intro punteggiata da incubi metropolitani sottoforma di brusii, algidi fraseggi, una sinistra nenìa neo-tribale ed un lacerante intervento di guitar. Il parallelo con i Sisters è quantomeno d'obbligo citando "The West", strutturata su drumming goth-rock, una luciferina tastiera e vocals che potrebbero essere stati impostati con maggior incisività. "Kick and Scream" esalta forme soniche dense di sedimenti old-school in equilibrio tra wave e dark, "The Narcissist" combina austere costruzioni vocali a tenebrosi accordi chitarristici in una song dalla pulsante aurea emozionale sostenuta dagli scatti dei flashes ritmati da drum noise da cavalcata, mentre dalla successiva "London Bridges" dipartono riverberate ramificazioni di guitars che irretiscono i cupi vocalizzi del singer. Si prosegue con "Blood and Glass (the impact)", intelaiata ad una drum machine che duella con i corrosivi riff di chitarra in cui non languono riferimenti al goth più classico, "A Methunderstanding" dal dirompente assetto ritmico-vocale ombreggiato da tetro vigore e "Black Picket Fence", audace combinazione bass-voice-giutar di timbrica goth-rock dalle atmosfere dirette, tipiche del filone. Il notturno intercalare di Arron si accorpa alla guitar di Mark Cady in "Unwritten", dinamica traccia nuovamente inquadrata in un contesto Sisters-oriented a cui succede "Prince Harming" dagli arabbeggiati arpeggi per un goth sound che rimarca lo stile compositivo a cui la band è incline. Song di chiusura "Birthday Girl" muove meccaniche scansioni ritmiche su un comparto vocale appassionato e visionario dalle trame decadenti. I contenuti della title track, valutati nel complesso, assicurano a tutti gli animi gothici un elevato coefficiente in termini di feeling, nonchè una buona longevità intesa come successivi ascolti modulati nel tempo. Una performnce di tutto rispetto, elaborata senza gratuiti virtuosismi. Sperimentatene gli effetti. Qualche aggiustamento nell'elevatura vocale sarebbe alquanto utile per ottimizzare le potenzialità espressive di Arron, unitamente ad un modulo compositivo che deve essere ulteriormente rafforzato per ottenere maggior carattere. Siamo ad un solo soffio dall'eccellenza

Self
Halloween. The ancients celebrated it as the dawn of a new year. A time when the veils between the worlds are thinnest, when otherworldly entities walk among us. So what better time to have unleashed Second Skin's brilliant new Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave release?! The Halloween feel (which also works any night that calls for atmosphere) is immediately evident in the intro, “She Burns”- spoken vox behind swirling spectral voices, which ushers us into this descent into dangerous but beautiful darkness. “Prince Harming” is every damsel's nightmare. “Unwritten” is one tale that won't have a happy ending. I could go on and on with accolades for this album! This album immediately demands to find its way frequently into the CD player. – Athena

Terrorverlag
Recht unbedarft lege ich die mir zugeschickte CD mit dem lateinischen Titel „Illa Exuro In Silentium“ (was auf englisch soviel heißt wie „She burns in silence) in den Player und lasse auf mich zukommen, was immer da kommen mag. Von einer Band namens SECOND SKIN hatte ich bislang nichts vernommen und so dient einmal mehr das Internet als Informationsquelle. Über Bandmitglieder kann ich nicht viel erfahren, außer, dass der Gründer ein gewisser Arron ist. SECOND SKIN existieren bereits seit 1992 (immerhin konnte man die Bühne mit einer Legende wie CHRISTIAN DEATH teilen) und mit dem nun erscheinenden haben sie ihr viertes Studioalbum aufgenommen. Los geht es mit dem Intro „She burns“, welches neben diversen Geräuschen, wie etwa einem Polizeihorn, ziemlich trashig daherkommt und im Hintergrund stark verzerrte, fast geflüsterte Vocals beinhaltet. Zum Glück geht es nicht in diesem Stil weiter, denn sonst wäre ich gleich beim ersten Hören arg enttäuscht. Doch anstelle dessen schafft es der schwarze Zeremonienmeister bereits mit dem zweiten Stück, meine Ohren an die Lautsprecher zu fesseln. Sofort wird klar, dass hier die guten alten SISTERS OF MERCY fröhlich mit dem Notenständer winken und wenn man es nicht wüsste, könnte man den Sound ernsthaft für den der Sisters halten. Doch das tut der Sache keinerlei Abbruch und ich lasse mich weiter durch die Tracks tragen, welche durchweg schwer düster und melancholisch daherkommen. Leider ähneln sich die Kompositionen bis auf wenige Ausnahmen sehr und es gibt kaum Abwechslung im Sound. Doch bei insgesamt elf Titeln lässt sich das gut aushalten. Mein Favorit, „London Bridges“, ist eine dieser Ausnahmen und so schwermütig, dass es das Herz noch ein wenig kälter werden lässt, als es der Rest der Stücke vermagInsgesamt ist das Album durchaus hörenswert, wenn auch eher für die sehr dunklen Stunden im Leben bestimmt. Doch da es diese ja durchaus gibt…

Rosa Selvaggia
Siamo al secondo lavoro uscito con la Palace of Worms per il trio proveniente dall'Arizona. Niente di di nuovo se posso permettermi l'ardir d'un'opinione, ma questo potrebbe essere il grande pregio di questa band, perchè quello che ci propongono è purissimo ed incontaminato death-rock che ci riporta immediatamente a gruppi come Sisters Of Mercy e Mephisto Waltz, facendogli onore sia strumentalmente che vocalmente, senza trascurare il look della band fin troppo curato in un perfetto e "moderno" stile dark-western quasi glamour. Un gruppo che consiglio ai nostalgici poichè indubbiamente nostalgico è il fondatore della band e bassista Arron, che in una dedica nel patinatissimo libretto del CD scrive: "in memoriam : Dee Dee Ramone, Ian Curtis, Joe Strummer, Rozz Williams, ecc" tra i quali le influenze artistiche certo non passano inudite. Insomma, un lavoro musicalmente ottimo al quale per esser perfetto manca forse solo un po'di polvere sulle spalle ...
Info: www.secondskin.net www.myspace.com/scndskin
(Nacht)

Gothic beauty
*Have you noticed how shiny and new a reptile's scales are after shedding the old? Well, that describes Second Skin's music – shining and fresh! A prime example is their fourth full-length album, Illa Exuro In Silentium. Second Skin is: frontman Arron, joined by Mark Cody and Greg Gory. Their fresh vision of Darkwave/Industrial/Gothic music is an aural delight indeed. The album's title translates to “She Burns In Silence”, and indeed this album is as fiery as the brightest of Samhain bonfires.
The atmospheric She Burns ushers in disembodied spirits, who guide us on this dark journey. The West conjures dusty images of the Old West, but with an ominous, Vampiric feel. I love the deep vox in Kick And Scream, which has a hint of an Adam Ant feel; and the title is just what you'd be doing if someone tried to stop you from dancing to this song. The luxurious, decadent The Narcissist takes us through the looking glass darkly. The seedy, decadent London Bridges conjures images of Jack the Ripper. Blood & Glass (The Impact) seems to depict a car crash, an underlying intensity. A Methunderstanding has a psychedelic edge, coming at you in a haze. I love the guitars and vocal harmonies in Black Picket Fence, which delivers the classic American Dream- Gothic style. Unwritten is ominous and desolate. There is a bit of an Eastern flavor to Prince Harming – one where you hope the dragon slays the prince! Birthday Girl is the opposite of a celebration..it's morose and depressing.

Kultur Terrorismus
Die großen Zeiten von Bands wie Christian Death, Sisters Of Mercy, The Mission, Fields Of The Nephilim usw. sind leider vorbei bzw. vergangen und lassen sich auch nicht mehr zurückbringen, auch wenn einige Kapellen regelmäßig versuchen, diesen alten fast in Vergessenheit geratenen Geist des Goth Rocks bzw. Death Rocks wieder neu zu beleben bzw. zu beschwören. Die moderne Gothickonsumentenschaft tanzt heutzutage ausschließlich nur noch zu stampfenden Beats, welche allesamt mit der Begrifflichkeit “Gothic” nichts zutun haben, sondern aus der schwächelnden Technobewegung stammen. Das italienische Trio Second Skin versucht mit ihrem vierten Vollzeitalbum “Illa Exuro In Silentium” diesen vorher beschriebenen am Tropf hängenden Scheintoten (Wir sprechen über Goth Rock bzw. Death Rock!) wieder zu beleben, obwohl sie genau wissen, dass sie ihn nicht mehr retten können. Meinem persönlichen Ansinnen nach, können Nostalgiker wie Second Skin nur noch Abklatsch aufnehmen, weil die oben aufgeführten Combos das Feld des Goth Rocks bzw. des Death Rocks komplett abgrasten. Auf dem Oeuvre “Illa Exuro In Silentium” von Second Skin große innovative Momente zu erwarten, würde eine grenzenlose Hoffnung in den Patienten Goth Rock bzw. Death Rock voraussetzen, die aber keineswegs zutrifft, zu sehr hat sich die komplette Musiklandschaft und das Hörerverhalten geändert (leider). Daran ändert auch nichts die von Second Skin dargebotene Verknüpfung aus alten musikalischen Strukturen (Old School Goth Rock bzw. Death Rock) und neumodischem Auftreten (Covergestaltung, Inhalte) wie The 69Eyes. Den Herrschaften hinter Second Skin Arron, Mark Cady und Greg Gory vorwerfen zu wollen, dass sie schlechten Goth Rock bzw. Death Rock machen, käme einer schwerwiegenden Beleidigung nahe, aber eine echte Zukunft hat diese “Kiste” beileibe nicht. Second Skin ertönen über den ganzen Verlauf von “Illa Exuro In Silentium” sehr abwechslungsreich und offerieren eine klassische Melange aus Christian Death, Sisters Of Mercy & The Mission, die mehrheitlich von rockigen Elementen bis hin zu melancholischen Phasen reicht. Die Stimmbandarbeit von Arron gleicht einer Mischung aus Wayne Hussey (The Mission), Robert Smith (The Cure) und Carl McCoy (Fields Of The Nephilim), die in jeder Sekunde gefallen mag. Diejenigen, die Nostalgie in Reinkultur erleben möchten, dürfen sich “Illa Exuro In Silentium” ohne vorheriges Reinhören direkt zulegen – meine Empfehlung. Der Anspieltipp auf “Illa Exuro In Silentium” ist mit großem Abstand das Lied ‘Birthday Girl', welches im Besonderen durch die feine Gesangsleistung von Arron verzückt, welcher hier sehr viel Gefühl aufblitzen lässt. An der Produktion wie dem abschließenden Mastering gibt es in keinem Moment etwas auszusetzen, so muss Goth Rock bzw. Death Rock klingen! Fazit:Second Skins “Illa Exuro In Silentium” erblickt das Licht der Welt auf Palace Of Worms Records 10 oder besser 20 Jahre zu spät und dürfte sich nur schwer durchsetzen können gegen die Vielzahl bzw. Flut von großartigen Publikationen der Pioniere dieses Genres (Christian Death, Sisters Of Mercy, The Mission & Fields Of Nephilim), welche durch ihren Kultstatus in der Gunst der Rezipientinnen und Rezipienten liegen. Eine tolle Veröffentlichung, aber …Hörbeispiele und weitere Informationen zu Second Skin findet Ihr unter folgenden

Rock Underground
Illa Exuro Em Silentium é o quarto comprimento da banda. Embora esta banda é essencialmente no domínio da escrita de compilações e trilhas sonoras de filmes, eles também são uma banda propriamente dita. Illa Exuro Em Silentium tem sido apresentado como um Gótico ocidental e isso é algo surrealista como definição. Eu não sei exatamente o que eu tenho a figura de um tal rótulo, ouvindo um som lembrando a boa Old New Wave Cold Rock Post Punk da década de 80. Algumas guitarras à Sisters Of Mercy pairam sobre este álbum, que será definitivamente a favor para alguns nostálgicos. A maioria das canções continua calma enquanto algumas músicas não contêm muito vocal, meio que se fossem trilhas sonoras, habitue da banda. Eu gosto de algumas das linhas de baixo, Blood And Glass (The Impact) certeza é uma referência aqui. Vai com certeza evocar algumas boas novas memórias no gênero aqui. Como curiosidade, eles tocaram no tributo à David Bowie organizado pelo selo Cleopatra Records além de tributos à The Cure e The Mission. E essas coisas não chegam no Brasil, nem conhecimento disto nós temos! A banda foi buscar a mão do diretor Pearry Teo para trabalhar em um filme baseado em um script pelo falecido Jim Morrison dos Doors, e a banda se reuniu com a lenda do Rock, Ray Manzerak, tecladista do The Doors. Segundo o próprio "Isto é exatamente o tipo de banda que Jim teve descrito no seu script, Dark, moderna. É uma banda que na minha opinião não deve soar como uma cópia de alguma outra banda fazendo Dark Gótico. Enfim, quer recomendação maior do que esta? PR – 8,5

Side line
“Illa Exuro In Silentium” is the 4th full length of Second Skin. While this band is mainly active in the writing for compilations and movie soundtracks, they're also a band properly speaking. “Illa Exuro In Silentium” has been presented as a Gothic Western and that's rather surrealistic as definition. I don't exactly know what I've to figure from such a label, but musical wise I heard a sound reminding to the good-old new-wave decade. Some Sisters Of Mercy perfume hangs over this album, which will definitely please to some heavy nostalgic. Most of the songs remain rather quiet while some songs don't contain that much vocals. I like some of the bass lines; the “Blood And Glass”-track being for sure a reference here. “Kick And Scream” will for sure evoke some good new-wave memories and is one of the greatest cuts in the genre here. Dark guitar wave is the main characteristic for those Americans, which bring us back in time. It's not bad, but not setting the world alight!

Kogaionon
Destul de vasta activitate, patru albume mediatizate, foarte multe colaborari, multi fani… asa se prezinta in 2008 SECOND SKIN. Pe un Schelet Death Rock dar si cu trimiteri spre Dark Gothic, trupa ne prezinta un sound modern, bazat pe chitari electrice explozive, baterie ritmata, keyboard bombastic si voce masculina impunatoare! Avem si piese industrializate, si cu iz Electronic dar si pasaje lente, la limita melodiei… totul este intr-o nota destul de intunecata, glaciala, sobra! Nu descopar mari elemente originale in acest sunet… poate doar modul de imbinare a mai multor stiluri merita mai multa atentie… In rest, un album usor peste medie, care va fi cautat de fanii Gothic-ului mai vechi, de la SISTERS OF MERCY pana la JOY DIVISION. Din alt punct de vedere, s-ar putea ca albumul sa fie o mica bijuterie iar fanii sa-l considere un album cult! Rating: 0.85/1



"O QUAM TRISTIS... " - Les Chants Funestes

Side line
Since their debut-cd I immediately became a fan of the French project O Quam Tristis. Their music always bring a heavenly mixture between medieval music and other ethereal waves. “Les Chants Funestes” might sound a bit dark and depressed (translated as “The Funeral Chants”) for its title, but sounds like the total contrary. The medieval influences and other troubadour ballads remain the main source of inspiration, but the writing evolved a bit. O Quam Tristis still plays different authentic instruments, but the electronic input becomes more important. Some might find it regrettable, but I think it's a kind of process in constant evolution. “Les Chants Funestes” remains still very O Quam Tristis-like, but some of the accents have been placed somewhere else. The song “Anna Soror” is a real good illustration of this evolution. “O Caelo” even contains a kind of beat, which for a while might evoke the latest work of Qntal. There've been always more resemblances between both bands, which here again appears quite fast. In a more medieval and typical style, the track “Bulla Fulminante” will definitely please to all the purists of the genre. The female and male vocals are like pure troubadour chants. One more typical song (and again sung in Latin language) is “Soror, Conjux, Gemma”. Another song like “Planctus Samsonis” moves somewhere in between older and newer influences and is definitely the right track to fill this hiatus. The songs remain mainly inspired by old secular and liturgical poems from the Middle Ages. You definitely sometimes feel like being in the Middle Ages by the simple force of the O Quam Tristis music! I definitely remain a lover of their music!
(DP:7/8)DP.

Gothtronic
The French musical outfit O Quam Tristis consisting of Emeric Lenotz, Katrina Koslowska, Tomek Ashkenazy Isaac, Anna Virsky and Hugues Dammarie (also in Collection d'Arnell-Andrea) makes neo-medieval music with a strong electronic component. A bit comparable to Qntal and Helium Vola but with a more acoustic sound. Les Chants Funestes is their fourth album and this again features the sacral atmosphere created by a well balanced momentum of medieval instrumentation and modern electronic influences. The presence of a bass guitar next to synthesizer sounds and male and female polyphone singing with the use of the Latin language, adds an extra dimension. The musical bandwith goes from medieval times until the baroque age and on Les Chants Funestes for the first time even rock and darkwave influences can be traced in the atmosphere of some of the tracks. O Quam Tristis really delivers in again adding extra elements to their enchanting musical world, which makes Xymox atmospheres, meet those of Dead Can Dance and Estampie. The music of this outfit is mandatory stuff for those who love danceable medieval sounds.

Chain DLK
This is the first time I have the chance to check out O Quam Tristis... (their name comes from a psalm written by Antonio Vivaldi and Pergolesi and the whole sentence is "O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta Mater Unigeniti") and I have been pleasantly surprised. Formed also by people involved with Collection d'Arnell-Andrea and Thy Violent Vanities (Anna Virsky and Hugues Dammarie), O Quam Tristis... rework in a personal way female and male vocal polyphonies inspired by medieval and baroque music mixing them with electronic arrangements, new wave (see the bass guitar sound and some atmospheres) as well as folkish melodies (like the opening "Oriens" or "O vox poriphetica") or goth intuitions ("O abies" and "O mejam miseram"). Another peculiarity is to have lyrics in Latin language and this unusual characteristic enrich a formula which already was really interesting. A must have!

Versacrum
Arrivati ormai al loro quarto lavoro, gli "O Quam Tristis…”, ovvero Emeric Lenotz, Katrina Koslowska, Tomek Ashkhenazy Isaac, Anna Virsky e Hugues Dammarie si confermano un gruppo inusuale e a suo modo molto originale per il cammino musicale non certo facile che hanno intrapreso. La loro musica, come negli album precedenti, è caratterizzata dal sapiente utilizzo di sonorità medievali e barocche spesso virate da tocchi elettronici e dall'utilizzo di basso e sintetizzatori. Atmosfere liturgiche e sacrali, voci maschili e femminili polifoniche, testi rigorosamente in latino si mescolano e fondono agli arrangiamenti elettronici, a momenti cold wave e ad altri più propriamente oscuri. Non sempre l'incontro di tanti generi è perfettamente riuscito, ma nei momenti più alti la forza quasi mistica ed evocativa della loro musica è certo di forte impatto. Alla pari delle altre loro realizzazioni, pertanto, anche Les Chantes Funebres ci mostra un gruppo originale, mai banale o scontato, la qualità della cui ricerca è degna del più alto rispetto.

Obliveon
Ganz so unheilvoll, wie der Titel der neuen O Quam Tristis CD uns weismachen will ist “Les Chants Funestes” dann doch nicht ausgefallen. Dass „Les Chants Funestes“ dabei auch nicht der erste Versuch von O Quam Tristis ist, Barock und Renaissance mit der Elektronik des 21. Jahrhunderts zu verbinden ist ebenfalls offensichtlich. Vergleicht man O Quam Tristis allerdings mit Bands wie Qntal, Helium Vola oder den Newcomern Black Wedding muss man konstatieren, dass den deutschen Bands diese Kombination doch einfacher von der Hand zu gehen scheint. „Les Chants Funestes“ wirkt von songschreiberischen her doch immer wieder recht sperrig, produktionstechnisch nicht nur zu schwach auf der Brust, sondern auch im Verhältnis der verschiedenen musikalischen Einflüsse zu undifferenziert, vor allem aber fehlen, von „O Abies“ einmal abgesehen, die Melodien, die ins Ohr gehen und dort auch dauerhaft verweilen. „Les Chants Funestes“ ist, um nicht einen falschen Eindruck entstehen zu lassen, kein schlechtes Album. Es kann halt nur nicht ganz mit dem mithalten, was die oben genannten deutschen Bands in dieser Hinsicht veröffentlichen. 7/10MK

Kultur Terrorismus
Die italienische Formation O Quam Tristis offeriert seit seiner Gründung im Jahre 2000 Tonkunst, welche eine Melange aus den Stilen Dark Wave, (Dark) Pop, Heavenly Voices und mittelalterlichen wie barocken Einflüssen darbietet. Gerade diejenigen, die sich für perfekte weibliche wie männliche Stimmbandarbeiten interessieren und Projekte wie Dead Can Dance & Ataraxia schätzen bzw. lieben, bekommen mit O Quam Tristis neuen bzw. aktuellen Album “Les Chants Funestes” ein Schmankerl der besonderen Art geboten.Hinter O Quam Tristis verbergen sich die Protagonisten Tomek Ashkhenazy Isaac, Hugues Dammarie (Collection d'Arnell-Andrea), Katrina Koslowska, Emeric Lenotz und Anna Virsky, die gemeinsam das vierte Werk “Les Chants Funestes” einspielten bzw. einsangen. Inhaltlich ließen sie sich von Themen aus dem Mittelalter und des Barocks inspirieren, welche O Quam Tristis in italienischer Sprache vortragen. Leider reichen meine rudimentären Italienischkenntnisse nicht aus, um tiefer in die inhaltlicher Materie vorzustoßen. Wer die Sprache lesen und verstehen kann, bekommt im Booklet alle Texte zu einzelnen Stücken geliefert. Die grafische Gesamtgestaltung besticht durch die Einarbeitung des Bildes “Angel of Death”, welches der Maler Horace Vernet (1789 – 1863) malte und heute zur Kunstsammlung des Russen Nikolaj Aleksandrovitsj Koesjelev-Bezborodko gehört, die im Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg Ausstellung findet.Musikalisch erlebt der geneigte Hörerkreis auf “Les Chants Funestes” ein emotionales “Feuerwerk” aus handgemachten wie synthetischen Strukturen, die O Quam Tristis gekonnt miteinander verbinden. Die Soundcollagen schwingen zwischen getragen sakral und rhythmisch atmosphärisch, wodurch sich ein dauerhaft hymnischer Charakter beim Konsum einstellt. Alle Klangcollagen auf dem Oeuvre weisen einen alten fast vergessenen Geist auf, der damals (wie heute) unter der Begrifflichkeit Dark Wave kursiert(e) und mit dem heutigen Gothic- bzw. Mittelalterkram keine Gemeinsamkeiten hat – hier trifft der Terminus Old School definitiv zu! O Quam Tristis überzeugen auf ganzer Linie in ihren Kompositionen durch Liebe zum Detail, weshalb die Hörerschaft ausgefeilte Melodie- und Spannungsbögen am laufenden Band kredenzt bekommt. Durch den Einsatz von Instrumenten wie Flöte, Glöckchen usw., die zur Akzentuierung der Songs dienen, bekommen die interessierten Personen die Möglichkeit geboten, in die Zeit des Mittelalters, des Barocks oder der arabischen Welt einzutauchen.Das absolute Aushängeschild dieser Arbeit “Les Chants Funestes” sind die einzelnen Stimmen (weiblich wie männlich) der Gruppe O Quam Tristis, die Solo mit Backround, als Duett oder im Choral ertönen und immer präsent im Vordergrund für wechselvolle Stimmungen sorgen. Individuen, hochwertige Gesangslinien von klassisch bis rauchig gothisch präferieren – kommen an O Quam Tristis in keinster Weise vorbei – Faktum! Die Damen bei O Quam Tristis gehören mit ihren Darbietungen in die Kategorie Heavenly Voices – eine überragende Vorstellung in meinen Ohren!Aus “Les Chants Fuentes” einen Anspieltipp herauszusezieren, würde meine Wertschätzung gegenüber den restlichen Liedern auf dem Opus schmälern, weshalb meine Wenigkeit empfiehlt: “CD kaufen, in den Schacht legen und in einem Hördurchgang bei einem schönen Glas Rotwein konsumieren!”.Fazit:O Quam Tristis legen mit “Les Chants Fuentes” über Palace Of Worms Records (Italien) ein Highlight der Sonderklasse auf, welches eine Mischung aus Dark Wave & Heavenly Voices zutage fördert und mit einer Vielzahl von Ohrwürmern besticht. O Quam Tristis stehen mit “Les Chants Fuentes” großen Namen wie Dead Can Dance und Ataraxia in nichts nach, sondern bieten Fans dieser zwei vorher genannten Ausnahmeprojekte eine zusätzliche Auswahl an künstlerisch hochwertiger Musik, die sie in der heimischen Sammlung haben müssen – absoluter Pflichtkauf – Faktum!

Rock Underground
Les Chants Funestes é o novo álbum da banda francesa, que na verdade é o ex-Opera Multi Steel. Lançado em novembro de 2008, este álbum traz mais sequencers eletrônicos mixados com música medieval e instrumentos antigos. Ou seja, bem ao estilo da banda mesmo, num misto de Darkwave, Medieval e Gothic. O Quam Tristis são um bem respeitada coletivo de músicos com dedicado público na Etéreo / Darkwave cena. O seu estilo mistura sutilmente o Electro com limpo, guitarra-driven dentro da música medieval na veia de uma mais down Qntal, cada canção sendo levada à uma combinação de vozes masculinas e femininas que emprestam as músicas uma borda de canto gregoriano. É certamente uma boa idéia, mas como com muitos destes grupos medievais, o que parece fantástico no papel acaba foneticamente como pouco mais do que uma saborosa audiência. Os elementos eletrônicos não estão lá o tempo todo, no entanto. Há números que não apresentam a todos e conter apenas voz limpa, depenadas guitarras (aqui elas são só mais um instrumento e não principal, como nas bandas Gothick Rockers), com características puramente cristalinas nos vocais femininos e sintetizados pianos. O resto do tempo, o Electro existe em pleno vigor, mais do que em versões anteriores, mas não é o tipo de full-on, o tempo todo, mas mais do que antes. O Quem Tristis lembra mais agora o Qntal do que o antigo Opera Multi Steel. O principal problema de O Quam Tristis reside no álbum da natureza para criar canções que são muito semelhantes entre si, sim, o OQT parece menos inspirado que o OMS, onde a diversificação era maior, as músicas eram muito distintas entre si. O violão tocado pode ser feito e ao excelente synth muito realizada, mas os vocais são sombrios demais, mais que o instrumental, e até mesmo por vezes, bastante criando uma aura soporífica. É também comum para ambas as vozes a cair abaixo da nota que eles estão tentando projeto e há poucas coisas menos inspiradoras do que uma canção cantada sem energia ou vigor, e se os vocalistas parecem estar a perder o interesse a cada tantas vezes, não fornecem grande esperança para o resto de nós. Há normalmente uma chance com algumas bandas que as coisas vão melhorar, a longo prazo, mas de O Quam Tristis esse não é necessariamente o caso. Les Chants Funestes é o seu quarto álbum e não dispersar-se em todas as matérias de seus anteriores. Prefira os três anteriores que são melhores que Les Chants Funestes . Mas enfim, se é fã da banda e do estilo, pode completar a sua coleção. PR – 7,0

L'autre monde
Le groupe orléanais revient en cette fin d'année 2008 avec son 4ème album. Et une fois de plus O Quam Tristis a été très inspiré. Sans dire que « Les chants funestes » est leur meilleur album, car chaque production a une sensibilité différente. Force est de constater qu'avec « Les chants funestes », le groupe nous offre un pur moment de rêve. Avec ces voix masculines (Planctus Samsonis) et féminine d'une beauté sans égale, rehaussées par des pointes de musiques organiques (O Vox Prophetica) et électroniques (O Caelo), O Quam Tristis nous propose un nouveau voyage dans le temps en alliant chant ancien et musique actuelle. Ce mariage qui est la marque de fabrique du groupe est vraiment très réussi. Aucun des éléments n'est prédominant. De cet équilibre parfait naît une alchimie enivrante (O Me Jam Miseram). Si les thèmes abordés sont toujours assez sombres, la douceur n'en est pas exempte. Tous les amateurs de musique gothique pourront se délecter en écoutant « Les chants funestes ». Chaque morceau est un moment de jouissance. Laissez-vous happer par ce voyage dans le temps à double sens que vous propose O Quam Tristis. Vous remontrez dans le passé avec les chants en latin, tout en avançant vers le futur avec les sons électroniques (De Ramis Cadunt Folla). Un grand écart musical qui ne vous écartèlera à aucun moment. Bien au contraire les opposés s'attirent. Avec « Les chants funestes » ils se sont retrouvés pour ne faire qu'un. Un album tout simplement magnifique.

Rosa Selvaggia
Ormai al loro quarto lavoro gli O Quam Tristis ci propongono questo gradevolissimo Les Chants Funestes. Un album .. elettronico? Si: basso e sintetizzatori dai quali nasce un suono tipicamente cold wave, magistralmente fusi ad atmosfere antiche, quasi liturgiche, confermate ed evidenziate dalla polifonia di voci sia femminili che maschili, campioni di strumenti antichi e testi in latino. Un CD che consiglio sia agli amanti della musica medievale che agli amanti dell'electrogoth, che in questo caso si fondono senza disturbarsi, con classe e senza eccessi, nemmeno nei momenti più barocchi. Ecco un link per ascoltare e scaricare alcuni loro brani: http://www.lastfm.it/music/O+Quam+Tristis .
Info: http://site.voila.fr/o.quam.tristis/accueil.html
(Nacht)

Kogaionon
Noul album al acestor muzicieni insista parca mai mult ca niciodata pe latura Rock amestecata cu Electronic, insa intr-o forma originala, mixand inedita Ethereal, Folk Medieval si Electro-Soft. Vocile feminine au savoarea lor, cele masculine intervin pe alocuri inteligent, avem clapa, atmosfera, mandolina, chitra bass, chitara acustica, elemente baroc… de toate pentru toti. Cel de-al patrulea album al muzicienilor pare a fi cel mai reusit dintre toate, insa ceva tot le lipseste pentru a putea spune ca acestia au ajuns la apogeu.. Poate cu celelalte proiecte in care canta: COLLECTION D'ARNELL-ANDREA sau THY VIOLENT VANITIES…
Rating: 0.83/1

Elegy
Annoncés par le titre « Oriens » paru sur la compilation Movement One vol.2 , Les Chants Funestes signent le quatrième chapitre de l'épopée néo-médiévale des français de « O Quam Tristis… ». On est désormais familier de leur univers liturgique, de leurs symphonies vocales en latin et de leurs compositions qui, à l'image de Qntal, réinterprètent les temps anciens par le truchement du présent en entrelaçant orchestrations médiévales et sons électroniques. Ce qui change vraiment sur cet album, hormis une production de plus en plus étoffée, c'est l'orientation rock de la basse et des guitares qui donne plus de corps à l'ensemble sans nuire au propos et réussit particulièrement bien à des morceaux tels que « Sancta Nox » ou encore « O Mejam Miseram », véritable petit bijou cold. Une fois de plus, les membres de « O Quam Tristis… » nous font partager leur passion pour la musique et déclinent grandiloquence et élégante sobriété en se jouant du paradoxe. Sabine Moreau Elégy N°57

D-Side
Inspiré de textes moyenâgeux, de poésies séculaires et liturgiques, le quatrième opus des Français « O Quam Tristis… » croise ancien et moderne, et poursuit dans son petit coin l'idée d'une revitalisation des sphères traditionnelles en musique. Respectant la ligne qu'il s'est fixée depuis le départ, le groupe reste dans l'embrassade des genres, ses bricolages latinistes associant sans vergogne rythmiques et basses cold minimales, esprit religieux et effets baroques virevoltants. Là où un Qntal intègre sa vision médiévale à une optique clairement rénovatrice, électro et pop, « O Quam Tristis… » reste dans plus d'ambiguïté. Il ne joue pas à coup sûr la carte néo-médiévale et reste davantage, sur Les Chants Funestes, dans un primat de l'organique. Pied est ainsi gardé, plus franc, dans l'héritage traditionnel. Le jeu n'en reste pas moins celui de la dégradation des formes. Quelque agrégat synthétique n'est donc jamais exclu, de manière plus ou moins voyante (le dansant et froid « Anna Soror »), d'où une aura bâtarde et relativement originale, un aplat musical renvoyant dans sa globalité un effet mécanique (« O Abies »). Les Chants Funestes, dans cet esprit, développent un léger piment baroque capable aussi de lamentations (« O Vox prophetica ») et toujours plein d'esprit. Intéressant dans son intention, le résultat souffre encore et toujours, malheureusement, de la petitesse de la production. La vision n'est pas autant récompensée qu'elle le mériterait, mais c'est sûr, elle est là.
Emmanuel Hennequin
D-Side N° 50

Mentenebre
O Quam Tristis reafirma su buena carrera con su cuarto álbum, tras " Funérailles Des Petits Enfants ", de 2000, " Le Rituel Sacré "de 2002 y " Meditations Ultimes "de 2005, todos bajo el sello italiano Palace of Worms .
Una referencia para aquellos que no conozcáis la banda es que uno de sus miembros, Franz Torres-Quevedo , pertenece a otras dos insignes formaciones: Opera Multi Steel y los sublimes Collection d´Arnell-Andréa . De estos últimos van a tomar un elemento esencial, la caja de ritmos, que junto con el teclado, van a ser el alma dela mayoría de lascanciones y les va a dar un sabor característico. Este toque electrónico va a hacer que las composiciones, con un elemento vocal etéreo, oscilen entre el dream-pop o el electrodark más refinado. La verdad es que al comenzar el CD da la impresión de que la cosa ha cambiado y que no va a haber tanta presencia de la rítmica pues se abre con ' Oriens ', un tema con guitarra acústica muy en la línea de las composiciones de Ataraxia protagonizadas por la guitarra de Vandelli . Pero la máquina viene a continuación y ya no va a abandonar todo el trabajo. Pese a lo siniestro del título, " Les Chants Funestes ", y del magnífico cuadro de la portada" El ángel de la muerte "de Horace Vernet , el álbum no se puede decir que sea demasiado oscuro. De no ser por las voces masculinas habría que incluirlo sin duda en el género heavenly voices . Así que tenemos canciones como ' Bula Fulminat 'u ' O Abies 'que podrían recordarnos a aquella fascinante La Floa Maldita . A veces hay un toquecito gótico aportado por la guitarra eléctrica, como sucede en ' Sancta Nox '. Otras veces el tiro va hacia parámetros más Die Form , caso de' De ramis cadunt Folia '. Para mí el mejor tema es ' Soror, conjux, gemma ', el más solemne, muy etéreo y con una perfecta conjunción vocal masculina y femenina. Lástima no saber francés puesto que las letras están en su mayoría extraídas de poemas medievales, a excepción de ' O Abies 'y ' Sancta Nox '. Sin duda el peso de los textos es un complemento esencial de la música. El álbum en conjunto resulta muy variado y se deja escuchar muy bien, para mi gusto quizá hay demasiadas referencias conjugadas, lo que le hace sonar no demasiado original. No obstante siguen fieles a sus principios.

Darksite
Fourth full-length effort by this French outfit, offering their own take on darkwave, combinincg electric and electronic with a good dose of medieval thematic, and an intricate vocal performance combining male and dual female vocalists contributing a blueprint for a sound that the band is continuously shaping into an own direction. The building blocks are the tested and tried ideas that bands such as Qntal and Collection D'Arnell Andrea have uniquely shaped up over several years and I suppose I can be forgiven if I state that O Quam Tristis... in Les Chants Funestes come across as a balanced mix of the above bands, with perhaps hints of Rosa Crux thrown in for good measure. Not the most original trail one could think of, but truth is that the album is sparkly and enchanting, and despite the obvious references to other acts pursuing the same wave, it does not sound much derivative, more like belonging to a certain school and building on it with a very own sensibility. Middle age poetry and liturgical texts mean the focus is on spirituality, but the loud interaction between traditional and modern instrumentation leaves the formed quite scarred, as the electronic elements tend to prevail, primarily in the form of atmospheric synths and a geometric drum machine that could do with a bit of thickening to better fit the bill. On the whole, I do enjoy the uplifting character of the twelve tracks on Les Chants Funestes , which ends up being a bit at odd with the album title after all! site.voila.fr/o.quam.tristis

DSide
Ensemble francese che accorpa sia voci maschili che femminili di evidente ispirazione medievale e barocca. La line-up conta cinque elementi: Emeric Lenotz, Katrina Kolsowska, Tomek Ashenazy, Ana Virsky e Hugues Dammarie il quale vanta militanze nei Collection d'Arnell-Andrea e nei Thy Violent Vanities, esperienze che hanno lasciato tangibili inflessioni anche in "Les Chants Funestes" accentuandone molti passaggi e caratterizzandone le arie. Edito dall'ormai leggendaria Palace of Worms questo collage dei OQT utilizza strumentazioni acustiche medievali sapientemente miscelate a moderne trame elettroniche edificando un insieme compositivo dalle mosse maestose e perfettamente scorporate da imprecisioni. Tutto è architettato con metodo e padronanza: "Oriens", opening track, ammalia con cristallini arpeggi di chitarra e canto ancestrale che rimanda, come accennato, a taluni episodi vocali tipici dello stile Thy Violent Vanities. Di opposta indole "Ana Soror" sperimenta traiettorie electro-dark con synths che circolano paralleli ad arcaici vocalizzi e sagaci intuizioni flautistiche; "O Caelo" snoda un percorso ritmico artificiale di hypno-spirali percussive e liriche intrecciate ad un organo che screzia la song di ossessività, mentre "Bulla Fulminante" si fregia di un profondo apporto distintivo orientato verso la sacralità in una traccia tra le più significative dell'album, azionata da intervalli ritmico-chitarristici e lunghe scie di femminei vocalizzi. "Sancta Nox" cede addirittura a tenui tentazioni dance sospingendo i patterns percussivi della drum machine verso espressioni vocali da cattedrale, "Planctus Samsonis" riflette fotogrammi ritmici electro-minded con voci maschili che propagano il canonico testo in latino, così come "O Vox Prophetica" apre su gravi note di piano che si affacciano su estensioni di flauto, chorus femminile per poi evolversi in un febbricitante crescendo di fraseggi vocali promiscui. Raggiungiamo "O Abies" che ricorre a strategie di sottile programming, riverberi vocali delle coriste subito raggiunti dall'ormai inconfondibile timbrica del singer, lontane distorsioni chitarristiche, electro effects e drumming robotico: "Soros, Conjux, Gemma" ripercorre i moduli electro-medieval fin'ora intrapresi e "Verna Redit Temperies" si concede ad un richiamo dancefloor estremamente alternativo con drum beats programmati, refrain evocativo e keyboard modulata per la danza. La pulsante "O Meiam Miseram" funge da da copia speculare dei precedenti episodi permeati di oscura identità medieval-dance anticipando una più veloce "De Ramis Cadunt Folia", track di chiusura entro cui non prevale nulla di differente dai precedenti episodi macchinata anch'essa da ritmica sequenziale e cori plurivocali. Valutiamo questo album in termini più che elogiativi rappresentando esso un prodotto di consolidato entroterra medieval-progressista di qualità non comune. Splendido. Crepuscolare antidoto contro una certa tediosità ascoltata fin'ora a carico di estemporanei quanto effimeri esperimenti sul generis. Questa band, siatene certi, saprà come farsi ricordare

Heathen Harvest
I only found out recently that I'd been writing "O Quam Tristis..." wrongly all these years. The actual name of the band has an imposed ellipsis after the last word, even though leaving it out would have been simpler for everyone. It certainly would have been for me, anyway. Therefore I'm going to be pettily rebellious by forgetting it ever existed, and if some ardent perfectionist fans feel cheated by its removal or my lack of respect then feel free to make your own stand and mentally insert it. I'm sure the band would have wanted it that way. Though going by the sound of their latest disc, an omitted punctuation mark is going to be the least of their problems. O Quam Tristis are a well-respected group of musicians with a small, dedicated following in the ethereal/darkwave scene. However, I've never really been able to understand the justification behind the following unless it's all made up of close friends, family members and random reviewers giving them high ratings under duress. Their style mixes subtle electro with clean, guitar-driven medieval music in the vein of a watered-down Qntal, each song being led my an intermingling of male and female voices which lend the songs an edge of Gregorian chant. It's certainly a good idea but as with many of these 'medieval' bands, what seems fantastic on paper ends up aurally as little more than a bland, underbuffed musical exercise which never quite manages to go the distance it should. The electro elements aren't there all the time, though. There are numbers that don't feature them at all and contain purely vocals and clean, plucked guitars such as the opener Oriens, or O Vox Prophetica which features purely female vocals and synthesised pianos and wind instruments. The rest of the time the electro is there in full force, more so than in previous releases, but it's not the type of full-on, harsh industrial style that some bands experiment with. I always found Qntal's earlier works to be a bit too heavy on the electro which is certainly something that one couldn't accuse O Quam Trsitis of since the electro is always subtle and even refreshing at times and there are moments such as in O Abies and Verna Redit Temperies where it's quite refreshing on top of the medieval underlay. The main problem for O Quam Tristis lies in the album's nature to create songs which are far too similar to each other and this, coupled with rather dull singing, doesn't do them a whole lot of favours. The guitar playing may be excellently done and the synth playing quite accomplished but the vocals are dreary and even dirgelike at times, creating quite a soporific aura. It's also common for both voices to fall below the notes they're trying to project and there are few things less inspiring than a song sung with no pep or vigour, and if the vocalists seem to be losing interest every so often it doesn't provide much hope for the rest of us. There's normally a chance with some bands that things will improve in the long term, but for O Quam Tristis this isn't necessarily the case. Les Chants Funestes is their fourth album and doesn't stray at all from their previous material. I'd love there to be some beacon or semblance of promise here since the band can go further if they chose to unlock some kind of emotion - some spark of feeling - anything other than the dingy haze of tedium that gums up Les Chants Funestes. Even though they may have an interest in medieval themes and music, this doesn't mean that this interest translates particularly well onto CD. The disappointing vocals and doggerel, tiresome compositions make this is a very lukewarm addition to the darkwave genre where the splendid work of other bands such as Dominion III and Helium Vola ruthlessly outshine it.

Filth forge
"Les Chants Funestes" is the fourth album by "O Quam Tristis… , where mixed female and male vocals, inspired by atmospheres going from the Middle Ages down to the Baroque, where acoustic traditional or medieval instruments combined with modern electronics never fail to conjure the sacral character of the music. Due to the presence of synthesizers and bass guitar, this album has more rock and electronic influences than the previous ones. But like their whole production, medieval and aethereal sounds together with other troubadour ballads remain their main source of inspiration.
Some of the songs evoke somehow the latest works of another important band called Qntal: there are lots of resemblances between the two acts. "Les Chants Funestes" is recommended both to lovers of medieval / traditional music and electrogoth, here combined with grace and without excess, except maybe for a few exasperatedly Baroque moments…
Best songs are: "Anna Soror" and "Planctus Samsonis".
- Roberta T.


Various - Nikolaevka


Cyclic Defrost
The Battle of Nikolaevka took place in January 1943 in Western Russia, as part of the larger Battle of Stalingrad. The retreating Italian 8th Army's Alpini Corps succeeded in driving the Russian forces out of Nikolaevka, thus allowing the Italians to retreat to Axis lines. However this was at a huge cost - only a fraction of the original number of troops survived.Now Italian label Palace of Worms has produced this compilation album which is loosely themed around the battle. There are eighteen tracks from as many Italian acts running the gamut from neofolk to darkwave to neoclassical and all points in between.‘Icy Dawns' by All My Faith Lost is one of the few tracks sung in English, and is almost like an acoustic Joy Division. ‘The Warm Whisper of the Wind' by Hexperos, with its strings, flute and female vocal, would fit comfortably on a This Mortal Coil album. Das Lange Messer stand out with the coldwave feel of ‘Lie's Hour' - sneering, echoed vocals creep over a scrawny rhythm guitar, bass synth, tom-tom heavy drums and Martin Hannett-like electronic smears and handclaps. The Well of Sadness weigh in with ‘Like Before' - a two-chord slice of moody, noirish darkwave electronica a la Depeche Mode.This is a fantastic compilation, brimming over with creativity and imagination, showcasing the best in dark Italian sounds. Highly recommended.Ewan Burke

Darkroom
Si apre con un bel brano di Albireon la compilation tutta italiana della label lombarda Palace Of Worms: con il lento, cadenzato ritmo delle percussioni e la poesia del testo che la caratterizzano, la canzone evoca l'immagine di un esercito che torna mesto verso casa. Tale visione è rafforzata dal titolo del sampler: Nikolaevka nel 26 gennaio del 1943 vide la ritirata dell'esercito italiano dal fronte russo sul Don, lasciando sul suolo diverse decine di cadaveri. Settantacinque minuti di ballate nostalgiche per dare vigore a tante realtà - in parte note - che valorizzano il substrato folk-industriale nel nostro Paese. Albireon, fra l'altro, è di recente tornato sul mercato proprio grazie alla Palace Of Worms con il nuovo full-lenght "I Passi Di Liù", album che ha subito raccolto consensi dopo la grande aspettativa. Il disco si apre quindi con la forza evocativa del brano "Il Deserto Dei Tartari" a firma Albireon, e la successione delle tracce si nutre di immagini idilliache e inquiete nelle quali la scelta dei singoli brani si dipana come se un sottile filo artistico legasse il sampler nei piccoli dettagli, mai trascurati. Così struggente il brano "Icy Dawns" di All My Faith Lost... nel suo algido incedere; parallelo ma incantatore "Noi Ritorneremo", di Rose Rovine E Amanti. Lo stile di Damiano Mercuri è inconfondibile nelle sue ballate retrò, così italico e proprio per questo così radicato nella cultura cantautoriale maledetta europea. La quarta traccia, "Der Morgen" dei Der Feuerkreiner, s'incastona perfettamente nel computo generale per la sua ipnosi, merito in gran parte degli equilibri tra voce e pianoforte e delle percussioni incalzanti ma delicate. Gran ritmo di sarabanda rinascimentale per Emanuele Buresta, che dietro il monicker L'Effet C'Est Moi esalta la sua terra e la propria storia; araldi e vessilli propri delle Marche e di tutta quell'Italia in cui sventolavano fieri, accompagnati da suoni di rullante, trombe e tamburi la cui digitalizzazione contemporanea non ne rovina affatto il senso rievocativo. Nel momento in cui iniziano le prime note di "The Warm Whisper Of The Wind", brano firmato Hexperos, l'incanto raggiunge apici che in Europa poche voci femminili possono esprimere: tra le meraviglie estatiche del flauto e il dolore del violino la voce di Alessandra Santovito, unita alle strumentazioni di Francesco Forgiane, creano uno dei momenti più elevati del sampler. Tutta l'istintiva e decadente arte che già nei Gothica (da detenere con amore in un angolo della memoria) Alessandra manifestava, nelle nuove visioni del progetto Hexperos raggiunge vette che a livello europeo si riscontrano solo nei grandi nomi del fairy-ethereal: Elane, Priscilla Hernandez e pochi altri possono vantare una tecnica vocale simile. Il classicismo eccelso degli Hexperos merita lo stesso prepotente successo che negli ultimi tempi, sia come Corde Oblique o in passato come Lupercalia, ha dato lustro all'arte di Riccardo Prencipe. "In This Square" è la traccia rivisitata dai Lia Fail: l'ensemble bolognese cresce ogni giorno e trova i propri equilibri. Ne parlammo già in occasione della presentazione del demo "Leipzig", nel quale si stavano allontanando dal neofolk classico ed apocalittico per avvicinarsi lentamente al folk fondamentale e nordico: gli echi dei Clannad, nel periodo più recente delle introspezioni d'atmosfera degli anni '90, sono forti. Se da una parte è pregevole la voglia di appartenenza al substrato folk nordico, credo che il valore aggiunto per i Lia Fail debba essere il saper contaminare l'esperienza e il background personale con la cultura folk italica. Sugli stessi stilemi di folk puro il brano dei milanesi The Green Man, nella continua ricerca della propria identità e nella voglia di non relegarsi al neofolk di maniera."The Joys And Toils Of Warfare Under Tempestous Reign Of Archidamus II" vede la svolta rispetto al passato nella chitarra, che da classica ed arpeggiante diventa elettrica e psichedelica. Ostico ma dal carattere fortemente evocativo e funereo il brano di Symbiosis: le tremende immagini ambientali di Valerio Orlandini spaziano tra classicismi sinfonici e suoni industriali in un visionario vortice di morte ed inquietudine. Struggente come fosse la soundtrack di una maledizione immaginaria la musica del triestino At The Funeral Of My Violet Rabbit, che riporta la memoria verso le mestizie desolate dell'animo di Le Triste Sire. Auguro al Nostro un posto di rilievo; purtroppo, come per il succitato progetto francese o per altri grandi esploratori italiani dell'ambient elettronica oscura (un altro esempio può essere benissimo il genovese Deca), è difficile fare breccia presso un pubblico spesso condizionato nelle scelte da una sorta di omologazione, anche nell'ambito goth. La Palace Of Worms ha avuto il coraggio di proporre i suoni di vari artisti contestualmente compatibili in questa compilation, e la stima di tanti ascoltatori non esulerà di certo dall'esprimersi. Ho citato gran parte della scaletta del sampler, nella quale i temi proposti sono diversi pur mantenendo un'omogenea linearità: malinconiche dolcezze miste a svolazzi eterei e decadenti poetiche noir sono la linfa vitale di questa compilation, da assaporare in ogni sua traccia. Rating : 9 Nicola Tenani

Kultur Terrorismus
Das in Italien ansässige Label Palace Of Worms Records trommelte für das Release “V.A. – Nikolaevka” ausschließlich Mitbürgerinnen und Mitbürger der eigenen Heimat zusammen, um eine nicht ungefährliche Thematik in eine bewusste Provokation umzuformen.Nikolaevka (Russland), eine Stadt in der Nähe von Stalingrad, wo im Zweiten Weltkrieg am 26. Januar 1943 die 8. italienische Armee (Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia) eine verheerende Niederlage gegen die Russen erlebte, die dem Weltuntergang glich. Dieses Ereignis nehmen die versammelten Italiener auf dieser Kompilation zum Überbegriff, um ihre apokalyptische (nicht politische) Tonkunst wie Einstellung darunter zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Heißt im Klartext, die Begrifflichkeit Nikolaevka ist Mittel zum Zweck, um damit eine bewusste Provokation zu erzeugen, die keine Verherrlichung des Dritten Reiches darstellt. Bei diesem Oeuvre “V.A. – Nikolaevka” handelt es sich um Kunst, die schockieren, provozieren und schocken möchte, aber keinesfalls politische Motivationen bzw. Meinungen transportiert. Wem dieser inhaltliche Ansatz zu abschreckend bzw. obskur erscheint, hört sich halt nur die Musik an (!).Hier die chronologische Auflistung aller Projekte, welche auf “V.A. – Nikolaevka” mitwirkten: Albireon, All My Faith Lost, Rose Rovine e Amanti, Der Feuerkreiner, L'Effet C'Est Moi, Das Lange Messer, Sala delle Colonne, Hexperos, Lia Fail, The Green Man, The Well of Sadness, Calle della Morte, The Growing Chrystals Lab, Symbiosis, At The Funeral Of My Violet Rabbit, Gregorio Bardini, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum und Sir Logla feat. Coro Dell'Innominato. Der Labelchef Guido Borghetti stellte auf diesem Opus eine sehr schöne Mischung aus bekannten Akteuren und so genannten Newcomern zusammen, welche ein breites Spektrum an unterschiedlicher Klankunst offenbaren. Diejenigen, die sich für Neoklassik, Neofolk (Apocalyptic Folk), Heavenly Voices und Martial (Dark) Ambient im Allgemeinen interessieren, bekommen mit dieser CD eine schöne Arbeit an die Hand, die keine Ausfälle birgt. Alle Künstlerinnen und Künstler haben für “V.A. – Nikolaevka” hochwertiges Material geliefert, das spannend wie abwechslungsreich aus den Boxen ertönt.Aus dieser durchweg gelungenen Zusammenstellung einen Anspieltipp herauszufischen, gleicht einem schweren fast unlösbaren Unterfangen, weshalb meine Wenigkeit darauf verzichtet.Das sehr passende Artwork für “V.A. - Nikolaevka” zauberte Federico Salvador, der militärischen Grafiken geschmackvoll in Szene setzte.In jedem Jahr ereilt meine Person eine große Menge Ausschussware an Samplern, die keine Nennung bzw. Erwähnung wert sind und auch keine Besprechung erhalten – Faktum! “V.A. - Nikolaevka” glänzt durch eine stimmige Auswahl an Tondokumenten aus verschiedenen Genres, wodurch sich ein feines Hörerlebnis ergibt.Fazit:Individuen, die einen ausführlichen Querschnitt wie Einblick in die italienische Musikuntergrundbewegung ihr Eigen nennen möchten, sollten sich “V.A. – Nikolaevka” aus dem Hause Palace Of Worms Records unbedingt zulegen – meine Empfehlung!

Obliveon
„ Nikoevka“ ist ein Album zu Ehren all der Italienischen Soldaten, um genauer zu sein des 8. Italienischen Alpinen Armeekorps, das unweit von Stalingrad im Zweiten Weltkrieg gegen die russische Armee gekämpft hat und letzten Endes nach schweren Schlachten heldenhaft unterlag. Nun stelle man sich mal den Aufschrei vor, ein deutsches Label würde einen Sampler zu Ehren all der deutschen Soldaten veröffentlichen, die im Kampf um Stalingrad ihr Leben liessen. Unvorstellbar und ungeachtet der Tragödie und all der furchtbaren Schicksale, eine Brandmarkung als Neonazi wäre vorprogrammiert. Auf „Nikaoevka“ findet sich ein Großteil der aktuellen italienischen Neofolk- und Martial Industrial-Szene wieder, darunter so bekannte Bands wie Rose Rovine E Amanti, Der Feuerkreiner, Albireon, All My Faith Lost, The Well of Sadness, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum oder L'Effet C'est Moi, die mit jeweils einem Stück ihren Tribut und ihren Beitrag leisten, wobei die stilistische Bandbreite alle Facetten der genannten Genres abdeckt und sich Licht und Schatten leider abwechseln. Das liegt vor allem am schwermütigen Tenor, der alle achtzehn Stücke durchzieht und leider nicht von allen Bands überzeugend dargebracht wird. Unter dem Strich ist „Nikoaevka“ ein Sampler, den man haben kann, aber nicht muss. Ohne Wertung MK

Terrorverlag
„A collection of hymns and marches from the Italian Army of the Palace” – unter diesem mehrdeutigen Subtitel firmiert vorliegende Compilation. Mit „Italian Army of the Palace” ist dabei zuvörderst wohl das initiierende italienische Label Palace of Worms nebst Bandgefolge gemeint, etwas weitläufiger kann man dies aber auch auf die italienischen Streitkräfte beziehen. Denn gewidmet ist „Nikolaevka“ dem 8. italienischen Alpincorps, das sich am 26. Januar 1943 in Nikolayevka als Teil der Schlacht um Stalingrad gegen vier Sovietarmeen behaupten musste. Nun also ein neuerlicher Angriff der italienischen Truppen, die in der Kampfzone Apocalyptic/ Folk nebst artverwandten Nebenkriegsschauplätzen aktiv sind. Inwieweit von diesen allerdings ein inhaltlicher Bezug zu den genannten geschichtlichen Ereignissen hergestellt wird, scheint eher fraglich, aufgrund von fehlenden Italienischkenntnissen überwiegend aber auch weiter nicht aufklärbar. Mit ALL MY FAITH LOST, ROSE ROVINE E AMANTI und DER FEUERKREINER bietet der Sampler drei größere Zugpferde, die hier mit (im Falle von RREA jedenfalls in dieser Form) bislang unveröffentlichten Titeln auftrumpfen. Den Anfang machen aber zunächst ALBIREON, die schon mit Ian Read und SONNE HAGAL kollaboriert haben. „Il deserto die Tartari“ ist ein schönes Stück Dark Folk mit ganz leichtem Einschlag industrieller Kälte, irgendwie typisch italienisch im Klang und von der emotionalen Seite auch mit CANAAN und Konsorten vergleichbar. Wenn das ebenfalls in diesem Jahr erschienene Album „I passi di Liu“ diesen Standard hält, sicher ein Geheimtipp. Landsmann Damiano Mercuri ist neben ROSE ROVINE E AMANTI (hier mit dem für sie äußerst typischen und von einer bittersüßen Melodie getragenen Stück “Noi ritorneremo” in einer alternativen Demo-Version, das sich im Original nur auf der Winterhilfswerk Kompilation und im Live-Gewand auf der „Schwanenspiel“ Split mit VON THRONSTAHL findet) gleich noch mit seinem weiteren, relativ jungen Projekt SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM („Wenn Du Frieden willst, so rüste zum Krieg“) vertreten, bei dem jedoch vorrangig minimalistischer, unheilvoller Weltschmerz im Mittelpunkt steht. Musikalisch (wenn auch im vorgegebenen Rahmen) breit gefächert, in der Gesamtheit unter dem Stimmungsaspekt aber durchaus gut hörbar, so kann man die Songauswahl wohl bezeichnen. Da stehen Mittelalter-Bombast („L´EFFET C´EST MOI“) und Soundtrack-artige Klänge („SALA DELLE COLONNE“) nebeneinander, bevor man im nächsten Moment von HEXPEROS mit balladesken Tönen, Klängen von Harfe und Violine und elfengleichem Gesang umsäuselt wird. Nicht minder ruhig und auch etwas obskur gehen LIA FAIL zu Werke. CALLE DELLA MORTE hingegen bieten mit (Ex-) Mitgliedern von INNER GLORY oder AIN SOPH Venedig-inspirierten, düster-progressiven Folkrock und AT THE FUNERAL OF MY VIOLET RABBIT (heißer Anwärter auf den kultigsten Bandnamen des Jahres) durchwandern pianogeschwängerte Neoklassik-Atmosphäre. Letztendlich also dürfte auf „Nikolaevka“ noch das ein oder andere zu entdecken sein, womit man sich in den kalten Wintertagen wunderbar beschäftigen kann.

Rock Underground
A Batalha de Nikolaevka foi travada em 26 de janeiro de 1943 como pequena parte da maior Batalha de Stalingrado. A batalha reuniu forças do italiano 8º Armys Alpini Corpo contra os quatro exércitos da ex-União Soviética. Os soviéticos já tinham ocupado todas as aldeias e amargas batalhas foram travadas pelos soldados da Tridentina para limpar o caminho. Em quinze dias os soldados cobertos 200 km a pé, lutaram 22 batalhas com temperaturas durante a noite caiu -30 ° C e -40 ° C. um pouquinho do que é essa palavra, uma das mais sangrentas batalhas da segunda guerra mundial. Esta coletânea é feita pelo selo italiano Palace Of Worms, com bandas italianas de todos os estilos obscuros dentro do Dark e Gótico. Esta compilação traz marchas e hinos do exército Italiano desta batalha, em versões Dark Ambient, Etereal, e outros estilos conhecidos como Apocalyptic Neofolk e Martial. Aliás, abundam pelo mundo bandas Dark's deste estilo Martial resgatam hinos e músicas de guerra dentro da ambientação do Ambient (sem ser redundante). É engraçado, mas em tempos de paz na Europa e união de seus países, os ranços de guerras passadas foram superados e hoje são anais da história apenas. E eles relembram aqueles tempos com estas músicas, que para os brasileiros mais incultos, soam incompreensíveis. Muitos dirão: que graça tem regravar músicas de guerras? Mas na Europa tem se cultuado. Apenas a se tomar cuidado para que novos grupos não insurjam perturbando a paz perene de outrora. Enquanto pesquisa histórica ou apenas exaltar orgulho de seu povo está ok! Impossível, mas impossível mesmo citar destaques, pelo nível alto das bandas e músicas (estamos apenas nos atendo ao lado musical apenas, sem adentrar dentro da história de cada faixa) e também, que ouvir pedaços aqui é a mesma coisa que pegar um filme dessa mesma guerra no final ou no meio, você não vai entender nada. Caso queira aumentar um pouco sua cultura e entender porque algumas coisas aconteceram e ainda acontecem até hoje, bom proveito! Também aproveite e viaje e dance bastante também! PR – 9,0

Kogaionon
Bazata pe un titlu din istoria celui de-al doilea razboi mondial, aceasta compilatie ne prezinta o suma de trupe italiene ce abordeaza partea NeoFolk, Martial si Ambient Gothic a muzicii. Astfel, pe langa trupe ca ROSE ROVINE E AMANTI, ALL MY FAITH LOST sau HEXPEROS mai intalnim si DAS LANGE MESSER, SALA DELLE COLONNE, DER FEUERKREINER, LIA FAIL, THE GREEN MAN, THE WELL OF SADNESS sau AT THE FUNERAL OF MY VIOLET RABBIT. Cea mai intetesanta piesa mi s-a parut a fi totusi “Bellica Virtus in Itinere”, prestata de o trupa pe care am ascultata-o in premiera, L'EFFET C'EST MOI, acustica, instrumentala, dar de o frumusete rapitoare. Un material destul de atractiv, cu trupe underground ce par a avea ceva de spus… Rating: 0.81/1

Darksite
The latest sampler by cult Italian label Palace of Worms features no less than 18 artists belonging to the Italian dark underground, each contributing a track for a generous 75-minute of sinister entertainment. The themes covered range from martial through neoclassical over to apocalyptic and neo folk. No pop I'm afraid, quite the antithesis, in fact. The compilation is a rich listening, offering a truthful overview on the state of affair of the Italian scene. The majority of the acts on display are new to me, so it's brilliant to get the chance to know new artists in this context, which I'm positive is a good incentive to look in detail at this product. Good surprises come from the likes of Sala delle Colonne , At The Funeral of My White Rabbit (!!), The Well of Sadness , The Growing Crystal Lab or Symbiosis , while more established names like Rose Rovine e Amanti , All My Faith Lost , Albireon , Der Feuerkreiner or Calle della Morte confirm their extreme taste noir which sits at the avantgarde of the Italian contingent. There's a running theme of grandeur and desolation, capturing the essence of war which is the theme of the sample, in the form of the battle of Nikolaevka which took place in a cold January 1943 around the small village, seeing Italian and Soviet troops fighting heroically (if there's such a thing) at the huge (irrelevant) cost of thousands of human lives. Palace of Worms and its Italian contingent catapult themselves into the international scene armed with music instruments rather than cannons, painting on their pentagrams the despair tied to such chapters of history. A very worthwhile album offering lots to discover under dimmed lights.

Sideline
This sampler is all about the battle of Nikolaevka that was fought on January 26th, 1943. This battle was just a fragment of the larger and famous battle of Stalingrad. It was a battle between the Italian and Russian armies, which now, nearly 66 years later seems to get a second life. Martial and apocalyptic neo-folk music have been launched by 18 projects. This sampler reaches some peaks, but unfortunately depths as well. Let's concentrate on the best parts and especially the one delivered by Symbiosis. The “Il Trionfo Della Caducita”-track is a remarkable merge between martial, orchestral and ambient components. This is definitely the absolute masterpiece from this conceptual sampler. A few more exciting cuts have been launched by the more medieval L'Effet C'est Moi, the more into ethereal Hexperos and the neo-classical piece from At The Funeral Of My Violet Rabbit. Next to these highlights, “Nikolaevka” falls to the depths. I heard too much uninspired and flat compositions. I guess it's not a question to be into this genre of music or not, but I simply heard much better neo-folk and martial releases!



Daemonia Nymphe - Remixed


Gothtronic
The self-willed Greek combo Daemonia Nymphe that strifes to let music from the ancient Hellenistic times revive with the use of specially prepared reproductions of authentic instruments releases their music through the French label Prikosnovenie, but this album with remixes from the releases on Prikosnovenie is released through the Italian Palace of Worms label. The ‘Tyrvasia nymphs of the Seagod Nereus remix' by Von Magnet, which for the occassion is turned into Von Nymph starts off with witches chants by Daemonia Nymphe, slow and conjuring, with vocals by Phil Von. Beefcake lets us hear a spherical and colder sound in their enjoyable remix of ‘Hypnos'. Nikodemos combines triphop-like rhythms with trance invoking vocals and industrial coloured rhythms in the ‘Summoning Divine ‘Selene' remix'. Basilis has delivered a strange mix with ‘Nymphs of the' in which glitchy ambient percussion and acoustic instruments perfectly melt together. This has been done beautifully and very well. In Mimetic Fake's ‘Message Horn's Enchanting Echo ''Fluty'' Mimetic mix' high pitched electronic sounds, a panflute and heavy percusssion have been added, after which a groovy rhythm kicks in and the track becomes quite danceable. Peekay Tayloh seeks comfort in rhythmically more difficult regions with ‘Ida's Dactyls ‘'Deads are Dead'' mix', which is a mixture of glitch and breakcore and the music of Daemonia Nymphe. Supermarket lets us hear a very dark and enchanting mix with ‘Dance of the Satyrs ‘Prayer mix'' which perhaps is the best remix on this album. Dani Joss closes off this remix album with ‘Seagod Nereus'. This is great stuff! Review by TekNoir

De Subjectivisten Caleidoscoop
Het is bekend dat de groep Dead Can Dance vele volgelingen heeft gehad en nog steeds komen er nieuwe bij. Daaronder zitten heel aardige bands, maar de leukste zijn juist die groepen die er een eigen invulling aan geven. Vaak zijn dat ook groepen die met klassieke instrumenten werken. Rajna doet dat met Oosterse, Rada & Ternovnik met Russische, Vas met Indiase en Daemonia Nymphe met Griekse instrumenten. De Grieken mengen op ingetogen haast kale wijze gotiek met Griekse folk. Hun cd's Daemonia Nymphe en The Bacchic Dance Of The Nymphs - Tyrvasia mogen er dan ook wezen. De stemmige muziek leent zich door dat ingetogen karakter ook goed voor mixen. Op Remixes , u raadt het al, worden hun nummers -van met name de eerste cd- geremixed. Erg leuke en uiteenlopende mixen zelfs. Geen van allen is bij hun folk-achtige muziek blijven hangen. Vrijwel iedereen heeft er met elektronica aan gesleuteld en de muziek van Daemonia Nymphe op eigen wijze ingekleurd. Von Magnet , hier Von Nymph geheten, maakt er gewoon een Grieks getint, prachtig Von Magnet nummer van. Mimetic Fake -Jérome uit Von Magnet en kent naast Fake ook de achtervoegsels Kino, Data, Be-At, Tale, Dancing, Field en Mute (zei de nerd)- maakt er een waar duister technofestijn van. Peekay Tayloh (Pantelis Kakaroglou) doet dat zelfs tweemaal. De twee elektronica specialisten van het opgeheven Beefcake (nu spelen de heren in Kattoo , Freude Am Tanzen en Wighnomy Brothers ) samplen de Grieken op subtiele wijze binnen hun mix van spannende idm en donkere ambient. Hun verrassende verschijning op deze compilatie komt waarschijnlijk door hun werk met Peekay Tayloh. De mooiste mix komt van ene Basilis die heel fijntjes glitch rondstrooit door het uitgeklede origineel. Ook de andere (onbekende) mixers Nikodemos , Dani Joss en Supermarket gooien er op fijne wijze elektronica doorheen, die in het geval van Dani Joss zelfs aardig dansbaar wordt. Het is een verrassende remix-cd geworden, die misschien nauwelijks aansluit bij de originele muziek, maar wel erg lekker is en iets nieuws toevoegt aan de Daemonia Nymphe discografie.Jan Willem Broek

Auralpressure
Daemonia Nymphe remixed seems an odd release to come from this recondite neoclassical stable, yet the myriad of artists attempt to retain the Hellenistic mystery and mastery. For the most part all the remixes feature electronic qualities bringing Daemonia Nymphe to a newer audience. Von Magnet, under the guise of Von Nymph for this remix, mixes female cries into the pulsating electronic rhythms weaving lyre and the powerful recitation of Phil Von in a sinuous orientalism. It is only fitting that Beefcake's contribution with the track ' Hypnos- ', the god of sleep, weirds oneiric ambience to time-keeping stop/start electronica. Nikodemos goths up ' Summoning Divine Selene ' with mock-industrial percussion and softly skirling synthesized sweeps. Contributing two tracks to the remix album, Peekay Tayloh fuse folk guitar to trip-hop cadence and rasped noise with their ' Hymn to Bacchus ' remix. Gelid winds announce the ensorcelling remix of ' Nymphs of the ' by Basilis, retaining strong elements of the original with the flourish of the many stringed instrumentation and percussive hand drums. Mimetic Fake drive a club track out of ' Message Horn's Enchanting Echo ' broken by moments of pan-fluted reflection before launching back into heavy bass and beat. In their second contributing track, Peekay Taylor contracts and shudders with a noisier glitch remix of ' Deads are Dead ' while preserving the loose folds of esotericism. Supermarket continues the modern electronic soundscape of eerie unresolving atmosphere and melody. Lastly, Dani Joss, delivers one of the darker mixes on the album with plodding percussive hypnotism broken in fragments of isolated vocals and shimmering oscillations.
The release is presented as an eight page full colour booklet, roughly DVD sized with the CD itself affixed to the last inside page. Rubicund, earthy tones saturate the booklet with the familiar silhouettes of the band composited artfully throughout.
NYR

Sensorium
Gli ellenici Daemonia Nymphe, da Atene, sono attivi sin dal 1994 ed hanno dato alle stampe due full-lenght ("The Bacchic Dance of The Nymphs" del 1998, recentemente ristampato in digipack col mini "Tyrvasia", risalente al 2000, nonche eacute; il tomo omonimo di tre anni fa per Prikosnovenie): la loro proposta e eacute; riconducibile alle sonorità eteree e sacrali dei Dead Can Dance, impiantate per l'occasione nella Grecia antica. Riti dionisiaci e ninfe fascinose impalmano in guisa suadente tali ambientazioni soniche, ricreate impeccabilmente per tramite di una strumentazione tradizionale (arpa, lira, percussioni e canto femminile) in un idillio pastorale dai riflessi esoterici. In questa occasione, il leader Spyros Giasafakis ha contattato alcuni dei suoi act elettronici preferiti al fine di reinterpretare una selezione delle composizioni dell'ensemble in chiave contemporanea: in questa fusione 'electro-acustica' tra antico e moderno, le rielaborazioni dei brani dei Daemonia Nymphe si caratterizzano per il loro innato charme, diafano ed altamente evocativo. Tra le sortite piu ugrave; rappresentative vanno debitamente segnalate l'onirico adattamento di "Hypnos" a cura di Beefcake, il delicato ed avvolgente mix de "Nymphs Of The" effettuato da Basilis ed il trattamento crepuscolare riservato al "Dance of the Satyrs (Prayer Mix)" da parte di Supermarket. In linea di massima, le restanti tracce non deludono e certificano l'evidenza di un lavoro di gran classe. Un esperimento riuscito, peraltro forte di uno splendido artwork, al quale eacute; lecito augurare un pronto seguito. Michele Dicuonzo

Rock Hard
Le potenzialità dei moderni macchinari sonori paiono ormai illimitate, al punto che oggigiorno è possibile manipolare ogni cosa e, di conseguenza, remixare anche forme musicali apparentemente lontane da questa pratica. Se la scena elettronica alternativa spesso vive più di remix che non di reali innovazioni creative, lo stesso non si può dire di un contesto sonoro profondamente differente come quello dei greci DN: fautore di un suono che recupera le antiche tradizioni elleniche, il gruppo di Spyros Giasafakis si sottopone oggi a questa pratica propria di altre scene, ma che a conti fatti ha già funzionato anche per act quali Claire Voyant ed Impressions Of Winter. I brani manipolati in questo affascinante dischetto (dalla superba confezione) sono presi dall'eponimo album del 2002 e dal miniCD “Tyrvasia”, ed a rileggerli in nuove chiavi sonore non sono certi presenzialisti del remix che pullulano nella scena electro, bensì formazioni e/o artisti che si muovono in ambiti sonori particolari e ‘di nicchia'. Troviamo compagni d'etichetta (la Prikosnovénie, per intenderci) dei DN quali Von Magnet e Mimetic Mute, ma anche nomi come Beefcake, Peekay Tayloh (Poeta Negra) eSupermarket (E-Terra): in tutto 9 remix, in bilico tra IDM, leggere pulsioni industriali, soffici manti elettro-acustici, ritmiche frenetiche e ‘chiassose', dimesse escursioni ritmate e poderosi inserti percussivi. Rielaborazioni fatte con gusto, senza ostentazioni o eccessi, sempre conservando la giusta ‘dose' di sonorità originarie: un remix-album particolare e ricercato, dedicato non solo ai fans dei DN, ma anche a coloro i quali cercano qualcosa in più dei soliti bpm iper-pompati in salsa techno. Una release preziosa, degna di far parte delle collezioni degli ascoltatori più selettivi: onore alla POW, da sempre ‘rifugio' ideale per creazioni artistiche importanti. Roberto Alessandro Filippozzi 8

Eternal Terror
Det jeg her har fått av POW er noe som på langt nær egentlig burde omtales i Eternal Terror, men fordi jeg har fått en bunke cd`er fra Label`en og at vi i ET lover å omtale ALT vi får så blir det gjort uansett. Dette er, som man kan se av tittelen, en remixplate. Det er diverse artister som har fått æren av å gjøre sine obskure tokninger av bandet Daemonia Nymphe`s musikk. Dessverre har jeg aldri hørt noe av dette bandet tidligere og vet heller ingenting om de bandene som remixer låtene her, lite grunnlag for omtale kan man gjerne si – men jeg kan si litt om det som finnes av musikk på dette albumet iallefall.
Man kan gjerne si at dette har blitt en slags elektro-akustisk affære, som jeg har forstått det så er DN et dark folk band fra Hellas og de har fått electronica-artister til å legge på sin moderne ”touch” på tidligere verk osv. Noe av det kunne nok gått an å få noe utav rent stemningsmessig, men denne remixdelen blir nok litt for sært for meg. Kan vel få inntrykk at det som er igjen av originalmusikken kan være hørbart, mye mørke og atmosfære i dette. Jeg vil tro at dette kunne ha gjort seg mye bedre uten remixene, electronica sammen med dette er sikkert veldig populært og nyskapende, men mine ører klarer seg uten den digitale stemningsvoldtekten de dansbare rytmene klarer jeg meg fint uten. Enkelte sanger er verre enn andre, men jevnt over så er dette mer plagsomt enn diggbart - eller hørbart for den saks skyld.

Music club
Quando l'impossibile non solo diventa probabile, ma pure reale. Il perché di una simile introduzione è presto spiegato e di facile lettura se solo avete presente quello che è il suono di Daemonia Nymphe, formazione strettamente legata (a livello culturale, storico e musicale) con la propria Terra di origine, ovvero la Grecia. Formazione in grado di coniare un suono tradizionale in tutto e per tutto, ma al tempo stesso perfettamente attuale e carico di forza creativa. E questo è stato il punto di forza dei tre dischi sinora pubblicati. Considerando, per l'appunto, tali peculiarità (derivate dall'utilizzo esclusivo di strumenti antichi fedelmente riprodotti e ricostruiti) mi risultava difficile pensare a una versione “elettronica” di Daemonia Nymphe. E invece Spyros Giasafakis si è scelto con cura i musicisti da coinvolgere nel progetto e costoro lo hanno ripagato come desiderava: donando nuova vita ai brani e facendoli risplendere di una diversa luce sonora. Una luce nella quale i due diversi mondi (e approcci alla composizione) convivono con una serenità e armonia incredibile e riescono a dare forma, grazie (tra gli altri) a Mimeitc Mute, Beefcake, Von Magnet, Peekay Tayloh e Dani Joss, a trame di una bellezza fuori dal tempo, come se l'elettronica (morbida, minimale e raffinata) fosse già esistita alcune migliaia di anni fa!

Worlock
D'ordinaire habitué à évoluer dans un univers néoclassique, traditionnel et médiéval, Daemonia Nymphe se montre sous un nouveau visage par l'intermédiaire d'artistes bien éloignés du style du groupe grec. Von Magnet (ici crédité Von Nymph) s'accapare « Tyrvasia nymphs of the Seagod Nereus » afin d'en faire un morceau qui pourrait être tiré de son répertoire. De même que Beefcake avec « Hypnos ». Et c'est le même constat pour chacun des groupes présents, « Summoning divine Selene » dans une version trip-hop industriel par Nikodemos, Basilis et son ambient étrange pour « Nymph of the », Mimetic qui reconstruit brillamment « Message horn's Enchanting Echo… » en tube potentiel. Plus direct et radical, Peekay Tayloh se laisse aller aux expérimentations sonores et rythmiques les plus folles, dans lesquelles la musique de Daemonia Nymphe se mêle très bien. Supermarket et Dani Joss clôturent cet album remix avec 2 magnifiques remixes respectifs, les deux artistes en revisitant le répertoire de Daemonia Nymphe lui donne un nouveau visage véritablement surprenant et très agréable.
C'est Palace of Worms qui nous délivre cet album surprenant, prenant à contre-pied les admirateurs de Daemonia Nymphe. Peut-être décontenancés au début, les esprits les plus ouverts pourront voir dans cet album, une belle occasion de donner un nouveau souffle à une musique d'ordinaire plus réservée. L'initiative est à saluer, et il ne fait aucun doute que ce disque saura trouver son public parmi les fans ou non fans de Daemonia Nymphe. 8/10

Obliveon
Daemonia Nymphe sind bislang leider nur einigen wenigen eingeweihten Kennern der Heavenly Voices-ähnlichen Musi-Szenerie ein Begriff, was umso bedauerlicher ist, da die Verbindung von etherischen und düster eingefärbten Klängen mit der griechischen Folkore, die von Natur aus bereits eine gewisse Schwermut in sich birgt, mehr als reizvolle Kontraste und musikalische Ansätze bildet. Mit „Remixed“ erscheint jetzt eine wundervoll aufgemachte CD mit Remixarbeiten von Liedern der Griechen, wobei die bekannteste der remixenden Bands zweifelsohne Von Magnet sind, die mit ihrer Version von „Tyrvasia-Nymphs Of The Seagod Nereus“ gleich auch den Höhepunkt einer sehr hochklassigen CD bieten und dem Song ihren sehr eigenen Stempel aufdrücken. Hervorzuheben auch Peekay Tayloh mit ihrer sehr ryhthmisch betonten Version von „Hymn To Bacchus“ oder Basilis mit ihrer Interpretation von „Nymphs Of The“. Allen neun Remixen ist gemein, dass der schwermütige Charakter der Lieder weitestgehend beibehalten wurde und dennoch eine eigene Handschrift der Remixer erkennbar wird. In der Kombination mit dem absolut brillianten Artwork dieser CD, übrigens im DIN A5-Format, ist diese CD ein wirkliches musikalisches Kleinod, das es vorbehaltlos zu empfehlen gilt. 9/10

Underground press
Daemonia Nymphe is a Greek band from Thessaloniki and the name means “goddess nymph”. “Remixed” is a nine-track album of their acoustic songs awakened by a number of artists, experimenting with electronic elements and the band` s recreations of ancient Greek music. Daemonia Nymphe intoxicates the senses with aged instrumentation, spoken words, deep chanting and a sultry and ritualistic sound, with the lyrics based on mythology. “Remixed” radiates with the warmth of an ethereal daydream.

Sideline
As an experiment Daemonia Nymphe were asked to provide samples of their handmade Ancient Greek instruments. The results were so exciting that front man Nikos Brass approached several artists, mainly from the electronic scene, such as Von Magnet, Beefcake and Mimetic Mute, to name just a few, to remix some of his tracks. And see how the mix of analogue and digital instruments could fuse into the rebirth of his songs. This remix album contains honest re-interpretations, each track keeping their spirit but interestingly flavoured by their remixers. And it's not even disturbing to listen to the mix of break-beats and Lyre like on the Peekay Tayloh remixes of “Hymn to Bacchus” and “Ida's Dactyls”. So we've had bagpipes with Corvus Corax, Latin with Qntal and now Hellenic music with Daemonia Nymphe. Though the originality resides in the fact that this is really a clash of both styles, and the electronics are far more present. (ES:7) ES.

Muzik.alutis
Puikus darbelis - keliolika veikeju suremiksavo šios grupes dainas. Iš viso to gavosi ramus electro-akustinis pasiplaukiojimas, vietomis isibejenciu bytu, bet taip ir beliekanciu ramioje formoje, neišsišokant iki noiso. Nuostabus vokalai, teisingiau šnibdžesiai ir laicahiniai poemu skaitymai. Kaip fonui puiku - iškarto ivertinu ši diska 8/10. Taip pat demesio vertas ir apipavidalinimas - CD išleistas A5 dydžio knygeles pavidalu. Tikrai užims garbinga vieta ant lentynos. Paties autorio žodžiai: I have been approached in the past to give samples of our songs to musicians, so that our music could be used for composin electro-acoustic compositions. The sound of the reproductions of ancient Greek instruments we use is extraordinary and could easily be used for contemporary music. This gave me the idea to approach musicians mostly from the electronic genre, so that our songs take a different form and re-birth, having a new result combining the ancient sounds with modern ones. All musicians who contribute to this work are some of our favourite, and each gives his own approach to our music, creating variety.


O Quam Tristis - Meditation Ultimes

Gothtronic
O Quam Tristis consists of Emeric Lenotz, Hugues Dammarie (a member of Collection d'Arnell-Andrea as well), Tomec Ashkenazy Isaac and the two female vocalists Anna and Katarina who echant the listener with their heavenly voices. Their voices are combined with Latin chants by male voices and very rich and versatile music to which the bandwith of the musical spectrum stretches from pure medieval folk on to modern electronic interpretations. You will hear tribal percussion, bagpipes, flutes and other organic sounding instruments, as well as beats and electronic grooves in tracks like als ‘O Langueo', ‘Terrae' and ‘Phillistei'. The effect of the vocals and music combined can result in a hypnotising and echanting way, such as for example is noticeable in ‘Et in Spiritum Cubum'. At other moments as a listener you find yourself watching a medieval tournament where heralds sound their horns.O Quam Tristis is a band that until now still is a relatively well kept musical secret outside the electronic medieval scene but this could change permanently with this album. Fans of the work of Dead Can Dance, Qntal, Ataraxia and Helium Vola would like O Quam Tristis very much as well.Musically speaking this album is better than the previous cd of Q Quam Tristis and therefore this is a recommendation to everyone that can relate to the above description. This is a lovely record! Review byTeknoir

De Subjectivisten Caleidoscoop
Méditations Ultimes is de derde cd van het Franse vijftal O Quam Tristes. Alleen met een gymnasiumdiploma kom je in de band, aangezien alle teksten in het Latijn zijn. De teksten, gezongen door zowel robuuste mannen en engelachtige vrouwen, zijn dan ook gebaseerd op liturgische en seculiere gedichten uit de Middeleeuwen. Dat is vergelijkbaar met Ataraxia, Qntal en enigszins Dead Can Dance. Anders is het gebruik van moderne elektronica naast de klassieke en oude instrumenten. Zo zijn twee nummers haast dansbaar, terwijl het decor eeuwenoud is. Je zou het een moderne interpretatie van Middeleeuwse muziek kunnen noemen. Overigens is het op vele momenten ook heerlijk sereen en sacraal, ondanks de onderliggende beats. Een origineel album, vol onaardse schoonheid.
Twee van de gymnasten uit O Quam Tristis, Hugues Dammarie en Emeric Lenotz, delen een passie voor de gedichten van William Shakespeare. Als Thy Violent Vanities opereren ze om die te vertolken middels liederen. Ze gebruiken op Come To Dust een gelijksoortig instrumentarium als bij hun moederband, dat wil zeggen moderne en traditionele instrumenten. Echt een duo kan je het niet noemen, aangezien ze de Fransman Pierre-Yves Lebeau en de Nederlandse Liesbeth Houdijk, beide uit de bands Hide & Seek en A Sparrow-Grass Hunt te gast hebben om voor de extra vocalen te zorgen. De zang, vaak meerstemmig, is dan ook een sterk onderdeel van de cd; zeker Liesbeth's heldere stem is een mooi aanvulling op die van de zware jongens. Voor de zware stof die ze behandelen is het redelijk opgewekt en up-tempo. Desondanks zou je de muziek als dark folk kunnen bestempelen, maar dan van het soort dat het daglicht prima verdragen kan. Het is een fraai album vol contrasten, net als de poëzie en het leven zelf. Jan Willem Broek

Chain D.L.K .
While listening to O Quam Tristis I've been thrown back in the middle age. It's medieval folk with latin lyrics, if you're familiar with bands such as like Ataraxia, Qntal e Dead Can Dance ("Aion" era) you probably know what we're talking about. I like this album: it's solid, "focussed" but at the same time kinda heterogenous, it contains a various range of atmospheres. The most of the times the mix of electronics and traditional instruments is well done, some other times the mix of "eighties-oriented" keyboards sounds a bit strange together with that traditional vocals/instruments. Palace of Worms describes this record as "a modern interpretation of medieval and ancient folk music" and after all it's the best possible definition for a work like that. The most interesting thing of this release obviously is represented by the vocal parts (gregorian chant have been a real turning point in the history of music) since the male singers are good, but the female ones are even better. This' the third cd by O Quam Tristis and the band shows how maturity helps to refine the "modus operandi" in songwriting. The funny thing is that while one may expect an epic record with a completely ethereal mood, "Mediationes ultimes" is full of mid-tempo "danceable" tracks (Quoniam tu solus, Terrae for exemple). If you imagine a cd overwhelmed with evocative songs give it a chance since in the past some songs would have been a great soundtrack for a banquet. Review by: Andrea Ferraris

Sensorium
Terzo album per questo collettivo transalpino (ricordiamo i due rimarchevoli tomi precedenti, "Funérailles des Petits Enfants" e " Le Rituel Sacré ") che comprende Hugues Dammarie (già nei Collection D'Arnell-Andrea), Emeric Lenotz, Tomec Ashkenazy Isaac e le due fascinose vocalist Anna and Katarina. "Méditations Ultimes" é con tutta probabilità il loro migliore lavoro ad oggi: un'ora di musica francamente spledida, che recupera il lascito delle celebrazioni liturgiche e le ambientazioni cangianti dei canti gregoriani in un'ottica contemporanea dalla freschezza esecutiva impressionante.In un tale scenario autenticamente medievale, la dosata inflessione electro di "Le Rituel Sacré" ha lasciato maggiore spazio alla strumentazione 'naturale', consolidando un sound più compatto e personale: se in passato Dead Can Dance, Ataraxia e (soprattutto) Qntal risultavano influenze di un certo spessore, gli OQT odierni brillano per tramite di una proposta che si é resa unica e preziosa. Come definire altrimenti l'incanto di tracce del calibro di "O Langueo" (semplicemente irresistibile), "Quoniam Tu Solus" e "Confiteor", laddove l'incastro dei vocalizzi maschili e femminili, la perizia strumentale e la suggestione dei testi in latino ricreano scenari estatici di grande impatto emotivo.La qualità della scrittura non é mai in discussione lungo tutto l'arco del platter, certificando la riuscita globale di quattordici affreschi sonici dall'incantevole respiro, partendo dal salmo pacato dell'opener "Benedicimus Te", passando per la solennità di una "In Senectute Querula" e concludendo questa serie di 'meditazioni' con la luminosa "Creator". Un'opera eccellente, peraltro forte di un ottimo, evocativo artwork: la quintessenza del sentore 'gotico' abita sobriamente questi generosi solchi. Michele Dicuonzo

Apostazja
"After - "Funérailles des Petits Enfants" (2000) and "Le Rituel Sacré" (2002), here comes the third album from the french electro medieval act "O QUAM TRISTIS..." produced by the italian Palace of Worms label. The line-up is made of musicians with many experiences in other french Dark bands (Thy Violent Vanities, Collection d'Arnell-Andrea, OMS): Hugues Dammarie , Anna Virsky, Katrina Koslowska, Tomek Ashkenazy Isaac and Emeric Lenotz. The musical purpose of "O QUAM TRISTIS..." remains the same: Female and male vocal polyphonies inspired by musics going from the Middle Age down to the Baroque Era. But the main goal is still not to create "authentic" ancient music because the band is mixing old instruments such as mandolas, psaltry, dulcimer and recorders with traditional electric ones lying on electronic loops and rythm patterns. In the beginning, the songs were quite only using anonymous medieval liturgic lyrics... But step by step, the literrary sources of the band are slightly moving towards secular poetries of authors such as Pierre de Blois, Fulbert de Chartres ou Gautier de Châtillon."

Heathen Harvest
When medieval music comes to mind images of dusty churches and Gregorian chants instantly spring into the imagination. Personally I have a penchant for medieval instrumentation though I have often found the vocals and lyricism used by many medieval musicians to be overbearingly liturgical as they often invoke images of Christian religious ceremonies taking place under the vaulted ceilings of ancient European cathedrals. For the last decade the neoclassical music genre has been experiencing a small renaissance of Neo-Medieval music led by artists inspired by the music and culture of the middle ages. Musicians such as O Quam Tristis and The Soil bleeds Black have been working hard to bring an appreciation of medieval inspired music into our modern age.O Quam Tristis has entered this emerging music arena and firmly established themselves. This French ensemble comprised of five talented French musicians and vocalists have quickly made a name for themselves by offering listeners medieval inspired music that detours from the standard. Meditations Ultimes is O Quam Tristis third full length album and it sees the band coming to full maturity. Meditations Ultimes brings together fourteen medieval secular, liturgical and poetry inspired tracks in a very long album that is sure to satiate even the most demanding music listener.If O Quam Tristis simply regurgitated a handful of medieval liturgical songs I would not be writing this review right now. What makes the music of O Quam Tristis inspiring and engaging is the band reworking of original medieval material. Utilizing modern technology and their own unique creative sensibilities O Quam Tristis transforms the dated material they use for inspiration into modern compositions filled with new life and vitality. From the ashes of the past the band is able to coax forth fiery and festive compositions created from a melding of modern and medieval influences.Meditations Ultimes begins with the introductory song “Benedicimus Te.” “Benedicimus Te” commences with crisp acoustic guitar and heavenly female vocals suing in Latin. The combination of vocals and guitars is expertly paired. After a brief passage bass guitar and violin join the composition accompanied by male vocals and backing female vocals. The song becomes dense with vocals and instrumentation that weave and intertwine flawlessly captivating the listener. The song transforms through moments of density to moments of open and airy instrumentation and solo singing allowing for a sense of development and a pause between denser moments in the composition. “Benedicimus Te” reflects a particularly high level of compositional twists and turns that keeps the music engaging throughout the song.“Quoniam tu Solus” is the seventh song on Meditations Ultimes and it marks the middle pointy of the album. “Quoniam tu Solus” is an exemplary example of how O Quam Tristis uses acoustic instrumentation and modern electronics in harmony without losing the sacral and medieval character of their music. “Quoniam tu Solus” starts with an enunciated electronic beat that borrows its influence from modern dance music with a hint of break beat influence. The rhythms are crisp and clean and roll out of the speakers with enthusiasm and precision. Synthesizers and bass guitar join the electronic rhythms contributing a rock and liturgical feeling to the composition. Female vocals descend upon the song interweaving and wavering in a spell binding chant. Male vocals join the music adding a counter balance to the feminine energy of the female vocalists and flushing out the song. As with previous songs the band moves the music through several different movements and passages holding the listeners interest and adding an element of intrigue as the listener waits to see what emerges next from the delicate maelstrom of music and chanting.“Creator” is the fourteenth and final song to grace Meditations Ultimes. O Quam Tristis leaves the biggest surprise for the last song. “Creator” delves more deeply into rock influences than previous songs and at times the drums and tambourine invoke images of a late sixties American hippie rock bands. Of course the Latin chanting keeps the listener aware that this is no hippie band but rather the ever eclectic sound of O Quam Tristis.O Quam Tristis have proven themselves proficient in hybridizing rock, electronic, and medieval music into an innovative new sound that breathes life back into medieval music and manuscripts while simultaneously making scared the rather soulless domains of rock and electronic music. O Quam Tristis also excels in delivering outstanding vocal performances that accompany their music. So many Neo-Medieval bands rely solely upon lead female vocals that any given album loses the listeners interest after a handful of songs delivered by enchanting yet redundant female vocalists. O Quam Tristis has overcome this vocal obstacle by layering their song with multiple vocalists and utilizing the dynamics of feminine and masculine vocals in such a manner that inspires the listener and creates motivation and excitement. O Quam Tristis have mastered their art with Meditations Ultimes and have delivered an eloquent album of inspiring music.

Aural Pressure

This, the third release from O Quam Tristis, continues the medieval folk chambers the band previously explored, yet with this album the band finds a more introspective and meditative aeries in their blend of electronic and medieval styles. The French compact of five adorn and interleave their music and talents with four of the group being vocalists and all wielding mastery of digital and analogue instruments.Inspired by secular medieval life and poetry O Quam Tristis distance their selves from the plethora of Christianized gothic medieval acts spicing up old sacred favourites and are further detached by the mesh of modern and centuries' old music. Stirring female vocals gliss gossamer under silvered orchestration proffering sinuous, popular interpretations of old melody in turn backed by the diversity of complimentary male and female vocal harmony. Electronic rhythms shuffle the listener's perception but the potent vocals permeate each track in polyphonic brocades, refined timbre of classically trained singers, like pagan incantations woven in the guise of reinvented folk. Without doubt the kaleidoscope of vocals set O Quam Tristis firmly apart from their brethren, with each vocalist distinct enough yet harmonious to work among each other; notwithstanding their intriguing and illusive rhythms and melodic instrumental interplay marbled amidst the dense foliage of the small choir one could almost forget that there is a great deal of electronic and modern backing behind the classic instruments so well hewn is each track.A jewel case release of gradated textured card inlay and booklet of full eight-page colour replete with lyric sheet featuring the artwork of French 19th Century painter, Alphonse Muraton, featuring a grave digging monk contemplating his buried brethren below. NYR

Stillborn Magazine
Finalmente il ritorno degli O Quam Tristis, a tre anni dal bellissimo Le Rituel Sacre il combo capitanato da Hugues Dammarie sforna nuovamente un album spettacolare, ancora una volta per l'italiana Palace of Worms....a differenza dei primi due capitoli la formazioni di dark-all-stars francese (i componenti suonano/hanno suonato in gruppi come Collection d'Arnell-Andrea, Thy Violent Vanities, Opera Multi Steel..) torna con un suono unico e riconoscibilissimo.. un suono che ormai rappresenta gli O Quam Tristis e potrà servire come pietra di paragone per le nuove band che si cimenteranno in questo genere di interpretazione dei canti medieval-rinascimentali.. il connubio elettronica/canti sacri ha preso una strada totalmente diverse.. non sono gli O Quam Tristis ad adattarsi ai canti ma sono i canti a prendere forme nelle strutture create dalla formazione transalpina, ora in modo più evidente ( Benedicimus te è l'esempio più vistoso!) ora in modo più fedele ai canoni originali.. ci sono altre novità.. musicalmente parlando il tocco new wave è più evidente e l'elettronica è più ricercata e raffinata.. per quanto riguarda le voci, ancora passi in avanti nelle loro polifonie.. gli intrecci vocali mantengono quelle ambientazioni rinascimentali pur aumentando il loro grado di modernità (e poi quell'accento francese che traspare è spettacolare..) e vi sono meno interventi baritonali.. un grande salto in avanti questo! per un cocktail gustosissimo che unisce alla musica oscura degli 80s, l'elettronica più moderna e raffinata, il tutto con quel tocco medieval-rinascimentale che nella maggior parte dei casi è alla base di ogni canzone.. per quanto riguarda i temi usati nei testi delle canzoni c'è un'altra novità (forse meno interessante).. non più poeti "anonimi" ma si ricorre ad autori noti come Pierre de Blois, Fulbert de Chartres o Gautier de Chatillon.. In definitiva gli O Quam Tristis ormai sono su un altro livello e, per adesso, questo è il loro capolavoro! Fatelo Vostro. Assolutamente.

Rock Hard
Mancavano dalle scene dal 2002 (anno d'uscita di “Le Rituel Sacré”), e finalmente i francesi OQT sono di ritorno con l'attesa terza prova in studio. Il quintetto transalpino torna dunque a farsi sentire, dopo la parentesi che ha visto Hugues Dammarie (anche membro dei Collection D'Arnell Andréa) ed Emeric Lenotz dar vita al superbo debutto dei Thy Violent Vanities, sempre sotto l'egida dell'attenta PoW di Lecco. Li avevamo lasciati la volta scorsa alle prese con un'evoluzione protesa verso sonorità rituali e sacrali (il titolo del disco, evidentemente, non era affatto casuale), ed in questa terza prova l'esperienza di Hugues ed Emeric come TVV si è decisamente fatta sentire: il sound di OQT trova ancora grandi sbocchi in campo sacrale, ma l'intero songwriting della band si è fatto più completo ed arioso, proprio come nel debutto del succitato side-project. Punti fermi del suono del quintetto restano i ritmi elettronici (talvolta piuttosto ‘moderni'), i pregevoli intrecci vocali tra lo stesso Hugues e le brave Katrina Koslowska ed Anna Virsky, l'uso di strumenti tradizionali (tra cui l'ispirato flauto, ammirato anche nei TVV) ed un certo piglio folk, nonché l'apprezzato uso del latino per i testi (tutti presi da secolari poesie liturgiche del Medioevo). Il passato rivive nella musica di questo ammirevole quintetto, che riesce ancor meglio di prima nel difficile compito di coniugare melodie senza tempo e sonorità più ‘attuali': un suono che illumina secoli ‘bui' di una luce nuova, evitando di cedere a certe tentazioni da club alle quali gruppi pur ottimi come Qntal ed Helium Vola hanno già ceduto. Un viaggio a ritroso nel tempo, dalle atmosfere sacrali di “Jube Domine Benedicere” e “Ad Esse Infernum” all'approccio ritmato ed accattivante di “O Langueo” e “Terrae”: un'opera preziosa, da assaporare come un vino pregiato sorso dopo sorso, amandone ogni profumo e sensazione. Roberto Alessandro Filippozzi 8

Kronic
Gli O Quam Tristis sono sempre stati un gruppo di nicchia, sin dal debutto si sono presentati con una miscela di canti latini di estrazione liturgico religiosa e di basi elettroniche soffuse. Stile quindi perfettamente definito ma per questo anche rischioso. Gli spazi di manovra in un genere così particolare sono pochi e con il proseguire della carriera anche gli O Quam Tristis hanno iniziato a rendersene conto. `Méditations Ultimes` non è un brutto album ma è un lavoro classico che non aggiunge niente a quanto già realizzato dal progetto francese. Non gli si chiede certo di cambiare il proprio stile o di forzare la propria vena musicale, ma è anche vero che diventa difficile approciarsi a un lavoro che risulta molto spesso simile a quanto già realizzato e che per questo lascia sfuggire a tratti un senso di noia e di prolissità. Le innovazioni ci sono e si trovano nella scelta di puntare, per quanto possibile, su strumenti acustici, e infatti sono questi i momenti migliori del lavoro; ma non basta ancora, perché, perché tutto funzioni alla perfezione, c`è bisogno di un lotto di brani di alto livello che oltre al rimando culturale, dai Carmina Burana agli anonimi a Von Bingen, presenti anche un suono ricercato che sappia usare alla perfezione la ricerca elettronica e non si limiti a realizzare un semplice tappeto su cui poggiare i cori. Oggi gli O Quam Tristis sono un gruppo elegante che si rivolge a un ristretto gruppo di fedeli, sono un progetto che realizza album discreti (e questo nuovo ‘Méditations Ultimes' non deluderà i fans della band ma difficilmente ne arricchirà la schiera) ma simili e che, soprattutto, rischia di scivolare sul suo stesso terreno. (5/7/05)

D-Side
Les comptines spirituelles et médiévales du projet français "O Quam Tristis..." connaissent des prolongements. Partagés entre ce projet et d'autres, tels les illustres Collection d'Arnell-Andréa , Anna Virsky (alias Carine Grieg) et Hugues Dammarie (ou Franz Torres-Quevedo) échafaudent en compagnie de leurs compères Tomek Ashkénazy Isaac, Emeric Lenotz et Katrina Koslowska des plans dont les textures s'arc-boutent sur le fil du rasoir. On ne sait jamais vraiment où se situer en ces lieux. Passé ? Présent ? Méditations Ultimes joue la confusion temporelle pour parvenir à ces tournures squelettiques, plutôt sereines et posées.Chaque titre, au fil d'une électronique discrète, se charge de référents liturgiques, moyenâgeux et baroques, et poursuit la quête polyphonique de la formation dans le souci de fondre le son d'instruments anciens (dulcimer, mandole...) à un environnement plus actuel (guitares, basse, synthétiseurs...). Inclassable . Emmanuel Hennequin D-Side N° 29

Eternal Terror
Når det kommer til musikk utgitt av Italienske Palace Of Worms Records er det ikke snakk om rock eller metal, men heller neoklassisk, dark folk, goth-aktige hybrider og den slags. Labelen har kultstatus i enkelte kretser og har holdt på i en del år, jeg har ikke hørt noe fra dem på en god stund før jeg nå helt uventet fikk noen skiver i posten direkte fra labelboss Guido. O Quam Tristis tar oss med helt tilbake til Middelalderen når det kommer til tema og stemning, tekstene er på latin og musikken må sies å være av nyere type neoklassisk blandet med folketoner. Her kan man gjerne si at skulle du ha hørt om band som Ataraxia og Dead Can Dance så vet du sånn nogenlunde retning dette er. Det blandes bruk av tradisjonelle og klassiske instrumenter (f.eks. så er det mye pent fløytespill) med bruk av electronica og vokal fra begge kjønn, ingen ting å utsette på stemmen til de som utøver den delen her. Musikken de kommer med er egentlig ikke så særlig nære noe jeg vanligvis hører på, mest pga bruken av electronica som fort siver over mot dansbare rytmer og det liker jeg lite. Innimellom klarer de å skape en mørk og behagelig stemning og bruken av den gregoriansklignende koringen blir tidvis majestetisk, men som sagt brytes dette pga den bombastiske electronica/dance/goth-greia. Noe for moderne lydbilde til å være i landskapet middelaldertema synes jeg, men uten tvil noe som vil slå an i enkelte deler av musikkverdenen. Jeg synes at over 1 time av dette bli i det drøyeste laget, noen låter kan man tåle og i enkelte spesielle øyeblikk kan man kanskje tåle ennå litt mer – men dette er ikke min greie rett og slett.

Music Club
La sensazione sperimentata ascoltando ‘Meditations Ultimes', terzo disco di “O Quam Tristis…” è stata quella di assistere a una delle numerose rievocazioni medievali che proprio in questo periodo (a cavallo tra la primavera e l'estate) pullulano in varie parti d'Italia e che hanno preso piede nel corso degli ultimi vent'anni del secolo scorso (quasi che l'arrivo di un nuovo millennio avesse scatenato pensieri simili a quelli che fecero capolino sul finire dell'anno 1000). Una sensazione di essere fuori luogo e fuori tempo (massimo); fuori luogo e fuori tempo, perché il loro suono, marcatamente medievale e venato di folk, si esprime al meglio solo quando rimane ancorato alla tradizione, mentre fallisce in maniera evidente nel momento in cui cerca commistioni improbabili (oltre che non congeniate con cognizione di causa) con la materia elettronica, che avrebbe potuto essere al massimo ambientale, ma non ritmica. I Silent Love Of Death hanno invece pretese meno altisonanti, però riescono a prodursi in un fluire musicale continuo e tale da accompagnare immaginari paesaggi di surrealismo decadente, oltre che melodico e venato di evocazioni poetiche, a metà strada tra dark narrativo, neo folk mai troppo stereotipato, ambient ancestrale e buoni accostamenti strumentali.

Worlock
Ce troisième album est selon moi le meilleur du groupe, réussissant l'osmose parfaite entre leur heavenly médiévale et les incursions électroniques. Le travail sur les voix est un des points forts du disque, le travail est formidable et rend honneur aux compositions riches en instruments divers (flûtes, cornemuse, etc…). Sans jamais ennuyer l'auditeur, nul doute que cet album saura combler entièrement les fans, ce voyage au travers de ré interprétations médiévales et folk est un régal, les titres « Terrae », « Phillistei », « Ipsa vivere » ou « Et in spiritum cubum » parmi les meilleurs de l'album, confirmeront aux fans que le groupe vient de sortir une pièce qu'il est indispensable de posséder. L'envie de relancer le cd arrivé à son terme est inévitable si l'on est séduit par ce déluge de chants mystiques et de cuivres et cordes ennivrant. Les fans de Qntal, Dead Can Dance et Helium Vola qui ne connaissent pas encore O quam tristis peuvent se procurer ce disques les yeux fermés. 8/10

Le Fantastique.net
Troisième album pour les français d' O Quam Tristis qui confirment que, s'ils naviguent dans ces même territoires (l'omnimprésence du latin dans un décorum folk), ils sont loin d'être de simples ersatz d' Ataraxia , de Current 93 ou Death in June . Soutenant à nouveau des textes issus de poésies du Moyen-Age, l'instrumentation gagne en précision, en richesse mais aussi en variété et en personnalité, ma préférence allant nettement aux plages à instrumentation classiques. Le jeux des voix masculines et féminines fonctionne toujours à merveille et invitent à la contemplation et au mystère. Un travail soigné et de grande qualité qui place O Quam Tristis comme une référence du genre folk médiéval. J.C. - Août 2005

Oblivion
O Quam Tristis spielen musikalisch in ähnlichen Liga wie Qntal und Helium Vola, doch wo die beiden deutschen Vertreter dieser Zunft einen Schwerpunkt auf die Vermischung elektronischer Klangerzeugung mit mittelalterlichen Einflüssen legen, orientieren sich O Quam Tristis eher an dem Instrumentarium einer Rockband, die das Grundgerüst für die Adaptionen lithurgischer und sekulärer Musik des Mittelalters in einer neuzeitlichen Variante bilden. Zudem wird bei den Franzosen durch den zum Teil sehr prägnanten Bass der Bezug zum Postpunk und sehr zeitgemässer Rhythmik sehr deutlich herausgearbeitet, was unter der Verücksichtigung der lateinischen Texte eine interessante und sehr eigenständige Note in einem nach wie vor boomendem Genre bildet. Der mehrstimmige Gesang tut sein übriges hinzu, um „Meditations Ultimes“ und O Quam Tristis eine ganz eigene Nische in diesem Genre zu sichern. Dass „Meditations Ultimes“ dennoch „nur“ acht Punkte erhält lieg einzig und allein daran, dass sich ein absoluter Höhepunkt aufgrund des hohen Standards des Albums selbst nach intensivstem Hörgenuss nicht ausmachen lässt. Wer sich jedoch an dem Album berauschen lassen möchte, der rieche intensiv am Booklet der CD, das intensiv nach Weihrauch duftet. 8/10

Funprox
This is the third album by O Quam Tristis. I find it impressive to hear how the band improves with each album. Both musically and in song writing the band has grown a lot since the first album.
What is the most remarkable about Méditations Ultimes is the use of atypical electronic rhythms in the music. These rhythms are not dance beats like most of the time with Qntal, nor standard rhythm structures to accompany typical medieval gothic tunes like Helium Vola. O Quam Tristis makes use of some original and surprising rhythms like in ‘Non Eripit Mortalia', ‘Quoniam Tu Solus' and ‘Creator'.
Besides that, the medieval music which the band plays on top of this, sounds more authentic and pure then most bands in the gothic scene will ever sound.
Méditations Ultimes is an excellent accomplishment and O Quam Tristis is a promise for the future.

MvG
The third album of French neo-medievalists O Quam Tristis is a convincing one. I do not know their previous album "Le Rituel Sacré" very well, but compared to their debut they have clearly made a considerable step forwards. Especially in the melodic qualities of the compositions O Quam Tristis have clearly improved.The traditional medieval structures sound convincing, while the modern electronic elements fit in nicely, a combination which we know from bands like Qntal. One of the most attractive features of the band is the harmonic combination of 'earthy' male vocals and ethereal female voices, in a somewhat comparable manner as for instance Love is Colder than Death. All songs have (liturgical) lyrics in Latin by the way. The musical spectrum of this album is quite varied by the way, from tranquil acoustic songs to dark gothic hymns to uptempo 'crossover' tracks. The electronic elements are combined with traditional instruments like bagpipes, flutes, dulcimer and percussion. Some of the more striking pieces are Ó langueo', the sensual 'Confiteur' and the nice choral chanting of 'Ad esse internum'. The absolute hit is 'Terrae', with an addictive beat, a wavy keyboard sound and a catchy refrain. It reminds me a bit of some material by Argine. Méditations Ultimes is certainly a recommended album, though perhaps not for medieval purists.
HD

Felinea
Des [ Méditations ultimes ] dont l'écho s'épanouit à la lumière d'une écoute respectueuse. Ce troisième album d' "O Quam Tristis..." axe la mélodie sur la langue latine encore plus expressive ('Benedicimus te'). Il semblerait que l'accent ait été mis sur le jeu des voix face à l'orchestration pleine d'entrain ('O langueo'). Le choix de juxtaposer, voire de mettre en parallèle chant masculin et féminin accentue l'impact de 'Anno, mense, die' qui précède 'Et in spiritum cubum' plus extatique. Le choix des instruments semble toujours inhérent à la manière dont le chant va être mis en valeur ('Quoniam tu solus'). Sur 'Terrae', le quintette extériorise une sensation de liberté, une communion avec la nature mais c'est sur 'Confiteor' que le propos énonce une vérité solennelle. Quand le groupe donne aux voix féminines l'horizon souhaité, cela donne 'Philistei' et son rayonnement étincelant. Une émotion acoustique telle que 'Ad esse infernum' montre si besoin était toute l'étendue du registre créatif du groupe. 'Creator' qui vient clore ce nouvel éveil artistique prouve que la génèse d'une mélodie est ad vitam aeternam le talent

Wave Propaganda
Quem não conhece Opera Multi Steel? Mesmo após a banda terminar, eles continuam juntos a fazer música, mas como O Quam Tristis. Franck Lopez é ainda o volcaista e lider da banda 3 Cold Men. Este novo álbum, já é o terceiro na carreira da nova banda e os consolida ainda mais no cenário Europeu. Este novo cd mostra mais uma vez a mistura inesperada da música medieval tradicional com toques eletrônicos modernos, resultando em algo majestral. Sem dúvida um dos melhores álbuns do ano.

Twice
Fi des modes, fi des tendances, la vie continue et rien n'arrêtera « O Quam Tristis… » dans sa quête profondément folk grégorienne. Déjà le troisième album et c'est avec encore de belles évolutions que le groupe énigmatique se lance dans ses méditations ultimes toujours chantées en latin.La recette est tout autant magique que paradoxale, comme ont su le faire en Allemagne les divins Qntal : percussions électroniques, claviers vintage, guitares folk ultra mélancoliques ( O langueo ), flûtes d'un autre âge, instruments traditionnels, et la fameuse basse sèche très présente et entraînante ( Anno, Mense, Die ).Véritable voyage en suspension, chaque titre nous laisse rêveur, sans voix, et l'on comprend aisément le choix du titre… Bienvenue dans le grandiose et le hors temps… Clément Marchal TWICE N° 28

Musicextreme
This band is extremely original. At first they sounded to me like some sort of medieval sounding project. But after some minutes the band shows that they go beyond all styles using electronic beats to contrast with the vocals that have that ancient feeling in them. And this contrast is the essence of O Quam Tristis music. The vocals here are in Latin language adding also some medieval feeling to the music. There is good musicianship here as can be seen on the multiple melodies and arrangements that each track has. One of the adjectives that come to my mind while listening this music is “hypnotic” and I think this is a fairly good way to describe the band´s music. So, lovers of dulcimers, flutes and bagpipes should check this band but you have to listen with an open mind because of this huge contrast of styles that are combined by O Quam Tristis

Les acteurs de l'ombre
Le groupe français de musique Dark « O Quam Tristis… » est de retour sur le devant de la scène avec un album dans la même lignée que les trois précédents. Autant dire que si vous êtes un métalleux fan de gros Death qui tâche, vous pouvez passer votre chemin sous peine de vous ennuyer grandement ! Si au contraire vous aimez les musiques spirituelles et sacrées qui portent à la méditation, ce groupe est fait pour vous satisfaire pleinement…
Si le premier album paru à la fin des années 90 ne m'avait pas laissé un souvenir impérissable, celui-ci en revanche, a fini par me convaincre définitivement du talent de « O Quam Tristis… ». Un groupe qui fait immuablement partie de la scène Dark française et sur lequel il faut désormais compter. Quelque part entre un Rajna en moins exotique et un Rosa Crüx en moins sombre, « O Quam Tristis… » a su se forger une place dans un créneau encore assez inexploré en France, mais réputé en Italie(Ataraxia, Arcana, …), pays de leur label Palace of Worms qui a su leur assurer la promotion qu'ils méritent et quiassied petit à petit le groupe à la place qui lui revient de droit. Esthétiquement, « O Quam Tristis… » fait encore preuve de recherche et nous offre un livret sobre mais ô combien efficace, dans des couleurs défraîchies imprimées sur du papier cartonné à l'aspect vieilli, sur lequel se posent des textes en latin, avec une écriture gothique comme tracée à la plume d'antan… Tout dans le concept élaboré par ce groupe vous transporte dans des temps anciens où la Religion faisait encore partie intégrante de la vie de tous les jours. Regarder le moine méditant aux côtés de la croix qui orne magnifiquement la cover de cet album suffit à traduire la religiosité de cette musique !
Les puristes ou les aficionados de musique religieuse y trouveront des textes extraits de l'oeuvre de Hildegard Von Bingen (« In Senectute Querula »), un extrait des Carmina Burana (« Terrae ») qui côtoient des oeuvres d'anonymes allant du Vème au XIIIème siècle. Musicalement parlant, ces musiciens, qui oeuvrent aussi pour certains sous le patronyme de Collection d'Arnell-Andréa, nous offrent des titres plus percutants les uns que les autres où les voix dominent les instruments dans des polyphonies masculines et féminines, allant des voix les plus graves (« O Langueo ») aux voix les plus angéliques (« Anno, Mense, die »). Sur certaines titres, je suis allée jusqu'à compter 5 types de vocaux différents en même temps (« Ipsa Vivere », « Ad Esse Infernum ») !!! Ces exploits de vocalises sont soutenus par des instruments anciens tels que Dulcimer, Mandoles, accompagnés d'instruments modernes (guitare, basse, synthétiseur). Mais je vous rassure tout de suite car je vous vois tordre du nez tout à coup : ces incursions de modernité dans un univers médiéval ne sont pas du tout choquantes, tellement elles sont réalisées avec parcimonie et talent ! Les quelques touches Electro présentes dans cette musique (« Non Eripit Mortalia », « Et In S piritum Cubum ») sont à peine discernables et il faut vraiment tendre l'oreille pour les remarquer.
Les musiciens de « O Quam Tristis… » naviguent donc entre les époques avec talent. Ils nous offrent une exploration de l'art des temps sombres du Moyen Age aux moyens de techniques modernes qui leur permettent de pérenniser ces chants traditionnels. Ils se font les porteurs d'une âme du passé qu'il ne faut pas oublier. En cela, ils se montrent capables de séduire aussi bien les passéistes que les modernistes en quête de spiritualité originale.
Intemporel, inclassable, magique… tout simplement sacré !

Judas Kiss
O Quam Tristis make a welcome return with their third album, the follow-upto 2002's Le Rituel Sacré (reviewed in Judas Kiss issue 9). The 14-song set of Méditations Ultimes offers little which differs significantly from its predecessor, but that's fine, because the basic O Quam Tristis formula of marrying medieval Latin ecclesiastical chants to electronic dance music is both simple and appealing. The French quintet comprises three men and two women, and I really like the fact that their music features both male and female vocals. All-male vocals would swiftly become monotonous and wearisome - altogether too much like a real monastic choir - whereas using only female singers would be too fey and ethereal for my tastes. The combination of the two, however, allows O Quam Tristis to ring the changes (arf, arf!) with subtlety and flexibility. Male and female vocalists take turns in providing leads and backing vocals. Highlights of Méditations Ultimes include the catchy 'Ipsa Vivere' and 'Quoniam Tu Solus', which I can only describe as dub plainsong. The arrangements of the album combine authentic early instruments such as bagpipes, flute, tambourine and dulcimer with electronic keyboards, guitar and bass, but the music is firmly subordinated to the vocals throughout. As usual with Palace of Worms releases, Méditations Ultimes comes in very nice packaging of textured card, featuring a painting by 19th century French artist Alphonse Muraton depicting a grave-digging monk engaged in some gloomy reflections on human mortality. If I might be allowed a minor moan unrelated to the album itself though, the 'Chronicles' section of the O Quam Tristis website has a background so dark that it's impossible to read the text without highlighting it - surely some mistake! If you like darkwave and such acts as Ataraxia, Dead Can Dance, Lupercalia and The Medieval Baebes though, check out O Quam Tristis. I can't guarantee that this album doesn't contain subliminal backwards messages urging you to go to church and confess your sins, but it's worth talking the risk. They have a refreshingly original take on the neo-medieval template, and this bunch of funky monks and nuns will have you rocking around the cloisters like an ergot-intoxicated peasant in a Breughel painting. I'd also recommend Hildegard von Bingen by Sweden's Garmarna - another album entirely in medieval Latin, but very different to O Quam Tristis. SC

Darklifezine
Third long-play effort by O Quam Tristis , a French combo devoted at resurrecting medieval and liturgical music and render it in a contemporary context. Following on the tradition of the likes of Qntal , they make a good effort in integrating fitting electronic elements into the ancient tradition, side by side to traditional instruments, while their most upfront trait is polyphonic vocal arrangements featuring harmoniously integrated male and female tones, and a pinch for catchiness to boot. Featuring members of Collection D'Arnell Andrea , O Quam Tristis might as well earn the tag of electronic-pop-ethereal-folk, and tracks like Terrae are exemplar of this, with their the dancefloor-bound backbeat, hooking melodic vocals and up-lifting flute passages. In fact, most of the hour-long Meditations Ultimes is well suited to the dark dancefloor of historical connotations, as its mainly sustained BPM count states quite clearly. I suppose a bit of extra work on the percussive sounds or the addition of live percussion could lift the overall arrangements a tier up, but as it stands, one could only praise this work, not least for not budging to on-going trends. O Quam Tristis bring the far past forward up to today, with competence and a light heart. The message is an entirely positive one, is breezing and uplifting. It's the light, yet in the tunnel.

L'Autre Monde
Le 3° album d'O Quam Tristis « Méditations Ultimes » est en quelque sorte un retour aux sources médiévales du groupe. Il y a toujours les parties électroniques, bien évidement, mais elles sont beaucoup moins présentes que sur le 2° album. Et ce au profit des instruments organiques et des voix des différents membres d'O Quam Tristis. Et quelles voix !!! Qu'il soit masculin ou féminin, le chant est toujours aussi prenant, voir poignant. Est-ce le latin ou tout simplement la qualité de la prestation qui produit cet effet, je vous laisse le soin de le découvrir par vous-même. Chaque album d'O Quam Tristis, de part cette étrange alchimie produte par la rencontre d'une musique médiévale avec des sons électroniques est une expérience unique. Médiations Ultimes ne déroge pas à la règle. Un album très réussi. Le 4° est en préparation pour 2007, c'est une très bonne nouvelle.

Dark Lilith
A banda francesa é umas maiores representantes de um estilo levado a cabo por bandas como Dead Can Dance e Opéra Multi Steel, por exemplo. Folk, Medieval Neofolk, Dark Folk, Dark Music, Ambient, New Age, Ethereal e tudo o mais que for sombrio de forma sutil e radicado na Europa. O grupo trás o multi-bandas Hugues Dammarie. O cara é a história em pessoal do Dark francês (e de todos os estilos citados). Afinal Hugues Dammarie toca no O Quam Tristis e ainda no Thy Violent Vanities. Além destas bandas, ele atende pela alcunha do Franz Torres-Quevedo no Collection d'Arnell- Andrea e como Franck Lopez nos Bleeding Like Mine, Opéra Multi Steel e 3 Cold Men. Sim, é ele mesmo e por mais diversos fatores, o O Quam Tristis é considerado o sucessor natural Opéra Multi Steel, e de todas as bandas posteriores, o O Quam Tristis é a que mais se assemelha com o OMS. Em alguns lugares, o O Quam Tristis é sua banda mais bem sucedida depois do OMS, já em outros, é o Collection d'Arnell- Andrea. Aqui no Brasil, todas elas são Underground, mas as mais conhecidas das pistas daqui são Opéra Multi Steel, e depois, O Quam Tristis. A sonoridade do OQT (posso abreviar para fica mais fácil todas as citações daqui em diante?) lembra ainda muito a do Ataraxia. Instrumental Folk com alguns vocais gregorianos, com as doces e sutis melodias de Anna e Katrina, com alguns raros eletrônicos masculinos, remetem ainda a Rosa Crux. As letras em francês dão um toque mais suave ainda, mais pagão ao mesmo tempo que mais sacro, com aquela cara cosmopolita de World Music. Funérailles Des Petits Enfants é o debut do OQT e é de 2000, época que este estilo estava estourando no mundo todo, ainda que num nível mais Underground. As vozes de Anna e Katrina beiram o celestial, enquanto os masculinos fazem a parte “burtal” (dentro deste conceito de música) muitas vezes em latim. Além de instrumentos alienígenas ao Rock convencional, como baterias tribais, gaitas de fole, flautas, dulcimer, e vários outros instrumentos naturais e acústicos dão o molho especial. Aqui, em Funérailles Des Petits Enfants , a banda ainda tinha muito de Opéra Multi Steel e ainda soava menos inspirado, menos criativo e mais cru, ainda que genial, mas na cola da sua antiga banda. Já Le Rituel Sacre , de 2002, é mais uma interpretação moderna da música antiga e medieval, mais lapidada, já dando uma cara de banda ao grupo de fato e de direito. Ainda assim, as influências de OMS perseguem o grupo, mas já antenando com o novo tipo de sonoridade que ainda estaria sendo formulada neste novo século, milênio e década. Mas o melhor de todos é Meditations Ultimes de 2005, o terceiro, mais maduro e mais certeiro disco do grupo, com uma cara mais nova e com um estilo mais próprio, deixando de lado de vez a sombra do OMS e do DCD. Relançamentos históricos, para quem quer ser profundo conhecer da música Dark e suas profundas subdivisões. ADL – 9,0


Silent Love of Death - The Poet's Sense

Heathen Harvest
Together these two musicians weave a powerful spell of guitar driven dark folk / rock and neoclassical songs inspired by Spanish, English, and French classical poets. The historical works of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, José De Espronceda, Rosalía De Castro, William Blake, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Valèry, and Edgar Allan Poe have inspired each of the sixteen songs on “The Poets Senses.” Palace of Worms is a small Italian label which has been gracing the neofolk, neoclassical, and neo medieval music communities with select releases for a number of years now. The output of Palace of Worms has always been restricted to high quality releases targeted at promoting deserving artists rather than gushing out insignificant releases for profit. Having established such a solid identity as a respectable label Palace of Worms has become a trusted companion to many music lovers. I was recently fortunate to be included in the Palace of Worms tight circle of allies having recently received three new releases from The Palace of Worms for review consideration. Amidst this batch of CD's was a hidden gem of superb quality titled “The Poets Senses” by Silent Love of Death. Silent Love of Death is a new music project hailing from Italy. Previously unknown Silent Love of death has debuted upon the neofolk / dark rock music scene with a powerful new release of deeply romantic ballads titled “The Poets Senses.” Silent Love is Death is comprised of two Spanish gentlemen named Juan Carlos Toledo Prada / voice, bass, keyboards and programming & Miguel Ángel Toledo Prada / acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, and programming. The two appear to be related though I cannot confirm this. “The Poets Senses” begins with the song “The Valley of Unrest” which is inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's poem of the same name. “The Valley of Unrest ” begins with ghostly electronics howling gently like a forlorn wind and echoing bass guitar. Leaden drums and atmospheric keyboards join the guitar and howling electronics to form the songs foundation as a male vocalist begins the tale. The tone and mood of the music instantly recalls to mind the music of the neofolk / Darkwave act Novalis. The compositional elements are few and uncluttered and are composed and arranged in an infectious manner. The song builds up from its sluggish beginnings and gains momentum instrumentally and vocally. The music and singer surge forward in the middle of the song infusing the composition with passion and energy. The song peaks in a dark folk / rock explosion of drums, guitar, violin, and vigorous singing. After a handful of very romantic and engaging songs Silent Love of Death slows the pace down significantly with track 5 titled “The Crown of the Hill” which is inspired by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer's poem “Rima XLVII.” “The Crown of the Hill” begins with deep reverberating electronic atmospheres and sensual male vocals that recite poetic lyrics. The vocal delivery is smooth and voluptuous like Nick Cave 's voice. The steady atmospherics are joined by some simple bell / chime sounds but the song is really defined by the excellent vocals. Track nine titled “My Pleasure Your Cause” is inspired by “La Desesperacion” by Spanish poet José De Espronceda. “My Pleasure Your Cause” introduces another diverse sound to the music of Silent Love of Death. “My Pleasure Your Cause” is a departure from the guitar and drum driven tracks that compose the majority of the songs on “The Poets Senses.” Replacing the bass and acoustic guitar are the sounds or martial drums, stuttering horns, dark atmospheric electronics, insinuated woodwinds and samples of cheering crowds. The familiar male vocals remain present and now recite a tale of enemies, armed causes, and conflict. The song is dark and slightly martial and is filled with drama and a sense of militancy.Track eleven titled “Traitor Dawn” is inspired by the poem “Cada Noite” by Rosalía De Castro. “Cada Noite” is one of two purely instrumental tracks offered on “The Poets Senses.” The song begins with stuttering synthetic strings and a whispered looped phrase. Drums and what sounds like a historical speech sample are injected. Guitar is played softly in the background while drums and gloomy atmospherics form the background. The mood is dispirit and glum. “The Sick Rose” by William Blake is the inspiration for song fifteen. Coil made the “The Sick Rose” infamous when they used the lyrics on their album “Love's Secret Domain.” Silent Love of Death give this classic gothic masterpiece there own treatment and bring the poem alive with sultry despondent vocals, drums, guitar and synthesizers. Silent Love of Death has fashioned an excellent debut album that is sure to ignite romanticism in many a distraught soul. Silent Love of Death has unified elements of dark rock, neoclassical and neofolk music into a vigorous amalgam of endearing songs. This is music to play while the sun is setting and casting its warm glow across the horizon or when you feel like spending time alone sipping at a glass of red wine in the dim light of candles. Silent Love of Death has created a praise worthy album of romantic and stirring ballads that will invoke memories of love lost and conquests turned to dust.

Gothtronic
This is the debut record of the Spanish band Silent Love of Death consisting of the brothers Juan Carlos Toledo and Miguel Angel Toledo. Neofolk with lyrics inspired by Becquer, Poe, Baudelaire, Blake and Esproneda is what we are dealing with on The Poet's Senses. Silent Love of Death strongly leans over towards Death in June in some tracks and at other moments it almost sounds gothic. This feeling is intensified by the deep dark vocals of Juan Carlos Toledo which at moments resemble those of Ikon, Death in June or even Ian Curtis. There is nothing shocking going on at this album. The music is beautiful, but the songs go on in the same atmosphere so sometimes boredom peeks around the corner. Yet there is enough happening on this album to listen to it in it's entirety. Postpunk guitarwork guarantees an indie touch, while in other tracks you will be confronted with exciting martial percussion or yet melancholic piano interludes. This is an album that needs some attention before it starts to grab you and you start to discover it's beauty. Review by Teknoir

De Subjectivisten Caleidoscoop
Vroeger in de vleermuizenschool heb ik geleerd dat Joy Division, Sisters Of Mercy en Bauhaus de voorvaderen van de gothic en new wave zijn. Daaruit zijn ook weer dark wave, neofolk en andere duistere stijlen voortgekomen. Daarbij heb je de zwaar bombastische en de meer ingetogen stijlen, waarbij die laatste mijn voorkeur geniet. Nog steeds zijn er nieuwe bands in die genres, die een wat gedateerd geluid laten horen. Hoewel gedateerd? Als het nooit weg is geweest, moet je misschien eerder spreken over “niet vernieuwend” in plaats van “gedateerd”. Toch sluipen er bij de betere bands wel nieuwe elementen in, dus misschien moet ik “niet vernieuwend” weer vervangen door “herkenbaar”. Ik kan die duistere muziek uit vooral Duitsland, VS, Nederland, Frankrijk en Italië erg waarderen. Spanje laat zich nu vertegenwoordigen door Silent Love Of Death. Hun cd The Poet's Senses staat vol met donkere neofolk, waarbij de teksten geïnspireerd zijn door Edgar Allan Poe, Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, William Blake, Jose De Espronceda, Paul Valery, Rosalia De Castro en Charles Baudelaire. De nostalgische atmosfeer grijpt duidelijk terug op Joy Division, Calva Y Nada, Joy Of Life en Current 93, maar lijkt ook wel op latere bands als Elijah's Mantle en Arcana. Silent Love Of Death houdt op romantische wijze wel van bombast, maar doseert dit op aangename wijze. Met de gitaren, elektronica, viool, trompet en drums wordt ook goed gevarieerd. Verder grijpt de Ian Curtis-achtige zang je bij de keel, net als de muziek overigens. Het is donker, imponerend donker zelfs, maar mede daardoor ook zo wonderschoon.
Jan Willem Broek


Chain D.L.K.
Romanticism in full effect, from the name itself of the spanish combo to the lyrics and the artwork of the cd. Piano, Keyboards, acoustic guitars, violins, vocals "a la Ian Curtis" and some military rhythms (but not yet neo folk). This cd demonstrates decadece and new wave can still get along together very well. The packaging is really nice like the rest of the Palace of Warms' releses and all the new age/dark-dogmas have been respected, the sound is good and the Toledo brothers know how to write depressive ballads. Listening to the whole cd I noticed it's a bit too long and I think it's sad cause without a few songs "The poet's senses" could have been much more "heartbreaking". Even if every single ballad is really inspired, most of the tracks arrangements could be improved (that's a personal opinion). This last thing anyhow has also to do with the fact this cd has been recorded almost three years ago therefore it can be considered a really good debut. Dark-folk traditionalists can put the name Silent Love of Death in their agendas but if you're looking for a Sol Invictus, Blood Axis, Curent 93 oriented band, well you'd better listen the cd a couple of times.

Sensorium
Dalla Spagna ci giunge il pregevole debutto dei SLOD, aka Juan Carlos e Miguel Ángel Toledo Prada, che ci propongono un'opera ontologicamente 'gotica' (oltre sessanta primi di musica) forte di testi ispirati dai poemi di Blake, Baudelaire, Valèry, Poe, Bécquer, De Espronceda e De Castro. "The Poet's Senses" risulta pertanto disco denso, drammatico e colto, tale da ricreare un'atmosfera globale innegabilmente nostalgica e tenebrosa, capace di emozionare a più riprese.La cupa, magnetica narrazione di Juan Carlos richiama indirettamente la tensione emotiva del compianto Ian Curtis, mentre gli essenziali arrangiamenti di tastiere rievocano spesso e volentieri i fondali opprimenti di Death in June e Sol Invictus. Davvero evocativo il lavoro alla sei corde (elettrica ed acustica) di Miguel Ángel, prossimo, per glacialità e suggestione, a quello degli ultimi Lycia (cfr. "Cold", "Estrella"): si ascoltino al proposito tracce del calibro di "The Garden Of Love", "Traitor Dawn" e "Hymn To Immortality". L'utilizzo del pianoforte e dei violini contribuisce a rendere ancora più decadente l'output del duo (come nella struggente "Scented Night"), spostando l'asse portante del platter verso lidi neoclassici ed eterei.Sedici umbratili ballate di pregiata fattura, incastonate in un artwork misterioso nonché caratterizzate da una produzione davvero efficace: un ottimo lavoro, a prescindere da qualche (inevitabile) ripetizione di temi, che certifica ancora una volta l'inappuntabile qualità delle uscite targate POW. Michele Dicuonzo

Aural Pressure
This segue of poetically inspired vignettes is the work of Juan Carlos Toledo and Miguel Angel Toledo who on this album have been inspired by the divers hands poets; Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, José De Espronceda, Rosalía De Castro, William Blake , Charles Baudelaire, Paul Valèry and Edgar Allan Poe. Gloomy and masterful company to be sure, as influences the aforementioned esteemed verse-smiths lend Silent Love of Death a dark thematic phrasing to explore in "The Poet's Senses".The Spanish moiety craft for the most part dark haunts of the insightful bourns of meter and rhythm, their music a cross of romantic neofolk cantilevered with gothic martialism. Poignant vocals evince the drama of the verse without occluding the luxuriant musical accompaniment; glissando sweeps of stringed guitar, punctuated timpani and wistful electronic percussion, swooning violin and yawning cello, ethereal glockenspiel, distant bells, and the drawn breath synthesizer. With each track, Silent Love of Death's habitual attentiveness to musical dynamics gives room for each track to find its own pace, from the Lycia-esque gothic dance-floor sway of ' The Garden of Love ', to the recitative with swollen droning background of ' The Crown of the Hill ', and the esoteric round of ' My Pleasure is Your Cause ',contravening what could have been a monotonous homage into an enjoyable fluorescent session. For fans of Death in June, Lycia, and European martial neofolk, Silent Love of Death is a welcome accretion to Palace of Worm's discography.A jewel case release, with eight-page full colour booklet printed in card with full lyric sheet with peeling wallpaper broken with the framed portraits of the aforementioned poets as artwork throughout. NYR


Lefantastique.net
Avec "The Poet's Senses", les frères Toledo nous livrent leur premier effort. Les nappes synthétiques, les violons discordants, la guitare acoustique, les rythmes militaires pourraient faire coller l'étiquette néofolk au groupe. En vérité, son style oscille plutôt entre néofolk et new wave. Malgré deux premiers titres bons et entraînants, le reste de l'album relève plus de la douleur que du bonheur. Certes, la voix est caractéristique et dramatique (dans les deux sens du terme) mais elle est très souvent en difficulté et irritera les anglicistes purs et durs... "Scented Night", par exemple, est presque risible dans ses effets de voix.
L'album est lent, sans aucun rythme, tout en linéarité, peu inventif malgré deux ou trois trouvailles qui ne compensent malheureusement pas tout. Il aurait gagné à être plus court. Particulièrement sombres, les textes (mort, perdition, néant, guerre) ont pour la plupart été inspirés par des écrivains célèbres (Baudelaire, Valéry…) Finalement, l'élément le plus positif de cet album est l'artwork inspiré et travaillé de l'artiste R. Garcia Hernanz.
Dunkelheit - Juillet 2005

Rock Hard
La prolifica etichetta nostrana prosegue con immutato fervore la ricerca di nuove realtà musicali, scandagliando minuziosamente il sottobosco underground, un settore, questo, in continuo fermento, come testimoniato dal debutto stesso del duo iberico. Il nome della band costituisce una valida sintesi della componente emozionale caratterizzante le 16 composizioni qui raccolte, dove un suono carezzevole, intriso di romanticismo, e, al contempo, profondamente intimista ed oscuro, contrassegna la personalità dei nostri. Tale peculiarità è estesa anche alla componente concettuale, volta ad evocare, unitamente alla musica, scenari dalle sfumature differenti, peraltro animate da un sostrato culturale che attinge, tra gli altri, a Blake, Baudelaire ed Edgar Allan Poe. I SLOD hanno scelto il neofolk quale veste musicale ideale per le proprie mire artistiche, filtrandola, però, in un'ottica marcatamente dark, talvolta permeata da un taglio quasi alienante, come suggeriscono episodi quali “De Profundis Clamavi”. Insomma, un connubio intrigante che, nonostante la lunga durata dell'album, si lascia ascoltare piacevolmente, senza palesare particolari cadute di tono. Dalle ritmiche incalzanti di “The Valley Of The Unrest” alle cadenze marziali di “War Is Necessary”, passando per la ferale “The Cemetary By The Sea” e le atmosfere sofferte di “Traitor Dawn”, “TPS” identifica nell'eterogeneità la propria arma vincente, pur mantenendo inalterata un'immediatezza di fondo che ne rende facilmente interiorizzabile il contenuto. La formazione spagnola si presenta al pubblico con una prova convincente che, ne siamo certi, risulterà gradita agli amanti del genere. Paolo Sola 7,5

El Claustro
...el sonido latente de un bajo junto a una percusion grave y profunda comienza a nublar el ambiente... Que huyan los temerosos de alas de plomo que no sueñan con volar! Se acerca la música de Silent Love of Death! Comienza la voz, y me recuerda levemente la voz de Peter Murphy... totalmente desoladora y estremecedora, unos sonidos de instrumentos considerados paganos en la Edad Media, sonidos celtas con muchos matices oscuros que te hacen soñar despierto. Continúa el disco para entrar en un ambiente mucho mas relajado, sin perder ese sonido profundo, con muchos instrumentales, con algunos climax muy interesantes y conmovedores. El bajo, creando paisajes musicales descriptibles sólo por el más sereno y decadente de los poetas, una guitarra que sueña y traza las imágenes de una pintura, seguida por el piano que le da aquel brillo particular, y los timbales que junto a la voz afinan todos los detalles del cuadro que es cada canción, crean una atmósfera exquisita, con una voz bastante armoniosa y con algunos ecos que tocan las hebras mas oscuras de tus sentimientos y las mueven en un increíble impulso artístico, que puedes sentir con muy pocas bandas. Poco a poco se acerca unos leves toques de rock, pero vuelve suavemente, como es su particularidad, a las canciones lentas, melancólicas y oscuras, para que Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, Gustavo Alonso Bécquer sigan danzando y soñando con los lados más perversos y dramáticos del humano.
www.silentloveofdeath.place.cc
Enviado el Sábado, 09 julio a las 08:38:38 por Sir_Niennor

Kronic
Il suono profondo della poesia
Ci vogliono sempre coraggio e incoscienza per scegliere un percorso rischioso e irto di spine. I due ragazzi che compongono i Silent Love Of Death devono averlo scoperto da tempo, perché la scelta di mettere in musica delle poesie è una sfida difficile in cui il rischio non è solo di perdere ma di fallire del tutto. Se l'amalgama non riesce è inutile sperare che Blake o Baudelaire ti vengano in aiuto perché non succederà. Prese alcune poesie, oltre ai citati aggiungiamoci altri mostri sacri come Poe e Valery e qualche nome meno noto tra cui Espronceda, i due personaggi in questione ci hanno aggiunto il loro tocco che consta di una voce profonda e cupa e di un suono che se ne sta a galleggiare nell'eleganza di uno strano incrocio tra fraseggi folk e momenti elegantemente wave, e che rappresenta al meglio cosa possa essere un certo tipo di goth intelligente e profondo, che suona senza l'obbligo di essere incasellato. ‘The Poet's Senses' è così un buon album, con dei brani che coinvolgono, che diventano spesso cupi, quasi maledetti e che poi si aprono a brevi passaggi di luce. Canzoni come ‘The Cemetary By The Sea' oppure l'iniziale ‘The Valley Of Unrest' ne sono un ottimo esempio. Credo che ci sia un unico vero difetto in questo lavoro: la prolissità dell'album stesso che risulta a tratti difficoltoso perché non è facile seguire un percorso così cadenzato per la sua intera durata, per il resto ‘The Poet's Senses' è un album raffinato sin dal libretto, e non potrebbe essere altrimenti.
(15/7/05)

Eternal Terror
Nok en ny utgivelse fra POW Records og denne gangen snakker vi dark folk ispedd en del gothelementer, bl.a. vokalen. Temaet her er tatt fra bandets inspirasjoner fra diverse kjente poeter (W. Blake, E.A. Poe osv), ikke av det mest lystige slaget kan man vel si. Man kan gjerne si det er en type mørk romantisk stemning gjennom skiva, her er det klassisk gitar, keyboards, piano, diverse perkusjonsintrumenter (bl.a. militæristiske trommer og den slags) og mørk vokal som er ingrediensene. Bandet er en Spansk duo og har vel ikke gjort så fryktelig mye under dette navnet tidligere, tror dette er debuten deres. Musikken deres er veldig stemningsfull og man kan gjerne se for seg dette som musikken som kan brukes både i film og teater innenfor samme tema og tidsalder. Er ikke så overbegeistret for alt vokalisten gjør, av og til blir det direkte kjipt, mens andre steder synger han til godkjent – jo mørkere jo bedre virker å være det han bør satse på og ikke for fort heller helst. Hadde dette vært et annet tema ville nok den relativt dårlige Engelsken hans ødelagt en del, men her kan det ha sin effekt faktisk. Dette er alt i alt er ok album med en del bra stemning og mye forskjellig instrumentbruk uten for mye rot og tull, fint sammensnekret. Litt mindre vokal (eller av bedre kvalitet) og heller mer av de mørke toner alene ville nok ha hevet poengene litt her, greit album konseptmessig.

Enslain Magazine
This dark gothic effort comes from Spanish brothers Juan Carlos and Miguel Ángel Toledo. The concept of this album seems to be a sort of homage to the writers that inspire them, with each song based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, and other poets. These lyrics are sung by Juan Carlos, whose lower-pitched clean vocal is similar in tone and quality to Fernando of Moonspell, and sometimes close in style to Johan Edlund of Tiamat. Unlike these bands, though, the music is much less metallic. There is very little electric guitar on this record, instead replaced by acoustic guitars and mostly pianic/organic keyboards. The pace is fairly slow and brooding, typical of darkwave/gothic. As background music this is ideal. It's dark, soft, and almost mesmerizing. But somewhere through these 16 songs it gets to be a little unvaried. Even within the 3-4 minute songs, there can be a great deal of repetition. A lot of this is due to the unchanging vocals throughout the record, but also each "riff" or piece is repeated many times over. A couple songs stick out as being more memorable than others, like the opening track "The Valley of Unrest", and "The Garden of Love", each of which has more variation in the passages, while being a little more upbeat. Silent Love of Death are an excellent example of their neofolk gothic genre, and may appeal to fans of Moonspell's softer side, who will also hear similar uses of keyboards/programming at times. Others will be lucky if they make it half-way through without their eyes shutting. -- Lady Enslain

Funprox
Silent Love of Death is a new band from Spain, consisting of the brothers Juan Carlos and Miguel Angel Toledo. Together they have created over an hour of dark and atmospheric music on their debut album. The music cannot be easily put under one label: there are influences from apocalyptic folk, dark wave, neo-classical, gothic rock. The general impression is one of drama and romanticism, which is enforced by the lyrics, which are inspired by poems from the likes of Poe, Blake and Baudelaire. The instrumentation is quite varied: apart from (acoustic) guitars and (sometimes military) drumming Silent Love of Death employs violin, trumpets and keyboards. A characteristic trademark are the deep male vocals. When listening to this album I'm reminded of a diversity of other artists. 'Growing apart' makes me think of early Dead Can Dance, while a more rocking piece like 'Traitor down' reminds me of Ikon. Some other references I could make are Engelsstaub, early Death in June, And also the Trees or Novalis. This is not to say that Silent Love of Death are not original enough, they just know their musical history. Perhaps the cd is too long, therefore it becomes a little tiring in the end. Also the vocals don't convince me at all times. But overall I think this is a pretty good cd, for people with a sense for romance and drama and a broad musical taste. Silent Love of Death know how to play and create a moody atmosphere.

Worlock
Pour un premier album, ce duo ne manque pas d'audace en développant ses compositions sur des textes de Becquer, Blake, Poe, Baudelaire et Esproneda, et c'est avec délicatesse que la dark folk du groupe rend hommage à la beauté des plumes précitées. Une dark folk légère et posée n'hésitant pas à de nombreux appels du pied vers la cold wave des années 80 comme par exemple sur « The Garden of Love ». Si toutefois on peut saluer l'attention que porte le duo au thème abordé, on peut regretter une légère monotonie qui s'installe durant les 16 pistes du disque. Les morceaux ne sont pas mauvais, mais l'ambiance du disque est tellement homogène que l'ennui peut vite gagner l'auditeur peu attentif. Silent Love of Death aurait tout à gagner à distiller à ses compositions un peu d'audace pour éviter de répéter les mêmes schémas. Quoiqu'il en soit « The poet's senses » est tout de même un bon album avec une sensibilité propre, un peu plus de rigueur et d'audace est souhaité, mais il ravira sans trop de difficultés les fans de Death In June et de Cold Wave.

Obliveon
Wer dem Goth der italienischen (Canaan, Weltschmerz, Heldenrune) oder deutschen Schule (Droning Maud Land, The Tors of Dartmoor) mit einem Hauch englischer Romantik (And Also The Trees) und dezenten Neofolk-Anklängen (Death in June, Ostara) nicht abgeneigt ist, der wird mit „The Poet's Senses“ ein musikalisches Kleinod der Extraklasse für sich entdecken können. Die Spanier begeistern vom Start weg mit getragenen und elegischen Klängen, pathetischem Gesang, traumhaften Melodien sowie einem Songwriting, das einfach nur „genial“ zu nennen ist. „The Poet's Senses“ bietet bei allen sechzehn Stücken nicht nur Atmosphäre und Emotion pur, sondern gibt auch die Möglichkeit, in fantasievollen Traum- und Klanggebilden zu wandeln und sich in der unvergleichlich romantischen Aura dieses Albums zu verlieren. Ergänzend hinzu kommt ein wundervolles Artwork und Texte E.A.Poes, William Blakes und Charles Baudelaires, die hier ihre wundervolle musikalische Vertonung bis hin zur Perfektion erfahren. Silent Love of Death haben mit diesem Album ganz grosse Kunst erschaffen, Bleibt zu hoffen, dass dies auch entsprechend gewürdigt wird.
10/10 - MK


La Defuncion
Los que tuvimos la suerte de escuchar unos años atrás una maqueta llamada "The poet's senses" de un prometedor proyecto sevillano llamado Silent Love of Death sabíamos que tanto potencial no podía permanecer ignorado durante mucho tiempo por algún sello. Y así ha acabado siendo, con Palace of Worms llevándose el gato al agua y haciendo posible que este magnífico trabajo se difunda como merece. Eso incluye un sonido muy mejorado respecto a su anterior encarnación y un nuevo artwork, a cargo de R. García Hernanz, que evoca a la perfección la atmósfera elegante, bohemia y decadente que la música pretende transmitir; utilizando imágenes de viejas paredes cubiertas con retratos ajados de los poetas cuyos textos se han usado en el disco se consigue una ambientación magistral que nos sumerge de lleno en la escucha del CD.
Desde el primer corte, "The valley of unrest", la intención musical queda clara: tempos reposados, de instrumentación clásica (guitarra acústica, teclados, percusiones) y voz profunda y solemne, moviéndose entre varios registros muy bien integrados entre sí: gotas de gothic rock etéreo, dark folk, neoclasicismo, pasajes moderadamente épicos y una profunda melancolía amalgamando todo el conjunto, dándole unión y personalidad a una mezcla maravillosamente equilibrada que se adapta como un guante a los textos seleccionados de E.A.Poe, Espronceda, Bécquer, Rosalía de Castro, Baudelaire, Blake y Paul Valery, una hazaña por otra parte nada fácil de llevar a cabo y de la que SLoD pueden estar más que orgullosos.
El único pero sería quizás la excesiva duración del trabajo, que con 16 temas se pone en más de 1 hora de escucha de un tirón. Comprendo que, dada la calidad de las composiciones, no se quisiera dejar ninguna fuera, pero en ocasiones es cierto eso de "lo bueno, si (un poco más) breve, dos veces bueno". Y ya que por pedir que no quede, también se agradecería una pronunciación en inglés un poco más pulida, o directamente que los textos de los autores españoles se hubieran mantenido en su idioma original, que buenas razones tenemos para estar orgullosos de nuestros más excelsos representantes románticos.
En cualquier caso, no dejemos que esto empañe nuestra valoración de "The poet's senses", que es, sencillamente, un CD imprescindible en la estantería de cualquier amante de los sonidos más otoñales e intimistas. Un verdadero acierto por parte de Palace of Worms y un primer paso sólido para la carrera de Silent Love of Death, que esperamos siga ofreciéndonos obras, como mínimo, de la misma calidad que esta. Hacen falta.

Underground Press
The Spanish brothers, Juan Carlos and Miguel Angel Toledo debut with their dark and dream-like album called “Silent Love of Death”. It is an atmosphere of sweet tragedy and sorrow that settles within the lyrics inspired by poets like Poe, Blake, Rosalia de Castro and Baudelaire. Acoustic guitars, violin, trumpets, keyboards and piano are valued for their dramatic romanticism and the deep and sombre male vocals contributes to the sullen mood of this album. Released by Palace of Worms Records in 2005.

Mentenebre
"The Poet´s Senses" es un trabajo de Silent Love of Death editado en Palace of Worms (Ref: PO20W-2) en Mayo de 2005.
Interpretado por Miguel Ángel y Juan Carlos Toledo como compositores, voz e instrumentos desde España y se centra en el estilo Darkwave y tiene una duración de 58,41 minutos.
Enlaces Relacionados: Silent Love of Death & Palace of Worms
Valoración: 8.5 sobre 10
Estos dos sevillanos, los hermanos Juan Carlos y Miguel Ángel Toledo habían presentado anteriormente algunos trabajos en formato maqueta bajo el nombre de Lament, concretamente tres, "Lament", "Grey Age" y "Resting in a Place Like This", entre 1996 y 2000. Parece que ahora que han podido editar con un sello discográfico han decidido tomar un nuevo nombre: Silent Love of Death. Llevo varias escuchas de este CD y la verdad es que se escapa de los estereotipos, uno no sabe en qué saco meterlos. Esto de que nos hagan pensar a los críticos me parece una de las cosas más saludables que puede ofrecer una banda, pues significa que la propuesta que tenemos delante está rompiendo moldes. Algunos medios independientes extranjeros han considerado que este trabajo es Dark Folk, pero a mi me cuesta bautizarles con esta etiqueta. Son contados los temas que podrían pasar por Dark Folk. Dark Pop tampoco es una etiqueta que les vaya bien, aunque es el grupo donde suelo mandar las propuestas que sin hacer Rock tienen una formación clásica de guitarra-bajo-batería. Tampoco aquí les veo. Además es que tienen un componente gótico muy importante, se ve que han mamado bastante de las vacas sagradas del Rock Gótico. Creo que el apartado Darkwave es donde mejor encaja esta propuesta. Quisiera hacer también un comentario acerca de la discográfica, Palace of Worms. A mi juicio un sello de elevado nivel artístico aunque su repercusión mediática no sea todo lo amplia que merecería. Siempre arriesga con nuevas propuestas y desde aquí vaya mi reconocimiento, máxime cuando ahora haya querido apostar por un grupo español. La propuesta del CD es jugosísima, Romanticismo por todos lados, con letras extraídas de textos de Poe, William Blake, Baudelaire, Valèry, Bécquer, Rosalía de Castro y Espronceda. Es una pena que hayan traducido los autores españoles al inglés y nos priven de la maravilla de su recitado en castellano, también es un pecado traducir a Baudelaire al inglés, imagino que seguirán una política de proyección internacional. Espero que les sea fructífera aunque yo hubiese preferido el lenguaje original. En lo que a música se refiere, como ya comentaba antes, nos encontramos con una forma de hacer música muy original. La mayoría de las canciones son lentas y dotadas de atmósferas sombrías, algunas veces llegan a recordarme a las que hace Lycia en álbums como "Cold", suaves pero opresivas. Cuentan con una guitarra eléctrica en la mayoría de los temas, que siempre aparece punteada, sintetizador, que crea melodías de acompañamiento, y percusión con caja de ritmos por lo general. La voz es un punto vital de Silent Love of Death, muy grave y ceremoniosa.
'The Garden of Love' quizá sea la más destacable de todas las canciones que siguen la línea maestra. Por excepcionales citaremos también 'Growing Apart' e 'Hymn to Immortality', que siguen un estilo Dark Folk en la línea de In My Rosary, con guitarra acústica, y 'My Pleasure is Your Cause', para mi la mejor del álbum, que podría pasar por una canción de Valor de Christian Death, cuando componía canciones sólo con atmósferas oscuras.
Como consecuencia de todo lo anterior hay que decir que este es un trabajo muy meritorio y que sorprende por su originalidad en el estilo, lo cual me alegra doblemente por tratarse de una banda española. Creo que es un disco que no debe faltar en las vitrinas de los amantes del Romanticismo y que gusten del deleite de la contemplación oscura en lo que a ámbito musical se refiere. Muy recomendable.

Judas Kiss
Silent Love of Death is a Spanish duo consisting of brothers Juan Carlos Toledo and Miguel Angel Toledo, and The Poet's Senses is their debut album. 16 tracks extend over 63 minutes. This music is thoroughly steeped in 19th Century romanticism and decadence - all the lyrics are based on poetry by such celebrated writers as William Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire and Paul Valèry, although all the songs are in English, so obviously those poets who didn't originally write in English have been translated. Some songs such as the opener, 'The Valley of Unrest', based on the poem of the same name by Poe, follow the original text very closely, whilst others, such as 'Scented Night', based on Poe's 'To Helen', seem to bear only a very distant resemblance to their source material. Others still, such as the two adaptations of Blake included here, use the original text but add or change a line here or there, which to someone with a background in literature studies like myself seems a bit cheeky and shocking - I really don't think Blake's sublimely simple ode 'The Sick Rose' is improved by the addition of the lines 'Forgive this fire / To this liar'! Be that as it may, the music of Silent Love of Death falls squarely within the neo-folk genre, with martial inflections and a nod back to 80s synth-goth bands. The deep, languid vocals are reminiscent of Ian Curtis and Pete Murphy of Bauhaus, and the acoustic guitar-led 'Hymn to Immortality' sounds quite like Death In June, though most of The Poet's Senses is dominated by keyboards. The strident kettle drums of 'War is Necessary' and the chimes and piano of 'Scented Night' offer a welcome change of pace from the otherwise all-pervading keyboards, but in general terms the album is too monotonous, and has little to offer that is new or original. Using top-quality poets as inspiration is no guarantee of excellence, and this is a mediocre release from cult Italian label Palace of Worms. The album packaging, though, is very good - a textured card booklet in a muted palette of greys and greens, filled with images of peeling wallpaper and faded portraits of the featured writers, very much in keeping with the album's overall mood of decay and dejection. SC

LD50
It's rare that we get something that maintains the respectabilities, we hardly care about the neofolk-medieval-ethereal scene, but even if we do, we normally talk about its events. So this occasion is special, the Italian label, the Palace of Worms has loads of this stuff, every member of the scene will find something in the repertoire. The Silent Love of Death with its painfully targeted name, its medieval atmosphere and using Edgar Allan Poe 's poetry seem to play a safe game.
Behind the name there are Juan Carlos and Miguel Angel Toledo from Spain, their debut album reflects on the poets that effected them (Poe, Blake). There are 16 medieval-neofolk (this latter isn't too significant) ballads on the album, with the constant presence of classical guitars, violins, piano, drums, hooters, synths that sound like an organ, with some electric guitar every now and then. The beneficial impact of the bands Sol Invictus , Blood Axis and Death In June is obvious, that would normally make it work, but because of the long-drawn-out album and the singer's self-repeating, plain output the dramatic effect fades and the listener becomes tired of it by the end. Of course the temptation is big when it comes to ballads, but that is exactly how the more becomes less, how the good possibilities turn into a well prepared, but average album. There isn't much missing for a really good album, maybe the next one, if there'll be another one at all.



Second Skins - Black Eyed Angel

Gothic World
Aufgefallen sind mir SECOND SKIN durch ihren außergewöhnlichen Beitrag auf dem The Cure-Tribute Album "Our Voices". Ihre Version von "Pictures of You" war neben IKON mit "Strange Day" der unschlagbare Höhepunkt. Nach Erscheinen der Review schrieb mir Arron (Gesang, Bass, Schlagzeug) von SECOND SKIN eine kurze Dankesmail aus der sich ein netter Schriftwechsel entwickelte, inklusive der Zusendung ihres aktuellen Albums "Black Eyed Angel". Das ist zwar schon 2003 in ihrer Heimat USA erschienen, aber erst seit November 2004 auch in Deutschland zu haben. Warum man uns diese Perle des Gothrocks so lange vorenthielt ist, mir nicht verständlich. Zitat Arron: " Wir wollten immer ein Album machen, dass der "DawnRazor", der "Pornography" oder der "First and Last and Always" ähnlich ist. Nicht vom Sound her oder gar als Kopie. Eher in dem Sinne, dass man alle diese Platten hören kann und dabei jedes einzelne Lied liebt!" Daraus folgte bei mir natürlich eine gewisse Erwartungshaltung, aber dieser sind SECOND SKIN vollkommen gerecht geworden. Das Intro "Stalker" stimmt mit Keyboardklängen und drohendem Flüstern gut auf die folgende musikalische Reise ein. "Body" hängt als erster richtiger Song die Latte hoch: ein treibender, wilder Song, aggressiv und tanzbar mit herrlichen Gitarrenläufen und stampfendem Schlagwerk. Arrons Stimme liegt auf hohem Niveau, sie ist kräftig, rau und doch eigenwillig. Backgroundsängerin Lizz fügt dem Gesang eine interessante Note hinzu, verstärkt an den passen Stellen. Bei "Beautiful" erliegt man sofort den geilen Gitarrenläufen und spürt mit jeder Note das Urgestein des Gothrocks. Das hohe Tempo nimmt der Düsternis nichts und geht extrem ins Tanzbein. Bei den aufeinanderfolgenden Titeln "Liberta Me", "Voodoo Doll" und "Sweet Nothing" raubt es einem schlicht den Atem. Mal ein dumpfes Glockenspiel, mal hysterische Übersteigerung, mal ekstatische Verzweiflung, dann wuchtig brummende Bässe - drei geniale Hammersongs. Wahrlich groß. An musikalischen Vorbildern hört man in diesem Dreigestirn besonders deutlich die Sisters of Mercy heraus - und eine geradezu nostalgische Liebe erblüht. Dagegen erinnert "I the East" am Anfang sehr an "The Mission" um schnell in Fahrwasser rasenden Gothrocks zurück zu wechseln. Dieser Spur bleiben SECOND SKIN bis zum Ende treu. Obwohl sich am Tempo in der ganzen Zeit wenig ändert, kann man dennoch jedes Lied klar von anderen abtrennen und jedes hat einen speziellen Wiedererkennungseffekt. Künstlerisches Können und Mut zu eigenwilligen Kompositionen beweist auch "Club Sexxx". Bei "Demonica" wird wiederholt den Sisters gehuldigt und das Gewaltige dieser Musik wird mit aller Wucht deutlich. Mit "Scream yourself to Sleep" endet die geile Scheibe, düsteres Schlagzeug und drängende Gitarren wirken einen schönen Mid-Tempo-Titel, der die Vorzüge von Arrons Gesang, Mark Candys Gitarren- und Bassspiel sowie Lizz´ stimmliche Unterstützung noch mal deutlich macht. Kurz: Ich liebe dieses Album. SECOND SKIN sind völlig zu Unrecht hierzulande weitgehend unbekannt. Sie stehen anderen, bekannteren us-amerikanischen Gothic-Acts in nichts nach. Sollten sie einen Promoter in Deutschland finden, wird sie ihre Europatour auch hierher führen. Ich drücke die Daumen und freu mich auf eine ähnlich furiose Livedarbietung.
Daniel "Bela" Bartsch


Dark Romania
Second Skin is a gothic rock band formed in the mid 90's in America, its members feeding on the punk scene and the old goth school. “Black Eyed Agel” is an album that is not far from the above mentioned points, released in November 2004, under the italian Palace of Worms label, and I will try in the lines below to make a short presentation. Besides the band leader Arron (vocals, bass, keyboards, drummachine, lyricist and composer), the band is formed of Mark Cady (guitar, bass) and Liz (backing vocals). The sound is classic goth rock with plenty of rhythm, with energetic guitars plus an expressive, flexible, and penetrating male voice, periodically back-doubled by female vocals. The percution is made by drummachine. The lyrics are quite good, the main theme is the individual and his life experiences: love, sex, deception, passion, lust, frustration, variations or combinations of those. I recommend this album to be listened to loudly or at least not at a very low volume level, for that will reveal another force of Second Skin's music. Even the absence of real drums - in my opinion, the important missing asset of this album - is shaded off by the sound's higher level, and the percution by the drummachine is recovering in a way the deficit against the voice and the remaining instruments. Apart that, the music is accesible, very suitable for clubs/independent radio shows, namely the hits “Sweet Nothing”, “Liberata Me”, “Still My Love”, “Club Sexxx”, “I The East”. The booklet is simple, with a quite uninspired, from my point of view, artwork on the main cover, but inside you can find the lyrics of all the songs included in the album. There is also a limited edition (of 333 copies) for “Black Eyed Angel”, that includes a bonus CD with videotracks for “Still My Love” and “Liberata Me” and a photo gallery. Mark: 8.5/10

De Subjectivisten Caleidoscoop
Wat voor soort muziek zal een band maken die Second Skin heet? New wave denk ik dan, want dat is één van de bekendste en betere nummers van The Chameleons. Toch oogt de cover van hun cd Black Eyed Angel meer als gothic of muziek met engelenzang. De bandfoto laat juist weer witte vleermuizen zien. Luisteren dan maar. Het Amerikaanse drietal, waarvan een deel uit Italië geëmigreerd is, maakt pakkende rock met darkwave en gothic invloeden. Arron zingt en speelt bas, drums en keyboards en Mark Cady doet de gitaren. De elektronische ritmes zijn hard en hoekig, maar zorgen wel voor een fijn catchy effect. De gitaren zijn heavy en de baspartijen dreunen er lekker doorheen. Als referentie moet je wisselend denken aan (Fields Of) The Nephilim, Sisters Of Mercy, The Mission (oei, mogen die drie achter elkaar genoemd worden?), Adam And The Ants en Bauhaus. Lizz zingt regelmatig op de achtergrond mee en de muziek doet dan ook wel denken aan Siouxsie. Ondanks de retro-geluiden, klinkt de muziek tevens fris en van deze tijd. Maar boven alles is het gewoon een lekker dampende, duistere rockplaat. Gewoon zoals het moet! Jan Willem Broek

D-Side #26
Apres Choir Invisible, voici venue l'heure du second opus des Américains Second Skin, dont l'optique primaire semble etre de redonner vie au Gothic-Rock. Si la formule ne revet pas grande originalité, Black eyed Angel bénéficie toutefois d'une conviction qui rend a ces tournures de guitare typiques du genre une certaine force évocatrice. Les canons sont respectés mais le chant d'Arron adopte une attitude plus « acide », proche dans sa plastique des canons du Death-Rock. Ces voix teintées de folie donnent davantage de souplesse et de rugosité a un ensemble chargé et mécanique, lorgnant parfois vers les musiques orientales (« Club Sexxx ii »). Chargé de textures synthétiques qui- certes- alourdissent un peu la sauce, le son tend a redonner de la fraîcheur au genre. Produit proprement par Arron et le guitariste Mark Cady, Black eyed Angel concentre des mélodies de guitares efficaces qui se cherchent une nouvelle raison de vivre depuis la désertion des studios par The Sisters of Mercy.
Emmanuel Hennequin

Rock Hard magazine
“Black Eyed Angel” e la seconda fatica per i SS, band dedita al piu classico gothic rock con tanto di riferimenti ai maestri Fields Of The Nephilim o ai Mission piu energici. “Body” apre le danze con una movenza epica d'altri tempi, ma a stupire ci pensano la turbolenta “Beautiful” (tra Sisters Of Mercy e Corpus Delicti!) e le note tribali di “Sweet Nothing”, un loro vecchio singolo qui riproposto sotto nuove spoglie. L'arma principale dei Second Skin e la voce abissale di Arron, oscuro interprete di song morbose, corpose e ricche di pathos gotico, che si muovono senza sosta in un sinistro groviglio di cavalcanti ritmiche dark. Il CD esce anche in limited-edition di 333 copie, con inclusi due videoclip e la photo gallery; tutto bene quindi, se non fosse che siamo da poco atterrati nel 2005 e, soprattutto, che ci muoviamo in un genere dove i cloni funzionano solo a meta (qui l'originalita purtroppo scarseggia…). Insomma, i SS si aggiungono alla folta lista dei seguaci… bravi, ma sempre seguaci!
Paolo Trerotoli 7

Grave Concerns E-Zine
“The official second release from this brooding Goth band and certainly not a moment too soon. Not only does “Black Eyed Angel” feature a cleaner and tighter production value but it also shows that they haven't softened up their sound with strong hooks and an equally strong indication towards the singers continuing electric lyricism resounding around their melancholic dark rock. “Black Eyed Angel” is the album fans have been waiting for and certainly a much deserved recognition is due as veterans of the gothic music scene with a prowess that has surpassed other pioneers throughout the years so we're quite lucky to have them. Their songs move from dark dance to more stripped down gothic rock ballads while some of their reprise's on classics like “Sweet Nothing” and “Club Sexxx” could easily be the band's foray of bleakly lit experiments into the world of remixes, be it dance oriented or introspective. Second Skin is writhing over broken glass and fire capturing their inner demons with precision and keen insight. They come highly recommended to fans of The Last Dance, Phantom Vision, Pro Jekt, etc.”
–Marcos

Sonidobscuro
Supimos de la existencia de la banda estadounidense de gothic rock debido a su participación en varios compilados, como en los de Cleopatra Records en los noventas, es así que nos contactamos con ellos y nos dimos con la sorpresa de su calidad interpretativa con el autoproducido The Taste Of Angels del 2003. En aquel cd destacan las vocales de Arron y -en especial- los punteos guitarreros de Mark Cady en tracks como 'Demonica', y las reinterpretaciones: 'Lets Dance', original del gran Bowie (y que aparece -también- en el tributo `Goth Oddity´) y 'Suspicious Minds' (de Elvis Presley) por el acompanamiento vocal femenino, todas con ausencia de batería física, lo cual les hace poseedores de un sonido más fresco. Para esta producción, Black Eyed Angel, ya aparece como tercera integrante la linda Lizz en las vocales, el cual contiene catorce temas y un librito en el que aparecen todas las líricas. La banda ha firmado para el gran sello Palace Of Worms en el que Guido Borguetti sigue haciendo gran labor desde hace varios anos con bandas que han logrado renombre en la escena underground . 'Stalker' abre el programa con sólo un minuto de duración y que posee susurros referentes a relaciones afectivas, al cual le siguen los más de cinco minutos de 'Body' con teclados oscuros y la guitarra eléctrica que le da un toque espectacular al mismo, tema en el que ya se nota el juego vocal de ambos cantantes. La inicial distorsión de 'Beautiful' mostrará la genialidad de Cady a lo largo de todo el tema y de algunas posteriores joyas, como en la siguiente 'Still My Love' de vocales siniestras y de mejor lírica. 'Liberata Me' es el primer tema rescatado de su último disco, el cual inspiró a la película del mismo nombre (historia de un tal Julian, adicto a la heroína, tatuajes que tiene una triste historia con la ouija). 'Voo Doo Doll' la canta en un inicio Lizz, lo que nos hizo pensar que iba a ser un tema para ella, pero nos equivocamos pues comprobamos que todos los temas son cantados por Arron. 'Sweet Nothing' es otro track conocidísimo de la banda lista para cualquier discoteca al igual que el track trece 'Demonica' -símbolo de la banda- último tema rescatado. A mitad del disco encontramos a 'Sweet Nothing' en el que se vuelve al dúo vocal y en el que los sonidos programados de la batería se tornan importantes al cual le sigue los treinta segundos de 'Girl Divided' que al igual que el primero son sólo susurros vocales bajo atmósferas programadas. El programa continúa y llegamos al tema diez 'Kara' en el que la guitarra y el teclado se tornan importantes como en la siguiente 'Club Sexxx (ii)', mientras que en 'Liberata Tu Tu Mé (save yourself)' hace otra vez gala de su conocimiento musical el gran `Kitty´ Cady, El disco finaliza con los siete minutos de 'Scream Yourself To Sleep' el cual -desde ya- es una joya de la banda para estos nuevas épocas. Finalmente, debemos senalar que su álbum Choir Invisible (en el cual se encuentra el tema 'Trance' que también aparece en el film) aún se encuentra disponible y que han participado en el tributo a The Cure "Our Voices" a través de Equinoxe con el tema 'Pictures Of You'. Además se puede encontrar una edición limitada con los videos de 'Still My Love' y 'Liberata Me' (VCD).Reynaldo Gonzales

Gothicrevue.com
Arron , Mark, Cady and Lizz have come from the Land of Lecco , Italy to remind us in the US what deathrock should and could aspire to be. At times as great as the seminal Virgin Prunes, like on their song Body and Liberata Me , this release from Palace of Worms really moved me. Cadys ' guitar and bass playing on Scream Yourself to Sleep is sublime and reminds me quite a bit of Daniel Ash (from Bauhaus). Fourteen tracks is a huge album from a label who isn't afraid to “take chances”. The drums used here for Club Sexxx are a harkening back to the early Adam and the Ants output. The more I listen to Club Sexxx the more it draws me in with its passionate beats. All in all This Second Skin release is forward thinking in a very retro-inspired way. I could only imagine a dream of having seen them touring with Rozz or Andi back in the day.

Gothtronic
Second Skin has released its second album with Black Eyed Angel. Next to this they have appeared on at least 16 different compilations, among which on the The Cure tribute cd Our Voices with a great version of ‘Pictures of You'. The music moves in between styles like darkwave, deathrock and gothic. This band is pretty good. In almost every track there is a fair amount of passion and energy present. Roaring guitars, male and female vocals, a violin, dancable rhythms and ominous orchan sounds are the most important ingredients. There are a couple of really good gripping gothrock tracks on this cd, such as ‘Still My Love', ‘Liberata Me', ‘Voodoo Doll' and ‘I The East'. The music can be compared to Bauhaus, Virgin Prunes and Fields of the Nephilim. I did not know this band yet, but when i read they have a true and faithful following and have already reached a cult status as a band i believe this rightaway. The music is good and has that extra bit which you don't find with many other bands, and what is it i am talking about? Let's just call this magic. This is a very good release.

Gothic Paradise
Hailing from the hot southwest in Scottsdale, Arizona, this band brings us their solid gothic rock style. The band is formed by the trio Arron (vocals, bass, keyboards, drums), Mark Cady (guitars, bass) and Lizz (backing vocals). The band has been around for several years with some self-released work and a number of live appearances. Their debut album Choir Invisible was accepted worldwide with a somewhat cult following. They have developed their sound over the years and have released their sophomore album Black Eyed Angel through the prominent Italian label Palace of Worms.I've been familiar with the sound of Second Skin since the 90's and so it's no surprise that the band has that late 80's and early 90's gothic rock style. Solid guitar work and pounding rock beats are the backdrop for Arron's solid vocals that are reminiscent of other gothic rock greats from the past. I think that fans of any past great band like The Mission, possibly Christian Death and even classics like David Bowie.While the band has an active start, but slightly slow in getting the recognition they deserve, they've managed to land a good deal with their sophomore album. This is a great way to launch their career to the world and hopefully they will get the help and publicity they deserve with their two solid releases and numerous compilation appearances. The bottom line is that fans of gothic rock really have something to enjoy from this band. After their debut album Choir Invisible and a number of teasers here and there on numerous compilations we're finally presented with this nicely produced sophomore album. Long-time fans will recognize several tracks from this album which are re-released here now that they have more of a world-wide audience. With fourteen total tracks on the regular CD for over an hour of great music and a number of multimedia extras on the limited edition bonus disc, this is an excellent disc to get your hands on. In addition to the music and digital content, the booklet also contains the lyrics and a little background and info on the album.It all really comes down to the music in the end and that's what this album is all about, good, solid music. "Stalker" kicks off the album as a sort of introductory, dark spoken word track making it a type of cinematic work. This fades directly into "Body" which kicks off the great new powerful goth rock works from this band. Using all electronic drums they manage to pull off a solid and non-synthetic sound and this track shows how it can be done.The talents of this trio really come out in each of these selections from Arron's stellar vocals, bass and percussion to Mark's guitar work and Lizz's smooth backing vocals on many tracks. As we go through the album we move through each track including the fast-paced "Beautiful" and "Still My Love" each sporting that solid goth sound, excellent guitars and mixture of deep, sinister and melodic vocals. "Liberata Me" will be familiar to fans that are familiar with previous works and it's dark, fast-paced sound. This stellar track along with "Voo Doo Doll", "Club Sexxx II" and "Sweet Nothing" all create the backbone to this album with the solid tried and true sound we've enjoyed over the recent years from this band.Other favorites on the album include "Kara" which continues on with the solid rock sound. The vocals and lyrics take on a bit more of an emotional turn and keep the dark sound as the centerpiece. And finally, the album wraps up with the seven-minute long "Scream Yourself To Sleep". As the title implies it carries that darker tone to wrap up the album.Once again we have another great band that has made their mark on the gothic scene. In the past they've made some great waves with excellent tracks and so now we take the past and unite it with the present for this new highly recommended album. Rating: 4/5

Lefantastique.net
Les Américains de Second Skin signent avec cet opus leur retour apres un premier album intitulé Choir Invisible .
L'artwork blanc et pâle de Black Eyed Angel est tout le contraire de leur musique, mélange de death-rock et de darkwave. Tout au long de cet album, on retrouve les riffs de guitares froides du death-rock surmontés par la voix hallucinée du chanteur Arron. Ce dernier ne se prive pas d'accentuer la dramaturgie de sa voix pour narrer des histoires de passion, de luxure, d'amours étranges... La froideur de la musique de Second Skin est encore accentuée par l'apport massif de beats electro qui n'alourdissent pas pour autant son contenu. Cette recette en fait quelque-chose de sombre mais également de tres dansant et on ne sera pas surpris d'entendre certaines de leurs compositions animer le dancefloor.
Cependant, alors que l'album démarre magnifiquement et de maniere jouissive, il perd un peu en surprise et en profondeur sur la longueur et souffre d'une certaine linéarité. Si les arrangements sont bons, ils deviennent parfois un peu systématiques. Les titres finissent par se ressembler rendant l'album difficile a avaler d'une traite.
Une plaque bien agréable néanmoins. Dunkelheit - Juillet 2005

Enslain
"Black Eyed Angel" is the second skin shed by Second Skin, an American band who play techno-industrial synthesized club goth. I would have never guessed that this act came from Arizona; they have a very Southern-European sound that's typical of retro-Euro-goth. The range of influence on this record is somewhere in between Christian Death and David Bowie. While it doesn't have a sound that's radio-accessible, I could definitely hear this taking over the dance club halls on goth/industrial nights. The piercing guitars are simple yet form a solid base to add the cymbal-happy drumming and the delicate, non-overpowering keyboards. There's not a lot of low-end on this release, as the bass prominently follows a mid-toned sound and the snare seems preferred over the bass drums. The production brings everything together nicely, giving a fullness to the simple elements on this release. The vocals are contributed by Arron and Lizz, and an assortment of guest musicians. Arron's multifarious vocal range sounds a little uncontrolled at times but gives character to the music, although I prefer his deeper singing. Lizz adds the alto-range to the songs, and her lines are very fitting. There's not a whole lot of appeal to a metal crowd on this release, save for the few moments when the guitars take their prominence and shred out a few heavy riffs. Mostly these are goth-pop songs, led by catchy little songs like "Body" and "Still My Love". This is a mature and interesting 14-song release that will please fans of the genre. -- Lady Enslain

Obliveon
Restlos begeistert haben mich die Amerikaner Second Skin mit ihrem Goth / Deathrock-Gemisch, so dass ich mich frage, warum das bereits 2003 eingespielte „Black Eyed Angel“ erst jetzt seine längst überfällige Europa-Veröffentlichung erfährt. So kraftvoll, so vital und handwerklich dermassen brilliant ist mir seit langem keine Band dieses Genres mehr untergekommen. Dabei stehen Second Skin musikalisch wohl in der Tradition von Bands wie Clan of Xymox, Starlight Industry, Forthcoming Fire oder Ikon, von denen man auch die Fähigkeit adaptiert zu haben scheint, Songs voller Klasse und hoher Halbwertszeit zu schreiben. Man höre nur einmal Songs wie „Body“, Beautiful“ oder „Still My Love“ um neidlos und anerkennend zuzustimmen, dass dies unvergängliche Hmynen voller düsterer Melancholie und Ausdruckskraft sind. Auch die zum Einsatz kommende Elektronik fügt sich bei Second Skin nahtlos in das Soundgefüge des Trios ein, und auch die immer wieder zum Tragen kommenden weiblichen Stimmen uind die vereinzelte Integration von Samples ergänzen den Sound Second Skins zu wirklicher Klasse und Brillianz. „Black Eyed Angel“ beinhaltet nicht einen Lückenfüller und macht mehr als neugierig, wie Second Skin ihre Zukunft ausgestalten werden. Dass diese für mich bei entrsprechender Unterstützung der Plattenfirmen und Medien ganz gross ausfüllen müsste, steht für mich ausser Frage.
10/10 - MK

Imhoped
I don't know if that's the case with this one, but generally I like "Black Eyed Angels" much more than they like me. Actually, usually they don't like me at all. They don't answer my calls – if I've been lucky enough to get their number, which usually isn't the case – and they tend to act like they don't know me if we meet. Hell, they don't even smile at me.
I guess I should tell you a bit about this album by Second Skin instead of turning this review into a bitter “gothic girls suck” rant. Second Skin perform fairly traditional gothic rock, aided by a drum machine, and "Black Eyed Angel" is their second release. Their sound has it all: cheesy eighties synthesizers, monotonic beats, guitars with lots of chorus effects and a singer who sounds like he's watching his home burn to ashes but cannot do anything about it. The music is so dramatic it's almost ridiculous, but it's not ridiculous, actually. If you think it is, it's just that you have different sense of aesthetics. The biggest problem with "Black Eyed Angel" is that it's too long, meaning both that it's difficult to listen to on one session and that there's not really enough quality material to fill the whole record.
I'm not too fond of the really early gothic rock, ie. the stuff that came out before the first releases of Fields of the Nephilim, and I'm not very fond of badly programmed drum machines. Second Skin are clearly inspired by the former and fully embrace the latter. However, as representatives of their own musical genre, they are not that bad.

Underground Press
“Black Eyed Angel” is the Gothic Rock band, Second Skin` s fourteen track release and an ode to their competence as musicians. The vocals of Arron and Lizz deepen the emotion created on this album and compliment each other with their passion, while Mark Cady fuels the darkened mood with his epic and haunting guitar. The lyrics seems to circle around this “Black Eyed Angel”, a woman with a paper heart and the man who` s muse she has become. Second Skin released this album through Palace of Worms Records in Italy.

LD50
The second album of Second Skin continues on the most beautiful traditions of gothic rock. Full of emotions, at the same time musing and passionate, but it doesn't slide into wristslitting excess. It has life, from the gray, been-there-done-that type. Complete stories are made up while listening to this garland of songs, like we were present at the performance of a grim, romantic musical, with the dramatics of an incestuous romance, with tense monologues, in front of the monumental scenery. Goths, you will have to get this.
Dashing guitarwork raised on Fields Of The Nephilim and The Mission , passionate vocals and wispy electronics describe the most the latest album of Second Skin. Thouroughbred gothic rock, yes, here and now, in 2005. It bravely avoids our age's great fashion, eclecticism, it doesn't get into experimentation, doesn't wantonly take elements from alien styles, it just brings out the most of what we expect of the style today. The songs Body , Beautiful and Still My Love are enough to convince all in doubt, and the coup de grace is delivered by Sweet Nothing and I The East : these songs prove that there are still opportunities for this style aplenty. This is a good album. It is surprising that at the end of 2004 such a work could have seen the light, which returns to the roots of gothic rock / darkwave, and doing this without being boring for even a minute, setting aside all cemetery - self-torment cliches. A transfusion of new blood for the style, which aside from a few exceptions (e.g. Switchblade Symphony) has really been kept in evidence by the great old ones.


Conscientia Peccati - Draco Rex

Gothtronic
Draco Rex is the cd to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Conscientia Peccati. The theme of this cd is the dragon, a archetypical ancient, somewhat snake-like, firing fantasy creature that plays a major role in mythological stories all around the globe. Either be it a negative role like in the christian world, or yet positive as we know of from Chinese culture. In ‘Anima' Chinese and relaxed mediterranean atmospheres come together. ‘Conqueror' which also features a piece of spoken word by Edgar Allen Poe, combines a harpsichord sound with scraping industrial mayhem, a violin and pompuous classical instrumentation. However everything seems to come out of a synthesizer it reminds me somewhar of Argine if you look at impact and beauty. The percussion on this record is in most of the tracks quite ritual and meditative of character and this creates a nice and soothing atmosphere. In other tracks the atmosphere is more folkloristic, such as in ‘Draco Rex' which reminds strongly of the band Sturmpercht. ‘Claw and Flame' is somehwat more miltant by character due to the marching percussion and horns, next to the industrial sounds this creates a bit more of a venomous tension, which fits naturally to the theme of fighting dragons or the overall destructive nature of this ancient creature. The track ‘Princess' is with the sweet and seductive sounds the auditive symbol of that where it is all about: the woman. The dark tones of ‘Throne' end this surprising cd in a decent manner.

D-Side #26
Draco Rex fete le dixieme anniversaire du projet allemand Conscientia Peccati (incarné par le seul Martin Steinebach). La symbolique du dragon et ses déclinaisons (une représentation allant du Mal a la fertilité et a la prospérité, selon qu'on se place du point de vue chrétien ou du point de vue asiatique) fonde une musique minimale, qui mute en autant de formes que le dragon représente de variantes. Les morceaux, sans suivre le dictat de quelque format que ce soit, bricolent une musique ambiante et minimale, faite de mélodies sautillantes et tirant vers l'Asie (« Conqueror »), dans lesquelles les percussions sourdes engagent le Dark-Ambient vers une approche rituelle et apaisée (« Fireblood »), quasi médiévale (« Thirteen Kings »). Tout l'album sonne presque lo-fi, comme une collection d'ambiances bricolées a partir de rien qui donnent au final l'impression d'avoir a faire a une sorte de Dark-Ambient folklorique construit a la maison. Il faut aimer.
Emmanuel Hennequin

Rock Hard Magazine
Nella celebrazione del suo decimo anno di attivita come CP, Martin Steinebach rilascia la settima release su CD (incluso il box triplo con gli altri suoi due progetti, Monoid e StillStand) della propria creatura, nuovamente in edizione limitata a sole 333 copie. Mentre il precedente “Culpa Somniorum” si basava sui sogni, in questa nuova opera il musicista tedesco pone l'accento sul tema del drago, figura interpretata in svariate maniere nelle diverse culture del globo. Un lavoro la cui esplicazione sonora prende quindi spunto principalmente da storie e leggende narrate sui draghi, specialmente tratte dall'immaginario medievale: di qui la scelta (necessaria) di adottare sonorita nettamente piu medievali rispetto al passato, con l'intenzione di fornire un degno apparato musicale che permetta di inebriarsi del fascino di secoli perduti, nei quali ogni cosa (dalla vita alla morte, dalla religione alle gerarchie) possedeva una sorta di mistero intrinseco del quale la gente aveva reverenziale timore. Melodie medievali dunque, col suono del clavicembalo che non di rado funge da perno per dar vita alle atmosfere magiche del ‘periodo buio': momenti piu marziali (la title-track, “Claw And Flame” e “Lure”) si alternano a passaggi piu delicati (“Cloud”) e riflessivi (“Lady Ov Water”), sino alla solenne conclusione con “Throne”, che come altri brani del disco si evolve verso oscuri disegni di matrice dark ambient. Un lavoro che consegue l'obiettivo iniziale, scorrendo senza intoppi in un susseguirsi di stati emotivi alterni, ma sempre legati dal ‘filo rosso' del concept di cui sopra. Una gradita conferma per un artista del quale si parla troppo poco in determinati ambiti.
Roberto Filippozzi 7,5

Legacy
Zum zehnten Geburtstag von CONSCIENTIA PECCATI veröffentlicht das italienische Label Palace Of Worms, das auch schon "Culpa Somniorum" zu einer späten Geburt verhalf, "Draco Rex". Das letztes Jahr fertig gestellte Jubiläumswerk ist ein Themenalbum geworden, das sich den unterschiedlichen Aspekten des Drachen widmet. Das mythische Tier ist weit über die klassischen Märchen, Sagen und Legenden und neueren Fantasy-Adaptionen hinaus in die Weltliteratur eingezogen, etwa in Edgar Allan Poes "The Conqueror Worm", das in einen Track integriert wurde. Die zwölf Tracks mit über 64 Minuten Laufzeit behandeln die schöpferischen und die zerstörerischen Aspekte des Drachens, die vom Christentum negativ geprägte Sicht ebenso wie die positive Sicht des konfuzianischen Chinas. Dem mächtigen Wesen und seiner Überlieferung aus dunklem Mittelalter und grauer Vorzeit entsprechend ist "Draco Rex" das am hymnischsten, mittelalterlichsten, pompösest ausgefallene Album von CONSCIENTIA PECCATI bisher. Nach dem klassisch ruhigen Eröffnungsstück 'Anima' geht es kräftig zur Sache; nur 'Lure' ließe sich noch in die Kategorie "ambient hymnisch" einordnen. Erzählungen und Flüstergesang prägen die Stücke 'Conqueror', 'Thirteen Kings' und 'Draco Rex' einaber unaufdringlich mit. Sicherlich eines der besten Werke von
CONSCIENTIA PECCATI bisher - auf jeden Fall das hymnische Album, auf das ich mich schon immer gefreut habe. Kontakt zu Palace of Worms über: martin.steinebach@t-online.de (RH) 14 Punkte

Neo-Form
Conscienta Peccati, ein Musikprojekt von Martin Steinebach, der u. a. auch durch Monoid und Stillstand bekannt sein dürfte, geht in die zehnte Runde seiner Existenz. Zehn Jahre – eine lange Zeit. Somit ist es auch definitiv an der Zeit, dieses Projekt ein wenig näher zu beleuchten.Die neueste Veröffentlichung von Conscientia Peccati, „Draco Rex“, erschienen 2004 bei dem italienischen Label Palace of Worms, ist ausschließlich einem Thema gewidmet, und zwar dem Drachen in der Mythologie. Umgesetzt wird es durch rituelle ambiente Klangpassagen mit mittelalterlichen Anleihen, gehüllt in ein sehr melodisches, teils melancholisch anklingendes Gewand. Rhythmisch, majestätisch, phantastisch. Bemerkenswert hierbei ist, dass der Käufer dieser CD nicht nur musikalisch, sondern auch visuell im Form des Layouts angesprochen wird – sowohl fernöstliche und mittelalterliche Drachenmotive, als auch eine Abbildung eines Drachentöters, vereint durch einen Text über die mythologische Gestalt des Drachen, als auch eine kurze Erläuterung der Bedeutung des Drachens in der Mythologie, werden auf dieser Scheibe sehr anschaulich vereint. Alles in allem ein durchaus ansprechend gestaltetes Konzeptalbum, das geneigte Ritual/DarkAmbient/Fantasy- und auch Märchen-Fans ansprechen wird.Ein Anspieltipp sei sogleich gegeben, und zwar Lied No. 3, „Fireblood“. Sehr rhythmisch, melodisch, erhaben. Man meint, einer Schlacht, in der feuerspeiende Drachen involviert sind, beizuwohnen. Auffallend sind auch die mittelalterlichen/fernöstlichen Tonelemente in den Melodien und Trommelpassagen, besonders herauszuhören bei Lied No. 1, „Anima“ und teilweise auch bei Lied No. 2, „Conqueror“ – letzteres übrigens ein weiterer Anspieltipp. Auf dieser Scheibe werden alle mythologischen Aspekte der Drachengestalt zusammen getragen, die ja – wie hinreichend bekannt – auch vor allem in China und anderen asiatischen Ländern von großer Bedeutung sind. Doch auch in deutschen Landen war der Drache – oder Lindwurm – in Sagen und Mythen stets präsent. Eine Anspielung auf diverse Märchen oder Legenden mögen Titel wie „Princess“ oder „Thirteen Kings“ geben.Bestechend ist auch der leise Sprechgesang, teilweise im Flüsterton gehalten, dann wiederum verzerrt die Lieder begleitend, der erstmals bei Lied 2 einsetzt und die gesamte Spielzeit über immer wieder herauszuhören ist und den Liedern den rein akustischen Charakter nimmt. Hier wird meiner Meinung nach ein schöner Mittelweg eingeschlagen.Ein wirklich bemerkenswertes nettes Stück Musik, das wunderbar als Hintergrunduntermalung geeignet ist und den Hörer des Öfteren dazu veranlasst, phantastische Bilder in Form von kämpfenden Drachen und tapferen Rittern vor dem inneren Auge entstehen zu lassen. Ein wenig eintönig wirken auf Dauer die minimalistisch gehaltenen monoiden Melodiebögen, allerdings scheint dies beabsichtigt zu sein.„Draco Rex“ zaubert eine angenehm dichte Atmosphäre, zudem besticht die Variation der Lieder, die von melodischen rituellen Melodien zu ambienten ruhigen, sehr sphärischen Klangcollagen überleiten. Ein Anspieltipp wäre hierbei Lied No. 8, „Claw and flame“.Your realm below the seven seas A place of darkest fantasies
You offer love drowning the fools And live your life by simple rules You send the waves to conquer land Follow the moon to this world's end You come and go just like a star Soothing and cruel is what you are (“Lady ov Water”)Das Wesen der Sagengestalt Drache in mythologisch-lyrischem Gewand. Und so hüllt sich auch diese Scheibe in solch ein märchengleiches Gewand. © Anna D. / Nauthiz

Le Fantastique.net
L'album Draco Rex marque le dixieme anniversaire du projet teuton Conscientia Peccati dont le seul membre est Martin Steinebach. Le theme de cet album tres dark ambient moyenâgeux repose sur une des créatures fantastiques les plus connues: le dragon. La premiere partie de l'album se montre quelque peu incohérente et engloutie par des percussions quasi omniprésentes. On retrouve également dans les premiers morceaux quelques sonorités orientales souvent incongrues. Globalement, on est frappé par un son tres cheap. Cependant, il n'en faut pas en rester la car le reste de l'album est bien plus engageant. Une noirceur musicale s'installe de maniere lancinante dans la seconde partie de l'album et la musique s'en retrouve meilleure. De la septieme a la derniere plage, tout est excellent. Les ambiances se font tour a tour planantes, inquiétantes, troublantes, rythmées. On en oublie meme la pauvreté de la production qui faisait défaut au début. Les mélodies sont présentes et on retrouve meme des réminiscences des premiers Mortiis . Malgré un démarrage un peu chaotique, on est malgré tout en présence d'un tres bel opus.


Thy Violent Vanities - Come to Dust

D-Side #26
Projet parallele de deux membres de la formation electro-médiévale “O Quam Tristis…” (Emeric Lenotz et Hugues Dammarie, alias le bassiste de Collection d'Arnell-Andréa, Franz Torres-Quevedo), Thy Violent Vanities installe en toute clarté une ouvre minimale, empreinte de folk et de tournures rock paisibles (un groove de basse minimal, tel celui de l'inaugural « Being your Slave ») et de textures moyenâgeuses générées par un éventail d'instruments anciens (dulcimer, flutes, entre autres). L'articulation de ces univers moins ténébreux que mélancoliques prend corps autour de rythmiques électroniques pour le moins basiques (« Come away Death ») et de la voix sépulcrale d'Hugues Dammarie, dont Collection d'Arnell-Andréa a déja fait un usage tres intéressant sur les chours de leur dernier opus The Bower of Despair. Hugues adopte sur Come to Dust une posture moins funebre, et tend a rendre avec justesse et sobriété ces comptines sur la vanité basées sur des poemes rares de Shakespeare, abouties grâce a la participation des membres de Hide & Seek sur la moitié de l'album : Liesbeth Houdjik et Pierre-Yves Lebeau. Acoustique, spirituelle et apaisante.
Emmanuel Hennequin

Gothtronic
The albumcover of “Come to Dust” of Thy Violent Vanities has a rather cheap look over it, as if someone with a little too much free time on their hands thought it would be funny to put a cd on the market. With fear in my heart i sat myself down to listen to the most terrible music i thought the album would contain. But to my suprise i had to recall my opinion and remembered what someone once said: “Appearances can deceive” or even better “a unfortunaly bad cover can contain a real gem”. This album proves them more than right. Thy Violent Vanities is a side-project of two members from the electro/medievalband O Quam Tristis, namely Hugees Dammarie (also a member of the darkwave band Collection d'Arnell-Andrea under the name Franz Torres-Quevedo) and Emeric Lenotz. “Come to Dust” is the first album what has come forward under this name and hopefully there will appear more albums from their hands. With this album Thy Violent Vanities have delivered a beautiful lustre experience for everybody. The music can be defined as medieval poured in neofolk and darkwave sauce, a combination which in these capable hands works very well. The lyrics are based on unknown poems of William Shakespeare and sung in the original old-English as in which they were written. The main theme concerns the vanity of all man's things, deceived loves, love leading to nothingness and the emptiness of Mankind. All topics what William Shakespeare was best known for in his sonnets and dramas. The splendid and certainly warm voice of Hugues Dammarie conducts the auditor towards a mix of sentimental feelings and loving. Combined with the musical frame of old stringed instruments and modern keyboards with other instruments creates an environment for which i can't make any comparison, it sounds totally unique. This album contains nowhere the dark and gloomy music as one would expect while reading the main themes of the album. It's better defined as a cold/warm shower of splendour and beauty which embrace you like a warm coat. It makes that you desire for cold snowhunts while you are seated before a large fire. The music comes to you like a well-written tale in which all the important topics of life were taken into consideration. Thy Violent Vanities have definitely stolen my heart.
Grade: 8.5  Review by: Godpipo

De Subjectivisten Caleidoscoop
Méditations Ultimes is de derde cd van het Franse vijftal O Quam Tristes. Alleen met een gymnasiumdiploma kom je in de band, aangezien alle teksten in het Latijn zijn. De teksten, gezongen door zowel robuuste mannen en engelachtige vrouwen, zijn dan ook gebaseerd op liturgische en seculiere gedichten uit de Middeleeuwen. Dat is vergelijkbaar met Ataraxia, Qntal en enigszins Dead Can Dance. Anders is het gebruik van moderne elektronica naast de klassieke en oude instrumenten. Zo zijn twee nummers haast dansbaar, terwijl het decor eeuwenoud is. Je zou het een moderne interpretatie van Middeleeuwse muziek kunnen noemen. Overigens is het op vele momenten ook heerlijk sereen en sacraal, ondanks de onderliggende beats. Een origineel album, vol onaardse schoonheid.Twee van de gymnasten uit O Quam Tristis, Hugues Dammarie en Emeric Lenotz, delen een passie voor de gedichten van William Shakespeare. Als Thy Violent Vanities opereren ze om die te vertolken middels liederen. Ze gebruiken op Come To Dust een gelijksoortig instrumentarium als bij hun moederband, dat wil zeggen moderne en traditionele instrumenten. Echt een duo kan je het niet noemen, aangezien ze de Fransman Pierre-Yves Lebeau en de Nederlandse Liesbeth Houdijk, beide uit de bands Hide & Seek en A Sparrow-Grass Hunt te gast hebben om voor de extra vocalen te zorgen. De zang, vaak meerstemmig, is dan ook een sterk onderdeel van de cd; zeker Liesbeth's heldere stem is een mooi aanvulling op die van de zware jongens. Voor de zware stof die ze behandelen is het redelijk opgewekt en up-tempo. Desondanks zou je de muziek als dark folk kunnen bestempelen, maar dan van het soort dat het daglicht prima verdragen kan. Het is een fraai album vol contrasten, net als de poëzie en het leven zelf. Jan Willem Broek

Rock Hard Magazine
Talvolta sbucano dal nulla autentiche sorprese, come nel caso di questo duo francese composto da Hugues Dammarie (Collection D'Arnell Andréa) ed Emeric Lenotz, entrambi membri della electro-medieval band “O Quam Tristis...” (altro piccolo vanto di casa PoW) e qui al debutto con questo superbo side-project. Coadiuvati dall'altro ottimo duo francese Hide & Seek (Liesbeth Houdjik e Pierre-Yves Lebeau), i due artisti danno vita a 12 piccoli gioielli che la stessa label di Lecco ha curiosamente quanto saggiamente definito ‘synth-pop-dark-folk', usando come testi svariate poesie di Shakespeare. Se state pensando ad un improbabile incrocio tra Melotron e Forseti, siete fuori strada: niente di cosi assurdo e/o banalizzante! I TVV riescono ad unire trame acustiche pregiate di stampo dark-folk (usando anche la mandola) a ritmi elettronici soffusi e gentili, ma comunque capaci di scuotere dentro e spingere il corpo in una danza attorno ad un falo notturno nei boschi… La poetica espressa nei testi e ovviamente fuori discussione, trattandosi del caro Will, ed e veramente notevole il gusto con cui il duo arrangia i cantati, riuscendo sempre a costruire melodie orecchiabili ma lontane dai cliché commerciali, nonostante la struttura dei brani sia squisitamente ‘pop'. La band sa mescolare i propri ingredienti con una sagacia davvero fuori del comune, ed elementi come l'ispiratissimo flauto, il dulcimer, il krumhorn etc., nonché il prezioso contributo vocale di Liesbeth e Pierre-Yves, risultano tutti perfettamente amalgamati in un disco che trasuda passato e tradizione pur nel suo essere attuale e completo. 12 canzoni variegate ma ben assortite, tra le quali troverete sicuramente qualcosa in grado di rapirvi i sensi: fate vostro questo piccolo gioiello (limitato a sole 333 copie), e lasciatevi coinvolgere dalla sua indiscutibile bellezza.
Roberto Filippozzi 8,5

Twice N° 26
Il existe des personnes comme ça, qui quand elles sont accros d'un truc, ne s'arretent jamais.... Et bien Franz Torres-Quevedo en fait partie et sa drogue, c'est la musique, aussi variée soit-elle, avec juste pour point central la mélancolie, le bonheur, la tristesse, la nostalgie et le désespoir. En parallele donc de Collection d' Arnell-Andréa, des Three Cold Men, de "O Quam Tristis..." et d' Opéra Multi Steel, c'est avec Thy Violent Vanities que Hugues Dammarie (encore un pseudo!) et Emeric Lenotz ont planché sur de rares poemes de William Shakespeare, chantés dans la langue originale du maître. Musicalement, on trempe dans une sorte de Dark-Folk synthétique aux réminiscences traditionnelles (flutes, mandoles...) qu'un troubadour d'un genre moderne divulgue sous des mélodies répétitives et pleines de poésie sombre et joyeuse a la fois(Thy Bosome is indeared) La résultante est ainsi un beau travail de style, auquel se sont melés délicatement Pierre-Yves et Liesbeth de Hide & Seek sur six titres, apportant aux voix une profondeur encore plus abyssale... "Shall I compare Thee" sera finalement mon titre préféré, évoquant comme un fantôme new-wave tres sombre et pop. Marc Hollis n'aurait-il pas oublié de mettre un dixieme titre sur "The Party's over" de Talk-Talk en 82 ?
Clément Marchal.

Elegy N° 34.
Des le superbe premier morceau “Being your Slave”, on sait que l'on a a faire a des membres d'Opéra Multi Steel et “O Quam Tristis…”. Come to Dust de Thy Violent Vanities sonne en effet comme un best-of de ces deux groupes. Emeric Lenotz et Hugues Dammarie (connu aussi sous le nom de Franz Torres-Quevedo, membre de Collection d'Arnell-Andréa) ont véritablement un son a eux, entre cold-wave romantique et musique médiévo-renaissante et baroque. S'inspirant de poésies de William Shakespeare, Come to Dust évoque la vanité de tout un chacun et les sentiments qui s'y rattachent, des themes soutenus a grand renfort d'instruments traditionnels tels que dulcimer, flutes ou mandole. Thy Violent Vanities pratique une musique électro-folk des plus touchantes, entre sérénité et douce mélancolie. Hugues Dammarie chante magnifiquement, parfois accompagné des chours de Liesbeth Houdijk et Pierre-Yves Lebeau de Hide and Seek. Recommandé ! Yannick Blay (Février 2005)

Gothicrevue.com
When I received this release from Palace of Worms I thought “my isn't that look a lot like a Shakespeare inspired cover? ”; and lo and behold, it is. This release is all, (except one song), lyrically based on the poetries of The Bard himself. If you like the late eighties 4AD out put such as the Dead Can Dance and the Elijah's Mantle releases, or perhaps the Miranda Sex Garden album “Madre” or anything by Stone Breath or CindyTalk ; then you owe it to yourself to get this music created by Hugues Dammarie and Emeric Lenotz . This duo ( along with some help vocally) have sewn together a masterpiece of “middle ages-folk-dance music. My favorite songs are In faith I do not love and Thy bosome is endeared (the little child's voice reminds me of The Anal Staircase by Coil). This is very spiritual and uplifting without being steeped in religious frou frou . Reviewed by Azrael

Le Fantastique.net
Thy Violent Vanities est un side-project de deux membres du groupe electro médiéval O Quam Tristis… , a savoir Emeric Lenotz et Hugues Dammarie (plus connu sous le nom de Franz Torres-Quevedo du groupe Collection d'Arnell Andréa . L'ensemble des textes de l'album repose sur de rares poemes de William Shakespeare. La vanité reste le theme central de cet opus et les amours déçus, déchus sont chantés dans l'Anglais de l'époque.
Tout ici est histoire de mélange, mélange réussi par ailleurs. Mélange entre la voix grave masculine et les apports folk de Liesbeth Houdjik (a noter la collaboration de Hide and Seek sur la moitié de l'album), mélange entre musique traditionnelle (dulcimer, flutes, krumhorn, percussions) et moderne (beats electro, guitare électrique, ligne de basse simple et mélodique). L'album peut varier sans probleme aucun entre un morceau plus "dance" ("Fear no More") et un morceau plus "(néo)classique" ("In Faith I do not Love"). Tout ceci nous donne un melting-pot de dark-folk matinée de synth-pop qui nous emmene a travers une palette de sentiments, d'émotions et de sonorités a chaque fois plus beaux.
Thy Violent Vanities nous offre avec cet opus une composition musicale que Sire Shakespeare lui-meme n'aurait sans doute pas reniée. Dunkelheilt - Aout 2005

Felinea
Alliance de deux membres d' "O Quam Tristis..." : Hugues Damarie et Emeric Lenotz, Thy Violent Vanities a donné vie a un projet enjoué. Pour preuve, l'excellent 'Being your slave' sur lequel Liesbeth Houdjik ( Hide And Seek ) vient émouvoir de sa voix si singuliere. Oscillant entre orchestration inspirée ('Come away death') et ballades mélodiques ('Shadowes' et 'In faith I do not love'). Exit la langue latine, ici le choix s'est porté sur l'anglais qui confere au titre 'Shall I compare thee' une présence immédiate. Ce groupe sait aussi concevoir des morceaux festifs a l'image du scintillant 'Feare no more' ou bien encore mélancolique ('It raineth everyday'). Thy Violent Vanities mérite une écoute attentive et dépossédée des traditionnelles impressions ressenties pour "O Quam Tristis...". Ce véritable projet parallele est un autre angle de vision pour présenter une émotion qui ne saurait devenir poussieres


Conscientia Peccati - Culpa Somniorun

Judas Kiss
Limited to only 333 copies 'Culpa Somniorum' is the first proper CD release for Conscientia Peccati. Based on the concept of dreams and the darkened sects that they hold Conscientia Peccati, has attempted to try and utilize the descriptive qualities of music to explore the boundaries of the unexplained stories that haunt each of us on a nightly bases. Through the interpretation of varying elements of these dreams, Conscientia Peccati has pulled upon various styles of musical interpretation to portray one of mans most unexplained mysteries and how they play such an influential part in our lives. Each of the eleven tracks presented here represent a differing element of the dream cycle and likewise the music represents this changing pattern as it flits from style to style in an attempt to incorporate the dream. From beautifully haunting dark ambient sculptures to structured neo-classical arrangements to medieval instrumentations, Conscientia Peccati music twists and turns itself around in the almost haphazard way that dreams evolve. One moment, tranquil with beautifully subtle near operatic female vocals and gentle strings, to dark malevolent soundscapes, to timelessly simplistic traditional middle aged sounding compositions all of which portray the elements of dreams with a simplistic charm, creating an interesting release.

Rock Hard
Martin Steinebach, che ricordiamo essere attivo anche come Monoid e StillStand, torna a farsi sentire col più longevo dei suoi progetti, ed a prendersi cura della sesta release su dischetto ottico (includendo anche il box di 4 CDR, comprendente tutti i 3 progetti) di CP è la nostrana PoW, etichetta il cui nome è ormai sinonimo di musica ricercata e di qualità. La nuova opera si basa sui sogni e sull'influenza che essi hanno su coloro che sognano, prendendo notevoli spunti dall'opera di Freud in merito alla sfera onirica: ne scaturisce un lavoro oscuro, intriso di non-emozioni raggelanti e realmente capace di trasportare la mente in uno stato di sogno, come in una sospensione onirica subcosciente. Benché si protragga oltre l'ora, il lavoro avvolge l'ascoltatore impedendogli di distrarsi o di annoiarsi, grazie ad un tessuto sonoro e ritmico etnico-ritualistico abilmente intrecciato a sonorità di stampo neoclassico e drones marcatamente dark ambient, senza scordare alcuni influssi industrial/ambientali e campionamenti che, come da copione, contribuiscono in maniera concreta a creare le atmosfere pertinenti al discorso intrapreso. A colpire maggiormente è la seconda metà del disco, decisamente più inquietante e tetra, all'interno della quale si ergono i picchi dell'opera: “Certamen”, i cui campionamenti di voci liriche danno realmente i brividi, e “Destroyer”, che gela il sangue col suo rincorrersi di sussurri nel buio più nero… Un nuovo gioiello oscuro per gli amanti delle sonorità etnico/ritualistiche, ai quali suggeriamo di affrettarsi nella ricerca, poiché si tratta di un'uscita limitata a sole 333 copie. Un disco che vale la pena possedere.Roberto
Filippozzi 7,5

D-Side
Conscientia Peccati n'en est pas à son coup d'essai, mais Culpa Somniorum est son premier album à sortir sur un label. Le groupe italien formé en 1994 se passionne aujourd'hui pour le rêve et les théories freudiennes qui l'accompagnent. Culpa Somniorum décline en musique onze rêves latents ou manifestes, avec un choix sonore et mélodique aussi noir et inquiétant qu'étrangement cotonneux. Pour la plupart instrumentales, les compositions de Conscientia Peccati oscillent entre ambiances médiévales et martiales mais aussi rituelles et ambient. Le groupe réussit l'exploit de matérialiser ses cauchemars par le biais de sons magiques et démoniaques du plus bel effet.

Projekt
A release focused around dreams and their influence on the dreamer, by this German project which offers a combination between medieval/neoclassical and ritual/ambient that brings to mind The Soil Bleeds Black or TMLHBAC.
The main theme of the new Conscientia Peccati release are dreams and their influence on the dreamer. A number of songs address this topic from different points of view. While "Golden Spider" describes the longing for something one only can have in his dreams, "Destroyer" tells about the driving forces of dreams. Most songs are purely instrumental, ranging from middle-age influenced tracks to ritualistic and martial drumming and experimental ambient-like tracks. Dreaming has often been seen as a semi-magic state. The messages received in reams are interpreted by many schools of magick and also ethnic believes. While dreaming man was supposed to be especially vulnerable to seduction by demons. All this makes dreams a very well suited topic for the new Conscientia Peccati release.

Legacy
Lange Zeit war es still um Martins Steinebachs Ritualprojekt geworden. Nun kommen mit einem Schlag zwei Werke auf zwei Labeln heraus. In der letzten Ausgabe konnten wir uns über "Quinque Viae" freuen, nun kommt mit "Culpa Somniorum" das nächste (lang erwartete) Album. Die nunmehr fünfte Veröffentlichung CONSCIENTIA PECCATIs rührt auch schon aus den Jahren 1998/1999 her. Ein löbliches Unterfangen des italienischen Labels Palace of Worms, eines, das sich lohnt. Ausgehend von der Freudschen Theorie der Traumdeutung als Bestimmung von latenten und manifesten Inhalten, beschäftigen sich elf Stücke mit dem kleinen Bruder des Todes und seinen Auswirkungen. Okkulte bzw. spiritistische Elemente kommen dabei nicht zu kurz, etwa in der Überlieferung einer im 16. Jahrhundert bei einer Geisterbeschwörung empfangenen Botschaft in 'Black Moon'. Neben solch meditativ-rituellen Tracks (dazu zählt auch das über zehnminütige 'Atlach-Nacha') fällt die Masse der vorhandenen hymnisch-neoklassischen Stücke auf. 'Prima Lux', 'Mare', 'Tanz', 'Certamen' angenehm auf. Während das bekannte großformatige, auf grauem Papier erstellte Artwork einer an den üblichen CD-Booklet-Standard angepassten Gestaltung weichen musste, bleibt die ikonographische Stringenz gewahrt. Auch das kompositorische Vorgehen bleibt konstant: Einzelne Töne werden aufgenommen und zu eigenen Rhythmen und Motiven außerhalb ihres ursprünglichen Kontextes kombiniert.Für Fans sind somit beide Alben, "Culpa Somniorum" und "Quinque Viae" Pflicht.
(RH) 13 Punkte

Funprox
Conscientia Peccati does not stand for just music, their releases have a strong conceptual character. "Culpa Somniorum" is dedicated to dreams and their influence on the dreamer. The music has a clear ritual, sacred character, with a dominant role for percussion, organ and chanting. The mosty instrumental tracks are pretty varied. Some sound very medieval or neo-classical ('Prima Lux', 'Tanz'), others are more experimental ('Black Moon', 'Traum') or ambient. Darker martial work is also present, like 'Somnium', reminding me of The Moon Lay Hidden... Some tracks, like 'Certamen', have the original element of opera-like voices, which may take some time to get used to. A nice album with a mysterious ritual atmosphere and an interesting concept, exploring the magical aspect of dreaming. This German project started in 1994 with a tape release on Art Konkret. Meanwhile, ten years later, Conscientia Peccati has a new album out on Palace of Worms: "Draco Rex".


Various - Defende the Palace

Sorted Magazine
"Defend the Palace", it probably won't surprise people interested in this kind of music, is the "sequel" to the Palace of Worms' "Storm the palace" compilation of a few years ago. It's much the same story, a variety of mediaeval-inspired sounds from different bands, this time featuring the Machine in the Garden, Loretta's Doll and Dream Into Dust as the main attractions. Unto Ashes kick the fourth act (acts I-III are on "Storm the palace") off in full-on classical style with 'Funeral march for Queen Mary', followed by Belborn, who ruin an acoustic vocal piece in German with some pointless black metal style roaring in the middle. Regard Extrême put it back on track with the authentic sounding mediaeval instrumental, while the Blue Horn treat us to a powerful ballad with stunning vocals. Then there are some strong vocal-based pieces from Sieben and the Machine in the Garden, before Furvus take us back to a more traditional mediaeval style. Hexentanz mix a doomy soundscape effect with mediaeval military music and a witchy spoken word vocal rather well, which feeds nicely into the Hammer Horror soundtrack Gothic of Dawn of Reflection's 'Trial of the beast' with the deep exorcism spoken vocals. 'Jube Domine Benedicere' is O Quam Tristis... in fine form, a ye olde folk song underlain with a taste of modern electronica. Loretta's Doll live up to expectations with 'March of 10', a great dark, brooding piece built around marching drums.Gaë Bolg and the Church of Fand kick off Act V with a quirky piece with sprightly rhythms, horns and somewhat overblown vocals. Messrs Rush and Dall do a quick change around to re-emerge as Dream Into Dust for 'The Trial Invisible', which sounds strangely like Radiohead, but in a good way, as if Thom Yorke had pulled his head out of his ass and mixed the pop simplicity of their debut with some of the atmospherics of their later stuff. Still, it's strange to hear it from Dream Into Dust, but anyway, it's followed by the bright and cheerful bit of flutes and drumming that is Sir Logla and the Black Nights and then a return to the gloom with the ultra doomy and atmospheric 'White Logic' by Chtonic Force, but it's an enjoyable gloom all the same. The same can not be said for the leaden doomfest that is Sophia's 'Perceval' or the strange, but fairly boring, mix of atmospheric noises and guitar that is 4th Sign of the Apocalypse's 'He hungers for the sting of insolent flesh'. Socrates Wounded win the prize for the longest song title with 'Contradiction for the god, who wants to know himself... in you', a rather bright piece with a lot of metallic drumming and some bloke mumbling, a rather pointless ditty really, but not bad, before Mysterian get all doomy again, but 'The pale halls of Pluto' is a more mediaeval funereal type of doom and it's pretty good. Von Thronsahl's 'Shuld + Sühne' is a rather nice piece of cut and pasting, mixing film samples and bits of classical music on top of a simple organ melody, it's kind of like the sound of some strange fairground ride. Summer Ends seem a bit modern with a track called '1984', but it's a really great piece, that simply mixes the voice track from a German film with some acoustic guitar and a little drums… to dramatic effect. And then Pimentola wrap it all up with the pseudo-classical 'Outro'. This is another fine collection of mediaeval inspired music from Palace of Worms and well worth adding to your collection if you've a taste for the old world. Girl the Bourgeois Individualis.

Judas Kiss
Following on from their previous compilation 'Storm the Palace of Worms', Italian label Palace of Worms return with yet another musical epic representing of struggle for survival and supremacy that washed over Europe in its darkest of historical periods, The middle ages'. A time of turmoil and uncertainty, death and disease where part of everyday life, where persecution by the church was common place and poverty and fear proved to be the milestone around the necks of the commoners, which helped the ruling classes keep them in check and underfoot. As a musical accompaniment to such an uncertain time of death and struggle, POW's have collated together twenty-two artists that represent some of the more established elements in today's scene. From the monumental European neo-folk melodies of Judas Kiss favourites Belborn that can be found near the beginning of this collection, you're sucked into the beautifully compelling and strongly European atmosphere of the album. Most elements from the current crop of European styles are represented here, from the afore mentioned neo-folk anthems, to dark ambience and experimental soundscapes, to pounding martial 'call to arms' to traditional medieval ditties, the spectrum of genres covered is most impressive as is the calibre of artists that appear which include Dream into Dust, Von Thronstahl, Sophia and Sieben to name only a few. As with their previous compilations POW have managed to produce another diverse and enjoyable compilation that would fit in nicely to any collection of today's artists. A very recommended compilation release that showcases tracks from some fabulous artists.

Ver Sacrum
L'interessante etichetta italiana Palace of Worms, ci regala, dopo “Storm the Palace” un'altra bella compilation dedicata al Medioevo e alla sua “età oscura”. Vengono presentate in un CD ben 22 bands, provenienti da differenti paesi, che si collocano nell'ambito della musica medievale, apocalittica, industriale oscura. L'antologia non è affatto un'accozzaglia di pezzi (come la maggior parte delle compilation!), ma cerca principalmente di costruire un'atmosfera e un'ambientazione che riporti al passato, senza per questo sciogliere i legami con il presente (e con il futuro), perfetta colonna sonora di un film di fantascienza dai toni neomedievali. Le immagini evocate sono infatti quelle di un mondo strano ed esoterico, fatto di misteri e di inquietudine, di cavalieri misteriosi, di guerre tribali, di stragi sanguinose, di peccati e di pene inquisitorie, ma anche di momenti di malinconia e dolcezza. Tra i gruppi presentati molti vengono dagli Stati Uniti, tra cui vanno ricordati i bravi Unto Ashes, con un arrangiamento tratto da Henry Purcell, i The Machine in the Garden, con il bel brano “Far from home” e i Loretta's Doll. Tra gli europei si segnalano l'ottimo Sieben, i francesi “O Quam Tristis....”, decisamente uno dei gruppi nuovi più notevoli del momento, gli oscuri Sophia (ovvero l'altro lato degli Arcana) e l'italiano Furvus, con l'affascinante brano “Te Deum Oro”. Ma molti sono anche i gruppi davvero poco conosciuti, che si rivelano piuttosto interessanti, come gli Hexentanz, i Dawn of Reflection, i Dream into Dust, e molti altri ancora. Una compilation dunque sicuramente da ascoltare e consigliata a tutti gli amanti delle sonorità oscure (Mircalla)

Ortus Obscurum
A very varied compilation featuring neo-classical tracks, Neo-Pagan tracks as well as a couple of tracks of more or less unidentifiable nature.The material on this CD ranges from very vocal-oriented material like The Blue Hour or Furvus to instrumental music like Pimentola or Sir Logla and the Black Knights. I think I can hear a lot of contrast between the computer made tracks and the more acoustic ones. The deep orchestration of Sophia for example makes a far better impression than Mysterian's more computer sounding music.Several of the tracks on this CD are supposedly unique ones though I'm not entirely sure about this. The above mentioned Sophia track for example is marketed as unique, yet it is really nothing else than the first part of The Seduction of Madness MCD. Why it has come to be like this remains a mystery to me but along with Pimentola, Von Thronstahl, Regard Extreme and The Blue Hour's contributions, Sophia belongs to the high-lights of this CD
It is a price-worthy compilation you get here when it comes to the length of the CD, every compilation should be 78 minutes long! The quality of the material on this CD varies very much but in general I think that there's enough minutes of good music within these almost 80 minutes to make it a decent compilation. Still, I doubt that there are many who will enjoy every single track on this CD. Its nature is quite diverse and in some cases, it feels like the only real common denominator between many ofthe bands is that they have ended up on the same compilation CD. Wether or not this is good is up to the listener to decide, if you are open-minded you might wanna check this out but if you prefer to stick to just one genre you run the risk of getting disappointed about this CD. Ectonaut

Rock Hard Italy
Finalmente una raccolta degna di nota, contenente ben 22 brani (per altrettanti artisti) opportunamente selezionati dalla nostrana PoW. La cosa interessante è che questo sampler contiene solo inediti composti e registrati per l'occasione, e per una volta tanto anche le scelte stilistiche non fanno a pugni l'una con l'altra, a differenza di certe accozzaglie male assemblate ascoltate di recente. La ricercatezza delle proposte (di cui solo alcune accasate presso la PoW) è il filo conduttore: suoni acustici, spesso e volentieri eterei, talvolta più puramente ambient, altre volte vicini al folk apocalittico, in un viaggio a ritroso attraverso secoli passati… Salvo un paio di brani e certe cose eccessivamente corte, in pratica tutte le band partecipanti non deludono, e tra gli highlights della raccolta vanno senza dubbio menzionati The Blue Hour (la loro ballata folk è davvero sentita…), Sieben, The Machine In The Garden (con una song acustica intensa e drammatica), Furvus (autentico splendore sacro), Dawn Of Reflection (con un pezzo davvero scuro), i validi “O Quam Tristis…” (il loro mix etereo-elettronico affascina…), Dream Into Dust (la loro “The Trial Invisibile” è davvero malinconica…) ed i Sophia di Mr. Pettersson (con l'inquietante e nerissima “Perceval”). Tutto materiale di buon livello, dunque, e come avrete notato non mancano nomi piuttosto quotati, oltre ovviamente ai gruppi del roster PoW (inspiegabile, però, l'assenza dei Luna In Cælo): una raccolta adattissima per chi vuole scoprire sonorità particolari e ricercate, ma interessante anche per i più forniti cultori del genere. Roberto Filippozzi

Sekuencias de culto
The Palace Of Worms label has released a couple of interesting compilations in the past, and this new "chapter" follows the trace of the previous ones in terms of quality bands and mostly unreleased tracks. Particularly this is some kind of continued story after the release of "Storm The Palace" three years ago, where contributed some very interesting and recognised acts such as Rosa Crvx, Ataraxia, The Protagonist, Nothvs Filivs Mortis, Halalaz' Runedance, Ontario Blue, etc. This new disc is focussed again in the dark and middle ages and on many of its ever intriguing topics such as holy war, plagues, religion, and so on. I mean, the story facts are many, and the inspiration for these bands contributing, accordingly, varied.The CD is split in two parts, each one containing eleven bands. "Act IV: The Unexpected Arrival" begins the story with a short instrumental intro by Unto Ashes, an appropriated composition with keyboarded-medieval melodies and introductory drums. Next are the Germans Belborn with "Flammentod", a band I have never liked due to its sometimes simplicity and mainly to its lack of originality, a some kind of pop dark folk with lyrics sung in their language. Much better is the following, and one of the highlights of the compilation, they are Regard Extrême and "Amour Te Volerai", here we see a huge difference between a more artificial sound of the first track and a great composition with its nice medieval touch with troubadour reminiscences; enter the whole reign of this excellent track. We change of style and found a nice band, The Blue Hour, deep sincere male voice simply accompanied with acoustic guitar, bass and slight backing ambient, I would say a some kind "neofolk" piece but with a proper orientation that I hope to hear again in form of a full album, very interesting anyway, the track is under the name of "The Night Is Windless". Sieben gives a piece named "Beckon His Slaughter" that is no other thing than a new version of the title "Barley" included in their first album, a track which was sung by Sally Doherty and Jane Howden. In this new one we can hear a renewed version more adapted to the current style of the band and with the main voice of the now only member, Matt Howden, added by Jane's backing vocals. A very nice new approach. "Far From Home" by The Machine In The Garden" is an acoustic ballad with soft but passionate female vocals inclined to a dark wave style, interesting at least. I had listened an album by the Italian project Furvus, and was not very attracted of the general result, however, "The Deum Moro" is much more convincing, a medieval composition with Latin preaching voice and chants, some kind of sacred piece with clavichord sound, organs and some orchestrated parts. In a similar way, and quite oriented to the general atmosphere of the compilation, we have the next band, Hexentanz (a project of Psychonaut and of The Soil Bleeds Black members), with the track "Asmodeus" Rise"; after an introductory and mysterious atmosphere it turns out to be a very lively composition with strong real drums and flute joined by a peculiar reciting female voice. Another unknown band for me is, like the previous one, Dawn Of Reflection. Their track, "Trial Of The Beast", shows a more tragic and darker side of the compilation with an unclassifiable composition containing a severe recitation and some apocalyptic result aided by original percussion accompaniment, the piece keep growing in its incisive enchantment till the very end. "O Quam Tristis" is a French band that have already released two albums through Palace Of Worms. Their style is based in a modern version of old medieval tunes, joining electronica and real instruments like flute, acoustic guitar and voices, like in this case, "Jube Domine Benedicere", which is a clear example of their music inclinations. The closing track of this act is "March Of 10" by Loretta's Doll, as usual the composer is varied and prolific and this is a piece with rolling drums adding his deep voice to a creation that joins experimentation and less rare accompaniment like piano and other melodies. Another piece of very own personality.We approach the second part, the "Act V: The Palace's Revenge" with Gaë Bolg and The Church of Fand" opening. Eric's Roger band enter this new act with "La Marche de L'Ankou", obviously a marching song with the usual vocals and trumpet being the main protagonists, as well as a style dominated by a strange form of conceiving the dark ages. I think Dream Into Dust is yet to have the recognition it deserves as a very particular and interesting act as it is. Derek Rush's project is for me one of the few that can combined several styles by keeping its own originality and without falling in an impossible and unbearable mix of each. This ballad here presented have the name of "The Trial Invisible", aside his latest contributions to compilations more inclined to some kind of dark ambient, this song offers acoustic guitar and some characteristic non acoustic construction to form an original way of composing. His soft voice is very convincing and adapt the original composition that at first sight may look as a more simple dark wave (?) style. I await for the follow up to his great album "The World We Have Lost". Another totally unknown act for me is Sir Logia and The Black Knights with the track "Trotto", a short piece with programmed percussion and sounds in close style to the general concept. Chthonic Force's "White Logic" follows, a more convincing instrumentation with real drums backing the storytelling voice of a man and the menacing female repetitive phrase, a piece that can be one of the best examples of this new Palace. Another side of the concept is reflected by Sophia and "Perceval", a monumental track, very close to what Peter Pettersson is developing in his late recordings, being this a piece with dark orchestrated melodies and marching percussion. I can judge the music of the next act, 4th Sign of the Apocalypse, only be several tracks on compilations. This is one of the projects of Bryin Dall from Loretta's Doll (others are Athanor and A Murder Of Angels, this last one together with Derek Rush Of Dream Into Dust) and, as in other compositions, he offers through this moniker a very rare and personal way of experimenting with sounds to get a continued abstraction of a dark nature. Socrates Wounded is a young band that I have find also on compilations, the track here included is quite short an hardly we can give a real opinion of the project: a dark folk piece with reciting voice. Mysterian is a new band for me, including "The Pale Halls Of Pluto", a piece with a sonority that brings reminiscences of certain mediaeval tunes, not surprising I would say. The Germans Von Thronstahl in "Shuld + Sühne" show the ever oppressing and inquisitorial side of the church with lots of sampled voices and its more melodic but usual style, maybe more apocalyptic and less pompous than in other occasions. The instrumental "1984" is presented by Summer Ends, this is a very typical dark folk guitar conformed with the style of some important bands of the genre, accompanied by sampled voices and sporadic percussion. The album closes with an outro by Pimentola, a nice neoclassical end for a CD that, as all compilations, have its highs and its lows. Recommendable to all those interested in the styles presented since you will find mostly unreleased tracks.F. Paco González.

Dagaz
The label Palace of Worms that has been accustoming us to excellent compilations, surprises us once again with "Defend The Palace". With a substantial different concept from his previous ones, this edition is divided in two parts with a total of 22 tracks. The sonorities are basically acoustic, some dark-folk, others more neo-classic or even dark-ambient. With so many projects involved, is natural that some please more than others, but at the end it's a pleasant edition and rather rewarding. Once again, the Gaë Bolg theme is brilliant - very epic and full of overpowering percussions.

Elegy
Après avoir attaqué le Palais (Storm the Palace) il va falloir le défendre, ce que nous propose le label Palace of Worms dans cette double compilation Defend the Palace. Et pour cela, nous avons à nos côtés quelques alliés de poids et de choc puisqu'il s'agit de quelques -uns des meilleurs groupes de dark-folk, de néoclassique ou de musique rituelle qui soient. A titre d'exemple : Unto Ashes, Regard Extrême, Sieben, Hexentanz, Gae Bolg, Sophia, Von Thronstahl. Pas mal, non? Bien sûr, tous les morceaux ne se valent pas, ainsi l'affreux mais heureusement court "Trotto" de Sir Logla and the Black Knights, mais certains méritent à eux-seuls l'achat de ce CD comme le "White Logic" de Chthonic Force, le "Beckon his Slaughter" de Sieben ou encore le "Trial of the Beast" de Dawn of Reflection. Bref, que du bon et du solide dans cette compilation élaborée avec soin et goût, à l'instar du tribute à Sol Invictus... décidément l'alchimie musicale devient un art raf finé. Barberousse

Funprox
A few years ago the Italian label Palace of Worms released the compilation "Storm the palace', with 18 bands paying homage to medieval times. Quite a decent compilation, though not with many tracks that are still memorable. Now there is a sequel, "Defend the palace". Agaian this compilation brings together some of the finest names in the neofolk/classical/medieval scene. No less that 22 acts are present, most of them with unreleased material.
"Storm the palace" was divided into three segments, this new compilation continues the story with two parts: 'Act IV: The unexpected arrival' and 'Act V: The palace's revenge'. The medieval theme makes sure that there is a nice atmopshere throughout this album. Again it has become a solid sampler, with some interesting tracks, and a few promising acts that were new to me. The songs I like most from 'Act IV' are by Unto Ashes, Belborn, Sieben, Hexentanz, Dawn of Reflection and O Quam Tristis. Gae Bolg, Sophia, Mysterian, Von Thronstahl, Summer Ends and Pimentola are some of my favourite tracks of 'Act V'.


"O QUAM TRISTIS... " - Les Rituel Sacre

Sorted Magazine
Every now and again, a CD blasts your preconceptions about itself. O Quam Tristis, with a name like that as well as being on the Palace of Worms label, was obviously going to be another mediaeval style release, which it is. But the moment the electronic beats kick in on the first track, it's obviously something different as well. This band performs authentic, but accessible, mediaeval style music, with a mix of soft male and female vocals, but they've added electronic beats and it sounds great. They vary how much of each style they put into each track, 'Separari permitas' is straightforward plainsong, while 'Venerabiles manus suas' has a dancey beat and electro bleeps galore, but most of the album maintains a balance between the two and break from the monotony that ruins too many releases of this type. Granted, classical music buffs would balk at this, but their clever and tasty updating of ancient musical styles should appeal to fans of ethereal music and some of it might also find admirers among dance fans who like Delerium and the like. The EBM rhythms of 'Gratias agimus tibi' even manage to work the lyrics, which are repeated over and over, into your head until, if you're not careful, you could find yourself singing along to a section of the Latin Mass! All in all, this is a very nice mix of styles, which will have your feet tapping to the rhythm while the ethereal vocals float around your head. Girl the Bourgeois Individualis

Ink 19
If you've ever wondered what the Latin mass would sound like if a darkwave group performed it instead of a priest, "O Quam Tristis..."'s gorgeous new album, Le Rituel Sacré, is your answer. Heavenly female siren songs and soothing, monk-like male voices combine with synths, electronic and acoustic percussion, bass and acoustic guitars, flutes, bagpipes, chimes, and much more to evoke the mystery and magic that underlie the familiar Catholic liturgies. All the vocals are in Latin, taken from the Mass and other sacred texts, and deal with such topics as the glory of God and the resurrection of Christ (the band's name, also in Latin, means something like "O such sorrow..."). But you don't have to be a believer in Christ to become a believer in "O Quam Tristis..." -- one time through this album is all it will take for that.As you might expect with all the vocals in Latin and the use of some period instruments, much of Sacré has a shadowy, medieval feel, which fans of groups like Arcanta, Love is Colder Than Death, or The Soil Bleeds Black should enjoy. But that's only part of what makes this album so incredibly unique and original (the closest comparison I can really make, in spirit at least, is to another little-known French band, Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, and even that is a stretch). Who would have thought to set Latin liturgical texts, normally chanted by monks and intoned by priests in musty cathedrals, to twenty-first century dance beats? Who would have thought the results would be so deeply moving, both on the physical and spiritual levels? Every song on this album is hypnotic, addictive, building from a single voice and simple beat to a throbbing, trance-inducing, spiraling crescendo of visions of the light within deep darkness and sounds of the spirit in ecstasy. And the musicianship is exquisite, especially the singing, which was one of the highlights of this all-around outstanding album for me.

Judas Kiss
An entire album in ecclesiastical Latin?! If only this were still the Middle Ages, O Quam Tristis would be guaranteed a Europe-wide audience. I was tempted to write my review in Latin too, but then I realised I don't knowany, so I couldn't. D'oh! This is the second album from the French quintet O Quam Tristis, following their 2000 debut, Funérailles des Petits Enfants. (O Quam Tristis, by the way, means 'Oh, how sad' or 'Oh, what a shame', I think.) Le Rituel Sacré opens with a barrage of gongs and synth before the female and male vocals kick in. There are two female vocalists, Anna Virsky and Katrina Koslowska, and their angelic harmonies provide a pleasing top note over the deep foundation of male monastic chanting. The tracks that stood out for me were 'Suscipe Sancte Pater', which has a distinctly Middle Eastern feel to it and complex vocal layering, and 'Venerabiles manus suas',which is highly dancable and would go down well at the right kind of club night. A lot of this album sounds like Kraftwerk or Front 242 with Gregorian chant over the top of it. All the lyrics are taken from the Catholic mass or from various Latin liturgical texts'. It's a pleasant and not unduly challenging listen, and should appeal if you like Dead Can Dance, The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud, Ataraxia or The Medieval Baebes. The drum machines and electronic keyboards prevent it sounding like 'authentic' medieval revival music, and will deter purists, although acoustic instruments are also used, including assorted drums, flutes, a dulcimer and bagpipes. I'd like this album more, though, if I could shake off the nagging suspicion that Cliff Richard and the Pope might quite enjoy it too! Stultorum quanto status sublimior, tanto manifestior turpitudo.

Funprox
A few years ago the Italian label Palace of Worms released the compilation "Storm the palace', with 18 bands paying homage to medieval times. Quite a decent compilation, though not with many tracks that are still memorable. Now there is a sequel, "Defend the palace". Agaian this compilation brings together some of the finest names in the neofolk/classical/medieval scene. No less that 22 acts are present, most of them with unreleased material."Storm the palace" was divided into three segments, this new compilation continues the story with two parts: 'Act IV: The unexpected arrival' and 'Act V: The palace's revenge'. The medieval theme makes sure that there is a nice atmopshere throughout this album. Again it has become a solid sampler, with some interesting tracks, and a few promising acts that were new to me. The songs I like most from 'Act IV' are by Unto Ashes, Belborn, Sieben, Hexentanz, Dawn of Reflection and O Quam Tristis. Gae Bolg, Sophia, Mysterian, Von Thronstahl, Summer Ends and Pimentola are some of my favourite tracks of 'Act V'.

Sonido Obscuro
"O Quam Tristis..." es un grupo francés formado por Emric Lenote, Katrina Koslowska, Anna Virsky, Hugues Dammarie y Tomek Ashkenazy Isaac , procedentes de distintos grupos de música dark , gótica , folk e incluso clásica . El nombre del quinteto procede de una pieza barroca de Antonio Vivaldi , "Stabat Mater" . La elección del nombre refleja la esencia de este grupo, fascinado por la música medieval , renacentista y barroca , y que elige el latín como lenguaje en homenaje a la música que admira. "Le Rituel Sacré" es el título de su segundo disco . Contiene trece temas sacados de la Santa Misa . Así leído puede parecer un disco tedioso, pero el resultado es sobresaliente , tanto por la calidad como por la originalidad de su sonido. "O Quam Tristis..." consigue que un texto tan antiguo y solemne como éste suene moderno Para ello, mezcla virtuosamente instrumentos medievales, clásicos y electrónicos con las voces angelicales de Katrina y Anna . Encontramos canciones que, en principio, suenan de un modo más tradicional, pero cuyo ritmo vivo las hace muy actuales, como es el caso de "Offerimus tibi" o "Separari permitas" .También pueden escucharse temas con sonido más inmediatamente moderno , por ejemplo "Per Christum" o "Credo" , e incluso canciones con cierto eco oriental , como "Perceptio Corporis Tui" o "Apostolis Tuis" . La elección de la lengua latina es un acierto, ya que aporta sensualidad y misterio a este excelente trabajo. ?Enhorabuena! Comentado por: Anastasia Cuervo @ Sonidobscuro.com

Ver Sacrum
Il gruppo francese "O quam tristis…" ci regala con questo suo secondo album un lavoro davvero di notevole qualitr, sicuramente uno dei migliori realizzati quest'anno nell'ambito della musica medieval/ethereal. Le Ritual Sacré c un viaggio nel mondo liturgico, con liriche riprese dalla "Messa Sacra" e da altri testi anonimi in latino, il tutto rivisto e corretto in chiave contemporanea. Non si tratta pern di rifacimenti di antiche musiche medievali, ma di brani che rifacendosi a quelle atmosfere riescono, anche attraverso un uso davvero abile e mai invadente degli strumenti elettronici, a creare qualcosa di originale e coinvolgente. Quelle di Le Ritual Sacré sono sonoritr oscure, intense e complesse, spesso costruite sulla stratificazione di piu voci, sul contrasto tra quelle maschili e quelle femminili e sulla ripetizione ritmica dei testi, che danno ai brani un aspetto cantilenante e ritualistico, tipico delle melodie ecclesiastiche ("Domini Nostri Jesu Christi", "Simili modo", "Per Christum", "Placeat tibi"). Ci sono pern anche pezzi di maggior potenza, addirittura quasi ballabili, dove le sonoritr elettroniche sono in primo piano, come "Gratias agimus tibi", davvero intenso ed emozionante e lo splendido "Venerabilis manus suas", altri dalle tonalitr quasi orientaleggianti ("Suscipe Sancte Pater"), altri ancora dominati dalle percussioni ("Perceptio Corporis Tui") o dalla voce femminile eterea ed ammaliatrice ("Et incarnatus est"). Insomma si tratta di un lavoro che riesce ad amalgamare e condensare in modo estremamente efficace tante ispirazioni diverse in un unicum di rara bellezza ed armonia

StillBorn
Fantastico.. qualcosa di impalpabile, qualcosa di inafferrabile, ma estremamente dolce e piacevole.. questa c la musica.. c la musica dei francesi O Quam Tritis.. un incrocio tra l'inquietudine malinconica e piacevolmente triste del dark/goth unita alla tradizione dei canti sacri medievali.. e tutto questo si fonde grazie anche all'incontro tra strumenti moderni e strumenti medievali. Ora non so quanti di questi canti in realtr fossero accompagnati da strumenti all'epoca.. ma l'uso che ne fanno gli OQT c veramente bellissimo.. a volte vi sono dei momenti in cui le parti musicali moderne tendono un pn troppo alla musica electrodarkettona quasi ballabile ma questo non ci distoglie dal piacere che si ha ad ascoltare questi canti sacri esclusivamente in latino e arrangiati in modo tale da poter essere ascoltati da tutti coloro che non sopportano quei canti privi di qualche strumento (per es. qualche strumento a percussione) che dia un ritmo a quegli incroci di voci usate magnificamente per lodare un qualche dio cristiano. Sicuramente il tutto c suonato e cantato divinamente.. ho notato anche un ottimo basso alla voce, ma non sono sicuro se ci sia effettivamente un voce al basso o se c stato qualche effetto sulle altre voci per sovrapporre poi il basso. Le suadenti voci femminili si incrociano perfettamente tra loro creando effetti piacevolissimi e a volte sembrano quasi riferirsi a certi canti rinascimentali, ma comunque c tutto soprattutto cantato secondo canoni medievali e anche gregoriani.
Un disco per tutti. E non fatevi intimidire dalle parole come "musica sacra" o "medioevo".. questa c musica, musica da ascoltare.. e le parti piu elettroniche, usate con parsimonia, non sminuiscono il risultato finale, ma anzi lo rendono migliore e piu piacevole. Insomma fate vostro questo fantastico disco!!!

Sensorium
La prerogativa primaria del collettivo transalpino O Quam Tristis (gir alla loro seconda uscita, ricordiamo l'ottimo platter d'esordio "Funerailles Des Petits Enfants") sta tutta nella loro innata abilitr nel fondere in un unicum praticamente inscindibile antico e moderno, sacro e profano.Non si spiega altrimenti questa preziosa sintesi di tessiture electro e salmodiare medievaleggiante, come se l'immaginario mistico di Dead Can Dance ed Ataraxia fosse di colpo proiettato in una dimensione tecnologica contemporanea, situata giusto in bilico tra il minimalismo di Detroit e le ossessioni trance di casa Warp. La risultanza (e vale la pena di citare i precursori Qntal) brilla fascinosa nell'equilibrio del dosaggio, sapientemente misurato nonché ineccepibile nel merito della scrittura: brani piuttosto lunghi, godibilissimi, dove il cantato in latino si adagia su un retrogusto gregoriano virato in prospettiva digitale, ideale viatico per una prolungata estasi emotiva.Nell'ideale contrasto tra ombrose tentazioni esoteriche e luminosi slanci paradisiaci, nell'ibridazione di sobria strumentazione acustica e rigorose partiture sintetiche, vige lo zenith di un'opera cangiante, fresca e contagiosa: "Offerimus Tibi", "Simili Modo" e "Suspice Sancte Pater", trascendenti gemme soniche tra le altre, sono qui a testimoniarlo.Un disco davvero splendido, uno dei migliori dell'annata in corso: una conferma notevolissima. Michele Dicuonzo

Nephilius
I have listened to this record for a whole month, and I really like it.The thing about it is the blend of polyphonic male and female voicessung in latin, and the chilling electronic sound of synthezisers empoweredwith guitar, bass, drum-machine and various percussion, tastefully arranged.My thoughts wander to the likes of Dead Can Dance. What strikes me is "Whyhaven't anybody thought of it before?". The record has a strong gothic feel, whilethe lyrics, taken from medieval books of lithurgy, adds to its sense of seriousessand mystique. O Quam Tristis, whose name is taken from the psalm "Stabat Mater", has found a unique angle on making baroque ethereal synth music. They capture your attention and hold it throughout the record. Highly recommended to listen to on a late evening with a glass of red wine. (PMK)

Glasnost
Ätherisch schwebender Mittelalter Wave in höchster Vollendung. Nahtlos anknüpfend an ihr erstes Album zelebriert das Ensemble ein heiliges Ritual, ohne sich dabei als Propagandisten für irgendwelche religiösen Kulte zu verstehen. Es geht einzig und allein um die klangliche Ästhetik und die Schönheit der Musik, sowie um die universelle Mystik, die sich darin verbirgt. Die gelehrten Schöpfer sakraler Musik vergangener Jahrhunderte haben sich einiges dabei gedacht und keine schnöden Popsongs geschrieben, sondern Klangformen von tiefenpsychologischer Wirkung geschaffen. Mit der gebotenen Ernsthaftigkeit und Respekt transzendierten diese erhabenen Ideen in den Kompositionen von O QUAM TRISTES ins Zeitalter elektronischer Musik. So werden Flöten und Engelsgesänge von feinsten elektronischen Rhythmen gewogen und auf atmosphärischen Flächen getragen. Die Arrangements sind dynamisch, besitzen Einklang, Steigerungsphasen, Finale. Es zeigt sich, wie stimmungsvolle Musik mit Ambient Charakter sehr wohl in einem dem Cold Wave entlehnten Rhythmuskonzept funktioniert, welches gelegentlich an KIRLIAN CAMERA erinnert, und daß es keineswegs zwingend ist, sich dem dümmlichen Trip-Hop Geknatter anzubiedern, wie es in diesen Zeiten leider viele Bands des Genres tun. Die lateinischen Texte entstammen alten christlichen Liturgien. Aber den Schmarren wird wohl keiner mehr glauben. Die Exotik der Worte und die Märchenhaftigkeit der verblendeten Götterbeschwörungen sind hier das Faszinierende und das Schöne. Ein sinnlicher Rausch. *379102*

LD 50
Az O Quam Tristis elôzô lemezét az Ataraxia hoz, a Dead Can Dance hez, a Rosa Crux hoz hasonlítottam, a mostani, Le Rituel Sacré c. anyaggal kapcsolatban már nehezen tudnék erôs hasonlatokkal élni. A latin nyelvu, érezhetôen nagy szeretettel felénekelt témák számomra roppantul érdekesen ágyazódnak a zenébe, amelyben a ritmikát adó, lassú és könyörtelen, de közben nem hangsúlyos basszdob ill. basszusfutamok adnak alapot, a dobgépet csak az erôsen effektezett szintetizátorok enyhítik.Nagyon visszafojtott , titokzatos, rejtôzködô lett az egész lemez, boldogak, bár felszabadítóak a számok, mindegyik mögött árnyék lapul. Szent rítusokról beszél a lemez, talán pont úgy, ahogy Buddha beszél a kérdésekrôl: mindegyik kérdést kitépve a talajból, új kérdéseket találunk a gyökereiken. Bele sem merek gondolni, hogy milyen erôvel fog hatni az O Quam Tristis harmadik anyaga, akárhányszor hallgatom meg a Le Rituel Sacré t, bele fog telni egy idôbe, amíg közös nevezôre jutok vele.Kihívás, kemény dió, ez is ízt ad neki, nem is akármilyet.I compared the previous album of O Quam Tristis to Ataraxia , Dead Can Dance and Rosa Crux and I would be stuck very much with such similes concerning their newest material, Le Rituel Sacré . The Latin religious vocal themes which had been sung with great respect and love fit quite peculiarly into the music in which the firmament is given with a slow, relentless but not emphasized bassdrum and basslines; only the heavily effectized synth pads give the music some sort of an easing up.The whole album is very repressed , secretive, hiding in waiting, however happy and free the songs are, they all have something looming in their background. They speak of sacred rites, perhaps just the way Buddha speaks of questions: whenever you dig out a question out of the ground, you will encounter new questions grabbing its root. I do not even dare to think how strong the third album of O Quam Tristis will be, however much I'm listening to Le Rituel Sacré , it will take a lot of time for me to get a common axis with it.This is a challange, a very hard nut, this gives it a real flavour, a special one.

Le Fantastique net
Ce jeune groupe français (formé en 1999) s'est, dcs son premier album Funérailles des Petits Enfants, donné pour projet d'adapter des textes sacrés (Grégoriens, entre autres) au csur de musiques plus contemporaines (électroniques) ou folkloriques (y compris orientales ou africaines). Entre sacré et profane, O Quam Tristis s'acquitte de cette tâche avec talent (souvent) mais aussi maladresse lorsque qu'une rythmique trop typée "groovebox" vient jusqu'r gâcher le final d'une des compositions les plus intéressantes de l'album ("Vénérabiles Manus Suas"). Si la manipulation de textes sacrés se fait ici avec respect, l'intégration forcée de l'électronique aux instruments acoustiques (dulcimer, flute r bec…) nécessite également de traiter la modernité avec de memes égards au risque de dénaturer le propos et d'empecher la greffe de finalement prendre. Loin d'etre un échec, Le Rituel Sacré est pourtant un excellent album, r part et qui mérite son succcs, tout en nous laissant dans l'attente d'un troisicme opus que l'on espcre d'ores et déjr un hybride parfait...

Rock Hard Italy
Giunti alla seconda prova, sempre sotto l’egida della nostrana PoW, i francesi OQT non deludono le aspettative, rilasciando un lavoro di indiscutibile interesse e spessore artistico. Come in un inatteso quanto gradito incontro tra Dead Can Dance, Ataraxia e (soprattutto) Qntal, il quintetto transalpino plasma sonoritr che si perdono nei secoli andati, incastonandole all’interno di sottili ed efficaci trame elettroniche, con la drum-machine chiamata a velare di modernitr (si fa per dire, intendiamoci!) canzoni senza tempo, eteree, affascinanti e seducenti. Una splendida voce femminile (fragile quanto ammaliante) ed una ispirata voce maschile creano uno splendido intreccio tra heavenly voices e canti gregoriani, e l’utilizzo del latino per tutti i testi contribuisce a rendere ancor piu affascinante la fusione tra musica e parole. Gli OQT sanno incantare, e non hanno bisogno di chissr quali trucchi o diavolerie: tutte le 13 canzoni che compongono il lavoro meriterebbero una doverosa menzione, e la forza della band sta proprio nel realizzare dischi senza cadute di tono, coinvolgenti ed affascinanti dall’inizio alla fine. Assieme ai grandi Speaking Silence, una delle piu belle realtr della scena francese. Roberto Filippozzi

FluxEuropa
A French group playing folk-rock in Latin with ambient washes? This just had to be fun, and for discovering this and some other neo-mediaeval artists I'm indebted to The Soil Bleeds Black for their page of weblinks to kindred projects. But although O Quam Tristis can legitimately be described as folk rock or electro-mediaeval, the modern dance beats render it closer to gothic/ethereal/darkwave than Fairport Convention.O Quam Tristis takes its name from a quotation (“Oh, how sad…”) from the mediaeval Latin hymn 'Stabat Mater', a poem about the Virgin Mary and her profound sorrow at witnessing the death of her son. The group comprises Tomek Ashkenazy Isaac, Hugues Dammarie (who also sings in Bleeding Like Mine), Katrina Koslowska, Emeric Lenotz and Anna Virsky.The lyrics are Latin chants taken from The Holy Mass and various anonymous liturgical texts. Organic and electronic instruments accompany but never drown the core vocal element. This ensures coherence, indeed purity of concept, whilst balancing this with attention-holding variation.'Gratias Agimus Tibi' typifies the approach with a daring but highly successful combination of vocals, gurgly electronics, modern percussion, typical synth sounds and the sound of pipes and hurdy-gurdy or some electronic approximation.OQT can at times sound like Dead Can Dance or Enigma, but Carl Orff is just as likely to have been an inspiration. Le Rituel Sacré follows OQT's debut album, Funérailles des Petits Enfants. Highly original and great fun. RIK – 6 March 2003
The Palace Of Worms label has released a couple of interesting compilations in the past, and this new "chapter" follows the trace of the previous ones in terms of quality bands and mostly unreleased tracks. Particularly this is some kind of continued story after the release of "Storm The Palace" three years ago, where contributed some very interesting and recognised acts such as Rosa Crvx, Ataraxia, The Protagonist, Nothvs Filivs Mortis, Halalaz' Runedance, Ontario Blue, etc. This new disc is focussed again in the dark and middle ages and on many of its ever intriguing topics such as holy war, plagues, religion, and so on. I mean, the story facts are many, and the inspiration for these bands contributing, accordingly, varied.
The CD is split in two parts, each one containing eleven bands. "Act IV: The Unexpected Arrival" begins the story with a short instrumental intro by Unto Ashes, an appropriated composition with keyboarded-medieval melodies and introductory drums. Next are the Germans Belborn with "Flammentod", a band I have never liked due to its sometimes simplicity and mainly to its lack of originality, a some kind of pop dark folk with lyrics sung in their language. Much better is the following, and one of the highlights of the compilation, they are Regard Extreme and "Amour Te Volerai", here we see a huge difference between a more artificial sound of the first track and a great composition with its nice medieval touch with troubadour reminiscences; enter the whole reign of this excellent track. We change of style and found a nice band, The Blue Hour, deep sincere male voice simply accompanied with acoustic guitar, bass and slight backing ambient, I would say a some kind "neofolk" piece but with a proper orientation that I hope to hear again in form of a full album, very interesting anyway, the track is under the name of "The Night Is Windless". Sieben gives a piece named "Beckon His Slaughter" that is no other thing than a new version of the title "Barley" included in their first album, a track which was sung by Sally Doherty and Jane Howden. In this new one we can hear a renewed version more adapted to the current style of the band and with the main voice of the now only member, Matt Howden, added by Jane's backing vocals. A very nice new approach. "Far From Home" by The Machine In The Garden" is an acoustic ballad with soft but passionate female vocals inclined to a dark wave style, interesting at least. I had listened an album by the Italian project Furvus, and was not very attracted of the general result, however, "The Deum Moro" is much more convincing, a medieval composition with Latin preaching voice and chants, some kind of sacred piece with clavichord sound, organs and some orchestrated parts. In a similar way, and quite oriented to the general atmosphere of the compilation, we have the next band, Hexentanz (a project of Psychonaut and of The Soil Bleeds Black members), with the track "Asmodeus" Rise"; after an introductory and mysterious atmosphere it turns out to be a very lively composition with strong real drums and flute joined by a peculiar reciting female voice.

Apostazja
Z zaciekawieniem siegnelam po druga plyte francuskich bardów - w jaki jeszcze sposób mozna eksplorowac lacine i laczyc ja z elektronicznymi dzwiekami? O Quam Tristis nie zawiodlo - mozna to robic rzeczywiscie swietnie. Material na Le Rituel Sacré wydaje sie bardziej rozbudowany, dojrzalszy muzycznie, choc sposób interpretacji utworów nie odbiega od wczesniejszych osiagniec zespolu. Obawialam sie, iz muzycy powtórza rytmy i elektroniczne dzwieki zaprezentowane na Funérailles des Petits Enfants, co mogloby troche znudzic, oni jednak dolozyli do bitów lekkie melodie, które tworzy nie tylko naturalna melodyka laciny i linii wokalnych, ale takze pojawiajace sie bogatsze instrumentarium - gdzies w oddali slychac flet, dzwonki... Le Rituel Sacré to wspaniale polaczenie modlitw sredniowiecznych mnichów z mozliwosciami wspólczesnych instrumentów elektronicznych i kobieco - meskimi wokalami, bedacymi bez watpienia mocna strona O Quam Tristis. Pozycja obowiazkowa dla milosników sredniowiecznych klimatów, a fani elektro tez beda mogli sie troche pobujac... /Izolda/

Neo-Form
Bei "Funérailles Des Petits Enfants" handelt es sich um das Debut der französischen Formation O Quam Tristis, das 2000 bei dem italienischen Label Palace Of Worms erschienen ist. Der Bandname, der aus dem Lateinischen übersetzt soviel wie "Welch Schmerz" oder "O wie traurig" bedeutet, mag dem Stabat Mater entlehnt sein, einem Marien-Hymnus aus dem 13. Jahrhundert. Musikalisch bewegen sich die fünf Musiker zwischen Mittelalter und Moderne, ähnlich wie bei Formationen wie Dead Can Dance oder Ataraxia. Es treffen mittelalterliche auf poppige Elemente, die teilweise sogar orientalisch angehaucht sind, wie am Beispiel von Lied No. 3, "Ad Te Ad Altare", aufgezeigt werden kann, wo der Gesang in diese Richtung schlägt.Sehr schön ist die Mischung des Gesangs - sowohl wohlklingender weiblicher, als auch männlicher Gesang, der sich textlich als auch klangtechnisch an den gregorianischen Gesängen orientiert. Sämtliche rezitierten bzw. gesungenen Texte stammen aus dem Gregorianischen Manual und sind somit in Latein gehalten, welche auch im Booklet nachgelesen werden können. Der Titel der Scheibe, "Funérailles Des Petits Enfants", bedeutet soviel wie "Totenfeier der kleinen Kinder" und mag auf den schwermütigen Aspekt, den die Künstler hier vertonen, hinweisen. Dieser Aspekt wird in der Gestaltung der CD selbst in Form eines darauf abgebildeten altertümlich aussehenden Friedhofs wiedergegeben. Nichtsdestotrotz sind die Lieder nicht allesamt melancholisch behaftet, wie es bei mittelalterlichen Melodien oftmals üblich ist. Dies wird verstärkt durch den exzessiven Einsatz von elektronisch-poppigen Elementen, die hier eine wunderbare Symbiose mit den Heavenly Voices eingehen. Auch leicht folkige Elemente in Form von akustischen Gitarren (wie man sie bei Ataraxia kennt) oder mittelalterlichen Flöten kommen zum Einsatz, wie z. B. bei Lied No. 8, "Ultimo Confessio" oder wie bei Lied No.11, "E Lucius Ante". Diese Flöten tauchen auch zusammen mit anderen experimentellen sphärischen Klangpassagen bei Lied No. 13, "Prudens", auf, wo sie das Lied auf sehr schöne Art und Weise abrunden. Auch World-Musik-Elemente kommen zum Einsatz, wie z. B. auf dem darauf folgenden Lied, "Kyrios", die gepaart mit Orgeln dem Lied einen eher düsteren, aber sehr sphärischen Touch verleihen.Wirklich bemerkenswert finde ich die gesangliche Kunst, die die Musiker hier an den Tag legen. Vom fraulichen Gesang ganz zu schweigen, wird auf Lied No. 10, "Deum Est Tu Phanti", auch der männliche Part auf sehr eindrucksvolle und keineswegs nervige Weise dargeboten. Ein unbedingter Anspieltipp, ebenso wie das erste Lied "Omnes Generationes".Weitere Anspieltipps wären Lied No. 2, "Gloria Patri", das sehr wavige, als auch folkige Elemente aufweist, sowie Lied No. 4, "Oremus", wo wunderschöne Geigenpassagen das Lied begleiten.Fans der experimentellen Musik mit folkloristischen, mittelalterlichen Anleihen und dem Einsatz von elektronischen und poppigen Sequenzen mögen bei dieser Scheibe vollstens auf ihre Kosten kommen. C Anna D. / Nauthiz

Felinea
Le latin est peut-etre une langue morte pour beaucoup d'entre nous mais pas pour ce groupe du centre de la France qui le rend vivant tout au long de ce second album. "O Quam Tristis..." a un réel intéret pour l'époque médiévale ('Offerimus tibi') et cela se ressent au sein de leurs compositions virevoltantes : 'Separari permitas'. Se basant sur des oeuvres liturgiques pour faire naître des évocations sonores respectueuses d'un passé pas si lointain a leurs yeux, ce quintette d'aspiration classique n'hésite pas a lier des sons électroniques a des instruments d'un autre âge a l'image de 'Venerabiles manus suas'. Surprenante a la premiere écoute, cette alliance de sonorités moyenâgeuses avec des instrumentations contemporaines se révelent vite attractive ('Gratias agimus tibi'). 'Credo' marque l'alternance dans les compositions avec son chant parlé, sans exces. La musique sert le propos et le rythme se veut l'écho aux paroles comme sur 'Suscipe Sancte Pater'. "O Quam Tristis..." titille l'attention sur un 'Placeat tibi' presque euphorique mais c'est avec le final majestueux dénommé 'Et incarnatus est' que le rituel sacré s'épanouit dans le coeur des profanes

Bruja.cl . Chili
No menos que "innovación" podría definir a "O Quam Tristis...", banda francesa que cultiva una extrana pero hermosa fusión y mezcla de música medieval con electrónica contemporánea, cantos en latín(que aluden a textos litúrgicos) y algo de Heavenly Voices. La música de OQT es un viaje de otro mundo el cual logra construir pasajes que evocan magia y misterio. Para los que tuvieron la dicha de escuchar en su oportunidad la opera prima de ésta banda " Funerailles des Petits Enfants" (obra maestra para mí gusto... y el de muchos) de seguro no encontraran exageradas mis palabras para con ésta banda. Mágica ! Su segunda placa editada por los todopoderosos de Palace of Worms "Le Rituel Sacré", mantiene similares códigos respecto a la estructura musical de la banda, música medieval, todos los textos en Latín, electrónica, y la armoniosa, profunda y seductora voz de sus componentes... aunque cabe destacar que éste CD a primera escucha cae mucho más en las bases electrónicas que su antecesor... pero !ojo! No es por querer estar a la par con tooodaa la cantidad de bandas que introducen el electro... OQT nunca ha sido lo contrario, es la armonía y el híbrido perfecto entre ésta música y los estilos antes mencionados, una banda como pocas, 100% digna de conocer y admirar, es una de aquellas bandas que nunca te arrepentirás de escuchar, todo un deleite para los oídos más exigentes y sedientos de emociones...... una joya!


Luna In Caelo - Aquellos Ddesgarradores Gritos Llamados Silencio

Starvox
In 1993 historian Alejandra Araya and designer Daniel Davilla formed the artistic project called Luna in Caelo. A year later with the edition of Enrique Stindt and Philippe Boissier, the band played the Santiago, Chile underground scene. The group is not just a musical group, but use literary and visual means to achieve their artistic success. A manifesto given at one of their concerts explains their “neo-expressionists” position: “Neo-expressions. Despaired, angry, sad, and anguish, shouting from the guts, looking into a dark and confusing interior, exploring the ‘expression' as a way to set the soul free, interior need, that's the scream of the soul, universal expression of the pain, our new expression.”It's a tall order. This, their first album, (they have since recorded a second, Miedo A Morir (fear to die) with a different line-up) is an interesting mix of sounds. After the mesmerizing and seductive tones of air in track one, Pena (doubt), we given a danceable beat in Conciencia (concience). Very Dead Can Dance, very Changelings, very Black Tape for a Blue Girl. Perhaps some Rhea's Obsession placed well in there. The voice of Alejandra does have a Siousxie like quality to it, that passionate, drawling softness. I especially am impressed by the guitar work of Philippe Boissier, who brings a plaintive -, yet strong wail to the entire mixture. The bass of Enrique Stindt is a good supportive sound, sometimes taking the lead in songs, but usually being the background sound that pushes along the rest. Enrique Stindt's drum playing is solid and finishes off the sound. I like this album. I enjoy this album as excellent background noise as I work at the computer for hours writing reviews. But I don't love this album. I don't find it inspirational, I don't find it particularly uplifting, nor an evolvement of music from the artists mentioned above. It's interesting. It's quality. But it's not brilliant. And it doesn't live up to the packaging. Some bands, (Mission, Killing Miranda for instance) you get what you see on the label. This doesn't. “Luna in Caelo deals with the feelings, the fears, the dreams, the pain of the individual, it's the representations of the sensations and the states of the human soul. And, above all, of those situations in which we all try to hide. Travelling towards out inner selves can be turbulent, painful and dark, but that landscape, that destiny, is infinite and majestic. Luna in Caelo hurts, frightens, bewilders, but at the same time, sets free." A taller order than their manifesto…and unfortunately – doesn't measure up as well as it could/should. It is not the language difference. I tried that angle. The music is good. It's just not good enough to live up to what has been promised. Jezebel

Sensorium & Suburbia
Giunti alla loro terza release ed attivi sin dal 1993, i cileni Lvna In Caelo danno alle stampe per la nostrana Palace Of Worms un mirabile affresco sonico in grado di ridefinire il concetto di musica gotica, al pari dei magnifici transalpini Dark Sanctuary.Sublimati impeccabilmente dall'ispirato vocalismo di Alejandra Araya, i tredici brani di "Aqvellos..." sfiorano vertici di assoluto lirismo, ammantato di ulteriore suggestione per tramite della scelta di preservare l'idioma madre nel cantato: "Pena", "Plvral" e "Cercos" risultano cosi' composizioni stupende, intrise di un carisma tenebroso ed onirico di indubbio spessore. Ossessionati dalla presenza della morte e dalla caducità degli umani destini, questi sudamericani assemblano un suono cangiante, camaleontico, ma fortemente evocativo: pulsazioni bassistiche abissali di scuola Joy Division, fratture spazio-temporali che citano Ataraxia e Dead Can Dance, vibrazioni chitarristiche emotive in grado di rimandare ai mirabili Breathless di "The Glass Bead Game", iati di polvere cosmica prossimi a certe astrazioni aphextwiniane (cfr. "Tormento", "Encierro"), nonché un tribalismo decadente che sutura in guisa sinistra le coltri del rito.La forza di una scrittura cosi' brillante sta nella varietà dei temi proposti, che peraltro non rinnegano le radici del genere, ovvero, nello specifico, i Cure del periodo di mezzo ed alcune classiche intuizione di scuola 4AD. In definitiva, un platter francamente affascinante, fresco ed ispirato, che i cultori del genere (e non solo) non dovrebbero assolutamente lasciarsi sfuggire. M.Dicuonzo

Grave Concerns
Santiago, Chile natives dubbing themselves as "neo expressionists". Luna in Caelo translates to "Moon in the sky" & the album title means, "Those tearing screams called silence". An innovative release that's experimental & quite varied. Sort of a cross between This Mortal Coil, Cocteau Twins, & the more experimental works of Controlled Bleeding. Founder & vocalist, Alejandra opens the disc w/ a pretty & hypnotic lament called "Doubt". "Sorrow" is a ghostly wall of sound w/ loud droning guitars amidst drowning clouds of smoke & chanting reverb. "Conscience", "Goodbye", "Trapeze", & "Plural" picks up the pace w/ a sort of trip hop, indie rock, psychedelic flavor w/out abandoning the ethereal, isolated shoegazer elements. "Mad" is a mournful, brooding soundtrack for the bitter soul, while "Torment" continues much in the style of a Projekt familiarity w/ soothing tides of ominous airs. "Sieges", "Confinement", & "Whisper" resume in all their bittersweet, ambience of drones & cascading laments. Worth checking out."

D-Side
Formé à Santiago du Chili, Luna in Caelo, aujourd'hui basé à Mexico, en est à son troisième album. On sent alors tout bête de découvrir ce groupe seulement maintenant car les ambiances générées par le quatuor sont de toute beauté. Entre cold-wave et noisy-pop, les émotions émanant de leurs chansons font de Luna in Caelo les dignes successeurs de The Cure ou Cocteau Twins sans que jamais vienne à l'esprit un quelconque plagiat. Les guitares et la jolie voix d'Alejandra Araya font la force de ce groupe à mille lieux des tendances actuelles. Ces "Cris appelés Silence" méritent d'être écouté avec béatitude.Yannick Blay. D-Side N°9

Projekt
Luna in Caelo is a band from Santiago de Chile, which started in 1993 as a guitar & voice project by Daniel Dávila and Alejandra Araya. Lvna in Caelo means "the moon at the sky" in latin. After adding drums and bass, and playing live, Luna in Caelo released it's first CD in 1998. In 1999 the founding members moved to Mexico City, their second CD Miedo a Morir (fear to die), was released in 2000. The basic idea of Luna in Caelo's sound is to create atmospheres and feelings related to the human soul, dreams and nightmares. The lyrics talk about the fact of the material condition of the human being and how scary is to know that we are just flesh and bones, how scary it is to die. Working with basic rock instruments, Luna in Caelo builds music landscapes, based on reverberated guitars and voices, solid bass lines and almost tribal drum patterns. It could be a mix between the Cocteau Twins,early Cure, Popol Vuh and My bloody valentine. Laid on the crest of the music, is the astounding vocals. Alejandra's voice is one of the most elegant you can heard; harkening the transcendental lilt of Lisa Gerrard and the sweet gaity and cadence of Elizabeth Fraser. This madrigalic heavently voice takes on an almost religious identity. Aquellos... represents the diversity of moods that the band used to build on stage by the time this record was done."

Elegy
Formation chilienne basée à Mexico City, Luna in Caelo sort ici son troisième album toujours pénétré d'une thématique spirituelle très New Age, à l'image de leur musique. La voix féminine envoûtante, aux accents de chanteuse irlandaise évoque à la fois Loreena McKennitt et Enya, tout en glissant parfois vers Elizabeth Fraser. Cette dernière se meut en rythme avec une musique planante, aux accents parfois trance proches du Loop Guru mais sans électronique, ce qui est assez surprenant, voire sonnant comme de la variété chinoise (début de "Trapecio" ).Comparé aux deux albums précédents, celui-ci semble plus travaillé, les morceaux y sont plus riches, et la voix d'Alejandra Araya-bénéficiant de l'expérience de la scène-, explore plus de registres. Une telle diversité a l'inconvénient de donner un album inégal, cependant, il serait dommage de se priver du plaisir d'en écouter les meilleurs morceaux qui méritent vraiment notre attention.

Ink19
Formed by historian Alejandra Araya (vocals) and designer Daniel Dávila (guitar) in Santiago, Chile in 1993, Luna In Caelo ("the moon in the heavens") released their first album in 1998, shortly before moving to Mexico City. Aquellos... ("those tearing screams called silence") is a rerelease of that first album, together with two previously unreleased mpeg videos (for "Duda" and "Locus") and new artwork.Solidly in the goth camp (though the band called themselves "neo-expressionists" in a 1995 manifesto), Luna In Caelo falls somewhere between early Cure and the heavier goth, tending towards metal, of groups like Italy's Artica. The stark contrast of Alejandra's beautiful voice soaring above heavy and dark drums, bass, and guitar forms the core of Luna In Caelo's sound, and gives Aquellos a sense of dislocation and wrenching loss, a neverending search for meaning in a bleak, uncaring world.Alejandra's vocals are intense and deeply emotional, her voice rich and expressive, crying out with pain and longing.Because all the lyrics are in Spanish, which I don't understand (and which were neither printed nor translated in the booklet for the promo CD I was sent to review), I can only tell you what the songs feel like. "Pena" ("Sorrow") begins with a warm, echoing guitar that fills a lonely, cave-like space. Then heavy bass and drums crash in, thumping, pounding, and punishing, only to calm a bit when Alejandra's lovely voice enters. The atmosphere of the track is unrelentingly oppressive and dark, the odd echoes and poundings feeling like the reverberations of a nightmare. Finally we end with the strummed guitar alone again in the depths of the earth, striking bright sparks from the stalactites and stalagmites, reflected in a deep, black pool in the center of a cavern dreamed into being."Locus" has no words (nor even wordless vocals), yet it was my favorite track on the disc. A fine piece of dark ambience constructed almost entirely from guitar sounds, the track could easily be the soundtrack to a horror film. At first you hear only a single note droning for what seems like forever, then slowly others pluck at the edges of your awareness, some of those notes also held for an eternity before fading away beneath deep, dark rumblings, echoes, and throbs. Many visions could come from so suggestive a music as this, but one of mine was of a man awakening in total darkness, slowly groping his way until he touches cold stone walls enclosing a small room whose door has no keyhole, the horror slowly growing as more cold stone is found in the center of the room, a low carved rectangular box raised off the floor, a heavy slab broken and pushed aside, then a slow shuffling and moaning in the darkness as the groping man touches a face of bone and hollow eye sockets, a face that lies at the center of his own being...Not exactly appropriate for an afternoon stroll in the park, but excellent darkwave music in the European style. Well worth checking out if you enjoy angelic female vocals paired with darkly beautiful guitars, drums, and bass. Dave Aftandilian

The Sentimentalist
Luna in Caelo was one of the first, if not the first, "dark" bands inChile. The present CD presents to a larger audience this almost unknowngroup, founded and directed by the Chilean historian Alejandra Araya,whose mezzo-soprano here is often strongly reminiscent of Siouxie; thealbum is certainly not "unusual" in the goth-rock genre, but it remains very curious and compelling. As with other good goth-rock projects, the bass is absolutely key here (it is unfortunate that the bassist, Philippe Boissier, left shortly after the album was recorded). The lyrics are all in Spanish; song titles such as "Duda" (Doubt), "Pena" (Sorrow), "A-Dios" (Goodbye) and "Tormento" (Torment) suggest various themes of the album. The Italian label Palace of Worms is to be congratulated for their rescue and reissue of this weird and wonderful record.--Gilles de Montmorency

Rock Hard Italy
La PoW ristampa il primo lavoro dei cileni LIC (autori di 2 album), aggiungendovi i 3 brani registrati per la compilation “Encuentros Cercanos” (1996) e 2 interessanti tracce video. Il disco uscì in origine nel '98, quindi i brani possono suonare leggermente datati e meno maturi del materiale rilasciato in seguito, ma tutto sommato questo debut si lascia ascoltare scorrevolmente, seppur senza strabiliare (ora come allora). Spesso e volentieri propensi a brani darkwave vecchio stampo (alcuni di essi curiosamente vicini ai primi Anathema nelle trame strumentali, benché ai LIC manchino la classe e le capacità dell'immensa band inglese…), ma anche capaci di spostarsi verso lidi più sfuggenti ed ‘ambientali', i nostri dimostrano di valere più di alcune realtà ingiustamente incensate (pensiamo a Pilori, tanto per capirci…). Certo, la registrazione mostra evidenti lacune (il drumming ha un suono per lo meno discutibile…), ma le qualità del gruppo vengono comunque alla luce, prima su tutte la piacevole voce della storiografa Alejandra Araya, la quale dimostra di saperci fare anche senza impressionare. I succitati brani del '96 sono tipicamente darkwave, senza particolari alti o bassi, mentre le tracce video consistono in un'esecuzione live di “Dvda” (breve song per sola voce) ed in una sorta di clip di “Locvs”, con immagini in bianco e nero che rimandano ad ambientazioni industriali in disuso. Non un disco fondamentale, certo, ma le tracce bonus incluse in questa ristampa ne fanno salire le quotazioni. Roberto Filippozz

Sonido obscuro
Para empezar esta revisión basta decirles que Luna in Cælo es la mejor banda de la movida dark en Sudamérica . La banda empezó a mediados de los noventas en Santiago de Chile por sus dos cerebros: Alejandra Araya (voz) y Daniel Dávila (guitarras), denominándose a su música -por aquellos años- como "neoexpresionismo" por la manera de liberar el alma como una universal expresión del dolor , lo que -por supuesto- los ha reflejado en las líricas de este sorprendente disco, original de 1998 en Chile por Rolo Records. El sello Palace of Worms Records(con grandes bandas como: O Quam Tristis, Runes Order, Stay Frightened o Vehemence Realized) mediante la batuta del gran Guido Borghetti reedito el disco con los 3 primeros temas de la banda que datan de 1996. Además de la corecta y simple presentación del cover del disco, este cd posee -además- como bonus tracks 2 videos en mpeg: "Duda", grabado del concierto en el Circo Volador de México y el clip de "Locus". Musicalmente hablando Luna in Cælo asemeja bondades inesperadas para una banda de estos lares, personalmente, pienso que tienen mucha influencia de los Mors Syphilitica y de los geniales Faith and The Muse debido esencialmente a los guitarreos del genio de Daniel Dávila que nos hace remontar al dark clásico en tracks como "A-Dios","Plural" la cortísima "Conciencia", "Sombra" (muy a las bandas shoegazing!) o hasta ambientaciones tipo Steve Roach en "Locus" y "Tormento". Líricamente, la banda es lo máximo, ya que en cada tema refleja los distintos puntos de vista del alma en búsqueda de su liberación, quizás mediante el dolor? destacan, así: "Trapecio", "Encierro", "Duda", "Pena", "Lluvia" y "Plural". Finalmente, demás está decir que la voz de Alejandra le da un toque especial de sentimiento a cada tema por lo que -junto a todo lo anteriormente descrito- pensamos que esta banda debería, ya, ser reconocida mundialmente.


Bleeding Like Mine - Never Again Will I Dream

Aether sanctum
My first encounter with Bleeding Like Mine was on the excellent Black Tape For A Blue Girl tribute 'Of These Reminders...' (one of the very few tribute CDs which makes compelling listening from go to woah) so I knew I was in for a treat. I suspected Bleeding Like Mine would offer a laid back yet spine-chillingly beautiful set of songs, and I was not to be disappointed. It sleepily fades in with the piano and drums of 'Untitled #5', with the heavenly voice of Holly Emmer offering both half audible lyrics, and using her voice as an additional musical instrument. From that point the album ebbs and flows through more than an hour of sweeping piano-based tracks. At times it couldn't but remind me of Dead Can Dance sans strong Celtic and medieval influences, particularly when Curt (who seems to be the core member) adds his steady vocals to the mix. Thematically the songs tell a series of mournful tales, frequently of emptiness and abandonment. Like the renaissance style artwork on the cover the album is a masterpiece,one which you can put on and reflect on the mysteries of life. Yet through the album the piano is a constant, provided at an audio level that is strong enough to set the rhythm and melody, without being overpowering. While the majority of the album is composed of mid-tempo, ethereal musings other tracks slip into the background, almost to be overlooked - as with 'Garland'. A few tracks stand out such as the haunting 'Nothing seems the same', which literally took my breath away the first time I heard it. The same could be said for 'Will this ever touch me again'?. Musically competent and aurally stunning. - Haydn Black.

Black
We´ve presented Curt and Holly Emmer of BLEEDING LIKE MINE with a large Interview in our last issue and now the first CD-Album of these American Duo was released on PALACE OF WORMS. Curt told us the truth and together with his wife Holly, Michael Rush (Voice), Ian Wickramasekera (Voice), Eric Gosnell (Bass) and Gil Petrovic (Guitar) he made an album with 13 tracks , which includes a few songs from the last Tape-Release of BLEEDING LIKE MINE...for example "Idaho" and "Willow". Together with some newer material I like this album as a whole and it makes me think: "Why don´t they sign a contract with PROJEKT RECORDS?" Beside LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS, SOUL WHIRLING SOMEWHERE and BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL, Curt and Holly Emmer could join the big PROJEKT-Family and the concept of Sam Rosenthal. Also BLEEDING LIKE MINE seem to be influenced by these three bands above and sounds very emotional, silent and melancholy, too. It´s an atmosphere from deep out of the soul and all so the mood is very melancholy-dark, there are a few light and hopefully moments, which stimulates the audience. Also it´s a fact, that BLEEDING LIKE MINE are a little bit rougher and kantiger as for example BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL and so the visionary picture of Curt and Holly, was drawn by dark washed out colours ... dark waves meets rough cliffs and an invisible power pulls you down in the depths of the black sea ... Musically BLEEDING LIKE MINE presents a big palette of different styles; served on a silver tray with dark and breakable keyboard-levels, and improved with a little bit of monumentality. This monumentality is explained best with themes like "ostentatious", "emotionalism" or "filigree". If I like to describe "The Eyes of Lovelost" here as a masterpiece, than you have to know, that you must explore the beauty and characteristic of the this album on your own way. It´s a journey between visionary and reality and every audience will be fascinated by the aura of BLEEDING LIKE MINE. I´ll give this CD 9 of 10 possible points, because it´s absolutely breathtaking beautiful. At least...here are some tips: "Nothing Seems The Same", "Idaho", "Like Winter´s Rain Melting Away" or "Will This Ever Touch Me Again".(Thomas Wacker)

Raro
Authors of a charming "darkambient" with experimental outlines, the americans Bleeding Like Mine relase their exordium CD under the label " Palace of Worms" (a label already known for the relase of the homonymous international dark compilation and for a tribute record to the group Death in June). More than a real group, they are a solistic project by the polinstumental Curt Emmer: an author around whom whirls a group of musicians including the singer Holly. Her ethereal voice enlights the most startling moments from a peculiar affresco of whispering sadness, suspended between dark ambients of ancestral memory and suffered atmospheres of avveniristic decadence.(F.M.Arati/traslated Andrea Meleri)

Judas kiss
Palace of Worms are getting quite a name for themselves, not only have they release the self titled compilation which just screamsexcellence but they also release Heilige Tod, a tribute album to Death In June, which feature some of the biggest names in the underground European post industrial scene covering the favourite DIJ tracks. Now POW have released Bleeding Like Mine's Debut CD "In the eyes of lovelost". This CD is beautifully recorded and could quite easily fit into the Projekt records camp so very easily, as they would fix snugly between the likes of Soul Whirling Somewhere and Love Spirituals Down, which gives an indication as to what their sound is like. Ethereal music built up with layers of male and female vocal, dark Keyboards and Raphaelite imagery. (Lee Powell)

Carpe noctem
Melancholic, vaporous, and slowly churning, the music of Bleeding Like Mine possesses a signature stamp. Curt and Holly Emmer (and guests) sculpt music where ghostly ambiences meet cyclical piano melodies and ethereal vocals, particularly the haunting vox of Holly, whose singing is occasionally multi-tracked into an eerie chorus. Their music is a place where rhythm loops often enter but acts as yet another of the interweaving elements, not driving the music as much as accompanying it. Bleeding Like Mine employ a minimalist style but keep their music from being redundant through effective use of dynamics, subtly shifting accents, and intelligent sound design. This is best exemplified by "Like Winter's Rain, Slowly Melting", the album's stand-out track, a beguiling song propelled equally by a mysterious, looped keyboard melody, wind-like electronic sounds, and airy vocals. As on many songs, the different parts rise and fall in volume, floating in and out of the greater musical framework. The vocals throughout the album are reminiscent of Lycia in that they are slightly unclear and often a part of the cloud of sound, adding a greater sense of mystery, even though lyrics are provided. Near the end, some repetition creeps into the album, but given that it's sixty-four minutes long, it certainly gives listeners a good amount of material
Dancing With Demons Music P.O. Box 92893, Milwaukee, WI 53202-0893 - Indigo

Edge of time
I think Palace of Worms month by month are going to give a strong alternative to Projekt Records, and Bleeding Like Mine could be the main weapon in the battle. All the concept, sound, and emotions remind of these ethereal-Projekt-gothic masterpieces of Love Spiral Downwards, and especially Black Tape For A Blue Girl. Maybe Bleeding Like Mine is not as depressive as the latter one; they have chose the melancholic stillness, and the main character of this album is quite, silent, and deep indefinite sadness with some colors of light. Musically, here we find all the best traditions of ethereal gothic male/female duets, beautiful romantic melodies, and dark keyboard sounds supported by the foundation of bass and guitars. Who said there are no more ethereal gothic discoveries? Letemotions possess you... (AO)

Dark Wings
Italy's Palace of Worms label presents us with BLEEDING LIKE MINE, an American duo (Curt and Holly Emmer) presenting a dark and depressing journey of the soul 'in the eyes of lovelost'. Holly's heavenly voice soars over Curt's rich, ambient soundscapes putting you in an entranced state of melancholy and sadness. From the chilling opening of 'Untitled #5', the eerie atmospherics and sorrowful vocals of 'Willow' and 'Nothing seems the same' to the upbeat electronics of 'Like winter's rain, slowly melting' the listener will lose him/herself in beautiful, textured, desolate atmospherics and poetry of confusion, despair and disillusion. "If only she'd mold a love to last, instead of constant dissolution" sings Curt with his dark, brooding vocals. Then come the album's finest of finest moments in 'Idaho', fully demonstrating Holly's luscious vocals over relaxing piano and guitar and 'Dramatique' where Curt's deep, dark vocals come at you over pounding piano and guitar distortion. Then the instrumental finale 'Untitled #8:Chapter 4' utilizing strange droning samples to create an isolated feel, leaving the listener ultimately mystified and bewildered. bleeding like mine's 'in the eyes of lovelost' is a masterpiece of lush ambience quite unlike anything I have heard before. Curt's electronic compositions are breathtaking, and Holly's vocals are sure to make her the new queen of heavenly voices. This is definitely my pick for album of the year 1997. Buy it, turn the lights off, play it. Lay back and let it take you somewhere elsewhere, whoever thought sadness could be so beautiful. (Nick Tuohey of Dark Wings, RTR FM 92.1 Perth, Western Australia)

Milk
Bleeding like mine is proof that ethereal music does not need to wear a pretentious face in order to possess an artful similarity to romantic classicism. In fact, BLM strays well into its own territory of originality while softly nodding to other artists working in the same clouds---namely Dead Can DAnce and Chaos of Desire-era Black Tape...---earning these gentle comparisons not for foul play, but by simply being absolutely gorgeous. Honesty, not opportunistic scene jumping, guides the unforced, inspired hands of Holly (vocals) and Curt Emmer (instruments) as they look down upon the ashes of their (perhaps) once fragile emotions. Recorded entirely on four-track in their home studio, In The Eyes... is an introspective, warm tour through abstract impressionism. Many of the songs utilize the ebb and flow of ambient washes of synthesizer drones and tribal percussion patterns, while Holly's heavenly vocals add one of the most important ingredients to this near perfect collection of ethereal gems --- one of this genre's essential debuts."

Bizzarre 10
American duo's debut that wouldn't sound out of place on the 'ethereal' Projekt label.Yes they have much in common with the bands like Black tape for a blue girl and Soul whirling somewhere.But equally a lot of their ispiration comes from the likes of Dead can dance and the Cocteau Twins.The aura is dark and melancholic all washed by swirling melodies and exotic rhythms.Dual male and female vocals adds shadow and shade,and reaffirms connections with the above bands. Emotional pleas from the heart which strike a chord in the depths of the psyche,mournful and harrowing.

Dark Lilith
Aqui temos outra das várias bandas de Hugues Dammarie, que aqui se chama Franck Lopez, mesma alcunha de que é chamado no Opéra Multi Steel. Aqui a coisa é mais suave e mais densa ao mesmo tempo do que nos seus outros projetos. Claro, sempre com a obscuridade do Dark, sendo mais aperfeiçoado e continuando ao seu debut e antecessor In The Eyes Of Lovelost . Quase não há vocais, e quando os há, são angelicais, quase sussurrados, praticamente inexistindo instrumentos pesados e distorcidos como guitarra, baixo e bateria. A coisa é quase toda nos teclados e voz. No entanto, como a capa já demonstra, a música aqui contida é pura desolação, angústia e sofrimento, como uma doce morte. Além de Hugues Dammarie (ou Franck Lopez), contamos com Curt Emmer e Holy Emmer nos vocais, responsável pela parte celestial aqui. E na verdade, o lado mórbido e funesto que as músicas trespassam, nas 16 faixas, é abordar o único tema da renúncia ao amor perdido. O sutil estilo neo-clássico é a música ambiente perfeita para o acompanhamento triste, letras reflexivas, tornando e clima relaxante. A percussão é geralmente muito moderada, com o canto tomar em oscilando dos Balcãs ou do Médio Oriente. Conheça esta outra faceta do multi-bandas Dark's, Hugues Dammarie ou Franck Lopez, não importa, chame-o de Dark French Man! ADL – 8,0

Rockerilla
'Stay Frightened' and 'Bleeding Like Mine' are two young and enthusiastic American bands, new to the ambient music; we think they will be worth of your attention. The Italian 'Palace of Worms' has just released their new CD's, named respectively 'Still' and 'In the Eyes of Love Lost'. Listening to 'Still' you get caught up in 74 minutes of ascensional drone fluids that will inevitably lead you to narco-trips experiences among unreal dreamscapes, processed in our mind like blinks of sidereal stillness caressed by neon flashes. These feelings get more celestial and heavenly with the music played by 'Bleeding Like Mine', mainly thanks to the lyrical tones of the female singer that surpasses the harmonic circles of the thirteen compositions. Highly contemplative solutions for a psico drama about love, piano counterpoints and melodies pierced by an elegy straining to evoke the spirits of a lost dream. (A.Chimenti/translated by Valeria Ferrari)

Mozgalom
Több kiadónál jelent már meg lemeze az amerikai BLEEDING LIKE MINE-nak, s mindenhol szép sikereket hozott nekik, az eladási számok alapján. A zenekar valahol félúton mozog a ködös atmoszférájával a KIRLIAN CAMERA és a korai DEAD CAN DANCE , IN THE NURSERY által kialakított stíluson, de merít a Cold Meat Industry-féle vonulatból is. Talán ezt hívják elektro-darknak, talán nem. Az biztos, hogy nagyrészt elektronikus hangszerek szólalnak meg és ezt teljesíti ki a fátyolos n?i és férfi hang (ez utóbbi hallhatóan elkötelezettje Brendan Perry-nek). Nem színvonalon aluli, de azért jól besorolható produkció a zenekaré, jól illeszkedik a P.O.W. kiadó csoportjai közé, nem csoda, hogy annak egyik favoritja is egyben.


Various - New Aeon

Starvox
An ingenious and highly ambitious idea, Palace Of Worms records presents this doubleCD compilation of mystical music inspired by Tarot magick. Twenty-two artists contribute one track each to represent one of the major Arcana cards of the traditional Tarot deck. The final result took several months of organizing and planning, but the finished product is one of the most unique and powerful collections of dark music that could make its way into anyone's collection. Impressive artwork and photography is featured in the beautiful 20 + page lyric booklet, as well as interesting and often times personal artist information. As one would logically expect, the music represented here is perfect to score sessions with the Tarot, which require a conducive mood for focussed channeling and meditation. The majority of the music is very trance-like, excessively dark, lengthy, and transitory. The overall finished product is starkly emotive and probes deeply at the unconscious. Personally, I have never been a big fan of coldwave/experimental/ ambient music, but there is something very special at work here. Hypnotic synthscapes, modulated static and eerie piercing frequencies, ritualistic drumming, whispers, and narrative samples are part of the many successful elements that weave their way into an awesome, fluid collection of stark sound that will help to relax and open your mind. Though the entire CD is not made up of strictly ambient music. In fact, there are many well-known acts that appear with more solid and structured songs, such as the World Serpent mediaeval act Soil Bleeds Black, the ultra spooky Loretta's Doll, Projekt's new age leader Arcanta, the vampyric theatrics of Autumn Tears, and the classic occult-driven work of Endvra. In Winter Bleeding's track for the Lovers card is as well one of the most noteworthy tracks on the CD, invoking a mopey, romantic mood with the use of darkwave and traditional Goth rock elements. A new offering from Vehemence Realized appears, and is a promising reassurance that this sadly underrated band will definitely be continuing to produce the same quality bleak, deep vocalled and soothing darkwave that their debut CD “Severe” represented so successfully. Stay Frightened's contribution for the Hermit is incredible: utterly heart wrenching reverberated vocals, smooth processed acoustic guitars, and a ghostly flute/oboe type counter melody. The loneliness, the desperation, and the absolute dejection of this song is inexplicable, but like the Hermit, which represents self-reliance and illumination within, there is indeed an underlying hope and beauty to this track that helps you feel a little less foolish for crying every time you hear it. The second CD closes with the folkish melancholy of Dead Leaves Risings' take on the Universe. It too has a similar sweetly acoustic and profound quality to it as Stay Frightened, though it is unfortunately an instrumental and we are deprived of this band's brilliant and enthralling male vocalist; nonetheless it was an appropriate and somewhat uplifting way to draw this epic volume of mystery and gloom to a close.This eloquent collection is on every level a one hundred percent success, no doubt surpassing what its creator's aspired for it to be. matthew

Outburn
"I absolutely love the concept of this album: Twenty two exclusive tracks inspired by the Tarot deck's Major Arcana, and emergent from musical genres long-inspired by the mystical, the cryptic, and the magical. The international selection of goth influenced artists is refreshingly diverse, with backgrouds spanning a spectrum of dark musical styles-from ambient ethereal(4th Sign of the Apocalypse, Athanor) to apocalyptic folk,(The Soil Bleeds Black, Dead Leaves Rising) to neo-classical(Pilori, Chants for the Fallen) to the more traditional goth sound(Stay Frightened, Autumn Tears). Some particularly exquisite tracks include Arcana's "Strength," which intertwines sepulcheral male vocals and operatic female vocals over sounds of string and timpani, and Ontario Blue's "Hanged Man," an eerie ethereal chant both totally bleak and yet somehow terribly lovely. Another outstanding track is Nothvs Filivs Mortis' "Aeon," an exercise in contrasts; it opens with sorrowful pipe organ, cathedral choir, and gentlepriestly Latin, and suddenly gives way to foreboding noise percussion, demonic speach an anguished vocals, and beautiful orchestral harmony. The thematic album art is gorgeous, comprised of surreal photographic artwork by Michael Riddick of The Soil Bleeds Black. Familiarity with the Tarot will surely enhance the level of enjoyment and appreciation of this album-yet even for the unfamiliar listener, this is a strange, beautiful, an intriguing musical journey among the achetypes of the subconscious."
- Lara Haynes

Heimdallr
The Power of a New Aeon est une double compilation regroupant 22 artistes et groupes différents, issus de la scène post-industrielle, néofolk, ambient rituel et dark wave. Sortie sur l'excellent label italien Palace of Worms, le thème central, le tarot, représente non seulement ce jeu de carte ancestral sensé prédire l'avenir, mais également une source inépuisée de symboles liés au mysticisme et à la magie. Chaque musicien donne ainsi sa version musicale des différentes cartes à disposition, comme le jongleur, l'ermite, le soleil, la lune, la mort, la justice, la force … etc. On retrouve avec plaisir les ambiances atmosphériques rituelles (4 th Sign of the Apocalypse, Ah Cama-Sotz, Loretta's Doll, Dream Into Dust), les contrées sombres et mélancoliques, apaisantes autant que mystiques (Stay Frightened, In Winter Bleeding, Conscientia Peccati, Athanor, Bleeding Like Mine, Vehemence Realized, Arcanta) ou les ambiances médiévales (The Soil Bleeds Black, Arcana, Chants of the Fallen). Endura, et par extension Ontario Blue, confirment tout le bien qu'on pense d'eux. Pilori ne se trouve pas là où on les attendait, proposant un titre ethno tribal, cédant la place à Dead Leaves Rising au registre d'un folk noir. Cela fait par contre plaisir de voir figurer un groupe qui m'est cher et qui n'a pas assez souvent la place qu'il mérite, Opera Multi Steel, ainsi qu'une formation espagnole des plus prometteuses, Nothus Filius Mortis. Une très belle compilation, diversifiée à souhait, excluant toute fausse note, et dotée,cerise sur le gâteau, d'une pochette admirable dans sa conception artistique. Fort recommandable ! Stéphane Fivaz

Neue europaische kultur
This represent some kind of 'celebration - release' for Guido and the Palace Of Worms crew , considering that it carry the number 10 in the list of titles produced till now by the italian artist . With quite a tradition in releasing fantastic conceptual compilations (witnesses stay the 'Palace Of Worms' and 'Storm The Palace' samplers , which are already seen as somehow cult titles in the dark wave scene , and not without good reason ) it is not a surprise this new release comes as a total triumph for all the lovers of the neo-classical - dark wave sounds. Everything began with the idea of Thomas Wacker of Black Magazine , of releasing a compilation based on the Tarot cards , but due to the usual financial difficulties , this project remained only an idea and it will would have remained still an 'idea' even now , if Guido (Palace Of Worms) would not have decided to sponsor and produce this unique release . As for the final result , I will just tell you the line-up and letting you to decide the quality and the avant-garde of "The Power Of A New Aeon" , so , here's the artists : The Soil Bleeds Black (Juggler), 4th Sign ofthe Apocalypse (Magician), Conscientia Peccati (High Priestess), Opera Multi Steel (Empress), Ah Cama-Sotz (Emperor), Loretta's Doll (Heirophant), In Winter's Bleeding (Lovers), Dream Into Dust (Chariot), Arcana (Strength), Stay Frightened (Hermit) Pilori (Wheel of Fortune), Athanor (Justice), Ontario Blue (Hanged Man), Autumn Tears (Death), Vehemence Realized (Temperance), Endvra (Devil), Bleeding Like Mine (Tower), Chants for the Fallen (Star), Phsychonaut (Moon), Arcanta (Sun), Nothvs Fillivs Mortis (Aeon), and Dead Leaves Rising (Universum). Indeed , a wonderful release, including only exclusive tracks from these known or new promising artists. And let's not pass over the simply marvelous booklet lavishly illustrated by Michael Riddick (The Soil Bleeds Black) , which is from far his finest artist art work till this moment , stunning ! A fabulous release that will appeal with sure to many of you ! Highly recommended !

Gothic russian zine
New compilation of Palace of Worms label is rather a pretentious release in all senses of the word - "The Power of a New Aeon" is a musical "reading"of Tarot cards. On this double CD, 22 bands presented special exclusive tracks and each of them is related to one of 22 senior Tarot Arcanes. It's clear the idea is grandiose, but ultra-complicated. Actually, the majority of moderncompilations tend to present exclusive tracks, but what is meant by "exclusive tracks"? Very often they appear to be banal remixes, but rarely real exclusive tracks, previously unreleased. But what can we say about this compositions? Very often it is a material, which condemned for the album and that's the reason, why those "exclusive" tracks are marked by certain deficiency. A bit rarely, the bands write songs for compilations - it's very often the case with tributes, when a band records exclusive cover version. Of course I don't know how the compositions from this compilation were written, but probably the most part of the bands approached the creative process rather seriously, penetrating deeply into esotericism of Tarot, but frankly speaking, one has a feeling that majority of bands just made slapdash, either gave their old stored songs out to be new ones, or producedsome "noisy droning" track. That is the saddest moment - why should noisy droning take place if music deals with Tarot or Runes? I can't get it. The group of American knights & princes THE SOIL BLEEDS BLACK presented a neo-medieval composition under "Jester" card; beautiful melody and female vocals - a good track. "Magician" card is a thoughtful kind of magic droning by 4TH SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE. CONSCIENTIA PECCATI - "Higher Priestess" card, an eastern droning with pleasant whispering vocals - rather qualitative ritual composition. "Empress" card - well made pop-medieval-darkwave track by OPERA MULTI STEEL: beautiful male and female chant vocals, performing something like "medieval", based on jolly drakwave music - QNTAL's laurels don't let some people rest. Cult dark ambient group AH CAMA-SOTZ presents rather traditional drone under "Emperor" card - somber and magnificent composition. LORETTA'S DOLL - militaristic ambient composition to "Papa" card - a pale sounding one. "Lovers" card is presented by IN WINTER BLEEDING - beautiful Electro-ethereal composition with male vocals, not so original, but touching. DREAM INTO DUST presented a composition according to "Chariot" card - this is Another dark ambient. ARCANA worked on "Power" card and no wonder their track appeared to be "powerful" without exaggeration - dark neoclassic composition - first masterpiece on the compilation. Another masterpiece came right after the first one - the track by STAY FRIGHTENED under "Hermit" card: sad and beautiful gothic ambient composition, rather original and distinctive track. PILORI worked on the "Wheel of fortune" card but unfortunately their eastern ritual composition can't be marked for originality. ATHANATOR worked on "Justice" card - guitar-ambient track, too experimental for my ear. ONTARIO BLUE - extremely long ambient track: "Hanged" card and it really suits the title - I was ready to hang myself of boredom. AUTUMN TEARS - oh miracle! After all boring ambient tracks, theircomposition is like a breath of fresh air - excellent ethereal - the third masterpiece of this compilation: "Death" card. "Abstemiousness" card was presented by VEHEMENCE REALIZED - good ethereal rock, but without special revelations. In comparison to ONTARIO BLUE, ENDURA (both are the projects of Steven Pennick) is livelier and more interesting - magnificent "cinematographic" gothic ambient - "Devil" card. BLEEDING LIKE MINE worked on the card called "Tower" and it's not difficult to guess the style - traditional gothic ambient with male/female vocal duo. Oh, that's a real hit - CHANTS OF THE FALLEN - wonderful ethereal track with angelic female vocals and medieval melodic. This band's worth paying attention to - "Star" card. PSYCHONAUT - another drone under "Moon" card. ARCANTA - great track and the fifth masterpiece; extremely beautiful neoclassic composition with opera male vocals - magnificent and hopeless under "Sun" card. NOTHUS FILIUS MORTIS - not bad "synthesizer" neoclassic composition with whispering vocals, not a masterpiece, but comprehensible - "Eon" card. The card called "Universe" is presented by DEAD LEAVES RISING - beautiful guitar instrumental track, smooth and sad. After listening to the given item, one has not such a pleasant feeling - on the one hand there is a great number of famous bands, but on the other hand there are only few real masterpieces which are simply lost in the mass of pale noisy drones. Of course my interest in Tarot is not that strong, I don't know... may be if one uses this compilation as an addition to practice,one will probably feel something special, but to my mind, the musical content appeared to be a bit weak. To add one more thing, one should mention that Senior Tarot Arcane pack was used as a basis, created by Alister Crowley (which is noticeable in the card names - Eon and Universe). I would also like to pay your attention to CD booklet, designed as Tarot cards by Michael Riddick (THE SOIL BLEEDS BLACK) - this man has gottalent and the fact of his being a master of gothic design is not a secret for anybody...Andrey "coroner"3/5


Il Giornaleradio.it / Starvox
Un'idea ingegnosa ed altamente ambiziosa: Palace of Worms presenta questo doppia compilation in CD che consiste in musiche mistiche ispirate dalla magia dei Tarocchi. Ventidue artisti contribuiscono con brano ciascuno per ognuno rappresentare una delle principali carte dell'arcana che costituiscono il mazzo dei tarocchi. Il risultato finale ha richiesto diversi mesi di organizzazione e pianificazione, ma il prodotto finale è una delle collezioni di Dark Music più potenti ed uniche, una compilation che i collezionisti più ambiziosi non si lasceranno certamente sfuggire. La fotografia ed il lavoro artistico utilizzate nell'interessante libretto delle liriche (più di 20 pagine) sono di effetto e include spesso informazioni personali sugli artisti che hanno collaborato. Come chiunque si aspetterebbe logicamente, la musica di questa compilation è perfetta per il sottofondo dei momenti di lettura dei Tarocchi, un momento che richiede un'atmosfera particolare tendente alla meditazione ed allo scambio interpersonale focalizzato. La maggior parte della musica ispira la trance ed è espressivamente oscura, di durata superiore alla media e crea sensazioni transitorie. Il prodotto finale è assolutamente emotivo e scava profondamente nell'inconscio. Non sono mai stato, personalmente, un grande fan di musica coldwave7experimental/ ambient, ma qui vi è qualcosa di molto speciale al lavoro. Panorami di sintesi ipnotici, staticismo modulato e frequenze perforanti dal suono fantasticamente soprannaturale , tamburi ritmici, sussurri, ed assaggi narrativi fanno parte di molti degli elementi di successo che si intrecciano in questa imponente e fluida collezione di puro suono che aiuteranno chiunque a rilassarsi e ad aprire la propria mente. Questo anche se non tutto il CD è composto da musica stile ambient. Infatti, ci sono molti gruppi ben noti che si presentano nell'ambito del CD con brani maggiormente strutturati e solidi come il gruppo World Serpent con "Soil Bleeds Black" e la molto sinistra "Loretta's Doll" da il leader della new age Arcanta da Projekt, le musiche teatralmente dai toni "vampiristiche" di Autumn Tears, e il classico lavoro sospinto nell'occulto di Endvra. Il brano "In Winter Bleeding" per la carta degli amanti è uno dei pezzi più riusciti del CD, con la sua invocazione di musiche dall'aria un po' avvilita e creando un'atmosfera romantica utilizzando lo stile darkwave ed elementi di rock Goth (gotico) tradizionali. Vi è inoltre un nuovo pezzo del gruppo Vehemence Realized ed è dunque una promettente rassicurazione che questo gruppo, che gode purtroppo di scarsa considerazione, continuerà a produrre la stessa qualità di musica tetra, dalle basse vocalizzazioni e dal sound rilassante di darkwave che il loro CD di debutto "Severe" aveva rappresentano con molto successo. Il contributo del gruppo Hermit con il loro "Stay Frightened" è incredibile: le vocalizzazioni che si ripercuotono sono totalmente struggenti, ghitarre aucustiche dal procedimento liscio ed una melodia del tipo oboe/flauto creano l'addizionale dimensione fantasma. La solitudine, la disperazione, e l'assoluto avvilimento di questa canzone è inspiegabile, ma come "Hermit" (l'eremita), che rappresenta il contare su se stessi ed illuminazione interiore, vi è senza dubbio una corrente sotterranea di speranza e bellezza in questo brano che ci fa sentire un poco meno scemi per quelle lacrime versate ogni volta che la ascoltiamo. Il secondo CD si conclude con la melanconica e folk "Take On The Universe" dei Dead Leaves Rising. Anche questo brano alla la stessa qualità aucustica e dolcemente profonda del brano "Stay Frightned", ma purtroppo è un pezzo strumentale e perciò siamo privati della voce avvincente del brillante cantante di questo gruppo; ciò nonostante questo brano finale ha un non- so- che di appropriato ed esaltante che conclude questo epico raggruppamento di mistero e malinconia. Questa eloquente collezione è un successo al cento per cento sotto ogni aspetto, senza dubbi sorpassando le aspirazioni del suo creatore. matthew

Gothic Paradise
This double-cd release presents some of the greatest acts in Gothic Darkwave, Ethereal and Dark Ambient music. Many of the artists created tracks specifically for this release. Each band interprets a trump of the Tarot card deck. I'm not familiar with each of these, but I am a fanatic of the great music presented on this compilation. It also comes with a nice booklet illustrated by Michael Riddick of The Soil Bleeds Black one of the participating musical artists on this CD.
Beginning the compilation off on Disc 1 is The Soil Bleeds Black with their very authentic sounding medieval sounds with their track "The Juggler". Each track delves into a different mystery, with a slight variation in musical style. 4th Sign of the Apocalypse picks up with a very dark interpretation of the next track "Magician". The sounds of wind, rain and slow drums overshadow the musical tones and deep droning voices. Each track wonderfully blends together on this first disc with the highlights for me featuring In Winter Bleeding with their very emotional rendition of "Lovers". Another highlight is one of my favorite in Dark Gothic Ambient music, Arcana presents one of their greatest songs "Strength". The second disc is packed with as much emotion, feeling and great music as the first. Again, I'll just touch on the highlights as each track is a wonderful work of art in music and expression. Autumn Tears presents another of their operetic majesties with "Death". And they never lack any emotion or power in each of their tracks, as is true with this one. Vehemence Realized graces us with their true-to-form dark, brooding style with "Temperance". Bleeding Like Mine is also featured on this disc with their dreamy stylistic track "Tower". And, I can't end this review without mentioning the track included by Arcanta. Ayres once more never ceases to amaze me with his wonderful talent as exhibited in "Sun", his contribution to this wonderful compilation. If you like anyone of these groups mentioned in this compilation, you will definitely enjoy the entire two-disc set. It is completely packed with great music! I give it almost a perfect rating and highly recommend it.


"O QUAM TRISTIS... " - Funerailes des Petits Enfants

Darklife Issue 6 Belgium
This is the first album for Ť O Quam Tristis… ť from France. Their medieval folk will certainly appeal to fans of Dead Can Dance, The Soil Bleeds Black, Ataraxia and such bands. The music has a lot of variety with occasional electronic elements. There is also an upbeat version of Ť Beati Immaculati ť as a hidden track, but I think this music is better pure and not too complex. Some of the very good songs on Funérailles Des Petits Enfants are Ť Ultima Confessio ť, Ť Kyrios ť, Ť Omnes Generationes ť and Ť Gloria Patri ť. As you can see on these titles, knowledge of German or English wouldn’t help you much in understanding the lyrics. All the texts are taken from the Gregorian Manual and the heavenly voices of Anna and Katarina combined with eclectic male chanting in Latin will certainly evoke great emotions. Certainly something to discover if you have neverheard of them and definitely enjoyable to listen to.Peter Jan Van Damme


Underground society
Un superbe album de dark médiéval, sombre ŕ souhait, oů cohabitent avec tact, instruments folk acoustiques [flűtes, mandolines... ou dulciner ?] et instruments modernes. Le chant en latin apporte une touche mystique et mélancolique, un peu magique, sans tomber dans le registre grégorien. La voix de Katrina Koslowska se rapprocherait plutôt des voix bulgares. La parité hommes / femmes est vraiment harmonieux et les arrangements trčs bien exécutés. C’est un album qui reste trčs actuel tout en plongeant ses racines dans le passé et la tradition. Quoique, officiant souvent dans un registre assez calme [dark oblige], la basse trčs présente et les percus empęchent tout effet soporifique, et puis on trouve aussi des morceaux assez enlevés, par exemple "Sit Nomen Domini" qui tourne fort bien [que n’ai je une jolie demoiselle ŕ mon bras pour l’enivrer d’un tour de danse d’une chose... Et de la trousser dans le bocage...] mais lŕ, je m’égare...[ et si je peux émettre une petite critique, certains sons de synthés font un peu D110 et mériteraient d’ętre plus personnalisé]... Un disque onirique et initiatique, une passerelle entre le moyen âge et les temps modernes, une sorte de champignon magique qui porte ŕ la ręverie... Bon j’arręte lŕ, je deviendrais lyrique, et je retourne écouter cet album...

Neue europaische kultur
When you say "France" , you say Voltaire , Moliere , Napoleon , Descartes , good country wine , romantic girls with a touch of 'Lolita' syndrome , old castles , picturesque fields and mountains , large streets , etc. But when I am thinking at France I instinctively think at Opera Multi Steel , this wonderful eclectic project of cold dark wave tha released this year the "Eternelle tourmente" masterpiece , which I highly recommend to anyone that read these lines. O Quam Tristis is a side project of the four members of OMS and "Funerailles des petits enfants" is their first album so far. Although it is just their debut material , the sound is extremely clear with an exceptional production and very original ideas. But what can you expect from this album ? It will be hard (and most probably wrong) to put a label on this material , because there are so many styles mixed that it is almost impossible to name them exactly : we find dark wave of the first class ("Omnes Generationes" , "Beati Immaculati"), cold ethereal touches ("Ultima Confessio"), complex electro-medieval sounds ("Gloria Patri" , "A Deo Salutari"), cold and warm voices in latin ("Oremus" , "Prudens"), classical guitars and synthetic drums ("Ad Te Ad Altare" , "Deum Est Tu Phantu"), gregorian chants and goth opera...in one word...'european' music at its best (a mix between Qntal and Dead Can Dance will not be a too bad description of this album , after all). The album is pretty long , the 15 tracks representing a perfect background for everyone who enjoy the medieval music (but not only...) in a modern version . An exceptional album that might be very well the next 'album of the month' (or of the year ?!) in any magazine of the genre. Quite a classic !

Metal Shock Magazine.
Chi conosce i dolcissimi e malinconici Collection d’Arnell Andrea e gli Opera Multi Steel troverŕ questo progetto sicuramente interessante, trattandosi di un "supergruppo", formato da membri di entrambe le bands. Il monicker č preso da uno dei versi dello "Stabat Mater" di Pergolesi, i testi dal manuale di preghiere gregoriane; l’intento č, probabilmente, quello di rivisitare il medioevo e l’opera sacra in chiave moderna. Si sono mantenuti il profondo spirito mistico ed I ritmi vocali delle preghiere, dalla invocazione polifonica alla ripetizione cadenzata rituale, variando, invece, gli interventi musicali. Ci sono le suggestioni acustiche e melodiche di "Omnes Generationes"; l’elettronica melodica, accompagnata da chitarra acustica, flauto e mandolino (quasi una colonna sonora) di "Gloria Patri"; l’aderenza al medioevo di "Ad Te Ad Altare"; la sacralitŕ dell’organo di "Beati Immaculati". Il risultato č felicissimo, sotto tutti i punti di vista: compositivo, esecutivo e di atmosfera (sentite anche l'ipnotica "Kyrios", tenuta solo da un ritmo elettronico, un effetto e la litania ripetuta delle voci). C’č qualcosa da scoprire ed il senso di questo segreto č sempre presente. Certo, quel remix in chiave elettro dance di uno dei brani č cosě atroce, che avrei potuto stroncare il cd solo per quello; ma č una traccia fantasma, che parte dopo parecchi minuti, non siete costretti a sentirla. La proposta č inusuale (anche se esistono esempi tedeschi simili, tipo Corvus Corax) e bisogna fare un po’ l’orecchio, all’inizio, a suoni e ritmi elettronici in questo contesto (anche perché alcuni non sono granché azzeccati per un lavoro del genere); ma il risultato č pregevole e ben amalgamato. Vi piacerŕ. Comunque, si sente che i componenti non masticano troppo i generi sintetici, secondo me. E allora, mi chiedo: perché questo cd? Spero non per seguire la moda del momento. (la) Laura Archini

Heimdallr
Nous avions découvert O Quam Tristis le printemps dernier, avec la démo de ce qui est maintenant un album ŕ part entičre. Outre les titres déjŕ entendus auparavant, s'ajoutent une quintessence de morceaux tous aussi indispensables les uns que les autres. Pour vous rafraîchir la mémoire, O Quam Tristis est un quintette parisien passionné de culture médiévale et tirant d'ailleurs son nom du début d'un verset du Stabat Mater. Les textes en latin, choisis dans le Manuel Grégorien, se rapportent ŕ un chapitre consacré ŕ l'enterrement des enfants en bas âge, d'oů le titre éponyme de l'album. Si Opera Multi Steel ont peiné ŕ se faire un nom et une reconnaissance fortement méritée, les voilŕ maintenant rassurés car la descendance se présente sous ses plus beaux atouts. En effet la comparaison au mythique groupe français n'est pas fortuite, tant la démarche d'O Quam Tristis s'apparente aux textures synthétiques et médiévales, aux sons et ambiances si particuliers de leurs aînés. "A Deo Salutari - Gloria Patri" s'annonce comme une somptueuse traversée du Moyen-Âge riche en couleurs et émotions. Les voix de Katrina et Anna se complčtent merveilleusement, la barre est placée d'entrée trčs haute. "Hic Accipiet" lčve le voile sur un tempérament plus combatif qu'il n'y paraît, les percussions martiales en avant, dégageant avec finesse une retenue délicieusement ravageuse. La musique se veut chatoyante, riche et subtile, et l'emploi du latin comme unique langage agrémente ces sensations de retour aux sources, puiser nos racines . L'emploi de flűtes, dulcimers contraste merveilleusement avec les sonorités plus durs de l'électronique et des boîtes ŕ rythmes, créant ainsi une musique intemporelle et enjouée. La guitare acoustique se révčle infiniment chaleureuse sur les superbe "Ultima Confessio" et "E Lucis Ante", apportant une nouvelle palette aux ambiances électro-médiévales dominantes. L'album se clôt magistralement sur "Dirigatur Domine", nous ramčnant les pieds sur terre pour un atterrissage aux douceurs inespérées, sur fonds de déclamations latines entremęlées d'incantations divines, suivies d'un titre caché laissant échapper un aspect beaucoup plus électro. Une superbe śuvre dont on ne se lasse pas, une étoile est née…. Stéphane Fivaz

Dark Entries
Wauw, maar dit is schitterend! Etherische, door synthesizers gedomineerde wave en Latijnse gezangen. Dit valt niet echt in een hokje te steken: gothic, dark wave, electro, medieval: het zit er allemaal in. Een vergelijking met de muziek van Elijah’s Mantle en Qntal is nog het meest geschikt om u - lezer - een idee te geven van hoe dit klinkt. "O Quam Tristis…" zou een nevenproject zijn van het Franse Opera Multi Steel maar van dat groepje kunnen we ook niet meer zeggen dan dat we er ooit al eens van gehoord hebben. Deze "Funérailles des petits enfants" is hun debuut. De Latijnse liturgische teksten zijn afkomstig van het ‘Gregorian manual’ en zijn afkomstig van liederen die vroeger bij de begrafenis van kleine kinderen werden gezongen. "Omnes generationes" is betoverend mooie darkwave: een mannen- en een vrouwenstem en synthesizerklanken. "Gloria Patri" houdt het midden tussen medieval en primitieve electro. "Ad te ad altare" is een soort Oosterse Dead Can Dance met drumcomputer. "Oremus" heeft weer zo’n synthesizerdeuntje dat doet denken aan electropioniers ŕ la Kraftwerk, Suicide of vroege Human League… "Sit Nomen Domini" heeft dan weer veel van The Cocteau Twins vooral omdat de stem en de zangstijl van de zangeres hier heel erg op die van Elisabeth Frazer lijkt. "Benedicite" valt vooral op door de sample van een demonisch lachje. "A Deo salutari" is een goed voorbeeld van zo’n nummer dat op Elijah’s Mantle lijkt, met koude, troosteloze synths. "Ultima Confessio" is gothic met gitaar en een Corpus Delicti-achtige stem. "Hic accipiet" is een kort, sober nummertje: een vrouwenstem en percussie. "Deum est tu phantu" heeft instrumentaal wat van een oud Cure-nummer ("Seventeen Seconds", "Faith", "Pornography"; die periode). "E lucis ante" heeft een huppelend synthesizermelodietje dat eerder geďnspireerd lijkt door niet met de new wave gerelateerde synthesizermuzikanten als Mike Oldfield. "Kyrios" - hét hoogtepunt - begint heel etnisch, dan steken ijzige orgelklanken en opnieuw die bezwerende Corpus Delicti-stem de kop op. In "Prudens" zit een mooie fluit, een zware beat en iets dat lijkt op gesamplede vogelgeluiden. "Beati Immaculati", nog zo’n prachtig nummer, is melancholische dark wave drijvend op (kerk)orgelklanken. "Dirigatur Domine" is een parlando en een zingende vrouwenstem over Arabische klanken. Tot slot krijgt u nog een ‘hidden track’, een herhaling van . "Beati Immaculati" maar nu met een electrobeat. Dit mysterieuze, volslagen onbekende groepje brengt hier met dit veelzijdig debuut zo maar eventjes één der beste releases van dit jaar. Dit is voor ons dé revelatie van het jaar 2000! [HV]

Metal shock
Chi conosce i dolcissimi e malinconici Collection d’Arnell Andrea e gli Opera Multi Steel troverŕ questo progetto sicuramente interessante, trattandosi di un "supergruppo", formato da membri di entrambe le bands. Il monicker č preso da uno uno dei versi dello "Stabat Mater" di Pergolesi, i testi dal manuale di preghiere gregoriane; l’intento č, probabilmente, quello di rivisitare il medioevo e l’opera sacra in chiave moderna. Si sono mantenuti il profondo spirito mistico ed I ritmi vocali delle preghiere, dalla invocazione polifonica alla ripetizione cadenzata rituale, variando, invece, gli interventi musicali. Ci sono le suggestioni acustiche e melodiche di "Omnes Generationes"; l’elettronica melodica, accompagnata da chitarra acustica, flauto e mandolino (quasi una colonna sonora) di "Gloria Patri"; l’aderenza al medioevo di "Ad Te Ad Altare"; la sacralitŕ dell’organo di "Beati Immaculati". Il risultato č felicissimo, sotto tutti i punti di vista: compositivo, esecutivo e di atmosfera (sentite anche l'ipnotica "Kyrios", tenuta solo da un ritmo elettronico, un effetto e la litania ripetuta delle voci). C’č qualcosa da scoprire ed il senso di questo segreto č sempre presente. Certo, quel remix in chiave elettro dance di uno dei brani č cosě atroce, che avrei potuto stroncare il cd solo per quello; ma č una traccia fantasma, che parte dopo parecchi minuti, non siete costretti a sentirla. La proposta č inusuale (anche se esistono esempi tedeschi simili, tipo Corvus Corax) e bisogna fare un po’ l’orecchio, all’inizio, a suoni e ritmi elettronici in questo contesto (anche perché alcuni non sono granché azzeccati per un lavoro del genere); ma il risultato č pregevole e ben amalgamato. Vi piacerŕ. Comunque, si sente che i componenti non masticano troppo i generi sintetici, secondo me. E allora, mi chiedo: perché questo cd? Spero non per seguire la moda del momento. (la)

Sanctuary
L'enchantement mélancolique quasi-millénaire charrié par la musique Médiéval traverse les âges telle la brume dans les plaines pour nous revenir plus puissante que jamais, O QUAM TRISTIS nous en apporte la preuve avec ce somptueux recueil (Funérailles des Petits Enfants) remodelé façon électro. Travaillé en latin, langue antique par excellence invitant ŕ une langoureuse méditation. Pour la petite histoire les textes ont été tirés de " Gregorian Manual ". Les voix féminines (style heavenly-voices) d'Anna et Katrina, contrastent fortement avec celles masculines plus gutturales, pour s'enchevętrer dans un labyrinthe inextricable de cśurs, de solo, et finalement se fondre dans des sons électros futuristes parfois légers parfois nettement plus sombres ; comme une plainte balayant les agressions du temps. Les mélodies envoűtantes du clavecin, de la guitare acoustique respectivement du synthétiseur et de la flűte ajoutent ŕ l'ambiance subtile d'un spleen environnant flottant dans une atmosphčre ancestrale. Pour apprécier un tel bijou, il est nécessaire de se retirer dans un endroit approprié tel qu'un vieux château entouré d'une foręt regorgeant de mystčres et de fermer les yeux, il n'est point ŕ douter que les plus imaginatifs d'entre vous, arriveront sans nulle doute ŕ revivre une scčne de l'Epoque des Chevaliers de la Table Ronde. Et comme pour revenir ŕ la réalité d'un monde impitoyable, les 15 titres (de courte durée pour la plupart) écoulés, une chanson cachée nous réserve une surprise de taille plus qu'intéressante, en effet, le tout est nettement plus électro ; comme une sorte d'incursion dans un monde autre que celui évoqué plus haut, plus dur, chassant sans ménagement une expérience médiévale de toute beauté.

Suburbia
Se dovessi definire quest'album con una sola parola userei raffinato, oppure spiazzante. Trovarsi ad ascoltare canti gregoriani con sotto un tappeto elettronico elegante e molto vario č cosa rara, soprattutto di questi tempi. Per una volta infatti ci si allontana dai soliti pezzi campionati e si viene a contatto con una dimensione "strana" dove delle voci delicate e sognanti declamano vecchi inni latini impreziositi da un sound pronto a sperimentare ogni soluzione. Momenti piů inquieti ( "Gloria Patri" uno dei pezzi piů belli dell'album) si alternano a canti sognanti ( "Deum est Tu Phantu")e a parti piů sperimentali ( la brevissima ed industriale "Hic Accipiet" o la finale "Dirigatur Domine" con annessa sorpresina) che offrono un piatto il piů saporito possibile. Certo, un'ora di questa musica a molti potrebbe risultare indigesta, ma la realtŕ che sta sotto a "Funérailles Des Petits Enfants" testimoniandone la sinceritŕ e tutelandone il fascino riesce a convincere anche gli scettici (ascoltatevi la ipnotica "Kyrios" se volete la prova di come anche da un inno possa uscir fuori un pezzo trip-hop da sballo). Forse un album che non fa per tutti, ma certamente un'opera coraggiosa e fuori dagli schemi che merita di essere presa in considerazione. Se poi vi trovate a canticchiare per strada odi latine, beh, io vi avevo avvertito...

Outburn
Modern interpretations of medieval and ancient folk music has become more prevelent in today's landscape of dark music.With hypnotic vocals, tribal drums, bagpipes, and various other natural instruments.........An unusual approach comes from the medieval synth band, O Quam Tristis. Italian label Palace of Worms has just released their debut, Funerailles Des Petits Enfants, which features incredible male and female vocals singing texts from the Gregorian Manual in Latin over modern electronic rhythyms and atmospheres combined with traditional instruments and harmonies."

Darken than the bat
This is the first album O Quam Tristis from France. Their medievel folk will certainly appeal to fans of Dead Can Dance, The Soil Bleeds Black, Ataraxia and music like that. The music has a lot of variety to sometimes more electronical interference's. There is also an up to beat version of Beati Immaculati as a hidden track, but I think this music is better pure and not too complex. Some of the very good songs on Funérailles Des Petits Enfants are Ultima Confessio, Kyrios, Omnes Generationes and Gloria Patri. As you can see on these titles, knowledge of German or English doesn't help you understand the lyrics. All the texts are taken from the Gregorian Manuel and the heavenly voices of Anna and Katarina combined with electic male chanting in Latin will certainly evoke you. Certainly something to discover if you have never heard of them and definitely enjoyable to listen to.

Starvox
Palace of Worms Records two releases of 2000 are the 2CD tarot-themed compilation and the debut release from this French gothic band with peculiar punctuation "O Quam Tristis...". While some of the releases on Palace of Worms are more sentimental and reflective (i.e. Stay Frightened, Vehemence Realized, Bleeding Like Mine), "O Quam Trisits..." are more got oriented, not too far from the label's Runes Order release.On first listening, the early Depeche Mode-like rigid and raw drum machine tracks as well as the Latin vocals are most noticeable. With very dark (and quite well done) art work, the album is surprisingly upbeat. While there is an underlying feel that reminds me of Elijah's Mantel, the synthetic bass, occasional sound effects, and double bass dance beats keep bringing me back to thoughts of Runes Order's P.O.W. release *Waiting Forever*. There is more going on here, track 8 "Ultima Confessio" presents an acoustic guitar based tune starting somewhere between an early Thanatos tune and a deep throat Cleopatra band, and then slips back into their upbeat style with keyboards and synthetic drums. The flute on "E Lucis Ante" is pleasantly happy coming between the harmonized and upbeat male and female chants. Other songs feature soft organ sounds as well as dulcimer. The CD over all is more upbeat than it is reflective. All vocals are in Latin, originally liturgical ones taken from the "Gregorian Manual", and are all printed in the sleeve. These texts were usually sung during the young children's' burial ceremonies. The band says that this was the inspiration for the album title which they decided to keep in French. If you enjoyed last years *Storm the Palace* compilation from Palace of Wormsor other contemporary gothic with a medieval twist, this would be a good release to pick up.

Glasnost
"Omne animal triste post coitum", konstatierten dereinst die Florentiner Electro-Terroristen PANKOW. Gar nicht so traurig wie der Name ist der Klang der lateinischsprachigen französischen Band O QUAM TRISTIS. Falls es in diesen dekandenten Zeiten noch jemand interessiert, wie sich mystisch-romantische Wave Musik anhört, dann sei diese CD empfohlen.
Sprache und Geist führen zurück in ein altertümliches Südeuropa mit lateinischen Wurzeln. Gesänge, Rhythmen, Melodien aus einer nebulösen Geschichte, insgeheim überlebt, wiederbelebt, neu erfunden?
Eigentümliche Melodien und Gesangspartien mit weiblicher und männlicher Stimme in fremden Worten entführen zusammen mit mächtigen Orgeln, betörenden Flöten und manch anderem zauberhaftem Instrumentarium in die unbekannten Welten der Vergangenheit. Schwer auszumachen, wo im Einzelnen die historischen Quellen und Inspirationen liegen, O QUAM TRISTIS verschmelzen alle möglichen Einflüsse aus der alten Folklore Europas, wie auch aus orientalischen Breiten mit modernen Klängen und elektronischen Sounds zu einer Fiktion voller Fantasie und Anmut. Ein sicheres Gespür für Harmonie und gesangliche Präzision machen das Lauschen der Lieder und sakral angehauchten Verse zu einem äußerst angenehmen Erlebnis. Ein bißchen von der typischen multikulturellen Mentalität postkolonialer französischer Pop-Avantgarde, wie man sie von LIMBORG und WUNDERLICH kennt, ist hier zu spüren. Die Band kreiert wirklich ihren ganz eigenen und sehr gelungenen Stil. Wave im ureigensten Sinn, ein sehr langes, aber durch die Vielfältigkeit nie zu lang erscheinendes Album. *379101*

Gothic russian zine
For many people "goth" means nothing but serious and gloo my music genre. It's adequate for most goth bands and styles but there are exceptions as well. The "gothyness" of this very release leaves no doubt though at the same time it's characterized by some kind of patologic cheerfullness and lightness (or, may be, it's just my perverted perception). O QUAM TRISTIS is a French band, but judging by the names and surnames of its members at least half of them are of Polish origin. My "unknowledge" of French still lets me understand the name of the album means " Funeral of Infants" or something similar. Gregorian chants in latin were taken as the lyrics for this album - those used during children's funerals. Thorough description has evidently created associations with some kind of dark ambient? But I have promised "joy" and lightness. The answer is simple - stylistically it's very light music, something from synth-goth area. Light-minded and sometimes very popsy melodies, samples and sounds are combined with male and female vocals, singing lofty chants. This attempt to "modernize" mediaeval music, creating something like synth-mediaeval is quite successful and interesting and it sounds very pleasantly and amusingly, though several years ago there was another attempt to "electronize" mediaeval. I am speaking of QNTAL. To be honest, O QUAM TRISTIS ... have to go a long way before they catch up with QNTAL (as for dynamics, sophistication, atmosphere, playing techniques, etc.) Though, there are several decent darkwave club hits. As a whole, it's rather good and interesting release.Andrey "coroner"3/5

Prospective
Weird. O Quam Tristis offers the same kind of ethnic electro-medieval experiences like their more well-known country fellows Opera Multi Steel. And not just a little like them but exactly. The same way as The Merry Thoughts to The Sisters Of Mercy and/or The Caves to The Cure. Even the male vocals chantin in Latin and the female voices are like OMS. Is O Quam Tristis worse than Opera Multi Steel? No, because the quality is also in the same level. Strange, indeed. Jyrki Virtanen [6/10]

Nova Akropola
I have certainly never heard anything like this before. That goal is overachieved. And only hope won't ever have to again, though probably vainly. I'm facing a forceful and wide stream here and I'm not a rock. Half of it is fountain, half of it is mud. The problem is that they can't be separated. The Palace was quite germfree so far. But who'd dare to hold up the invasion of beauty? Who could judge the original a fake? No risks have been taken with this project. It's gourmand shit a la mode. I should never have tasted it. But the fault ain't mine. I've been deceived by the adjustment. Anything I expected but real worms. Now I'm left nauseating from every symbol on the run. And must stay very disciplined to disenter the vomitory. O QUAM TRISTIS... is a French unit of Polish immigrants on the Italian label singing their folkloric requiem in plain Latin - who can ask for more? It made the blue blood boiling in my overnational veins. As to the matter of the fact, these chants were composed to background the burial of little children if the title translates. With the lyrics directly imported from the event's Gregorian manual. What a brilliant concept! It won't be forgiven having fucked it up so bad. What we get is proudly amateur computer muzak under the cover of sublime simplicity, un- scrupulously combining traditional and modern, sorrow and joy, crypt and club in an electro-medieval combo of rotten taste. From classy flutes to breaking beats you're given more reason for pleasure than pain to the sinless. The result of such dish always depends on the cook. This terrible funeral is pure agony prolonged. Very depressing news indeed. Its serenity would disgust the devil itself. Without the gloomy pathos the subject would deserve and be given by anyone from THERION to TRISTANIA, the treatment is a cynical parody of dark emotions. Not willfully, of course, that's what makes it worse. There are so much true feelings involved here that the bold transmissions will bluntly recoil into a fake snake hissing to itself. The idea's been simply stolen by the 24. O how sad. Now somebody will have to copy it right. The music is awful by all arrangements in spite of the engaging tonality that inevitably comes with the framework. But what turns it really unbearable is the vocal delivery. There are three singers here, two female and one male to be precise. To call them ethereal would be an understatement. They'll take your breath away like clean sulphur. The gals are the worst witchpitch ever spawned and the man's colourless whine would please but leprose cats. And vainly it is Latin, it sounds as Polish as the contemporary Pope. Only the most evil dead can dance to it.

ELEGY N°13
Formation française voisine de la tradition médiévale inspirée et quasi reconnue au nom du seul Ataraxia, Ť O Quam Tristis… ť se distingue par une approche electro exclue des enchantements antiques du groupe de Francesca Nicoli. Une electro symbolique est donc juste posée lŕ pour extraire le groupe d’un milieu néo-baroque trop réducteur. L’ambition un tantinet pompeuse d’ Ť O Quam Tristis… ť ressˇˇˇurgit dans les chants, régis selon les canons de l’art grégorien et par l’emploi de la langue latine, supręme distanciation par rapport aux plébéiens que nous sommes. Il n’empęche, cette dérive grandiloquente sur le papier (la jaquette) se trouve en porte ŕ faux avec l’écoute d’une simplicité et d’une aura presque pop ! Les voix sublimées de Katrina et Anna, élégiaques supports d’une idylle passéiste, s’accomodent fort bien d’une guitare minimaliste, grattée ŕ la Cure, ce qui n’est pas le moindre des anachronismes quand on considčre l’emploi du latin dans certains airs entraînants ! Du coup, on ne sait plus comment aborder ce titre si morbide, Funérailles des Petits Enfants et cette imagerie d’un gothique caricatural…Ť O Quam Tristis … ť cache bien son jeu et, passé l’effet de surprise, on se prend ŕ apprécier cette tentative de vulgarisation, qui maquille un melting-pot des plus saugrenus ! Bruno Versmisse.

Zu Shan N°5
Heavenly voices sur des musiques médiévales soignées, lyrics issus de textes grégoriens, compositions usant d’instruments traditionnels mais n ‘hésitant pas ŕ recourir ŕ des effets plus modernes (boîtes ŕ rythmes), tout semble mis en place dans le seul but d’atteindre des ambiances toujours plus oniriques, toujours plus somptueuses. Bien que faisant directement référence ŕ la liturgie et aux śuvres baroques, Ť O Quam Tristis… ť possčde les męmes influences que les paďens Stille Volk (ils citent tous deux Mélusine et Malicorne) mais développe avant tout les parties vocales, polyphonies d’une efficacité exceptionnelle, ŕ rendre insipides bien d’autres voix exerçant dans le Gothique ou le Métal .Plus qu’un chef-d’śuvre, une perle rare …Denis Reynaud

La Lettre de Sappho N°11France
Entre la légčreté des voix et la musique Heavenly médiévale, les membres d’ Ť O Quam Tristis… ť dévoilent leur passion commune pour la langue latine et les musiques anciennes. Funérailles des Petits Enfants, dont les textes sont extraits du Manuel Grégorien, érige un pont entre les ambiances médiévales créées par des instruments tels que que le dulcimer ou la flűte ŕ bec et des sonorités plus modernes avec l’utilisation d’une boîte ŕ rythmes. Le travail remarquable sur les voix et les mélodies omniprésentes apportent une fluidité exemplaire ŕ ce premier album. Funérailles des Petits Enfants s’impose déjŕ comme un incontournable de l’Heavenly.Fabrice Antoine. La Lettre de Sappho N°11France

Trinity N° 6/7
Bien que Funérailles des Petits Enfants soit entičrement construit autour de textes en latin extraits du Manuel Grégorien, ne vous attendez pas ŕ une éničme variation funčbre grandiloquente et emphatique autour de la grandeur passée d’une religion trépassée. L’approche du quintette hexagonal n’a rien de banal ; si l’aspect vocal domine et illumine l’album, enrichi par l’échange de voix multiples (masculines et féminines), la musique apporte un contrepoint salutaire par ses reflets coldwave laconiques. Sous l’ombre sévčre de ces chants de célébration divine, Ť O Quam Tristis… ť parvient ŕ offrir une musique qui n’est ni moribonde, ni ostentatoire. Ici Ť rien de commun ť, pour reprendre la célčbre maxime de l’éditeur José Corti, la tristesse lumineuse de haute-enfance côtoie l’angélisme des limbes.Stanislas Chapel

Russian Gothic Pages
For many people, Ť Goth ť means nothing but serious and gloomy music genre. It’s adequate for most Goth bands and styles but there are exceptions as well. The Ť Gothyness ť of this very release leaves no doubt though at the same time it’s characterized by some kind of pathologic cheerfullness and lightness (or maybe it’s just my perverted perception…). Ť O Quam Tristis… ť is a french band, but judging by the names and surnames of its members at least half of them have polish origins. My Ť unknowledge ť of french still lets me understand that the name of the album means Ť Funeral of Infants ť or something similar . Gregorian chants in latin were taken as lyrics for this album- those used during children’s funerals. Thorough description has evidently created associations with some kind of Dark Ambient ? But I have promised Ť joy ť and Ť lightness ť… The answer is simple – stylistically it’s very light music, something from Synth-Goth area. Light-minded and sometimes very popsy melodies, samples and sounds are combined with male and female vocals, singing lofty chants. This attempt to modernize medieval music, creating something like Synth-medieval is quite successful and interesting and it sounds very pleasantly and amusingly, though several years ago there was another attempt to Ť electronize ť medieval music. I am speaking about Qntal (as for dynamics, sophistication, atmospheres, playing techniques etc…). Though, there are several decent Darkwave club hits. As a whole, it’s a rather good and interesting release.Coroner

Edge of Time Magazine
" Funérailles des Petits Enfants" is the first album of this project. First of all, I must say that it is a very eclectic album where musicians bravely collide into one mix such genres as gothic, darkwave, medieval music, or even electropop. And it sounds rather good and interesting. If you would like to get some comparisons, you could take Dead Can Dance in a much more electronic way, also the comparison with Worls Serpent's Elijah's Mantle or italian Ataraxia would suit here well. All the 15 tracks are diverse, and so we get medieval electronics ("Gloria Patri"), almost danceable darkwave ("Beati Immaculati"), ethnic with beautiful flute sound "E Lucis Ante," or "Omnes Generationes" where sweet and heavenly voices by Anna and Katrina are expressed. In recent years, there have been many bands that tried to present medieval music in a modern way suitable to dancefloors, but, in my opinion, not so many bands did it as successfully as this project. One of the most important things (not so often in electronic medieval music) is that Ť O Quam Tristis… ť sounds like a "serious" creation, where everything has its meaning and whose goal is not to entertain, but to give meaning. All the texts are taken from the Gregorian Manual and sung in Latin, but from what I've read, most of these songs are sung at the burial of young babies. But, even if this background isn't very light, the music gives quite a light impression and could be listened in various states of mind. Good production and musicianship is found here, so for any fan of medieval music this disc is a must. I only hope that this disc won't be the only in the history of this project. Audrius OZANA

Prikosnovénie
Une belle surprise avec un album de touching-pop savamment arrangé.Les chants masculins/féminins d’inspiration médiévale s’enlacent autour de rythmiques electro-pop sautillantes.Le résultat est de bon goűt, l’album réjouissant et charmeur.Catalogue Novembre 2000.Palace of Worms fait partie de ces labels ŕ part dans le monde de la production musicale et c’est normal qu’un O.V.N.I comme Ť O Quam Tristis… ť y fasse son nid. Les français proposent une musique męlant des éléments musicaux moyenâgeux (rythme et instrumentations, sans parler du chant) et sonorités contemporaines. La greffe prend ŕ merveille pour cet album concept (toutes les paroles proviennent du Manuel Grégorien) subtil et envoűtant quand les voix féminines s’écoulent ŕ travers les éléments d’un mécanisme précis qui produit, morceau aprčs morceau sa part de fantastique et de mysticisme sans jamais lasser une seconde. A mille lieues donc d’un vulgaire Enigma, Ť O Quam Tristis… ť part d’un concept sans s’y arręter, osant la confrontation du nouveau et de l’ancien, comme d’autres l’ont fait (Collection d’Arnell Andréa, Dead Can Dance…) mais ŕ leur maničre. Tant les amateurs d’Heavenly, de chant classique que les fans de Dead Can Dance devraient s’y retrouver parfaitement.Funérailles des Petits Enfants est un coup de maître.

D-Side N°1
Sa démo quatre titres sortie il y a a peine quelques mois ayant immédiatement séduit Palace of Worms, Ť O Quam Tristis… ť persiste et signe aujourd’hui son premier album sur le label italien réputé pour son aptitude ŕ dénicher de nouveaux talents. Et c’est vrai, le talent est au rendez-vous tout au long des quinze morceaux qui composent ces Funérailles des Petits Enfants. Les membres du groupe y sont fidčles ŕ leur credo qui est de ne se laisser enfermer dans aucun carcan tout en vivant leur passion pour la langue latine et le Moyen Age. C’est sans doute pour cela que leur musique, aussi bien acoustique qu’électronique, vibre d’un sentiment de liberté qui la rend rétive aux tentatives d’étiquetage. De la męme façon, l’intransigeante solennité des textes liturgiques que le groupe a choisi d’interpréter n’empęche nullement celui-ci de se livrer ŕ toutes les fantaisies, les voix virginales d’Anna et Katrina et celles, sombrement romantiques de leurs alter ego masculins n’hésitant pas ŕ se faire parfois franchement malicieuses (Ť Sit Nomen Domini ť). Tour ŕ tour médiéval, électro, ethnique ou heavenly pop, Ť O Quam Tristis… ť , vous l’aurez compris, est avant tout insaisissable… A vous de l’attraper chez votre disquaire ! Yannick BlayJohn Cultiaux

Unknown
Ilyen lenne a Mediaeval Baebes, ha végre elengednék magukat egy kicsit az életszeretet talajáról. Ilyen lenne az Ataraxia, ha elfelejtenék legalább egy lemez erejéig a gyönyörű diszharmóniát. Ilyen az O Quam Tristis zenéje, gregoriánba oltva szövi Anna és Katrina a dallamokat, bele-belefonódik a férfivokálok határozottságán keresztül is az elektronika, finom dobgép és effektek, ilyenkor dobnám fel még a Rosa Cruxot meg a Les Secrets de Morphéet, csak hogy két nevet említsek a sok közül. Boldogan, csibészesen felelôtlen zene, az Ad Te Ad Altara a nagy kedvenc róla, kora reggeli szemhunyorgató érzete van, hangszereléstôl függetlenül optimista örökérvénye van, ezt meg még a Dead Can Dancerôl sem tudnám mindig elmondani.
Mediaeval Baebes would be like this if they finally let themselves go off the ground of the mindless love of life. Ataraxia would be like this if they finally forgot those beautiful disharmonies for even one LP. It's what O Quam Tristis is like: into Gregorian are the mingling melodies of Anna and Katrina woven, even through the strength of the male vocals electronics pop up from time to time, a neat and fitting drum machine with some FX - this is when Rosa Crux and Les Secrets de Morphée come to mind, just mention two of the many names. A cheerfully and daredevilishly light-minded music it is, Ad Te Ad Altara is the huge favourite off the LP, with the feeling of a thousand blinkings of an eye in the very early morning, it has an ever-optimistic status regardless of the mediaeval sound, and this is something I can't really stamp on Dead Can Dance, even.

Felinea
Accord majeur de membres ayant un jour officiés au sein de groupes tels que Collection D'Arnell~Andréa ou Opera Multi Steel, "O Quam Tristis..." affectionne le latin, la peinture préraphaélite anglaise et tout cela se ressent a l'écoute de ce premier album. Originaire de la région Centre, Hugues Dammarie et ses complices donnent de l'ampleur a l'émotion comme sur 'Gloria Patri'. Quant a 'Benedicite', sa douce mélodie ponctuée d'un rire déformé aiguise les sens. Avec l'utilisation harmonieuse d'une voix masculine et féminine au sein du morceau 'A Deo salutari', l'envoutement nous gagne peu a peu. [ Funérailles des petits enfants ] reste tres médiéval de par ses sonorités alors autant dire que la magie s'opere avec nuances suivant les morceaux. Néanmoins, cet album a le mérite de présenter une approche artistique enrichissante


Vehemence Realized - Severe

Black Kobzar
Perhaps, the best definition of Vehemence Realized music will be "melancholic urban gothic music". Michael Otley, whose timbre reminds that of Ian Curtis', sings truly sad but fortunately not depressively: you want to live. The music seems to be the golden mean between the usage of live instruments and electronics though non-live drums sound absolutely dead here and there. Yet I haven't told the most important thing yet - all of it would had sounded just nicely if there hadn't been an instrument I've loved passionately - a trumpet. A simple trumpet - Bach Strad - but Nathan Roane who played on it, seems to be an uncommon man. The most delicate sounding of his trumpet is the soul of Vehemence Realized. You would compare "Severe" to the early works of Death In June, without a doubt; you can put equals sign between the tranquillity of VR and that of DIJ but Douglas' tranquillity is out-of-body and Michael and Nathan's there are strong but well-controlled feelings are hiding under the calmness. The big city, at night, under the rain, the steps of passersby are barely heard, the solitude?
Anton Shekhovtsov

Gothic Topic
Vehemence Realized is a dark and moody amalgamation of musical sound and sampled effects to fully please the most die-hard gothic fan. There is a tight control on the vocals and mixing which makes this recording sound like a major studio production. A number of horn instruments are utilized throughout this work to provide a Day Of The Dead sensibility that is celebrated annually in Mexico. Since the release of Severe, T. Nathan Roane has left the band with Otley now carrying the entirety of the band's future. Roane's numerous wind instruments play like a premonitory farewell to this outfit, thereby making the music that much more macabre and bittersweet. "Afternoon" introduces the listener to sampled background sounds and dark, brooding orchestration. Drum pummels are like hammers against a coffin. The vocals are carefully placed between the channels to provide a different sound through each ear, which is most apparent while wearing the headset. The trumpet carries through a cavernous space to give an eerie feel of Christmas melancholia and memory. "Rooms" spatially evolves and revolves into a soundscape that is like floating through a tunnel darkly. A touch of bongo placement accompanies the keyboards and vocals where we are provided with a view of a isolationism fraught from memory which haunts us during the most mundane of hours. "Severin" opens with a whisper " I try, there is no one for me." This seems to be a double meaning type of song. Drum sounds beat in time, imitating a heart heavy with dismay as the feet drag in exhausted abandon. We are strangers on a train, weary travelers with a ticket to nowhere. It is a political song in a way, depicting the one who is pulled from our arms during upheaval and unrest. It almost sounds like gunfire and missiles, harmonizing with a trumpet which calls to the newly departed. It can also be interpreted as a song of love and loss where the "gunfire" is misspent fireworks that have shot off and finally lost their spark and their zeal. "Prayer" treats us to a spoken rendition of the lords prayer that is suffused underneath the sound. Metaphorically, the lyrics can be interpreted as a battle between devotion and sexuality. It is also a moody and mournful tome of love and loss. "Old" is a beautifully mournful yet serene rumination that provides a movie like soundtrack inflection. Otley vocally handles the aging aspect with subtle intonations and turns of lyric. Roane provides the background harmony tenor to the memory that is unfolding through the song. One can visualize an elderly person pondering their reflection in the mirror. They envision pulling together to find the extra strength to make it through yet another lonely day among the ruins of memory. "Beckon" samples a variety of sounds. This was reminiscent of one who falls asleep in front of the television while their dreams call out to them from the nether reaches. Throughout the song, the samples sound like loops of thunder, rain and ocean waves upon the shore. The steady drum beat that plays in tune with the trumpet balances our desire and reality through frequent upbeat tones layered across the soundscapes. "Hope" utilized more electronic effects with a mid tempo beat. The song was delivered in a relative soto voce, pulling us further into the headset of one who is drawn to their lover but so deeply fears the loss of their love. All the emotions seem to collide causing such confusion that examination of these emotions leaves one unsure of what they truly feel. "Revere" creates an intriguing instrumental hybrid of world music, dark wave and ethereal rhythm patterns. It is a cacophony that is reminiscent of a room playing back all the sounds that were ever played within its walls. The sounds of love, joy, and heartache collide and feed off each other as an auditory snapshot to a sad room where now there is only silence. One could actually envision the artist sitting in the middle of the room while the walls played back these fragmented audio memories. "Source" ends the disc with very smoldering, pensive, deep, and dark tones, which segue into a gentle mid tempo rhythm. The vocals are heavily reverbed in a circuitous fashion. Snippets of dialogue from Roane weave between the song, relaying a memory of religious belief, and the discourse between insanity and demonic possession, while Otley's vocals provide a macabre mirror for this backdrop. "Loathe" is the most guitar-laden track on the disc where the music is at the forefront while the vocals take a back seat. Acoustically this could pass for a something as created by the Fields of the Nephilim as it has that type of stylized intensity. Vehemence Realized utilized horn instruments in the most pleasing way which added additional texture and moodiness to the songs. It is not often that this instrument is utilized in dark music, hence the fluidity and deft handling of it to convey the added touches of the morose is a tribute to this artist. Otley's vocals skillfully handled the multiple inflections required to place the songs within a particular dark parameter. His deep voice resonates without trying to sound like a "clone" from any other dark music vocalist. Much of this work seems to convey double meanings as evidenced by the shifting lyrical content and changes of mood throughout each track. The lyrics are not included, thus the listener is provided with an audio canvas that allows them to tug at their own memory to paint the scope of the setting. Overall, this CD would make a great late night accompaniment to the mental musings of dark music fans. It is also sublime for dreary overcast days. It is with great pleasure that I look forward to the follow up work of Otley and his musical visions.
Mike Ventarola

Side-Line
One of the most hopeful and passionate CD's comes from Vehemence Realized originally from Virginia, but now relocated to Pennsylvania. Severe offers us a somber mood with beautiful song arrangements including the use of the trumpet in songs such as "Prayer" and "Revere". By no means do they clone the band called Death in June, which many people compare them to. The dark vocals by Michael Otley are deep and give us a romantic touch. I feel the musical blends on the CD are very sombering melodies and they do this very well. The music on Severe is very transforming and creates a peaceful yet gloomy soundscapes in songs like "Afternoon", "Old", and "Revere". The song "Hope" demonstrates well-programmed drums/percussion loops that gives us much energy from the band. If you're into bands like Belle Morte or The Cruxshadows, than you should really like this band, but they still hold their own personality and beauty. One thing I would like to mention non-related to the music on the CD is the pictures that can be found inside and on the back of the CD jacket are one of a kind and very cool. After listening to the CD, it is almost like you have just encountered a religious experience of some sort, and you can make that how ever you want it to be. Just listen to the music and you will be very impressed. Julie Johnson

Imbalance chemical ezine
While welcoming an embrace by the pale lanky fingers of goth disciples? Vehemence Realized defies genre classification and conspires to remain the work of souls and shun fashion. Vehemence' doesn't constrict itself to any time or era. The music stands alone? building and evolving on it?s own bed of indefinable space. Severe is rich and layered without losing a sense of simple elegance. Like reflecting memories? mournful reverie and funeralic celebration? this project lures you like a dark siren beckon. The mechanical beat of drumming?s a somnambulistic procession. Guitar strings? a catatonic mental state. The signature horn weeps and calls you home. Michael Otley?s vocals are beautifully dark? deep? heavy and abstruse. His voice feels warm like some thick? nourishing elixir. At moments? he whispers as if telling you a lovers secret. The occasional input of Nathan Roane?s voice contrasts? shining brighter? with urgency? force? emotive deliberation and spastic theatrics. Lyrically? Severe sits parallel with the music; delving between subjects of detachment? confusion? and loss without submitting to the ease of being trite. The reoccurring theme is dichotomy. Light? dark? depressive? uplifting? cold? warm? clarity and confusion... Yet the album is cohesive; a collection of varying shades of human emotion seldom revealed so honestly. Still? each track brings forth elements uncommon to the next? producing lullabies of sober beauty to sermons of scathing intensity. Starting with enticing comfort and ending like a tragic life of something exquisite. Christina Q. Pudding

Suburbia
Con una front cover del genere non poteva che essere un gran disco: elegante, evocativo e crepuscolare, "Severe" rappresenta l'esordio discografico degli splendidi Vehemence Realized, da Richmond, Virginia.La loro proposta rientra nel novero del gothic dark più atmosferico, sebbene i dieci episodi del platter siano comunque avvolti da una coltre color antracite, quasi a voler rimarcare orgogliosamente i tenebrosi dettami propri del genere e le influenze soniche d'uopo, identificabili nel mito Joy Division nonché nei primi, criptici Death In June.La peculiarità di "Severe" si evince comunque nel tessuto strumentale di ampio respiro, grazie all'apporto pianistico particolarmente sofisticato, ma anche e soprattutto al contributo di una tromba davisiana che ammanta di ulteriore, sinuosa suggestione i brani qui inclusi. La tessitura elettronica é peraltro essenziale e votata alla rifinitura del contesto compositivo, mentre il cantato risulta francamente eccellente, cupo e vibrante nella sua ieratica espressività.La risultanza sta in un'opera di notevole spessore, tale da brillare mirabimente in episodi del calibro di "Room", "Severine" e "Hope", senza trascurare in ogni caso il resto del disco, che si mantiene su livelli ottimali. Ennesima conferma dell'intrinseca qualità delle proposte targate Palace Of Worms, per un ensemble dal futuro assicurato.Disco caldamente consigliato. M.Dicuonzo

SpyderMunky
Severe is an album I've been anticipating for some time now. Last year I threw a party to celebrate the conclusion of my military service, and was looking for a band or two to play. Somewhere along the lines I was talked into hiring Vehemence Realized, who I'd never actually heard. I suppose it's risky to go around hiring bands of you've no knowledge, but in this case I got lucky (very lucky). From the moment Nathan and Michael started playing, my head was filled with deep somber music of the kind that finds a small corner of your brain and sticks around long after the show is over. It was both an enjoyable and moving performance. My only disappointment was that, since they hadn't recorded a CD yet, my all-too-faulty memory was my only momento of the occasion. So like I said, I'd been waiting for this album's release, and I wasn't disappointed. Michael's voice has every bit the impact I remember, and Nathan uses the trumpet with a sense of the ethereal that I'd thought impossible on a brass instrument. All told, Severe is a fantastic piece of work. I listen to it often, and look forward to VR's future projects.

Starvox
This is one of the most original and unique bands I've heard in a long time. Labeled darkwave by some and admittedly finding a home with the goth subculture, Vehemence Realized transcends any real genre classifications. Lead by the painstakingly profound and heartfelt vocals of Michael Otley and highlighted by the classic infusion of horns by T. Nathan Roane, the songs on this CD are as personal as they are testimonies to their musical talent. The band makes no secret about the origin of these songs. For instance, "Afternoon" is about the depression that sets in while being alone for the holidays while the very disturbing "Source" (a live track) recounts a terrifying personal incident surrounding religious convictions. In effect, Vehemence Realized rips open their souls and presents them to the listener – never assuming anything, never asking for anything except that you listen. I cannot recommend this CD enough.

Punchline
I had no idea these guys were from Richmond. Goes to show how little I get out. Vehemence Realized has put out a sprawling soundscape of ten songs on Italian label Palace of Worms. They play a fairly standard style of Gothic music, which is to say it's solid, concise, and thankfully not too lengthy. Although there's over an hour of music here, the attention span is not taxed, and songs like "Rooms" and "Beckon" bring fresh approaches to what can be an agonizing genre. The latter reminds me of the B-side to The Cure's Disintegration (you know, that "Same Deep Water As You" kind of thing). "Prayer" is a bit too heavy for me, but its declarative and ominous nature is no doubt appealing to many. Regardless of how you look at it, the vocals still remind me of Bauhaus at times, which really isn't doing anything new. But frequent flyers of the Goth scene will like this. No doubt.

Flux
Vehemence Realized are Michael Otley and T Nathan Roane, who are currently based in Richmond, Virginia. The album is clearly articulated both vocally and musically, but the vocals are affected, there is a menacing undercurrent of samples and harsh industrial effects, and there is a nostalgia-evoking trumpet reminiscent of early Death In June. By way of contrast, Gabriel Shane Beverly provides screeching guitar on the closing track. Vehemence Realized are an interesting and distinctive addition to the ranks of apocalyptic folk artists. My only complaint is the kitty on the cover which appears to be indicative of a feline epidemic now sweeping the exponents of this genre.

Equilibrium music
Palace of Worms seem to be able to pick bands with a similar essence that have helped the label to find its very own niche in the scene. "Severe", the debut album for Vehemence Realized, comes as another fine addition to this Italian label's catalogue. The band have created an atmosphere that somehow manages to combine elements of Joy Division (like the throaty dramatic vocals and the discomforting and nostalgically poetic mood of the music) and Death In June, achieving as you might imagine quite unique results. The use of a live trumpet here will certainly bring to mind the Norwegian Beyond Dawn to any fan of the band and traces of Black Tape for a Blue Girl will eventually also seep into your mind when playing this. The album possesses a very sad and desolate ambience, but it feels more like a conformed sort of feeling than a desperate and angry one. A fine addition to any fan of Darkwave/Gothic music seeking to find beauty in sadness .

Edge of time
It's strange to hear that group playing such music comes from United States. The main atmosphere in "Severe" associates to me with English apocalyptic folk/industrial movement of the middle 80s, such genious discs as "Nada!" by Death In June or some tracks on Current 93's album "Swastikas for Noddy." If you remember Death In June's track "Fields of Rape," you can imagine atmosphere of this album. Vehemence Realized didn't stop at this point, of course, and their music is inspired by ethereal gothic (track "Old" reminds of Black Tape For A Blue Girl), and I even could compare this project to melancholic Beyond Dawn (stylistically, both bands don't have much in common, but the hypnotic melancholic atmospheres are quite similar, maybe that's because Vehemence Realized, as Beyond Dawn, use trumpet). This group manages to form romantic,melancholic atmosphere, I even wouldn't call it dark, maybe such words as poetic or sentimental suit more. The label characterized it as "walking under our city's night rain," and I hardly can find better comparisons. This disc will please fans of more ethereal gothic/wave/neofolk, it doesn't have this sense of nihilism that most groups of this style try to transform; Vehemence Realize offer a sense of hope in many places instead. It isn't only optimistic album, but it offers many colors of mood. Technically, this project is also worth of praise. (AO) 4 3/4

Grindcrusher
Esta debe ser una de las más talentosas bandas Dark que me a tocado escuchar. Vehemence Realized mezcla elementos de Joy Division, The Doors y Death In June en un resultado totalmente emotivo. La voz a ratos clara y profunda se complementa perfectamente con los instrumentos tradicionales más pianos, teclados y una sección de vientos que realmente te deja en el cielo. Las letras en temas como "Afternoon", "Rooms" o la increíble "Hope" son sólo el reflejo de claustrofóbicas experiencias a través de un túnel lleno de lamentos, aunque a ratos el CD también nos sorprende con un tema como "Prayer" demostrándonos que no todo es tristeza. El CD perfecto para acompañar las lúgubres noches de todos los amantes del Dark. Creo, que no sería muy atrevido al decirles que este debe ser uno de los mejores discos que aparecen en esta edición. Simplemente increíble.

Judas kiss
Created in January 1996 and based in Richmond, Virginia. This band produce a highly intimate sound which is penetrated with a blend of trumpet, voices and other acoustic and electronic instruments. They have been compared to an early Death in June and quite possibly to Joy Division. The CD is a hive of 10 slow tranquil songs and the CD cover is a lovely picture of a little cat so it gets the thumbs up. ELM

Flow
A really beautiful, really dark and depressing collection of songs that draws heavily on the legacy left by Ian Curtis, backed by an amalgamation of synth and sax and the occasional guitar that is just wonderful. The songs are gloomy and sad, borderline tense at times but always under control. The best song by far on here is "Source"-a partially sung, partially spoken piece about the singer's mother being possessed -- it's almost painful to listen to, it's so sincere and angry and insular. (Holly Day)

DaCore
What can I say, besides Vehemence Realized are one of the finest gothic/darkwave bands that I have ever heard. The band comes from Virginia, and "Severe" is their first full-length CD, and it is easily the best CD I have heard in quite awhile. A very gloomy, somber band characterized by murky synths, echoing piano, danceable drumming, live trumpet playing, and wonderfully brooding, deep throated vocals. They create ethereal atmosphere without being boring. They offer a comforting darkness, and through the dense layers there is an underlying hint of hope and a sad yearning for eluded beauty. I highly recommend finding this CD to fans of darkwave and as well to any who like their music very dark.*****
by Matt Heilman

Etats limites
Vehemence Realized est un tout jeune groupe créé en 96, dont le but premier semble être de rendre hommage au passé ; un passé noir et solennel, hanté par les débuts de Death In June ; eh oui, les influences sont bien présentes, aussi bien au niveau de l'instrumentation (trompettes et instruments acoustiques et électroniques) que de l'ambiance intimiste suscitée. Idem pour la voix du chanteur,dont le timbre pourrait se rapprocher de celui de Douglas, voire même de Mac Coy (cf : Fields O.T.N). Les morceaux s'enchaînent et étonnent par leur subtile monotonie… Le temps s'arrête… Lamélodie poursuit son chemin… (Fabien)

9 times
Rumor has it Richmond is built on a burial ground and those who live in the city are fated to return to it to establish losses and assess hopes...fittingly Vehemence Realized sounds like this Richmond. Never lacking immense energy and strength, severe, the first CD release from the band, has a certain clarity which is significantly admirable. Generally failing to be light or charming, the integrity of severe is striking, as is its honesty. Perhaps this leads to its struggle with and for hope, and the comforts and ruins therein. From the heartbreaking purity of "Hope" to the claustrophobic tumult of "Source" severe proves to be just a bit more than dark (which is not to suggest you shouldn't pick your scabs). Ending with the rise and fall of motives and movements in "Loathe," this album might leave you motionless. The brilliance of Vehemence is its sense of impressionable loss, its barren spirit. See the band and see for yourself. For further information about Vehemence Realized go to [www.carpemortem.com/vehemence]. You might still think the truth will set you free...review by Elisabeth Lifsey

Poor Richmond's Almanac
A couple of months ago I reviewed a compilation CD which featured a local band called Vehemence Realized. Well, these guys have since put out their own material and after talking to band member T. Nathan Roane, I found out that it has been a year in the making. The determination has obviously paid off. Severe, the title of this endeavor, is a most impressive debut. What struck me first about this CD was the production quality. I still can't believe how orchestrated and fluid each song seems to flow into the next. Severe is more of a well tuned package than just a series of songs thrown together at random. Melancholy horns are laced over hypnotic drum beats and booming, larger than life vocals to create a somber yet powerful sound. A lot of time and care went into the making of this one and it shows. With nine songs that make up about an hours worth of music, this CD is definitely worth buying. Speaking of the songs, they are well written and I dare say, sometimes a little creepy. From slightly morbid to melodically psychotic, each track is intertwined with the overall mood of the CD. Severe, like the band who created it, will be talked about for quite some time and personally I'm very much looking forward to seeing one of their live shows. Fortunately, that can be done at the CD release party which is coming up on March 25th at Twisters (11:00pm). It's good to have a new and eclectic addition to the already existing roster of great local talent. Vehemence Realized shows just what can be done if talent is combined with dedication. For more information about upcoming shows and anything else you'd like to know about the band, give their website a visit at www.carpemortem.com/vehemence. It's good to have you here guys and we hope Severe is a taste of things to come.
Ben Field

Rockerilla
Piacevoli sorprese anche dalla ottima label di Lecco guidata da Guido Borghetti Palace Of Worms il quale fra le altre cose produce l' album-CD degli statunitensi VEHEMENCE REALIZED, un duo di Richmond che canta disillusioni e speranze del nostro tempo con una grafia intensa e pregnante dove risalta una calda voce virile e il malinconico suono della tromba, elementi assolutamente decisivi alla natura crepuscolare di SEVERE, al genere di poetica esistenzialista che affiora attraverso le melodie trafitte di episodi quali "Afternoon", " Rooms", "Prayer", "Old", "Hope "... "Severe" insomma quel che si dice un gran bel disco, di quelli pieni di anima oltre che di armonie accattivanti ad aperture liriche da brivido, scosse romantico-decadenti che fanno male e che al contempo mettono di buon umore: meglio una ferita in piu' che una vita senza emozioni.
(A.Chimenti)

Dark Cell
Richmond, Virginia's darkwave duo finally capture their unique sound to disc. Those who have seen VR live, know the power of their sound and this disc shows nothing less. The fluid trumpet work of T. Nathan Roane is reminiscent of Death In June, while the pounding bass lines of Michael Otley punch your ribcage with powerful blows. The music here is refreshingly simple in many ways (bass, guitar, trumpet, programming, drum machine), yet complex in others. Each song creates a mood that will either carry you away lightly or slap you into reality. While I don't dislike any of the songs (and neither will you), I do have three favorites: the hypnotic beats of "Severin," the powerful dance floor favorite "Prayer," and the melancholic "Old." (Interestingly, these songs are back-to-back on the CD). Lyrically, this is very personal music. At times it's almost like venturing into someone else's bedroom. You can just picture yourself rumaging through someone's desk and finding carefully hidden correspondence or a cryptic note. It's like entering the brains of Otley and Roane and just poking around. You'll find their website to be just as personal...and incredibly enlightening as to the source and vision of VR.

Dark Velvet Magazine
A couple of months ago I reviewed a compilation CD which featured a local band called Vehemence Realized. Well, these guys have since put out their own material and after talking to band member T. Nathan Roane, I found out that it has been a year in the making. The determination has obviously paid off. SEVERE, the title of this endeavor, is a most impressive debut. What struck me first about this CD was the production quality. I still can't believe how orchestrated and fluid each song seems to flow into the next. Severe is more of a well tuned package than just a series of songs thrown together at random. Melancholy horns are laced over hypnotic drum beats and booming, larger than life vocals to create a somber yet powerful sound. A lot of time and care went into the making of this one and it shows. With nine songs that make up about an hours worth of music, this CD is definitely worth buying. Speaking of the songs, they are well written and I dare say, sometimes a little creepy. From slightly morbid to melodically psychotic, each track is intertwined with the overall mood of the CD.Severe, like the band who created it, will be talked about for quite some time and personally I'm very much looking forward to seeing one of their live shows. Fortunately, that can be done at the CD release party which is coming up on March 25th at Twisters (11:00pm). It's good to have a new and eclectic addition to the already existing roster of great local talent. Vehemence Realized shows just what can be done if talent is combined with dedication. For more information about upcoming shows and anything else you'd like to know about the band, give their website a visit at www.carpemortem.com/vehemence. It's good to have you here guys and we hope SEVERE is a taste of things to come.( Ben Field Poor Richmond's Almanac)

Gothic.Net
I was a little disturbed by the fact that this disk has a fluffy white cat on its cover; I'd just finished listening to A Cat-Shaped Hole in My Heart, so I can be forgiven, I suppose. Palace of Worms is the label that sports the much-raved-about Bleeding Like Mine, so I had high hopes for this disk by Richmond, Virginia band Vehemence Realized, and I wasn't disappointed. The music is lovely, understated and bewitching. The vocals remind me, at times, of Thanatos; at other times, the singer's a little melodramatic, straying dangerously into Glen Danzig territory, but it's never too distracting and the pretention level is kept to a dull roar. Overall, Severe is a low-key mix of influences from the 4AD side of the spectrum--Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil. But the music also evokes, for me, bits of In the Nursery and (at times) Death in June--and surprisingly, I thought some of the melodies even had a Depeche Mode sort of sound to them. More recent fellow-travelers of Vehemence Realized might be Ninth Circle or even Trance to the Sun, though Vehemence Realized is less challenging and harsh than Trance usually is. I was impressed by the continuity of the sound, which makes the album very listenable. Inventive polyrhythmic electric drumbeats and beautifully-executed piano passages mingle with instruments like trumpet and a quiet but fuzz-soaked guitar to create a unique and unusual sound. It's a slow, intense, and moody exploration, at times very moving and strikingly evocative.(Thomas S. Roche)


Various- Storm the Palace

Children of the Night
A few introductory words by Holly Lalena Day relating to the holy trinity: middle ages, darkness,and the subordinate role women played in such a society. For the women who carried the seed of rebellion, this compilation is their child. The battle's progress is introduced by a three-act play of that bloody event. Act one: "The Unprejudiced Plan", beginning in the form of an instrumental, an innocent portent by PENITENT, followed by OPERA MULTI STEEL completing the medieval atmosphere to the full by "Laudamus te". That atmosphere is amplified by introducing a minstrel Pico della Mirandola, brought to us by the fantastic ATARAXIA, currently the greatest ethereal band. "Incaballa" and numerous talents Francesca Nicoli undisputedly possesses. The medieval mysticism embodied in "Morituri", a song by a French band ROSA CRUX, is spiced up by a fabulous arrangement. All this resembles ATARAXIA to a good extent,which is, of course, a big plus. Freshness and pelthora come to us in the shape of the most brilliant missionary tradition fresh from Mexico, the fabulous JARAMAR and "Hija mia". Act one, however ends in the form of a maidenly tapestry "Luna begets Mercury" by THE SOIL BLEEDS BACK. Act two: "The Pitiless Assault", straight from the Panonia plain,with all the courts, haughty nobles and chivalrous tradition "The March of the Universe", by ARCANA ART from Szekesfehervar.The pagan sound is also noticeable in the work of a New York band,MORS SYPHILITICA, which I wormly recommend to all of you who miss never grieved down HUGO LARGO. The real pitiless assault arrives with HAGALAZ RUNEDANCE and thir neo-folk ode"When the falcon flies" - one of the favourites on this compilation bewitchingly calling for the spirits of CURRENT 93 and DEATH IN JUNE. However, a true neo-folk fantasy comes from Dallas, Texas - "PROSCIPTOR" and "our blood and veins from McGoverb regiment", the heat of a fight, bag-pipes and screaming horses, with laughter, of course. Straight out of nowhere a dreamy lullaby "Anaka" and an angelic voice, XVII VIE, of the singer Karin, from the anthological "LLewella" album, a peral among ethereal jewels. A brave stepping out of 4AD pattern. The ending of the second act is the so called "circular sound" (shifting the balance of the potentiometer left-right) "El valls delos mentirosos" by EL LUTO DEL REY CUERVO. That's a bit irritating, but the vocal's very good. The last act, act three: "The Shameless Defeat" beginning gloomy and coldly, very imaginatively from production's point of view perfectly played, with "Dungeon"sounds from the centre for dark thoughts, the Swedish COLD MEAT INDUSTRY, to all the fans of this house - the band PROTAGONIST will certanly not disappoint you. Song entitled "Hesperia" (draft)" adds a big plus to this compilation, but a minus follows in the form of Spanish AIN SOPH, NOTHUS FILIUS MORTIS and their "Legio" -secret ritual again, only this time THE PERSONAL is not sufficiently remoted from THE COMMON aim, which leads to a dramatization of the rite, and one ritual certainly shouldn't sound like that. When leaving for California Robert Plant was looking for a girl who could play the guitar, weep and sing at the same time, but, disappointed, realized that such a girl hadn't been born yet. He has unconsciously influenced the forming of certain STONE 588 whose "Tannhauser" confutes his famous remark. Brittle vocals and mystique bring us more neo-folk beauties in the song "Don't weep for me", by ONTARIO BLUE, a band which seriously represents all that FIRE+ICE should have been but aren't. This is followed by AUTUMN TEARS's "This...My melancholic masquerade". The name of the band and the title of the song, as well as their LP's title "Love poems for dying children", are so beautiful that, even if they had recorded silence, they would still be my favourites. Fortunately, the silence is replaced by an apocaliptic vision of the sunset with a polyphony of true medieval grace silk, without a doubt this is an absolute knock-out. The finish of the third act and the compilation itself is falling into dreams of ambiental oblivion of STAY FRIGHTENED's "The queen of Elves" -magical beauty passing through the forests and the streams and disappearing on the horizon of this last incisions of this marvellous compilation. Thematically and conceptually well conceived compilation which represents a work for itself, not just a collection of songs by various artists gathered in one place. Definitely a homework for anyone who would want to compile. Palace of worms deserves all credits for this release. Reviewed by Sri Stevie

Subculture
The Palace of Worms label is fairly new to me, and likely were it not for my dealing with Ted from Dark Symphonies I would never have heard about it. "Storm The Palace," as far as I know, is the first compilation on the label, as they are fairly young. The compilation has a theme and it is centralized on the period of 1000 to 1400 A.D. medieval Europe; easy to imagine why, while the music is divided into three sections or acts: "The Unprejudiced Plan", "The Pitiless Assault" and "The Shameless Defeat".
The first contributor is Penitent, AKA Karsten Hamre, who opens with an excellent piece called - what else? - "Intro", a synth work that wouldn't feel out of place on "The Beauty of Pain." This is followed by Opera Multi Steel, the excellent Italian artists Ataraxia, Rosa Crvx - a band I was hitherto unaware of - and Jaramar, an interesting eastern-influenced selection. US based Soil Bleeds Black round off the first section.Thus far, Penitent and Ataraxia stand out best for me, both compelling and emotional pieces, with convincing atmosphere and technique. Rosa Crvx is somewhat disappointing, but Jaramar satisfies as an interesting Indian-flavored component of "The Unprejudiced Plan", non-typical of the rest of the tracks.The next section is introduced once more by Karsten Hamre, this time in the form of his side-project Arcane Art - an original gothic/darkwave admixture with spoken word. Mors Syphilitica follows. Then a great selection from Hagalaz' Runedance (wife of Emperor's Ihsahn). Proscriptor, XXII Vie and El Luto Del Rey Cuerve round off.Well, again, the more conspicuous of the artists meets my taste, this time being Hagalaz' Runedance and Arcane Art. El Luto Del Rey Cuervo add an effective piece with a definite personality of their own that will likely prompt me to investigate their presence further, but the rest are somewhat lacking, although not drastically so. Proscriptor's track is somewhat kitsch with its scottish bagpipes and female screaming, but does offer a change of pace nonetheless. "The Shameless Defeat" consummates with the last 6 artists of the compilation; Protagonist, Nothvs Filus Mortis, Stone 588, Ontario Blue (great project of Pennick from Endvra), Autumn Tears and Stay Frightened. I'm immediately taken in by the feelings of desolation inspired by Pennick's Ontario Blue; this may the highlight on the entire disc, next to Penitent. The Protagonist continues in the quasi-soundtrack theme of his earlier work, and Autumn Tears bring forth lovely, albeit somewhat synthetic-sounding, darkwave; I know not why. Stay Frightened is perhaps least characteristic of the style of the entire compilation, more fitting of a Manifold Records sampler, but in no way less enthralling than the others.So to summarize my thoughts, what we have here is a very diverse and professional compilation, and an excellent way of sampling some of the impressive array of artists on this label and others that play a related music. Palace of Worms do not compromise on quality as even the poorer tracks have a unique flavor and ambience. Along with the addition of unreleased songs and remastered studio tracks, this definitely wins my approval as quite a welcome change for the demonized and frostbitten metal enthusiast! A label we shall hopefully hear more of in the future... Yury Arkadin

Bespreking
Het zou ons inderdaad niet verwonderen mocht u deze cd al meerdere keren in de cd-bakken zijn tegenkomen. Het zou ons nog minder verwonderen mocht u - om indruk te maken op een locale gothic schone -telkens met een gebaar van misprijzen de cd stante pede niet terug in de bakken hebben gestopt wegens, 'ik ken de groepen niet...' Wel wat u niet kent kunt u leren kennen vandaar alsnog een bespreking in het Dark Entries - webzine van deze cd. 'Storm The Palace-Worms AD MCXVIII' biedt ons maar liefst 18 (meer als 75 minuten muziek) nummers die soms frivool, soms dreigend de sfeer der donkere tijden -die tijd waar de wetenschap het langzaam de magie verdrong met oorlogen en ellende als gevolg- laten herbeleven (zonder daarvoor zonodig in de teletijdmaschine van ene Barabas te moeten stappen). Van onbekend en obscuur (Jaramar, Arcane Art, Proscriptor, El Luto Del Rey Cuervo, Nothvs Filivs Mortis, Ontario Blue,...) tot al even obscuur maar toch net iets bekender (Pentitent, Ataraxia, Rosa Crux, Protagonist, Hagalaz Runedance, The Soil Bleeds Black,....) passeren de acts één voor één langs ons immer kritisch oor. Opvallend; elke track klinkt toch weer anders hoewel ze wonderwel bij elkaar weten aan te sluiten, een consistent geheel dus deze verzamelaar. Rustig meewiegen op mystieke ambient of engelachtige heavenly voices, zich laten onderdompelen in bombast of mystieke sferen opsnuiven tijdens de middeleeuwen kon het allemaal. Hoogtepunten, al zijn er geen echte uitschieters, zijn Rosa Crux met de originele versie van hun eerste single 'Morituri', Mors Syphilitica, Hagalaz Runedance, Opera Multi Steel en Ataraxia al hebt u het recht het hiermee volstrekt oneens te zijn. Slotsom; een rustig en ingetogen cd'tje van het obscure en mystieke soort dat is weggelegd voor de fan van middeleeuws en magisch/spiritueel aandoende gothic.

Blakula
A ny záver jednu kompilacku ponekud odlišne ladeného stylu i když jména jako Proscriptor, Penitent ci Hagalaz Runedance asi nejsou v metalu nic až tak neznámého ac hudba samotná zde s metalem má pramálo spolecného. To platí i o zbylých patnácti spolcích, jednotlivcích ci projektech obcas s pro nás ponekud exotickými názvy jako El Luto Del Rey Cuervo, Nothvs Filivs Mortis, Mors Syphilitica ci Jaramar. Ale jakáže hudba nachází se na tomto CD, táže se již jiste nedockave zvídavý ctenár. Inu, všelijaká, rekla by pohádková babicka. Tu s melodiemi si pohrávající, tu do depresivních nálad upadající, jinde esoterická tu zas psychedelická, náladová, podnetná, temná, historizující, mexická, skotská, germánská ... 6, 6 a ješte jednou 6 songu reprezentujících vetšinou samostatné oficiální výtvory zúcastnených interpretu každopádne tvorí zajímavý prehled pro ty, kterí by si rádi poslechli krome metalu neco jiného a ne jenom Dead Can Dance.

Edge of time
Personally to me, this compilation is the best one in this issue (together with "What is Eternal"). This time Palace of Worms decided to release a concept album that aims to present best artists performing in dark medieval style. Some steppings outside this concept are present, like, for example, Ontario Blue which we maybe can call ethereal or something else, but it seems that they don't have much in common with artists performing in the atmosphere of Dark Ages. Hagalaz' Runedance is also clearly folky, but after all it's very hard to find where one style ends and another begins. The main thing is that here we've got an exceptional collection of talents, and only one track isn't worth of this compilation (at least for me), which is Nothvs Filivs Mortis's "Legio." Each medieval/ambient/folk fan will be glad to find such known artists as Ataraxia, Penitent, The Soil Bleed Black, Protagonist, or Hagalaz' Runedance. Seven tracks here are previously unreleased, which makes this album even more worthy. This compilation disc is exceptional also because it is divided in three parts: The Unprejudiced Plan, The Pitiless Attack, and The Palace's Defeath, each of them contains groups/projects having similar musical concept or atmosphere. For me, this compilation CD creates an impression of dynamically changing emotions, which grow and then calm down.I won't pick any favorites, because most of the bands are at the same high artistic level. Better don't miss this compilation. (AO)

Judas kiss
As the tides of time swept over the world, Europe entered is darkest period in its short History, The Middle Ages. A time that was ravaged by war and diseases, when the poor lived in squalor and the rulers of the kingdoms owned all that they oversaw. It was also a time that the Church battled head on with the powers of magic and superstition - to worship a false god meant death at the hands of Gods men. Chaos and madness ruled supreme. It's out of this living hell on Earth comes yet another gripping compilation for the prolific Italian label ;Palace of Worms. Storms collects together some of the more well known bands and performers form the ethereal, traditional folk inspired scenes, and presents them together superbly to create a total ambience of the times. Some of the tracks served up by the bands are taken for their previous releases, such as the Prosciptors,Our Blood from the excellent Cold Meat Scottish tribal release,The Venus Bellona and Judas Kiss favourites Ontario Blue track taken from their outstanding debut CD Shine . Previously unreleased tracks hail from the excellent Protagonist and the moving Stay Frightened. Like the other compilation releases by POW, runs from track to track incredibly smoothly and achieves successfully what it set out to do. Yet again another outstanding releases from a label which should be watched very carefully in the future as it may well take over from some of the more established labels which have become more complacent over the years.

Etats limites
Dans la lignée des compilations produites par Roger Karmanik (Cold Meat Industry), Storm The Palaceest une véritable réussite. On y retrouve d'ailleurs quelques noms du label suédois, et pas des moindres: Penitent, Protagonist, The Soil Bleeds Black, Proscriptor… qui nous permettent d'emblée de situer le registre musical emprunté par Palace Of Worms : musique ambiante, atmosphérique, industrielle, ou également médiévale, moyenâgeuse…Trois formations françaises laisseront leur marque sur cette production : Opera Multisteel, XVII° Vie et les inévitables Rosa Crux (avec le titre Morituri… un choix parfait). Nous retrouverons également quelques “classiques” ; citons Ataraxia et Ontario Blue (projet parallèle à Endura). Pour ce qui est des découvertes,d'heureuses surprises d'Espagne, d'Italie,d'Angleterre, avec Jaramar, Mors Syphilitica, Hagalaz, Runedance, El Luto Del Rey Cuervo,Nothus Filius Mortis, Stay Frightened… et, pour plonger dans une parfaite mélancolie : Autumn Tears,Arcane Art et Stone 588… Un moment inoubliable… Essentiel ! (Fabien)

Sorted magazine
This whole classically-influenced atmospheric/ethereal malarkey has really taken off recently and has even been made sexy by the Mediæval Bæbes. Of course, with the demise of the great bands of the genre, Dead Can Dance and This Mortal Coil, there's a large void to be filled. In steps Palace of Worms with a proposition no self-respecting floaty Goth band could resist - an album based on the music and history of the Dark Ages. And so we have "Storm the Palace: Worms AD MCXVII" a flouncey, foppish, and occasionally dark, collection of assorted musics about slaughter, crusades, disease, and, of course, death. The bands lining up to spout incomprehensible Latin and ye olde Englishe include some gloriously pretentious names as Mors Syphilitica (a personal favourite), Hagalaz Runedance (sounds like a brand of ice-cream), El Luto Del Rey Cuervo and Nothvs Filivs Mortis (whew!). There are some more well-know (and easier to spell) names in there too, like Penitent, Rosa Crux, Stone 588 and Autumn Tears. The tracks that stand out are those that sound a bit different, in particular Proscriptor's 'Our Blood and Veins from the McGovern Regiment' - a highland war romp complete with bagpipes, military drumming and some bizarre sound fx. Nothvs Filivs Mortis' 'Legio' is another, with its dark, oppressive feel. This is no reflection on the 16 other bands, each of whom acquits themselves well on the more classically-oriented music. Each and every band shows a high level of ability, both musically and, where applicable, vocally, in some cases playing music rather different from their usual style. This is a concept compilation that works very nicely and would make a great soundtrack to a book by David Eddings or Raymond E. Feist. (Girl the Goth)

The zodiac chronicle
This compilation is a quite exceptional output featuring mostly dark ambient and medieval bands like "The Soil Bleeds Black", etc. It is divided into three chapters which are musically connected. While the first two chapters seemed to be the most 'medieval sounding' ones we have acts like The Protagonist on chapter three to create a certain kind of contrast. The whole album is quite depressing to listen to, I think, but there are also more refreshing parts in it, drawing brighter images on your mind. To mention some more featured acts, I would point out on Penitent, Hagalaz' Runedance, Arcane Art or Autumn Tears.People not familiar with this kind of music or the mentioned bands might be interested in this CD. Others who already own most releases of these dark bands should also check this compilation out as nearly all tracks are previously unreleased ones! (Andreas Bauer)

Flow
The newest CD of the annual Palace of Worm's compilation releases focuses on Medieval-period music-and, for the most,part, the songs are completely true to the genre restrictions with modern instruments taking place of the traditional ones in parts; the songs that don't really qualify as Medieval music are good enough to be included in the compilation. The pieces on these CDs are contributed by bands from all over the world from the heartland of the US to Mexico to England and Sweden. Some pieces on this especially worth mentioning are Opera Multi Steel's "Laudamus Te"-an echoey vocal/percussion that coul be hours longer and still be enjoyable; XVII Vie's "Anaka"-which features a truly incredible female vocalist who could probably get work as a professional opera singer. I probably can't get away without mentioning that I wrote the liner notes for this disc, and a big huge gigantical part of me doesn't even want to try. It was an incredible honor to be asked to participate in this project, and I still can't listen to this thing without feeling absolutely awed that I had even the slightes part in it. (Holly Day)

Rockerilla
Della stessa etichetta la bella compilation STORM THE PALACE:WORMS A.D. MCXVII, un viaggio nel Medioevo europeo rievocata da una schiera di 18 gruppi cha presenziano con un brano a testa. Un compendia che sembra la saga della primavera in musica e che porta in rassegna nomi graditi come Penitent, Rosa Crux, Jaramar, Protagonist, Hagalaz Runedance, Opera Mundi Steel e moltri altri. Se amate queste cose non rimarrete certo delusi. (A. Chimenti)


Runes Order - Waiting Forever

Last sight
Runes Order's fourth full-length release is an extended nocturnal voyage into a cold, windswept land, where the darkness is held at bay only by the light of musical beauty. The fourteen songs on Waiting Forever (Memories Remain) combine powerful percussions -- that balance on the knife's edge between march drums and ritualistic dance beats -- with sweeping synth melodies of an often strongly melancholy character. Aside from a couple of instrumental pieces, the songs are all adorned with vocals that nicely complement the moods set by the musical arrangements. Memories, loss, and a general sense of finality permeate the lyrics, which are performed by the members of Runes Order themselves (Claudio Dondo, Paola Magarelli and Daniele Magarelli), and, in a few instances, by Diego Merletto of Frozen Autumn, and Ersilia Di Addamio. The guest vocalists are well chosen, and add much nuance to Runes Order's songs. Particularly strong are "Solitude" and "Memories," both sung by Diego Merletto. "Solitude" very effectively evokes the atmosphere of loneliness, with subtle chimes, slow string themes, and ticking staccato beats marking the passing hours. Merletto's grand, introspective voice rings out as if inside a vast room, and from across the other end of this space echoes the frail words of Paola Magarelli, answering Merletto's solitary musings. Paola also introduces "Memories" with a brief spoken passage, setting the stage for Merletto, who once more delivers an almost operatic vocal performance. Dynamic percussion, and multiple layers of expansive melodic synth themes carry along the words, and soar to a strong crescendo at the end of the song. A number of the tracks are very foreboding in mood; none more so than "The Last Delight." Here the distant, beautiful chanting of Ersilia Di Addamo is countered by deep, almost droning synth atmospheres, a truly Teutonic beat, and -- for a brief moment -- by the echo of the "führer" himself, reaching down the corridors of time like the memory of a bad dream. The following piece "...Of Shame" builds on the disconcerting qualities of "The Last Delight," with Claudio Dondo himself whispering words that speak of nothingness and emptiness.This song is again underscored by a rich stream of synth harmonies, and an intense, marching beat. Not all of Runes Order's songs are exclusively garbed in black, however. While their music always leans toward the melancholy, they at times do create some highly dance-oriented songs. Standing like a monument amongst these is "The Razorblade," an eleven minute tour de force of layered synth percussions and windy melodic atmospheres, with Ersilia Di Addamo's feline vocals cutting through the air, supported by Claudio Dondo. Also written with the dance floor in mind are the songs "Through The Years," "Angel," "Waiting Forever," and above all "The Intruder," which is perhaps the most compelling track on Waiting Forever, featuring not only Runes Order's hallmark dark and melodic thematic qualities, but also a prominent and highly danceable beat. Dondo performs the vocals in his subdued whispered fashion occasionally accentuated by electronic treatment, and voice samples in French are interjected into the saturated stream of thematics throughout. The compressed format of the song (3:12) does not detract from its power, yet, it is certainly a track that justifies the CD player's "repeat" button.Runes Order hail from Genoa, Italy; and Waiting Forever (Memories Remain) is their first release on the likewise Italian label Palace Of Worms.With other recent releases from such bands as Stay Frightened and Bleeding Like Mine, as well as Heilige Tod (a tribute compilation to Death In June), Palace Of Worms is establishing themselves as a darker sibling to such labels as Projekt and Hyperium.(Michael C. Lund)

Grinding into emptiness
This is the fourth release from Italy's Runes Order, a project founded in back in 1988. The vocals are more realized on this record than any of the past, and guest vocalist Diego Merletto of The Frozen Autumn lends his voice to the tracks "Solitude" and "Memories". His vocal style is deeply melodic and choir-like, and it's droning, slow tempo fits the music well. On both songs his voice is treated with a thick echo that makes it sound they recorded him in a massive oil drum. The confident female vocals of Paola Magarelli and Ersilia Di Addamio complement the music nicely, binding the atmospherics with something more down to earth to latch on to. The tracks they contribute to are the stronger ones, and their vocals give the music a more complete feel. The themes on this record have very melancholy overtones, and taking the album's title and the cover photo of a playground slide into consideration it seems that the sadness comes from a yearning for the past. There is a vague percussive element to each track that sets the stage for the swells of electronic melodies that come to the forefront of the sound and give the music it's life.(Ben Didier)

Glasnost
RUNES ORDER steht nicht für irgendwelchen zweifelhaften Zauber, sondern für italienischen Electro Wave der Oberklasse. Nebenbei hört man so typische verlorene Synthie Klänge und Rhythmen mit Sprache aus der KIRLIAN CAMERA Schule - "Through The Years". Klare Highlights sind auf diesem Album die melancholischen Songs "Solitude" und "Waiting Forever", denen FROZEN AUTUMN Sänger Diego Merletto seine unvergleichlich schmeichelhafte Stimme leiht, und die seinem Gesang perfekt auf den Leib geschrieben sind. Fulminant ist das überlange "Razorblade Winter" mit seiner spannenden Sphärik, den pochenden Grooves und zuletzt einem weiblichen Gesang, der dem Stück eine treibende, pathetisch poppige Stimmung gibt. Erinnert etwas an die EBM-Versuche von PRIMORDIA. Die darauf folgenden Tracks verschmelzen damit zu einem euphorischen Werk. "The Last Delight" wartet mit düster bedrohlichem Ambient Sound aus dunklen, brandenden Synthieflächen, fernem Dröhnen und hypnotischem Metallschlag in guter CMI Tradition auf. In "Of Shame" paart sich die gedrückte Stimme alter LYCIA Scheiben mit den hellen Analog Synthies alter TANGERINE DREAM. So bleibt nichts, was man sich bei diesem Album noch dazuwünschen könnte. Eine der genialsten Veröffentlichungen im Dark Electronic Bereich. Ein wahres Kompendium der elektronischen Musik. (GLASNOST Media Publishing)

Edge of time
Two years of silence, and now we have the 4th album of one of the best dark-electro performers from Italy. Together with Kirlian Camera, they are my favorites in Italy's electronic scene. The new album can surprise everyone with its multi-colorness of moods and musical decisions. Depressive dark electronic music on "Solitude" is changed with dancefloorish "The Razorblade-Winter", later with ambient passages on "Blackage" or psychedelic melodies on "Sickness of Beauty". Beautifuly arranged melodies change the slow flowing, the mood varies from nostalgic ("Waiting Forever") to threatening ("The Last Delight"), or quiet and romantic ("Endless").Maybe the term "dark electronics" isn't too suitable as not everything is dark in here, but tracks like "Solitude" (my favorite) are real masterpieces of gloomy electronic music. Frozen Autumn vocalist also contributed to this album and fans of Runes Order will find the new martial version of their cult song "Through the Years". (AO)

Flux
Waiting Forever (Memories Remain) (1998 PO6W-2) is the fourth album from Runes Order - Claudio Dondo and Daniele Magarelli. Dark folk/goth-rock vocals,dark atmospheres, and Kraftworky synthpop electronics make this a dynamic and exciting album which squarely targets my personal musical taste.

Mozgalom
Nem tudom, hogy mekkora a kereslet erre a m?fajra („elektro-dark”), de a kínálat eléggé nagy. A RUNES ORDER (senkit ne tévesszen meg a név, nem sok közük van, akár a divatos rúna-mágiához is) egy olasz csapat, akiket a helyi népszer?ségük miatt szerz?dtetett a P.O.W. kiadó. Zenéjükben nagyon közel állnak a KIRLIAN CAMERA által képviselt vonalhoz, s a nyolcvanas évek szintetizátor- new wave zenekaraihoz. Klasszikus elektronikus zene, klasszikus eszközökkel, jó stúdióban felvéve. Nem rossz, de nem is jobb annál, mint amit várhat az ember. Akik viszont ezt szeretik, s vannak azért páran, azok itt bátran kopogtathatnak


Bleeding Like Mine - In the Eyes of Lovelost

Starvox
Quietly and sensually the music from the second release from this band makes its way out of the speakers and into the bowels of whatever disparity you are feeling in your life. Frightening how the simple sounds and soft tones of vocal can actually grab you – but it is in this that BLM succeeds. Curt and Holly Emmer have again made something that is in the world of Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Libitina, lovespiralsdownward and takes their own place among them. The vocals of Holly Emmer and guest vocalist Hugues Dammarie, from O Quam Tristis… (who also performs flute) gently weave a curtain of despairing words and emotions through the lyrics of Curt Emmer. It seems we are going through a devastating breakup and feeling every shift in love, hate,despair, desolation, loneliness, regret, hope and betrayal. This is the epitome of the volume of poetry written by the 16 year old feeling his or her first breakup – but yet with the ability to write like an adult. It is almost as we are taken through the five stages of death. Denial, anger, etc. In fact, Denial is the second track and it states clearly, succinctly what goes though so many minds initially after thebreak-up….. No, I know you'll be back, what with the life we are building, and the castle wallaround us…..or between us? And the fear, as one wonders how one will go on, “without the strength of you open arms I will surely not survive.” And then the questions and perhaps, subtlety– the anger, “When will you realize the mistake you've made?” And more anger comes in Shallow and beyond where the anger starts to build lyrically and continues to do so in "Waiting for the harvest never to come". And then gradual start of acceptance, “You can't replace the past, can you? Even if you watch the movie” You can start to hear it. The questioning of it all –"Did we ever know love at all?”. And then the proclamation in "Untitled #27: Renewal,“ "Teach me to have, and to hold and to feel the powers of love once again.” And that wonderful time, when you know that you will never feel like this again, you won't listen to that album that makes you think of the other person, you won't go to that diner again, “Never again will I relive the time of you.” But the real acceptance comes later, in track #16, “ I'm a better person for losing you. I've learned all I can from the memory of you, not it's time for me to go on…. it's time for you to go.” But does it really come at all? In the liner notes, Track #16 has lyrics, on the CD itself, it doesn't. Leaving the listener to contemplate if the resolution of a broken heart has truly come or is it wishful thinking and hope of the writer? I think the only shortcoming of the lyrics is the over use, abuse we may say, of the question and the question mark. Of the 16 songs this CD offers, 8 have questions, most have more than one. And although this may sound like I am being picky – I think there may have been more innovative ways of phraseology than that and, reading the lyrics, as I am want to do – it gets tedious. I do understand the doubt and questioning that obviously is done during times that are described and emoted about throughout this album, but it is the artists' job to bring a new twistand a unique way of relating those questions. But enough said on that. The voices of Holly and Hugues are actually perfectly suited for the music and blend well with it, creating a perfect marriage. I would have loved to hear a duet with the two, feeding off the softness, yet intensity of their voices. The strongest of the male songs, coupled with the music, not only the vocals, is "Faith Abandoned"….there is something very hypnotizing of it all, of the repetition and Hugues lovely tenor dancing over the notes. As for the female led songs, all are strong, her alto voice finding lovely nuances with a note, almost in the vein as Monica Richards can do – but softer, more angelic sounding. There are some mysterious, if not basically quirky things about this band. One, despite checking out several websites, I could find no history of the band, more info on the members, or from where they come. I~think~ the States would be the answer for Curt and Holly, but assume Hugues is from Europe (I am guessing France or Italy) as the fact that English is not his first language seems apparent on several tracks. Two, rather uniquely, they are very forthright about where the majority of the album was recorded – in the apartment of Holly and Curt. What strikes me about that is the normal fashion of creating a “name” for home studios to look more professional as a band has been abandoned. Now, I know quite a number of bands and their albums who have never even seen the inside of a professional studio, but you would never know from the liner notes, and perhaps more importantly from the quality. I don't think is a bad idea for a band to do– creating a fictious name for a studio they record in. But the honesty of Curt and Holly is refreshing and somehow makes me give them perhaps more leeway in quality – which they don't need anyway. The music is lovely and relaxing. All I wanted to do while listening to this album was to get into a warm bubble bath in a room filled with candles and drink a lovely glass of rich burgundy. Soothing despite thesubject. Jezabel
It is most certain that I do not follow nowadays any similar band with the characteristics offered by the Americans Bleeding Like Mine, but this, their second album, proves once again that they are a musical expression with nearly no comparison in a, let's define like this, dark ethereal wave ambient scene (if there is really such thing nowadays). I remember listening with pleasure some bands of this "kind" or of a similar "style" many years ago, I remember the trace left by some interesting projects from the British 4AD label, and I do not forget a great band called Black Tape For A Blue Girl. Likewise, the first Bleeding Like Mine album ("In The Eyes Of Lovelost",1.997 see our review in our 9th issue) was a proof of what I now reaffirm, the Italian label made again an intelligent election releasing this new album. I do not want to compare BLM strictly with the label and band above mentioned, it is a question of making you reader an approximate idea of how this Americans sound like and also due to the fact that this is not the type of style I usually listen to nowadays, that means, I have no idea if there is more projects out there achieving so many interesting compositions as BLM are doing (I doubt it)

SDC
This is a compendium of minimalistic electronics background to create above a very dark, melancholy, even tragic style, based in static melodies, solitary pianos, soft male and female voices, and a "romantic" feel projected in the general style and within the lyrics, which are reflection of personal relationships, total solitude and even despair. We find behind BLM a main man, Curt Emmer, responsible of all the instrumentation and compositions, aided in most of the vocals by Holly Emmer, and a guest for this album, Hugues Dammarie of the French band O Quam Tristis. Curiously, instrumentals have their own unpronounced texts (a thing that also practised the aforementioned band), like the first track named "Untitled #8, Chapter 4" with its reiterative effects and drones of a soothing effect and its almost unappreciable piano. "Denial" is a classic ballad of their own style, the soft and sensitiveness of Holly's voice, and her capacity to drown the listener among creations of what it seems a dark simplicity, but full of a strange captivity kept by a few ambient sounds and the permanent attraction of a few piano notes, very nice and painful at the same time. "In Your Flesh The Key: Chapter 2" is the first intervention of the French singer, a sobriety above a kept darkness maintained again with scarce conceptions, but fully effective, and beautiful minimal melodies. One of the best is simply called "Untitled #18", Hugues increases his deep affection with the elegant presence of his flute playing a brief enhancement of what later becomes simply a lineal track in the same spirit of others found in the album. "Shallow And Beyond (Phrases 5 & 6)" is characterised by its eternal and static background where simply the kindness of the female interlaced voices revive its spirit, without letting aside its sombre feeling. Again the icy female voice and its languid intervention tries to revive inside the notes of the piano contained within the sad "Waiting For The Harvest Never To Come", one of my favourites, undoubtedly, and its "less is more" conviction. Another one among the most important is "Untitled #23". This is a second composition with the blooming flute covering a more rhythmic percussion and the male singer showing again his effective voice, without forgetting the eternal piano that makes a very nice couple with the wind instrument. "And Now it's Gone" represents the most isolationist side of BLM, completed not only with the permanent and static floating of the instrumentation but with an echoed voice that builds a great quietness to simply travel deep inside. After having passed through the first half of the album and having listened such tracks, we have the impression that its magnetism have undoubtedly captivated us. More states of tragic solitude behind the notes of "10.000 Years...Or Tomorrow", a short song but highly evocative. The album offers also a little more dynamic pieces like "Did We Ever Know Love At All?", where the pulse and the bass line give a new and simple tone increased by the lineal male vocalist and perhaps growing the interest through the ever attractive notes for piano. "Waiting...: Chapter 2" brings back the sensation of permanent and precious stagnation of mind and spirit, the instrumentation plays this role and the girl's voice and her precious singing fill the air with that passive conception replete with quietness, even the time seems to stop here making our thoughts fall in an ending spiral of sadness. Curt, likewise during some accompaniment in the previous track, whispers with a shy voice within "Untitled #27: Renewal", being this again a piece of a floating atmosphere, but showing a prolonged despair increased by the text. More pearls in this part of the album under the name of "Faith Abandoned", here is where Hugues makes more obvious his slight eastern influences on his voice, while the music means one of the more tragic events adorned with the sobriety of a fixed piano melody. "In Your Flesh Lies The Key (v.2)" is a new version of the third track, this time sang by the echoed Holly's enchanting voice, backed by some music abstraction; really good. "Never Again Will I Dream... (The Tower: Chapter 3)" presents a male singer with a deeper voice adding a more direct feeling contrasting with some volatile melodies, and containing easy percussions that just have the function of sustaining the sadness of the main instrument. We reach the final step towards future splendid brilliant elegant songs, the epilogue is "The Hardest To Let Go", quite symbolic showing even abstract feelings from the music background and a text without a voice that circulates during its duration among our inner thoughts.We are not reviewing similar discs lately on SDC, but I do recommend this nice release, to fill some of the coldest autumn afternoons in great solitude. A wise decision by Palace Of Worms: to bring us again to Europe this American and already consolidated project. F. Paco González.

Glasnost
Das Cover zeigt einen Haufen menschlicher Knochengerüste. So morbide ist die Musik auf den ersten Eindruck nicht, jenseitig ist sie aber allemal. Wie ein stiller Teich, der keinen direkten Durchfluß hat, denn der Sound steht schwermütig und dreht sich um seine eigene Achse. Ein autarkes System, dessen Kreislauf sich aus der Symbiose von Wasser und Luft bildet. Als Dunst und Nebel steigt das Naß in der Wärme empor, um dann in perlenden Tropfen in der Kühle wieder herabzuregnen. Eine Welt im Netz des Zaubers.
Für den Musikstil von BLEEDING LIKE MINE gibt es keinen eigenen Begriff, vielmehr gilt unter Kennern der Name des visionären Labels Projekt Records als Synonym für diesen speziellen Stil von nebulösen, bittersüßen Klängen, die sich in unendlicher Schwelgerei ergehen. Klassisches Instrumentarium, naturinspirierte Klänge, spaciges Piano, sphärische Glocken, beschwörende Stimmen - männlich wie weiblich - die wie majestätische Schiffe über die sanften Wellen des Sees gleiten und von der Dichte der Klangsubstanz getragen werden. Ein Sound, wie man ihn von BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL und ihrem Umfeld wie ARCANTA und FROLIC kennt, ruhig und aller Welt entrückt, minimalistisch schwebend und kalt.
Doch damit nicht genug. Das Album erzählt mit den Texten der Lieder auch eine Geschichte, und zwar gleiten in aufwühlenden Worten die Emotionen einer sterbenden Seele vorüber. Also doch eine sehr morbide Angelegenheit, Todeslyrik und Todesklang in hoher künstlerischer Ästhetik, wie sie nur jemand zelebrieren kann, der Leben, Traum und Tod in einer sprituellen Einheit verbunden sieht. *350702*

The Sentimentalist
Ah, the happiness of feeling sad... Why not enjoy it even more with thisexcellent new CD by Bleeding Like Mine, as we trudge over the vast,barren landscape of desolate emotional plains after the anguishingbreak-up, punctuating time by playing with the carcass of lost love--andlet Never Again Will I Dream... repeat over again and again withoutcaring... Strong features of the album are the keyboards and arrangementby Curt Emmer, who also wrote most of the (self-autopsy) lyrics. Theexcellent vocals are supplied by Hugues Dammarie (from Palace of Wormslabelmates "O Quam Tristis...") and the heavenly-sounding Holly Emmer.Expect 16-songs of passive and aggressive despair, loneliness, gloom,mourning... slow and bleak. --Gilles de Montmorency

D-side
Voici le deuxième album de Bleeding Like Mine, duo composé de Holly et Curt Emmer. Contrairement à In the Eyes of Lovelost, leur précédent album où différents musiciens apportaient une aide substantielle, ils ont fait appel cette fois-ci à un seul et unique musicien-chanteur, le français Hugues Dammarie d' "O Quam Tristis..." Les mélodies et différentes harmonies du groupe sont toujours aussi éthérées, soutenues par des percussions relativement discrètes.La voix mais aussi la flûte d'Hugues Dammarie apportent beaucoup au céleste couple, se combinant parfaitement aux textures contemplatives de Curt et à la voix d'Holly Emmer.Romantisme et mystère forment une sorte de halo autour des chansons de Bleeding Like Mine conférant à Never again will I dream... une profondeur peu commune chez les groupes oeuvrant dans les mêmes eaux mornes et marécageuses. Un groupe comme Black Tape for a Blue Girl devrait en prendre de la graine.Yannick Blay

Side line
2nd full length for Bleeding Like Mine The American formation Bleeding Like Mine just released their 2nd full length "Never again will I dream" on Palace Of Worms. After a promising debut-cd and the excellent opener of the side-project O Quam Tristis (released on Palace Of Worms and in the line of Qntal), this new opus takes us away in a symbiotic and esoterically trip of gothic, folk and neo-classical. The bewitching and graceful female vocals embellish the cold textures with a deep melancholic splendor. Compositions from the heart conceived as a contemporary concerto!

FluxEuropa
Bleeding Like Mine's Never again will I dream... is a dark but gentle combination of voice, piano and atmospheres that will appeal to goth sensibilities. It follows BLM's debut album In the Eyes of Lovelost (1997).The lyrics, the foundation of the music, most of the instrument playing and some of the vocals are down to Curt Emmer, but he is joined by Hugues Dammarie of O Quam Tristis (vocals and flute) and by Holly Emmer (vocals). Hugues does most of the singing and has a distinctly rich and deep voice, which, given this particular musical context, is often reminiscent of Brendan Perry.The 16 tracks address the single theme of resignation to lost love. Curt's subtle neo-classical ambient music is the perfect accompaniment to the sad, reflective lyrics, rendering so much heartbreak so very mellow and relaxing.Percussion is generally very restrained, but becomes a little busier on 'Did we ever know love at all' on which the music and Hugues' vocals take on wavering Balkan or Middle Eastern inflections, as they also do on 'Faith Abandoned' which has a dark industrial feel.Hugues sent me a promo of this recording following a recent enquiry I made about O Quam Tristis. It's a couple of years old but quite beautiful and still worth hunting down.RIK - 6 March 2003

Projekt
With Bleeding Like Mine's long awaited follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut and POW's bestseller, Curt extends the stylistic platform which BLM has become known for. Similarities to the freshman release abound, yet this release goes beyond the former, with bolder percussion and rhythm developments, as well as subtler, more emotional statements that attack the heart both lyrically and musically. The addition of the dynamic and deep vocals of Hugues Dammarie (of Palace of Worms signed "O Quam Tristis...") combined with the ever surreal, multi-tracked heavently vocals of Holly Emmer clearly take this release to the next level. A rare, beautiful work which combines three equal parts to create a magical whole.

Ink19
Bleeding Like Mine's (BLM) darkly gorgeous album Never Again Will I Dream... evokes the desolate shadowlands between the love that has been lost and the new love that has not yet been found with painful clarity and an achingly beautiful sense of deep melancholy. Curt Emmer's keyboard work for BLM is just outstanding, painting incredibly moving images and feelings out of deceptively simple melodies or even just a few spare notes. Dark synth, drums, and percussion lay the foundation for most of the tracks, augmented at times with perfect touches of cello, flute, and other instruments (all played by Curt, except flute on two tracks). Two vocalists lend their considerable talents, with Holly Emmer's contributions tending toward the lovely, fragile, and plaintive and Hugues Dammarie's being more aggressive, deeper, and often distorted. Points of comparison for the overall feel of the album might include Raison d'Etre, Arcana, or SoulWhirlingSomewhere (the last especially in terms of the lyrics), but really BLM are in a class very much their own.I can't do proper justice to BLM in words, and encourage you to simply buy the album if the above description intrigued you. Failing that, I can tell you that Never takes you through the depths of loneliness and despair, but also guides you to the hard-won heights of healing and moving on with your life. So many of the tracks on Never moved me so deeply that I really don't know where to start. Perhaps with "Untitled #23," and its throbbing bass drum, bell, atmospheric synth, and keyboards anticipating the advance of a demonic, trilling flute. Hypnotic, magical, and haunting, the instruments, together with the spooky, echoing, multilayered male vocals, set the stars spinning across the black velvet night, unknowable yet maddeningly familiar, laughing at our so-called wisdom that lasts just the span of one meager life. Or "And Now It's Gone," with its mournful, watery synth, wavering and tenuous; breathy percussion; echoing keyboards; and heavily treated female vocals way in the background delivered almost painfully slowly, the whole evoking a feeling of drifting lost far away at sea, with no familiar lighthouse to call you home now that your love is gone. And ending with "The Hardest to Let Go," its low synth foghorn sounds blowing lonely, highlighted with bell-like tones, and beautiful keyboards, meditative but strong, the keys building slow confidence as the track proceeds, just like a healing heart does, then fading to the solo foghorn synth; the track has no vocals, which say loudly by their absence that all the lost voices in the lover's head have finally quieted enough that s/he can hear the most important one of all -- their own. Dave Aftandilian

Ver Sacrum
Il ritorno dei Bleeding Like Mine, dopo l'eccellente In the eyes of lovelost uscito nel '97 sempre per l'etichetta italiana Palace of Worms, ci giunge davvero gradito. Questa formazione americana produce un'elegante musica eterea, dai toni minimali, fortemente romantica. Dal punto di vista sonoro immaginateli come il punto di incontro tra i Black Tape for a Blue Girl e gli Stoa: troviamo le melodie struggenti e malinconiche dei primi, le loro canzoni elettroniche composte in stile moderno, con il minimalismo dei secondi, l'uso del piano, qui quello elettrico e fortemente effettato con l'eco. Questo malinconia spleen già citata si ritrova tanto nella musica che nei testi, piccoli quadri di ordinario - e proprio per questo universale - "mal de vivre". Il disco raggiunge quasi l'eccellenza nei brani cantati da Holly Emmer, voce femminile elegante anche senza essere particolarmente virtuosistica, e nei due episodi con la voce maschile di Curt Emmer, la colonna portante di questo progetto. Purtroppo il canto in sette delle sedici canzoni del disco è affidato a Hugues Dammarie, già voce nel progetto O Quam Tristis. Sarà per la qualità non eccelsa della registrazione (il disco è stato praticamente inciso tutto in casa) ma le sue linee vocali piatte e monotone al procedere dell'ascolto risultano stancanti. Peccato perché il disco sarebbe stato, con un altro cantante o semplicemente con il coinvolgimento maggiore degli Emmer, un vero capolavoro. Merita comunque la vostra attenzione perché i Bleeding Like Mine sono - e Never again... musicalmente lo conferma - una delle realtà più originali e interessanti nel campo della musica eterea.


Stay Frightened - Still

Judas kiss
Tranquil ethereal music is what Stay Frightened are all about. Music that floats around and calms every morsel it touches. This debut CD is all of this and more and is the work of one man, Conrad L. Dickey. His saddened voice compliments the music perfectly and produces a magically dreamy soundtrack for those darkened romantic evenings spent with the person of your dreams. (Lee Powell)

Grinding into emptiness
This release is deep, moving and beautiful, and is nothing short of amazing. Stay Frightened has released a few tracks on various compilations (most notably, ` Of These Reminders' a tribute to Black Tape For a Blue Girl), but this is their first full length release. The music could be compared to the gliding feel and subdued vocals of Lycia meets the deep vocals, minimilsitic electronics and melancholy feel of Black Tape For a Blue Girl. The basis of the sound is symphonic style electronics with piano keys occasionally trickling through, and then in the background you can vaguely make out the deep low-key vocals. The individual tracks of this album tend to run together, however, this does not take away from the quality of the piece, but enhances its unity. This release will probably not please all but it is a must for any fans of the Projekt label. Stay Frightened prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that our best songs sing of our saddest thoughts.-Josh Fotheringham

Aether sanctum
In many ways much of what I said about Bleeding Like Mine's "Eyes of the Lovelost" applies to Stay Frightened's "Still". Both occupy the same end of the spectrum for what has become know (fairly or not) as "that Projekt sound", (and yes, they also appeared on 'Of These Reminders, with an excellent reworking of 'Could I Stay the Honest One?') yet while Bleeding Like Mine is the soundtrack for a Lazy Saturday afternoon, Stay Frightened is the sound of a sunny Sunday afternoon. The vocals of Conrad L. Dickey (who appears to be the sole member) are so harmonic the ooze in between the music. When he sings it is adding another layer to the music, but it doesn't detract with the arrangement. He adds a healthy dose of emotion where required. Many of the song titles tell the story: 'The rain and bruises'; 'Windblown luminaries' and 'Languid blue smile', although it's not an album of stand out tracks, I found it best enjoy the work as a cohesive whole. A number of the tracks break the six minute barrier (The longest 'Soar Away' clocks in at just over 12 minutes), and occasionally they will drift out of your consciousness, you will always be drawn back in to what is a very relaxing album. If you don't really like your music ethereal, ghostly and wispy, than this is definitely not for you.If you've often sat humming to yourself thinking "Gee I think some of these Projekt bands are a little too noisy, They should pop some Prozac " then this is a must.

Flow & Beatsezine
Melancholy, beautiful and ethereal, this disc is made up mostly of synthesizer instrumentals along the lines of Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Dead Can Dance. The few vocals there are come off more as another instrument layer to the pieces, instead of the focus of the song.Extremely relaxing to listen to but leaning heavily towards the Sad Music side of things. Holly day

Black
Who or what is STAY FRIGHTENED?!? I just would like to know and hear more and more from this group or this person that sneaked into my heart and my head because I cannot get it out of my head....I know STAY FRIGHTENED only from the two compilations "Of these reminders"(Project Rec)and "Palace of Worms" sampler.The two pieces of music were very instrumental, so I was very surprise to hear suddenly a man's voice on the present advance-tape,a voice that played up to me as it did once Michael Plaster of Somewhirling Somewhere,but STAY FRIGHTENED is different because he don't use only calm and wonderful keyboards but as well a piano melodies that you can remember quickly and cannot get out of your mind. But at the end you feel immensly sad and melancholy and you have to tear away yourself to turn to reality.The cd includes 11 tracks with a run of 74 minutes....just to give an idea of what is in the store for you.There should be mentioned especially the piece "Windblown luminaries","Violence of ghosts","In my dream..." and my absolute favorite is "And there one wish will die". The cd is a real treat for the ears and an absolute must for all fans of calm,gliding music combined with an expressive, sad but sensitive voice,never heard before. Friends, just put the electric lights out, light the candles and lean back relaxed..... (T.Wacker)

Edge of time
Without any doubt, it was one of the most (if not the most) romantic and still works in the ethereal/ambient world of 1997. The debut album of this one-man group is mainly instrumental, and when vocals came in first, I almost trembled. At the beginning, they didn't fit my taste but later they started to look quite suitable to the music. Anyway, this music is much more based on instrumentals than the most of the ethereal music, and piano playing is really sensitive and beautiful. Absolute highlights are "Windblown Luminaries" and "And There On Wish Will Die". The music for the most romantic souls... (AO)

Bizzarre 10
It seems that this label are the 'Italian' version of Projekt, which is meant as a compliment. Again another Americen project, featuring Conrad L Dickey whose vocals are reminiscent of Dead Can Dance and some This Mortal Coil. But generally the music is in more soundscape or in dreamy ambient territory which touches on Eno's more esoteric moment.Floaty keyboards drift in the ether and twinkle like distant stars, relax and float with this meditative stream.Music to expand the imagination, to explore the inner universe of 1ight and wonder.

Rumore
These two records wouldn't have looked out of place in the refined and ethereal catalogue of Projekt; still they're issued by an italian label, Palace of Worms . We're talking about Stay Frightened's debut album" Still", piano songs soffused with inspired echos of David Sylvian and Martyn Bates, written by Conrad L. Dickey from Mill Creek, and the more affected work of the romantic Bleeding Like Mine, In the Eyes of Lovelost, scouring 4AD territories of wide-spread melancholy.
(V. Baroni)

Novelty
This Italian label, maybe most known for its tribute-CD to Death In June (”Heilige Tod”), here presents two american bands' first full-length albums. They play similar kind of music, of an ethereal, electronic kind, with the biggest difference being that Stay Frightened's album almost doesn't contain any rhythms or (female) vocals, two elements that make Bleeding Like Mine a pleasant acquaintance. However, ”Still” is not a bad record at all, it contains other musical qualities that in the end make these two records almost equal. ”In the Eyes of Lovelost” starts with the marvelous ”Untitled #5”, a sombre song containing hypnotic synthmelodies and drumpatterns, spiced with Holly's beautiful voice. The rest of the album continues in the same vein, everything very competent. It all has a German feeling, and it reminds me of Love is Colder than Death at their best, just better performed. Unfortunately, the lack of variation makes the album a nice but rather empty experience. Conrad of Stay Frightened founds most of his songs on lush piano arrangements, strings and vocals, which makes me think of the Projekt-band Soul Whirling Somewhere. My favourite songs are ”The Rain and Bruises” and ”My Guardian Angel, Falling”, two very beautiful songs where he really shows his potential. The other nine songs are also good, but not so very exciting. Nothing you remember once the CD has stopped. Bleeding Like Mine and Stay Frightened have with their debuts shown thatn they are good enough to compete with the established bands, and it won't surprise me if they soon have reached out to a bigger audience. They deserve it. (Magnus Sundström)

Mozgalom
Nagy kongó csarnokokban felbúgó, simogató szintetizátorpasztellek és zongorafutamok. Egy fáradtabb, szép férfihang, amelyet sokszor magával ragad a szomorúság, vagy a saját maga által játszott dallam. Minden darab ugyanolyan. Több mint egy óra ebben a nagyon személyes hangvétel? világban, amit Conrad L. Dickey hozott létre magának. Mindig ugyanaz, éppen ezért nem is mindig befogadható. Az albumot az apja emlékének ajánlotta, aki (mint írja) mindig vele van.


Various - Palace of Worms

Skogsduvan 1
Palace of Worms: is a new started Italian label. Conrad of Stay Frightened sent me a sampler which he has contributed to, so of course will I do a short presentation of it. Conrad´s contribution is the song "Touched in the Place Where Trust Simply Aches". According to Conrad himself one of the most touching songs he has ever done. The Palace Of Worms sampler feature acts from all over the world, such as Raison D´être, Eld, Lucie Cries, Ataraxia, Monumentum, Bleeding Like Mine and ten more. The most of the songs on this sampler would most likely be categorised in the Industrial or the Gothic genre, and all the different varieties those two genres include. I can´t find one single bad track on this CD, but of course varies the quality of the tracks. Oh, I almost forgot. The sampler has the same name as the label, Palace of Worms. (Klas Lignell)

Judas kiss
This compilation is addictive;baiting with mysterious dark wave from many a rising phoenix of the new gothic scene.These exciting bands include MONUMENTUM, BLEEDING LIKE MINE, RUNES ORDER, ENGELSSTAUB and LUCIE CRIES. The album is bound togheter by metaphysical,emotional lyrics and beautiful, seductive music, ENGELSSTAUB's "FALLEN ANGEL (UNHOLY)" is a song I'm compelled to listen to constantly. The track "SHOAH" from LUCIE CRIES is enchanting,and MONUMENTUM's "FADE TO GREY (IN WORMS)" is incomparable.The influence of apocalyptic gothic folk, DIJ and CURRENT93,is apparent, but PALACE OF WORMS is also highly innovative,and -in my opinion- flowing in exactly the direction european darkwave should. A perfect collection of secret dreams.(Lee Powell)

Rockerilla
Here's an international release well deserving a bit of attention, also because it features 16 bands oscillating between evocative or obscure and intriguing sounds. The selection of the tracks made by the Palace of Worms compiler (the same of the Death In June tribute) is very good; most of them are really fine. Here are a few clues about some of them: if you loved the T.A.C., Engelsstaub their match will be; Endraum and Lucie Cries will make you glad, along with the Protagonist and the tidy Eld, while Bleeding Like Mine is the american surprise and the Runes Order will end this nonsense rhyme.(A.Chimenti)

Raro
Very interesting is "Palace of Worms" (P02W-2, CD only), a compilation of gothic bands produced by the italian label with the same name. The record features interesting unreleased tracks of some italian bands: "Christine's Eyes" by Runes Order, "Fade to Grey (in Worms)" by Monumentum, already featured on their LP "In Absenthia Christi", but here in a remixed version; "Hommage funèbre (An hommage to Lino)" by Ataraxia,from Modena, wonderful post-punk track appeared only on their first demotape ("Arazzi", 1990), and finally "Easter 1980" by Kirlian Camera. (F.M.Arati)


Novelty 5 (winter 1996):
marks: 6/10 An Italian compilation with goth/industrial/dark ambient. The opening track is an opera-cover of the old Visage-classic "Fade to Grey", by Monumentum. Different and funny the three first times you hear it, then just different. As the record is Italian, I was a bit surprised that not less than three of the participating bands are Swedish: The Protagonist (the mysterious Novelty-writer), Raison D´être and Eld. If you like mumbling, hissing and chanting voices, drummachines, glockenspiels, synth-organs, samples and other things that make life fun, I think you should go and buy this record. Besides, part of the income is donated to the children in Bosnia. (Björn Stenfors/translated by Magnus Sundström)


Edge of time
Obscure and emotional side of electronic world is all in here. Just take a look at the titles - MONUMENTUM, ENDRAUM, RAISON D'ETRE, T.A.C., KIRLIAN CAMERA, ATARAXIA - all are well known for their work in gothic/ambient/darkwave fields and this compilation CD is a good present to those, who want different performers and different songs on one place. Btw, part of the proceeds of this release will be handed over to the Bosniac children. (G)

Mardoror
"Palace Of Worms" es un recopilatorio editado por el sello italiano PALACE OF WORMS, cuyo contenido puede interesar mucha gente, pues realmente éste es uno de los recopilatorios más variados y con más calidad que he podido ver editado... Sin más, empieza la sesión con MONUMENTUM y una remezcla inédita de su versión del "Fade To Grey" de VISAGE, muy buena por cierto en él que Francesca Nicoli de ATARAXIA lleva la voz con grán mestría. IKON con "Somewhere Else" de su CD "Flowers For The Gathering" demuestran lo bién que lo hacen cuando mezclan su Gothic con toques acústicos muy próximo al Dark Folk. ENDRAUM luego sigue encantándonos con una versión remezclada de "Mother Earth", un tema precioso de su último CD "Innerlichkeit". Luego,los americanos BLEEDING LIKE MINE con "And The Ashes Settle" nos ofrecen un tema etéreo con acentos neomedievales, demostrándonos el talento que PROJEKT ya nos adelanto en el tributo "Of These Reminders" a BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL. Los italianos RUNES ORDER nos presentan "Christine's Eyes",un tema electrónico muy agradable con un desarrollo interesante en su vena particular. También se incluye el famosísimo "Fallen Angel" de ENGELSSTAUB,en su versión del Single "Unholy" remasterizada. A continuación llega el genial proyecto RAISON D'ÊTRE con un fabuloso inédito "In Emptiness" en su peculiar linea Industrial Sacroambiental. La sesión sigue con LUCIE CRIES y "Shoah" de su "Nihil Ex Nihilo", que solo difiere de la original por una introducción instrumental. Aparece un interesante proyecto sueco llamado THE PROTAGONIST con "Imitation" muy en la onda Dark Industrial de COLD MEAT INDUSTRY a lo IN SLAUGHTER NATIVES. Colaboran también T.A.C. con "The Rising Of The Current II" de tono electrónico muy bailable, al limite del Trance. Los suecos ELD nos siguen demostrando con "Centuries Astray" su amor al Dark Folk y no lo hacen del todo mal. Otra grán sorpresa es ese "Dementia" de DUST, alias Mike Van Portfleet de LYCIA y John Fair (primer bajista de LYCIA que apareció en el CD "Wake"), y claro recuerda a LYCIA,pero se hace mucho más cercano a lo que ofreció Van Portfleet con BLEAK, o sea, grandioso. A continuación siguen KIRLIAN CAMERA con un inédito "Easter 1980",muy buen instrumental muy atmosférico y ambiental Oscuro. Otra grán sorpresa (razón por la cual me compré el CD) es un inédito de THE MOON LAY HIDDEN BENEATH A CLOUD, muy en su onda medieval solemne, imponente y épico,y por supuesto otra maravilla de composición. Siguen luego ATARAXIA con"Hommage Funèbre", un tema excelente de acento muy Gótico Inglés de los Ochenta que poco tiene que ver con su sonido neomedieval, recordándome quizás a SKELETAL FAMILY. Se cierra la sesión con los americanos STAYFRIGHTENED y "Touched In The Place Where Trust Simply Aches", un precioso instrumental atmósférico, cálido y melancólico en la onda PROJEKT (con los cuales también colaboraron anteriormente en "Of These Reminders"). En conclusión, este recopilatorio es más que recomendable por todos sus inéditos y por su variedad de grupos, y para más de buen gusto.


Various - Heilige Tod

Chain D.L.K.
HEILIGE TOD is a tribute to Death In June compilation part of whose proceeds will be handed over to the bosniac population through the from-Bergamo association Mir-Sada.This few words should be enough to convince to buy this cd anyone feels jointly liable and loves the music of the Death In June and of the fifteen artists of this very nice collection, but for those who doesn't become convinced easily we're about to illustrate more deeply the several episodes of this work.
Sulphureous Church [I] open (somewhere between industrial and liturgical choirs with their version of the title-track) and Our Kirlian Camera [I] continue (as ever apocalyptic and recognizable but this time with "Death of a Man"). Then it's time for Gerstein [I], aka Maurizio Pustianaz, (with a very nice acoustic version of "All Alone in her Nirvana") and after him for Eld [SWE] (can you imagine DIJ idian/country-turned?(!)), for Runes Order [I] (a very electronic "Last Farewell", ideal for trips in abysses) and for the Andromeda Complex [I] of Celestino Pes (a sad "Leper Lord"). The tribute work goes on with Vinci [FR] (a good example of noise-electro with their "C'est un rêve"), then with Tombstone (they're very disquieting and algid too -besides of beeing nearly christmassy at the beginning- with "Bring in the Night"), with Lady Domino [I] (firs-rate worrying, hammering and noisy electronics; they play "Blood Victory") and then for the couple Third Eye/Odinic Rite (which produced an intro which sounds like an exorcism and a song with medieval cadenzas). The Swirling Swastikas [I] perform a slow dreamy song ("Death Is the Martyr of Beauty"), whilst Regarde Extreme [FR] (with "The Guilty Have No Pride") explores black spacy marchs scanned by percussion rhythms. Ermeneuma [I] breaks literally the atmosphere (with a version of "Nothing Changes" which probably is the only real bad moment of this compilation because of several reasons) but Deutsch Nepal make good a piece of damage (again with the title-track in two conjoint versions -the first one is alien-like and quivering and the other one is icy-shudder-like- to close).

Soma3
A tribute to Death In June from Italy with mostly Italian bands where part of the proceeds is donated to Bosnia. I must confess that I don´t know how many of these songs originally sounds but I´m not overwhelmed by Heilige Tod, which you can find three times on this CD, one with Sulphureous Church and two with Deutsch Nepal. Deutsch Nepal´s contribution together with Eld from Sweden and Italian Swirling Swastikas (well, that´s also a name) are the winners on this compilation. Other bands participating are for example Third Eye, Tombstone with a terrible version of "Bring In The Night", Runes Order, Gerstein, Kirlian Camera etc. It´s strange that noone has interpreted my favourite DIJ-song, "She Said Destroy", but that´s the way it is. (Jonas Kellagher/translated by Magnus Sundström)

Judas kiss
An excellent compilation from the italian darkwave label "Palace of worms". This album is a tribute to the legendary DEATH IN JUNE, and sees 15 tracks from their dark and murky past being torn into todays dismal light. The bands strip down each song they choose to cover, andreassemble them using whatever style they see fit. Apocalyptic folk throught to goth and darkwave sounds all raise their skull, coaxed along by the occasional film sample. Some songs sound remarkably like the original "Fall apart",while others couldn't more different. Each of these tracks are little gems,glistening in the darkness. Let them cacth your eye and "Welcome death". A must for lovers of the avant-gards sounds of D.I.J and Current93.(Lee Powell)