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Items for review: Compulsion, PO Box 19577, Kilbarchan, Johnstone, PA10 2WX, Scotland, UK
Angels of Light - We Are Him
We Are Him is unarguably the most accessible collection of songs that Michael Gira has released. With Akron/Family once again acting as his backing band it draws heavily on backwoods Americana. Much of the music is tinged with touches of country and western, bluegrass, gospel in a more startling manner than previous Angels of Light releases. Although he marshalls the talents of Akron/Family, Gira appears to be much more in control here, enlisting additional musical support from former Swans members, and others including Julia Kent (of Antony and the Johnsons) to embelish the songs. It's a pure crystallisation of his previous releases, that will enthrall followers of his work. We Are Him hammers home the point that Michael Gira is continually developing as a songwriter, even straying into some surprising and previously uncharted territories.
The opener 'Black River Song' features an exasperated Gira vocal delivering the lyrics like a midwest preacher's sermon, backed by a congregation of voices, over a subtle interplay involving jangling bells, pummeling percussion and a needling guitar line. It's harnessed to a monolithic crawl that lasts until the last 20 seconds or so before it lurches to the end. Then there's 'My Brother's Man' which opts for a primal southern stomp, with Gira fired up and spittin' lines like "No God will ever understand. I crush him in my brother's hand. I am the god of this fucking land. I am my brother's man". With its sloppy bass, niggling guitar lines and thunderous percussion the entire track is like the Swans wrestling with Nick Cave's 'Tupelo'.
His laconic drawl on 'Promise of Water' contrasts marvellously with the lilting acoustic melody, as a violin weaves underneath and ominous harmonies surround like a desert based Manson family singalong. The country-waltz of 'The Man We Left Behind' is almost a song written to himself when he tellingly imparts the lines "Now the future's unfolding, and the past it's a lie, so send our regards to, the man we left behind".
It takes until the sixth track, 'Joseph's Song' until the real change in Angels of Light really becomes apparent. From a delicate guitar and maudlin vocal a pumping brass section recalling the Beach Boys 'Trombone Dixie' appears to accompany the remainder of the song. The title track is a rabid glam stomper, complete with obligatory handclaps, where Gira lets loose with a rousing, celebratory paean. It's pure revelation through celebration. Even the inherent violence of 'Sometimes I Dream I'm Hurting You' caught between frosted guitar lines and lamentful piano, bursts into a swinging sixties organ, as Gira calls for a vengeful god to strike down the protagonist.
Gira may have wallowed in pity, disgust and degradation in the early years of the Swans but on We Are Him he's supplemented his brutal vision with something close to optimism. Violence, murder, blood, hate still feature heavily in his lyrics but they're tempered with references to life, light and love. Now in his early fifties Gira appears almost resigned to himself to the point that he can happily pen something as blatantly up as 'Sunflower's Here To Stay', which with its Beatlesque brass arrangements and massed harmonies, is pure sunshine pop, inspired in part by the hyper-colourful personalities of Genesis P. Orridge and Devendra Banhart. 'Good Bye Mary Lou' is a bit of a country hoedown, where the Angels of Light go almost bluegrass. 'The Visitor' with its county guitar twang, is a beautifully melancholic admission of love couched in soft harmonies, while the closer, 'Star Chaser', is a subtle rendering of reverbed electric guitar with Gira's voice shadowed by his wife, Siobhan Duffy. I make no apologies for referencing so many tracks here, the simple truth is that under the guises of Swans and Angels of Light Michael Gira created many good records, We Are Him is a great one. Recommended. For more information go to www.younggodrecords.com
Michael Gira is embarking on an extensive solo European tour. The dates are as follows:
October 11 - AB-club, Brussels (B)
October 12 - STUK, Leuven (B)
October 13 - Theater Kikker, Utrecht (NL)
October 14 - Vera, Groningen (NL)
October 15 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
October 16 - PTR, L'usine, Geneva (CH)
October 17 - Circolo degli Artisti, Roma (I)
October 19 - KC Belgie, Hasselt (B) (+ Boredoms)
October 20 - Sonic City festival, Kortrijk (B) (+ Boredoms / Deerhoof)
October 21 - Taylor John's House, Coventry (UK)
October 22 - Academy, Manchester (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 23 - Arches, Glasgow (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 24 - The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 26 - The Wire/Electra festival, Shoreditch Town Hall, London (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 27 - Monto Water Rats, London (UK)
For more information go to www.younggodrecords.com
The Fields of Hay - Songs For Nine Ladies
Songs For Nine Ladies is the debut release from Stuart Carter a former member of UK guitar-noise outfit Splintered currently treading the boards as part of the experimental electronic outfit Theme. Songs For Nine Ladies is a particularly loose recording merging organic sounds sources with electronic instrumentation in a hazy reverie. The opener 'Morning In The Early' is a real pastoral effort, setting chirping bird song to guitar noodling and short bursts of keyboard drone. It segues into 'Welcome To Mantra' where skittering rhythms coexist with an electronic pulse derived from archaic keyboards, amidst shuddering dropped and cascading tones. Like the opening track the vintage synths here are played by Pete Kember (aka Sonic Boom) who adds a primitive warmth to the music. 'Welcome To Mantra' is akin to listening to TG in the open English countryside. It's by far the best track here. Bass guitar notes meander in an improvised manner on 'Miracles and Saints' wrapped in a shimmering drone drenched with spacey effects. Despite its psychedelic glow it's thoroughly disappointing, especially when compared to 'Solaar Afternoons' where florid acoustic guitar playing, which picks at the heels of the current folk vogue, is surrounded by washes of floating electronic patterns creating some of the most calm and relaxing sounds here. The final track, the beautifully titled 'Gabriels Golden Wing (Naked in the Clouds)' is a nice piece of twilight space-ambient music that swells from some nice stringed intro but the entire track is letdown due to the distracting bass soloing.
Sure it picks up some electronic sounds, some found sounds, environmental sounds, a bit of folk, drone and ambient and comes across as a bit psychedelic, a bit pastoral and a bit medatitive but it's all quite innocuous. Actually it's the sort of release you'd expect from the Ochre label, and while I don't hate it it doesn't leave that much of an impression that I would return to it in a hurry. For more information go to wwww.adverse-effect.co.uk
Inanna - Day Ov Torment
Day Ov Torment is another worthwhile reissue from Cold Spring, this time delving into the death-industrial archives to resurrect this 1993 release from Inanna. Day Ov Torment originally saw the light of day on Staalplaat when Mikael Stavöstrand was still recording as one-half of Archon Satani. Day Ov Torment should be viewed alongside the Cold Spring reissue of Archon Satani's Mind of Flesh and Bones, where Mikael Stavöstrand firmly took control, taking Archon Satani into the soundtrack styled bleak atmospheres that define both that release and this reissue of Day Ov Torment.
Mixed by J Havukainen of In Slaughter Natives, Day Ov Torment unleashes nine slabs of pitch-black doom ambience, thunderous drumming, gloomy orchestration, heavyset droning, electronic shudders and shrieks and beastly mutterings and groans. There's a risible structure to the tracks on Day Ov Torment. It's filled with grim defiance and a horror film aesthetic dripping with intent and implied dramatics. 'Zounds' opens with windswept ambience as a flurry of drums swell into a relentless tirade of ritual-industrial rhythms, cutting to a distant funeral march before regrouping with a frantic climax of crushing beats and gloomy atmospheres. 'Her Essence' unfurls to the the rising strains of a gothic organ, as spartan death beats are plundered and demonic voices rise from the fiery pits of hell, surrounded by the clanking of percussion and reverberating electronics. Its apocalyptic imagery is unmissable. Timpani drums thunder to the roar of processed industrial washes and the incessant chug of distorted strings on 'Ancient Flesh'. Elsewhere, there's the martial industrial strains of 'Zonei' and the expansive creepy ambience of 'Submission To Solitude 1 - 3'.
The death-industrial sound of Day Ov Torment is almost synonymous of what would later typify the output of the Swedish Cold Meat Industry label. Listening back it has clearly stood the test of time and you can quite clearly detect its influence on later releases in the genre. Out of print for years this reissue features remodelled artwork carried out with the usual Cold Spring finesse, so if you missed out first time around you really don't want to wait too long. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Lux Interna - God Is Not Dead For The Birds
I must confess to not knowing anything about Lux Interna but God Is Not Dead For The Birds features a richly evocative set of acoustic based songs. The acoustic guitar playing is clear and precise reminding of Current 93, Death In June and Backworld, with deep resonating vocals, couched in gentle female harmonies. At times, I'm reminded of the Swans forays into acoustic based songs. But accompanied by cellos, vioins, dulcimer and mandolin Lux Interna's dark folk shares an affinity with the burgeoning neo-folk scene, though Lux Interna, thankfully avoid the pitfalls of that genre. A romantic and spiritual stream runs through God Is Not Dead For The Birds putting them closer to Changes, rather than the generic neo-folk types that Lux Interna will undoubtedly be compared to. Joshua Gentzke's voice is expressive and strong as he wrestles with big questions concerning existence and religion. 'Into Nothing (Blackwatersong)' and 'Under The Leaves of Light' are strong representations of Lux Interna's songwriting capabilities. The latter underpinned by a finger pickin' mandolin gives the acoustic track a feeling of dark Americana. When Gentzke's deep tones combine with his partner's silken voice it gives the melancholic songs a tinge of country and western. 'Blossoms', a gentle piano based ballad, is the best example of this. 'West of Eden', meanwhile, is much more folky, with violins and cello deepening the sound, in a track that references philosophers such as Descartes, Hume, Kant and Milton. 'Her Lily White Hands' is a breezy number of acoustic dark folk-pop concerning love, death and religion.
God Is Not Dead For The Birds is unarguably dark folk, but it's performed consistently well and it's a cohesive selection of morose and sombre songs, with a particularly singular take on Gnosticism. All in all, it's an assured and confident release from a group of American musicians and artists who will only gain in popularity as their exposure increases. For more information go to www.eislicht.de
Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound
Whoa new Shellac! You just gotta admire Shellac. A full seven years since their last studio album 1000 Hurts, the trio of Steve Albini, Todd Trainer and Bob Weston release their 4th album for no other reason that they could, having being able to wrestle time away from their days jobs as studio engineers. There's no supporting tour, no singles to draw you in, and no fanfare surrounding its release. In fact I knew nothing of it till spotting on the shelves of Monorail one Sunday afternoon. That makes this one of the most pointless reviews to appear here. I guess with Shellac you either get 'em or you don't. I swear by Shellac, they're like a longtime friend whom you don't see often. It may be years between visits but they are always familiar and most welcome. And that pretty much describes Excellent Italian Greyhound. There's no tectonic shift in musical development or sound. If anything they've fine tuned their sound so much that it's now as tight as... well y'know, something really tight. There's little adornment just straight forward no-nonsense rock. Albini's guitar remains as abrasive as ever, Weston bass lines are taut, and Trainer's drums are just immaculate. 'Steady As She Goes', 'Be Prepared' and 'Elephant' are solid enough and pretty much business as usual exacting the usual stop-start structures, dropping instruments out the mix for Trainer's drum to take centre stage before the trio recovene with a high-powered cohesiveness.
The main tracks here are 'The End of Radio' and 'Genuine Lulabelle'. 'The End of Radio' kicks off the album with some drum rolls as Albini asks "Is this thing on? Can you hear me?". Repeated riffs are unleashed, as Trainer wrestles with his drumkit. Albini takes the role of a radio presenter but there's no-one listening. This is post-apocalyptic broadcasting, and it's a smart piece of work. Albini, cynically, seeks that non-existent caller, special girl, sponsor but there's no-one there. "Is it really broadcasting if there's no-one there to receive?" he questions as the trio launch into tight jagged structures. Meanwhile 'Genuine Lulabelle' is a looser conception of raucous guitars breaking down into plundering basslines, then rolling drums before it all stops and Albini kicks with a filthy acapella monologue. It's a bizarrely infuriating track. Excellent Italian Greyhound isn't all serated bluster though. 'Kittypants' is a brief melodic instrumental that's as accessible as anything they've ever done. The other instrumental track here, 'Paco', is a powerful run through some ass-kickin' structures. Excellent Italian Greyhound ends on the manic thrash of 'Boycott' with some cartoon vocals from Albini and Weston. Its not one of their finer moments. But it's strange that the most discomforting track, 'Genuine Lulabelle' is also the quietest with the greatest use of space and silence. All the same, for all the minor quibbles the first side really hits the spot. Strange packaging though. For more information go to www.touchandgorecords.com
Carter Tutti return next month with the release of Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether. Three years in the making Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether is described as a rich and accessible collection of electronic torch songs awash with echoes of the sea, the moon, the open road, and flatlands. Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether is initially released as a digital download (with an exclusive itunes download track) with a European version (on Conspiracy International) and US release (on Divine Frequency) to follow. For more information go to www.cartertutti.com
Durtro have just issued a limited CD-R from Current 93 with Sebastian Horsley to celebrate the opening of Hookers, Dealers, Tailors, a retrsopective art exhibition from the modern day dandy and decadent artist. Black Ship In The Underworld features Current 93 as Baby Dee, Andrew Liles and David Tibet with Sebastian Horsley on vocals. Black Ship In The Underworld is limited to 333 copies. For more information go to www.durtro.com
Baby Dee and Pantaleimon perform live at the Luminaire in London on October 26. Pantaleimon also feature on Homesick for Nowhere the new album from HoboTalk. For more information go to www.pantaleimon.com
Death In June are currently recording their new studio album The Rule of Thirds, while work continues on the 20th Anniversary Edition of Brown Book.
Boyd Rice performs three shows in Europe next month, with Luftwaffe and AIT1. The dates are as follows: October 26 - New Style, Vilnius, Lithuania, October 28 - Mocvara, Zagreb, Croatia, October 31 - Slimelight, London. Creation Books are due to publish Standing In Two Circles: The Collected Works Of Boyd Rice a defintive and comprehensive compendium of the works of Boyd Rice containing essays, lyrics, photographs and art this month. The publication edited by Brian M. Clark is available as a signed limited edition with a trade edition set to follow. A documentary film by Larry Wessell is currently in production. For more information go to www.boydrice.com
Albin Julius has another fine batch of material out now on his Hau Ruck and WKN imprints. Wasteland is the latest release from Bain Wolfkind. This CD EP although darker and more autobiographical follows a similar path to his previous release Music For Lovers and Gangsters. Der Blutharsch release the title track from their forthcoming album The Philosopher's Stone on 7-inch with an exclusive track on the flipside. This teaser for their new album is limited to 666 copies. The album scheduled for release in October continues their march away from martial music, and features Albin Julius, Marthynna, Jörg B. and Bain Wolfkind, assisted by Matt Howden and Christine K. A vinyl edition with a limited 7-inch, featuring an exclusive non-album track, will be issued on black, red and phosphor coloured vinyl, each in an edition of 451 copies. For more information go to www.derblutharsh.com
Bain Wolfkind plays two shows in the USA. On September 28 Bain Wolfkind and C.O.T.A. perform live at the Relax Bar, Hollywood, Los Angeles. And on October 6 Bain Wolfkind performs at the second night of the Apex Festival in New York. Also on the bill are Deutsch Nepal, Land:Fire, Steel Hook Prostheses and Post Scriptum. The first night (October 5) features performances from Herbst9, Sistrenatus, Travis Morgan and Skincage. The event takes place at The Pussycat Lounge, New York. For more information go to www.myspace.com/bainwolfkind
There is some justice in the world after all. Old Europa Cafe are issuing a double CD tribute to David E. Williams, entitled The Appeal of Discarded Orthodoxy - A Tribute to David E. Williams. Contributors include Love Axis, Changes, Spiritual Front, Naevus with Rose McDowall, Shining Vril (John Murphy), Ernte, Foresta di Ferro, Angel of Decay, Bleiburg, Jerome Deppe, Lark Blames with Rodolfo Protti, Lloyd James, Second Amendment (with Andrew King), Teatro Satanico, Testing Vault, The Lindbergh Baby, Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre and countless others. In true perverse fashion Mr Williams is on there too with a tribute to himself. The tracks are split over two discs: Pop and Folk and Contra Pop and Folk. The Appeal of Discarded Orthodoxy - A Tribute to David E. Williams is released in October. For more information go to www.oldeuropacafe.com
In the meantime David E. Williams has made available his two out-of-print albums A House for the Dead and a Porch for the Dying and I Have Forgotten How To Love You available as downloads. For more information go to www.davidewilliams.com
Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre release their new album, Vanity Is A Sin, this month on Punch Records. Vanity Is A Sin is described as a trip through the church rectory and out into arctic carnivals. The ever-expanding orchestra - still featuring the female guiles of Karen S. Langlie (cello) and Melissey Castevet (backing vocals) - includes the new additions of Gerard Paul Powers (bass), Eric Dahlman (trumpet) and guest appearances from members of Ô Paradis and Comando Suzie. Vanity Is A Sin is released as an enhanced CD with lyrics and bonus mp3s. We here at compulsion online were very enamoured with their previous album So Long, Lale Andersen so we're looking forward to this one. For more information go to www.punchrecords.it
Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre are performing two shows in the USA in October. The first takes place at Germ Books and Gallery, Philadelphia on October 13, while the following week on the October 20 the play at PA's Lounge in Somerville, Massachusetts. For more information go to www.myspace.com/etsonorchestre
Psychic TV are currently on tour throughout Europe promoting their latest release Hell is Invisible...Heaven is Her/e. Dates are as follows:
September 17 - BierKeller, Bristol, UK
September 18 - Carling Academy, Birmingham, UK
September 19 - Rios, Leeds, UK
September 20 - ABC2, Glasgow, UK
September 22 - KC Belgie, Hasselt, Belgium
September 23 - ZXZW Festival@013, Tilburg, The Netherlands
September 24 - Knaack, Berlin, Germany
September 25 - Gleis22, Munster, Germany
September 26 - Hafenklang, Hamburg, Germany
September 28 - TBA, Copenhagen, Denmark
September 29 - Bla, Oslo, Norway
September 30 - Nalen, Stockholm, Sweden
October 2 - Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
October 4 - Clubs Depo, Riga, Estonia
October 6 - CDQ, Warsaw, Poland
October 10 - Rock Cafe, Prague, Czech Republic
October 11 - Randal, Bratislava, Slovakia
October 12 - Chelsea, Vienna, Austria
October 13 - K2, Budapest, Hungry
October 15 - Mochvara, Zagreb, Croatia
October 16 - Backstage Club, Munich, Germany
October 17 - Das Schiff, Basel, Switzerland
October 18 - Le Transformateur, Fribourg, Switzerland
October 19 - Bronson, Ravenna, Italy
October 20 - Unwound, Padova, Italy
October 21 - Music Drome, Milano, Italy
October 28 - La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
For more information go to www.genesisp-orridge.com
Out now on Somnimage is The Sperm of Metals - 10th Anniversary Edition from Allan Zane of Wyrm. The Sperm of Metals features a 3-inch CD-R in a clear 5-inch disc housed in a metal box with inserts, and is limited to 50 copies only. Meanwhile, label boss, Mykel Boyd, has a 3-inch CD-R entitled October, 1952 released in a signed edition of 50 copies. This features two tracks devised for live performances, in a hand assembled sleeve. Out now is the Somnimage compilation Radio Interference From Unknown Orgasm featuring exclusive tracks from Merzbow, Wyrm, The Sword Volcano Complex, Mykel Boyd, Black Sun Productions and Val Denham. Aside from the standard edition, there is an artist's edition limited to 100 copies with a signed and numbered letterpress print from Val Denham. Copies of the artist's edition are now slight, so don't hang about. For more information go to www.somnimage.com
Underground Europa Meeting - A Cold Spring Night In Roma features live performances from Von Thronstahl, Gregorio Bardini, Rose Rovine E Amanti and Si Vis Pasem Parra Bellum. The event takes place on September 22 at Cinema-Theatre Stage, Rome, Italy. Tickets are limited to 100 only. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Coming soon from Cold Spring is Experience The Concreteness the debut album from "Japanese supergroup" South Saturn Delta. Experience The Concreteness is a four track CD of extreme psychedelic noise from Yamazaki (Masonna), Hiroshi Hasegawa (C.C.C.C.) and drums from Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami). Accaimed Japanoise outfit C.C.C.C. make a welcome return with Chaos Is The Cosmos. C.C.C.C. feature Hiroshi Hasegawa (YBO2), Mayuko Hino, Fumio Kosakai (Hijokaidan, Incapacitants), and Ryuichi Nagakubo (Tangerine Dream Syndicate), and this is their first album in 10 years. Out now on Cold Spring is The Sacred Truth from TenHornedBeast, a doom / drone epic from Christopher Walton, formerly of Endura. Sacrificare is the new album from Von Thronstahl, with their much vaunted form of melodic neo-folk. Sacrificare is regarded as the group's most commercial work to date. 3000 copies are available in a black and gold digipak, with a special edition of 1000 copies featuring three tracks taken from Pessoa/Cioran, their out-of-print split CD with The Days Of The Trumpet Call. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Marc Almond continues to perform selective live dates to promote his latest album Stardom Road. Dates are as follows:
October 27 - Paradiso, Amsterdam
November 28 - Academy, Liverpool
December 1 - Academy 2, Birmingham
December 8 - Indigo2, London
For more information go to www.marcalmond.co.uk
Hinoeuma the Malediction host a 10 year birthday party with a 2 day festival in London. The line-up for November 23 is Sutcliffe Jugend, Peter Sotos, Bloodyminded, and Costes, while November 24 will feature live performances from Albin Julius and Friends, Naevus, Spectre vs Ain Soph, and MMM. The events take place at the Slimelight, London. Tickets on sale now. Details on the Hinoeuma Halloween show with Boyd Rice is detailed elsewhere on this page. For more information go to www.hinoeuma.org
Out now on Ahnstern is Temple of the Sun from Svarrogh. Temple of the Sun is a decadent and transcendental journey with mandolin, tamboura, synths, Bulgarian folklore and deep Balkan voices, with elements of Svarrogh's black metal past. This mini CD features guest vocals from Gerhard (Allerseelen), B. Ardo and Rangel (Sangre Cavallum), Valerio (Symbiosis) and Juris (Beverina). Strange Tomorrow is the first official album from Zlye Kukly, a Russian folk band based in Jerusalem, Israel. Acoustic and electric instruments are used to create dreamy, progressive folk. For more information go to www.geocities.com/ahnstern or www.steinklang-records.at
Out now on Old Europa Cafe is Shadows will Survive from Bleiburg. This is something of a major release, as it's a double CD with DVD. The CDs feature collaborations with Douglas Pearce, David E. Williams, Rose Rovine E Amanti, Harvest Rain, Kenji Siratori, Gregorio Bardini, Cellar Of Rats, Neon Rain, The Grey Wolves, and countless others. The DVD features 2 videoclips, remixes of 'W.A.L' by around 20 collaborators and 70 Bleiburg tracks as mp3s. Over 12 hours of Bleiburg! For The Blood Is Life is the latest instalment from Nordvargr. This is his tribute to the folklore and myth surrounding vampirism created from dark ambient music, with rhythmic arrangements, and faint melodies. For The Blood Is Life is limited to 666 copies. A special edition with a 3-inch mini CD featuring two exclusive tracks and a BSE remix is available in an edition of 315 copies. Pacific 231 vs Rapoon feature on Palestine, a CD tribute to the late Bryn Jones of Muslimgauze. Aside from the standard screenprinted edition, a special edition will feature a 3-inch CD of an exclusive Pacific 231 and Rapoon collaboration in a screenprinted raffia case.
Next up on Old Europa Cafe is Symphonies of Divination from Weihan, where the neo-folk outfit offer dark and bombastic compositions devoted to Indo-Germanic religion, myth and legend. The Italian outfit Division S release Something to Drink their first official CD of cabaret, pop and folk. And lastly, Teatro Satanico offer up Inno a Satana, with a Hymn to Satan composed by the Italian poet Giosué Carducci in 1863. The flipside of the vinyl features a ritual-noise track devoted to Lucifer. Alongside Teatro Satanico they are joined by members of Ain Soph, Foresta di Ferro, Muzakiller and Testing Vault. The 10-inch is limited to 333 copies. For more information go to www.oldeuropacafe.com
Autarkeia and Tesco present the Nordic Audio Modern De event in Lithuania. Performing live are Genocide Organ, Anenzephalia, Operation Cleansweep, Land:Fire, Dogpop, Thos So Aa. The event takes place at Club New Style, Vilnius, Lithuania on October 13. For more information go to www.autarkeia.org
The Skulline label celebrate their one-year anniversary with the release of the compilation WHW with contributions from Lady Morphia, Von Thronstahl, Rose Rovine E Amanti, Bleiburg, Melek-tha, Lonsai Maikov featuring amongst the 31 previously unreleased tracks. WHW is released as a double CD set in slimline DVD case in an edition fo 200. For more information go to www.skulline.de
The German project Column One have just released Feldaufnahmen I on Auf Abwegen. Feldaufnahmen I forego their post-industrial atmospheres for field recordings taken from the Elbsandsteingebirge mountain range in East Germany. Edited and rearranged these recordings represent a new direction for Column One. Feldaufnahmen I is released as a digipak in an edition of 500 copies. For more information go to www.aufabwegen.com
Voice of Eye, Troum, and Asia Nova are emabrking upon a series of dates throughout Europe. Dates are as follows: September 13 - Spedition, Bremen, Germany, September 19 - Cafe Rumeur, Lille, France, September 20 - Tanzhaus West, Frankfurt, Germany, September 23 - Stadtgarten, Cologne, Germany. For more information go to www.myspace.com/troum
Signia is a full length remix album of the electronic group Pure-H. Eraldo Bernocchi (who has worked with Sigillum S, Bill Laswell, etc), P.C.M., South African Chris Wood, KK Null, DJ Surgeon, Wodan, Richard Dunlap, Burp, Mo Shang and Japanese noise ambient group Psychedelic Desert remixed the track 'Signia' from the Pure-H album Anadonia track turning it into an dark ambient, industrial, dub, guitar i.d.m., experimental electronica and jazzy ambient track. For more information go to www.pharmafabrik.com
Apostazja Magazine presents a Sexy and Mechanical Night with live performances from AIT!, Mushroom's Patience, Brasil and the Gallowbrothers Band, Krepulec and Sonda. The event takes place on October 20 at Klub Piwnica 21, Poznan, Poland. For more information go to www.myspace.com/apostazjafestival
Life's Decay return with a new album entitled Szilentia. Szilentia features 12 tracks of neo-classical, dark martial industrial and experimental pop music. Szilentia is the fourth album from this French outfit and Szilentia offers a more mature sound with a greater variety of compositions, both martial and experimental, using classical instrumentation alongside percussion and various acoustic instruments. Szilentia's packaging features the stark illustrations reflecting the project's atmosphere. For more information go to www.lifesdecay.com
Items for review: Compulsion, PO Box 19577, Kilbarchan, Johnstone, PA10 2WX, Scotland, UK
Angels of Light - We Are Him
We Are Him is unarguably the most accessible collection of songs that Michael Gira has released. With Akron/Family once again acting as his backing band it draws heavily on backwoods Americana. Much of the music is tinged with touches of country and western, bluegrass, gospel in a more startling manner than previous Angels of Light releases. Although he marshalls the talents of Akron/Family, Gira appears to be much more in control here, enlisting additional musical support from former Swans members, and others including Julia Kent (of Antony and the Johnsons) to embelish the songs. It's a pure crystallisation of his previous releases, that will enthrall followers of his work. We Are Him hammers home the point that Michael Gira is continually developing as a songwriter, even straying into some surprising and previously uncharted territories.
The opener 'Black River Song' features an exasperated Gira vocal delivering the lyrics like a midwest preacher's sermon, backed by a congregation of voices, over a subtle interplay involving jangling bells, pummeling percussion and a needling guitar line. It's harnessed to a monolithic crawl that lasts until the last 20 seconds or so before it lurches to the end. Then there's 'My Brother's Man' which opts for a primal southern stomp, with Gira fired up and spittin' lines like "No God will ever understand. I crush him in my brother's hand. I am the god of this fucking land. I am my brother's man". With its sloppy bass, niggling guitar lines and thunderous percussion the entire track is like the Swans wrestling with Nick Cave's 'Tupelo'.
His laconic drawl on 'Promise of Water' contrasts marvellously with the lilting acoustic melody, as a violin weaves underneath and ominous harmonies surround like a desert based Manson family singalong. The country-waltz of 'The Man We Left Behind' is almost a song written to himself when he tellingly imparts the lines "Now the future's unfolding, and the past it's a lie, so send our regards to, the man we left behind".
It takes until the sixth track, 'Joseph's Song' until the real change in Angels of Light really becomes apparent. From a delicate guitar and maudlin vocal a pumping brass section recalling the Beach Boys 'Trombone Dixie' appears to accompany the remainder of the song. The title track is a rabid glam stomper, complete with obligatory handclaps, where Gira lets loose with a rousing, celebratory paean. It's pure revelation through celebration. Even the inherent violence of 'Sometimes I Dream I'm Hurting You' caught between frosted guitar lines and lamentful piano, bursts into a swinging sixties organ, as Gira calls for a vengeful god to strike down the protagonist.
Gira may have wallowed in pity, disgust and degradation in the early years of the Swans but on We Are Him he's supplemented his brutal vision with something close to optimism. Violence, murder, blood, hate still feature heavily in his lyrics but they're tempered with references to life, light and love. Now in his early fifties Gira appears almost resigned to himself to the point that he can happily pen something as blatantly up as 'Sunflower's Here To Stay', which with its Beatlesque brass arrangements and massed harmonies, is pure sunshine pop, inspired in part by the hyper-colourful personalities of Genesis P. Orridge and Devendra Banhart. 'Good Bye Mary Lou' is a bit of a country hoedown, where the Angels of Light go almost bluegrass. 'The Visitor' with its county guitar twang, is a beautifully melancholic admission of love couched in soft harmonies, while the closer, 'Star Chaser', is a subtle rendering of reverbed electric guitar with Gira's voice shadowed by his wife, Siobhan Duffy. I make no apologies for referencing so many tracks here, the simple truth is that under the guises of Swans and Angels of Light Michael Gira created many good records, We Are Him is a great one. Recommended. For more information go to www.younggodrecords.com
Michael Gira is embarking on an extensive solo European tour. The dates are as follows:
October 11 - AB-club, Brussels (B)
October 12 - STUK, Leuven (B)
October 13 - Theater Kikker, Utrecht (NL)
October 14 - Vera, Groningen (NL)
October 15 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
October 16 - PTR, L'usine, Geneva (CH)
October 17 - Circolo degli Artisti, Roma (I)
October 19 - KC Belgie, Hasselt (B) (+ Boredoms)
October 20 - Sonic City festival, Kortrijk (B) (+ Boredoms / Deerhoof)
October 21 - Taylor John's House, Coventry (UK)
October 22 - Academy, Manchester (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 23 - Arches, Glasgow (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 24 - The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 26 - The Wire/Electra festival, Shoreditch Town Hall, London (UK) (+ Boredoms)
October 27 - Monto Water Rats, London (UK)
For more information go to www.younggodrecords.com
The Fields of Hay - Songs For Nine Ladies
Songs For Nine Ladies is the debut release from Stuart Carter a former member of UK guitar-noise outfit Splintered currently treading the boards as part of the experimental electronic outfit Theme. Songs For Nine Ladies is a particularly loose recording merging organic sounds sources with electronic instrumentation in a hazy reverie. The opener 'Morning In The Early' is a real pastoral effort, setting chirping bird song to guitar noodling and short bursts of keyboard drone. It segues into 'Welcome To Mantra' where skittering rhythms coexist with an electronic pulse derived from archaic keyboards, amidst shuddering dropped and cascading tones. Like the opening track the vintage synths here are played by Pete Kember (aka Sonic Boom) who adds a primitive warmth to the music. 'Welcome To Mantra' is akin to listening to TG in the open English countryside. It's by far the best track here. Bass guitar notes meander in an improvised manner on 'Miracles and Saints' wrapped in a shimmering drone drenched with spacey effects. Despite its psychedelic glow it's thoroughly disappointing, especially when compared to 'Solaar Afternoons' where florid acoustic guitar playing, which picks at the heels of the current folk vogue, is surrounded by washes of floating electronic patterns creating some of the most calm and relaxing sounds here. The final track, the beautifully titled 'Gabriels Golden Wing (Naked in the Clouds)' is a nice piece of twilight space-ambient music that swells from some nice stringed intro but the entire track is letdown due to the distracting bass soloing.
Sure it picks up some electronic sounds, some found sounds, environmental sounds, a bit of folk, drone and ambient and comes across as a bit psychedelic, a bit pastoral and a bit medatitive but it's all quite innocuous. Actually it's the sort of release you'd expect from the Ochre label, and while I don't hate it it doesn't leave that much of an impression that I would return to it in a hurry. For more information go to wwww.adverse-effect.co.uk
Inanna - Day Ov Torment
Day Ov Torment is another worthwhile reissue from Cold Spring, this time delving into the death-industrial archives to resurrect this 1993 release from Inanna. Day Ov Torment originally saw the light of day on Staalplaat when Mikael Stavöstrand was still recording as one-half of Archon Satani. Day Ov Torment should be viewed alongside the Cold Spring reissue of Archon Satani's Mind of Flesh and Bones, where Mikael Stavöstrand firmly took control, taking Archon Satani into the soundtrack styled bleak atmospheres that define both that release and this reissue of Day Ov Torment.
Mixed by J Havukainen of In Slaughter Natives, Day Ov Torment unleashes nine slabs of pitch-black doom ambience, thunderous drumming, gloomy orchestration, heavyset droning, electronic shudders and shrieks and beastly mutterings and groans. There's a risible structure to the tracks on Day Ov Torment. It's filled with grim defiance and a horror film aesthetic dripping with intent and implied dramatics. 'Zounds' opens with windswept ambience as a flurry of drums swell into a relentless tirade of ritual-industrial rhythms, cutting to a distant funeral march before regrouping with a frantic climax of crushing beats and gloomy atmospheres. 'Her Essence' unfurls to the the rising strains of a gothic organ, as spartan death beats are plundered and demonic voices rise from the fiery pits of hell, surrounded by the clanking of percussion and reverberating electronics. Its apocalyptic imagery is unmissable. Timpani drums thunder to the roar of processed industrial washes and the incessant chug of distorted strings on 'Ancient Flesh'. Elsewhere, there's the martial industrial strains of 'Zonei' and the expansive creepy ambience of 'Submission To Solitude 1 - 3'.
The death-industrial sound of Day Ov Torment is almost synonymous of what would later typify the output of the Swedish Cold Meat Industry label. Listening back it has clearly stood the test of time and you can quite clearly detect its influence on later releases in the genre. Out of print for years this reissue features remodelled artwork carried out with the usual Cold Spring finesse, so if you missed out first time around you really don't want to wait too long. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Lux Interna - God Is Not Dead For The Birds
I must confess to not knowing anything about Lux Interna but God Is Not Dead For The Birds features a richly evocative set of acoustic based songs. The acoustic guitar playing is clear and precise reminding of Current 93, Death In June and Backworld, with deep resonating vocals, couched in gentle female harmonies. At times, I'm reminded of the Swans forays into acoustic based songs. But accompanied by cellos, vioins, dulcimer and mandolin Lux Interna's dark folk shares an affinity with the burgeoning neo-folk scene, though Lux Interna, thankfully avoid the pitfalls of that genre. A romantic and spiritual stream runs through God Is Not Dead For The Birds putting them closer to Changes, rather than the generic neo-folk types that Lux Interna will undoubtedly be compared to. Joshua Gentzke's voice is expressive and strong as he wrestles with big questions concerning existence and religion. 'Into Nothing (Blackwatersong)' and 'Under The Leaves of Light' are strong representations of Lux Interna's songwriting capabilities. The latter underpinned by a finger pickin' mandolin gives the acoustic track a feeling of dark Americana. When Gentzke's deep tones combine with his partner's silken voice it gives the melancholic songs a tinge of country and western. 'Blossoms', a gentle piano based ballad, is the best example of this. 'West of Eden', meanwhile, is much more folky, with violins and cello deepening the sound, in a track that references philosophers such as Descartes, Hume, Kant and Milton. 'Her Lily White Hands' is a breezy number of acoustic dark folk-pop concerning love, death and religion.
God Is Not Dead For The Birds is unarguably dark folk, but it's performed consistently well and it's a cohesive selection of morose and sombre songs, with a particularly singular take on Gnosticism. All in all, it's an assured and confident release from a group of American musicians and artists who will only gain in popularity as their exposure increases. For more information go to www.eislicht.de
Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound
Whoa new Shellac! You just gotta admire Shellac. A full seven years since their last studio album 1000 Hurts, the trio of Steve Albini, Todd Trainer and Bob Weston release their 4th album for no other reason that they could, having being able to wrestle time away from their days jobs as studio engineers. There's no supporting tour, no singles to draw you in, and no fanfare surrounding its release. In fact I knew nothing of it till spotting on the shelves of Monorail one Sunday afternoon. That makes this one of the most pointless reviews to appear here. I guess with Shellac you either get 'em or you don't. I swear by Shellac, they're like a longtime friend whom you don't see often. It may be years between visits but they are always familiar and most welcome. And that pretty much describes Excellent Italian Greyhound. There's no tectonic shift in musical development or sound. If anything they've fine tuned their sound so much that it's now as tight as... well y'know, something really tight. There's little adornment just straight forward no-nonsense rock. Albini's guitar remains as abrasive as ever, Weston bass lines are taut, and Trainer's drums are just immaculate. 'Steady As She Goes', 'Be Prepared' and 'Elephant' are solid enough and pretty much business as usual exacting the usual stop-start structures, dropping instruments out the mix for Trainer's drum to take centre stage before the trio recovene with a high-powered cohesiveness.
The main tracks here are 'The End of Radio' and 'Genuine Lulabelle'. 'The End of Radio' kicks off the album with some drum rolls as Albini asks "Is this thing on? Can you hear me?". Repeated riffs are unleashed, as Trainer wrestles with his drumkit. Albini takes the role of a radio presenter but there's no-one listening. This is post-apocalyptic broadcasting, and it's a smart piece of work. Albini, cynically, seeks that non-existent caller, special girl, sponsor but there's no-one there. "Is it really broadcasting if there's no-one there to receive?" he questions as the trio launch into tight jagged structures. Meanwhile 'Genuine Lulabelle' is a looser conception of raucous guitars breaking down into plundering basslines, then rolling drums before it all stops and Albini kicks with a filthy acapella monologue. It's a bizarrely infuriating track. Excellent Italian Greyhound isn't all serated bluster though. 'Kittypants' is a brief melodic instrumental that's as accessible as anything they've ever done. The other instrumental track here, 'Paco', is a powerful run through some ass-kickin' structures. Excellent Italian Greyhound ends on the manic thrash of 'Boycott' with some cartoon vocals from Albini and Weston. Its not one of their finer moments. But it's strange that the most discomforting track, 'Genuine Lulabelle' is also the quietest with the greatest use of space and silence. All the same, for all the minor quibbles the first side really hits the spot. Strange packaging though. For more information go to www.touchandgorecords.com
Carter Tutti return next month with the release of Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether. Three years in the making Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether is described as a rich and accessible collection of electronic torch songs awash with echoes of the sea, the moon, the open road, and flatlands. Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether is initially released as a digital download (with an exclusive itunes download track) with a European version (on Conspiracy International) and US release (on Divine Frequency) to follow. For more information go to www.cartertutti.com
Durtro have just issued a limited CD-R from Current 93 with Sebastian Horsley to celebrate the opening of Hookers, Dealers, Tailors, a retrsopective art exhibition from the modern day dandy and decadent artist. Black Ship In The Underworld features Current 93 as Baby Dee, Andrew Liles and David Tibet with Sebastian Horsley on vocals. Black Ship In The Underworld is limited to 333 copies. For more information go to www.durtro.com
Baby Dee and Pantaleimon perform live at the Luminaire in London on October 26. Pantaleimon also feature on Homesick for Nowhere the new album from HoboTalk. For more information go to www.pantaleimon.com
Death In June are currently recording their new studio album The Rule of Thirds, while work continues on the 20th Anniversary Edition of Brown Book.
Boyd Rice performs three shows in Europe next month, with Luftwaffe and AIT1. The dates are as follows: October 26 - New Style, Vilnius, Lithuania, October 28 - Mocvara, Zagreb, Croatia, October 31 - Slimelight, London. Creation Books are due to publish Standing In Two Circles: The Collected Works Of Boyd Rice a defintive and comprehensive compendium of the works of Boyd Rice containing essays, lyrics, photographs and art this month. The publication edited by Brian M. Clark is available as a signed limited edition with a trade edition set to follow. A documentary film by Larry Wessell is currently in production. For more information go to www.boydrice.com
Albin Julius has another fine batch of material out now on his Hau Ruck and WKN imprints. Wasteland is the latest release from Bain Wolfkind. This CD EP although darker and more autobiographical follows a similar path to his previous release Music For Lovers and Gangsters. Der Blutharsch release the title track from their forthcoming album The Philosopher's Stone on 7-inch with an exclusive track on the flipside. This teaser for their new album is limited to 666 copies. The album scheduled for release in October continues their march away from martial music, and features Albin Julius, Marthynna, Jörg B. and Bain Wolfkind, assisted by Matt Howden and Christine K. A vinyl edition with a limited 7-inch, featuring an exclusive non-album track, will be issued on black, red and phosphor coloured vinyl, each in an edition of 451 copies. For more information go to www.derblutharsh.com
Bain Wolfkind plays two shows in the USA. On September 28 Bain Wolfkind and C.O.T.A. perform live at the Relax Bar, Hollywood, Los Angeles. And on October 6 Bain Wolfkind performs at the second night of the Apex Festival in New York. Also on the bill are Deutsch Nepal, Land:Fire, Steel Hook Prostheses and Post Scriptum. The first night (October 5) features performances from Herbst9, Sistrenatus, Travis Morgan and Skincage. The event takes place at The Pussycat Lounge, New York. For more information go to www.myspace.com/bainwolfkind
There is some justice in the world after all. Old Europa Cafe are issuing a double CD tribute to David E. Williams, entitled The Appeal of Discarded Orthodoxy - A Tribute to David E. Williams. Contributors include Love Axis, Changes, Spiritual Front, Naevus with Rose McDowall, Shining Vril (John Murphy), Ernte, Foresta di Ferro, Angel of Decay, Bleiburg, Jerome Deppe, Lark Blames with Rodolfo Protti, Lloyd James, Second Amendment (with Andrew King), Teatro Satanico, Testing Vault, The Lindbergh Baby, Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre and countless others. In true perverse fashion Mr Williams is on there too with a tribute to himself. The tracks are split over two discs: Pop and Folk and Contra Pop and Folk. The Appeal of Discarded Orthodoxy - A Tribute to David E. Williams is released in October. For more information go to www.oldeuropacafe.com
In the meantime David E. Williams has made available his two out-of-print albums A House for the Dead and a Porch for the Dying and I Have Forgotten How To Love You available as downloads. For more information go to www.davidewilliams.com
Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre release their new album, Vanity Is A Sin, this month on Punch Records. Vanity Is A Sin is described as a trip through the church rectory and out into arctic carnivals. The ever-expanding orchestra - still featuring the female guiles of Karen S. Langlie (cello) and Melissey Castevet (backing vocals) - includes the new additions of Gerard Paul Powers (bass), Eric Dahlman (trumpet) and guest appearances from members of Ô Paradis and Comando Suzie. Vanity Is A Sin is released as an enhanced CD with lyrics and bonus mp3s. We here at compulsion online were very enamoured with their previous album So Long, Lale Andersen so we're looking forward to this one. For more information go to www.punchrecords.it
Thomas Nöla et son Orchestre are performing two shows in the USA in October. The first takes place at Germ Books and Gallery, Philadelphia on October 13, while the following week on the October 20 the play at PA's Lounge in Somerville, Massachusetts. For more information go to www.myspace.com/etsonorchestre
Psychic TV are currently on tour throughout Europe promoting their latest release Hell is Invisible...Heaven is Her/e. Dates are as follows:
September 17 - BierKeller, Bristol, UK
September 18 - Carling Academy, Birmingham, UK
September 19 - Rios, Leeds, UK
September 20 - ABC2, Glasgow, UK
September 22 - KC Belgie, Hasselt, Belgium
September 23 - ZXZW Festival@013, Tilburg, The Netherlands
September 24 - Knaack, Berlin, Germany
September 25 - Gleis22, Munster, Germany
September 26 - Hafenklang, Hamburg, Germany
September 28 - TBA, Copenhagen, Denmark
September 29 - Bla, Oslo, Norway
September 30 - Nalen, Stockholm, Sweden
October 2 - Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
October 4 - Clubs Depo, Riga, Estonia
October 6 - CDQ, Warsaw, Poland
October 10 - Rock Cafe, Prague, Czech Republic
October 11 - Randal, Bratislava, Slovakia
October 12 - Chelsea, Vienna, Austria
October 13 - K2, Budapest, Hungry
October 15 - Mochvara, Zagreb, Croatia
October 16 - Backstage Club, Munich, Germany
October 17 - Das Schiff, Basel, Switzerland
October 18 - Le Transformateur, Fribourg, Switzerland
October 19 - Bronson, Ravenna, Italy
October 20 - Unwound, Padova, Italy
October 21 - Music Drome, Milano, Italy
October 28 - La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
For more information go to www.genesisp-orridge.com
Out now on Somnimage is The Sperm of Metals - 10th Anniversary Edition from Allan Zane of Wyrm. The Sperm of Metals features a 3-inch CD-R in a clear 5-inch disc housed in a metal box with inserts, and is limited to 50 copies only. Meanwhile, label boss, Mykel Boyd, has a 3-inch CD-R entitled October, 1952 released in a signed edition of 50 copies. This features two tracks devised for live performances, in a hand assembled sleeve. Out now is the Somnimage compilation Radio Interference From Unknown Orgasm featuring exclusive tracks from Merzbow, Wyrm, The Sword Volcano Complex, Mykel Boyd, Black Sun Productions and Val Denham. Aside from the standard edition, there is an artist's edition limited to 100 copies with a signed and numbered letterpress print from Val Denham. Copies of the artist's edition are now slight, so don't hang about. For more information go to www.somnimage.com
Underground Europa Meeting - A Cold Spring Night In Roma features live performances from Von Thronstahl, Gregorio Bardini, Rose Rovine E Amanti and Si Vis Pasem Parra Bellum. The event takes place on September 22 at Cinema-Theatre Stage, Rome, Italy. Tickets are limited to 100 only. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Coming soon from Cold Spring is Experience The Concreteness the debut album from "Japanese supergroup" South Saturn Delta. Experience The Concreteness is a four track CD of extreme psychedelic noise from Yamazaki (Masonna), Hiroshi Hasegawa (C.C.C.C.) and drums from Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami). Accaimed Japanoise outfit C.C.C.C. make a welcome return with Chaos Is The Cosmos. C.C.C.C. feature Hiroshi Hasegawa (YBO2), Mayuko Hino, Fumio Kosakai (Hijokaidan, Incapacitants), and Ryuichi Nagakubo (Tangerine Dream Syndicate), and this is their first album in 10 years. Out now on Cold Spring is The Sacred Truth from TenHornedBeast, a doom / drone epic from Christopher Walton, formerly of Endura. Sacrificare is the new album from Von Thronstahl, with their much vaunted form of melodic neo-folk. Sacrificare is regarded as the group's most commercial work to date. 3000 copies are available in a black and gold digipak, with a special edition of 1000 copies featuring three tracks taken from Pessoa/Cioran, their out-of-print split CD with The Days Of The Trumpet Call. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Marc Almond continues to perform selective live dates to promote his latest album Stardom Road. Dates are as follows:
October 27 - Paradiso, Amsterdam
November 28 - Academy, Liverpool
December 1 - Academy 2, Birmingham
December 8 - Indigo2, London
For more information go to www.marcalmond.co.uk
Hinoeuma the Malediction host a 10 year birthday party with a 2 day festival in London. The line-up for November 23 is Sutcliffe Jugend, Peter Sotos, Bloodyminded, and Costes, while November 24 will feature live performances from Albin Julius and Friends, Naevus, Spectre vs Ain Soph, and MMM. The events take place at the Slimelight, London. Tickets on sale now. Details on the Hinoeuma Halloween show with Boyd Rice is detailed elsewhere on this page. For more information go to www.hinoeuma.org
Out now on Ahnstern is Temple of the Sun from Svarrogh. Temple of the Sun is a decadent and transcendental journey with mandolin, tamboura, synths, Bulgarian folklore and deep Balkan voices, with elements of Svarrogh's black metal past. This mini CD features guest vocals from Gerhard (Allerseelen), B. Ardo and Rangel (Sangre Cavallum), Valerio (Symbiosis) and Juris (Beverina). Strange Tomorrow is the first official album from Zlye Kukly, a Russian folk band based in Jerusalem, Israel. Acoustic and electric instruments are used to create dreamy, progressive folk. For more information go to www.geocities.com/ahnstern or www.steinklang-records.at
Out now on Old Europa Cafe is Shadows will Survive from Bleiburg. This is something of a major release, as it's a double CD with DVD. The CDs feature collaborations with Douglas Pearce, David E. Williams, Rose Rovine E Amanti, Harvest Rain, Kenji Siratori, Gregorio Bardini, Cellar Of Rats, Neon Rain, The Grey Wolves, and countless others. The DVD features 2 videoclips, remixes of 'W.A.L' by around 20 collaborators and 70 Bleiburg tracks as mp3s. Over 12 hours of Bleiburg! For The Blood Is Life is the latest instalment from Nordvargr. This is his tribute to the folklore and myth surrounding vampirism created from dark ambient music, with rhythmic arrangements, and faint melodies. For The Blood Is Life is limited to 666 copies. A special edition with a 3-inch mini CD featuring two exclusive tracks and a BSE remix is available in an edition of 315 copies. Pacific 231 vs Rapoon feature on Palestine, a CD tribute to the late Bryn Jones of Muslimgauze. Aside from the standard screenprinted edition, a special edition will feature a 3-inch CD of an exclusive Pacific 231 and Rapoon collaboration in a screenprinted raffia case.
Next up on Old Europa Cafe is Symphonies of Divination from Weihan, where the neo-folk outfit offer dark and bombastic compositions devoted to Indo-Germanic religion, myth and legend. The Italian outfit Division S release Something to Drink their first official CD of cabaret, pop and folk. And lastly, Teatro Satanico offer up Inno a Satana, with a Hymn to Satan composed by the Italian poet Giosué Carducci in 1863. The flipside of the vinyl features a ritual-noise track devoted to Lucifer. Alongside Teatro Satanico they are joined by members of Ain Soph, Foresta di Ferro, Muzakiller and Testing Vault. The 10-inch is limited to 333 copies. For more information go to www.oldeuropacafe.com
Autarkeia and Tesco present the Nordic Audio Modern De event in Lithuania. Performing live are Genocide Organ, Anenzephalia, Operation Cleansweep, Land:Fire, Dogpop, Thos So Aa. The event takes place at Club New Style, Vilnius, Lithuania on October 13. For more information go to www.autarkeia.org
The Skulline label celebrate their one-year anniversary with the release of the compilation WHW with contributions from Lady Morphia, Von Thronstahl, Rose Rovine E Amanti, Bleiburg, Melek-tha, Lonsai Maikov featuring amongst the 31 previously unreleased tracks. WHW is released as a double CD set in slimline DVD case in an edition fo 200. For more information go to www.skulline.de
The German project Column One have just released Feldaufnahmen I on Auf Abwegen. Feldaufnahmen I forego their post-industrial atmospheres for field recordings taken from the Elbsandsteingebirge mountain range in East Germany. Edited and rearranged these recordings represent a new direction for Column One. Feldaufnahmen I is released as a digipak in an edition of 500 copies. For more information go to www.aufabwegen.com
Voice of Eye, Troum, and Asia Nova are emabrking upon a series of dates throughout Europe. Dates are as follows: September 13 - Spedition, Bremen, Germany, September 19 - Cafe Rumeur, Lille, France, September 20 - Tanzhaus West, Frankfurt, Germany, September 23 - Stadtgarten, Cologne, Germany. For more information go to www.myspace.com/troum
Signia is a full length remix album of the electronic group Pure-H. Eraldo Bernocchi (who has worked with Sigillum S, Bill Laswell, etc), P.C.M., South African Chris Wood, KK Null, DJ Surgeon, Wodan, Richard Dunlap, Burp, Mo Shang and Japanese noise ambient group Psychedelic Desert remixed the track 'Signia' from the Pure-H album Anadonia track turning it into an dark ambient, industrial, dub, guitar i.d.m., experimental electronica and jazzy ambient track. For more information go to www.pharmafabrik.com
Apostazja Magazine presents a Sexy and Mechanical Night with live performances from AIT!, Mushroom's Patience, Brasil and the Gallowbrothers Band, Krepulec and Sonda. The event takes place on October 20 at Klub Piwnica 21, Poznan, Poland. For more information go to www.myspace.com/apostazjafestival
Life's Decay return with a new album entitled Szilentia. Szilentia features 12 tracks of neo-classical, dark martial industrial and experimental pop music. Szilentia is the fourth album from this French outfit and Szilentia offers a more mature sound with a greater variety of compositions, both martial and experimental, using classical instrumentation alongside percussion and various acoustic instruments. Szilentia's packaging features the stark illustrations reflecting the project's atmosphere. For more information go to www.lifesdecay.com