THE COUNTESS RELEASE "SACRAMENTAL"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Sacramental

by The Countess

Tracklist:

1.Blood Rites 05:55

2.Malleus Maleficarum 04:24

3.Dagger & Moon 04:32

4.Orb of Dominion 05:27

5.Castle Death 08:22

6.MWC 07:57

7.Brother of Serpent 05:28

8.Send The Raven 06:52

9.Sacramental 03:32

10.Marija Magdalena (Doris Dragović cover) 05:27

First studio album "Sacramental" by The Countess.

Marija Marković - vocals

Marko Bešlić - guitars, vocals

Martin Botica - bass guitar

Petar Radović - drums, vocals, additional guitars

Bruno Delonga - keyboards

released May 1, 2023

Recorded at Gibson Home Studio.

Mix and master by Petar Radović.

https://thecountessband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thecountessband/

https://www.instagram.com/the_countess_official/

EMPTY MIRROR RELEASE "ECHOES OF ETERNITY"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Echoes of Eternity

by Empty Mirror

Tracklist:

1.Salem Overture 04:47

2.Nazarite's Atonement 05:34

3.Of Man and Elf 04:51

4.Haunted Jester 05:21

5.Hummingbird 03:46

6.In Between 04:23

Released on November 18, 2022

Afroditi T: Vocals

Andreas Denwar: Vocals

Antonios Tsitseklis: Guitars/Keys

Tolis G Pol: Guitars

Manos Infuser Psarros: Guitars

Miltos D: Bass

Aggelos: Drums

All music written by Antonios Tsitseklis and Empty Mirror

All lyrics written by Afroditi T and Andreas Denwar

Recorded/Mixed/Mastered: Made in Hell Studios

Photography: Dimitris Tzortzis

Logo/design arrangements: Sofia Kagia

released November 18, 2022

We would really like to thank Vasilis Kavvathas, Aggelos Sakketas, Revekka Georgiadi and Nikos Dimitrakakos for their help in the early stages of the band.

We would also like to thank Revekka Georgiadi and Ophelia for their help in vocal arrangements.

https://emptymirrorband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/emptymirrorband

WHISPERS RELEASE "ENDLESS SACRIFICE"

PRESS RELEASE:

Endless Sacrifice

by Whispers

Tracklist:

1.Risalah Bisikan kelam 05:28

2.Alunan Senja 05:07

3.Simfoni Nurani 05:34

Endless Sacrifice (2022) / Extended Play (EP) by Whispers

released September 22, 2022

Prod: Eternity Production 2022

Whispers is motivated by the Symphonic Gothic Metal music genre which is a sub-genre of Metal music with female vocal and scream characteristics. Whispers was founded in 2020 by Alfilzaani and Prasicness with the first Extended Play (EP) Album "Endless Sacrifice" (2022).  

https://whisperssymphgoth.bandcamp.com/

AFTER EVOLUTION RELEASE "WAR OF THE WORLDS"

PRESS RELEASE:

WAR OF THE WORLDS

by After Evolution

Genre: Symphonic gothic metal

Country: Czechia

Tracklist:

1.War of the Worlds 03:45

2.The Path 04:09

3.Cursed 05:02

4.Librum Fortitudinis 06:13

5.Once upon a Time 04:01

6.The Final Hope 03:31

7.In the Chains 04:23

8.Dark Side 04:16

9.Infinity Flames 03:16

10.Nothing Left but Pain 04:08

11.The Victory 03:21

Epic symphonic metal band bringing the stories about the ancient world far far away from us, where the magic and demons dominates the world.

Dive with us into the another world far far away from us, where the magic and demons dominates the worl.

released June 17, 2022

after-evolution.com

https://afterevolution.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AfterEvolution

https://www.instagram.com/afterevolutionofficial/

https://twitter.com/AEmusicband

CARMERIA RELEASE "ADVENAE"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Carmeria

Advenae

Self-Released

18 March 2022

Delivering an alluring, dark sound the Australian Symphonic-Goth Metal act are preparing for a North American release of their debut album Advenae. Carving their way into the international symphonic metal scene, CARMERIA has crafted an offering that is both ghostly and divine. 

‘This album has been 6 years in the making. From multiple line-up changes to various developments in direction, it feels quite surreal to finally release this body of work. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created, and are thrilled to be building on the momentum we’ve harnessed over the last 12 months. The band is in a brilliant phase of production and creativity at the moment. I am extremely excited for the future of CARMERIA, and can’t wait to witness the ongoing response to this album.’  - Jordan Von Grae (Vocalist) 

CARMERIA embrace musical influences from across the board, from the orchestration and cinematic work of HANS ZIMMER to the gothic rock stylings of HIM, along with symphonic metal giants NIGHTWISH. Advenae unleashes a world of soaring melodies intertwined with a monstrous heaviness. From the theatrical opening of the title track, segueing into the delicate and yet demonic “Morningstar”, through to the gothic fantasy “Eternity” which soon diminishes into a haunting nightmare. Guttural vocals, staccato orchestration and dissonance induce an immersive experience with a prominent and intriguing carnivalesque style organ melody. It’s a thrilling conclusion to the album. 

CARMERIA leaves no stone unturned in their gothic-symphonic endeavour. Musically, they combine ethereal melodies, with epic harsh vocals thundering guitar rhythms. The atmosphere flowing through the album twists and turns ensuring that both aspects of dark and light endure. Advenae is an enchanting release and beautiful addition to the wealth of symphonic metal music.

 

CARMERIA is:

Jordan Von Grae – Vocals

Jerry Zahija – Guitar

Mishka Bobrov – Keys

Emma Louise Nagy – Bass

Lachlan Blackwood – Drums

Socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarmeriaMusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmeria/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carmeria 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjACfgixK5M4bIS8Wwcvhug 

SHIELD OF WINGS RELEASE "UNFINISHED"

PRESS RELEASE:

Shield of Wings

Unfinished

Elderpath Records

11 February 2022

SHIELD OF WINGS will begin the year of 2022 with their Epic Symphonic Metal resurrection, and their debut full-length album, Unfinished.

"These songs' roots range from a decade old to only a year, yet they all carry the weight and concurrent theme of a soul obsessed with self-analysis and growth. Often, we travel these roads seemingly alone, and sometimes we get lost in the meaningless or mundane sloughs of despond. Hope can only remain if we keep the flame alive, and sometimes we are lucky enough to find others to carry the flame with us. We hope this music helps to carry your flame for a little while, and that we may all, in our Unfinished states, never give up on our reshaping."

The number 11 has many conflicting meanings in numerology; order, chaos, balance or extravagance, it depends which tradition you consult. But for SHIELD OF WINGS, 11 years adds weight to their return to life after their sweepingly vast EP, 2011's Solarium.

Sure to appeal to fans of symphonic metal giants NIGHTWISH and EPICA, as well as film score composers like HANS ZIMMER, JAMES HORNER, and HOWARD SHORE, their new album, Unfinished, will bring into view 10 bombastic compositions of poetic exploration.

Each song from Unfinished explores themes of growth through self-examination, regret, sacrificial death and rebirth. From the "Crushing Hail" of the suffering which is inherent in life, the listener is carried through this journey, until the final track expounds upon the realization that we are all, in ways, "The Scarred Clay Reshaping." With bold, vast orchestral compositions soaring over chugging guitars, SHIELD OF WINGS makes it abundantly clear that they are Unfinished, in more ways than one.

 

Line-Up:

Lara Mordian - Vocals

Aliyah Daye - Support & Harsh Vocals, Keys

James Gregor - Guitar & Orchestrations

Patrick Eulitz - Drums

Alex Luke - Bass Guitar

 

All Music & Lyrics by James Gregor

Mixed & Mastered by Matt Motto

Album artwork by Maximos Manolis

Band photos by John Karpinsky

All photos available in print resolution upon request

 

Social Links

https://www.facebook.com/shieldofwings

https://www.instagram.com/shieldofwings/

https://twitter.com/shieldofwings

https://www.youtube.com/user/shieldofwings

https://shieldofwings.bandcamp.com/releases

CARMERIA RELEASE "ADVENAE"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Carmeria

Advenae

Self-Released

18 March 2022

Delivering an alluring, dark sound the Australian Symphonic-Goth Metal act are preparing for a North American release of their debut album Advenae. Carving their way into the international symphonic metal scene, CARMERIA has crafted an offering that is both ghostly and divine. 

‘This album has been 6 years in the making. From multiple line-up changes to various developments in direction, it feels quite surreal to finally release this body of work. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created, and are thrilled to be building on the momentum we’ve harnessed over the last 12 months. The band is in a brilliant phase of production and creativity at the moment. I am extremely excited for the future of CARMERIA, and can’t wait to witness the ongoing response to this album.’  - Jordan Von Grae (Vocalist) 

CARMERIA embrace musical influences from across the board, from the orchestration and cinematic work of HANS ZIMMER to the gothic rock stylings of HIM, along with symphonic metal giants NIGHTWISH. Advenae unleashes a world of soaring melodies intertwined with a monstrous heaviness. From the theatrical opening of the title track, segueing into the delicate and yet demonic “Morningstar”, through to the gothic fantasy “Eternity” which soon diminishes into a haunting nightmare. Guttural vocals, staccato orchestration and dissonance induce an immersive experience with a prominent and intriguing carnivalesque style organ melody. It’s a thrilling conclusion to the album. 

CARMERIA leaves no stone unturned in their gothic-symphonic endeavour. Musically, they combine ethereal melodies, with epic harsh vocals thundering guitar rhythms. The atmosphere flowing through the album twists and turns ensuring that both aspects of dark and light endure. Advenae is an enchanting release and beautiful addition to the wealth of symphonic metal music.

 

CARMERIA is:

Jordan Von Grae – Vocals

Jerry Zahija – Guitar

Mishka Bobrov – Keys

Emma Louise Nagy – Bass

Lachlan Blackwood – Drums

Socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarmeriaMusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmeria/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carmeria 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjACfgixK5M4bIS8Wwcvhug 

CARMERIA RELEASE "ALL THE GOOD GIRLS GO TO HELL"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Carmeria

All Good Girls Go To Hell

Self-Released

26 November 2021

Following the release of their internationally acclaimed debut album Advenae, CARMERIA are now taking steps towards their next venture. The 5-piece are about to embark on their nation-wide album tour, and have decided to unleash one final offering before the year is out. This new cover-single, titled "All the Good Girls Go to Hell", is a symphonic metal re-imagining of the BILLIE EILISH classic, woven together with CARMERIA’s signature dramatic flair.  

The band’s vocalist, Jordan Von Grae, says of the release:

‘’We are very excited to be releasing this new single. A lot of the material from our debut full-length (Advenae) had been written and recorded by the end of 2019, and in the years since we’ve been working quite diligently behind the scenes, laying the groundwork for our second album. We’ve been working on developing our production process, and felt that a cover-single would be the perfect opportunity to experiment with our new team. Needless to say, we’re very pleased with how it’s turned out, and can’t wait to begin production on album two.”

Despite global circumstances halting the growth of many bands at the turn of the new decade, CARMERIA have shown that no obstacle is great enough to stop the momentum of Australia’s future symphonic metal powerhouse.

All the "Good Girls Go to Hell" will be available via all major retail and streaming services on the 26th of November.

https://www.instagram.com/carmeria/

FALLEN ARISE RELEASE VIDEO FOR "EMBERS"

PRESS RELEASE:

Athens based Symphonic Metallers FALLEN ARISE have released they new official video for 'Embers', taken from the band’s latest album “Enigma”, released on April 10th, 2020, via Rock Of Angels Records.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/Bdn7DbvcGc0

The band stated

"We are proud to present you our new video, a video that you selected through the contest last spring. You probably chose it because you heard that we see embers more and more every day in front of us in many different ways. With this video we tried to show many of the sufferings that have plagued humanity in recent years. Covid-19, bullying, abuse of women, violence, terrorism, entanglements, fires that have recently destroyed much of the Earth and so many other natural disasters, the "burning" of the human brain also by the abuse of smartphones and social media are some of the worst phenomena we have experienced recently and we continue to see all around us, often leading us to extreme reactions. Come to think about it, all of the above leave…embers behind! 'Embers' is a creation of Haris Kountouris, one of the best up-and-coming and why not already established video makers; we just added some sound effects in order to give a live feeling and a new breath, so to speak, thus completing the whole image. Thank you once again for responding to the contest and we hope we have met your expectations. Fiona, Vlassis, Gus, Marios, Spyros, Jason."

Music: Gus Dibelas

Lyrics: Fiona Creaby, Vlassis K.

Video producer: Haris Kountouris, HK Visual Creations - https://www.facebook.com/hkvisualcreations

Sound effects: Gus Dibelas, Dimitris Kazantzis

FALLEN ARISE line-up 2021:

Fiona Creaby – vocals

Vlasis K. - vocals

Gus Dibelas – keyboards

MariosK – drums

Spyros Vasilakis – guitar

Jason Ioakeim – bass

FALLEN ARISE's latest album “Enigma” came out on April 10th, 2020 via Rock Of Angels Records. 

Get "Enigma" now: https://smarturl.it/enigmafallenarise

 Available on Jewel Case CD, Orange / Red Marbled Vinyl (LTD. 250 copies) & Digital streaming/download format.

---------------------

FALLEN ARISE were formed in 2009, combining a theatrical atmosphere with a progressive approach and a heavy-metal-alike heaviness. So far, FALLEN ARISE have toured across Europe and Russia with established acts including: Nightwish, Fates Warning, Paradise Lost, Destruction, Sepultura, Skindred, Moonspell, Serenity, Leave’s Eyes, Xandria, Katatonia, Pain of Salvation and Insah.

Watch the videos:

From “Enigma” (Roar 2020)

'Reborn' Official Video - https://youtu.be/ecXbypIMGec

'Enigma' Lyric Video - https://youtu.be/fTaWaGbNAcg

'Forever Winter' Lyric Video - https://youtu.be/R6jjJzcpcLs

Form “Adeline” (Roar 2015)

'White Crystal Angel' Official Video - https://youtu.be/6npIAHxgvsM

'My Last Breath' Lyric Video - https://youtu.be/kG-oPrVoX9Y

'The Curse Of Adeline' Lyric Video - https://youtu.be/lh5dNhlDX8Y

From “Ethereal” (NoiseHead 2013)

'Eternity' Official Video - https://youtu.be/3V3r0BPJl8A

More information at:

BAND: https://www.fallenariseofficial.com | https://www.facebook.com/fallenarise

MANAGEMENT: https://www.facebook.com/SplitScreenManagement | http://www.splitscreen-management.com | IG @splitscreenmanagement

LABEL: https://roar.gr

FATUM AETERNUM RELEASE NEW SINGLE "SPIDERS

PRESS RELEASE:

Israeli dark rock/metal band Fatum Aeternum release today their first single "Spiders", taken from their upcoming album “Goth’n’Jazz”.

You can listen at this location: https://open.spotify.com/album/7sR6E28rGtqhp283VbZamA

Line-up:

Steve Gershin – Bass/Vocal

Evelyn Shor Gershin – Violin/Vocal

Alex Zvulun – Guitar/Production

Mark Muzikant – Drums

Elad Gellert – Saxophone

For fans of Diablo Swing Orchestra, Primus, Charles Mingus, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Spiders was recorded/mixed/mastered in A.G. Studio (Tel Aviv, Israel) by Alex Zvulun, who previously worked with such known Israeli bands like The Fading and Desert

Follow:

Website: http://www.fatum-aeternum.com/

Bandcamp: https://music.fatum-aeternum.com/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/fatumaeternumband

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCqQFNsCp_2zq5ZEwcVk9zQ

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5FrzjWWTXaxpGZDrj3G10H

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatum_aeternum/?hl=en

VK: https://vk.com/fatumaeternum

ETERNAL SILENCE RELEASE "ANCIENT SPIRIT" SINGLE

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Italian symphonic metallers Eternal Silence will be releasing their new album "Timegate Anathema" on October 8, 2021 via Rockhots Records. Recorded at The Groove Factory (Udine, Italy) and Line/Out Studio (Milano, Italy) with mixing and mastering by Michele Guaitoli (Visions of Atlantis, Temperance, Kaledon), the full length will feature ten tracks of symphonic and power prog metal plus will see the band introduce new elements and experimentation into their sound. The album goes from power metal songs like "The Way Of Time" and "My Soul Sad Until Death" to heavy and dark ones like "Rain and Red Death Masquerade", passing through the catchy melodies of tracks like "Glide In The Air" and acoustic moments on "Lonely and Firefly". The main theme that inspired the record is the concept of time.

“It has been a long time since our last full length was released, we took our time to make the best songs possible and then the pandemic broke in and forced us to stop and wait for the right time to publish it. But now everything is ready and we can't wait to finally share this with you all.” adds the band.

Today, Eternal Silence reveals the first single "Ancient Spirit", a heavy track that puts together new influences and sounds.

The band explains the song's concept in further detail:

"Born out of the mind of guitarist Enzo Criscuolo, this song is heavy in contents and atmosphere along with feeling spiritual with lyrics written by our bassist Alessio Sessa. The lake in the pantheistic form that assumes in the song, reveals its mystery and charm as if it was a sleeping God. Beneath the layer of forgetfulness where it lays, hidden like a gem and silent, is an ideal companion, present in every day of our lives and keeps secrets and deep thrusts in its depths, where few dare to look."

Lyric Video - https://youtu.be/xDR8PfxFafo

Digital single "Ancient Spirit" - https://backl.ink/146941991

Pre-order CD - http://bit.ly/TimegateAnathema_CD 

Formed in Varese, Italy in 2008, Eternal Silence combines powerful guitar riffs, a thunderous rhythmic section, catchy melodies, and bombastic orchestral tracks with the support of two vocalists, Marika Vanni and guitarist Alberto Cassina sharing the front stage. The band's current line-up is completed by Alessio Sessa (bass), Andrea Zannin (drums) and Enzo Criscuolo (guitarist).

Since their formation, the band has unleashed three albums and two EPs. 2020's "Renegades" (EP), 2018's "Metamorphosis" (EP), and 2017's "Mastermind Tyranny" were released on Sliptrick Records, and their earlier full-lengths “Raw Poetry” (2013) and “Chasing Chimera” (2015) were released on Underground Symphony Records.

Over the years, the band has been a consistent touring presence in Europe, performing in Germany, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, and Hungary along with being support for bands such as Temperance, Therion, Haggard, Sound Storm, Blackoustic (Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius) and Jani Liimatainen (Insomnium)).

Track Listing:

1. The Way Of Time (6:59)

2. Edge Of The Dream (6:00)

3. Ancient Spirit (5:31)

4. Heart Of Lead (5:41)

5. Lonely (4:51)

6. Glide In The Air (4:06)

7. Rain (4:36)

8. My Soul Sad Until Death (5:36)

9. Firefly (2:15)

10. Red Death Masquerade (4:51)

Album Length: 50:28

Eternal Silence is:

Marika Vanni - Vocals

Alberto Cassina - Guitar/Vocals

Alessio Sessa - Bass

Andrea Zannin - Drums

Enzo Criscuolo - Guitar

More info:

Rockshots.eu 

Facebook.com/eternalsilencemusic 

Instagram.com/eternalsilenceband

BELLE MORTE RELEASE "CRIME OF PASSION"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

"Crime of Passion"

1. Overture

2. Who are you

3. If only you knew

4. To get her

5. Beauty and the beast

6. My little demon

7. Broken things

8. Beauty meant to kill

9. Lace

10. My legacy

11. Bonus: To get her (acoustic)

About the album:

"The album is called “Crime of Passion’ and it’s inspired by John Fowles’s novel “The Collector”. It tells a coherent story which started as an unhealthy obsession and stalking and resulted in murder, both from the side of the murderer and his victim. The idea of having a full-length album appeared when we were working on the EP. We had enough material for it at that moment, but at the same time didn’t want to rush and really wanted it to be well-thought and professional, so it took us 2 years to complete it. In general “Crime of Passion” has a way darker sound and vibes, compared to our first EP “Game on”. The story we tell here doesn’t have a happy ending, so you are witnessing how the situation unfolds, getting more and more intense and having a tragic finale. Musically “Crime of Passion” has more complicated arrangements, a lot of djent/progressive and even some black metal elements and a very diverse material. For example, “Beauty meant to kill” doesn’t have guitars at all, relying heavily on powerful symphonic parts with electronic instruments and percussion.

“If only you knew” has a lot of prog metal and some djent elements. Guitars became heavier and more sophisticated, especially in “My Little Demon” and “Beauty and the Beast”. We are using a lot of different elements on the “Crime of passion” and we made it all sound consistent and not trivial at the same time. Each element used reveals different nuances, making it all sound like a mono rock-opera, with leitmotivs and instrumental parts, which are there not for the sake of being there, but for the sake of strengthening presence effect, shedding more light on the emotions of the characters.

Biography:

Belle Morte is a musical project from Belarus, Minsk, playing dark symphonic metal with gothic/progressive flavor and melancholic vibe. The first single “Mercy” was released on Dec 9, 2017, accompanied by a music video later on. Debut band’s EP “Game On” was released in 2018. 4 tracks listed on the EP have asymmetric songwriting structure and jarring dynamic jumps from balladry to metallic symphonic bluster. Later on, Belle Morte collaborated with Norwegian melodic death metal band “Addendum” and released “Mistakable Monster” single together. The song is about trying to find back to the ones you have loved and lost. A tale about two sisters, locked in different worlds. After EP the band focused on producing a full-length conceptual album inspired by John Fowles’s “The Collector”. During this period “My Legacy”, “To Get Her” and “Lace” singles were released. The second Belle Morte’s music video was shot for the “Lace” single. Album named “Crime of Passion” tells a coherent story which started as an unhealthy obsession and stalking and resulted in murder, both from the side of the murderer and his victim. The idea behind Belle Morte is playing on contrasts – in music, lyrics and visual imaginary. It’s about seeing its own beauty in disturbing things, ugly things, and, vice versa, seeing the bad side in nice things which might not be that obvious at the first sight.

Links:

bellemortemusic.com

facebook.com/bellemortemusic

youtube.com/BelleMorte

twitter.com/bellemortemusic

instagram.com/bellemortemusic

bellemorte.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/WormHoleDeath

https://twitter.com/wormholedeath

https://www.instagram.com/wormholedeath_records

http://www.wormholedeath.com/

BELLE MORTE RELEASE RELEASE "BROKEN THINGS" LYRIC VIDEO

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Belarus Symphonic Metal discovery BELLE MORTE are proud to unleash the lyric video for "Broken Things", track taken from their upcoming album "Crime of Passion" due for release via Wormholedeath worldwide.

“Crime of Passion" is inspired by John Fowles’s novel “The Collector”. It tells a coherent story which started as an unhealthy obsession and stalking and resulted in murder, both from the side of the murderer and his victim.

Musically the album has more complicated arrangements, a lot of djent/progressive and even some black metal elements and a very diverse material.

https://www.facebook.com/bellemortemusic

https://twitter.com/bellemortemusic

https://www.instagram.com/bellemortemusic

https://bellemorte.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WormHoleDeath

https://twitter.com/wormholedeath

https://www.instagram.com/wormholedeath_records

REVIEW: VIRGIN BLACK - SOMBRE ROMANTIC

 

VIRGIN BLACK - SOMBRE ROMANTIC (The End Recs, 2002)

Produced by Rowan London

Recorded at JR Recording

Photography by Samantha Escarbe. Layout by Camren Harm

Tracks: 1- Opera de Romanci (I:Stare), 2- II: Embrace, 3- Walk Without Limbs, 4- Of Your Beuty, 5- Drink the Midnight HYmn, 6- Museum of Iscariot (I-Stagnation, II-Death, III-Procession), 7- Lamenting Kiss, 8- Weep For Me, 9- I Sleep With the Emperor, 10 A Poet´s Tears of Porcelain

I must congratulate The End Records because of this excellent release!!! Opening with an amazing orchestral part with cello and eastern sounding vocals (in fact this made me remind of the soundtrack of a movie called "Before The Rain" which is a Macedonia/UK coproduction). Then suddenly all explodes and the orchestration is joined by an extremely heavy band on "Embrace"!! This is the perfect combination between ethereal music and extreme heaviness (this is why I think that being heavy doesn´t mean necesarilly to be at full speed all the time). Excellent guitarist...she is Samantha Escarbe and plays very interesting riffs with a very loud sound, she creates melodies and also gives space for the keyboards and the drums to breath. One of the best releases that I reviewed this month. Favorite tracks: "Museum of Iscariot", "Weep for Me" and "Walk Without Limbs". Contact: www.theendrecords.com

REVIEW: SWAN CHRISTY - TODAY DIED YESTERDAY

 

SWAN CHRISTY - TODAY DIED YESTERDAY (Black Lotus Recs., 2001)

Produced by Nikos Nikoloudias

Recorded at Studio 5 and Studio Live

Artwork by Set (Spiros Anton.)

Tracks: 1- Today Died Yesterday, 2- Resurrection if possible, 3- One foot in the grave, 4- here comes...!, 5- My Home (Away from home), 6- No More Everything, 7- Night Flower, 8- the Benefactor

This is a really good recording starting with a song that has a riff similar to the one on Judas Priest "A Touch of Evil" but adding to it a lot of keyboards and arrangements. Then enters an interesting vocal part accompanied only by keyboards before the whole band enters together. There are a lot of duets between male and female vocals and there are also a lot of changes in riffs and rhythms. It is interesting how this band experiments with different sounds and with silences...maybe leaving onlky the bass and drums and then the keyboards play a little phrase like in some parts of "Resurrection if possible". The guitars have a really heavy sound an they are played really proficiently making Swan Christy´s music really heavy and at the same time climatic. There are guest vocals by Ferdy from Rough Silk, Spiros from Septic Flesh and Sakis from Rotting Christ. Favorite tracks: The whole album.