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MUSTERION
The Wondrous Journey Through the Catacombs of Life

HCD XI (2009)

 Graphic downloads can be found → here.

The Wondrous Journey Through the Catacombs of Life is the second album of Musterion, following the highly acclaimed debut album The Black Lodge (2005), built upon complex and obscure composition techniques and musical innovation, and it drags the listener on a brilliantly imaginative and frightening journey that combines elements of dark ambient, surrealism, absurdity, Holyism with the help advanced structural and theoretical considerations in terms of the composition.
The tale is concerning mind control by psychic, electronic, sexual, pharmaceutical, subliminal, and other means.
The story stretches into the absurd and surely Simon AA Kölle exorcising some demons of his own and exploring a musical world where regular music metre is unimportant, where the rhythm of a piece could be dictated by breathless inspiration more than moving pictures (as the case with film music) or to fit a specific genre. Yet he again expands and evolves the genre of dark ambient into art music.
Due to the dramatic nature of the music, which is shifting pace of both horror and atmosphere, the only way it would feel real enough included incorporation of organic instruments and electro-acoustic instruments. Improvisations, twisted circus music, industrial parts and many atmospheric moments give way for a highly symbolistic album where all elements are pieces of the broken puzzle.

The album was released on Halloween 2009 as a pressed CD housed in a digipak in the limited edition of 500 copies. Extra pocket includes 12-pages booklet. Printed on Paper Couture Specials, BlancBeige, 300 g/m2 and 170 g/m2 beige.

Artwork and design by Niko Skorpio.

Tracklist:

The Elevator Down
Escaping the Illusions
Lifeless Confetti
Wandering through the Catacomb
The Crocodile and Napoleon
I am Superman & King Kong
I need to kill Him
A false beard (mother I hear you)
Junkies and agents disappear (Lover I hear you)
Follow the black spider
The Dollmaker
Falling Into the Maelstrom

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Marc Dassonville

A review from Chain D.L.K.
November 24th, 2009

Swedish-born composer Simon Kölle has been touted as one of the most significant Scandinavian musicians of his generation and genre. Mostly known for his work with Za Frûmi but he also did a fantastic solo album under the name Musterion. That was 2005 and the album titled "The Black Lodge".
Now Simon is back with his second album with Musterion.

The first thing to praise with this album is the outstanding artwork laid out as great work of art on a multi panel Digipack. The artwork is truly clever and honestly I cannot think about any artist in the genre of dark ambient that released an album as beautiful as this.

The story, which is laid out in a deep and impressive booklet, is wonderful and reminds me of masters such as Devil Doll, Pink Floyd, David Lynch and Lovecraft. The music is so unique and cinematic I nominate it to be the best dark ambient album this year for sure. From the opening moments of the first piece “Elevator Down” it becomes evident that Musterion possesses a special demeanor via his ferocious line of attack, spiced with verve and a robust tone.
Coupled with fluent lines and a few technical nods to the psychedelic years of the 60s, the artist snags your attention, and sails through these largely,
original pieces with equal doses of fire and grace!
Only great poetry can describe the music on "The Wondrous Journey through the Catacombs of Life" and HORUS CyclicDaemon, the Czech label,
has outdone themselves with this diamond release.

There is a slight Eastern European accent to the underlying rhythms
and their instrumentation but also hints and pieces of the puzzle
that breath art music as much as dark ambient.

The most remarkable aspect of the album is its ability to tell the story with the help of the music, text and art. The album takes you on the wondrous journey with masterful precision, embodying the heart-wrenching emotions and memories of the man we inhabit while listening. He makes a discovery and finally a downfall with strange circus themes and marvelous sound elements never restrained. In terms of the actual music, not much is different from Musterion's previous album, though a significant role is given to the violin and to the very fact that specific keys offers dual representation of both the innocence of the main character and the dark setting of the catacombs,
lending a music-box style to the album that accentuates the bedtime storytelling ambience. The Piano is important but not as much as with the "The Black Lodge".

When I listen to a song like "The Dollmaker" I get so into the music
I get back from a trip when it ends.
I cannot even describe half of everything what is happening but I feel a lot.
First I thought that maybe some songs would be overly stuffed
with great ideas but not really creating a red thread.
Oh, I was so wrong.
The thread is there and the songs are not stuffed with other than greatness.

I love this album.

Ivan Racheck

SILENCE & STRENGTH
Das Haus zur letzten Latern - A Tribute to Gustav Meyrink  

The new album by Silence & Strength has been in the making for almost 5 years, as some early pieces have been written already in 2004, being composed and recorded in various locations and conditions. This monumental work realized in an album of 13 tracks and 77 minutes constitutes an impressive narrative, which opens up a door to the magical worlds of Gustav Meyrink.

HCD 10 (2009)

 Graphic downloads can be found → here.

Starting with evocative pieces based on some of Meyrink's short stories the album takes us through the myriad of states and emotions - the menacing and liquid "Cardinal Napellus", the moody and unsettling "Four Moon Brothers", the decadent and poisonous "Ball Macabre", the enchanting "Opal" and so on.
One of the most expressive and dramatic tracks is "Walpurgisnacht". Combining acoustic and electronic sounds, shrieking pipes and a beat of the devilish drum, it conjures up the memories of bloody revolts and phantasmagoric affairs.
The longest composition on the album is based upon one of Meyrink's most acclaimed novels - "Der Golem". Ranging over 18 minutes it takes us on a fascinating journey through the darkened streets of Old Prague. From the bone-chilling rain and menacing ambience of the narrow, cobble-stone alleys, through the tiny rooms of misshapen houses where the early bohemians sing rowdy chansons, to the attic of Staronova Synagogue, which serves as a secret dwelling place of the mysterious Golem, and back again into a sleazy tavern with an aged hebrew harpist wheezing through a long-forgotten song, then finally to the gates of the House at the Last Light where the alchemical hermaphrodite unites the hero and his beloved in a magical union.
The journey continues, through the raucous "Green Face", the beautiful and melodic "White Dominican", to the meditative and conclusive "Angel of West Window". The album ends there, but it leaves us with a precious aftertaste and a strong desire to plunge deeper into the majestic realm of Gustav Meyrink, read his works and share his dreams.
Gustav Meyrink has long attracted readers for his masterful stories, examining the supernatural, the macabre, the spiritual, and the occult. With complex and ambitious novels, such as "The Golem", "The Green Face", "The Angel of the West Window", and "The White Dominican" Meyrink intertwines past and present, dreams and visions, myth and reality in a world of the occult, culminating in the transmutation of physical reality into a higher spiritual existence.
Silence & Strength is a project created by a talented Israeli musician Stephan Friedman. Interfusing noise, drone, glitch and experimental dark ambient he creates soundscapes in a highly structured and ritualistic way. Secret musical spaces of Silence & Strength will enchant those who feel that there is too little sound magic around them and who want to know it all. After producing two successful tribute albums to Le Comte de Cagliostro (2005) and Theophrastus Paracelsus (2006), Silence & Strength has embarked on the most ambitious project yet: Das Haus zur letzten Latern - A Tribute to Gustav Meyrink. It is the project's first official release on HORUS CyclicDaemon.
The mastering services were provided by iSoundwave, a highly professional mastering studio in Tel-Aviv, Israel.

The album was released on All Fool's Day 2009 in limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies, on top-notch quality art-paper (green Alezan CRO 300g and recycled grey Eko 200g), A5 oversized booklet with the tradditional A5 envelope. Artwork and design by John Coulthart.

http://www.discogs.com/label/HORUS+CyclicDaemon
http://www.johncoulthart.com

 You can learn more about Silence & Strength, previous and on-going projects by following these links:

http://silenceandstrength.webs.com
http://www.myspace.com/silenceandstrength
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Silence+&+Strength

In addition, to illustrate a growing interest in Gustav Meyrink, we should mention that from 21 November 2008 until 29 May 2009 the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) presents an exhibition on Gustav Meyrink (1868-1932), his life and works.

http://www.ritmanlibrary.nl/c/p/h/bel_41.html
http://www.ritmanlibrary.nl/c/p/lib/pre/pre_14.html

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403 copies in stock.

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Tracklist:

1 Das ganze Sein ist flammend Leid
2 Der Kardinal Napellus
3 Die vier Mondbrüder
4 Der Opal
5 Bal Macabre
6 J. H. Obereits Besuch bei den Zeitegeln
7 G. M.
8 Meister Leonhard
9 Walpurgisnacht
10 Der Golem
11 Das grüne Gesicht
12 Der weiße Dominikaner
13 Der Engel vom westlichen Fenster
 

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9.25 Euro + postage (for non-VAT payers only: excl. VAT)
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18 Euro + postage (6 Euro per one item).
23 USD + postage (10 USD overseas per one item).


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Fan Feed-backs

Congratulations on the new S&S, the design is sublime,
the cover of very good quality as usual
and the compositions of Stephen Friedman excellent.
And some tracks make me think sometimes that sound
like spectral and choking of Atrium Carceri or Desiderii Marginis.
I now wait to discover the new Musterion.

Regards

Marc Dassonville
 

 

 

A letter by John Coulthart
April 23, 2009

 

 

Hello,

The CDs arrived today and they look marvellous.

Many thanks, Martin, for another excellent production.

The textured paper is perfect
and I love the green ink and the booklet paper.

I think the additional time was worth it in the end,
this isn't like anything I've done for anyone else.

All best,

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A review from Heathen Harvest
 August 15th, 2009

One single beat, perhaps a church bell, is the modest opening for Silence and Strength's new album, "Das Haus Zur Letzten Latern". In a second, it takes us back in time and place, preparing us for the journey that Stephan Friedman had prepared for us this time. Enclosed in a beautiful A5 case, ocher, leather-like cover,  along with beautiful and relevant artwork, " Das Haus Zur Letzten Latern" is a fitting tribute to the works of Gustav Meyrink and his masterful stories, examining the supernatural, the macabre, the spiritual, and the occult. During the entire album, Stephan Friedman rises above the usual dark ambient gimmicks and provides peculiar landscapes, forged inside the cinematic world he had created, as each track is a soundtrack to a different story, taking us each time to a different settings and moods.
 
"Das Ganze Sein ist Flammend Leid" opens with slow and sporadic church bells, over a deep chasm of blood chilling sounds. Like the wolf at the door, the sinister breathing  heard underneath the sonic howling are giving an impression that, even though we have just started, the end is already here.

Silence and Strength's album is powerful all the way to its last second. "Der Kardinal Napellus" uses horrific drones and insidious whispers while "Die Vier Mondruder" sounds even more alien at some points, as Friedman closes in on every side of the listener with sharp stings of piercing sounds until it is hard to even breathe. Semi industrial, ethnic percussion is the dictating element on "Der Opal". By now, it is obvious that Friedman is not here to bore us with the routine. Der Opal, the most potent of the tracks so far, leads to "Bal macabre", putting us in forgotten, royal ball, now populated by ghost-like piano music , screaming banshees and a violin section of numerous demented poltergeists. Inside das haus zur letzten latern, everything Freidman had built is precise and delicate. Chilling stories get chilling soundtrack, which never serves as a mere atmospheric apparatus to make some Halloween effects. Several listening to this album will reveal the hard work put behind each and every one of these tracks. As we go further inside, "Walpurgisnacht" sends more brigades of marching thunder drums and tormented sirens gliding over distant dramatic melody. As it develops, "Walpurgisnacht" is an apocalyptic horn blast. It ends swiftly and leads to “Der Golem", which is the longest and most diverse track in this album. The long, nerve-pinching introduction, drawn from the blackest veins of dark ambiance, changes skin and transforms into a traditional sounding folk singing, with the music changing accordingly as well. The track shift repeatedly from the dark side and to the light. Deep dark drones, heavenly choir like grand opening in the dark cloudy sky, twisted dinner parties and detuned saloon singing and the scorched remains of everything, which closes this opus. Easily the best track on this great album.
 
Even the aftermath of the Golem is powerful and intriguing. "Das Grune Gesicht" begins in a mysterious way that reminds me of Tribes of Neurot of all things, and develops into a warm rhythmic industrial hymn." Der Weisse Dominikaner" is a beautiful song, relevant in its position as the sign of approaching closure on this album.
 
When the door of das haus zur letzten latern is closing, on the last track, it is done with shrieks of pain and whispers of acceptance. Friedman lets the church organ escort us away from the kingdom he erected for Gustav Meyrink and then he closes the door. When the last notes of music die, there is one thing left to do, and that is to take a deep breath, press play and go through this journey once more. 

Oren ben Yosef

A review from Gothtronic
2009

HORUS CyclicDaemon is back with another special release.
This former publisher of occult books and prints, specializes itself in obscure ambient and industrial projects. Most striking is the always beautiful and special packaging of the albums they release.

This new work by Silence & Strength is also a tribute to author
Gustav Meyrink, most well-known for his novel Der Golem.
In 1920, Carl Boese and Paul Wegener adapted the book for their successful film, which is one of the German Expressionist classics, next to Nosferatu and Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari.
Even the artwork of this release has a lot of resemblance to the classic of Robert Wiene.

And now for the music! Silence & Strength create a very weird and claustrophobic industrial landscape with this release. It all starts with what sounds like an eerie industrial hell, ‘Das ganze Sein ist flammend Leid’. We continue over this Dante’s Inferno like path to ‘Der Kardinal Napellus’, which surrounds the listener with demonic sounds amidst dripping water sounds. ‘Die vier Mondbrüder’ sounds as if we are surrounded by small Golem’s and dark whispers. With ‘Der Opal’ we get the first sign of a rhythm. Tribal sounds enter and have some resemblance to This Morn’ Omina. ‘Bal Macabre’ is more creepy and psychedelic ambient with some female choir here and there. ‘J. H. Obereits Besuch bei den Zeitegeln’ has a more experimental sound and go together with some uneasy deep drones. ‘G.M.’ is a kind of short experimental intermezzo with al kinds of male voices bending your ears. We get again a more experimental soundscape with ‘Meister Leonhard’. Tribal sounds turn up again in ‘Walpurgisnacht’, here the track sounds more ritualistic. Der Golem was Meyrink’s most important work and gets a track of epic length of almost 19 minutes with a track title of the same name, ‘Der Golem’. This track is very cinematic and the movie Der Golem seems to be unfolding in front of your ears. At around the four minute mark the scene changes, as we hear the sound of an old door opening and we seem to be in the middle of a tavern. This sudden change in ambience made me think of Fabrice du Welz’ film Calvaire, were people in a bar suddenly are doing a very weird dance for no reason. After a while we go back to the dark industrial sounds, but there’s also room for some female choir sounds. As the song goes on there are some other weird segments which is best to listen to it yourself. An interesting piece of music it certainly is, as it goes all over the place. We continue with ‘Das grüne Gesicht’, which starts as a dark piece of music, but transforms into a very bombastic and cinematic track. Very unexpected, but that’s all the better for it! ‘Der weiße Dominikaner’ is more psychedelic track with some singing and full of bells. The album ends in style with ‘Der Engel vom westlichen Fenster’, a dark soundscape which ends in a kind of old funerary song.

HORUS CyclicDaemon releases always have a strong conceptual character, musically and visually. Again with this album of Silence & Strength, in which he create a very cinematic album as a tribute to Gustav Meyrink. As far as the sound quality goes, it’s as good as it gets, every sound is crystal clear. Stephan V. Friedman also gets help from a lot of other musicians on this album, which helps into creating a strong album. The cinematic strength of the album has a great impact on the total ambience of this work. Though, most of the tracks have their feet very much in the industrial ambient realm, there is also room for more psychedelic and tribal touches. Definitely a great album for more obscure industrial connoisseurs, but it’s also accessible for a somewhat larger crowd, like fans of Lustmord for example. Together with the packaging, which has an oversized (A5) four page booklet packed in an A5 envelop, this release if an instant collectors item!


Grade: 8.8
Fabian

A review from Chain D.L.K.
May 22nd, 2009

Released on All Fool's Day,
DAS HAUS ZUR LETZEN is the newest album
by Israeli musical project Silence & Strength.
Released on HORUS CyclicDaemon three years after the previous
"Opus Paracelsum" issued by The Eastern Front,
DAS HAUS ZUR LETZEN is a particular album where music and design are parts of a whole.
With graphics inspired by German expressionist movies of the twenties
 created by John Coulthart and beautifully printed on
quality art-paper (green Alezan CRO 300g and recycled grey Eko 200g)
the album is inspired by the life and works of writer Gustav Meyrink.
[Cfr. from Wikipedia:
Illegitimate son of Baron Karl von Varnbüler von und zu Hemmingen and actress Maria Wilhelmina Adelheyd Meier, Gustav started to study occultism at age 24. Having studied theosophy, Kabbala, christian Sophiology and Eastern mysticism,
he also tried to practice and he was successful...
Until his death Meyrink practiced yoga and other occult exercises with remarkable success. Results of these studies and practices are clearly seen in Meyrink's works, which almost always deal with various occult traditions.
Gershom Sholem, an expert in Jewish mysticism, has stated that Meyrink's works are based on superficial sources and have no ties with any authentic tradition].
The thirteen tracks of the album explore different atmospheres
starting from dark ambient
with few classical influences to industrial tribalism
(check immediately the powerful "Das grüne Gesicht")
passing through opera and folk music.
The sound is great and it is composed by hundreds of different layers
that keep the listener's attention always awake.
With a crisp production this album is a great "movie for your ears"...
 

Maurizio Pustianaz

A review from Lurker's Realm
August 5th, 2009

Um tributo 5 anos em preparaçăo

"Das Haus Zur Letzten Latern - A Tribute To Gustav Meyrink" é o novo disco dos
Silence & Strength e esteve quase 5 anos em preparaçăo, sendo que algumas composiçőes foram escritas já em 2004 e foram sendo gravadas um pouco por todo o mundo. Um trabalho massivo e monumental que ao longo de 13 faixas e 77 minutos de música presta um merecido tributo ŕ vida e obra do artista Austríaco.

Gustav Meyrink desde sempre atraiu leitores para as suas histórias superiormente escritas, focando temáticas do sobrenatural ao macabro, passando pelo espiritual e oculto. Talvez a sua obra mais conhecida seja "O Golem", embora tenha muitos outros trabalhos publicados onde a interligaçăo entre o presente e o passado, sonhos e visőes, mito e realidade săo a constante que guia o leitor pelos mundos fantásticos criados pelo autor.

E foi este o conceito que Stephan Friedman explorou neste seu mais recente trabalho, interligando elementos sonoros do Noise ao Dark Ambient, passando pelo Drone e Experimental, para criar uma paisagem sonora que honrasse a obra e os mundos de Meyrink.
Lançado pela HORUS CyclicDaemon, este disco representa o culminar de anos de trabalho e já o terceiro disco conceptual de tributo que os Silence & Strength editam - uma tendęncia que esperamos se venha a manter no futuro.

A ediçăo é limitada a 500 cópias numeradas ŕ măo, numa embalagem A5 superiormente empacotada e com trabalho gráfico a cargo de John Coulthart.
 

Lurker

CHAOTICUM
[Psycho] Log: Y
 

HCD 09  (2007/8)

'It is incredible, the strong presence of now... The unfettered persistence of being... That dread beast of awareness which, once awakened, can never be put back down again.'

Weaving madness through electric sound and half-crazed vocals, this first full-length release from CHAOTICUM unveils the initial peering beyond the shroud of uncertainty into the gaping night, calling to mind the powerful ritual works of COPH NIA, and the sublime melodies and haunting atmosphere of THE UNQUIET VOID.

Never fearing to experiment with new ideas, CHAOTICUM fuses together a plethora of dark genres, veering back and forth somewhere between order and chaos, to craft this first foray out of the curse'd lies of the light and into the black abyss of awareness. Will you make the journey? Do you hope to return? Then listen and remember... for destruction is the only true beginning, and stagnation the only death.

Included in the track list are two songs 'The Calling of Cthulhu' and 'Esoteric Order of Dagon', musickal scenes inspired by the mad writings of H. P. Lovecraft, in addition to other break-through pieces and favourites such as 'Ancient Hollow' and the neoclassical masterpiece 'Tykie-Soo'.
So lie back, put on the headphones, and travel deep into the swirling vortex of madness and sound, for CHAOTICUM is not to be missed... or taken lightly.

Created to be "cultured" electronica, this first release by masters of "nova et rara" CHAOTICUM will appeal to listeners of ritualistic dark ambient, voyagers of haunting psychedelic mindscapes, and chaos practitioners alike.

Comes in a very exclusive 500 limited-edition digipak,
with artwork designed by renowned artist John Coulthart
on Rives Tradition 320g paper;
includes extra pocket with poster.
 

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7 Euro + postage (for non-VAT payers only: price is excl. VAT)
10,5 USD + postage.

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18 USD + postage (10 USD overseas per one item).


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A review from HEATHEN HARVEST
June 1st, 2008

Since their beginning in two-thousand and four Chaoticum have amassed a significant body of work, five full albums to be exact starting with Chaoticum I - So Ahc Lan-Rete which made its way to the internet and found a fanbase. The next work that make itself known would be Chaoticum IXII - Necessary Death, in two thousand and five on Sept. 11, part personal political statement and part tribute to Pater Aequatio, who unfortunately did not live long enough to see this release come to fruition, followed by Chaoticum IV - Chaos de Xi Mer, a feast of sorts… not far down the pipes was and is Chaoticum VII - Reliquaries, a ritualistic celebratory treatise in honour of the marriage on 06/06/06 of “The Reverend” and “Silent Soror Krystalis” .

Now having the back catalogue out of the way we can focus the attention on what is to be considered their first full-length album release: [Psycho] Log: Y. The musical experimentation revolves around establishing mood with a myriad of sounds that are highly efficient in evoking a suspenseful yet at the same time melodic and dare I say it erotic environment at times. One may gather by some of the song titles that a few H.P Lovecraft books have been read, there is an occult horror element present but as for influence there has been one main person that has influenced the bands path and that would be Pater Aequatio who was instrumental in setting The Reverend on the path in bringing his concept of "The Theory of Nemesis" into action .

Musically speaking the sounds on this release run the gamut from the simply minimal tracks that do well to serve as a backdrop to the whole cd giving it a sense of continuity to the darker ambient rhythmic pieces incorporating vocals be they looped and otherwise that act as a mantra drawing the listener further in, whether or not that is the intent it is most definitely the effect. Is this ritual music? Yes.

Chaoticum is "The Reverend Chaoticum" (Dann Kriss), Silent Soror Krystalis, Hugh Jorgan, The Mad Cellist and Uncle Jesse. The folks at Horus Cyclic Daemon deserve kudos, the packaging on this release is amazing, the attention to detail is second to none with a tri-fold digi pack with artwork and fold out poster custom designed by John Coulthart.


Paddy

A review from INANNA NAKED
February, 2008

I must admit that after lots of listenings to the music of CHAOTICUM

I still have some reticences concerning the use of certain melodies that seem a little dilettante, though curiously I think that this is not necessarily a fault, because the sensation is that they are totally deliberate, a necessary touch of naďvety to make this darkness more bearable, a darkness that dwells in an unknown recess of the subconscious or in other dimensions, so maybe, after all, every sound here contained may be simply a sonorous hallucination, and even some of those torpid melodies I commented before make it more real (or unreal...) and that's why I see them as deliberate. After these initial objections the rest are only good things, there are sixteen tracks in the cd and the variety is considerable; ambient, ritual and other forms of dark music meet electronic and unclassifiable details that give life, death, light and darkness to this opus, while the slight tendency to experimental music in some passages accents the unreal part of a music which is enigmatic and that in spite of some modern elements it results clearly (or darkly...) arcane and esoteric; the atmospheres, ambiences and voices are countless; the mystery mixes with madness, so some images and passages are strange, vague and confuse while in other moments the music becomes almost mystical and even ceremonious. The paths of darkness in the music of CHAOTICUM are diverse and often not easy to listen to or understand, but in spite of all these difficulties they have an unquestionable magnetism, no matter if some elements doesn't convince you completely, the whole does.


8,0/10

VALUATION
(Very) Good music and personal sound

Héctor Noble Fernández

Recenze z www.okultura.cz
prosinec, 2007

Existence experimentálního dark-ambientního projektu Chaoticum sahá do roku 2004 do amerického Beaumontu. Ten se však svého albového debutu dočkal teprve nyní, a to díky brněnskému vydavatelství HORUS CyclicDaemon, které se ve své ediční řadě zaměřuje především na tituly s výraznější, spirituálně orientovanou myšlenkovou stopou.

Výrazně okultistické a hororové vyznění alba, jež kromě jednoduchých rytmických vzorců, strašidelných hlasů či melancholických tónů piana, nenabízí žádná výraznější hudební dobrodružství, je však právě pro ediční záměr brněnského labelu záležitostí přímo signifikantní.

O mnohém jakoby vypovídala již „jména“ jednotlivých členů seskupení - The Reverend Dann Kriss, Silent Soror Krystalis, Hugh Jorgan, The Mad Cellist a Uncle Jesse. Zásadním se však zdá být především umělecký koncept Chaoticum, načrtnutý již dříve na řadě demonahrávek či skladbách, vydaných na několika samplerech.

„Je to neuvěřitelné, síla přítomnosti je zde… Nespoutaná trvalost bytí... Hrozivá zrůdnost vědomí čehosi, jednou probuzeného, se nemůže nikdy vrátit zpět“. Slova evokující šílenství oscilují mezi napůl pomateným hlasem a explicitním elektronickým soundem nahrávky, která jakoby proplouvala někde mezi obsedantní psychedelií The Legendary Pink Dots, neuroticko-esoterickou nonšalantností Coil či mrazivými rituály skandinávských Coph Nia.

Z přediva těchto potemnělých zvukových pavučin, pohybujících se nezřídka v jistém bludném kruhu – jakoby skutečně někde uprostřed mezi manifestujícím řádem a chaosem - vystupují dvě písně inspirované životem a dílem H. P. Lovecrafta - The Calling of Cthulhu a Esoteric Order of Dagon, především však krásná neoklasicistní skladba Tykie-Soo, evokující tvorbu seskupení jako Amber Asylum či Arcana.

Nahrávka, která svoji zvláštní melancholickou-hororovou náladou upoutá možná spíše hudebně neohraničené vyznavače tajemna a neuchopitelna než náročnější posluchače, je vydána v podobě skvostně provedeného třípanelového digipaku, jak je tomu ostatně v případě HORUS CyclicDaemon již dobrou tradicí.

Složeno, aby se stalo "kultivovanou" elektronikou, a toto první vydání mistrů "nova et rara", skupiny Chaoticum, bude výzvou posluchačům a milovníkům ritualistického dark ambientu, cestovatelům po strašidelných psychedelických krajinách mysli a právě tak i praktikům chaos-mágie.

Vychází jako luxusní limitovaná edice 500 kusů digipaku, návrh vytvořil renomovaný umělec John Coulthart, vytištěno na papírech Rives Tradition 320g/170g; obsahuje navíc extra kapsu s plakátem.

Igor Nováček

OSSASERPIA
Music For Solve et Coagula
 

HCD 08  (2006/7)

Vladimir Igoshin (Ossaserpia) has created Opus alchymicum,
spectacular account of the »work« of the musickal alchemists
who developed a symbolic kind of psychochemistry,
aimed at producing the gold of mystical illumination
through celestial musick.
See theories by Robert Fludd (Robertus Fluctibus)
and Rosicrucian theories of the monochord.
Very unique drone chamber musick with some strange industrial elements.
Vladimir Igoshin is known for his contributions to HCD compilations
such as Lust From The Underworld and/or AL: 100th Anniversary.

Special art-work for an oversized hard-bound book (A5)
designed by fantastic Madeline von Foerster!

Special limited edition consists of 500 hand-numbered copies
in hand-made box covered with rustish top-notch embossed Quilt 120g paper.
The oversized embossed hard-bound book (A5) printed on Gmund Kaschmir cream 170g and embossed CD sleeve-jacket again on Quilt 120g paper.

Very rare print for all fans of occult & alchemy!
Limited edition of 500 copies.
Special limited box on request only!
[Its price is not included in the below listed price!]

Tracklist:

1.-10. = I
11. = A
12. = O

For download:
Track 1, Track 4, Track 6, Track 10.

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290 copies in stock.

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Wholesale price:
13 Euro + postage (for non-VAT payers only: price is excl. VAT)
17 USD + postage.

Retail price:
31 Euro + postage (6 Euro per one item)
42 USD + postage (10 USD overseas per one item).


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Payments

Order by e-mail and ask for details if you are going to purchase more items because of shipping costs and possible discount, please.

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Sven Schlijper

Alan Milne

Check more pictures...

• book (front)

• flyleaf (front)

• inner pages

• poster

  • pic

  • PDF

• sleeve-jacket

• disc

A review from Chain D.L.K.
February 08, 2007

The artwork for this album must be one of the most ambitious ones
I have ever seen.
It’s not a booklet, it’s a book (printed on Gmund Kaschmir cream 170g)! Hard-bound in A5 designed by Madeline von Foerster, known for her artwork she made to The Red King and Mirabilis.
Special limited edition consists of 500 hand-numbered copies including posters and highly limited number also in hand-made box covered with rustish top-notch embossed Quilt 120g paper.

The album is composed by Vladimir Igoshin (Ossaserpia) and it is dark industrial, dark ambient with traces of classical music. The classical music influences are not obvious but very strong and strange. The music is often drone-like but not ever boring (like so many other bad ambient acts).

The inspirations for the album are theories by Robert Fludd
(Robertus Fluctibus) and Rosicrucian theories of the monochord.

I'm under the impression that “Music for Solve et Coagula” is one of the finest albums to date in the industrial ambient genre!
By the first track, Ossaserpia have not shown all their cards.
The CD grows on you and when the 12th and last song plays you things have evolved. In the last song the classical influences are stronger than before and it really works!

I have to be honest and say that it’s not an easy task to follow two wonderful masterpieces in Musterion “The Black Lodge” and K.Meizter´s “Traveling Light”. During the first song I thought Ossaserpia failed but the more I heard of the CD the more I realized how wrong my first impression was!

The album could maybe be an alternative soundtrack for the great film “Stalker” (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979). It would work well in horror, sci-fi films. So, if you like the feelings of space, magic and horror you should check out this release.

HORUS CyclicDaemon is starting to stand out as they release experimental dark music. I think that HORUS CyclicDaemon still need maybe 3-4 great releases more before be counted as one the leading labels but hell this is a great period for Horus right now!

Upcoming releases on HORUS CyclicDaemon are:
Silence & Strength, 4TH Sign of the apocalypse and Musterion!

2007 and 2008 seem to be the years of HORUS CyclicDaemon
of Czech Republic!


4 of 5 stars

Ivan Racheck

Read also his interview with Ossaserpia.

A letter by Madeline von Foerster
February 18, 2007

Wow, oh wow, I have to tell you how BEAUTIFUL

and BREATHTAKING the Ossaserpia books are.

I am truly amazed...

You must have put an incredible amount of work into them, and it really paid off, because the result is SO amazing.

I am really, truly thrilled with how my art looks...

I had no idea the book would be so superlative.

Take care,

and thank you again for making the book so beautiful.


Madeline
 
 

A review from Mentenebre
April, 2007

Una producción cuidada al milímetro, un artwork verdaderamente excepcional que encierra una música nada convencional. Un CD que rompe esquemas. He de reconocer que este CD me tiene totalmente embrujado. Nada más verlo pensé que aquello, aunque sólo fuera por el continente, tenía que encerrar algo inquietante. La producción es excelente: Libro, CD y un poster DinA3, en color crema como los vetustos pergaminos. En cada imagen del libro una ilustración con referencias alquímicas. Todo un auténtico placer para los sentidos, ya a una primera vista.

Así que no sabes lo que te vas a encontrar cuando pones el CD. Le das a play y no te queda más que encogerte de hombros ˇżQué es esto?!. Aparentemente no suena a nada conocido. Tras haberlo escuchado un poco piensas, “quizá me recuerde algo a aquellas primeras grabaciones de Rosa Crux donde experimentaban con sonidos producidos por elementos extrańos como aquella enorme jaula esférica de hierro con una persona dentro que, colgada, la hacían golpear con una pared para que sonara como un gong. Pero no es eso del todo. También me evocaba a unos pioneros en el Dark Ambient a mediados de los ’90, Book of Wisdom, que me recordaban por el componente orgánico de su sonido.

Si vuelves a revisar el artwork te ves avocado a introducirte en un ambiente de alquimia, de experimentación mágica, y la música que oyes en verdad te transporta a ese mundo. El sonido es analógico básicamente aunque incluye extrańos samplers. Parecen instrumentos antiguos pero amalgamados con ambientes sonoros. Es una música tremendamente particular.

En la odiosa tarea que tenemos los críticos de clasificar no me queda más remedio que encasillar este trabajo dentro del Dark Ambient. Es verdad que yo estoy últimamente bastante remiso a entrar en el mundo del Dark Ambient pues me resulta un poco aburrido ya que pocas cosas me pueden sorprender dentro de este género. Pero Ossaserpia lo ha conseguido.

Rebuscando un poco de información acerca de este proyecto no ha sido mucho lo que he encontrado, aunque hay algunos datos interesantes. El concepto del CD proviene de algunas ideas nacidas en el siglo XVII aunque tuvieron su auge en el XIX, radicadas en el movimiento de los Rosacruces y las ideas de Robertus Fluctibus, cuando algunas de estas sectas planteaban actitudes de vida diferentes a las promulgadas durante siglos por las ramas tradicionales del Cristianismo. No es baladí por tanto que este trabajo se haya publicado en el sello/editorial checo Horus, dedicado a la publicación de libros de alquimia, masonería, satanismo, etc. Qué pena no leer el checo pues todas sus publicaciones son tremendamente interesantes.

También mencionar que el proyecto es unipersonal, ejecutado totalmente por Vladimir Igoshin, un músico cuyos antecedentes desconozco y que muy presumiblemente podemos decir que este es su primer trabajo. El apartado gráfico ha corrido a cargo de Madeline von Foerster, de la que si disponemos de algunas referencias como son sus diseńos para bandas como The Red King o Mirabilis, así como portadas o ilustraciones para libros como es el caso de "On Being Pagan" de Alain de Benoist.

Por tanto, si eres un amante del mundo alquímico y místico y estas dispuesto a darte un bańo musical en una atmósfera poco común, Ossaserpia es una buena recomendación. Un artwork magnífico para un trabajo muy especial.

K. MEIZTER
Travelling Light

HCD 07  (2006)

K. Meizter makes his solo debut with Travelling Light
after five successful years in BEYOND SENSORY EXPERIENCE.
Still lurking in the realms of dark ambient,
K. Meizter now sets foot towards more experimental grounds
focusing on melancholy melodies and twisted rhythms.
Travelling Light takes you on an intriguing journey
through the Universe of Mind and comes
with elegant and thought-provoking artwork
presented in a special hand-numbered oversized booklet.
The album has been mastered by
Mika Goedrijk (of This Morn’ Omina) at Atomic Studios
and in some parts it would remind best times of this ritual group!

References: Hybryds, 4th Sign of the Apocalypse, TMO.

Tracklist:

1. Prolog [2'10]
2. Play It As It Lays [3'28]
3. In A Low-Dimensional System [2'52]
4. Honesty Through Paranoia [4'04]
5. The Local Group [3'25]
6. Bounding The Infinite [2'51]
7. Obsessive Geometry [2'52]
8. Lock And Chain Find Again [4'40]
9. Down The Up-Escalator [3'16]
10. Luftwalk [2'00]
11. Woe To The Thinker [2'21]
12. Detached [3'09]
13. Rest And Rust [2'01]
14. Some Battle On [3'52]

Ltd. edition of 500 hand-numbered copies.

A5 8-pages booklet
printed on top notch quality
175g heavy art-paper SYMFONIE Citrine Yellow
and the envelope & CD sleeve printed on
300g Keaycolour dark green cardboard.
Special paper envelope with both side printings.

Take a look at pictures of packaging:

* the whole
* booklet
* sleeve
* disc

Design:
K. Meizter

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246 copies in stock.

*

Wholesale price:
9 Euro + postage (for non-VAT payers only: excl. VAT)
12 USD + postage.

Retail price:
18 Euro + postage (6 Euro per one item).
24 USD + postage (10 USD overseas per one item).
 

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Payments

Order by e-mail and ask for details if you are going to purchase more items because of shipping costs and possible discount, please.

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A review from Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys
Sept 2006

K. Meizter's first solo album, which comes in a very nice looking cardboard package, is a compositionally fascinating experience. A lot of our readers probably already know the artists as one half of the group Beyond Sensory Experience. This album is in some sense a natural continuation in his style: music somewhere between electro-acoustics and ambient, of the kind that seems clearly planned and refuses to fit into any particular mold. On these slow tracks there are loads of moody elements, from whistling to a calm bubbling. Sometimes there are rhythms, sometimes all moves just on structure alone.

Everything also has a clear feel of having being actually played - it has the sense of music that has been thought about. There are both familiar pieces and very original ideas included. All of the pieces do not, however, really click together well enough. This, at least for me, created a situation where I'd really like to like this album much more than I do. The artist is clearly talented and his are ideas very good. Those ideas just have not been tied strongly enough together.

Thus Travelling Light is always interesting, but it lacks raw power. It is something that I could easily pick up to play as a background at an art exhibition, but not something I'd listen repeatedly to at home. On the other hand, maybe that's why it seems to show new facets to me every time I do listen to it. Therefore it is quite possible that the best target audience for this basically very impressive album is somewhere in the more open-minded crowds outside industrial circles.

In some sense a bit too mild, on another very interesting. At the very least, requires a clear lack of prejudice from its listeners.
 

Jiituomas

A review from Heathen Harvest
September 22, 2006

On hearing that K Meizter was releasing a solo album, the first thing that reached my mind, before even pressing play on the CD player, was “is this going to be any good?”

“Travelling Light” comes in 500 copies, with masterful cardboard packaging, and some fascinating diagrams, defining and illustrating the laws of physics, gravity, speed of light, and anything similar you can care to think of. It becomes clear immediately that the emphasis is to impress here.

A couple more interesting points to note are that all of the tracks are exceptionally short, by ambient standards; and the album comes mastered by Mika, of the quite legendary “This Morn Omina”.

Musically, the album starts like most good albums do: with an Introductory piece, this one entitled “Prolog”. I find it never easy to comment on Intros, and I tend to feel that they often misrepresent an album. Hopefully not in this case, this one is a soft machine-textured sound, (which as my regular readers will know, I am very fond of).

There is without any doubt a huge difference here in approach, style, and sound to anything Beyond Sensory Experience has previously released. There is a big emphasis on drums here, slow, soft, but very demanding drum work, ambient background textures, vague footsteps on steel, bass which has a very faint echo of funk to it. Obscure as it sounds, it works exceptionally well. “Play It as It Lays” is quite unlike anything I have heard since I have been a reviewer here, but I am certainly, certainly willing to hear more of this.

It doesn’t surprise me to find that the preceding track is nothing like the previous. Music that doesn’t bore, or reach tedium. “In A Low-Dimensional System” does exactly what it says on the tin. Music crushed under the weight of an entire solar system, reduced to choking on itself, but spluttering out some inspiring loops, before the drums make a return, delivering a stern and powerful beat.

It’s easy to see how the packaging co-exists with the material on offer here; it really paints a wonderful picture of the Solar System, complete with Orbits, Asteroids, and all of the Laws of Astronomy.

The Drums are a huge, huge part of this release, they’re there constantly, weaving and correlating with the voice samples that occasionally come into being: the ever-present special style loops, and the general zeitgeist of weightlessness.

“Bounding the Infinite” is another highlight of the release, Children shouting to each other, interplaying with a very dark piece of music, sometimes the voices drown out the music, sometimes the music renders the voices inaudible.

Perhaps the track that sums up the entire release perfectly is “Obsessive Geometry”. Such a fitting theme for this kind of music, and one that is far too oft neglected. It is a more vibrant, aggressive number than earlier pieces, although it is still by any means a quiet piece. Whereas most solar systems collide, explode and wreak havoc, this one is content to threaten us with a quiet rumble.

The Funk feel returns on “Lock and Chain, Find Again”. Bass, before one of the most beautiful and unexpected keyboard melodies plays the track out. I shit you not, the second the Piano started my eyes and jaw just completely fell. For this alone, I rate this track a must-hear.

“Luftwalk” is my favourite track on the album, it carries over some keyboard sounds, and at just two minutes in lifespan, it doesn’t need to offer you anymore than a tantalising melody.

I feel no desire to explain any more than half of the tracks on here for the simple reason that I want everyone to hear this. I feel it will do no justice if you get this release knowing exactly what to expect. This being said, all I will say about the final 4 tracks is that they do not carry the album past it’s welcome.

I may be biased, as I am a fan of Beyond Sensory Experience anyway, but you need to remember, this is a solo project, and simply must not be compared.

Either way, the fact is, If you like your ambience with theme, with real intelligence, originality, and if you like to think, feel inspired, and reach new places, this is one of those rarities you simply MUST own.

Repeated Listens have never been so rewarding.
 

T300

From the mind of K Meizter, he of Beyond Sensory Experience, comes a highly intelligent and superbly delivered solo album what re-addresses the dense, abrasive noise of his more well know project. Entitled ‘Travelling Light’ this solo effort moves into more experimental territories both musically and aesthetically, and offers the listener a concept album based around the ‘Universe of the Mind’. Housed in an A 5 sized card envelope and accompanied by an eight page illustrated booklet of similar size, ‘Travelling Light’ conjures up images and ideas of science and physiology before you even press play with the CD. Yet once you do these themes and ideas are expanded upon and explored within the spectrum of fourteen tracks of an ambient nature that carry the listener along almost effortlessly as the explorative journey of the CD continues and grows.
Although the main structure of the music here can be classified as ambient it harks to the stripped down chilled out variety as apposed to the more malevolent, yet there is still an suitably dark and omminace presence that is project from each track. This dark undercurrent makes the clicks, pops and distortions of the album deeply intriguing and somewhat complex.

Also evident in the vast majority of tracks are the inclusion of beats. But these aren’t usual sort of beats you’d expect. No, like everything else with this release their inclusion appears to have been thought about at a great depth and their delivery and inclusion in each track has been done with great care as not to overpower everything else around but to simply add to the layers of sound already presents. Meizter has done this by slowing the BPM (beats per minute) down to a snails pace so they delicately enhance the depth and compelling, shadowy atmosphere produced by the already evident ambient like compositions. Occasionally there is also the inclusion of samples that are littered through the CD and luckily, like the rest of the album these are added to the mix with a gentle hand. So they seamlessly melt into the structured output of the accompanying track.Acting as prefect darkly spiked background music ‘Travelling Light’ is has a very unconfrontational feel to it making the listening experience almost effortless and quite enjoyable. Each track just melts into one another to create a wonderfully sublime and likeable audible backdrop with very pleasing results.
Limited to 500 numbered copies and presented in the afore mentioned packaging ‘Travelling Light’ is a surprisingly enjoyable (slightly) dark ambient/chill out release that is well worth investing your time and money on and not just for the BSE fans.

LP

A review from Evolution of Media
March 2007

Travelling Light, the 2006 release from ambient Electronica artist K. Meizter, creates soundscapes to accompany "dark grooves" in intriguing musical experiments. Hailing from Sweden, Meizter draws inspiration from the dark Swedish winter and the deeper recesses of the mind. Most tracks on the album have a solid, but subtle drum groove and layer effected sound, instruments and spoken word. Travelling Light could make for great background music, but would also hold interest and attention through the headphones. The album invites the listener to exist on a plane surrounded by the music.

"Play It As It Lays" is one of the highlights of the album. It opens with an effected down tempo drum groove and low register guitar loop providing a brooding atmosphere. Various sound effects wander in and out overtaking the original groove, then drifting away as the introduction returns. "Bounding The Infinite" layers a synthesized melody over the sound of children playing. The slow, thick tone of the song has an ominous feel, but a distinct beauty. "Some Battle On" is the closing track on the album. It layers effected pianos and natural resonant tones to create a thick framework to hang effects like spoken word and synthesizer melody.

Travelling Light shows Meizter's ability to craft songs that can absorb the listener. The songs allow you to apply an emotion or scenario and exist in that feeling.

Jeff Brown
 

A review from Postindustry
March 18, 2007

K. Meizter, połowa duetu Beyond Sensory Experience, pozazdrościł chyba koledze z zespołu, Drakhonowi, który udziela się w całkiem sporej ilości ambientowo-industrialnych projektów. Debiutancki krążek Meiztera "Travelling Light" to zbiór kilkunastu kompozycji lokujących się niedaleko macierzystego projektu. Czytaj - fani odnajdą tutaj to, co lubią-mroczne przejścia i klatki schodowe, wicher gnający po opuszczonych korytarzach szpitali psychiatrycznych itp., itd., itp. Mniej tu jednak 'nużącej rytuny istnienia', więcej ruchu. Autor bawi się tworzywem: zapętla rytmy, wpuszcza poprzekształcane nagrania terenowe, dorzuca strzępy jakby filmowych melodii. To wszystko dzieje się w ramach niezbyt długich form dżwiękowych. W jednym zdaniu: nie ma tu zbyt wiele z utartych konwencji dark ambientu. Całość jest lekka i puszysta-nie powoduje niestrawności czy koszmarów sennych. 14-utworowa układanka, która działa orzeżwiająco.

P.S. Świetne wydanie-wielka tekturowa koperta z nadrukowanym obrazkiem, a w niej 8-stronicowa książeczka formatu A5 ze świetnymi grafikami autorstwa samego K. Meiztera i dodatkowy kartonik na płytę. Nie tylko Beast of Prey potrafi. Oczywiście limit 500 sztuk.

[orwell]

As to t-shirts click to Merchandise Section, please.

A review from BLACK
July 2006

Mit Travelling Light liegt mir hier das Solo-Debut von

BEYOND SENSORY EXPERIENCE-Mann K. MEIZTER vor.
Verpackt ist die gelbe CD in einem dunkelgrünen A5 Tonpapier Umschlag, der mit wiederum warm gelbfarbenen Motiven beklebt ist, die sich zum Teil auch in dem beiliegenden A5 Tonpapierbüchlein wiederfinden: hübsch. Die Grafik(en) erinnern mich etwas an ernsthaft gemeinte amerikanische Cartoons und die Werbesäthetik der Prä-Siebziger, oder zumindest an das, was ich mir darunter vorstelle. Jedenfalls sind die Bilder und Texte interessant und fordern die Betrachter auf, Bekanntes in Frage zu stellen ( exposing conventions... ). Das Album selbst ist weitgehend instrumental, doch scheint auch die Trackliste auf einiges an Anspruch verweisen zu wollen (z.B. Honesty Through Paranoia , Woe To The Thinker usw.). Musikalisch wähnt man sich zunächst in recht vertrauten, dunklen Ambientsphären, doch belehren einen die sich bald einmischenden Rhythmen bald eines Besseren. Auch wenn die erkleckliche Verbindung von Dark Ambient und Rhythmus keine Erfindung von K. MEIZTER ist, deuten Tracks wie Play It As It Lays in eine mir bisher unbekannte, aber recht interessante Dark Trip Hop Richtung und vielleicht ist ja auch der Titel Teil des Programms, dass man sich nicht um Genregrenzen scheren soll. Irgendwie wird hier das Kunststück zelebriert, dunkle Soundscapes mit Rhythmen zu versetzen, ohne diesen ihre düstere Spannung zu nehmen, denn die Befürchtung, Dark Ambient mit falsch eingesetzter Rhythmik zu verhunzen ist wohl nachvollziehbar. Stellenweise geht das Ganze dann sogar etwas in Richtung Industrial, wobei dies vor allem an den verwendeten Samples liegt und z.B. bei The Local Group nach einer guten Minute unterbunden wird, um wieder mehr loungetauglichen Klängen und Rhythmen Platz zu machen. Überhaupt hängt es auch auf diesem Album zum Großteil von den verwendeten Samples ab, in welche Richtung die Atmosphäre geht, wobei man hierzu sagen muss, dass ebenso wie Drumcomputer und Bass auch die Samples gut platziert eingesetzt worden sind. Travelling Light erschafft so ziemlich neuartige Klangkonstruktionen, die man sich eventuell ausmalen kann, wenn man sich ein Remix-Wars Album von GOLDFRAPP und HERBST9 vorstellt, bei dem der BRYN JONES der Baghdad -Ära auch irgendwie seine Finger im Spiel hatte. Travelling Light klingt genauso, nur eben ganz anders. Am besten anhören! Wegen seines außergewöhnlich ruhigen Charakters ist das schöne Some Battles On vielleicht nicht der repräsentativste Anspieltipp, also sollte man auch zumindest noch Honesty Through Paranoia sein Gehör leihen.

(KMF)

A review from VIRUS
28 August 2006

"Travelling Light" is the debut solo CD from K. Meizter (Beyond Sensory Experience).
This limited edition CD, specially packaged and mastered by Mika Goedrijk (This Morn’ Omina), breaks from the dark ambient prototype in that most of the tracks do not exceed four minutes in length. This micro-ambient approach, which I will further detail, ties in with the provocative CD title, which offers multiple interpretations of the underlying concept. For instance, traveling light implies little to no baggage, making travel easier. Traveling light also implies speed, as in the speed of light, as well as the dual mode in which light travels. What is interesting though is that this CD breaks from the ambient norm in another fashion: compositionally an emphasis is placed on laboriously slow beats, which in turn adds to the music a burdensome weight. Although the weightiness seemingly contradicts the CD title, this micro-ambient approach, in my opinion, relates on a level beyond the collective sensory experience, beyond the confines of perception and, in turn, questions the validity of what is assumed to be light/heavy and fast/slow. Micro-ambient places emphasis on the processes themselves, and not the results of these processes, therefore heaviness, once broken down sufficiently, becomes nothing more than a collection of lighter and lighter elements, and speed, once examined thoroughly, is just a series of points on an imaginary plane irregardless of the perceived velocity. This compositional approach is quite brilliant, because it betrays what is expected and yet is loyal to the resultant functionality of life. It is always good to hear an artist willing to take a creative risk and explore that which is often take for granted, and who acknowledges that the truly majestic often lies in what cannot be seen.

Rating: 10 skulls

Michael Casano
 

A review from Obsküre
September 2006

K. Meizter, l’un des acteurs de la formation dark Ambient BSE (pour Beyond Sensory Experience, projet suédois l’unissant depuis 2001 ŕ Drakh de MZ.412), formule sur "Travelling Light" son premier essai solo, et construit une série atmosphérique opaque, electro et hypnotique, une collection d’atmosphčres ténébreuses et mystérieuses relativement courtes (entre deux et quatre minutes de moyenne sur l’ensemble des titres). Sortant sur le petit label tchčque HORUS CyclicDaemon en format carton assez beau, "Travelling Light" présente une facette de Meizter légčrement plus rythmique (une optique que Meizter qualifie d’ailleurs de "dark groove", ce que tend ŕ prouver l’inaugural et angoissant "Prolog" et son suiveur, "Play it as it lays"), mais de laquelle on retient surtout le savoir-faire cinématographique et minimal de Meizter ("Some Battle on").

L’album s’avčre assez composite mais dégage tout de męme une ligne, une unité de ton passant par le développement de paysages sonores sourds et plus grisâtres que réellement noirs. En leur cœur, le beat apparaît. Sans systématisme, comme pour insuffler une pulsion de vie ŕ un ensemble dont les développement se rapprochent du désincarné. Entičrement composé par Meizter, l’enregistrement a été masterisé par Mika Goedrijk (This Morn' Omina). Il prolonge les initiatives Dark Ambient de Meizter en lui offrant la soupape de sécurité, un espace en lequel il s’affirme seul maître. Mérité, certes, mais surtout… intéressant.

75 %

Emmanuël

recenze pro okultura.cz
12. září 2006

Nevypadá to příliš originálně, když slova recenzentova takřka splývají s myšlenkami původní konotace hodnoceného alba, tak jako v tomto případě - po dojmech z poslechu prvního sólového počinu K.Meiztera, vědce a hudebníka, jinak jedné poloviny dua Beyond Sensory Experience (tím druhým je Drakh, známý především z projektů MZ.412 a Nordvagr), pod jehož hlavičkou natočil do těchto chvil šest alb hutného psychoaktivního dark ambientu. Na své sólové prvotině však tento zajímavý Švéd využívá pestřejších vyjadřovacích prostředků a vytváří experimentální zvukové imprese, jež svojí tajemně dusivou atmosférou mohou opravdu zlehka připomenout hudbu k filmům Davida Lynche.

 Nejvíce pak možná ústřední melodii z kultovního Twin Peaks v Play It As It Lays včetně vláčných tónů basy a stejného hypnotického vyznění. V ostatních třinácti skladbách však jde mnohem více jen o podobně mlhavé pocity, neuchopitelnost a surreálno. Velmi pestrému a emocionalitou prostoupenému albu však dominují především rytmy - plouživé, někdy řezavější, většinou však nenuceně, až tranceově rozhoupané, jejichž jednoduchost a přímočarost kvalitativně zhodnocuje pestrá paleta jednotlivých zvukových odstínů.

Přestože se Travelling Light nachází v hájemství temné elektroniky, Meizter zde filigránsky zapracovává povědomé zvuky a zvolna si pohrává s posluchačovými pocity. Rozmanité hlasy, dětské žvatlání, melancholické tóny piana, psychedelická či vazbící kytara – to vše slévá to jednolitého hudebního toku, jež působí až nečekaně dotaženě a uceleně. Umně mění nastolené tempo a barvu skladby, jako třeba ve výborné The Local Group, jejíž ostřejší, industriálně laděný úvod prokládá rafinovanými rytmy, posléze ji projasňuje až do triphopových barev, aby se nakonec celá slila do zklidněného finále v podobě tklivé nokturnální melodie.

O tom, že Meizter zde zdaleka nevyužívá jen „okoukaných“ žánrových prostředků, přesvědčuje například v Lock and Chain Find Again, za níž by se nemusel stydět ani agilní inovátor kytarového ambientu Aidan Baker. A o tom, že přes veškerou melancholii a tajemno umí překvapit i potutelnou hudební hříčkou, svědčí takřka enovsky delikátní Down the Up-Escalator. Zvukem psychedelické kytary v Detached možná nechtěně vyvolává ducha Nika Turnera z dávných Hawkwind či rockovou podobu Psychic TV, každopádně přesvědčuje o své nesporné invenci, díky níž se mu daří překročit často nadužívané žánrové stereotypy.

Brněnský label HORUS CyclicDaemon měl zkrátka při volbě svého sedmého albového počinu i tentokrát šťastnou ruku. Jsem přesvědčen, že kvalitu alba tohoto dosud nepříliš známého interpreta nebude muset prodávat pouze jeho účast v dnes již dobře zavedených Beyond Sensory Experience, ani účast Mika Goedrijka z This Morn' Omina, jež nahrávku výborně zmasteroval a v neposlední řadě ani famózně vypravená grafická podoba přebalu určená pro náročné sběratele (vlastní Meizterův design, tisk na špičkovém žlutém papíře, ručně dělaná obálka a pošetka). Album Travelling Light je totiž samo o sobě i tak velmi povedené.

85 %

Igor Nováček

A review from gutsofdarkness
September 2006

Petite escapade solo pour K. Meizter, opérateur avec Drakh (mz.412) de Beyond Sensory Experience. On ne s'éloigne gučre de la volonté d'explorer des atmosphčres propices ŕ l'observation scientifique, le suédois se plaçant ici sur une ligne plus mélodique que son projet principal, ainsi que plus rythmique. Percussions et séquences au piano ('Luftwalk") cassent la torpeur générale de "Travelling light" dont les quelques sursauts trip-hop ajoutent finalement ŕ la nonchalance plus qu'ils ne la secouent. C'est bien lŕ le défaut de ce disque : s'il est dans l'ensemble d'une écoute agréable, la variété des morceaux (par ailleurs relativement courts) empęchent paradoxalement l'installation d'une dynamique propre. On décroche assez facilement, retenant quelques titres de maničres aléatoire sans réellement les lier entre eux au-delŕ d'une cohésion sonore présente mais qui laisse un sentiment d'inachevé. Lŕ oů les travaux de Beyond Sensory Experience captent l'attention de l'auditeur en le forçant ŕ s'impliquer, K. Meizter propose avec "Travelling light" une étude plus détachée et dont l'attractivité est constamment remise en question. Pas inintéressant en soi, mais l'impression d'avoir plus ŕ faire ŕ une ébauche qu'ŕ un discours musical achevé laisse sur sa faim. (aujourd'hui).


3 of 6

Marco
 

A review from Gothtronic
September 2006

How wrong can one be? When I heard I'ld be sent a couple of CD's from a Czech label, I was already sure they would be CDr's with "some music" of, well, you know ... "We've found a pre-set and we're gonna use it" kind of industrial-ambient. Sadly something which happens way too often, and not only in Czech ... It happens all over the world ...

But I was happy as f*** because i received two gorgeously packaged pressed CD's with music definitly worth pressing.

K. Meizter is from Sweden and his music should be described as ambient-garde. Somewhere in the middle of avant-garde and ambience in the true meaning of the style.

A total of 14 tracks with just about as many atmospheres and sound-constructions will give you the inspiration to play this CD over and over. Minimal rhythms, whistling men, found footage, noise ...

Some moments may remind you of what Sweden is famous for musicwise (which is explained by the fact that Mr. Meizter is 1/2 of Beyond Sensory Experience), but for example the final track 'Some battle on' could have taken from 'Soundtracks for the Blind' by The Swans ... And spherically more tracks would fit on there.

Stuff to explore in an oversized cardboard envelope with inlay, mastered by Mika from This Morn' Omina.
 

Grade: 8.1

Bauke

A review from Compulsion
November 2006

This is an impressive piece of work. Travelling Light is his first solo debut CD release of K. Mietzer, a member of the Swedish dark ambient outfit Beyond Sensory Experience who have released material on Old Europa Cafe and Cold Meat Industry. I've never heard them so I can't say how this compares. There's a real minimalism in the work of K. Meitzer. It's unhurried in nature, lead by rhythms with subsonic bass and woven with textures ranging from ghostly voices to whistling. The electronics are obviously derived from someone involved in dark ambient but the rhythms are propulsive, light and clean. Whether they are aware of it or not at times Travelling Light kinda taps into the type of thing Scorn and Ice were doing way back in the nineties: melding dark ambient to dub rhythms. The dub rhythms of 'Play It As It Lays' merged with deep bass, the sound of shuffling feet and whistlin' is truly captivating in its simplicity. Even the voice of Charles Manson that appears on 'Honesty Through Paranoia' doesn't detract from the industrial rhythm and ominous keyboard drone. Travelling Light is infused with a calm, propulsive air which at times beggars comparison with what I've heard of the US artist Tor Lundvall in that Travelling Light is sketched in a hazy, half-light with light, feathered keyboards, industrial rhythms and environmental sounds.

Travelling Light is released in an attractive oversized cardstock cover, containing the CD in card slipcase with booklet of accompanying text and images. It's a work of outstanding beauty and poise, and one worth investigating if the above sounds to be of interest. For more information go to www.horus.cz

tony dickie

A review from GAZE INTO A GLOOM
December 2006

Лимитированный в 500 вручную подписанных копий и изданный чешской этикеткой первый сольник шведа Мейзтера — участника ныне уж небезызвестного дарк эмбиент-образования Beyond Sensory Experience (Meizter + Drakh из MZ.412 etc). Если судить здраво, краеугольных отличий от того, что названный делает в составе BSE, пожалуй, нет. В базисе "Travelling Light" все тот же скаредный и ландшафтный, редко бьющий и тихой сапой стелющий гипнотизирующий дарк эмбиент, разве что, более ориентированный на скупой, размеренный и меланхоличный ритм, вздрагивающий походкой сомнамбула. Да плюс трэки удивляют радиоформатным, воистину, нехарактерным для подобной музыки, метражом — редкий длится боле четырех минут. Что, кстати сказать, на мой взгляд, пластинке лишь в достоинство: каждая такая дорожка — законченная, лаконичная некро-мысль, не растекающаяся по древу и не стремящаяся утоптать слушателя в коматоз, когда уж начинаешь, бывало, дремать, пустив из уголка рта слюнявую струйку, а конца и края мрачненькому гудению из динамиков все не видно.

Не шедевр, но работа достойная и однозначно заслуживающая внимания.

Oleg Manson

A review from DARK MUSIC MAGAZIN
May 2007

"Travelling Light" to solowy debiut pana K. Meizter'a, znanego z BEYOND SENSORY EXPERIENCE, a więc mamy do czynienia z postacią dość dobrze znaną wśród maniaków mrocznych, antymuzycznych klimatów. Wydana w zeszłym roku przez czeski Horus CyclicDaemon płytka z pewnością powinna zadowolić wszystkich tych, którzy lubią urozmaicenie w muzyce. Taka właśnie jest ta płyta, obfitująca w zmieniający się klimat, wielość dźwięków oraz swoistą nutkę psychodelii. Muztcznie mamy tu bowiem elementy od mrocznego dark ambientu, poprzez rytmiczne stukoty, jak również momentami bardziej industrialne motywy. Każdy z 14-tu utworów na "Travelling Light" jest inny, utrzymany w innym klimacie i stylu, przez co stosunkowo trudno zaszufladkować muzykę K. MEIZTER'a do jednego konkretnego gatunku. Mimo to całość znakomicie się ze sobą komponuje, dzięki czemu płyta ani przez chwilę nie sprawia wrażenia niespójnej. Dużą rolę w tym wydawnictwie odgrywają rytmy, od mrocznych i tajemniczych, poprzez bardziej potężne i zgrzytliwe do zakręconych i nieco awangardowych kończąc. Gdzie niegdzie ponadto mamy wykorzystane jakieś sample z przemówieniami będące ciekawym dopełnieniem muzyki. Klimat zmienia się praktycznie z minuty na minutę, co nie jest niczym zadziwiającym gdy każdy z utworów trwa maksymalnie 3-4 min. Tak więc zarówno fani ciemnych ambientów, jak również o wiele bardziej eksperymentalnych dźwięków z pewnością znajdą coś dla siebie na tym albumie. Nie jest to może jakiś rewelacyjny album, lecz momentami naprawdę przykuwa uwagę, jak chociażby w ósmym, bardzo mrocznym i nieco klaustrofobicznym kawałku "Lock And Chain Find Again" wypełnionym niezwykle duszną i ponurą atmosferą.
Całość może się naprawdę podobać, tak więc nie pozostaje mi nic innego jak zachęcić do sięgnięcia po "Travelling Light" tym bardziej, że samo wydanie płytki przez Horus CyclicDaemon jak zawsze robi świetne wrażenie. Niestety cena ów wydawnictwa też robi wrażenie, tyle że niestety o wiele mniej przyjemne. Mimo to warto rozejrzeć się tu i ówdzie i samemu zapoznać się z projektem K. MEIZTER'a. Polecam!


note: 8 / 10
 

Tomasz Lewicki
 

MUSTERION
The Black Lodge

HCD 06 (2005)

"The Black Lodge", a world beyond, is the place were Agent Dale Cooper is trapped. He travers through memories, dreams, Tibet, the works of H. P. Lovecraft and more. The Agent possesses the body of the late Jerzy Grotowski as he do his last journey among the walking dead. The visions of Cooper are seen, heard and felt in this avant-garde and exquisitely dark ambient album from Musterion, Simon AA Kölle (Za Frűmi, Abnocto).
The Black Lodge is a place of murder, dreams, mystery, darkness, ancient machines, old memories and horror. A shrieking violin swells into a chaotic babel of sound; a pandemonium that would have lead most men to doubt their own shaking sanity. Inarticulate cries that only mutes can utter, and that rises only in moments of the most terrible fear or anguish.
With extreme attention to details this profound opus of the mind leads the listener away from the normal world and into the world of the Black Lodge.
Garmonbozia!

Tracklist:

1. *I - Passing
2. Yang tul
3. The Third Man
4. Visit in Tibet
5. *II - Trapped
6. Unknown Kadath
7. Tannerhauser gate
8. The Tower of Koth
9. *III - Lost
10. Fire is the Devil
11. Grotowski's Last Journey - Apocalypsis Cum Figuris
12. The Arm
13. *IV - Dreams
14. Beatnik
15. *V - Released

*In "The Black Lodge" Opus
 

Download film trailer to Black Lodge release in RealPlayer.

Ltd. edition of 500 hand-numbered copies.

A5 cover printed
on top notch quality
240g heavy art-paper Fabria Avorio
and inner 12-pages booklet on
170g Rives Tradition.
Special envelope with both side printings.

Design:
Simon Heath (Atrium Carceri, Za Frumi)
Simon Kölle (Abnocto, Za Frumi)

*

250 copies in stock.

*

Wholesale price:
11,5 Euro + postage (for non-VAT payers only: excl. VAT)
15 USD + postage.

Retail price:
19 Euro + postage (6 Euro per one item).
23 USD + postage (10 USD overseas per one item).
 

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Order by e-mail and ask for details if you are going to purchase more items because of shipping costs and possible discount, please.

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A review from Heathen Harvest
February 01, 2006

As the album progresses the listener travels through water bound places in the wild as you struggle alongside unknown companions to escape unseen forces in the night. Time shifts and landscapes morph into new and undetermined lands as if you walk through a reality constructed of dreams. What was an open marsh under the stars becomes a moment of deep inner reflection alone in an alley. One moment you are exploring the abandoned remains of a deteriorating building and the next moment you are running breathlessly for your life.

Cinematic / Dark Ambient / Experimental

Horus CyclicDaemon recently released the fourth deluxe CD in the labels series of illustrious releases. Musterion continues the Horus CyclicDaemon legacy begun by its predecessors the deluxe CD releases “Chaos,” “Lust From The Underworld” and “AL: 100th Anniversary.” With the release of Musterion “Black Lodge” Horus CyclicDaemon once again invites music enthusiasts to partake in a new narrative that is carefully presented through visual and musical media. Like previous deluxe packaged CD’s “Musterion” is a multi-sensory experience constructed with artistic precision and noticeable dedication. The CD comes accompanied by an A5 Booklet printed in color on impressive art grade paper. The CD is housed separately in its own art paper sleeve while the CD and Booklet both come nested in a dedicated and shared envelope. Unveiling Musterion is like unwrapping an elaborate gift from afar. The opening of this package reveals an invitation to a dark world filled with mystery, agony, and dark rites.

Simon AA Kölle is the artists behind the vision of “The Black Lodge.” Readers familiar with the fantasy inspired ambient band Za Frumi or the label Waerloga Records from Sweden may be familiar with Simon AA Kölle’s established musical accomplishments. Those who secured their copy of “AL: 100th Anniversary” from Horus CyclicDaemon may remember Simon AA Kölle’s numerous musical contributions under various names and titles on the album. Simon AA Kölle has established himself as a recognizable force in dark ambient and cinematic ambient music. Simon regularly impregnates his music with dense mantles of narrative that clearly explains characters, plots and even chapters that are meant to be related to the listening experience. Another distinguishing aspect of Simon’s musical output is his excursions into myth, fantasy, and occultism. His work as Za Frumi has explored the world of the Orc as well as the eternal and passionate suffering of the vampire.

On Musterion “The Black Lodge” Simon brings together his talent as a storyteller with his prowess as a cinematic dark ambient musician. The resulting creation is a surreal musical tale based around secret agent Dale Cooper. We are informed that agent Cooper is trapped in “The Black Lodge” which is a dark world that exists independent of our own. He currently inhabits the body of a deceased man named Jerzy Grotowski. We are informed that he is wandering through a stream of dreams, memories, and locations. The tale is loose and many aspects of the story remain shrouded in mystery. Who is agent Dale Cooper? How did he arrive at “The Black Lodge?” Why and how does he inhabit someone else’s body? These questions remain unanswered by the artist and help to generate a particular obscurity that is reminiscent of H. P. Lovecraft. Simon wisely allows the listeners imagination ample room to fill in the missing information so each listner may find their own path through “The Black Lodge.”

The music of Musterion is a cinematic blend of dark ambience, sparse ritualistic percussion, acoustic instrumentation, and carefully placed samples combined with expert sound manipulation and editing. Unlike most dark ambient music Musterion does not linger on a laborious sonority indefinitely. Rather the music evolves dynamically shifting instrumentation and impressions effortlessly in a quest to seduce the imagination of the listner. The album consists of vast soundscapes that drift darkly through foreign lands, exotic rituals, and acts of dark ritualistic depravity performed upon the innocent. As the album progresses the listner travels through water bound places in the wild as you struggle alongside unknown companions to escape unseen forces in the night. Time shifts and landscapes morph into new and undetermined lands as if you walk through a reality constructed of dreams. What was an open marsh under the stars becomes a moment of deep inner reflection alone in an alley. One moment you are exploring the abandoned remains of a deteriorating building and the next moment you are running breathlessly for your life. From the darkness come sinister sounds of unrighteous creatures, romantic nostalgic music wafts by only to dissolve into a rumination of foreign prayers. From all sides come the struggling gurgles of the demented and the screams of the frightened and dying. Just as you become rooted in any of these lengthy songs you blink and find yourself transplanted into yet another surreal reality. From the monasteries of Tibet to the forbidding confines of the “The Black Lodge” you drift in and out of different worlds sometimes as a participant and other times as a victim.

In order to induce such a hallucinatory listening experience Musterion creates music using a wide array of instrumentation ranging from traditional and classical acoustic instruments to purely electronic based sounds. Though many songs are shadowed by dark ominous drones the music in each song reaches way beyond the range and habit of standard dark ambient music. Musterion has striven to bring experimentalism to dark ambient music and has successfully created a cinematic environment previously only pursued by too few capable musicians.

Musterion “The Black Lodge” is definitely the most powerful full length album I have heard Simon AA Kölle participate upon. Fans of Simon’s previous work as Za Frumi will find the cinematic quality of the music familiar though be informed that the scope and intricateness of the songs far exceed Simon’s work with Za Frumi. I highly encourage dark ambient fans that like music that reaches beyond standard drone music to check out Musterion as well. Anyone with a fetish for H. P. Lovecraft or other dark occult inspired narratives is also encouraged to discover Musterion. Musterion is an invitation to close your eyes and be led into a world of shifting shadows, intrigue, and horror. This excellent release is limited to 500 hand signed copies so collectors be aware of the limited nature of this release.

Malahki Thorn

A review from Chain D.L.K.
March 2nd, 2006

It has always been a problem for me to find a dark ambient release that was able to fullfill my needs of darkness. You know, the problem is that with the years I became used to listen drones and mysterious voices coming from dusty closets.
Musterion's first release THE BLACK LODGE fortunately isn't a dark-ambient release that contains tracks made with two sounds with titles that evoke unknown demons.
Simon AA Kölle had the idea to ideally describe the voyage of agent Cooper (do you remember Twin Peaks?) through strange lands and situations. Try to imagine the agent Cooper in the red room that was placed in a sort of nowhere land (in this case it is called "The Black Lodge") and then make him visit mystic places where yogi create a Tulpa (a place created by collective immagination) and then place him in a Lovercraft novel.
The fifteen tracks are like soundtracks but they doesn't sound like soundscapes. Fortunately each track, along with the usual drones, have got elements that make them sound different from the usual tracks of the genre. Tracks like "Unknown Kadath", "Tannerhauser Gate" or the following "III - Lost", for example, contain also a piano that duet with violins, vocals and other elements that bring some melodic line that create a sound similar to Autopsia that play darkambient. Also the tracks that are mostly based on sound samples are really convincing because they always have a sound or a sample that help into the creation of the atmosphere.
In my opinion you should try it...
 

Maurizio Pustianaz

A review from Maelstrom Zine
April, 2006

It's a fact: dark ambient and doom bands love Lovecraft. He's certainly THE writer to draw inspiration from when writing an album in that genre. Musterion is one of the few bands to really achieve making that influence come out in the sound without making it stupidly obvious or cheesy, as opposed to the millions of bands using it as a marketing stunt.

Variety is the keyword for The Black Lodge. It incorporates elements from darkwave, dark ambient, neo-folk and minimalistic electronica. The result is a big, fat bag of awesomeness. In other words, Musterion mixes the traditional "you're in a tomb and all alone" kind of dark ambient with lots of different kinds of atmospherical music to produce an absolutely unique and ear-soothing mix.

Atmospherically, it's terribly hermetic and cryptic, but it can be enjoyed without really paying much attention, albeit not at the same degree. There are lots of creepy parts where you'll expect something to come out of nowhere, and some others that will just make you relax.

We've seen some acts create cheap ambient by just lowering the volume to 10% and using random spoken parts and noises, but in The Black Lodge, the composition plays a central role. Every part of the seemingly concept album has a weight and personality of its own. That was actually a big surprise, seeing as many bands tend to make songs that could be interchanged with no real damage done to the album.

Pretty much the only bad part about The Black Lodge is the presence of two or three out-of-place keyboard lines, but really, they don't do much to an amazing record. (8.95/10)
 

Ignacio Coluccio

A review from Gothtronic
September 2006

Imagine being locked inside the black lodge ... "A place of murder, dreams, mystery, darkness, ancient machines, old memories and horror" ... Yes, you will feel yourself captured in the dreamworld of literary giants as Lovecraft and Burroughs as well as visual visionaries like David Lynch.

Musterion is Simon AA Kölle, partner of Simon Heath in the project Za Frűmi. As for now reasonably unknown names, but Simon Heath' solo-project is (way) better known as Atrium Carceri who surprised a lot of people with his releases on Coldmeat Industry.

And exactly in this Swedish style of darkambient (or better: ambient-industrial) is where Musterion can be placed. Reason why CMI has been a success is because of its variety. Ambient on the one side, noisey on the other, then a bit folkish or a even bit more accessible.

Musterion covers all territories and created an album which is the becoming of flesh of a horrible nightmare; Where at one moment you are confronted with death, and the very next moment you're playing chess with monkey.

But!

This release has one negative aspect. In the opening track '1 - Passing' a sample is used which we've sadly heard too often in too many tracks. Yes, it is gorgeous ("If you're frightened of dying ..." from the movie Jacob's Ladder) but in the meantime, this sample has lost its depth through overuse.

Without the sample, the CD would get a 9/10 now only 8/10. But it's still a magnificent piece of work.
 

Grade: 8

Bauke

A review from Spirit of Metal Webzine
19 February  2007

Musterion is made up by Simon AA Kölle of Sweden. He is known from before for his efforts in the band Za Frűmi.

The Black Lodge is really one in a kind!

I must say that I never really get scared in films.
Horror never does anything for me...In fact it usually ends up being funny.
However, I can say that the only time in my life that I have ever been scared while watching a film happened when I was a kid. When I listened to Musterion for the first time in my headphones it was dark outside my house and it was raining. And guess what!? I felt scared. Maybe not like when I was a kid but something hit me as creepy beyond normal black metal or dark ambient music. I loved the feeling!

The album consists of 15 tracks in which Simon and his cohorts thrash around in the tried-and-untrusted formula of “dark music”.

The album is inspired by David Lynch and the role known as special agent Dale Cooper played by Kyle MacLachlan.
Also inspired by H.P Lovecraft, William S. Burroughs and Jerzy Grotowski. The last one I do not know of but the others are all kind of heroes to me.

The music is mostly instrumental even though sometimes people talk, screem and do other strange sounds.
There are moments of sanity, when you can detect the theme, but Musterion soon descends again into the anarchic noise which bedevils the best in dark ambient and black metal. Simon AA Kölle seems to be the instigator of much of the weirdness: pouring all kinds of effects into mix.
The results sometimes sound chaotic (which only a few times is to much for me), sometimes brilliant!

Blending elements of ambient music, minimalism, gentle rhythms, spoken word, field recordings and melodic fragments, Musterion manages to somehow bring together disparate ideas in ways that not only make musical sense, but echo the paradoxical nature of film as well.

"Trapped - In The Black Lodge II" (part of in an opus that create the red thread on the album even though it is only 5 songs out of 15) mixes a haunting vocal sample--complete with vinyl ticks and pops—with a soft wash of orchestral darkness, gradually layering snippets of varying lengths of the vocal sample, resulting in a kind of magical confluence.

Simon AA Kölles use of modern technology is so organic that when a soft, piano pattern blends with the sound of engines on “The arm”, "Trapped", "Unknown Kadath", "Tower of Koth" and "Release" it makes perfect sense. In many ways genious!
"Yang tul" is something that should be considered as drone ambient but otherwise typical drones are out of the question. Film soundtracks are often presented as short and discrete sound bytes, but the beauty of "The Black Lodge" is that it’s a more-or-less continuous 70 minutes of music, with its own emotional and narrative arc. It’s not necessary to understand the occasional snippets of dialogue to appreciate the general melancholy that pervades.

Simons visual approach to the music and his innovative ability to combine the most contradictory of sounds prevent it from ever becoming ordinary or commonplace.

This is an album for those who have an eclectic and open-minded approach to what they call ‘black metal’.

This is already on my CD’s of the decade buy without hesitation!
 

Irma S. Mandel

note : 20/20
 

Recenze - Okultura
leden 2006

Po velmi vyvedené dvojkompilaci věnované stému výročí slavné Knihy Zákona Aleisteira Crowleyho přichází brněnské vydavatelství Horus CyclicDaemon s další sběratelskou lahůdkou. Debutové album projektu Musterion je totiž kromě opět skvostně provedeného přebalu ojedinělé i svým konceptuálním dark-ambientem, jehož hustá atmosféra a hororový sound jsou prostoupeny plíživým, náročně koncipovaným surrealistickým námětem autora.
Pod uměleckým jménem Musterion se k okolnímu světu vyjadřuje umělecká polovina dua Za Frümi či projektu Abnocto (z nichž každé se po jedné skladbě představilo i na výše zmiňované kompilaci), Simon AA Kölle. K více než hodinovému dílu takřka kinematografických rozměrů přistoupil z pohledu zvukového konstruktéra, jež osobitým způsobem zpracovává svoji surrealistickou vizi posledních dní agenta Dalea Coopera. Ten se ocitá v jakémsi černém vigvamu – světu za oponou, kde je nakonec i dopaden. Zde se odehrává jeho snová vize, při které si propůjčuje tělo Jerzyho Grotowského – významného a nepříliš doceněného polského divadelního reformátora. Spolu s ním se odebírá na poslední pouť společně s dalšími mrtvými a před očima se mu vynořují vzpomínky na celý dosavadní život. Jak vypadají, se pokusíme vykreslit v několika dalších odstavcích.
Album otevírá úvodní Passing, jež je součástí ústředního The Black Lodge opusu. V ní jsme zvolna ponořeni do počínajícího mlhavého vyprávění celého příběhu prostřednictvím poměrně členitých vrstev dark-ambientních ploch, jež jsou zhusta prostoupeny samply se smyčcovými blízkovýchodními motivy.
Hned následující Yang Tul plná temných a zneklidňujících drones, různých fieldrecordings a hororových hlasů je hudební vizí proměny Tulpy („jež je obvykle vytvářen a dokončován mágem či jogínem“) v jeho druhou emanaci, známou jako Yang-Tul. Opakováním tohoto procesu občas dochází k třetímu stupni emanace – stvořen je Nying-Tul. Tyto magické jevy jsou ústředním tématem autorova třetího tracku, nazvaného The Third Man, jež je kromě převládajícího podprahového hučení zvolna doprovázen vstupujícím mužským recitativem a melancholickými tóny piana.
Visit in Tibet následovaná pokračováním ústředního motivu s podtitulem Trapped jsou jakýmsi snovým tripem do Tibetu, plným rituálních perkusí, zvonečků, píšťal a alikvótních hlasů. V Unknown Kadath se podobně jako v mýtickém Necronomiconu ocitáme uprostřed chladné pustiny, zde za doprovodu smyčcových samplů, piana a monumentální atmosféry ne nepodobné nahrávkám raných Raison d'Ętre.
Neustále houstnoucí atmosféra plná děsivých hlasů, nářků a podivných zvuků v pozadí s probleskujícími motivy z Wagnerova Tannhausera, to je Tannhauser Gate, po níž již agent Cooper – ve skutečnosti však Kölle – vzdává hold svým uměleckým vzorům. Prvním z nich je H. P. Lovecraft v atmosféricky snové The Tower of Koth, sahající opět k mýtům Necronomiconu, tam kde snová věž Koth stráží Setovy tunely.
V takřka hodinářsky propracované Lost (jinak další části ústředního motivu), se spolu s hlavní postavou stáváme svědky jeho osamocení („Jsem zde sám, všemi opuštěn, polapen v černém doupěti, v jedné místnosti. Slyším staré piano a chrčení rádia….“). Výborné atmosféry dosahuje Kölle vzájemným antagonismem smyčců a vřelých tónů vibrafonu s mechanickými zvuky strojů. Praskot ohně, ledabylé popískávání, dětské žvatlání – zkrátka ohlasy pozapomenutých a přitom běžných součástí života, to vše se vybavuje v Cooperově hlavě – pomocí posbíraných reálných zvuků skladby Fire is the Devil.
V této části alba dochází ke zřetelné gradaci hudební i dějové. Grotowski's Last Journey je totiž v rámci zvolených zvukových prostředků skutečným, takřka epickým dramatem. Nadcházející smrt je zde vykreslena pomocí postupného vrstvení okolních zvuků, ale především lidských hlasů – křiku plného zoufalství, ale i sakrálního zpěvu, zřejmě jako poselství naděje a smíření.
Závěrečné čtyři tracky se slévají do jednolité zvukové masy. The Arm – v níž jakoby se Cooperova alias Grotowského duše odebírala směrem k druhému břehu pomocí křídel - je podbarvena pseudobarokním motivem, jež se rozpouští v neustále hučících a těžko prostupných drones. V následující Dreams se setkáme s nasamplovanými vokály Meredith Monk a sólovým vstupem akustické kytary hostujícího Daniela Engberga. Její dark-folkový opar je střídán zvukovými vzpomínkami na léta padesátá a tehdy ofenzívu nabírající jazz a především nezapomenutelné beatniky – Burroughse, Kerouaca a Ginsberga (jazzový saxofon a útržků jejich hlasů ve skladbě Beatnik). Následuje již jen závěrečná Released, plná mlhavého zvukového oparu s náznaky pokroucených rytmických sekvencí.
Poslech alba The Black Lodge tedy není rozhodně obyčejnou posluchačskou záležitostí. Ocitáte se při něm daleko za obzorem každodenního shonu – na pomezí běžně vnímaných reálných stavů, na hranici snových a magických vizí ne nepodobných filmům Davida Lynche. Jeho samotná hudební náplň je navíc skvěle doprovázena graficky velmi pěkně provedeným bookletem (formát A5 na vysoce kvalitním přírodním papíru) z dílny autorova kolegy z dua Za Frümi, Simona Heatha (jinak člena one-man projektu Atrium Carceri).

Igor Nováček

A review from Musical Zone Japan
#70, 2006

Review of Musterion "The Black Lodge"
Released on HORUS CyclicDaemon (HCD 06)

On the Horus web site I read about the release.
Horus CyclicDaemon explains the cd as a story.
Not surprising as Musterion is the solo project of Simon AA Kölle.
The story (or concept) is not presented like he (and Simon Heath)
presents the Za Frűmi saga, in a dialog.
The Black Lodge is a world beyond the normal world as we know it.
The main character Dale Cooper of the cult series Twin Peaks
is trapped there.
In the cd we follow Cooper as he travel through his memories, dreams,
to his beloved country Tibet and also into the works of H. P. Lovecraft.
Cooper possesses the body  of the famous Polish theatre mogul
Jerzy Grotowski as he does his last journey among living dead.

The musical mix is so strange and dark that i only can love it, adore it and
get totally lost in it. The concept mix is a maze, a mystery.
In the best way! On the cd we hear qoutes from dark movies,
works of art and of Kölle's own fantastic mind.
The different influences and the path that is Cooper's
is surely the path of Kölle himself.
I come to that conclusion after several interviews with him
and also knowledge about his different works of art.


The artwork

This is once again a proof of the class of HCD!
Martin M. Mrskos (read more about him in #46, 2003)
does almost all his releases beautiful.
Martin sees that exclusive paper is used
and it´s always artistically perfected.
 The booklet is in A5 (!!!) and with very dark and interesting art made by Simon Heath. Some pictures have been taken by Kölle himself and the cover photo and (I suspect) photo of Kölle is taken by Amelie Sarlin.
Artist Aron Öhgren painted the back of the booklet.
According to Kölle (and I agree 100 %) it´s a H. P. Lovecraft inspired tree. The special edition of the cd consists of only 500 hand numbered copies.
The artwork and the package is amazing!

A masterpiece

Simon AA Kölle is one of the few emissaries of modern dark wave.
He has recorded a masterpiece with the release of The Black Lodge.
The album is devoid of extravagant nuances
and is technically enlightening.
Although the release is subtle in approach, the listening moments
are never dull. All in all, Simon AA Kölle continues
a journey that´s expressive and endearing.
What is intriguing, many new fans have only just begun to discover the
immense depth contained in the music of Simon AA Kölle.

A new outlaw

It is always the case for the avant-garde that a new outlaw appears in town!
Musterion is surely the new outlaw. What will become of Musterion?
I cannot help myself thinking about what´s yet to come!
I decided not to try to explain the music of the outlaw.
I will only give you small hints:
It´s very dark, filled with mystical sounds, sometimes is a piano played, electronic elements exist, and acoustic elements, too.
Overall, the sounds blend well together into one complete album.
Musterion have measured ancient and modern music with organic
and electronic doses in perfectly balanced proportions.
Who besides Simon himself knows what strange
and absurd things he creates his music with the help of!?
Sometimes the music and the mood are very absurd and then suddenly
something clear and sharp comes out of it.
One example of this is the song "The third man"
(probably a little hello to the film with the same name, Carol Reed, 1949)
where the beginning is very dark and filled with strange sounds,
a screaming woman, strange voices that don´t utter words,
strange ambience and more. Out of this a type writer
and a piano is heard and then the voice of Dale cooper explaining
where he is in the case. During the transition
and to the end of the song the dark ambient undertone is still there low (that´s what makes the song to be one piece).

The love of sounds

I think Simon has to love contrasts. The songs are filled with them.
More than that the songs are filled with sounds.
The sounds (sound effects, soundscapes) are sometimes giving me
the creeps and sometimes these seem to be deeper
and yet other times explaining (painting a picture almost).
One example of the latter is "Grotowski's Last Journey
- Apocalypsis Cum Figuris".
Listening to that song I see a movie in front of me. In my mind's eye.
Then after several minutes a lonely chant and then a crash of glass.
Then suddenly, music, classical chords.
This is something new my friends!
The love Simon has for sounds might arguable
steal the "show" but I don´t think so.

The best and most surprising album so far 2006!

Musterion "The Black Lodge" 5/5

David Purdie
 

A review from Brokendolls
March 17th, 2006

Un packaging impeccable, sobre mais efficace, un booklet contentant des illustrations qui en disent long sur la noirceur et les ténčbres de cet album (limité ŕ 500 exemplaires). Voilŕ comment se présente la premičre approche de cette fabuleuse pičce qu'est The Black Lodge.

A la premičre écoute, il est impossible d'apprécier l'album ŕ sa juste valeur ainsi que de saisir toutes les subtilitées de ce dernier. Ce n'est qu'aprčs plusieurs écoutes que l'on commence seulement ŕ s'immerger réellement dans l'esprit alambiqué de cet album. Simon AA Kölle (Za Frűmi, Abnocto) reconnaît lui męme s'inspirer autant de Lynch que de Lovecraft, c'est pour dire ŕ quel point l'oeuvre est complexe. Sinistre, malsaine par moment, l'ambiance qui se dégage de cet album est réellement troublante, voire effrayante par certains passages.
Ainsi, The Black Lodge nous propose un terrible voyage dans un univers aux paysages éclectiques et surréalistes. L'album se présente un peu comme une nouvelle de Lovecraft ou de Poe, on retrouve ainsi toute l'obscurité, le mysticisme et les mystčres qui entourent ces contes horrifiques. C'est ŕ travers un dark-ambient teinté de musique rituelle, d'éléments acoustiques (piano, violons, voix) et de samples inquiétants (rappelant le film Dagon) que l'on découvre, des monastčres du tibet jusqu'ŕ la trčs ténébreuse Loge Noire, la terrible histoire de l'agent Cooper (oui, Twin Peaks). Pour résumer bričvement, ce dernier, prisonnier dans la Loge Noire (endroit que l'on peut qualifier de "nulle part"), par le biais d'un yogi ayant créé une tulpa, se retrouve ŕ évoluer dans un univers sombre et inquiétant rappelant tout particuličrement celui de Lovecraft, coincé entre ręves et cauchemars.

The Black Lodge est plus qu'un simple album de dark-ambient, c'est une oeuvre d'art ŕ part entičre, un ensemble parfaitement structuré, męlant habilement visuel artistique, scénario et musique.

Julian
 

A review from BLACK
January 2006

Mit sehr dunklen und warmen akustischen Klängen beginnt dieses mysteriöse Opus, doch schon bald versinkt jede Anspielung in Richtung Neoklassik oder gar Neofolk in zumeist synthetischen und doch auch organisch klingenden Sphären. Fast alle Passagen auf diesem Album sind sehr finster, sobald man die schwarze Hütte betreten hat, geht es immer tiefer ins Dunkle hinein. Stillere, gruselige Soundcollagen werden hier stellenweise mit krachigen Elementen gepaart, vielleicht könnte man sagen: EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN go dark ritual (selbst wenn das paradox kling). An manchen Stellen hat das Ganze dann aber wiederum nicht nur Soundtrack- sondern sogar Hörspiel-Charakter und liefert wieder einmal einen Beweis, dass man die klingende Farbe Schwarz ungeheuer vielschichtig ausmalen kann. Sehr atmosphärisch jedenfalls, auch wenn so manches Schrei-Sample wohl nur echte Freunde von Scream Queens zu schätzen wissen werden und es sich bei diesem Werk gewiss um ein nicht unanstrengendes Hörvergnügen handelt. Nur wenige Stück enden als melodiöses Pianostück wie Unknown Kadeth , doch trotz allen Klangspielereien halten SIMON AA KÖLLES Kompositionen das Ganze zusammen und irgendwo zwischen den erwähnten NEUBAUTEN, ARCHON SATANI und den LOKI Helden der tiefen Frequenzen kann auch die Black Lodge ihren Platz finden mich würde es kaum wundern, wenn man sie in verschiedenen Dimensionen hören kann, bei all den Science Fiction, Fantasy und Horror Anspielungen und Samples... Auch ich habe, sowenig ich mich normalerweise um die Autorintention kümmere, erst nach dem Gespräch mit SIMON AA KÖLLE richtig zu diesem Album gefunden und manchem wird diese Hütte gewiss versperrt bleiben. Freunden von Dark Ambient und natürlich für allen, die auf der Suche nach Twin Peaks Samples in interessanter Musik sind, empfehle ich auf jeden Fall, sich auf diese Reise einzulassen ob das dann im Abgrund oder in einem tiefen Strudel endet, wird sich zeigen. Mehr dazu im Interview genau in diesem Heft.

(KMF)

A review from Evolution of Media
Groundhog Day, 2007

AL

HCD XXXI (2005)

100th
Anniversary

Compilation of an exclusive and unreleased tracks
dedicated to Aiwass & New Aeon &
The Book Of The Law
technically called
Liber AL vel Legis
sub figura
CCXX
as delivered by
XCIII = 418
to
DCLXVI
that was dictated in Cairo
on April 8th-10th in the year 1904.

Tracklist:

1 Disc
1-01 HEXENTANZ: Oh, Blessed Beast
1-02 MUSTERION: Baphomet, The Magus, The Fool (Fo-Hi),
          The Voyager
1-03 DUPARC: A Rebours
1-04 ENCRYPTION: Secret Flame
1-05 UNTO ASHES: Lithograph
1-06 WHILE ANGELS WATCH: Walpurgis-Night
1-07 ABNOCTO: Arcane Knowledge
1-08 COTTON FEROX & GENESIS P-ORRIDGE: Psychic Scent
1-09 ATRIUM CARCERI: Abra Cad Abra
1-10 TRANSFAGULA: They Eat Their Young
1-11 BELBORN: Stern
1-12 PSYCHONAUT 75: Liber AL vel Legis
1-13 ZA FRUMI: Aiwass

2 Disc
2-01 HADIT: Auf Den Zinnen
2-02 SILENCE & STRENGTH: Secret Name
2-03 GYDJA: By A Secret Name
2-04 4TH SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE: Sucking Face With Aiwass
2-05 THE CIRCUS OF THE SCARS: Aleister, Aiwass, & Infek (On the Airwaves)
2-06 3LCF: I Was
2-07 AH CAMA-SOTZ: Death Is Forbidden
2-08 CHAOS AS SHELTER: The Beauty Of The Beast
2-09 THIS MORN' OMINA: The Manifestation of Nuit
2-10 ARTEFACTUM: Lapis Lazuli
2-11 SATORII: Another Prophet Shall Arise
2-12 OSSASERPIA: Donkey Fell Eyesleep
 

Strictly limited edition of
418
hand-numbered copies
8-pages A5 booklet in Sensation Tradition 170g and 120g top-notch paper
incl. A3 poster printed on Sensation Tradition 170g
and packed in black-box with printed cover on Sensation Tradition 120g.
CD double box with printed seals of The Beast on Sensation Tradition 170g.

Design:
John Coulthart

Deleted.

*

A review from Funprox
July 28th, 2005

Already the third special compilation released by the Czech label Horus CyclicDaemon. After the relatively modest "Chaos" and the luxurious "Lust from the Underworld", this time it's another spectacular compilation: "AL", dedicated to the 100 year old "Liber AL vel legis", the Book of the Law)", the classic esoteric work by the enigmatic Aleister Crowley.

25 artists were asked to contribute a song inspired by Crowley or using his texts. The double cd comes in a splendid large box, with contains a fold-out digipack with the two discs, a poster with the cover artwork on larger format and an A5 glossy booklet, with information about the songs. Though the discs you see the magickal number of 666 copies, the number of the Great Beast, the release is limited to 418 numbered copies.

There are no Crowleyian texts included or long analyses, which you might expect. The booklet only contains a short, but pleasant to read introduction by Carl Abrahamsson about Crowley and his Book of the Law, apparently "a message from cosmic forces, declaring a new age of will, love and endless creative possibilities".

It's not surprising that the music on this compilation has a dark, ritual character. Many bands employ a dark ambient or neo-classical sound, with some folk and medieval elements. Almost all material is exclusive to this release. You could encounter many of the artists involved on the previous Horus CyclicDaemon compilations.

On Disc 1 the collaboration between The Soil Bleeds Black and Psychonaut 75 as Hexentanz is a striking track, an overwhelming orchestral composition with ritual percussion and alternating male and female spoken word. A slow and shimmering, mysterious piece with female vocals is brought by Duparc, the new project of Carlos Boll (The Mystery School). While Angels Watch contributes his typical brand of dark folk on "Walpurgis Night', a track originally included on a 1988 cassette release. Genesis P. Orridge could not fail on a compilation like this, he delivers his spoken words on top of an interesting musical tapestry weaven by Cotton Ferox. Atrium Carceri proves once again to be one of the better dark ambient creators. The piece by Belborn is typical for their sound, a starightforward acoustic piece with clearly articulated vocals. The other, mostly neo-classical tracks, by the likes of Encryption, Unto Ashes, Za Frumi and Abnocto are decent, atmopsheric compositions.

Disc two has in general a darker, more ritual and experimental sound. Hadit, the project related to Mondblut, convinces me with an electronical, haunting piece. Silence & Strength, an unknown project for me, has a very dark and ritual track with spoken words, strongly reminding me of Endura. The Circus of the Scars contributes a nice hypnotizing, somewhat psychedelic soundscape. Ah-Cama Sotz really sounds dense and deep, while Chaos as Shelter gets me in their spell with a long droning soundscape. Satorii makes things more bombastic with a heavy martial composition in the way of In Slaughter Natives. Other ritual soundscapes, by the likes of This Morn Omina, Artefactum and 4th sign of the apocalypse are also solid spherical pieces.

In short, a dark and varied compilation, with a high quality of music and a splendid packaging. Really worth obtaining, even if you don't have plans to practice any Crowleyian rituals...
 

Reviewed by Hans D.

A review from Mandrake Speaks Newsletter
No. 160, 2005

“AL - 100th Anniversary” is 2 CD boxed set, compilation of Occultural and Ambient musick inspired, I would say, by Coil, Industrial, Thelema, Sisters of Mercy, et al. Limited edition – only 418 hand-numbered copies are being published – A3 poster, 8-page booklet and a short introduction by Carl Abrahamsson. So its got to be worth 29 EUR excl. shipping. 

I've played my copy several times now - which believe me, is a big recommendation. Naturally, I have my favourites, like the first track of the second, more Ambient CD. “Secret Name” by Silence & Strength, recorded in Israel, is especially interesting, with its inclusion of passages from The Book Of Lies and Liber AL.. But I'd say there are is nothing unlistenable or unenjoyable on the CD, which is something you couldn't say about a band like Coil, who can be a bit uncompromising sometimes. I remember chilling out nicely to Moon's Milk, only to be jangled out of my wits by the last track ; )
“AL - 100th Anniversary” passes the 'I wouldn't rush out and buy it' test. The only thing I wonder is how long magical musicians will be able to quarry the admitedly rich seams of imagery in Crowley's corpse? Isn't it time to write about some more contemporary magical themes - if you're stuck - maybe I could help you out? Even so, there is hardly anyone's record collection t hat doesn't need stuff like this - if you buy your musick on amazon or at HMV, then you're really do need it - trust me ; ) Do magicos give each other presents - well yes - then next time you're looking for one, think about sourcing it from a more left-field producer - I'm sure people can buy their own scented candles or Harry Potter books ; )

[Mogg]
 

A review from Heathen Harvest
November 16, 2005

AL - 100th Anniversary is a new illustrious double CD compilation that commemorates Aleister Crowley’s celebrated spiritual text Liber AL vel Legis or The Book of the Law. Liber AL vel Legis was written after Aleister Crowley channeled the manuscripts text from a disembodied spirit named Aiwass while in a deep trance induced state. Liber AL vel Legis has in the last 100 years become a seminal text of western occult literature and has continued to inspire and engage readers and occult enthusiasts a century after its original publication.

Following in their tradition of theme-based compilations Horus CyclicDaemon Records has conceived and produced a double CD compilation that celebrates the 100 th anniversary of Liber AL vel Legis. AL - 100th Anniversary is limited to 418 copies and will not be republished. The two CD compilation comes housed in a decorative A5 cardboard box that features an illustration of the master thereon on the cover. A glossy A5 booklet and a stunning foldout poster accompany the two CD’s. Each CD represents separate musical approaches, Disc I features song based compositions while Disc II features ambient, electronic and experimental compositions. All the songs presented in this collection are exclusive recordings.

Disc I features thirteen artists including such widely acclaimed musicians as Hexatanz, Duparc, Unto Ashes, While Angels Watch, Belborn, Psychonaut 75, Cotton Ferox & Genesis P-Orridge and Za Frumi along with emerging artists such as Musterion, Encryption, Abnocto, Atrium Caceri and Transfagula.

Hexentanz the unholy union of The Soil Bleeds Black and self-proclaimed Satanists Psychonaut 75 launch Disc I with the song “Oh, Blessed Beast.” “Oh, Blessed Beast” carries over the sound established by Hexentanz on their debut CD Nekrocrafte. The composition begins with a brief passage of ambient atmospherics before erupting into bombastic orchestration. It is hard to tell whether the orchestration is sampled or original but I am taking a guess that it is original. Primitive ritualistic drumming joins the lively orchestration and helps drive the track towards an ecstatic level of decadence. After a short period the orchestration recedes leaving only the ritualistic drumming and a dark ambient atmosphere that supports male and female spoken word. After a laconic recitation from the Liber AL vel Legis the orchestration descends once more delivering the song from the deeply ritualistic to the ecstatic once more. The orchestration has a distinct vintage disposition that invokes a timeless sensation. The song cycles between various sequences marked by drastic shifts between spoken word and fragments of classical orchestration and ritualistic drumming. Hexentanz offers a stellar introduction to Disc I as they expertly capture the elusive spirit of Crowley and the Liber AL vel Legis.

Encryption offers up track four titled “The Serpent Flame.” Encryption is one of the many bands on AL that is headed by Simon AA Kolle and Simon Heath who are known for their collaboration on Za Frumi and the music label Waerloga Records. Between these two artists, they comprise five of the songs offered on Al under different monikers. “The Serpent Flame” highlights these artists combined talent under the name Encryption. “The Serpent Flame” begins with industrial rumblings and the sound of heavy breathing and lumbering footsteps. The impression of some beast emerging from darkened depths is imposed upon the listener’s imagination. The song is quickly overtaken by symphonic electronics and angelic vocals provided by Lady Clarisse. The music begins mellow and serene then gently builds with the aid of drums and strings mounting into a soaring dark anthem. Lady Clarisse sings text by Aliester Crowley as she weaves a spell of enchantment with her beautiful voice. After a couple of recitations the songs switches to male vocals imbedded in the music. The male spoken word last only a moment as the finale approaches and the song ends.

Track six titled “Walpurgis-Night” is an incredible offering presented by the UK artist While Angels Watch. “Walpurgis-Night” was originally recorded for a 1998 cassette release but the song has been exclusively re-recorded and re-invented for AL. “Walpurgis-Night” is one of the lengthiest songs offered on Disc I as the song lasts almost ten minutes. While Angels Watch recite an entire poem by Aliester Crowley across ambient soundscapes graced with acoustic instrumentation. The real magic is in the recital, which is performed with an impressive confidence. Akin to hearing a professional Shakespeare rendition, While Angels Watch breathes life and drama into Crowley’s words bringing to life the mystical poetry of the Master Thereon. The music evolves organically as piano, guitar, and various other instruments play gently over waves of pulsing ambience allowing the male vocals to remain in the center of the music largely unobstructed. The poem is intoxicating as the words unfold an understanding of life, love and mysticism.

Genesis P-Orridge and Cotton Ferox deliver a psychedelic composition of tribal drumming and spoken word as only Genesis P-Orridge is capable. Could such a compilation really be complete without the complimentary contribution of the psychedelic, spiritual, sexuality guru of our age? Cotton Ferox creates an elaborate song filled with acoustic tribal drumming and minimal orchestration that floats the stream of consciousness prose of Genesis P-Orridge. Genesis delves deeply into matters of the self and self-realization. The song breaks from the darker offerings of previous artists drifting into lighter domains of spirit and expression. The drumming has eastern persuasions and the music sounds as if it is wafting in on a dry wind blown down from a far off desert where nomads roam sandy dunes.

The second CD in the AL - 100th Anniversary collection departs from the song based compositions that defined Disc I and immerses the listener in largely experimental electronic soundscapes. Featuring offerings from such renowned artists as Gydja, 4 th Sign of the Apocalypse, The Circus of Scars, Ah Cama-Sotz, Chaos As Shelter and This Morn Omina, alongside side emerging artists Hadit, Silence As Strength, 3LCF (TriLucifer), Artefactum, Satorii and Ossaserpia.

“Secret Name” is amongst the noteworthy tracks on Disc II. Recorded and produced by Israeli musician Stephan V. Friedman under the name Silence and Strength “Secret Name” is one of the longest songs on Disc II clocking in at over nine minutes. The music on “Secret Name” consists of barren dark ambient soundscapes impregnated with ritualistic percussion, drumming and minor acoustic instrumentation. The mood invoked is one of a secretive ritual that is both solemn and sincere. Utilizing industrialized ambience and steady ritualistic drumming Silence and Strength creates an aural odyssey that leads the listener deep into the catacombs of Crowley’s mysticism. Stephan recites cryptic lyrics behind the music taken from Crowley’s “Book of Lies.” The music transports the listener into a hypnotic realm of dark ritual that is both inviting and all consuming.

Track five titled “Aleister, Aiwass, & Infek” is an intriguing experimental composition offered up by Circus of Scars. Notes with the accompanying booklet direct the listener to a website (deathandhell.com) for a better understanding of themes and ideas integrated into the music. If you are adventurous enough to explore the website, you find an unique project created by one Infek Bin Laden. The opening statement on the website explains that Infek created the website 18 months before his immanent death in order to convey his personal understanding of death and hell to other sentient beings. The website consists of small artistic collages and art pieces assembled by Infek before his death. I found the site to be quite interesting and a thought provoking approach to a person’s diagnosis of unavoidable death. The music Circus of Scars has created in homage of Aliester, Aiwass and Infek is its own experimental collage of electronics, bass guitar, acoustic instrumentation and manipulated vocals. “Aleister, Aiwass, & Infek” is a spiraling journey through experimental soundscapes that gently leads the listener through vacillating dimensions of sound and expression. There is a distinct sense of remorse or remembrance akin conveyed through the multi-layered montage of sounds. Circus of Scars offering is as intriguing as the men he honors with his music.

Chaos As Shelter makes an appearance on Disc II with “The Beauty of the Beast.” Utilizing unconventional instrumentation such as a washing machine cylinder and a shortwave radio alongside an air pump keyboard, didgeridoo, cowbells, effects and voice Chaos As Shelter delivers a dreamy experimental composition that gives meaning to the term musical experimentation. “The Beauty of the Beast” groans with whining air driven key boards as reverberating waves of sound cascade across the track. Whispered hoarse vocals emerge from deep within the sighing, rumbling, background of sound. Percussive ramblings wander through cascading waves of sound and music as if lost in a dementia induced reality. The air driven keyboard floats long winded notes over a throbbing vortex of colliding resonance as sounds merge into a cohesive whole and lumber forth blindly. It is hard to encapsulate this offering in words but suffice it to say that Chaos As Shelter exercise their experimental expertise in delivering a hypnotic trance like track created by the innovative use of unconventional instrumentation.

Ossaserpia wraps up CD II with a mixture of classical instrumentation and experimental ambience embodied in the song “Donkey Fell Eyesleep.” The song notes state that the song was recorded at Brudenia Studio in Russia. This leads me to believe that the musicians responsible for the neofolk / neoclassical band Romowe Rikoito had a hand in this composition. “Donkey Fell Asleep” is a neoclassical composition that offers shimmering instrumentation that flirts with experimental compositional song structure. Utilizing classical instrumentation, Ossaserpia conjure a beautiful track of spiritually infused song craft. Approaching the domain of experimentalism from a very traditional foundation proves a success for Ossaserpia.

AL - 100th Anniversary is bound to become a highly sought collector’s item given the scope and grandeur of the music and the theme of the release. Merging occultist mysticism with modern postindustrial music has proven itself incredibly captivating. Whether you are familiar with Crowley’s occult offerings or whether you are simply a postindustrial music connoisseur AL is sure to inspire and entertain you. As with previous releases on Horus CyclicDaemon has highly impressed us at Heathen Harvest. AL is a memorable compilation and we highly recommend this release to all of our readers.

Malahki Thorn

A review from LAShTAL.com
July 26, 2005

Recenze - Okultura
červenec 2005

Hodie legendus est Liber Legis...

Knihu Zákona (Liber AL vel Legis) Aleistera Crowleyho vydalo v českém překladu před lety nakladatelství Horus a nyní se k ní vrací vydáním hudební antologie, oslavující 100. výročí jejího vzniku.

Liber AL byla údajně sepsána během tří hodin ve třech dnech, kdy ji Crowleymu diktovala kosmická entita Aiwass. Sugestivním slohem přináší poselství nového věku, manifestuje naprostou svrchovanost svobodného projevu vůle a lásky a zakládá Crowleyho nábožensko-filosofický koncept Theléma. Mottem a nejznámější větou knihy je provokativní teze „Dělej co ty chceš, ať je cele Zákon“. 220 veršů je rozděleno na tři části (Nuit, Hadit a Ra-Hoor-Khut), v nichž vystupují božstva a symboly odvozené z egyptské mytologie a kosmologie.
Ať byl Aleister Crowley sebevíce kontroverzní osobnost a jeho výtvarná a literární činnost jakkoli neumělá a epigonská, zasáhnul a inspiroval svým dílem několik generací. Trvalý odkaz zanechal jako mimořádně vzdělaný mág a okultista. Z jeho četných prací zůstává nejvlivnější právě Kniha Zákona, která již byla inspirací současné temné hudby, největší měrou skupiny Current 93 a temně ambientního Coph Nia, jenž si z ní vzal jméno a věnoval jí celé album That Which Remains. Avšak takovéto soustředěné pozornosti mnoha interpretů se jí dostává poprvé.

Symbolicky bylo vydáno 418 číslovaných kusů této kompilace v esteticky vytříbené formě. Jako schránka slouží majestátní černá krabička, jíž vévodí znamenitá grafická koláž Johna Coultharta. V jejím středu pozvedá ruce A. Crowley, obklopen výjevy, připomínajícími jeho pobyt v Egyptě, kde Liber AL vznikla: sokolí bůh Horus, orientální krajina s chrámovými kupolemi, řádek z rukopisu knihy, sevřený mezi sfingami, hieroglyfický rám. V horní části kompozice, kam nás nasměruje Crowleyho gesto a stočený pohled, září anděl s řeckým nápisem „thelema“ (vůle), spolu s „agape“ (láska) klíčovým pojmem knihy. Tento obraz se opakuje i na obálce osmistránkového bookletu a do třetice na samostatné reprodukci formátu A3. CD jsou ukryta v černožlutém papírovém obalu a nesou na sobě magické obrazce, neuršené jiným textem.

Horus udržuje na velkorysé úrovni nejen výpravu, ale i samotný hudební obsah. Stejně jako u předchozí kompilace Lust from the Underworld (2004) jsou tu dvě CD dosud nevydaných skladeb, jejichž koncepce a interpreti vycházejí z podobného základu. Rozdíl mezi oběma disky je tentokrát výraznější a je formulován v bookletu jako komplementarita „Songs“ (CD 1) a „Ambient/ electronix/ experimental“ (CD 2).

 

"Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains." (2:9)

Pamatujte vy všichni, že existence je ryzí radost; že všechny žaly jsou jen jako stíny; ony pominou & jsou pryč; ale ona je, která trvá.

Přistoupíme-li k přehrávači a vložíme první černou hostii, ocitneme se na sabatu, kde to posluchači Hexentanz již dobře znají. První skladba Oh, Blessed Beast oplývá energií, rychlý symfonický motiv roztáčí kolo čarodějnic a zastavuje se jen, aby mohla zaznít slova Nuit z první části Liber AL: Jsem dcera Západu Slunce s modrými víčky, jsem odhalená nádhera smyslné noční oblohy!
Simon AA Kölle a Simon Heath jsou nejznámější jako autoři imaginativní neoklasické hudby, plné vynalézavých zvukových samplů. Kromě jejich nejznámějšího projektu Za Frűmi – hudby z fantasy světů plných skřetů a upírů – navršili množství dalších identit, pod nimiž tvoří i odděleně. Na první pohled tedy není poznat, že třetina skladeb prvního disku je právě jejich dílo. Hudba projektu Musterion (skladba Baphomet - The Magus, The Fool (Fo-Hi), The Voyager) zachycuje dění, vyvěrající z paměti místa, je poskládaná ze zvuků, které se plynule mění, jak procházíme s ozvěnou kroků otevírajícími se dveřmi, ze stropu jeskyně padají kapky, hukot větru se mísí s ženským prozpěvováním, doléhají k nám hlasy lidí a zvířat a nezřetelná inkantace Baphometova – Crowleyho hlasu. Abnocto (Arcane Knowledge) je ryze instrumentální hudba, která má nejblíže k Za Frűmi (Aiwass), temné středověké atmosféře, přicházející za zvuku bubnů a trub a ke konci skladby promlouvající hlubokým skřetím hlasem známé věty „Do what thou wilt...“ Atrium carceri (Abra cad dabra) se od ostatních projektů odlišuje nejvíce, je to odvíjející se vřeteno těžknoucích stínů, ambient nejtemnější s deformovaným Crowleyho hlasem, pronášejícím zaklínadlo.
Duparc je nový vedlejší projekt The Mystery School a jejich A rebours je klidná půvabná skladba s ženským zpěvem, lákajícím na cestu přes práh smrti. Encryption jsou další vyslanci hudebního vydavatelství Waerloga Records, k němuž náleží Za Frűmi & spol. The Serpent Flame je druhá a poslední skladba, v níž se setkáme s ženským vokálem, který nás s pomalým rytmem se ubírající orchestrální melodií přenese do pochmurné středověké atmosféry. Lithograph od Unto Ashes je pozvolná instrumentální píseň hraná na kolovrátek s přídavnými ruchy, harfou a kytarou. While Angels Watch se vracejí ke své rané nahrávce Walpurgis-Night a přinášejí její novou verzi. Je to mluvené slovo s hudebním pozadím pro desetiminutovou recitaci Crowleyho básně. Osmá skladba Psychic Scent od Genesis P-Orridge (slova) a Cotton Ferox (hudba), jejichž jeden člen napsal úvodní slovo do bookletu této kompilace, by se dala charakterizovat jako okultní orientální downtempo. Transfagula (They Eat Their Young) působí jako hudba k nějakému blasfemickému rituálu, stěna exaltovaných hlasů, flétna, přerušená divokým bubnováním, do nějž se neodbytně vplétá nervní motiv, připomínající přesamplovaný vřískot. Uklidňující pak je prostá neofolková Stern od Belborn, inspirovaná třetím veršem Liber AL „Každý muž a každá žena je hvězda.“ I zde je použit vzorek Crowleyova projevu. Psychonaut 75 je zastoupen rituálně-industriální skladbou pojmenovanou přímo Liber AL vel Legis.
 

"I am the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every star." (2:6)

Já jsem plamen, který hoří v srdci každého muže, a v jádru každé hvězdy.

Druhý disk je jako přecházení po alchymistické laboratoři a naslouchání hučícímu athanoru, skřípotu a bublání aparatury a cinkotu moždířů. Jsme na místě, kde se dějí zvuky, které nejsou ani tak připraveny k poslechu, jako spíše k experimentování a hledání. Pro některé tyto skladby je příznačné vykročení k utilitarismu – jejich mimohudební funkci. Je to nejvíce případ úvodu CD – Auf den Zinnen od Hadit je popisována jako magický nástroj, jenž otevírá bránu do metafyzických sfér, kde podrobí realitu nejvyššímu stupni abstrakce a poté ji znovu rekonstruuje. Pokud to takto funguje nemohu posoudit, ale hudebně se mi toto pulzující zrnění hluku jeví jako nezajímavé a jeho umístění by bylo patrně vhodnější ke konci disku.
Secret Name od Silence & Strength se ubírá vpřed za pomalého rytmu bubnu a v průběhu přidává různé zvuky, které tvoří pozadí k modulovanému přednesu veršů z třetí části Liber AL. Poutavá a uhrančivá kompozice. Gydja je hudební pseudonym Seveřanky Abby Helasdóttir, která skládá temně ambientní a elektroakustickou hudbu těsně spjatou s magií a šamanskou tradicí. By a Secret Name oplývá bohatostí zvuku, z nějž se vynořuje a zanořuje tajuplně šeptající hlas. 4th Sign of Apocalypse se zatím objevilo na všech kompilacích Horusu. Tentokrát přináší noise ambient se strojovým skřípotem a k nepoznání deformovanými hlasy. Melodičtější skladbou je Aleister, Aiwass & Infek (The Circus of the Scars) s rafinovaně vrstvenými zvuky, hlasy a smyčkami. Autoři šestého experimentu si libují ve slovních hříčkách, své jméno píší 3LCF (Trilucifer) a I Was znamená jistě Aiwass. Pro jejich opus jsou typické zpomalování zvuku a jeho ozvěny. Ah Cama-Sotz je Herman Klapholz, autor temného ambientu a industriálu. Death Is Forbidden je věta z Liber AL a těžkou industriální atmosférou nás doprovází hlas A. Crowleyho. Experimentální The Beauty of the Beast se drží jedné zvukové plochy, jejíž tónina se mění a kolem ní oscilují zvukové efekty. Chaos as Shelter používá jako nástroje mj. krátkovlnné rádio, válec z pračky, didgeridoo a kravské zvonce. This Morn‘ Omina (The Manifestation of Nuit) v první půli skladby rozechvívá vzduch odeznívajícími tóny fléten a v druhé vyvstane rytmus a inkantace. Rytmickým temným ambientem s šepotem, rozmazávajícím se v ozvěnách, je zastoupen polský Artefactum (Lapis Lazuli). Něco úplně odlišného je Satorii (Another Prophet Shall Arise) s monumentálním válečným tlukotem valícího se rytmu. Nakonec zbyla přece jen jedna píseň – Ossaserpia (Donkey Fell Eyesleep), melancholická ukolébavka ze strašidelného domu, v jehož opuštěné hale zrovna odbíjejí staré hodiny.

Celá kompilace je výjimečně soudržná a vysokým stylem naplňuje jednotící ideu. Všechny skladby se ve své žánrové variabilitě drží tématu a dávají tak vzniknout vpravdě uměleckému dílu, věrnému myšlence i formě.

Lust From
The Underworld

HCD 02-2 (2004) ::: D E L E T E D

Double CD compilation of an exclusive and/or unreleased tracks.

The project is dedicated to Love & Eros in mythology, symbolist & decadent art.

Especially focused on the story of Hades & Persephone
& Koré & Demeter, with a special hints to the work
of Peter Greenaway (The Draughtman's Contract)
and the writers of fin de siécle
(such as Rémy de Gourmont, Pierre Lou˙s, Josephine Péladan,
Henri de Régnier, Madame Rachilde and many others...)
dealing with obscenity and lascivousness.
About 30 bizarre pictures from 9 recent & modern photographers !!!

XE Currency Data Feed Service
 

Recenze - Okultura
srpen 2004

Ulehni ke mně mezi blíny a asfodely...

Lust From The Underworld
2CD, HCD 02-2

Při prvním setkání s tímto dílem člověka posedne lehké vzrušení, neboť drží v ruce tajemství – obálku s dráždivým nápisem, který by mohl být psán lidskou rukou. Uvnitř se skrývá útlá kniha fotografií, které naznačují cesty, jimiž se hudba a její texty ubírají, avšak neprozrazují příliš, vědomy si toho, že náznaky nechávají naší představivosti větší svobodu. Na vnitřních stranách obálek pak čekají dvě CD s dvaceti třemi skladbami. Na tomto místě narazíme na technický nedostatek – měkký papír neudrží desky na vlepených poduškách, a tak je pro lepší manipulaci nezbytné CD vyjmout a uložit jinde. Podobně křehká vazba knížky nenechá všechny stránky pohromadě, bude-li se jí častěji listovat. To nakonec však nemusí vadit, neboť se může stát, že CD dlouho neopustí přehrávač – hudba je stejně výjimečná jako její schránka.


„Ne Vzhůru srdce! [...] ale Dolů srdce! říkají mé rty. Dolů k oné temné moci, jež znamená sílu, jejíž oheň nestravuje, ale zasvěcuje, neboť je z krádeže Prométheovy.“

První deska je více „písňová“, uchovává výraznou melodii, rytmus i ambientní zvukové plochy, ovíjí nás, pozvedá a přitahuje k sobě. Když se nebráníme a oddáme se jí, začne nás těsněji stahovat sevření druhé desky několika experimenty. Na konci jsme uvolněni ukolébavkou, ležíme se zavřenýma očima na chladné mramorové desce...


„Vidíš, jak jsem na tebe přichystaná. Vždycky jsem na tebe byla přichystaná, čekám na tebe ve svatebních šatech, proč jsi tak otálel... za chvíli bude po všem. Nebude to bolet, miláčku můj.“

Jack or Jive na začátku uhrane svým křehkým hlasem, jejž doprovází přelévání vln elektronických zvuků. Tanec Persefoné Unto Ashes je naopak poháněn akustickým nástroji: perským sazem, perkusemi a tably. Hudební čarování zakladatelů Za Frűmi je tu zastoupeno třemi skladbami z jejich různých projektů. Na druhém CD je píseň Through Jakesh Eyes z alba Legends Act 2: Vampires, která představuje upířího prince Jakeshe a jeho pohled na profánnost moderního světa. Je to dobrý příklad neoklasické hudby z fantasy příběhů Za Frűmi, i když tematicky do kompilace příliš nezapadá. V projektu Abnocto lze rozeznat blízkost k Za Frűmi – monumentální melodii s chórovým zpěvem a výraznou rytmiku. Zvláštní a fascinující je The Silver Mirrors Of Your Eyes sólového projektu Simona Kölleho Musterion. Nostalgický ambient s pianem, mluveným slovem a různými zvuky obsahuje vyprávění: zavřely se za tebou dveře starého domu, jsi tu teď sám, rozbité sklo křupe pod nohama, vanutí ztraceného času k tobě proudí po schodišti, jdeš do prvního patra, kolem dětského pokoje, v hračkách se zachytily ozvěny dětského pláče, jsi před dveřmi, vstoupíš a vejdeš do stříbrných zrcadel očí, byl jsi tam i předtím, stále tam jsi, milován a oklamán, několik tónů z piana, už je to dávno.
4th Sign of Apocalypse je temný ambient, stereotypní a kroužící kolem jednoho místa stejně jako Narcis, pokládající svůj obraz na plátno vodní hladiny, zaujat sám sebou se nesmí pohnout z místa, jinak by barvy zmizely, šepot se rozplynul. One Inch of Shadow svou skladbu a její slova zpomaluje a postupně rozkládá. Chaos as Shelter patří sice do stejného žánru, ale jejich aranžmá tradiční perské milostné písně Leili vykročilo směrem k etnické hudbě. Hexentanz a Ritual Kiss to Satan nás přenášejí na sabat, kam za bubnování čarodějnice přijíždějí na kozlech a přilétají na ohřeblech, trubka je svolává k tanci a rituálu, neboť on už ve své zvířecí podobě čeká na trůně. Rituální ambient s kazatelskými proklamacemi i evokujícími hlasy ceremonií. Spjatost s prapůvodními silami a tvary opěvuje Detritus v rytmické Sphere, naopak čistě ambientní je Down (Lo-fi Remix) se subsonickými texturami.
Tradičnější podobu hudby s vokály a akustickými nástroji reprezentuje na prvním CD melancholický neofolk Romowe Rikoito a jejich půvabná The Song of Proserpine a The Mystery School se stejně působivou skladbou The Gift.


„On je ten něžný řezník, který mi ukázal, že cena za tělo je láska. Stáhneme králíčka, říká! A šaty ze mne spadnou.“

Na druhém CD číhá několik pitvořících se sladeb, které nejsou jednoduché na poslech. Je to Empusae a Tenebris for the Unborn, proměnlivý noise ambient s industriálním skřípotem i paralyzujícími varhanami. Legendary Pink Dots a jejich improvizace značně uvolňuje stavbu skladby a ztěžuje její celistvé vnímání a podobně remix Lust od Hybryds spíše odkazuje k původní verzi. Jako klubový mix zní trochu i Cotton Ferox a Manifesto in Dub.
Tuto experimentující část vyvažují přístupnější skladby, jako je úvodní Forget Me Not od Sieben – projektu houslisty Matta Howdena – i následní Mondblut se zasmušilou majestátní Unser Untergang, která je plně oddána tématu podsvětní touhy: objetí Persefoné a Háda narušuje světlo, zhasínající temnotu, království stínů se otevírá, snad přichází zmrtvýchvstání, měsíc umírá, je čas odloučení, čas našeho zániku. V říši měsíčního svitu a přízraků zůstaneme i v neofolkovém Moonchild od While Angels Watch – instrumentálně je tu přítomen opět Howden, což znamená, že důležitou úlohu tu budou mít housle a viola. Před denním světlem nás ochrání i Delusional Day a Lull, darkwave s dominantní kytarou a ženským vokálem, který se neomylně ubírá k Léthé a čekajícímu Cháronovi. Zvláštní je The Circus of the Scars, v pravidelném rytmu dětské říkanky je vyprávěn příběh z antických mýtů. Koré trhala na lukách květiny a ve chvíli, kdy uviděla krásný nachový narkissos a chtěl jej vzít, se rozevřela země, vyřítil se Hádés ve svém kočáře a dívku unesl k sobě do podsvětí. Není to takto přímo zmíněno, události jsou zašifrovány vyprávěním z perspektivy Háda a indicie je i v názvu: She Is Always Drinking Pomegranate Wine, zrnko granátového jablka Persefoné připoutalo a podsvětní touha jí pronikla k srdci. Poslední zůstala instrumentální Ossaserpia - A Lullaby for Geena, trochu strašidelná ukolébavka, doléhající do staré zahrady s omšelými sochami z oken opuštěného domu někde za labyrintem zdivočelých keřů.


„A že pohlavnost tohoto těla, jeho vášně, nikdy nemohly býti vášněmi lidí ostatních, že volily jen nebezpečné, strmé cesty.“

Lust From The Underworld je skvostně vypravená antologie s širokým žánrovým rozpětím a mnoha výbornými skladbami, z nichž některé zaujmou i posluchače naladěného na jiný druh hudby.
Doporučeno ministrem podsvětí ke čtení dekadentní poezie a prohlížení symbolistických obrazů.


Citace z knih:
J. Karásek ze Lvovic: Scarabeus
A. Carterová: Krvavá komnata

*

Recenzi napsal Jan Luffer.

A review from Postindustry
March 18, 2007

Przyglądając się uważnie kolejnym wydawnictwom z czeskiego Horusa nie mogę wyjść z podziwu. Nie dość, że dobierają ciekawych i pomysłowych artystów, to na dodatek opakowanie każdego krążka jest tworzone z równie wielkim pietyzmem. Dlaczego zaczynam od tego stwierdzenia? Okładka (choć to zbyt słabe określenie) "Lust From the Underworld" to dzieło sztuki samo w sobie: kilkudziesięciostronicowa (!!!) książka formatu A5 z aktami damsko-męskimi w wykonaniu różnych fotografików. Doskonale ilustruje temat tego kompilacyjnego wydawnictwa: miłość i Eros w mitologii, symbolizmie i dziełach pisarzy spod znaku fin de siecle.

Przedstawić każdy z tych dwudziestu trzech niepublikowanych nigdzie indziej utworów to zadanie iście syzyfowe. Zamiast dokładnej analizy powiem tylko, że na płycie sa kompozycje oscylujące wokół dark ambientu (4th Sign of the Apocalypse, Abnocto, Maor Appelbaum, Musterion, Mondblut, Za Frumi), heavenly voices (Jack or Jive), folku w różnych wydaniach (Unto Ashes, Romowe Rikoito, Chaos As Shelter, Sieben), dark wave (Detritus, The Mystery School, Hexentanz, While Angels Watch, Ossaserpia), gotyku (Delusional Day), rytmicznego post-industrialu (Empusae, Hybryds) i industrialnego dubu (Cotton Ferox). Najbardziej znani tutaj to oczywiście The Legendary Pink Dots, obok których znależć można także The Circus of the Scars, który brzmi niemal identycznie jak ... The Legendary Pink Dots. Na płycie pojawia się także nasz One Inch of Shadow (obecnie Brasil and the Gallowbrothers Band) z psychodelicznie bujającym "I Met Jane at the River". Nasz akcent wśród wielu znanych nazw.

Mało tu słabych momentów. Znajdą się takie może ze dwa. Co najważniejsze, płyt znakomicie się słucha w całości pomimo sporego rozrzutu stylistycznego. To wielki sukces w przypadku tzw. tribute albums, które są z reguły zlepkiem zupełnie niepasujących do siebie nagrań. Coś dla ucha i coś dla oka.

P.S. 4,5 gwiazdki jak na składak to chyba bardzo dużo.

[orwell]

A review from Funprox
December 2004

A review from Black Magazin
Sommer 2004

V/A - "Lust From The Underworld" (2-CD) HORUS CyclicDaemon

Alle Jahre wieder überrascht uns das tschechische Label HORUS mit einer interessanten Compilation. deren Thematik immer wohl durchdacht und ausgereift ist. Nicht nur die aufwendige Gestaltung des Artworks ist jedes Mal ein absoluter Höhepunkt, sondern auch die musikalischen Beiträge der teilnehmenden Künstler, lässt in der Regel, keine Wünsche offen. Unter der Überschrift "Lust From The Underworld" tummeln sich dieses Mal so illustre Gäste wie HYBRYDS, THE MYSTERY SCHOOL. SIEBEN, UNTO ASHES, JACK OR JIVE, HEXENTANZ, MONDBLUT und viele mehr. Aufgeteilt auf 2 CDs präsentieren uns eine Vielzahl von internationalen Künstlern ihre musikalische Umsetzung von sexueller Lust und Fetisch; und unterstrichen wird das Ganze durch ein umfangreiches A5-Booklet mit zahlreichen erotischen Fotografien. Im ersten Moment fragt man sich zwar, was hat z.B. Neofolk mit Erotik und Sex zu tun, aber gerade die Vertreter dieses Bereichs (wie z.B. ROMOWE RIKOITO, WHILE ANGELS WATCH, UNTO ASHES oder THE MYSTERY SCHOOL) überraschen hier nicht nur musikalisch, sondern haben sich vor allem textlich sehr stark mit der Thematik auseinandergesetzt. An dieser Stelle muss ich auch gleich mal den Beitrag von DELUSIONAL DAY hervorheben, hinter dem sich eigentlich stimmlich keine Geringere als Sally Doherty verbergen kann. Ich vermute daher einfach mal ein neues Side-Project, das wieder einmal das künstlerische Potential der kleinen, zierlichen Frau aus Sheffield deutlich macht. Auffallend ist bei "Lust From The Underworld" auch, dass es eine kleine musikalische Trennung auf den beiden Tonträgern gibt. Hier besticht vor allem CD2 mit einigen musikalischen Experimenten in Richtung Industrial oder Noise, die man sich in jedem Fall auf der Zunge zergehen lassen sollte. Besonders beeindruckt haben mich in jedem Fall COTTON FEROX, EMPUSAE und ZA FRUMI, aber auch "(She's Always) Drinking Pomegranate Wine" von THE CIRCUS OF THE SCARS oder "The Chair" von den LEGENDARY PINK DOTS sind nicht zu verachten. Weiterhin findet man auf der 2. CD einen Remix des Tracks "Lust" von den HYBRYDS. die hier mit Miss Poly Ester zu Gange sind.
Gleich zu Beginn der ersten CD zieht uns die Japanerin Chako (besser bekannt unter dem Namen JACK OR JIVE) in ein tiefes depressives Strudel und verzaubert uns mit ihrem sirenenhaften Gesang, der tief unter die Haut geht; und kurz vor Schluss wird's mit "Ritual Kiss To Satan" von HEXENTANZ sogar richtig rhythmisch-rituell. Zwischendurch gibt's ein paar martialische Momente und ambiente Soundscapes. Absoluter Höhepunkt der ersten Scheibe ist - ganz klar - für mich MUSTERION mit dem Track "The Silver Mirrors Of Your Eyes", der mich vor allem textlich sehr stark berührt hat.
Kurzum; "Lust From The Underworld" bietet musikalisch für jeden etwas und glänzt durch viele Höhepunkte und wenige Ausfälle. Selbst die Tatsache, dass man sehr vielen, der teilnehmenden Bands, bislang nichts gehört hat, stört das Gesamtkunstwerk nicht im Geringsten. Daher kann ich hier und jetzt auch - ohne viel nachzudenken - 10 volle Punkte vergeben und Euch zum sofortigen Kauf der Compilation raten. Es lohnt sich in jedem Fall.

Reviewed by Thomas Wacker.

A review from Heathen Harvest
August 28, 2005

Horus CyclicDaemon is a label founded in the Czech Republic that has built a sturdy reputation upon releasing highly collectable CD releases. “Lust from the Underworld” is another installment in Horus CyclicDaemon’s collection. Staying true to previous such theme based releases as “Chaos” “Lust from the Underground” is themed around the concept of “…Love & Eros in mythology, symbolist & decadent art.” With a concentrated focus upon “the story of Hades & Persephone & Koré & Demeter, with a special hints to the work of Peter Greenaway (The Draughtman's Contract) and the writers of fin de siécle (such as Rémy de Gourmont, Pierre Lou˙s, Josephine Péladan,
Henri de Régnier, Madame Rachilde and many others...) dealing with obscenity and lasciviousness.”

To realize this project Horus CyclicDaemon has once again canvassed the postindustrial music arena and the art photography community in order to gather a diverse array of talented musicians and photographers able to translate this vision into a musical and photographic reality. The stunning results of Horus CyclicDaemon’s efforts have accumulated in a two CD collection that comes housed in a gold envelope accompanied by a glossy book of color photography. Each artist appearing on the two CD collection also has a photographic layout within the accompanying booklet. The photographs contained within the booklet act as an extension of the music adding a visual stimulus to the listening experience. Photographers presented in the book include Adam Holy, Vaclav Jirasek, Zuzana Stankova, Jiri Simacek, Jakub Klimo, Lucie Maresova, Norbert Knapp and Victor Tucek and ReDeSign. The photographic images tend to be rooted in the human nude portraiture and range from very straight forward to experimental. It is worth noting that a couple of male portraits made it into the collection of predominately female portraits. Lest we forget that lust is inspired by both sexes.


Disc I

The Two CD collection begins with a contribution from Jack or Jive. These Japanese natives open the Disc I with “Three Swords” an ethereal song filled with mysticism and spirit. Chako the bands female vocalist sings over waves of cascading ambience and layered electronics that are paired with minimal drums and percussion. The voice and ambience blend into an uplifting anthem filled with emotion and expression. Unto Ashes contributes the second song titled “ Wedding Dance of Persephone, Queen of The Underworld.” Unto Ashes bring their medieval / neoclassical sound to bear upon the subject matter as they spin their spell using Hurdy Gurdy, Saz and ethnic percussion. The song has a very East meets West feeling and invokes images of veiled women dancing in tents amidst the dunes of a dry and forsaken desert. Unto Ashes achieve an excellent balance of ritual and sensuality as the music entwines the listener with Hurdy Gurdy and percussion while elating the soul with the snake charming tunes of the Saz. Abnocto follows with the third track titled “Spiritus Arma.” Abnocto is no other than the musicians responsible for the music of Za Frumi and the fantasy music label Waerloga Records. Abnocto offer a medieval gothic song filled with harpsichord, orchestral drums, liturgical chanting and male vocals all awash in synthesizers. The mood and music will certainly be familiar to fans of Za Frumi as it invokes images of abandoned castles, vampires, and loneliness.

4th Sign of the Apocalypse leads the journey forward with a track titled “All About Narcissus.” “All About Narcissus” leads the music out of the neoclassical and ambient atmospheres as 4th Sign of the Apocalypse delivers a rhythmic industrial track graced with male vocals that incessantly repeat “Its all about me…” Detritus follows continuing the break from earlier songs as they explore an industrial fused track of looped percussion and uneasy organ chords. The song has a definitive industrial feeling as a male vocalist sings in a harsh whisper and various electronic sounds fade in and out of the organ and percussion.

Romowe Rikoito brings the music back to the acoustic realm in track six titled “The Song of Proserpine.” The king of Prussian neofolk offers a beautiful song filled with acoustic guitar, violin and woodwinds. Romowe sings confidently over the music telling an endearing tale of myth and magic. The music is of the highest calibre and it enfolds the listener in sweet melodies that linger long after the song ends. Maor Appelbaum follows with the song “Down” which is a combination of minimal orchestral sounds that are washed through with ambient electronic music. The track is quite hypnotic and is reminiscent of a film score. The music sounds narrative but the story is left to your own imagination. The Mystery School returns the music to a neofolk platform with their contribution “Gift”. Reminiscent of the offerings found on the Mystery Schools’ debut album and their second album Triangle of the Sun “Gift” seems to incorporate the opposing sounds of these two albums. The music on “Gift” is rooted in neoclassical and electronic music. The song features piano as lead instrument and the ever seductive male vocals that are such a defining element of The Mystery School. The narrative tells a mythical story of love and lust imbued with naturalism and savage romance.

Chaos as Shelter presents song nine titled “Leili.” “Leili” combines acoustic instrumentation with electronic experimentalism in a song that exudes dark ritual atmospheres. A female vocalist chants a steady song as tribal drums and percussion play across atmospheres created with string instruments, ethnic instruments and electronic manipulations. The music is dense and darkly sensual captivating the listener as it transports you to a foreign land to witness forbidden rites. The Polish experimental music alchemists One Inch of Shadow bring the music back from the ecstatic heights of Chaos as Shelter with a slow meandering composition titled “I Met Jane at the River.” I Met at the River” is based around dreamy bass guitar lines and shimmering, undulating electronics and various sounds. The song features a male and female vocalist whose singing accompanied by the music invokes the feeling of an old David Lynch movie. Hexentanz, which is the unholy alliance of satanic musicians Psychonaut 75 and medieval masters The Soil Bleeds Black, are featured on track twelve titled “Ritual Kiss to Satan.” “Ritual Kiss to Satan” features ritualistic percussion, dark ambience, and looped orchestral samples paired with voice samples from horror movies. Heavily distorted male vocals recite an undecipherable narrative to epic dark ritual music. The resulting song is a dense composition filled with classical orchestration, fierce samples, and sinister vocals. The first disc ends with a contribution from Musterion, which is yet another project formed by the members of Za Frumi. Unlike previously heard projects, Musterion bares little resemblance to Za Frumi as the music is based upon dark ambience and minimal neoclassical orchestration and piano. Musterion creates disturbing atmospheres filled with faltering piano chords, numerous sounds and sinister voices. A male vocalist narrates parts of the song though the narration is hard to follow. What can be digested of the narrative is disturbing and ominous. Musterion ends Disc I on a rather dark and foreboding note reminding the listener that the two disc collection is meant to transverse the underworld.



Disc II

Disc II of “Lust from the Underground” begins with a lively neoclassical / neofolk contribution from Sieben. “Forget Me Not” is a variation of the song of the same name from Matt Howden’s Sieben - Sex and Wildflowers release and is a very fitting contribution. The song uses the subject of the Forget Me Not flower to explore matters of human emotion and sexuality. The music is a lovely combination of violin, drums, and percussion. Mondblut follows after Sieben with “Unser Untergang.” “Unser Untergang” offers powerful yet sensitive atmospheres created with sampled orchestration, acoustic guitar and male vocals. Reverberating strings produce wavering drones around discriminate guitar plucking and subtle sounds. A male vocalist sings in German with a calm intensity while a looped piano melody plays incessantly in the background. The song is cold yet beautiful. Empusae known for their electronic landscapes produces track three titled “Tenebris for the Unborn.” “Tenebris for the Unborn” is a dark ambient industrial hybrid that combines creeping nightmarish soundscapes with corrosive industrial rhythms. This union of sound results in an epic dark industrial song heavily laden with dark ambience.

Delusional Day shifts the mood out of the dark apocalyptic recesses and propels Disc II back towards less murky depth with the song “Lull.” Lull features acoustic instrumentation alongside deep electronic rhythms. Stringed instrumentation is paired with looped electronic rhythms while sensual female vocals soar over the music. The song merges numerous musical influences as it combines jazz, trance, ambience and folk. The Circus of Scars redefines the mood once more with “She’s always drinking Pomegranate Wine.” A Clear reference to Persephone, Circus of Scars delivers a psychedelic electronic song that oozes with experimental electronics. If I am not mistaken Edward Ka-Spell is featured on vocals and his voice fits perfectly with the odd carnival of sounds that compose the song. Cotton Ferox is responsible for track six on Disc II. Cotton Ferox contributes “Manifesto In Dub” which combines experimental ambience and Jamaican style electronic dub music. The song is a careening combination of upbeat rhythms and unusual electronic atmospheres that merge into an uplifting and celebratory song accented by sampled voices and sound clips. While Angels Watch returns the album to neofolk with a classic neofolk composition. “Moonchild” is a pleasant neofolk song graced by classical instrumentation and strong male and female vocals that accumulate into a powerful neofolk anthem. The legendary Pink Dots lead the music back into the psychedelic domain with the song “The Chain.” “The Chain” is everything you have come to expect from The Legendary Pink Dots. Surrealist lyrics are paired with psychedelic rock and electronics that know no boundaries as they blaze a freestyle musical path.

The Hybrids who seem to have gone into hibernation are featured on track nine with a remix of their song “Lust.” Lust features a fragmented mix of electronics and female vocals. Za Frumi finally appears with the song “Through Jakesh Eyes” which is taken from the bands Vampire trilogy. Swelling, saddened dark ambience is paired with ritualistic drumming woodwinds, and string orchestration to create a dark and foreboding atmosphere of gothic beauty. Female vocals sing across the music like disembodied ghosts roaming abandoned fortresses on cold windswept mountains. The music harkens back to times long forgotten and those who time forgot to lay waste. Ossaserpia completes the second disc of “Lust from the Underworld” with the final song “A Lullaby for Greena.” A Lullaby for Greena” combines electronics and neoclassical instrumentation in swelling waves of sounds that entwine and part. The music sounds as if it is ascending towards the sun in a quest to merge with the heavens.

“Lust from the Underworld” is an epic journey through a myriad grouping of music and artists. Horus CyclicDaemon has created a monumental musical offering that has few comparisons in the postindustrial music arena. Having gone far beyond most music lovers expectations Horus CyclicDaemon has created an offering that not only embraces music but also photography and verse. Having accomplished such a grand feat this wonderful collection of music and photography comes housed in exemplary packaging that reflects the attention and commitment poured into this unique release. With only 500 copies of this masterpiece available, I highly recommend that you secure your copy soon!


Malahki Thorn

HCD 01 (2002) ::: D E L E T E D

CHAOS

"Holy art Thou,
Chaos, Chaos,
Eternity,
all contradictions in terms!"
- Aleister Crowley: The Vision & The Voice, 4th Aethyr

"Know ye, who seek after wisdom, that the foundation of this art of which many have perished, is a thing stronger and more sublime than all other things."
- Turba philosophorum

The project explores magickal & scientifick patterns of Chaos.

Murderous Vision • Ah Cama-Sotz • Polygon
Cotton Ferox • Sator Absentia & No Festival of Light
4th Sign of the Apocalypse • Ontario Blue
Lecanora & Exotoendo • Dream Into Dust
This Morn' Omina • Nadha • O Quam Tristis...

Breaks.
333.


Compilation of the exclusive and unreleased tracks.
Ltd. edition of 333 hand-numbered copies.

A5 cover printed
on top notch quality
250g heavy art-paper New Ecology
and inner 12-pages booklet on
100g Gmund Kaschmir chamois.

Design:
Václav Jirásek

*

A review from Funprox Review
May 2002

From a relatively unknown Czech label comes this compilation with an interesting line-up. Horus Cyclic Daemon has also released material by This Morn' Omina before. This Belgian ritual/industrial band is also present on this Chaos compilation. The album has a conceptual theme: 'The project explores magickal & scientifick patterns of Chaos'. The large size booklet is looking fine, with a separate page for each band and printed on lovely paper. It starts with a quotation from Aleister Crowley: "Holy art Thou, Chaos, Chaos, Eternity, all contradictions in terms!"

Almost all bands present here are active in the ambient/soundscape field. This compilation is therefore dominated by tranquil, dark compositions. Highlights with a great atmosphere are the first two tracks by Murderous Vision and Ah Cama-Sotz. Also good are the contributions by Ontario Blue and This Morn' Omina. A few tracks are rather different than the rest: Cotton, with a groovy rhythm and spoken word, and O Quam Tristis, with a medieval poppy song, form pleasant alternations. A solid compilation.

This sampler was reviewed by HD.

A review from Black Magazin
Sommer 2002

"Holy art Thou, Chaos, Chaos, eternity, all contradictions in terms!", kein Geringeger als Aleister Crowley stand für diese bemerkenswerte Compilation Pate und umgesetzt wurde das Ganze durch das tschechische Label HORUS CyclicDaemon, welches uns bislang die ersten beiden Alben von THIS MORN' OMINA bescherte.
Mika von TMO ist nut einer von 12 Künstlern, die an dieser Compilation teilgenommen und seine persönlichen Ansichten und Erfahrungen mit der Chaos-Magie musikalisch darbietet. Mit von der Partie sind neben ihm noch AH CAMA-SOTZ, SATOR ABSENTIA & NO FESTIVAL OF LIGHT, DREAM INTO DUST oder 4TH SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE. Sie alle haben sich recht eindrucksvoll und jeder auf seine persönliche Art und Weise mit dem Thema auseinander gesetzt und präsentieren auf "Chaos" Industrielles, Rhythmisches, ambiente Collagen und unheimliche Moment mit vielen Samples, Besonders der Beiträge von MURDEROUS VISION aus Amerika, AH CAMA-SOTZ und COTTON FEROX muss man in jedem Fall besonders hervorheben. Von SATOR ABSENTIA & NO FESTIVAL OF LIGHT hätten wir sicherlich nichts anderes erwartet, denn den gerrade Fredrik Bergström von NFOL ist ein kleiner Magier, wie er im Buche steht. Äusserst überrraschend fallen die Beiträge von POLYGON und O QUAM TRISTIS... (Frankreich) aus, den diese Künstler hätte ich auf einer derartigen Compilation nicht erwartet. Bei NADHA handelt es sich um ein neues Projekt von Magthea, den wir alle noch von den HYBRYDS kennen. NADHA setzt dann auch musikalisch den Weg fort, den Magthea zuletzt zusammen mit seiner Expartnerin Yasnaia eingeschlangen hatten ... nämlich soliden Electro-Industrial.
 Rhythmisch-etnisch geht es bei LECANORA & EXOTOENDO zu und zu DREAM INTO DUST und ONTARIO BLUE muss ich wohl keine Worte verlieren. Visuell präsentiert sich der Sampler zusammen mit einem A5-Booklet mit 16 Seiten und die Gestaltung erweist isch insgesamt ebenso homogen wie der musikalische Inhalt.
Fazit: "Chaos" gehört zu den interessantesten und empfehlenswertesten Sampler dieser Tage und besticht nicht nur durch ein interessantes Thema, sondern vor allem durch die musikalische Umsetzung.
Meine Wertung: 10 volle Punkte.

This sampler was reviewed by Thomas Wacker.

A review from Hard Wired
January 2003

No expense has been spared with this limited release of 333 copies. The disk itself comes housed in a printed card cover and features 12 tracks in total, all exclusive to this release and mastered by Mika from This Morn’ Omina. To accompany this disk comes a tidy A5 size booklet printed on good quality paper and dedicating a page to each artist with a picture and short (maybe a little too short) description.
The opening page of the booklet states the compilations theme “This project explores magickal and scientifick patterns of chaos” with the passage “Holy art Thou, Chaos, Chaos, Eternity, all contradictions in terms!” a quotation form Aleister Crowley…
Many of the artists present are new to me, but they all pretty much figure within the darkwave / ambient field. It’s been particularly interesting to hear how they have portrayed their chaotic visions into musical form, though I must admit to walking away feeling somewhat baffled after trying to make sense of the reasoning’s behind some of it.
While the two opening tracks by Murderous Vision and Ah Cama-Sotz behold a mysterious flow of dark haunting airiness, Polygon deliver the colder “Encoding White”, sustaining chilling atmospheres with icy droplet effects. Cotton Ferox’s bizarre sound is very nu-age influenced on “Revolt Against The Modern World” driven by bass lines, slow drumbeats and fazing electronics with spoken vocal and sampled dialogue. Sator Absentia & No Festival Of Light rely on dark fuzzy noise and spoken dialogue on “Upside Down” and soon followed by the disturbing “Frater” by 4th Sign Of The Apocalypse, a ‘good witch / bad witch’ spoken sample is repeated with dark gothic chanting and mashing synthetic effects making it quite an unnerving piece really.
The tracks that really impress me the most are the peaceful “On The Outside” by Ontario Blue, whose floating atmospheres and the gentle melody make it seem so blissful, likewise so too does This Morn’ Omina, the labels biggest act with the gem “Octarine II” surrounding you with their dark aura of electronics and enchanting tribal rhythms. One things for sure, this Belgian group has a fine ear for detail.
We return to the dark side again with Dream Into Dust whose piece “Field Of Night” incorporates more eerie atmospheres, strings and gloomy dead beats. The album closes with the French act O Quam Tristis and “Simpliciter”, a dark electro Goth track with slow beats, strings, eastern atmospheres and drawn out vocals.
This upcoming label from the Czech Republic should be worth keeping an eye on in future. In all, they’ve provided a neat little product of a very limited run that is bound to quickly sell out. It will certainly raise some mixed views along the way, but those of you with a high regard for dark and tranquil atmospherics can certainly make a good home for this…

Rich Hobbs 2.5/4

Recenze z Kacířovy hraničky
No. 0, 2002 e.v.

Pád andělův vezdejších do vzedmutého Xaa aneb kterak démoni zpět se navracejí, ztráceje podobu svou…

Label Horus CyclicDaemon do tohoto světa vpouští kruhové démony takřka zřídka, ale jak známo méně někdy znamená více, což samozřejmě platí i v oblasti okultury.
To Summon the Stars od Murderous Vision ve mně evokuje vizi Fluddova „komixu“ o genezi kosmu. Zejména obr. č. 4 (Chaos aneb směsice živlů). Toto spontánní vybavení si, díky oné „černokomorní symfonii“, rozhodně není nepatřičné. Je ovšem náhodné. Náhoda je spojencem chaosu. „Objektivní náhoda je souhrnem jevů, kterými se projevuje vpád zázračna do každodenního života.“ (Carrouges) Hluboká a hlubinná hudba.
El Ultimo Suspiro (1st chapter) od belgického projektu Ah Cama-Sotz je audiologickým obrazem snoubení nebe a pekla během posmrtné cesty (název znamená Poslední vzdech). Zjevování se démonů, andělů a Stínové Ženy… Může jít o cestu sebevraha na Měsíc, jehož sliz je (dle Tibetské knihy mrtvých) následnou formou existence člověka, který spáchal čin, latinsky zvaný MORS VOLUNTARIA. Tomu nasvědčují éterické femininní vokály, mísící se
s mužským chórem, démonicky skřehotavým maskulinním hlasem
a vznešeně evokativním projevem Pána Smrti, který jakoby řekl jen několik slov, ač sdělil úplně vše… Skladba je završena smíšením, kdy éterický vokál dostává androgynní charakter. LUNA je ženského, ale MĚSÍC mužského rodu. Řada existujících i neexistujících kultur
s kořeny v dávné minulosti, spojovala Měsíc s maskulinními božstvy (sic). 
Skladba Encoding White (Polygon) začíná zvukem zahrávajícím si
s prahem bolesti (i tehdy, je-li volume na vaší věži nastaveno jen na čtvrtku), rozvíjí se do zvukového prostoru, který mi připomíná Symphonies of the Planets (NASA Voyager Recordings) a nakonec se stáčí do experimentálně sonických vod. Phononautism.
Revolt Against the Modern World od Cotton Ferox je vskutku oříškem pro všechny škatulkáře: Occultop? Mindhop? Blbost, nikdo tam neskáče. Ledaže by to mohlo mít něco společného s rostlinou Humulus lupulus L. A co jako, že? Proč ztrácet čas hledáním škatulky, když v ní C.F. zůstanou úplně samojediní? Každopádně, pokud bych měl hledat analogii a některým, z již zavedených žánrů, našel bych snad jen ty, co C.F. sbližují s triphopem. Inu dobrá: do škatulky
s nápisem OCCULTOP vložme Cotton Ferox a přidejme Bleeding Like Mine, Rada i Ternovnik, That Summer and Rainer Lericolais, T.A.C. a …, aby se rozpadla tlakem jejich osobitostí).
P.S.: Lídr projektu Carl Abrahamsson je mimochodem autorem článku Démonicky oslňující kouzlo kina (viz Revue HORUS, 1995 e.v.).
Upside Down od Sator Absentia & No Festival Of Light je koláží industriálních, abstraktních, lidských a ne-lidských zvuků a hluků. Konjunkce humanity a posthumanity. Velmi příjemná hudba zejména pro příznivce projektu Lunatic Asylum (MUSICARIN, do it hellself polyphrenick label) a laboratorních výzkumů parafrenie.
4th Sign Of The Apocalypse aneb B. Dall se presentuje skladbou Frater, věnovanou Albertu Velikému a zasvěcenou CHAOSu ve všech sférách a zvláště pak tomu, co bývá nazýván ŘÁDem. Mozkomazná mantra „Are you good witch or bad witch“ (vystřižená  z nějakého amerického filmu z 50. let , na nichž si autor zřejmě dost ulítává, soudě dle Quite A Chore z kompilace IMMORTAL LEGENDS) navozuje vcelku nervní atmosféru. Paráda, že, lunatici?
Stephen Pennick aka Ontario Blue nemá rád CD v igelitovém obalu. Dodal příjemnou a relaxační On The Outside. Info pro ty, co si oblíbili jeho vokální projev: This is instrumental musick.
Lecanora & Exotoendo stvořili Voidway, ambindustriální stěnu. Prázdnota z přeplnění. Soundtrack k senzorickému přetížení,
Field Of Night od Dream Into Dust je „apokalypticko-darkfolkový“ opus, vzývající Pavouka Noci, který tká svá síťová pole, na nichž pěstuje to, co polapil na prahu.
Octarine II od This Morn‘ Omina je (jako obvykle) fúze EBM, industriálu, trance a techna, okořeněná rituály z epochy po Hegiře (Hidžře) a špetkou orientálního ducha (kterýžto není jen na východě).
Magthea (HYBRYDS) se coby Nadha představuje trekem Shabondama, který (podobně jako jiné „chaotické“ skladby) evokuje navštívení nezměrné říše snů. Můra se může velmi rychle změnit v motýla a naopak…
Simpliciter od O Quam Tristis… je pokrmem připraveným
z odlišných ingrediencí: středověké sakrální hudby a postmoderní elektroniky, „lyrics taken from anonymous liturgical texts.“
Amen, pravím vám, neváhejte, mají-li vaše buňky zálusk na tuto krmi, neboť vskutku chutná jest. Citlivě namíchaná a pečlivě připravená.
Nabystřete si uši! Arci, nabystřete slechy své!

© Baka

HCD 03 (2000) ::: D E L E T E D


THIS MORN' OMINA
Em Sauf Haa-Heru

Although it is difficult as an artist to evaluate your own work the goal which had been set  when preparing this release has been reached to my knowledge.
 

Em Sauf Haa-Heru tells the second part of the story, i.e. the 'Hegira', the roaming/dessimination of mankind throughout the universe.

Starting with "Procession of the Sacred Bull" it is indicated that this journey will be a slow and painful one with many dangers and unknown entities lying ahead of us (cf. "Hannibal ad Portas" / "The Face of the Waters"). Although Em Sauf Haa-Heru speaks of a journey in the mind it has been one of the objectives to attain a possible projection of actual future events taking their root in past events (cf. the bewilderement of the first discoverers reflected in e.g. "The True Voices of The Tree" and "Spires of the Moon" when being confronted with the new and unknown).

"The Void which Binds" discusses the theme of 'linkage', i.e. to what extent are human beings connected to one another? Is their surrounding environment? Their mutual experiences which cause them to be linked? A great influence came from Simmons work in this respect. It has to be said however that Em Sauf Haa-Heru is not merely a reflection or a copy of the story Simmons has told in his Hyperion Tetralogy, it is an in depth inquiry into his ideas which resulted into Em Sauf Haa-Heru. It is my personal hope that you as listener are willing enough to undertake this journey I have made myself without following exactly the path I have walked.
 

You are free in your mind and spirit to interpret and comprehend.

It is my sincere hope that you may travel under the protection of Heru.

- Mika Goedrijk, TMO

Ltd. edition of 333 hand-numbered copies.
 

f l a s h - c l i p
 

Read more...

A review from Black Magazin
Fruehjahr 2000

Aus dem ursprünglichen HYBRYDS-Umfeld Belgiens stammt auch Mika Goedrijk, der hier mit "Em Sauf Haa-Heru" seine zweite Veröffentlichung präsentiert. Sein Debut-Album mit dem klangvollen Namen "Nezeru Enti Sebauem NeterXertet", welches vor einiger Zeit auf OLDO EUROPA CAFE auf den Markt kam, gehört zwar sicherlich zu den Meilensteinen rhythmisch-ritueller Musik, erlangte jedoch nie den Status in der Szene, den das Projekt THIS MORN' OMINA sicherlich verdient hätte.
Wie bereits VIDNA OBMANA oder AH CAMA-SOTZ so sammelte auch Mika viele Erfahrungen zusammen mit Magthea und Yasnaia von den HYBRYDS. Wer sich an deren magisch-rituelle Releases der Vergangenheit erinnert, der weiss wie meditativ und spirituell das Duo klang, bevor es sich dem rhythmischen Industrial-Klängen verschrieb. Heute sind die HYBRYDS längst Geschichte, doch die von THIS MORN' OMINA beginnt hier erst.
Vermischt man die frühen HYBRYDS und AH CAMA-SOTZ miteinander, kann man sich am ehesten vorstellen wie Mikas eigene Soundexperimente anmuten, nämlich rhythmisch-spirituell als auch technoid und tanzbar. Mika selbst bezeichnet seinen Stil als "rhythmical tribal ritual" und beschäftigt sich auf "Em Sauf Haa-Heru" u.a. mit dem ägyptischen Gott Horus und der HYPERION Tetralogie von Dan Simmons. In knapp 73 Minuten entführt er den geneigten Hörer in die mythologische Welt des alten Ägyptens, welche mit "Procession Of The Sacred Bull" eröffnet wird. "Em Sauf Haa-Heru" bedeutet übersetzt soviel wie "Under The Guidance/Protection/Wings of Horus" und die Kraft dieser Gottheit und spirituelle Ausstrahlung spürt man während jedem 8 tracks des Albums. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit verdient jedoch in jedem Fall der 27minütige Epos "The Void Which Binds", welcher aus zwei Teilstücken besteht und nahtlos an !Decline And Fall Of Empires" anknüpft, welches man auf dem Debut-Album von THIS MORN' OMINA finden kann.
Insgesamt fällt "Em Sauf Haa-Heru" wesentlich kraftvoller aus und macht sehr schnell klar, dass die Reise nicht ohne Hindernisse und Gefahren sein wird. "Hannibal ad Portas" oder The Face Of The Waters" sind Stationen innerhalb des Albums, für die man sich Zeit nehmen sollte und besonders "The True Voices Of The Tree" erinnert sehr stark an die bereits anfangs erwähnten HYBRYDS.
Fazit: "Em Sauf Haa-Heru" sollte in keiner guten Tribal-Ritual-Sammlung fehlen und THIS MORN' OMINA ist ein Name, den man sich unbedingt merken sollte, denn ich bin mir schon jetzt ziemlich sicher, dass wir auch in Zukunft mit Mika Goedrijk rechnen dürfen. Kleiner Tip für Fans: Seht zu, dass Ihr Euch auch das Debut "Nezeru Enti Sebauem NeterXertet" von OEC zulegt, denn auch dieses Album ist sein Geld wert und den Opening-Track "Inside A Full Eclipse" lege ich Euch auch noch ans Herz. Meine Wertung für die vorliegende Veröffentlichung: 9 von 10 möglichen Punkten!

This CD was reviewed by Thomas Wacker.

A review from Judas Kiss
August 2000, issue # 6

I've listened to this CD a hell of lot since I first received it and it's one of the few that has been copied onto cassette so I can listen to it when I'm driving. However I've been dreading having to review it as I find it really difficult to describe the various sounds and styles recorded here as the whole CD has a strangely unique feel to it. Each track contains a similar thread that is projected from one track to another yet each one sounds remarkably unlike its predecessor. The music has a ritualistic industrial trance feel to it as it utilises dance beats, sound manipulations and ambience to create the other worldly aura that surrounds it. And, although the styles differ considerably, they slip in to one another seamlessly. I feel no matter how much I try I simply can't describe the true feel of this remarkable CD. I certainly know it wont appeal to every one's taste as the beats that present through out will no doubt alienate some people and if that's the case I'm guessing they'll be missing out on something I don' think should be missed. One the best none dark ambient releases I heard in a long time and limited to only 333 copies, so track one down.

This CD was reviewed by Lee Powell.

A review from Last Sigh Review
February 2000

When I picked this package up from the postal office
and opened it, the artwork and paper of the cover
drew me home quicker than normal,
pushing me to insert this cd directly into my player
as soon as possible.
Hoping the music was half as good as the cover,
I immediately inserted it in the machine.
I was amazed by what I heard streaming into my
headphones which penetrated my mind
and created visions of crashing chaos and mystical
entrapment.
The overall sound is rich and expansive.
Some of the more melodic tracks transported me
into a dark and restless place, while others
moved me to deep pensive moods.
The percussion is fabulous -- clicks and tinklings,
pounding deep drumming that can rip you
out of your seat making you want to dance
to the rhythmic tempo's and eerie ritualistic-tribal beats.
I can envision being naked in front of a fire
in some remote setting, swaying to this music
in an innocent trance-like animalistic way.
Miliaristic claps, hydraulic splooges
and machine clankings influence quick changes
to even more unique levels of listening and responsive
feeling.
No formulas are heard in the compositions,
this work is quite original and executed
most professionally.
I highly recommend getting a copy of this limited release
before it is sold out.
If music off Malignant Records, Possessive Blindfold,
Old Europa Cafe, Horus CyclicDaemon, seem to be your
thing, you'll not forget all too quickly
This Morn' Omina - Em Sauf Haa-Heru,
should you choose to experience it.
Music like this doesn't get much better.
Thanks to Mika Goedrijk and
Horus CyclicDaemon for this release!

This album was reviewed by Kim Ann Alexander.

HCD 04 (2001) ::: D E L E T E D


THIS MORN' OMINA
Taiu

Track-list:

Ah-Menti • The Penultimate Truth • Vassago De Nunez
The Light That Shines & The Light That Fades
Beatified Spirit • Totemism (Ancient) • Aeon • The Weeping Eye
Either/Or • Perun • Terran

Design:
Marie Jirásková

Musically TMO has grown into new heights. Different influences lay at the basis of the album musically (present-day musical evolutions as well as stuff from the past). Taiu is a crowning achievement as well as a step forward and a new basis from which to depart to new explorations on a musical and a thematical level. The music and the themes sync 100 percent. Taiu is a perfect whole.

Taiu is the third cycle of the Hegira-story commenced with Nezeru Enti Sebauem Neterxertet (OEC) and elaborated in Em Sauf Haa-Heru (HCD 03). Taiu could be seen as the closing chapter of the Hegira-story, this however does not imply that the so-called ‘border-themes’ which have not been fully developed in previous releases will never rise again in one form or the other in newer material. The main thematic trilogy however closes with Taiu, but it is nothing more than that.

Taiu is the ancient Egyptian for “land”, as in the expression ‘Land! Land!’. Mankind has reached its destination and now new decisions have to be made. The perspective from which the songs were created is the dialogue. I have tried to incorporate features of dialogue into the music without falling back on the easy procedure of using sampled voices. There are in fact sampled voices denoting important themes in the album (especially the female voices) in this respect Yasnaďa’s help on this album has been a great stimulans but mainly I have tried to incorporate ‘questions and answers, subversive relations between words and expressions, gestures…’, within the music by means of contrasting and overflowing sounds.

Why? As soon as the expression ‘Land! Land!’ has been uttered it is very likely that conversations which have been held during the trip are being re-evaluated and new discussions about the new land arise. The form of conversation appealed very much, this third album is NOT merely a reflection of conversations, it is much more.

Taiu is a true long play CD. There is no silence between songs to such an extent that one song is an integral part of the next. A dark undercurrent flows throughout the album linking it into a whole. The continuous flow of ideas (cf. James Joyce) was an inspiration for this. The album ends with the idea that man will try to reinstate the same and the old world, whether this is a positive thing I leave to the listener.
- Mika Goedrijk, TMO

Read more...

*

A review from
Side-Line Music Magazine
August/September 2001

This Morn' Omina is probably one of the less known and recognised talents of the Belgian scene. After the primitive-tribal sounding "Nezeru Enti Sebauem NeterXertet” album, which was a selection of earlier demo-songs and the more elaborated and electro-orientated “Em Sauf Haa-Heru”, the trilogy is closed by “Taiu”. They moved their esoterically, kind of Pagan influences more to the background. There's no more comparison with the trance style a la Hybryds, neither to the tribal side of Raksha Mancham. “Taiu” is much more conceived around modern technology and evokes some early Klinik-sequences. The sound evolves into a powerful symbiosis of dark electro structures and sacred-ritual trance atmospheres. Most of the songs remain instrumental ones, but here and than they've been recovered with spoken samplings and the vocals of Yasnaia (cf. “Terran”). After a deceiving first song, which can be seen as a kind of intro, “The penultimate truth” shows the new evolution of This Morn' Omina. It's also more into danceable styles. The next cut “Vassago de Nunez” is a pearl! The tribal and sacred sounds have been intermixed with some vague, but perceivable techno ingredients. It's a modem and rather innovative way of conceiving trance-ritual stuff that will catch the attention of a wider audience! I don’t think that this band goes in search of commercial purposes, but just enlarges their horizon, exploring other facilities. They simply prove that it’s perfectly possible to hold on the basis of their ideas while evolving into modern ways of composing. The next cut “The light that shines and the light that fades” is closer to the originally style. The next real highlight is called “Beatified spirit”. The sequences á la early Klinik have been leaded through tribal drums, creating a trance feeling. "Aeon” sounds in the same line. That brings me to another essential cut, “The weeping eye”! This can be simply called tribal-techno. There’s also a kind of trance aspect that reminds to implant in a less complex way of composing. The next songs “Either/Or” and “Perun” are more into the esoterically style. That brings me to the very last one “Terran”. It starts in a restful, ambient way and slowly evolves into a heavy and heavenly trance-cut The hypnotic percussion is really devastating while the bewitching vocals of Yasnaia reinforce the sacred-ritual side. This is one of the best and most achieved chef d’oeuvres I've heard for a long time now. Notice by the way that the album has been imited to 500 copies. You’ll be very proud while putting your finger on this masterpiece! This Morn’ Omina definitely deserves more recognition for their brilliance and genius way of composing! A class act!

(DP:9) DP.

A review from
Auf Abwegen
Magazin Für Musik und Kultur
Herbst 2001

Wunderbart präsentiert in einem farbig bedruckten Digipak
klingt die Musik des belgischen Projektes This Morn' Omina
dennoch etwas altbakken. Nach einem bezeugten Live-Auftritt im letzten Jahr hätte ich im Anschluss daran eher rituellere und atonalere Klänge erwartet - eine abgespeckte Variante von Rosengracht vielleicht. Was Taiu zu bieten hat klingt alternden Clock DVA, denn nach substantiell eigenem Sound. Die Nummern schweben unentschlossen zwischen Atmosphärik und den Wendungen der EBM. Versöhnlich stimmt der Abschlusstrack Terran, der die Vocals der zaubererhaften Yasnaia featured.

 This album was reviewed by Zipo.

A review from
Side-Line Music Magazine
October 2001

New class act from Belgium: This Morn' Omina
Described as one of the best releases of this year
by the reknown Side-Line reviewer Stéphane Froidcoeur,
 "Taiu" by This Morn' Omina is sure to conquer
more than one heart in the scene. But let's hear what
 Stéphane has to say:
"Front 242, Klinik, A Split Second, ŕ Grumh, SA 42, Vomito
 Negro, Dive, Suicide Commando, Belgium seems like an
 endless source of talented formations.
In the shadow of those idols,
I found another amazing project! Morn’Omina
is probably one of the least known and recognized
talents of the Belgian scene.
After the primitive-tribal sounding
“Nezeru Enti Sebauem NeterXertet”-album,
which was a selection of earlier demo-songs
and the more elaborated and electro-orientated
“Em Sauf Haa-Heru”, the “Hegira”-trilogy
is closed by its final cycle entitled “Taiu”.
“Taiu” is conceived around modern technology
and evokes some early Klinik-sequences,
creating a dark electronic mood."
The album has been limited to 500 copies on
Horus CyclicDaemon, a Czech company
(but a new printing is in the pipeline).
The album has meanwhile become
a must-have among the Side-Line staff.
This Morn’ Omina definitely deserves
more recognition for their brilliance
and genius way of composing!
A class act that is purchasable via Side-Line.

This album was reviewed by Stéphane Froidcoeur.

A review from Hard Wired
January 2003

Being one of the lesser known acts that Side Line magazine have often singled out and acknowledged their talents alongside fellow established Belgian bands such as Front 242, Dive, Klinik and ŕ Grumh, I had become quite keen to check them out for myself. Fortunately for me that chance has now arisen, and I am rather gob smacked with the results.
After the previous album releases “Nezeru Enti Sebauem Neterxertet” and “Em Sauf Haa-Heru” we are now presented with “Taiu” which is seen as the closing chapter in the “Heigra” trilogy.
It’s one heck of a long player, 11 tracks spanning over a whopping 73 minutes and though the albums theme remains the same throughout, the tracks greatly differ in appearance, cleverly arranged to flow from one melodious gem onto the next with not a single pause, overlaying prominent soundscapes and effects to keep the listener glued and hungry for more.
With the opening track “Ah-Menti” you are succumb by a swirling airiness that carries you into “The Penultimate Truth” where the tribal sounds now begin to kick in, and a simple formation of synthetic notes are repeated throughout alongside spoken samples. Once you enter into “Vassago De Nunez” the beats become rampant and the industrial influences show in the form of manic clanking, shrilling effects and sharp electronic keys, this track even adopts a harsh Bill Leeb style of vocal…very Noise Unit indeed!!
Further into this release we stumble upon other worthy pieces like “Totemism (ancient)” which displays a more traditional Egyptian style of ambience, or the soothing mellow appeal of “Either/Or”, and if it’s more power you’re after then there’s the forcible hardness of “The Weeping Eye” or the progressively upbeat catchiness to the closing electro track “Terran” which is nicely complimented by its female vocal.
So I have to agree with the critics, this is a band that can certainly compete with the best of them out there, and if I’m honest “Taiu” does a damn site more for me than the last Delerium album did.
While Mika Goedrijk is currently focusing his efforts on promoting the EBM project Nebula-H and their successful debut album, I am left hoping it won’t be too long before he devises a new theme for T.M.O to begin working on again.
This release is limited to only 500 copies on the Czech Republic label Horus CyclicDaemon, it is a must have for lovers of dark Electronic and atmospherical music. Grab it while you can….

Rich Hobbs 3.5/4

A review from Sonic Curiosity
May 2004

I'm not hearing Russian music daily, but the artists that I've come across so far are usually to my liking. Not that I want to generalize Russian music, there is plenty of variety within their underground scene. Roricat, a new name for me, is certainly no conventional act. The two members Julica Rorica (voices and 'magic') and Eugene T (guitars and machine) weave minimal but lovely carpets of sound. "Uki Uki" gives me the impression of a winter album, which is enhanced through the white cover and photos of winter landscapes.
The music is at times a bit abstract, but never devoid of feeling. Soft floating guitar sounds, long drones, some bleeps, an occassional human voice, a few synth lines... Most of the slowly evolving instrumental songs are very dreamy. Especially the second one, 'She dives with fireflies', is very beautiful, it's a 'common underwater love story'. All songs are described on the digipack sleeve in a few words or sentences. Although the music seems to be rather serious, the song descriptions are playful.

There are a few songs that I like a bit less, like 'Washu theme', an experimental track with many bleeps reminding of computer games. This one drives me a bit crazy. But this is an exception, most songs convey a lot of spacious atmosphere, like 'Perverted magic user', which is also a bit psychedelic, through the organ-like sounds. The music is slightly melancholic, but never oppressing and with a lot of air. At times Roricat sounds estranging, but then again the soothing sounds and drones make you drift away.

The song 'Ice-cold blood' is quite melodic, driven by a slightly rocking distorted guitar. But 'Luna' slows the pace down again, taking you to a starry night. Taina is quite spacy, dedicated to 'a great computer game - UFO by Microprose'. I must confess I never played it, though I used to be hooked on another game from the same makers: 'Microprose Soccer'. But I am drifting away now, and the music is taking me to remote corners already. Like 'Astral creeps Hunter (for Edward), a nice minimal composition with sparse low guitar sounds and some eerie electronic effects. Although it's nearly summer I'm still captured by these icy Russians.

This cd was reviewed by HD.

Although the HCD label is not prone to throwing out a new release every other month, you can certainly be sure that when they eventually do it will involve something truly awe-inspiring for the listener.
Formerly producing music under the guise of Tigress Lily, the Russian duo now behind Roricat comprises of Julica Rorica (Vocals and magic) and Eugene T (guitar and machines) which leaves no surprise to the imagination as to where this bands title derived from...
So, on removing the disk from the jiffy bag the first thing to catch my attention was naturally the front cover, it's nothing much to write home about, boring I suppose would be right, but on opening out this limited edition (of 500) digi pack you are greeted by some tasty snaps of cold wintry scenes (Barren trees, snow covered rail lines and frosted plantation) it kind of sets an impression of the albums theme... so on that note, I was pretty much expecting to hear a relative degree of cold and bland atmospherical compositions... Fortunately I encountered so much more..
So, with my headphones on, feet up on the couch, and eyes shut, my mind just began drifting away to the slow rhythmic harmony I was now experiencing with the opener "Blue 6" which though slightly minimal in instrumental content, it's impossible to resist those gentle floating synthetics and calming guitar melody... The tranquil surroundings carry on through to the following piece "She dives with fireflies" amid an abundance of blips and beeps, and this becomes a relevant feature pretty much throughout the whole album.
Elsewhere, "Luna" takes the form of a xylophone ditty, jollied along with some clinky clanky metallic beats, and though vocals are very much a rarity on the album, we actually catch a few spoken samples on "Hive" one of the particularly obscurer pieces present."Perverted Magic User" is another track which stands out to me purely for the strong bass lines which drive it along in parallel to a mystical 70's influenced organ melody (the return of psychedelia) and those ever present flickering scratchy sounds.
To highlight how important the guitar has been to Roricat's music, I must mention their flexibility for change, whether it's taking on a lead role with a host of heavier guitar effects such as on the splendid "Ice Cold Blood" which again marvelously works in to compliment the prominent bass lines, or how on "Mutio" the piercing drone of a single struck string is just weaved between the slow beat, clattering cymbal and spangly atmospheres.
Since working with Hard Wired, I have never until now had the chance to sample any Russian acts, so as the alternative scene there is something new to me I can't really compare Roricat against any other fellow acts from their country. On the other hand Roricat certainly appear to be on a steady form with their plesant and relaxing style of ambient music, and I especially like how they have blended the guitar parts in with the synths and atmospherics, shall I say in a vaguely similar vein to the German act User's Atmosphere. Though I find one or two of the tracks to be a little hit and miss in places, I genuinely believe it's a promising and worthwhile release and I don't imagine there would be many ambient fans out there too disappointed after purchasing a copy.

For me, it was an interesting experience and I would like to see which direction they decide to take their sound on future releases.

Rich Hobbs 2.5/4

A review from Kultura Industrialna

HCD 05 (2003)


RORICAT 
Uki Uki


Track-list:

Blue 6 • She Dives With Fireflies • Washu Theme
Perverted Magic User • Uki Uki • Ice-Cold Blood • Luna • Mutio
Helica • Naga Will Be Fine • Hive
Astral Creeps Hunter [for Edward] • Taina [X-COM Forever] Homeworld
 

Ltd. edition of 500 copies in fine three-fold digi-pack.

Design:
Martin M. Mrskoš
Pavel Křepela

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Russian duo consisting of Eugene & Julica make spacey, abstract instrumentals. Heavily delayed guitar strumming, accompanied by various random sounds and minimal hand drum percussion. Light & airy ambient guitars with subtle rhythms. Very relaxing yet propagates passion.

A strange odd ditty, acoustic guitars, tiny cutesy little lead synth and sometimes an itty bitty Power Puff girl vocal. Gurgles, burps and blips. It's great to hear synths playing nice with guitars. The definition of quirky this is. Indescribable stylistically.

More strangeness, more quality, more inventiveness. Very unique sound!
A bit like David Bowie's "Sound and Vision" (Low).

Beautiful noise. Fascinating cinematigraphic, chaotic dream of drones and distortions with ambient, multidimensional, psychedelic, ironic, and hypnotic guitars.

All friends of electronics will be pleased by this amazing dada-like music from the very north of Siberia...
 

Recenze ze Stereo & Video
květen 2003

Poslech tohoto alba je v mnohém výjimečnou záležitostí. Leckoho možná napadne, jaký je to kontrast k nahrávkám mnoha známějších interpretů, jimž k vytvoření přirozeně znějícího hudebního díla nepomůže ani nesporná hráčská zručnost, množství použitých nástrojů či třeba zvučná jména přizvaných hostů. Oproti nim si ruské duo Roricat vystačí jen s velmi prostým zapojením elektronických „mašinek“ a tónů sólové kytary. Plochu více než 70 minut vyplňuje průzračnými instrumentálkami, ve kterých kombinuje křehké, takřka naivisticky melodické miniatury s tajemnými, místy až magicky působícími ambientně-rytmickými plochami. Přestože album působí velmi kompaktním dojmem, Roricat se nevyhýbají ani abstraktnějším noiseovým pasážím a z druhé strany třeba ani konvenčněji znějící rockové kytaře či repetitivně se opakujícím trance rytmům. V jejich hudbě se kromě mírných nástinů nálad mrazivého ruského severu jakoby mimoděk mísí odzbrojující dětská hravost francouzských Klimperei s někdejší impresionisticko-krautrockovou strohostí německého dua Cluster. Z uvedeného vyplývá, že hlavním krédem Roricat je výsledný zvuk v podobě pocitů neboli přirozené a neexhibicionistické sdělení stavu vlastní duše Juliky Roriky a Eugena T. Zdánlivě banální melodická témata totiž zpracovávají s nevšední lehkostí a šarmem, čímž dosahují kouzla nechtěného a potvrzují tisíckrát vyjevenou pravdu o tom, že největší síla se skrývá v jednoduchosti.

Igor Nováček

A review from FluxEuropa
4 September 2003

Roricat are a Russian duo consisting of Julica Rorica and Eugene T. They produce some extremely varied electronic and experimental music.
There are 14 tracks on this CD which starts with 'Blue 6', which has an electronic sound - a bit like Spacemen 3's 'Big City' blended with a subtle beat. There's some minimalistic stuff here too resembling very early Kraftwerk, and a good example of this is the second track, 'She Dives With Fireflies'. 'Perverted Magic User' provides us with some crazy noises which flow along to a nice simple melody. The title track is the first to have vocals from Julica, well what is recognisable as vocals anyway...there's lots of weird electronic sounds accompanying her, some sounding like bells or wind chimes. 'Mutio' has a slow pounding beat and wind-like sounds over which some John Squire style guitar is played. It could almost be an intro to a Stone Roses song, although at nine minutes rather a long one.

'Helica' provides a heavier, faster dance style beat. With some swirling electronics and twangy guitar. It's a bit like 'Private Psychedelic Reel' by Chemical Brothers. My favourite track is 'Hive', heavy electronic beats with some weird sounds floating over, it soon goes into a heavy rhythm which reminds me of Folk Implosions' 'Natural One' although with a lot more going on. Some weird vocal sounds are soon drafted in to make this excellent track complete. To end things 'Homeworld' sounds like it was recorded in a bubble bath! Lots of bubbly electronic effects and weird sounds making it a good finale to such a varied CD. Definitely worth checking out as there's a whole lot more to discover.

John Marshall

Recenze z Rock & Pop
říjen 2003

Brněnské vydavatelství a hudební distribuce HORUS CyclicDaemon
je zaměřeno především na ambientní a alternativní elektronickou scénu.
A přesně v těchto mantinelech se pohybuje na albu Uki Uki
i ruská dvojice Roricat.
Elektronicko-akustická sbírka velmi melodických skladeb osciluje
od experimentů Coil až k postrockování Múm či Tortoise – a uvěřitelně!
Jeden z velkých osobních objevů poslední doby!

****** Pavel Zelinka

Review from Rezultaty

18 апреля 2003 г.

Конечно же я знал о том, что Евгений давно вел переговоры с чешским лэйблом HORUS CyclicDaemon об издании компакта Roricat, но вот о том что речь шла об издании совершенно нового для меня материала я даже и не подозревал. И по простоте душевной думал что это будет просто фабричное издание того, что присылалось когда-то мне на сидиарах. Но, (сюрприз-сюрприз!) материал в целом оказался для меня совершенно новым! Даже несмотря на то что на диске присутствовало пять пьес из альбома «Nijkon». Эти известные мне ранее песни (ну написано на диске – songs – значит песни!) были скомпонованы с новыми так словно вдруг материализовались все те мои пожелания, которые я мысленно адресовал Tigress Lily, когда первый раз услышал их записи. Очень хорошо помню тот момент, когда я выбирал пьесу для четвертого сборника «Результатов» и выбрал именно «Uki, Uki», которая мне понравилась своей какой-то необычностью. Евгений отреагировал на мой выбор фразой о том, что вещь, дескать, нехарактерная абсолютно для нашего творчества и не отражает в полной мере того, что делает Tigress Lily. Андрей Борисов для своего «второго Чайковского» взял, кстати говоря, не мудрствуя лукаво самый первый трек с «Nijikon’а» «Girls Fear Tentacles». Ну, а я выбрал не взирая ни на что, именно честно понравившуюся «Uki, Uki». И сейчас совершенно неожиданно получаю вот этот 70-минутный альбом, сделанный именно в этом ключе, прекрасно записанный, отлично изданный и ещё именно с тем самым «Uki, Uki» названием! Ну что может быть ещё лучше?

Потом я достал из закромов сидиар с «Nijikon’ом» и сравнил варианты пьес там с теми, которые были на «Uki, Uki» - оказалось всё одинаковым, пожалуй разница в звучании была только обусловлена различием в типе носителя: CD-R и фабрично тиражированный CD, плюс ещё небольшой ремастеринг, который может быть был выполнен чешскими продюсерами. В остальном – полная идентичность. Но, хочу сказать, что вместе с «новым» материалом эти «старые» пьесы даже стали слушаться ещё выигрышнее, т.к. в сравнении стало отчетливо видно движение мысли.

Отличная пластинка! Вот только обложку бы я другую сделал! Совершенно необязательно украшать все развороты диджипака фотографиями заснеженных просторов окрестностей Надыма, что же - если из Сибири, так обязательно одни снега и бескрайняя тундра?! Можно было придумать что-нибудь по-оригинальнее. Такая музыка честное слово достойна более адекватного оформления, нежели старая ч/б фотография автора (впрочем, потом выяснилось что это вовсе не автор) на фронте обложки, да снимки поломанного железнодорожного моста внутри. Неужели ничего другого придумать не смогли? Впрочем, это я уже придираюсь…

Andrei Turusinov

A review from Ventrilocution Zine
March 2005

Roricat is a Russian duo, coming from the very north of Siberia , consisting of Eugene T on guitars and machines and Julica Rorica on (scarce) voices and magic (?). Presented here are fourteen tracks on seventy-one minutes, so there’s plenty of room for everyone to get into this album. The digipack contains some (cool) illustrative images of the coldness this release somehow exhales (desolate snowy landscapes), except for the cover itself, which I can’t find to be related with the music.

Their work is somehow hard to grasp at first hearings, as the album merges a distinct amount of aesthetics, ranging from the progressive ambient style of “Blue 6”’s delicate beat, the minimal and dirty rhythm of “She Dives With Fireflies”, the noisy “Washu Theme”, the lush synth use on “Perverted Magic User” and the spatial eeriness of the title-track.

Most notable is “Ice-Cold Blood”, perhaps the best offering on “Uki Uki”. This is, I believe, Roricat at its best – a very intelligent and well thought-out song revolving around a neat trip-hop feeling and very appealing guitar riffing with lots of electro sounds layered in the background. “Helica” reminds me a lot of Coil’s dance tracks, while “Hive”, alongside the aforementioned “Ice-Cold Blood”, is an outstanding song, finally to present Julica’s voices at the very end. Even though firmed in the electronic camp, the Russians seem to be surprisingly capable of generating a very organic and human feeling throughout the album. Just take, for instance, the closing track “Homeworld”, which actually gyrates around a quasi-melancholic water-flowing sample.

“Uki Uki” is a very accomplished release, another one by the first-rate label that is Horus CyclicDaemon. Very evocative, imaginative and diverse in its approach, the Russian duo experiments, distorts, plays and never ceases to find itself creating unique songs. It takes a while until everything has been figured out but, it will, eventually, be worthwhile.

 

Luís Oliveira

A review from Gothtronic
September 2006

Wow, sometimes you bump into a musical piece of art that leaves you in complete amazement. This also goes for the cd of Roricat (ex-Tigress Lily) from Russia. Amazement and curiosity however, curious to what is more to come. Electronics and a guitar create a slightly psychedelic avantgarde atmosphere which is comparable to some recordings on StateArt and Thisco. While listening to Uki Uki i had to think of Grundik + Slava, Ultra United and Coil more than once, although the music of Roricat is more soothing. You can also go back in time some more and then you can mention Spacemen3 or the early Kraftwerk kraut experiments. Warm yet minimal sounds in an avantgarde coating is what Roricat has to offer and this is all very much enjoyable. Eugene plays the guitar and produces the most extraordinary sounds, drones, noise and beautiful melodies. Julica Roricat is responsible for the vocals and a fair amount of magic. Apparantly hesitating rhythms, broken sounds, acid bubbles and very beautiful melancholic melodies create music that goes straight into your subconscious and hits a sensitive snare. Sometimes the compositions arrive into more difficult waters and there are various dissonant sounds clashing into eachother. But these know how to find a way into your brain as well where they finally will make themselves a nice and cosy place as pleasurable sound sculptures, culminating into a release of more accessible rhythms. Electronic sounds create a magical atmosphere here in which time has no relevance. The music starts to sound more and more organic although it is completely electronic, except for the guitar. Do not think Uki Uki is a serious piece of art, on the contrary, there is much humor to be found. In the sounds or combination of sounds as well as in the subtitles that are added to the titles on the tracklist. For instance with the extremely beautiful ‘She Dives With Fireflies’, which additionally states: ‘’a common underwater love story, he meets her, she meets him, do you want more words?’’. Ingenious!

Grade: 8

TekNoir

A review from Postindustry
March 18, 2007

Jeśli dwa poprzednie wydawnictwa Horusa można skojarzyć ze środowiskiem dark ambientowym, to płyta o cokolwiek zabawnym tytule "Uki Uki" nie ma z nim zbyt wiele wspólnego. Ale tak jak w przypadku każdego wydawnictwa Horusa, jest to pozycja godna uwagi. Wydanie może odrobinę zawodzi (cóż, to ledwie digipak), natomiast muzyka ani trochę.

Z czym w zasadzie mamy do czynienia? Roricat to para Rosjan, Julica i Eugene, którzy na "Uki Uki" stworzyli swój własny wielobarwny świat. Psychodelia to najlepsze określenie, choć nie mówimy tutaj o gatunku. Im udało się stworzyć tętniącą życiem, bulgoczącą lawę za pomocą instrumentalnych miniaturek, w których nie sposób się nie zakochać. A wystarczyło do tego trochę quasi-analogowej elektroniki i nieco sennych gitar przyprawionych szczyptą halucynogennych melodii.

Skojarzenia, które wywołuje we mnie Roricat są naprawdę sprzeczne. Dadaistyczna nutka The Residents, wulkaniczne ciepło islandzkich wykonawców pokroju Slowblow, rytmiczny hipnotyzm kraut rocka bliskiego Neu!, staroświeckie brzmienie Stereolab, elektroniczny eklektyzm wydawnictw Morr Music... Tak właśnie wyglądające kamyczki znajdują się w ogródku przy domku Roricata. Takiego domku, który został sportretowany w filmie "Zakochani widzą słonie".

Roricat podobno pochodzi z samej Syberii. Nie wiem jak to możliwe, żeby w takim klimacie tworzyć tak ciepłe, abstrakcyjne, wielobarwne brzmienia. Chyba że to reakcja obronna lub rodzaj terapii. Płyta w każdym razie w sam raz na rozbudzenie wiosny w środku zimy.

 

[orwell]

N E X T  R E L E A S E S

LINGUA FUNGI
Melankhton

(CD)

HCD 12 (2009)

New regular CD album by this Ambient / Experimental sound sculpturist.
 

Tracklist:

1. Wavy Guests (F10.5) 10.11
2. Departure (F41.0) 11.04
3.Melankhton (F33.2) 10.31
4. Detached (F40.1) 12.13
5. Soma Dissolution (50.0) 11.07

Lingua Fungi:

J.Padatsu - guitar, mandolin, bass, vocals, percussion, flutes, whistles, field recording and programming.

Recorded, mixed and mastered between October & December 2006.

All music written and performed by J.Padatsu
 

To be released
in summer 2010.

COPH'ANTAE TRYR
Research Chronicles 2007-2009
(2CD)

HCD ? (2010)

A superb collection of 4 albums (!) from New Drone Music Generation.
The Russian project Coph'antae Tryr presents its 2CD incl. 4 albums by this Ambient / Experimental drone sculpturist.
Coph`antae Tryr is a way of an enlightenment and clearing by injections of medical enzymes
in subconsciousness to study and learn other, undercover, dark corners of a universe and places
where it is simply impossible to get physically.
Where Coph is the axe of clearing opening a window to light, "Lux resplendens" (dazzling Light),
Antae – a barrier constraining consciousness and a body, and Tryr – a medicine.
 

1. Coph antae Tryr: Demyrod (CD1-A) 35:50
2. Coph antae Tryr: Gridaltlryn (CD1-B) 41:33
Total: 77:23:00

3. Coph antae Tryr: Kyrleet (CD2-A) 40:49
4. Coph antae Tryr: Redoran (CD2-B) 37:05
Total: 77:54:00
 

Demyrod & Gridaltlryn: Solemn and melancholy sagas, with sensation of extreme weight, places slightly opening, and even flinging the doors open in Next world and infernal life measurements.

Kyrleet & Redoran: That uneasy, the thoughtful sagas, baring horrible essence, denying rational philosophical concepts and self-confident claims for pansophy.
 

More details later.

To be released
in a turn of 2010/2011.

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