Hiemis – Malleus Maleficarum

Hiemis are a project out of Spain, not exactly a mecca (yet) for dark ambient bands or dungeon synth, but this album is wonderfully bleak and enveloping.  It has the feel of a lo-fi Spanish or Italian horror soundtrack, but with a lot of warmth to it.  Eerie, of course, Continue Reading

William Ryan Fritch – Cohesion

William Ryan Fritch’s lastest disc is the, “second in a three-part series reflecting on the many calamitous water crises affecting life on this planet.”  Cohesion is a bit darker than the previous album, Polarity, but there is a more organic feel to it. From Fritch’s Bandcamp site: “In contrast to Continue Reading

Chaigidel & Neraterræ – Lama​š​tu

Two of Italy’s best dark /ritual ambient projects, CHAIGIDEL and NERATERRÆ, have joined forces and created a deeply evocative ritualistic opus rich in various aural elements and sceneries. The title “Lamaŝtu” pays tribute to the Mesopotamian mythological malevolent goddess, the most terrible of all female demons, daughter of the sky god Continue Reading

Blood Rhythms – New Illusions

“A massive, oppressively brutal wall of sound.”  That was the first impression that popped into my head after listening to Arvo Zylo’s project, Blood Rhythm’s latest release, New Illusions. Think of ritualistic noise with some sense of structure, like Z’ev meeting Merzbow’s more restrained and focused works.  This is bleak, claustrophobic, Continue Reading

László Hortobágyi – The Amygdala Expedition

This is quite a momentous occasion for me, as áMARXE Records out of Galicia, Spain, release an album by Hungarian composer László Hortobágyi which has been shelved since 1989.  The album was programmed specifically for vinyl, and áMARXE are releasing a small edition of 250 copies, no doubt of high Continue Reading

RHaD – Metamusic

It’s one thing when you’re the impresario of a record label who consistently delivers astoundingly good quality.  It’s quite something else when you make music yourself that is as solid as any of the releases you so lovingly curate. RHaD (Research for Historical Audio Documents) is a side project of Continue Reading

Fellirium – Changes

Yet another great listen from Russia.  I have plenty more coming down the line. Fellirium produce a neofolk that stays away from the more pretentious parts of the genre, and sticks with fine, gentle instrumental soundscapes.  One can hear hints of the Incredible String Band, perhaps a more acoustically based Continue Reading

Various Artists – That Sounds Greek To Me | Apr 27 | Muses & Sirens

First, a debt of thanks goes to Dimitris Tsironis who took the time to send me this compilation for review.  His label, 1tracktape, is doing a great service exposing Greek experimental and avant-garde music to the world, and the quality of this compilation is superb.  What’s more, the label is Continue Reading