Gangleri – music reviews

Yet another project of Dead Man’s Hill, Alle Sagen Ja, Eisengrau, etc. NDE makes a mix between black metal, martial industrial, bombastic orchestrations and noise. The result is a heavy pompous sound with distorted screamed vocals and raging guitars. Quite extreme, quite original, not alway quite good. There are some nice orchestral noisy tracks, but as soon as the guitars set in, I loose my interest. I think this album will appeal to people who like the later sound of Karjalan Sissit with the noisy orchestrations and screamed vocals, but then with guitars added.
Links: NDE, Cold Spring

Two Dutch reviews today. Two times soft orchestral music too. “XII Caesars” has the style of “Vondel’s Lucifer” (and I apparently missed the previous album), which means that it is not as bombastic and martial as the earlier material, but still a bit. The orchestrations are nice, the vocals as well, yep, HERR makes some fine music.
Links: H.E.R.R., Cold Spring

In an exquisite digipack comes the new album of Von Thronstahl. This controversial band will amplify the opinions about them with this pretty political release. A “musical terrorists network” was founded (with a funny “wanted” leaflet in the middle of the booklet) and the quotes and lyrics that come with each track are clear enough (but can of course still be either fuel or water depending on your own ideas). 19 Tracks seemingly going over most of Von Thronstahl’s musical history with orchestral tracks, marchdrums (fierce of subtle), rocksongs, neofolk and a lot of martial bombast, but also the more sound-collage oriented tracks. Especially the first part of the album is very good with a variety of good tracks and songs with of course a load of samples. The overall length is 70 minutes. For people worrying about the musical direction of the band: the way the songs are created may remind of “Bellum, Sacrum Bellum?!”, but sound does not really. On the other hand, neither is the sound as dark as on the early releases (which I guess will not be topped anymore). “Germanium Metallicum” is a real Von Thronstahl album and like all of the others, it is pretty good too.
Links: Von Thronstahl, Trutzburg Thule, Cold Spring

I thought that when I ordered my copy from Tesco, I would have it sooner than when I would order it from Cold Spring. After two weeks of waiting, Tesco tells me that it will take another 10 days before their copies arrive. Impatient as I am I spent € 9,50 to get a download copy from Cold Spring waiting for the ‘hardcopy’. Fortunately “Sensitive Disturbance” is worth paying for twice! Sistrenatus created very dense “noisescapes” with extreme noise terror moments, but not as much as before. The style is mostly the same as on the previous two cds, but that does not matter (yet), since our Canadian friend has again managed to create some greatly structured extreme electronics.
Links: Sistrenatus, Cold Spring Records

Actually I had the impression that besides the “neofolk scene” which is part of the industrial scene or the gothic scene to use a ‘larger tag’, there was also some kind of “folk music scene” or maybe two, but with a variety of styles, etc. According to the booklet of this “dark folk” compilation, this is not the case. There were many bands making some kind of folk music, but not before the internet brought them together, all worked separately. This compilation is meant to give an idea of what is available and indeed, what you get is a varried compilation with all kinds of folk(y) music, from the traditional 60′ies sound so more rock, “psychedelic” and some neofolk. Of the two cds (a third one can be downloaded), there are only four bands from the neofolk scene, the rest is new to me. The compilation is a cooperation from a folklabel and Cold Spring and the first in a series to come. I have never really listened to folk music, neither is it really my thing, but “John Barleycorn Reborn” gives a nice overview of what the compilers call “dark folk”. There are very nice songs on the cds and also not too appealing. Both words in the term “dark folk” are used somewhat differently from what you may expect. “Dark” is more like “obscure” as in “outside the large audience” (including the ‘normal folk audience’) and “folk” does not really refer to a musical style, but to a certain background of the music. Andrew King has written a nice text about the modern attitude to folk music. “JBR” overall is an interesting project and music-wise the compilation is a nice cd to have on the shelve in case you want to play something different.
Links: special website, Cold Spring Records, Woven Wheat Whispers
-2.5-

For many years, Stephen Pennick and Christopher Walton formed the magnificent dark ambient / ritual project Endvra. I didn’t know that this project was officially dismantled, but Walton seems to think himself “ex-Endvra”. In Endvra, Pennick did the music, Walton ‘the philosophy’. Pennick probably continued under the monicker of his side-project Ontario Blue, which is more atmospheric and melodic and less interesting than Endvra used to be. Walton seems to have been busy under a new name and released two small releases before being picked up by Cold Spring. TenHornedBeast does not sound very interesting to me. The album contains long dark ambient soundscapes, which are sometimes nice (track 2), but sometimes extremely tedious (track 4). Overall the album doesn’t convince me at all. It seems that the line of Endvra is followed by both ex-members. Endvra started brilliantly with Dreams Of Dark Waters and after a few albums the music didn’t get better and the final album is even not that good. The same goes for both projects that came from the split.
-2-
Links: TenHornedBeast, Cold Spring

After the magnificent demo (2005) that contains the first tracks of this debut cd, I have eagerly awaited this album. The demo tracks are very dark and noisy with a threatening sound that suggests the coming a violent power-electronic outburst, but which never comes. The other tracks have a slightly different style. V and VI are more ambient noise tracks, while VII is a noise track with a marchdrum. The violent eruption finally does come at the end and VIII is a real power electronics track and IX a more martial and slightly bombastic noise track. More violence is anounced for the second album “Wrought Iron Railings” that will be released on the Propergol label Hermetique later this year. “Division One” is an instant classic in the power electronics field with great atmospheres, structured violence and wonderfully built-up tracks that will definately appeal to lovers of Propergol. One minor point is the length: 37 minutes…

-9/4/07-

I know this band from the recently reviewed ‘Wir Rufen Deine Wölfe’ compilation and this is the debut cd. They are anounced as a new star on the neofolk horizon, mixing “fine neofolk” with “martial industrial [...] ambience and neo-classical”. Well, Werkraum makes mostly tranquil neofolk with some drumming. Other tracks are electronic also tranquil tracks. I think the style (but not really the sound) is best compared to Darkwood. Also I like the band about as much as Darkwood, that means, the sound is not too original and the music is not too great, but overal the material is quite enjoyable. <4/7/04><2>

The Brittish label Cold Spring has been around for 15 years which was celebrated with a small festival late last year and now this special 12 has been released, limited to 500 copies. On side A is a long track by Von Thronstahl, the other two bands have half of side B. None of the tracks are very good… Von Thronstahl (pig headed as they are) come with a strange sound collage consisting of a twice told tale (through eachother) with some kind of music towards the end. I do like it when a band tries to do something new, but of course I can’t always like the result. This track is better than some of the other soundcollages that Von Thronstahl has made, but I prefer them making music. Then to the Dutch band HERR. They made some kind of neofolkish song with awfull vocals and an accordion. Then Kriegsfall-U have a nice dark industrial track, but nothing compared to their album. Exclusive tracks by three great bands, but unfortunately not really their best material. <14/1/06><2>

This is the second cd of Von Thronstahl. “E Pluribus Unum” contains contributions to compilation cds and other rare material, which I actually find a bit cheap for a second cd. On the other hand, it makes up for 64 minutes and there is also material that I didn’t have, so… What you will find are the contributions to Riefenstahl, Cavalcare La Tigra, Thorak, Audacia Imperat, Za Dom Spremni, the upcoming Iron Guard / Cordreanu compilation, Judas Kiss magazine compilation and some compilation of the Russian RWCDistribution. Further live in Leipzig, the 10″ and some re-works. All in all mostly unknown to me or different from what I already had. Of course most material is quite old, some tracks even sound more like Forthcoming Fire than Von Thronstahl. Also there is no coherence between the songs, but still this is a very nice cd. I am very curious about new material. <29/9/01> <4>

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The second cd of Von Thronstahl (which I first reviewed on 29/9/01) contains hard-to-get material. Compilation contributions, the 10″, etc. The material is a bit older and not all is as good as on the first cd. Still this is a very good album that has now been made available again in a digipack. Beside the packing and the order of the pages in the booklet (nothing left out this time), this new edition is completely the same. Dark industrial, ‘neofolk’, orchestal tunes, martial tracks and at the end a long compilation of ‘traditional music’. Again available for those who missed it. <26/3/05><3>

And here we have the cd of Von Thronstahl. It sounds different from what I expected. There isn’t as much industrial on this cd as on the 10″. (that I reviewed earlier), but there isn’t more folk on it either! So what kind of music is there on this cd? Well, most of the music is very orchestral. The first five songs are like that, at times fairly dark and with some militant touches (marchdrums). A few voices and samples to complete things. It sounds pretty good too. The songs become a bit more industrial with every track, which results in a total industrial track number six. After that there is a shorter and different version from the magnificent ‘Sturmzeit’ track from the 10″.
Then it’s time for the first folky sounds in the form of “Heimaterde, Mutterboden, Vaterland” (Native Soil, Mother Country, Fatherland). Then two more orchestral tracks and a new version of “Turn The Centuries”, which was the only folky track on the 10″. It sounds a lot more orchestral this time.
A piece of industrial and two tranquil songs close the row.
Yes, that’s a lot of tracks. It’s 14 in total spanning a time of about an hour. Because the songs aren’t too long, it doesn’t matter that not all are totally brilliant. But overall this cd is really, really good!
I think this cd will particularly appeal to people who like ‘mystical industrial’ bands like Turbund Sturmwerk, Der Blutharsch and Blood Axis. Those who enjoy experimental folk sounds, might give it a try as well. <19/7/00> <4>

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Cold Spring sent me review copies two long anounced rereleases of this controversial band. I heard about this band just before the 2000 Wave Gotik Treffen, but missed their ‘performance’ at the chaotic festival. I did get the 10″ and on 19/7/00 I reviewed this cd. Reading this review again, it seems that there weren’t a whole lot of bands with this kind of sound in those times. I really liked the cd and I still do. It is still one of my favourite albums with music going from soft neofolk to harsch industrial, but mostly music with a very orchestral and martial sound. Many readers of these pages will already have this cd I think, but for those who have been waiting and waiting in order to be able to lay their hands on a copy, now is your change! The rerelease comes in a digipack whereas the first edition was a normal jewel case. Musically I didn’t find any differences, but the booklet is slightly different. There are no lyrics in the new edition. <26/3/05><4>

It sure has been a cold spring so far, but fortunately the British label with this name comes with a heartwarming compilation. There are some famous bands, but also new names to me, especially on disc 1. The compilation opens with a heavy martial industrial track by Kreuzweg Ost, followed by ambient and industrial tracks (some pretty heavy) ending in the noise of Necropolis and Deadwood. The second disc begins with the new noise star Sistrenatus from Canada with an alternative version of track “IV” from the demo. Disc two is mostly dark droning noise in the beginning, but what are these terrible version of Von Thronstahl’s “Adoration, To Europe” and the poor track “At Dawn We Meet Our Maker” by A Challenge of Honour doing there? Also the last one may be a bit out of place, but “Stalingrad” by the Dutch band HERR is a nice track to close this compilation with. A compilation with old and new, good and bad tracks, but a good introduction to the Cold Spring label. <14/4/06><3>

This box is a registration of the first evening of the “Stigma festival” in London end november 2001. I’ve travelled to this little festival (see my report here) and I was surprised that after all this time a release dedicated to it comes out. A strange release by the way. Douglas P. asked if he could open the night with an accoustic set. A nice surprise, which you can hear here. The official and original fourth act, Nocturne from Germany, does not have a disc in this box though and I don’t know why. Another thing is that in two years time you would say that the recordings could have been polished through and through. Nothing is less true! It seems as if the recordings are taken from the microphones instead of directly from the PA. Especially in TDOTTC and Folkstorm you can hear the audience talking loud and clear. Further the sound is quite flat in most cases and for example Von Thronstahls ‘soundcheck’ in the middle of the show isn’t cut out. When you’ve been there, you know the situation, but ‘new listeners’ will see no advantage in it I guess.

So, what do you get? Inspite of the spectaculair descriptions you will read, this box is nothing more (but also nothing less) than a small box like TMLHBACs “The Smell Of Blood…” or Sopors “Songs From The Inverted Womb” (cd box size but slightly bigger). Inside are four slips with a disc in it and a small ‘poster’ with some live photos. The front cover is black with black letters.

DIJ has an 11 minute cd with 6 songs. Just Douglas with a guitar. There was almost no audience when DIJ played (even though the doors opened far too late), so the recordings are alright.
Von Thronstahl has a cd of a little over 50 minutes. They played tracks that were not yet released back then and different versions of known tracks. The recording is quite good.
The Days Of The Trumpet Call present their (to me) best material. In contraction to the normal releases there are some guitars and nice vocals which surely adds to the sound. As mentioned, the audience is too present and the sound is too flat. Short too, 16 minutes.
Folkstorm vs MZ.412 had a nice set which slowly builds up from dark industrial to extreme noise. Also here not too good sound and too present audience. The lenght here 42 minutes.

The price of this box is quite impressive, I paid E 40,- for these 2 hours of alright to nice recordings. Of course (again), I’ve been there, which makes this box a nice memory, but I don’t know if I should recommend this box to people who just like the bands presented. Should you consider buying it, be sure to be quick. There are 1500 copies, not extremely limited, but I suppose that with DIJ on it, it will sell out rapidly. <22/9/03><3>

This “Cold Spring Records sampler” is a 80 minute cd with Ignis Fatuus (alright neoclassical), Folkstorm (good industrial/ambient), Mark Snow (nice neoclassical), Laibach (strange old industrial), Endura (too monotous ambient), Novatron (too monotous ambient), Band of Pain (again too monotous ambient), Benedikt Prayer (a piano track), Schloss Tegal (good dark industrial), Von Thronstahl (a version of “Mitternachtsberg” that I already had), Toroidh (industrial), Sleep Research Facility (industrial), The Days Of The Trumpet Call (a nice track that sounds a bit too much like Von Thronstahl), Kerovnian (nice, but a bit too monotous ambient) and the best for last: A Challenge Of Honour (nice orchestral version of “Havamal”). All in all a nice compilation with a few acts that I didn’t know yet. <4/2/03><3>

I think I am too young for this. When this LP was released in 1986, I was 10 years old. It is one of these old industrial things that in that time where probably groundbreaking and later became legendary. I may be wrong, but I think this legency probably lives more under contemporaries of this project, than under people who grew up with a more ‘modern’ style of industrial music. Anyway, repetative sounds, noisy edges, guitars and vocals. This remastered to modern-day sound-standards makes an album that is sometimes funny to hear, but may be more for archival reasons for industrial-fans a bit older than myself. <25/10/06><2>

Old material for this classical dark industrial act. Remixes, unreleased material and hard-to-get vinyls are among the hidden history of Schloss Tegal. All in all 66 minutes of dark industrial, ambient, soundscapes and one noise-remix by Folkstorm. This band has been around for so long that people who know them, will get this new cd anyway. To give others an idea, think of slightly old-styled industrial, but then more ambient and pretty dark. <4/7/04><2>

I have one of the tracks from this album on some online compilation (I think). For the rest I didn’t know this artist from Rome. Damiano Mercuri has his own, but Italian, style of (neo)folk music. He has very particular vocals that I don’t really like all the time. Also the songs go from awfull (2, 5), to alright (1, 4, 8, 9) , to good (3, 6, 7). There is a Von Thronstahl cover and Josef K. contributed to one track. An alright album, not completely my style, but fortunately not too typical of sound. <251006><2>

I had never heard of this band before, so I can’t tell you much about them. Maybe only that Remanence excists of Brian McWilliams, John Phipps, Eric Berg, Carter Dewberry and Mike Rashid.
“Apparitions” may not sound like what you expect from Cold Spring. The cd opens very orchestal -almost neo-classical- and evolves towards a rhythmical kind of atmospheric music with orchestral influences. Here and there a voice can be heard, but mostly the music is instrumental. It all sounds pretty good as well, especially the first orchestral tracks. <15/4/00><3>

A rerelease of a very limited cdr with one extra track. Necropolis is from Russia, makes very dark ambient which reminds me of Têhom. The music is moody, sometimes a bit too monotous, but has a nice dark atmosphere and great artwork. <25/10/06><2>

I remember Melek-Tha’s debut on the French metallabel Adipocere. I listened to it ones. I found it cheap and primitive. Somehow I got the idea that this is the third album of the French “Lord Evil”, but I don’t really remember what the second one is called. Anyhow, “De Magia…” opens brilliantly. A sample from Hellraiser (II if I’m correct) supported by the brillant opera chorus “Dies Irae” of Verdi’s “Requiem”. The combination of the two makes a great piece of dark classical music with battle sounds. Unfortunately, this is the very way that the cd proceeds. Samples from movies (not the most original ones either, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is sampled at great length) with a minimum of ‘music’ over it. Sometimes dark ambient, sometimes industrial, but never really as dark as the first track. Actually again I find this a cheap and primitive cd. If it wasn’t for the opener, this one would be just horrid. <2>