Sagenhaft - Hypnerotomachia

Very excited that I have been given the opportunity to review the latest with Sagenhaft. I started with this act some 5 years ago, I bought their legendary (and essential) classic The Legend of the Forgotten Reign from 1996. Back then I didn´t have any idea that I was to get in good contact with the brain pilot behind this project and review his stuff. Hell! I even thought that Sagenhaft was a relic from the past, never to be alive again! So here we are (nonetheless), Sagenhaft in 2022 with a new mini-album out on cassette via Moonlit Castle Records! A limited 50 copies cassette (link below!).

When I dig the cover artwork I usually mention this...as always. A lovely simplistic and epic thing to look at. The whole white-on-black idea works like a charm, and even more when you are dealing with something with an esoteric and archaic touch. Still don´t know what the hell I am talking about?! Then do yourself a favor and check out the picture inside the booklet...(while listening to the music). It all makes sense, believe me!

Anyways... the album has been called Hypnerotomachia? A supposed (and mysterious) novel from the 15th century. My research tells me, that we are dealing with a kind of mysterious love story. A guy seeks his dream girl via dreamlike landscapes, and he ends up being united with her at the fountain of Venus. The book/novel was also one of the earliest examples of the art of printing. 

Down to the music. The first track Sleepless Night, Magical Forest invites the listener into the world of the wild spirits of the woods and forests. Nymphs, faeries, fauns... you name it. And you are invited to join their pagan dance around the bonfire. The otherworldly music (and the eldritch melodies) seduce you to join their dance. And you do, and you say to yourself. This album is bound to be good!

The Second track is called Dance of the Nymphs. A very merry and seducing piece, more seducing than the former track! Thinking about some erotic and highly decadent scenes from that classic Caligula flick from 1979, or that scene in the first Conan flick where they attack the Thulsa Doom cult in the middle of the night. Love that pagan vibe going on, the mood feels just right... and authentic.  

 

The third track Ethereal Garden moves away from the dungeon-synth vibes and further into ambient and drones. Sort of an ambient version of the Moon Hidden Behind the Cloud. Beautiful and melodic ambient music with a kind of post-rockish texture to it. At this point, the listener will tell him/herself ´We are definitely not in Kansas anymore!´ A minor hint of unpleasantness hides behind the ethereal soundscapes, has the nymphs succeeded in leading us ashtray and putting us to eternal sleep?!

The fourth (and last) track A Kiss To Seal the Dream is the most epic and heavenly piece on the album. The place in the novel (obviously) where the guy meets the girl at the Fountain of Venus... still in a dream? The track and the mood of medieval chamber music enlighten the title of the track, it does make sense. Not always that dungeon synth makes me wanna move, but this stuff does. Something magical going on in here!  

A truly magical and good mini-album from the land of good wine, italio-disco, and fast cars! Been ages since I have reviewed something being close to dungeon synth, and what a treat it was. It was something just like that, it just had some extra (and good) side effects. It was an adventurous and curious recording. Not sure if I would simply call this dungeon-synth. It sounds like something that doesn't want to be looped inside a nutshell. This also explains the sound of Sagenhaft, that is that Sagenhaft is one of the few acts which existed way before the rise of the dungeon synth. And I think It´s great that they/he have maintained the independent aesthetic and mood from their first 1996 release. A worthy buy for a huge selection of listeners. Do give it a listen people!

Bandcamp (band):

https://sagenhaft.bandcamp.com/album/hypnerotomachia

Bandcamp (label):

https://moonlitcastlerecords.bandcamp.com/album/hypnerotomachia

 

 James Osland - Lullabies For Nora

A new ambient album from the label-manager of Elm Records, James Osland from New Zealand. A limited CD-R, 50 copies available on his Bandcamp site below. 7 tracks, about 40 minutes in total. 

Think the album is meant as a tribute to Nora, who also did the artwork as well. Family-related, girlfriend... something like that.

The first track on the album is called Be As Wonderful Tomorrow As You Were Today, the most positive-minded track title this year on Kalteldur! Gentle and shimmering sounds of crystalized bells, a breeze through the pine trees, chill-wave synth background with a natural sound of a small river and some chirping birds. Incredibly pleasant and all that. I know I am mostly into dark and disturbing stuff, but I do like good ambient music when it is well done! This is well done, and I am enjoying it! Excellent intro track for the album. Kind of back to nature sort of, but with a futuristic touch to it.  

The second track Peace, Like Most Beautiful Things, Begins Small again starts with gentle and mysterious windy drones, slightly melancholic in a way. A kind of a desert theme from Dune spinning in my mind now, it has that retro early 80s ambient feel to it. Steve Roach and Brian Eno kind of. Incredibly dreamy stuff here, and incredible how it engulfs the listener. Some interesting and ethereal flute-like instruments in the background as well. Excellent!

The third track People Becoming More Than People starts with a cold and chilly synth, with gentle and soothing white noise in the background. Additional Aphex-Twin (early) ambient-melodies sets in. Hard to believe that it could get any better, but it did! Is it the sound of a humming distorted guitar in there, some string instrument I am sure? Some post-rockish texture here. Roaring waves of the beach get on the track later on. 

The fourth track All These Waves Of Human Kindness gets back to the chirping birds. Again, with the lovely mixture of white noise and ethereal synth work. The white noise bit does actually sound a bit like the needle on the record player. 

The fifth track Truly Happy Memories Always Live On remains in the cathedral-like forest with the sound of birds and woody keypads. At this point it does get a bit tedious, sounds like you are lost in the forest of happy memories. 

I will now jump to the last seventh track called The Hand-Holding Mine Squeezed Gently. I think I can hear one of those... water-springer? Lots of tiny drops and some dry grass on a hot summer day. Sensing a levitating sensation here, I wanna float upwards for some reason. Kind of laughing gas at the dentist, although this is without the drills and all that! A gentle ending for a gentle album. 

An album that starts in a very gentle way, and enters a more mysterious and intriguing territory of sound and expression. I would have liked more of that mysterious stuff, it does feel (when you are halfway through the album) that the mystery evaporates into thin air. Some new sounds or effects give the album an adventurous feeling. The best tracks on the album are tracks 2 and 3, hear them and you´ll understand! The album might have worked better as a mini-album, 3 tracks in total maybee! Give it go, and do give it a listen after a stressful day! It does actually puts the blood pressure down. 

Bandcamp (band):

https://jamesoslandaudio.bandcamp.com/album/lullabies-for-nora-self-release

 Jugendwerkhof - Mernscharmierung

I have reviewed Jugendwerkhof a couple of times before, they have even been included as one of the top releases of 2021! And of course, I wanted to review another one of their releases. This one came out in the same period as the former Leibinfamie CD album (read former review), released as a limited 20 copies cassette on the Spanish cult label Marbre Negre. 

Again, I really dig the cover artwork for this one. Raw and simple artwork/photo showing a crumpling female statue of some kind, with a kind of decayed industrial design in the background. All in a sort of pale and brownish color. Sadly there isn´t anything more to look at if you open the inner sleeve of the cassette, some info about the titles of the 4 tracks and some contact info for the label. All 4 tracks on the album have been called Menscharmierung I, II, III, and IV. 

The first track starts with a metallic grinding sound with a thick and humming death-industrial bass drone in the background. An extra layer of chaotic distortion is added to the mix, giving the track a big dynamic space to be in. Extra dynamics are added to the track. Some of the sounds sound close to the listener's ears while seconds later they move away into the distance. A passive and aggressive track, offering something both for the fans of Japanoise (Incapacitants), early industrial, and power electronics (Mauthausen Orchestra).  

The second track has a cool and thumping machine bass sound with some distortion on top of it. Takes me back to Brighter Death Now´s I Hate You track. My kind of noise-tea if you please. Extra and painful layers of sound are being added to the lovely smörgåsbord. A more in-your-face aggressive treat than the former track. There are some cool sounds going on, not sure if they are vocal-related. Whatever it is, it is distorted and warped beyond human recognition. There is almost a kind of spiritual and paranormal activity going on here!

After a staggering (and punishing) 16:49 of the second track, the third track starts. More of a downbeat and noisy dark-ambient kind of a start. In the vein of Flutwacht, just a bit more violent. Impaling sounds of noise penetrate the listener while shredding pieces of flying metal shred the skin. It a more of a vortex of sound, sucking the listener deeper into the album. Lots of thoughtful stuff here! The vocal elements are soo good here, bits of painful human voices that can be seen and heard through the metallic chaos. 

The last track continues the harsh and relentless mix of industrial power electronics and harsh noise. Incredible brutal and incredible jaw-dropping in the expression. One thing I love about Jugendwerkhof is, that u get what you see. Their sound perfectly describes the cover artwork and vice-versa. The last track might just be the most brutal track on the album, which is hard to imagine considering the other tracks!

In my book, Jugendwerkhof is the best harsh-noise unit in Europe. Forget Macronymphia and Japanoise-wannabees, these guys are the real shit! Connect all the dots if you please. Harsh noise for the fans of power electronics, and power electronics for the fans of harsh noise. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/menscharmierung

Bandcamp (band):

https://lowlifehighvolume.bandcamp.com/album/blutst-tte

  

   

 Kadaitcha - Fracture

I have reviewed Kadaitcha before, some years ago with their cassette album called Tar. This time we are dealing with a physical and digital release that came out on the fourth of February, this year. The physical release has (sadly) already sold out, a strictly limited 40-copies 7-inch, released via Ant-Zen! Would love to hold and see the physical release with my own eyes. Clear vinyl and each release have a unique design with an exclusive print on acrylic glass! A two-track 7-inch from this Ukraine-based act.

The first track is called Night. Radio-chatter, metallic scrapyard-scratching, a monotone, and slow ind
ustrial thumping rhythm with some excellent (and evil!) sounding east-European spoken words. Lots of industrial ritualistic undercurrents and guitar-driven psychedelia on top of it. Laibach in their Nova Acropola-era and then add some Deutsche Nepal in it. I fxxxxx love it! Would love 2 have more with this act. They didn´t disappoint me the first time around, and they haven´t disappointed me (yet) with this release.

The second track Rekill has a slightly Japanese horror sound to it. Something clattering, something weird is apparently going on in abandoned underground railway stations, or the deep labyrinth-like basements of hospitals. Electronic machine sounds, murky drones, haunted atmosphere, and warped radio noise. Kind of intro that makes the listener think ´What the hell is going on?!´, really opens the listener's imagination here. Live drums are added further on, with slightly-evil-sounding shamanic vocals as well. Again, an awesome track. 

A unique EP/Mini-album on a 7-inch released via Ant-Zen. I can understand why Ant-Zen wanted to release it, they sound like a very serious act! Kadaitcha has some ideas, and they sound good and unique as well. Kind of like a mix of different styles. Elements of drones metal, noise-rock, industrial and ritualistic-driven ambient. For any collector of interesting 7-inches, this one is bound to be a cult release. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/album/fracture

Bandcamp (band):

https://kadaitcha.bandcamp.com/

        

 Ultrapolar Intrusion - This War Will Have No End

Another release from Steinklang is ready to be reviewed. This time we´re dealing with another act from Russia called Ultrapolar Intrusion, with an album called This War Will Never End. It was released on the 21´th of October last year (2021) and has been released as a 100 limited digipack on Steinklang. 9 tracks, over an hour long. 

I am not 100% sure what Ultrapolar Intrusion means, other than some sort of intrusion from the polar regions of Antarctica... maybe an earthquake-related thing?... I don´t know! Other than that, the album has been called This War Will Have No End. What war you might ask? Think we´re dealing with a symbolic title here since it has been released in 2021 (not 2022), so no... not about the terrible war between Ukraine and Russia.

The first track is called ...And A Yelling Witch Sat On Every Projectile. A very cool intro track with tons of atmosphere and almost religious undertones. Harsh industrial ambient noise in the tradition of Anenzephalia and Dagda Mor. Love the heavy and repetitive vibe here. Sounds pretty convincing so far! 

The second track Armour Protection and Firepower Superiority offer high-pitched drones, and death-industrial vibes with some menacing ritualistic undercurrents. The thumping echoed rhythm of the distortion sound is quite mesmerizing here! A very good track here! Like I mentioned earlier, fans of old death-industrial would dig this!   

The third track Without Feeling, Without Passion, starts with a humming drone. The sound of cannon fire adds extra tension to the mood. Russian spoken words are added, I don´t know what the hell he is talking about... but it sounds cool. Takes me back to early Laibach. The fire of the cannons begins to sound more...rhythmic actually (Sound bloody amazing!). I cannot point my finger down at anything boring here, everything is good here! 

The fourth track These Birds Sing With The Voices Of Flame... Scary beginning of a multilayered sound of a huge crowd of people (I think!). Chaotic and distorted screams of hypnotic feedback grab the attention of the listener. Additional looped waves of distorted sound turn the tension further on. Sofar is the hardest track on the album!

The fifth track To Use A Weapon kind of takes me back to the Grey Wolves. Messy but strangely structured at the same time. Lots of various vocal-based samples here, with some rather cool-sounding screaming vocals here as well. Not sure if they are vocals or something sampled from a movie. A sick track bound to disturb (just a bit!).

The sixth track The Knives Are Sharpened Thoroughly, sounds like a more... strange track. Almost sort of melancholic vibes going on. Are they sharpening their knives to cut unions maybe? A surprisingly down-beat track with a depressive mood attached to it. Excellent picturesque sounds going on, these guys are really good at the sample bit here!

I am gonna jump to the last track on the album called Trumpet Call (...The Teeth of the Dragon Are Already Thrown Into The Ground). Warped sound of trumpets praising the victory, or is it a victory? Doesn't sound like it in my ears. I am imagining this group of soldiers being praised for their heroism at some ceremony, broken and shattered after what they have been through. Cool sound piece with ceremoniously moments, a noisy version of Der Blutharsh if you please.

Lots of cool moments here, and what a masterpiece of an album! An album filled with surprises, all the aggressive titles offers depth and atmosphere... rather than boring and "edgy" power-electronics aggression without mood. I was totally surprised by this! A thoughtful masterpiece that I hope that people will listen to!

Bandcamp (label):

https://steinklangindustries.bandcamp.com/album/ultrapolar-intrusion-this-war-will-have-no-end-2021