Wewelsburg - 2007 - Ultima Intolerance

Out of Russia comes this NS industrial Death/Black Metal band. Musically I find influences from a lot of different genres and groups. Mysticum and The Kovenant are apparent in the first track, Morbid Angel with a big dose rock n' roll in the second, the third track starts off with a classical piano piece, then moves on to more The Kovenant sounding elements. Track four is straight forward Death Metal. Over all this reminds me of early Stiny Plamenu.

The vocals are also reminiscent of The Kovenant, metallic and distorted but with more reverb, but as
with the music, the vocals change throughout the album. On the track "Gott Mit Uns", rather influenced by white power music, for instance, the vocals are deeper and much more catchy.

The sound is set very high on this album which tends to result in a chaotic effect, which indeed is the case here as well. They use a drum machine, with the cymbals set a bit too high which is annoyingly in the foreground at times. There is also a keyboard present. The vocals and the  drum machine are in the foreground, closely followed by the guitar. When there is a solo without any singing the guitar steps up to the foreground. There is also a keyboard present, fighting with the other instruments to be in the front. Despite all this this is a fascinating album, somehow, most likely because you do not know what to expect next. It is also a tiring album to listen to, since the recording level is so high and there is a lot of stuff going on. This is not bad, but it is not very focused. I think it would have been better if there were different bands for the different musical ideas.

Standout tracks are "Ultima Intolerance" and "There Where the Winds Sing Their Songs".

Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh:

Decrepit Cauldron - 2005 - Wirkligkeit Altera Pars

Out of the Ukraine comes this Black Metal outfit with their 5 track debut. Presented on this album
are 4 long tracks of mid-paced to fast, slightly melodic technical Black Metal with an epic feel. Apart from the intro, all of the tracks are over 10 minutes long.

Musically this reminds me of a lot of different bands. Stiny Plamenu, Kampfar, Sorhin and Ophthalamia are some of the bands I hear in the mix here, as well as some Metallica-sounding
parts plus influences from both Death Metal and Thrash. I heard quite a few later Ophthalamia parts, which was somewhat unexpected. There is at times a rather Eastern European feel to the music as well, but it is surprisingly absent most of the time.

The vocals remind me somewhat of those by Kampfar, though more muffled and distant, as well as those in early Fleurety.

The soundquality is not at all bad. At the front of the mix there is the drum machine and the keyboard, followed by the guitar and then the vocals further back. The drummachine does get a bit annoying at times, I must say, though I am not fond of the sound of one, so I might be extra sensitive to this. However, this is a rather interesting and quite unpredictable album to listen to, which is most refreshing.

Standout tracks are "Prae Porta Ad Noctum", "Incarnation for the Blackest" and "Opus Aexestentialis". If you like your music varied and quite unpredictable I suggest you check this out.

Sunday October 12 2008, by :Vragh:

Ambiguitas - 2003 - Time of Goat

Out of Russia comes this Black Metal horde, delivering 9 tracks of Black Metal ranging from slow
to mid-paced to fast, plus an intro. The music here reminds me quite a lot of earlier Beherit and
Stiny Plamenu, with some Skaur and Ulver sounding acoustic parts and a good dose classic heavy
metal here and there, with that special eastern European sound to it. This sounds quite refreshing.

The vocals sound like a mix of Under a Funeral Moon era Nocturno Culto and Satyr around the
Megiddo MCD. They also remind me of the vocals by Lord Therramon of Dom Dracul.

As mentioned earlier, a drum machine is utilized, but not in a too annoying way. The production is actually quite good, and all the instruments can be heard clearly. The guitar sound is a bit different, quite metallic, with a sharp and icy edge to it. The production reminds me mostly of that found on later Striborg releases. This is a fullength released as a CD-r in limited quantities, so act fast.

Standout tracks are "Through the Decrepit Eaves", "Do Arise the Blood from the Ice", "Just Hate" and the eleven minute final track "Equinox Autumn".

Thursday November 15 2007, by :Vragh: