Ensepulchred "Suicide In Winter's Moonlight" Reviews

There aren't a whole lot of grim black metal hordes who call Indiana home as far as we know. In fact we can't think of any, other than this here trio, Ensepulchred. But these guys don't really sound like they're from Indiana at all. In fact they don't really even sound like they're from Norway. Or Sweden, Or Finland, Or any other nation of renowned musical blackness. They sound a whole lot more like they're from Italy, and from the mid seventies. Where they spend all their time wandering in fog shrouded graveyards, lurking in crumbling old cathedrals, terrorizing nightgown clad boarding school girls, digging up dead bodies, AND SCORING IMAGINARY SEVENTIES BLACK METAL ITALIAN HORROR MOVIES!! Ensepulchred weave their buzzing blackness from thick walls of horror-movie synth, so much so in fact that most of the time, we're hard pressed to hear any guitar at all. Little bits of buzz here and there, but the riffs are mostly handled by keyboards. A creepy midnight world of gauzy, dramatic and cinematic Goblin like sweeps and swells, over simple programmed beats, howled harsh vocals, the melodies haunting and minor key, evoking all sorts of chilling atmospheres and blood curdling ambience. Suicide In Winter's Moonlight indeed. Dark depressive, doomy, but eyes closed, this is the sound of some misty moor, some darkened castle, a haunted bog, the world painted red with blood, the air alive with the terrified screams of dying virgins, the rattle of bones and the whispering wind, the sound of death, and dying, of misery and hopelessness, the sound of panic and mayhem and terror and horror. Ever wonder what a black metal Goblin might sound like... Or if Argento had Nortt or Xasthur score Suspiria...
www.aquariusrecords.org

Lo-fi black metal is always hit or miss with the critics. Such is the case with Ensepulchred, a band that mixes bizarre and creepy vocals with keyboard work that sounds like it was done with a Casio keyboard. Opinions of this group’s numerous releases have been divided, and now Autopsy Kitchen Records is issuing their latest album, Suicide in Winter’s Moonlight. Though it may not be for everyone, if you don’t mind something different and extremely lo-fi then give this one a go. As soon as the album begins, it becomes clear that Ensepulchred is not your average black metal band. There are no blasting guitar riffs to be found here, though there is a hint of guitar here and there. Rather than focusing on guitar, the band has made every song driven by keyboard and drum machines. Though these may be extremely lo fi, they add quite a bit of atmosphere to the music and make Ensepulchred sound nothing like anything in the black metal genre. Some people may hear the sometimes cheap sounding keyboard arrangements and feel that they could do better themselves, but others will find it strangely addicting. Even if the instrumentals don’t stick with you, the vocals are sure to. Even for black metal, the vocals are some of the craziest fans will have heard. The majority of the vocals consist of electronically manipulated screams, giving the music an almost alien feel. But on songs such as “Land of the Unholy” the manipulation is turned off and the vocals become a soft and menacing whisper. This group’s ideas are quite innovative, and there is nothing else out there that sounds quite like it. Suicide in Winter’s Moonlight is one of those albums you immediately love or hate. If you enjoy lo-fi sounds that sound as though they were generated using MIDI format and want to hear a vocal style that sounds like nothing else out there, definitely check out this new album from Ensepulchred. It can’t be said that this is an overly technical album, but that doesn’t stop it from being a strangely entrancing listen and is worth experiencing simply for a change from the norm.
www.cosmosgaming.com

I’ve had a soft spot for Ensepulchred Mix of keyboard heavy almost guitar stripped Black Metal, Horror film synth grimness & electro noise since their excellent debut album in 06- So it’s a really treat to have another hit from them so soon. This brings together near on an hour of rare out-of Print Cdr only material & I’m happy to report it’s as good as the material on their debut. With all the tracks having their own merits, with no throw away tracks which can sometimes appear on this type of compilation. What you get is a mix of creepy, grim and often memorable synth work , galloped over by competent drum machine playing that fits the material well & of course nice ‘n’ nasty black metal growls and grunts. Guitar and bass elements are used sparingly letting the three key focus be the synth, drums and vocals. They also put horror film samples here and there that for the most part are effective and not over played, on one track they even use the epilogue narration from the original Texas Chainsaw massacre which in theory shouldn’t work but somehow it does fit in well at the end of a track as grim and sinister synth ebbs around it. I guess if you were to compared the material here with their debut album this is a little bit more approachable and less burnt by noise elements. All in all a band who are managing to sound grim & true but also original and creative. This like their debut is a must have item for those who enjoyed their black metal atmospheric and a little different.
Roger Batty - www.musiquemachine.com

Self-released sometime last year, Autopsy Kitchen records has seen fit to reissue Ensepulchred’s (formerly Blood of Transylvania) debut full-length, featuring sixteen tracks of unique electronic ambient black metal. The approach is very similar to 2006’s The Night Our Rituals Blackened the Stars, with harsh, processed vocals lurking just below the distorted, symphonic mid-paced digital riffs, and fans of that album would do well to pick this one up.
www.voidexpression.net

As metal continues mutating in different directions for a new century, sometimes it's all down to the mix. That's definitely the case on Ensepulchred's Suicide in Winter's Moonlight, originally released on CD-R in 2006 and re-released with an expanded track list the following year on Autopsy Kitchen. While the mix of dramatic, minor-chord keyboard parts and raging feedback and breathless screaming is familiar, prioritizing the former over the latter might seem counterintuitive. But it gives the album a weird, compelling feeling throughout — if the love for the Cure's synth-heavy Seventeen Seconds album had long been a modern metal touchstone via acts like Misery Loves Co., Katatonia and many compatriots, its impact is redoubled here. Dustin Redington's descending or minimal melodies, set against the straightforward, older sounding drum programming by Owen Barker, makes for a through the looking glass experience given their lead roles. The church organ feeling on a variety of songs such as "Asylum" and "Land of the Unholy" calls deeper roots forward, from religious music to the likes of Procol Harum. In contrast, Redington's guitar work acts most often as buried glaze and at other times is entirely absent, while Johnathan Shipley's vocals are swathed in murk and distortion, turning the still strong stereotypes of what metal "should" sound like on their heads as a result. Again, none of the elements are new, while the album suffers from a perhaps inevitable one-note feeling as it progresses — variety is there but is often quite subtle, like the calmer keyboard/vocal break on "The Tormented Mind" — yet Suicide in Winter's Moonlight still has its place as an intriguing listen.
www.allmusic.com

The American Midwest (Indiana) brings us a relatively new Black Metal outfit called Ensepulchred, originally formed in 2005. Late last year Autopsy Kitchen Records re-released the bands 2006 album Suicide In Winter’s Moonlight which is a creepy sounding collection of sixteen songs which musically comes across more like a B-Horror movie soundtrack than a traditional sounding Black Metal album. The vocals, if you want to call them that, are handled by Johnathan Shipley, and to be quite honest his gargling, raw throat delivery is pretty much the only amusing thing about Suicide In Winter’s Moonlight. There are pretty much no guitars to speak of as the band instead allows a heavy dose of simplistic and repetitive sounding keyboards along with a drum machine to dominate the mix. This lack of diversity renders the songs interchangeable and as such the act begins to wear thin pretty quick, certainly before well before you reach track number sixteen. Pass on this one.
www.seaoftranquility.org

Autopsy Kitchen Records has decided to reissue the first album by Indiana’s Ensepulchred. What you get here is the perfect mixture of ambience and black metal. The keyboards are used heavily and create a very depressing melancholic and mysterious atmosphere. The black metal portion of the album is mostly the drums (which are done with a machine) and vocals. The guitars are not very noticeable on here and when they are they are going along with the ambiance rather than the black metal influenced side of the music. Most of the songs seem to follow a similar structure while each song remains unique from the others i.e. not one of those cds where every song sounds exactly the same. There is really not a bad song on this cd. This entire album is a good listen that will take you on a journey through the minds of these artists from Indiana. All in all this is a very good cd that has a unique mixture of ambience and black metal. I would recommend this cd to anyone who has an interest in ambient music such as Boreal and early first era Mortiis. Some black metal fans may be drawn to this release too.
www.freewebs.com/allmetalmusic

This one was originally released as a CD-R in just a few copies, but the autopsy weirdoes picked it up, launched a new layout and added a couple of new songs, and it´s available for even more weird people. Scary vocals with guitars, drums and keyboards sort of embracing the vocals in a way. Weird shit, but still pretty cool. It´s not music as we know it, but more of a strange thing that you could have as background music, I would assume. (b)
www.nordicvisionmag.com

Ensepulchred frappe très fort avec cet album impressionnant de maîtrise, qui nous renvoie à l’essence du vrai black métal comme il devrait l'être pratiqué !!! On a affaire à du dark métal qui s'inspire aussi des ambiances sonores de certains films d'horreurs tout en restant de haut vol, plutôt orienté black métal mysanthropique certes, mais sans qu’on puisse réellement le résumer et c'est sans doute pour cela que cet album s'écoute assez facilement au final. Chaque morceau regorge de trouvailles et cet opus nous réserve même quelques moments d’anthologie comme les titres "Eyes And Shadows", "Macabre", le puissant et hypnotique "Suffer In The Embrace Of The Cold" et "The Cruel Silence Of The Sky" qui laissent place à un black plus violent et aux tempos plus soutenus tout au long de l’album. Voilà donc un groupe qui possède un potentiel énorme, alors ruez vous sur cet album car il est tout simplement viscéral.
http://undersociety.free.fr/

When I heard I was receiving a re-release of Ensepulchred's debut album, I didn't quite know what to expect. The Night Our Rituals Blackened the Stars proved quirky and somewhat flawed, but evoked a sense of cinematic playfulness that made the album's wildly inaccurate hype of "Emperor meets Xasthur" seem like a pale dismissal in comparison. Suicide in the Winter's Moonlight is more or less more of the same, which is probably a poor way to start this review, considering it's intentionally unlike anything else out there. Imagine dreary stretches of Casio dirge, stuttering electronics, and the occasional unassuming (what sounds like) xylophone counterpoint swelling around tinny programmed drums and tweaked out static manipulation, sprinkled with the occasional sample from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and various documentary clips of morbid subject matter, and you'll come pretty close to where Ensepulchred lie. It's sort of a noxious stew of Limbonic Art, Merzbow, and Goblin. Clearly, polarizing genre purists need not apply. The performance itself is skeletal. The vocalist sort of sermonizes with a trollish, effect-loaded croak; nothing terribly exciting or bad, but it would be nice if he didn't feel the apparently insatiable urge to be saying something every second of the album. The beats are metronomic. The bass...? don't look at me. These minimalistic arrangements exist to singlemindedly evoke an atmosphere that's quite harrowing and eerie, but not necessarily in a skin-crawling Abruptum kind of way; some parts -- the last minute of "Land of the Unholy," for instance -- are quite pristine, while the song "Macabre" sounds like it could have come from one of the sweeping chamber music segments of Sigh's Hail Horror Hail. 90% of the time, the guitar's close to inaudible. At the climax of the song "Flesh," some vague traces of what sounds like a lead emerge, but buried as a spectral blur streaking beneath layers of 70's Italian horror cheese. Most of the time, the guitar's limited to a hint of white noise in the foreground trailing behind the keyboards as a lead instrument, similar to the German dark ambient/black metal act Vinterriket, except inspired by Dawn of the Dead rather than winter and forests. It's sorta bad at face value, but in a good kind of way -- anyone who's grabbed by movie titles like "Boa vs. Python" should know what I mean. (Not to say Boa vs. Python was a good movie, because it was far from it. I wanted to see exploding helicopters and terrified pedestrians as promised on the DVD cover, not GCI snake cunnilingus. But I digress...) Balance is something Ensepulchred need to work on. There are sixteen songs here, most of which are barely three minutes. Aside from a few highlights, they tend to plod along without allowing themselves room for much development, therefore they tend to bleed into eachother. And even when they do have enough space, it's like they don't know what to do with it. Just when the last song gains momentum and broadcasts some well-structured material -- *bzzfhhzhzz* -- the track is abducted by a sheet of bubbling, hissing noise drone. This is scarcely forgiven by the virtue of the fact the album comes off as a fictional soundtrack, which doesn't really have to play by the compositional rules if it achieves the atmosphere for which it sets out. Ensepulchred are often kind of stumbing and inept, but also weird and strangely addicting. I recommend this as more of an obscure curiosity than anything. Like a monster suit in an old horror movie, Suicide in the Winter's Moonlight is not always convincing, and sometimes you can even see the zipper on the back, but it's not without its esoteric charm.
www.diabolicalconquest.com/

Indiana's favorite (maybe only) black metal band is definitely different, with a sound that's built around the unashamed use of a drum machine and heavy keyboard dirges; the result is a cinematic sound perhaps matched only in American black metal by Wormwood, who apparently share their fascination for creepy foreign horror soundtracks. This "new" album is actually a reissue of the band's first release, which was originally released on cd-r in an extremely limited run, with the addition (I think) of a few extra songs, but the sound is not terribly far removed from the sound of their earlier AKR release, THE NIGHT OUR RITUALS BLACKENED THE STARS. One of the most interesting things about the band's sound is how they invert black metal's classic sound; here the keyboards and pounding drum machine are way up front in the mix, so much so, in fact, that the guitar is buried so far in the background as to be nearly or completely inaudible most of the time. They're from the lo-fi school, though, which means you're not likely to mistake this for Dimmu Borgir or anything like that (a good thing in my book), and in a genre cluttered with eccentric vocalists, theirs is one of the more unique ones, with a (often processed) voice that you will either love or hate, without much middle ground. The dominance of keyboards comes close to putting this in ambient territory at times, and they completely nail the lost, mournful sound endemic to the best keyboard-heavy lo-fi proponents of black metal. While the songs are nowhere near as layered and ornate as those of Xasthur, they're certainly in the ballpark of that band's legendarily depressed sound; structurally they have much in common with Striborg without descending to that band's level of awesomely no-fi production. A lot of people seem to be agitated about the lack of guitar and preponderance of horror-flick keyboards, but those people are wrong. This is great stuff, simultaneously faithful to the ideals of lo-fi black metal while forging a unique sound of its own, no mean feat given how cluttered the genre has become with bands strip-mining the same raw material. At sixteen tracks, this is probably too long -- with such repetitive music, a little goes a long way -- but given how good the individual tracks are, I'd rather have it all even if it does make the album a tad too long for its own good. Bonus points for the pounding drum machine, and for not attempting to hide it, either.
http://theonetruedeadangel.blogspot.com

This album is actually a CD reedition of the first 2006 limited CD-Rs. New layout and some newly recorded tracks, according to Autopsy Kitchen Rec. website. The anatomic depiction of the cover might make some think we're going to get some bloody gore/grind: not at all! Althoug Ensepulchred is ambient black metal, one must admit the morbid isn't absent from this album although it shows more facets. “Suicide In Winter's Moonlight” rather consists in short tracks. The sound of synths is prominent, the guitars are a bit secundary, they don't have a massive or rich sound, but tend to remain discrete. Guitars may sound rather electronic as on “The cruel silence of sky”. Let's notice this bass/guitar variant in the end of 5th track: interesting, so that we'd like to have more of such fineries. No tremolos or agitation in the playing: calm guitar's riffs are placed usually at the same time as synths' chords... It may seem minimalist, but it sounds quite good. Some hi-hat sounds f.i. don't sound really nice: artificial, electronic. Black metal listeners sometimes don't mind sometimes can't bear it. Therefore, the point that could improve the music is the sound of the drum machine. Of course, this is a typical problem: either finding a good drummer, or finding good drum's sounds. As there's a tendency to get inspired from ambient and noisy musical genres, other sounds, alien to usual metal genre might be used instead of electronic hi-hat and crashes. Effectively: the integration of noise, samples to the music is rather successful (05). The introductory track (01), the beginning of “Flesh” or in the “outro”, the end of the last track they are well used, they fit the atmosphere and the concept. But let's note the whole album but synths' part has some parasites here and there. Together with the sound, the voice, this builds an interesting noisy experimental approach. By the way, let's have a couple of remarks about the voice. The voice is quite crushed, aggressive, more or less hateful, much modified. It may remind Emperor's on “Wrath of The Tyrant”, although less hateful, less scorched, more discrete and distant. It also shares some similarities with Abigor's vocals on the collection of demos “Origo Regium” (10, 14), but it is calmer, a bit more electronic sounding, with some noises, parasites... A distorted whispering sometimes replaces the usual scorched voice, as on the intro of “Blood from the North”. Although it could be more hateful and expressive, this voice is a positive point! But the voice wouldn't be that nice if it couldn't oppose to something sweeter. Synths tend to play simple melodies, but quite efficient tunes. Their melodies usually develop slowly and/or they rather consist of repetitive parts. It will sound too repetitive, even monotonous for some listeners. But, tracks' melodies such as on “The Eulogy of One Poignant Rapor” are definitely catchy and are able to make us forget it. This music appears to be based on synth, it's ambient black metal, not symphonic (except maybe on Twilight of War). It invokes dark insane malefic atmospheres (06), rather not depressive, slow, steady, not brutal, sometimes gore (Macabre), more often mysterious (Asylum), or funeral (Eyes and Shadows)... This may be strange looking at the title of the album. Specificity of Ensepulchred, on “Twilight of War”, the ambiguousness of atmosphere is particularly well developed. The listener is trapped between an anguishing and a rather melancholic melody... It creates a weird atmosphere (Flesh f.i.). This album contains lots of good ideas. But, fussy listeners may get bored 'cos of the linearity of rhythm, the absence of changes in tempo, some sounds, the monotonous playing of guitar chords, key chords together and the global repetitiveness. But, this simplicity/minimalism cannot remove the value of some atmospheres! They are dark and weird, often original and they make us forget almost all negative points of this album. Simplicity is not a flaw in itself: it depends whether the essential is present or not. In terms of atmosphere, this album does reach an original one, although maybe not as suicidal as the title suggests... Thus, to avoid having false expectations, “Suicide in Winter's Moonlight” has to be taken as ambient black metal: dark, mysterious and morbid. Let's keep an eye on this formation. It might hide some good surprises for the future. For the moment, have a listen on Autopsy Kitchen Records' myspace.
www.heathenharvest.com

I don't know 100% how to explain Ensepulchred its equal parts creepy synth based halloween music mixed with drum machines and black metal vocals. I don't really hear any guitars at all. This is synth based music for the dammed. I wouldn't say this is something I would listen to a lot but its vastly different to 90% of what is coming from the Black metal world currently. electro goth black symphonic and just plain grim. The vocals are effected in a way that actually make you sick and angry at the same time. Ensepulchred is very much a love/ hate project you need to hear it for yourself and see what side of the fence you sit with them. I know I will look for another release to see where a band like this can take a very interesting style.
Absolute Zero Media

 
Torch Of War "The Principle of Cosmic Instability" Reviews

The Principle of Cosmic Instability (Autopsy Kitchen, 2007) is probably the harshest recording I've ever heard. The music is plenty scathing, but the sound is an icepick in the ear. Imagine inverting metal's usual scooped EQ into a "frown," then boosting the midrange until something bleeds. This shit is painful. In fact, the sound is so blown out that I asked Autopsy Kitchen boss Jeffrey if it was a mistake. He said no, that he had mastered the album himself, and that the sound was originally even rougher!Given that it makes Darkthrone sound like Def Leppard, this record is beautifully clawing nastiness. It's one-man black metal, from a German named F. Nachzehrer. There are drums (probably from a machine), but they're really poundings for help inside walls of metallic abrasion. The vocals, too, are sandpaper as wallpaper.Once one acclimates to such scratchiness, melodies emerge. They're slicingly mournful, though, and not a concession to anything. Such extreme lo-fi sound is not normally my taste, but it's integral to these songs. In fact, it's kind of addictive. It hurts too much to turn up loudly, but it's marvelous as a grim, mid-level buzz.
http://www.invisibleoranges.com

Throughout my time reviewing music at Cosmos Gaming so far, I’ve reviewed some of the most extreme metal acts out there and enjoyed many of them. As far as I know, we were one of the few sites to enjoy Ensepulchred’s latest album, and even give Khlyst a semi decent review. So when I have to give something a negative review, it goes to show you just how bad that album really is. Such is the case with Germany’s Torch of War and their new album The Principle of Cosmic Instability. So what’s the big problem with this release? Nearly 10 seconds into turning the disc on this becomes immediately apparent: the instrumental work. Listening to Torch of War’s guitar work is similar to a buzz saw slowly drilling through your eardrums. Yes, it physically hurts to listen to this CD for extended periods of time, even at a semi low volume. In addition to this, this is a very low fi release meaning that the drums are barely audible over the screeching guitars. Not only that, but every song sounds the same meaning the same ear splitting riff will meet listeners on the entire album. The vocals are of your traditional black metal variety, though as with many low fi releases the shrieks of the vocalist sound as though they are far off in the background, with the instrumentals being the loudest element. Admittedly the shrieks are well done and fit the style of the genre, but most people are unlikely to notice this due to the ear shattering instrumentals. There also are some interesting lyrical ideas from time to time, but once again the instrumentals will prevent most from discovering this. I really wish there were more redeeming factors that I could talk about for this album, but The Principle of Cosmic Instability is honestly one of the worst releases I’ve heard make it out of any record label, underground or not. Apparently Autopsy Kitchen Records saw something in this band but I’m not seeing what it is, as this release is purely headache inducing. Skip this one and go for Ensepulchred or Marblebog, as Autopsy Kitchen has put out so much better.
www.cosmosgaming.com

One thing that has been baffling me lately is the increasing number of black metallers that record under multiple one-man bands. It's one thing if you are recording material that is so far removed from black metal (or whatever) that you would begin a new project to maintain the consistency of your vision, but I've been coming across more and more one-man bands all operated by the same dude that don't differ all that much from their "main" bands. F. Nachzehrer is a German black metaller who records under a couple of different names, including Regnum and Torch Of War, but this is the only thing that I've heard so far from him so it's impossible to state how this compares with his other projects. I can say, however, that Torch Of War delivers some of the harshest fucking black metal this side of Revenge and Diametregon. Seriously, when The Principles Of Cosmic Instability first kicks in with "What Is Sleeping In Bloodlines", Nachzehrer delivers a swift steel-studded gauntlet to the grill with ultra-distorted razorblade riffing that slices off this disc like a fucking cheese grater. The guitar is so trebly and overloaded that it really borders on white noise, a particular brand of guitar tone that I love to hear in black metal, and the savagery is ratcheted up a notch by the harsh distorted shrieks and buried drumming that switches back and forth between primal blastbeats and doomy breakdowns. Buried behind the harsh treble furnace, however, are catchy, melancholy melodic hooks and ripping riffs that'll stick top your ribs - totally top notch loner black metal that makes me think of Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger, if it had been mixed by Merzbow's Masami Akita with all levels pushed beyond the red. Total war scorch.
www.crucialblast.net

I had the unfortunate timing to hear The Principle of Cosmic Instability while in my car after listening to something on pretty loud volume. The sound that came out of the speakers was painful. Good thing I held onto the wheel with two hands, as Torch of War unleashes pure audiotorture slicing the eardrums with so overly shrill and piercing guitars the rest of the music may not even need to have been written. I am all for lo-fi black metal production as much as the next guy. There is absolutely something wrong with music called upon to express the person’s most inner feelings to be produced in a sterile environment on a cushy budget. I wonder, however, if Torch of War ran the eight tracks which compose The Principle of Cosmic Instability by anybody, and if that anybody, if he/she was not totally deaf, gave an approving opinion that the stuff here is really listenable. It is one thing to be raw, but it is totally over the top when you can be physically injuring yourself if experiencing this album under wrong circumstances. Germanic War Black Metal is supposed to be bruising, but one has to be able to listen to it all the way through to feel the impact. Taking it all in, multiple listens of this album, etc. weren’t something that appealed to me in the least. One neverending buzzsaw with the setting cranked to the max is what The Principle of Cosmic Instability sounds like. And it is not the buzzsaw which will slowly hypnotize you, eventually bringing on the trance. This is some of the worst kind you will find in the rundown hardware store, on clearance sale, the one that simply makes one level of noise, with or without cutting through any material. Not that the vocals would be of essence here, but Torch of War stuffs them deep. Bass – non-existent. Drums – whatever the blasting, D-beating, punk infused Darkthrony patterns are invoked, you only hear feeble clapping. Melody and riffs flow? If any of it is here (Wolf Among Sheep), an almost concerted effort is made to bury it under the wall of trilly and scathing guitar. You can’t listen to it loud, as mentioned above, for the risk your ears will bleed and you will have a day ruining headache, and you can’t listen to it quiet, as you wouldn’t be able to hear much, except the buzzsaw turning to hiss. Torch of War is the effort of one German F. Nachzehrer, the person behind a few other one-man black, occult and underground projects (Mensch Schmerz Interaktion, Moriturus/Regnum, Vexillum, Weltenkampf). Maybe if F. Nachzehrer’s attention was more focused, The Principle of Cosmic Instability would have been afforded a better production? That will remain a mystery, but if you are trying to communicate your ideas to the world, a more intelligible pathway will certainly garner more listeners paying attention. I could be completely and totally off my rocker here, so here is the challenge. If any of you black metal kvlt aficionados are interested, drop me a line, I will gladly mail you the album, postage covered, you will form your own opinion and a rebuttal will be posted.
www.metalreviews.com

Herr F. Nachzehrer released quite some demos, vinyl EPs and splits with his other bands Regnum and Weltenkampf, but this time his black metal one man band Torch of War released the debut full length “The Principle of Cosmic Instablilty”. According to Nachzehrer himself this album should have been released early 2007 but it got pushed back to late 2007. This album is filled with lo-fi minimalist black metal in the vein of old Judas Iscariot and Darkthrone’s “Transilvanian Hunger”. The sound is so scratchy, rough and ultra thin (drum computer and no bass) that it will actually hurt your ears when you turn up the volume. Still, the underground fanatic will be able to judge the potential of the music itself, which is sufficient enough to sit out the whole album. Torch of War is definitely for purists only as it doesn’t sound good…in a good way.
www.vampire-magazine.com

While the first full length release for Germanys Torch Of War, The Principle of Cosmic Instability may appear on the surface (black and white cover art, intriguing song titles etc...) to be a top quality production, looks in this case certainly are deceiving. After one listen to this mess it’s pretty apparent that the main man behind this creation, F. Nachzehrer, was a) either operating on an extremely low production budget or b) unwilling to make his music even somewhat listenable. My guess is it’s probably a combination of both. So what exactly is the problem with The Principle of Cosmic Instability? Well for starters, the guitar work is not only extremely repetitious throughout; it’s also mixed way up front so it drowns everything else out, making the drums and vocals practically inaudible. As for the bass, well its non existent. The guitar tone is so thin and tinny it actually makes for painful listening. Then there’s the songs themselves which practically all sound the same. You can’t determine where one song ends and another begins. I've probably said too much already but there just isn’t anything I can really recommend about The Principle of Cosmic Instability; except to avoid it.
www.seaoftranquility.org

Autopsy Kitchen Records has gone out sifting through the depths of Germany for some very harsh black metal in the form of one-man act Torch Of War. A highly abrasive collision between older Darkthrone and the “Az-I-Dahak”/ “Ordog”-era thinned out sensibilities of Black Funeral, Torch Of War effectively combines the elements of those classic acts into a fierce blast of caustic, cold air. What’s immediately striking about Torch Of War is the atrociously thin, fuzzed out production that hits you as a wall of noise that will literally hurt at high volume. Exceptionally low-fi in production quality, the guitars on “The Principle Of Cosmic Instability”, the debut full-length, virtually disappear in a sea of white noise, as would be the case with latter-day Black Funeral. However, Torch Of War eschew Black Funeral’s jarring, industrial approach for a more straightforward blast of Darkthrone- style black metal with, strangely enough, a full drum sound despite the thinness of the production. The combination of muted, higher pitched rasps, thin guitars, and full drums actually works here, and the songs are further enhanced by some downright catchiness to the riffing (which you can just barely make out of the static). As abrasive as the music is, you may actually find yourself humming along to some of the tracks! However, this is definitely an album to take in measured doses and a rather short running time of about 40 minutes or so definitely works to Torch Of War’s advantage. Any longer, frankly, and this album would be an exercise in auditory masochism. Recommended with the caveat that Torch Of War is an acquired listen, even for the “kvlt” amongst the readership.
www.live4metal.com

This disc is the most poorly recorded and played black metal I've heard in a long time. It sounds as if it was recorded out in the woods somewhere on a Fisher Price tape recorder circa the 1970's. I've heard better drum sound from an old crappy Snoopy drum kit (it's worse than St. Anger, even!), and the guitar sound is absolutely horrendous.Save yourself the 35 minutes of aural torture and avoid this disc.
www.gaspetc.com

Straight in your face Black Metal, with crispy sound and pretty ugly vocals. This German act have put together a full album of aggressive music, lit by chaotic and monotonous inspiration. I was surprised by this album, and think they are doing something that is interesting and appeal to my Black Metal interest. Not original, but they do this with conviction and precision, and that must be saluted. Recommended for you who enjoy raw and uncompromising Black Metal.(s)
www.nordicvisionmag.com

Cold frosty, grim and furious black metal from Germany. Total Transylvanian Hunger worship, and we LOVE it. Taking the feral blackness and primitive old school buzz of Darkthrone and somehow making it even more blown out and black, more drenched in hiss, this is total vacuum cleaner whir, hailstorm on a tin roof ambience, the band blasting away behind thick sheets of dense gritty distortion, at low volume, it almost sounds like a TV between stations, but listen closer, and the abstract buzz coalesces into killer riffs, howling hellish vocals surface, the drums are buried WAY down and stay buried, a distant clatter beneath the suffocating maelstrom of blackened riffery, this one is not weird or fucked or damaged (although the extreme buzz might just set the record for the most buzz drenched disc we've heard), but it is as we said above, buzzing, cold, grim, cvlt, frosty, hateful, brutal, old school, TRUE black metal.
www.aquariusrecords.org

Disponible depuis 2005 uniquement au fomat K7, le label Autopsy Kitchen a décidé de resortir cet album de Marblebog au format CD pour toucher un public plus large et une édition vinyl pour les fans les plus découés. Tout en sachant que ces éditions sont en édition limitées !!!. Donc, je ne serais que vous conseiller de vous procurer ces disques au plus vite. Quoi qu'il en soit, on pénètre comme à l'image de la pochette, dans un univers obsolète fait d'un black métal traditionnel et pourvu de mélancholie, à des passages plus atmosphériques, laissant présager de l'évolution du groupe. Et même si Marblebog n'invente rien, ce disque possède une aura particulière, surement offerte par la production totalement underground, qui pourrait placer ce disque parmis les oeuvres cultes du black métal atmosphérique.
http://undersociety.free.fr/

Once in a great while, that one innovative, boundary-shattering black metal album will come along and force us to redefine the ways we think about the genre's constructs, and to question its very centricity as an artistic movement. This is a black metal album. Torch of War belongs to that ultra-elite and/or grim handful of black metal acts who are so black, they forgot all about that whole "metal" part. There's more of an emphasis on abrasive tremolo buzz than riffs here, which sometimes go through the motion of a sing-songy Nattens Madrigal-esque melody, and other times, in the case of the last song, fall upon a scuzzy forcefield of psychosimple one-riff war metal minimalism a la Revenge and Von. The bass, as per usual in raw black metal, seems like a faint obligation trailing behind the guitars, while Nachzehrer's rasp creaks painfully throughout. The (most likely programmed) skinpounding leaps between distant snare abuse and d-beat battery, only doing anything interesting with the recurring bass drum warpound in the song "The Struggle Inborn," but the fact drums are irrelevant in this kind of black metal is simply a matter of style. Music this minimalistic can't risk wasting a note, which is where Torch of War falls flat. These songs could be anywhere from three to eight minutes with no significant alteration in the expression of Nachzehrer's artistic vision. For example, the song "Wolf Among Sheep" is a rather valid piece, opening with an adventurous, melancholic hook -- certainly the best and most well defined riff on the album -- but the song's laced with meandering filler and just drags on... and on... Sure, this kind of bleak expressionism worked when Darkthrone, Thorns and Burzum were doing it in 1994... when I was learning cursive in grade school. I'm all for artists who dismiss experimentation and revel in traditionalism, when they do it right. Take modern neo-second wave acts like Blodulv, Satanic Warmaster, Dodsferd, and Somrak [review] (namedropping a promo, I somehow feel like the circle is complete), for example; they take the pre-2000 sounds they like and twist them into albums with their own sonic identities, rather than simply pander to the nostalgia of disillusioned norskaryskblakkmetal devotees by paraphrasing Transilvanian Hunger. To breathe life into old cliches is an act of love for the music you play; to simply blow the dust and cobwebs off is an act of antiquarianism. On a brighter note, the production hurts so good. Think back to the last raw, demo-quality black metal album you heard. This is probably twice as trebly and brittle. Honestly, when I'm listening to this album, my mental facilities are more occupied by the headache I'm slowly developing by subjecting my eardrums to such shrill noise than the by-the-numbers Darkthrone/Judas Iscariot worship at the core of what I'm hearing. Every time this CD skips, I actually involuntarily flinch. Noise fanatics, masochists, and Guantanamo Bay, take note. I must give The Principle of Cosmic Instability some credit, as it does get pretty absurd in its ear-grating extremity (if you're into that sorta thing), and Nachzehrer clearly understands the form of the music, but I can only wholeheartedly recommend this drab affair to those who worship at the altar of early Darkthrone with a level of enthusiasm that renders monotony imperceivable.
www.diabolicalconquest.com/

It seems that AKR has a distinct taste in the raw, mechanical style of black metal. While I can admit that tracks like Wolf among Sheep have a moving melody that shows promise and gives off an impressive atmosphere, the overall sound of the album is pure shit. It may as well be a guy in his bedroom playing through a mini Marshall practice amp and playing the same repetitive drum samples over and over again. There is hardly any mixing up at all...it all sounds the same and it becomes amazingly tedious to get through after about track 4. With the right production, this album could easily reach its goal of anti-Christian blasphemy and evil words, but with this kind of production it really just comes off as childish. I must say though that I can appreciate any band that will devote the room that they have to talk to you through the booklet with a paragraph giving reason to nothing but the downfall of the Christian Church. The message is blatantly cryptic and the church is never really named, but its quite obvious what the “lie” F. Nachzehrer is talking about is. Now, the man has a great number of projects apart from this one and I can honestly say I'm not familiar with a single one of them, but judging from research he seems to be an electronic-based musician, playing industrial noise and ritual ambient projects as well. So perhaps there is reason behind the kind of harsh sound and noisy guitars found in this album. Black Noise has become a powerful subgenre as of late. But for what this has been advertised as, I cannot recommend it. If you're looking for an AKR record to purchase, give Ensepulchered a shot. You'll still come across drum machine sounds but they've got a unique flavor.
www.heathenharvest.com/

Though the production & feel of The Principle of Cosmic instability is extremely nasty and lo-fi there some very dramatic, grimly tuneful and well put together slabs of black metal craft going on here that have an added atmospheric edge with the recorded in a steel crypt vibe. The tracks are mainly fast, furious and battle hunger slices of black metal that usual clock in around the four minute mark each. At the front of the sound is this great harsh sounding cymbal abuse going on, which is joined by barbwire blacked guitar fuzzes and seemingly none existent bass, all topped off with brought back to angry life ragged throat demon vocals, that burn and carve at your ears. They manage to create a sound that very much brought to mind Darkthrone or Ulver at their most ghastly and lo-fi, but this still has it’s own prime evil and grim vibe with at times some of the riff caft bringing to mind bleak and wartorn Russian type melodies. A seething and unforgiving, yet memorable and atmospheric slab of black metal that use it’s nasty production very effectively to heighten and intensive it’s power.
Roger Batty - www.musiquemachine.com/

Tired of bands who claim to be extreme but turn out to be more of the same tired riffs and shrieking you heard already on the last seven thousand black metal albums? Here's the band for you, then. It's difficult to imagine how you could be more extreme than this without being Nunslaughter -- the eight songs here are all one hyperkinetically fast blur of harsh, tinny sound after another, propelled by a clanking drum machine set on "blastbeat" and adorned with scraping guitars possessing no low end whatsoever and far more midrange than anything else, topped by hoarse screaming from a guy who sounds like he swallowed a whole roll of sandpaper. Combine the monomanical (and monochromatic) fury of Corpus Christi with the deliberately lo-fi sound of Nunslaughter and you get this, the furious sound of a one-man band who wants to be Marduk on a basement budget. The effect is more akin to someone testing the musical potential of a bandsaw than anything else, which automatically renders it far too obnoxious for most people, even black metal listeners, which I'm sure was exactly the intent. If you can hang with it, though, there's plenty to latch onto here; the blurred and smeary guitar sound yields plenty of pleasing harmonics and even an actual melody or two from time to time, and the obsessive drum clatter is truly punishing. I'm all in favor of bands that bridge the gap between primitive black metal and outright noise, and this is one of the best such bands I've heard yet. It's true that there's not much variety from one song to the next, and the sheer repetitive minimalism at work where the guitar is concerned is bound to piss off lots of people (in fact, from the reviews I've seen of this so far, I'd say that's already happening), but what do you seriously expect of something that reaches for the far ends of extremity? Recommended, but mainly to people already steeped in noise and down with endless repetition.
http://theonetruedeadangel.blogspot.com

Ok folk this one I just don't get . There is zero production value. It's sounds like it was recorded on a boom box with a radio shack mic. Every fucking song sounds the same with the same god damn drum sound total un-effected and dry to the point the drummer may as well be hitting the top and side of a dryer and not a drum kit. The guitars are just static??? I know it ultra cool and elite to be True Raw Black metal but Torch of War has just taken this badge of honour too far. This is really just the same song 8 times with different tempos. I just can take no more .
Absolute Zero Media

 
Marblebog "Forestheart" Reviews

Since we first heard the name Marblebog, we somehow just knew this obscure Hungarian horde would be a fast favorite, before we had even heard a note of music, and man were we right. The last record, 2004's Csendhajnal, now unfortunately out of print, was a huge hit at AQ, the perfect balance of swirling synthy ambience, and mournful melancholy Burzumic buzz, so we had been anxiously awaiting the reissue of 2005's Forestheart ever since, and now it's finally here. This duo from Hungary mix traditional Hungarian folk, modern grim black buzz, and blissed out ambience into epic swaths of blurry blackness, woven from loping minor key guitars, simple mostly midtempo drumming, strangled croaked vocals, and while the parts might sound similar to black metal obsessives, it's not just the parts, it's how they're played, and recorded and arranged, the mood and the timbre, the sound and the feeling as much as the actual riffs. And while the riffs are of course amazing, it's the feel more than anything that make Marblebog so special. Everything is dripping with such sadness and sorrow, not just minor key, but whole arrangements and progressions perfectly assembled to evoke strange feelings, heartbreak and woe, death and destruction, so mournful and melancholy, sweeping swells of buzzing sound, with incredible dynamics, and bits of melody that swoop in out of nowhere and are immediately swallowed up again. The appropriately titled "Opening" is a brief stretch of swirling krautrocky synth, peppered with haunting animal like FX and creepy scrapes and groans, all drenched in reverb and delay, hovering beneath a pale moonlit sky. This intro opens up into the sort of title track "I Am The Forestheart", a glorious blast of melancholy blackness, with a main riff as catchy as it is dark and depressive. Part way through the band shift gear, and slow down into a strummed folky interlude, a jig like melody, Jew's harp, the sound of wind and rain, a haunting spare drift. There are three more longish tracks, all channeling the same forest spirit, looped cyclical black buzz, suffused with hypnotic drones and unlikely little melodic flourishes, everything muted and murky and dreamlike, often breaking down into simple acoustic guitar drifts, before picking back up again. The harrowing over the top vocals of the first records are now much more settled into the background, more a part of the music, almost like another layer of buzzing drone, but still just as harrowing and anguished. The final track is a 13+ minute ambient soundscape of shimmering synths, and mad scientist lab FX, burbling and gurgling beneath, dreamy washes of high end drift, strange muted percussion, some seriously Goblin like keyboard creep, and eventually some awesome lurching downtuned guitar, not so much crushing and heavy as creepy and thick, cyclical and hypnotic, a gorgeous lurching dream doom.
www.aquariusrecords.org

In the course of a few weeks, I’ve not only reviewed more black metal solo projects than ever before, but also black metal from Hungary, a place that seems to be a budding scene for the genre. Marblebog is one of such project, and now the group’s albums are finally starting to see release in North America thanks to Autopsy Kitchen Records. The first of these releases is the band’s sophomore album, Forestheart, which was originally released on cassette tape in 2005. And though this release is very low tech, it is still an intriguing and unique album. The majority of the material on this disc is fairly straightforward black metal, but there are several elements that help Marblebog’s material stand out from the rest. First, the opening and closing tracks are dark ambient tracks, helping to establish an ominous atmosphere that serve as a perfect compliment to the pounding black metal. As with some of the better low fi black metal acts, Forestheart features a session drummer resulting in compositions with slightly more variation. Combined with the catchy riffs, those who don’t mind the low fi recording and mixing qualities will find Marblebog’s latest to be quite satisfying. If there is one thing holding Forestheart, it would be the slightly average vocals. Vocalist Vorgrav has a similar harsh style to the more bizarre black metal groups out there, making use of an extremely demonic sounding shriek. Unfortunately, while this style fits the music well it isn’t anything new that fans haven’t heard before. Additionally, the ambient sections of the album feature no vocals at all and perhaps could’ve benefited from some experimentation. It may not be the absolute best black metal release of the year, but there’s a good reason that this album is seeing release outside of its native country nearly two years after its original pressing. Despite two years having passed since Vorgrav and his session musicians finished this album, Forestheart is still a noteworthy album that the black metal underground of North America will embrace. Autopsy Kitchen plans to release more Marblebog albums starting next year, and this one’s a great introduction to an underrated and lesser known black metal solo project.
www.cosmosgaming.com

The journey through the murky underbelly of Hungarian black metal continues. Today, with the help of the DIY label Autopsy Kitchen Records we have a totally kvlt reissue of Marblebog’s Forestheart. Many a metal band record their first demos on tape only format and make them available only in a superlimited number of copies. Marblebog was no exception, as the originally released Forestheart was limited to only 500 CD copies back in 2005. The truth is, for many bands 500 copies would be 499 too many to be heard by people, but in the case of Marblebog the evidence of quality songwriting is there, its melancholic tremolo riffs are some of the best washing ashore in the sea of atmospheric black metal. I had a chance to glance at the cover art before hearing the disc, so the intro’s Opening buried voice sounds like a wounded depressed animal who has gotten its feet caught in the frozen marsh which will never let go. I Am the Forestheart, the flagship track of the album, and A Tempest Never Calming Down present some of the most profound melancholic riffing I have heard in the last several years. For reference, although practically a one-man band, Marblebog (i.e., Vorgrov) sounds like Sapthuran with a ton more power or Nachtmystium on Demise with more nascent atmosphere. Acoustic riffs, guitars at times sounding like horns, arrangements, mouth harp, shaman drum of I Am the Forestheart, all of it combined with Vorgrov’s cutting voice, paint a complete picture of a lonesome wretched forest creature trapped in between the contradiction of forest’s beauty and forbidding nature. This track alone would have been worth the price of admission, or re-issue in this instance. I can certainly see how hearing this piece of music the label was getting in touch with Vorgrov asking for the rights. While Howling of Purity is a lot less melodic, and is as kvlt as they come, title including, Flame of Wisdom borders on funeral doom with its slowdown pace and melody played on the occasion when the body is placed six feet under. Vorgrov has a chance to stretch and rip those vocal chords here, the animal inside of him getting his last earthy breathing chance to grunt and groan. The album ends rather unexpectedly, when Closing quits its synth pattern of deep water bubbling and immersion, switching to a grim grating bass laden riff, which drones on for no less than the last 10 min of the record, minimalism coming out over the top. Some may construe it as experimentalism, others would hear guitar torture and repetition. Forestheart is a fine example of a one-man black metal band, Eastern European or not, done right. Killing Songs : I Am the Forestheart, A Tempest Never Calming Down, Flame of Wisdom
www.metalreviews.com

Hungary is not Norway or France, but it has a thriving black metal scene of its own. Recent releases by Vorkuta and Aetherius Obscuritas, both on Paragon, were of high quality. Now Autopsy Kitchen has reissued Marblebog’s 2005 full-length Forestheart, originally released on cassette and limited-edition CD. The reissue reworks the layout of the original and gives it well-deserved wider distribution. The change in artwork is significant. Instead of bleak darkness, sunlight now streams through the forest canopy. This is a perfect representation of Marblebog. “Marble” is hard, “bog” is soft, and together they compose this band’s duality. Such contrast occurs in the use of keyboards vs. guitars. The first and last tracks are mostly ambient, with achingly astral keyboards and voices bubbling in the distance. In between are four tracks of raw black metal. These are outstanding, with some of the catchiest metal riffs you’ll ever hear. At higher tempos, they’d be anthemic. Here, they’re mid-paced, droning, and hypnotic. Eerie clean tones interject occasionally. “I Am the Forest Heart” is lofty, imperial, with a primal breakdown that features, of all things, jew’s harp (”doromb” in Hungarian). The vocals are an acquired taste, a cross between gargling and crying for help. However, their ineffability works. The point is sound, not text. Marblebog weaves together something at once both homemade and mystical. As the liner notes reveal, Forestheart isn’t about black metal’s typical negativity: “Heart of the forest is always silent / Heart of the forest includes always the whole.” This is a patient record in service of deeper powers. Expect not to be hit over the head but to be fed inside it.
Cosmo Lee - www.metalinjection.net

Forestheart is an highly enjoyable, epic, memorable & atmospheric trip into mid-pace black metal craft weaved with elements of atmospheric rock, ambience & folk. This Original appeared in 2005 in cassette form here it is for all to hear in cd form and a rather nice clear vinyl pressing too. It brings to mind an mix of Burzum earthy epic-ness & Bathory at his more midpaced and Viking obsessed and dramatic- but also bringing on board very their own grim sound and identity too, Marblebog are far from been a copycat band. In all there are five tracks mostly hitting around the 6 to 10 minute mark & each being as atmospheric, creative and downright memoroble as the last. Favourite tracks are difficult to pick as it’s all superb and highly repayable & really works best as a whole - but if forced I guess I go for I'am the Forsethreart with its epic black metal meets tuneful and grim metal chug. It drops down into acoustic guitar elements and some rather atmospheric Jews harp playing and wind sound effects towards the end. The last track Closing with it’s bubbling ambience synth unfold that mid-way drops into a doomy blacked guitar crawl ending the album in fitting grim melancholy tone. An album that mangers to pay tribute to the old blacked masters, but at the same time creating it’s own atmospheric, inventive and distinctive vibe. I see from Autopsy Kitchen's website their due to reissue Marblebog debut album shortly too I can’t wait.
Roger Batty - www.musiquemachine.com

Available originally only in tape format and then a super limited CD pressing, Marblebog’s 3rd full length release Forestheart now sees a wider re-release courtesy of Autopsy Kitchen Records. The material on Forestheart was recorded 2003-2004 and at the time this Hungarian Black Metal outfit consisted of basically one member, Vorgrov who played pretty much everything on this disc except for drums which was handled by Gelal. One listen to Forestheart is all it takes to understand why the folks over at AKR were so eager to get their hands on this BM gem and expose it to the masses. After the atmospheric instrumental, titled appropriately enough “Opening”, the listener is thrust headlong into the maelstrom that is “I Am The Forestheart”. This track is an eight minute, mid tempo epic complete with richly layered guitars, Vorgrov’s tortured vocals and some cool sound effects that conjure up feelings of being alone with nature in where else, a forest. “A Tempest Never Calming Down”, “Flame of Wisdom” and “Howling of Purity” all demonstrate Vorgrov’s skill for crafting lengthy, trance inducing Black Metal compositions, but in this reviewers opinion he left his final surprise for the end of the disc. The last number entitled “Closing” is another minimalist, keyboard driven instrumental, but unlike “Opening”, this final composition is a thirteen minute experiment in atmospherics that ventures out into lengthy periods of nothing but pure drone. Overall Forestheart stands as a very impressive disc from beginning to end. The production is very solid and this is not your average run of the mill lo-fi, self produced at home BM release. Fans of the genre will want to seek this one out.
www.seaoftranqulity.org

Marblebog is a mostly single entity, sometimes duo, from Hungary playing ecologically-tinged, Burzum-styled black metal with plenty of atmospherics and a raw edge. “Forestheart”, the third full-length and the sole creation of founder Vorgrov, was originally released in a very limited tape edition in 2005, re-released by Tanhu Records on CD in 2006 (also a very limited edition), and now finds a wider audience after being picked up by U.S. label Autopsy Kitchen Records. “Forestheart” is re-released with re-worked cover art and a new layout, as well. “Forestheart” comes across as a somewhat slower, dreamier version of “Filosofem”- era Burzum with droning riffs, typical rasps in the background, simple drum patterns with barely any fills or rolls, a fuzzed out production, and atmospherics aplenty with some simple acoustical work. A mix of tempos occurs from song to song, with some slow, dreamy tracks and a few set at a faster pace. The quality of this release varies, though. A few of the songs, particularly “I Am The Forest Heart” are quite good, with some memorable riffing and plenty of droning atmosphere. Also, the song finishes with a nice flourish of acoustics. Periodically, some strange, haunting melodies emanate from a song or two, particularly “Howling Of Purity”. However, the remainder of the six track album is rather uneventful with some sub-par, non-memorable songwriting, and a few really sloppy, amateurish moments when the riffing noticeably drifts away from the accompanying rhythm. Unfortunately, these qualities detract from what initially promised to be a solid release. Essentially, although very promising at moments, “Forestheart” falls a bit short of a recommendation. I know that some place this album in high regard, but “Forestheart” does not quite stand up to the classics of the genre.
www.live4metal.com

Don´t know much about this band really, but again Autopsy Kitchen is standing behind a re-release, as this one´s previously been available on tape only. Well, I find this to be extremely one-dimentional and simple Black Metal. There´s nothing new here, and I think the lack of creativity and the sheer overdose of rehash material is obviously making this one for the utter die-hards who never get tired of this. (w)
www.nordicvisionmag.com

Hungarian black metallers Marblebog first releases Forestheart in 1995 on cassette tape only. It has since been released a couple of times in very limited quantities. Enter Autopsy Kitchen Records, who are spreading this out to the masses on CD, and in a limited edition clear vinyl release. The opening track (simply titled "Opening") is an organ intro, completely different from the assault that is awaiting when the music really kicks in on "I Am the Forest Heart". This track has a doomy feel to it, mainly having to do with the recording, which is a bit murky sounding. Mid-paced, with a multi-layered, super fuzzed out wall of guitar sound, the song has a recurring guitar riff that is downright brilliant in it's simplicity. There are a couple sections where they drop in acoustic guitars, and even what sounds like a mouth harp, which is a very interesting addtion to a black metal song. "Flame of Wisdom" slows things down quite a bit, yet is heavy as fuck, and still retains the wall of sound from the guitars. Closing the disc is the brilliantly titled "Closing", a 13+ minute bit of ambiance that begins sounding like an old monster movie soundtrack (might fit into Frankenstein), then transitions into a distorted bass solo for the last 8 minutes or so of the track. Thanks to Autopsy Kitchen, many more people will have the opportunity to hear this great disc. If you like you black metal with a side of doominess and a bit of ambiance, then Forestheart should be made part of your collection now. B+ -Goz
www.gaspetc.com

Torch Of War est une entité à part entière, jouant sur deux facettes que sont le black métal dans la droite lignée d'un Darkthrone, mais aussi sur l'ambiguïté. Il n'y a qu'à voir la pochette qui annonce presque rien, mais reste effrayante par son décor de destruction. On aborde donc un disque en terrain conquis, où tout est impressionnant, à commencer par le son, vraiment très underground. Des titres comme "Wolf Among Sheep", "The Principle Of Cosmic Instability" ou encore "Blazing Wounds of Earth" titre qui représente le plus fidèlement le style du groupe séduisent par leurs riff épurées et leurs haines qui se dégagent des ambiances malsaines véhiculées par la musique d'une part et par les vocaux d'une noirceux apocalyptique. Au final, cet opus reprend le black metal sauvage d'époque, en allant beaucoup plus loin dans la brutalité mais aussi dans la technicité et la richesse des ambiances. Avec autant de qualité, on ne va pas faire la fine bouche.
http://undersociety.free.fr/

It takes some pretty good music to live up to a band name as bizarre and stupidly vivid as Marblebog. Fortunately, this Hungarian act seems to be up to the task. First, Marblebog's gloomy black metal doesn't deviate much stylistically from the blueprints set by more quintessential woodlands- inspired outfits like Hate Forest, Through Chasm, Caves And Titan Woods-era Carpathian Forest, and obviously, Burzum. But much like a forest, the only way to fully appreciate its wealth of life and color is to see it from beneath the canopy and investigate the weirdness lurking beneath the surface; which is in Forestheart's case, a host of exotic hooks, folk accents, a vocalist who sounds like he's regurgitating dead soldiers, and unorthodox steel/electric guitar interplay not unlike the kind practiced by Finnish genre crossbreeders Misantropical Painforest and Dead Reptile Shrine. In short, think the most recent sonic escapades of Tasmania's one-man black metal phenomenon Striborg, but imagine if the lo-fi shamanic weirdness was subservient to the music rather than the other way around. All you post-Filosofem Burzumbabies out there would do well to pay attention to this album and see how it's really done. Meditative though Forestheart may be, Marblebog negates the element of monotony inherent in cookiecutter Varg worship with grandiose riff developent and a host of dramatic dynamic shifts, rolling in with something menacing and dissonant just when you've been swept away by the album's transcendental bliss, as well as vice-versa. For example, half-way through the song "I am the Forestheart," the metal gives way for an introspective doromb and steel guitar cigányzene refrain, which is masterfully restated and incorporated into the song's main riff by means of electric blurs of drowsy tremolo buzz. Then there's the sprawling 13 minute closer, appropriately titled "Closing," an eerie departure from the despondent Burzumisms preceding it, opening with swampy synth broiling around aquatic ambience and a distant death knell pound that sounds like the soundtrack to a zombie outbreak in some tropical fishing village, which then laboriously combusts into a murky, alien bass jam that trudges on and on for the rest of the song as if threatening to coat everything in thick mist and the shadows of mossy branches. It's all so utterly dreamlike. Or nightmarish. I don't think Vorgrov knows the difference, which is what makes Marblebog so intriguing. In a way, Forestheart is reflective of the listener's intentions; if you enter seeking instant gratification, you will find the listening experience to be as shallow as your own expectations, but if you're involved with what's going on, Forestheart allows you to become an active participant in the music. When you hear the nauseous, slow-motion swirls of disorienting Burzumisms pervading the song "Flame of Wisdom," or the spacey gauze of shimmering FX comprising the opening track, you think "what the fuck's going on here?" -- it compels you to think, and once you begin to understand the clashing elements at work, you're not just listening, you're engaged. Even the lyricism is competent, expressing some fiercely anti-dualist sentiments riddled with naturalistic imagery that's sincere and poetic, rather than the usual "I roam through the forest with my pagan wolf brothers" fluff. It's a shame Marblebog intend to release most of their future work on tapes. This is music that deserves to be heard by more than just scene-drifting black metal kids.
www.diabolicalconquest.com/

The third full-length album from Hungary's Marblebog has been getting plenty of attention lately, and well it should -- this is a classic example of lo-fi and minimalist black metal, deliberately primitive in sound and pagan in nature. The album opens and closes with eerie ambient tracks filled with desolate moaning and grim, fogbound keyboards, but the other four tracks are long and repetitive explorations of pagan wisdom in the vein of early or mid-period Burzum. Buzzing, fizzy guitars playing opaque and subtly unusual riffs and mournful synth play out over tinny drums playing simple patterns, all to hypnotic effect, as vocalist Vorgrav mines the pained, shrieking territory perfected by Varg Vikernes. "A Tempest Never Calming Down" is one of the heaviest tracks here, anchored by a mutant descending riff; the slower but equally heavy "Flame of Wisdom" opens with one of the best riffs on the album, a bizarre stab of dissonance, and shifts in mood and intensity at regular intervals. By the time you reach the final real track, "Howling of Purity," it's obvious that the band seriously worships Burzum, but this is not a bad thing at all. It's true that excessive Burzum-worship is not exactly an original move at this point, but little in metal is, really, and they are far more successful than most Burzum-inspired bands at capturing the dark and melancholy feel that made those albums such classics. Their penchant for minimalism may obscure their songwriting talents for those not attuned to the nuances of such repetitive music, but trust me, the attention to songwriting is definitely there. They also make excellent use of the keyboards without allowing them to overwhelm or interfere with the eerie guitar sound. Some may consider this the equivalent of reinventing the wheel, but it's certainly worth hearing.
http://theonetruedeadangel.blogspot.com

This also start out with a very Dark ambient/ Synth based intro but from there his is more of an old school low fi Raw Black metal monster in the works. The vocals are that you would hear in bands like Graveland early Bathory or even releases many releases on labels like No Colours or Moribund Cult. The rest of music and percussion is very simple and repetitive but it works for that droning BM feel. MarbleBog are not the most original band out there but that is not what Black metal is about. Its about the feel and bleak world around them and this my friends MarbleBog creates very well. The folk and nature element in the music works very well too. I can see myself listening to MarbleBog often. This is very well done heathen Black Metal.
Absolute Zero Media

 
Stalaggh :Projekt Misanthropia: Reviews

The mysterious Dutch collective known as Stalaggh return from obscutrity with their third full-length, and first album of new material for Autopsy Kitchen, completing their planned trilogy and thus bringing an end to their current configuration. As with their previous releases, the group present some seriously disturbing epic noise with a slight black metal influence, though this is only really felt near the conclusion of the thirty minute piece as the violent disjointed percussion yields to frantic blast beats and distorted droning guitars come together to hammer out some pure old-school worship. The vocals once again consist purely of tortured shrieks and moans (famously believed to be recordings of actual mental patients), creating an extremely uneasy, but ultimately rewarding listen.
http://www.voidexpression.net

Second disc from this Dutch black ambient doom outfit and it's just as harrowing and horrific as the first. For more on the band and their strange ways, see the review of the last record Nihilistik Terrror elsewhere on the website. But, in a nutshell, these guys are brutal, harsh, extreme and really fucking scary. Musically as well as in their modus operandi. Not content with coaxing the harshest of sounds from their instruments (there are instruments?) and emitting harsh demonic howls and hysterical maniacal shrieks themselves, these guys managed (through some dubious connections) to recruit a handful of inmates, in local psychiatric hospitals, to supply the 'vocals' and much of the artwork. And it sounds like it. Stalaggh's sound is a harsh swirling drone drenched freaked out noise, raw and hissy, loads of buzz and shriek and industrial whir, all whipped up into a dense stormcloud of sound, but it's the vocals that truly disturb, and this time they're everywhere, male, female, howling, moaning, weeping, wailing, sometimes barely audible, sometimes ferociously way up in the mix, always completely freaked out and brutally intense. This is like wandering through some old school mental institution, wandering the halls, all set to the sounds of SPK or Throbbing Gristle. This is the sound of human suffering, not just musically, but in every way, this is hate and confusion and misery and loneliness and sadness and despair and depression all channelled into a single 35 minute track. This record is sad and scary, and thus pretty fucking amazing. It definitely takes a strong stomach, and a lot of mental resolve, and some seriously iron clad ears, but it ends up being worth it. Very little music is this raw and intimate and frightening and seriously scary. It's really pretty fascinating, as well as a little bit repugnant, definitely hard to listen to, but almost equally hard not to. Limited to 100 copies, each one hand numbered and the inside features a reproduction of a piece of artwork drawn by one of the mental patients.
www.aqauriusrecords.org

Hey, any album that opens with people screaming like they're being disemboweled with a rusty potato peeler and angry lunatics breaking shit is okay by me. We're talking serious, highly perverse Abruptum-style weirdness here, with lots of howling and shouting and smashing stuff and pure sonic ugliness over the course of one long track clocking in around thirty minutes. The band members like to remain anonymous (although they are supposedly well-known musicians from the Dutch and Belgian extreme metal scene), and they claim their vocalist to be a madman who murdered his mother at the age of sixteen (they want all that psychopathic rage to be real, see), although I'd take that tidbit of info with a grain of salt. One thing is unquestionably clear, though; this is a seriously demented work of anti-commercial art, and one of the most deliberately obnoxious sonic endeavors since the first masterwork from Abruptum. It takes a good five or six minutes for the track to resolve into anything resembling music (and then it's mostly fuzzed-out guitar hell and primitive drumming), and even then the musical content is strictly touch 'n go... but the wailing, screaming, and near-ritualistic gnashing of teeth never lets up. Bonus points for the truly gross-sounding bass that shows up about ten minutes into the track and the moments of pure white noise (not to mention all that endless screaming). It's nice to see I'm not the only one who still worships Abruptum, even if the band is loath to admit as much.
theonetruedeadangel.blogspot.com

Just when I thought it was safe to come out of my hiding place, another dose of NOISE from the beast known as Stalaggh has been unleashed again. And just like the Nihilistik Terror album, the new disc, Projekt Misanthropia is noisy, loud and fucking wacked out beyond words. This time around the band chose to add a few beats and droning guitar riffs over all the screams and noise. Yeah, it makes the album a little more tolerable, but the guitar work doesn't last long enough - then we're right back to the screams of the dying. If you've ever seen the new Dawn Of The Dead remake, imagine the sounds of all those rabid zombies being recorded and put to tape. That will about sum the album up. Sure it's eclectic and it's definitely out there but you have to be one fucked individual to listen to this on a daily basis or even sit through it more than a few spins. Sadly, I look at it as more of a novelty act more than I do a band, but that doesn't mean you will. If you take large amounts of drugs and like being surrounded by chaos then Stalaggh's latest, Projekt Misanthropia will please the hell out of you. As for me, I feel like I've been raped, chewed up and spit back out!
http://www.blackangelpromotions.com

‘Projekt Misanthropia’ is, according to the press release that came with this recording, the ‘final’ masterwork from this Dutch / Belgian act. They billed their music as Ambient Black Metal but have more to do with the Power / Extreme noise bunch of weirdos who walk planet Earth. Anyone who has subjected themselves to their previous releases ‘Projekt Nihil and Projekt Terrror’ will be pleased to know that the anonymous horsemen of the apocalypse haven’t mellowed one iota. In fact they’ve gotten harder if that was possible. By keeping their identities a secret, got something to hide boys, they bow out with no-one knowing who to blame for the aural damage they have inflicted. A great tactic and one sure to be repeated by others somewhere allow the line. The making of ‘Projekt Misanthropia’: The guys went into the studio. They had at their disposal guitars, amps, percussion and some electronics. They battered the fuck out of the instruments for 35 minutes in totally random abandonment. The feedback squealed like a stuck pig. The electronics blistered like paint in the blazing sun. The one responsible for the percussion went on a destructive spree of random pounding. Everyone did their own thing, blissfully unaware of the others, until their arms ached and they grew tired. The one responsible for the percussion even found some glass to smash. Which he proceeded to do. Then the vocals were laid down. All of them grabbed a microphone and started to scream and moan until their throats hurt and were red raw. Happy with progress they then mixed everything together and added some echo effects and phased bits in and out. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. We have finished our latest effort in double quick time. Stating the bleeding obvious: Maybe that wasn’t exactly factually accurate. Having dragged myself through this latest effort it definitely gave off that impression. I’ve never fully got under the skin of this act. I find their music compellingly repulsive in so many ways that I battle against myself over whether I think they are fucking talent less nut jobs or creative geniuses. Their three full length releases offer, in reality, nothing new from each other. Each a wall of desolate horrendous noise from start to finish. The continual battering from the instruments and vocal delivery, such as it is, beats one to a bloody pulp. The relief when the music finally stops is hard to describe. The silence cleanses off the degrading shit that had polluted the airways. Their noise making you feel dirty and tainted. I’ve known people to walk out of the room when any of their music has been playing. And there aren’t many groups around who have that same effect. I think it boils down to the fact that the demonic / maniacal vocals gets into your head and stays there. Stamped onto the memory cells that want to recoil in horror at this unwanted intrusion. Couple that with the sound of lunatics given free reign to a variety of instruments and you can pretty much guess that this, like the other releases, is no fun time walk in the park. How often have I played ‘Projekt Nihil and Projekt Terrror’? Not much over the years. Could count the times on both hands. How often will I play ‘Projekt Misanthropia’? Not many. As with so many releases that falls under the banner of ‘noise’ this will lay in wait for when I need purging. I’ll play it to beat out the depressive blues that sometimes cloud my existence. I couldn’t play any of their releases just for pleasure. I’m not into that masochistic scene. I don’t endure personal pain on any level well. Call me a wuss if you must. In my opinion anyone who says they could play ‘Projekt Misanthropia’ for fun on a daily basis is one sick fuck who I do not want to meet down a dark alleyway at night. Maybe that’s you. I don’t know or rightly care. Know what to expect and approach this release with the utmost caution. Your sanity is on the line. The anonymous protagonists of Stalaggh await you.
www.heathenharvest.com

Before I even get started I suggest that if you are unfamiliar with Stalaggh look up an interview. To those completely unfamiliar with the band they dub themselves nihilistic misanthropic audio terror. Each of the bands albums consist of ambient noise with the occasional instrumentation and the supposed screams of the mentally insane. Looking beyond the hype, beyond the possibility that these are actually the screams of the insane, at its core it is an extreme lesson in emotional expression through sound. At times sounding like a bunch of maniacs rampaging through a factory tearing everything to pieces, and at other times like people cornered by a monster with nothing left but the absolute fear of impending death. It is at times unsettling, but also one of the most engaging things I have ever listened to. The desperate screams over oppressive soundscapes is utterly engaging. It is very easy to question whether or not this is actually music but is none the less an enjoyable listen. Don't ask me how it is enjoyable, it just is. I'm sure there are some people out there that will just think I'm a complete fucking idiot for liking this, but for the fanatics out there that know, you probably already own this. :) -RD
http://www.myspace.com/emetalreviews

DUTCH
Ik heb hier voor mij een tot duizend stuks gelimiteerde handgenummerde digipack editie van ':Projekt Misanthropia:' van het Nederlands/Belgische "audio-terror" noise project Stalaggh en ik heb zo'n donker bruin vermoeden dat die duizend kopietjes niet zo een twee drie over de toonbank zullen verdwijnen. Waarom niet? Om dat Stalaggh het meest zieke, walgelijke, panische, enge, manische stukje herrie op de mensheid heeft losgelaten dat ik in jaren (wat zeg ik, ooit!) heb mogen meemaken. Dit derde en laatste album van Stalaggh gaat na de eerdere projecten 'Nihil' en 'Terror' dus nu met 'Misanthropia' over mensenhaat, en na eerder al (naar eigen zeggen) een moordenaar en een suicidale anorexia patient de vocalen te laten verzorgen, hebben de heren van Stalaggh (als je ze moet geloven dus) nu de hulp ingeroepen van een heel orkest mentaal gestoorden. Deze zieke mensen mogen ruim een half uur lang kriskras door elkaar heen hun buitenproportionele mensenhaat over de luisteraar uitkotsen, bijgestaan door bloedstollende overstuurde teringherrie (sorry hoor, maar een verantwoorde muzikaal-technische term hiervoor bestaat gewoonweg niet). Halverwege de huiveringwekkende trip begint ergens in een achterkamertje ook nog een blackmetal band te spelen, dit tot slechts lichtelijk sfeerverhogend effect. Stalaggh, gezellig genoeg vernoemt naar concentratiekamp, zal nooit optreden, vanwege de reden dat men er geen voorstander van is om mensen met elkaar te laten socialiseren. Waarom dit soort rare lui überhaupt dan nog cd's uitbrengen mag joost weten, laat staan dat ze ze die in een gelimiteerd digipackje naar een e-zine sturen. Willen jullie aandacht jongens? Blijkbaar is niets menselijks deze mensenhaters vreemd...
www.lordsofmetal.nl

ENGLISH
Before me lies the hand-numbered, limited (1000 copies), digipack edition of ':Projekt Misanthopia:' by the Dutch/Belgian "audio-terror" noise allegiance Stalaggh and I have a sneaking suspicion that these 1000 copies will not sell out instantly. Why not? Because Stalaggh just released the most revolting, scary, manic, sick piece of cacophony on humanity which I have experienced in years, if not ever. This third and last album in the trilogy is after 'Nihil', and 'Terror', a project about misanthropia; the hate for mankind and after already (according to the band themselves) having had a murderer and a suicidal anorexic do the vocals, this time the Stalaggh gentlemen have called in the help of a whole bunch of mental patients. These sick minds were allowed to vomit out all their unlimited hatred against human life for over half an hour, assisted by a very eerie kind of fucked up noise (Excuse my French but there is not a decent word to describe it). Halfway the record it seems that a black metal band starts rehearsing in the next room, just slightly enhancing the overall mood. Stalaggh, cozy enough named after a German concentration camp, will never perform live because they don't support human socialization. It makes you wonder why true kids like this release records in the first place, let alone send their work in a limited edition Digipack to an e-zine well-read by lots of fellow humans. In need for some attention guys? Apparently nothing human is strange the manhaters either.
www.lordsofmetal.nl

One track and 35 minutes. After this I was putrified in pessimism. STALAGGH is rumored to be formed by some major Black Metal and Indus bands members. What they offer in "Projekt Misanthropia" is a journey through an asilum with a completely mad mind. The singer of STALAGGH is also rumored to be a man who killed his mother at the age of 16. True or not, these vocal works are pretty sick. It might be these of a man being buried alive. I can't label their art as music without talking about them as an Ambient Noise band. The ambience is dark and the noise is dark, so STALAGGH is pure darkness. They use some real instruments over the whole thing but in a minimalistic approach. Those padded rooms inhabitants have nothing to do with headbanging. Their thing is more headdrilling. They lobotomize their listeners. Its as good to listen as javel water to drink. You really have to be initiated to the Noise scene before enjoying STALAGGH. This great CD will decieve everyone except Noise fans that will ALL offer their reverence to the innovative Noise of "Project Misanthropia". This is experimental stuff, that have to be judged in its own artistic category (just like a Pollock painting as to be judged). Personaly, I really appreciated the new gate to Noise that STALAGGH created. NOTE: This is the last ever STALAGGH release. The next one will be released as GULAGGH and will switch musical style to perverted Classical music always with this sick voice of the damned.
www.necrohell.com

This power electronic / black metal band began in Holland (around the year 2000) and takes their name from the German stalag prison camps (short for Stammlager), while adding a 'g' and 'h' at the end to abbreviate 'global holocaust', as their message is total human annihilation. While they hate the comparisons to Abruptum, they are apt (though Abruptum uses lyrics). Stalaggh's methods, as well as layouts, and ideology are usually the same: black layout with a face on the cover cover (the artwork of Netherland artist Jeroen van Valkenburg), digipack limited to 1000 copies with titles such as Projekt Terror and Projekt Nihil (originally released by New Era Productions from Holland, and Total Holocaust Records in Sweden), along with a thirty to forty minute composition of harsh noise under violent screams of pain, with a little bass, drums and guitars leaking through every now and again - usually improvised. This is their final release, and a good one, but nothing that far different from past efforts. This, plus previous works, is a true insight into harsh noise, as well as dementia.
www.feastofhateandfear.com

Um, time was, a few years ago, when bands would spend every waking moment of interviews in the big mags discussing their “hatred” of “this miserable planet.” The end of Earth was cause for celebration because, apparently, we’d be rid of all those folks in motorized carts flocking to Sunday morning buffets and worshiping The Lard. I mean, I’ve seen Mike Judge’s Idiocracy and it has swept fast and furious fear into my heart the way a sexy maid sweeps broken glass into a dustpan. But I’m in no hurry for Armageddon or Cindy Crawford (whichever, as Chuck Biscuits once said, comes first) and thus the torturous but artful representations of outfits such as Stalaggh aren’t manifestos of hate as much as they are curious statements about the state of music and the state of mankind. What we have here is a 35-minute, single-track exploration of what it must really sound like in a haunted house or a haunted hell. There’s minor rhythmic variation, not much in the way of harmony or melody and certainly not much in the way of toe-tapping goodness. But it is intelligent, it does come across like John Cage and maybe Xasthur getting together to compose music for an art opening featuring paintings by Mayhem’s Hellhammer made from the blood and brains of his fallen bandmate Dead. A niche record to be sure, but an artfully constructed one that, as they say, rewards repeated listens. Just don’t take more than one dose in any one 24-hour period.
www.seaoftranquility.org

Violently claustrophobic and brutal conceptual Dutch/Belgian/etc avant-something-or-other black'n'blue metal. This thirty-something minute attack is supposedly their final outing in this incarnation, after which they plan to adopt a new moniker and tweak/decimate classical music, though with "mentally insane" folks on vocals. What they've been doing already sounds like an over-packed, under-staffed asylum burning to the street, so the shift ought to be...interesting. It's a favorite, but perhaps more for the noise-nuts then straightforward metal folk.
www.pitchforkmedia.com

Projekt Misanthropia is a trip into noise, myriad of screams and moans, dark devil loving psychedelia, black metal, doomy soundtrack element and all manner of hellish chaos. All Severed up in one 35 minutes brain melting dose. From the outset you unshaw exactly what you’ve dropped into, as layers upon layers of screams, moans, bays, groans and death rattles surround you. It’s like treading the very corridors of hell, or been lost in some maze like dungeon. As the track progress Black metal guitar chugs, doomy horror soundtrack drifts, crashing cymbals, weird noises and anything else they fancy throwing at your melting mind, is added into the sound soup. With through out the noise and scream element are kept constant and dense. There really are some very inspired moments along the way like at about the 19 minute mark where an eerier 70’s like occultic moog drift can be heard at the base of the chaos, before a slow black/doom haze is added on top. An enjoyable long form piece that manages to keeps one's attention through out, with the ideas always flowing and growing never becoming too stale or safe. One for those who enjoy noise, black metal and horror soundtracks, preferably all mixed up together into one gruelling and atmospheric dark sludge. To enter into Stalaggh’s dark trip fall into this dark pit of the mind.
Roger Batty / www.musiquemachine.com

Conceptual, blackened, pure noise bands are not my thing. Much of the time the point is to deliver the most painful expressions of life itself in a collage audio format. Rarely, and I mean RARELY would I ever listen past 2 minutes of such drivel without turning it off. This is the second time I have endured such a record and made it past the usual 2-minute mark, the first being Abruptum’s ‘Vi Sonus Veris…’ record (which was total shit). I made it to 13 minutes and 32 seconds of Stalaggh’s final release, :Projekt Misanthropia:, before having to turn it off. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it was horrible, but the only thing I could liken it to is listening to 10 stereos playing the same ‘Spooky Halloween’ tape in a wind-tunnel. Sounds cool for a few minutes, but not for repeated listening (in my opinion, of course). There are moments when some guitars enter the picture, lots of banging and things smashing about, and constant wailing and screaming. Yet, there’s no substance to support the atmosphere. I do have to say that listening to :Projekt Misanthropia: is definitely unnerving at times, but I was more annoyed than anything.
Left Hand Path - http://gravewithaview.blogspot.com

This is a limited edition release by the scary Dutch act, and reportedly their last. If this is the end, it is a suitably dour and raging finale for a band whose work has always been extreme and assaultive. If anything, this outraged blend of noise and barely-audible instruments is a fuck you and a goodbye. This is all about unvarnished and uncompromising rage; NON wishes their nihilism had this much balls and cred. Brutal is always a word thrown around this type of noise, but it fits. They may be leaving before most of us got to know them, but that may be safer for us all. Relentless and oppressive. Check out the label too, which has more to offer that challenges the squeamish.
www.musicemissions.com

If you have never heard Stalaggh before be for warned that this is recorded insanity and will scare the shit out of you and you know what it just what I want from Stalaggh as this is the 2nd full release I've heard by the band and is yet again a terrifying experience. There is shit exploding, being thrown around and beating to death. The cries and screams coming from this CD are not of a soul that is in any stable manner. Fuck I just love what Stalaggh does. In no way is this music , Projekt Misanthropia is Harsh Noise and Industrial sounds and what I mean by industrial is machine noises with moments of guitar and drum bursts in a very doomy black metal feeling. If Krieg was a Noise band I think they would be Stalaggh. Yet another stellar release from the label of Autopsy Kitchen. There isn't much more extreme then this anywhere that's all I can say. To top it all off is one 35 min track.
http://magazine.absolutezeromedia.us

I’m going to keep this one short and simple, as what is contained on Stalaggh’s third album Projekt Misanthropia is not music, much less metal, and therefore reviewing it as such is not really a relevant task (hence the lack of scoring). What we have here is one 35-minute noise piece, and whether or not you get anything out of this release or find it a waste of time (or a joke) will depend entirely on your appreciation and/or tolerance for the noise genre in the first place. “Projekt Misanthropia” consists entirely of piercing walls of static interspersed with a few other noises and effects, and layers upon layers of distorted shrieks, screams, coughs, moans, and various other wordless vocalizations provided by real mental patients. I’ve always found this aspect of Stalaggh to be gimmicky (not to mention in extremely poor taste), but I do concede that there is something that feels more disturbing and genuine about these “vocals” than the shrieks and grunts you would hear on a metal release. But its not that big of a deal. And it gets old after four or five minutes anyway. At a couple of points during the mayhem, actual recognizable guitar riffing and drums (even some blasting towards the end) wander in and out of the mix. While I found these moments to be the most enjoyable parts of the disc, for the simple fact that they gave the endless static and screeching some actual structural context, it quickly hit me after I was done listening how ridiculous and random these segments actually were. Its almost like the guys behind this project didn’t even have the balls to make a straight noise record, so at the last minute threw in some cut-and-past “black metal” segments just so they could still consider themselves somewhat related to actual music. I will give Stalaggh credit for this: there were a couple of times during my first listen where I did feel kind of uneasy, and that was obviously the whole point of these albums in the first place. The thing is, this piece is so long and completely one-dimensional that what starts out as creepy and strange quickly degenerates into boring and obnoxious. Even as a big fan of some of the less musical sides of metal and other music, I really can’t recommend this as anything more than a one-listen curiosity quencher or something trippy to put on while you and your friends light up a joint. Fans of noise artists like Merzbow and Whitehouse might want to hear this for themselves. Everyone else, don’t even bother. It really isn’t that cool, trust me.
www.metalreview.com

How does one define the work of the mysterious entity known as Stalaggh? Is it black metal? Is it industrial noise? Maybe just extreme metal stripped of all semblance of rational composing? Forget all that shit, this is the soundtrack to human torment. Stalaggh’s “final masterwerk” (as described in Autopsy Kitchen’s info sheet), Projekt Misanthropia is one of those horrifically frightening works of dissonant sound experimentation that somehow ends up as much more than the work of a cloistered artist fucking around for the sake of fucking around. Its purpose and worthiness is in the ear of the beholder, as only a smattering of brave souls across the globe will ever grasp its point. One 35-minute track of swirling machine-like sounds and noise terror, and including for the first time the use of conventional instruments like guitar (heard only at certain points as a foundation of sorts for the aural rape that hovers ominously above), “nightmarish” isn’t descriptive enough. Left alone in the dark with the disc blaring, the images conjured bring to mind the portrayals of Hell seen in a host of horror movies. Scenes of eternal torture with no semblance of reason, contorted faces and howls of human suffering beyond the comprehension of mortal man, and feelings that transcend mere dread begin to capture the album’s essence. Be careful with this one and for Christ’s sake check out some samples before making a purchase decision. Projekt Misanthropia defies statements like “not for everyone” and moves into terrain inhabited by the few truly disaffected worshippers of extremity.
Scott Alisoglu / Metal Maniacs

Stalaggh's Projekt Misanthropia is by no means a conventional album, and as such, there is no way I can possibly analyze it in any conventional fashion. I've heard nervous whispers and frightened conversations about this act for some time now, and having heard it myself, the one conclusion I've made is that never before this album has fear been properly conveyed in an album. The thirty-five minutes of recording featured on this disc are nothing short of aural torture. There is not even another phrase for it! Never before have I heard such exquisite agony, such hopeless despair! Projekt Misanthropia as a disc almost writes its own press release; the number of sick and perverted methods used to require a sound this soul-crushingly harsh are many indeed. First and foremost, the members of Stalaggh (long rumored to be a cabal of the Dutch/Belgian BM scene's finest) are sworn to absolute secrecy. This complete masking allows the various "members" to engage in acts so unwholesome, foul, and outright wrong no music has ever been made like it before. Such horrors are best manifested in the band's legitimate take on misanthropy---describing their sound as the only true representation of the depravity, hatred, and sickness of Earth, the band have stooped to unfathomable lows in crafting their music. Extreme music lore has it that Stalaggh manipulate the vocals of the mentally-ill and convicted murderers in an effort to add realism to their chaotic hatred and despair. Something so violently counter-culture in my first opinion could be naught but shocking hype; after hearing the finished work, there is no doubt in my mind concerning the truth in the band's various media outputs. With all this in mind, what to do with Projekt Misanthropia now? Digesting the CD, can a reviewer like me laud it for its daring originality, or is it better to condemn for its unyielding isolationism? The answer, I think, is a little of both. Projekt Misanthropia is easily one of the most polarizing, strange, and raw albums I've heard. I'd even dare say it is years ahead of its time. The horrendous, frightening, and even sad howls of people utterly consumed by illness of the mind and soul is beyond anything I've ever heard in terms of blatant extremity, yet in some perverted way it makes sense. Stalaggh have taken these surprisingly varied moans, wails, and shrieks of anguished hatred and turned them into a sort of cacophony symphony, replete with passages of thundering percussion, abrasive noise, and hypnotic guitar chords. The most frightening aspect of this work is not the fact that honest human suffering was used to craft it, but rather that it can be so memorable, even catchy, in places. Finding one’s self humming a slithering chord briefly interspersed amongst the cries of the damned is exceedingly unnerving, and raises issues of personal ethics. So manic and chaotic is the sound, the mere thirty-five minutes will warp into and around itself, feeling infinitely longer. I have never used the phrase deprivation of the senses in a review before, but this is a sound place to start. Even by listening to something like this, I wonder if enough is enough. After mulling it over, I think he answer is a resounding no. The spirit of music in my opinion has (and will always be) the complete destruction of convention and tradition in some form or the other. Such rebellion and danger is essential to solid songcraft in this or any era, and Stalaggh are merely the product of an age where that much more annihilation of current thought is required. I'm also inclined to see a twist of irony here in the band's mantra. By giving the mentally-ill, the deranged murderer, or the self-mutilating misanthrope a chance to voice their very real, very personal hatred/sadness, Stalaggh are finding a sort of twisted beauty in the very humanity they seemingly seek to destroy. Yes, such pain in another human is both terrible and godless, yet we as listeners can find something higher in it too. I have a feeling I'm simply interpreting the disc in a much more positive light than was intended by its authors, but I'm going to conclude with a single thought. A disc like Projekt Misanthropia is essential insofar as it makes us realize how low we as human beings can sink. The work is not always pretty, and surely never fun, but one might learn something along the way. Projekt Misanthropia is truly out of this world, and must be experienced firsthand. I guarantee you won't enjoy most of it, but the suffering of others won't have been for naught and there is a strange comfort in that if nothing else. Much like the events of say the Holocaust, the sounds on offer here give us realistic and honest human suffering so that we can step back and respect it, understand it, maybe even cure it. After this, maybe we at last have a start.
www.rocknworld.com

Back for one final slab of mind-expanding, ear-exploding terrifying black noise, Dutch/Belgian now 'kult' act Stalaggh have released perhaps one of the most soul-destroying anti-life pieces of music you are likely to ever come across. Like most of the Stalaggh back catalogue the aptly titled “Projekt Misanthropia” compiles masses of organic incomprehensible static, industrial bangs, hits, scrapes and squeals, and inhuman moans into a somehow structured 35 minute slice of complete aural destruction. To say Stalaggh have progressed from the washed out white noise of “Projekt Nihil”, “Projekt Terror” and “Nihilistic Terror” is somewhat of an understatement, thanks to the addition of real instruments into his locked, cocked and ready to explode musical arsenal. More, dare I say it, refined yet still able to strip skin from bone, elements of traditional black metal and pure blast sections are thrown into his volatile brew that for a few fleeting moments, give you something to cling onto, something to decipher through the hissing, screaming, mechanical jungle that makes up the majority of this disk. More intense than a thousand black, death, grind, industrial bands put together, “Projekt Misanthropia” is certainly no easy listen. It takes a lot of patience, a good set of ears and an incredibly open mind to fully come to terms with what is happening deep within the bowels of the Stalaggh sound, and most certainly will not appeal to all and sundry. “Projekt Misanthropia” is a release for those seeking something that exceeds the boundaries of, well…everything…making this a more than perfect funeral for the sonic soundscape genius that is Stalaggh. Insanity prevails!
www.vampire-magazine.com

I distinctively remember being very pissed off at Stalaggh’s previous release Projekt Nihil. The Dutch ambient noise black metal band seemed too bent on shapeless sonic mayhem and anarchic noises and not preoccupied enough on creating a quality piece of work. Its potency was undeniable, but so was its obtuseness. On their second release, and reportedly last before they change their moniker to Gulaggh, the anonymous trio known as Stalaggh doesn’t veer too far off their initial recording. Needless to say Projekt Misanthropia is absolutely insane. Perhaps more so than Projekt Nihil; it bases its power on razor sharp sheets of ambient noise and bases its terror in painful screams and ear shattering screeches. Without exaggeration; Projekt Misanthropia sounds like a bloody orgy in the crazy house. If we must establish some sort of distance between the band's two releases then it would be fair to say that Misanthropia, which by the way is comprised of one chunky thirty-five minute long track, is more of an infernal trip. A sort of voyage with a beginning a middle and an end. The cut seems to pass through several phases; with parts relying on noise, then on screams, then on both, then on screams and beeps, and halfway through, on drums and screams. Thus far, this is as close as Stalaggh ever gets to actual music. Then the same clanky clash sounds that inundated Projekt Nihil break in only to unceremoniously exit and give way to more screams, drone, some low-key tones, and eventually standard black metal. Yes, towards the end Stalaggh gives way to a blazing riff and hectic blast-beat filled drums, while on top we don’t find a black metal singer but more screams and then…more screams. What prompted the band to finish up their latest product under the moniker Stalaggh in a kind of generic fashion? I don’t know but perhaps it has to do with the way they’ll pick up music under the name of Gulaggh.
www.deafsparrow.com

Oh, no, not again! Yep, Autopsy Kitchen Records issues yet another “music” album from, I’ve heard, the same bunch of lunatics (once again, perhaps literally) that brought us “Transformalin” from Diagnose: Lebensgefahr earlier this year. This time, the project is called Stalaggh and is rumored to consist of members of the Belgian black metal underground. “Projekt Misanthropia”, believe it or not the band’s third full-length (!), consists of the same deranged screaming, moaning, hollering, and caterwauling at an even more disturbing and frenetic level than “Transformalin”, if you can believe it. However, “Projekt Misanthropia” actually begins to include some guitar and drums that begin to make an appearance about five minutes into this album, and periodically reappear, after the most disturbing round of screams from the asylum (once again, perhaps literally) that you can possibly imagine. The overall deranged atmosphere continues throughout the one 35 minute long track with a few moments of ambient black metal and a few blasts making muted appearances far in the background. There are also a few moments of industrial/drone with some muted bass tones that seem to come out of nowhere later in the album, as well. Is this any good? Well, that depends, how screwed up in the head are you (to be blunt). It certainly is interesting as an exercise in hallucination inducing auditory expression and it’s probably as “real” as it gets, but this will not garner many repeated listens. Given that this is Stalaggh’s third full-length, there certainly seems to be an audience for this out there somewhere (preferably behind bars), but I can’t really say whether or not you’ll actually like “Projekt Misanthropia”. That’s entirely up to you as an individual. As a side note, the band claims to have used a criminally insane man who has murdered his mother to provide the vocals as a means of achieving authenticity. Whether or not this practice is ethical is probably up to you.
www.live4metal.com

Generally speaking I hate almost all the noise bands and practically everything that hasn’t been produced with so called normal instruments. I need the rhythm, the riff or melody to grab my lustful soul. I can enjoy some ambient stuff and so on, but when it comes to noise, I just can’t take it. Maybe I find it too extreme or whatever, but that should explain why Stalaggh from Netherlands gets nothing from me. That being said, I must emphasise that “Projekt Misanthropia” is probably one of the most extreme and disturbing pieces of art you will ever heard. This is not music, but some kind of atmospheric dark ambient noise, that consists of screeching metal, sudden bangs, cracking noises, raucous and rattling voices, loony screams and dark oppressing soundscapes. The so-called vocals are extremely disturbing, filled with agony, despair and insanity. You can really imagine a bunch of people being tortured and haunted in some kind of chamber of horrors. And the torture just goes on and on and on… Supposedly the band uses mentally disturbed and insane people to produce all the screams and human voices. True or not, it certainly feels like that. The negativity, hate and total disgust towards human race this album possess is something I can’t handle. Probably the worst stuff you could listen to when having a hangover. If there is Hell, this is how it sounds like.
www.imhotep.no

My advice to you is to not pop this disc into any music player expecting any form of music whatsoever. Or maybe you should, if you like to be shocked and proven wrong. Stalaggh's "Projekt Misanthropia" is a one track 35 minute recording of pure audio torture, literally. Every minute of this 'album' is laden with tortured screams in no musical context whatsoever, the sounds of likely a person getting their wedding tackle stung by scorpions and rubbed around on a frying pan while being licked all over by Brian Peppers. Clatters and clashes like pots and pans and various tools smashing together provide some sort of rhythmic percussion at certain points in time, and the underlying backbone of the album is pure static, white noise and general dronery. Every now and then a riff sneaks in, but it's very sparse and sneaks right out for another chorus of torture shrieks. My personal favorites are the occasional gritty ambient melodies that come up about you and disappear just as you're aware of it, sounding like demo clips from German Oak's "Shadows Of War"... these come about especially towards the end as the album starts to pick up some semblance of ghostly structure. I thought that this would be messed up black metal along the lines of Blut Aus Nord, Krieg or even earlier stuff from The Axis Of Perdition, but Stalaggh takes it even further on this release by making an album that is nothing but unadulterated hatred and agony. If you're into Wolf Eyes, Whitehouse (think "Quality Time"!) or even the last couple Axis Of Perdition releases, plus films like Salo and Titicut Follies, this is your calling. If you haven't heard the former, this might be the most messed up album you'll ever hear. Not for the weak of heart and stomach.
www.deadtide.com

I believe 99 percent of all metal heads don´t like this. It´s a fucking weird state of mind meets a nightmare you never want to experience again. Sick shit for sure. But so real! Those unreliable voices, that presence of uncontrolled human voices chanting its way towards necessary medication. This is not something you put on in a romantic setting, well, unless you are sick. These 35 minutes feels like a voyage through a paranoid mind that is on the verge of a mental breakdown, and it´s so real I am wondering if it´s the CD I´m playing, or if it´s my mind! (w)
www.nordicvisionmag.com

When John Zorn released his Kristallnacht album, it contained one track of sheer horror, anger, and sorrow all rolled into one. Entitled “Never Again,” Zorn did his utmost to convey his interpretation of the “Night of Broken Glass.” The track is essentially just that: over eleven minutes of the unbearable sound of glass shattering. Zorn even went so far, though not in a sensationalist way, of warning the listener against repeated or prolonged plays for fear of damage to the unwary listener's ears. The same such warning should have been included with Projekt Misanthropia. This is the final work of the collective known as Stalaggh that also serves as the final nail in humanity's coffin - bringing about an aural apocalypse that takes thirty-five minutes to hear and a whole lot longer to forget. What can only be described as extreme, this one-track cacophony of destruction and anger and despair leaves an indelible impression unlike any structured album you're likely to hear this year. Stalaggh can no longer be referred to as “ambient,” unless in addition to the traditional definition of “surrounding” and “encircling” you include “stifling” and “oppressive”. Take everything you heard about black metal hatred, everything you've read about doomsday cults, every quaint little anecdote about the nihilists of Poison Idea and Killing Joke members moving to Iceland to avoid the end of mankind. Stalaggh relishes the end of the world like most of the sheep they despise look forward a new season of Grey's Anatomy. Taken from a recent interview with Unrestrained Magazine: “It's not important to know who's behind Stalaggh or what other bands we're in. Only our message of warfare against humanity is what matters. You'll never know our human names, no photos, not even how many humans are a part of Stalaggh. We're ashamed to be part of the feeble human race”. Sure, anyone can say it. But five minutes into Projekt Misanthropia you'll know that they mean every single word that they utter. Every sound made has a very distinct purpose. Every scream from the myriad of mental patients they seem so fond of using on their albums has a reason, despite the collective's claims that no project is ever thought out before recording. Most albums are released by artists with the intention of instilling a sense of longing and need for repeated listens. The sole purpose of Projekt Misanthropia is to fill the listener with unease, dread, and disquiet. To that end, the album is a masterpiece. To practical ends, however – you will find great difficulty listening to this album for any reason but to scare your vacuous, worthless capitalist-economy-driven friends.
www.scenepointblank.com

This is fucking freaking me out! I was curious since I heard that this is hard to listen to. The first few minutes of Stalagghs :project misantrophia: are pure noise. This is what it has to sound like in the deepest and scariest part of hell. Or in a pretty sick mind of somebody incredibly sadistic who worked in a factory with noisy machines for too long. So anyways, the first few minutes are noise, mostyl screaming, shouting, crying and smashing stuff and then some (but reall reeeeally few) instruments begin to add some more substance to the sound. But it still stays creepy as hell. Imagine Merzbow, bastard noise, sunn 0))) and xasthur getting crazy and starting to slaughter and set everything ablaze in their way in a dark and gloomy nigth. Now that's a nice picture isn't it? It scares the shit out of me, it goes really deep and it is insane. There are no musical means I could describe to you, this is all about the atmosphere that is being created and they've done their job very well in creating a horrible and noxious atmosphere. It's making me feel unwell. I'm impressed.
www.hartboiled.de

Okay, was geht hier ab? Ein 35minütiger Klangcorpus, der eigentlich nur aus Maschinengeräuschen, gesampelten Schüssen und gequälten Schreien besteht. Gaaaaanz selten vernimmt man einige wenige monotone Töne. Das war’s. Das ganze über die gesamte Distanz? Wer das ist? Was das soll? Ich hab keine Ahnung! Wem ABRUPTUM zu abwechslungsreich war und wer sich an menschlichen Schreien nicht satt hören kann, der greife zu. Meine Fresse, nach welchen Maßstäben soll man dat hier bewerten? Womit kann man heute bitte noch Geld machen? Doch halt, ich tue den Burschen unrecht! Die Kreativität reichte dann doch noch dazu, ab der 15. Minute einen langsamen Drumcomputer-Takt unter dat Geschrei zu legen – dieser verläuft sich aber auch schon bald wieder im klanglichen Sande. Plötzlich unerwartet explodiert der angestaute Haß in monotone, aber schnelle Black Metal-Klänge, die das nötige Ventil für den Druck liefern. Naja, vielleicht doch nicht so verkehrt dat Ganze. Über die gesamte Dauer des einzigen enthaltenen Stückes sind durchgehend diese gequälten Schreie zu vernehmen. Dann endet alles wieder abrupt, wie es angefangen hat – nur Maschinen, Schüsse, Schreie! Wer sich aus dieser Odysee meiner Gedanken einen Reim machen kann, der wird wissen, ob diese Scheibe für ihn taugt.
BLUTVERGIESSEN Zine

 
Diagnose: Lebensgefahr Reviews

666 Fucking Skulls Oh, such serious faces, studious save for the one at the far left. He is bored with this “lebensgefahr”, this so-called diagnosis of “danger of life”. They look to each other for guidance but find only more disturbing questions. Then begins the clattering, clanking sounds of machinery outside the realms of pain. “Steal my voice, it can not be heard/R