Mournlord - Reconquering Our Kingdom demo 1995

Mournlord - Reconquering Our Kingdom demo 1995
1) Reconquering Our Kingdom (Part 1)
2) Reconquering Our Kingdom (Part 2)

RGhost / Mega

Tonight's episode of Sunday chill out zone takes us to Sweden, courtesy of a reader sending me this item from my want list. Mournlord was a one shot project by Karl Beckmann, former member of Mithotyn, Indungeon, Meadow In Silence etc and presently active with King of Asgard. Thanks to the person who had found this rip! No cover scans, so there's a crappy image which you see above instead. I would like a proper scan (UPDATE: was sent two better images, they're now uploaded here), or an original copy of the tape for a reason I'll address in the next paragraph. Oh, the suspence!

The demo is divided into two long parts and if you have a look at Metal Archives page (which calls this black metal, veeery accurate dumbass contributors!) and then again at the content of the download you'll notice that it's supposed to have a running time of 25+ minutes while this thing lasts about 18. So either there is almost half of the second part missing or M.A. entry is inaccurate. The track seems to end a little suddenly but with a fade out (which a child of a monkey could obviously do with Audacity or something) so I'm not at all sure whether the item is complete or not. So if you have a longer version of this, get in touch.

Another contributed image where you can see EVERYTHING!

As for the music, it's purely synth based and quite pleasant ambient/dungeon synth... marred by the inclusion of the vocals which are spoken word type, low and effect-laden. They're not certainly the worst in the genre and fit fairly well with the music but I can't help wondering if they could've been done differently or just plain left off. Still a nice listen, with the downside of possibly being incomplete.

Valkyrjens Fugler #1

Valkyrjens Fugler fanzine, issue 1 (late 1995)
Interviews:
Einherjer
Mortiis
Impure Creations Records
Solistitium Records
Abyssic Hate
Zephyrous
Theatre of Tragedy
Thy Sinister Bloom
Bethzaida
Perished
Ancient
Solstice
Satyricon
Setherial
Tenebras Omnia Vincit
Emperor
Isvind
Cruachan
Gehenna
Funeral
Demonic
Troll (Åfjord)
Forgotten Woods
Yersinia Pestis
Primordial
+ old (obviously!) news, reviews, yet ANOTHER Irish scene report, various articles and band bios

Mega

Here's another 'zine post and yes, I am aware it's third Norwegian one in a row. Sometimes things just turn out this way. Again I got this from brother passetiermes, I am ever grateful for the opportunity to borrow the 'zines! Valkyrjens Fugler was a rather ambitious effort by one Gro Husmo, who apparently was quite well-acquainted to Oðinn of Mimes Brunn / Einherjum (in-)fame. Perhaps they were dating, don't know? But this is not a soap, so enough gossip, fortunately even if there are some visual cues the 'zine is not that heavily Einherjum-influenced. A scattering of smallish articles and a couple of longer ones (one on Grieg, another on progressive rock, Friedrich Nietzsche, the swastika, Henrik Ibsen and so on) are to be found amongst the quite interesting interviews. There's also a Norwegian Mimes Brunn bit and an amusing special about the unfair treatment of the black metal (and related) people by Norwegian police! I wouldn't call this a black metal fanzine since as you may notice there are bands of various other genres present and the editor seems to be rather enamoured by gothic and electronic sounds as well, like was the style of the times to then alarmingly rising degree. And we know what then happened! Right, this was also the only issue of VF if I recall correctly, enjoy yet another trip in time!

Occult - Live Demo 1992

Occult - Live Demo I 1992 ("Black Flame Fest" in Elsoo, Holland 8th August 1992)
1) Intro
2) The Return of the Mystic Demon
3) Thou Art Lord
4) Dwell Forever in Darkness
5) Jaws of Satan
6) Darkness Begins
7) So It Is Done
8) Their Pain Can Begin
9) Jaws of Satan (encore)
10) Thou Art Lord (encore)

Depositfiles

Recent end of the millennium era posts have been circling the swollen, putrid corpse of the 20th century like a flock of vultures and I'm getting a little uncomfortable with that. So let us dive into the comfortable embrace of the early 90's once again with this nostalgic live item which is not exactly a contribution nor anything like that, rather I picked it up from sister Borderline's blog and decided to post it eventually here to complete the mini-cycle of the Occult live demos. Or not really since I still have a rehearsal tape (thanks Grev!) to do. So this is not my rip, don't know whose either, I edited it a little by dividing it into individual songs. Thanks anyways to B for fulfilling an old and strangely evasive request of mine! A cover image is included.

If you have heard the second live demo I suppose you know what to expect here; simple and in your face old schoolish black metal played with youthful passion and enthusiasm. It's utterly charming and clumsy, like a duckling waddling towards the pond with an uneven but determined gait. Sephiroth's speeches in between the songs fill me with a warm, nostalgic feeling and make me wonder what would have the guys thought if they had been shown how things were, say, 5 years ago? Or 15? I especially like the part after "Jaws of Satan" where he singles out The Unsane from the crowd. And the intro to "So It Is Done" is also great, you better know that tape bitches! As with the second live demo they play covers of Acheron (tracks 3 and 7 and 10 yet again) and Sathanas (5 and again 9), which I've always found to be very interesting choices. According to PFH#2 interview, their later set included also covers of Slayer ("Raining Blood") and Mayhem ("The Freezing Moon") which I would've liked to hear, too bad they didn't release a third live demo. But if someone happens to have their old live tapes get in touch! Um, where was I... yeah this tape, the sound is comparable to the second one and actually at times even better? I don't really need to write much more, this is really a fun item if you can appreciate it and you probably know already by now if you want it or not! Recommended for people into the old Dutch bm scene.

Frostmoon - Tordenkrig (1999)

Frostmoon - Tordenkrig compilation, cassette version (1999)
1) Skogsrøst
2) Vikingmakt
3) Iskaldt raseri
4) Norgesriket hylles
5) Hersker av mørket
6) Attack of the Northern Frostwinds
7) Ancient Vardöhus
8) Black Bestial Funeral
9) I'm Psychokiller

Mediafire  / Rusfolder

I decided to post today another item from master Henri's hoard, thanks once again for sending the rip and cover scans! We continue to explore the dark, degenerate times surrounding the millennium and from the ruins of the once mighty Norse empire crawled various suspicious entities, such as this specimen here, Frostmoon. This is the cassette version released by Alkana Žemė of the "Tordenkrig" compilation which contains the EP of the same name (tracks 1-5) as well as material from split EP with Ork (track 7) and from the never released debut album "Black Bestial Funeral" (tracks 6, 8 & 9). The CD version, released by Sound Riot, featured ten tracks, "For all tid" instead of "Ancient Vardöhus" from the split, unreleased track titled "A Funeral Memorial" and "Behind the Snowcovered Mountains" instead of "I'm Psychokiller" which judging by the name I would've preferred to have here too. Note that the cover here mistakenly states tracks 1-6 being from the EP and the rest from the forthcoming album.

To the music, Frostmoon was one of those bands I was wary of from the first time I heard them on Oskorei compilation, if I remember correctly, as they just sounded suspicious, unserious and all kinds of plastic and disingenuous. Maybe it's the machine drums, the effect-laden main vocals, the utterly goofy "hey" shouts on "Vikingmakt" or whatever else, but I didn't like them nor did I trust 'em. Perhaps I'm getting soft with age or really need to have my ears checked but it doesn't sound as bad now as it did back then, I actually like some of the guitar bits. I still can't take them seriously though, just look at that tacky Oskorei graphics job on the covers, the track titles that get worse by the release or just the band name itself! And the longer it goes on, the more mixed the signals I'm registering are getting. A fitting monument to the disastrous state of the later 90's scene, approach carefully with a shield in hand and escape route well scouted. Or very drunk.

Mons - Dreams of Serene Beyond demo 2001

Mons - Dreams of Serene Beyond demo I 2001
1) Intro
2) Heretics of Orleans
3) My Sign
4) Host of Grand Spirit / Divinity
5) Into the Serene Beyond
6) Voyage into the Distant Dreams
7) Outro

Mega / Yandex

Here's another obscure Finnish offering which has been standing ready in a folder for longer than necessary, an item brother Grev dubbed me months ago, this is the first (and only) demo of the Gehinnom member Mons' solo project, unsurprisingly named after himself. Or actually it looks like he had this band before joining Gehinnom. Anyways, one-man effort and Grev included scans of both cover and lyrics sheet, so thanks again!

If you look at the running time, this could easily be a cassette album at over 40 minutes. And yes, it means long tracks, numbers four and six both are over 9½ minutes long. The neat cover adds to the illusion, but once you start listening you'll notice the sound is definitely in the demo tape category. Not bad, really, but very clearly not a studio product. Music is of the melodic/atmospheric dark metal school which means here plenty of synths and slowish midtempo pace. Programmed drums and harsh black metal vocals which sound surprisingly good and make me want to hear his performance with Gehinnom. The synths dominate most of the time, fortunately they don't have that annoying circus sound so no problem for me. The drum machine is a touch more annoying, especially the really dodgy bits on third track. Songwriting is a little challenging as there are many pretty clumsy bits and then again some really cool moments, like the almost-oriental flavours on the fourth track. If you're not a seasoned veteran of cheesy, practically synth-but-still-sort-of-metal solo projects you might cringe more than a few times listening through this. If you're like me and have a soft spot for these things, grab it and enjoy!

Riding Hellwards: Volume 1 (1999)

Various Artists - Riding Hellwards: Volume 1 compilation tape 1999
1) Moonsorrow - Taistelu Pohjolasta
2) Thorax Serpenti - Hatred Souls (rehearsal)
3) Pandemia - Created Again
4) Nazgul - Celtic Lands
5) Shadowbreed - Path in the Dark
6) Baphomet - Crucifixion
7) Thoronath - Kristet blod
8) Katassamalass - Masticated Human Flesh
9) Svartkrist - Into the Abyss (live)
10) Atavism - Cemetary Cannibalism
11) Impuro - Orgia
12) Diamatregon - Throne to Eternity
13) Bilskirnir - For the Return of Paganism (rehearsal)
14) Demon Realm - Hammer of Hate
15) Unholy Archangel - Foronis
16) Prejudice - Perpetual Pain
17) Grimoria - A Great Sacrifice
18) Gorewinter - Buried by Night
19) Baxaxa - Thorn of Steel

Depositfiles / Rusfolder

I haven't done compilation tapes for a while and since master Sorvali's contributions included these too, I decided to upload this Belgian one today. Thanks to Henri again for the rip and scans! I don't know if more volumes of Riding Hellwards were released, but this one here came with an A4 newsletter and includes almost 90 minutes of mostly black metal bands. To my delight, it also includes a number of domestic bands besides the international cast.

The newsletter is a single A4 sheet, with print on both sides so I suppose I should say two pages. It contains interviews with Black Witchery, Funeral Rites and Moonsorrow, these are all quite short, especially Funeral Rites which is also pretty thin on the information side too. The other two are a better read. As for the main dish, the compilation itself, the sound is good and quite consistent, no extremely drastic volume leaps here. Music ranges from the epic heathen metal of Moonsorrow to raw and fast material like Baphomet to brutal death metal of Katassamalass and bestial blasting of Unholy Archangel. Prejudice's distrubingly modern metal sounding track also stands out like a sort thumb. Quite a varied selection of tracks despite having a black metal focus and several first time listens too. I'm going to need another listen and take some notes, there are a few bands I must inspect further.

Holocaust - Kampfzeit demo 1999

Holocaust (pol) - Kampfzeit demo IV 1999
1) Northern Might of Iron Legion
2) The Return of the Pagan Warriors
3) Frozen Land
4) The Oak

RGhost / Mediafire

You probably thought I wouldn't post anything this Friday night? Wrong! Here's the last item from Poland's Holocaust I am presently able to deliver, the fourth and final demo which I again got in two versions, thanks to both contributors but I decided to upload the latter one (which for my convenience was already divided into separate tracks). Sadly this was made from a dub so no covers and as in my extremely quick and sloppy inter net sweep I was unable to find any cover images, I decided to slap the Metal Archives pic of the Holocaust fellow up there until someone shows up with proper scans.

So this later stuff is very much more in the pagan black metal camp than the charming early production. Three long (6min+) songs and one short. I'm right now drinking vodka and listening to Bathory so you have to excuse me for not providing an accurate description but I'm pretty sure it picked up from where the previous demo (here) left off and as usual the old stuff was probably better. I think the sound was ok, not as intriguing as the previous demo... well since I'm not obviously going to check what I'm talking about you're better off downloading this yourselves! Recommended for Polish 90's scene maniacs, the odd Holocaust fan and people who enjoy extremely vague descriptions. And vodka.

Dawn of Azazel - Vita Est Militia Super Terram demo 2000

Dawn of Azazel - Vita Est Militia Super Terram demo II 2000 full session
1) Monarch of Bloodshed and Eternal Victory (Solar Invictus)
2) Conqueror Throned
3) Triumph Upon Equinox
4) Bloodforged Abdication
Unreleased tracks:
5) Conflagration of the Mortal Soul
6) Immortal Dominance
7) Rotting (Sarcófago cover)
8) Plateau of Invincibility (Order From Chaos cover)

Zippy / Mega

My recent posts have been a little on the mellow side, don't you think? Well, that is remedied now, here is Dawn of Azazel from NZ with their second demo but wait, that's not all! Brother Fenrirsson sent me a rip of the full recording session, including four additional, unreleased tracks. Thank you as always! Two of those are cover tracks, one is a re-recording from debut demo and last one unreleased until it was recorded again for the debut album. The Sarcófago cover includes guest vocals from members of Skuldom and Max of Coven (later in Abominator). Tracks 4 and 8 re-appear on "Bloodforged Abdication" EP but again as different versions. Cover scans enclosed.

Musically this is quite brutal, militant and technical metal of death in the vein of Order From Chaos / Conqueror / Immolation while the first demo (apparently, I've yet to hear it) was more Blasphemy-influenced rumbling. Well, two of the demo proper tracks and one of the unreleased ones are re-recordings from the 1999 demo but I suppose they sound a little different this time around. Fenrirsson's rip was made from the master .wav files he got years ago from the band so the quality is very good. The full session runs at pretty much album length at almost 35 minutes. So if you're into warlike death/black metal check this out and if you're already a convert the extra content should be worth your while.

Solanum - Spectral Poetry demo 1999

Solanum - Spectral Poetry demo II 1999
1) Fortuna
2) Oceanic Abyss
3) This Time...
4) Spectral Poetry

RGhost / Depositfiles

Hollow Myths

Here's one of my requests just recently fulfilled by a reader, thanks you know who you are, and as I know there are other people who are interested in this I decided to share it soonish. Second demo of Solanum from Deutschland, see here for the first one and some background information. Unfortunately no cover scans, only a small image from Discogs was found. 

Like the first demo, this is ambient. Almost same running time too with all of the four tracks running over six minutes. It starts very similar to the previous one, though whispery vocals are added earlier this time around. Very similar, but the following tracks break the pattern a little each and go further from the core style, third one with it's half sung, half whispered and later half screamed vocals and first bouncy then more aggressive percussion especially. The last track is more electronic and the beat brings EBM stuff to my mind(!). I'm actually having my second listen to this as I write so I'm only getting to know the release myself, but can already say this time around feels better than the first which made me (unsurprisingly) frown at the changes and differences. You know, instead of reading this crap you could and should be listening to this for yourself. Act now!

UPDATE: There is a CD re-release of both Solanum demos available from Hollow Myths, get your copy from the link added up there! 

Apeiron - Stardust demo 1997 [incorrect]

Apeiron - Stardust demo III 1997
1) Stardust

Removed, tracklisting was wrong
Reposted here

Sunday evening chill out zone and time to resume my project of uploading Stefan "Dreamlord" Traunmüller's back catalogue. Of demo tapes, that is. Here is the third and I think final Apeiron tape, yet again acquired in conspiracy with brother Grev and his anonymous ally who provided the rip. Thank you, gentlemen. I've picked up the cover image from Discogs, full scans as usual requested.

Like you see from above, this demo consists of only single track that lasts almost 23 minutes. The description "cosmic light ambient" written on the Discogs page is fitting enough, this is quite tranquil and otherworldly stuff, not that dark either. Comparisons to Neptune Towers seem justified. The first part of the demo is the more passive build up stage, things get busier later and instrumentation more complex, adding percussion and moving to almost tribal territory. Things calm down again, get busy and so on till the end, last part adding some voices as well. I find this a pleasant listen every now and then, give it a try if you liked the previous efforts and if you disliked elements like electric guitars there this one might work better for you.

UPDATE: As Running Wild informed me, the tracklisting here is incorrect. Or rather, it's not been divided to the two tracks it consists of. Sometimes the laziness and ignorance of people just pisses me off. Like the Discogs entry for this, you're supposed to own the products you add there so how about reading the covers? Jesus. I assume Grev's friend who sent him the rip had a dub and no covers so at least he has an excuse. I'm reposting this as a new entry with the corrected info.

Orcustus #2

Orcustus - The Shadow of the Golden Fire magazine, issue 2 (early 1992)
Interviews:
Beherit
Darkthrone
Tormentor
Samael
Sinoath
Necromantia
Alastis
Burzum
Mayhem
Marduk
Drowning in Solitude
Perdition Hearse
+ reviews, short articles, Norwegian scene report, short stories etc...

Mediafire

I wanted to do a 'zine post this weekend, unfortunately it ended delayed but here we finally go, another Norwegian classic I borrowed from brother passetiermes (thank you!), this is the second issue of Orcustus 'zine done by Bård "Faust" Eithun, whom you might know from somewhere. And this was a real bitch to scan, thanks to the way it was put together and my unwillingness to maul a borrowed 'zine. The end result was not exactly great so I had to take the time to edit the scans to a little less crooked form and single pages. But enough of my whining, the bands interviewed are all (except Drowning in Solitude which I've never heard) interesting, the layout is neat, clear and old school, English good, time period fascinating and so on. Ok, some pages feel like filler and I could do without the Norwegian and English written short stories and poems/lyrics by Jørn H. Sværen (later known as an Ulver contributor) and Erik Martensen but they do add character to the 'zine. Other contributions include an article about torture by Oliver Bruss, short poem by Morbid aka Magus Wampyr Daoloth and an article by Alberto Jiménes V. (The Voice of the Dark). Some of the readers might notice that this was one of the 'zines leafed through in the documentary Det svarte alvor (1994). Absolutely essential, this is not only nostalgic but also informative, entertaining and a good example of what a proper 'zine looks like.

Unhola - Mustan syvyyden tuulet... & Minä olen tie

Unhola - Mustan syvyyden tuulet... demo II 1997
1) Megakuolema (intro)
2) Mustan veren veljeskunta
3) Täältä tullaan kuolema
4) Mustan syvyyden tuulet
5) Unhola (instrumental)

4shared / Mediafire

Unhola - Minä olen tie demo III 1998
1) Intro
2) Puhtaasti pahoja
3) Maa, tuli ja henki
4) Minä olen tie
5) Outro

Mega / RGhost

It's time for a repost, I don't do these often but now I feel like I had to. And it's kind of fitting to do a twin post on 9/11 isn't it? To the point, here are contributions sent the other day to me by Henri Sorvali, superior rips to these two demos already uploaded here and here. Thank you, Henu! He also sent me much missed cover scans for both. He sent a bunch of other stuff too, so expect to see more in near future.

I've pretty much said what I thought about these recordings in the old posts so I'm not going to repeat myself more than stating that "Mustan syvyyden tuulet..." is still one of my favourite Finnish demos and both are recommended. They sound a little bit cleaner this time around. Oh yeah, it's necessary to mention that the "Minä olen tie" version here features an intro and outro left off the cassette release back in the day. Henu got these tracks directly in .wav format from the band and decided to include them, which I naturally appreciate! And that's about it, grab 'em already, even if you have the old versions.

Eclipse - Gefallener Stern promo 1996

Eclipse (ger) - Gefallener Stern promotape 1996
1) Luminis Caeruleis Saltation
2) ...ins leuchtende Nichts
3) Herbstabend / Impressionen
4) Gefallener Stern
5) Epilog

Reuploaded

Still more black metal and this is both a contribution and fulfilling an old request. Sister Borderline sent me some items not long ago and this was among the loot, thanks again for the assistance! What we have here is the German band Eclipse (one of the most overused single word band names ever! Why the hell they swapped Sorcerer to this, it wasn't used quite as much?) and their 1996 demo or actually promo tape (if the "ever-reliable" Metal Archives can be trusted to have correct image - seen above - uploaded to this release). Which would also appear to be their only release, unless there actually is a demo called "Gefallener Stern" (this one) and a promotape 1996. If you have further information and full cover scan to provide I'd appreciate you getting in touch.

If you remember, the Sorcerer rehearsal demo was raw, echoy sounding but still quite melodic thing with some synths on the side and moderately high speed. Keeping that in mind, the first track really surprised me on the first listen as it starts with jaded sounding, gothic type vocals and melancholic acoustics - this must be an intro to the track proper? Wind effects follow and the Germanic gothics resume, lasting for the whole duration making this more than just an intro bit. Is this actually the correct tape? Yes it is, the next track kicks off with mechanical sounding percussion and buzzzing guitars. The sound is much fuller than the rehearsal aesthetics of old and there is a certain gothic tone to it but this is melodic black metal, no mistake. Interesting structure here as depending on your thinking, there's really only two "proper" metal tracks here, two and four, while the first gothic atmospheric bit doubles as intro, third one is a piano interlude and the last track "Epilog" is exactly what it says on the tin. Recommended if you like atmospheric, melodic bm with synth bits.

Into Desolation - The Land of Eternal Winter demo 1996

Into Desolation - The Land of Eternal Winter demo 1996
1) The Return of the King
2) Keeper of Secrets
3) Dusk
4) The Land of Eternal Winter

Zippy / Mediafire

I seem to have caught a cold but such minor issues must not be an obstacle, the contributions need to keep rolling. Right, let's go to Swedish shores again today, black metal from Into Desolation who were a two man band featuring Dusk and Necromorbus. Yeah, that guy. With the studio. Sent by brother Grindfreak the other month, his rip includes a cover scan. Thanks again!

Despite opening with a track called "The Return of the King" these guys aren't playing Tolkien-influenced stuff. Not that I'd really know since lyrics aren't included. Well, whatever, the opening track is also the longest, over eight minutes and features vocal performances by both musicians. Sound is quite raw but very audible and at least I find it enjoyable. Overall pretty typical Swedish early-mid 90's sound to be honest but works for me. Their vocals are black metal screams in pretty usual vein but delivered with enthusiasm and pretty well, spiced by roars by one and more shrill shrieks by the other guy. Music is quite melodic and while not exactly very innovative or original it is well enough executed and seems to work better when the listener is not at 100% as I notice myself digging it now much more than previous time I put it on. Obligatory name-dropping, this brought to my mind stuff like the Setherial '94 demo, Belsemar demos and I think I like this and will recommend it. Now I need a nap and you need to download this.

Horna - Sadomatic Rites (Live in Lappeenranta 04-05-01)

Horna - Sadomatic Rites (Live in Lappeenranta 4th May 2001)
1) Black Metal Sodomy
2) Örkkivuorilta
3) Synkän muiston äärellä
4) Noidanloitsu
5) Pimeys yllä pyhän maan
6) Hiidentorni huokui usvansa
7) Sadomatic Rites

Yandex / Mega

I survived my trip to Helsinki once again and to celebrate the live music of the weekend, here's yet another live tape from Horna, dubbed to me by brother Grev. Thank you once again! There is no cover for this, as far as I know, since Grev tells me this was supposed to be put out on tape by someone but the plans didn't come through and the recording remains unreleased.

Seven song set that lasts a bit over thirty minutes, they open with the short and entertaining "Black Metal Sodomy" and end with a Beherit cover. Good sound, much much cleaner than on the previous live I uploaded. Satanic Warmaster is still on the vocals and "Sudentaival" was the most recent release at the time of this gig and as you see three songs from that one are played. I'm still feeling a bit out of it and kind of have things to do so no further words, get it if you enjoy Horna and/or Finnish black metal.

Corvus Neblus - Chapter II - Strahd's Possession - Deeper In The Realm (2001)

Corvus Neblus - Chapter II - Strahd's Possession - Deeper in the Realm Cassette EP 2001
1) Facing the Burgomeister of Barovia Himself
2) Visitor of a Tyrant
3) Reflection on the Encounter
4) Second Encounter - The Young Vistani
5) At the Vistani Camp
6) Desperation of a Lonely Father

Rusfolder / Depositfiles

I posted as the first thing last month the first cassette EP of Corvus Neblus, see here for further background information and thought it'd be fine to start this one with the second. This was again released by Elven Witchcraft and according to the covers later than meant. As far as I know, it was also the last CN release, which is kind of a pity as the story clearly was not finished with this chapter. Cover scans enclosed.

The EP start promising enough with a very long track but then a shock sets in: vocals! In my dungeon synth, this seldom ends well! And fair enough, initial listen proved out to be a dissappointment as the vocals, or should I say voice acting as it is all basically someone's lines, are present in just about all tracks, more in some than others and are done with different voices, ranging from okayish to mildly irritating to atrocious. Especially the main character's gravelly voice seems really out of place for the more or less heroic half-elf. But the music is still enjoyable and after repeat listens the adverse effect seems to diminish somewhat. I still don't like them but I can live with the voices. I'm in a hurry so I end here, try it if you liked the previous tape.