Algaion - Promo Track 1995

Algaion - Promo Track 1995
1) The Sign of Evil Existence (Rotting Christ cover)

Reuploaded

A real quick one here, literally, as this Rotting Christ classic covered by one of my favourite bands Algaion lasts less than two minutes. Dubbed by a trader with little info given, I don't know if this was actually ever used anywhere. I got it as "promo track" and am pretty sure it was just recorded at some other session and then dubbed to some people. Sound is a little muddy but okay demo sound and the track is obviously a classic and they do ok job covering it. Recommended if you enjoy either of the bands but if you're more of a hifi-person you might want to try their new album "ΕΧΘΡΟΣ" which features a medley of this and Thou Art Lord's "The Era of Satan Rising" and is a great album overall. /advertisement

Daimon - Presence of the Past demo 1995

Daimon (aut) - Presence of the Past demo 1995
1) Ouverture
2) Dominion of the Strong
3) Life Is Fight
4) Templar Secrets
5) Eternal Flame
6) Far Away
7) The Evil Inside
8) Presence of the Past

Link removed as obsolete:
Bandcamp

Time to get this blog back on the course. We're getting closer to the usual fare with this quite unusual demo one of my traders once dubbed me. According to Metal Archives, this is the only release of this Austrian project and as it is a piece of trading loot I have no cover for it, the quite bad image from the M.A. page is used. Like always, I'd be interested in proper scans. I'd also be interested in hearing from someone who could confirm my division of the tracks as I had a little difficulty with it. I've probably screwed it somewhere around the middle.

The music on this demo is practically one part neo-medieval dungeon synth-ish material, two parts black metal which brings to my mind several of the project's countrymen like early Golden Dawn, old Abigor, old Summoning and the A.B.M.S. - bands. The sound is crispy sort of clear, very obviously demo level but fitting in a crude manner like an axe blade to the side of your skull. The guitar sound is sharp and clear, vocals (when used) harsh and shrieky, synths endearingly cheap sounding and percussion rigidly mechanical. Surprisingly bass can also be heard, nothing muffled about this one. Some clean vocals (quite ok) are also used. Songwriting on the black metal parts varies from driving, simple gallop to unexpected wanderings unto shadowy offroads. I remember I didn't listen to this much on cassette but now I'm a bit fascinated by it. An interesting demo, recommendable.

UPDATE: No wonder it sounded familiar and like old Golden Dawn; looks like it was another of Stefan's projects and he has added the demo to his Bandcamp page. Get it from there now!

Perkele - Erotic Circus (1996)

Perkele (fin) - Erotic Circus
1) Dancing in the Night
2) Where's My Lady
3) Lightning Strikes
4) Summer
5) Red, Liquid Flower
6) Warhorse
7) You're My Wish
8) Summernight (Digital Passion Mix)
9) In Parties

Reuploaded

More unusuality: an album. Well, this has been long out of press so it was a request I thought I'd go ahead and fulfill. Also, I'd hate to see you cough up ridiculous sums for a used copy without hearing it first. Perkele, here a two-piece, was another project band featuring Ari "Sinister Satyr" Honkonen of Morningstar but if you've read this blog for any longer time I shouldn't need to introduce him. The earlier material was Isengard/Storm influenced pagan metal but the project started to get gothier around "Midsummer Murders" promo 1995 and went all in with this, their sole album released by Nederlands' Hammerheart in late 1996 (or early 1997). I've ripped my copy and made a halfassed scan of the outer sides of the digipak.

You might've noticed a certain lack of enthusiasm on the previous paragraph. That is because I don't like this, plain and simple. It's probably the worst release Arska has put out. His wavering clean vocals worked on the "drunken viking" approach of the old tapes and on the more sinister sounding promo tape but here it's just not happening. Granted, I'm not much of a fan of gothic rock and vocals of for example Two Witches make me cringe but I'm not very keen on the music either. If you're a connoisseur of gothic rock you might manage to enjoy this. I advice the rest to approach with caution.

Neverwood - Angel demo 1997

Neverwood - Angel demo 1997
1) Angel
2) Decay
3) Glass
4) Servile

Re-reuploaded - 2022

If the previous post was obscure then I suppose this one is just unusual, though I haven't seen this online either. As someone might've guessed already, another non-metal item and this time not ambient or dungeon synth either. If you remember the Plastic Sampler compilation I posted then you might also recall Neverwood who are/were (not sure if active or dead) an electronic music project. Not to be confused with another, more metal, Finnish project. This might or might not be their first demo, no idea since I don't have covers and haven't managed to find much info from the inter nets.

I'm no good at all with the subgenres in this direction so I'm not going to go guessing too much, let's just say that they perform quite an ethereal sort of electronic music with a female vocalist. I've been told their debut album would be trip-hop or something and I suppose that might apply here too. Whatever it should be called, I like listening to it every now and then. Sound is good and the dub also is of satisfying quality so take a listen if you're into this sort of music.

Iskalde Vinder - Sorgens Tid demo 1995

Iskalde Vinder - Sorgens Tid demo 1995
1) Tåke
2) Bortgang
3) Sorg

Reuploaded

Something obscure from my tape traded items again, this is a demo, possibly only one, of the Norwegians Iskalde Vinder. I couldn't find any information, pictures or the like on the internet, nor do I remember seeing a flyer, review or interview anywhere. Yet they once existed and made this almost 23 minutes of atmospheric Norwegian black metal. Three quite long songs, the middle one being quite non-metal actually, I'm reminded occasionally of the fellow Norwegians Forgotten Woods, Strid and someone else whom I forgot and will edit later into this text. Yeah. Mostly the music is kind of mellow, yet gloomy and moves at a slow midtempo. The sound is pretty typical demo fare and dub quality is okayish, obviously it's not first generation but the minor wear and flaws do not bother at least me that much. The music is very interesting and recommended to pretty much all readers. Any further information, images and cover scans are welcome!

Brainstorm #4

Brainstorm 'zine, issue 4 (September 1995)
Interviews:
In the Woods...
Celestial Season
Mayhem (Hellhammer)
Emperor
Opera IX
Misanthropy Records
Meressin
Orphanage
+ reviews, news & gig reports
Depositfiles

Here's a 'zine post for change. In a temporary fit of insanity I scanned this fourth issue of the Lithuanian Brainstorm 'zine. I haven't seen any of his previous issues nor do I know if he made any after this one as I bought this from one of the various small distros once upon a time in the later 90's. I believe my reason for purchase was the Mayhem interview. Anyways, this is a neat 'zine with pretty interesting artists featured, a tidy layout and decent enough English. The author's music taste seems to be more melodic-oriented than yours truly's (spoiler: the album of the issue is Sentenced's "Amok") and I find myself disagreeing with his reviews from time to time but it's not a big deal. Recommended especially if you're fond of the bands mentioned above or a curious explorer of the past.

Unhola - Beetlehemin Saasta... Rehearsal 1995

Unhola - Beetlehemin Saasta... Rehearsal Tape 1995
1) Mustan Syvyyden Tuulet
2) We Bring Thy Garden
3) Beetlehemin Saasta

Reuploaded

Today's second post is again a contribution, this one from brother Grev, thanks! If you've paid any attention to the side of the page you might've noticed I've been on the look for the first Unhola demo since the beginning of written history and it has steadily evaded me. And still it does, for this recording I got from brother Grev is a rehearsal tape recorded before the demo itself (as far as I know). Note that both of the tracks from the demo appear here as well, "We Bring Thy Garden" is "Täältä Tullaan Kuolema" with different, English lyrics. Musically it appears to be mostly similar. No covers for this one.

Ok, so this is a rehearsal tape and you know what to expect, right? There are some minor flaws and errors and the sound quality is uneven, that can't be helped. Overall it has a good rehearsal sound though and everything is quite audible. They have some problems getting the last track started, that's why the lenght (22:13 of which 10:09 is the last one). I like older Unhola and rehearsal tapes very much so naturally I'm all into this but the casual listener might be left unimpressed. Anyways, I recommend you at least try this out if you like older Finnish black metal.