BENEATH THE NCS RADAR (PART 24): SKÁPHE, NETHERBIRD, IMINDAIN, MOONLIGHT PROPHECY,

 

(Our friend Gorger from Norway brings us this 24th installment in his ongoing series reviewing releases we’ve overlooked. To find more of his discoveries, type “Gorger” in our search bar or visit Gorger’s Metal.)

Four reviews in a row means quite a lot of text to ingest. I’ve been pondering on a way to decrease the amount without compromising too much on the content. I’ve come up blank save for one solution. A means that involves resorting to self-promotion. I was hoping to avoid this attention-seeking hey-look-at-me-everyone approach, but what the hell, I’ll give narcissism a shot.

Feel free to comment on this, the music or how your wife left you due to you wasting three years on a useless Ph.D. on perpendicular circular movements in vacuum. Or simply enjoy some tunes without blabbermouthing about it, if that suits you.

 

 

 

SKÁPHE – UNTITLED (EP)

Islander wrote about Skáphe‘s sophomore full-length Skáphe² in January last year. In the meantime, the duo consisting of American Alex Poole (from, amongst others, Krieg) and Icelandic D.G. (from Misþyrming, et al.) released an EP named Untitled. Both members also partake in Martröð.

Untitled literally picks up where Skáphe² left off, with one 22-minutes song titled VII. Again, we are taken on a turbulent subconscious journey, balancing between claustrophobic desultory aimlessness, floating moods, and hints of conventional melodic and rhythmical structures within the pandemonium. A manic-depressive, timeless, and aimless musical acid trip that feels all-encompassing. Time and direction are illusions. Start and finish are remote concepts from another reality. I just am. The music simply is. There is nothing else. I drift away, forever lost in undulating disharmony, perceived as artificial harmony, in the center of vast nothingness.

Untitled was released by Skáphe on March 9th, and even more drivel is available here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NETHERBIRD – HYMNS FROM REALMS YONDER (COMPILATION)

Swedish Netherbird impressed me immensely with their fourth album, The Grander Voyage, released last October. It also pleased Mr. Ice Slander, whilst praise for their former album of late 2013, The Ferocious Tides of Fate, was sung by Andy’s Sin.

Hymns From Realms Yonder is a 77-minute compilation whose songs hail from about half their singles and six EPs, spread across more than ten years of activity. Although we’re served a wide range of expressions, stopping by melodic black/death with a touch of folk and Vikings, as well as a hint of pompous Gothic romanticism, and we’re offered five cover songs, the material don’t splay as much as one could suspect.

If you really must have the details, they are hidden here, but this is what you need to know apart from the information above: As compilations (tend to) go, this is not a mandatory release, but it’s very much audible and the target audience can safely check it out.

Hymns From Realms Yonder was released by Black Lodge Records on April 7th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMINDAIN – THE ENEMY OF FETTERS AND DWELLERS IN THE WOODS (EP)

British Imindain plays heavy, gloomy and slow death/doom with gravity as of funeral doom, and a suiting black tinge of bitterness and disgust. The band consists of vocalist L.B. (Iota Draconis), guitarist and vocalist D.L. (Cruciamentum), and guitarist M.W. (ex-Crepitation). After forming the band in 2002 and releasing two demos, they debuted ten years ago, followed by a couple of splits before this EP.

A grand piano intro is followed by three songs on ca. ten minutes each. The last one being a cover of the acclaimed Australian band Disembowelment. Through passages of resounding guitars and bitter, hateful vocals and sequences with modest elongate guitar tones and drums with extensive use of the cymbal in resting pulse pace, the band convey a sense of absolute hopelessness. The rasping and resentful vocals emit a sensation of dsbm. It is, however, deadly doom the band reel off. Rather than portraying conventional British death/doom melodies, they concentrate on utilizing the combination of resounding instruments, including a touch of organ, and heartfelt aggravating discouragement.

The sound has an organic rawness that conveys naked and honest misery. D.L. owns Resonance Sound Studio, so it’s natural to assume that the album was recorded there. (He is, amongst others, responsible for mastering Suffering Hour‘s album.) The drums have a natural sound and the guitars drone in a resonating way. That the dynamics are not compressed also helps create a natural soundscape. This EP is a slow grower. Genre connoisseurs thus need make use of their notorious inherent patience. More details won’t do you no good, but seek them out if you must.

The Enemy of Fetters and Dwellers in the Woods was released by Weird Truth Productions on April 12th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOONLIGHT PROPHECY – ETERNAL OBLIVION (EP)

I believe a “Warning: Clean Singing Ahead” is appropriate. Moonlight Prophecy from the state of Pennsylvania (just west of New York city) is Lawrence Wallace‘s one-man band. The band’s music is somewhat gentler than most stuff conveyed here, but the melodies are good and the execution impeccable. You could do far worse things than giving Eternal Oblivion a spin with your eyes closed to get a well-deserved break from a stressful world bound to drive you insane.

Spellbound opens in keeping with conventions derived from heavy/speed, has good drive, wistful moods, and lots of nifty guitar work. Just like finishing Witch Hunt, this is an instrumental. The song Eternal Oblivion is a little calmer, with pleasant melancholy. Clean vocals with a touch of echo suits the fairly dark flair. When Witch Hunt speed things up, the shred guitar really comes into its own right.

Lawrence knows his way around his guitar, but unlike the worst guitar masturbators virtuosos, Mr. Wallace writes actual songs, not just improvised experimental scales. The sound is clear and good, with decent dynamics, something the drums in particular makes good use of. And that’s just about all you need to know.

Eternal Oblivion was released by Moonlight Prophecy on April 15th.

RETROSPECT

In retrospect, I consider the shortened trimming of my original jabbering rather successful, although it takes more time than simply copy-paste. But I’m still leaving the links to the original splendiferously poetic and cultivated literates (or litter), as I’ve acquired a taste for narcissism. I think I might have to pick up and get into this whole vanity and self-absorption thing.