AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: ASCIIMOV — “ASCENSION OF THE FALLEN”

And now, for something completely different.

What we’re about to present is a video for a song from a forthcoming album that’s the soundtrack to a dark fantasy first-person retro-shooter game developed for PCs. The name of the game, and of the album, is Hands of Necromancy II.

The project responsible for the music is Asciimov, and though you may not be familiar with that name, many of you will be familiar with the person behind it, the Spanish musical shapeshifter NHT (Oscar Martin), whose other creative endeavors (in the realms of metal) include As Light Dies, Garth Arum, and Deemtee (among others).

But what’s really different, especially in the context of our site, is the music. As a hint, here’s how the label that’s releasing the album (Darkwoods) describes it:

“In one way it’s as if the dark folk of Heilung, Faun or Wardruna were fused with the compositions of Basil Poledouris for Conan the Barbarian, Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings”or Hans Zimmer for Gladiator, a true epic masterpiece that will captivate, not only fans of the video game, but also followers of neofolk, dark synth and music inspired by fantasy, role-playing games and sword and sorcery literature…”

The album is most definitely just as intriguing as that description. Part of the intrigue derives for just how expansive and multi-faceted the album is. Like all excellent soundtracks to a visual story, it moves with the events and moods of the narrative, and to follow it across 77 minutes of changing audio experiences is to become captivated by it, even if you never explore the video game itself.

On the other hand, this aspect of the album makes it very difficult for a single track premiere to represent the record as a whole. At most, it can only help build what we mentioned before — the album’s intrigue.

The video-track we’re now presenting is named “Ascension of the Fallen”. To give it a bit of context, here is a description we’ve been provided about the tale of the video game:

In a time not too distant from the twilight of the Middle Ages, there lies a world divided between humans and monsters… at some point, two powerful necromancers rise in this world, Acheron, young and arrogant, and Phaedra, serene and experienced, but an unknown power has begun to weave its threads, unleashing darker and dangerous forces…

In the music, NHT and his guests weave a musical spell, interweaving mysterious and mesmerizing tones of violin, bagpipe, cello, and guitar, backed by primitive pounding drums and tambourines.

As the music swells, choral feminine voices chant and soar, adding to the music’s air of ancient mystery. The strumming of guitars, the lilt of the bagpipe, and the high whirl of the violin create a kind of entranced dance, but with an edge of darkness to it. Altogether, the experience is solemn but magical — and so is the video.

MORE INFO:

In this portion of the album Óscar Martín performed violin, guitar, and percussion; Cristina R. Galván provided voice and percussion; Esther Flores also provided vocals; Rafael Lara performed the bagpipe; and Sofía Martín contributed vocals and cello. Alex Moreán was responsible for filming and editing the video.

Hands of Necromancy II (the video game) was developed for PC by Frechou Games and HON Team and was just launched via Fulqrum Publishing; it’s now available on major online gaming platforms: Steam, Epic Games, GOG…. As the name suggests, it’s the second chapter in a game, and was reportedly inspired by classics such as Heretic and Doom.

Hands of Necromancy II (the album) will be released on October 29th by The Order of the Yew (Darkwoods), digitally and in a special CD edition limited to only 66 hand-numbered copies and described as follows: “Hands of Necromancy II is presented in a lavish oversized 4-panel digifile with an exclusive soft-touch matte laminate, complete with a printed cardboard sleeve to protect the CD and a free digital download card.”

More info and pre-order opportunities are available via the links below. Also below we’re including a stream of one more previously released track from the album, “Life and Death Conclave“.

This particular track is at times more orchestral in its sounds than the one we’ve premiered today, and the music blends both classical and folk traditions. It contrasts extravagant choral voices and soaring violin with gently ringing notes, martial drum cadences, and eerily shimmering strings, but it also ominously towers. Sinister in its atmosphere, it seems to portend the approach of dark events.

PRE-ORDER:
https://darkwoods.eu/webstore/en/asciimov-hands-of-necromancy-ii-oversized-digifile-cd
https://withinthedarkwoods.bandcamp.com/album/hands-of-necromancy-ii

ASCIIMOV:
https://www.facebook.com/asciimov
https://www.instagram.com/asciimovmusic

DARKWOODS:
https://darkwoods.eu/
https://www.facebook.com/darkwoods.eu
https://www.instagram.com/darkwoods.eu