ABSOLUTE KEY: Sundust Release year: 2022Label: Nekrogoat Heresy Productions Describing something as a mixture of industrial and black metal will most likely conjure up all kinds of rather disparate images in people’s minds. Some will think of machinized beats and … Continue reading Absolute keys to fire and dust
It’s been a while since we did one of these. In fact, looks like in all of Only Death Is Real’s history, we’ve only done one year round-up. High time for a second one, don’t you think? So, here are … Continue reading A year in summation: 2022
V/A: Unio Solidarium Release year: 2022Label: Old Captain This year it will be nine years since terrorist state Russia attacked Ukraine without any provocation or justification, and occupied parts of the Eastern European nation. Soon it will be a year … Continue reading Slava Ukraini!
REGARD EXTREME: Legacy Release year: 2022Label: Steinklang Industries French Regard Extreme are perhaps not one of the most famous names in the neoclassical and martial industrial genres but are, without doubt, one of the more long-lived acts. The project did … Continue reading Regard Extreme’s legacy
KANNONAU: Kannonau Release year: 2006/2022Label: Misty Circles/Steinklang Industries Not long ago, I touched upon the subject of Italian neofolk in my review of Rose Rovine E Amanti’s album Sogni Visioni E Premonizioni (reviewed here): one of the few local scenes, … Continue reading Kannonau’s past and present
CURRENT 93: If A City Is Set Upon A Hill Release year: 2022Label: HomAleph Current 93 are, of course, legends and icons of industrial, post-industrial, neofolk, apocalyptic folk and experimental music of all stripes. Throughout their lengthy discography, the group … Continue reading Is Current 93’s city set upon a hill?
SHRINE & MYTRIP: Descent Release year: 2022Label: Amek/Corvus Records And we return unto Shrine, whose 7″ EP Distorted Legends, pt. 3 we reviewed just last week (read here). We’re sticking to the shorter format this time around as well, but … Continue reading Descending with Shrine and Mytrip
PUISSANCE: War On Release year: 1999/2020Label: Fluttering Dragon/SkullLine In terms of martial industrial and martial neoclassical music, I think you can safely call Swedish Puissance pivotal. No, they weren’t the first to do this kind of music, but it seems … Continue reading Warring on with Puissance
V/A: Spiritual Sounds For Artsakh Release year: 2021Label: Steinklang Industries A bit of background to begin with, to better understand the nature of this two-disc compilation release. Artsakh is a region between Armenia and Azerbaidjan, which has been contested for … Continue reading Spiritual support for Artsakh
ULTRAPOLAR INTRUSION: This War Will Have No End… Release year: 2021Label: Steinklang Industries According to the description of the label, Russian Ultrapolar Intrusion’s new album is, and I quote, “an oppressive and brutal chronicle of a war that never ceases … Continue reading A war that has no end
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