Various - The Bells of the Mystical Empire Various - Covered in Blood: A Tribute to Slayer Various - Victory Through Total Domination: Compilation No. Various - Barbaric Onslaught (Australian Metal Attack) Various - Defenders of Metal Volume 1 - The Seduction Various - Listen Without Distraction - A Tribute to Kyuss Various - A Reassuring Voice on the Television Various - Might Is Right - Nordic Warchants Pt. Various - Bajo el Signo de la Violencia: Tribute to Masacre
Various - Might Is Right: Nordic Warchants II Various - My Own Wolf: A New Approach to Ulver Various - Rising of Yog-Sothoth: Tribute to Thergothon Various - Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings Lovecraft - Gate 1: Yogsothery - Chaosmogonic Rituals of Fear After a while, I was able to appreciate it, and whilst it may not be as memorable as earlier releases, it does have its moments. Initially, I thought this album was horrible - the definitive ritual feel was gone, to be replaced by some ambient drones. "The Day of Opening the Tomb" follows, and this lasts only 23 minutes and is in the same vein as its predecessor. For an ambient drone number, it is not particularly bad but it lacks that inimitable improv ritual feel that made previous releases by, amongst others, Zoat-Aon and Arktau Eos so uniquely special. Arguably, the same cannot be said for "Beyond the Black Deep", which gives new meaning to minimalism, and carries on for a mind-numbing forty minutes.
Opener "Before the Great Stone" consists of some distinctly eerie tones and does not overstay its welcome. At least they haven't wavered with regard to this aspect. The album is therefore remarkably cohesive, despite being recorded at venues as diverse as Norway, the Czech Republic and Guatemala.Īs is the norm of Aural Hypnox, the CD arrives in creative packaging, this time a beautifully designed six-panel hand-finished unbleached cardboard booklet. The artists in the Helixes collective have a similar mindset and approach, so their co-operation does not result in clumsy meeting of oil and water. It is best regarded as a collaborative work, which amongst others features members from Arktau Eos and, I suspect, Halo Manash. This album is not the work of any one artist, yet neither can it be considered as a compilation. The Finnish ambient collective centred around the Aural Hypnox label have been responsible for some of the most underrated ambience in recent years, but it seems as if their unbroken streak has been disrupted.