[ aquarius records new arrivals — issue 259 ]

Showing results 101 through 103 of 103.

WYRDThe Ghost Album(Millenium Music)cd$ 12.98

We've always been huge fans of Finnish black metallers Wyrd (not sure how you pronounce it, wuurd, or weird), their blend of blasting black buzz and Finnish folk was always hard to resist. The vibe was raw and grim, but with a lilting foresty feel to the less buzzy parts. Recently, all of the old discs have been reissued, we figured we'd finally be able to review all of those, but we thought what the heck, let's review the brand new one first and maybe work our way back, and then WOAH, have these guys thrown us for a loop or what, a HUGE stylistic shift has occurred in the Wyrd camp, and while we were sort of not into it at first, the more we listen to it, the more we're digging it. A lot. Gone is the raw and the rough, the grim and the lo-fi, and in it's place a much more polished melodic doom, sounding at times a bit like Opeth if they were Finnish, or like some Spinefarm doom outfit. And while it's not as idiosyncratic as the older Wyrd records, it's pretty damn cool. Huge thick riffs, gorgeously melancholic leads, minor key melodies, gruff growled vocals, all midtempo and super polished. Like early Katatonia or even Khold, there's a definite sort of grungy vibe, each track anchored by a super hooky riff and that soaring minor key melody. Most of the tracks have a bridge where the song breaks down, sometimes into just the lead guitar harmonies, other times, a crackly acoustic version of the main refrain, but always, the band lurches back into action in that way that makes it nearly impossible to not start head banging. This may not have been what we were expecting, but damn if we're not WAY into this. Definitely for Fans of Katatonia, Khold and other melodic modern groove and doom outfits...

YOUNGS, RICHARD AND TIRATH SINGH NIRMALAs/t(HP Cycle)lp$ 15.98

We've yet to review a record from Tirath Singh Nirmala (aka John Clyde-Evans) which is quite a feat considering the substantial body of work he's been amassing of late (mostly cd-r's) but it sort of makes sense that the first recording to be featured on our list would be the one that finds Nirmala teamed up with AQ fave Richard Youngs. The two are so suitably matched, it's tough to tell who's doing what, and ultimately, it matters not a whit, as for the duration of this disc, these two have become one, and seem to effortlessly conjure up a perfectly blissful and bucolic primal forest ambience. It's tough not to hear shades of Avarus, Anaksimandros, No Neck Blues Band and Sunburned Hand Of The Man, but Nirmala and Youngs manage to explore similar territory in their own unique way. The sound is at once primal, tribal and primitive. Simple percussion, reedy drones drifting over murky landscapes, wheezing wind instruments, breathy reeds and fluttering flutes, clattery hypnotic rhythms, slippery analog synths and swooping spacey FX, processed vocals, dense ambience and melancholy melodies, all woven into a gloriously glistening, and subtly tripped out, prismatic tapestry of sound. Wonderful. Packaged in a gorgeous full color sleeve, with a tiny mysterious screen printed insert. ----* ----* Compilations : ----*

ZA FRUMIChapter 3: Shrak Ishi Za Migul(Waerloga)cd$ 14.98

It's been a long wait, but now, after 5 years, we return to the ongoing saga of Uglach and his band of Orcs. You heard us, Orcs! We know some of you have been waiting like a kid at Christmas for the next installment. But those of you who are new to the wonderful world of Za Frumi, are in for a treat. An entire world, a wild cast of characters, most of them Orcs, the entire drama played out like a radio play, complete with the sounds of battle, music, and most importantly dialogue. Yep, dialogue. Except for brief passages in Dark Elf, all delivered in actual Orcish (aka Black speech). Where as chapter 2 was heavier on the music with much less focus on the story and thus less dialogue, chapter three is all about the story, tons of action, loads of dialogue, all printed in the cd booklet too so you can follow along. And it's not necessary to have heard the first two chapters to get into chapter 3, as Uglach recalls the events of the first two chapters at the beginning of the disc (although the speech is in Orcish). The music is cool too, heavy on the brooding dark ambient, with rumbling drones, and haunting melodies, simple martial drumming, epic sweeping strings, occasionally the music slips into a more sort of Renaissance Faire sort of folk, but as the majority of the story is a tale of death and destruction, war and revenge, the music is suitably dark. And even if you have no interest in the fate of the Orcs, or the life of Uglach and his friends, or the story at all, purely as a sound document, Shrak Ishi Za Migul is a captivating listen, equal parts, radio drama, soundtrack, field recording and high concept art piece. So good. It had been so long since we had visited Uglach's world, we had almost forgotten how bracing it was, what a dangerous and vicarious thrill it was to ride alongside the Orcs in battle, to grieve the dead, to drink and sup, and to luxuriate in the epic and majestic sounds of the mighty Za Frumi!!