CD

1993'S PIONEERING SECOND STUDIO ALBUM OF ATMOSPHERIC & PROGRESSIVE DOOM ROCK FROM THE GATHERING. PRESENTED ON MID-PRICE CD.

The Gathering is a Dutch alternative rock band founded in 1989 by brothers Hans & René Rutten & vocalist Bart Smits. The early incarnation of the band featured a much more death & doom metal based style than the more atmospheric rock & experimental music which they became known for over the years, having enjoyed a highly successful career globally to date. The band recorded 2 demos initially before making their studio debut with ‘Always…’ (1992).

‘Almost A Dance’ was the second studio album by the band, released originally in 1993 on Foundation 2000 Records. The album was produced by Tom Holkenborg who became famous as Junkie XL. On this album, The Gathering left death growls & their death-doom influences aside, in favour of a more progressive rock/metal sound with clean vocals & a strong foundation for what the band would continue to evolve into, which is clearly apparent in the guitar arrangements & sublime soundscapes created.

This edition of 'Almost A Dance' is presented on mid-price CD format, including an eight page booklet with full lyrics.

DOUBLE DISC EDITION OF SIGH’S 1997 RELEASE OF ECLECTIC DARK & ATMOSPHERIC METAL, NOW ON PEACEVILLE. WITH NEW AUDIO MASTER, EXTENSIVE EXTRA MATERIAL & BOOKLET CONTAINING AN INTERVIEW WITH MIRAI KAWASHIMA.

Japanese black metal legends Sigh formed in 1989/1990. The genre-classic debut ‘Scorn Defeat’ followed on Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions in 1993 & with each subsequent release, Sigh grew to become one of the country’s greatest & most revered metal exports. With a journey through the strange & the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots, as witnessed with the stellar 2022 album, ‘Shiki’. 2025 also saw Sigh reimagining their ‘Hangman’s Hymn’ album for a release on Peaceville as part of the band’s 35th anniversary celebrations, in the shape of ‘I Saw The World’s End: Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV’.

Maintaining the core trio of Mirai Kawashima, Shinichi Ishikawa & Satoshi Fujinami & on the back of the epic & darkly symphonic opus ‘Infidel Art’ (1995), Sigh adopted a more boundary-defying approach to their writing, whilst still keeping the dark foundations & traits of the band’s fundamental sound. The result was ‘Ghastly Funeral Theatre’ which surfaced in 1997 & draped in Eastern & horror-based atmospherics, the band also embraced elements outside of metal with what was their most experimental offering to date; utilising instruments such as the saxophone as well as acoustic passages & notoriously drawing comparisons to the moods of bands such as The Beatles at times, featuring catchy hooks & structures in line with the rock music genre, but masterfully woven into Sigh’s unique blackened metal tapestry.

Continuing with Peaceville’s re-issues of Sigh’s classic early ( & until now, hard to find) works, this edition of ‘Ghastly Funeral Theatre’ contains a new master created by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony, featuring a new transfer from the original DAT source.

In addition to the original studio tracks, this special double-disc release contains an expansive selection of material from the time, from unreleased mixes of album tracks & rare cover songs, to the inclusion of the very rare ‘Funeral Theatre’ Promo tape created by Mirai Kawashima in 1995.

The release also includes a new interview with main-man Mirai Kawashima conducted by Dayal Patterson of Cult Never Dies, delving into the history & inspirations behind ‘Ghastly Funeral Theatre’.

Deluxe Digipak CD

Lyric booklet

Designed download card with free digital album

Originally released in 2020, Livslede is SUNKEN’s second full-length and a compelling work of atmospheric black metal - melancholic, dynamic, and shaped by a strong sense of northern introspection. 

Brought forth by the Sweden-based multi-instrumentalist Matthew Bell (Autumn's Dawn, Austere live & many more), TJAKTJADÁLVVE is an Atmospheric Black Metal project now at its third full-lenght release. "Encompassing Nothingness" perfectly blends the sorrow of depression-tinged black metal with the coldness, thrill and melancholy of its atmospheric kind, guiding the listener through his low-paced and synth-driven scenarios. With a neat production and dreadful vocals, the musical journey that this album encloses can't reward the listener more than so.

FFO: Woods of Desolation, Austere, Panopticon, Mesarthim.

High Roller Records, reissue 2024 

Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in July 2024.

Original release date: 1986
This CD : edition 2015 on Metal Command Records (officially licensed)