CD

AKHLYS is yet another sonic exploration from the ultra-prolific Naas Alcameth, most known for Nightbringer and Bestia Arcana as well as Aoratos most recently and Temple of Not. AKHLYS began as a means for Naas Alcameth to explore the darkest and most ritualistic corridors of the dark ambient genre, but later on moved in a more black metal direction with ambient textures incorporated. Supplication was the project's debut album, originally released in 2009 on CD-R in an extremely limited edition; a proper CD version arrived in 2015, but also quite limited.

After MASTER’S HAMMER performed the last show in support of the album Fascinator in 2018, it seemed that the Czech legend’s story had finally come to a close for good. But luckily instead of having been laid to rest, the band only went into hibernation and is now back with a new album after 7 years!

Never the least concerned with fitting in, MASTER’S HAMMER refusal to be confined to certain genres and play by anybody’s rules, has resulted in many highly original albums that defied categorization. Unsurprisingly, “Maldorör Disco”, the band’s ninth album, follows in this direction and is yet another bold release by MASTER’S HAMMER, showcasing the group’s commitment to pushing boundaries. Although “Maldorör Disco” is still unmistakenly MASTER’S HAMMER it’s probably their most experimental and least Black Metal sounding album to date.

The album’s 10 tracks are composed mostly in “dancing” 130bpm tempo. Franta admitted that he danced while songwriting, and so did the other members, including Kamil Princ – the author of the keyboard solos. Honza Kapák’s drums are perhaps the best ever played on MH records, and we’re very happy to see (and hear) Mr. Necrocock again!

Besides the masterfully composed synthesizers and keyboards, the multiple voices appearing throughout the album and the way they are arranged play a pivotal role in “Maldorör Disco” too.
The visual presentation of the album deserves a special mention; Franta has again come up with some beautifully bizarre artworks. Marvelling at these surreal masterpieces and reading the disturbingly amusing lyrics while listening to the music is the right way to experience this album.
Listeners who enjoyed MASTER’S HAMMER’s previous efforts or who have a soft spot for the theatrical and unconventional in general, will find plenty to relish on “Maldorör Disco”. It’s an album that rewards attentive, adventurous listeners, delivering a journey that is as confounding as it is exhilarating. “Maldorör Disco” stands as a testament to MASTER’S HAMMER’S relentless drive to innovate and push forward with total disregard for conventions or expectations.

Jewel-case CD, 20-page booklet.

AMID, the third album of Berlin based AZKETEM whilst continuing their style known from previous releases, first and foremost, represents a sonically new chapter. Besides keeping with the tradition of christening his albums with a single word starting with the letter a, AMID is also proof that AZKETEM’s mastermind and sole member Azken is still driven to craft melancholic and densely atmospheric Metal.

Yet, while the bleak atmosphere the latest offering’s six tracks wallow in remains pretty much the same, the means by which these are being evoked rather strongly differ from previous efforts. Most strikingly, there’s various elements to be found on the album that are reminiscent of bands like TYPE O NEGATIVE, KATATONIA or even FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM.

KATATONIA'S CLASSIC 1997 RELEASE OF TIMELESS DEATH/DOOM MELANCHOLY, FEATURING MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT ON VOCALS.

Katatonia was formed in 1991 by Anders Nystrom & Jonas Renkse. Their debut album, 'Dance Of December Souls', was released in 1993, gaining the band recognition for their eclectic brand of gothic doom/death metal & joining acts such as Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride as one of the genre's defining bands. On future albums a newer, sleeker Katatonia sound came to the fore, starting with a streamlined & structured collection of melodic dark rock songs that became third album 'Discouraged Ones'; widely regarded as the main evolution point for what eventually became modern day Katatonia.

In the wake of 1996's epic & sublime 'Brave Murder Day', which further established the Swedes as one of the leaders of melancholic metal, the 1997 EP 'Sounds Of Decay' continued with this masterful blend of sombre melodic & hypnotic death doom metal. 'Sounds Of Decay' was recorded at Stockholm's Sunlight Studios & notably featured Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals.

This edition of 'Sounds Of Decay' is presented on digipack CD format & includes the bonus track 'Untrue', which was not originally included on the 1997 release.

Allow me to unveil my nameless kingdom, suffused with an enchanting aura of magic, where the very air shimmers with secrets and wonder. I beckon you to escape into a realm of boundless forests and towering mountains, embarking on a journey shrouded in mystery and breathtaking beauty.

This is Epic/Atmospheric Black Metal. We are releasing this EP as a precursor to a full-length album, which, by the way, is already fully recorded. We are not professional musicians and do not possess virtuoso performance skills. We also lack sufficient knowledge in mixing and mastering, so please don’t judge us too harshly. We create music as best we can, primarily for ourselves. If you hear something in our music that doesn’t meet the standards of the recordings you’re used to, we ask for your understanding.

With a screech, the old gates of the ancient fortress open. The last rays of the sun pierce the leaden clouds and glint mournfully off the guards’ metal cuirasses. The world is changing, and we feel it in everything. Much of what once was is gone. The gates slowly swung open—before us an unexplored world opens, and the wind, steeped in a thirst for freedom, calls us to that far-off place where we may feel ourselves the heroes of those old, great tales and, for a time, slip away from the frozen, banal reality.

As always, for many years now, I bid you come with me to seek the source of our primordial wisdom. So, let us be on our way!