Lunar Aurora - Mond

"[Mond] is the kind of epic black metal that defies your expectations. Such an epithet might bring to mind the cheesier side of black(ish) metal, but Lunar Aurora steer well clear of any of that. They are a cold and aggressive black metal band, and just happen to have a solemnly epic side that complements a number of passages really well. Despite the quick pace, much of Lunar Aurora's sound has a depressive undercurrent, which is helped by the smart keyboard effects -- "Rastlos" is one such track, blasting ahead with a celestial majesty that brings to mind early Emperor. As the Emperor reference might indicate, the band are also able to conjure some stirring crescendos, keeping things interesting in spite of the considerable overall length. Mond is neither underproduced nor particularly technical; it strikes a very good balance as far as clarity of sound and songwriting, and the result is heavy on atmosphere without having to resort to ambient passages.

Lunar Aurora have created a fine album, one that harvests much of what was so good about mid to late '90s black metal without sounding unoriginal or rehashed; indeed at times it refines some of those elements. This isn't to say that each and every passage in the album is brilliant, but there is some excellent material here and the standards are kept high throughout."- Chronicles Of Chaos

Mond 2005 Tracklisting 1. Groll 00:58 2. Aufgewacht 07:04 3. Rastlos 06:15 4. Schwarze Winde 09:08 5. Heimkehr 08:18 6. Welk 04:49 7. Grimm 10:10 Total playing time 46:42

With Mond, Lunar Aurora delivers us a very strong black metal album. With a name like theirs, and with a previously released split with Paysage d'Hiver, I expected to hear something along the lines of Darkspace - a spacey, ambient-like band. I couldn't have been more wrong. These guys play some very intense black metal. While it's mainly played at fast-pounding, neck-breaking speeds, there are often moments when the music comes to a halt, moves at slow speeds, making the room the listener's in fill up with tension before blowing back up in his face. Their music is not spacey, but in fact is very dark and depressing. Indeed, one of the band's highlights are their lyrics. I'm no German speaker, but from what I gather their lyrics are written very well. They fit very well with the music, too. They express a very cynic self, one who has realized their position in an enslaved world and who sees society falling apart before him.

The use of keyboards is typically done very tastefully, besides in the fifth song where it seems rather overdone. By far the best song of this album is Schwartz Winde. The second, third, and seventh song stand out as well. Indeed, there's a really interesting melody played in the last song at an odd time signature.

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Paysage d'Hiver - Kristall & Isa

Kristall & Isa 2001 Tracklisting 1. Isa 06:21 2. Austritt Aus Dem Körper 06:09 3. Äther 05:57 4. Der Kristall ist Eis 06:47 5. Wachen/Innere Stimmen 07:17 6. Kälte 05:06 Total playing time 37:41

As promised, here is another Paysage d'Hiver album. Notice the track lengths under 20 minutes. But seriously. This album is another one of his best works. The production is very ugly ... Mmm mmm! While it is not necessarily a concept of its own, it contains a series of connected songs. They alternate between cold, melodic, beautiful passages and ugly, nonharmonic, noisy ambient tracks. The correlation between the cold and ugly atmospheres encapsulate the feeling of desolation and fatality. It is a rather easier listening experience than, say, Steineiche or Nacht. That is, you can listen to this album repetitiously. The others are best enjoyed sparingly. Indeed, I've become rather addicted to this album, although I appreciate Steineiche to a higher degree. Again, I have a hard time finding a place to buy this album, so eBay is your best shot I think (if you find a place to buy, or if you're selling, please message me with link/email address).

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Paysage d'Hiver - Steineiche

"This release is a singular vision, so don't start listening without the intent of taking in the whole hour plus experience. The vision is one of decay. Four quite lengthy songs strung together, slowly turning from a flurry of activity to absolute stillness. Go ahead, try to make an album this well thought out and executed. You'll die trying. The fact that this is a debut makes it all the more remarkable.

On the first track, blown out distortion rages alongside of delicately picked clean guitars while distant vocals howl and spit. There's some mind-meltingly good odd-time riffing, a brief reprieve, and a crushing climax. This is, without a doubt, a black metal masterpiece. The rest of the album contains (not in this order) operatic female singing, mournful violins, funeral bells, four part vocal harmonies, ambient noise, and a good sixteen minute chunk of crushing doom. What's truly impressive is that none of it sounds at all contrived or forced; in context, it all makes perfect sense.

My only disclaimer is about the sound quality. As with all Paysage D'Hiver releases, there is an overtly lo-fi (I'm supposed to call it "necro," whatever) quality that permeates the entire recording. On the other hand, if that stops you from liking this record, you probably don't like black metal, so I don't care about you all that much. Plus, compared with the other demos, Steineche sounds fucking great.

All in all, you would be a fool not to get this. It's beautiful and ugly, familiar and innovative, and really, really smart. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."- Metal Archives

Steineiche 1998 Tracklisting 1. Die Baumfrau 20:01 2. Der Baummann 16:03 3. Der Baum 24:34 4. Deja Vu 11:33 Total playing time 01:12:11

Paysage d'Hiver is a solo project by a man named Tobias Möckl under the moniker Wintherr. Paysage d'Hiver is French for Landscapes of Winter, an appropriate title for the type of music this band is known for. This is the first of Paysage's releases. Honestly, I cannot sum the album up any better than the reviewer above me did. It's another very creative and perfectly executed album with absolutely no shortcomings. This man's vocals seem excrutiantingly deep, harsh, monstruous - demonic. They go very well with the music that is likewise ugly (although beautiful at times, too). Again, the album is not pure ambience unlike Paysage's later works. At the moment I cannot find a place that sells this album at all. If you know of somewhere, please, feel free to advise me. For now the buy link directs you to eBay to try your luck.

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Apotheosis - Farthest From The Sun

"This album is appealing from the get-go, just look at the song titles for a start. Considering how it has the unfortunate stablemates of the 'symphonic black metal' genre, it hasn't picked up any of their negative influence. There isn't a trace of romance, religion, 'suicidal gothic vampire babes' or any of the things that could make this an unpleasant experience before you even turn the CD player on..."- Metal Archives

Farthest From The Sun 2002 Tracklisting 1.Victory 06:13 2. The Maimed God 16:28 3. Raise The Dragon Banner 11:54 4. Kingdom 16:24 Total playing time 50:59

This album is one of those gems that you come along not often enough (although, if you came upon them very frequently, would they still be gems?). It is notable to mention that Farthest From The Sun is indeed a concept album based on a legend, a myth of a fight between this mystic warrior and dragon. The album takes you through a range of connected events and landscapes. It is a great package of atmospheric, raw black/thrash metal fused very effectively with orchestral and symphonic elements. No, I'm not talking about symphonic garbage like Dimmu Borgir, mind you. Farthest From The Sun also incorporates power-metal upbeat riffs, combining with symphonic elements to create a very epic feeling.

The dichotomy between the ugly and evil and the beautiful and serene is orchestrated eloquently, and the two moods present themselves throughout the album in a fashion much like a pendulum's swing. The pendulum begins up high, on a positive note, descends for the second and third song, the darker songs of the album, and rises back up for the last song, which does in fact transition from typical black metal overtones to a more epic, spirited feeling. The drumming in the album provide a solid foundation for the variety of well connected riffs. The vocals in this album are very impressive they sound a lot like a possessed pteradactyl. It's not like the Donald Duck vocals from Maniac, mind you ... they're much better, more powerful, and have a deeper, more masculine quality to them than his do. There are interludes within the album done tastefully, sometimes adding to the feeling of the track, other times building tension within the song.

Sauron, the mastermind behind Apotheosis, shows that he knows how to make good music. Even though this album is over 50 minutes long with songs averaging 13 minutes in length, the music draws you in very well, to the point one loses touch of reality and becomes detached from the faculties of time. This review was much longer than the other ones due to the shocking lack of attention this band has been given.

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Darkspace - Dark Space II

"So ambient, yet so epic. Darkspace are truly masters of their own domain. Where the first album tended to lose the attention of the listener at points (possibly due to its longer overall length), this album is absolutely perfect in every way. I don't have a single complaint. Where things are obvious, they have to be, and where they are unpredictable they are deeply impacting. BUY THIS ALBUM BEFORE IT'S GONE." - Metal Archives

Dark Space II 2005 Tracklisting 1. Dark 2.8 23:39 2. Dark 2.9 10:21 3. Dark 2.10 20:09 Total playing time 54:09

This is the follow up to their incredible first album, Dark Space I. This release definitely met my expectations. Darkspace adopted a more direct and focused approach. That is, while their first album had several different songs, some with different purposes, Dark Space II acts as a whole album. The aggression is very much present, but there is a lot more ambient music than there is black metal. I feel that the album takes the listener through a journey. It begins with dark, alien-like ambience to set the tone for the rest of the album. Suddenly one is assaulted with the barrage of riffs and drumming, followed by some very intense shrieks. It's almost like there is a galactic battle scene. The second track, which is just pure ambience filtered through industrial overtones, makes it feel as if the setting is very turbulent. Perhaps the ship(s) in this story are escaping from something, undergoing turbulence. Alternatively, the music also sounds a bit like the music from the Blake 5 (a sci-fi series that used to air on BBC) during a scene of destruction or killing in slo-motion. It is very effective. Finally, the last track ensues with the battering, harsh guitar and percussive tones, only to end off with the mysterious, dark ambient tones present near the beginning of the album, transitioning into silence.

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Darkspace - Dark Space I

"'Dark Space I' is first a mystery to the auditor. An indefinable mix of different styles, samples and ambient sounds combined to a terrifying musical abyss. But after several wanderings through Darkspace’s dimension, you’ll notice the fine differences in each song which make every track to a stand alone masterpiece that fascinates you for hours." - Metal Archives

Dark Space I 2003 Tracklisting 1. Dark 1.1 07:46 2. Dark 1.2 11:47 3. Dark 1.3 11:37 4. Dark 1.4 10:04 5. Dark 1.5 13:32 6. Dark 1.6 10:20 7. Dark 1.7 10:55 Total playing time 01:16:01

I first found out about this album while I was looking for bands similar to The Ruins of Beverast, Nagelfar, and Hate Forest. In Dark Space I, Darkspace flawlessly craft an atmosphere of mystery, space and darkness using layers of relentless drums and riffage above dark, entrancing synths. The overwhelming sensations emminating from this music also creates a sense of largeness, of the infinite void of space. Your conscience is pulled out of your body and cast out into the cold, heartless cosmos. Chilling screams express our feelings of helplessness, of our microcosmic existence in a universe so grandiose and so unaware and unheeding to our presence. This album must be listened to in its entirety without great pause. It's truly a brilliant piece of work.

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