Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows - Songs From the Inverted Womb

Year: 2000

Genre: Darkwave/Neo-Classical

Songs From the inverted Womb is dedicated to the "memory and resurrection" of Little Seven, a boy who died when he was six years old. This album was recorded in an attempt to resurrect at least the memory of the boy, producing some rather grim tales, especially the climactic opus "There Was a Country By the Sea". The music, now featuring a group of around ten guest musicians, contains many more cohesive and flowing arrangements reminiscent of progressive rock. "May I Kiss Your Wound?", from "The Inexperienced Spiral Traveler", makes a fresh appearance; "Résumé..." is in fact an extensive re-interpretation of "Time Stands Still... [...But Stops for No-One]" from Sopor Aeternus' first album, ...Ich Töte Mich Jedesmal aufs Neue, doch Ich bin Unsterblich, und Ich Erstehe Wieder auf; in einer Vision des Untergangs...

Inward Escape - Sacred Nothing

Year: 2004
Genre: Dark Ambient/Post-Black Metal

Presented in two volumes over the course of as many disks, the first comprising of Atremores’ unique direction and approach of what could possibly be labeled under the ambiguous title of ‘avant-garde black metal’, with great emphasis upon the former half of this title. These works further substantiated by the prose and lamentations of its author, and in some respects in stark contrast to its second volume, distinguished by its subtle, atmospheric compositions based this time more upon the absence on human voice and delving its listeners into the disturbed waters of ones own consciousness. Despite the difference in musical exploration throughout its total playing time, Sacred Nothing is kept in harmony and continually bound by its introspection; a realization of the overwhelming worthlessness of human concepts and a defiant detachment from societal convention. Here ideas and manifestations of nihil are wielded and bought into new form. Sacred Nothing is an original, mature work wedding perfectly together celebrated musicianship and audial exploration with staunch individualism, and is a heralded beginning and beacon for art to come.

“To sever from life is to fly within dreams… Here, society’s nightmare is my goddess: Nothingness”

Aluk Todolo - Descension

Year: 2007
Genre: Psychedelic Black Metal/Ambient

This first full-length album shows the band developing the esoteric theorems established on it's debut 7-inch EP, and going far deeper in the methodical exploration of the occult powers of musical trance. With the goal to create a timeless, organic mixing of krautrock's strangeness and grim black metal's coldness, Aluk Todolo conjures rabid obsessive rhythms and abyssal disharmonic guitars, subliminal spiritualist vibrations and bizarre, magick summonings. By reducing psychedelic improvisation to a bare, telluric instrumentation, and basking in the archaic rawness of lo-fi production, the trio elaborates on an audio ritual meant to be monolithic and stabbing, hypnotic but unpredictable, minimalist yet teeming.