AKOUSTIC TIMBRE FREQUENCY – “processed cello and chime improv” + this track flows freely around the outer and inner reaches of your thoughts, notes never quite fully form; it feels fractured, random and that is the greatness behind it.
CAROLINE JAGO – “renaissance” + this is quite ‘upbeat’, starts off one way and doesn’t quite transition into a new style in the right way making the song feel split in two but nice use of sounds and build-up of layers.
CECILIA BJARGO – “the second attempt part II-II” + this is haunting and ethereal, full of disembodied voices and low drones, it flows through your subconscious and leaves you a little bit cold.
CROWS IN THE GARDEN –“height (edit)” + the sounds here clash in delightful ways, rising and falling around you; great use of sounds and wonderfully arranged.
CROWS IN THE GARDEN & NAM-KHAR – “dark sea” + as with the last crows song the sounds seem to clash slightly but it works and pulls you into the song, it gives you the feeling of watching the waves ebb and flow.
CYBORGS ON CRACK –“butcher is a good talker” + this is dark electronica filled with interesting beats and synth sounds – it takes me back to the 80s; nostalgic with a sinister edge.
DEAD.CIRCUIT – “requiem et lux aeterna” + this is laid back and for the most part washes over you but some of the drum track is a bit jarring; some interesting layers here.
DESOLATION – “the light is gone…” + this is slow and absorbs you completely; full of strange notes and a chilling vocal that will haunt your soul; intense and wonderfully arranged.
DIN BRAD – “amar” + this feels ritualistic though for me the vocal is too loud that it’s hard to hear the synths or drum track under it much of the time.
DRUHA SMRT – “earth water soul” + this is peaceful, serene and relaxing even when it changes; it feels somewhat ancient almost like you can contact old gods.
ECHO GRIND – “isolation” + this is interesting ‘electro’ but does not invoke a sense of isolation within me once the drum track kicks in; the vocal is good and strong.
ELSEWHERE SHINE – “downpour” + there is an odd silence toward the middle where the song transitions; slightly ruinous to what is some beautifully played and arranged piano work.
EMBRACE OUR NATURE – “vocalise” + this feels almost ritualistic but it’s not quite there; too many sounds and layers fighting for attention but it’s still quite hypnotic.
EQUAL STONES – “breathe” + a vast empty desolate place in which you walk along perhaps looking for survivors or just enjoying the solitude; subtle layers and haunting sounds.
FAERYDAE – “ajde jano” + this is folksy; there is a wide range of instruments on show here and each played well and the vocal is sung well.
FRONT SONORE – “the fall” + this is a little hypnotic and a little disturbing but in a good way like when something important and creepy is happening during a movie – a great use of sounds and layers.
GOLD AND WATER – “sequence of pictures taken at the moment when the mothership flew right above us pt1” + eternally peaceful and unrushed I found this completely absorbing; deceptively simple the layers work so nicely here.
HOWLING LARSONS – “midnight folk” + this reminds me of a banshees song; the vocals reflect the main element of the song which is oft repeated giving an hypnotic feel almost dirge like or funereal – quite interesting.
HOYLAND – “empyreal pagan kingdom” + this is pretty epic if a little too long for a compilation! The song transitions flawlessly through each bold sequence from quiet parts to haunting string laden parts – this takes you on a journey through realms that have been so artfully aurally rendered in this one piece.
IMMUNDUS – “a distant call” + highly emotive strong piano work and gradual build-up of layers leaves you feeling more than a little haunted.
IN SLAUGHTER NATIVES – “definition of not being alive (trip wire mix)” + this has an industrial feel to it and feels kind of enclosing with its constant syncopated drum beat and whispering vocal while the rest of the layers sneak menacingly around your head.
JIIBAY SHADOWDANCER – “upon lost waves” + a gradual build-up of slow moving layers allows you to drift off through vast empty tundra’s; this is very atmospheric making good use of sounds.
KOLD – “frost byte” + this is electro and filled with some really good layers and sounds that have been creatively put together; has a little bit of an industrial vibe too; upbeat and interesting.
LAST WINTER I DIED – “summer reveries” + this song seems almost split in two; a synth section which is quite sorrowful and more of a droning ending in which the same tune is used; quite sparse but filled with sadness.
LOELL DUINN – “ples zivota” + gradually speeds up and introduces more layers and instruments to a well-played guitar before slowing down and introducing a vocal – such a full song and wonderfully played.
L’OISEAU DU PARADIS – “odin’s eye” + this has the feel of a music box, kind of delicate and quite expressive; a wonderful arrangement and lovely sounds.
LOST KADATH – “presence of pain (mutilation of the soul)” + some creepy noises here and glitches abound, definitely the sound track for the bad guy in a movie planning his next victim; disturbing in a good way.
LUCID STATIC – “stillness” + this is electro but not overly expressive; interesting and great use of synth sounds.
MEHO – “poplava” + this is kind of haunting and deceptively simple; it focuses on glitches with waves of drone – could have been overdone but the restraint shown here is immense.
MELANKOLIA – “dorenovac (requiem in a minor)” + utterly haunting and filled with sublime layers and beautiful piano work this takes you on a thought provoking journey to realms unknown.
MILENA TONIC – “g prelude” + a well-played song with a quirky twist; short and sweet.
MIND DIVIDED – “safe spot” + an immense and expressive soundscape, quite uplifting with perfect transitions; this is completely immersive.
MISS KITTY – “to the ocean” + a little electro, a little industrial; nice build-up of layers and interesting use of sounds with an interesting vocal.
MORS OMNIBUS – “I offer you” + an immersive low drone that washes you out to sea where you meet a slumbering beast; good use of sounds.
MRT – “pogubljeni raj (unspoken)” + this is delightfully filled with glitches and a hypnotic drumbeat and strange noises; great use of sounds and an interesting arrangement.
MY OWN CUBIC STONE – “ithaqua” + this has almost tribal feel and is filled with immense layers and interesting use of sounds; this washes over you and through you.
MY SILENT WAKE – “my sorrow is yours” + a heartfelt acoustic song, a great arrangement and beautiful lyrics; this is very well played.
MYSTIFIED – “tread sprint” + a little bit electro with a great build-up of layers and some interesting sounds used. NAM-KAR – “sekhet aahru” + this has a tribal feel with quite delicate sounds that slowly wash over you, the constant drum and bass are a bit hypnotic this is very relaxing and gets more immersive towards the end.
NEVHAR ANHAR – “raiding island” + distorted guitar and feedback; a cacophony of noise, slightly sinister but utterly compelling.
OV MHURN – “the long walk to solitude” + a vast droning song with some interesting layers and elements – this has strange transitions but they feel suspenseful; interesting use of sounds, this is very immersive with some beautiful piano work.
PINEAL VERTIGO – “floating souls” + this is a mixture of styles but mainly focuses around a harsh pulsating layer with more delicate layers added and some nice synth sounds.
PLAGUEWIELDER – “putrescent” + a nice build-up of layers makes this a slightly sinister song, this feels like the opening credits in which we watch the evil character in his lair; nice use of sounds.
PYLAE – “est” + some interesting guitar work which is well played and the layers play well off each other, almost dreamlike in nature with an interesting glitch.
RETRO GRAD – “final days” + short and sweet; an interesting electro song, nice use of sounds and layers and I really like the tempo of it.
SCHATTENSPIEL – “todesahrung” + gradual build up and fade out of instruments is well done here, some great sounds used and I wonder what the spoken vocal is actually saying!
SHADOW BIOSPHERE – “bylakupee” + overpowering drums makes this so interesting, then the synth powers back; great build-up of layers and great sounds – I almost wish it were longer and more elements added.
SNOWFADE – “ridden signals” + filled with glitches and random noises making you wonder if that barren landscape is quite so barren after all; great layers and use of varied sounds.
SVART1 – “u strahu suvelike oci” + this has a tribal and underlying hypnotic feel, lots of almost harsh noise washes over you; interesting use of sounds with a surprise ending.
TAMERLAN – “like gods at dawn (live)” + this is a great acoustic guitar piece, quite fast and feels powerful, wonderfully arranged and really well played.
TEARPALM – “bice dobro” + a great use of sounds and formation of layers, this evokes an almost stark wilderness; nice guitar interlude and effects around it makes this all the more interesting, great instrumentation and tone.
THE GRAVE DOMINION – “rabbit trance” + I cannot review this fairly as I am a member of the band but give it a listen.
THE HARE AND THE MOON – “the rolling of the stones” + some beautiful piano work and ethereal vocals makes this an almost delicate song which invokes a pagan feel especially when the drum kicks in.
TLGBP – “le couloir luna” + there is some beautiful piano played here in this almost sombre song; well played and utterly absorbing.
TOKEE – “genesis” + this is electro and at times has an 8-bit video game vibe; great use of sounds and nice tempo, seems faster paced towards the end.
TONY WAKEFIELD – “lucy’s flower” + this song is a bit deceptive, it doesn’t seem like much is being played but there is some great guitar work and plenty of layers to find yourself lost within.
TRIBES OF MEDUSA – “solar cross” + a powerful drum track but the subtle layers underneath are superb, completely hypnotic and compelling.
TURNAVEL – “dejection” + some beautifully played elements and a mysterious soliloquy; I almost wish this were longer – if this was slower it would be so much more sombre.
URUK HAI – “the sea bell” + there are a lot of elements here, each given its own ‘interlude’ within the song so it’s a constant progression; nice build-up of layers and great sounds and tonality used.
VALERIO ORLANDINI – “camera di compensazione post uma” + there are some great sounds and build-up of layers with this song which evokes a vast desolate landscape.
VEDAN KOLOD – “grey bird” + an interesting folk song featuring female and male vocals; the main riff is well played as is the other varied instrumentation.
VIGINTI TRES SAECULA PRESENTS WELTENSPRUNG B. KAISERWETTER – “untitled” + an interesting piano piece with tempo variations and a few varied layers which change the feel of the song.
WALDEN – “wandering im moor” + a beautifully played guitar piece; the guitar has great tonality and the song is quite sombre.
YOUTH A.D. – “swarm” + harsh industrial noise, wonderfully distorted filled with a good use of varied electro sounds.
ZORAN PETERNDLJ – “don’t ask me why, I don’t know” + this is both delicate and harsh at the same time, relaxing and intense the layers are blended well with an interesting use of sounds.