Morte Macabre – Symphonic Holocaust (1998)

Country: Sweden

Tracklist

1. Apoteosi Del Mistero 4:20
2. Threats Of Stark Reality 2:59
3. Sequenza Ritmica E Tema 7:06
4. Lullaby 8:05
5. Quiet Drops 6:46
6. Opening Theme 2:53
7. The Photosession 7:14
8. Symphonic Holocaust 17:51
9. Suoni Dissonanti (Vinyl Bonus Track) 03:17

Morte Macabre was formed by the members of two Swedish progressive bands, Landberk and Anekdoten.
In 1998, Nicklas Barker and Peter Nordins of Anekdoten,

along with Stefan Dimle (Landberk, Paatos) and Reine Fiske (Landberk, Paatos, The Guild)

released the album "Symphonic Holocaust" on the Swedish label Mellotronen.
The album mostly consists of covered themes from horror movies, such as "City Of The Living Dead", 

"The Beyond", "Rosemary's Baby", "Beyond The Darkness", "Cannibal Holocaust" and "Golden Girls", 

with the exception of two original compositions.
The music is instrumental and characterized by improvisation and heavy use of mellotron and synthesizers.

The Memory link also features the bonus track "Suoni Dissonanti" that was included on the vinyl version of the album.

 
Memory

Shub Niggurath – Les Morts Vont Vite (1986)

Country: France

Tracklist

1. Incipit Tragaedia 15:46
2. Cabine 67 05:56
3. Yog Sothoth 12:28
4. La Ballade De Lénore 08:58
5. Delear Prius 04:03
6. J'ai Vu Naguère En Peinture Les Harpies Ravissant Le Repas De Phynée 04:19

Shub Niggurath was a progressive rock/zeuhl band, formed in France in 1982 and consisted of Allan Ballaud (bass),

Franck Coulaud (percussion), Frank W. Fromy (guitar/percussion), Jean-Luc Hervé (harmonium/piano/organ),

Ann Stewart (vocals) and Véronique Verdier (trombone).
Their name was taken after one of the deities in Cthulhu Mythos created by the American horror writer H.P.Lovecraft.
The project was created after the bands Aspara and Gorgonus were merged together.

Ann Stewart and Franck W. Fromy from the former, Véronique Verdier, Jean-Luc Hervé and Allain Ballaud from the latter.
Drummers had to be changed often, due to the difficulty of certain compositions,

which were at times too free-form, or too strictly written at others.
Their debut album "Les Morts Vont Vite", that was released in 1986 on the Musea label,

received critical acclaim for its innovative avant-garde inclinations,

and major developments influenced by Magma's "Zeuhl" style.
Musea also reissued the album on CD in 1997, including two bonus tracks.
The debut sold well and later, one song appeared on the tribute compilation to Magma "Enneade".
After its release percussionist Franck Couland left, as did Franc Fromy.

Jean-Luc Herve, also being a guitarist, took Fromy's spot.

In the next years Shub Niggurath appeared on the compilations "Douze Pour Un Vol. 2" (1987) and "Dithrambe" (1988)

followed by a live tape with the new line up: Allan Ballaud (bass), Jean-Luc Herve (electric guitar),  

Veronuque Verdier (bass trombone/percussion), new singers Sylvette Claudet and Jean-Pierre Lourdeau,

and new drummer Michel Kervinio.
Prior to the release of their second studio album, "C'étaient De Très Grands Vents" in 1991, also on the Musea label,

Jean Pierre left the band to become a painter and a new percussionist, Edward Perraud, was added. 

Since then, the band has toured around Paris playing for small audiences.

In 1995 bassist Allan Ballaud passed away due to cancer an incident that put the band on a permanent hiatus.
In 2003 Musea issued their third album "Testament" which consists from archive material recorded in 1992-1994.
The label Soleil Zeuhl reissued on CD in 2009 their demo tape from 1982 entitled "Introduction" and on Vinyl in 2018.

 
Memory

Cromagnon – Cromagnon (1969)

Country: United States

Tracklist

1. Caledonia 04:21
2. Ritual Feast Of The Libido 03:26
3. Organic Sundown 07:10
4. Fantasy 07:19
5. Crow Of The Black Tree 09:40
6. Genitalia 02:46
7. Toth, Scribe I 10:38
8. First World Of Bronze 02:47

Cromagnon was an American experimental band that was active during the late 1960s.
Led by multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriters Austin Grasmere and Brian Elliot,
the band released their one and only self-titled album

(later reissued as "Cave Rock" and also as "Orgasm") in 1969 on the ESP-Disk record label.
Cromagnon is said to have foreshadowed the rise of noise rock, no wave and industrial rock genres

that came into existence in the following decades.
Their album combined psychedelia, folk rock and noise with primitive instrumentation (including sticks and stones).
It was recorded at A-1 Sound Studio in the Upper West Side of New York City in 1969.
Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" technique, of which producer Brian Elliot was a fan, heavily influenced the album's sound.
During recording, band members brought in random people from the street and asked them to contribute to the album.
The result was a non-linear journey through the subconscious,

weaving together bizarre instrumentation and meter with a psychotic blending of musical styles.
Bagpipes, pounding percussion, blood-curdling yelps, tribal chanting, laughing, and billowing subterranean rumblings

create the otherworldly soundscape of an album that was ridiculously ahead of its time.

Memory

Drawn – A New World? (1999)

Country: Norway

Tracklist

1. Rivawella Form 09:53
2. Yours And Mine 07:38   
3. So I Can't Dance, OK! 07:12   
4. Would Have Had 06:52
5. Marygold 08:07
6. A-Scape 08:53
7. Momento In Slomo 06:04
8. Improzigw 10:01

Drawn was formed around 1997 and consisted of Per K (Bass), Thomaz (Drums), Atle Dørum (Guitars, Vocals,)

and ex-In The Woods... member Christer-André Cederberg (Lead Vocals, Guitars).
The band self-released their promo/MCD "Drawn" in 1997 featuring four tracks and recorded at the Jailhouse Studio.
Their style was a blend of Psychedelic/Progressive/Metal with dark and eerie overtones.
After signing a deal with Prophecy Productions in 1998 their self-titled MCD was re-released under the title "Plan Be".
In 1999 their first, and last, full length album entitled "A New World?" was released in a digipak format.

Memory

Univers Zero – Heresie (1979)

Country: Belgium

Tracklist

1. La Faulx 25:25
2. Jack The Ripper 13:30
3. Vous Le Saurez En Temps Voulu 13:02
4. Chaos Hermétique (Bonus Track Recorded In 1975) 11:52

Univers Zero are an instrumental progressive Belgian band formed in 1974 by drummer Daniel Denis.
The band is known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th-century chamber music.
In 1973, Claude Deron and Daniel Denis, both former members of the band Arkham, set up a new group, Necronomicon.
By that time, apart from Deron (trumpet) and Denis (drums), the group consisted of Roger Trigaux (guitar),  

Guy Segers (bass guitar), Patrick Hanappier (violin), John Van Rymenant (sax) and later on Vincent Motoulle (keyboards).
At the time, Guy Denis (percussion) took part in some shows and rehearsals 

and Jean-Luc Manderlier (keyboards) was present only during rehearsals.
Necronomicon was renamed to Univers Zero in 1974.
The band was part of a musical movement called Rock In Opposition (RIO) which strove to create dense challenging music, a direct contrast to the disco and punk music being produced in the late 1970s.
Obvious early influences were Bartók, Stravinsky and composers such as Albert Huybrechts, who was also Belgian.
Whereas their early albums were almost entirely acoustic, featuring oboes, spinets, harmoniums and Mellotrons, 

their 1980s albums tended to rely more on synthesizer and electric guitar, sounding much more electric.
In 1977, they released their first eponymous album "Univers Zéro", later remixed and renamed as "1313". 

The album shows a heavy rock and roll approach despite the fact that the instrumentation was largely acoustic.

This is mostly due to the use of drums and bass guitar.

Two years later the album "Heresie" proved to be even darker and more complex.

Subsequent albums lightened the sound only slightly but became ever more electric.
The group disbanded in 1987 but reformed in 1999.

In the interim, drummer Daniel Denis released two solo albums and joined Art Zoyd, a similar band from France.

Since 1999, Univers Zero released five studio albums.
In 2011, they joined forces with Belgian groups Present and Aranis 

to form a 17-member ensemble called Once Upon A Time In Belgium.

They premiered at the fourth edition of the Rock In Opposition festival held in Carmaux, France in September 2011,

where they performed "New York Transformations", a work composed by Kurt Budé.
Once Upon A Time In Belgium and Univers Zero appear in the documentary film

"Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock In Opposition".

Memory

Helios Creed ‎– X-Rated Fairy Tales (1985)

 

Country: United States 

Tracklist

1. The Descent 04:08
2. Un-Human Condition 03:33
3. Invitation 02:52
4. X-Rated Fairy Tales 04:20
5. Blood Red 03:02
6. Mystery Room 04:07
7. Showdown 02:51
8. Sex Voodoo Venus 04:32
9. Money Man 03:41
10. Johnny 03:52

Helios Creed is an American guitarist, singer and band leader. 
He first came to prominence in the mid-1970s with the San Francisco band Chrome. 
They are credited with being the godfathers of what later became known as Industrial Rock music. 
The band Chrome broke up in the mid-80s when founding member Damon Edge moved to Paris. 
Helios then recruited some local hard rock musicians and launched a solo career.
The music is usually mid-tempo to slow-tempo space rock, hard rock, acid rock.
Creed uses a large number of effects on his voice and his guitar, including echoes, 
phase shifters, flangers, guitar synthesizers, fuzz, and octave dividers.
X-Rated Fairy Tales is the debut album of the and it was released in 1985 on Subterranean Records.

Memory

Anna Själv Tredje ‎– Tussilago Fanfara (1977)

Country: Sweden

Tracklist

1. Mossen 07:12
2. Ankomster Utanför Tiden 11:38
3. Den Barbariska Söndagen 14:26
4. Tusen År & Sju Timmar 08:14

Anna Själv Tredje were a Swedish electronic duo, that took their name from Leonardo da Vinci's painting

 ”The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne”, and released their only album, Tussilago Fanfara on Silence in 1977.

The duo consisted of Ingemar Ljungström and Mikael Bojen. 

The band obviously got their main inspiration from mid-70's Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel etc.
They also did several sessions for Swedish radio show Ton Kraft.
One track (Snöfall Och Daggyra Ur Daggfall Och Snöyra) from such a session 

was included in the compilation series ”Ton Kraft 1977-78”.
Their full Ton Kraft recordings serve as additional albums since they consisted of entirely exclusive material.
In 1980 in Göteborg the band got in touch with Älgarnas Trädgård and later in the 80's the bands merged

 and started Cosmic Overdose, that in its turn became Twice a Man.

The Memory link contains as a bonus the track "Snöfall Och Daggyra Ur Daggfall Och Snöyra".

Memory

Misanthrope – 1666... Theatre Bizarre (1995)

Country: France

Tracklist

1. Gargantuan Decline 07:21
2. Courtisane Syphlitique 05:39
3. 1666... Theatre Bizarre 05:38
4. L'Autre Hiver 06:30
5. Pirouetting Through The Gloom 07:37
6. Aphrodite Marine 04:22
7. Medieval Embroidery 05:35
8. Mylène 05:26
9. Trumpets Of Hypochondria 04:37
10. Schattengesang 06:16
11. La Dernière Pierre 08:09

Misanthrope is a French progressive death metal band, formed in 1988.
The name of the band is taken from Moliere's play Le Misanthrope,
reflecting the band's very theatrical style and the influence of the French dramatist on their music and lyrics.
The band's genre is difficult to define, but could probably be best described 
as progressive/technical death metal, with a wide array of tempo and style changes.
The band also makes extensive use of keyboards, and features clean, 
though tormented, vocals alongside the traditional death grunt.
1666... Theatre Bizarre is their third studio album and it is sung in English on tracks 1, 3, 5 and 8;
French on track 2, 4, 6, 7, and 11; and German on track 10.
The band vocalist, Phillipe Courtois, is the owner of Holy Records.

Memory

Pan.Thy.Monium ‎– Khaooohs (1993)

Country: Sweden

Tracklist

1. I Månens Sken Dog En Skugga 01:50
2. Under Ytan 03:56
3. Jag & Vem 05:54
4. Lava 07:37
5. Lömska Försåt 06:55
6. I Vindens Våld 00:50
7. Klieveage 02:48
8. Ekkhoeece III 00:44
9. Khaoohs I 04:47
10. Utsikt 08:12
11. Khaoohs II 00:40

Pan.Thy.Monium was a Swedish progressive/avant-garde/death metal band created in 1990 
and led by Dan Swanö with several members from another project of his, Edge of Sanity. 

Swanö constructed as a concept of the albums the fight between the virtual god 

Raagoonshinnaah (god of darkness, rain and emptiness) and his opponent Amaraah (god of light).
The first demo …Dawn was never released to the public. There are only a few copies in the possession of Dan and friends. Dawn of Dreams was released 1992 and neither had any track titles nor a list of band members. 

At this time nobody knew who Pan.Thy.Monium was. The first trace to Dan Swanö was a greeting 
in the booklet of the album The Spectral Sorrows from Edge of Sanity from Benny to Pan.Thy.Monium. 

After that the identity of Pan.Thy.Monium was revealed. In 1993 Khaooohs was released.

 After its release the band fell silent. Khaooohs & Kon-Fus-Ion was recorded 1996 in which 

Amaraah wins over Raagoonshinnaah in a last fight. This marked the end of the band.
Pan.Thy.Monium never played live, even if there is a track on Khaooos which sounds like that. 

Also it is said that none of the songs has lyrics, and that the vocals were used mostly as an instrument. 

The band members were: Derelict (Robert Karlsson), Aag (Dag Swanö), Mourning (Robban Ivarsson), 

Day Disyraah (Dan Swanö) and Winter (Benny Larsson).

Memory

Fleurety ‎– Min Tid Skal Komme (1995)

Country: Norway

Tracklist

1. Fragmenter Av En Fortid 09:37
2. En Skikkelse I Horisonten 11:33
3. Hvileløs? 05:24
4. Englers Piler Har Ingen Brodd 12:33
5. Fragmenter Av En Fremtid 05:38

Popular music styles like "post-black metal" or "shoegaze-black metal" owes very much to mid 90's Norway's scene.
Back then there were terms like "avantgarde-black metal" or "progressive-black metal" 
for releases like Ulver's "Bergtatt", In The Woods "HEart Of The Ages", Ved Buens Ende "Written In Waters"
 and of course Fleurety's debut album "Min Tid Skal Komme".
The band was formed in 1991 by Svein Egil Hatlevik and Alexander Nordgaren 
and released their first demo Black Snow in 1993. After that came the 7" EP A Darker Shade of Evil in 1994. 
Both of these were in a fairly traditional Norwegian black metal style, with very high-pitched screaming vocals, 
giving the band a characteristic sound.
In 1995, the band released the album Min Tid Skal Komme, as a cooperation between Aesthetic Death Records 
and Misanthropy Records. This recording, that was ahead of its time on many levels, featured a rock/progressive/psychedelic/jazz black metal style with atonal harmonics, folk music elements and enchanting female vocals 
by Norwegian pop singer Marian Aas Hansen.
In 2000, Fleurety released the album Department of Apocalyptic Affairs. 
This album showed an even more eclectic musical style, spanning metal, progressive/jazz and electronica, 
and featured an array of guest musicians from the Norwegian avantgarde and black metal scene.

Memory

Jacula ‎– In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum (1969)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Ritus 04:06
2. Magister Dixit 10:30
3. Triumphatus Sad. 03:34
4. Vereficium 02:21
5. Initiatio 06:48
6. In Cauda Semper 10:05

Jacula is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1968 in Milan as an experiment by Antonio Bartoccetti (Antonius Rex) , Doris Norton (also known as Fiamma Dello Spirito), organist Charles Tiring and medium Franz Porthenzy.
Jacula's music was considered innovative for the time in progressive circles but considered dark and strange by most fans and analysts of the genre, especially in an era that included the development of groups such as Pink Floyd, 
Genesis and Gentle Giant, bands which were the basis of the new progressive rock scene.
Because the band was experimental, and had been labeled by founder Antonio Bartoccetti 
as a youth mistake, Jacula's discography is relatively small.
The group completed two albums: In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum which has a superposition of an organ, 
piano and other sound effects, and Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus which features Doris Norton's vocals, 
with a sound influenced by bands of the Italian underground scene such as Le Orme.
In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum was supposedly recorded in 1969 in London and released in extremely limited numbers (some of them were sent to different religious sects and occult communities!), 
however no original copies have surfaced in collectors circles.This record was released on cd as late as 2001. 
The atmosphere is sinister and haunting based on church organ parts and electric guitar 
with recited vocals, female humming and male chants in Italian and Latin.
After nearly four decades, Jacula released their third studio album Pre Viam in May, 2011.

Memory

Goblin – Suspiria (1977)

Composer: Goblin

Tracklist

1. Suspiria 06:00
2. Witch 03:07
3. Opening To The Sighs 00:25
4. Sighs 05:10
5. Markos 04:00
6. Black Forest 06:00
7. Blind Concert 06:30
8. Death Valzer 01:50
9. Suspiria (Celesta And Bells) 01:30
10. Suspiria (Narration) 01:46
11. Suspiria (Intro) 00:30
12. Markos (Alternate Version) 04:10

 With Suspiria in 1977 Goblin created another intensely creepy atmospheric soundtrack 

for their cinematic alter ego, director Dario Argento.

The music is just as scary as the film itself, blending wailing electric guitars, whooping synthesizers, 

and screaming wordless cries into a spooky, bombastic sound that manages to be terrifying 

even without the benefit of the film's gruesome images.The title theme slowly builds a spooky riff on bells, acoustic guitar, and synthesizer until it erupts into a hard-rocking mid-section 

where nimble synthesizer solos spar with ghostly cries creating an unbearably high level of suspense.

The Memory link is for the 1997 CD reissue that contains four bonus tracks,
consisting of three alternate version of "Suspiria" and a slightly different version of "Markos".

Memory

Presumed Guilty (1998)

Label: Misanthropy Records

Tracklist

1. Dream Into Dust – Stormbringer 05:51

2. In The Woods... – Let There Be More Light 06:30

3. Solstice – The Sleeping Tyrant 06:11

4. Hagalaz' Runedance – The Oath He Swore One Winter's Day 03:45

5. Primordial – Journey's End 08:00

6. Burzum – Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen 09:04

7. Amber Asylum – Dreams Of Thee 03:27

8. Babylon Whores – Somniferum 04:07

9. Madder Mortem – These Mortal Sins 05:05

10. Mayhem – Ancient Skin 04:57

11. Beyond Dawn – Need 05:17

12. Endura – Vestigial Horn 01:49

13. Aphrodisiac – Lux Et Tenebrae 04:09

14. Monumentum – The Colour Of Compassion 07:30

A great compilation of artists by the mighty British label Misanthropy Records, 

Elfenblut and Heroine sub-labels containing unreleased and album tracks.
Released in order to protest against censorship in music business. 

The booklet contains thoughts by each individual artist regarding censorship 

and an essay by Tiziana Stupia (owner of Misanthropy Records).

Many different styles of quality music here but of course the highlight of the compilation is the unreleased,

back then, Burzum track "Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen" which travels you back to the early days of Black Metal.

One of the best Burzum tracks ever, recorded at Grieghallen in 1992.
Hear it and feel the chills running down your spine.

 Memory