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Esoteric – The Pernicious Enigma remaster (Aesthetic Death)

When I first heard this astounding album years ago, I knew that I had to turn off the lights and to listen on headphones, omitting all else from my attention.

This provided a theater-of-the mind, with every session evoking different images, and it seemed that I always heard something new.

This was the most atmospheric music that I had heard, and the doom was both sorrowful and frightening.   It was exhilarating to ride the songs into my mind.

When I heard that there was a remaster, it replaced all other hopes.  It became available on vinyl first, which I could not hear because I have no suck playing device.

It is finally available on CD.  To quote Victor Frankenstien, “with an excitement than amounted to agony” I unwrapped the parcel, vanished all light, and selected my best headphones.

I cannot adequately describe the sensations of that first foray.  The new mix is beyond what I had expected.  I cringed and almost convulsed in parts.

The immediate difference was the sense of space and depth.  Yes, the original mix was rich, but in this remaster one can glide with any of the sounds, swimming freely and touching other timbres as one may wish.  I was completely lost in the music.

I’ve heard it five times already, and each provided a different otherworldly experience.  This is one of the greatest pleasures to bestow your ears.

If you are familiar with the original mix, then I caution you to set aside all other things for your first experience.  The new way of perceiving what had been previously known may be too much to bear.

If you have never heard this groundbreaking album, try the song “Stygian Narcossis” as your first savoring of this exquisite music .  You will be utterly consumed.  Traverse the gates and alleys of your mind.

I STRONGLY suggest that you purchase this album.  Do not delay!

The record label website is https://www.aestheticdeath.com

You may also buy it from the band directly at https://www.esotericuk.net

Esoteric - The Pernicious Enigma remaster (Aesthetic Death)
Esoteric – The Pernicious Enigma remaster (Aesthetic Death)

Skepticism – Stormcrowfleet (Svart)

If you have heard Stormcrowfleet by Skepticism, then you must set aside time for the first time that you will hear the remaster,  and find a dark place, and put on headphones.  The auditory experience is jaw-dropping.

You will enjoy new sounds.  That really is the best way to describe this.  There is also a sense of added dimension.  You soar through the notes.

When this album first appeared, it was like nothing that came before it.  In the doom world, this music was colder, somewhat lifeless but with sudden transformations, sometimes absolutely crushing.

There was nothing like it before.  The band has stood unique since that time, with albums changing, of course, but the essence was always preserved.

Again, if you have enjoyed the original release, this remaster will be savored.

If you have never heard this album before, it is a vital one in the history of doom.

Clowna Nostra crowdfunder

This is your chance to pre-order Bill Zebub’s most offensive comedy “Clowna Nostra” – it i snot just a pre-purchase – it is your way of showing support.

There are other things that you can obtain in this crowdfunder.  Have a look and share on all of your social media.

Click HERE to be taken to paradise of offensiveness.

Clowna Nostra
Clowna Nostra

The Evil – Evil (Osmose Productions)

This sounds a tad like stoner doom, with female vocals, but the singing style isn’t heavenly.  In some ways it is ugly and husky, but it fits.  There is an occult atmosphere to the music , enhanced by supernatural-sounding vocals or instrumental phrases, which further season the songs with devilish taste.

There is a video for one of the songs, which will say much more about the band than I can describe with words.  Enjoy.

Dark Souls Remaster

When I first purchased Dark Souls, it was because I wanted to play a medieval-flavored game.  I had played Word of Warcraft a bit TOO much, and I had a disappointing run with Elder Scrolls.

My frustration mounted due to the difficulty level.  The game came with no manual, which added to my distress.  It didn’t take long for the game to become impossible, and my rage built to the point where I threw my controller into a wall.

Why make a game that is impossible?

As I seethed, the rational part of me wondered if this game were designed as a rebellion against the button-mashing games like World of Warcraft.  I searched on the Internet, and I discovered a game community that offered help.

The walkthrough videos, like Ghey for Games  were a much-enjoyed crutch.  The game was challenging, and the difficulty made the seemingly-impossible victories so intense that I actually jumped out of my seat and roared.

Dark Souls
Dark Souls

When I heard about a remaster, I was excited.  I was going to buy it even if it were the exact same game simply because my PS3 is rarely used in favor of the PS4.

As it turns out, it is identical to the original in many respects.  Some of the game mechanics seem improved, but I did not conduct an actual test to determine that.  It could be an illusion.

The look of the game is noticeably enhanced in some areas, and that means a lot because the original was rather nice to behold.

I have been unable to tear myself away from the game.  I had played the original a million times, so the new character I made went down a path that I never tried before, and it was exhilarating.

One gripe is that there are only two ring slots instead of four.

The online improvements don’t really matter to me, but they are noticeable.

Ultimately, I am happy with my purchase, and yes, I bought it for the full price.

In the middle part of my playing past,  I sought videos of the masters, like this guy, but I started to enjoy the casual gameplay vids of this girl and this girl.

If you are new to this game series, I urge you to get the aforementioned walkthrough paused on your computer so that when you suffer a heart attack, you can then see what had escaped you.

It’s a new way to play.  Every part of the game is to be taken seriously until you become a master and know the tricks.  Until then, you will not dismiss any foes as you would in other games.

I have a warning.  The combat system will make you hate the mechanics of other games, like the Morrowind series.  I liken it to Budweiser.  Yes, when you were younger, that was beer.  But when you discovered higher quality, you still drank Bud if nothing else were offered, but you thought about how much better it would be to hold something different in your hand.  (insert my penis in that line to make that into the joke that surely you were thinking).

DEINONYCHUS – Ode To Act Of Murder, Dystopia, And Suicide (My Kingdom)

“Dead Horse” is the first track that you should hear because it shows the qualities of the vocals that make the albums must-have parts of any metal collection.

Surely the torture in the voice and the raw emotion will make a fan of you.   Let that song ride.  You will become transformed.

I first became addicted to the music when I heard the album “Baalam Wore Black” and have rejoiced in despair with every new album.  I had feared the band’s death, but something this intense cannot be killed.

Deinonychus satisfies the argument of substance versus skill.  What I mean is that there are doom-ish albums that flaunt musicianship, but a Deinonychus album is focused on emotion – raw and cruel.

Ride that anguished voice into the theatre of the mind.  Cut your ears and submerge your hearing in blood.  These are wounds, not songs.  Learn what it is to bleed words.

DEINONYCHUS - Ode To Act Of Murder, Dystopia, And Suicide (My Kingdom)
cc DEINONYCHUS – Ode To Act Of Murder, Dystopia, And Suicide (My Kingdom)

Hornwood Fell – My Body, My Time

You should start your journey with the second track “Her Name” which has vocals that remind me of a spirit being summoned to speak warnings, or of a mystic uttering in trance.  Without further delay, let me list a stream of it for you.

At times, I am reminded of experimental Voivod, which is quite pleasing.  This is my first venture into Hornwood Fell, but I am impressed enough to seek out their earlier albums.  I had to enlist a friend to obtain this one directly from the label because no merchant near me had any information for getting it into the stores, and the Internet options were bare.  I am sure that this has been corrected since those days. I had a promotional version and wanted to show my support with an actual purchase, as I do with every band that has made music that affected me.

SOLEFALD – Norrønasongen Kosmopolis (Indie Music)

I skimmed the E.P. but kept going back to the second track, which I will provide as a stream shortly.  The female vocals have an interesting flat quality. The rest of the album does NOT sound like this,.  I don’t know what it is about the song, but I just cannot get it out of my head.  Maybe I am just growing too odd for my own good.

Here it is:

Three songs sound very folk-ish, but one returns to an odd sort of industrial-sounding flavor.  I like the risks that the band takes,  Listening provides surprises.

SOLEFALD - Norrønasongen_Kosmopolis
SOLEFALD – Norrønasongen_Kosmopolis