Socialistic Jonny Goblet - Translations of a Seance (K)

Visuals are important when it comes to music. To the fan as well as to a neutral person they can give a first impression of what to expect and whether they should give the music a try or not. Some fancy fantasy painting is as suggestive as a photography of a horribly mutilated body; the former will hardly offer brutal goregrind, while the latter one would certainly not cover a Britney Spears release. Hence, give these visuals to a person some sort of certainty and might even motivate someone to actually buy a release in case the visuals are of an exceptional quality; such was the case when I ordered the «Darkside» release of «Necrophobic».

«Translations of a seance» does not follow this set of rules. On the cover you see some sort of black metal writing of the short form of the band's name, further are there two inverted crosses, a pentagram, a '666' in the top and also two wings on each side. Judging from this impression, one would easily classify this as a black metal release, one from the underground, one of these 'ultra trve' demos; but all this is far from what the band actually performs.

There is no metal on this release; this is nothing even close to it. Instead something weird is offered. Noise in a various degree and with occasionally fascinating atmospheres can be found on this 3"-CDr. There are moments in which you get the feeling like listening to the music of one of these old-school 'horror' games, when you are locked in a room and have to do some certain steps in order to leave it and to proceed with the story. This monotonous themes in the background, the endless repetition of some motives and ideas and sounds that are simply not right; music that wants to mess around with the brain cells. Slightly nightmarish, dark and haunting, but also annoying is the art of «SJG» and each song is different from the preceding one. «Disforming Scratch Transforming» is a very monotonous one, but progresses through the use of new styles of noises and ideas; the same can be said of «Settling Nature of Obsurdities».

«Spirits of the Dead (E.A.Poe)» is an interpretation of a novel by this American writer; the vocals might not be everyone's taste though. Some neat ideas can be found on this release and even though the package might suggest something different, the content can still be enjoyed. Fifteen minutes is this CD-r long and the listener has to go through a lot of different stages of atmosphere until the end is finally reached. Should be listened to in the dark.

_Algol_/Cloudy Horizon - Split (K)

The internet has given us the advantage to communicate with people from around the world and in case they are artists to enjoy their art (theoretically speaking); even though thousands of miles lie between us. Such happens to exist in terms of _Algol_ & Cloudy Horizon: both of them are projects of the same person: Daniel, a guy from Siberia. His idea is to create ambient music in a variety of styles and this split release offers two approaches on how this might sound.

_Algol_
According to the MySpace site as well as the homepage, the term «space ambient» has been used to describe this project and it is very fitting. The music is very minimalist with a slow progressing melody and reverb in the chords. Only few textures appear at a certain time and accordingly it is very easy to follow the music respectively concept. Spoken passages appear but on a very small scale; opening of «The Total Siberian Eclipse», towards the end of «Dark and Light near the Tannhauser Gates». Noise textures are also used, but not on every track they play a dominant role. There is some resemblance to the art of Vinterriket and hence would fans of this band also like what Algol performs on this split release. It should be noted, though, that the Russian band does not use field recordings and this does differentiate this band from the Austrian one.

Cloudy Horizon
In comparison with _Algol_ the music of «Cloudy Horizon» offers a kind of atmosphere the other project if not able to create. This has to do with the use of an acoustic guitar that plays an important role in the concept; not only in terms of the atmosphere. Further is there a drum-computer playing in the background and also samples from the nature had been used; water play and thunder sound. Beyond these conceptual differences, the most obvious one to the listener is the existence of a beat which keeps the song going. Despite the minimalism which does also appear here, it is easier to get the idea. Both songs are well performed and offer some sort of folk ambient. Both songs are very linear and take the listener through different stages of atmospheres as well as arrangements. Yet all is very calm and without anything that would work as a counter-point towards it.

Ambient interpreted in two different ways, this could be used as a description for this release. Music that is easy to follow, never irritating and also somehow catchy. An interesting release.

Otila - A Világ Színpadán (K)

It is a pity that I do not speak Hungarian. Otila is a band that I know for some years now, but due to my lack in language skills, when it comes to this Eastern European one, I am still unable to understand what they sing about. It is a pity, indeed!

It is a pity, because their music is really good. The first release was already able to fascinate me and their latest "demo" - their third one - is certainly able to stand a comparison with music released in larger and more established music scenes than the Hungarian one. Would it not be for the language, not much of a difference could be examined to similar bands from the German "underground" for instance.

Otila play some sort of gothic rock/metal, but rely on a female vocalist only. Luckily, no male grunts ruin the atmosphere in the songs. The compositions have generally a solo part and another characteristic facet: nearly every time the vocals are used, the play of the guitars as well as those of the keyboard turns not only to a simple structure but also in the background; Otila want to give the voice of Mitru Tímea enough room to unfold its potential. Actually she is able to do this in the majority of the songs, with the exception of «Elérhetetlen» in which voice and guitars challenge each other for dominance in some parts. On the issue of the riffs and the solos it can be noted that they are well performed and interesting to listen to. Even though someone might suspect this instrument to have a dominant role in the music, in case of Otila it has to share it with the vocals; the keyboards are often not more than some sound in the background; the drums give the music drive and a basis.

This band from Hungary seems like to have an idea on how to write music and they 'celebrate' this on «A Világ Színpadán» in a neat fashion. All songs are very catchy and really enjoyable, but offer little variation in terms of the song-writing. The sound is not very voluminous, compared with such a lot of successful gothic metal bands use today. Otila try to keep it simple and do not attempt to plaster everything with synthesizer textures of samples or to manipulate the vocals with some kind of reverb. Perhaps this 'simplicity' is what makes their music so enjoyable.

Would this review be posted at the Metal Archives, the rating would be higher than 80/100; and I rarely give such high ones. Perhaps my reluctance to higher scores has to do with the underground black metal I torment myself on a daily basis with or the (often) pointless scores given to albums at the Metal Archives. Nevertheless, is this demo able to entertain me over a longer period of time and I never grow tired of listening to it. I really hope the band will be able to improve even more and arouse attention beyond their native country. With more of these catchy songs a slightly better mix and a better bass drum sound, the band should certainly be able to create a larger fan base.

Note: the last two demos can be downloaded from their homepage.
http://www.myspace.com/otilazenekar
http://otila.atw.hu/

Freakflag - Experiments in Evolution (K)

Advertisments are a curiosity. On the one hand, they shall present to a neutral person some impressions on the item, like sound, smell, taste etc., but on the other one must all these facets be distilled into one catchy sentence or phrase. There you have the dilemma. Depending on the point of view of the person who wrote such a short description, one facet will be emphasized, while others are neglected. Some praise the band's musicianship, other the unique interpretation of the ideas and to some the mere existence of a band is great. The larger the band, the more of these phrases can be found... but Freak Flag is a small band ... from the underground. What kind of description might be found on their music?

So, there you are, the feeble person, without any knowledge on what the band performs and by mere chance you are confronted with this short advertisement: «Unbelievable experimental outfit, will likely induce acid flashbacks». Perhaps it may be best to consult a pharmacist before listening to the music or do some Google search on the topic "can music have a negative affect on my brain". You might also consider the option where to listen to the music. Who knows what might happen in the time you are 'affected by this piece of art? What would you tell your insurance company in case of a car crash ... while driving and listening to this album? Consider the effects!

Drugs play also a role on this album, yet not an important one. The dangers of the consumption of marijuana are dealt with on «Trans-con» or to be true, the band used samples in which people are warned about the consumption of it. Indeed it works; the track is really fascinating due to the different kind of samples in it and the weird way of song-writing. Freakflag takes the listener on a trip with this one song and it is a quite representative one for the whole album. The term «experiment» of the song title, gives some impression on what this albums offers to the listener: weird electronics, influences from the metal scene, some folk now and then and much more. All had been thrown together and the outcomes of it are fifteen unique tracks; and what about the quality?

Well, the band's potential is unfolded every time they start to rock and to combine a lot of elements into their songs. A little bit out of place are the electronic tracks, as they do not really fit into the whole concept behind the album, but perhaps this is rather a matter of personal preferences than a general obstacle; luckily these play only a minor role in the oeuvre. Characteristic for the music is impression that it creates in the head of the listener: everything seems to be in a flow. Accordingly is the music rather gentle and 'inoffensive' due to the lack of extreme elements, like breaks, noisy eruptions or the like; exception might be the track «End Suture» as well as the middle part of «Trans-con». It all lures the listener into a deep and (a little bit) depressing atmosphere and the music is quite appropriate to listen to in the background or to relax; perhaps its quality could be better would it be more influenced by the Drone genre and much longer, because this way the repetition in the elements could be brought to a new level and some ideas could be evolved further.

All is very calm on this album and even though there is a lot of complexity in the song, it is not perceived this way; the repetition of motives does its best to cover it up a bit. «Experiments in evolution» wants to be discovered, wants the listener to take the trip and needs some time until its full potential will be unfolded. It nothing that could be listened to when not much time is at hand or that would spin in the CD-player on a daily basis. It is a unique example on musicianship that finds its way onto one's playlist now and then; to remind this person on the beauty beyond the barren fields of commercial music.

Guaranteed Katch - In A Sumptuous Brown Gravy (K)

Purists would say, music has to follow a certain path, has to apply to some kind of hidden codex. Accordingly are bands, who dare to ignore this unwritten set of rules, labelled as traitors and the co-called elite will express their voice in reviews in magazines respectively in the internet.

In terms of Guaranteed Katch it is hard to find some "kind of line" at all, as their concept on "In A Sumptuous Brown Gravy" is such a weird collection of music that to classify it becomes a tricky thing. There are some metalcore influences, some from the folk scene, some thrash metal now and then etc. Sometimes slow and calm, soon fast and aggressive or something in between, yes indeed, the variety of approaches to write music is immense on this record. Yet there is one constant factor: a glimpse of insanity. In the process of writing the album, at least some amount of drugs must have played a role, otherwise is the weirdness and the slight Monty Pythonian humour not explainable; see the track Trash Knight for instance; quote: My good man, I demand that you unhand that can; unhand that can my good man! (with a voice that reminds me on those of Graham Chapman). Really hilarious when you are actually listening to it!

Why does this band not receive broader attention? The album is well produced, the performance also on a good level and each track is certainly unique or better said different from any other on the album... in every aspect. So if you are ever in a sad mood or want to listen to something out of the ordinary, then put in this CD and the highly entertaining art of Guaranteed Katch will certainly cheer you up.