GONDOR

February 6, 2015, 12:19 pm

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Band:URUK HAI
Title: Gondor
Format: A plain silver CDr disc inside a single-sided colour cover, released in 2014 by Smell The Stench (Australia), no catalogue reference.
Edition:22 hand-numbered copies

Track Listing:
01. When Gondor's Trumpet Sounds  4:48
02. Holy Metal (instrumental version) 11:30

Preconceived ideas are funny things.  On reading the title of the first song on this short EP Nazgul was immediately put in mind of a song by Spanish ambient band Lugburg, namely 'The Silver Trumpet Sound of Gondor' from their 2003 album "Behind The Gates Of Black Abyss".  That song begins with an approximation of a silvery trumpet note (score no marks for originality but full marks for relevance), and it's such a good song that since that time any reference to Gondor, trumpets or the like in a song tend to get Nazgul's mindset thinking along similar audio lines.

So - inevitably, perhaps - Hugin decides to to throw us a curve ball on his take on all that is trumpet-like from hallowed Gondor by kicking this song off with a colossal guitar riff and then barrelling through another epic and tasteful piece with scant regard to any brass or silver instrumentation!  Clearly this particular Uruk Hai has taken out in his forage pack one large axe (probably forged in the red-hot furnaces of Hohner) and has given it one almighty strum whilst bored one day. "Kerrang!" as someone once wisely proclaimed.

Still, we should learn not to be hung up on song titles and expect the music to necessarily match the words: After all, Nazgul doesn't recall hearing many orgasms in Motorhead's 'Orgasmatron'...

Far heavier than anything recently under the Uruk Hai banner, this new-found guitar and keyboard 'buffness' takes you by the scruff of the neck and persistently wrings the breath out of you.  It carries on in respect of the second song of the pair, an instrumental version of a new track called 'Holy Metal' which is similarly robust and metallic in its influences.  It will be interesting to see what the final version is like, in the sense of hearing what style of vocal delivery is married to the song.  'Holy Metal' is the perfect title for a Hugin song in many respects and one can also imagine it being used as a useful expletive, ringing out and through the Austrian Alps when disaster arises: "What do you mean the latest Uruk Hai shipment is lost in the post?  Holy Metal...!?!"

Gondor itself is described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age.  It was located in the west of the continent of Middle-earth, and the main part of its territory lay on the northern shores of the Bay of Belfalas and around the White Mountains. Tolkien noted that the capital Minas Tirith was situated on a latitude comparable to that of Venice and the total area of Gondor as represented on Tolkien's maps has been estimated by some well meaning soul at 716,426 square miles.  Honestly, and I thought I had time on my hands....?!

To the north-west of the kingdom originally lay the realm of Arnor; to the north, Gondor was neighboured by the Wilderland and, after its settlement, by Rohan; to the north-east, by the land of Rhûn; to the east, by Sauron's realm of Mordor; to the south, by the deserts of Harad.  The original borders of Gondor were: rivers Gwathló and Glanduin up to the Misty Mountains; eaves of the Fangorn forest and river Entwash; marshes of Nindalf and the Mountains of Shadow; and river Poros.

Many accounts have been written about the Siege of Gondor, which of course yours truly witnessed and can attest the written record to be scandalously generous to humankind.  The received wisdom for the start of the siege for example, is that in from beyond the outermost gate of Minas Tirith five dark Nazgûl swooping over a small, rapidly approaching group of Men on horseback. The leader of the horsemen sounded his horn; Beregond (Captain of the Gondor White Company) recognised the trumpet call of Faramir, Denethor’s son.   The men, thrown from their terrified horses, ran for the city gate on foot. Just as a Nazgûl descended on Faramir, Pippin sees what appears to be a brilliant white star in the north which proves to be that bloody nuisance Gandalf on Shadowfax. Gandalf raised his hand and sends a shaft of light shooting upward into one of the Nazgûl. 

The Nazgûl , so the story goes, allegedly cries and circles away, whilst the other Ringwraiths supposedly follow on behind.  Well, rubbish, let this Nazgul tell you, and when we've got a few minutes free one day we'll hear the true story of who sent shafts of what up where, and it'll bring tears to your eyes let me tell you....

Anyway, back to this item: There's been something of a glut of these CDr EP's from Smell The Stench in the past few months, which probably suggests we're looking at a big new Uruk Hai album coming out fairly soon in 2015 with final versions on that album to be collated from these separate releases.  The limitation on numbers for the EP's makes grabbing a copy a bit frantic, and with only 22 of these out there one suspects if you've not got one yet then you'd better get to Leigh Stench pretty darn fast!

There's a clue in the artwork on the front of "Gondor" to the subject matter of the next post on Honour and Darkness, incidentally, and in leaving you thinking about that cryptic note, let Nazgul bid you adieu....

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The W.A.R. Armoury, Part 4: Helm

February 12, 2015, 2:42 pm

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The W.A.R. Armoury, Part 4
Item: Horned Helmet (or Helm)

So the clue was sown in the "Gondor" post, but did you correctly guess the content of today's blog?  For it is a return to the W.A.R. Armoury, that dusty place of weird and wonderful weapons and armour that have featured as part of Hugin's publicity material and demo/album artwork over many years.

Today - as depicted on the "Gondor" cover - it's time to consider that most pivotal of pieces of armour, the helm.  Now, according to online authorities, the helm started as a simple cylinder with a flat top but later developed a curved "sugar loaf" pointed top to deflect crushing blows. Ours has a flat top, giving it a cultural reference back to the earlier days of such devices (bear in mind this is not an authentic antique of the period, but a modern reproduction).

Our design is in keeping with a Great Helm, and although it offered greater protection than previous helmets, such as the nasal helm and the splendidly titled spangenhelm, it limited the wearer's vision to some extent, and provided poor ventilation. A knight might have worn a close-fitting steel skull cap known as a cervelliere (or its later development, the bascinet) beneath the great helm for additional protection. More often than not, particular in tournaments, such a helm would be removed after an initial clash of lances to give the knight a sporting chance of being able to breath and to see who was trying to maim him.

Where our design is somewhat different from the traditional ones of yore is that it sports two horns.  Now, given this is a modern piece this is probably more for style than function, but it might beg the question why Hugin's eye would have been taken with such a thing (other than the fact it looks cool, of course).  Most horned helms of antiquity were ritualistic in purpose, and it turns out that ceremonial use of horned helmets during the Germanic Iron Age persisted until the 7th century.  As such, their use could be argued to possibly have overlapped with the early Viking Age, which overlaps with the theme of early Hrossharsgrani demos of course, giving us a possible link back to why this particular style was used.

Academically speaking, however, there seems to be little or no evidence that horned helmets were ever worn in battle at any point during the Viking Age. Such spoilsports suggest that the popular association probably arose in 19th century Scandinavian Romanticism, and also through the work of Carl Emil Doepler, who in 1876 created horned helmets for use in the first Bayreuth Festival production of Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Personally, Nazgul blames the Minnesota Vikings football team for perpetuating the myth, as their logo is a horn on each side of the helmet, but each to their own in theories.

Oh: if you're the curious type, by the way, you may be wondering what the difference is between a 'Helm' and a 'Helmet'.  Well, it's very simple - two letters, 'e' and 't'.

Of course, no review of material from The Armoury can be complete without some input from the man himself, so what does Hugin have to say about his memories of this piece: "I bought that helmet from a friend of mine: the boyfriend of Sabine, who sang on "The Durinsday".  Oh yeah, it was really not very comfortable and at minus 10 degrees it was VERY hard to wear; the cold steel touching the skin was really bad, especially on my ears"

So there you have it:  as Shakespeare once said, "it was foretold in days of old that knights so bold were uncontrolled in weather cold and ears would mould and then - behold: They'd be buggered..."

All that remains to comment on is the fact that one of the horns on the helm regularly falls off, giving the piece a cute, rather lop-sided appearance, and for anyone wondering what on earth the previously unreferenced "The Durinsday" release is ... watch this space!

THE MARCH REHEARSALS

February 18, 2015, 10:17 am

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Band:EISMOND
Title: The March Rehearsals
Format: Promotional CDr self-released by Hugin, with instrumental-only versions of untitled songs from the forthcoming Eismond release "Moonchild".  Plain silver CDr in a colour printed paper sleeve, inside a plastic wallet, hand-numbered in silver marker pen
Edition:Only 2 hand-numbered copies made

Track Listing:
01. untitled  2.24
02. untitled  7.28
03. untitled  8.48
04. untitled  8.00
05. untitled  4.42
06. untitled  4.56
07. untitled  5.28
08. untitled  5.20
09. untitled  8.48
10. untitled  6.08

I thought this one would make for an interesting addition to the winter schedule of Honour and Darkness releases!  It's a promotional-only CDr from Hugin with instrumental tracks (guitar and synth) for the upcoming Eismond album "Moonchild", due later this year.  So, in other words, it's an early working demo without Jaron's contribution at this stage, and the limitation of just two copies might suggest that whilst one nestles comfortably in the warmth of Castle Nazgul the other is with Jaron for some of his trademark vocals, swirls and flourishes to be added.

This is going to be quite a short post, more celebrating and cataloguing the mere existence of the demo, rather than an in-depth analysis of the music herein.  And the reason for that is that it only seems fair to pass judgement on the final item once it's fully compiled and released: it's a bit too early to form any meaningful opinions as for all Nazgul knows this may all change nearer the time and the final version may sound more like Ice T than Eismond (though, to be honest, that's not too likely!)

All that Nazgul would say is that even as a purely instrumental demo this is very easy to listen to, very much in keeping with the Pink Floydian styling of recent Eismond releases, and overall something to very much look forward to listening to when its all finished.  The title derives - surprise, surprise - from the fact that these recordings were made in March 2014 and Hugin tells me that they are all first take recordings at that.  All the more reason to suspect the final version will be a little ripper!

Accompanying this CDr came a card flyer for the "Moonchild" release, bearing a similar image to that on the demo sleeve.  And that image, as you will clearly see, is a homage to the famous Pink Floyd "Animals" cover with its inflatable pink pig weaving its way through the towers of Battersea Power Station, outside London.  The Eismond cover photograph is, Nazgul is proud to record, one taken from the train by Hugin on the way between Castle Nazgul and London in late February 2014 as we were heading to the capital for a well earned day out.

Rumours that Eismond's "Moonchild" will emulate the Iron Maiden song, leading to mass sightings of screaming mandrakes, exhausted twins and Gemini rising are yet to be substantiated....

Cardboard promotional flyer

Hrossharsgrani > Nordische Götter- und Heldensagen

February 20, 2015, 6:27 am

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Band:HROSSHARSGRANI
Title: Nordische Götter- und Heldensagen (Nordic Gods and Heroes)
Format: It's a book, originally published in `961 and authored by Professor Dr. Edmund Mudrak.  Written in German, it has particular relevance to the Hrossharsgrani band name....

A footnote in the history of one of Hugin's enduring bands, Hrossharsgrani.

The unusual name - as detailed in previous posts - derives from the name Odin used when he accompanied Starkad, a great warrior who performed many heroic deeds but also many crimes in Norse legends. A cognate of the many, bloody Starkad legends can be found in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf and a ripping read it is too.

This particular ripping read, however, was authored by Edmund Mudrak (1894-1965), who was an Austrian ethnologist and editor of several collections of folk tales, legends, and myths for young people, some of which are still in print.  At the University of Vienna Mudrak wrote his dissertation on the Wieland legend. His nationalism led him to become a professor of ethnology at the University of Posen in occupied Poland.

Why this is relevant to anything remotely Hugin related you may have deduced already: it was in this very book - indeed, this very volume that is pictured here today, that Hugin came across the name of Hrossharsgrani and decided that it was a name worth taking for his fledgling Viking-infused battle-metal project.

And from a historical note, that pretty much is all there is to todays post.  However, as you'll doubtless be chomping at the bit now to learn more of the Hrossharsgrani story, Nazgul has researched a summary version of events from various online accounts: enjoy....

"One day King Vikar sailed to Hordaland with his large army. Off of a small group of islands the winds suddenly went against him and he could make no headway. Through divination King Vikar discovered that Odin required a human sacrifice if he was to proceed. King Vikar decided that the warrior was to be chosen by lot. Everyone in the army was shocked when King Vikar's lot was the one chosen. They decided to have a meeting the next day to discuss this turn of events.  

Just before midnight Grani Horsehair (Starkad's foster father) woke up Starkad and asked him to come with him. They rowed a small boat over to an adjacent island, and after beaching their craft, they walked along a path in the woods until they reached a clearing where a large group of warriors had gathered for a meeting. Starkad counted eleven men sitting in chairs, but noticed the 12th chair was empty. Starkad and Grani Horsehair joined the assembly, and Grani sat down in the 12th chair. Every person seated in the assembly introduced themselves as Odin, and they each declared that they were there to decide Starkad's fate.

Then Thor spoke out against Starkad: " Since Starkad's grandmother, Alfhild, preferred a clever giant to Thor himself as the father of her son, I ordain that Starkad himself shall never have a son nor a daughter, and his family will end with him. "

Odin hearing Thor's curse upon his favoured warrior then answered back : " I ordain that he shall have three life spans. "
Thor : " He shall commit a most foul deed in each one of them. "
Odin : " I ordain that he shall have the best of weapons and clothing. "
Thor : " I ordain that he shall have neither land or estates. "
Odin : " I give him this, that he shall have great riches. "
Thor : " I lay this curse upon him, that he shall never be satisfied with what he has. "
Odin : " I give him victory and fame in battle. "
Thor : " I lay this curse upon him, that in every battle he will be badly wounded. "   
Odin : " I give him the art of poetry, so that he shall compose verses as fast as he can speak. "
Thor : " He shall never remember afterwards what he composes. "
Odin : " I ordain that he shall be most highly regarded by all the noblest and best of men. "
Thor : " I curse him that every common person will hate him . "

The judges, all named Odin, decreed that all that had been declared should come to pass. Then the assembly disappeared, and Grani Horsehair and Starkad went back to their boat. On the way Grani Horsehair turned to his foster son and said : " You owe me foster-son for all the help that I have given you. " Starkad replied : " I will repay you. " Then Grani said: " You must sent King Vikar to me son. I will tell you how to bring him. " Starkad agreed to bring him King Vikar, and then Grani Horsehair gave Starkad a spear that to others would look like a reed stalk.  

They reached the rest of the army at daybreak and the king's counsellors held a meeting to discuss what they should do. They agreed that they would have to hold a mock sacrifice, and Starkad told them how to go about it. During breakfast a calf had been slaughtered and its entrails lay on the ground. Starkad asked for them and threw them over a low branch on a pine tree. He then turned to King Vikar and said : " I have prepared your gallows my king, and they do not seem too dangerous. " The king replied : " If this gallow is no more dangerous than it appears then it can do me no harm. If however it turns out to be more than it appears then I leave my life to fate. "

A stump lay under the branch and the king stepped up on it and Starkad pulled down the branch and placed the makeshift noose around the king' s neck. With the spear, that looked like a reed stalk to everyone else, he stabbed the king before saying : " I give you now to Odin ! " Then everything changed into its real shape ! The reed stalk turned into a spear, and the calf guts turned into strong rope. Starkad let go of the branch and King Vikar shot up into the foliage wher he died. This place is now sacred and is called Vikarsholmar.    

As was pre-ordained by Thor this made Starkad a much hated man among the common folk, and he was banished from Hordaland and eventually had to flee from Norway and live in Sweden."

SONGS OF BLISS

February 26, 2015, 9:56 am

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Band:URUK HAI
Title: Songs Of Bliss
Format: A cassette tape-only release from 2014 on the Aschefruehling Records label (Germany), no catalogue reference, single-sided colour cover on thick photographic paper.
Edition:Hand numbered to 40 copies only

Track Listing:
01. Days Of Bliss  2.54
02. The Great Battle  3.42
03. Music Of The Ainur  3.41
04. The Wars Of Beleriand  6.17
05. Ring Of Water  3.21

You always feel that Honour and Darkness hits its true purpose in life when something like this pops up in the Uruk Hai discography - a good old fashioned tape EP release, in a hand-numbered limited edition, showcasing tracks from forthcoming releases and adding in the odd nugget for good measure.

Timing wise Nazgul can't immediately remember whether this cassette preceded the CD's from which the majority of tracks are drawn, but the likelihood is it did as that's become rather a tradition in recent years: Hugin whets our appetite using a limited edition tape release ahead of some multi-dimensional sonic attack on CD that follows thereafter.

"Songs Of Bliss" would fit rather neatly into this pattern, so let's cross our fingers and hope for the best!  Other than the instrumental title track which appears unique to this tape, the remaining four songs will be familiar to you as being on compact disc releases of 2014: 'Music Of The Ainur' appears on the split release with Black Jade, "The Sadness Of Fallen Leaves", whilst the remaining three songs are on the epic album "The Fellowship".  They remain splendid songs, and it's always a pleasure to revisit quality music!

These four Uruk Hai songs are interesting as they contain vocals, and orc-like harsh vocals at that, unlike the majority of contemporary Uruk Hai songs that are instrumental tracks.  This in of itself is no bad thing, as it keeps us - the loyal band of followers - on our toes and demonstrates another useful weapon in Hugin's arsenal. And if it's instrumental tunes you want, then the 'Songs Of Bliss' will fill the void with just under three minutes of lush opulence that will have you mellowing out in the midst of all manner of reveries.

The cover artwork is interesting, in as far as it's more in the naturalistic vein of recent Hrefnesholt releases than the more 'typical' Uruk Hai cover of late.  That said, Hugin is never one to typecast himself so who knows what we should expect on the next release....?

All in all, a most excellent release that makes for a handy bite-sized portion of recent Uruk Hai goodness without the need to juggle compact discs to achieve it.  A tasting dish before the next main course, as it were...

ATLANTIDA VOL. 22 [V/A]

March 5, 2015, 11:45 am

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Band:RAVENCLAW
Title: Atlantida Volume 22 [Various Artists]
Format: Another entry in the long-running Atlantida compilation series, on plain silver CDr with professionally printed covers.  No catalogue reference, year of release or label details given, but as for previous editions it was compiled and released by fellow Ravenclaw member Ruslanas Danisevskis.
Edition: Unknown

Track Listing:
01. Profane Existence  *  Eternal Domination
02. Bestial Devastation  *  Vomit On Allah
03. Conquest Of Steel  *  Conquest Of Steel
04. Bloodfeast  *  Jason
05. Mortyfear  *  Rotten Corpse
06. Endless Pain  *  Flesh Fair
07. Toxic Virgin  *  Sailor
08. Entrophia  *  Blood And Darkness
09. Maple Cross  *  The Spirit Of Northern Brotherhood
10. Brudevalsen  *  The Purpose Of My Failure
11. Anhkrehg  *  Rage Of Berzerker
12. Dol Amroth  *  Eyes That Sword and Fire Have Seen
13. Dysthymia  *  One Of Melancholy
14. Homicide Hagridden  *  Scream
15. Ravenclaw *  Pergale  4.00
16. Lechery  *  Why?
17. Thorshammer  *  Brich
18. Sanity  *  Victims
19. Chapel Desecrator  *  Prepare To Take Your Life
20. Falling Elbow  *  No Fur
21. Cipher System  *  Suffer Stream

If this compilation were a film, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" would certainly spring to mind.  Chock-full of all manner of oddly titled bands and songs, it's a smörgåsbord of the rather good and the deeply distasteful.  One cannot work through the 21 songs on offer (and Nazgul uses the word 'songs' in the loosest sense, on some occasions here) without having some form of physical reaction; whether that is banging one's head or sprinting for the fast-forward button will vary person by person...

It is, therefore, business as usual on this Atlantida compilation album. Volume 22 is a late entry into the series established by the late Ruslanas Danisevskis, Hugin's former Ravenclaw partner-in-crime and member of the Folkearth metal collective.  You have to admire the single-mindedness of this series in pulling together all manner of the great and the not so great for the listening 'pleasure' of the masses, and crazy as some of the final results are the world is a less interesting place now that the series is no more.

This outing gives us a chance to revisit the long defunct Ravenclaw project: 'Pergale' was a song from that band's split CD release "Zalgirio Musis / Baxas Xebesheth 1883" released in 2003 with Svarrogh.  12 years ago now; that gives one pause for thought to consider just how long Hugin has been making music, as that came some years after his fledgling releases of the late 1990's!

Anyhoo - back to Ravenclaw for the moment.  And who knew that the boys were big chocolate fans?  It turns out that Pergale is currently the leading confectionery factory in the Baltic States, established in 1952 in Vilniaus and offering the widest range of confectionery in the Baltics including chocolates, chocolate candy, unglazed candy, toffee, chocolate bars, halvah bars, Hematogen, wafers, liqueur fills, biscuits, caramel, marshmallows and hard candy.  

Hang on, that can't be right surely?  *consults notes*  Oh wait, it says here that 'Pergalė' means "victory" in Lithuanian - that seems more in keeping with the general theme of national pride and battle that the band's releases focus upon.  Yes, let's run with that!

'Pergale' is a classic four-minute Ravenclaw song, as it contains all of the prototypical elements of that band's musical structures: there's an atmospheric introduction (which, listening to it again this morning with the benefit of hindsight, sounds rather like Cradle of Filth's 'At The Gates Of Midian' meeting Bathory's 'Odens Ride Over Nordland' one night in a dark alley) which leads into a musically enhanced spoken word part (deep male vocals, almost certainly a commentary of a noble battle or event in the history of Lithuania), followed by a colossal riff so good and out of keeping with what's gone before you wonder if another song has started, before it all ends.  Bish, bosh and - indeed - bash.  That's how you write 'em.

But wait - there's more!  Against all the odds this particular Atlantida entry has a review online, courtesy of Italian metal site Metalitalia.  Who'd have thought it?  This is an opportunity far to good to pass up, so let's see what they made of the thing (and apologies for any wonky translation: blame Google!  If you can read Italian I suggest following the link to the original text):

"You might not vote on a compilation -  it would not even be fair to take an average of a CD that contains over twenty bands. This underground compilation is only meant to highlight some unknown bands and is in fact a good showcase, but whoever set it up didn't  want to propose just interesting groups; participation is free, it's for everyone, you just pay for the space. And so the quality inevitably goes to hell, because in every compilation of the genre there are two groups: those that are worthy of attention, and then those myriad of groups that will never go anywhere being neither fish nor fowl, and then there are those that you can do without. [Nazguls' note: that makes 3 groups by my count, but less of my exemplary mathematics...]

The twenty-second chapter of the Lithuanian Atlantida compilation contains all of this puzzling multitude of groups, and it would be surprising if it were to the contrary. Only four groups have outstanding quality, although amongst the hordes it is pleasing to see the Tuscan Dysthymia, capable of death / technical thrash, but also most dynamic and aggressive. Not only is the song in question pleasant, but also the demo of the band deserves a listen. The German Thorshammer have a name and "Brice" is a violent hued epic that manages to capture the attention.  Among the few really valid groups (at least based on songs presented on this compilation) there is also Profane Existence, authors of a symphonic black metal and Mortyfear, with "Rotten Corpse", who weave melodic death metal that inevitably follows the traces of the old In Flames, but the riffing guitar remains of a good standard. Perhaps the best are the Anhkrehg with their crude but devastating death / black metal.  

Unusually for Atlantida there are a fair number of power and classic heavy metal bands, although none impress on originality grounds. There are also some bad groups, mediocre and uninteresting."

Hmmm, no mention of where Ravenclaw falls within this spectrum, but perhaps the less questions the better on that score!?

On a final note, the consistency in cover art over the course of the Atlantida compilations is worth commenting upon: each cover image is different yet very much in the same vein as its predecessors in the series.  Universally black and white, the recurring themes of skulls and other metal-related images are cunningly refreshed for each volume and as a set look rather spectacular.  As Hugin's many and various bands don't appear on all of these volumes there will inevitably be a number of releases that will never grace the pages of Honour and Darkness; as a future one-off special Nazgul will post a photograph of the complete set as a tribute to our fallen comrade Ruslanas, long may he party on in Valhalla.

ELBENSTAHL

March 11, 2015, 4:01 pm

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Band:URUK HAI
Title: Elbenstahl
Format: Professional CD in jewel case with 4 page full-colour booklet released on the Metallic Media label (Illinois, USA) on 22 January 2015, cat ref METALLIC 050.  This is an all instrumental compendium of previously released and new songs, recorded between 2013 and 2014.  Cover artwork and design by Hugin, while the 'Orc' illustrations inside the booklet are by Ruta Silders.
Edition:Limited to 500 unnumbered copies

Track Listing:
01.  Blessed Realm  8.15
02.  Shadow Dance  4.14
03.  Return Of The Fallen Warriors  5.00 
04.  Magic  12.02 
05.  At The Heart Of The Forest  6.26
06.  Elbisch Blut  3.35 
07.  Western Shores  6.02 
08.  The Orc  8.02 
09.  The Golden Age Of Gondor  7.32 
10.  The Ash Mountains  10.49 
11.  The Orc (Part 2)  2.41 
12.  Dark Shadows (Outro)  1.23 

No time for a vacation this year?  Plans for a summer holiday thwarted by lack of time or funds?  Then invest in Uruk Hai's "Elbenstahl" CD, an affordable and convenient way to lose yourself in exotic other worlds without the need to leave the comfort of your own home....

Such is the mesmerising amount of music offered on this twelve song album it could easily have been advertised on these lines, and well advertised it certainly has been for this is quite probably the most publicised and readily available release from Hugin's ambient fantasy project for many a year.  Amazon has it in stock, Discogs has it in stock, you can find copies on eBay and a myriad of online outlets and distros, both underground and overground (no Wombles selling it yet though, as far as known) * It's not available at your local HMV store quite yet, but this is one of the more widely distributed of Hugin's releases for quite some time, and that can only be a good thing in terms of raising his profile and getting his music out to the great unwashed.

It is, in short, something of a best-seller in relative terms even though only 500 copies of the album were pressed in total.  This means that if you've not yet invested your loot you still have a good chance of being able to buy one (but don't hang around - send your order through to Hugin immediately!) and to enjoy the journey from your armchair to Middle-Earth courtesy of a dozen magical interludes.

Oddly (or maybe not that oddly really, based on our experience over the years) despite the online presence there is little online written commentary about the album, save the usual repeated advertising 'puff' that most of the sites have copied from one another.  Cue Metal Soundscapes, for example: "The band follows its characteristic style of epic ambient fantasy music, combined with electronic elements and few distorted guitars, remains of Alex’s early black metal experiments. Except for some background choirs, "Elbenstahl" is practically an instrumental album that will most probably satisfy the fans of this genre." 

Leaving aside the unnecessary word 'probably' (in this regard, it's a bit like saying that remembering to breathe with 'probably' keep you alive) it sets the scene well enough: this is predominantly an instrumental album, with everything in the mix that you'd expect from Uruk Hai and nothing that grates or detracts from setting an ambient mood squarely in the middle of the Great Lands and its environs.  There are none of the harsh vocals of other recent Uruk Hai mini-albums and limited amounts of guitar too, but bags and bags of lush instrumental keyboards invoking all manner of feelings and moods.

Song titles become largely redundant and practically interchangeable without lyrics or a specifically tailored theme, so in many respects the point of the album is not so much to think about it song by song but in totality, immersing oneself in the universe it creates and basking in the artificial sunlight of its glory.  The packaging and presentation all help in this regard too, with the pastel colours and welcoming scenes of tranquillity on the outer cover tempered by the monochromatic dangers posed under the surface by Ruta Siler's excellent orc illustrations on the inside.  Nazgul will be trying to get a little interview arranged with Ruta to discuss her artwork, so watch this space....

"Elbenstahl" (Elvish Steel) is the latest in an unconnected series from Uruk Hai, which has included "Elbenmacht", "Elbentraum", "Elbentanz", "Elbenwald" and the compilation volume "Elbenlider" amongst its entries.  Oddly, for a volume bearing a title referencing elves and steel, are those inner portraits of the two orcs, which in the circumstances you might think should be ... well ... elves?  Hugin's logic, however, runs like this: 'Elbenstahl means elvish steel – and its the steel they used to fight against the orcs!!'
 
Speaking of Hugin, as we were, the cover art is again one of this own creations and based on one of his photographs: "It was taken at Lake Weikerlsee close to my home, I was there in early morning on a misty day, it was the perfect mood to take some pictures. As I saw this tree it came very fast in my mind to take a picture and use it for a further Uruk Hai cover – I think it fits perfect  - it has something mighty & sad in its mood, just like the elves are!' And, for completeness, this original photograph is shown at the foot of this post, plus a bonus shot across the lake's misty waters.

Clearly many of you will have already added this album to your collections and will be enjoying your own personal journey into realms of magic and mystery.  For those of you yet to take the plunge (and illegal downloading from dubious Russian websites doesn't count!) then Nazgul urges you to seek this one out and enjoy a slice of Uruk Hai 2015 style.  A most worthy investment of time and money.


* if you weren't around in the UK in the early 1970's this comment will mean nothing to you, but don't panic: you're missing very little! 

Original photo at Lake Weikerlsee

TALES FROM THE CATACOMBS VOL 1 [V/A]

March 17, 2015, 12:55 pm

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Band:URUK HAI and ILL
Title: Tales From The Catacombs Vol. 1 [Various Artists]
Format: Free online compilation on Bandcamp from Greek label Black Death Industry, made available on 23 December 2014.
Edition:Unlimited (whilst available for download)

Track Listing:
01. Backyard Ghost  *  First Signs of Infection 06:20    
02. Sonologyst  *  Nephilim 06:40    
03. Gnomula Larvae  *  Diary 09:27    
04. URUK-HAI *  Ringwraiths 13:13    
05. Cadlag  *  Asbestopluma 07:10    
06. 0  *  Demon 05:36    
07. Ruairi O'Baoighill  *  Black Prayer 06:03    
08. Sound Awakener  *  Dark Ages 04:52    
09. A Bleeding Star  *  Lovecraftian Madness Dwell'd Deep Within the Halls of Cumbria's Cavernous Mountains 06:51    
10. Oneirich  *  Nigrum Mortem 04:05    
11. Mean Flow  *  Empty Tired 04:39    
12. Phantasm Nocturnes  *  The Dance Macabre 03:40    
13. Dr.NoiseM  *  Death Noise Field 03:20    
14. Actarus Aksam  *  Hiuli 06:42    
15. T.R.I.v.M.  *  Hopeless 04:04    
16. ILL *  Bleak 11:22    
17. Schattenspiel  *  King Pest 04:08    
18. M.Nomized  *  The Ossuary 09:44    
19. Der Domestizierte Mensch  *  Die with a Smile 08:00    
20. DruhaSmrt  *  Twilight Shines From Bones 07:19    
21. Midnightradio11  *  Do They Know It's Ebola Time 04:41    
22. Shotgun Suicide Victim  *  The Program Approaches The Wired 04:28    
23. V M Project  *  Searching for Gods Existence in Quarks 05:57    
24. SiJ  *  Black Wind 04:50    
25. Northwind  *  Underworld 10:47    
26. Bonechurch  *  Upon Plague Winds 07:18    
27. Caveja  *  Sacred Flame Rituals 06:26    
28. Hedge Wizard  *  Huffing Petrichor 04:13    
29. Nix's Eyes  *  Crypts of Torture and Death 04:11    
30. Hope Every Day  *  Funeral 05:53    
31. Meseonas  *  Ghosts of Transylvania 03:00    
32. Sardonic Zendik  *  Ohreule 03:21    
33. Steven Olaf  *  The Sinking Feeling 03:30    
34. Ashtoreth  *  Seance VIII: Channeling Black Bone 06:06    
35. Balrog  *  Across the Misty Mountains of Moria 04:21    
36. Unsung  *  Through the Sorrow 06:20    
37. Muldeponie  *  Awakening of Dragons 04:40    

Another staggeringly vast online compilation for your delight, this time courtesy of Greek label Black Death Industry.  Their Bandcamp pagedetails the fare on offer, which spans the gamut of ambient, black metal, dark ambient, doom, drone and ambient ritual genres.  A little something for everyone, then!

Our principal interest comes from the inclusion at track 4 of Uruk Hai, and at track 16 of the recently resurrected project ILL.

Now ILL we crossed swords with recently with their song 'JOY', and a welcome return to the fold it was to see their name back in Hugin's active projects list.  'Bleak' - the offering here - is also available as a self-titled physical release in it's own right, so whilst you're very welcome to point your browser towards the Greek mainland and listen to this song for yourself courtesy of Black Death, Nazgul is going to hold fire and deal with it in a post of its own in due course.

So instead let us delve into the murky depths of 'Ringwraiths' from Uruk Hai, which has been floating around as a free clip on Facebook for a while now too.  In terms of an actual physical release, however, only a couple of one-off bespoke copies have been floating around so far of this song, one of which is a special box-set version with a dedicated collector in Spain (you know who you are!) and the other (in a different format) lurks in Castle Nazgul.  This is, therefore, the first 'proper' outing for this 13:13 long epic.

And it's not your typical Uruk Hai song, this one.  After some subterranean sounding crashes and bangs, a choir of unhappy souls pipe up a dirge whilst sombre and melancholy musical misery abounds!  None of your tinkling bells and shimmering cascades of keyboards for this outing, as noted in recently reviewed albums!  And quite right too, as a gathering of Ring-Wraiths is a pretty grim affair, let Nazgul tell you from his personal experience.  Well, you only need to revisit Tolkien's description from The Silmarillion to get the idea that getting the nine of us together is hardly likely to lead to an impromptu knees-up:

"Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgûl were they, the Ringwraiths, the Úlairi, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death"

Truly a case of being as far away from 'Yo dude, where's the kegger?!' as it would be possible to get!

The song continues with an augmentation of male choirs, some cavernous percussion and then deep blasphemous vocals vaguely reminiscent of those of Spanish black metal band Lugburg, sans lisp.  Parping keyboards add a somewhat regal air, and in a nutshell there you have it.

Not necessarily the most easy to remember Uruk Hai song you'll have heard this year, nor one that's easy to hum along to after it's ended, but one possessing a power and darkness nevertheless that fits well with the content of this compilation and demonstrates the variety of music that Hugin is able to generate within this highly regarded project.

Despite all of this wondrous majesty and splendour, however, the real hidden treasure on this compilation is A Bleeding Star for the brilliant title of their contribution: 'Lovecraftian madness dwell'd deep within the halls of Cumbria's cavernous mountains'.  Genius!  Nazgul defies any song with such a title to suck, and indeed this track has an unwholesome atmosphere that's hard to beat.  A Bleeding Star, it is written, is a dark-ambient-Gothic-experimental project created in 2008 wherein its creator - and I quote - "usually only works with his own gathering of ghosts, spectres, spirits & wraiths." Mad as a hatter, God bless him!  Bring on a collaboration with WACH and world domination will surely follow....

Also of note is Balrog, at track 35, who may yet prove to be the very same band that have a split release with Uruk Hai in the works as I type.

Highly recommended, this compilation, and one to get your juices flowing over.

---

URUK HAI > Wallet

March 23, 2015, 10:38 am

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Band:URUK HAI
Item: A bespoke leather wallet, commissioned for Hugin!
Edition:a one-off item

As we approach the month of April and the upcoming birthday of our Austrian adventurer, thoughts at Castle Nazgul inevitably turn towards how Honour and Darkness will mark the event this year.  Well, rest assured that your old Uncle Nazgul has something suitably celebratory in mind so keep your eyes peeled on the big day!  

Meanwhile, all of this cogitation led Nazgul to recall that there was a particular gift made to Hugin in 2014 on his visit to the UK that would sit nicely in Honour and Darkness - and so here it is!  It is - presumably - the world's only Uruk Hai wallet!  Hand painted on leather, the designs represent the two of the band's logos from that time, the band name against the national Austrian flag, and the intricate design that was done for Hugin by renowned band logo artist Christophe Szpajdel.  

This piece was commissioned through a very nice chap called Rupert who maintains a website at www.paintedleatherjackets.com and who did a great job in getting the project completed in a very tight turnaround time.  He's done some excellent commissions on jackets, wallets, and pretty much anything that could be painted on, and comes highly recommended to you all.

Once in a blue moon Nazgul has these good ideas, with this wallet following the bespoke sterling silver Uruk Hai logo badge in 2010 of which only 2 copies were  made; one for Hugin and the other for Wulfrune Worxx owner (and long-time supporter) Skogen.  As the photo of that item was rather hidden away in the 500th Blog post celebrations, here it is again!  What might Nazgul's next bright idea be ... who knows?!

MUSIC FOR CATGIRL LOVERS 06

March 28, 2015, 6:19 am

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Band:BONEMACHINE
Title: Music For Catgirl Lovers 06
Format: A CDr release on the Catgirl Records label (Germany), issued on 24 March 2012, cat ref PUSSYCAT.#006.  The release comes with three picture inserts and two large front and rear colour covers, plus part #6 of a 24-part jigsaw puzzle (one part in each of Catgirl's 24 releases in this series), all housed in a transparent A4 plastic bag/sleeve.  The CDr disc has a hand drawn pattern on it, though it is currently unknown if the design differs between discs.  Hugin's contribution was recorded at W.A.R. Studios in February 2012.
Edition:Hand-numbered to 20 copies only

Track Listing:
01. Catgirl & Kaelteeinbruch  *  'I Am Watching You - My Message For You' 6:34  
02. Bonemachine *  'The Future... ...Kill Me' 18:12  

Not to be confused with Music For Catgirl Lovers 03 which featured back in June 2010, this instalment in the ongoing Catgirl series is number 06 and comes with its own curious inserts and alarming music content!

This certainly comes as a very different listening experience from the recent glut of new Uruk Hai material that has featured in Honour and Darkness over the past weeks. Although being released almost exactly 3 years ago, Nazgul had been storing this one in a dark cupboard under lock and key waiting for a good chance to air its contents and put a long overdue Bonemachine entry back on his Blog.  The time was right, the mood was right ... so here we go!

Firstly, let's consider the packaging.  As we saw with the previous Catgirl Records release, they have developed a style of design that is pretty much unique to them.  Mix one part anime, one part pornography, one part oddity and one part insanity together and stir vigorously, and this is your end product.  No doubting the quality of the printing or artwork, nor the effort put into making it look appealing.  Kudos to them to for maintaining the extraordinary idea of including a single part of a jigsaw puzzle across all of the 24 releases in this series: a move of inspired genius if ever there was one.

Wrapped in the now traditional large plastic bag, and with 2 high visibility colour covers forming a sandwich with the contents, it's a striking looking item when out of the shelf and in full view, but one that becomes invisible once put back on the shelf as it's tall and thin and disappears accordingly.  The hand-drawn design/pattern on the silver CDr disc is ... ummmm, interesting?!  Nazgul has no idea what it attempts to be, or whether different discs have different designs (which seems pretty likely), so if you know more then drop me a line.

Hand-drawn disc art!

So on to the music.  Both songs have a similar theme coming through in them - a message from an unnamed individual to the listener that emerges through layers of static, noise, interference and other aural terrorism.  The Catgirl & Kaelteeinbruch effort throws all manner of effects at the unwary listener, and sounds for the most part like music being piped through the bathroom appliances in a submerged ship.  If you've ever hankered after the experience of hearing what the ghostly band on the stricken Titanic  might sound like from the vantage point of a distant toilet cubicle, here's your chance...!

Bonemachine's performance, on the other hand (and I'm not just saying this for the sake of it - if it wasn't very good you can trust Nazgul to give it you straight), is more compelling.  It may be due to the fact that the glamorous Lady Nazgul and I were watching the film 'Ouija' the other night, but there is a distinct feel from this song that it is channelling the voice of a spirit through some form of Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) device.  Indeed, if you're the type of person who enjoys programmes such as Most Haunted or Ghost Hunters International then this could be very familiar territory for you....

...except that this guess, as it turns out, was a false one.  A quick check with Hugin determined that the song is actually based on Hugo-Award winning TV series Babylon 5!  Oh well, Nazgul's ghost box theory disappears in a puff of smoke.  

Not being au fait with Babylon 5, I can tell you just that the series is set between the years 2257 and 2262, and depicts a future where Earth has sovereign states, and a unifying Earth government. Colonies within the solar system, and beyond, make up the Earth Alliance, and contact has been made with other space-faring species. The ensemble cast portray alien ambassadorial staff and humans assigned to the five-mile-long Babylon 5 space station, a centre for trade and diplomacy. The various story arcs drew upon the prophesies, religious zealotry, racial tensions, social pressures, and political rivalries which existed within each of their cultures, to create a contextual framework for the motivations and consequences of the protagonists' actions.

Beyond that, you're on your own!

Another part of the infamous Catgirl jigsaw puzzle

It is a long song though, and quite a challenge to sit through if you're not otherwise distracted.  Being shrouded in static and noise-clad it can be repetitive on occasion, but just when you think there's nothing more to come a disembodied voice will cut through the murk and quietly urge you to "kill me", which is a rude awakening to say the least.  

Also murmuring away in the background is an apparent faint melody, possibly intentional or possibly a trick of your own perception in trying to find order in the chaos.  Overall, the song seems destined to be one of those tracks that you hear once (or maybe two or three times if you're especially dedicated) and think, "well, that was interesting" ... before dashing off to do something terribly important and leaving this composition in your wake.

However, it's a refreshing change from almost all of Hugin's other musical endeavours, and whilst not the sort of song you'd instinctively reach for to while away a few minutes it certainly fits nicely in the Bonemachine canon of work, and is entertaining and unsettling in equal measure.  What more can you ask for from a Bonemachine song?!

Dedication on the plastic bag from Hugin!

LORD OF THE RINGS

March 30, 2015, 9:39 am

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Band:URUK HAI
Title: Lord Of The Rings
Format: This was a planned but ultimately unreleased demo from Uruk Hai circa 2006-2007, which would have been in CD format judging by the artwork size.
Edition: Never released

Proposed Track Listing:
01. The White Trees Of Minas Ithil
02. Enter Mordor
03. Rohan Riders
04. Gates Of Summer
05. Lay Of Leithian
06. Into The Mirror
07. Galadriel's Message
08. Keeper Of Nenya
09. Beneath The Moon, Beneath The Sun
10. May It Be
11. Helms Deep

#18 From the Vaults of W.A.R.

Today's rummage through the vaults generates a case of deja vu with a past entry in the series, namely "The Great Unknown".

Both that unreleased demo and this one ultimately coalesced (for the most part) into the "Lothlorien" album, of which there have been multiple variants issued over the years on tape, 5" digipak CD and a 4 x 3" discs in a special box-set.  So, let's do the same exercise here as we did for "The Great Unknown" and map out where the proposed tracks from "Lord Of The Rings" did in fact appear in the Uruk Hai discography:

• The White Trees Of Minas Ithil - retained, as the short intro to Lothlorien
• Enter Mordor - retained, becoming track 2 on the Lothlorien CD release
• Rohan Riders - retained, and appears as track 3 on Lothlorien 
• Gates Of Summer - retained, and became track 9 on Lothlorien 
• Lay Of Leithian - retained, and became track 4 on Lothlorien 
• Into The Mirror - retained as song 5 on Lothlorien
• Galdriel's Message - retained as song 6 on Lothlorien
• Keeper Of Nenya - retained as song 7 on Lothlorien
• Beneath The Moon, Beneath The Sun - whilst not appearing on the CD version of Lothlorien, this was the final track 9 on the original cassette release of the album and track 9 on the Valgriind tape reissue.  It also appears on tape and CD versions of  "A Dark Force Shines Golden"
• May It Be - retained, and became track 8 on the Lothlorien release (but track 10 on the tape version)
• Helms Deep - Not used on Lothlorien, it makes its appearance as the opening song on "A Dark Force Shines Golden" and thus is also compiled into the "War Anthems" box-set

Just to clear up any confusion, this demo has nothing to do with the Wulfrune Worxx tape demo of the same title released in 2010, which stands as an entirely different release with different music and artwork.

Some great artwork accompanies this sadly unreleased CD, especially that on the cover.  The runic border recounts Tolkien's Ring Verse:

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

and the image of a ship passing through Argonath (the Gate of Kings, a monument comprising two enormous pillars carved in the likenesses of Isildur and Anárion, standing upon either side of the River Anduin) is a classic fantasy illustration from Tolkien's realm and looks really striking here.

Like many of these unpublished releases otherwise lost to history it's a pleasure to see some insight into what Hugin was plotting and planning back in the day, and also quite poignant that many wonderful looking demos or albums never actually came to exist.  The good news, of course, is that the proposed material from them most often did reach the outside world in one form or other, so from the aural perspective we've not lost out.  

And with the existence of the 'From the Vaults of W.A.R.' occasional series we can now enjoy these treats for the eye too!

THE SWORD OF REVENGE

April 3, 2015, 2:12 am

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Band:URUK HAI
Title: Sword Of Revenge
Format: There are 2 versions of this release: The first, a professional CDr package with picture disc self released on Winterwolf Records (Germany) in December 2014.  The second and more limited edition version was self-released on W.A.R. Productions (Austria) as a cassette tape with colour cover and three special photo inlays, cat ref WAR 089.  Both versions contain the same songs, which were recorded in November 2014.
Edition: The CDr pressing is limited to 100 unnumbered copies.  The tape version is limited to only 10 hand-numbered copies.

Track Listing:
01. The Sword Of Revenge  8.21
02. King Elendil of the Dúnedain  14.15
03. Narsil  2.47 

We begin the month of April with another visit to that most fertile of musical pastures - Uruk Hai.  Since the end of 2014 there has been quite the deluge of Uruk Hai tape and CD/CDr releases coming out of the bowels of W.A.R. Productions, many in extremely limited editions and formats.  Of these, some contain songs later compiled onto releases of larger edition numbers, so there's a good chance you'll be able to hear all of the songs if you keep your eyes peeled, but not such strong odds that every variant of the physical copies will find their way into your possession.  The cruel fickle hand of fate and collecting...

"Sword Of Revenge" falls somewhere in the middle of this continuum: it's not the most limited edition of the latest releases, and indeed at the time of writing this copies are floating round in the usual online auction haunts, so one might imagine that obtaining a copy won't be such a trial.  So let's assume that you'll be able to lay your sticky fingers on a copy; what will it look and sound like?

Well for starters there's a new style font for the band logo, which is replicated in the overall text of the title and track listing.  It's called 'Across The Road', Hugin tells me, and looks rather stylish in a modernist, chic sort of way.  Hugin is at pains to note that this is not a new logo for Uruk Hai, but merely the result of his artistic experimentation!  As is increasingly the case, Hugin hasn't just composed the music here but has also created all of the artwork himself too, which is certainly striking and entirely in keeping with the epic feel that Uruk Hai should impart.  It reminded Nazgul of something he'd seen before, which eventually came back to me as being the cover of the debut album "Out Of The Silent Planet" by Kings X!

This forms something of a mini-concept album, as the story of the 'Sword of Power' is based on that of Narsil, from Lord of the Rings.  As a Tolkien aficionado you will recall that Narsil is the famous sword of King Elendil from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Elendil was the first High King of both Arnor and Gondor. He was a friend and ally of Gil-galad, and together they formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in the Second Age. Together they marched upon Mordor and at last Sauron was overthrown.  

The Last Alliance had the victory, but both Gil-galad and Elendil were slain during the war.  Elendil’s sword, Narsil, was broken, and the One Ring was taken, but not destroyed. Sauron was for a time vanquished and Isildur - who cut the the One Ring from Sauron's finger with the remnants of the hilt of Narsil - became the High King of the Dúnedain.  Narsil's shards were used to forge into a new sword, Anduril, which was used by Aragorn.

Now, this was an album that had been playing on Nazgul's death-deck for quite some weeks ahead of this post being drafted.  In part, this was to allow the music to properly soak in and be absorbed by Nazgul's tired old brain cells, as on the first couple of airings I'd get to the end and think something on the lines of, "Hmmm - I enjoyed that" and then find my mind a total blank when it came to writing something about it.  The music does grow on you over time, however, much like the mildew that creeps up around the hem of Nazgul's tattered cloak.  Pervasive and persuasive in equal part, this is a very good representation of modern Uruk Hai and packs a lot of punch into what might seem like a rather short track listing.

The tail end of 'The Sword Of Revenge' itself finds some harsh vocals making an appearance in what had otherwise to that point been an engrossing instrumental track, which takes a little getting used to and doesn't quite seem to gel with the song as perhaps it should.  But then, aside from the introductory sounds of battle and swordplay (almost reminiscent of early Hrossharsgrani demos, though rather better in sound quality!) the rest of the song, conversely, is packed with lush instrumentation and classic Uruk Hai touches, so it's an odd juxtaposition that doesn't quite come off to these ears.  Lose the last minute or two, however, and you're back on track again!

The best song on this release by some margin is the longest one - 'King Elendil of the Dúnedain'.  It's an absolute blinder, with everything you could possibly wish to hear from Hugin's most popular project.  Titanic guitar riff - check.  Fabulous melodies and spooky keyboard sections - check.  Multi-part song structure that does integrate effectively, despite containing two very different styles of song at either end of this track - check, and mate. The best 14 minutes listening you'll experience this year.  At times haunting, at times galloping along like a Elven raiding party, there's so much going on here you'll need a good few listens to fully comprehend just what Hugin has achieved here.

And finale track 'Narsil' is no slouch either, despite being a mere sub-three minutes in duration.  Plenty of atmosphere and interest packed into that time-frame, and an upbeat way to conclude what has been a cracking little album.

Happy Birthday, 2015!

April 7, 2015, 9:36 am

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Mummy, when I grow up I want to be a tattooed rock star...

What's all this then, Nazgul?  Why, it's our annual birthday celebratory bash for Hugin...

Once again we've reached the point in the year to celebrate the birthday of Alexander "Hugin" Wieser, born 46 years ago this very day.  As the readership of this blog spans the four corners of the planet, feel free to shout "Happy Birthday!" in the language of your choice to help the man celebrate his big day!

In past years Nazgul has marked this anniversary in a variety of ways, and this year it seemed like a good plan to raid the photo archive to have a quick resume of Alex's interaction within the rock and metal community: yes, it's 'lifestyles of the rich and famous' meets Honour and Darkness in a mash-up too good to ignore!  

Let's dive straight in with some rare pictures - some probably never published online before - of our hero amidst a motley crew (no, not that Motley Crue) of rock stars past, present and (possibly) future....

...and here's a snap of Alex with M:Pire Of Evil, hanging out on the streets after a blitzkrieg gig in some unsuspecting European town.  The characters here are Alex, the Demolition Man Tony Dolan, the enigmatically named 'Merch Girl' (!) and Marc Jackson (the former drummer).  No Mantas in this pictured, sadly, but maybe next time....

And speaking of Tony Dolan, we don't need an excuse to post another picture of Alex with him alongside the many we've shown in the Blog previously, so here they are again in a recent selfie, with Tony practicing for a visit to his dentist:

Now, moving into some darker and more mysterious waters, the next couple of pictures feature our hero with people who have been named (though not pictured, from memory) in Honour and Darkness historically, and who are long standing friends of Alex's: the first shows Alex with Gerhard Hallstadt of Austrian folk-metal band Allerseelen, and the second quite extraordinary pose feaures none other than Dimo Dimov from Svarrogh (who have done split releases with Ravenclaw) and Miel Noir (ditto, with Bonemachine).  Always nice to put a face to the name, and in that pose not a face you'd forget in a hurry....

Strange things lurk in the storeroom of Steinklang Industries

Moving on, and as Monty Python were prone to say, "and now for something completely different". Who is this well travelled rock star sharing a thumbs-up moment with our Austrian hero?  Flowing white locks, expensive watch, posh-looking hotel bar location - any guesses....?

Why, it's none other than Terry Uttley from Smokie!  You know Smokie, they did the "Living Next Door To Alice" single, amongst a host of other hits. Funnily enough, the Yorkshire Evening Post (Smokie being a northern band, you know) said once, "Terry Uttley is the frontman of one of the world's most successful bands – Smokie – but you probably wouldn't recognise him in the street" so you'd be forgiven for not knowing him, to be fair.  They've been around since 1964 have Smokie, which pre-dates Alex's birth by a good few years!

Here's a blast from the past, in the sense that you'll have seen some of these pictures before.  But we could hardly celebrate Alex's rock and roll lifestyle without these 3 geezers, variously seen at gigs around the UK in years past during some high jinks on tour.  So without further ado, let's welcome back to Honour and Darkness Joe Matera, Trevor Sewell and Steve Harley all of whom are perfectly splendid individuals and would join with us wishing the main man the best for his birthday:

But for all of you looking for that world exclusive picture, here's a corker for the history books: Alex with Schmier from German thrash legends Destruction.  Apparently, the cameraman was under instructions not to shoot the picture until he could see the whites of Schmier's eyes....

And to finish, here's a picture to dispel the long-standing myth that Alex/Hugin has never performed on stage. Clearly incorrect, as the evidence of your own eyes will now demonstrate:

What's happening here, you ask?  It's 2002, and Alex and his friend Pepo are on stage at a Medieval Festival singing the medieval song 'Männer mit Bärte' ('Men With Beards' - probably best not to ask...), having been picked from the audience and asked to sing with the band - at least Pepo was actually sporting a beard for the occasion!

Earth-shattering stuff, you'd have to agree, and a quite ridiculous way to end another year of birthday celebration shenanigans!

Happy birthday, Alex!

SHORES OF HEAVEN

April 9, 2015, 1:11 pm

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Band:HUGIN
Title: Shores Of Heaven
Format: 2 x CDr on plain silver discs with hand-written titles, accompanied by bespoke cover artwork.  Created by Hugin at W.A.R. Studios in 2014, no catalogue reference or other details.
Edition:Only this 1 copy believed to exist

Track Listing:

CDr1:
01. Relax I  57.23

CDr2:
01. Relax II  33.03

Almost buried at the far end of the formal gardens at Castle Nazgul, overgrown with vines and creepers, sits a small wooden outbuilding.  Surrounded by mouldy rat-gnawed bones, moss covered, and shrouded by the perpetual gloom of twilight, this building is home to some to some of the most gruesome of activities witnessed within the feared walls of Nazgul's abode.  Occasional screams of a heart-rending nature are emitted from within its shadowy depths, dispersing into the misty night air like ghostly wraiths.  It is a location of pain and fear for some, and only entered by those few with the keys to its mysterious inner sanctum.  It is the lair of Lady Nazgul, whose skills as a professional beautician are in high demand from the local gentry's womenfolk....

But joking aside, the work place of Lady Nazgul does sit within the grounds of Castle Nazgul, and is a lovely place to be pampered.  To aid with the ambience of this profession, the good Lady is in the habit of playing appropriately relaxing music to her customers to set the right mood amongst drapes, candles and hand-crafted items of furniture.

And who better than Hugin to assist with this relaxation process?!  Very kindly, Hugin created two CDr packed with ambient noises, natural and ethereal soundscapes, and enchanting melodies and sent it to Lady Nazgul for use in her work.  And very well received it has been too, with more than one customer enquiring about the music during the course of their treatment.

You would be correct in your identification of the cover image as being from the 13th century Burgruine Waxenberg in upper Austria, which has featured on a number of Hugin's releases over the years.  And what could be more appropriate than using a location that includes the prefix 'Wax', given some of the terrifying activities that occur around the most sensitive of feminine areas involving that particular medium...!

You'll not be surprised to learn that neither of these discs features harsh black metal 'vokills', heavy percussive attacks or raucous guitar riffage.  No indeed, instead the pair of songs gently carry you off into a personal reverie of relaxation and calm, with gentle melodies mixing with chimes, ambient sounds of water and wind, and comforting passages of peace and tranquility.  And - very thoughtfully - Hugin has provided one song of about an hour and one of around half an hour to fit in with Lady Nazgul's treatment lengths.  Cunning as a fox, that man...

It's not a million miles away from some of the gentler tracks that might pop up on an Uruk Hai album, although if you heard this music out of context (say, walking through a garden centre) you'd not necessarily pick up on the fact immediately that this was Hugin's work.

"Shores Of Heaven" is not available in the shops, nor is it likely to appear anywhere else for the foreseeable future (that said, there's every chance that some of this music may find it's way onto other releases as we know Hugin is an inveterate recycler of his material). The music has been heard elsewhere though - at a health convention at the Elia church in Linz, the programme for the day being our final photograph in this post!  For the time being, however, if you yearn to hear these archaic tunes for yourself then feel free to book yourself onto a package at Castle Nazgul and let the good Lady deal with you accordingly.

Countess Bathory, eat your heart out....! 

Elia's programme of activity for the health convention - spot Mr and Mrs Wieser...

Don't break the circle of trust...

...AND ALL THE MAGIC & MIGHT HE BROUGHT - update II

April 14, 2015, 12:38 pm

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Band:URUK HAI
Title:"...And All The Magic & Might He Brought"
Reason for second update: Jewel-cased second pressing of this album on CD, with different artwork
Format: Released in September 2013 on the Fallen Angels Productions label (South Korea), catalogue reference AngeL004, as part of their 'AngeL' series.
Edition: Unnumbered edition of 500 copies

Track Listing:
01. From the Ashes 03:37
02. Far Away 06:00
03. Ancient Wisdom 05:13
04. Rise & Fall 04:57
05. Fallen Leaves 03:42
06. The Door to the Paths of the Dead 07:06
07. Valinor 02:28
08. Immortality 14:04
09. Wrath 04:07

Today's short post is to update the Blog with the third version of Uruk Hai's epic "...And All The Magic& Might He Brought" release, following our previous contemplation of the limited edition digipak pressing and the cassette tape version, which shared the same artwork if not the complete track listing.

This jewel-cased pressing has the 'standard' 9 song track listing (e.g. without bonus songs) from the first pressing, but is wrapped in artwork of an entirely different nature to the fantasy themed cover of the first album.  Indeed, the artwork here is by Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, the English painter and sculptor.  The picture in question is his 'The Fisherman and the Syren', which he painted in 1857.  If you're keen on such things, you can see the original oil on canvas picture displayed at the Bristol City Museums and Art Gallery, in Bristol, England.  The image in the centrefold of the inlay booklet initially looks to be a different one but is actually the same picture, which has been turned sideways and then flipped over.

Leighton's works mainly depicted historical, biblical, and classical subject matter. On a note of pure trivia, Leighton was bearer of the shortest lived peerage in British history - he was created Baron Leighton of Stretton on 24 January 1896 but died on the following day, with the peerage became extinct after a life of only one day.  Mind you, if you consider that unlucky then ponder the sad cases of the two peers who 'enjoyed' their title for the shortest time: Firstly, Wilfred Carlyle Stamp, 2nd Baron Stamp, who was killed in a German air-raid on London on 16 April 1941. His father, the 1st Baron, was killed by the same bomb. However, it was assumed that the son had died after the father, even by a split-second, and on that basis the 2nd Baron was held to have succeeded to the title albeit for milliseconds!  

Alternatively, take the case of Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, who succeeded to the title on the death of his brother on 14 July 1551 and died half an hour later, aged 23, of the same illness that killed his sibling - sweating sickness, also attractively known as "English sweate".  This was a mysterious and highly virulent disease that struck England, and later continental Europe, in a series of epidemics beginning in 1485. The last outbreak occurred in 1551, after which the disease apparently vanished, so our poor Duke was amongst the last of its victims.

Anyway, enough of the high and mighty and back to the 'Magic & Might', a release certain not to mysteriously vanish without trace.  Indeed, since Nazgul's original posts about this release the album has garnered a little more attention from other online sources, so this seems like a good moment to consider what a couple of other reviewers made of Uruk Hai's anniversary magnum opus:

Seance Records said, albeit rather succinctly:  

"This is what would happen if Steve Vai joined Summoning. Tolkien & Scandinavian mythology inspired ambient heavy metal which ranges from neoclassical passages to soaring guitars all blended with progressive rock, spoken word tales and clean vocals in a dark baroque rock opera."

Whilst a longer review in the German online magazine Amboss-Mag.de opined:

"Now that Uruk Hai has been deleted from the Encyclopedia Metallum because not enough 'metal' was present in its discography, it is relatively difficult to obtain comprehensive information about this project.  But following my review of "Cirith Ungol" in 2010 I do remember that the Austrian is extremely prolific.  In 2010 alone, Uruk Hai published 3 albums, 12 demos, 3 EP's, 13 split releases, 2 box-sets, 1 single and 1 compilation, with yet other bands active. That this still leads to such professionally produced music always amazes me.

The 78 minute 'Special Extended Edition' of "Cirith Ungol" I quite liked.  With "... And All The Magic Might & He Brought" Hugin does not quite match my taste. The "one-track" record of 2010 was leaning much more toward Black Metal,  roughly produced and "garnished" with typical BM screaming. "... And All The Magic Might & He Brought" has much clearer production and is different musically.  A little less guitar and more strings and synth sounds would more push this disc into the bombastic corner. In addition, in the first half there are predominantly clear vocals that do not always sit well with me. The song that impressed me most is the 14 minute "Immortality", which is with distorted guitars, a woman's voice, groovy mid-tempo double bass lines, sweet chimes and a 'children's choir'.  

On my limited-to-300 digipak version of the album, I have 4 additional bonus songs. The two and a half minute 'Legolas' interested me the most because of the title. And, unfortunately, disappointed me the most - artificial sounding folk rock that breaks off at the most interesting point. 'The End Of The Road' saves the bonus tracks though!

Although this disc to my mind is not as packed as the last Uruk Hai album it is really good, even though I was expecting something else. Once again I bow to the Austrian's productivity and quality. I am looking forward to the next release."

Somewhat mixed sentiments expressed there, which in many ways tallies with Nazgul's original review of the album.  It's one of those 'fine wine' releases I expect: if you drink it too quickly in anticipation of a classic vintage then you're almost certainly not going to enjoy it as much as leaving it to mature quietly for a few years to revisit when the time is right.

This particular pressing seems relatively common at the moment, based on a quick look at the usual places to buy these sorts of albums, so there's really no excuse for not adding it to your collection.  After all, there was a time when the "Honour" demo tape was relatively common on eBay, but time inexorably moves on and the commonplace is soon the 'hard-to-find' item of the future....

---

ATLANTIDA COMPILATION V [V/A]

April 18, 2015, 8:46 am

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Band:HROSSHARSGRANI
Title: Atlantida Compilation V  (Various Artists)
Format: Cassette tape release with professionally printed glossy cover and stock C90 tape, with an Atlantida sticker as a label.  This release is on the Atlantida label (Lithuania) as the fifth instalment in their lengthy series of compilations.  No date of release, thought to be possibly circa 1999-2001 based on the period in which songs on this tape were released, and no catalogue reference.
Edition:As for all Atlantida releases, number of actual copies unknown

Track Listing:
Side A
01. FOREFATHER  *  These Lands II
02. ARRIVAL  *  Thou Borne All Sins
03. ETERNAL DEFORMITY  *  Salvation
04. ARCKAN OBSCURA  *  The Blessed Virgin's Whoregasm
05. METAL INQUISITOR  *  Resistance Is Futile (R.I.F)
06. UNKNOWN SERENITY  *  Ode To Isis
07. ENSOPH  *  Chapter II: My Gloomy Glare
08. FLAUROS  *  Monuments Of Weakness

Side B
01. VINTAGE SOLEMNITY  *  Oiablera
02. FATAL PORTRAIT  *  Rapture...
03. HAIMAD  *  The Horned Moon
04. VALE OF TEARS  *  Where Dead Dreams Live Again
05. CRUENTION  *  Aratare
06. AMAZEROTH  *  The Arrival Of The Infernal Comet
07. AZATHOTH  *  Love Breed Hate, Sometimes
08. ETHEREAL PANDEMONIUM  *  The Children Of The Carpathian Woods
09. HROSSHARSGRANI *  Hel - Goddess Of The Underworld

You'll need nerves of steel (or a fast-forward button on your cassette recorder) to reach the Hrossharsgrani track on this Atlantida compilation tape, being the last song of a 17 track aural assault guaranteed to leave your ears bleeding and mouth agape.

Once again Atlantida had scoured the world of metal (well, the European part of it at least!) to bring together an assortment of bands and styles, with contributions from hailing from diverse locations including Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Malta, Finland, Sweden, Austria, France, England, Turkey, and Portugal.  Some of the bands do suffer a little from the genre-wide failing of trying to have a two-word name imparting gravitas but instead generating something that only raises a chuckle - Vintage Solemnity / Fatal Portrait indeed - but there's no denying you get a bang for your buck through the 17 songs on offer.

Hrossharsgrani's offering is their 'Hell - Goddess Of The Underworld' song, the fifth track from the "Ancient Tales" album of 2000.  Immense synths at the start (sampled, most likely, from the Conan soundtrack), thundering drums, Hugin in fine mead-fuelled Viking vocal form, it's a song likely to launch a fleet of longboats and lead to pillage and despoiling on an epic scale, much like the rest of "Ancient Tales" to be fair.

In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead.  Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by the wonderfully named Snorri Sturluson. In addition, she is mentioned in poems recorded in Heimskringla and Egils saga that date from the 9th and 10th centuries, respectively.

In the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki, and to "go to Hel" is to die.  In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm located in Niflheim.  In the same source, her appearance is described as half blue and half flesh-coloured and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance (well, you would be with colouration like that, I suspect; one can't imagine her being asked out on many dates). The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and played a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr.

A lady worth dedicating a song to, I think it fair to say.

This early tape in the Atlantida series offers us two new pieces of information that are both interesting in their different ways.  Firstly, we have (finally!) a credit for the artwork, shown as being the creation of  Michael Schindler of Dragon Design, Germany.  Now, as Nazgul has commented on in the past, there is quite a consistent design theme throughout the totality of Atlantida compilation releases so it's not too much of a leap to suggest that Mr Schindler might well have had a hand in a great number of them, if not all.  Hailing from Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria (yes, Nazgul is a font of knowledge) Michael has been responsible for many band logos and artworks since 1992 including Folkearth, who you may recall was the project founded by Atlantida label owner, Ruslanas Danisevskis.

And speaking of Ruslanas, the inlay also reveals his former contact address, being Alytaus 4, 4120 Ukmerge, Lithuania.  This seems somewhat surprising for a man who protected his privacy quite stringently, but I suppose bands had to be able to get hold of him somehow!  It transpires that Ukmergė District Municipality is in Vilnius County, Lithuania and thanks to the marvel that is Google Earth you can have a good look at where Ruslanas (presumably) once lived if you feel so inclined!  

Yes, that is a bit weird but that's the danger of sharing personal information in this fully connected internet age!

An Interview With ... Bruder Cle

April 26, 2015, 2:27 am

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An Interview with ... BRUDER CLE 
Who's this then, Nazgul?  Bruder Cle is one of Hugin's friends from the early days of Hrossharsgrani and Uruk Hai, and is thus uniquely placed to comment upon the man and his music.

Who is Bruder Cle?

 A quick search on Google will reveal all manner of interesting photographs, magazine interviews and eulogies, many highly entertaining!  One thread - which you can find if you delve into the Internet, describes Bruder Cle as "the coolest man in the world" and amidst the inevitable debate and abuse that this statement causes we learn that Bruder Cle 'drinks Radeberger, Aventinus, Dab, Julius Echter, Warsteiner Dunkel, and Dinkel-Acker; he eats rueladen, sacher-torte, rindfleisch mit apfel, robber-steak, and Schwabisches stewed-fruit' and that 'He haunts the terrifying forests of Thuringia and the Harz Mountains.' Sounds like quite a guy!

For most of us Huginophiles, though, the name will resonate because of numerous appearances on the credit list of early Hrossharsgrani and Uruk Hai releases in the 1999-2003 period.  As a collector of Hugin's material for many, many years it's a name I recall seeing time and time again, always being remembered and honoured in the "Hails to" list on Hugin's latest demo.  Yet until recently - and it's rather odd this, given Nazgul's natural curiosity - the thought of having a chat with the man never really crossed my mind.

To illustrate the point, here are a few of Hugin's early releases - respectively; "Ancient Tales" (tape), "Sagen & Gedichte" (CDr), "Gone With The Wind" (CDr) and "Der Pfad Zum Tor Der Toten (CDr)" - for you to play 'spot the Bruder Cle' with... 

And then the catalyst - Hugin had mentioned that Bruder Cle had written a book ("Höllenkreis" - Circle of Hell) for which he had asked Hugin to compose a musical score.  The book - and the accompanying CD - are now imminent arrivals at Castle Nazgul and we'll examine both in the fullness of time.  The point here was that the discussion about Höllenkreis put Nazgul in contact with Bruder Cle, and an opportunity for the collection of anecdotes, stories and funny photographs about Hugin was far too good to miss!

But let's begin, if we may, with Hugin's own recollection of how the friendship came to exist:

"I met him first time in the late 90's as a result of a shared friend of ours, Karl from Napalm Records. Karl gave me his address because Bruder Cle wrote for German Ablaze Magazine in those days and I had sent him "Der Pfad Zum Tor Der Toten" for review.  He liked it and from that day on we were friends!  He always supported my music and in late 2013 (or was it early 2014?) he asked me to do a 'soundtrack' to his book Höllenkreis. I was deeply honoured that he asked me to do this because he knows so many musicians in the metal scene: he has been part of the Austrian scene since the very early days and he played/plays in bands like Angry Angels and Siegfried."

And so, honoured readers, with the scene now set and the ale flowing freely, let us meet Bruder Cle himself, starting with his recollection of the early days of meeting Hugin...

"Well, Alex and I we met where metal heads are meant to meet each other: in the front row of a Destruction show in 1999. We head-banged, talked, found out about our similar views about metal and music in general and we stayed in contact. This contact evolved from there and we wrote to each other regularly, phoned even more often and visited each other. I can remember, when Alex visited me in Innsbruck and we had an extremely cool weekend with metal, beer and great self-cooked meals (the beer drinking was definitely on my side!). We both enjoy good food and cooking, so we cooked a typical Austrian dish: Schweinsbraten mit Knödel - a pork roast with dumplings. I remember that Alex made the dumplings (which can be a bit tricky) and he made them perfectly. It is definitely slow food because it takes hours to prepare everything."

At this juncture Hugin intervened, recalling that the Schweinsbraten mit Knöde day became known as "Doom Food Day", and culminated with a double-screening of Kill Bill 1 and 2!

Bruder Cle continues: "At that time we also started both of our active music careers and became fans of each others work. I loved his work with Hrossharsgrani, Elisabetha, Uruk-Hai and all his other projects and he liked what I did with Siegfried and Angry Angels at that time.

What can I say - we both shared the same humour, liked the same music and food. So we were friends instantly. I always admired his creativity and always wondered how fast he came up with new ideas and projects. He is the living antithesis of Def Leppard, ha ha ;) !  His fast way to work on his projects has certain effects that reflect in his music: his compositions always sound inspired by the creative moment in which he creates them. He does not stay too long with one idea or theme. You can feel that spontaneity and inspiration in all his works. Maybe the best example is the soundtrack to my book - he wrote it within days (!) only. But if you listen to it, the compositions are round and well composed. All the arrangements are in place and to me it is almost incredible how someone can come up with such high-quality compositions in such a short time. He is simply amazing.

The biggest difference between now and then is simply down to age - we all grow as personalities and the view towards life changes quite a lot. I've known Alex as a music fanatic all my life but now it is less the aspect of hunting for collectibles and music and more about the creative side and also publishing music of other artists.

The contact via Ablaze was also around that time. I was writing for that mag for a couple of years and joined Peter Schramm for issue 2. After the end of Ablaze I was writing for Rock Hard for another 10 years and now I write for Deaf Forever. I also write for Darkscene (online) mag and 'That's Metal' Mag. Before all this I issued my own mag called Paternoster and wrote for a local metal mag called Alpenfreak. So basically my writing career started in the late 80's and continues up to now. I am a metal fan though since 1979 and was a tape trader for many years, starting from around 1985 up to the mid-90's.

My other activities included being the singer and founder of the bands Siegfried and Angry Angels. With Siegfried we signed a deal with Napalm Records and issued three albums (Drachenherz, Eisenwinter, Nibelung). The lyrical content was dealing mainly with local legends and - as the name indicates - the song of the Nibelungs [Nazgul's note: 'Nibelungs' was the name given to northern dwarfs whose king had once possessed a great treasure of gold and precious stones but had lost it. Whoever got possession of this treasure was followed by a curse. The 'Nibelungenlied' tells the adventures of those who possessed the treasure].

We had three singers (clear male, dark male = me, female vox) and played a kind of epic metal. Angry Angels released two demos and were more of  a traditional metal outfit - true metal with thrash metal influences. We toured a lot in the day with bands like Jaguar, Goddess of Desire, Majesty, Wizard through Austria, Germany, The Netherlands and Italy and played quite a few festivals. A record deal was signed with Undercover records but due to financial reasons the album never materialized.  Both bands are inactive right now due to a lack of time of some members. I also was owner of a heavy metal bar in Innsbruck for several years (aside to my regular job as a bank clerk) and for a couple of years I have been the president of an organisation called Alpine Steel, which does mainly metal shows in our area."
 
It seemed a timely moment to understand a little more about Bruder Cle's own musical tastes and habits:

"Mainly I am not a collector but a lover of hard rock and heavy metal music. Of course after all those decades of tape-trading, buying records etc. I own quite a considerable collection of CDs, vinyl, tapes, books, shirts....everything metal fans normally hold dear. I listen to everything from AOR to black and death metal. Regarding any embarrassing audio-skeletons in my closet ... I don't really have any!  Items that you might thing unusual include a few (really, only a few!) CDs out of the ordinary like diverse soundtracks (Dracula, Conan, Last of the Mohicans....) and a few pieces of electronic music like Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk and also a few industrial/ambient-pieces like MZ 412, Archon Satani, In Slaughter Natives, etc.

I have a few 'normal' rock bands of the 70's and 80's in my collection like Alan Parsons Project, Bryan Adams, Tina Turner and those sorts of thing, but all in all maybe only 50 CD's that don't fall under Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. I know Alex has quite a few "unusual" pieces for a metal fan and musician, but hey, in the end it is just music and if somebody enjoys a wider variety of music: fine with me.

When it comes to rarities - of course there are numerous CDs and LPs that are quite rare. I own quite a few rare records of Mercyful Fate, Burzum, Mayhem, Slayer etc etc. and a lot of stuff from smaller bands, that are extremely rare or even unique. But I own them because they were given to me by the band itself or because I bought it when it was released. Many records came out in limited editions of 100 copies or less and I own many of these editions. But I would never collect a piece of vinyl or a CD just because it is rare. In many cases I even prefer later editions which contain bonus tracks, liner notes, rare photos etc. than original editions with only a small booklet or just a sheet like those Pricekillers CD's e.g. from the late 80's I am an metal archaeologist at best, ha ha!" 

Bruder Cle on stage with the Angry Angels at the Wögel Club, Koma, back in the early 2000's

Nazgul asked Bruder Cle about the relative lack of online coverage of Hugin's work:

"I think that Alex's music was never really meant for the mainstream underground (if such a thing exists). There are a number of reasons why you would not find many reviews of his music, especially his earlier works: His distribution net evolved throughout the years and was not so vast in the beginning. He traded many releases and the sheer number of projects and releases who were issued in very limited editions add to that scarcity as well. He also was never a man who looked back or rested at all. Sometimes I have the impression that his thoughts are always with his next project and his head is always full of fresh ideas and inspirations, so he did not spend too much time promoting his releases."

And what of the modern day music scene, of MP3-this and download-that?
 
"Back in the day when you were younger, everything was more challenging and more exciting, but that has to do with the nature of youth - your teenage years and your first musical love will always stick with you in one way or another. I remember a time even before a hard rock or the metal press even existed. You had to go to the record store to find out if, for example, a new Manowar album was out. You could not read about that anywhere.

Later in my tape-trading days it was so exciting to read fanzines or flyers, put a few dollars in an envelope along with 1-2 International Reply Coupons and wait for the package to arrive. The excitement when the parcels arrived was great!  It was so much fun and with trembling hands you opened it and put the music on. Just great! You can't get that feeling now anymore. People trade whole MP3 collections, just gigabytes of music. Only a few people buy CDs or vinyl anymore. This is pretty sad, especially since musicians don't get paid anymore for their art.

It became much cheaper to produce and publish music over the years but since most music is available as a free (mostly illegal) download no one wants to pay for music (or films) any more. As a musician you only have the chance to see your art as a hobby. I expect that more and more professional musicians will give the MP3 version of their albums away for free as a kind of advertising for their live concerts, merchandise or limited 'fan editions' that generates a bit of money. But making a living is very difficult these days. I know bands that manage to do it, but there are only few.

On the other hand, MP3 and downloads are sometimes the ONLY was for some fans to get hold of music they can't simply buy in a shop or can never afford to own. I am talking about countries in the Middle-East or Africa where it is impossible for fans out of political or economical reasons to buy stuff."
 
Sobering but fair thoughts.  It's surprising really how many visitors to Honour and Darkness come from Africa and the Middle-East, actually, but let's get back to Hugin's work:

"My favourite releases from Alex are maybe Uruk Hai "Black Blood, White Hand", all the early Hrossharsgrani-stuff and of course the soundtrack to Höllenkreis, which he wrote for my book.  My all time favourite releases would probably be:
 

• Mercyful Fate - everything from the early days 
• Sortilege "Sortilege" 
• Venom "Black Metal" 
• Possessed "Seven Churches" 
• Manowar "Hail To England" 
• Manilla Road "Mystification" 

but many more of course....!"
 
And of course we couldn't carry on without reference back to this new book that's in the offing...
 
"When I chose the stories for Höllenkreis out of my story collection, I picked the most horrible and gory and bloody ones!  I wanted to publish a real brutal book of blood. They are all inspired by Clive Barker, Marquis De Sade and HP Lovecraft.  It is definitely not stuff for the faint-hearted - it is dirty, gory and very disturbing stuff...."

Well, we'll enjoy a read of that in due course, and Nazgul will put some thoughts up about the book and Hugin's soundtrack to it in a future post.

Let Bruder Cle have the final words then, both to you - the honoured readership of Nazgul's Blog, and to Hugin himself:

"To all fans of Alex - keep supporting this great artistic soul!  And to Alex: keep up the good work, my friend!  Valhalla!"

Hails and thanks to Bruder Cle - definitely one of the good guys!

LEGENDS OF FIRE & DEATH

May 1, 2015, 12:57 am

≫ Next: The W.A.R. Armoury, Part 5: Studded Wristbands, Gauntlets & Straps

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Band:URUK HAI
Title: Legends Of Fire & Death
Format: A 3" CDr release on the Smell The Stench label (Australia) from 2013, no catalogue reference.  It has two glossy colour inlay panels, front and rear, and the 3 inch disc is held inside within a white paper envelope.
Edition:20 unnumbered copies

Track Listing:
01. A Lonely Place To Die  3:12
02. Breath Of Fire  8:31
03. Elbenlicht  2:26

Another little delight from the ever prolific Uruk Hai project: this 3" CDr was released in 2013 by lovable nutter Leigh Stench (of Smell The Stench renown) as part of a small series of releases in this format, all now long sold out and dispersed around the globe.

"Legends Of Fire & Death" has a running time of under 15 minutes, so if you're in the mood for a quick bit of blackened ambiance in the morning before work then this is the ideal little CD for you.  Convenient, and it does what it says on the tin!

Let's start with shortest song 'Elbenlicht', a sparkling jewel of a piano based melody, illuminating the pathways of Fangorn as it goes.  Not to be confused with the longer 'Elbenlicht' from 4-way split release "Guardians Of The Rings", this is a little gem of a song and - much like a good miniskirt - what it shows in its brevity is its strength.

'A Lonely Place To Die' is also a short track, again a pure instrumental one, and packed with an overbearing sort of maudlin that indeed directs your imagination to thoughts of death and solitude.  If the aim of the game was to depress then it's a job well done here, that's for certain!  Much like the terminally morose tune that was Rezső Seress' so-called suicide song 'Gloomy Sunday' from 1933, listening to this song is not to be risked if you're feeling down or even remotely out of sorts.  

I'm sure there are all sorts of clever compositional reasons why this tune has the effect that it does, but I fear you'd need a musician or psychologist to explain those to you.  Suffice to say, it's chilling and melancholy, and if you've ever wondered how it might feel to be curled up and alone in a barren corner of the Lonely Mountains waiting for your imminent demise then this song probably gets you as close to that feeling as you'd really ever want to be...

Which leaves us with middle track, 'Breath Of Fire', the longest on the disc by some margin and rather a diverse thing too.  Part ambient, part drone, part Hugin and part something else, it's all rather odd really.  With a title that more than alludes to dragons, and passages of the song that could easily be actual field recordings of - well - the passage of a dragon, it's a track that will leave you scratching your beard and reaching for the play button to hear it all again, just to make sure you didn't miss anything the last time around.

A very nice little release indeed, and another nicely presented and highly limited edition collectible from the esteemed STS label.

The W.A.R. Armoury, Part 5: Studded Wristbands, Gauntlets & Straps

May 6, 2015, 11:06 am

≫ Next: ZALGIRIO MUSIS - update II

≪ Previous: LEGENDS OF FIRE & DEATH

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The W.A.R. Armoury, Part 5
Items: Studded Wristbands, Gauntlets & Straps

A staple item in the wardrobe of any self-respecting metal-head, the studded wristband has transcended mere fashion accessory to become a very necessary piece of a modern musician's image and armour.

Whilst strictly speaking not a weapon, you'd not want to be belted around the ear by one of these, particularly the vicious looking nailed variant.  And - if you're reading this from the temperate climate of the American state of Massachusetts - your General Laws: Chapter 269, Section 10 considers such items to be illegal weapons, so their place in the W.A.R. armoury becomes vindicated! 

The items pictured throughout today's post are part of the enormous horde of apparel and items purchased from Hugin some years ago, and have been variously used as part of Hugin's wardrobe in photo shoots and publicity material over time.  Like many things in life, some of these things are significantly bigger than others, and range from forearm-covering bands through to smaller loops to cover boots.  The nailed wristband is a delight, and would cause suitable disquiet if worn to work in your average 9-5 job.  

Kerry King of Slayer popularised the nailed variety of gauntlet over the glory days of thrash metal, and whilst Hugin's version can't quite complete with the monstrous nature of that one, it's a step in the right direction. 

You can make your own versions of such things if you're of a creative bent (just remember not to scratch your nose whilst wearing them though), and even a rudimentary Internet search will reveal a multitude of styles and types, ranging from the ridiculous to the positively dangerous.  Hugin's are far more practical, and all the better for it.  

Taking a historical detour, as Nazgul is wont to do, distinct aspects of heavy metal fashion can be credited to various bands, but the band that takes the most credit for revolutionising the look was Judas Priest, primarily through its singer, Rob Halford. He wore a leather costume on stage as early as 1978 to coincide with the promotion for the Killing Machine album, and described the 'leather subculture' as the inspiration for this look. 

It wasn't long before other bands appropriated the leather look; Iron Maiden's original singer Paul Di'Anno began wearing leather jackets and was one of the early pioneers of studded bracelets, whilst Motörhead innovated with bullet belts, and Saxon (bless them) introduced spandex.  This fashion was particularly popular with followers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal) movement and the studded leather look was extended in subsequent variations, to the wearing of combat boots, studded belts and bracelets, bullet belts, spiked gauntlets, etc. Oddly, however, the studded codpiece appears to have been less popular among the general public....

ZALGIRIO MUSIS - update II

May 9, 2015, 8:59 am

≫ Next: RINGWRAITHS

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The original artwork, conceived for Ravenclaw

The actual artwork, used on the split release

 Band:RAVENCLAW
Title: Zalgirio Musis
Reason for update: The original colour cover emerges from the darkness....

Back in May 2009 Nazgul's original review of "Zalgirio Musis"was published.  This was a formidable split release between Ravenclaw and Svarrogh, the latter a solo project Dimo Dimov, who himself was the occasional third band member of Ravenclaw, alongside Hugin and Ruslanas Danisevskis.

The artwork that was used on the final release (on Ruslanas' Atlantida label) was a brooding black and white affair; dark, menacing and shadowy.  As you'll see from the accompanying photograph, the Ravenclaw band logo appeared on the cover top left, with the Svarrogh logo to the bottom right.  So far, so normal.  This is, after all, the cover we've been used to for the last 6 years, apart that is from the unused tape artwork that appeared as entry #4 in the From Vaults Of W.A.R. series in September 2013.

However, as part of research for a forthcoming 'world exclusive' post (and you'll just have to wait to see what that is all about - tune back in at the end of June for more!), Nazgul was privileged to stumble across this different version of the cover, as originally conceived by artist Mike Schindler of the German Dragon Design studio.

As you'll have spotted, the most obvious difference is the colour - and what a difference a subtle wash of blue makes to the overall effect, giving the image a subtle luminosity that the official cover lacks.  Also notable is that the 'Zalgirio Musis' title is prominently displayed at the foot of the illustration, which was presumably removed after the release became a split album rather than a single Ravenclaw release.

A cracking discovery, and one that Nazgul is proud to have the opportunity to share with you all.