More quality harsh noise on Spatter, this time by one of the leading names of the genre. "The Final Harsh Work # 22" (a lovely title... ) features the eponymous studio (?) track and a live recording (Grand Rapids, USA, 1/3/1999). The former is a 43' excursus in the possible nuances of harsh noise: from fast, rabid drill-like attacks, made particularly effective by the high frequencies used, to looped and delayed passages which, while never losing their dose of sonic fierceness, even tend to acquire psychedelic tones. It's a sort of suite and it manages to keep your attention focused while being extremely long and exhausting. The second track is a nice representation of Koji Tano's skill at performing live, but suffers from insufficient sound quality; the ouput is a bit muddled and fails to present MSBR's sound with the adequate clarity - something which doesn't occur with the studio work. Limited edition of 120 (which will probably sell out fast) in the usual Spatter package (a DVD box).

"A sampler of Fairy Voices", the third one after "Belladonne" 1 and 2, from the Prikosnovénie/Iris catalogue. Only Lys belong to the Lytch sub-label, while some names (Fleur, Voïlaoz, Dwelling) have no releases out, so I guess their tracks are anticipations of forthcoming records? All the other songs must have been already released. Thus said, this is a very good introduction to Prikosnovénie which seems to have gathered an incredible (both in general quality and in geographic extension) catalogue in the contiguous fields of heavenly voices, medieval folk, ethnic and neoclassic/chamber music. Most tracks are excellent, I'll just quote GOR (obviously a lot more than "Ataraxia's drummer" since he's already released three solo works!) with a brilliant klezmer/medieval crossover sung in Latin (believe me, it does work!), Daemonia Nymphe (Greek Dead Can Dance-inspired project), Dwelling (must be Portuguese, so 10 points more) and Collection D'Arnell Andrea. The other artists are Louisa John-Krol, Faraway, Rada I Ternovnik, Ashram and Caprice. 12 tracks in total, and a digipack sleeve.

This is the debut solo project from Dark Muse (aka Phyll Smith of Eyescream Jewelry known for her unique one of a kind, hand-made jewelry). This is an audio journey into very dark ambient, minimalistic, ethereal music. It has a very otherworldly quality like the works of Robert Rich, Steve Roach and Patrick O'Hearn - all ambient electronic artists but also a very dark ethereal muse like quality and is thus very aptly named. The overal quality of her work is simply haunting. She states, "I have been creating sounds with voice, all my life & approach vocals in sound with pure emotion & raw power of experimentation ... While using my voice as an instrument, I am able to manifest textures & layers of patterns with depth.", and this is the secret to her sound. The only other dark muse I've heard who does this is Diamanda Galas but Dark Muse is not the harsh violence of Diamanda but the soft and darkly flowing haunting sounds of the siren call. I'm so impressed with this debut release that it's hard to believe this is a debut at all. However, it is obvious that there lies years of talent which has been awaiting the moment of release from this individual.
I simply am not aware of any other music, art, or singing like it. Completely original and extremely experimental yet with a strong sense of professionalism. Her vocals layer in such intricate ways that it will take several listens to sort them out. That combined with the ambient and experimental electronics create a force which has the feel of primal subconscious energy. If you like ambient, ethereal, or gothic of any type I would highly suggest you give this a listen as there are no comparisons.

© Copyright 8/2002 TG Mondalf. All Rights Reserved

Butterfly Messiah are an amazing duo from Tampa whose music combines strong Darkwave and Ethereal elements with Industrial and dance music to create an otherworldy and dark sound. The members are also openly pagan and their views are evident in their music as well. The CD is, I think, the first official release by the band released on Fossil Dungeon. The CD jewel case has a silver mirror like look to the inside where the disc sits as does the disc itself and a beautiful yet dark insert booklet complete with band photos and lyrics.
From the first time I heard Butterfly Messiah as was at least as impressed with them as I was The Changelings except their music also combined cold electronics with lush ethereal qualities and dark spirituality. This release opens with a track from their demo EP Synthesis called "Land Beneath the Waves" but this is the only previous track you'll find on this release that I am aware of. All the other tracks are brand new for this CD however the first track does sound a bit cleaned up in the studio.
"The Wicked" begins with industrial-like twitch beats and a brooding bassline. Shannon layers her Projekt-like ethereal vocals on top of the mixture. The chorus is a combination of whispers and what almost sounds like taunting. This is just a sample of the combination of sounds you'll hear with Butterfly Messiah. "Introspection" has a sort of funky beat but the backing effect is a breathy vocal chantlike sample. Here Shannon trades the vocal spotlight with Robert who performs more of the harsher bits while Shannon blends in almost ghostlike later in the track.
Butterfly Messiah are the first band I've heard to successfully combine the softer elements of Ethereal based music with the harder beat oriented elements of industrial. "Visitor" is an excellent track with a distinct Gothic Rock feel to it while "Ring The Bells" begins with an almost old Cabaret Voltaire feel to it which soon turns into an electric guitar buzz more cold and hard than Christian Death. However one of my favorite tracks is "Eternal Undone", a song with a definite pagan theme. Robert's vocals are hard and cold - nearly mechanical - while Shannon sings beautifully muse-like, element in contrast holding successful union of rhythm and timbre. The changes in this song are very interesting as well - sometimes very cold while at others very ghostlike and dreamy.
Shannons layered recordings of her singing on "When Autumn to Winter Resigns" has a very madrigal effect to it and sounds much like it was recorded in a wide, empty chamber. "Reverie" is more of a smooth guitar and synth piece with vocals that has a very This Mortal Coil sound to it.
Butterfly Messiah continue to be a band that I have strong desire to watch their career and they have proven that good music really can get it's start on MP3.com and make it's way to a decent label.

© Copyright 8/2002 TG Mondalf. All Rights Reserved

I had never listened to Kluster Cold before, and it's been a nice surprise. Released by Andrea Marutti (Amon, Never Known, Lips Vago) on his personal label AFE, and mastered by one Maurizio Pustianaz (wonder who he is, eheh), "The Third Secret" is a little jewel (7 tracks + intro for 28') of retro electronica/EBM, with Kraftwerk being the most obvious reference. Carlo Ponte seems to have interiorized the best and most peculiar characteristics of the German ensemble: catchy synth melodies coupled with aseptic and danceable drum machine beats, but most of all a romantic and nostalgic atmosphere which now seems to be frozen in paradoxically distant times. Retro-futurism? The real folk music of 20 years ago? Most songs are instrumental, and work perfectly without a voice. "The romance of tar" is present with a nice vocoder version and an instro "flare-up version", and the fact that both stand perfectly well on their own can only mean the track is really good! "The soldier" has an upbeat rhythm and quasi-spoken female vocals, while "The soldier's theme" features the melodies in an ethereal, beatless version. But the instrumentals are cinematic enough to suggest a story of their own, from the more serene, bittersweet atmospheres of "Remember" to the darker and slightly obsessive "As fear comes back". The layout is remarkable as well, with elegant vintage-looking graphics, evocative black and white pictures and a fold-out poster too. This is one of the few cds I wished they lasted longer...