Τετάρτη 29 Ιουνίου 2011

Merciful Nunns - Infinite Visons - Out 12-08-2011














Well new stuff is coming out from Merciful Nuns. The Infinite Visions DVD and CD will be out on 12-08-2011 through Solar Lodge.

Here is the tracklist:

INFINITE VISIONS
a full concert recorded at SO36, Berlin - 23.04.2011

DVD

1. The Portal
2. Hypogeum II
3. Body Of Light
4. Nunhood
5. Evolution
6. The Eclipse
7. The Seal
8. Sanctuary
9. God / Aeon
10. Ancient Astronauts
11. Megalithic Dreams

CD

INFINITE VISIONS
a ritual soundtrack for our darkest moments

part I: the sound of Nibriu
part II: the 12th planet
part III: the Anunnaki

INFINITE VISIONS DVD/CD is a full concert on DVD recorded at SO36, Berlin plus "a ritual soundtrack for our darkest moment" on CD!


Pre-order "Infinite Visons" 6panal DigiPak under http://www.MercifulNuns.com.

Watch the trailer here:

Παρασκευή 24 Ιουνίου 2011

Angels of Liberty



If you are somehow missing the classic Gothic Rock of the 80s and 90s, I guess this new band from the United Kingdom is totally for you. It is not only their great music included on their debut Mini CD "The Monster In Me", it is their general attitude that re presents Gothic Rock the way it was the classic, good old days. Here is the band's statement from their website:

Formed in 2011 in the UK, Angels of Liberty are a brand new UK Gothic Rock band. Our aim is to create Gothic Rock for the elite few left who are still proud to call themselves Goths, those who, with their passion and will, tend to the Black Flame. So, More than a little fashionably late, showing clear signs of erotic crystalization inertia and with moth eaten frock coats, here we are.

The first few drops from our blood stained chalice have just become available from Secret Sin Records in the form of the 'Monster In Me' EP. Less of a Band more of a Serpent Cult, we have our sights on creating an alchemy between us and fans of Gothic Rock on a small and personal scale for the purpose of re-creating some of the magic we felt so long ago.

While the bloodlines tighten their grip in a bid for control of the New Dawn, Angels of Liberty have laid out their agenda in their zine 'The Hidden Hand". Perhaps after listening you will join us as a co-conspirator and help us raise up this Empire of Decay and birth a new generation of Goths to be baptised in the blood of the old sound?





This video showcases the songs on the Angels of Liberty fan tape. The tapes are all gone with all numbered and signed copies now reserved for goths whove become fans and helped spread the word. The tape unleashes five gothic rock tracks on a signed numbered tape. The tape itself is a plastic tamper proof cassette where the label is parchment inside the cassette itself. The inlay card is also parchment and signed by the band. They will go out to an elite few Goths who have made all the effort worth while. They will receive the tape along with the forthcoming realease on CD along with a wax sealed parchment scroll and other goodies.




Except for the music the band is working on some other interesting project, for example they are preparing their own Fanzine entitled The Hidden Hand. There is also a very interesting booklet produced by the band that feature lyrics of the Mini CD plus some more art. You can visit their website and grab all the latest information about the band. I guess that everyone seriously involved into Gothic Rock music should pay attention to this new band on their first steps, I am sure that they are going to make their own very special saga into the pantheon of Gothic rock music and that we shall hear many more by them in the future.

The band is already answering their first interview for AD.

Πέμπτη 16 Ιουνίου 2011

GOTHLAND

With this post we want to express our total brotherhood, union and respect to Gothland. Gothland (Real Goth Greece) is a promotional movement started on the Internet many moons ago to promote Gothic Rock music. This movement is using popular social networks and other Internet places to promote Gothic Rock music mainly through videos. Gothland includes a MySpace webpage, a YouTube chanel and a FaceBook Page and there you can find a wide section of official and unofficial Gothic Rock videos. All this stuff gives the chance to everyone interested to check out some great Gothic Rock bands. Gothland keeps an absolute close minded and pure artistic background promoting only the REAL Gothic Rock Stuff. No fake stuff, not EBM, Industrial or pseudo-electro, only worth checking Gothic Rock bands at its best songs on Gothland.




Τετάρτη 15 Ιουνίου 2011

THE MISSION UK - The Crystal Ocean (Live 1987)




The Mission
Crusade Live Aylesbury Friars
The Crystal Ocean
1987

THE MISSION - 25h Anniversary Celelbration






































The Mission celebrate their 25th anniversary by reforming for a show at London’s Brixton O2 Academy on Saturday 22nd October and we are very pleased to be able to announce that joining us in the festivities for the evening will be very special guests, Fields Of The Nephilim. Also just confirmed for the opening slot are are Gene Loves Jezebel. The Mission’s vocalist Wayne Hussey says:

“So, when I was asked if I would like to play a London show celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Mission my immediate thought was how can I make this more memorable and more of an event than the four sold out Shepherd Bush shows we played back in early 2008? What, exactly, would our audience really like to see? My first thought was to try and persuade the original line-up of the band to get together again - so, with reluctant promises of no sex and no drugs and a treadmill on the tour bus I managed to persuade Craig Adams and Simon Hinkler to join me for the show. And we’ll only be playing songs from the albums we actually recorded together so it’ll be all the early ‘hits’ and more, and none of any of that recent bollocks and I promise, no new songs. If you want new songs then get yourself along to one of my solo shows next time I’m on tour. Yeah, this Mission show, it’s gonna be all about nostalgia.

Then I turned my mind to the issue of who could I ask to join us that would elevate the evening from merely a wondrous celebratory occasion to one of complete nirvana for the average Mission fan. A band that our audience would love to see play with us. A band that has a history and musical legacy as rich as ours, a band that invokes a dedication and attracts zealots just as The Mission does. A band that mean’t something in 1986 when we started and still does today. A band that, amazingly, we’ve never ever shared a stage with before. Got it. Only one answer. Fields Of The Nephilim. Perfect.”

It promises to be a night never to forget and an exciting way to celebrate 25 years of The Mission with two of the very best British bands of that period and will be the hottest ticket of the season. And to commence the proceedings for the evening will be the venerable and evergreen Gene Loves Jezebel.

http://themissionuk.com/wp/



Τρίτη 14 Ιουνίου 2011

'Sense' new single by Adoration



This is the return of this great Gothic Rock baad from United Kingdom. "Sense" is their new single and this is the promo video. It was released on 4/6/11 and it is available through itunes and other digital online stores.

Adoration formed in London in 2003 by Stephen Carey (formerly of Ireland’s This Burning Effigy) together with vocalist John Stone. After an initial flurry of activity during which the band supported bands such as Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and All About Eve, they decided to cocoon themselves in the studio to write and record their first album, with Lee-Anne Burgess joining them on bass in 2006. Owing to Steve’s other musical commitments (NFD, Eden House) this was a lengthy process.

In September 2008 the 3 piece finally released their long awaited debut studio album ‘Sleepwalking’.

http://myspace.com/adorationuk
http://facebook.com/adorationuk

The First Aphorism: Dronning Maud Land

Dronning Maud Land from Germany is one of the most inspired Gothic Rock bands that have passed from the scene. Their saga was sort but their releases are still mentioned as big influence for many bands as as top favorites by many fans -myself included-. The saga of the band was sort however they have left behind some excellent pieces of music. The reference to this great band will start with the reviews of their first two releases. We shall have more DML coming into the page but for now anyone that is not aware of them should start discovering this band by those two releases, you will never regret it, believe me. Well I have first written those two reviews back on August of 2007 for the official DML page of MySpace that a good friend of mine and I started together back on the day.

Dronning Maud Land – Alteration (Maxi CD – Glasnost Music - 1994)




















The Alteration Maxi CD was released back in 1994 by Glasnost Music under the matrix code GLAS 22, containing four tracks it is the second release by this German Gothic Rock act. It includes the song "Cry For Happy" –originally from the debut- but here you can listen it to a different –"Alterated" is the name that is used by the band in here- version. The song remains great as a composition but I prefer the original version. Moving to the next track we will have the chance to listen "Spirits", a mid tempo, foggy Gothic Rock song, for sure it is not the band's best composition but it remains interesting. "Chains Of Fear", is one of the most FOTN-ish tracks of Dronning Maud Land and to be more specific it captures that Rock 'N' Roll feeling that Fields used to spread in some of their songs, you would enjoy it even better if you are drunk or something, on an opposite situation you would simply point it –as I did- as the fastest and wildest song on this Maxi CD. The musical epilogue in here is something that hardly can be described with words. Due to this song I would add the "Alteration" release very close to the top of my favorite Mni / Maxi CDs, EPs, 7'' / 12'' / CD Single releases. Yes folks, I am referring to the amazing "Roses For Margie" track. A deep, emotional and mournful Gothic Rock anthem, a hymn to romanticism, an ode to the cold sorrow that the –with no reason- Death of a beloved (love? What it is? Anyway out of topic…) person brings. Just listen to the way that Carsten sings this song, just dive into its deep melody, just wait for its –full of mourn and anger- crescendo and you MAYBE could grab the chance to understand what Gothic Rock REALLY means…This track is enough to make this release a must for every serious fan of this type of music (no it is not only music but anyway…) and of course I am referring the real think, the original Maxi CD and not any kind of dump mp3. I would finish here adding the fact that –apart for my own opinion and list- DML remains on the pantheon of Gothic Rock and one of the strongest reasons, is included in this release, so go out there and grab it.

Dronning Maud Land – Aphorism (CD – Glasnost Records – 1993)




















Take a most careful look into the back catalogue of the –now inactive- Glasnost Records and stop to the number 13 (GLAS 013), yes you got it right folks, this is the debut album of Germany's Dronning Maud Land, I really do not know if the number 13 into the matrix code of this release was a spooky trick or something, the fact is that in here we got a Gothic Rock masterpiece. Nine tracks… yes they are enough to capture they gray painted skies and bring them straight into your stereo speakers. You may ask for more details after reading all these. Ok you going to have them. The music of Dronning Maud Land is mostly based into the crystal clear guitar melodies built under a solid but progressive rhythm section. In here you would not discover the monolithic drum and bass rhythm section of your everyday Gothic Rock band. Drum and bass lines are getting more complex, making the songs to sound even more rich and interesting. Melodic themes and atmospheric musical lines built by guitars and NOT by keyboards is the main feature in here. Keyboards are offering the last musical pieces of gray wherever they are sounding. Of course I left the vocals to be my last mention in this text cause for sure are the strongest feature in this album. I am sure that once you hear the vocals of DML you would never forget them not for the reason that they got a special sound or whatever but mostly due to the fact that every single vocal line is sang with such passion and feeling that ends to be DML's trademark. Mournful and cold as ice the vocals in here are nothing more or nothing less than a strong and unforgettable musical experience for every listener. Do not ask me to pick a specific song from the nine tracks that are included n here simply because Aphorism is an album that got to be heard form the beginning to the end, with the booklet of the lyrics in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. This is just the beginning of the journey….



http://www.dronning-maud-land.de/
http://www.myspace.com/dronningmaudland
http://www.darkdimensions.de/
http://www.myspace.com/darkdimensionslabelgroup






Opened Paradise (GR)

The Greeks Opened Paradise were formed in the summer of 2003. Through music they wanted to express feelings and thoughts that were kept inside and had to breathe. Up till now they have shared the stage with names such as Fields of the Nephilim, Garden Of Delight, Nosferatu, Clan of Xymox, Paradise Lost, Type O Negative, Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Theatre Of Tragedy, Arcturus, Elusive and many more. On March 2005 they’ve participated on ‘Beyond the Veil III” Festival which was held in Leeds (UK). Their debut album “Occult” reached the stores On 2006 and has earned very good reviews by the Greek and foreign press. The band was put on ice for a very long time but now they are returning back on their original line up. A 5 track EP is scheduled to be released soon, meanwhile their debut will be re released on vinyl and CD.

The band's latest participation is on the sampler CD Greek Underground Scene -a limited edition impended release- featuring their unreleased song Blue Lights



















Bellow you can read the interview I have done with the band back on 2005. I was in Thessaloniki, Greece, back then (those were the days):


It sounds strange for Greece the land of the sun to have such a dark and well-kept secret as Opened Paradise. So let's move back in the beginning. How the journey started? What was the main goal of the band back in the first days of formation?

Hello Chris and thank you for giving us the opportunity to present ourselves through your site. Opened Paradise were formed late in the summer of 2003. There was no plan or a certain goal, rather than to express our feelings and deeper emotions through music. This was and still is our priority. If we don’t enjoy what we’re doing, there’s no need to be doing it. We are glad to notice though, that there are people out there who share the same thoughts we do.

I would put your music straight to the Gothic Rock genre with influences form bands like Garden Of Delight and Fields Of The Nephilim. Is that ok for you? Do you want to create a special sound of your own or just re produce what the big ones have made years before in order to keep the dark flame alive?

We never denied the fact that Fields Of The Nephilim and Garden Of Delight are bands that influenced our music. These two bands among with Nosferatu are the checkpoint for the members of Opened Paradise. Further on, every one of us listens to different kinds of music. It has to do with the emotional situation we’re going through. It’s not gothic or metal, or whatever it is. Labels only exist to put limits in people’s heads. Fuck the limits. It is just music, and everybody should feel free to express himself through it. Surely we want to keep the flame alive, but following exactly the same steps is not progress…it’s lack of imagination.

Tell us about your debut CD. It was recorded from May until July 2004. Has it been released finally? Have you released it by yourselves or are you still in contact with a record label in order to make it released?

No. The CD has not been released yet. We’re in touch with a record label, but I don’t see things working out. “Occult” will be released by ourselves, through the website early in 2006.

Artaud Seth (Garden Of Delight, Lutherion) and Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ) have done the mastering and the mixing of the album. How it was to work with such important persons of the dark music community?

Both of them helped us a lot with the sound we wanted to create. They have a way of doing things… you always feel as everything is working out fine. No anxiety, no pressure and things seem to evolve on their own. We were listening to Rotting Christ and Garden Of Delight years before our collaboration, so it was also a great chance to meet the creators of each band in person.

I notice Opened Paradise to break the limits of Greece in order to play live. Tell us about your live experiences in UK (Beyond The Veil III" Festival). Which one of the many live shows that you have given would be marked as the best one for you? How easy to bring the atmosphere of the CD on stage?

We played in England on March 2005. It was quite different than any other show we had. The feeling that we were going to play abroad for the first time. It gave us tremendous energy knowing that we were going to present Opened Paradise to a foreign country. Then it had to do with the organization. The promoter really cares for the bands and supports them from the beginning to the very end. It’s sad to say that I’ve never seen this in Greece so far. In my opinion we’re years away from that. Maybe the promoters in Greece should pay more attention also to the local groups. There are guys out there who really deserve to be known.

On the other hand, it would be unfair to name a “best” concert. All of them had something to give. England had to do with experience. What you discover is something completely different. Then again the live show with Moonspell on April. I was amazed by the way people embraced us that night. To be honest, I didn’t expect it to be like that at all.

We try to do our best wherever and whenever we play. The atmosphere has to do with the individuals participating in Opened Paradise. Everyone delivers his best self. It is like were going through purgatory while we’re on stage… We cleanse our souls. So, whatever the outcome is, it ought to create the atmosphere that surrounds the band.

Tell us about your participation on December Darkness Festival with Arcturus, Theatre Of Tragedy and Siva Six. How it was organized? It will also be your first ever live in Thessalonica (Greece). Am I right?

It is something that popped out of nowhere. We thank the promoter for the chance he is giving us to share with you guys our music for the first time, and also to share the stage with names such as Arcturus and Theatre Of Tragedy.

Are you preparing something special for that very first show on Northern Greece?

We’ll just try to do our best in order to please ourselves and the people who are going to be there.

It is time, for a more general question now... Are there any valuable Gothic Rock bands in our country that you may want to propose to the people that are into this genre?

I am not able to judge who is valuable and who is not, and I don’t want to put labels on music. Some of the Greek bands that I like in general are ”The Illusion Fades” and the old “Ding An Sich”.

What is your opinion about Gothic Rock scene in general? Worldwide I am noticing that the old good scene including the "big ones" like FOTN, GOD and many others has begun to fade away. On the other hand we have the Gothic genre to become a serious trend mixed by electro and industrial stuff. Many good bands have faded away (Droning Maud Land is probably one of the saddest examples, fortunately House Of Usher are still active) and on the other hand much more many trendy bands talking about hearts and roses appear on the scene. The spirit is getting lost somehow. What is your opinion about that?

Let me disagree with you concerning Fields Of The Nephilim. I don’t know if you have purchased their new album “Mourning Sun”, so I’ll only say that it sounds to me as a very inspired and deeply emotional concept. On the other hand Garden Of Delight have been put to rest by Artaud Seth, but his new band, Lutherion seem to be going on fairly well. I left Dronning Maud Land on their “Bedlam” album and I don’t know what’s going on right now. I was never a fan of House Of Usher so my opinion is not important.

I am not into Electro and Industrial. Lets just say that they don’t express the way I feel. From what I see nevertheless, a lot of people seem to be drawn by these genres, so maybe it is time for Electro and Industrial to leave their mark in the music scene. Who knows? It’s not only what “you” like and want in life; it is also what is going on around the walls that “you” put yourself behind.

Concerning the bands that talk about “hearts and roses”… Lyrics are as much important as music. If somebody feels fulfilled with songs talking about “hearts and roses” its ok by me. I think though that there are things in life other than just hearts beating and “wonderful”, “passionate” deaths. Sure, romance is just a part in life, but I find nothing romantic about death. Somebody dies and the rest remain. The pain remains.

The spirit and the energy it has move on or falls backwards.

Thanks for your time close the interview as you like….

“Even the biggest journey starts with the first step”

Periklis”E”

Check the band:

here
and here


First Chapter....































Arcane Delights is a new way of spreading the word of Gothic Rock music, focusing to the musical and artistic point of view and leaving behind all the trends, sub cultures and lifestyle stuff that have been spread around the genre for so many years. Arcane Delights is a free space for new bands and artists that would be presented through a careful and focused reference to their art through reviews, interviews and any other kind of into the point presentation. It is also a big tribute to the big ones of the past, the bands and artists that enlightened the way to the newer ones and finally Arcane Delights is a way to discover obscure and old bands that never got the attention they deserved. All this stuff through our texts, our videos, our images, our spirit. Purity in its absolute form is and will be expressed through the texts of AD. We only point to Gothic Rock music played from heart and soul the good, old classic way, paying respect to all its roots -Dark Wave, Post Punk etc-. This is the type of stuff we shall focus on. No lifestyle fake stuff, absolutely no EBM or Industrial stuff, absolutely no club oriented stuff that is focusing on everything else except music, no "wanna be something" chicks and "Goths" lacking confidence. We are old school, close minded and puritans. We love and respect our music and we wait you to join us.