Vapula

Across The Rubicon-Elegy(2007)

Across The Rubicon is a Polish newborn band with members of Cold Fusion and Rukkanor (among others). It has just issued its first album of 10 neoclassical martial industrial assaults. At the first look, we gaze at the simple yet so efficient design of the booklet: beautiful blue/grey pictures, cloudy skies, marmoreal coldness and uncertain harvest... The quality of the music however is rather a certainty! "Soldat Inconnu" is introduced with a sample of a French military song: sadly the...

Rome – Confessions D’Un Voleur D’Ames(2007)

Now I am a firm believer that first records play with advantage. I am considering here ‘Berlin’ an extension of ‘Nera’, but the explanation of my previous statement is pretty obvious. Say when you write your first record you are 25 years old. It means you’ve had all that time, in one way or another, to be influenced by various things, to explore, discover, listen, silence. It means that you have a clear idea of what you want your project to sound. Basically this way I want to defend...

Dargaard – The Dissolution of Eternity(2001)

Dargaard was founded by Tharen in 1997. Tharen had already played a prominent role in several underground bands by this time, including Abigor and Amestigon, both black metal bands and Dominion III, an industrial music act. Tharen was the keyboard player in Abigor, but Amestigon, Dominion III and Dargaard are entirely his projects. Dargaard was born out of Tharen's desire to move away from black metal and express himself through more ambient and classical music. Also joining the band was...

Triarii – Piece Heroique(2006)

Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant. So creep Triarii on ‘Pièce Héroique’, their cindery follow-up to ‘ars militaria’, a triumphal arch of bombast and orchestral swells limned with choir and dark vocals. Encapsulating the Trajan typeface dominating the album’s cover in strong caps – puissant blocks of line, crisp geometrically carved serifs, and curving harmonic arches – so enfolds the music that launches with the opening track, ‘Le Crépuscule Des Dieux’. Accentuating a...

Novalis – Paradise…?(2005)

Novalis has returned to the dark music scene after their popular debut full length release on Black Rain records "Last Years Calling” in 2002. It has now been three years since most of us were originally swept away by the emotion and dark romanticism of Novalis. In the three years that have passed Novalis has added new drummer Mario Krell to the line up of founding members Stev Schumann and Marcel Hinkel. Other new additions include two violinists, a guitarist and a trumpeter as well as a...