Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio & Spiritual Front - Satyriasis

Genre(s) - Apocalyptic folk, military pop
Origin - Sweden (ORE), Italy (SF)
Year of release - 2005
Bitrate - 192 kbps
Size - 47.41 MB

A debauched carnal encounter between the two most sensual and deviant acts of the neo-industrial era, Satyriasis was destined to be long before it was. The two projects each have a style of their own, but there are no two other bands that are as compatible. This is also reflected in the way the album is structured. Transition from the one band and back again is so seamless there is no reason to call it a transition altogether. Spiritual Front are the folkier, more organic of the two while Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio still take more cues from (martial) industrial structure, but both bands supply great exclusive material. The joint-effort intro and outro could have been more substantial, however. They really just serve as in- and outroduction while I'd have loved to hear some co-written actual songs. No matter, you can handle the setback. Now go get 'er.

If you enjoyed the Italian band you can find more here; ORE definitely warrants a future post.

1. ORE ft. SF - Your sex is the scar
2. SF - Song for the old man
3. ORE - Hell is where the heart is (the gospel of Thomas)
4. SF - Autopsy of a love
5. ORE - Three is an orgy, four is forever
6. SF - Border
7. ORE - Dreaming of my scarlet woman
8. SF ft. ORE - The pleasure of pain
   

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Agalloch - two more EPs

Band/artist - Agalloch
Genre(s) - Neofolk metal
Origin - United States of America (Portland, OR)

So! Agalloch don't have two EPs out, they've got four, and I decided to be a perfectionist and upload 'em all. With all the genre confusion I've decided to call them neofolk-metal, which may be a bit "too short through the corner" but it's simply the most fitting term I can imagine. Their very latest EP, the White one, once again underscores the band's dedication to neofolk - it's entirely written in this tradition - and also their metal material usually shows influences from the genre. The Grey EP starts off with a (very) different version of The Lodge, off The Mantle album, transforming it from a short semi-acoustic track into a long, very beautiful piece of largely black metal-styled melancholy. Odal on the other hand has gotten an industrial-ambient treatment that can't catch my attention at all. The White EP consists of only new tracks, barren and bleached compositions with only sporadic use of electric instruments or vocals. It suits you or it doesn't, but I think it's wonderful.


Album - The Grey EP
Year of release - 2004

1. The lodge (dismantled)
2. Odal (nothing remix)
   

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Album - The White EP
Year of release - 2008

1. The isle of summer
2. Birch black
3. Hollow stone
4. Pantheist
5. Birch white
6. Sowilo rune
7. Summerisle reprise
   

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Agalloch - two EPs

Band/artist - Agalloch
Genre(s) - Neofolk-metal
Origin - United States of America (Portland, OR)

Up to a couple of months ago I ignored Agalloch completely due to soaring popularity. At the time it felt too much like jumping on the bandwagon and I'm no athlete. Quite glad I tried it out in the end. Haughm and company sound much like a neofolk-ensemble switched to metal yet keeping a lot of old influences. This results in some bleak and atmospheric music, thematically centered around negative feelings and love for nature, but too restrained to be conveniently labeled black, doom or folk metal. I figure that if you're looking for their albums you can probably find them all over the instawebs so when it comes to uploading, I'm going for the EPs. Of Stone, Wind and Pillor shows off the trademarks of their style, like their remarkable twin-guitar approach - one electric and one acoustic - and their penchant towards acoustic and ambient passages. Tomorrow Will Never Come is a two-track release consisting of an alternative version of A Celebration for the Death of Man, and a new, very desolate-sounding neofolk track with spoken-word samples.


Album - Of Stone, Wind and Pillor
Year of release - 2001

1. Of stone, wind and pillor
2. Folorium viridium
3. Haunting birds
4. Kneel to the cross
5. A poem by Yeats
   

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Album - Tomorrow Will Never Come
Year of release - 2003

1. Death of man (version III)
2. Tomorrow will never come
   

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Spiritual Front - Armageddon Gigolo

Band/artist - Spiritual Front
Genre(s) - Neofolk
Origin - Italy
Album - Armageddon Gigolo
Year of release - 2006

Despite a similar taste in decadence and depravity as Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, with whom they have shared a split, Spiritual Front's music flows with surprising elegance. Compared to (what I heard of) the former band, SF is a good deal more melodic, resulting in an album that is simultaneously baroque and folksy. And beautiful. That's as best as I can explain it, you'll just have to hear it for yourself. Great songs include The Shining Circle, Jesus Died in Las Vegas (it's true!) and Kisses on the Mouth.

1. Slave
2. A bastard angel
3. I walk the deadline
4. The shining circle
5. My kingdom for a horse
6. Jesus died in Las Vegas
   
7. Cruising
8. Love through vaseline
9. Ragged bed
10. No kisses on the mouth
11. Redemption or myself
    

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