[Equilibrium Music]
For all those people who are like "Man, I really like Arditi but I wish they were somehow also a neofolk band" - Leidungr has heard your call and answered. Leidungr is the "nordic ritual folk" project of Henry Möller (of Arditi - hey, that's convenient! and Puissance), Michayah Belfagor (of black metal bands Nefandus and Ofermod) and P. Ståhl. It's got that same dismal, ancient world vibe that Arditi's work carries along with some of the martial components (chants/choirs, percussion - though in much smaller doses), but with more neofolk elements such as guitar, spoken neofolk-y vocals, etc. Some of the songs are a bit too minimal and sparse for me to get into, but I did enjoy the ones with more elements (most notably: "Vindålder" and "De Nio Kraftsångerna"). Check this out if you want dark, raw medieval sounding neofolk created in the most murky, darkened nordic forest you can imagine. Also definitely for people who can appreciate lo-fi, primitive black metal atmospheres.
[Ant Zen]
Rhythm Age is a kind of back-to-basics album from rhythmic noise veterans Synapscape, and I mean that in the best way possible. I haven't followed Synapscape all that much in recent years (ever since they became cowboys with Imminent) as I'm not much of a fan of their more experimental stuff; however, on this record they go for a pretty straight forward rhythmic technoid/industrial sound which takes me back to the days of Positive Pop and thereabouts, and it works brilliantly. Every track is pretty much a combination of crunchy rhythms, beeping synths, cold atmospheric pads and sometimes their trademark distorted vocals (which I love)...and they pull of this style / sound expertly. While every song can sort of be described in a similar way, they manage to keep each song sounding unique & fresh, and the album only feels monotonous in a good way (in that hypnotic boom boom boom Orphx techno way). It's very groovy and quite accessible while still containing crunch, distortion, solid atmospheres and interesting sounds. If you're looking for cold, calculated rhythmic industrial than you need to give this one a listen. Definitely a very "Ant Zen" record and my favorite thing they've put out in years.
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