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Einstürzende Neubauten - 2-29-2004, Warsaw - 01-Mar-05 08:59 PM
It has been exactly a year ago (well, concert took place on 29 February, but this day appears only 1 time for 4 years, so it's like today, on the 1st March, it's year after ;)), but I remember it like it was yesterday - great concert. This was their first visit in Poland - strange, that in 24 years of their existence they cannot manage to get here before. Anyway, I was a big EN fan and after that gig I've become even bigger. They played almost all songs from promoted "Perpetuum Mobile" album (without "Boreas" and "Der Weg ins Frei") - stunning performances of "Selbsportrait mit Kater" (which begins the whole performance, after Blixa's speech about why they can't get to Poland before - nobody believed him anyway ;) - with nice intro in Polish :) ; unfortunatelly, this first song is not on the CD), "Dead Friends", "Grundstück" and especially "Perpetuum Mobile", wchich is a whole lot better live than studio. Of course, old "classics" can't be omitted too - "Haus der Lüge", which was probably the highlight, and one big surprise, only one time played before (and that was two days before Warsaw show, in Moscow) "Neun Arme" - very old (above 20 years) one, in completely new, great arrangement. I was really impressed.
Too bad that due to technical problems not even the half of the concert is on that - great anyway - CD. Not to mention technical glitches, which can be very annoying (especially in ""Haus der Lüge"). But after all the whole thing is in my memory, and it alwasy be, I hope. :)

Thomas Köner - Unerforschtes Gebiet - 15-Dec-04 08:40 AM
Last but not the least - this is the last record from not-so-big Thomas discography I've heard and it's one of my top 3. It's worth to buy this album for the first track alone - it's probably one of the most dark and unhuman pieces of music ever recorded. True nature sound - really deep drones and "Köner-type" wooshing ambiences, wich makes you think about the coldest and darkest places on Earth, like Antarctic or North Pole.
Sounds of crushing the glacier, cold storm gathering under the ice lands, melting the never-melted icebergs...
It need to be remarked that even if those sounds are dark and cold, Köner never uses that kind of "childish-spooky" sound like Lustmord and similar dark ambient artists do. His music has its own, unique "nature" climat, which is not dangerous for people, but remember them, that in comparison to the nature forces, human ones are nothing.
Second track is softer, yet dark and mysterious - kind of "light" version of the first one.
Third, bonus CD track, for me is unnecessary and seems like put here only for "bonus for CD buyers" commercial purposes. Musically it has nothing to do with the previous tracks - it's more "spacey" type of ambient, in which Köner is not very good at. Also it's very minimal, and the key role play vocal samples (like on "Zyklop"). Not bad, but only decent - in Köner's scale, of course ;-).
But as I said before - this album is worth to buy for the first track alone. Truly "unexplored territories".

Sol Invictus - The Death Of The West - 30-Aug-04 05:20 AM
Another great Sol Invictus record - as usual ;-).
But it isn't a usual album - rather a compilation, which includes new songs, unrealeased before ones and some re-recorded old ones. Those re-recorded ones are "Kneel to the Cross" and "Amongst the Ruins" ("The Ruins" in original) from "Lex Talionis" LP - and I must say that they're even better then original. Tony also included to this album previously unreleased live song "Sheath & Knife". Only title track is new, composed (naturally) for this album - the rest are old, unreleased ones. Some of them, like "Our Lady of the Wild Flowers", "In the West" or "The West" (Tony must really have obssession with that word ;-)) are one of the best in whole Wakeford's catalogue - really tasty pieces.
Another great band's album - but it's no wonder for those who know undeniable Tony's talent.

Sol Invictus - Trees In Winter - 26-Aug-04 12:50 AM
This was my first Sol Invictus record I've heard - and I was totally blown away! I mainly listen to industrial and experimental electronics, but that melancholic folk sound possessed me at the first listening. After that, I've gone through practically the whole Sol Invictus discography and it's still one of my two favorite albums (the next one is "Lex Talionis").

But this record sounds a little different than the others - it doesn't have (except on the first track) any electronics at all - only acoustic sounds and the voice. The, first song has a pretty ambient, long intro which comes up to the first one of the "sad, medieval-folk songs". Every song is based on the same motive, so I don't want to describe each one.

What I like the best is the melancholic and very sad melody, built by acoustic guitar, violin, tribal(are they live?) drums and Tony Wakeford's vocals, which are surprisingly good. Besides the music I love the lyrics on this album - especially in "Gold is King", "Deceit" and "Trees in Winter"; they are so simple, but great.

My favorites songs are "Gold is King", "Here We Stand" (great, almost power-folk beat ;-)), "Deceit" (one of the few songs that made me cry) and "Media". Unfortunately, I must say that this album could be even better if it did not contain "Looking for Europe" and "Michael". Those tracks seem to be included unnecessarily, because they really differ from the others and that's not to their advantage.

Summing up, it's one of the best neo-folk works I've ever heard and one of my favorite album of all time. This record also made me put Sol Invictus in the top three of my favorite artists.

John Balance - 03-Jun-04 04:47 PM
The man standing behind it all. Possessed by vision. Leading his own path. Innovative. Creative. Brilliant.
Musical Prometheus. A demon. A genius.

Active since his first works with Throbbing Gristle in late 70s, through contributions to such bands as Psychic TV, Zos Kia, Murderwerks and finally Coil, till this day creates magical visions which can only be admired by the others. One of this few unique ones who gets better and better in music with time.

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