I.Coraxin jätkien häkellyttävä aktiivituus tuntuu vain kiihtyvän, myös sivuprojektien osalta. Yhtyeen toinen osapuoli anti ittna h. on julkaissut projektinsa Halo Manashin toisen kokopitkän omalla Aural Hypnox-merkillään. Tämä on jo ihan kunnon tehdaspainettu CD ja 200 ensimmäisen kappaleen mukana tulee myös n.A3-kokoinen itse tehty seinäkangas jota koristaa esoteerinen sinetti.

Esoteerisuus on muutenkin Halo Manashissa vahvasti läsnä. Kansivihossa on ohjeet, miten levyä ja siihen liittyviä sinettejä voi käyttä meditoimiseen, ja musiikki on entistä intensiivisempää ja rituaalimaisempaa - tätä kuunnellessa tuntuu että jo itsessään vakuuttava Se its en oli pelkkä alkumaistiainen. Levyä hallitsevat todella energisesti värisevät ääniaallot, ilmeisesti ainakin osittain sähkökitaralla tehtyjä, demoniset miesäänet sekä rummut. Musiikki on uskomattoman elävää ja voimakasta - vaikka levyn jättäisi taustalle soimaan se kaappaa silti lähes väkisin mukaansa ja vie kuulijan mielen uusiin tiloihin. Suggerointivoimallaan Vir painii täysin samassa sarjassa LOKI Foundationin esoteeristen äänigurujen kuten Inaden ja Herbst9:n kanssa. Erityisesti viimeksimainittu tulee todella vahvasti mieleen. Matka vaihtelee eteerisen leijuvasta raskaan rytmiseen, pysyen aina vahvasti mielen pimeällä puolella. Olen kovasti yrittänyt keksiä tästä jotain negatiivistakin sanottavaa, mutta levyn silkka upeus saa sellaisen tuntumaan turhalta nipotukselta. Joidenkin mielestä tällainen synkän demoninen rituaalimusiikki voi olla kornia ja teennäistä, mutta se onkin ainoa syy minkä voin keksiä tämän levyn hankkimatta jättämiseen.

Levyn avautuvuus ja voimakkuus on sellaista luokkaa että suosittelen tätä erityisesti myös ensikosketuksena esoteerisempaan musiikkiin. Joka kuuntelemalta olen tullut vakuuttuneemmaksi siitä että tämä on rituaaliambientin kärkikastia. Ainoastaan kansivihko olisi voinut olla vankempaa tekoa.

Aural Hypnox is a new label from Finland presenting the work of the Finish dark ambient newcomers Halo Manash. Last year, Halo Manash released on Blue Sector (another Finish label) their first work 'Se Its En' dedicated to seven specific dreams the project's instigator. This time, their work is inspired by 'the triad formation of night, sky and time, a Par-Antra trilogy concentrating on research of parallel forms and primal pathways'. 'VIR', featuring nine pieces, is the title of the first part of this trilogy. The mixing of shamanic percussions, hypnotic e-bowed guitars, cymbals, windbones and chanting voices amongst other elements give rise to a very original and intense work. From organic dark ambient to ritualistic sonorities, this album creates a very meditative atmosphere despite the presence of electronic elements and a constant rythmic. They could also explain why this approximately 60 minute length album never sounds boring.

The long first powerful track 'ast unTA AKSElin' built upon guitar drones, strong percussion and ritualistic voices gives the tone of the ensemble. I would say that at times Halo Manash music evokes to me a sort of cross between Predominance (latest period) and Karnnos (that would have electronic elements integrated in their music, if only this concept was possible…)… To get to the essential, this is an excellent album that I highly recommend to amateurs of dark/tribal/ritual ambient music. It is going to be a long wait until the rest of the series is released by Aural Hypnox. Part II titled 'TAA' should be released in January 2005 and the third part 'INA' is planned to be out in January 2006.

The CD comes in a nicely realised 8 black and white page A5 booklet including visual material and texts to assist the listener in this experience… This release is limited to 1000 copies and the first 200 include a VIR wall canvas (50cm x 40cm) made by using colour-removal technique. Collectors will be satisfied to know that each canvas is unique, of course.

Highly recommended!

There are nine tracks on this release, the first from Finnish label Aural Hypnox, totalling a little over an hour. Each track is titled in Finnish, and also designated by an indecipherable squiggle like The Artist Formerly Known as Prince’s moniker. This album is the first part of a projected Par-Antra trilogy, and according to the accompanying booklet, ‘each track stands as a unique aural and visual sigil of itself, [existing] solely to promote the understanding of the innermost and ultimate meaning of the “Vir”.’ Listeners of the album are encouraged to use the individual tracks as aids to meditation. What this ‘Vir’ is, I haven’t yet discovered, but to judge from the sounds of this album, it’s something pretty bloody scary.

Halo Manash produce potent dark ambient music with heavy occult themes, combining synth and e-bowed guitar drones, shamanic percussion, spectral moaning, whispered and chanted vocals and various samples, and it will appeal to fans of the left-hand path diabolist stylings of such acts as Lustmord, Coil, Children of the Apocalypse and Aesthetic Meat Foundation. Given this album’s origin point in northern Finland, I was a bit surprised that the occult aesthetic employed doesn’t have any very obvious Nordic or Saami references – it seems much more influenced by the Zos Kia Cultus of Austin Osman Spare. But be that as it may, this is intensely sinister and eerie music for uneasy listening. The CD is limited to 1000 copies, and it comes packaged in a protective envelope with an A5 booklet, emblazoned with all sorts of spooky magickal sigils. The first 200 copies also include a unique print.

A very long time ago I saw a band called Zero Kama. They played percussion and poured blood over them. They whistled a few trumpets and probably described their music as 'magick' or 'ritualisk'. When I played this CD by Halo Manash, the good old days come back. Dark, percussive sounds, with howling guitars and likewise howling vocals. 'The soundscapes of Halo Manash are reflections from the world of ever-changing shapes/mutable shades'. I am not a very black nor bleak person, so I find it very hard to go down into the underworld of Halo Manash. I can't relate this to any of today's darker walkers, but the whole thing sounds very eighties to me. Very Zero Kama, or very Sigillum S like and very much not my cup of tea. And this is of course the first of a trilogy... oh dear.

One year after the debut CDR Se ist en, the Finnish formation Halo Manash releases it's next output entitled Par antra I: Vir, as the first part of the Par antra trilogy. This new album offers a sort of demonic collection of soundscapes. This CD is not ambient though, but created by means of guitars, bass, windbones and electronics. Ritualistic rhythms on top of noise layers. Bewitching vocals and surrealistic samples do the trick. This Finnish three-piece, existing of Anti Ittna H, Iwo Hoccue and R. Kadin delivers an interesting porridge of electro-acoustic layers, reminding of early Ain Soph (OEC). The accompanying A5 booklett with artwork in the same style, fits the sinister music nicely. Music that starts to evoke images, or perfect film music for apocalyptic videos, showing the not so nobel side of mankind. It could also have been a nice score for the horror images during the Iraqi prison torture practices.

This lengthy and massively conceptual full-length is a step forward for this curious Finnish dark ambient project - here making use of vocals/chanting, EBowed guitar, bass, analog synths, windbones, samples, and shamanic percussion, among others. The vocals, when present, are delivered in a soft lull, not very prominent, and certainly not discernible as actual words or phrases per se. In "Varjoutomaa" there are some slightly more aggressive and sneered vocals, but they're still so subdued underneath the surrounding elements that they're not a dominant factor. Percussion is also very evident, but still relatively forced back in the mix amongst deep and active ambient noise - sweeping back and forth, to and fro. It's very interesting, as the ritualistic atmospheres of the percussion against the unique textures of the music create a subtle industrial feel that at times reminds me on some level of a looser and more experimental In Slaughter Natives. "Kulku Iska Ajan Alla" blends very light background distortion with eerie wisps of feedback for a very sinister and at times minimal passage. It's tracks such as this that vary ever so slightly from the path, but this is an extremely consistent record that, while divided, certainly does come off as a complete and whole entity. The brief "Tulvi Alas Keesiin" (the shortest pieces at less than three minutes) is also a bit darker and more minimal, though still based around similarly winding tones that perfectly mesh smooth midrange with flowing low-end. "Aurash" is the most "musical" and chant like composition, using a persistent structure with repeating chanted vocals and basic percussive rhythms over an almost musical synth progression - accented by other indescribable textures cascading about. "Sie Lus To" closes with more than 16 minutes of perfectly melodic feedback (likely due in part to use of the EBow) and some of the more intense percussive patterns, closing with absolutely bleak synths… I can't even put into words how powerful and apocalyptic the final minutes of this CD truly are. As a whole the recording quality is also excellent, thick and clear with an oppressively dense mix that has no empty space, yet still feels rather bright and effective. Nice work. The disc comes in a large oversized booklet with a number of excellent visuals and a great deal of explanatory text outlining the concepts behind this record. Each track is represented by a physical title as well as a symbol, with the front cover representing the entire album as a complete whole. It is stated that meditation on the properties of these aural and visual "sigils" will allow access to the forces that each represents, and that this release is "highly inspired by the triad formation of night, sky, and time", etc. Very nice. It all looks quite impressive. This, in my opinion, is the best work to date from Halo Manash. I look forward to following the project's future efforts.

New label from Oulu/Finland, twin brother of Blue Sector. With mentioning AURA in a label name you get me enthusiastic. Has Antti, HALO MANASH & Aural Hypnox mastermind, developed ajna? Label is said to concentrate on handcrafts, textile stuff, objects & special packages. Then with a 1000 print run, Aural Hypnox gets all my best wishes for it gets sold out. But on the other hand, with a quantity like this it should remain available for long, be widely available, it will not create frustration for those not glued to their computer hunting for all that comes out, & that is positive. So this is it, manufactured CD. HALO MANASH is much more ritual, more acoustic too. For a second manifestation after a year or so, there's quite an evolution: more acoustic elements, abyssal superposed layers, guitar drones, more percussion, whispered vocals, solemn choirs (in 8th "AURAsh"), occasional modulated tiny high-pitched frequencies piercing their way to the front (in 6th "MagneTisOitUNut aIval"). This time I don't have a single problem with the percussive extent at all as it's not sparse, almost permanent, so doesn't feel like added & has its crucial role in this subtle alchemy. No intermission, like one over an hour long piece. When you feel it could be the end by 9th track "siE Lus tO", discreet sandy textures remain, & shortly after it re-starts with a much more vaporous atmospheric tone, rising from the abyss to an opened sky at night, my favorite part maybe although short. H.M. definately found an identity of his very own. Then I've read somewhere a comparison with ZERO KAMA. Aha. Although H.M. sound is much denser, that could be it. Especially since the very nice b/w A5 booklet that is the cover reveals that windbones are involved. I won't be too descriptive with the booklet so that you'd better discover yourself; all I can say is that to each track corresponds a different sigil, there are a lot of elements interconnected to each others for a complex assemblage background to meditation, aiming at unifying perceptions & energies to overcome the conflict generated by essential dualisms. Taoist? First 200 copies come together with wall canvas, each unique. To be mentioned that there are also larger wall canvas available by Aural Hypnox; I have one of them, my girlfriend has another, so we can attest they are all slightly different, very beautiful black designs of frontcover main sigil on brown bleached background. I really love such items, a lot of efforts has been put in this; next step is batik? It is the first chapter of a trilogy; "Par-Antra" II & III are planned for early 2005 & early 2006. An annual delivery, this seems well-thought, or better, felt in empathy with time circumstances; I'd suspect that, far from being arbitrary, it is linked to a long ritualized confection process.

This is a great CD from Aural Hypnox, and from the product number I do believe it’s their first release? This is a Finnish record label specialising in Drone and Dark Ambient.

'ast unTA AKSElin' starts with percussive samples over a drone sound-scape produced using both guitar and vocal generated source. As the track develops, strong drum rhythms are introduced which complement the guitar drone perfectly. 'VARJOutoMAA' opens as a standard drone piece using sustained guitar effects (very similar to Troum). Strong drum rhythms develop along with vocal samples. Again, like the previous track, there is smart use of voice here to generate both dark drone and additional overlaying inaudible vocal. 'joenukkuMA-A lue' consists of a vocal and sustained guitar intro. Again very similar to Troum, this track is supported with strong percussive rhythm. 'kulKU ISKA AJAn alia' holds a broad array of guitar-generated samples, which drive the rhythm of the track. This differs from Troum in that there is a lot more happening and is far removed from the minimal approach of Troum. The use of percussion here makes this style more accessible to the listener. 'puhdASTRAALIvaio' is lead from the previous track and in ways is a lot similar with the ubiquitous guitar sound-scape and percussive rhythm. 'MAgneTisOitUNut aIval' picks up where the previous track left off. There is an intro of guitar-generated drone supported with some nice sweeping oscillations (quite reminiscent of early Hawkwind, but better!). The drum rhythms eventually build along with the vocal effects to great effect. This track builds better than the previous ones and really stands out (essentially tracks 3-5 blended into each other). This excellent track fades into 'TULVI Alas keESIIN' with a calming cavernous sound. Percussion is absent here, which is a nice break. Lovely vocal samples complement the guitar-generated drone in 'AURAsh'. The return of the percussion fits in perfectly here. The overall effect here is a strong dark ambient piece with sacrificial undertones. Lovely!

'siE LUs tO' is the big one! This track opens with the expected, and welcome, guitar generated sound-scape. Here we have some sporadic yet defined percussion. Again the drone sound-scapes are very reminiscent to Troum (which here is a good think) but with added percussive rhythm and increased urgency about it. It’s a bit like Troum on speed. This track I’m sure would come across very well in a live situation. The percussion eventually subsides leaving just guitar and vocal textures, and finally drops out after 13 and a half minutes. At this point there is a sort of re-birth as the track begins to develop again with vocal and percussive textures, until its final demise. A fantastic track.

We here welcome a new label from the northern part of Finland and a new project as well! HM has already released a cdr entitled “Se its en’”, but this album marks their official debut. This is the 1st part of the so-called “Par-Antra”-trilogy, focusing on the reflections from the world of ever-changing shapes. I’m afraid explaining the concept will lead us too far while I personally prefer to concentrate on the music. HM composes a well-worked out and diversified form of dark ambient sound recovered with an explicit ritual character. I’ve been positively surprised by the wealth of instruments and sounds that have been used for the writing process. The main atmosphere remains black and frightening, like the smell of desolation leading into death. This is the kind of project that could have been signed on CMI, becoming a kind of hybrid between bands like Raison d’Être, Lethum… and other bands like Lustmord and Of Tanz Vicitms. I like the spooky, whispering vocal parts on several tracks, adding some diversity in the compositions, but still reinforcing the anguishing sensation of “Vir’”. The percussions have been played in a sort of ritual way, more to express a kind of ceremony aspect than meant to be danceable. Among the used noise sources, the guitar takes an important part. It doesn’t sound the usual way, but like progressive waves full of dark, psychotic vibes. This is definitely a noticeable newcomer on the wide and dark ambient fields!

Over an hour of fascinating ritual soundscapes. That's what Halo Manash from Finland offers us. This is the first part of a trilogy named Vir by this artist who also has another project named I.Corax.

Shimmering ritualistic musick inspired by occultism and science. With the help of analoque synths and diverse snare and other instruments, shamanic percussion as well as sparse samples, voices and chants, Halo Manash draws you deeper and deeper into his hyptnotic world. After a while this music makes me drowsy.

The music is experimental, but not inaccessible. Some names that come to mind are Rapoon and Nurse with Wound. I quite like the third track, with its whispered vocals and droney background. Also great is the dark cinematic, almost classical 'Aurash IX', taking you to dark catacombs. Halo Manash has created quite special and intense dark ambient music. The sound quality of the ritual soundscapes and the packaging are also above average.

From the very first minutes of this work you are submerged in a continuous hypnosis, in a music without end whose energy emanates with notable intensity. HALO MANASH is not music but a sonorous experience, although some very specific ritual moments (accompanied by voices) are more musical; it cyclically goes from ritualistic sequences and shamanic percussions to large dark ambient passages, always evoking primigenium soundscapes; it reflects a shapeless and unformed world in constant creation and change, and the sonic representation of this is simply superb, with thousand resources to depict it all: penetrating electric echoes, metallic resonances, ambiences with a multitud of sonorous layers, ambient atmospheres with synthesizers sounds (not only into the dark ambient genre), sonic blizzards... Sometimes the sound is like a form in movement, firstly it is flat, then it enters in a kind of metamorphosis and finally becomes a reality, it is like the beginning of all made music. I would like to remark the intense energy given by the music off and the harsh atmospheres of the music. All this sonorous continuous seems to come from the night of times; there are a lot of grotesque and horrible shapes under this world, in form of ritual chantings and background voices, apart from all that abstract and unreal darkness. Excellent 63 minutes of meditation without end nor beginning, though it requires your maximum concentration to get totally into what you are listening to.

Halo Manash is a project of Anti Ittna H. also known as Antti Haapapuro of the label Aural Hypnox. Halo Manash exists since 1998 and devotes itself on this first part of the ‘VIR’ trilogy to abstract ritual soundscapes which form a reflection of the constant changing and shape-shifting manifestations and shapes originating from the times before our earth was created and which are omnipresent in it’s parellel reality. A project with very elite conceptual ideas taken form occultism and science this indeed is.The first part of the Par-Antra trilogy, entitled ‘VIR’, consists of 9 original, intense and multi-layered tracks. The soundscapes on this CD are of a piercing nature and has various hypnotising e-guitars as a basis and is furthermore compiled of shamanistic sounding percussion, windgongs, ritual chanting and analogue synthesizer sounds. The effect of the music is comparable to a meditation, the listener relaxes and still is very alert. In the booklet that goes with the CD there is also a detailed instruction how it’s best to begin meditating with the help of the aural and visional stimuli produced by Halo Manash. The CD is packed in a beautifully designed A5 booklet with black-white artwork with various numerologic and symbolic mandala and sigil designs.

*Wow* If you combined Tibetan chanting; you know, the kind where the monks actually sing *chords*, with the dark, scary ambience of Lustmord, you'd be getting an idea of what you'll hear on this Aural Hypnox release. It is well and truly fascinating, mesmerizing, and yes, hypnotic.

There are seemingly endless layers of sound, like little pathways in the dark, to investigate and follow with your mind. I get lost over and over again. Each time I hear the songs, they unfold differently. This is *so* like a very dark acid trip. The way it draws me in would be frightening if it weren't so terribly beautiful. With this music, I begin to understand the true meanings of awe, and horror.

The album comes with artwork which includes various sigils arranged in a mandala. The creators invite the listener to meditate on each sigil with each track, and then, with repeated listens, begin to meditate on the mandala as a whole. The point of this being, "When you are able to enter into a three-dimensional state, where all the sigils have merged into one - "VIR" will subtly transmute your innerself and reveal both its secrets and ultimate form to you."

Fascinating stuff!

A quote from inside the cover: "To exhaust mind and body in order to obtain a condition of non-consciousness and thus receive, realize and create material based on the concept of both primal and absent vision". This most definately speaks to me. It could be a definition of what "atmospheric music" is all about, at least to my own comprehension/perception of it. Second reference on Aural Hypnox after HALO MANASH second full-length, & another brilliant release. Most definately a label to follow closely, as closely as co-operator Blue Sector. Significant difference between the two labels is availability in time: Blue Sector so far is about CDr's in rather limited quantities, while Aural Hypnox goes with 1000 print run CDs. AEOGA is a new duo from northern Finland. Their sound is haunting atmospheric soundscapes with a prominent (spi)ritual content. No intermission, one 65'52" piece with eight parts. "Coav" is a slow, progressive abyssal drift. Certain passages permit to identify more distinctly some of what is involved in the sound; besides a prominent sepulchral droning base, guitar feedback, distant choir, sparse drum & cymbal, among other elements, are to be heard here & there. It has a rather different impact on the listener whether it is played day or night, I think more suitable for nighttime, or better, nightfall, but a daytime play has its specific effectiveness too. This is amazing for a debut release, astounding. Instantly superior project.

Pohjoisesta Suomesta tuleva luovuuden virta ei tyrehdy. Aural Hypnoxilla julkaistu Aeogan Coav on Halo Manashin ja I.Coraxin Anti Ittna H:n ja tuntemattoman toisen osapuolen yhteisprojekti.

Tämän kuulee selkeästi, musiikin ollessa yhdistelmä Halo Manash-maisia huimaavia kitaradroneja ja synteettisempiä rituaali-industrial elementtejä. Kuten Halo Manash, tämä on intensiivistä, hypnoottista ja vahvasti mielentilaan vaikuttavaa. Halo Manashiin verrattuna Aeogalla on kuitenkin paljon monipuolisempi äänimaailma. Äänikerrokset eivät aina sula hyvin yhteen, kuten hieman kömpelösti rytmitetyllä nelosraidalla, mutta joskus ne täydentävät toisiaan todella loistavasti, kuten upean maalailevalla kakkoskappaleella. Coav:in kappaleet ovat ylipäätään aika selkeästi erottuvia, omanlaisiaan kokonaisuuksia, joista jotkut ovat todella mahtavia ja jotkut eivät.

Tässä tulee esiin "Oulu-sceneen" liittyvä ongelma, tai ehkä pikemminkin haaste johon kyllä uskon artistien voivan vastata: tiheällä julkaisutahdilla tulee eri projekteilta paljon materiaalia, joka kaikki on hyvin vahvaa, mutta myös varsin saman tyylistä. Alkaa jo olla vaikeaa saada "kasvoja" yksittäisille teoksille tai muistaa mikä levy kuulosti miltäkin. Kuitenkaan ei voi kieltää että tämäkin levy on pienestä tasapainottomuudesta riippumatta hyvin vaikuttava teos joka parhaina hetkinään peittoaa alleen suurimman osan isommilla levymerkeillä julkaistusta dark ambientista.

The second release on the promising Finish label Aural Hypnox, 'COAV' is the first album of Aeoga, a two man project from northern Finland. This sixty-five minute-long cd, features eight tracks ranging from haunting and organic dark ambient soundscapes to more atmospheric passages... with a considerable ritual/tribal touch overclouding the general atmosphere. Built upon layers of drones, other elements such as drums, cymbals, eerie guitar feedback, layers of sample, distant choirs... also take part in the richness and intensity of this record. Though Aeoga's masterminds want to keep a part of mystery surrounding their activities, the following inner note should enlighten the listeners: 'To exhaust mind and body in order to obtain a condition of non-consciousness and thus receive, realize and create material based on both primal and absent vision'... An excellent debut album that reveals a new very promising dark ambient Finish duo and that makes Aural Hypnox a label to definitely keep an ear on. The same compliments apply to the artwork, the record coming slipped into an original octagon shaped cardboard cover, including a 6 panel textured cardboard sleeve. As for the maniac collectors, they would have certainly rushed for the beautiful limited deluxe box that is already sold out...

Creating an hypnotical spiral of sounds Aeoga is the second band to record for Aural Hypnox. Their CD, COAV, presents eight long tracks based on guitar sounds treated with tons of reverb and metallic percussions. The tracks haven't got titles and the only written thing is this sentence:"To exhaust mind and body in order to obtain a condition of non-consciousness and thus receive, realize and create material based on both primal and absent vision". Musically Aeoga remind me of the first Coil mini ("How to destroy angels") with the addition of distant vocals, multiple layers of treated guitars and various other samples (voices, blow instruments, etc). The result is magnetic and magmatic and it is permeated of a ritualistic aura.

More superb dark ambient explorations from a Finnish project on the Aural Hypnox label, here in the form of eight long tracks revolving around subtle percussive resonance, low-end hums and drones, and cascading waves of sinister synths with a few chiming sounds. The tracks are titled simply "Coav I" through "Coav VIII", most running more than seven or eight minutes each, playing through rather consistently as a whole, some stripped down to a more minimal level of persistently hypnotic drones with lots of depth and little hints of melody. Some of the strange metallic scrapings/clashings get a little more chaotic in the background of "Coav III"; "Coav V" and "Coav VI" run together seamlessly and are among the most simplistic tracks herein, using little layering and billowing through waves of in and out hums with only scarce accents for nearly 20 minutes combined, dropping back to an even quieter lull at the start of "Coav VII". But "Coav IV" has a moaning sort of vocal passage and more of an eerie sort of tribal ritual undercurrent to its percussion and overall aesthetic (including some very faint glitchy distortion), making for a rather evil sounding piece that's one of my definite favorites. As usual the recording is great on this thing, everything is full and there's a lot of space for things to ring through. The mastering is loud and thick and I have no complaints. The packaging is very nice here. A matte sleeve printed in red on cream paper is housed inside of two matte black squares, one with a small piece of rope attached to it that rests at a diagonal inside four diecut slits in the larger backing piece to secure the CD and sleeve. The inner sleeve has some strange abstract images and icons alongside a band photo, all in high contrast, with one unusual statement – definitely in line with other releases from this label: "To exhaust mind and body in order to obtain a condition of non-consciousness and thus receive, realize, and create material based on the concept of both primal and absent vision." There definitely seems to be a thematic approach to this release, and the end result plays through over the course of an hour with nice fluidity and a consistent mood that's perfect for the right atmosphere. There really does seem to be a lot of extremely creative work going on in the dark ambient scene in Finland, and Aural Hypnox definitely has a huge hand in that charge. I look forward to hearing more, and recommend this fully.

This is the second full length album release by Aural hypnox, following the excellent Halo Manash debut. Aeoga is a duo from Finland, and in this they have an excellent debut album. Very reminiscent of Maeror tri, but with a darker element to it.

'Coav I' opens and delivers rich dark ritualistic type drone with good use of bells, gongs and vocal effects. Troum-like guitar generated soundscapes start to emerge. The rhythm and melody move along quite quickly, keeping the listeners attention. 'Coav II' emerges from the subsiding guitar drone from track 1, giving way to an eerie whistle with vocal samples. Guitar effects are then subtly added to create faint melody. 'Coav III' opens with a more grating sound. Again there is good use of gongs and guitar textures. 'Coav IV' opens with ritualistic chanting and some clever percussive work, including gongs. The track builds continually with a developing drone undercurrent generated by distorted guitar soundscapes. This is a very powerful yet, in places, melodic track. It slowly decays and leads perfectly into the next one. This opens with some high frequency oscillations and gentle percussion. Vocal effects are again prominent here. This is another dark and sinister track consisting mainly of vocal and guitar generated done-scape with additional percussion. Very nice. 'Coav VI' is a light and eerie track generated with high frequency guitar soundscapes. As the track develops, some rhythm is supplied by industrial pulses of rhythm in the background. The track slowly becomes more intense as the delicate melodies evolve. 'Coav VII' opens with a monotone drone. Again this develops into an eerie soundscape using vocal and guitar generated effects. Underneath the creepy guitar melody a deep cavernous drone, reminiscent of Maeror Tri. Additional grating percussion sounds develop, sweeping from side to side of the stereo. As the creepy melody fades, the underlying drone develops a stronger sense of melody, with faint tribal rhythms accompanying it. This tribal rhythm develops into a more industrial beat, as the drone continues underneath. The creepy melody finally makes a return, allowing the percussion to retreat. Fantastic track. The final section 'Coav VIII' starts with a gentle melody only for guitar samples and percussion rhythm to disrupt it. This continues but eventually leading to a change of rhythm, still industrial-like. The guitar soundscapes decay leaving a high frequency monotone as the rhythm dies.

Aural Hypnox seems to be a new Finish label while Aeoga is a brand-new Finish duo evolving in the ambient and industrial regions. Their debut-cd is a fascinating listening surrounding the listener with amazing sound collages made by multiple sound sources. “Coav” remains untitled (well at least the copy we got), but that’s not really a point as it all sounds as a compact entity! You’re entering a world of darkness and eternal gloom where you’re facing an impressive wall of sounds, scratches and guitars overloaded with effects. The obscurity and coldness of this fictive soundscape reminds me now and than to the legendary CMI stable and the nihilism of Raison D’Être. The main difference is that Aeoga sounds definitely more varied and still explores different territories, which are sometimes close to pure industrial. This is a noticeable debut from a band I’ll surely keep in mind!

Aeoga is a project hailing from the north of Finland. Coav is their first release on the young Finnish label Aural Hypnox. The album contains 8 tracks of organic dark ambient in a fairly high level of quality, simply entitled ‘Coav I-VIII’. The music this duo produces is all encompassing, hypnotic and dark. Ambient sounds, repeating patterns of drones combined with organic sounds of drums, rambling chains and cymbals, eerie guitar feedback and layers of samples, build up a frightening ritual yet icy atmosphere. The most accomplished track is ‘Coav IV’ which has terrifying satanic sounding vocals and a more abundant ritual percussive layer than the other tracks. The CD packaging is also worth mentioning and has been given very special artwork, since it is packed into a sleeve of cream coloured cardboard with red print, which is placed in a cut-open black double square-shaped cover that keeps it all together. Quality release.

Aeoga is a mysterious group of two from Northern Finland creating music quite similar to their label mates Halo Manash. The pair wishes to remain anonymous on a personal level as to focus all energies and ideas on their music and not have their listeners worry about whose creating the music. ‘COAV’ is their debut album and also the first release for the Aural Hypnox label. Similarly to the other releases on this label Aeoga present us with sixty five minutes of dark ambient ritualistic music. None of the tracks are titled and I have no idea what COAV means or stands for; so this only adds to the mysteriousness. In addition to the ghostly synths there’s guitar feedback, drum and cymbal hits, intimidating chanting, and assorted odd samples. The dominate nature of this work is very smooth and relaxing, but very sinister and disconcerting too. At times the music can take a sudden turn towards more daunting speeds, but nothing is rushed or out of place. When listening to this album I seriously sense something horrifying is on the verge of occurrence, something malicious! All but one track is over seven minutes and while each song has a similar composition no two songs sound exactly alike. COAV comes in a unique octagon shaped cardboard cover including a 6 panel textured cardboard sleeve. Powerfully spine-chilling dark music indeed that I can’t possibly recommend enough to you.

Again 1000 copies. I could be surprised & it gets sold out faster than I presume; if so, then I'd be a bit reassured as for the interest & taste of people. The acoustic origins of most sounds are obvious as in "Par-Antra I", distinct almost continuous involvement of guitar drones. I'm ordinarily not that found of guitar drones, it depends what is done with them, how they're used & integrated within other elements. In other words, guitar drones alone by themselves are not to my tastes, I feel too much the acoustic/conventional background of posturing musicians, most obvious with french KASPER T. TOEPLITZ, now chuffed in french state subsidized official cultural spheres (the joy of namedropping; I have like this a handful of surprising, out of context, totally incongruous evocations…). What HALO MANASH does with guitar drones definately fits much more to my tastes than e.g. TROUM or DAMIAN CATERA (formerly in CON-DEMEK). Tell me "electro-acoustic": H.M. transcends. Tell me "concrete" (for some of the samples used in here): H.M. transcends. Tell me "dark ambient": H.M. transcends. I'll come back later on the problematic of labeling H.M. new born original style. Ventilated ethereal hiss quickly coming in & going out above the sonic space at the opening, placing the coming piece under the auspices of visiting astral entities (yes, I said "THE coming piece" as it's how I see it: no intermission, tracks are rather parts). Then a sequence features, not "heartbeat-like rhythms", but real heartbeat sound with amplitude as heard by an internal ear, or like if you would be inside a grander being. Percussion comes next; it is going to be sparser than on "Par Antra I: Vir". The different layers are going on their own way, a bit like as illustrated by Aural Hypnox logo: fusion of labyrinth & spiral, brain random circumvolutions perceived globally. So the level of cohesion varies, sometimes a diving liquefaction, some other times radiance of massive cosmic manœuvres, which adds to the haunting & deterritorializing extent of the work, inducting a feeling of vertigo, being lost in the middle of an infinity of multidirectional possible movements like during an astral projection. Reverberated gongs, bells & chimes involved too this time, still windbones, as well as something unknown to me, strange, named "sinebotar". Chanting gets weird here & there, the voice goes multiple, like cyclically possessed & dispossessed. An almost lamenting, tragic tone installs with 4th "Etä-etsijä" onwards. It is swept away with 6th "siLvOINnokkaASTiEtoa" as percussion reappears for a short, almost marching sequence. & more of such variations from a passage to the other, complex, captivating. A lot is happening. By second listen to "Syæma" I started to feel something very special: it could be a very astral-connected, exceptional ceremony "individually" convoking a certain number of entities. There are different phases of approaching & adopting, each new convocation requires some times to apprehend the "character"/ very essence of the specific entity, eventually trying to let the entity express her/him/it/them-self/selves into one or more of the human creatures participating the ceremony, & each time an entity leaves a shorter or longer recovery transition is needed. With this renewed vision I go for another listen of full album, & it fits to "my scenario" (well, is it just a "scenario" actually?). As everything on the 3 folder/6 panel semi-glazed black (careful with fingerprints…) cardboard cover: the nice silver drawings of front & inner, the inner notes (quote: "All the material of this album is dedicated to and inspired by the dynamic subconscious force which gave impulse to visions relating to auto-cannibalism and metempsychosis."), the back sigil (I love those sigils). True "magic(k)" seems to happen in this close to Lapland & arctic circle area. I would personally label H.M. "style" as egregore atmospheric. CD is obviously much more than just "recommended".

Halo Manashin erittäin kauniisti pakatun kolmosalbumin kohdalla on jo aivan turha puhua "I.Coraxin sivuprojektista", niin oma soundinsa yhtyeellä jo on. Syomalla se on siirtynyt kohti monimutkaisernpia ja kokeellisempia rakenteita, mutta kuulostaa yhä ehdottomasti itseltään, ollen pohjimmiltaan ujeltavaa transsi-ambienttia - kuin sähköinen noistarumpu.

Levyllä on useita kappaleita ja osuuksia jotka ovat kerrassaan erinomaisia, erityisesti pitkä usvaISuusiuTUVA, aLASpäIn sYon -biisin Raison D'êtren tuoliensiirtelyä muistuttavat ulinat, ja levyn päättävä loistava nimikappale, joka on varsin lähellä Se Its En -albumin soundeja. Silti jostakin syystä ainakaan minulle SYoMA ei toiminut samanlaisena kokonaiskokemuksena kuin edeltäjänsä, ja jäi valikoimaksi irrallisia, selvästi toisistaan erottuvia teoksia. Kaikissa kappaleissa on hyviä, innovatiivisia uusia ideoita (voimakkaampia vokaaleja kuin ennen, hallitsevaa konebiittiä, yms.) mutta ehkä juuri siksi saumakohtia tuntuu jäävän liikaa. Biisit ovat oikein onnistuneita, mutta toimivat usein toistensa tunnelmia vastaan.

En silti sano hetkeäkään tätä huonoksi levyksi - se on kirkkaasti synkän mielentilamusiikin keskivertotasoa parempi - ainoastaan sellaiseksi joka jää edeltäjiensä varjoon mutta lupaa samalla yhä mielenkiintoisempaa tulevaisuutta. Ja hankkimisen arvoinenhan se tottakai on.

Finland's Halo Manash returns with another full-length of ritualistic compositions created using analog synthesizers, EBowed guitar, windbones, sinebotar, pipes, bells, vocals, chanting, samples, percussion, cymbals, etc. Most of the compositions are rather long, though some, such as "Silvoinnokkaastietoa", are fewer than three minutes by comparison. The selections flow together and create one unified whole, coming off as an organic and very powerfully hypnotic atmosphere that shifts and changes so subtly that sometimes you don't really think about it, and there's a certain live/improvisational element that works quite well considering. Subtly melodic drones layer together to varying degrees of density and volume, creating ethereal hums and ringing sounds with lots of reverberated undertones and obfuscated vocals that create a sinister sense of menace in the distance - recognizable as human voices, but completely indecipherable as far as content. These vocal explorations and some of the distant percussive influences come in midway through the second track, the 12+ minute "Usvaisuusiutuva", which also uses a few "musical" patterns that are very stretched out and manipulated so as not to become too dominant or obvious. Chiming bells come in crossing over from "Alaspäin Syon" into "Etä-Etsijä", the latter of which quiets down and lets whispering/droning vocals do most of the legwork against swelling midrange notes, percussion coming back in later with another sinister, almost animalistic vibe to the surrounding elements. Carefully placed metallic scrapings lend a very faint sort of industrial rhythm to the foundation of "Irtautuminensin", and the percussion in "Silvoinnokkaastietoa" is a little similar, though with a tribal bent. The title track closes things out and keeps percussive patterns deep in the mix as swirling drones layer in and pan across the surface, gradually rising and falling as vocals softly introduce themselves and then things start to fade to a slow close. For such minimal dark ambient soundscapes the output volume is really quite loud and enveloping, highlighting a perfect recording that richly represents the textures of the work herein. The disc comes in a sweet looking digipack printed entirely in metallic silver ink on a leathery textured black paper. The artwork and imagery is all high contrast and has some of the same bleak and iconic style as the band's past work, but perhaps more stripped down and effective here. This record's brief explanatory statement suggests, "All of the material on this album is dedicated to and inspired by the dynamic subconscious which gave impulse to visions relating to auto-cannibalism and metempsychosis." Strange and intriguing, as usual. This is another release that I think would be absolutely exceptional to experience in a live setting under the proper environmental conditions. I think an hour might be a little long for a live set, and even with its cohesive arrangement and completeness the disc can sink into brief lulls on occasion, but not only would I be immensely curious to see how this work is created and the process the group undertakes, but these sounds filling the right space could be amazing. This is an experimental act to start taking more note of.

Third full-length album from Halo Manash, 'SYoMA' is also the third release from the young and promising Finish label Aural Hypnox. Remember that the debut release of Aural Hypnox was already a collaboration with Halo Manash through the excellent first part of the Par-Antra trilogy... To give an idea of the overall atmosphere floating over this record, it is worth mentioning that "all of the material on this album is dedicated to and inspired by the dynamic subconscious force which gave impulse to visions relating to auto-cannibalism and metempsychosis"... an informative inner note that speaks for itself... This almost one hour-long cd contains eight long tracks that unravel as long ritualistic soundscapes, mainly created by the fine combination of e-bowed guitars, bells, pipes, analog synthesizers, painful vocals, chanting, ritual percussions, hypnotic layers of drones, effects on the level and intensity of sound, wind bones... Whether minimalist or complex the common approach consists in drawing the listeners into an hypnotic and quite disturbing soundscape, at the same time... needless to say that the listening of 'SYoMA' is a true recommended experience provided that one unleashes ones heart/soul to let it wander...

The cd, limited to 1000 copies, comes in a 6 panel cardboard covers featuring original and fascinating silver drawings on black textured paper... Collectors have not been left out as well, since a very limited deluxe box, already sold out, was also available at the time...

Highly recommended!

This is the second full length release by Halo Manash on the Aural Hypnox label and is quite different to the previous one. There is a tend towards dark ambient with this release although there is still a strong link to drone with continued use of guitar generated soundscape and vocal effect.

The first track 'putoUSVA' has a dark ambient opening generated using a combination of guitar and synthesized soundscapes. The track develops with a drone-type rhythm but it evolves into something a lot more industrial 'usvalSuusiuTUVA' leads seamlessly from track 1. Melody here develops at a drone-like pace using Troum-esque E-bowed guitar. There is some good use of vocal effect here and some nice subterranean oscillations that, although subtle, seriously challenged a very large set of speakers! The beat picks up along with the pace of the evolving guitar based melody. 'aLASpäln Syon' starts with a grating industrial soundscape. This develops into a very percussive orientated track with extensive cymbals and bell work. 'Etä-etsijä' leads directly from the previous percussive track using the same cymbals and bell work. This is a darker track with a creepy vocal and guitar effect and soundscape. A strong percussion rhythm develops and continues till the end of the track where it subsides to a more sedate percussion. 'irTAUTumlnensin' starts with a drone soundscape that develops quickly into dark ambient. It uses the same nice low frequency oscillations to generate a sense of underlying drone with additional mid and high frequency effects added. 'siLvOINnokkaAstiEtoa' shows the return of the strong rhythm (almost tribal) with guitar soundscapes over the top (almost like Maeror Tri colliding with John Bonham on a dark night). This quickly subsides and leads into the next track 'LOi muUTOS'. There is interesting use of some sort of primitive percussion device along with some sort of wind instrument. This again makes for a very creepy sound. Rhythm slowly develops over the dark ambient soundscape into the next track 'SYoMA'. This carries off where track 7 stops with strong tribal rhythm. It is significantly heavier than previous tracks with strong drone under-currents and dark ambient melody mixed with tribal percussion. There is an increased sense of tension during this track, which subsides for a brief moment with the loss of the rhythm. It soon returns and with it the dark and sustained drone soundscape. A great track.

Stylistically the content of this cd does not differ so much from "Par-Antra...", it is the same kind of experience, but this time the concept is different; anyway it does not show repetion of ideas, the music of HALO MANASH is more about the effect produced than about an usual musical listening, and this effect is always new. Notwithstanding, even if the genre is the same there are differences (and not few), but the sound is so hypnotic again that you are trapped by the force of all those sonorous layers and you are not able to notice any other thing: this work is much more ambient, the question is that the ambient textures of HM are so sharp and invasive that you think it is something more extreme, like gigantic metallic masses in minimalistic movement and reverberation; the music is again dark, but the sensation is different, before it was something more subterranean and primigenium, now it is something that glides, the terror is in a certain form over our heads; this cd is more based on acoustic instrumentation, you won't find the synthesizers arrangements of the first one; the voices go almost unnoticed, they exist but are like a frightening murmur, something more adimensional (there are no chantings); this time I would not use the term ritual (there are only a few moments of this nature, again commanded by the percussions, but they have a more industrial cadence), here prevails the hypnotic tendency, like a season in your subconscious, sometimes reaching an almost space tranquillity which is again broken by bloodcurdling atmospheres. "All of the material on this album is dedicated to and inspired by the dynamic subconscious force which gave impulse to visions relating to auto-cannibalism and metempsychosis".

halo manash is a rising flame in the post industrial music scene that is soon to catch ablaze. Heralding from Finland halo manash has been creating music since 1998. Self admittedly the band the band states that it was not until 2003 that the vision and current manifestation of halo manash manifested itself to musician Anti Ittna H. “Syoma” is the halo manash's third full length release and it follows on the bands second full length release Par-Antra I: Viron on Aural Hypnox an underground music label also based in Finland. It is worth noting that halo manash “Syoma” is packaged in a stunning digipack covered in original drawings and artwork that compliments the ritualistic tone of “Syoma.”

The music of halo manash can best be described as ritualistic / experimental ambient music. halo manash has chosen to steer clear of mimicking other popular and successful post industrial acts and has undertaken the arduous journey into formerly unknown musical territory. Utilizing a wide variety of acoustic and electronic instruments and various processing and sampling technologies halo manash has left the known aural world behind to explore an ever widening frontier. Guiding halo manash in this work is the bands own spiritual vision and ritual practices and beliefs as communicated through their exploration of sound and vibration. The band acknowledges that the music they have created is an attempt at artistically representing primal forces that transcend form and time. These primal forces that exist within the primal void and give birth to matter motion and time convulse, collide, and writhe within the grasp of the musicians of halo manash.

On “Syoma” halo manash give creative birth to a wailing void of shifting forms and sounds that ooze from the speakers like large carrion birds made of silk. The music gently tears at the mind revealing lost memories and hidden thoughts as it ignites the flame of the eternal seeker. “Syoma” lulls the listener with the siren song of agonized guitars wandering in the primal darkness and ritualistic percussion that seems to bleed into the symphony of vibrating frequencies and reverberating guitar. From waves of cascading energy and light to tentative and cautious explorations through darker regions the music of halo manash reaches out its writhing tentacles in every direction. Encompassing all and being none. Navigating through mere shadows of thought and whispers of from and consciousness halo manash expertly guide the listener into what feels like an eternity of roaming the inner reaches of our minds and the outer most beginnings of our world.

“Syoma” is a journey wrought from the raw elements and base contents of the human consciousness and soul. Combining music, spirit, ritual, and psychedelic consciousness bending aesthetics Hal manash deserves the attention of every reader looking for the next deep “head trip” to be found in music. Readers that enjoy music with spiritual and ritual aesthetics that escape the mundane confines of definition will also deeply enjoy halo manash and the new album “Syoma. halo manash comes highly recommended for ambient and experimental enthusiasts as well as readers that enjoy ritualistic ambient music that defies definition as it excels at igniting the imagination. Readers new to ritualistic ambient music may find halo manash to be a good starting point as the music does not pigeon hole the listener into a “dark” or “gothic” experience.

Radical Faeries that are looking for music to accompany ritual and spiritual practices will be able to find unlimited applications for the music of halo manash.

On your way towards a shamanistic meeting you walk through a dark forest and find yourself surrounded by gods and demonen. Spirits and very scary animals are watching you from the darkness between the trees. You don’t dare to deviate from the path, but you already know it has to be done at any given moment. This were my first thoughts when I was listening Halo Manash - SYoMA. Beautiful dark-ambient tracks which bring an dark environment to life.

The Finnish formation Halo Manash is not a newcomer on the dark-ambient front, SYoMA is the third album what emerged from Anti Ittna H’s hands and mind. This album best described as a sequence of drones, guitarsounds/noises, dark voices and analogue synthesizersounds. All this interweaved with sound of cymbals and tibetian bells. The soundscape which Halo Manash creates leaves the auditor behind with a feeling of discomfort and alienation, but on the other hand is it’s also a warm album. You become dragged along in an atmospheric environment where the soundscape calls to you’re deeper feelings and let you desire for more.

To give you a great manner to listen at this album, find yourself in a dark room only lighted by a few candles. The shadows will come to life and try your tell what you knew for a long time. Or as Halo Manash puts in a better on the album: " All of the material on this album is dedicated to and inspired by the dynamic subconscions force which gave impulse to visions relating to auto-cannibalism and metempsychosis ."

The cd, limited to 1000 copies, appears in a black cardboard cover which unfolds like a triptych. Drawings elegantly made in silver on a black background reinforce the atmosphere which the album calls to itself. This album is an absolute must for everyone who loves to take plunge into dark-ambient sounds and related music.

A fair warning must be heralded before the attentive, perspicacious reader decides to plunge further into the accumulation of linguistic debris that constitutes the critical analysis: this is not, by any post-early music standard, music. Nor is it a disguised or shallow attempt to associate the more experimental electronic genres with ritualism and primitivism by passing the former in the shape of the latter, even though the chosen instruments may lead one into thinking otherwise. Arguably, the usage of both electronic and pervaded aural elements creates the ideal primordial likeness through which Halo Manash describe their views of the dynamic evolution of quintessential mana in the trans-temporal setting of its dimension.

Ok, back to the real world. It seems rather obvious to me that these Finns have some sort of hidden appeal – it’s either that or I’m becoming too permissive –, and although it may be hard to uncover any perceptible shreds of communicative elements from the seemingly endless layers of muddy, spastic sound, it is guaranteed that even if most of it goes unnoticed in a conscious mood, the primal gruesomeness will be yours to contemplate whilst in deep, abiding slumber.

That is not to say, however, that this is some sort of pseudo-environmentalist or heathenism-soaked new-age nonsense that borderlines on inane daftness, a form that is commonly used whilst contemplating the arcane mysteries of the Earth and inhaling the oh-so-wondrous beneficial fumes that are little more than over-priced sensationalist bullshit. No, fortunately for the lot of us who have yet to understand the hidden qualities of incense, Halo Manash distinctively separate themselves from that sort of post-industrial garbage and unashamedly strike us with uniquely contemplative and truly uncomfortable sounds and expressions of uncategorized things that may very well reside exclusively within their minds, but that are fervently detached from all that is generally regarded as idealistic or blissful. It is verily the soundtrack of a growing, savage and incipient barren world, where matter is constantly defied and shapes are little more than temporary and instantaneous representations of clashes between the elements.

Lest I bequeath upon SyoMA an inadequately personal view of its motifs, suffice to say that, despite my predilection for such damnably bewitching crafts, the ethos herein pursued is something largely or even entirely devoid of rational perception, which conveniently arms the listener with a suitable cloak of subjectivity. With that said, I have but to admit it is bound to generate wide-spread dissent regarding the general opinion towards itself, and I believe not even those who served as channelling recipients and ultimate heralds of its purposes fully comprehend the total sum of its parts.

As ever, the habitual consumers of strange aural stimulants are hereby irrevocably incited to bask in the primal ooze unleashed by Halo Manash, while the less adventurous listeners should, on the other hand, consider safer grounds to tread. Nevertheless, I am firmly convinced that no one that approaches SyoMA in the adequate state of mind shall be left indifferent to its core message and overall capriciousness. Enjoy.

Zoät·Aon on yhtä kuin entinen Depther, eli I.Coraxin toinen puoli Jaakko Vanhala. Tämä itsessään on jo laadun tae ja asettaakin Zoät·Aonin esikoislevylle korkeat odotukset. Lopulliset vedet kielelle nostattavat kerrassaan upeat musta-hopeapainatetut pahvikannet jotka ovat suoraan samaa formaattia Halo Manashin Syoma:n kanssa.

Tyylillisesti Zoät·Aon on juuri sitä mitä voisi odottaakin: kun Anti Ittna H:n Halo Manashissa korostuu I.Coraxissa kuultava syvyyksistä nuoseva demonisen pimeä puoli, tulee Zoät·Aonissa esiin puolestaan viileän astraalinen toismaailmallisuus. Tyyli on äärimmäisen lähellä Inadea, mutta ei samalla plagioivalla tavalla kuin esim Ionosphere, vaan tästä tunnistaa selkeästi jo I.Coraxista tutun Vanhalan kädenjäljen. Kokonaissoundissa on hienosti yhdistelty akustisia ja elektronisia äänenlähteitä. Se mikä hämmästyttää on että levy on kutakuinkin Inaden tasoinen, eli läpeensä aivan huippuluokan kosmista ambientia, joka säilyttää viileän tyylikkyytensä mutta on silti täynnä massiivisen hyökyvää elämää. Kappaleita on lähes mahdotonta erotella toisistaan, niiden muodostaessa jatkumona kiemurtelevan orgaanisen kokonaisolemuksen. Joitain kohokohtia ovat voimakkaan Dark Grammar:in metallinen puhe jäisen sähköisesti väpättävien äänten päällä tai hiljalleen eeppisen synkäksi ja intensiiviseksi rakentuva Theriomorphic Heralds (jonka alkupäässä soiva vinkulelu tosin hieman häkellyttää).

Joissain kohdin levyä ehkä tuntuu että I.Coraxista tuttuja elementtejä kierrätetään paljon, mutta se ei tee tähtä yhtään sen vähempää mestariteosta. Aivan huippuluokan dark ambientia joka onnistui jopa ylittämään erittäin korkeat odotukseni.

This young Finish label already delivers a few cool industrial releases and the debut album of ZA is even more fascinating! “Star autopsy” sounds like the sound of the afterworld. You’re walking through dark imaginary soundscapes leading you into surreal hallucinations of rotten corpses filling desolate landscapes. The chilling universe of this Finish project has been conceived and written in the purest tradition of the dark ambient masters. I like the kind of sound research and exploration that have been executed to create an achieved and fascinating dark impressum! Tracks like “Exo”, “Flesh treasury”, “Dark grammar” and “Theriomorphic heralds” are real great cuts in its genre! Jaakko Vanhala aka ZA proves that there’s much more in the high north than the talented Cold Meat Industry label! A must have for all dark ambient lovers!

ZOÄT·AON is not a band, nor an artist, nor music per se, as they say themselves. Zoät·Aon is a medium, the soundtrack of your brooding subconscious.

They present a 9 track album on the relatively new Finnish Aural Hypnox label. Ranging from dense walls of chirping sounds to desolate mesmerizing soundscapes. Dark raging ambient it is.

With the opening tracks ‘Totem owl’ and ‘Tellus sinks’ we follow our guide into the dark cave of our own existence. All too soon we’re engulfed by the high pitched chirping from thousands of little creatures, bats, dripping pools and tucked away memories of past experiences. A dense layer of warm sound emanates from the walls around as we descend in Zoät·Aon’s interpretation of our state of being.

Then on ‘Exo’ and ‘Flesh treasury’ there’s room to take a breath again. The chirping fades to the background while the last growling monster of our past is carefully evaded, a dark undertone becomes ever more present and just when we expect to slide into a relaxed state of nothingness, we’re all of the sudden back where we came from. But worse. A snarling boar growls as we pass while high pitched screaming fades into the pulsating sound of a million insects. Is this really our subconsciousness? We want to get out! But is there such a thing as an exit in these parts? Can we escape our own mental processes? ‘Dark Grammar’ sets in, as we try to escape to a more quiet part of the dungeon. On this track, halfway through the album, Zoät·Aon experiments with a human thighbone trumpet and singing bowls. A very well crafted piece.

During the last part of the album we find ourselves sitting besides an underground stream, time to think it all over. While the last part of the album is not as dense as the first half, it certainly is the most melodic. Still there’s a dense carpet of chirping on ‘Possessed constellation’, but this time it feels more relaxed. At times we think to hear a dark chant, or do we pretend to hear it? Then on ‘Theriomorphic heralds’ all hell breaks loose for the last time, the icy noise of long lost memories sounds like a WW2 air raid horn.

Star Autopsy closes with ‘Skeletal sphinx’, the best composition on the album. On this 12 minute track Zoät·Aon takes us out of the cave to leave us behind in a cold night, gazing at the stars, thinking about what just happened. No more chirping high noises, but rather a soft carpet of sonic consolation and dimmed eery sounds. Where do we go from here?

Zoät·Aon’s Star Autopsy is a well crafted, evocative piece of music, performed with a wide range of instruments: conventional instruments, various sound generating devices (such as analog synthesizers and samplers), vocals, et cetera. The atmosphere created is very enigmatic and the ever expanding soundscapes make you feel like you’re spiralling further down into your subconscious as you’ve ever done before.

Aural Hypnox releases some really fucking good albums. Everything the label churns out has great production values and a killer packaging aesthetic. Their releases manage to be both extremely ritualistic and sinister without being corny or boring. All the albums have a unique sound and vibe to them, yet at the same time they are all bound by very similar aesthetics. "Star Autopsy" is definitely not a break in this tradition of kickassness. Infact I think it may be my favorite disc from the label yet.

At 66 minutes, "Star Autopsy" is a longish album, but its really fucking good, so the length is more of a boon than a burden. Seriously, this disc is the antithesis of boring. There is a pacing here that is extremely impressive; everything constantly flows in a new direction while maintaining that beautifully nefarious ritualistic dark ambient vibe. Each track is packed with so many great sounds that are excruciatingly hard to describe, but some of the things you can expect are; swirling synth noises, windy sweeps, demonic moans, backwards voices, reverberated percussion, despairing found sound samples, and so much more that my mind simply cannot put into words.

Conclusion: This is beautiful ritualistic dark ambient music that you really need to listen to. I look forward to hearing more Zoät·Aon releases in the future. Essential.

This is yet another dark ambient project out of Finland that fits very much in line with the unusual character of other releases from the Aural Hypnox label. Expect a lengthy journey through nine tracks, as short as barely past one minute or as long as nearly 13 minutes, built around eerie low-end pulses and ethereal textures that create a certain ritualistic sort of vibe that really swirls around and fills the space very nicely. As with the other releases from this label the sound quality is pristine, so everything sounds loud, clear, and resonant – which truly helps to create a convincing atmosphere that feels rich and encompassing. All of the tracks run together, but despite a significant overall consistency there are noticeable differences from piece to piece. The first three tracks make up around 10 minutes that sort of seems to set the tone for "Exo", the first in a set of much longer compositions that comes across as a bit more sinister and involved – offering up seven minutes of subtly melodic drones with ominous scrapings and lots of distant intricacies tucked away in the mix (including very faint piano). "Flesh Treasury" is a little more active than some of the other tracks, seeming to become a hint louder and certainly bringing in more of a vibrating movement with a significant amount of layering that, while not chaotic, is definitely a little more frantic than anything else herein. "Dark Grammar" then sees the inclusion of singing bowls and human thighbone trumpet, the latter of which is certainly one of those handmade instruments that has quite a powerfully suggestive quality to its presence by nature alone. "Possessed Constellation" is softer and more spacious at the start, not to mention significantly quieter and thinner than most of the material, building in with lots of blips and cascading undercurrents that do indeed have an astral sort of characteristic going on. The aptly titled "Theriomorphic Heralds" is another quieter and thinner piece, using animalistic sounds deep in the distance behind a set of minimal hums layered together to gradually swell forth in volume before sinking back into the simplistic low-end drones of closer "Skeletal Sphinx" – which shifts and turns over the course of 12 minutes with hints of chanting vocal work and another of the more menacing presentations. Not just specifically in this selection, but overall, there are definitely a lot of hypnotic qualities to this record, and that's always something that I tend to enjoy with these particular genres. Also like some of the other work from this label the disc is housed in a black digipack with metallic silver printing and a textured finish. All of the imagery is suggestive yet odd in its use of symbols as well as recognizable features such as hands, a bird, etc. Very nice, and extremely curious, as always. I bet these Aural Hypnox artists are all quite powerful in the live setting, assuming the conditions are correct, because I can really imagine this kind of material being amazing when delivered in a dark, cavernous space where excessive volume levels would really suffocate the listener with this brand of ambient exploration. Nicely done… as always. I've definitely grown to trust this label's output 100%.

For the debut album of Zoät Aon from Finland, this is indeed an impressive listen that is likely to turn heads in a positive sense. Melding some classic stylistic slants of the dark ambient genre with some quite old school ritualistic elements, this manages to be a buoyant release within a sea of similar sounding projects.

Specifically where "Star Autopsy" excels is with its broad and crystalline sound palate, where in more then a few instances had my mind leaping towards making comparisons to Inade – one of the heavyweights of the genre. Melding spheres of cosmic radiance (swirling & morphing sonic textures), and more earth bound ritual elements (thighbone trumpet, chimes, spare percussion and archaic voices etc) the tapestry of sound is diverse, varied and constantly evolving across the interlinking 9 tracks & 66 minutes. Some later album tracks like ‘Dark Grammar’ might be slightly over cooked with a couple of repetitive & cliqued deep space sounds, but a minor gripe really in an overall sense.

Whilst the album cover alludes to Crowley derived inspiration, this is done in a pleasingly subtle fashion, leaving listeners to ultimately draw their own conclusions. For this factor alone this is far better then those albums that feel the need to berate listeners with quasi mystical intellectualism. Thus with a simple but classy tri-gatefold sleeve (black card with silver print), it solidifies the overall impression of a project to keep a keen eye on.

Zoat Aon's STAR AUTOPSY is the fourth Aural Hypnox release and it presents nine dark ambient tracks which slowly form a disturbing ambience full of mysterious noises and occult references. Hisses, hums, cymbals, metal percussions, synth drones and reverbered sounds are the main things you can find on this release. There aren't explanation about the themes treated everything is left to the subconscious hints that this music could make you have. This is a distinctive sign of the finnish label which presents to the audience releases based on semi ritual themes. Releases which can't be simply enjoyed as musical releases. Be aware of this!

It is somewhat nonsensical to allow oneself to formulate the concept of the “sound of the universe”, mainly because of the physical limitations of sound waves and what not, but that thought rather insistently imposes itself whenever one is prone to absorbing the dense, layered atmospheres of Zoät-Aon’s Star Autopsy. The aural form through which its concept is expressed cannot be summarised in cheap, vapid and hurriedly scribbled lines that expound upon the vicissitudes and idiosyncrasies it contains. Not that it is an inherently superior art form in an objective way but, if you are to enjoy the pleasures and fine minutia herein constricted, all theoretical and preconceived notions regarding the proper forms in which aural stimuli should present itself must be effectively and irrevocably shunned.

Hence, it should come as no surprise that Star Autopsy is very much a living and breathing creature. Not literally, mind you, but it inarguably possesses a certain liveliness and vivacity that I find particularly captivating, especially considering just how wholesome and positively disturbing it is to be continuously surprised, given the blatantly repetitive character of the “music”. It swirls about everywhere, springing from the most unthinkable places within your brain, invariably finding a way to transmit something decipherable, yet not immediately intelligible, thus creating an active neural network with vast amounts of information being delivered simultaneously. The beauty of it resides precisely in one’s inability to instantaneously perceive and understand everything, which demands further and more intense expeditions through its darkened and thoroughly non-linear passageways.

At this point, I should tentatively explain just why I deemed Zoät-Aon’s music fit to be described as some sort of spatial manifestation, rather than an earthly and palpable experience similar to so many others that assume equivalent forms. What distinguishes Star Autopsy is a certain other-worldly dimension it seems to contain, a vaguely ethereal and transcendental drive that propels one to a place where the absence of atmosphere allows for a rather unique set of sensorial experiences, which instead of revealing themselves as frightening or too gargantuan to conceive, are quite comforting and reassuring. It was particularly interesting for me to be able to experience this in such a fashion, because I was able to relate, through some obscure linkage in my mind, to a story I once read about some space-explorers being pulled into a massive black hole, which instead of terminating their puny existences gave them some sort of outer-bodily, heightened consciousness of themselves and the universe that

allowed them to become a part of and, simultaneously, the entire universe. I know it sounds extremely tacky, but the concept appeals to me rather irrevocably and any manifestation, be it musical or otherwise, that hints at similar ideas or that provokes concurring sensations has the ability to pervade my mind with relative ease.

At any rate, these ingeniously crafted filaments of sound provide enough quietude and stillness to entrance just about anyone who sees fit to be exposed to them in an appropriate setting, as their hypnotic and reverberant whole has a certain organic nature that permeates acutely through any slightly receptive psyche and inculcates into one’s brain an ever-growing morphemic state that rapidly expands beyond its borders. I would not go as far as saying that Star Autopsy might be therapeutic in any way, as I have no way of asserting the veracity of such a statement, although I do believe it to possess qualities such that could certainly alleviate the mind’s strains, even if for brief moments.

It is fairly obvious that my good judgement is clouded by the effect this music seems to have on me, but insofar as pure enjoyment is concerned, I have no alternative other than singing its praises to whomever wishes to read them, and thereby urge anyone who has a penchant for ominous, dreamy music to experience the pleasurable tale of astral delirium that is Star Autopsy.

Fourth release on the Finish label Aural Hypnox, 'Star Autopsy' is the debut album of the dark ambient act Zoät·Aon, based in Oulu (Finland). It features nine dark ambient compositions, for a bit more than an hour of music, that are truly impressive, especially for a first opus...

This record is definitely an invitation to a subconscious journey through ritualistic and dynamic soundscapes... There are so many elements mixed-up in each track that it's almost impossible to describe them all... but the subtle assemblage of drones, repetitive loops, metallic/atmospheric/cosmic sounds, cymbals, vocals, conventional instruments, various sound generating devices (such as analog synthesizers and samplers)... with occult references, participates to the introspective and enigmatic overall atmosphere.

The cd is limited to 1000 copies and once more, one will notice the particular attention that has been paid to the whole aesthetic, the cd coming in a nicely done 6 panel cardboard covers featuring original silver drawings on black textured paper.

From the quality noticed in the previous releases of the label, we had advised to keep an ear on Aural Hypnox and this very promising 'Star Autopsy' just confirms that this Finish label is on the good path...

Recommended to amateurs of dark-ritual ambient.

Aural Hypnox, started almost out of the blue in 2004, has become one of the best - if still underrated - outlets for ritual dark ambient, with mysterious magic-inspired projects like Halo Manash, I. Corax, Zoat Aon and, of course, Aeoga. The duo's debut, "COAV", was already remarkable, but "Zenith..." easily surpasses it in terms of evocative power and sound quality, surely being one of the best, if not THE best, dark ambient record of 2005. Its 15 tracks, with a total length of 67 minutes, flow smoothly like the various movements or steps of a ritual performance; I don't know if they were conceived like that, but the cohesion of the whole cd is astonishing. Aeoga use a wide range of instruments (synths, cymbals, voices, percussions, strings, metals, etc.), which adds to the power and variety of the pieces; and on an emotional level, "Zenith..." is a chilling and mesmerizing experience. As a companion to the album, in a 150-limited box which is now sold out, Aural Hypnox also released a separate cdr, titled "Triangle of Nebula-Devourers", with three lengthy tracks. Don't think they were leftovers because of the limited run: the cdr is actually as good as "Zenith...", or even better, as in the unbelievably menacing and bleak "Menstrual Skull Consumed" and "Seize the Flaming Droplets", or the percussive vehemence of "Let the Sun Become Your Eye". Both discs are excellent in their own right (track down the box in some mailorder), and I'd definitely recommend Aeoga to anyone into Zero Kama, early Current 93, Tribes of Neurot, Maeror Tri and Herbst9, though the Finnish duo is consistently individual and different from any of these acts.

When I first heard this recording by the Finnish act Aeoga I was going to write how it sounded like a crude genetic experiment where the strands of DNA from Troum and Maeror Tri were spliced with their own to make the sounds on "Zenith Beyond the Helix-Locus". I binned that idea as it was too preposterous for words. Why should I sully the good name of Aeoga by comparing them with any other acts….reputable though those groups undoubtedly are. For Aeoga have their own voice and style and should be taken at face value because of it.

This second release…following on from the ecstatically received debut "Coav" …sees them once more playing in the realms of sound sculpture territory. The 15 tracks are a diverse cornucopia of delights where the rules governing drones, dark ambience and experimental structures are torn up and thrown away. These genres are all mixed together in a cauldron to produce the most electrifying shape shifting music I’ve heard for many a long year. Long drawn out pulses collide with discordant voices and machine hums whilst shrieking electronics give way to placid ambience. Further add elements like the treated acoustic instruments and manipulated effects and the end result is a recording that is almost a hallucinatory psychedelic experience. Where fluid coloured patterns float and distort in a nether world of outright weirdness yet still retain a distinctive solid form. Where space and time collide turning inside each other causing the waves to expand ever outward flowing from the past into the future then returning to the now. Where static fills an empty void and the ghosts of the past speak in tongues. If I was to coin a new genre to sum up easily "Zenith Beyond the Helix-Locus" it would be ‘mind bending ambience’. What I mean is that the music flits from Karma meditation to nightmare visions and everything in between taking you where you want to go at the point of asking. Mind bending as I said.

This Finnish act are the real deal. A class of their own releasing recordings that are as near to perfect as you can find. Their diverse combining of genres will bring a wider audience into fold who will surely appreciate the soundscapes they conjure up. This recording from Aural Hypnox comes housed in a nice 7 inch brown card sleeve and is limited to only 1000 copies. Scandalous I know but then I’m not the one running the record label. So don’t delay…pick up your copy today.

If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to sum this disc up in one word, that word would be Evil. And I don't mean evil in that cheesey black metal way. I'm not talking about some dorky rich kid covering himself in white paint running around the snow with an ax. I'm talking about pure, unadultrated, fucked up shit kind of evil. I'm talking about music that will make your bones shiver and give you an orgasm at the same time.

I liked the previous disc I heard from Aeoga about a year ago, but I fucking love this disc. The Aural Hypnox label have really outdone themselves this this one. Whereas Aeoga's previous effort was a nice but droning blur of ritualistic dark ambient, "Zenith Beyond The Helix-Locus" is a total assault on your ears and spine. This is dark ambient that goes way beyond the cliche reverberated trappings and actually makes you feel something. The atmosphere here is dark, thick, disturbing, and extremely beautiful.

This is the perfect music for a satanic black mass, or possibly the soundtrack for a demon infested apocalypse; Chilling pads, haunting scrapes, beautiful drones, and tons of other great stuff that overall paints a very spooky and nefarious picture.

I could say more about this release, but as i said before, it can all be summed up in one word: Evil. Pure, highly enjoyable evil. This disc is simply essential for anyone who is even remotely interested in Dark Ambient, or great industrial music in general.

One photograph depicts two men anchored to the floor, side by side, with legs crossed. They are cowled and engaged: although light obscures the surroundings, a guitar and various microphones are visible; dozens of wires snake throughout the frame, vanish and reappear connected to home-effects boards featured as alien technology.

In another, three individuals perform with exotic instruments inside a candlelit room wearing ceremonial robes (red and black) while situated in a triangle. On the wall hang two arterial zen paintings.

Aeoga are as particular about image as they are sound. However, persona is not much of a priority. The group does not publish the names of those involved or bother much with production credits, although their make and origin is not exactly a secret.

A small familiarity with the roster of Aural Hypnox, a Finnish label rising to the forefront of the dark ambient genre, reveals some moving back and forth between the members of groups Aeoga, Halo Manash and I. Corax, but I won't spoil the details for you. The point is that Aeoga outwardly portray themselves as a symbol; a mystical appendage revealed through a yantric complexity of layers. On the group's second album, _ Zenith Beyond the Helix-Locus_, an ever-morphing relation between the principal tonalities of monastic chants, bells, guitar dives and alarm sirens are compiled with each floating dimly into the next, met by tense audio triggers: fire, shutters rattling, maybe some animal torture.

The numbing merger of some fifteen droning and indefinite tracks may seem a bit much for one sitting, but the album is meant (constructed) not only to be realized in total, but to be re-played. All but a few tracks continue exactly where the last has waned; producing what seems like a timeless progression of sounds and consequences. Aeoga maintains the necessary illusions by giving an inner conflict to music itself. When conventional rhythm enters in the form of a clear, durational drum beat, the noise scatters like a frightened mob of lower organisms. Order dissolves the field of sound, the clearing of a psychic storm.

Nearing its close, the disc levels out and gradually descends into silence like the motions of an airplane landing -- a grand exhalation, and probably not a round trip. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as any kind of "aid" and do not suggest that the puzzles within amount to something conclusive (or are intended to), but once brought together it is a disturbing and equally well formatted projection of ineffable imagination.

A beautifully packaged CD of arcane delights, Arktau Eos from Finland have collected a series of works together unifying concepts of initiation, magical incantations, and highly personal rites of passage. Supposedly sourced from non-electronic instruments, this work sets out its stall from the opening sequence, 'Raising the Oceanic Alpha Axis', a heady brew of tones and incantations, steeped in natural cavernous reverb.

Superficially speaking, these pieces would not have been out of place as the backing for Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”, or better still as the soundtrack to the recently updated version of “The Wicker Man”. I don’t mean this to be in any way disparaging, as the metaphors and motifs for both films are never far away in the work of Arktau Eos.

There is an ever-present sense of some primal force being at work on every track here, whether using conventional analogue instrumentation, or by some other means. Everything presented is defiantly cloaked in anti-commercialism, and Arktau Eos have every intention of letting us know that theirs is a music not created for recreational or entertainment value, but as a stepping stone into unknown realms… a tool for personal empowerment, a doorway into the underworld.

As with all works of art, the success of this venture from the audience point of view has to be ignited initially by an act of powerful imagination – we have to embrace the concepts they propose, and use these sound works in the way they were intended in order to fully understand where they can lead us. For this reason, I will not review this CD in the conventional manner, track by track, but as a whole and complete project, this is a deeply evocative soundwork, an access point into uncharted territories of the deep psyche. Use wisely...

Mirrorion is the full length of the new Aural Hypnox project Arktau Eos, which is Anti Ittna H. of Halo Manash and Antti Litmanen who has at least appeared on Zoat Aon’s Star Autopsy and may be involved in other Aural Hypnox projects for all I know. The Mirrorion deluxe box is a truly beautiful thing that comes with both the Arktau Eos Mirrorion album, and the Scorpian Milk CDR (which will be featured in a separate review), 2 full colored photographs on black matte paper, and a black mirror with silver painted runes adorning it, and all this delivered in a beige canvas bag held together with a wire. The artwork on the Mirrorion album is DVD sized gatefold matte paper with rich black and red printed graphics and text and fully printed black on the inside side. A gorgeous presentation for an equally breathtaking audio documentary.

A documentary is what this feels like because of all the material presented Mirrorion feels like a small window into some event or series of events that have taken place, spiritual reckoning, a series of sermons or rituals? I don’t think Arktau Eos will be letting us know the details of these happenings but the audio document of Mirrorion more then suffices for my curiosity.

“Raising the Oceanic Alpha-Axis” surges in with watery brilliance and accompanying bells and other metallic sounds in true Aural Hypnox fashion. The general vibe of scraping cymbals, howling screeches and drones, and dripping textures abound providing us with several more tracks of excellent Finnish ritual dark ambience but not really bringing anything new to the table. As soon as “A Banquet for Ghosts” kicks in you know this isn’t going to be your typical Aural Hypnox album though with actual strummed guitars and very subtle low singing accompanying them! To tell the truth I’m not really a fan of the singing because it tends to be a little on the dramatic side and gives away too much especially since they are in English, would’ve been great to hear some Finnish vocals here. It’s ok though because the song is expertly mixed with more ambient textures and howling horns that fade in towards the end of the track upping the ante for the eeriness that continues to build.

For those of you unfamiliar with other Aural Hypnox projects what you can find is probably some of the most organic and ritual ambient you will ever hear. Sounds are often produced by acoustic means with the use of different metals, cymbals, bone horns, scraping, scratching, crunching pretty much anything they can find to create a rich atmosphere that brings to mind the deep forests of Finland just as much as a long forsaken industrial complex.

For the most part Mirrorion is an uninterrupted dark journey through an ancient world of spirits remembering their life’s battles played out through tragedy or fortune, but to whatever end, you can be sure that these spirits are restless and malcontent. “Quickening the Crystal Body” is another track that oozes reminders and odes to the ancient and arcane. The sounds and textures here remind me of the sound of ancient jewelry that now adorn the rotting remains of a long forgotten pagan king or pharaoh. The textures in this track are modeled very closely around the rhythmic elements which is something you don’t hear too often in ambient music, usually it is the textures and drones that are just slapped over the rhythms. The track eventually develops into “The Vitric Portal” which is a galloping ethnic rhythm accentuated by bursting archaic sounds and even a very subtle melody. This really gives a very unique feel the recording one that is not found often on dark ambient records most of which stay within restrictive bounds.

“Lotus of the Underworld” is probably the most unusual track after “A Banquet for Ghosts.” It has a more melodic gamelan type quality to it with rhythmic ethereal whispering in addition. This track almost gives off and Asian vibe to it with because of the pitched metallic elements but again it is the uniqueness and variety of the tracks here that separate it from previous Aural Hypnox releases. The guitars appear once again in “Nether-Desert Iris” to create another shimmering march of the damned, of civilizations long lost and human qualities long forgotten. Nether-Desert Iris is probably the most musical track on here somewhat reminding me of a more detailed and richer version of The Elemental Chrysalis.

There are so many great tracks on here with some of the most intriguing textures and sounds I have heard all being displayed in a dark ambient style with washes of lush reverb and drones combined with rhythmic elements that really just puts this album on its own level. Aural Hypnox has definitely upped the ante with this one and I just hope it will continue to rise.

Trying to find a thread with which to start this review is proving difficult. Part of me wants to go for the jugular with the grossest obscene gag that I’ve just thought up. On reflection I don’t think even the strongest of stomachs amongst you is ready for that one just yet. I’ll keep it for another day and another review. Which leaves me with only one option left. The Pinocchio one. The one where I tell you all that I know about Arktau Eos as a group. You, being the gullible fools that you are, do not realise that I know the sum total of zilch about them in reality and found the information on the label and groups own website…with added assistance from the press release. The illusion of the all knowing reviewer has been shattered beyond repair. Everyone does this by the way. Not just me. So the next time you read a review and start thinking how great and wise in knowledge we all are just remember my words. The cat is out of the bag. All reviewers are charlatans. Every fucking one of us. That was a good start. Things can only get better. Can’t they?

Arktau Eos was formed in 2005 by Anti Ittna H of Halo Manash and Antti Litmanen of Babylon Whores…Finland’s top rock outfit. ‘Mirrorion’ is their debut release and comes in two distinctive flavours. The chocolate, limited to 1,000 copies, 6 panel A5 version, and being reviewed now, and the ultra rare vanilla version, limited to 80 copies, deluxe box with bonus cdr and artwork. You can kiss your ass goodbye at getting your hands on the vanilla version. Even the chocolate one will be hard to find. The Aural Hypnox record label is incredibly collectable and their releases sell out fast.

Introductions, and reviewer musing crap, over with. Here’s the review proper. The 17 minutes and 70+ minutes of Mirrorion is the music of stellar light thrown down from the Heaven’s zenith and its eldritch reflections in the depths below, uniting atavistic elemental noise with serene passages of crystalline, spectral ambience. I lied once more. Sorry. I used a bit of bullshit there for dramatic effect. Stolen from the press release if you will. Actually I wished I hadn’t used that because I haven’t a fucking clue what it means. I thought eldritch was the lead singer of the Sisters of Mercy. Actually it means weird and sinister. You just know I’ll be using that word regularly in future reviews from now on. For this recording Arktau Eos have favoured an organic approach with majority of instrumentation being of acoustic variety, including the unearthly choral of the kanglings, piercing blasts of wind bones, accelerating steel-plate rolls, singing bowl and various kinds of stringed instruments. Guess what? I took that off the press release as well. Although I would have said exactly the same thing. Eventually. Trust me on that one. My nose grows larger by the second.

Might as well go with one last piece of stolen information before I use my own inadequate words. ‘Mirrorion’ is an ambitious body of work, which has slowly gained a life of its own, it is a chronicle of a harrowing initiatory experience that has culminated in the creation of seventeen chapters presented hereby. Each can be approached as a singular gateway or the entire recording can be enjoyed as a linear journey taking one from cosmological level to the individual plane and back again.

The guy who wrote that stuff sure is one talented individual. I’m blushing with envy at trying to follow that up. Here goes nothing. As usual. I doubt if any of you reading this will ever hear a more complex and, quite frankly, immense release this year. Arktau Eos have redefined the meaning of the words ‘artistic license and freedom’ to produce music that chips away deep into the psyche. This is music that was borne out of the black arts. Their vision at creating sound sculptures that stimulate the senses is something truly to behold. They combine a melodic touch whilst introducing ever complex noise elements and profoundly deep waves of resonance. Every track is a sonic adventure into a dark underworld. By utilising natures elements and mixing them with mesmerising manipulations the listener is drawn into these captivating aural landscapes where angels fear to tread. This is not by any stretch of the imagination easy listening music. Arktau Eos have deliberately made it that way. The serenity they paint is quickly tainted by obscure overtures that puts all perspectives into question. The thought processes made to work overtime as they bombard the senses with further attacks causing confusion and destabilisation. Can you last the distance and comprehend the journey you have just undertaken is what they ask of you. Many will fall by the wayside out of ignorance and fear. The music is not for the fainthearted or ignorant. You need to live and breath it. Take in every minute change of tone and direction. Let it empower you in its magnificent radiant glow and you will be ably rewarded.

Which is why ‘Mirrorion’ is so special. Call it the thinking mans, or woman’s, music. The mixing of differing musical genres combining to make a climatic release that dares to be different. That dares to explore the unknown in a highly evocative way. For that alone its worthy of investigation. The only question left remaining is whether you are man, or woman, enough to accept their invitation into the sonic unknown. They await you if you do. I’ll meet you there. I’m the one with the badge reading ‘shit reviewer’ on my lapel.

This material is deeply evocative and deals with arcane audio structures. There are both dark elements and crystal sounds. It is an album by a Finnish duo with a very nice artwork! By listening to it, you will be like a traveller inside a quiet dimension where you are allowed and invited to dig your soul. It is interesting to notice that these recordings have been made with no electronic stuff, at least for the first phase. Silver River is probably the deepest moment of the album. The listener will get a strange pleasure in finding himself in a path full of darkness and light.

Arktau Eos debut album is a journey into ritual and dark occultic ambience with guitar elements on a few tracks. But for the most part it’s stick to purely organic and acoustic elements such as piercing blasts of windbones, accelerating steel-plate rolls, singing bowl and various kinds of stringed instruments along with the human voice in all it’s eerier wonder, to summon up dark and often deeply chilling atmospheres

From the outset and the watery come percussive ritual tones of the first track to the albums last mummer you feel you are witness to some strange ritual worked out in dank caves or dark tangled forest deep away from civilisation. This feels very much of another place and other time, maybe not even part of our reality some third other place in-between worlds. For most of the albums running time there little melody or structure in a conventional manner, this is purely focus on making a certain atmosphere and vibe. You have to let it almost drift into your very being.

Like most ambient works and certainly dark ambient this works best as one long 70 minute track, which never lets up it’s hynopnic and often very unnerving air. You can almost see gowned figures, smell and taste exotic burning herbs. The thing that I think that sets this apart from a lot of this type of thing and adds to it’s atmospheric depth, is the lack of recognisable synthesizer elements. Some of the more really dread inducing moments come via the strange 'what must be human' chanted voices. The organic intresmentasion gives it a real feel of been authentic, like some ancient ritual recording found locked in a black tomb.

It’s all packaged in an A5 cover with black and red ink on light card stock- looking very much like a occultic document of some sort. Inside it has a ‘cant quite put your finger on why’ uneasy illustration of ritual robes. This unease stretches through the whole project it feels like there something deeper and darker going on here than what’s on the surface, something very shadowy and unpleasant. The listener left feeling like a character from a Lovecaft story, who slowly uncovers strange unearthly ceremonies and shadowy others.

Strangely unlike of lot of this type of thing- this seems to have staying power, making one want to revisit it often. Maybe it has to do with the density of sound and depth of atmospherics on display here. To find out more & buy direct go to here or go direct to the bands website to really unease yourself.

Although it is traditional to focus on the band, and in particular, their music, this review would be incomplete if I did not mention their label. Aural Hypnox is a tiny Finnish label dedicated to releasing disturbing ambience centred around the Helixes collective, all distributed in beautiful and unique packaging with a strong handmade touch -- a refreshing alternative to the Fordian production mentality that dominates in the the music industry. (This CD is contained within an A5 six-panel cardboard box.)

Arktau Eos proudly proclaims that Mirrorion is devoid of electric instruments, which would be an empty statement if uttered by, say, a black metal band, but of greater import when uttered by a dark ambient act. In lieu of electric instruments, "the natural, inherent vibrations of wood, bone and metal" are used, a description which includes the predictable and the orthodox such as an acoustic guitar as well as other, more unconventional and disturbing instruments such as kanglings (Tibetan trumpets made from human thighbones), accelerating steel-plate rolls, and singing bowls, which collectively weave a minimalist sonic tapestry. There is a strong magicko-spiritual aspect, not only suggested by the cyclopic cover sigil, but also by their own interior proclamations and song titles, which suggest a Thelemic influence; magic influence or not, strong ritual atmosphere is sustained throughout the album's lengthy playing time.

With seventeen tracks at just over an hour, this certainly is an ambitious release; however, while it may be obvious that it will not appeal to everyone, even dark ambient fans may struggle to appreciate its beauty, as drones, which provide the underlying structure for much of the genre's work, are noticeably absent. Nonetheless, it remains a stunning example of the genre.

Zoät·Aonin kiihkeästi odotettu kakkosalbumi antaa periaatteessa juuri sen mitä siltä ennakoitiinkin: tyylikästä, huolellisesti laadittua esoteerista ambientia. Silti on heti alkuun todettava, että vaikka kyseessä on hieno levy, ei se ole lähellekään yhtä hieno kuin edeltäjänsä, jumalainen Star Autopsy. Vika ei ole niinkään kappaleissa, vaan paketin luonteessa. Raidat toimivat todella hyvin yksinään, mutta niistä ei synny kokonaisuutta vaikka ne soivatkin yhtenä sujuvana jatkumona.

Sekä myönteisellä että kielteisellä tavalla mukaan kuvioon on tullut tutun oloisia paloja. Esim. kaunis Gate of All Directions on kuin fuusio artistin aiemmasta tyylistä ja Raison D'êtren utuisista kuoroista. Kylmä perkussio kappaleella The Immediate Body Drama on myös jotenkin tutun oloinen, mutta sopii artistin linjaan ja raidan pauhaavampiin osiin hämmentävän hyvin. Perinteisempää(kin) linjaa edustavat kappaleet ovat todella upeita, varsinkin monella tasolla soiva mahtava The Phantom Root sekä sitä seuraava Siren Flakes. Kautta levyn läsnä on, hajanaisuudesta huolimatta, se voimakas rituaalin tuntu joka tekee BSAH-leirin artisteista omaperäisiä ja erityisen vaikuttavia. Hetkittäin tosin tuntuu siltä, että lavaoloissa raidat pääsisivät vielä paljon paremmin irti, vaikuttamaan kuulijoihinsa kokonaisvaltaisemmin.

Erittäin hyvää synkkää ambientia, yksi alan oleellisesta parhaimmistosta. Mutta silti kovin kaukana Star Autopsyn loistokkuudesta.

The thing about this and other Aural Hypnox releases (and I guess all forms of dense ambient) is you’ve got to relisten over and over again to sink deeper into the atmosphere, to understand what is trying to be created here. For that a patient, imaginative and free mind is needed.

This is Zoät-Aon second album and offers up an hours worth of denser and often distirbing ritual dark ambience, laced with all manner of dark Occultic undertones, and eerier animal sound recordings. It’s all the work of Finland-based Jaakko Vanhala, with supporting roles on a few tracks by others playing thing such as Tingshas, Mala Rattles, Human skull drums (I think it’s best not to ask), piano and singing bowls. There’s no doubt about it , though out the atmosphere and depth of it is kept almost on a knife edge, as if you expect something to suddenly slide twitch or creak into listing space. It tells of strange ritual's played out in snow heavy forests, murmuring hordes of others awaiting at the gates to our world, this is music to unlock and release, really very impressive with it’s considerable depth and dread heavy level of sound. There’s so much audio detail, but all of it works chillingly well together giving the feeling akin to wondering though some dark and bent half world, between real and unreal.

As with all Aural Hypnox releases it comes in a very arty and impressive packaging, it’s in a old 7" single like art card fold out sleeve, full of dark, occult and natural bounded imagery. Really a very rewarding and chilling sound trip for those willing to lock in and concentrate on dark world that’s enfolding. To hear samples and buy direct slip through this dark portal.

When I first saw the packaging of this cd, I was initially under the impression that I was dealing with a vinyl single here. Upon closer examination, I discovered that the stylish cardboard fold-out cover actually contained a digital disc. The music as well as the artwork are the doing of Jaakko Vanhala, the person behind Zoät-Aon. Back in 2005 this Finnish magic realist stirred up some commotion when he released the debut Star Autopsy, a year later followed by this new expression of his unorthodox creative urge. What makes the air tremble here isn't so easy to capture in words; let's just say that the multiverse knows many passages which really should remain sealed.

Over the course of millenniums, mankind has cultivated the delusion that he is the ruler of this world and that it is his divine right to judge over all that lives. However, what we sentient primates categorically fail to see, is that sooner or later we might just be dethroned. As a harbinger of this very thought, The Triplex Bestial features wild, animalistic ambient which gives you an idea of what happens when you are degraded from self-crowned lord to a mere prey. The music is fidgety, rustling and rattling; like a swarm of insects or trees during a gale. The dark, shamanistic whisperings also don't do much for your inner peace, they effectively generate a sensation of being gazed upon by the shadows in the nighttime forest where you've lost your path, with the eyes of awakened entities older than time. It's not uncommon to look over your shoulder every now and then to make sure you're actually alone while listening to this. Maybe this is less suitable for suggestive minds, the supernatural atmospheres constructed here with the help of sounds which sometimes seem to be unearthly are like a sonic key for opening the gateways of existential fear.

In a dynamic and artistic way a form has been given here to an approach of the collective consciousness of nature. Picturesque scenes such as the sight of small rodents scurrying through the fallen leaves with nuts in their mouths can be found here, but also the threat of that which accurately heads for you while you're trying to find your way through the shrubs during thick fog, irresistibly attracted by your scent and the promise of fresh meat it holds. Elusive titles such as "Gate Of All Directions", "Green Spring Ferocity" and "The Copulation Of Mirrors" are pretty much on par with their contents, but when it comes to hair-raising qualities, the track "MaUrMa" truly reigns. This ritual monstrosity was executed with the help of three assistents; singing bowls, piano, human skull drums (!) and other instruments are accompanied here by a disembodied voice which murmurs undecipherable mantras. Lugubrious and fascinating at the same time.

This album is unique and dynamic, not unlike the throbbing, pulsating vitality of the untainted primal being which still exerts its influence. Simply said, this is one hell of a record, a bestial hell even. This music adjusts your awareness, so that you may suddenly note how the barren branches resemble grasping claws... and why do those crows always look at me so strangely with their penetrating stares?

'The Triplex Bestial' is the second work released by Zoät-Aon on the Aural Hypnox label, following on from 2005's 'Star Autopsy', and is the latest solo project to come from Finland's Jaako Vanhla, whose initial musical explorations began in 1995. His output previous to Zoät-Aon includes various works such as those under the name of Depther (whose 'Altar State' CDR is available for download from his website), as well as his collaborations with fellow countryman Halo Manash released under the I.Corax monicker. On this latest release he is joined on one track 'Muarma' by three additional collaborators & friends, these being Aki Cederberg (bells, thingshas, mala rattles, human skull drums & spoken vocals), Henkka Kyllönen of the Drone Records act No Xivic (piano), and Antti Litmanen of the Babylon Whores (singing bowls).Zoät-Aon's music is a sonic collage of 'acoustic instruments, field recordings, analogue synthesizers and modern technology' that combine in a genre-spanning ritual ambience described as 'a barbarous, sonic paradox suggesting the subtle arousal of the ancestry in flesh, a work both soothing and threatening to the intuitive mind'. The CD (limited to 1000 copies) is packaged in an oversized 7'' card folder featuring suitably dark esoteric artwork, and provides over an hour of music inspired by 'the trance and dream of a carnal totem standing between Heaven and Earth, where the unearthly sound of starlight's serpentine arteries winding together with the blackened branches above mingles with the oneiric hisses and crackles of necromantic phantoms and slithering roots below'.

The introductory track 'Gate of All Directions' fades in with a suspension of choir toned drones and insectoid treble scraping fuzz, built upon a foundation of deep synth bass. Whispered barely audible voices add to the initiatory feel of the piece, while the later addition of stately measured eastern inspired percussion thickens the ritualistic mood, with the resulting elements alternating between the foreground and background of the mix thus giving an effective forward momentum. Percussive scrapings lead the track to conclusion as the other sounds fade deeper into the distance, with a muted brasslike keyboard pad heralding the shift into the following 'Bestial Waves'. This shifts into a more cyberpunk atmosphere, with brooding futuristic strings punctuated by a whiplike rhythmic hissing effect, and rapid bell-like tinkling gives way to mechanized sweeping static layers. The alien feel is reinforced by hollow echoing samples that build oppressively into a crescendo that merges into 'Green Spring Ferocity', where a similar sound palette is woven around a throbbing synthesised deep brass motif. More insectoid chittering spins throughout and ties together subtle samples of animal and weather noise, as well as glassy hollow wind textures