SPRING 2004
OTHER REVIEWS



OSTARA - Ultima Thule -CD - 10 tracks - Eis & Licht - 2004
'Ultima Thule' is the third album already for Ostara, and it's the first album released since the departure of Timothy Jenn, one of the co-founders of the band. For this album, Richard Leviathan recruited two new members (Stu Mason from US punk band Kampers and Karia Hatakka from the Finnish crossover band Waltari) to push Ostara's sound in a new direction.
The heavy electric guitar riffs and dynamic keyboards of the first five songs make no ambiguities about this new direction; Marylyn Manson inspired goth rock. These songs are, as always, well written and well composed but this kind of music, even played by Ostara, is just not my cup of tea. The second part of the album reverts back to familiar territory with more tranquil, acoustic pop folk songs and the astonishing Proud Black Templar, an a capella track that is perhaps the most powerful song of the album.
'Ultima Thule' is an album that will no doubt give Ostara a wider fan base amongst the gothic and metal scene but it risks to disappoint the neofolk purist.
Ian C.
Contacts : Ostara - Eis & Licht


SUBINTERIOR - Insomnie - Demo CD-R - 7 tracks - self-released - 2004
After a first promising cdr demo 'Outfall' reviewed last summer on our pages Subinterior, the Italian solo project of A.F., is back with a (new) 41 minute-long cdr including seven tracks recorded in November and December 2003. The purpose of this project remains the same: to create tracks using only samples and surrounding noises.
This time, the result is darker, more oppressive than the atmosphere created on the previous demo 'Outfall'.
'Insomnie' is a much more mature work featuring well-constructed tracks based upon slow drones and a progressively growing tension... and where cold atmospheric pieces follow noisier and quite disturbing moments
'Close to the End' and its crepuscular atmosphere, created by a mix of bird songs, drones, organic sounds and a guitar melody (that sounds more like a piano), closes in the best way the second work of this promising dark ambient act.
Nathalie F.
Contact: Subinterior


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