Avzhia

Catching the edge of the burgeoning black metal trend, Auhzia from simple elements built black metal in the flowing style of early Graveland.

Streaming dark collaborations of tone and rhythm in a high speed melange of melodies that terminate in phrase-stopping dissonant counterpoints, providing a raw and unfettered sense of expansion as well as a heartpounding inexorability of destruction. Auzhia make it work through melodies composed in a style of cyclic intensity.

Each phrase augments the previous and leads concisely into the next, assuring an ever-increasing feedback loop of the dissonance of melody propelling its conclusions and the harmony of its affinity for all other notes in the composition. Although chaotic these pieces are assemble

d with care and diligence that make their intentionality a highlight as patterns evolve throughout often radically different styles. The closest match in previous work are the Greek bands of ripping melodic fame, such as Rotting Christ or Varathron.

Dark ambient potential derives its power from its ability to

modulate context to the will of each composition toward closure, a symbolic destruction that is both satisfying and ambivalent in this context. Screeching feral vocals alternate with starchly chanted spoken pieces which direct contrast toward the more organic constructions of the music. Highly powerful despite its loose edges, this band is sheer brilliance with duct tape holding together the details of aesthetic.

Dark Emperors

Tracklist:

1. Into the War
2. Shadows of the Forest
3. Black Prayer
4. Immortal Spirit
5. Dark Emperors
6. Empire
7. Screams of Darkness
8. Auzhia
Length: 57:47

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Sammath

Sammath was formed in 1994 by Jan Kruitwagen. Inspired by early black metal and the thrash, speed and death formations of the eighties. Growing up in Australia raw fast metal left its mark on Sammath. Jan moved from Sydney to Europe, Holland in 1999.

1994- First promo tape "Visions upon winter lands" was recorded. Soon after this tape, Kruitwagen got in contact with M.Gertsen. "Zwaardbroeders bij de bergengte" (Brothers of the sword at the mountain pass) was released in 1996 several tracks appeared on complication tapes worldwide. The next year the promo tape "De ruïnes fluisteren " (the ruins whisper) was released in 97. This tape led to a deal with Folter Records in 1997. Gertsen was relieved, due to lack of interest and vision. 1999 The first CD "Strijd" (Battle) was recorded on 16 tracks. All lyrics, music and instruments we re recorded by Kruitwagen. Numerous tracks were released on complication tapes/cds like the "Encyclopedia Pestilentia" complication . The new Sammath CD 2002- "Verwoesting/Devastation" was released, a violent and unconventional way of combining black and death metal. After the recording of the album the idea was born to search for bandmembers. Drummer Koos Bos added his insane drumming to Sammath in 2001, the violence continued. In 2002 Sammath performed at the Under the black sun festival and did some gigs in the Netherlands The live line up was Ruud Nillesen, bass, Cor van Maris, vocals, Koos Bos, drums and Jan Kruitwagen, guitar. In 2002 Macabre Operetta rereleased the first album "Strijd" on LP under licence from Folter.

Signing on with Folter Records 2006 The album "Dodengang" turned out to be a furious black metal cd. To promote the album Sammath did some different shows in Holland and at the Under the black sun festival. Hanna van den Berg joined the live line up.2006 Jan got in contact with madman Magnus from Magnificat they decided to combine his skills into Sammath, he will contribute mad guitar solos to the new, most aggressive, violent and raging Sammath album Triumph in hatred.

Review: Positioning elements of harmony in counterpoint to melodic direction in song Sammath achieve a landscape view of spatial tonality through the meshing of themes in narrative songs which explode circular structures through transitional material in which melodic structure is revealed before its digestion in the next sequence of interconnected cyclic evolutionary heuristic process. Using exuberant keyboards sparsely this music punctuates "grand" scenarios of musical exchange with a sense of the nihilistic and windswept minimal in tremelo strumming of thematic growth in longer phrases.

Violence merged with decadence, and mood coalescing in a delicate sense of melodic buildup and deconstruction, create foundations for ambitious epics of balanced ripping speed and exploratory phrasing which finds in the basic tonal shape and return structure of the harmonic interchange of a particular moment and song, through understanding of balance in motion of continuity through architecture joined with modal coherence, a space of development and symbolic change in fundamentals of theme to suggest narrative change.

In this language of texture and motion motifs reflect ventures from a sudden nothingness to coherence in an ambiguous but sensible state, moving within in abrupt reconfigurations of structure based on revelations of core progress of idea; this completes a metal ideal of merging the most explosive sound possible with a balance and logicality forcing a confrontation with chaos, ambiguity and the perceptual balance of the user. Geometric in the framing of motion through space between an initiation and possible resolutions in tone, these melodies change focus within an ecosystem of separate motions so that the force of action follows a new direction inherent but unknown as ascendant within protean shape evolution to that point.

Like a good detective novel, this music uncovers unexpected possibilities forming a better mapping of an obscure situation under investigations, making tunnels of melodic exploration venturing from a central point of choice or variation, reminding the black metal enthusiast of Emperor or Summoning. Instrumentalism is reasonable and percussion accurate and streamlined. In thunder and light, as well as a refined sense of riffwriting and howling shrikes of vocals that exactingly inflect details of mood variance into expanding phrase, the music of Sammath brings to black metal a new hope and power.

Sammath - Triumph in Hatred

1.	Blood	05:59
2.	Burn in the Fires of Hell	06:21
3.	Interlude/Torment	04:30
4.	Damnation	05:03
5.	Blazing Storm of Steel	06:10
6.	Triumph in Hatred	06:54
7.	The Dead Lay Torn	05:48

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Recording line up:

j.kruitwagen guitars, vocals

Ruud Nillesen, bass

Koos Bos, drums

Andy, solos

Sammath - Strijd

Tracklist:

1. De glorie van het slagvefd (5:13)
2. Zwaardbroeders bij de bergengte (5:51)
3. Strijd (7:06)
4. Drakenbloed (5:07)
5. De heidense vlam zal branden (4:02)
6. Als duisternis de kasteel torens bedekt (3:39)
7. Met de strijdbijf in mijn hand (4:32)

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