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Review by JUDAS KISS.
Over the past few years the name Bleiburg has slowly started to crop up with increasing frequency within the European neo-folk/post-industrial genres but very little seemed to be known about this Croatian artist. So to combat this, the UK's leading light in post-industrial music Cold Spring have released a wonderfully illuminating double CD that pulls in a vast array of collaborations by Bleiburg as well showcasing seven previously unreleased solo tracks. Mirroring its title 'Pieces of a Broken Dream' this 2 CD 24 track album pulls together fragments of sounds, influences, collaborations and ideas that have shaped this elusive and highly interesting project and demonstrates the highly diverse yet constantly compelling range of genres and styles Bleiburg touch upon.
Being the work of just one man, Stefan Rukavina, Bleiburg is able to be steered in which ever direction he sees fit which helps explain the far reaching spectrum of ideas and sounds touched upon here. Yet it's obvious to see that Stefan's heart and soul is held very firmly by the passionate and moving essence of the European post-industrial genre, with his music keeping one hand held against its dark beating heart whilst the other explores musical styles and ties that share similar grounding but are fundamentally different. Dark ambient soundscapes couple up with neo folk and medieval sensibilities, delicate ambient like textures collide with deep reverberating walls of noise whilst subtle samples melt into commanding vocals. Like a wonderfully put together compilation of industrial and neo-folk music 'Pieces of a Broken Dream' offers up an impressive array of musical styles that sit somewhere within the guidelines of these two genres. With CD one taking a softer more neo-folk / medieval approach and CD two opting for the harsher more heroic and forceful experimental, noise and darker electronic stylings.
Occasionally it's hard to remember that this release is all of the work of one man as the styles of musical delivery change almost constantly from track to track, however this is due in part to the collaborations that Bleiburg has participated in and the range of artist he has worked with.
Yet in retrospect when you look at this collection as a whole you can't help but be impressed by the constantly high level of output Bleiburg has presented whether it be alone or as one part of collaboration.
Joining Bleiburg here amongst others are Cawatana, The Soil Bleeds Black, Harvest Rain, Aube, Nocturne and Cellar of Rats (the new project that has risen from the ashes of Kerovnian) with each artist or group adding their own style and sound to their collaborative track.
As introductory releases go you can't help but be impressed with what Bleiburg has presented with 'Pieces of a Broken Dream'. It also poses the question - what will come next - more collaborations or a full length so release? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. However judging from the calibre of this double CD I'm sure we won't have to wait too ling before a flurry or labels fight to get the next instalment of Bleiburg's work out.
Review by FILTH FORGE.
The most addicted and spendthrift vinyl collectors will surely remember of the name Bleiburg and his creator Stefan Rukavina, who a few years ago was also running German label Thaglasz and releasing some of the most incredible limited-editions ever seen, with the 10-LPs boxset "Security Of Ignorance" remaining as the most representative example. Apart from a few again extremely limited vinyls (a 7" single and a double LP) and various apparitions on the aforementioned releases, Bleiburg had never released anything else, much less on digital format. Cold Spring presents now this double CD featuring 24 unreleased tracks, rich of collaborations and apparitions by a lot of neofolk and industrial artists appeared on the collectable Thaglasz samplers.
Since its last manifestation, Bleiburg has changed from a one-man project into a band of four elements, considerably widening its musical possibilities. The listening of the first CD will be a surprise for those who remember the not very convincing noise tracks featured on "Za Dom Spremni" or "Notre Domicile Est L'Europe": the sound has turned into an epic, dramatic and powerful mixture of martial industrial, neofolk, and dark ambient, thanks also to the collaboration of the likes of Cawatana, The Soil Bleeds Black, Harvest Rain and Lonsai Maikov. "Teufeldivision", for example, stands out as a powerful and perfect neofolk anthem, with nothing to envy to any of that scene's big names, while self-titled "Bleiburg", with its echoed and cavernous thuds and ghostly keyboards, could have come out of Raison d'être's mind.
CD 2 presents a totally different face of Bleiburg's music, closer to the early experiments but, of course, a lot more refined and effective, although this second half is less homogeneous and convincing than the first. The interesting part is that the band is here working with very topical issues, as shown by titles like "Oil In Their Eyes", "Muezzin Pop" or "The Days Of The Storm", and by the fusion of noisy ambient with Muslim chants and sampled voices from the Middle East, in the vein of what recently listened from Ure Thrall or, in the past, by the pioneer Muslimgauze. This time, the list of guest stars features, among the others, Aube, Nocturne, Telepherique and Vidna Obmana.
Undoubtedly, "Pieces Of A Broken Dream" will appeal to the whole martial industrial / neofolk audience, as well as to the more noisy and experimental maniacs, since both genres are well represented on the two CDs, and there is enough variety among the tracks to make the listening of both hardly ever boring. The only legitimate doubt is how much of this reach menu is to be credited to Bleiburg themselves and not rather to their numerous guests.
Review by DARKROOM.
La strana creatura di Stefan Rukavina, artista croato residente in Germania, muove i suoi primi passi nel ’99 col 7" ”Chess Board”, edito da quella Thaglasz che nacque inizialmente - proprio per mano dello stesso Stefan - come fanclub dei Death In June (pubblicando anche una fanzine ufficiale) e che poi si trasformò in una vera e propria label, divenuta celebre grazie ad una serie di lussuose ed ormai introvabili compilation. Nel 2003 è poi arrivato il sontuoso doppio LP ”Domobran”, che ha consacrato il nome Bleiburg nel ‘gotha’ della cosiddetta ‘brown area’ grazie ad una serie di importanti collaborazioni, che si sono rivelate il fulcro stesso del songwriting di Stefan, il quale ha dato ad intendere di prediligere la scrittura a più mani con altri artisti dediti a sonorità industrial e neofolk. Mentre sarà difficile riuscire a collezionare l’opera omnia di Bleiburg, complici i 16 dischetti (!!!) dedicati a questo interessante progetto dalla nostrana Old Europa Cafè (per lo più edizioni doppie, nonché una quadrupla), risulterà ben più facile mettere le mani su questa succosa doppia raccolta di materiale dell’artista croato, edita dalla sempre attenta Cold Spring e comprendente 24 brani per una durata complessiva che sfiora i 150 minuti. Sette sono le canzoni firmate solamente da Bleiburg, mente i restanti 17 brani vedono Stefan collaborare con tutta una serie di act più o meno noti quali Cawatana, The Soil Bleeds Black, Gregorio Bardini, Thorn Agram, Obscure Resistance, Harvest Rain, Lonsai Maikov, Larrnakh, Project Toth, Aube, Nocturne, Cellar Of Rats, Telepherique, Amir Bagheri e Vidna Obmana. Talune collaborazioni le avevamo già sentite tanto sulle uscite firmate Bleiburg quanto sulle compilation targate Thaglasz: dal primo dischetto, decisamente più orientato verso sonorità neofolk e soundscapes dai toni magniloquenti, si segnalano in particolar modo le canzoni firmate assieme a Cawatana (l’epica e possente ”Batschka”, scandita da sezioni di fiati), The Soil Bleeds Black (una ”The Death Rattle” dai toni sacrali), Gregorio Bardini (che in ”Nuova Europa” cattura declamazioni sull’indipendenza della Croazia nel ’41, tema assai caro a Mr. Rukavina), Lonsai Maikov (”Six” è pura intensità neofolk con un forte pathos vocale) e Thorn Agram (”U Hramu Slobode” è ben divisa tra elettronica, sporadici ma indovinati inserti percussivi e spoken vocals), mentre le tracce firmate dal solo Stefan - ad esclusione dell’opprimente ed industriale ”Notwende 2004” - odorano di colonna sonora per immagini sbiadite di storia dell’Europa del secolo scorso. Decisamente più ostico ed opprimente il secondo dischetto, che a fianco della minimale ”We Are Everywhere” e della sferzata industriale ”Muezzin Pop” propone rumorose collaborazioni con artisti molto quotati in campo ambient e industrial, tra le quali spiccano per durata quelle messe in atto con Aube (”Soshite Sorekara” raggiunge quota 15 minuti…) e Cellar Of Rats (”The Days Of Storm” supera i 16 minuti!). Potremmo asserire che la musica di Bleiburg è più interessante quando Stefan collabora con altri artisti, il che, valutando il suo lavoro ‘a due mani’, è probabilmente vero, ma è il valore complessivo di release come questa che deve essere premiato, e pertanto ci sentiamo di consigliare questo doppio album tanto a chi deve ancora avvicinarsi al sound di Bleiburg quanto a chi già ne ha apprezzato le gesta, fermo restando che siamo di fronte ad una materia sonora destinata ai soli cultori della ‘brown area’.
Review by ORKUS.
Neben diversen eigenen Veröffentlichungen haben sich die kroatischen Ursprungs-Folker Bleiburg anscheinend auf Kollaborationen spezialisiert, waren es in den letzten Jahren doch so viele, dass sich damit nun gar eine Doppel-CD füllen lässt. Pieces Of A Broken Dream hält Werke bereit, die Bleiburg in Zusammenarbeit mit Industrial- und Folk-Künstlern wie Cawatana, The Soil Bleeds Black, Thorn Agram, Obscure Resistance, Harvest Rain, Project Toth, Aube, Nocturne, Telepherique, Amir Baghiri oder auch vidnaObmana ausgetüftelt und aufgenommen haben, wodurch ein abwechslungsreiches, musikalisch buntes, aber auch dichtes Manifest der "obskuren" Szene-Abarten entstanden ist, das sich von Military über Ambient und Klassik bis hin zu reinen Folk-Kompositionen erstreckt und mehr als nur den Charakter einer "Sammlung" hat, sondern das Tiefschürfende, Dunkelernste hinter Bleiburg vorzüglich offenbart.
Review by VITAL WEEKLY.
Despite the impressive catalogue of Bleiburg, I must admit that I had never heard of this project before UK-label Cold Spring released this album titled "Pieces of a broken dream". Fortunately though, a number of more or less sound artists knew of this very interesting project called Bleiburg. Bleiburg, German-based project headed by Stefan Rukavina, creates music that floats in spheres of dark ambience and ritual industrial. This latest release of Bleiburg represents a very interesting mixture of materials from collaborations between Bleiburg and other interesting sound artists plus unreleased materials of Bleiburg. The joint venture tracks ranges from neo-folk (collaborations with Soil Bleeds Black, Lonsai Maikov, Larrnakh etc.) to harsh moments of noise (collaborations with Telepherique, Nocturne, Project Toth, Aube etc.). Elements of ethno-electronics also appear through out the album, peaking with the closing track "Traumwelt", a collaboration between Bleiburg and Vidna Obmana that results in a tense work of ethno-oriented ambient in the best manner of Vidna Obmana. Another great moment on this 150 minutes musical journey comes on second disc with the 14 minutes track "Soshite Sorekara", an intense track that develops from claustrophobic isolationist ambient to abrasive yet beautifully controlled noise by Japanese noise legend Aube. "Pieces of a broken dream" can both be considered as an impressive compilation of contemporary electronics and as a first-lesson into the sonic world of Bleiburg. No matter which way you choose, this is an excellent listening experience. Highly recommended.
Review by NECRO WEB.
Dass es sich bei Bleiburgs neuestem Album "Pieces Of A Broken Dream" nicht um ein normales Studioalbum handelt, bemerkt man spätestens beim Blick auf die Trackliste. Denn neben sieben bisher unveröffentlichten Songs von Bleiburg tummeln sich hier die Kollaborationen Bleiburgs mit anderen Künstlern der unterschiedlichsten Richtungen. Und so verwundert es eben auch nicht, daß auf dieser Doppel-CD eine musikalisch recht abwechslungsreiche Mischung vorzufinden ist, ob Folk, Dark Ambient, Electro/Industrial oder Noise, hier ist von allem etwas dabei. Und selbst wenn man dem ein oder anderen Track eher abneigend gegenübersteht, so wird der ambitionierte Musikliebhaber trotzdem mehr als genug interessante Songs auf "Pieces Of A Broken Dream" finden. Manchmal ist es eben auch gut, wenn sich die unterschiedlichsten Strömungen einer Szene zu einem tête-à-tête treffen, um interessante und neue Wege zu beschreiten. In diesem Fall bedeutet dies auch, daß man als Hörer zwar etwas gefordert wird, dafür wird man aber auch mit einem kurzweiligen Doppel-Album belohnt, welches man immer wieder mal anhören kann.
Wer die Vielfalt liebt, sollte sich "Pieces Of A Broken Dream" nicht entgehen lassen, denn das ein oder andere Schmankerl gibt es hier allemal zu entdecken, abgerundet durch viele qualitativ gute Songs.
Review by LUNAR HYPNOSIS.
These two discs represent (mostly) collaborations between "Bleiburg" (actually one man named Stefan Rukavina, who runs the German label Thaglasz as well as the Death In June fan club by the same name,) and several stellar acts such as The Soil Bleeds Black, Aube, Amir Baghiri and Vidna Obmana. There are seven solo tracks on the discs as well.
Both the concept album "Pieces of a Broken Dream" and the name of Stefan's project refer to a town in Austria where horrific massacres took place during World War II. The massacres for the most part were perpetrated by Communist Yugoslavian forces, (with the support of the Allied forces,) against Croatians. Recent investigations suggest some 190,000 Croat men, women, and children were slaughtered many in particularly gruesome ways, including the stoning of women and the beheading of unarmed soldiers.
The music collected here is as heartbreakingly beautiful as it is extraordinarily disturbing. The songs blend the terrors of yesterday with the ironic horrors that continue even now; the sounds are traditional and contemporary, somber and surreal. The gorgeous landscapes of Croatia are sonically illuminated and punctuated with the nightmare of political fanaticism. I am hard-pressed to think of a more dignified and substantial remembrance of such an overlooked event in history as this two disc set; the souls and events of Tenzo Woods and Bleiburg are well summoned by the sounds.
Review by FEINDESLAND.
In der alljährlichen Veröffentlichungsflut, die der geneigten Hörerschaft zum Kauf angeboten wird, gehen einige herausragende Releases leider unter, weil sie vom durchschnittlichem Material überlagert werden. Gerne wird über die Schnelllebigkeit der Mainstreammusik und ihrer Szene geschimpft. Hat uns diese Entwicklung nicht auch im anspruchsvollen Untergrund eingeholt? Nehmen wir, die geneigten Hörerinnen und Hörer noch wirklich alle wichtigen und interessanten Publikationen des angeblichen Undergrounds wahr? Oder sind Neofolk, Industrial, Dark Ambient und die anderen Musikstile des Genres auch nur noch eine große Abzocke der vermeintlichen "kleinen aber feinen" Labels? Fragen über Fragen, die jede Konsumentin bzw. jeder Konsument für sich selbst beantworten sollte.
Die neue Bleiburg Doppel CD mit dem Titel: "Pieces of a Broken Dream" dürfte in der Fülle von Neuerscheinungen untergegangen sein, zumindest konnte ich in der einschlägigen Presse keine ausführlichen Besprechungen dazu finden. Dieses Release enthält nicht nur neue Tondokumente von Bleiburg, sondern auch die gesammelten Gemeinschaftsarbeiten, die seit dem Bestehen der Band mit folgenden Akteuren Cawatana, The Soil Bleeds Black, Gregorio Bardini, Thorn Agram, Obscure Resistance, Harvest Rain, Lonsai Maikov, Larrnakh, Project Toth, Aube, Nocturne, Cellar Of Rats, Telepherique, Amir Baghiri und Vidna Obmana eingespielt wurden und zum überwiegenden Teil auch auf anderen Publikationen zu hören sind. Das Album war schon seit längerer Zeit angekündigt und kann über Cold Spring Records oder bei den einschlägigen Mailordern erworben werden.
Bleiburg ist das Projekt von Stefan Rukavina, der kroatischer Abstammung sein dürfte, ansonsten würden die inhaltlichen wie musikalischen Bezüge auf Kroatien keinen Zusammenhang ergeben. Die Betitelung seines künstlerischen Schaffens "Bleiburg" hat eine historische Bedeutung für kroatische Staatsangehörige. Am 15. Mai 1945 ermordeten jugoslawische Partisanen eine große Anzahl von Ustascha Soldaten, Mitglieder von kroatischen Heimwehren, deren Angehörige, Frauen, Kinder und unschuldige Personen, die keine kroatischen Kollaborateure waren in der Nähe der Kärntner Stadt Bleiburg in Österreich.
Inhaltlich könnte die anspruchsvolle Konsumentin bzw. der anspruchsvolle Konsument dieses Werk wie ein Geschichtsbuch betrachten, wo jedes Lied für eine historische Begebenheit steht. Gewisse Tracks definieren sich selbst durch ihre Namensgebung, andere erschließen sich der Hörerschaft erst beim Lauschen der Klänge. Wer Tonkunst mit hohem inhaltlichem Anspruch sucht, findet in Bleiburg, das passende Mittel um seinen Geist zu stimulieren.
Musikalisch ist Bleiburg die perfekte Kreuzung aus militaristischen und orientalischen Klängen. Aus dem geschichtlichem Aspekt heraus, vereinigt Stefan Rukavina zwei der größten Punkte der kroatischen Geschichtsschreibung miteinander. Der kriegerische bzw. militärische Einschlag in der Musik ergibt sich bzw. steht für den ewig stattfinden Kampf auf dem Balkan unter den ethnischen Gruppierungen. Zuletzt erlebte Kroatien seit dem 25.Juni 1991, dem Tag wo die Unabhängigkeit erklärt wurde, einen schrecklichen Krieg mit der Jugoslawischen Volksarmee. Die orientalische Komponente hingegen rührt aus der Zeit von 1102 bis 1526, als die Osmanen die Länder Serbien, Bosnien, die Herzegowina, Bulgarien, Griechenland und Bulgarien eroberten, Kroatien galt als Pufferzone für den Westen und ist nur teilweise von den Türken eingenommen worden. Sie hinterließen Spuren ihrer Kultur, die sich bis heute noch in Gepflogenheiten der vorher aufgezählten Länder widerspiegeln, auch natürlich in ihrer Musik. Bleiburg auf ein Genre reduzieren zu wollen scheint unmöglich, eine Symbiose aus Neofolk, Darkfolk, Dark Ambient, Industrial und alten (oder auf alt getrimmte) Sprach- wie Tonsamples erwartet die Zuhörerinnen und Zuhörer. Abwechslung bzw. Vielfalt wird auf dieser Doppel CD großgeschrieben, kein musikalischer Einheitsbrei, der Langeweile aufkommen lässt, sondern rhythmische bis atmosphärische Klänge dominieren das Szenarium von weit über 2 Stunden Spielzeit.
Euch, unsere geneigte Leserschaft, ohne zwei ausführliche Beschreibungen von Stücken bei diesem Opus zu entlassen, wäre in höchstem Masse unverantwortlich und würde dem hier Geschaffenen in keinster Art und Weise gerecht. Aus dieser sehr homogenen und komplexen Arbeit von Bleiburg eine Auswahl für Euch zu treffen grenzt an Wahnsinn, meine Entscheidung ist auf die Tracks 'Bleiburg' (feat. Larrnakh) und 'Ammon' gefallen.
Angetrieben von dunklen atmosphärischen bis rituellen Klängen schleicht sich 'Bleiburg' (feat. Larrnakh) in die Gehörgänge, die vorher beschrieben Situation verstärkt sich im Laufe mit industriellen Schlägen bzw. Beats, bis eine typische Neofolkgitarre umgeben von elektronischer Hintergrundmalerei das Regiment übernimmt. Die sehr dunkle und befremdliche Gesang, eine Leistung von Sörös Gergö von Larrnakh aus Ungarn, der mit seiner sehr martialisch angehauchten Stimme (Er könnte auch Prediger in einer orthodoxen Kirche werden.) einen Höhepunkt des Albums "Pieces of a Broken Dream" setzt.
Herzlich Willkommen im Orient, genau in diese Richtung geht die Reise mit dem Tondokument 'Ammon'. Eine Klangcollage kombiniert aus orientalischen und dunklen Momenten, die von einer verzerrten Gesangleistung Unterstützung erfährt.
In meinen vorherigen Zeilen stellte ich Bleiburg als Ein Mann Projekt vor, Stefan Rukavina ist der denkende bzw. lenkende Kopf, er komponiert bzw. inszeniert die Stücke gemeinsam mit dEMOND und A. Schwarz. Ehre wem Ehre gebührt.
Die Gestaltung des Tonträgeraufdrucks und der Cover geht auf das Konto von Abby Helasdottir ein aus Neuseeland stammender Graphikartist und Musiker. Eine sehr passende und zugleich stimmungsvolle Collage, aus einer Landkarte, die den Landstrich von Bleiburg zeigt, gepaart kroatischen Symbolen aus verschieden Epochen.
Fazit: Eine sehr gut konzeptionierte und realisierte Veröffentlichung, welche eine perfekte Symbiose aus Geschichte und deren Vertonung darstellt. In einer Flut von konzeptlosen Releases, ein Ausreißer, dem zu wenig Würdigung entgegen gebracht wird. Wer Musik mit Anspruch sucht und Bleiburg noch nicht kennt, sollte auf ihrer My Space Seite vorbeischauen und eine Hörprobe von ihrem Können nehmen.
Bleibt am Ende nur eine Frage offen: "Wie viele Hörer beschäftigen sich mit dem geschichtlichen Inhalt dieser CD und lassen sich letztendlich nicht nur von der Musik die Sinne benebeln?"
Review by GANGLERI.
I knew this band only by name and from a few mp3 snippets that I heard. I think that they are part of the 'new generation' artists in the scene, but apparently they have been around long enough to have a double cd compilation with almost only tracks for which they coorperated with other bands from the scene. Bleiburg itself makes neofolk and industrial (ambient) and so do the bands on this cd, from The Soil Bleeds Black to Thorn-Agram and from Harvest Rain to Vidna Obmana. The first cd is relatively tranquil with ambient and folky pieces, the second cd is a bit harder with more industrial and noisy tracks, but still ambient. Most tracks are actually pretty good and especially with of the variety of cooperators and styles, the cds are still structered well enough to form some kind of unity. A nice release of a band that I didn't know well enough.
Review by ALTERNATIVMUSIK.
Viele Gruppen des Neofolk- und Industrialsektors haben über die Jahre mit den Kroaten von Bleiburg zusammengearbeitet. Zum ersten Mal erscheinen die gesammelten Kollaborationen nun auf einer Doppel-CD, ergänzt um sieben eigene Stücke der Gruppe. Durch die Vielzahl der verschiedenen beteiligten Künstler ist also schon einmal ein breites Spektrum musikalischer Vielfalt garantiert, dessen Rahmen vom klassischen Neofolk bis zu verstörendem Industrial reicht. Mit insgesamt zweieinhalb Stunden Musik hat man die Spielzeit der beiden CDs dabei gut ausgereizt, so dass dem Hörer viel geboten werden kann.
Dem Freunde neofolkloristischer Klänge begegnet mit Cawatana gleich zu Anfang ein bekannter Name im Stück Balschka. Allerdings steuern sie auf dieser Zusammenstellung weniger Folk bei als vielmehr eine militaristisch anmutende Klangcollage mit experimentellem Einschlag. Beschwörende wirkende Flöten mit treibenden Trommeln und kroatischer Sprache treffen auf deutschsprachige Samples, die eine finstere Kulisse hervorrufen. Das Bedrohliche und der militaristische Einschlag begegnen auch in den folkdominierteren Titeln. Ein Beispiel hierfür ist der Titel Teufelsdivision - eine Zusammenarbeit mit der Gruppe Obscure Resistance. Eingeleitet von Kriegsgeräuschen wird das Stück schnell von einer treibend gespielten Wandergitarre und stark betonenden Trommeln vorangetrieben und es entsteht eine Art Lagerfeuerfolk, bei dem man sich auch durch den Text bedingt dem Eindruck eines Heerlagers nicht erwehren kann.
Von einem anderen Schlag sind die industriallastigeren Stücke. So zum Beispiel der Titel Nuova Europa mit Gregorio Bardini. Rein musikalisch gesehen besteht der Titel aus Frequenzen, die am ehesten mit dem Terminus “Rauschen” belegt werden können, dessen Intensität sich abwechselt. Der Gesang ist dabei spoken word-betont und in kroatischer Sprache gehalten. Gegen Ende des Stückes wird das “Rauschen” um Trommeln und Flöten ergänzt, bleibt dabei aber experimentell.
Einige Stücke kombinieren die musikalischen Richtungen. Der nach der Gruppe genannte Titel Bleiburg ist hier ein Paradebeispiel. Ein erneut verstörendes Rauschen eröffnet das Stück, ab etwa der Hälfte begegnet plötzlich eine harmonisch gespielte Akustik-Gitarre, während das verstörende Element des Stückes durch den bewusst übersteuerten Gesang beibehalten wird.
Schwachpunkte auf Pieces of a Broken Dream sind allerdings ungünstigerweise ausgerechnet die Stücke, bei denen Bleiburg alleine gearbeitet haben. Die Stücke spielen sich alle im Spannungsfeld von Ambient und Industrial ab. Zwar ist Potential bei Bleiburg durchaus vorhanden, dennoch wirken die Stücke leider etwas unausgegoren. Der intendierte experimentelle oder wahlweise verstörende Charakter der Stücke ist zwar zu bemerken, aber im Endeffekt siegt hier doch eher die Langatmigkeit. Schade eigentlich.
So bleibt die Zusammenstellung am Ende ein ambivalentes Vergnügen: Auf zwei CDs wird zu einem fairen Preis eine Menge Musik geboten, dessen Facettenreichtum niemand abstreiten kann. Zudem besteht die Möglichkeit, viele Projekte kennen zu lernen, dessen Name zuvor eher unter “kenn ich vom Hörensagen” lief. Die Dauer von zweieinhalb Stunden ist dabei allerdings gleichermaßen Vorzug wie Kritikpunkt: Es ist wirklich sehr anstrengend, wenn man den Versuch unternimmt, sie am Stück zu hören. Streicht man aber die Stücke zusammen, die einem gefallen, bleibt nach wie vor mehr Spielzeit über als manch andere Einzel-CD zum gleichen Preis bietet. Aus diesem Grunde sollte man Bleiburg ihre verdiente Chance geben und darf gespannt sein, wie es mit ihrer musikalischen Entwicklung weitergehen wird.
Review by MENETEBRE.
La matanza de Bleiburg tuvo lugar en los últimos compases de la 2ª Guerra Mundial. Croacia, que estaba en la órbita del régimen nazi, fue tomada por las tropas comunistas del futuro régimen yugoslavo comandado por el mariscal Tito. Así, las fuerzas yugoslavas con la colaboración del ejército británico llevaron a cabo una terrible matanza en Bleiburg arrasando con todo y aniquilando tanto a los militares como a la población civil. Tanto esta matanza como la devastación de Alemania una vez rendida por parte de las tropas aliadas, son algunos de los hechos que los ganadores de la guerra silenciaron.
Si bien estos antecedentes acerca del nombre de la banda que nos ocupa podrían hacer que pensásemos en un aroma fascistoide, el grupo expresa en su página web su carácter apolítico, haciendo resaltar que esta reivindicación es solamente desde un punto de vista de amor a su país y su triste historia, lo que corroboramos con la portada del CD con el escudo croata a toda plana.
Bleiburg es un proyecto que lleva activo desde 1994 aunque sus producciones han sido a base de CDRs fundamentalmente. Actualmente Old Europa Café ha producido una caja de la banda, "Where the Truth Lies" que contiene nada menos que ocho dobles CDRs y un cuadruple CDR, el total de los trabajos previos de Bleiburg. Comentando también la futura discografía mencionaré que está a punto de ver la luz un doble CD con DVD, "Shadows will Survive", que contará con la participación de Douglas P. de Death in June en alguno de los temas.
Y ahora ya entramos en materia musical. Este trabajo es de nuevo un doble CD, como lo son todas sus producciones, y viene a ser una especie de recopilación de sus trabajos previos, hecho que deduzco por las muy diversas colaboraciones que están presentes y que ya han aparecido en sus trabajos antriores. Estilísticamente hablando nos encontramos con una predominancia de Dark Folk y Martial en la primera parte del primer CD y luego una marcha progresiva hacia el Dark Ambient y el Ambient Industrial en el final del primer CD y en todo el segundo. Yo personalmente me quedo con la primera de estas partes pues son géneros que me atraen más que los segundos.
Así, tenemos en la primera parte colaboraciones tan insignes como The Soil Bleeds Black, Cawatana, Harvest Rain, Lonsai Maikov y otros menos conocidos como Gregorio Bardini, Thorn Agram, Larrnakh y Obscure Resistance. Dentro de estas diversas colaboraciones voy a destacar claramente las dos participaciones de Obscure Resistance, 'Teufelsdivision' y 'Grab', y la de Lonsai Maikov en el tema 'Six'. Esta terna de canciones son unos verdaderos temazos, constituyendo sin duda lo mejor del CD, son muy darkfolkeros, con pinceladas marciales a veces y en el caso de Lonsai Maikov más tirando al neofolk tradicional. Otro tema que no quiero dejar de mencionar el el de colaboración con The Soil Bleeds Black, como no con su aureola medievalista, aunque el tema es más bien de corte neofolk.
Y ahora entramos en la sección más Dark Ambient en la que tenemos también otra serie de colaboradores, los más conocidos serían Aube, Telepheric y Vidna Obmana, y otros que desconozco como Nocturne, Cellar of Rats, Thorn Agram, Project Thot y Amir Baghiri. En esta parte aparecen también Bleiburg desprovistos de colaboradores, mostrando que quizá su línea de trabajo sea más bien la ambiental. Aunque hay un tema de Bleiburg un tanto diferente al de la globalidad y es 'Oil in their Eyes', una pieza instrumental a piano con algunos samplers de fondo. Uno de los destacables y que sigue una línea Ambient Industrial es también de Bleiburg en solitario: 'Muecín Pop', con una marcada línea rítmica industrial y unos samplers de un almuecín llamando a la oración. No es el "Arispejal Astisaro" de Esplendor Geométrico, pero se le da un aire. También interesante es la colaboración con Telepherique, más puramente ambiental, aunque tiene samplers de diversas máquinas funcionando a la vez, diríamos que es un ambient industrial suave. Por último mencionar también la colaboración con Vidna Obmana, puro Ambient, sin matices industriales por ninguna parte, creando una atmósfera relajada que invita a la meditación y que sirve de perfecto epílogo a este doble CD.
A la hora de juzgar este trabajo yo diría que es bastante ecléctico por el hecho de querer mostrar de una sola vez lo que ha sido la trayectoria de Bleiburg y sus muy diversas y a veces divergentes colaboraciones. Yo me quedo con la primera parte y con esos verdaderos temazos que mencionaba anteriormente y que hacen que este CD merezca la pena. Respecto a la segunda parte yo creo que en esos géneros Bleiburg puede mejorar bastante. Otra cosa que quiero destacar es que con tanta colaboración apenas podemos distinguir cual es la esencia de Bleiburg, cuál es verdaderamente su múscia, pues lo que aquí nos encontramos es una especie de amalgama que no llega del todo a tener coherencia. Por los cuatro temas sobresalientes de corte Dark Folk voy a recomendarlo a los incondicionales de este género.
Review by GOTHTRONIC.
The massacre of Bleiburg is the name for the murder on a large scale on Croatian soldiers and civilians in may 1945 in the Austrian (Carinthian) village Bleiburg. Alexander Solzhenitsyn categorized this as the last secret of the Second World War.
To avoid falling into the hands of the partisan army of Tito at the end of the Second World War, in may 1945, a large group of opposers of the new powers fled from the Independent State of Croatia via Slovenia to Austria. Among the refugees there were Ustaše, Četniks and Slovenian soldiers, but also a large amount of civilians, such as Slovenians, Croatians and Serbs. In the border-village Bleiburg they were intervened by British soldiers, who handed them over to the partisans. A part of them were taken to Yugoslavian prisons and concentration camps, the larger amount was executed without any kind of trial.
This event has never been given much attention, neither has Yugoslavia internationally been called to acknowledge responsibility, probably because of the dissident – and strategic – position of communist Yugoslavia as counterpart to the Soviet-Union.
The Bleiburg project by Thaglasz founder Stefan Rukavina, that exists since 1994 but has not released that much so far but of which on Old Europa Cafe recently a series of as much as 8 double cd’s were and even a 4cd release were announced, again focusses it’s attention to the events in the border area of Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia with a release that is out via Cold Spring Records that shows a quality recording with a good and varied neofolk and martial-industrial sound. The thematics of the album reflect a close kinship with the tradition of the European identity and chirstianity, but also with freethinkers and fascism. The fascination for the history of Croatia and the former Austrian-Hongarian empire plays a major part in this.
As usual many collaborations on this double album as well with various well known names from the neofolk, medieval, dark ambient, noise and industrial realms. Most of those names have in any which way a relation with the former label and Death in June fanzine Thaglasz. Think Cawatana, The Soil Bleeds Black, Harvest Rain, Aube, Telepherique and Vidna Obmana. Also some names and projects previously unknow to me play a major role on this album divided over two cd’s. There are contributions from Nocturne, Gregorio Bardini, Lonsai Maikov, Larrnakh, Obscure Resistance, Thorn Agram, Project Toth, Amir Baghiri and Cellar of Rats. The first cd has neofolk and martial songs although the second half of the disc goes more towards dark ambient already, and the second cd, that also addresses themes such as the urge for oil by the west, predominantly has a character formed by ambient-industrial, tribal and noise. A total of 24 songs with sometimes less strong moments, but overall of a very high quality, which really is a great effort.
Review by TWILIGHT ZONE.
Per molti Bleiburg è uno dei tanti nomi nuovi della scena. In realtà Stefan Rukavina – autore di questo progetto - è all’attivo da una decina di anni, prima con la fondazione della (finora) unica fanzine ufficiale dei Death In June, quindi con le celebri e ormai costosissime compilations targate Thaglasz, un marchio leggendario che ha promosso molti autori della brown area nei formati e nelle confezioni più lussuose, e su cui compariva già la musica di Bleiburg. Dopo un eccezionale 7” uscito nel 1999 e il doppio LP Domobran del 2003, merce ormai destinata ai collezionisti più incalliti, Rukavina decide finalmente di darsi ad un pubblico più largo ed abbandonare le impervie edizioni limitate con questo doppio CD.
La discografia di questo autore è composta per larga parte da brani costruiti a quattro mani, firmati Bleiburg, ma profondamente segnati dalla partecipazione di altri personaggi della scena. E su queste basi è strutturato anche POABD, che propone la bellezza di 24 tracce, di cui ben 17 realizzate in collaborazione con altri autori. Così ogni brano ha un sapore diverso e particolare, dando vita ad una sorta di compilation in cui scorgiamo il filo conduttore del musicista croato, i suoi temi, tipici della scena neofolk e legati all’indipendenza della Croazia, tanto cara anche a Douglas Pearce.
Tra i nomi più noti svettano Cawatana, nella marziale Batschka, i Soil Bleeds Black che danno un tocco medievale in The Death Rattle, i Lonsai Maikov, nel folkeggiante brano Six. Tra belle note malinconiche affiora anche la presenza di Thorn Agram. Aube (presente nella magnetica Soshite Sorekara), Nocturne e Vidna Obmana, sono invece i nomi maggiori che caratterizzano il secondo dischetto, segnato da sonorità più spigolose e rumoristiche. Tra le nuove leve spicca Obscure Resistance che colora di classico neofolk la traccia Grab. Meno interessanti i momenti firmati dal solo Bleiburg che, pur non annoiando, mancano del tocco vitale che caratterizza il resto del lavoro.
Stefan Rukavina è una personalità d’eccezione rimasta troppo a lungo nel buio, che si propone ancora sia come compositore che come mecenate, dando spazio alle sue idee e alla vena creativa di altri, sfoggiando sempre quel motto di battaglia preso a prestito dalla sua terra, e che è diventato ormai il suo marchio di fabbrica: ZA DOM SPREMNI.
Review by EARLABS.
Despite the impressive catalogue of Bleiburg, I must admit that I had never heard of this project before UK-label Cold Spring released this album titled "Pieces of a broken dream". Fortunately though, a number of more or less known sound artists knew of this very interesting project called Bleiburg. Bleiburg, German-based project headed by Stefan Rukavina, creates music that floats in spheres of dark ambience and ritual industrial. This latest release of Bleiburg represents a very interesting mixture of materials from collaborations between Bleiburg and other interesting sound artists plus unreleased materials of Bleiburg. The joint venture tracks ranges from neo-folk (collaborations with Soil Bleeds Black, Lonsai Maikov, Larrnakh etc.) to harsh moments of noise (collaborations with Telepherique, Nocturne, Project Toth, Aube etc.). Elements of ethno-electronics also appear through out the album, peaking with the closing track "Traumwelt", a collaboration between Bleiburg and Vidna Obmana that results in a tense work of ethno-oriented ambient in the best manner of Vidna Obmana. Another great moment on this 150 minutes musical journey comes on second disc with the 14 minutes track "Soshite Sorekara", an intense track that develops from claustrophobic isolationist ambient to abrasive yet beautifully controlled noise by Japanese noise legend Aube. "Pieces of a broken dream" can both be considered as an impressive compilation of contemporary electronics and as a first-lesson into the sonic world of Bleiburg. No matter which way you choose, this is an excellent listening experience. Highly recommended.
Review by COMPULSION.
Pieces of a Broken Dream is a comprehensive archiving of the Croatian project Bleiburg's collaborations with artists from Europe, America and Japan. It's an exhaustive collection of 17 collaborative tracks and 7 previously unreleased solo tracks from Bleiburg. Bleiburg is the solo project of Stefan Rukavina, former publisher of the Thaglasz journal and related vinyl releases, and it's clear he has made considerable use of his extensive contact list. I must confess this is my first real exposure to Bleiburg (aside from some compilation tracks) but it would be fair to say that they operate within post-industrial/neo-folk circles. The solo tracks are largely slices of dark electronics, brooding soundscapes with symphonic passages and spartan rhythms and beats. It's worth noting, however, that it takes until track 5, and the first of two collaborations with Obscure Resistance that they deploy the acoustic strum synonymous with neo-folk, though earlier tracks adopt the martial vocals so favoured by the genre. As a result of the collaborations the entire Bleiburg sound is taken into new musical avenues absorbing fresh elements. With Cawatana there's an air of eastern mystery to the ritual industrial sounds. US contemporary medieavalists Soil Bleeds Black surround the martial vocals with dirge like strings, flute, a fluttering piano score and death rattle percussion. The martial folk of Harvest Rain is awash with ethnic flute and hand percussion, while even Lonsai Makov's chanson is drawn into the realms of traditional folk. The other artists featured include Gregorio Bardini, Thorn Agram, Larrnakh, Project Toth.
Bleiburg may take their name form a European conflict but they seem to be setting their martial themes in a modern context, namely that of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Throughout Pieces of a Broken Dream Bleiburg display an interest in eastern sounds where tablas and hand percussion replace the martial beats atypical of neo-folk, ethnic flutes feature heavily. Even their own tracks on the second disc are evidence of their interest in recent history and contemporary world affairs. 'Oil In Their Eyes' features forlorn piano and the distressed cries of (Muslim?) women, while 'Muezzin Pop' harnesses Eastern samples to explosive beats. And while the first disc revolved around neo-folk, the second disc is far more electronic, featuring a number of ambient and noise tracks. The real highlights are the longest. Aube offer ringing and buzzing tones, ricocheted metal, against a solid Bleiburg beat. Cellar of Rats provide a tension ridden soundscape of blurred electronics, cinematic strings and battlesounds. The other artists include Nocturne, Telepherique, Amir Baghiri and Vidna Obmana. The latter's collaborative effort is a fitting piece of tranquil ethno-ambience.
The collaborative ventures on a Pieces of a Broken Dream illustrate that Bleiburg have found a way out of the musical cul-de-sac that is neo-folk. How much of that is down to the collaborators we don't know - no writing credits or any recording information for that matter is provided - but the diversity of musical approach while remaining loosely anchored to neo-folk /dark ambient genres should attract the attention of even the most jaded neo-folker. For the most part, it's an engaging collection and as an entry to the world of Bleiburg its unsurpassed, and an impressive first CD release by anyone's standard. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk
Review by SIDE LINE.
This dcd features a collection of tracks that the Croatian project of Bleiburg has realized over the years with different other bands like Amir Baghiri, Aube, Project Toth, The Soil Bleeds Black, Vidna Obmana etc… Next we also get 7 previously unreleased tracks of Bleiburg. About the new songs I heard 2 great pieces on the 2nd disc entitled ”We are everywhere” and ”Muezzin pop”. We can’t no longer speak about neo-folk, but more about a mix of soundscapes and ambient-industrial music. The ”Muezzin pop”-piece is a real great track. I became deeply impressed by the elaboration of the composition and especially about the wide diversity of influences. There’s a bombastic, repetitive percussion mixed with excellent vocal parts. The effect on top of the vocals creates a magical Eastern touch. Among the other pieces and collaborations I especially like the mystical approach in the work with Larrnakh and the amazing ambient collage recovered with Croatian spoken vocals together with Thorn Agram. Some other attention grabbers are the noise approach resulting from the collaboration with Aube and the more symphonic approach resulting from the common efforts with Cellar Of Rats. In a pure neo-folk tradition the lovers of the genre will be pleased by a track in collaboration with Gregorio Bardini and another one with Harvest Rain. This is a fascinating release delivering a wide spectrum of influences!
Review by BLOW UP.
Il progetto Bleiburg, nome che il titolare Stefan Rukavina ha scelto ad omaggio dei caduti croati, militari e civili, sommariamente giustiziati nel '45 nell'omonima localitá della Carinzia, pur essendo attivo da più d'un decennio si è quasi del tutto limitato ai CD-R - la sua mastodontica discografia in tale formato, otto CD doppi ed uno quadruplo, è integralmente disponibile in esclusiva presso la nostra Old Europa Cafe - ed era opportuno che una minima parte di quanto realizzato venisse raccolta in un lavoro 'ufficiale' di maggior diffusione. Negli anni Bleiburg, attraverso i contatti instaurati tramite la fanzine/label Thaglasz, sempre da Rukavina curata, ha intrecciato una serie infinita di collaborazioni tanto che ben diciassette dei brani di "Pieces Of A Broken Dream" vedono la partecipazione di altre entità, quindici tra sigle o solisti . Inevitabilmente il programma scorre, gradevolmente, vario con picchi di fattura ottima nelle marziali Batsch, con Cawatana, imbevuta di potenti, antichi, echi popolari, The Death Rattle, con The Soil Bleeds Black, con tratteggi medioevali, nell'esoterica Cemetary Of Heroes, con Harvest Rain, in episodi folk noir, Teufelsdivision, con Obscure Resistance, Six, con Lonsai Maikov, e Bleiburg, con Larrnakh, o industrial, Soshite Sorekara, con Aube, e Iza Kulisa, con Nocturne, o ancora ambientali, The Days Of Storm, con Cellar Of Rats, e Traumwelt con Vidna Obmana. I restanti setti pezzi accreditati al solo Bleiburg, raramente altrettanto efficaci, non sono meno eterogenei tra la chiara matrice post-industrial di Notwende 2004 e quella neoclassical di Glory Or Nothing.
Review by ZERO TOLERANCE.
The latest Cold Spring release is this retrospective collection from Croatian artist Bleiburg. Alongside 17 collaborative works featuring musicians from Europe, Japan and America, there are also seven previously unreleased solo tracks. Dividing this collection into two discs makes sense in terms of the divesity of music represented. Disc one is devoted to neo-folk, including the heady central European exoticism of `Batschka` with Hungarians Cawatana, the medieval morbidibty of The Soil Bleeds Black`s `The Death Rattle`, Lonsai Maikov`s `Serge Gainsbourgh-like chanson` `Six`, and the stirring Teutonic militarism of `Teufelsdivision` and `Grab` with Obscure Resistance. Other artists include Harvest Rain, Larrnakh, Thorm Agram, Project Toth, and Gregorio Bardini. Disc two contains more ambient and experimental work, and its highlights are the two longest pieces, `Soshite Sorekara` featuring the Japanese sound manipulator Aube (aka Akifumi Nakajima), a dense and absorbing journey into inner space, and `The Days Of Storm` with Lovecraftian ambient project, Cellar Of Rats, which begins with 11 minutes of predatory minamilist drones before swelling into an elegiac, cinematic orchestral theme and finally expiring in a fusillade of artillery fire.
Review by ABSOLUTE ZERO MEDIA.
What we have his is a double CD of well thought out Neo Folk/Martial Music with a guest staring cast of the whos who of the experimental/ Industrial musical world. Amir Baghiri, Aube, Cawatana, Cellar Of Rats (ex-Kerovnian), Harvest Rain, Larrnakh, Lonsai Maikov, Nocturne, Obscure Resistance, Project Toth, The Soil Bleeds Black, Telepherique, Thorn Agram and Vidna Obmana. There are elements of ethno and medivial sounds here too . Bleiburg reminds me a mix of Moon Lay hidden beneath the clouds mixed with The Soil Bleeds Black and H.E.R.R. The vocals are sung in the spoken Neo folk style with many other backing vocals either male or female sung to add layers to it all. It is a very wonderful release and I hear so many delicate layers mixed with the bombastic percussion. Bleiburg is a project to be on the look out for and through out both Cds there really isn't a poor moment. I will say though the 2nd CD has a must more Martial Industrial vibe and a bit darker then 1st CD. Cold Spring is the perfect home for this release.
Review by HEATHEN HARVEST.
Better late than never, Bleiburg’s ‘Pieces of a Broken Dream’ is a recommended review here at Heathen Harvest. Bleiburg is not a new comer and not unknown, especially amongst the readers of this ‘digest’, yet the project created by S. Rukavina, A. Schwarz and E. Schroeder seem to be one of the forgotten bands at the time of listing dark folk and industrial compositions. A great mistake, by the way, for after more than twelve years creating music, Bleiburg can boast over the creation fo several excellent records and songs in many labels (Old Europa Café, Skull Line, Dark Transmision & Cold Spring Records). Throughout their career, they have collaborated with many interesting projects and ‘Pieces of a Broken Dream’ comes as a compilation of most of these songs. A two disco record, which unites, on one hand all the folk oriented songs and on the other the stronger apocalyptic industrial sound of Bleiburg.
With the help of Hungarian project Cawatana, Bleiburg create an oriental flavored introduction, rich in details and edges, with flowing reciting, samplers, guitar notes and an apocalyptic ritual touch to finish. It is followed by ‘The Death Rattle’, a collaboration with the American band The Soil Bleeds Black. Naturally is enjoys a contemporary take on medieval sounds, with a complex freestyle body and an almost dreamy psychedelic sound. Their work with Gregorio Bardini comes next, under the name of ‘Nuova Europa’. A landscape filled with frequencies and sequences, where an Italian sampler that speaks about Croatia marches in. Naturally, it speaks about history and pain, and would make indirect reference to the Bleiburg massacre from which the German band takes its name. Highly experimental during the first minutes, it then slips into a more ethnic oriented universe, with a varied instrumentation and dense ritual feeling. ‘Raspadanje’ makes up to the experimentation with a sweet guitar line to open, against which the reciting voice clashes, creating a duality in the song. The result sounds almost as a prayer or as a chant. Obscure Resistance help Bleiburg create the excellent ‘Teufelsdivision’, a classic example of dark folk: martial bases, German reciting / singing lyrics, an overpowering acoustic guitar mark. Easy, effective, authoritative and compelling.
Harvest Rain brings us ‘Cemetery of Heroes’, a wild, instinctive, sinuous ritual composition that almost works as an introduction for ‘Six’, the collaboration with Lonsai Maikov. ‘Six’ is filled with percussion and unites a simple folk quality with an ethic touch. The diversity of the instruments is extended and well employed. As an absolute contrast comes ‘Smrt U Lipnju’, that comes to be an ominous mechanical, liquid and atmospheric composition, sometimes highly rhythmical and mostly impersonal. Larrnakh are the help in the creation of ‘Bleiburg’. The song itself is collects the duality in Bleiburg. It opens as a harsh dark ambient landscape, crude and arid. Yet it changes solemnly into a dark folk composition that, after its growth, again slips into prophetical ambient and obscure reciting. ‘Grab’, again with Obscure Resistance, pick up the menacing sounds, starting with menacing mechanical sounds. It curves over itself, adding a strong base line followed by bellicose percussion, slowly morphing into a folk sounding composition of incredible beauty, making it one of the most interesting and complete songs on the record.
Two songs follow created solely by Bleiburg. The murky epic ‘Glory or nothing’ and the ethnic, sinuous ‘Ammon’. Thorn Agram collaborates again in ‘’U hramu Slobode’, where the reciting voice enters again into a sonic, atmospheric world. The last cooperation of the first disco comes with the unknown Project Toth, creating a heavily primitive industrial repetitive sound. It almost serves as a simple, dilapidated and pulsing bridge between both records. To close, ‘Notwende’ plunges into the deepness of dark ambient, with crashing waves of mechanical sounds. The voice appears almost as a ghost – or as a spectre of a time of civilization, that has fallen into the chaos of robotic destruction.
The second record is much harsher and violent. It opens with the excellent ‘Oil in their eyes’. A symphony of diverging lines carried by a piano line, that manage to catalyse a fountain of dark feelings. The samplers, aggressive percussion and moans that appear in the later part of the song only add to the anguish. ‘We are everywhere’ transforms the distress into a metalic pattern of structured angst while ‘Muezzin Pop’ grows and evolves from nothingness to a harsh, beating and crackling industrial world. The crunching repetition contrasts with the samplers of prayer or voices, almost recalling a surrealist yellowy landscape.
The first collaboration comes from Aube and with ‘Soshite Sorekara’ Bleiburg sinks into the watery world of Akifumi Nakajima, with an evolving, organic sound that seems to take over the vast bubble surrounding us, becoming violent and cruelly wounding. Almost fifteen minutes of active desperation. Following comes the cooperation with the French Nocturne (artshock@yahoo.fr), constructed over a sampler surrounded by harsh static that falls into noise. The composition then sways from intensity into delicacy, always treading the cutting edge of melancholy. Cellar of Rats take the emotion into a much flatter, evil dwelling. Each time there is a glimpse of melody, or a lighter sound, it is crushed by the weight of abyss the sound of ‘The days of storm’ manages to create. It ends in a gloriously epic piece, that, of course, ends shaded by the limp percussion. The German Telepherique unites with Bleiburg in the most visual of the compositions, ‘Nagna Parbat '34’. Layers over layers of sounds, loops, oscillations and words create a delightful oppresive web for dark ambient lovers. Amir Baghiri, from Iran, builds the next collaboration, introducing a clear mid-tempo percussion line in a shadowy, storm filled panorama; while Vidna Obmana pulls the shutters down with an hypnotic ritual and oriental sounding creation that sways and dances, like a smoke dragon through a curtained room.
A varied, polarized record. It manages to maintain a slanting line of similarity throughout the work, yet also sways wildly into the influeces of each collaborator, making the release almost smell of a compilation instead of one artists’ dream. Exquisite at times, merely interesting at others, it definetly hold precious pieces of art to be admired.
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