Addaura - Demo (2010)

Hailing from Seattle, Washington (USA), is Addaura.

If you've followed my blog at all, you may have noticed I like to explore "What's in a word", as it were. In this case, as far as I could find, Addaura, could refer to a small fishing village in Italy, though, something of note that may be of some reference here, is the Grotta dell Addaura. It's basically some very famous prehistoric rock art. Follow links for more detail.


Addaura are another promising Cascadian BM band, not necessarily displaying a unique character to pull them away from the crowd of Cascadian BM bands around, yet, they do not disappoint. What they do, they do it well. Really, for a demo, this is a quality release. Better than most demos I hear. I hope the hints of a more individual character here are explored to their full potential in the future.

A full-length is definitely something to look out for from these guys.

Album Name: Demo

Band: Addaura

Genre: Black Metal

Year: 2010

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	White Deer	09:29
2.	Bereavement	07:46
3.	Through the Rain	08:38
4.	Ochre and Ore	10:43
		36:36

DOWNLOAD

Ash Borer - Self-Titled (2011)

Here's the much anticipated first full-length from Ash Borer.


Self-Titled is Ash Borer finally realising the mastery of sound they first truly displayed in their unforgettable split with Fell Voices. It was from that point, I thought this band had some real potential, and that I would not be disappointed by the eventual manifestation of a full-length release.

Simply put, it's an amazing release, the best of their stuff to date, and not worth missing.

Album Name: Self-Titled

Band: Ash Borer

Genre: Black Metal

Year: 2011

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	In the Midst of Life, We Are in Death	12:09
2.	Rest, You Are the Lightning	07:57
3.	My Curse Was Raised in the Darkness Against a Doomsday Silence	19:39
		39:45

DOWNLOAD

Blut Aus Nord - 777 Sect(s) (2011)

And a new one from Blut Aus Nord.



After some variation and experimentation with their music in their previous years, such as it's relation to BM and other musical elements, this release is somewhat a return to their BM roots. More specifically, this album has been compared to being akin to The Work Which Transforms God. In my opinion, that was the album that made it for me. They have other notable albums, with their own character, but none, until recently, had been able to match the immensity of the darkness within.

777 Sect(s) is all that, and yet more. To me, there is more consistency in the musical expression, where The Work Which Transforms God may lose my attention, 777 Sect(s) has found the missing link to sustain the vortex that is the reality that such BM would bind me.

If you don't understand my convoluted jibber-jabber, then maybe you should check it out yourself, and hear what a masterpiece truly is.

Also one of my albums of the year.

Album Name: 777 Sect(s)
Band: Blut Aus Nord
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2011
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Epitome I	07:57
2.	Epitome II	06:51
3.	Epitome III	04:52
4.	Epitome IV	11:52
5.	Epitome V	06:23
6.	Epitome VI	07:31
Total playing time		45:26

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Alda - Demo (2009), Self-Titled (2009), : tahoma : (2011)

Alda, from Tacoma, Washington (USA).

Meaning of the Name 'ALDA'

• Meaning: Old German feminine form of Aldo and Otto, "Old; prosperous." Variants include Aldabella, Aldea, Aldina, Aldine, Aldona, Aleda, Alida, Alyda.
• Origin: German
• Gender: Female

- Quote here.


Alda is a Cascadian BM band that has been around for a few years now, has a few releases (one of which is quite recent), however, never really took my attention beyond being another Cascadian BM band.

Their first two releases are examples of this. And essentially, they became a band that I put to the side and forgot about.

However, these feelings suddenly changed when I came upon their latest release, : tahoma : (obviously a geographical reference here, being that Tahoma is, according to wikipedia, the original form of Tacoma, the city of which this band originates, or may refer to Mount Tahoma, etc). Honestly, given my previous impressions, I didn't expect much. But this latest release was a complete break from their previous material. As opposed to their other music, this album is an eloquent interwoven eclectic auditory nirvana. Still Cascadian BM, but with lengthier metal passages that keep you captivated, rather than strained, with a strong emphasis on a lighter folk element with clean vocals. These latter parts, are almost meditative, and indeed, a beautiful balance of the darker and lighter elements has been found here.

: tahoma : is quite the surprise, but it is worth it, and one not to miss.

One of my favourite albums of the year.

Album Name: Demo

Band: Alda

Genre: Black Metal

Year: 2009

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	The Seed and the Hailstone	03:53
2.	The Evergreen Womb	06:11
3.	Fimbulwinter	05:31
		15:35

 DOWNLOAD



Album Name: Self-Titled
Band: Alda

Genre: Black Metal

Year: 2009

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	Scattered On the Wind	05:16
2.	Fimbulwinter	05:08
3.	The Seed and the Hailstone	04:07
4.	Vale	06:22
5.	Venom in the Waters	04:43
6.	The Evergreen Womb	06:24
		32:00

DOWNLOAD (thanks to AmusLadmin)

Album Name: : tahoma :
Band: Alda

Genre: Black Metal

Year: 2011

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	In the Wake of an Iron Wind	11:58
2.	Adrift	08:41
3.	Tearing of the Weave	08:24
4.	Shadow of the Mountain	11:17
5.	Wandering Spirit	14:11
		54:31

DOWNLOAD (via mediafire)
DOWNLOAD (via bandcamp)

Petrychor - Effigies and Epitaphs (2011)

Finally, Petrychor's full-length:

Petrychor's first release, the Dryad EP, was highly acclaimed, including by me. And as such, this full-length was ever so anticipated. I could barely wait.

Eventually when I came across this release, it actually didn't catch my fancy the first time, or even the second. I couldn't see the connection between this release and the last that I one, expected, and two, read from an interview of Tad Piecka (the person behind this project).

However, perhaps at least connected to the fact their first EP resonated with me so much, I decided to give this release another try. And this time, perhaps it was my mood or the context, or whatever, but I felt a semblance to the resonance I did with the EP.

This album is amazing. It has many of the same similar elements that made Dryad, and fans of that release, like myself, to be draw in again. The folk, the classical, you name it. And of course all the elements that make it akin to Cascadian BM. However, as a full release, it attempts to expand on this expression, and make it whole. However similar they may be, I felt a fundamental difference in it's expression. Dryad may be interpreted as conveying a more "positive" sound, and that is part of what makes it, a positive beauty. But with Effigies and Epitaphs, there's a darkness there not present in Dryad. I feel it in the vocals, but even in the overall atmospheres, amongst other elements. The very existence of the song Seared, Sundered, the epitome of the dark expressions I'm describing, is proof of this. However, I think it is quite deliberate despite what I say, that this song is not at the end of the album, perhaps signifying that the conclusive feeling of this album is not a spiral into darkness, but simply that it is a reaction to the darkness entrenched in the ecological destruction ever-present around us. Afterall, beneath highway and street, things will grow back through the cracks...

Highly recommended album, especially for fans of Cascadian BM with strong folk elements, and classical.

Album Name: Effigies and Epitaphs

Band: Petychor

Genre: Black Metal/Ambient/Post-Rock/Folk

Year: 2011

Country:USA

Track Listing:

1.	I Lift My Voice	02:27
2.	In Remembrance	10:43
3.	Of Grandest Majesties	13:17
4.	Subjugated and Abused	09:19
5.	Seared, Sundered	03:01
6.	Beneath Highway and Street	14:19
Total playing time		53:06

 DOWNLOAD (via bandcamp)

Vaiya - :W i n t e r m o o n: (2011)

Another release from my mate behind the project Vaiya.

W i n t e r m o o n: was recorded leading up to and, as a celebration of, the Winter Solstice here in the Southern Hemisphere.

It is an ode to the life winter brings us. It feeds our scorched earth and dry bodies. It brings forth a time of flourishing abundance to our lands.

This song is an offering to the spirit of winter. The moon, the cold, the rain, the long nights and loving warmth.

A limited edition of 30 CDr's are available, packaged in high quality, hand numbered paper envelopes with insert and a photo print from a recent trip into the Alpine region of Victoria.

:V a i y a M M X I:

- quote here

Vaiya is a favourite project of mine, an amazing Southern Hemisphere interpretation of Cascadian sensibilities. The melodic acoustic parts in this release (building up to the heavier parts), much like the previous (Merkstave), remind me of what I like about Fauna, and brings me to a place away from the depravity, the destruction, away from the soulless void that is the metropolis. It's an invitation to be connected to something... real.

A definite reccommendation for any fan of Cascadian-sytle BM.

Purchase here (also for free download)

Album Name: :W i n t e r m o o n:

Band: Vaiya

Genre: Ambient Black Metal

Year: 2011

Country: Australia

Track Listing:

1.	:W i n t e r m o o n:
Total playing time		18:45

 DOWNLOAD

Back online

Yep, time for me to get off my arse and back into the cyber world. My life's still hectic, and I'm sure there may well be better things for me to do with my time, but fuck, I'm obsessed with BM.


So yeah, I'll try to catch up a little bit with some of the rad releases from the last few months or so, and I'll try to have a steady flow of posts in the next few months.

Sorry I wasn't back sooner!

Temporary hiatus

Technology sucks.

My computer died a while back, my general access to the internet is limited at best, and life overall seems to drags me in directions at the moment that are not this blog.

So basically this blog will be a bit slow in the next few months, but I'll still try to get a few posts up.

Apologies to all, but I hope to make this blog more active in the coming months.

Thanks for reading, and listening.

Nekrasov (+ Moon, Nekros Manteia, Aderlating) - Discography (incomplete)

A friend's project:

Nekrasov, from Australia.

 

Nekrasov is really a formation of that without aim – of that which comes from the deep black void. For me, personally, it comes through these energies; noise black metal etc. There should be no ‘boundaries’ for such a massive beast. I started doing this so long ago within a very private environment without any intention of release – no one was really doing anything like it and it was something I wanted to listen to! Hahaha. I have been involved in so many bands over the past twenty years, each ‘aiming’ for a style, vision etc. but Nekrasov is a personal beast, encompassing the end of vision, thought, spirit etc.. – and at this point in life that’s where I am most obsessed.

Personally, I have always resonated with both energies – and, when I got into black metal all those years ago, it was considered ‘noise’ – personally I do not see much difference when it comes to attitude or ‘feel’ – of course it depends what you are listening to and how to are relating to it. The great thing about being this feces producing machine (body) and mind etc is that there is no boundary when you choose to create without the aforementioned things considered. To be utterly honest about it, it’s just what I do – it just comes out this way without a forced notion of being this or that – if anything I have really nothing to do with scenes anymore and I do not mean this as an aversion or bitter withdrawal, I just follow my own realm and hopefully provide something unique in the endless pit of mediocre trend ‘empires’.

- Quote here.


Nekrasov is a harsh BM project with strong noise elements, which dictate me describing the overall sound as harsh. It's pretty interesting stuff. Neither painfully lo-fi, nor overly produced hipster-sytle BM, Nekrasov is without a doubt an auditory assault on the senses. Certainly not for the faint of heart, this music may seem difficult to listen to for some (those not into BM, or into more... gentle BM). However, I feel there is a good balance here between raw/BM/ambient/noise, the noise giving it the thrust that keeps you on your toes, and the variations in the BM keep you from getting lost in some sort of drone narcolepsy.

To be fair though, I don't think I'm covering the entire scope of their music. They have a multitude of releases, all with their own nature, which varying to differing degrees from release to release. So the description above has a stronger tendency towards the release of which I have listened to thus far which I have taken a liking to: Perishable Things EP.

Also, Last.fm has this band as being quite similar to Murmuüre of France. And I'm happy to share some more obscure/unconventional BM on this blog, or at least something not so Cascadian, or even prehispanic.

Great stuff, and definitely check out if you looking for something from the dark side. Haha.


Nekrasov @ bandcamp (Perishable Thing EP available for free download)
Nekrasov Official


[Please note, this incomplete discography is thus, because it is missing the Nekrasov / Humiliation split, and In Solitude And Darkness, The Last Step Is Made full-length.]

Album Name: Into the No-Mans-Sphere of the Ancient Days

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2007

Country: Australia

Track Listing:

1.	Freedom From Self-Joy	02:34
2.	Into the No-Mans-Sphere of the Ancient Days	03:35
3.	Ashes of the Lords in My Hand	13:02
4.	Eternal Black Mistress	03:14
5.	Allegory	03:34
6.	Toward the Black Pain of the Body's Core	04:06
7.	Barefoot, Ravenous	04:47
8.	Land is a Mount of Charred Limbs	04:30
Total playing time		39:47

 DOWNLOAD

Album Name: The Form of Thought from Beast

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2008

Country: Australia

Track Listing:

1.	Debris; Soul As Dust	02:25
2.	Mountain Ash	04:53
3.	Today the Sun a Golden Illusion	03:17
4.	Dreams of Swallowing, Black Space Expansion	05:07
5.	Neti	02:52
6.	Continuum of the Beast	03:46
7.	And Then Seared That Heart	05:45
8.	The Form of Thought From Beast	20:30
Total playing time		48:35

 DOWNLOAD

Album Name: The Haunting Resonance

Band: Nekrasov/Moon/Nekros Manteia

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal,Ambient/Black Metal/DSBM

Year: 2008

Country: Australia (all three)

Track Listing:

 

Nekrasov
1.	That Which Hunts...	15:18
Moon
2.	Forgotten Spirits	11:50
Nekros Manteia
3.	The Final Ghost	19:58
Total playing time		47:10

 DOWNLOAD

Album Name: Tramp and Void

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2009

Country: Australia

Track Listing:
 

1.	Tramp and Void 1	11:40
2.	Tramp and Void 2	01:40
3.	Tramp and Void 3	02:31
4.	Tramp and Void 4	01:43
5.	Tramp and Void 5	05:50
Total playing time		23:24

 DOWNLOAD

Album Name: Inner Stalker Metrics

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2009

Country: Australia

Track Listing:

1.	Inner Stalker Metrics	36:24
Total playing time		36:24

 DOWNLOAD

 Track 1 (side A) by Nekrasov.
Tracks 2-4 (side B) by Aderlating.

- Quote Metal-archives.com ("Nekrasov - Nekrasov / Aderlating")

Album Name: Nekrasov/Aderlating

Band: Nekrasov/Aderlating

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal,Ambient/Black Metal,Noise,Experimental

Year: 2010

Country: Australia/Netherlands

Track Listing:

1.	Qualities of Being Futile and Valueless	24:42
2.	Chalic of Abalam	10:15
3.	Ritus Orgia Sanqin	06:24
4.	Dog Semen	06:23
Total playing time		47:44

 DOWNLOAD

Album Name: On Certainty

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2010

Country: Australia

Track Listing:

1.	Belief	02:04
2.	Nothing in the World Can Convince	03:36
3.	Belief Part II	03:24
4.	Madness: Certainty	02:16
5.	Conviction: Millions of Fragmented Waste	00:50
6.	Nothing Within Can Convince	03:42
7.	...	02:56
Total playing time		18:48

 DOWNLOAD

 

Album Name: Cognition of Splendid Oblivion

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2010

Country: Australia

Track Listing:

1.	Heresy, Heresy, Heresy Oh, Where Have You Gone?	05:52
2.	Psychic Epilepsy in the Butchery of Light	07:02
3.	Sadomasochistic Liberty Through Splendid Isolation	21:09
4.	Devotion of This Life Allied With Oblivion	02:38
5.	Calculated Deception; Possessed By Nothing!	06:34
6.	The Person and the Yawning Abyss	05:16
Total playing time		48:31

 DOWNLOAD

 

Album Name: Perishable Things

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2010

Country: Australia

Track Listing:
 

1.	C.Z.V.M.	04:07
2.	Womb	04:13
3.	Dark At the End of Light	02:07
4.	O Fool!	04:06
Total playing time		14:33

 DOWNLOAD

  

Album Name: Extinction

Band: Nekrasov

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2010

Country: Australia

Track Listing:
 

1.	We Are Just An Indifferent Interpretation of the Black Plague	03:03
2.	Disillusion	03:28
3.	Matter is the Bastard	08:51
4.	Void into Nonvoid	06:24
5.	Pre-Fetal Non-Mantra	11:14
6.	Chant the Name of God in a Thousand Languages Until All is Blood and Feces	03:27
7.	No Room for Liberation Found 'Here' Or 'Now'	07:43
8.	Extinction	16:46
Total playing time		01:00:56

 DOWNLOAD

Marnost - Pukajici svet (2011)

More European stuff, Marnost of the Czech Republic.

Czech

[edit] Noun

marnost f.

1. vanity, futility

- Quote wiktionary.org ("marnost")


Along with Altar of Plagues, Marnost comes along as a distinctively Cascadian-style BM that resides both outside of Cascadia, but outside of the continent of North America. Though I can see Eastern Europe as being a hotbed for eco-BM such as this, I honestly thought England or Scandinavia (with their tendency towards radical ecologism) having the stronger fervor for thus. I can never pick these things.

And wow, Marnost really have hit the spot. Though I don't find the vocals as quite perfect, the balanced, structured facets of melody, both electric and acoustic, the intros/build ups, the ambience, and of course the climactic metal riffs. It all makes for a solid release, be it one song, but to their credit, such consistency and high quality of a final product is quite admirable for a debut release.

Their politics are clearly visible on their bandcamp page for those interested.

Apparently they also play in the bands Gattaca and used to play in Dakhma and !ul..

And another must of the Cascadian-style BM fans (and additionally, vegan BM fans).


Marnost @ bandcamp

Album Name: Pukajici svet

Band: Marnost

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Year: 2011

Country: Czech Republic

Track Listing:

1.	Pukajici svet	14:49
Total playing time		14:49

 DOWNLOAD

Murmuüre - Murmuüre (2010)

From the Pyrénées in France, Murmuüre.

 Believe it or not, it's been a while since we've been this excited about a black metal band, but this French horde sound like they could have been cooked up in a lab just for aQ. Heavy and fuzzed out, psychedelic and weird as fuck, melodic and sorrowful, abstract and all over the map, within the first minute you'll know exactly what we mean, starting out with this strange little snippet of exotica, that sounds a bit like that cursed idol theme from the Brady Bunch Hawaii movie, the intro becomes this warped soundtrack, all fluttery flutes and strange glitches, we would have been perfectly happy to have a whole record of that, but instead, Murmuure launch into some sort of twisted abstract avant black metal, that is pretty difficult to describe. The sound is echoey and blown out, the riffs aren't traditionally buzzy and black, they're more gnarled and warped and woozy, layered into heaving swells of blackened sound, and shot through with streaks of twisted melody, the drums totally chaotic, slipping from totally free, to stumbling dirge, the vocals are buried and barely audible. There also seems to be all sorts of synth stuff happening, wheezing swatches of washed out chordal whir, as well as crunchy buzzing low end thrum. After a brief melodic interlude, the tape seems to crumble into a woozy circusy dronescape, all stuttering looped sounds, melancholy melodies, lots of hiss and crackle, and then those drums come in again, super loud, and weirdly produced, adding some structure to the whirling black cloud of twisted sound. Like some demented synth driven lo-fi black metal take on Godspeed but run through a whole bank of malfunctioning effects, not to mention the twisted mind(s) that conjured up these alien sounds.
Some of the tracks get downright shoegazey, all washed out and shimmery, the delicate melodies drifting through clouds of muted crunch, laced with an M83 style retro electronic haze, the drums driving this weird black pop into even further reaches of the known black metal universe, one moment it sounds like blackened Cocteau Twins, the next like some post rock band covering Abruptum as covered by Alcest, there are field recordings, long stretches of spaced out collaged soundscapes, but everything is woven together into a single multi movement gloriously blissed out, post black metal psychedelic drone drenched drift, and is just about the weirdest and coolest black metal record we've heard in FOREVER.
Here's one possible reason that this record sounds nothing like most black metal, according to the band:
"All the Murmuure material is based on a one hour guitar improvisation from November 2006. The selected parts were then further edited to fit a rhythmic structure, and merged with additional layers of sound. The percussions are a mixture of the original programmed drums, and some (extremely re-edited) additional live drumming. Vocals were recorded during a cathartic trance at a sacred place in the forest, with a mini-disc recorder. Being almost inaudible in the music, they're strictly conceived as a vocal sigil technique, a vehicle for intent."
Awesome. The sound is dizzying and confusional and so original, and is without a doubt, our black metal record of the year!

- Quote here.

Now if you read that quote, you'll know this ain't for the faint heated. Or at least for those into more traditional styles of BM. If this can even be called that.

Murmuüre is a French ambient BM act, that weaves and intersects through a series of diverse auditory manifestations - simply said, it's experimental of sorts. Mostly instrumental (or mostly inaudible vocals) with elements of lo-fi, electronic/ambience, and various instruments (some giving a slight touch of folk).

It's really interesting music, and though I'm not entirely sure of the lyrical subject matter, an inspection of their blog exhibits interest, if not support, for radical environmentalism. And yet again, this is some sign of the particular nature of French BM, with this tendency towards radicalism - like other elements of its society. I hope to listen to more French BM in the future.

For anyone looking for some BM with something... different.

Murmuüre @ bandcamp

Album Name: Murmuüre

Band: Murmuüre

Genre: Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2010

Country: France

Track Listing:

1.	Primo Vere	04:50
2.	Reincarnate	07:20
3.	Torch Bearer	02:16
4.	Amethyst	04:56
5.	L'Adieu Au Soleil	05:50
6.	Disincarnate	03:54
Total playing time		29:06

DOWNLOAD

Silence Of The Old Man - Carencia De Ausencia EP (2010)

And a side project from the guitarist of Auka Runa (Chile).

 

The beginning of Silence of the Old Man goes back to a side project aukko, composer, producer and guitarist for bands like Rune aukko (Folk metal experimental) and IN / SANE (Metal insane).
This side project was born in the year 2007 with the first models, and bore the name Silence of Lament, then the models were inclined to Black Doom, more environmentally sustainable.
For the time and Rune aukko projects, is hampered further by creating this project, so that by the year 2009, aukko decides to take the models and restructure with a new sound that was something special, so it was decided create the project with the name Silence of the Old Man, it was locked, and not wanted to reveal what was working, by 2010 it began recording the EP, Lack of Absence, and gives birth to this Post Black Metal Shoegaze and transforming the genre into something aesthetically acceptable, and similarly trying to leave South America in the sights of foreign labels for bands and projects to be heard in Europe, Asia, and North America.

- Quote http://silenceoftheoldman.blogspot.com/ ("Biografia" - rough translation from Spanish).

Though Auka Runa themselves are yet to have any official release, their guitarist has managed to put together his first release, an EP, for his promising solo project, Silence Of The Old Man. And for a solo project, the quality of this release is impressive.

Musically, this is reminiscent of post-BM stuff, and maybe you can thrown in that shoegraze word in there too. Definitely comparable to the more cleaner and well-produced Cascadian (style) BM. For those into that type of BM, it really is pretty impressive. It's amongst the first of this kind of BM I've seen from that part of the world, and I welcome it wholeheartedly. Auscencia is a real stand out song, but it's a fairly solid EP all round.

Great EP, and I'd recommend keeping an eye out for the full length Lack of Absence in future.

Album Name: Carencia De Ausencia EP

Band: Silence Of The Old Man

Genre: Post-Black Metal/Shoegaze

Year: 2010

Country: Chile

Track Listing:

 

1.	Intro	00:23
2.	Cicatriz De Olvido	08:21
3.	El Silencio De Los Lamentos	07:00
4.	Colapso	03:53
5.	Tiempo De Miseria	08:08
6.	Ausencia	08:17
7.	Outro	02:54
Total playing time		38:56

 

 DOWNLOAD

Tzitzimine - Extli Xochitl EP (2008)

Death Metal from Mexico.

In Aztec mythology, a tzitzimitl (plural tzitzimimeh) is a deity associated with stars. They were depicted as skeletal female figures wearing skirts often with skull and crossbone designs. In Postconquest descriptions they are often described as "demons" or "devils" - but this does not necessarily reflect their function in the prehispanic belief system of the Aztecs.

The Tzitzimimeh were female deities, and as such related to fertility, they were associated with the Cihuateteo and other female deities such as Tlaltecuhtli, Coatlicue, Citlalinicue and Cihuacoatl and they were worshipped by midwives and parturient women. The leader of the tzitzimime was the Goddess Itzpapalotl who was the ruler of Tamoanchan - the paradise where the Tzitzimimeh resided.
The Tzitzimimeh were also associated with the stars and especially the stars that can be seen around the sun during a solar eclipse. This was interpreted as the Tzitzimimeh attacking the sun, this caused the belief that during a solar eclipse, the tzitzimime would descend to the earth and devour human beings. The Tzitzimimeh were also feared during other ominous periods of the Aztec world, such as during the five unlucky days called Nemontemi which marked an unstable period of the aztec year count, and during the New Fire ceremony marking the beginning of a new calendar round - both were periods associated with the fear of change.
The Tzitzimimeh had a double role in Aztec religion: they were protectresses of the feminine and progenitresses of mankind. But they were also powerful and dangerous, especially in periods of cosmic instability.

 - Quote wikipedia ("Tzitzimine")

Eztli

From open-dictionary.com - the free dictionary.

Nahuatl

Noun

eztli

1. blood

 - Quote open-dictionary.com ("eztli")

Xóchitl (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈʃotʃitɬ]), a hispanicized version of xōchitlNahuatl pronunciation: [ˈʃoːtʃitɬ], (flower), is a feminine given name somewhat common in Central and Southern Mexico...

- Quote wikipedia ("Xóchitl")


Tzitzimine is a Death Metal band hailing from DF, Mexico. They have prehispanic influences in their music, less strongly evident than other prehispanic Metal bands, though apparently their prehispanic musical manifestations are more lyrical than instrumental.

This is fairly fast-paced and brutal Death Metal. Overall, I quite like it. Great riffs with nice harsh vocals. However, it's a short release (it's an EP), and the production could be slightly better.

One note on the quotations above, I couldn't find a translation of the word "extli", not outright anyway. Though I got the expression it is a variation of the word "eztli". My Nahuatl ain't perfect.

Tzitzimine @ myspace

Album Name: Extli Xochitl EP

Band: Tzitzimine

Genre: Death Metal

Year: 2008

Country: México

Track Listing:

1.	Tzitzimine	05:01
2.	Te Espero en el Infierno	04:37
3.	Maldita Perra	02:10
4.	Extli Xochitl	03:33
5.	In Miquixtli Cenca Mahuiztli	05:46
Total playing time		21:07

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Tad Piecka - Discography

And here's the person behind the amazing Petrychor project.

Fingerstyle guitar inspired equally by folk traditions and modern orchestral composers, following in the footsteps of traveling solo musicians.

Other projects he is involved in include Tremolite, Beware of Safety and Petrychor.

- Quote last.fm ("Tad Piecka")


So as I said, Tad Piecka is the person behind Petrychor. I found out a little while ago, and have been checking out his solo stuff, some such as I present here. However, it's confirmed as being him behind Petrychor now that he has created a Petrychor section at his official website.

Tad Piecka's solo acoustic music is in one word, majestic. It's completely instrumental, very melodic, soothing, and quite diverse. He uses a few different instruments here, blends folk styles (American and Irish according to him), and his fingerstyle and finger picking is a real stand out here.

It's truly beautiful.

It's funny, even before Tad Piecka put up info about Petrychor on his website, upon discovering him as the protagonist of Petrychor, when I heard his solo acoustic stuff, I could hear and feel the parallels in the music instantly. His style really is unique, and if listening the acoustic elements of Petrychor is something you would be into, definitely check this out.

And remember he has some other interesting musical projects too.

Official website
Tad Piecka @ bandcamp (Download for free here, or pay what you want)

Fingerstyle guitar and harp guitar pieces composed in Boston and various towns in Ireland, inspired by many different styles of folk music. Everything is live without overdubs.

This album was used as the source material for my electronic EP, Castles Rebuilt.

- Quote tadpiecka.bandcamp.com ("On Cunning and Castle Building")

Album Name: On Cunning and Castle Building

Band: Tad Piecka

Genre: Folk

Year: 2008

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	Little Boom	02:24
2.	Oso Delicioso	04:17
3.	A Thin Layer of butterscotch	03:36
4.	Snakes	04:38
5.	Slow Beacon Calling	05:37
6.	Commons	04:40
7.	Bring Up	01:28
8.	Quixotic Conundrum	02:29
9.	Killarney	02:39
10.	The Trees are Like Sentries	04:07
11.	Rattle	04:40
Total playing time		40:35

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Unlike On Cunning and Castle Building, this EP was put together with a singular theme in mind. Inspired mainly by traveling music, all of the tracks are fingerpicked, save for Kittyhawk which is mostly tapped. As always, everything is recorded live without overdubs. 

 - Quote tadpiecka.bandcamp.com ("A Feather to the Cheek is Comfort to the Vine")

Album Name: A Feather to the Cheek is Comfort to the Vine

Band: Tad Piecka

Genre: Folk

Year: 2008

Country: USA

Track Listing:

 

1.	Intro	00:41
2.	The Gift of Elocution (Part I)	05:23
3.	A Feather to the Cheek is Comfort to the Vine	03:35
4.	Ojo	01:59
5.	The Gift of Elocution (Part II)	06:17
6.	Kittyhawk	05:51
7.	Shoehorn	02:49
Total playing time		26:35

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More American and Irish folk played with modernist techniques, a touch of Philip Glass, and my oldest fingerstyle song finally rerecorded (Porblem No. 17).

 - Quote tadpiecka.bandcamp.com ("Stars Are Stars and Yours Are Yours")

Album Name: Stars Are Stars and Yours Are Yours

Band: Tad Piecka

Genre: Folk

Year: 2009

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	Stars Are Stars and Yours Are Yours	04:50
2.	A Feather to the Cheek Is Comfort to the Vine	03:13
3.	Porblem No. 17	04:26
4.	Nary a Nastier Dish	06:42
5.	Farishta's Folk I	04:41
6.	Farishta's Folk II	04:19
7.	We Call Each One by Name	02:33
Total playing time		30:44

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