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

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)

When Bitter Springs Sleeps - When Bitter Springs Sleeps (2008)

And now a little bit more on When Bitter Spring Sleeps.

Black Metal Rituals inspired by, performed and recorded in a nature preserve environment blending true night sounds and black metal - Nature sounds in the live tracks are NOT samples mixed with the music - but the actual surrounding atmosphere while the music was being performed and recorded.in the forest. When Bitter Spring Sleeps is an ultimate atmospheric black metal experiment to commune with nature in a truly pagan and ritualistic manner. Organic analog beauty drawing main influences from Nature, Ritual, Paysage D’Hiver, Njiqahdda, Darkspace.

- Quote paganflames.com

WBBS are from Iowa (USA), comprised of the members Lord Sardonyx and Syntax A, both also of the band Satan's Almighty Penis.

And we briefly looked at WBSS with their recent split release with Panopticon. Quite a solid release, most notably I appreciated the WBSS side, given it's improvement in production and all-round better composition of music.

Their previous release, a self-titled demo, I share with you now. However, this original release of their's never really grabbed my attention. Though quite interesting and unique in that the album was recorded in a nature reserve (as opposed to the nature sounds being electronically incorporated), it just really didn't work for me. Poor quality production. The mixture of natural sounds and instruments didn't fit to me. Perhaps the natural sounds were somewhat overbearing. A bit too lo-fi generally, though some might dig that. But I certainly didn't forget them for such a memorable concept.

Obviously, really not my thing, but I do very much reccommend to check out the split with Panopticon.

WBSS @ myspace

Album Name: When Bitter Springs Sleeps

Band: When Bitter Springs Sleeps

Genre: Black Metal/Ambient

Year: 2008

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	What The Rain Knows	08:43
2.	Tears For The Sounds Of Darkness	14:28
3.	Beneath Mother Moon	07:22
Total playing time		30:34

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Panopticon - On The Subject Of Mortality (2010)

And more from Panopticon, however, as noted on the RABM blog (where I give credit for getting this), this release contains nothing entirely new, as the contents of this is comprised of Panopticon's recent split's with Skagos and WSS.

So I post this pretty much just for the sake of completeness than for anything distinctly new.

Album Name: On The Subject Of Mortality
Band: Panopticon
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Year: 2010
Country: USA

1.	Living In The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death	11:34
2.	Living Eulogy	07:33
3.	To Make In Idol Of Our Fear And Call It God	06:30
4.	A Mesage To The Missionary	07:06
5.	...Seeing	08:08
6.	Watching You	09:14
Total playing time		50:05

 DOWNLOAD


Personally, I am eager for the apparent Panopticon split with Wheels Within Wheels - a favourite BM act if mine, who I'll cover more when this next split comes out.

Panopticon/When Bitter Spring Sleeps - Split (2010)

And yet another release from Panopticon.

This time it's a split with When Bitter Spring Sleeps (more on them later).

Panopticon definitely never ceases to push boundaries and experiment within and outside the confines of BM.

WBSS also represent well on this release, and infact, their use of outdoor recording works alot better here than I remember so on their previous release, though it's been quite a while since I heard that.

Check it out.

Album Name: Panopticon/When Bitter Spring Sleeps - Split
Band: Panopticon/When Bitter Spring Sleeps
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Black Metal, Ambient
Year: 2010
Country:
Track Listing:

Panopticon
1.	Living in the Valley of the Shadow of Death	11:32
2.	Living Eulogy	07:33
3.	Make An Idol of Our Fear and Call It God	06:30
When Bitter Spring Sleeps
4.	Flames That Taste the Rain	09:36
5.	We Cower in the Storms of Her Retribution	11:14
6.	All Things Rise	05:57
Total playing time		52:22

 DOWNLOAD

Lake Of Blood - Heed the Primal Calling

Lake of Blood from the US.

Lake of Blood is a black metal band from Southern California with lyrical themes regarding existence, morality, and isolation. The band has collaborated with other projects such as Panopticon. Influences are drawn from across a vast spectrum of different metal sub-genres and the band combines an aggressive sound with that of an atmospheric approach.

- Quote Last.fm ("Lake Of Blood")



Lake Of Blood are one of the less ambient/atmospheric of the Cascadian BM bands around in my opinion, and more heavy.

For those more specifically interested in vegan BM.

Their split with Panopticon can be found in the post on Panopticon.

Album Name: Heed the Primal Calling
Band: Lake Of Blood
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Year: 2008
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Nameless I Arise	06:11
2.	Heed the Primal Calling	03:49
3.	The Darkest Path	04:52
4.	Lake of Blood	06:03
Total playing time		21:00

 DOWNLOAD (via bandcamp)



Quote mouthforwar.net:

This four track EP from Milkweed Records essentially captures “…the story of man’s return to a primal state of existence, free from the spoils of civilization..” in epic, raw black metal. Heed the Primal Calling certainly has that underground metal feel, complete with murky production and a slight tinny echo — it all adds to the band’s delivery nicely. Thick, crunchy riffs pile on top of driving rhythms like demons on a fallen angel as Haagr’s vocals spit vehemence and pestilence.
There’s actually quite a bit to like about these four songs. Besides them being brutally raw in every sense, there’s a decent groove to a few moments within each track that will have you banging your horned head along with the band. It’s not inventive or unique, but the band’s sound is infectious as hell.
Nameless I Arise
Dark, ambient noise greets the listener, setting the mood for the first 50 seconds before driving riffs and rapid fire drums explode from the speakers. The riffs that follow are memorable and have a nice groove to them. The vocals come in around 1:30 with a raw, nasty edge. The band halts their onslaught momentarily at the four minute mark for some string orchestration and acoustic guitar. That stillness is shattered quickly though with melodic riffs that carry the listener into a sea of black. Man, this track is epic with sweeping riffs and well timed blasts. The track ends with a bit of ambient noise.
Heed the Primal Calling
The title track wastes no time getting down to business. After the brief silence that ends “Nameless I Arise,” Lake of Blood erupt like an axe wound to the skull with pummeling drums and driving riffs. The drum work is that of a maniac as Haagr comes in with his tortured screams. The second of the track has a chaotic, disjointed feel with off kilter guitar squeals and tempo changes. It’s an interesting way to end the track, and I think I like it.
The Darkest Path
“The Darkest Path” opens up with a flurry of driving riffs and unrelenting pounding of the drums. The vocals come in much earlier than the previous two tracks as the group summon the darkest of demons with churning guitars and bruising rhythms. I think this is my favorite track on the album. For the most part, the tracks straightforward approach is simple, yet barbaric in its delivery. There is a lull in the black storm that stretches on for about 40 second or so before more thunderous drums and driving riffs come back in to end out the song.
Lake of Blood
The EPs final track starts off with eerie, ambient noise for the first 20 second before a cacophony of guitars and drums flows from the speakers in a flood of black metal. There is a nice underlying melody to this aggressively paced track that gives the song a nice layered dynamic. The vocals seem that much more urgent and ferocious as the band shifts quickly from a mid paced tempo to a demonic sprint into hell.

~ ~ ~

A pleasant surprise in an ever growing glut of black metal, Lake of Fire embrace the underground feel, but also push their skills into otherworldly realms of evil with blasting rhythms, melodic guitars and desolate landscapes. Heed the Primal Calling is just what every malcontent needs in their daily consumption of metal.

Echtra - Burn It All Away (2004) & A War for Wonder (2009)

And another Fauna related project, Echtra.

The hero’s journey par excellence, Echtra represents the transition between this world and the others. A seed, carried as close to one’s heart as spatiality will allow, germinates rebirth and a nomadic wandering no longer bound. A symbiosis of brown, green, and red; the saturation of the grey with the vibrant shades of being: these are the transformations made possible when the otherworld reasserts itself unexpectedly. An immersion in the deep past reveals the portal through which the Soul may emerge unscathed, as an unqualified rejection of the mundane bog of modernity loosens the chains. The adventitious dross of this age sloughs off, revealing the unheralded spectral interior light, and all swirls around the spirit in its adventure towards Home.

- Quote Last.fm ("Echtra")

An Echtra or Echtrae (pl. Echtrai) is one of a category of Old Irish literature about a hero's adventures in the Otherworld (see Tír na nÓg and Mag Mell); the otherworldly setting is the distinctive trait of these tales. More generally, echtra was the Old Irish word for "adventure", the Modern Irish word is eachtra.

The echtra was one of the most popular of Old Irish genres, so much so that the word later came to be used in the titles of any romance, regardless of otherworldly content. Earlier on, however, an echtra's emphasis was on the hero's time in the Otherworld, the journey to which served merely as a frame story. This distinguishes the echtrai from the Immrama, or "Voyages", which focus on the hero's journey rather than the otherworldly destination.

The hero of the echtra is usually invited to the Otherworld by a beautiful maiden or a great warrior, and he must cross either the western ocean or a plain blanketed by a mystical fog. The host is revealed to be one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, or fairy folk, and Manannan or Lugh often figure into the tale. The hero's fate after his sojourn varies from tale to tale. Sometimes he stays among the sídhe forever, and sometimes he returns with knowledge and gifts for his people. Sometimes the hero discovers his visit has lasted for years or even centuries though he thought no time had passed. He is warned that if he ever touches his home soil again, he will surely perish. In the Voyage of Bran, the heroes describe their adventure to listeners shore, then sail off into oblivion. In a popular story from the Fenian Cycle, Oisín touches the ground and instantly ages three hundred years. He tells his story to Saint Patrick and received a Christian baptism before he died.

References

• James MacKillop (1998). Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford. ISBN 0-19-860967-1.

 - Quote Wikipedia ("Echtra")


---


Echtra is probably the Fauna related project that I enjoy the most. All songs on every release clock in at 23 minutes exactly, which is a nice song length for this type of music etc, which is comprised (their second release more with more melody/folk than the first) of largely ambient/atmoshperic, melodic, folk, mixed in with of course, black metal.

And though not as long as Fauna in song length, still requires some patience, and listening to it a few times always helps with stuff like this.

Enjoy.

---

Album Name: Burn It All Away
Band: Echtra
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Drone/Folk
Year: 2004
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Burn It All Away I	23:00
2.	Burn It All Away II	23:00
3.	Burn It All Away III	23:00
Total playing time		01:09:00

 DOWNLOAD

Echtra is the solo project of one-half of the apocalyptic atavist black metal duo Fauna. Originating from the green forests of Cascadia, Echtra’s music reflects the deep sense of reverence that emanates from the surrounding rich natural landscape. Steeped in live ritual, Echtra transmutes betrayal and abandonment into wisdom on A War of Wonder, conjuring visions of the soul achieving its ultimate reintegration into the corpus of Spirit.
Conceived in 2004 and utilized for ritual performance two years later, A War for Wonder chronicles an experimental aural landscape, eschewing allegiance to the strict confines of black metal in the relentless pursuit of personal mastery. Consciousness is immersed in a musicality wherein the abstractions of “genre” drift away as the sound deepens and swirls, engaging the emotional and etheric bodies in tandem with the intellect.
As the wooden timelessness of the acoustic melds with the distorted vibration of electricity, a new gnosis is reached, shielded from the reductive eyes of reason and allowed to loosen the bonds of the true being within. Containing this liberation is the seed of Echtra, the heroic journey of the Self from the shadows. Initially circulated only within a small circle of collaborators, this work is now issued into the world by 20 Buck Spin, as dictated by the spirits and for the benefit of all beings.

 - Quote here.


Album Name: Burn It All Away
Band: Echtra
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Drone/Folk
Year: 2009
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	A War for Wonder I	23:00
2.	A War for Wonder II	23:00
Total playing time		46:00

 DOWNLOAD

Threnos - By Blood and by Earth

Threnos (contained members some members who then went on to form Fauna). The band that apparently started the whole Cascadian BM thing.

Early contributors to the eco-spiritual style of black metal in and among the Cascadian region. Recorded and self-released a tour edition of By Blood And By Earth in 2004, though an official pressing was never released.

- Quote last.fm ("Threnos")

threnody

"song of lamentation," 1634, from Gk. threnodia,  from threnos  "dirge, lament," + oide  "ode." Gk. threnos  probably is from a PIE imitative base meaning "to murmur, hum;" cf. O.E. dran  "drone," Goth. drunjus  "sound," Gk. tenthrene  "a kind of wasp."

thren·o·dy

   /ˈθrɛnədi/ Show Spelled[thren-uh-dee]

–noun, plural -dies.

a poem, speech, or song of lamentation, esp. for the dead; dirge; funeral song.

---

Origin:
1615–25;  < Gk thrēnōidía,  equiv. to thrên ( os ) dirge + -ōid ( ḗ ) song ( see ode) + -ia -y³

- Quote Dictionary.com ("Threnody")


Threnos is definitely a good band. They inspired a new generation of BM. Perhaps I dig some of the projects derived from this one more, the credit due to this band is unmistakeable.

Recommend for any Cascadian BM fan, but esp those interested in the early stages of the genre.

Album Name: By Blood and by Earth
Band: Threnos
Genre: Folk/Black Metal
Year: 2004
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	The Call	04:12
2.	Sparks Borne On The Wind	05:35
3.	The Return	13:01
4.	Adrift	08:01
5.	By Blood And By Earth	15:53
Total playing time		46:42

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Falls Of Rauros - Into the Archaic, Of Stone and the Stars in the Sky & Hail Wind and Hewn Oak

And now to admit that I'm wrong, and prove it, like I admitted with Encircling Sea, having a name which is a reference to LOTR doesn't mean you ain't down for the (eco) cause.

And again, the name specifically refers to:

Falls of Rauros or Rauros were the great falls of River Anduin beneath Nen Hithoel, where the river fell from Emyn Muil to the wetland of Nindalf. It also describes the area near the falls.
At the breaking of the The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and Sam paddled a boat from the west bank of the river to the east just above the falls and had to use all their strength to avoid being swept over the falls by the current. Shortly afterward Boromir's body was placed in another boat by Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli who sent it over the falls, but it apparently survived the fall; at any rate, soon afterward it was seen by Faramir upon the lower reaches of the Anduin in what felt to him like a dream yet from which there was no waking, and he retrieved Boromir's cloven horn in truth and not in seeming.

- Quote LOTR Wiki ("Falls Of Rauros")


Yes, I did just quote from something called the LOTR wiki. That's some crazy shit. Haha.

The band describes their music as "North Appalachian Heathen Black Folk Metal," exhibited by their firm beliefs in returning the world to a pre-Christian time, as well as their appreciation for nature.

- Quote Metal-Archives.com ("Falls Of Rauros")

Falls of Rauros is a Black Metal band hailing from Northern Appalachia, by the shores of the Atlantic, by the rocky coast of Maine. It is a unified effort by four individuals to encourage drastic, radical change: the upheaval of the modern world. For in these dire times there is only collapse to strive for… 

- Quote Last.fm


Personally, Falls Of Rauros are distinctly my thing. I definitely enjoy the folk elements, as some may realise I would, however the rawness (as in, like raw/trve BM for example) of the BM vocals don't do it for me. It is good BM, but just not for me. Definitely check it out if you love the conflation of folk and BM, especially if you like the raw BM vocal style.

Please note, this is an incomplete discography. I can't do everything, but that of which that doesn't not appear here contains songs that appear on the releases presented here however, so they are somewhat unnecessary.

Falls Of Rauros Official Myspace (including two free album downloads)

Album Name: Into the Archaic
Band: Falls of Rauros
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Year: 2006
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	A Departure	01:46
2.	Retracing Our Lineage	06:29
3.	Contemplation of the Forgotten	05:44
4.	To Witness Existence As A Subservient Entity	09:40
5.	March of the Valorous Bane	11:25
6.	The Winter Harvest	06:46
7.	A Silent Premonition (Of Our End)	07:54
8.	Revisitation	08:22
Total playing time		58:10

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Album Name: Of Stone and the Stars in the Sky
Band: Falls of Rauros
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Year: 2007
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Of Stone and the Stars in the Sky	09:10
2.	The Fire We Fathered	11:29
Total playing time		20:39

DOWNLOAD

Amongst the woods, winds, and celestial nights lay these compositions that are best described as Black Folk Metal. Utilizing Black Metal as the monolithic basis of the album; acoustic and electric movements provide for intricately detailed song structures that uphold an organic mood throughout.

- Quote here.



Album Name: Hail Wind and Hewn Oak
Band: Falls of Rauros
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Year: 2008
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	The Sun Tonight Has Set	01:19
2.	The Fire We Fathered	12:01
3.	Hail Wind and Hewn Oak	07:38
4.	Fury in Our Blood, Thunder in Our Hearts	02:05
5.	Of Stone and the Stars in the Sky	09:00
6.	In Waves of Golden Light	10:16
7.	To Witness Existence	10:10
8.	And Never Shall There Be	07:53
Total playing time		01:00:22

DOWNLOAD

Panopticon (+ Wheels Within Wheels, Lake Of Blood, Skagos) - Discography

So more with what you probably already know, the classics. But it's worth having it here, both so I can say I mentioned it (for the perfectionists), to give them recognition for what they have contributed (give credit where it's due), and just even for the reference itself.

It's none other than Panopticon!

So perhaps you have noticed, but I indeed I think there is certainly "something in a name".  And indeed there is definitely something in this name:

The Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) prisoners without the incarcerated being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby conveying what one architect has called the "sentiment of an invisible omniscience."
Bentham himself described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example.

... While the design did not come to fruition during Bentham's time, it has been seen as an important development. For instance, the design was invoked by Michel Foucault (in Discipline and Punish) as metaphor for modern "disciplinary" societies and their pervasive inclination to observe and normalise. Foucault proposes that not only prisons but all hierarchical structures like the army, schools, hospitals and factories have evolved through history to resemble Bentham's Panopticon. The notoriety of the design today (although not its lasting influence in architectural realities) stems from Foucault's famous analysis of it.

... Contemporary social critics often assert that technology has allowed for the deployment of panoptic structures invisibly throughout society. Surveillance by closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in public spaces is an example of a technology that brings the gaze of a superior into the daily lives of the populace. Furthermore, a number of cities in England (UK), including Middlesbrough, Bristol, Brighton and London have recently added loudspeakers to a number of their existing CCTV cameras. They can transmit the voice of a camera supervisor to issue audible messages to the public. Similarly, critical analyses of internet practice have suggested that the internet allows for a panopticon form of observation. ISPs are able to track users' activities, while user-generated content means that daily social activity may be recorded and broadcast online.
Shoshana Zuboff used the metaphor of the panopticon in her 1988 book In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power to describe how computer technology makes work more visible. In 1991 Mohammad Kowsar used the metaphor in the title of his book "The Critical Panopticon: Essays in the Theatre and Contemporary Aesthetics" (American University Studies Series Xxvi Theatre Arts). Earlier, Michel Foucault used the term more generally as a metaphor in describing Western society.

- Quote Wikipedia ("Panopticon")


Panopticon, is also an Isis album, I should note.

Panopticon is a one-man atmospheric black metal band from Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America which holds anarchist beliefs. The band was formed by Austin Lunn (A.) in 2007, and in early 2008 he left his other band Anagnorisis to focus all his attention on Panopticon. The band is influenced both by early BM like Darkthrone and Mayhem and by crust bands such as Amebix, and has also named bluegrass, folk music (especially Nordic folk), Tom Waits, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor as influences; A. has also claimed that upcoming material will be influenced by shoegaze.

Discography:
2008 - Panopticon
2009 - Panopticon/Wheels Within Wheels (split with Wheels Within Wheels)
2009 - Collapse
2009 - Panopticon/Lake of Blood (split with Lake of Blood)
2010 - Panopticon/When Bitter Spring Sleeps (split with When Bitter Spring Sleeps)
2010 - Skagos/Panopticon (split with Skagos)

Throndt was originally slated to be involved with the Skagos split as well, but dropped out of the project. Panopticon’s sides for its 2010 splits comprise two halves of a record entitled On The Subject Of Mortality, which is slated for a forthcoming vinyl release as well). Several other releases are projected for the future and may have already been recorded, and A. is also recording drums for the new Falls of Rauros full-length. A. is also a member of doom metal band Seidr.

- Quote Last.fm ("Panopticon")

Honestly, what can I say? Panopticon really is the benchmark when it comes to Cascadian (style) BM. If you look at the rates of downloads at the RABM blog, Panopticon releases dominated it. It's a pretty easily understood fact, they have attained a commendable standard very quickly.

Even beyond that though, Panopticon does not find the easy way to such a place. From release to release, there is change, experimentation, evolution, ... risk. More traditional BM fans, maybe not as far as the raw/trve variety, admire some of it. But there is definite folk influences, especially evident in Collapse. For me, though perhaps not neccessarily my favourite stuff, I find compelling and beautiful in of itself. I think any music, be it metal or not, if attempting some relationship with the natural world and pre-modern (lack of a better word) cultures cannot ignore the place and beauty of folk music.

In the middle of the bush, the forest, in the wilderness, it's easier and more sustainible to play an acoustic instrument, etc than anything electric. What else is really in touch with a culture of communion, whilst still using the gifts that is the human hands to graft music that embraces the wild world that both we (hopefully) sustain, and that sustains us?

I really need not say more, Panopticon is a stand out BM out whoever you are, hippie like me or not. Diverse, yet consistent, and with a plethora of releases coming up (or just released).

Highly recommend, and enjoy!

Album Name: Panopticon
Band: Panopticon
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Year: 2008
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Intro	01:09
2.	Flag Burner, Torch Bearer	10:40
3.	I, Hedonist	15:08
4.	...Speaking...	12:51
5.	The Lay of Grimnir	13:06
6.	Archetype	08:01
7.	Emma's Song	06:38
Total playing time		01:07:33

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Album Name: Panopticon
Band: Panopticon / Lake of Blood
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Melodic Black Metal
Year: 2009
Country:
Track Listing:

Panopticon
1.	Haunted America	05:28
2.	La Passione di Sacco & Vanzetti	11:37
Lake of Blood
3.	Eternal in My Domain	03:49
4.	Lake of Blood (Live)	05:41
5.	Eternal in My Domain (Live)	03:36
Total playing time		30:11

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Album Name: Panopticon
Band: Panopticon/Wheels Within Wheels
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Black Metal
Year: 2009
Country:
Track Listing:

Panopticon
1.	...Speaking... (Collapsed Version)	10:40
2.	The Ghosts of Haymarket Square	07:27
Wheels Within Wheels
3.	Beginning	04:44
4.	White Light Rains Down On....	13:48
Total playing time		36:39

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Album Name: Collapse
Band: Panopticon
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Year: 2009
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	The Death of Baldr and the Coming War	15:54
2.	Aptrgangr	15:20
3.	Merkstave	10:07
4.	Idavoll	05:03
Total playing time		46:24

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Album Name: Panopticon
Band: Panopticon/Skagos
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Black Metal
Year: 2010
Country:
Track Listing:

Skagos 1. Smoldering Embers 12:33 2. Anamnesis II: A Dry, Sterile Thunder, Without Rain 15:15 Panopticon 3. A Message to the Missionary 07:06 4. ..Seeing.. 08:08 5. Watching You 09:14 Total playing time 52:16

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And now we wait for the many splits to come, such as the one with When Bitter Springs Sleep.

Wolves in the Throne Room - Discography

Of course, Wolves in the Throne Room. Nothin' new. But a classic, and now you can't tell me I haven't mentioned them etc.

Someone once called them the Rancid (you know, the pop-punk band) of the Cascadian BM scene.

It's true, but they definitely were one of the first of such bands I listened to, and I do think some of their stuff is pretty cool.

So I heard about this band years ago. Didn't get into them for a long time though. And they are really popular and famous. It's like, hipsters listen to Darkthrone when it comes to trve BM, and similarly Wolves in the Throne Room with Cascadian BM.

When it comes down to it though, they are a talented band, a pioneer, nice people (at least when I met them), and have some solid lyrical content. For those unaware of the (underground?) Cascadian BM scene, WTTR represent a different thread of BM that is very ecologically aware, and just generally not excessively politically questionable.

The band's ideology is quite different from many black metal bands. In interviews they've expressed respect for left-wing politics, radical environmentalism and ecofeminism.

- Quote Metal-Archives.com ("Wolves in the Throne Room")


I used to be a really big fan of their earlier stuff when I first got into them, even the song Black Tea, maybe it's because I used to listen to alot of punk/hardcore/crust/etc. Nowadays, I'm more a fan of their later stuff, especially Malevolent Grain. I find such music is much darker in sound, and not quite as overly ambient as the previous albums.

If you're all too familiar with Cascadian BM, you will already have all of this. If not, welcome to where most people start off.

Recommended classics.


WTTR Official Myspace Page
Official Website

Album Name: Wolves in the Throne Room
Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2004
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Wolves in the Throne Room	07:27
2.	(Hands Pull You Through Purple) Black Tea	09:34
3.	If This Dark Age Conquers, We Will Leave This Echo	13:18
4.	Womb of Fire	11:39
Total playing time		41:58

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Album Name: 2005 Demo
Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2005
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Queen of the Borrowed Light	13:15
2.	Daggers of Amethyst Crystal	12:24
3.	(A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of Twelve Stars	25:55
Total playing time		51:34

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Album Name: Diadem of 12 Stars
Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2006
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Queen of the Borrowed Light	12:58
2.	Face in a Night Time Mirror: Part 1	13:21
3.	Face in a Night Time Mirror: Part 2	13:58
4.	(A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars	20:22
Total playing time		01:00:39

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Album Name: Two Hunters
Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2007
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Dea Artio	05:58
2.	Vastness and Sorrow	12:12
3.	Cleansing	09:55
4.	I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots	18:16
Total playing time		46:21

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Album Name: Live at Roadburn 2008 (Audio version)
Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2008
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Vastness & Sorrow	10:30
2.	Face in a Night Time Mirror Pt1	15:58
3.	Cleansing	10:25
4.	I Will Lay Down My Bones Among The Rocks and Roots	20:40
Total playing time		57:40

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Album Name: Malevolent Grain
Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2009
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	A Looming Resonance	13:01
2.	Hate Crystal	10:38
Total playing time		23:39

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 Album Name: Black Cascade
Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2009
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog	10:33
2.	Ahrimanic Trance	14:05
3.	Ex Cathedra	10:58
4.	Crystal Ammunition	14:20
Total playing time		49:16

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Fauna - Rain & The Hunt

Fauna. The one of the bands that apparently influenced Wolves in the Throne Room. Another Cascadian BM band, specifically Olympia.

In a nutshell, completely amazing. Though it's difficult for me to get into songs that are so very long, with patience, I got into it. But generally, I'm not huge into songs much longer than 20min. Deep ecological undertones.

Brilliant, but not for the faint of heart.

A reclusive American dark ambient/black metal band. They released two demos titled Rain and The Hunt in 2007, each composed of a single song of over an hour in length. Rain was released on Aurora Borealis in 2008; a release of The Hunt followed in late 2009 with live drums replacing the drum machine of the original. Three additional suites have been conceived but have yet to be recorded officially, although a live recording of the third suite, Avifauna, has surfaced on the Internet under the title “Feathainne”. Band members also appear in Echtra, Threnos, Fearthainne, and Alethes.

- quote Last.fm (Fauna)

 

Fauna Homepage
Aurora Borealis artist page

FAUNA
'Rain' CD

Absolutley amazing self released CD from the ultra obscure FAUNA. Based in the temperate rainforest region of the Pacific Northwest, FAUNA are a strongly eco-centric band working in the black metal genre. 'Rain' consists of one epic track lasting over an hour. Beginning with a field recording of rain in a forest, the piece thereafter becomes an acoustic journey, sung vocals complete this section before a raw black metal surge of power and pummel. Really impressed by these guys. Its very honest, very organic, in some ways this has a hardcore vibe, like early Neurosis or something, though its more the spirit than anything. Its certainly not like any of the more commercial strands of black metal, but neither is it teenage faux satanic basement necro. The packaging is silkscreened black on black paper and the whole package is very organic feeling. Total recommendation here

- quote from here.

Album Name: Rain
Band: Fauna
Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Year: 2006
Country:
Track Listing:

1.	Rain
Total playing time		01:03:18

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FAUNA
'The Hunt' CD
Absolutley amazing self released CD from the ultra obscure FAUNA. Based in the temperate rainforest region of the Pacific Northwest, FAUNA are a strongly eco-centric band working in the black metal genre. Described as 'A Mythic Journey in Seven Parts', this is the band's second CD of earth oriented forest metal. The story is of the hunger that leads to the quest to kill for food, the tracking, the stalking and the reverence for the prey. Excellent stuff, perhaps harsher overall then 'Rain', though still with incredible dynamic power as the story unfolds. The packaging is silkscreened black on black paper and the whole package is very organic feeling. Once again, highest recommendation here.

 - quote from here.

Album Name: The Hunt
Band: Fauna
Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Year: 2007
Country:
Track Listing:

The re-released version is sequenced as seven tracks with the following titles and running times: 1. The Door 05:43 2. Hunger 08:33 3. Setting Out 11:23 4. The Scent 17:32 5. Nocturne 04:45 6. Tracking 09:07 7. The Kill... Fulfillment 14:44 - quote Metal-Archives.com ("Fauna - The Hunt")

1. The Hunt Total playing time 01:19:57

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