Nhor - Self-Titled (2009), Upon Which Was Written Within the Stars (2010), Whisperers to this Archaic Growth (2011)

Hailing from Herefordshire, Midlands, in the UK, are Nhor. One of my favourite projects that I have discovered in my time away from this blog.

Nhor is a one-man project from Herefordshire, Midlands (UK). He draws influences from forests, mystery, eschatology, astrology, the earth, storms, mist, wind, rain, nature, the night sky, Beren & Luthien, the Starks, loneliness and sorrow. Nhor’s music is very difficult to describe, it floats from ambient to doom-laden black metal.

 Quote - last.fm "Nhor"

Listening to Nhor has definitely had an influence in opening my music tastes, such as that of which tends to my yearning for nature and culture related to thus, through music. You see, Nhor's first two releases were completely comprised of neo-folk and neo-classical. From this, I have discovered so much beautiful folk metal, but more so, beautiful neo-folk and neo-classical. Amongst both the new and old BM I still need to share, this aforementioned neo-folk/classical shall too, come in time.

And of course, to add to this, Nhor has also released a BM album, Whisperers to this Archaic Growth, much in the vein of Cascadian BM. With another album along such lines to be released possibly in the coming months. What I really enjoy though, besides the music, is the nature/pagan aesthetics and references. But more specifically, that is originates from Europe, and isn't corrupted by some sort of racist paradigm. For example, there is some Eastern Europe (but not limited to) BM, especially pagan BM, that I fundamentally like musically and enjoy the nature references/sounds. However, some are linked either overtly, or indirectly, to racist paganism.

I personally have no reason to identify with Norse paganism anyway, the pigmentation of my skin dictates such. But I see how there are some things to learn from such in a culture more connected with the natural world.

Nhor is a classic, without being too technical, yet not too simple. Cascadian-style BM with that neo-folk/classical spirit to take you on a journey to a place, serene, amongst the trees.

Official website (tumblr)
Myspace
Facebook <-------------------- YUCK! Facebook, not Nhor.
Big Cartel

Album Name: Nhor

Band: Nhor

Genre: Ambient/Folk, Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal

Year: 2009

Country: UK

Track Listing:

1.	A Pale Glimmer	03:51
2.	Giantess	07:08
3.	Sune	05:33
4.	Of Moth & Moon	03:08
5.	Saithana	05:50
6.	The Branches Are Gathered	05:57
7.	A Heart of the Growing Cold	05:10
		36:37

DOWNLOAD 

Album Name: Upon Which Was Written Within the Stars

Band: Nhor

Genre: Ambient/Folk, Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal

Year: 2010

Country: UK

Track Listing:

1.	Pericynthion	04:34
2.	Periastron	03:58
3.	Apocynthion	07:11
4.	Apastron	03:12
		18:55

DOWNLOAD

 

Album Name: Whisperers to this Archaic Growth

Band: Nhor

Genre: Ambient/Folk, Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal

Year: 2011

Country: UK

Track Listing:

1.	Whisperers to This This Archaic Growth	06:12
2.	Ciwth	09:36
3.	Aspen Crown	06:37
4.	Beneath the Burial Leaves of a Dying Earth	08:59
		31:24

 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)

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

 DOWNLOAD

Nechochwen - Algonkian Mythos (2008) & Azimuths to the Otherworld (2010)

And some Native American stuff from the US.

The name Nechochwen literally means “walks alone” in the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) language.  It was a name given to me about 16 years ago by a friend.  It’s not necessarily an “alter ego” or stage name, just another name I am known by.  I started recording music under the name Nechochwen to connect with other musicians and people with an interest in early American history and American pre-history.  I am using the sounds available to me to create musical textures and scenes representative of western Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley in years past.

When Angelrust folded... ... I decided to concentrate on this music for a while and explore the Indian side of my ancestry a bit more.

- Quote here.

Nechochwen are a project of Aaron Carey (also of Angelrust and Harvist) expressing the Native American Indian side of his ancestry. Again, this stuff is heavy on the folk elements, which by no means demeans it, but infact emphasizes the pagan/folk/cultural/indig elements trying to be expressed in this music. To a lesser degree, there are doom/black metal parts to give it that extra kick, that raw angry emotion, just in case you thought the history of indigenous people in the US (and elsewhere) was all flowery.

Pretty cool stuff, especially if you're all about the folk.

Personally, I'd love a bit more metal in it for me. But it's still really amazingly beautiful. Soothing and calm.

By the way, Andrew Della Cagna is a guest on some of the music here.

Nechochwen @ myspace

Peter: The new album Algonkian Mythos tells stories of your Native ancestors.  What do you hope the listener will get from listening to the album?
Nechochwen: The album’s subject matter is the Northeastern United States in the second half of the eighteenth century into the early nineteenth century.  Not all of the topics or characters are Algonquian in origin, some are Iroquoian.  All these people interacted and either directly or indirectly affected each others’ way of life and belief systems.  I want the listener to learn something and get transported to that dark era.  For those who are already familiar with this subject, this music is for you.  These are compositions to keep history alive.  Try to picture the sights and smells that go along with the music.

- Quote here.

Album Name: Algonkian Mythos

Band: Nechochwen

Genre: Folk/Black Metal

Year: 2008

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	A Blistering Fusilade	00:53
2.	Fallen Timbers	04:45
3.	Algonkian Mythos	05:28
4.	Coffin of the Flesh	02:45
5.	Talgayeeta	04:00
6.	Gnadenhutten	03:57
7.	Cut-ta-ho-tha	03:53
8.	Pilawah	02:00
9.	Nilu-Famu	07:19
10.	West Across the Missi-theepi	03:48
Total playing time		34:56

DOWNLOAD

Album Name: Azimuths to the Otherworld

Band: Nechochwen

Genre: Folk/Black Metal

Year: 2010

Country: USA

Track Listing:

1.	Allumhammochwen: The Crossing	07:52
2.	At Night I May Roam	04:01
3.	Gissis Mikana	04:18
4.	Red Ocher	06:04
5.	The Eyes of the Mesingw	01:45
6.	Charnel House	04:38
7.	Graves of Grandeur	03:22
8.	Confluence	03:10
9.	Noameatha, You Are the Ghost in the Water	02:30
10.	The Forgotten Death Ritual	01:41
11.	Hunting Among the Stars	03:43
12.	Four Effigies	08:52
13.	Azimuths to the Otherworld	05:30
14.	Graves of Grandeur (Reprise)	03:23
Total playing time		59:36

DOWNLOAD

Guahaihoque - The Return of the Ancient Gods (2007)

More prehispanic stuff, Guahaihoque from Colombia.

Guahaihoque is the spirit of death, keeper at eternity´s threshold. . He preserves |n the depth dominions of his sacred lagoon the archaic flame of life and death, eternal and ethereal. it is soul in good and evil… it is us, and nature all with time and space, also representing a spiritual path onward the magnificence of human being, as sons of sun we´re, holding on values and principles of memory and ancient tradition.

Many years of efforts & battle to preserve the core of our music passed by, as we introduced ancestral woodwind instruments, as: “Quena-flute, Quenacho-flute, Sikus, Panpipe, Zampoña, Malta”. These native instruments add a mystical & unique spiritual core to the whole Ancient Epic sound.

Guahaihoque constructs its music and sound as a sinergy of various artifacts of Metal “Death / Black / Thrash / Doom / Heavy” and ritual ancestral music originary of this continent… the concept is still growing, as result we have made a recall to our forefathers through emotional & dreaming songs, full of honour, pride & glory, with millenary spirit almost forgotten by today…s mankind, so we can´t deny our origin, legacy and knowledge, a gift from our forefathers, it´s in our soul.

- Quote last.fm ("Guahaihoque")


Guahaihoque are an interesting project, definitely a good quality prehispanic metal band, with heavy folk elements, most evident with the use of woodwind. I do feel the mixing of the different elements in the music doesn't seem to entirely fit, but is good nonetheless. This full length album also seems a bit short.

Definitely check out if into prehispanic stuff which is heavy on folk/woodwind.

Album Name: The Return of the Ancient Gods
Band: Guahaihoque
Genre: Extreme Epic/Folk Metal
Year: 2007
Country: Colombia
Track Listing:

1.	Revelations	06:10
2.	Elder Evocations	04:59
3.	Monminie	05:54
4.	Thy Eternal Golden Dawn	04:35
5.	Woods Whispering	04:04
6.	Along A Path	05:55
Total playing time		31:17

DOWNLOAD

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

DOWNLOAD

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

DOWNLOAD

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

 DOWNLOAD

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

DOWNLOAD

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

 DOWNLOAD

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

 DOWNLOAD

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

 DOWNLOAD


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