I’m not kidding. This is a somber, instrumental powerhouse; this haunting as fuck album echoes through corridors of time and dust.

Taking cues from Wardruna, Heilung, and (to my ears) Ulver, they weave their way through these thirteen tracks beginning with “Niwe Mōna” a tone setter, the drums pounding out a steady heartbeat for its short minute and some change run.

Setting the mood in epic fashion is where Sowulo shines. The songs don’t overstay their welcome; they keep things interesting throughout, showcasing different instruments: Carnyx, Nyckelharpa, Celtic Harp, Shaman drums, Blow horns, Irish Bouzouki, Taglharpa, Lyre, Viola… and some killer throat singing to boot.

This is their fifth album, meaning that I have four to go back and listen to… I’d better get started; I need to finish this review first, though (starts scribbling furiously).

“Seolfren Sicol” is track number two, and it’s here that I start hearing some Ulver sneak into the mix. The unsettling background melodies bring images of pitch-black nights lit with ceremonial fires to keep the darkness at bay. This continues through “Āsteorfan” the current single from the album; it’s a dark, brooding track that brings the Wardruna vibes right front and center.

“Sōl ond Māni” has more of a Heilung feeling that is awe-inspiring. Sowulo don’t skimp on the gravitas. “Full Mōna” reminds me of Enigma (their 1990 album in particular), and this feeling continues through “Miċele Steorran” and resounds with “Mōnaþblōd”, easily my favorite song on Niht, its beat is infectious and had me dancing around like an idiot.

The atmosphere of Niht is another reason why I’m enamored with it. It draws you in further with tracks like “Nihtēagan” another Ulver vibe track circa Themes from William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, “Carnyx” a song written specifically for the instrument, apparently, “Eald Mōna” and “Swefnian” bring more of the Ulver feels circa Kveldssanger; which is still my favorite album from them.

“Heolstor Sċeadu” has this martial pacing that really brings the house down. It’s a powerful track that sets up the finale that is “Genihtian”. The torches have been extinguished, and the smoke is still hanging over the ritual area, and Sowulo has delivered a fifth album to be absolutely proud of.

At the end of the night, this is some of the most epic Pagan Folk Metal that I have heard in a bit. If you like Wardruna, Ulver and Heilung then you need to hear Sowulo, it comes highly recommended!

Quadvium (if you didn’t know already) is a project of Steve Di Giorgio (Testament, Death) and Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Obscura, Pestilence). They grabbed a guitar player along the way and a drummer: Yuma van Eekelen (Our Oceans, Pestilence) and Eve (Myth Of I, Kaathe). Thus Quadvium was born and Tetradōm is the breathtaking release that has come from this union.

So how is Tetradōm? Well, I’ve already used breathtaking so that knocks out one adjective but good thing I have a Thesaurus! Kidding aside, it’s an intense album; filled with blistering speed at times and passages that are mind-twisting. Its Jazz turned upside down, taken to the highest level of extremity.

“Moksha” is the introduction to this Jazzy attack and it just gives me the willies at how good this is, right out of the gate the twin bassist lines are mesmerizing, they intertwine with the whirlwind of emotions. This is music that moves through you, grabbing the heart and soul with a sublime level of intensity.

This is a magnificent album, this is evidenced by the killer intro to “Náströnd”. It’s mind-blowing how much this is a future-looking creation. It nods to the source bands perfectly, Steve Di Giorgio played on the most Tech-Death albums ever; those being Death’s Human and Individual Thought Patterns. There are also huge Obscura and Necrophagist passages that drill into your brain; tracks like “Apophis” and “Ghardus” that weave violence within gorgeous tapestries.

Tetradōm is a complex album. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at a respectable 33:57 minutes long. The magic is made with what Quadvium does within that time frame; it leaves room for my two favorite tracks, “Adhyasa” and “Sarab”. These two are punishingly beautiful. They set the stage (in epic fashion) for the ending track “Eidolon”. It’s the perfect ending song for this very special album, they really up the Jazz on this one.

Albums like Tetradōm are why I have fallen hard for Ultra-Jazzy Tech-Death; not all the bands are this good but who gives a fuck? In this age of individuality bands like Quadvium are needed to provide balance to the world.

This is why you need to get this album. If you love Necrophagist, Obscura, later Death, and Pestilence then you need this in your life. Grab it!

Brett and I have been in touch recently and he informed me about his band called Journey into Darkness and that it was best described as symphonic black metal.  He did not know if this is something that I would want to review and I said sure, man send it on over. The band was formed in the mid/late 90’s and Brett has complete creative control – he does it all, a one man band and he self-releases his music so he can retain the rights to the music.  In 1996 the debut album Life Is a Near Death Experience was released.  All instrumentals – if that’s your thing go check it out.  Multitudes of Emptiness is the follow-up some 25 years later and it’s 8 songs, 4 of them instrumentals.  Brett obviously has a thing for instrumentals.

“Into Nothingness” opens the album, as an instrumental.  Some cool sounds, and then “To Be Human Is to Be Inhuman” comes right through your speakers.  The drum machine is not bad sounding, you can tell it’s a drum machine, but it does its purpose.  Some dual-layered vocals around the minute mark and then more into the speedier passages with the black metal vocals. Jei Doublerice is the session vocalist for Brett’s band and does a decent job.  The fast part is not blasting, more rooted in the speed of the 90’s death metal scene.  I like the moody parts with the double bass and the dual-layered vox, which repeat themselves, so it sticks in your head, as does the main guitar riff.

“Programmed to Die” has some nice programmed in synths/orchestral sounding moments and the song builds up until it gets into full blast mode, then slows down and nice atmospheric arrangements.  More of the dual-layered vocals combining the deep death metal vocals mixed with black metal stylized vox.  The song has some off-kilter slow moments, then right into the blasting.  “Sending Death” has an epic start to the song with the synth moments, resembling an orchestra and the sound being used is stupidly catchy.  I cannot stop humming the part.  It really goes well with the guitar riff and they mix very well.  The, ahem, multitude of the instrumentals and interludes work very nicely.  They’re all very catchy and between those and the regular songs they fit perfectly with the space-themed, blue album cover.

Brett has a cool band going with Journey into Darkness.  Multitudes of Emptiness is experimental symphonic black metal, which sounds rather good and it’s a short album, clocking in at 28 minutes.  It has some catchy guitar hooks and synth styled orchestra moments which pushes the sounds towards the atmospheric realm of things.  Lots of atmosphere on this.  It’s pretty original, I really could not pinpoint bands in this style and it could be that I just have not dipped a lot into those bands.  This is some weird shit and I am digging it.  He just received the physical cds in, so if you dig this type of music, like their Facebook page, get the download or cd from them too.  Brett’s not making any money off of this and is just trying to get his latest creative endeavor out there, so go ahead and support Journey into Darkness.