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Eagle Owl The Wind howls. The packs of white wolves rove and the frosty snow rises, that flies with the wind, falling like white stars on the fur, that looks like fire under cold helmet's iron. The sea catches the red boat by strong frozen hands. The echo creak of wooden boards sounds on the ice fields, like the spirit of old Louhi, who is princess of that land. We must not stay here. We must not go into the Winter sea. The keen arrows must not whistle, the keen arrows must not drink blood, but only crush ice and lap the sea's salt. In the days that rage Louhi rules in the sea, no one sails on to the town in the forest, we can't see any other life. It was the last to talk, and words can't melt the snows. Ice Desert is the darkambient project of two men from Russia. The music is filled with the empty sorrow of the dark, frozen Russian winter, with elements of noise, old folk, and Pagan influences. The imagery invoked is menacing, even if one does not clearly understand the Russian lyrics. A deeply shadowed journey into the heart of winter darkness. Press: "Those who visit the formidable enviroment of the Ice Desert must adapt to its extreme conditions, and those who succeed will take part in its power. "Ice Desert" refers to the wintry landscape of Russia and Belarus, where this music was originally recorded and where its traditional instruments and arrangements originate. Listeners who relate to the glacial Scandinavian climates of dark-ambient projects Sephiroth, raison d'etre and Heid will find resonance in the mystical, forbidding textures that interact on this album. Most tracks evoke the struggle to survive under harsh conditions with their heavy, classical atmosphere, fragments of traditional music, and spoken or sung vocals in Russian. Standouts were "Frozen Spirit," where solemnly recited vocals and mediaeval tunes drifted over a gusty, lonely soundscape, and "City," with creepy, woozy sounds of night insects and overheard voices behind a martial pace, creating an air of isolation, surveillance, and discovery. "Dobrinja and Serpent" and "Naigrish" have a much gentler mood, the former sung as a traditional folk song and the latter closing the album with a light touch on the strings. (* * * ½)" -Carolee Harrison (Gothic Beauty Magazine) "Nepenthacea has issued this 1998 Russian release in North America. Pleasingly icy, barren droning soundscapes, with howling wind, hissing, and low undercurrents, with speaking voices mixed in for good effect, and occasional random noises. Sometimes, there's a nice combination with more rhythmic, folk elements, like in "Queen of Snowfalls", or the medieval-like synth part that keeps recurring throughout "Frozen Spirits." Midway through the disc, the appearance of a straightforward folk song, "Evil", is truly eclectic." -Ryan Wynns (Ophelia's Tears radio show/From Dust 'zine) "Neoclassic meets gothic industrial sounds with a bit of the haunting feeling the minimal artist(s) create come through on this CDR release of an unknown Russian project. It feels (like) this artist has a large love for older Penitent releases and some of the early material by Proscriptor and the whole Dark Age Productions vibe. I like the mix here of deep male vocals and spoken, almost Aghast-like female vocals. Nichts would be proud. If you have the time to check this title out I think you (would) maybe be surprised by how much it grows on you." -Clint Listing (The Dragon's Flight 'zine) "Ghosts of the past and dreams lost haunt this lonely wasteland of light keyboard wash accompanied by windy sound effects, and folk instruments (gusli, vosgunok). There are sparse vocals that come out of the cold to pass through us with their necromantic messages. The combination of ambient music and expeimental noise techniques paint a pretty bleak but effective scenario of frozen desolation. Everything swirls around like a trick of the imagintaion, born from longing and a last vestige of hope. You cling to life in desperation, but the aching winds tell the tale of many others before you. The sixth track is a little out of character. It is a simple folk song (I think it's Russian). This kind of stands out as way too "normal" among all those other uninhabitable soundscapes. Still, a very unsettling and interesting CD." -C.H. Coitus (Neo-Barbaric 'zine) Check out the artist's website: http://www.angelfire.com/music/nepenthacea/icedesert.html Track List: 1. Fog 2. Queen of Snowfalls 3. Frozen Spirit 4. When 5. Evil 6. Dobrinja and Serpent 7. Master of Ice Desert 8. Cold 9. City 10. All are Victims 11. Naigrish Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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