V/A F.Y.E.O. Selected Frequencies Volume II (Digital Album – Reverse Alignment)
Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, industrial, experimental.
Background/Info: Swedish label Reverse Alignment is focused on music styles such as dark-ambient-, experimental-, industrial- and drone music. This sampler features a selection of 13 formations active at the wider fields of the aforementioned genres. It also is a fine selection from renowned- and upcoming bands plus a few little surprises.
Bands: Alphaxone, Xerxes The Dark, Emerge, Hoarfrost, Ajna & Dronny Darko, Solemn Embrace, Freiband ao.
Content: This sampler reveals a nice sonic palette of different formations dealing with ‘darker’ music styles. There’s an interesting progression in the tracklist featuring a few great exposures.
+ + + : I like the diversity of the sampler, but also the global quality of the tracks. Reverse Alignment really made a fine selection resulting in noticeable contributions. I was impressed by the anguishing atmosphere created by Vlad, the explicit and poignant ambient work of Gydja, the more industrial-driven atmospheres of Emerge, the totally haunting and yet somewhat industrial-like Hoarfrost featuring mysterious chants, the totally claustrophobic-like Xerxes The Dark, the deep vibrating noises by Alphaxone (definitely one of the new Masters in dark-ambient) and Dao De Noize. Freiband (aka Frans de Waard) is a kind of living legend bringing this sampler to an end.
– – – : I don’t have minus points, but I think it’s just a pity this kind of compilation will have some difficulties to reach a wider audience used to hearing this kind of music genres. There’s so much music plus releases to discover and new bands to purchase we’re sometimes missing great opportunities.
Conclusion: “For Your Ears Only” is a fascinating compilation bringing different-, but related styles together. I can only, but encourage you to discover this sampler.
Best bands: Gydja, Hoarfrost, Xerxes The Dark, Dao De Noize.
Rate: (8).
Label: http://ralignment.tictail.com / www.facebook.com/reversealignment
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
