#Sanguine Ambient Mix

[inthewindtunnel]

Krabberz

Space Whispers

Original Mix

Space Whispers

Sanguine Ambient Mix

[ephemeral-storyteller]

caelid's such a good area, perhaps for the same reason the sanguine sea in lunacid is. your first contact with it is probably going to by some mix of honest mistake and curiosity. just a little further east than you meant to go in limgrave. enjoying your stroll through the lush greens of the border forests and suddenly the ground turns rust-red. Chances are you'll be on a cliff overlooking the full extent of what happened here. the illusion of the idyllic fantasy landscape broken by this stain, its appearance punctuated by what's probably the most menacing ambient track in the game. it is a stark and effective contrast that immediately boggles the mind, challenging the viewer to try and piece together WHAT happened here

Caelid is not a place for people to live, only survive, with its grotesquely malformed wildlife feasting off the burned dead, being beaten back in a forever war slowly being lost by its former garrison.

I love enemy infighting as a narrative mechanic (also just makes the world feel that much more alive), and the ragged bands with their makeshift bombs and staunch fortifications told one of the best stories of a once-proud place now totally falling apart. even if the troops there are just palette swaps, one immediately feels that they're a cut above just because of what they've seen; and the dogs being horrifyingly oversized imitations of the ones you've doubtless had to fight elsewhere in the Lands Between drives home how not right things are here.

me when i fucking GET you

[lovejustforaday]

Album Review - Citrus by Asobi Seksu

Citrus - Asobi Seksu

Main Genres: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Indie Pop

A decent sampling of: Twee Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Noise Pop

In the conversation of greatest shoegaze and dream pop bands of all time, you usually hear a lot of the same names: My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Ride, Slowdive, Beach House, or maybe even Mazzy Star. But one name that doesn’t get mentioned nearly as often as it should is Asobi Seksu.

Asobi Seksu were an American indie rock band consisting of songwriting duo Yuki Chikudate on vocals and keyboards, and James Hanna as lead guitarist, with a rotating rhythm section that changed from LP to LP. Critics never really gave them a fair chance, but to me they are the finest band to lead the wave of “nu-gaze” that took place over the mid-to-late 2000s.

While a lot of new shoegaze bands today are made up of younger millennials and zoomers who are very traditionalist in recreating the sounds of the original scene, the 2000s “nu-gaze” “““revival””” saw a lot of bands who wanted to expand the genre’s scope. “Nu-Gaze” bands usually fell into one of two cluster groups:

Cluster A was made up of bands incorporating prominent electronic elements to expand on the soundscapes of the original scene. Cluster B bands were making riff-heavy alternative rock that blended shoegaze guitar tones and walls of sound with clearer vocals and more distinct melodic structures, building more on the foundations of bands like Ride or Lush than the likes of MBV.

Asobi Seksu’s self-titled debut falls into the latter category, with a college-radio-esque record of mostly no-nonsense shoegaze and indie pop. It’s a pretty great record itself, but it wasn’t exactly career defining, and if it had ended there, I would say they were another above-average shoegaze band that I listen to mostly just cause they happen to make my favourite subgenre of music.

Something truly brilliant came after though. The band decided to embrace the more immersive dream pop + heavy shoegaze hybrid sound that defined most of the greatest bands of the original movement. But beyond that, the band retained their indie pop melodies and developed a vivacious, sanguine, high-energy formula that set them apart from a scene that had always mostly been defined by subtlety, introspection, and bittersweetness. The resulting album was Citrus.

True to its name, Citrus is a viscous smoothie concoction of saccharine and tangy flavours, expressed in the form of Yuki Chikudate’s frolicking vocal melodies and bright keyboard notes mixed with James Hanna’s roaring walls of sound. True to its cover art, the sonic colours of this record consist of vibrant shades of vermilion, tangerine, and daffodil. This LP is the sonic equivalent of the feeling you get from that first refreshing taste of ice cream on a hot summer’s day. A magnificently vivid experience all around.

A lot of shoegaze bands stick to very strict conventional rock instrumentation - drumkit, bass, and lots of guitars. Maybe an added string section on a song here or there for dramatic effect. But on Citrus, I hear not only the addition of Yuki’s keyboard leads, but also organs, xylophones, sleigh bells, and even toy pianos.

Citrus fades into view with “Everything Is On”, a 17 second ambient intro that sounds something like an arcade submerged in a swimming pool. Normally, I’m not particularly drawn to the trend of albums opening with these odd micro-tracks. This one instance really works however, because it contrasts ever so nicely with the bright, jangly opening guitars of “Strawberries“, the album’s proper introduction.

Speaking of, “Strawberries” is the sound of summer in full bloom, with a splendid pseudo-call-and-response riff that bounces like a yo-yo in between several intermissions of crushed shoegaze drone that feel not unlike dunking your head in a bucket of ice water. I love hearing what sounds like a rotary organ buried deep into the mix of those intermissions. The track ends brilliantly with a major tempo and rhythm shift into a rampant breakdown of manic rock instruments and festive celebration.

“Thursday” is the single greatest song of the 2000s “nu-gaze” revival, and indeed one of the very greatest indie rock songs of all time. A brief ghostly prelude foreshadows a blurry four minute burst of love and ecstasy, with one of the most pleasing choruses I’ve ever heard where Yuki offers the kindest words of concern “it seems you’ve lost your way, you’ve let it all fall apart”. This is the feeling of waking up at the end of a depressive episode and crying tears of joy as you gaze up at the sunny sky and realize that you're happy just to be alive. By the end of "Thursday”, I am completely smitten with the very notion of life itself.

The gentle strums of “Strings” open up into a sun-soaked daydream. Like on several other tracks here, Yuki uses English and Japanese interchangeably, allowing the sounds of her syllables to convey the necessary emotional imagery to non-bilingual listeners as she practically skips and hops her way through the song in an impressive display of vocal gymnastics. The wall of sound orchestrated at the end of this track is one of my all time favourites in the history of shoegaze and noise pop, like an enormous heatwave that hits you all at once.

The glorious midpoint and climax of Citrus is the seven and a half minute wonder “Red Sea”, a vision of a world that lies beyond the horizon while surfing the waves of a vast and foamy ocean. This track reaches monumental heights that I find particularly hard to put into words. What I will say is that this is second place to “Thursday” only by a small fraction, and it contains around the three minute mark one of the most captivatingly nostalgic melodies I’ve ever heard.

“Goodbye” is the sole occasion of a mostly straightforward indie pop song on this record, and its one of the sweetest breakup songs you’ll probably ever hear. “Lions and Tigers” is a distant meadow of dream pop that makes me feel like I’m a kid and I’m hugging my friend one last time before they move to another city. “Nefi + Girly” is like a follow-up to “Strawberries”, with another playful lead guitar riff and a dreamy keyboard lead that sounds like its splattering an empty canvas of indie rock with lively paint colours.

“Exotic Animal Parade” slows the record down for a brief melancholy ballad before exploding in a dream like it never even existed. “Mizu Asobi” emerges from the aftermath to finish off the record with one last beam of radiant joy before the festivities end with a bang.

As a footnote, I would like to add that, although they never count towards my final rating of a record, the bonus tracks/b-sides/etc. from the Citrus era are some of the best deep cuts ever released. Likewise, here’s some quick thoughts on those:

The band recorded two covers of two mid-20th century classics during this album cycle, including a twinkling, wistful haze rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “All Through The Day” as well as a giddy, fleeting noise pop cover of The Crystal’s “Then He Kissed Me”. Both are excellent examples of how to expand on their respective originals, reviving vintage pop classics with gorgeous soundscapes. There’s also the stand alone single “Stay Awake”, a sweeping end-of-chapter moment with some of the most excellent indie rock dynamics I’ve ever heard.

Like most people these days, Loveless was my first shoegaze record and my formal introduction to one of indie rock’s most elusive subgenres. It was good enough at the time to make me listen to a few more shoegaze bands, but Citrus was the record that made me fall in love with the genre medium. It was Citrus that allowed me to go back and fully appreciate Loveless as the masterpiece that it is, and later fall in love with other brilliant shoegaze records like Souvlaki and Ceres & Calypso In The Deep Time.

This album was also the unofficial soundtrack to most of my time as an undergrad. It played on my bus rides into the city and during walks around campus downtown on those last few days of exams before the summer. It helped me more than any other record to get through the worst year of mental health in my life. I am endlessly fond of this beautiful work of art, and I am truly grateful for how Asobi Seksu managed to expand my horizons. This will forever be one of my favourite records. Happy 15th anniversary Citrus.

10/10

highlights: “Thursday”, “Red Sea”, “Strawberries”, “Lions and Tigers”, “Strings”, “Goodbye”, “Nefi + Girly”, “Mizu Asobi”, “New Years”, “Everything Is On”, “Exotic Animal Parade”

[doomedandstoned]

Ember Sun Takes Us on a Journey Through Pain & Self-Discovery in New Record

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Meet EMBER SUN the new project from Lorthar, one of the original members of the Athens occultic black metal band Order Of The Ebon Hand. Later this month, he's dropping the full-length solo effort, 'Of Earth And Heaven' (2021) via Aural Music/Code666.

Harmonic rumbling surrounds our senses as the album opens, giving way to a slow rhythm that somehow reminds me of the slave galley powering some ancient sea-faring vessel into the chaotic waves of war, steadily slogging along in rowing movement to the task-master's slavish beat. There's not a spike of adrenaline in sight, for this is a reluctant battle we face -- not of swords against shields or javelins tearing through flesh, but the struggle with sorrow. And we are spent.

"Swallowed Back Into My Sorrow" implies by title alone that we've faced this enemy before, won some battles, lost too many to remember. Now we can feel the dread of those gray, low-hanging clouds gathering oppressively around us. The mood the song strikes is not one of abject despair, however, but stoic contemplation. We've learned to grow comfortable in the fog of uncertainty and confusion these last two years. Perhaps it's impossible to envision better days from this vantage point. Maybe the point is to endure until the fog lifts. But will it ever?

"Respawn" is up next, striking a slightly more upbeat stride than its predecessor. In fact, it's almost hypnotic. The atmosphere is charged with an uneasiness as we wander deeper into the mist looking for signs that mark some discernible path -- closer to this Ember Sun.

This leads into "On Earth And Heaven," which surrounds us in a comforting blanket of grief. In last year's excellent miniseries The Third Day, a confused Jude Law is consoled by Emily Watson. "Pain doesn't know time," see says, adding: "Most people are scared of pain. They don't know how warm it can be." As a long time depressive, I can vouch for that fact. It's not a place I want to be in, but when I am sad it feels familiar to me. Maybe that strange solace comes through radical acceptance of the situation (as opposed to wishful thinking that it will somehow change on its own) and this has a way of dampening the "fight or flight" alarm so it isn't constantly blaring at me and I can think rationally about where we stand. Then, seeing the situation for what it really is, I can quietly plot the next best step forward. As the song comes to a close, the drums pound out those steps so clearly. It's an all-uphill climb, but that's precisely the hill we have to scale to see what's on the other side, where maybe, just maybe, there is hope.

"Ember Heart Of Me" is significantly sadder, a funeral march with Gothic and esoteric touches. It also boasts one of the album's grandest choruses, perhaps our first sun-break of the journey so far. Anger sometimes has a way of clearing the fog and here Lorthar vows, "I'll haunt you in your dreams." The synth fingers out a familiar arpeggiated pattern, followed by an outpouring of singing guitar expression and an aggressive battering of the percussion. The sun is rising, the mist dissipating, the path becoming more discernible.

"The Chapel" is the penultimate track and, like the opening salvo, the hum of reverberating sound seems all-encompassing. The thud of the drums marks out this place as significant. Have we been here before? It feels so familiar. A place of absolute transcendency, where one can experience the death of ego, followed by a certain clarity of vision we didn't have previously. This isn't a place of feeble worship and quiet solitude, but a space that invades our senses. And the raven's caw beckons...

The ten-minute-plus album closer feels positively sanguine by the time we reach it, with melodic highs and lows acting like a series of heavy sighs. Nothing is scarier than thinking about one's death, until you come to peaceful acceptance of your own transient mortality. Who knows what, if any, existence we will have beyond this one (consciously or not), however your philosophy rationalizes it. Painting in lush, deeply affective tones, the singer embraces the mystery of life, sure of one thing: "My Essense Fades In Time."

Today, Doomed & Stoned gives you a first listen to the album single, "Ember Heart of Me." A song which Lorthar depicts as "our inner consciousness that never fades, never goes away" -- adding that "even if the fire can't be seen, it still burns." The composer continues:

This track was challenging to record with 3 different types of vocals to mix and layer one over the other.

The 1st voice represents our living body.

The 2nd voice represents our fear.

The 3rd voice represents our subconsciousness.

Together, these 3 voices embody our selves. These 3 voices exist within you, within me, within everyone.

On Earth And Heaven by Ember Sun releases October 22nd via Code666/Aural Music in digital, compact disc, and vinyl formats (pre-order here).

on Earth and Heaven by Ember Sun

Some Buzz

Ember Sun is releasing their new album, titled On Earth and Heaven, on October 22 via code666, the cult sublabel of Aural Music.

The band commented about the signing:

"When code666 contacted me and proposed to release my debut album, it was like I was dreaming that such a label wanted to join their roster. It’s a blessing to us that this respected label believed in us. Now Ember Sun are ready to uncover the deep, primordial feelings of sorrow, sinisterness, and solitude under the banner of Code666"

Ember Sun is the new solo project born in 2021 of Lorthar (founder/ex-member of black metal band Order Of The Ebon Hand) from Greece, playing atmospheric funeral doom death with influences of gothic scene. Lorthar has been and still is a member of several bands in the metal music scene and also on ambient style bands. Ember Sun is a mix of all the music styles haunting Lorthar's temperament.

'On Earth And Heaven' is a hymn of solitude and sorrow. It expresses the fear of reaching our end; the despair of not seeing again all those we loved or hated; the incomprehensibility of being devoid consciousness; the sorrow of never seeing the dawn again.

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[patricksilvrrozartistry]

Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2018

It's time to present you guys with my top 10 favorite albums of 2018. There were a lot of amazing albums this year, but these 10 stole my heart. If you want to see my top 5 favorite EP's of the year, you can check out that post here. And just like on that post, we're going to see the honorable mentions first before we dive into the top 10. Let me explain my ranking system before we dive into this first though. If a release is followed by **, that means that I really enjoyed the album, but it wasn't enough to make it to the top 10. Now if a release is followed by ***, that means it had the potential of being on the top 10 and was an amazing release. One last thing before we get into this: I am a metalhead, so majority of the albums are metal albums (which I have the genres listed next to each release so you'll get to see that first hand). Ok, time to get on with it and look at the MANY honorable mentions.

Hell City - Flesh and Bones** (hard rock) Dimmu Borgir - Eonian** (symphonic black metal) Kamelot - The Shadow Theory** (symphonic power metal) Visions of Atlantis - The Deep and the Dark** (symphonic power metal) The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir** (sludge/stoner metal) CupcakKe - Ephorize** (rap/hip hop) Purest of Pain - Solipsis** (death metal) Fairy Bones - 0% Fun** (punk/alternative rock) Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs** (oriental symphonic metal) Elephants in Paradise - Wake Up** (hard rock) Anna von Hausswolff - Dead Magic** (dark ambient) Chaostar - The Undivided Light** (classical/dark ambient) Profane Burial - The Rosewater Park Legend** (symphonic black metal) Shadowrise - Shadowrise** (symphonic metal) Miss FD - Transcendence** (industrial) Collibus - Trusting the Illusion** (djent/progressive metal) Alexandra Martin - Fragments and Reflections** (classical) Caliban - Elements** (djent/metalcore) Whyzdom - As Time Turns to Dust** (symphonic metal) Lyria - Immersion** (symphonic metal) Graveshadow - Ambition's Price** (symphonic metal) Temperance - Of Jupiter and Moons** (symphonic power metal) Light Among Shadows - Under the Waves** (gothic metal) Emphasis - Soul Transfer** (progressive symphonic metal) Neophobia - Monstermind** (symphonic metal) Caligatum - Epidemus** (symphonic gothic metal) Apparition - The Awakening** (symphonic metal) Caedeous - Domini Tenebrarum** (symphonic black metal) Amorphis - Queen of Time** (melodic metal) Little Dead Bertha - Age of Silence** (blackened symphonic death metal) Midnattsol - The Aftermath** (symphonic metal) 11th Dimension - Paramnesia** (progressive metal) Witch Moutain - Witch Mountain** (doom metal) Inner Core - Soultalker** (symphonic metal) Lovelorn Dolls - Darker Ages** (gothic rock/metal) A Sound of Thunder - It Was Metal** (heavy metal) Sinistro - Sangue Cassia** (post metal) Meden Agan - Catharsis** (symphonic metal) Phosphenes - Find Us Where We're Hiding** (ambient/post rock) 69 Chambers - Machine** (progressive metal) Aeternitas - Tales of the Grotesque** (symphonic gothic metal) Florence + the Machine - High as Hope** (indie pop) Distorted Harmony - A Way Out** (progressive metal) Exlibris - Inertia** (power metal) Sacrificed - Enraged** (hard rock) Frozen Crown - The Fallen King** (symphonic power metal) Manes - Slow Motion Death Sequence** (dark alternative metal) Ängie - Suicidal Since 1995** (trap hop) Cinnamun Beloved - Stain** (gothic metal) Opera Queen - Phantasmagoric Symphony** (symphonic metal) Beyond the Black - Heart of the Hurricane** (symphonic power metal) Black Mirrors - Look into the Black Mirror** (psychedelic rock/rock n roll) Ethernity - The Human Race Extinction** (progressive metal) Cher - Dancing Queen** (pop) Zahna - Red for War** (alternative metal) Sick N' Beautiful - Element of Sex** (heavy metal) Mother Feather - Constellation Baby** (punk) Sylvaine - Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone** (shoegaze/post metal) Promethee - Convalescence** (progressive metal/metalcore) Dark Sarah - The Golden Moth** (symphonic power metal) Haken - Vector** (progressive metal) And Then She Came - Kaosystematiq** (alternative metal) Shadygrove - In the Heart of Scarlet Wood** (folk) My Merry Machine - Ignition** (gothic rock) I:Scintilla - Swayed** (industrial) Northward - Northward** (hard rock) In the Woods... - Cease the Day** (progressive doom metal) Décembre Noir - Autumn Kings** (doom death metal)

MaYaN - Dhyana*** (symphonic death metal) Amaranthe - Helix*** (modern metal) Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name*** (progressive death metal) Ionnalee - Everyone Afraid to be Forgotten*** (synth-pop) Sanguine Glacialis - Hadopelagic*** (progressive gothic death metal) Realm of Glass - Reveries From the Haunted*** (progressive metal) Eleine - Until the End*** (symphonic gothic metal) TesseracT - Sonder*** (djent/atmospheric progressive metal) Kobra and the Lotus - Prevail II*** (heavy metal) Follow the Cipher - Follow the Cipher*** (power metal) Pryapsime - Epic Loon*** (avant-garde metal) Crownless - Confines of Silence*** (symphonic power metal) Trillium - Tectonic*** (symphonic power metal) Purple Nail - Red Sky*** (gothic metal) Dol Ammad - Cosmic Gods: Episode II - Astroatlas*** (progressive symphonic metal) Elyose - Reconnxion*** (symphonic modern metal) Dimilight - Kingdom of Horrors*** (symphonic extreme gothic metal) Piqaia - Artifact*** (djent/atmospheric progressive metal) Sirenia - Arcane Astral Aeons*** (symphonic gothic metal) Poppy - Am I a Girl?*** (experimental pop) Meg Myers - Take Me to the Disco*** (alternative) Solborn - Dark Lights of Delirium*** (symphonic metal) Enemy Inside - Phoenix*** (hard rock/metal) The Anix - Shadow_Movement*** (synth-rock) Circus of Fools - Rex*** (gothic metal) Marcela Bovio - Through Your Eyes*** (chamber prog) Circles - The Last One*** (djent/progressive metal) Voices From the Fuselage - Odyssey: The Founder of Dreams*** (djent/ambient/progressive metal) Aeonian Sorrow - Into the Eternity a Moment We Are*** (atmospheric gothic doom metal)

Now for my absolute favorite releases of the year!

10. Phantom Elite - Wasteland (symphonic metal)

If you enjoyed Marina La Torraca in Exit Eden, then you'll be able to get a different feel for her voice on this album. This is her main project outside of Exit Eden and their sound is so cool. The mixing could've been a bit better, but that doesn't bother me too much. In fact it gives it some extra character. I'm really excited to hear what these guys come up with next. This album really took me by surprise to just how good it turned out to be and how dramatic it got at times.

Favorite songs: 1. Revelation 2. Wasteland 3. Siren's Call

9. My Indigo - My Indigo (indie pop)

When I found out that Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation) was going to be releasing a solo album, I was really curious about what kind of sound she'd go for. I couldn't have imagined a better sound for her. Not a single dud on this album. It's so lovely and a breath of fresh air for her. You get a really great feel for her vocal range and there's some pretty cool vocal lines on here. Definitely a beautiful and touching album from start to finish.

Favorite songs: 1. Starcrossed Lovers 2. Out of the Darkness 3. Lesson Learned

8. Marmozets - Knowing What You Know Now (alternative rock)

I don't remember ever subscribing to their YouTube channel, but I'm so glad I did, because I found one of my top 10 favorite albums of the year because of it. Their sound is so in your face and on the verge of being alternative metal, but it's toned down enough to not be at that level. It definitely works for them. The music is so fun and absolutely wonderful to just jam out to. One of the most random discoveries I've made that I absolutely adore.

Favorite songs: 1. Play 2. Major System Error 3. Habits

7. Dream Ocean - Lost Love Symphony (symphonic metal)

I learned about these guys through a Facebook friend at the beginning of the year and wound up really enjoying them. This album is pure symphonic metal. It's got drama, power, energy, strong riffs, amazing orchestrations, and a mezzo-soprano with a gorgeous voice. I find it kind of funny that Mark Jansen is featured on a track called Never Enough knowing full well that Epica have a song of the same name. I'm definitely am gonna be keeping my eye on these guys.

Favorite songs: 1. Somewhere Untouched 2. The Last Dance 3. Divine Light

6. The Hardkiss - Залізна ластівка (progressive pop/rock)

These guys are evolving so much. This album is definitely a lot more on the rock side, but it still has a bit of that pop element. I'm waiting for them to take the plunge and release a full blown metal album. I think this album is a good first step in that direction. The production gives this album a bit of a sci-fi feel to it that I really like. It's so different compared to their previous releases and really stands out. I also really like how majority of the songs are in Ukrainian. It's always been the other way around for them, so it's a nice change.

Favorite songs: 1. Complicity 2. 00:00 3. Koxaнці

5. Silent Stream of Godless Elegy - Smutnice (folk doom metal)

I really started taking a liking to these guys in the later part of last year after falling madly in love with their song Mokoš, so I knew I had to check out the new album when it dropped. This album turned out to be a lot more pretty than what I was expecting it to be. It's so beautiful and powerful. Every song has its own dynamic to it and not one song sounds similar to the other. And I just adore the folk instruments they use. It really adds to the beauty of the album.

Favorite songs: 1. Malověrná 2. Synečku 3. Za nevěstou

4. Witchcraft - Cinema (progressive gothic metal)

It was so hard to rank this one at number 4, because it's neck and neck with my number 3 pick. This album turned out to be so much better than I had anticipated it being. It's beautiful, raw, and very unique. I love the samplings to other iconic songs on a few tracks (Requiem for a Dream and the themes for Silent Hill and The X Files are the ones I easily picked out). Their sound has evolved so much over the years and I feel as if this is the best of their releases. It shows off everything that is absolutely amazing about this band.

Favorite songs: 1. Реквием 2. Silent Hill 3. На разных планетах

3. Oceans of Slumber - The Banished Heart (progressive doom metal)

Winter was a wonderful album, but holy shit did they outdo themselves with this album. It's a lot darker, a whole lot darker. Cammie's voice also sounds a lot better on this album. I don't know what it is, but seems as if her voice is a lot stronger and has more emotion attached to it on these songs. There also just seems to be a lot more emotion in these songs in general. It's such a stunning album from start to finish. If you wanted Winter to be more doomy and intense, The Banished Heart definitely lives up to that want.

Favorite songs: 1. The Banished Heart 2. No Color, No Light feat. Tom Englund (Evergrey) 3. At Dawn

2. Elvellon - Until Dawn (symphonic metal)

It shouldn't come as any surprise that this album is high up on my list. This was my favorite album of the year for the longest. It's such an amazing symphonic metal album that was definitely worth the wait (in terms of it being released, not in the shipping issues that I ran into with receiving it). These guys are definitely ones to look out for in the symphonic metal scene. Nele's voice just stands out so much compared to the many ladies in the scene. The stories told in each song are absolutely wonderful and the production is everything.

Favorite songs: 1. King of Thieves 2. Fallen into a Dream 3. Shore to Aeon

1. Once - After Earth (symphonic metal)

This is the album that took Until Dawn's place of being my favorite release of the year. I honestly wasn't expecting to love this album as much as I do. This album is so powerful, dramatic, beautiful. It even has a whimsical vibe to it that I absolutely adore. The writing, production, and execution are everything with this album. You get a beautiful feel for Alina's voice on this album and just how talented she is. The orchestrations are turned up a bit high on this album, but it doesn't take away from the experience, but instead compliments it so well. This album is just perfection and I can't wait to see what these guys have in store for us.

Favorite songs: 1. The Sins of Saints 2. Awake 3. The Hour of Eden's Fall

Like I mentioned earlier, there were a lot of amazing releases this year. I can't wait to see what next year has in store for us. I just know it's gonna be a wild one. I hope you all will enjoy these releases as much as I did if you haven't heard them before. What were some of your favorite releases of the year and which ones are you looking forward to next year? I'm always down to check out new music.

[kcrimsonkcing]

question 19: I am mostly atheistic but I'm generally very interested in ghosts/spirits/demons etc. as a study and in a way I kind of wish I believed in them. So no, but they're sick as fuck \m/!!!

question 56: I really love ambient music which helps me calm down, especially anything from Brian Eno, also love rain sounds and would love to invest in stuff like plushies in the future. But a weirder kinda situation like that is recently when I've ever felt stressed or anxious I've actually listened to harsh noise music because it feels like the only music that can fully combat the sounds of my ahdh brain. Its like when people use a spray bottle of water on cats but the cat is my brain and the water is merzbow.

question 8: did a quick test and here are the results (melancholic: 15, sanguine: 14, phlegmatic: 12, Choleric: 5) what do the funny words mean ????? idk I guess melancholic fits, but also a mix of things. I am weirdly introverted but also kinda attention seeking.

Thank you for the questions scramratz i like your blog very much!!

Hello scram!! Could you answer 2, 12 and 51 for the questions thingy. (dream pet, drink preference, favourite actor/actress)

I would love to have a opossum as a pet! Drink like alcoholic drink? Jack and coke. Regular drink? Redbull Juneberry. I don’t really care about actors that much but probably Ron Perlman. He’s a great body and voice actor.

[halcyontheshop-blog]

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From NYC's own and co-operator of #Technofeminism, an extremely singular ambi-tech-no-#house album, encompassing all the deepest vibes of the rave - warm and fuzzy afterglow dub mixes, #emo-#ambient ‘ludes, yogic, tribal downtempo vibes and all, mixed with love by the one and only! Available here: http://halcyontheshop.com/beta-librae-sanguine-bond-incensio/

[guailialvarado]

Fortnite Update 6.22

Battle Royale

LIMITED TIME EVENT: Team Terror

SummaryMonsters have invaded the Battle Royale island! Two teams will battle it out as Cube Monsters monsters join the fight. Defeat the other team to earn a Victory Royale.

Mode Details

Two teams of 32 players. Eliminate the other team to win.

Monster spawners are scattered throughout the map and also appear each time the storm closes in to a new circle.

Monsters can drop weapons or ammo when destroyed. Gold monsters and monster spawners drop Legendary items when destroyed.

Farming resources increased 75% over default.

Increased floor loot spawn likelihood by 15%.

Floor loot spawns double ammo.

Ammo boxes spawn triple ammo.

Chests spawn double ammo & consumables.

Supply drops spawn double ammo, and an extra consumable, resource drop and trap.

LIMITED TIME EVENT: BLITZ!

Summary

Blitz is a faster-paced version of Battle Royale. The match begins with the storm moving towards the island, and the delay between each circle is shorter than normal, creating matches that are 15 minutes long or less. The map also has extra loot and resources. Profile Stats count in this mode, so fight hard for the Victory Royale!

Mode Details

The storm is already moving in at the beginning of the match, choose your landing spot carefully!

Wait time between storms is significantly shorter than usual; maximum match length is 15 minutes.

Increased chances of treasure chests spawning from 50-70% to 80-90%.

Increased chances of ammo boxes spawning from 65-80% to 85-95%.

Reduced empty floor loot spawn chance from 21.5% to 3.55%

Resource harvesting amounts increased by 50%.

Increased materials found on the ground from 30 to 60 per instance.

Increased number, spawn rate & the descent speed of Supply Drops.

Increased number of llamas spawned by 4x.

Removed shopping carts.

WEAPONS + ITEMS

Heavy Assault RifleCan be found in floor loot, chests, Vending Machines, and Supply Drops

Available in Rare, Epic and Legendary VariantsDeals 44 / 46 / 48 damage

3.75 Fire Rate

Has a magazine size of 25

The Pumpkin Launcher has been reverted back to the standard Rocket Launcher.

We’ve reduced the spawn rate of Balloons from 12.2% to 2.3%.

GAMEPLAY

Storm max damage cap changed back to 8 damage from 10 damage.

Bug Fixes

Players hit by a Boogie Bomb while holding Balloons will no longer have physics issues. They will now properly drop the Balloons.

Save the World

MISSIONS + SYSTEMS

Fortnitemares Part 2 quests are now available!

Complete the epic storyline of Hexsylvania.

Now includes the Vlad miniboss and the final fight to put him to rest.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where the quest Supply Run would improperly launch players into Hexslyvania resulting in quest items not spawning.

Fixed an issue where two survivors could possibly spawn next to each other in the same camp.

HEROES

New Mythic Ninja – Werewolf DireA wild Ninja that becomes more fearsome and energetic at night.

Available in the Event Store November 7th at 7 PM EST.

New Perks:Nightstalker – During Evening and Night, gain 25% bonus movement speed.

Midnight Stalker – Increases the movement speed bonus of Night Stalker by an additional 25%.

Abilities cost 50% less energy during Evening and Night.

New Legendary Outlander – Sanguine DuskUses Phase Shift to steal health from enemies.

Available as a quest reward from Fortnitemares Part 2.

New Perks:Phase Siphon – Phase Shifting through enemies deals 11 base damage and heals 6 base health.

Super Siphon – Increases the healing of Phase Siphon to 32 base health.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where glowing effects on Ninja characters would stop glowing after entering Shadow Stance.

UI

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue that caused players to appear in your lobby even after they have left.

This may have caused incorrect power level restrictions on missions.

WEAPONS + ITEMS

The Candy Corn LMG is now available as a quest reward from Fortnitemares Part 2.A heavy, festive weapon with a huge magazine full of candy shaped bullets. Most effective at mid-range engagements when aiming down sights from a fixed position.

Weapon Perk:

Eliminating enemies with this weapon can spawn healing candy pickups.

GAMEPLAY

Bug Fixes

Reviving defenders will no longer leave them indestructible but unable to shoot or take any action.

Re-summoning a revived defender will no longer leave an invisible, indestructible copy of the defender behind.

AUDIO

Added additional sounds for Vlad Taker and ambient sounds for his coffin.

Updated Atlas Victory sequence movie sound mix.

Bug Fixes

Fixed multiple volume and missing sound issues with the Atlas.

Fixed mix issue with Lars music suppressing ambient music.

Fixed sound playback issues with the Flamegrill trap.

Fixed issues with Frontend reward music not playing consistently.

Fixed audio issues with active encampments not triggering.

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