Alfahanne's (Swe) debut 'Alfapokalyps' soon to be released by Dark Essence Recordings

Dark Essence Records Release: 10 February 2014

With a mix of Black Metal with Classic Rock and Punk, and topped off with some New Wave and Goth influences, Alfahanne has created a style of music that is powerful and beautiful, yet ugly at the same time. 

Alfahanne might be a fairly new name to a lot of people, but the band’s members, which include Pehr Skioldhammer on Vocals and Guitar, Fredrik Sööberg on Guitars, Niklas Åström on Drums and Jimmy Wiberg on Bass,  have been around the Black Metal scene since the early ‘90’s, playing in bands like Vinterland and early Maze Of Torment. Formed in 2010, Alfahanne’s debut release came in 2013 with the appearance of the “Grym” split 7” with Sweden’s Shining.

The Debut “Alfapokalyps”, contains 10 tracks that stands on their own, all sung in Swedish. There’s a lot of variation on the album, and the songs goes off in very different directions. The overall sound combines a unique mix of the dark and grim atmospheres of Black Metal, the attitude and energy of Punk and Classic Rock and the melodies and feeling of 80’s New Wave and Goth. The band have been able to attract the services of Taake’s Hoest, Shining’s Niklas Kvarforth, and Helheim’s V’gandr as guest vocalists, on one song each.

With Alfahanne, there is one way in and no way out!



 TRACKLIST 
 
1. Bättre Dar
2. Ormar Af Satan
3. Såld På Mörkret
4. Dödskult
5. Rocken Dör
6. Syndarnas Flod
7. Alfa Hordes
8. Indiehora
9. Där Drömmarna Dör
10. Alla Ska Mé


Band website: www.facebook.com/alfahanneofficial
Label website: www.darkessencerecords.no

Shining 8 ½ - Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd Dark Essence Records Release: 23 September 2013

 
I found this somewhat hard to review since I've heard all the tracks before,even though they are newly recorded versions and with different vocalists,read below for more info on that.

While listening to the first track I have to admit that the cold industrial sphere and the mean,ugly vocals is quite suitable and surely sets the mood quickly.

The first tracks give a pretty good impression on me.
That being said ,I was somewhat disappointed by a couple of the performances/tracks here ,not that they are weak or anything, it's rather a matter of personal taste.

What makes this release interesting is of course the fact that instead of just re recording the songs he has also decided to hire in different vocalists for the tracks ,which is not a bad idea.

The production is more cold.industrial and raw than on the previosu releases,
so even if one has heard the tracks before, the new production makes new life to them.

The keyboards have to be mentioned here as they have a huge impact on the final result and are a very good addition to the musical journey we are going through here.

It's for sure that Shining has the ability to take the listener on a long dark, yet beautiful journey through your inner nightmares.
And I would say they have succeed with this one ,as it's refreshing and nice to experience this.



Niklas Kvarforth and his band Shining has never done things the usual way, and presents a rather special album with “8 ½ - Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd”. Dark Essence Records is proud to release an album with different Shining songs that hark back to an earlier era for the band.  Rather than simply re-issue the original tracks, Shining has decided not only to re-record the songs, but re-record them using a number of different vocalists.

The tracks on “8 ½ - Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd” dates back to the “Livets Ändhållplats” and “Angst” era in their original pre-production versions, with newly recorded bass and guitars on top and the malevolent brilliance of Lars Fredrik Fröslie’s keyboard magic. Six vocalists whom we all find both inspiring and “otherworldly” have blessed the album with their madness, some of them even in their native languages.


The vocalists are Famine, Attila Csihar, Pehr Larsson, Gaahl, Maniac and Kvarforth himself.

“8 ½ - Feberdrömmar I Vaket Tillstånd” looks back, but at the same time, it also brings new life and new elements to these classic songs.

           Photos by Fabiola Santini

Band website: www.shiningasylum.com

Label website: www.darkessencerecords.no