V/A – Chamber

Now this is an exemplary label sampler. “Chamber” gives a perfect overview of the cataloque of the English Cold Spring label. It contains tracks from classic older albums, but also various pieces of new or forthcoming releases, and even a few unreleased gems. Well-known names are present here, but there are also a few new acts for me to discover. Everything is presented in a nice laminated carton digipack. Well, what more could one ask for?

I am really impressed by the contribution of Ignis Fatuus, a new name for me. A great ritual track with powerful percussion, with some nice atmospheric ambient elements. Folkstorm, one of the many projects of mr. Nordvargr also convinces, with a monotonous powernoise track, with a very low sound and harsh vocals. The booklet states that this is the last piece recorded by Folkstorm.
Mark Snow is well-known as a composer of music for films and tv-series (X-Files, Millennium). His track here indeed sounds very cinematic, a mixture of threatening and melancholic elements, very nice. Laibach is present with an old track, ‘Die Liebe’, from the album ‘Neu Konservativ’, a chaotic and bombastic track with harsh vocals, not so easy to endure. The follow some dark ambient soundscapes by Endura, Novatron and Band of Pain.

The mood then suddenly alters with a rather cheerful classical piano piece by Benedikt Middler, from the soundtrack of ‘Nekromantik’. Schloss Tegal takes us back to darkest drones, followed by Von Thronstahl, with a remastered version of one of their best tracks ever, ‘Mitternachtsberg’, earlier also included on the “Riefensthal” compilation. Next is Toroidh, another project of Nordvargr, with a part of the excellent Europe is dead album. Sleep Research Facilty takes us to higher levels with a nice ambient piece about the Alien spaceship Nostromo.

A great bombastic neo-classical hymn follows by The Days of the Trumpet Call, a new composition from an act that seems to get better and better. I’m looking forward to their forthcoming album on Cold Spring. I find the track by Kerovnian also excellent, I really should listen to their last album again. The final contribution is by the Dutch act a Challenge of Honour, with a fine track of their “Wilhelm Gustloff” conceptual album, re-released by Cold Spring.
A recommended sampler if you don’t possess much of the Cold Spring catalogue yet.

artist: V/A
label: Cold Spring
details: 15 tracks