I really don’t know where to start with this one. Let’s start with the label description: “Eras is a highly sophisticated, wildly versatile and strikingly mysterious affair – delving much deeper into the genre-splicing and marching-to-the-beat-of-its-own drum that the band has always been revered for.” They go on to say that Apse is one of the few that can get away with claiming “a genre of their own.” I agree that many try, but few succeed, yet I also concur that Apse is one of the successes. You really just need to hear it to understand it. Imagine if Chemical Brothers, Godspeed You Black Emperor, and Coil got together to do an album. I think it would sound something like this. This album is all over the place. For example, “The Gloom” has a peaceful sort of groove that supports languid vocals. Contrast this with “Up in the Eaves” which is a spastic track that is has vocals like “I’m up in the eaves / where no one can see / when the head of the state / is getting’ it on” and “I’m back to save the universe.” This track alone was worth the price of admission. “Salt of the Earth” evokes the feeling of a very dark spaghetti western - I suppose if there was a genre of “vampire western,” this would be a great soundtrack. At other times there are tracks that seem to function more as incidental music. Yet overall, this was a fun album that really does seem to push the envelope. If you are looking for someone who really is doing something different, this is definitely one to pick up. Like all Equation Records releases, this is beautifully packaged in gatefold sleeve with lyrics and pressed on 180 gram vinyl. It’s limited to 425 copies, so you will want to pick this one up. If you just want to hear it, you can download it at Apse's website.

This is the third thing I have reviewed by Locrian and so far I have found them to be a mixed bag. That said, this has been a much more enjoyable release, taking the best elements of “Drenched Lands,” such as their ability to create a heavy atmosphere, while taking what I saw as the weaknesses of “Plague Journal,” which is it’s stripped down repetitive minimalism and turns it into a strength.

“Exhuming the Carnival” brings in heavy bass drones with guitar that, while remaining fairly simple throughout, develops an increasing sense of urgency. At first I thought that it would quickly become boring, but it remained strangely compelling. Very nicely done. “Burying the Carnival” takes a more ominous approiach as occasional yelling blends with guitar over a noisy, dissonant droning background. This track shifts throughout, which keeps it interesting. At one point, it is almost as if there is an Yngwie Malmsteen solo in the middle that doesn’t really seem as out of place as I thought it would. The guitar gets increasingly dissonant as the oppressive drones close in on you. Overall, this is the best I have heard from Locrian. Out of all of the releases, this is the one I would start with.

I can understand why someone would want a remix single. After all, at one point, I think I had every existing version of Depeche Mode’s “Master and Servant.” However, what generally makes these remixes so sought after is the differences between them. The label notes that this 12” “contains all the remixes on the Concept 11 remix EP, (remixes by Taylor Deupree, Jordan Lieb, Andreas Bjork, Superdrive, and Compound) plus the bonus ‘decoherence’ version released on the iTunes single.” True enough, but all of them remain pretty true to the original, such that it was hard to tell if someone else had even put their stamp on the track. There are differences, of course. Some are more stripped down than others, for example. But none of them really stood out. If you really liked the original track from “Still Life,” and want to hear it in 7 slightly different ways, this is your single. At least it is pretty, pressed on translucent blue vinyl.

After his previous two albums, ”This Emptiness” and ”Torture Tactics”, both brought out by the Telegrammetry/Hypervoxx label, this official third album of MORDACIOUS was intended to get released under the flag of the Arkansas-based BLC Productions label. But unfortunately the responsible people behind BLC had to declare to take a longer pause until further notice - maybe with a totally stop of all further activities in mind. ”Necrolust” was nearly completed, so Mordacious Mortem had to do a hard decision - either searching instantly for a new label, or to release this album completely on his own. As you can see, he has decided to rely completely on his own, while still implementing some rather BLC-reminding elements into the whole production. There is to name the stunning artwork created by the latest BLC-artwork artist Paul Gerrard (www.butterflysoldiers.com), who couldn’t express the content of the album including the disreputable title any better. Talking on the music, MORDACIOUS continues his already discovered path by producing a relatively straight and rather European-inspired form of Harsh EBM/Hellectro, while an equipment-update and a more matured sound-design can be noticed too. Not to much surprises he holds up here, but that may wasn’t to expect. Both compilation-approved tracks, ”Death In Denial” and ”Cyber Girl” can be found here too and can be still counted to be favorites of this Californian act. Also those raw and filled with tragic voice-samples tunes like ”We Do” represents MORDACIOUS, and what’s it all about. To satisfy your inner needs by playing a lot with fetish themes, as it is seemingly one of the most impacting influences to MM. Contrary to multiple other projects out of a similar genre, MORDACIOUS can be booked for live performances and ”Necrolust” works well as being an application form.

Compilations as a rule are always a mixed bag, both in quality and style. This one seems to hang together fairly well, and there were some moments where the tracks seemed to be by the same artist. However, there is a range of quality as could be expected here. Some songs are kind of a mixed bag themselves. For example, “Voyage” by Phanatos is quite nice musically–I really like the piano line that runs throughout–but the spoken word parts just don’t seem to work in it. Other tracks are quite nice. “Vala” by Aranis is a beautiful instrumental orchestral piece. “Tale for a Sunken Moon” by Samantha Bouquin is likewise far too short for such a pleasant piece. On the other hand, some tracks, such as “Hide” by Hana just didn’t work for me. My wife shared my reservations with that particular track. However, on the whole this is pleasant listening. I get the sense that much of this is, oddly enough, under-produced. Some of the vocals seem a bit too stark, as if it is delivered with no effects at all. The effect of this is similar to the disconcerting feeling you get when hearing yourself on tape. There is some benefit to this, however. I felt like I was hearing tracks that were a bit more raw than I am used to hearing in this genre, which was kind of nice. This gives a sense of what these bands would sound like live, as if hearing a demo version of the tracks.