Munarheim - ...und der Wind sang

Link: http://uploaded.to/file/otqvor8r

As I promised, here's the second and last demo from Munarheim. The music is similar to the debut, but I like this one here better, especially the first track "Ruhelos" is a really great hymn. A real pity that is the band has split up, but if you like them, I recommend you to check out the follow-up band Eftwyrd, their music is kind of similar to Munarheim's.

Thrudvangar - Nomans Land Split

Dowload: http://www.mediafire.com/?vktvkz34tk33u1g

After a long time of inactivity I decided to reanimate this blog by starting to rip some tapes and vinyl.
This is some Pagan/Viking Metal from Germany/Russia. Belongs not to the best stuff in the genre, but is nevertheless pretty nice and very worth a try.
This Split-PIC-7" was ripped by me and is, as my upcoming rips, in a lossless audio codec. Indeed, this makes the file much more bigger, but I think it's worth it. I will probably upload my further in mp3 format for those not so audiophiles reading this blog ;-)
The audio is completely untouched, I just deleted the noise at the beginning and the end of both tracks and I turned up slightly the bass for a little better sound.
Hope you enjoy this upload, there will be coming more...

Mirkwood (Aut) - Promo

Download

What we have here is the first non-metal post in this blog, so this is kind of a special one...
Mirkwood is (or better was) a side project of Summoning's Silenius and should not be confused with the US Atmospheric BM Band.
There was never done any artwork for this release, so there isn't even existing a logo of the project., so I took a picture of Silenius to make things some better-looking. Besides, the tracks do not have any names, like the release itself does. So I just called it "Promo". The project was dropped some time later as Silenius lost interest in it and the music stayed (officially) unreleased. I think you can download the whole release on the Summoning homepage, too
But now to the music: This is some atmospheric ambient, not as epic as Summoning but if you like them , you'll probably like this too. Just try it!!
For those guys being into Summoning: The fourth track was used later on the EP "Lost Tales" in "Arkenstone", so I could be seen as a quite early demo version^^

Echo of Dalriada - A Walesi Bárdok

Download

Next release is rather a good tip than a rare underground pearl because the band uploaded it already on their homepage. However, I wanted to draw some attention to them because I think they're one off the best folk metal bands in general,  but unfortunately almostcompletely unknown abroad: Echo of Dalriada. They changed their name some time ago into Dalriada and I think they're quite "popular" in their homecountry Hungary.
This is their first and only demo called A Walesi Bardok, named after some poems by the Hungarian poet Arany. The complete demo was rerecorded on their debut Fergeteg and even later on their release "Arany album".
The lyrics are completely in Hungarian which makess it a little bit "difficult" (I did not want to say impossible^^) to understand, but they transfer a great rustic beauty and an atmosphere that only could become like this with the Hungarian language.
The music itself is very, very melodic with lots of keyboards, melodic guitars and a change of male and female vocals. The female one are very great, I think she has a brilliant voice, but his vocals (clean ones and screaming) are also great.
I can only request you to try this out, this is very good!!

Nagelfar - Jagd

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?fxl027hb2o9l873

In my opinion Nagelfar belong to the most important Black Metal bands in Germany. Every single album of them is a real masterpiece and each in its own way. I recommend you to check them all out! You won't be disapointed!
Further, they released 3 full-lengths, 2 demo tapes and two 7"-splits and if you can get them, buy them!! The tapes are obviously pretty rough as well as their first split with Dark Embrace. The full-lengths have a less rough sound quality but are not too polished. Their debut "Hünengrab im Herbst" ("Dolmen in the autumn") is counted to the biggest and best albums German Black Metal (or BM in general) has ever seen. The following one "Srontgorrth" contains obscure and curious elektronical parts and this is why many people cannot get used to it. However, I really lie it. Their last album before their split-up is called "Virus West" and is much more influenced by oldschool Black Metal with less keyboard parts (what makes them more special and intesive in my opinion).
But now back to their second demo "Jagd" ("Hunt"). It's a demo tape, so dont exspect too much from the sound. It is okay, but not too good. I really like those keyboard parts and the drumming and especially the vocals, this high pitched screaming carrying a great atmosphere.
I only got a copy of this tape, so the scan of the inlay is a bit crappy and I included an incomplete scan from the internet to my one too. I think it okay by then.

Abinchova - Hörensagen

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?fye93pldgy4yvv1

Next band is not from Germany but from Switzlerand. I guess you may not know many (or any) bands from this little state but if you're into Pagan Metal you should have heard from Eluveitie with their unique sound combining Celtic tunes and heavy Melodeathmetal.
This band has just released one demo, in early 2011 there will be the first full-length album. The demo was limited to 200 Copies on CD-R and appeared in a sealed envelope. Very great! The music itself is also good. Pagan Metal with cool Death/Thrash influences, a violin and some female vocals. However, those folklorics parts appear just in a moderate way and this is why I like them that much. Lyrics deal - once again - with tales and stories but this time selfwritten and in a kind of funny but stil serious way. The intro is spoken in a Swiss dialect called "Schwytzerdütsch" and if you're not used to it, you won't understand a word! But I like it very much (maybe because I live very near to the Swiss border).
Download comes with complete scans of the "booklet" (might rather be called an inlay), the envelope and the CD.

Festung Nebelburg - Unreleased

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?gv8ac2c3d21xx99
Next band is also coming from Germany. If you're into German pagan metal, you should Wolfchant from Bavaria (if not, don't bother, they're not that great). Festung Nebelburg is a one-man-project from their past bass player Nattulv. Under the flag of Nordfrost he released an album ("Stimmen der Vergangenheit") which I will upload too in some time. Later he changed the name of the band into Festung Nebelburg (something like Fortress of Fog in English). These two tracks are songs that were recorded for the debut album "Waldsagen" (Tales from the forest) but later dropped. The final album title has changed too into "Gabreta Hyle". This album is very good, if you do not know it and like pagan metal: Get it!! Soon! Now!!
The fact I like on Festung Nebelburg is, that they (or better "he", it's just one guy) combine a lot of different influences: pagan, black metal but also folky melodies and sometimes things are getting real cool when there's some Rock coming into. I also think to hear some punk out of it. So this stuff is very individual and very great.
Those tracks you see here are not as good as the album (now, guess why they weren't used there^^) but nevertheless really enjoyable and good! I like the very audible bass lines and also the clean vocals, but you have to get used to them because they sound a bit funny. Lyrics deal most of the time with tales and stories from the Bavarian Forest (a region in Germany where Nattulv lives) and some pagan issues but always free from cliches.
There is also no artwork or something, so - again - I used the band logo that you guys have something to look at...

Munarheim - Märe vom Abgesang der Welt

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?gczdusg86wp3un1
German band Munarheim shows big influences from Empyrium and Dornenreich but is though very individual. There are more pagan parts than in the named bands. Their first release "Märe vom Abgesang der Welt" ("Story of the world's swan song")  is something special. It was recorded with a headset (really, the band themselves told me!!!), but this is not that fatal because the demo bases most of the time on folky acoustic guitars. They also use some very cool folkloric instruments like a digeridoo. Vocals are ... let's say "rustic" especially in the song "Sonnenwende". Munarheim cover a big spectrum of music genres, the last track for example is only consisting out of electronic sounds. But this is why I like this release that much.
There is also included a so-called "Multimedia-Part" with some pictures, lyrics and a video. So this file is rather big (about 160MB).
They also released another Demo (or an EP, wathever) before they split up. I'm going to upload this, too...

Gjöll - Der erste Schnee

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?e6fgjik8jmmg2u4
First post, so I'm starting with something kind of funny^^
Ok, just kidding, it's not that bad. This is Gjöll's first release "Der erste Schnee" (might be something like "The Firtst Snow" in English). For this demo there is no artwork existing, so I uploaded only the logo of the band. If you still want a photo: a picture
What about the music: It's (Pagan) Black Metal with a flute (which sounds like that ones you have to learn when you're in kindergarten or elementary school or something^^), some clear vocals and a drum computer (I'm not completely sure about that...). And as you might see in the title, it's cold. Very cold and really not bad.