Tag Archives: Tome II

The Chronicles of Israfel – A Trillion Lights, Tome II (2016) – Review

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Apple Music Badge  – Buy with Amazon!

RockmusicRaider review - The Chronicles of Israfel - A Trillion Lights, Tome 2 - Album CoverMethinks that 2016 was not exactly a great year for the alternative and progressive scouts out there. You know, the ones holding the torch, while rushing forward into the unknown. And whilst some them are still out there lurking in the RMR review pipeline, a few made it into the blog. This so happened with The Chronicles of Israfel (correctly spelled, I assure you) and their newest full length A Trillion Lights, Tome II via BOH Records.

The band is actually an (almost solo) project of Dominic ‘Israfel’ Cifarelly (ex Pulse Ultra, Billy Ray Cyrus, Scars on Broadway) with the help of his brother Vincent aka Veloel. Now, almost a decade ago Israfel and the band issued a first record called Starborn. And already then the project was nowhere near lightning fast with the delivery of material, but took a whopping three years to deliver the first goods. The band itself was born in 2004 and the first record released in 2007 only. This here record is their sophomore effort, the mighty black cliff bands often shipwreck on. [...]  Got hooked? Raid on...!

Intermittent Digest – Tome III

Posted on by — Leave a reply

RockmusicRaider - Intermittent Digest - Tome IIIHowdy, fans and friends! Months have passed again way too fast since the last point of the situation (as we say in French) and already it is time to halt the horses again and take stock. The first full year @ RockmusicRaider – 2015 – has passed and we start to approach mid-year 2016. By Loki, things are moving fast and I am not getting younger. So, what happened since Tome II. I can say one thing: Dark, dark is the going, when the going gets tough.

Felt waves of Black or blackened Metal are coming our way. I am amazed – seems to be a sign of the times. Rorcal Creon Album coverJust check out Rorcal with κρέων (Creon) that visited the RockmusicRaider site real brutally. Those tracks left blood on the walls and streaks on the ground, echoing around the corridors even when the music was turned off. At the end of the day, all this Black Metal dissonance turned out to be a historical theme park of sorts. If this is possible at all. What really threw me is the fact that they somehow dwell on the wrong side of Geneva in Switzerland. For those knowing the city a somewhat difficult concept to comprehend.

Then late in 2015, we found an unknown band on our promo list called Batushka with Litourgyia. Blasphemous bastards taking on the orthodox church in a way that just reduced me to aRockmusicRaider Review - Batushka - Litourgyia - Album Cover helpless heap of mirth. And they promptly made it on the 2015 Top Ten Records of the RockmusicRaider blog. THIS is Black Metal the way it is supposed to be played. Trademark anonymity and all to boot – to this day nobody knows who they are really. This record is still and often played on the mighty RockmusicRaider Media Machine. Keep going guys, this is just good stuff. [...]  Got hooked? Raid on...!

RockmusicRaider’s Intermittent Best of… – Tome II

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Caladan Brood - RockmusicRaider Music ReviewsIt for sure feels like a gazillion of months since I first wrote the Tome I Best of… earlier in 2015. But we are only a few months out and already a new one is due.

Eventful was the time: From flamers attacking us with comments displaying a level of stupidity I never thought possible, to full-blown hacker attacks on the site, one total breakdown of the site with subsequent reloading and salvaging the server contents. This last one was quite heavy, barely avoiding loosing months of writing.

Wondrous things were happening too: For example Anneke van Giersbergen almost jumping onto the hood of my car when crossing the road right in front of me with her family in a little town by the Lake of Geneva and poor old RockmusicRaider struck speechless, sitting dumbstruck in the car. LOL! This was just around the time when I reviewed The Diary of The Gentle Storm; one of the rare records receiving a straight 10/10 rating on the blog. As you may imagine, Anneke and Arjen Lucassen were a lot on my mind at that time. Then this; I thought I’d seen a ghost.  [...]  Got hooked? Raid on...!