Shibalba / Dead Man’s Hill / Deathwalk – The Circular Shades Of The Equinox (Album – Zazen Sounds)
Genre/Influences: Ritual, Drone, Dark-Ambient, Cinematographic.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: “The Circular Shades Of The Equinox” is a split album between three projects; Shibalba from Greece/Sweden, Dead Man’s Hill from Belgium and Deathwalk from Norway. They each released three songs ‘dedicated to the circular shades of the Equinox.’
Content: Shibalba takes off with the most explicit Ritual work of the album. The tracks are accomplished with chants while supported by an extremely dark sphere accentuated by field recordings and passages with slow heart-beating rhythms.
Dead Man’s Hill excels in a more Epic approach, the songs being accomplished with bombastic arrangements and deep, vibrating vocals.
Deathwalk moves on with bombastic passages, but the work is more into drone mixed with overwhelming, shrilling noises.
+ + + : I’m not a huge fan of split releases, but those three bands clearly have something in common. I like the deeply Ritual side of Shibalba, which is mainly created by the chants. There also is a great passage with organ and harpsichord sounds. Dead Man’s Hill impressed me with its bombast. “Showers Of Golden Stars” is a masterpiece piece for the mix of heavy orchestral arrangements, the vocals and Eastern-like flute sounds. I also recommend listening to the excellent Drone/Ambient “Nexion Overhuman Threshold” by Deathwalk.
– – – : This work is better than a compilation, but I would have preferred to get an entire album from this quality level by each of the artists.
Conclusion: A great conceptual work revealing a harmony between the three artists.
Best songs: Shibalba: “Akashic Visions 1”, Dead Man’s Hill: “Showers Of Golden Stars”, “My Body Is The Universe Is My Body”, Deathwalk: “Nexion Overhuman Threshold”.
Rate: 8.
Artists: www.facebook.com/ShibalbaHalls / www.facebook.com/deadmanshill / www.facebook.com/deathwalk.official
Label: www.facebook.com/ZazenSounds
About Shibalba, Dead Man’s Hill and Deathwalk
Shibalba is a Greek ritual project that Discogs dates to 2009, formed by Acherontas V.Priest with the adepts Kadmos and Arachne. Zazen Sounds has released much of its catalogue, among it “Magistra Quintessence” in 2018, “Conjuring The Elements” in 2021, “The Perfection Of Insight” in 2022 and, with Cyclic Law, “Nekrologie Sinistrae – Orchestra Noise Opus II” in 2025.
Dead Man’s Hill is the Belgian project of Bart Piette, active since 2003 and released by War Office Propaganda, Old Europa Cafe, Steinklang Industries and Kristallblut Records. Its album “Inner Journeys Through The Living Temples Of Water” appeared on Noctivagant in 2021 and is reviewed here as well.
Deathwalk is based in Norway and was created in the winter of 2017 by HVon Blackfrost, previously of Apolokia, Nordavind and In Nomine. Zazen Sounds released the split album on CD and in digital form, dated 2020 by Discogs, and followed it with the Deathwalk album “Djevelens Urkraft” in 2022.
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