Introduction, or - else - the tape cult eternal.
Taking these tapes for review, some thoughts came to my mind and I entered into the memories realm. Why when I see tapes I feel this way? I guess there are many reasons.
First of all, tapes were always my best friends. They were in the right place just when I needed them. I wanted to go for a trip up in the mountains and music was there, in my walkman. I was choosing five tapes for my journey and my company since vinyl was difficult to be transferred. When I didn't have enough money for records, cassettes were there to satisfy my needs. I was recording the vinyl I wanted from a friend and when the wallet wasn't hungry, I bought it in its official format. But it wasn't only this. There was a whole litany behind the spending of hours and hours for the drawing of the logo in its edge, 'till the drawing of the cover! Or something close to it!
On the other hand, if my friends didn't have what I wanted there were the outer limits friends of the world. The music provided from the letters was salvation. I was sending cassettes with ROTTING CHRIST or anything else were difficult for someone outside Greece to find and I was receiving bands from Brazil, Poland, Sweden or even Costa Rica! These were times, and of course I was not the only one with this madness, there were thousands more into this micro cosmos like probably the reader of this review.
But the major feel with the tapes is the underground aura. I mean, the wonderful demo tapes from bands of every corner of this world. Bands with dreams and dream-like cassettes, with artwork, that most of the times were made by the same groups, to the emotions that you were holding something unique. Tape is the underground's reflection. That was, that is and that will forever be forever.
6) Please let me introduce you to Bubonic Doom a sub-label of Bubonic Productions that is specialized into doom, or funeral doom sounds coming from Portugal. Now, their second release is a split tape of BOSQUE and SENTHIL that was previously released as a CD via Pale Horse Recordings. BOSQUE is a new band from Portugal and Mr. DM is behind 'em, playing anything. He has also released (two years before) the Dead Nature demo in 100 hand-numbered CDs and Under The Capricorn Sky is his second effort. The music here is the definition of funeral doom. Slow, very slow music, with vocals varied from black to clean ones; from hymns to mournful. Music is like a dirge to a tomb of someone beloved or a lamentation to our loss of innocence, of hope, of light. With classical guitars, dispersing drumming, is it a nightmare? A strange illusion? A trip into our souls, our hidden ego? A scream of our lonely torment? In the end, the godly melody tears me apart. It gives me the sense that there is hope somewhere but you have to dig very deep to find it.  Excellent, really. BOSQUE will start recording for a full length in near future and I can't wait.
Rating: 8/10
66) SENTHIL are coming from Texas; all bands from there are completely crazy, and their first appearance in this planet was the Crypticorifislit demo in 2005. There are - probably - two persons behind and emotionally and musically are in other paths than BOSQUE. Premeditation is the absolute darkness, the pain of death. If BOSQUE is the entrance into Thanatos kingdom, SENTHIL is the death experience itself. Doom is the genre you can put it, but they are also into ambient sometimes. Vocals are coming from a suffocating throat that fights for some air while sometimes you hear coughing, like someone wants to vomit his inside sickness or a near death asphyxiation. It works better in darkness but it's not for everyone. Probably most of you will not consider it music - and in one point you may be right - and the fact is that in these realms it's not easy for someone to distinguish the shit from the good. In this situation it works well, there are good vibes but it's also a little boring. It's not music for every moment, but if you are into the right mood it destroys you. Sometimes came into my mind COIL and bands in these genres. I learned also that they have a new EP out, Septisemesis.
Rating: 7/10
666) Now come into the total doom of SOURCE OF DEEP SHADOWS. They was born in 2004, and these guys from Poland (except two demos) have also released a split CD entitled Infinity In Soul. Imagine a slower version of Lost Paradisewith brutal vocals in Powolne Zatracenie, classical guitar and above death vocal lines in Zrodlo Glebokich Cieni with the following of amazing crying Mackintosh riffing and dreamy sub water-ish slow guitars; this song is perfect. All these tracks including the intro (that puts you quick in the whole atmosphere) plus the ARMIA cover in Marnosc are the oldest songs (recorded in July 2005). Depression, melancholy, desperation, loneliness waits the listener in Martwa and Hidden Doom. Old PARADISE LOST, old MY DYING BRIDE, very old ANATHEMA, SIRRAH, some of the main influences of SOURCE OF DEEP SHADOWS these are. The cover in Eternal is cool, close to the authentic. These three songs were recorded in July 2006. The last track Perpetual Night is a bonus for this release and the newest recording (February 2007), continuing the doom - death travel with the company of the crying guitars again. Nice band.
Rating: 7/10
6666) I couldn't gather many information about SHADES OF DEEP WATER. I guess it's one man band (JH his name), from Finland and this cassette is the first recording, which was made during autumn 2006. These two tracks are close to THERGOTHON, looking like the soundtrack of solitude, the freezing winter air, the calming waters of an isolate lake or the picture of a lost and old hut near a misty forest. Imagine the silence of wilderness, the music of collapse, the breath of nothingness with the violent deeply voice of nature whispering words of hopelessness. I liked a lot, but I don't propose it, it's for special tastes whose thirst for funeral doom is endless. The tape is limited in 200 copies.
Rating: 8/10
All cassettes have perfect layout, the work that has been done fits exactly with the music. Support Bubonic Doom, support the underground 'cause inside it, you have more probabilities to hear unique, pure works coming straight from artists hearts. And these works I reviewed above have these elements.