Esoterica Orde De Dagon
Cambarro Brought Us Gold
Endless Crosses
Outlanders
Dead Babies As Shelter
Ave Satani
Blood Eagle
Imboca

Some of you out there may have heard of this Belgian act before. You might have heard of the "We will live for eternity" or "Legion" releases. Perhaps you even read the review for the split release with Pimentola currently on this site. Maybe the name means nothing to you but you’re intrigued enough to find out more. Where to start collecting is the question the uninitiated wants answering. Seek no further for "Escoterica Orde De Dagon" surpasses all his previous output and is without doubt his finest moment to date. The opus. The recording that will be forever his calling card. The gates have been finally opened . But first we must backtrack……….

Back to 1997 Bart Piette first formed The Klinik and the Mortuary. Due to a clash with groups with the same names Dead Man’s Hill rose phoenix like from the ashes. Moving within many different genres from Gothic sounds through to the Death Industrial and dark ambience he’s never been one to stand still musically or resist a challenge. "Escoterica Orde De Dagon" is eight tracks of said-mentioned Death Industrial and Neo Classical orchestrations, which when written down sounds like a recipe for disaster, but actually surprisingly works. The evocative use of classical instruments and choral / chanted / hymnal pieces being counteracted by the faintly distorted apocalyptic vocals and striding rampant ferocity of guitars and mad percussion all wrapped up in post Industrial rhythmic dark ambience and electronic noise. By rights it shouldn’t work. But I defy any of you not to be impressed when Bart lets rip with everything he has. The tracks ‘Ave Satani’, ‘Escoterica Orde De Dagon’, ‘Cambarro brought us gold’, ‘Dead babies as shelter’ and ‘Imboca’ are the standout highlights for this reviewer. More in the Neo-classical / dark ambience vein than Death Industrial they are five mighty epics fit to grace any stage. That’s not to take anything away from the remaining three tracks which are stunningly passionate desolate affairs.

Regular readers will know of my championing of the Polish Beast of Prey record label. Their releases, although mostly limited editions, have always been highly rated and no more so than this latest Dead Man’s Hill release. Coming in special packaging featuring sepia coloured old - as in Victorian / Edwardian - photographs of ladies in various forms of undress there’s a one off extra photograph in each of the available 260 copies. Buy it for the music first and foremost. The antiquated porn is a bonus piece of eye candy just for you. Like all Beast of Prey releases this comes highly recommended and acts as a perfect introduction to the music of Bart Piette.

ANM