Alexander Hacke (former Einsturzende Neubauten) has written his memoirs called ‘Blast’, which are out in the UK in March. In support of the book he has announced a UK book tour Dates : 03.04 Lewes Con Club, Lewes 05.04 London, Walthamstow Trades Hall 07.04 Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms 08.04 Newcastle, Cluny 09.04 Manchester, Kamera in conversation […]
The post Alexander Hacke (former Einsturzende Neubauten) memoirs and UK book tour appeared first on Louder Than War.
As a fledgling metalhead in the 90s and early 2000s, I spent many a day scouring my local record shop for new, interesting bands and artists due to magazine interviews, reviews, and the occasional word-of-mouth treatment from friends and artists alike. This adventurous time period was responsible for my dalliances and appreciation of the world of neofolk. Between the somber atmospheres of Tenhi and the thriving, teeming music of the late Nebelhexë, it opened up new avenues to explore and bands to check out. With this in mind, I decided to tackle Acou, the fifth album from Russian quartet Moon Far Away, only to realize that they’ve been around since 1994 and this is the first time hearing about (or anything from) them.
Well, at least I got to finally experience their music, as Acou is a fairly enjoyable album with some interesting angles. After a brief interlude, featuring a lone trumpet and some ambient chantings and melodies, the title track kicks off in earnest, showcasing just why Moon Far Away have earned the reputation as “The Russian Dead Can Dance” as the vocal harmonies of multi-instrumentalist Count Ash and his counterpart (and song lead) Leda intertwine during the chorus over a playful bassline from Zhigich and some driving percussion by Victorion, creating a rapturous atmosphere that also plays homage to their Russian roots. Elsewhere, “Steel Light Love” shows off their more Gothic leanings, with Count Ash taking the lead with Leda softly wailing in the background throughout the song’s majority. On these three songs, the band’s artistic strengths shine brilliantly, giving off the impression that this is a neofolk classic for the ages.
The problem is that there are other songs on here, and some of them pull the proceedings down quite a bit. “17 Years” features an older vocalist1 chant-singing partially off-key for over three minutes. Speaking of off-key, Count Ash’s voice on “Look, the Human Flocks…” keeps to a monotone, often at odds with Leda’s angelic vocals, and the song ends without building up to anything. But the biggest issue lies with “Soulofkey,” which starts off promisingly enough, with a haunting piano melody that burrows into your skull. Still, it keeps burrowing, because other than a few key changes, it just keeps going and going and going for the entirety of the song’s seven-minute runtime, losing all potency and interest.
At least Acou sounds great from a production standpoint. Zhigich’s bass is thick and meaty, and Victorion’s percussion hits with the impact his performances need. Even the traditional instruments, such as the flute and trumpet, all ring with a stark clarity that’s sometimes missing from neofolk music. I just wish the arrangements and performances were a bit tighter overall, because when Acou shines, it’s with a brilliance that few can match, and that’s no mean feat.
And that kills me, as I wanted to like Acou more than I do. When everyone’s on top of their game, Acou is a compelling album that’s teeming with life and vibrancy. But the hiccups on some of the tracks keep my enjoyment tempered, and that’s a shame because Moon Far Away impressed me on their best tracks, and they are giving me a new band to check out in the future. That said, there’s still plenty to like on here, and if you enjoy any of the bands I mentioned above, you could do much worse than what’s on offer here.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Release Dates: EU: 2026.03.13 | NA: 03.27.2026
The post Moon Far Away – Acou Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
Reviewed by Rich Oliver
Cruel Force have been flying the flag for gnarly blackened speed metal since 2008 when the German band unleashed their “Into The Crypts…” demo. Satan, leather and spikes were the order of the day for the two albums that followed – 2010’s “The Rise Of Satanic Might” and 2011’s “Under The Sign Of The Moon”. The band then fell into a lengthy hiatus but returned energized and invigorated and ready to unleash speed metal fury in 2022 for the second chapter of the Cruel Force story. Their third album “Dawn Of The Axe” was released in 2023 and saw the band approaching less of a blackened sound with more elements of thrash and traditional heavy metal mixed in with the speed metal attack. As the band put it, harkening back “to the “Jurassic period” of heavy metal, when everything was rawer, less polished, and more energetic and powerful”.
With the band’s fourth album “Haneda”, the approach is much the same. A face ripping concoction of speed, thrash and traditional heavy metal albeit with more of an epic sound and songwriting approach. The band states “To us, it often feels like what Rainbow / Dio would have sounded if they’d played speed metal!” and this can clearly be heard with the trad metal influences and neoclassical moments having more of a presence throughout “Haneda”. This album still rips and shreds through with full on speed and thrash attacks such as ‘Whips A Swinging’, ‘Warlords’ and ‘Titan’s Awakening’ whilst the band takes the more epic approach on songs such as ‘Sword Of Iron’, instrumental ‘Crystal Skull’ and the closing title track.
The band seem an even tighter unit on “Haneda” with the best performances they have committed to tape especially when it comes to the killer drumming from GG Alex and guitarist Slaughter simply stuns with their playing throughout the album. The album also has a killer retro sounding production with a definite throwback to how metal albums sounded in the 1980’s. Whilst previous album “Dawn Of The Axe” ushered in a new era for the band, “Haneda” continues, builds upon and improves what the band has done beforehand and is easily the most accomplished work from Cruel Force to date. There is a greater degree of musicality and musicianship throughout whilst still being a raw faceripping speed and thrash attack. Any self respecting old thrasher definitely needs to give this album a spin.
The post Album Review: Cruel Force – Haneda appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
Zeruel has announced his debut album Ruin;Rebirth.
The Baltimore artist – 22-year-old Braydon Hill – has signed to Rise Records for his first full-length, and it’s arriving in full on June 19. A press release describes the LP as a “sweeping spiritual odyssey that traces the fall and restoration of a soul caught between despair and transcendence”.
Dipping into the likes of metalcore, shoegaze and post-hardcore, Zeruel is previewing what’s to come with new single Limbo – watch the visualiser below:
Read this next:
Posted on March 24th 2026, 11:06a.m.