Mudlark - Mudlark / A.D.H.D. + 7" (2009)

Full Length + EP, Schizophrenic Records

June 1st, 2009

  

Genre: Grindcore/Sludge
Region: Canada

It's safe to assume you're all probably tired of the core being touted around here by now, especially if it's branded with a maple leaf, but bear with me for one more post before I try to diversify a little.

One of the reasons for me posting this, outside this being really good, is that there's virtually no digital presence of this great sludge infused grindcore act and thus it's hard to get a taste of what they're dealing out. That's a shame because I managed to get a copy of this compilation recently, a rare and dusty version of their record release edition of Mudlark / A.D.H.D. — and I'm really enjoying it. I guess those dedicated and in the know of local grindcore scenes have been aware of these guys since 2006 but it's time I try to untuck Mudlark from the grime and write some words about what they've concocted.

I'm a little confused as to if this is a compilation or a full length and EP actually but for now it's the only material I've been able to get my hands on physically or digitally. I'm calling it a full record and a bonus 7" which may or may not be self-titled. There's some footage of them playing out there too if you're interested.

Anyway Mudlark were a four piece once but the majority of their existence has been as a three piece, the members over the years being involved with Massgrave, Osk, and Scumbelly which makes a lot sense when you hear some of their tracks. The slower moments easily make the jump from this to some of Osk's slow-downs. I'm still uncertain as to their current status because I've heard they have splits that are in the works and also that they broke up a few years back (which would be a major shame). There's footage of them in 2010 but not much else in the 3 years since.

This elusive Vancouver mutant is draped in kaleidoscopic imagery of mines abandoned and collapsing, enclosing a sound that is one part grindcore or powerviolence and the other is vaguely sludge and doom. And when I was absorbing the music while admiring the art (both the above version, plus the original artwork much like the 7" below) it was easier to see some of the links in imagery, concept, and the sound/style: the quickness and finality of a mine shaft collapse, wood splintering and rock grinding on rock crushing bodies in an instant. An explosion that rips through metal tracks and bodies. The grind they make is very much on this side. Other times the mine traps you and slowly starves you of light and oxygen in cold, rough abyss. The sludge is here, calculated and crawling. The only problem is there are no lyrics but I have some suspicions based on the above.

Overall the resulting sound is arguably similar to Black Arrows of Filth And Impurity if the sludgey aspects were emphasized more. And Mudlark do enter comparable atmospheres, once or twice in shorter tracks like the wonderfully brutal "Old Black Wood" but two more surprising tracks experiment in this direction. First the six minute "Blood Movement" which grows slowly with intoxicating, meandering slams simultaneously from the cymbals and guitar, mushrooming sporadically, climbing and falling — finally setting into a very comfortable rhythm. Hypnotic and heavy as fuck.

Then there's eight minute closer "Swamp College" is where you really hear the doom influence. It stretches with noise between trudging guitar blows, an entire section that sounds similar to a section in either a Weakling or Dispirit song; picking up and becoming more martial with some added angularity by the end. It's enormous and hard not to enjoy if you love weighty riffs. As it progresses Mudlark create a very enjoyable drone I think. Both of these longer songs are similar to the chaotic final tracks on "1984 (Eternal)" but with more structure, and leading to a more recognizable place.

Unlike the previously mentioned monsters of this record which come clean with the slowness up front, sometimes Mudlark disguise the beginning of a track as chaotic which leads one to believe more mincing will be the focus — when suddenly the e-brake is pulled and you're suffocating again. So just when you're into the mincing groove they will snap you back with a huge dirge.

They're very good at doing this. "A.D.H.D" is a great opener and shows the above formula off perfectly. It might be one of my favorites and it blends smoothly with the following track "Napalm" which is gripping too, thrashing for a good portion of the track before slowing to a drag. "Face Your Hate" and "Lie To Speak" take the opposite approach and are no less intense or absorbing and "Frank Slide" is a crusher with real ugly vocals. "Gross Shitty Mess" (all slow) and "Agravated Brain" mix the flailing fury with the drudgery similarly in a very short span of time. They make it a varied experience without lessening the ferocity at all. "Agravated Brain" is a memorable track too for being a particularly harsh bludgeoning.

The discernible grind influences they play with range from Norwegian Gadget style with very clear North American Insect Warfare contamination making for a very gritty and thick sandblasting when they're at full speed. Tracks like "Crematorium Grinder", "Klunk", "Rapid Mangulation" (frantic and amazing song that borders on death metal), and "Kunumdrum" (a burst of "Swamp College") which all stand alone as malicious whirlwind grind without contamination from the slower styles. Blazing riff conniptions ending with feedback usually.

And then we have the self-titled 7" record hat came with the main LP. It has four extra tracks to add to the pile of disorienting grind though not necessarily anything to go bat-shit about: "Told How To Live" and track three are minute long hammerings while "High" and "Carolyn's Catalog" take a more slow and groovy approach. I prefer the longer tracks on this one but nothing here is bad by any means.

The production is damn nice across both records for a small band, the bass and vocals stand out between the chaos of the percussion and guitars. No plastic feel, there's still plenty of grit and rawness and weight behind each jagged sound. Speaking of vocals they' re as you would expect: raspy, sometimes pained screams and disgusted roars from multiple members. Nothing feels out of place there. Overall what I really like about Mudlark (outside of the local bias) is they seem to be lurking and altering the dark and ugly path that defunct Black Arrows of Filth And Impurity took, and I'm always looking for bands that do this. Dephosphorus and A Scanner Darkly come close as do Crowpath sometimes. Mudlark flip the switch cleanly and churn out gold on both fronts.

So you're lucky if you've been searching for this and manage to catch the link before it gets taken down because I took the time to rip both the LP and the 7". If you like it I encourage you to head over to Schizophrenic Records and ask if they have copies available, or Give Praise Records who have a few copies I believe (also having a massive LP sale). Or if you're in Vancouver the Zoo Shop has the standard version of the record release edition for $40 I believe. Fans of the above mentioned bands plus stuff like GridLink and Discordance Axis will enjoy the hell out of this.

(also let me know how dropcanvas and the new Mega work)

LP + 7" :

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Titan - Colossus (2009)

EP, Hypaethral Records / Feast or Famine
November 13th, 2009

Genre: Sludge/Hardcore
Region: Canada

Titan have a new album coming out in the next few weeks and are embarking on a long tour, and it was actually fellow poster and friend Inresurrection who tipped me off to these guys a few years back. Since then I've seen them live (and will again next week) as well as spun this record a few times, so I decided I should get this, their 2009 EP, up here before the new record drops.

A very heavy Canadian band that have been known to cause blackouts during live performances here in Toronto, they meld atmospheric sludge and hardcore over their small collection of splits and EPs that have helped them mold their sound into a loud and very heavy interpretation of sludge. Colossus contains 5 tracks that are sure to interest and flatten any fan of the genre.

Behemoth dirges and melodic stains are all encompassing here with jagged hardcore undertones to shake things up further. A large portion of the tracks here contain thundering drums, kicking endlessly, while the guitar duties are sharp and vicious. When they're fast the riffs cut perfectly between traditional hardcore thrashing and more othrodox sludge sounds but with a draping of melody, and when they crawl to a snail's pace as they do in the opener and "Next Winter" it becomes tragic and crushing; possibly resembling Reka if I had to compare. The atmosphere of despair is quite clear in these moments, yet it never slinks into post-metal territory. On tracks like "The Standard" there is even a sprinkling of dissonance when the mammoth riffing crumbles down upon you.

Moments of stillness do appear as the intro to the first track shows, shaking quietly before an explosion of power wipes them away in anger. On the final track "His Eminence" (which does not appear on the vinyl version, but on their split with June Paik) this kind of soft section is accompanied by minimal pianos as well. The bass is there as well, occasionally spiking above the other members in a clean but strong tone serving the heaviness well.

Screeching, crackling and filthy vocals from a man who also does guitar duties for the enigmatic group Gates serve as the voice of this act, and he does his duties damn well. When the screaming is not present there are deep, monstrous growls that shake the ground to replace them. It's quite a contrast both on record and live compared to his position in Gates which is mute and silent; here we feel the energy in a different way, showing some great diversity in his talents.

Altogether it's a very solid release, satisfying, well structured and paced with songs that are passionate. A band that definitely deserves support. If you like what you hear than go see them live on their upcoming European tour and pick up a vinyl copy of this and their new record, or you can go to bandcamp and listen to this or download it. Also check out their official site for all news and other merch.

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Vilipend - Love Left To Rot... (2009)

EP, Independent / Self-released
March 2nd, 2009

Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore
Region: Canada

Gotta thank A389 Recordings for making me aware of this group. Vilipend come to you from the great white north known as Canada bringing a seething mass of chaotic and angry metalcore in the form of 5 tracks on Love Left To Rot.

Chaos and general pissed negativity are the focus here with a smattering of bouncy, gritty, sometimes angular, sometimes melodic riffs and bass lines with a few massive slams expertly placed for maximum force; cracking your skull wide open. Mangled frantic vocals are laid over top of this, furious in their lyrical utterance of distaste and bitterness, with precise percussive clattering sitting comfortably behind it all. Rare moments of quiet/clean riffing are careful interspersed between the high energy, scratchy and strident rhythms; sometimes just leaving the bass to rumble along.

Vilipend know how write and slam down riffs with cacophonous impact. For those of you who enjoy Curl Up And Die, Botch, Narrows, Kiss It Goodbye, Deadguy — you know, all that hard hitting chaotic hardcore/metalcore — this is for you. They put this one up for free and they have a new 7" out too which is pretty fucking sweet. I suggest you check it out as well as their live album.

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Sound Asleep - Demo (2009)

Demo, Independent / Self-released
2009

Genre: Doom Metal
Region: Canada

Sound Asleep are a three piece from Toronto that deliver crushing, plunging dark grooves of doom as deep and cold as ocean trenches. Brace yourself for something massive.

Three gargantuan songs leaving gaping craters and swaths of scorched land in their wake. The first track is an intro that is unsettling and cold, while the other two are 13 and 17 minute behemoths of unbearable weight. The guitar and bass riffs here are relentlessly powerful as are the monstrous vocals with the strong, plodding pummeling of drums driving you further into the ground. This demo has such a wicked growl to it with moments of twangy, crooked dissonance, creaking strings, and mounting feedback buried underneath the rumbling. Each track crawls but without meandering or becoming boring — it's just straight, uncompromising oppressive doom. It commands your attention. Rolling over you like a boulder, smashing down on you like a collapsing tower made of granite. It's grooves are addicting and the tone is vicious.

Highly recommended guys. This is fantastic and they put it up for free. How this band is virtually unknown and only has one release to their name is beyond my comprehension but since they're playing some shows soon hopefully I can get some news on what they're up to, grab a copy of this, and experience their destruction first hand. Follow them on facebook and myspace.

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Led Astray - Denying the Inevitable (2005) / In Ways Unforessen (2009)

Full Length, Unsigned/Independent
March 27th, 2009

 

 

Genre: Technical Death Metal
Region: Netherlands

Often there are bands that create high quality, tightly written, skilled music, put out one or two releases and disappear before their music spreads and attains the recognition it deserves. I feel that Led Astray are one of the bands that fit this description so I've decided to make a repost (sort of) of this bands only material: their demo Denying the Inevitable and their only full length record In Ways Unforeseen; the latter is the primary focus of this post however. Virtually unknown but incredibly impressive and exemplary of the style of technical death metal that crushes and shreds evading soulless wankery.

 

In Ways Unforeseen is an album that I cannot praise enough. When I first heard it I was overwhelmed by both the complexity of the skill and writing on display as well as the simplicity of it's direction and style, their ability to blend thrash elements with technical death metal seamlessly in a refreshing way alongside the philosophical lyrical concepts and excellent production.

While clearly tech death there is a strong melodic element injected into the majority of songs. The riffs on display are of such a high quality, carefully thought out and dense with great attention to detail and structure; this is all covered in a subtle otherworldly atmosphere. The relentless thrash side spikes to a blinding pace with venomous technical riffs suddenly giving way to a more dissonant set of chords, only to fall back onto more breakneck tremolo madness, giant palm-muted gallops or bouncy, serpentine hammer-ons.

Moments of furious alternate picking are unbelievable and numerous, as are the thick powerchords that accent them perfectly among limited use of pinched harmonics. A few times things slow down (usually near the end of a track) to a chunky set of powerchords that are undeniably heavy. Only one solo including a sweep appears in the course of this record (on Be The Seeker) and it is short but effective; instead the majority of In Ways Unforeseen is focused on the strong rhythms that plow over you without pause. 

The vocals range from guttural murmurs, beastly roars, brutal death metal squeals, and harsh raspy screams. Drumming is all over the place with double kick blasts and crashing symbol play, never getting to Cryptopsy levels of creativity but providing a solid foundation for all the other elements. Bass lines peak out every so often, occasionally a quiet moment where every instrument drops out leaving the bass on its lonesome is heard. Lyrics surround existential themes and astral considerations fitting the complex nature of the album well.

When it comes to the 2005 Demo, you can hear when comparing the two there was a huge amount of growth between the years both albums were recorded. One song from the demo appears on the full length (Moral Perception) and serves as a good point of comparison, especially in terms of production; admittedly though due to the production the bass lines are far more audible. The demo is no slouch and contains five other excellent tracks that display the same unique and powerful style found on In Ways Unforeseen: thick, technical and thrashy riffs that have a melodic flair without compromising the brutality.

I highly recommend both of these records for any fans of death metal. It's a 40 minute masterpiece. CD copies used to be sold on their official site but unfortunately the site is no more since they split, so I'm not sure where you can pick it up. If you can find it though grab that shit immediately. One of my favorite albums of 2009 and the last decade.

EDIT: I've been told you can still grab copies from Deleterious.nl or you can shoot an email over to jona.rovers@gmail.com. Do it.

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Bonus: Denying the Inevitable DEMO (2005)

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Embryonic Depravity - Constrained by the Miscarriage of Conquest (2009)

Full Length, Permeated Records
October, 2009

Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Region: UK

I don't post much brutal death metal so I thought it would be a nice break from the more common genres found here. Admittedly I used to listen to teh slamz a lot more in previous years but until the new Wormed album is unleashed I can't see myself listening to much outside of the classics I enjoy already (Defeated Sanity, Disgorge, Human Mincer, Inveracity, Wormed, etc.); unless something unique like Proteus rears its head.

Embryonic Depravity were a short lived and hideous monster from the UK but holy fuck did they unearth something ridiculous here before they split up. I definitely wouldn't say its entirely original but who cares? This is some extremely well executed brutal death metal all around.

Constrained by the Miscarriage of Conquest is a 26 minute orgy of some wicked slams, stop-starty technical riffs, tasty pinched harmonics, ugly bends, machine gun drumming, and ear melting guttural vocals. There's some great use of sweeps here stuck between the huge crushing leads without them becoming the focal point or cheesing it up, and the reliance on breakdowns is largely avoided while maintaining a healthy dose of slams. The breakdowns that do appear are crunchy and heavy bridges between the frantic deformed riffs and gallops. The final track slows it down a little bit with crawling palm-muted powerchords and fades into a creepy atmospheric sample.

If you enjoy shit like Vomit The Soul, Human Mincer, Wormed, etc. then I recommend getting this. I think you can still pick up a copy over at Permeated Records.

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Aethyrvorous - Aethyrvorous (2009)

Demo, Self-released/Independent
2009



Genre: Death Metal
Region: Australia

I've heard rumors of this bands demise but I don't know if they're accurate. It would be a shame if true because there's some excellent material to be heard here.

It's clear Aethyrvorous draws influence from the likes of old school monsters of death Incantation, fitting in well with the new wave of giants such as Witchrist, Impetuous Ritual, Ignivomous, Vasaeleth, Antediluvian, Mitochondrion, etc. Of course what this means is large amounts of churning, cavernous, dirty death metal with the stench of the occult permeating every dark riff. A very strong demo and maybe their only release.

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A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head [2009/VBR]

Shoegaze infused with Noise Rock. Really great album, reminiscent of Veil Veil Vanish at times but with a mix of punk to its sound that really lends itself well to the shoegaze elements. Had this on my computer for a long time but it has taken me forever to finally listen to it, until now, and I'm really digging it. Will update this with a 320 link soon-ish.

Artist: A Place to Bury Strangers

Album: Exploding Head

Release Year: 2009

Genre: Noise Rock/Shoegaze

1. It is Nothing

2. In Your Heart

3. Lost Feeling

4. Deadbeat

5. Keep Slipping Away

6. Ego Death

7. Smile When You Smile

8. Everything Always Goes Wrong

9. Exploding Head

10. I Lived My Life to Stand in the Shadow of Your Heart

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Nero's Day at Disneyland - From Rotting Fantasylands [2009/VBR]

I'm not entirely sure what can be said about this album that'll live up to what it truly is. In terms of electronic music, it's easily one of the best albums ever written, and also my favourite electronic album. I'll just post what last.fm says about the guy, since it's a pretty awesome description of the music:

"Blending haunted 15th century sacred music and a tangled mess of burnt out electronic noise with a crushingly huge sense of scope, Nero’s Day At Disneyland seems to cram together the entire musical history of the last 2000 years."

Unfortunately I don't have a higher quality link, but this more than does it justice. I'll re-up a 320 link if I ever get my copy of the CD in.

Artist: Nero's Day at Disneyland

Album: From Rotting Fantasylands

Release Year: 2009

Genre: Electronic/8-Bit/Glitch

1. In Aisles

2. Civilizing People

3. No Money Down, Low Monthly Payments

4. Child Protective Services Theme Song

5. Charging Swarm of Mousketeers

6. Everything Must Go

7. Death Parade

8. Action Winter Journey

9. Stretched Linen Over Contorted Bodies

10. Eulogy For Nick Galvas

11. In Keyed Fantasy

12. Probably End Up Dead in Ditch Somewhere

13. Plumes of ATM Sinew

14. Vengeance in Cloudland

15. Sprawling Idiot Effigy

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Cruciamentum - Convocation of Crawling Chaos (2009)

Demo, Self-released
May 4th, 2009



Genre: Death Metal
Region: U.K.

Wicked old school death metal. If you like Vorum, Disma, Grave Miasma, Diocletian, or Vasaeleth check this out. A solid and brutal 20 minutes of ripping death.

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Vorum - Grim Death Awaits EP (2009)

EP, Woodcut Records
April 8th, 2009


Genre: Death Metal
Region: Finland

I am absolutely in love with the guitar tone on this record, like a fucking chainsaw tearing through everything. Such a wicked growl, vocals are perfect too. It's about 20 minutes of some seriously killer old school death metal without compromise at any point. The last track (Eyes Burning Red) demands multiple plays with the volume at 11.

In 320.

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Giles Corey - Giles Corey (2009)

Demo, Enemies List Home Recordings
2009



Genre: Folk/Acoustic/Industrial
Region: USA

An actual full length is set to be released in the next few months so I thought I'd put this up. Described as “acoustic music from the end of the industrial revolution", Dan Barrett's (one half of Have a Nice Life) solo project is largely acoustic with a touch of the HANL sound. Depressive at points and generally simple/calm, 4 tracks from the 2009 demo plus 3 'unreleased' tracks.

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Nahemah - A New Constellation (2009)

Artist: Nahemah
Album: A New Constellation (2009)
Label: Lifeforce Records
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Country: Spain

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Gyibaaw - Ancestral War Hymns (2009)

Full-length, Independent
 June 24th, 2009

Genre: Death Metal/Black Metal
Region: Canada

West coast Canadians Gyibaaw have a fairly unique theme in the genre of death metal they play, taking influence from the indigenous Tsimshian people of upper British Columbia. Wonderful cover art, lyrics are primarily sung in S'malygax (the language of the aforementioned community), and have worked closely with fellow B.C. residents Mitochondrion — you'll definitely want to give these guys a spin.

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Dragged Into Sunlight - Hatred For Mankind (2009)

Full-length, Mordgrimm Records
September 25th, 2009

Genre: Black/Doom/Death Metal
Region: UK

The music is as brutal as the artwork.

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Fell Voices - Fell Voices (2009)

Full-length, Human Resources
September, 2009



Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Region: USA

Fell Voices is something else. Really, they're the only band that comes close to scratching my Weakling itch outside of Dispirit at the moment. Very powerful atmosphere with elements of drone and doom interspersed throughout.

Two long, untitled tracks in 320. Don't sleep on them like I did.

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Dark Castle - Spirited Migration (2009)

Full-length, At A Loss Recordings
May 26th, 2009



Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal
Region: USA

So I went to the Nachtmystium/Zoraster/The Atlas Moth/Dark Castle gig downtown last night and man was I surprised by what this chick and dude put out. The lady Stevie (who also did the cover art) on guitar playing through two huge bass stacks and Rob on drums and synth. Heavy, simple doomy riffs with a deep growl.

1	Awake in Sleep		6:51
2	Into the Past		5:35
3	Spirited Migration		1:46
4	Growing Slow		4:31
5	Weather the Storm		3:26
6	Flight Beyond		4:14
7	Grasping the Awe		4:12
8	A Depth Returns		6:33

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Natural Snow Buildings - Shadow Kingdom (2009)

Full Length, unsigned

2009

Genre: Drone/Folk/Hipster-Trash

Region: France

Forgot I had this, came with the triple vinyl. Not as trance-inducing as The Dance of the Moon and the Sun but great nonetheless. In 320.

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Sleepmakeswaves - In Today Already Walks Tomorrow [2009/320]

I'm too much into Post-Rock now since listening to the TotorRo EP, so here's some more great post- stuff.

Band: Sleepmakeswaves
Album: In Today Already Walks Tomorrow
Release Year: 2009
Genre: Post-Rock

1. I Will Write Peace on Your Wings and You Will Fly Over the World
2. Exits to Nowhere
3. One Day You Will Teach Me to Let Go of My Fears
4. So That the Children Will Always Shout Her Name
5. It's Dark, It's Cold, It's Winter
6. What We Cannot Speak of Must be Passed Over in Silence

Download 320 (Mediafire)

Funebrarum - The Sleep of Morbid Dreams (2009)

Full-length, Cyclone Empire
April 17th, 2009

Genre: Death Metal
Region: USA

The riffs. Oh the outstanding riffs. Seven tracks none of which are weak and all of which will have you on the floor winded from the power of its force. 

This is some punishing death metal from the USA with members of the doom giants Evoken, and death legends Incantation as well as Disma so yeah expect some tight writing and a killer guitar tone. No compromises, no fooling, just devastating and addictive guitar and bass riffs, deep and terrifying roars, quick ripping solos and pulverizing drumming. You can feel all the influences here perfectly converging to create some top notch and very memorable face splitting death.


Well crafted and highly recommended for any death metal fan, especially Denial, Disma, Iniquity, Adversarial, Ignivomous, etc.

1	Perish Beneath		4:57
2	Grave Reaper		5:53
3	Beyond Recognition		3:23
4	Cursed Eternity		5:26
5	Incineration of Mortal Flesh		5:40
6	Nex Monumentum		8:27
7	Among the Exiled		6:01

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