Dave Aftandilian
Another compelling introspective folk metal / dark ambient exploration of the natural & supernatural upper Midwest by Meghan. The emphasis on raw emotion over polish here is very metal. You can feel the chill winter wind howling across the waves on Lake Superior; see the sun filtered through green leaves in the shore-forests; and experience the Mystery of powerful Under World beings surfacing briefly to capsize a watercraft in anger, then sinking slowly back to slumber in the ancient depths.
Favorite track: Crown of Asteria - Mishibijiw.
This release comes with bonus tracks from both Artists. “Wanderer” on CoA’s Sde. CoA’s side consists of stories inspired from shipwrecks, ghost stories and myths as well as the North West Passage expedition.
Includes unlimited streaming of Northwest
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
This album started out as something that was going to be written around the Northwest Passage expedition but includes not only that but myths around Michigan and Northwest pertaining to shipwrecks in Lake Superior.
I. Isle Royale
An ode to the beautiful, pristine wilderness of Isle Royale. A place shrouded in ancestral lore, myth and haunted shores.
II. Mishibijiw
An Underwater Panther, called Mishipeshu or Mishibijiw in Ojibwe, is one of the most important of several water beings among many Great Lakes and Northeastern Woodlands Indians, particularly among the Anishinaabe peoples.
Mishipeshu translates into "The Great Lynx." It has the head and paws of a giant cat but is covered in scales and has dagger-like spikes running along its back and tail. Mishipeshu calls Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior his home and is a powerful creature in the mythological traditions of some American Indian tribes, particularly Anishinaabe tribes, the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi, of the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. In addition to the Anishinaabeg, Innu also have Mishibizhiw stories.
III. 48°5′6″N 88°45′53″W
The Kamloops was dispatched up the Great Lakes in late November 1927, carrying a mixed cargo of paper making machinery, coiled wire for range fencing, shoes, foodstuffs, piping, and tar paper. On 1 December, the steamer called at Courtright, Ontario, to top off its cargo with some bagged salt. It then steamed up Lake Huron, passed through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal on 4 December, and faced the challenge of Lake Superior.
Unfortunately for the Kamloops and other vessels assigned to Lake Superior runs, a massive storm began hammering the lake on 5 December. The Kamloops, heavily coated with ice, was last seen steaming towards the southeastern shore of Isle Royale at dusk on the following day, 6 December. A search for the vessel began on 12 December, concentrating on the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale; the search continued until 22 December.However, the ship and the 22 men and women aboard were never again seen alive.
When the 1928 navigation season opened in April, a further search was made for wreckage from the Kamloops. In May, fishermen discovered the remains of several crew members at Twelve O'Clock Point on Isle Royale (erroneously reported to be on the nearby Amygdaloid Island) In addition, wreckage from the ship was discovered ashore. In June, more bodies were discovered, and a more comprehensive search for the wreck and crew members was undertaken, but nothing was found.
For fifty years, the Kamloops was one of the Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes, having sunk without a trace. However, on 21 August 1977,her wreck was discovered northwest of Isle Royale, near what is now known as Kamloops Point, by a group of sport divers carrying out a systematic search for the ship. The wreck was discovered sitting on the lake bottom under more than 270 feet (80 m) of water. The ship is lying on its starboard side at the bottom of an underwater cliff. Cargo is strewn near the ship on the lake floor and the holds still contain wire fencing, high-top shoes, candy life-savers, and crates of Honey Bee molasses.There are still human remains aboard the ship. Approximately 50 dives were made to the Kamloops in 2009 out of 1062 dives made to wrecks in the Isle Royale National Park. The cause of her sinking remained a mystery as of 2007.
The Kamloops features prominently in the novel Superior Death by Nevada Barr. The body of a contemporary diver is found together with the historical human remains in the ship's engine room.
*Sea Shanty melody arranged from Traditional Irish Melodies.
Crown of Asteria's side of Split "Northwest/South of No North" between Dhampyr and Crown of Asteria
Crown of Asteria's side is titled " Northwest"
credits
released February 23, 2015
Artwork-Meghan. Photos taken in the North of Michigan on various road trips.
Njiqahdda is so full of inspiration and true knowledge seekers. Serpents in the Sky is superb. The creativity seems endless, the blend of styles and themes. Crushing riffs and melodic leads abound. Crown of Asteria
Transcending into realms long forgotten. This release is shrouded in an intangible force , a primordial effluence devoid of human touch. Thrumming with the ichor of trees. Crown of Asteria
This album seems to get better after every listen. And I have stopped counting how many times I have listened. The pinnacle of atmospheric black metal is close to being achieved; it's definitely quintessential. M Elliot
First time i heard this on my headphones at work was like a cathartic experience, a roller coaster of emotions. this is up there with the S/T Totalselfhatred, any of the Abyssic Hate and None releases dainton
A lost 1992 field tape recorded by Mexican ethnomusicologist Raúl García Flores featuring a duo of Tamborileros playing a baptism ceremony. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 6, 2023