Traces of Sulphur Along the Path: a playlist

"Music was the key to the universe, the maps and the science of both the inner and the outer world. Music channelled the divine and made it present in human society.Music has the ability to invoke and evoke strong experiences, influence the mind, the soul and the worldand is perhaps the most important activity of mankind, besides what needs to be done to merely stay alive."
- From Musical Alchemy Introduction.

Back in April 2018, when Secret Trees was about to release Eldhamn's first EP, and the first track had just been premiered("Bhairavi Eyes", included in the playlist), we created a playlist focused on Tommie Eriksson's main musical creations. While many people probably know him through Saturnalia Temple and Lapis Niger, his artistic creations all seem to have a more subtle, common thread that is noticeable to the attentive listener, who will also strongly sense the similar otherworldly aura that extends across all these projects.

Now, after the recent launch of the website Institute of Musical Alchemy, dedicated to the musical and magical work of Tommie Eriksson, it felt like the right time to bring this playlist back, with some updates with relevant releases that has been published since then, such as The Other Sun's first EP "Horizon Between the Eyes" (Lapis Niger Productions, 2019), and Saturnalia Temple's album "Gravity" (Listenable Records, 2020).


You can stream the playlist below, and we suggest doing that while exploring carefully the Institute of Musical Alchemy website: there you can find a very interesting Musical Alchemy Manifesto, as well as a fascinating article to delve deep into the topic, a proper Musical Alchemy Introduction.

Official links to: Saturnalia Temple Facebook page - Lapis Niger Facebook page - Eldhamn Facebook page - The Other Sun Facebook page .

Watch The Nest's "Her True Nature" mesmerizing performance in full

Last year, back when Roadburn festival presented itself in a whole new online version renamed Roadburn Redux, a special collective of outstanding musicians comprised of Wolvennest with special guests AA Nemtheanga (of Primordial and Dread Sovereign), Tommie Eriksson (of Saturnalia Temple and Lapis Niger, Eldhamn), Bones (of Dread Sovereign), Alexander von Meilenwald (of The Ruins Of Beverast) and Ryanne van Dorst (of DOOL) performed under the name The Nest a special commissioned show titled "Her True Nature", which turned out to be one hour of absorbing, heavy and haunting music, broadcasted alongside some mesmerizing visuals by L of A Thousand Lost Civilizations.

This spellbinding show is now avaialble on CD with the studio version of the music and on DVD,released on Ván Records and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies.
The songs written and recorded as The Nest, now contained in the recently released album "Her True Nature", are:

"Thalatian Vibe"
"Her True Nature"
"We Are One"
"Vague à l'âme"
"The Way Of All Flesh"
"Altar"
"Le Feu"

The full performance can also be watched on the label's YouTube channel, so if you are up for a truly striking experience, press play below and get ready to be absorbed by the powerful show The Nest delivered as indeed guided by the all-encompassing essence of Her True Nature:

Find "Her true Nature" can on Ván Records and on Bandcamp.

New Song by Lapis Niger online

Dyer's Pledge cover artwork by Emil Engström

" Night 
 Night 
 Flies crawl 
Night 
Flies crawl 
Night 
Serpents die 
Night 
Dragons are born 
Eggs are cracked 
Serpents rise 
Night 
Moons are drunk 
 From the shell"
("Night", Lapis Niger)



As the darker season of the year is upon us, it couldn't be a more appropriate time to immerse ourselves in a new song by Lapis Niger, which has been published online on Belzebez' Bandcamp, as part of a compilation titled Dyer's Pledge that is dedicated to the memory of an occult book and curio shop in Gothenburg, Vansinnets Berg ("The Mountains of Madness"), along with an obituary written by its proprietor.

The album also sees the contribution of several other well known ritual and dark ambient musicians and can be heard in its entirety at belzebez.bandcamp.com/album/dyers-pledge.

Lapis Niger's song, fittingly titled "Night", embraces the listener with its brooding and captivating tone, making for an otherworldly musical experience. The song can be streamed below.

Traces of Sulphur Along the Path : a playlist

As we approach the release of Eldhamn's EP, it feels like the right time for a playlist focused on Tommie Eriksson's main musical creations: most of us probably know him through Saturnalia Temple and Lapis Niger, and despite being style-wise different, the common thread is noticeable and the attentive listener will also strongly sense the similar otherworldly aura that extends across all these projects.
On April 9th, Secret Trees will release Eldhamn's first EP, and based on the track that has been premiered so far ("Bhairavi Eyes", included in the playlist) it appears that those deeper layers that are present in Saturnalia Temple and Lapis Niger will be channelled in this musical form, too.
Official links to: Saturnalia Temple Facebook page - Lapis Niger Facebook page - Eldhamn Facebook page - Eldhamn pre-orders on Secret Trees .

Eldhamn discloses a first teaser from upcoming EP

A brief but significative first encounter with Eldhamn's music has been shared today by Secret Trees Recordings.

Music, Lyrics and Production by Tommie Eriksson, with artwork by Pelle Åhman.

Eldhamn is the solo project of Tommie Eriksson (Saturnalia Temple, Lapis Niger) and the full EP is about to be released in April 2018.
Eldhamn official Facebook Page
Secret Trees Recordings official Facebook Page

Secret Trees Recordings unveils news about Eldhamn

Secret Trees Recordings has been revealing today some info and details about the aforementioned entity named Eldhamn, a solo project of Tommie Eriksson of Saturnalia Temple (also Lapis Niger):

"Eldhamn is a sound risen from the ashes of modern civilisation like a distress call, a beacon of cultural resistance against the decadence of the sleeping world. All citizens of the world are facing the inevitable and there are but three choices: The Waking Sleep, The Sleep of Death or The Sulphur Gaze. The Waking Sleep is the state most people are in. In full co-operation with the false system of demiurgic falsity that is ruling the material level. The Sleep of Death is the state of those that have realised the crisis but are overwhelmed by it and are simply waiting for Death. The Sulphur Gaze is the sign of full illumination and when the eyes are destroying the false world with their alchemical sulphur, just by observing."

The debut EP is coming out in April 2018 on Secret Trees Recordings and we will surely keep you informed on any further news about Eldhamn.

Source: Secret Trees Official facebook page.

Eldhamn

All those interested in exploring music and art that delve into haunting lands of inner and outer experiences might want to keep an eye on where this trail leads...

Footage of Lapis Niger 's performance featuring Pelle Åhman

Thanks to La Società dello Zolfo, footage of Lapis Niger performing at the recent Occult Cumclave I, held in Parma on February 18th 2017, is now available online. A truly mesmerizing performance which combines the otherworldly sounds of Lapis Niger 's music with Pelle's viscerally powerful voice: