The voice and vision of singer/composer Thom Ayres are at the very heart of Arcanta. 1995's "Carol of the Bells" (on Projekt's Excelsis: A Dark Noel) set the tone for what was to follow: haunting vocals, layered to form a celestial choir. The following year, a self-titled EP was released on Projekt, which solidified Arcanta's reputation for transcending musical genres while providing the listener with a soundtrack for inner journeying. From the heartfelt yearning of "A Fool's Cry" to the evocative "Via Dolorosa", Ayres' vocal prowess was in ample evidence. All came to fruition with The Eternal Return (1997), the first full-length Arcanta album. This Projekt release seamlessly wove elements of classical, religious, new age and world music into a rich and varied tapestry. "The Solitary Pilgrim" and "Awake As If From Slumber" received airplay on such nationally syndicated radio programs as Hearts of Space and Musical Starstreams, while "Into Thine Arms" could be heard at various goth clubs. In 1999, Arcanta appeared on the compilation The Power of a New Aeon with "The Sun". A follow-up album, The Sacred and the Profane, arrived two years later. Once again, majestic vocals soared over atmospheric keyboards, with the uptempo anthem "The Magdalen" especially popular. 2007 saw the release of the final Arcanta disc, Book of Mirrors. A collaboration with Julian West, it's the culmination of the Arcanta ethos, and features fan favorites "Goldensong" and "Be What You Are".

Von Magnet dreams of the existence of other possible paths; thin and minute. Those tightrope walking paths almost invisible. Bouncing in between two perils, two poles, above empires, across frames, which can slip through the breaches of any walls. That is the story of this album. When rage is accompanied by tears. This album is our reaction facing the brutal reality of our world today. A world under pressure where all is put into opposition, where everything would like to divide us and where we are being arbitrarily dictated the absolute necessity of a choice. But with Ni Prédateur Ni Proie (Neither Predator Nor Prey) we will not choose our side.

There between partial / impartial, north / south, subjective / objective, orient / occident, coward / hero, poor / rich, indifferent / partisan ... We will remain bare handed, like astonished and turbulent children dancing on a mine field. We will just stare at you, we will fall into rage and boil into tears. Within this emotional turmoil, flore magnet and the Turkish actress Esra Bezen Bilgin replace women where they are never welcome. Women of multiplicity, violence, engagement and resistance. Phil von gives way to the voices of the Rom kids of Mostar and the Jewish and Palestinian actors from Amos Gitai and Hany Abu-assad movies.

At their side, Def sharpens his analogue bass lines and darkens atmospherical ambiances which often feel like "war". Scattered explosions, shots, crackles, complaints or laments. Only our guest, Kurdish Sufi musician Mübin Dunen softens the crawling tension. His ney bringing our clamour down to a silent light thread. Now Von Magnet signs a harsh, raw, urgent and poetical piece, mixed and produced flawlessly by master Norscq. Another dary fusion which binds classical music flavours with oriental rhythms, tribal percussions within neo industrial electronic soundscapes. Here orient is not any more sensual and phantasmagoric, it is rigid and almost cold. Here occident is no more sparkling and victorious, it is sad and decadent. Nevertheless Neither Predator Nor Prey is the length of rope which suddenly ties them up, confronting our hearts to dive close to the abyss.

Eztica, brethren follow up to 2009's Atlan, draws a heavy, hungry first breath like that of the first man Quetzalcoatl created from maize. Soriah's virtuoso Tuvan throat-singing, Central Asian stringed instruments and hand percussion is perfectly melded with the neo-ancient airs of Ashkelon Sain's exquisite darkwave guitars, celestial electronics, and hypnotizing poly-rhythms. Eztica has its roots in the ceremonial: ritualism, shamanism, butoh. It is a deeply organic experience, the voice drawing out the primordial spell, touching the earth, reaching for the sky. Captivating percussive sections with driven vocals glide effortlessly across windswept steppes, while otherworldly overtones hang like clouds in a frosted mountain range, all amid deep expanses of slowly shifting, mesmerizing tones. And when the Quetzalcoatl Kundalini of Soriah’s lyrical throat singing fires down the spine, everything goes astral.

The 11 new works featured on Eztica form a neo-tribal, mystically ethereal, paranormally enrapturing musical experience. Blending the textural with the structural, the songs bridge ambient and darkwave stylings, traversing an innerspace replete with sonic splendor, emotional resonance, and instrumental alchemy. Connecting the dots between the human and the shaman amidst the powers and forces of nature, Eztica is a fascinating 68-minute oeuvre for the mind and soul. Beautifully odd, elevatingly dark and utterly lovely.

Both artists have long pedigrees: 40 years of live and recorded musical experience between them. Soriah has existed under that name for over a decade with three previous albums and many tours including performances in clubs and all places mystical, including trees, churches, caves. He has also been recognized through international competition as one of the top 5 throat singers in the world. Ashkelon Sain’s Trance To The Sun project is legendary; his composition skills have been honed razor-sharp on his more recent project, Submarine Fleet. The collaboration is a match made in Omeyocan (the highest Aztec Heaven).