First Fallen Star News

9 . 18 . 2011: Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set remains in the works as we screen the master audio discs for any defects before preparing everything to be sent to the factory. With multiple copies of each album disc to very carefully listen through, screening these discs has proven to be one of the most difficult aspects of the project. We do not have a tentative release date for this set. Acceptance of pre-paid pre-orders for the Tentacle Box edition of the set has been delayed for the time being. Please subscribe to the FFS newsletter to stay updated on this project!

 

Innfallen, Nors'Klh, and Svartsinn remain in the line-up of future releases!

 

The individual release pages for Innfallen, Secret Druid Society, and Mystified have been updated with links to reviews written by For The Innermost (linked here). Although Mystified's album was not as well received as the others, we see very clearly that Vladimir has put nothing but the utmost effort into listening to and reviewing albums with genuine honesty. Amid a world of poorly written reviews, For The Innermost is proving to be one of the very few sites out there with honest reviews (good or bad) that are also very well written. For those of you who enjoy reading reviews or just find them to be very practical steps in your own buying decisions, we highly recommend For The Innermost!

 

Thanks to everyone who has submitted music to First Fallen Star in the hopes of joining the ranks! We enjoy listening to new music from new artists. Please get a feel for what kind of music we release before contacting us. We are getting a lot of very random solicitations from artists who clearly did not care enough to figure out what genre we focus on.

 

First Fallen Star releases can be purchased directly from the Releases page of this website, through www.DarkMusicDomain.com, and through a large number of other shops, labels, and distributors around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

7 . 28 . 2011: It should go without saying at this point in time - after being one of the only labels in the scene to do so - that we aggressively go after people who offer illegal MP3 downloads of our releases. Download after download, torrent after torrent, blog after entire blog - all swiftly removed. Do not illegally share music released on First Fallen Star. Claims of wanting to help out the label and the artist by offering more exposure fall on deaf ears, as do claims that music is just too expensive. Do not waste your time sharing our releases online. Links will be down quicker than you uploaded them. Your filesharing site accounts and blog accounts may be taken down as well. We file a lot of copyright complaints and DMCA notices, we do it quickly, and we enjoy doing it.

 

There is more news about Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set to offer than we will be posting today, so please stay tuned. For now, take note that we have purchased 16"x12"x10" 275lb. test double-walled cardboard boxes for shipping the "Tentacle Box" edition of this set. The boxes are twice as thick as standard cardboard boxes, and the size leaves plenty of room for large-bubble bubblewrap. They can withstand the pressure of having 275 pounds of weight placed on them. Your copy of the "Tentacle Box" will be safe. But the cardboard boxes alone weigh almost 2 pounds each. The empty "Tentacle Boxes" weigh approximately 4.5 pounds. The final weight of the ready-to-ship package will be somewhere between 8 and 10 pounds. Heavy and expensive, but safe and secure and worth the cost. We are sick to death of self-proclaimed "successful" dark ambient record labels actually being so lazy and poor that they use pieces of trash and scraps of cardboard to ship orders. We do not do that because we want the items you paid for to arrive safely. Apparently, that is not true of other labels.

 

 

 

 

 

7 . 1 . 2011: Although it has been two months since our last posted news update here on the site, we remain hard at work on Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set. Just a few images of some of the graphics, as well as the Tentacle Box, can be viewed at the temporary page linked below. We will begin taking pre-orders this summer just before finally sending everything off to the factory for manufacturing. (Pre-orders for the Tentacle Box must be paid in full!) You must subscribe to the First Fallen Star newsletter in order to be kept up to date on all details regarding pre-ordering. (Our apologies to our fellow labels, but we will not be trading the box set edition of this release.)

 

http://www.firstfallenstar.com/Melek-Tha_HPL.html

 

We are warning you now that the cost of shipping and handling for this heavy box set will not be cheap. We are ordering double-walled cardboard boxes just for shipping this item. As Dark Music Domain/First Fallen Star remains one of the ONLY entities in experimental music using all-new shipping materials, rather than garbage and pieces of cardboard taped around purchased albums, you can rest assured that your item will be shipped safely to you. However, we may make the purchase of shipping insurance mandatory by including it in the required cost of S&H. Fortunately for our international customers, the weight of the entire package will require the use of USPS Priority Mail International (non-negotiable), which already includes the cost of insurance!

 

No, we do not know the total weight of the ready-to-mail package. The Tentacle Box alone (with nothing inside of it) weighs 4.5 pounds!

 

Subscribe to the FFS newsletter NOW, if you have not already done so!!

 

In other news, we owe a debt of gratitude to the Wounds of the Earth blog for their First Fallen Star label featurette, which includes reviews of all 6 currently released albums. WOTE has also released some excellent FREE compilations featuring various types of experimental music. Volumes 2 and 3 are available for download from their blog. They are currently accepting submissions for Volume 4!

 

We would also like to direct your attention to the recently started For The Innermost blog, which is based in Serbia and focuses on dark ambient. They recently published a written interview with Svartsinn in which Jan reiterates his intent to participate in our Eulogy Series - something we eagerly look forward to!

 

 

 

 

  

4 . 22 . 2011: Thanks to DJ Arcanus at Xiled Radio for including all currently released First Fallen Star artists (Karsten Hamre, Dense Vision Shrine, Aspectee, Innfallen, Mystified, and Secret Druid Society) in the latest Xiled Radio show (#70, April 21)! Featuring dark ambient and a wide variety of other experimental genres, Xiled Radio shows are available via podcast or stream at http://www.xiledradio.com/shows.php

 

Work on Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set continues.

 

 

 

 

 

3 . 25 . 2011: The "Future Releases" page has been updated. Later this year, we would like to begin hearing from artists possibly interested in contributing tracks to a future, yet-untitled compilation revolving around the theme of the Hounds of Tindalos. More details to come!

 

 

 

 

 

3 . 7 . 2011: The respective release pages have been updated with links to Mentenebre's review of Secret Druid Society and Damned By Light's reviews of Mystified and Secret Druid Society. 

 

 

 

 

 

2 . 26 . 2011: The Releases page has been updated - and redesigned! Unfinished album cover images have been added for both editions of Melek-Tha's set, as well as the next Innfallen album. The tentative title for Svartsinn's album and the title for Nors'Klh's album have been added. And the tracklisting for the Innfallen album has also been added.

 

Mastering for Melek-Tha's set is complete, but artwork is still in progress and we are still waiting to receive the first couple of boxes from the sculptor.

 

Although the music released thus far on our label has not strictly been dark ambient, that genre does remain the central focus of our label activities. We are always eager to hear demos from a variety of artists, but please do NOT bother contacting us regarding your album IF it is metal, gothic rock, or electro/industrial because these genres are too far away from our focus. It also alerts us to the strong possibility that the artist/band in question did not bother reading anything on the FFS site before seeking out our email address.

 

 

 

 

 

1 . 11 . 2011: Thanks to Connexion Bizarre for the interview with us that is now posted on their website at http://www.connexionbizarre.net/first-fallen-star. Thanks to Misha at 90 FM WWSP (Stevens Point, WI, USA) for playing FFS releases in his ambient radio programs. Aspectee, Dense Vision Shrine, and Innfallen appeared in the Top 20's for November and December 2010!

 

The individual album listings for each respective artist (on the "Releases" page) have been updated with links to reviews published on various sites over the past 2-3 months.

 

Within the next couple of months (at most), we will finally publish photos of the Tentacle Box Sets for Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" release! Each box (without its contents) is composed of 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) of resin! Box sets will probably be priced around $150 each, although the final price has not yet been determined. Please stay tuned for updates on this set, including news of pre-orders!

 

 

 

 

 

1 .  2  . 2011: Despite the lack of news updates over the past couple of months, First Fallen Star is by no means inactive. Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set is still in the works, with casting of the resin Tentacle Box Sets taking place this winter. We plan to begin taking pre-orders (paid in full) for the box set edition no later than this spring. As we have said before, the box sets are resin (plastic), not wood or metal. They are cast from a mold of an original sculpted piece crafted by sculptor Corinne Crowe (www.CthulhuStatues.com). Distribution/availability of the box set has not yet been determined, but it is unlikely to be available from many sources other than First Fallen Star and Dark Music Domain.

 

Albums by Innfallen and Nors'Klh will be released later this year, followed by the immensely popular Svartsinn who will contribute Volume 2 to the Eulogy Series!! We are honored beyond words to work with ALL of these people!

 

We have updated the list of labels/shops from which you can purchase First Fallen Star releases (available on the "About" page), having added several new ones today. As we now have international distribution through UK distributor Code 7 (via Plastic Head Distribution), First Fallen Star releases have popped up on a handful of UK music sites, including Play.com, 101CD.com, and HMV.com! Prices vary. Given the low value of the US Dollar, it may be cheaper for some Europeans to order directly from a source in the USA. Our releases can be ordered directly from the "Releases" page, or from our off-site shop at Dark Music Domain (www.DarkMusicDomain.com).

 

In the last few months of 2010, there were several more reviews written - mostly of Secret Druid Society and Mystified - and there remains much thanks to be given to other individuals/organizations who provided airplay. In the coming weeks, we will update the "Releases" page with review links. Secret Druid Society and Mystified both appeared on several Top 5, Top 10, and Top 20 lists from radio stations / streaming radio, program hosts, and music reviewers around the world. Thanks to everyone out there in the world who listened to the music and appreciated it!

 

Although it is a future goal of ours, our releases are not currently available as digital downloads. If you see them available in this format, then the downloads are illegal - no matter what a particular website may say about paying royalties. Unfortunately, thanks to Russian copyright laws not protecting music in digital formats, many of those MP3 shops are in Russia. And despite claims that the downloads are legal because royalties are allegedly paid to a Russian organization that then pays artists and record labels, this is a flagrant lie. It is not true at all. If you cannot afford the physical CDs and cannot wait for legal downloads to become available, we would strongly prefer that you contact the individual artists and arrange to pay them some amount of money directly for MP3s of their music. It is not only a matter of legality; it is a matter of honor.

 

 

 

 

 

10 . 26 . 2010: Reviews have been posted (under the respective albums) for Mystified, Secret Druid Society, and Innfallen! Thanks to PAN.O.RA.MA Journal, Chain D.L.K., Musique Machine, Stigmata Magazine, and Defecation On The Divine for those reviews! Reviews of Mystified and Secret Druid Society will appear in Gonzo Circus issue #100 (Dutch). Thanks to Kicks Extreme Radio 106.7 FM (Antwerp, Belgium) and Misha's New Age Program at 90 FM WWSP (Stevens Point, WI, USA) for their continued airplay of our artists!

 

Innfallen has confirmed that their second album, "Weathered Roads to a Burning Bridge," will be released on First Fallen Star in 2011! We are very excited to have them on board with us for one more album! Already confirmed or in progress are Nors'Klh's as-yet-untitled album and Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" (12CD) set. Release dates are all anticipated to be mid to late 2011.

 

We have recently signed on with Code7 (UK) for distribution of First Fallen Star releases on the other side of the ocean! Code7 will have exclusive distribution rights within the United Kingdom, but of course will distribute FFS releases worldwide! Distribution in the USA is done through COP International and EAR/Rational Music. Shops can also purchase FFS releases directly from us as we do handle our own distribution as well.

 

 

 

 

 

10 . 8 . 2010: Thanks to PAN.O.RA.MA Journal for their reviews of Mystified's album and Secret Druid Society's album, both of which can be read here. Thanks also goes to Dave Butler, producer/host of the InnerVisions and Spectral Voyages radio programs (KRSC 91.3 FM in Tulsa, OK, USA)! Mystified's album appeared in the Top 20 albums for BOTH programs in the month of September - right along side Steve Roach, Robert Rich, and Erik Wøllo. (The chart stats were posted to a group. They are available at this link on Mystified's website.) These successes on the part of Mystified are well-deserved, as Thomas put considerable time and effort into this full-length album! We have heard the concerns on the part of ambient/dark ambient fans that they are simply overwhelmed by Mystified's discography, which largely consists of shorter releases on less well known record labels around the world ... but "Passing Through the Outer Gates" is none of those releases, and First Fallen Star is none of those record labels. The vast majority of the reviews and feedback received have been fantastic - and with good reason! You cannot possibly compare this album to any previous Mystified release! And if you have not yet heard it, then you have no excuse for attempting to falsely compare them. You simply must listen to it.

 

Sculptor Corinne Crowe has begun to experiment with casting the "Tentacle Box Sets" for Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" (12CD) set, due out in late 2011. The box sets, as we have stated before, are neither wood nor metal; they are resin (plastic). They will be cast-resin copies of an original sculpture by Corinne Crowe, housing both the primary set (12 CDs) and the bonus set (2 CDs). We will reveal photos when we have photos of the complete boxes. We do not know how many copies of the box set can be issued, so we strongly urge potentially interested customers to subscribe to the FFS newsletter on the Contact page of this site!

 

Post-industrial/dark ambient project Nors'Klh has joined First Fallen Star for a yet-untitled album to be released in 2011. You can get a taste of this project through http://www.myspace.com/norsklh. In addition to full tracks that can be streamed through the audio player there, you can also download previous Nors'Klh releases for free.

 

 

 

 

 

10 . 3 . 2010: Thanks one more time to Misha at 90 FM WWSP (Stevens Point, WI, USA) for including tracks by First Fallen Star artists in his New Age program. Secret Druid Society, Aspectee, and Innfallen appeared in the program's Top 20 list for the month of September! Tracks from the same 3 artists also appear in the 10/3 playlist.

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 25 . 2010: Thanks to DJ Ikecht at Crush gothic online radio (The Netherlands), who graciously featured a track from all 6 current First Fallen Star releases in the Crush Misc program for tonight! New programs are broadcast online every Saturday night at 20.00 hr / 8:00pm (The Netherlands). Click here to view and hear their recent podcasts! DJ Ikecht also writes music reviews on the IkEcht Gothic Reviews site, on which reviews of FFS releases will soon appear. 

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 24 . 2010: Secret Druid Society's song "Dawn Over the Deserted World" was ranked #1 by listeners at AstreauxWorld.com for the week ending August 30th!! Don't believe us? Check it out here!

 

Thanks to ZwareMetalen.com for their very excellent review of Mystified's "Passing Through the Outer Gates"! (Use Google to translate from Dutch.) A lot of fans and reviewers are comparing the album to a movie soundtrack. That end result may not have been intentional, but upon listening to the album, it is quite clear that Thomas built strong soundscapes around a framework of ideas and visions that follow an obvious course from beginning to end. Just like a movie? Buy the album today and judge for yourself!

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 23 . 2010: Thanks to the folks at Kicks Extreme Radio 106.7 FM (Antwerp, Belgium) for including a track by Secret Druid Society in their 9/22/2010 playlist. Check out their website and, if you're in Belgium, tune in on Wednesday nights! ... Thanks also to the folks at ZwareMetalen for their positive review of Secret Druid Society's "Restless" (Dutch language review).

 

If you live outside of the USA and want to save money on postage, First Fallen Star releases are available from an increasing number of record labels and small shops around the world. You can find an incomplete list of them on the "About" page if you scroll down past our intro. (We do update it periodically.)

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 22 . 2010: Thanks to NecroWeb (Germany) for their review of Secret Druid Society's "Restless."

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 20 . 2010: Thanks to Misha at 90 FM WWSP (Stevens Point, WI, USA) for yet again featuring tracks by First Fallen Star artists in the New Age show! For their 9/19/2010 show, they played tracks from Aspectee, Secret Druid Society, and Innfallen! (A track from Mystified's side-project, Mister Vapor, was also played during this show.)

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 18 . 2010: Thanks to Defecation On The Divine Radio for interviewing Thomas of Mystified!

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 16 . 2010: Thanks to the folks at Kicks Extreme Radio 106.7 FM (Antwerp, Belgium) for including a track by Dense Vision Shrine in their 9/15/2010 playlist. Tracks from other albums released on FFS may appear in future shows, so check out their website and, if you're in Belgium, tune in on Wednesday nights!

 

Thanks to La Defuncion Radio for including a track by Dense Vision Shrine in their 9/15/2010 playlist as well!

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 12 . 2010: Thanks to Misha at 90 FM WWSP (Stevens Point, WI, USA) for yet again featuring tracks by First Fallen Star artists in the New Age show! This time, it was tracks from Aspectee and Secret Druid Society! (A track from Mystified's side-project, Mister Vapor, was also played during this show.)

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 11 . 2010: Defecation On The Divine (radio & reviews) has posted reviews of Dense Vision Shrine's album and Mystified's album. Thanks to DOTD for those fantastic reviews!

 

Dark Music Domain (USA) is offering FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE on all orders of $50 or more now through September 17th, 2010! That includes First Fallen Star releases as well! Visit Dark Music Domain and read the news on the main menu page for more details!

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 10 . 2010: Thanks to Evening of Light for including Mystified in their Cloudscape #6: September 2010 playlist! Thanks to Databloem Records (The Netherlands) for including Mystified's album in their Personal Top 10 list on the main page of their site! Thanks to NecroWeb (Germany) for their positive review of Mystified's album!

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 9 . 2010: Corinne Crowe has finished sculpting the Tentacle Box Set for Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" (box set edition)!! They are moving on to creating the molds for casting. If you have not already subscribed to the FFS newsletter, you need to do so...

 

http://www.firstfallenstar.com/newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 7 . 2010: Defecation On The Divine (Live365.com streaming radio & review blog) has published an excellent review of Karsten Hamre's "Through the Eyes of a Stranger." No, they weren't a year late in publishing the review! Although the album was released last year, we continue to send out our releases to reviewers and radio stations who are willing to put them to good use! We are always expanding our database of good stations and reviewers to whom we will send our releases, so if you host a radio program (podcast, etc.) or write album reviews, feel free to get in touch with us! (If, however, your name is James Arwine or Charlotte Jackson and you are going to re-attempt to pretend to be a radio station just to get free CDs, well, we didn't fall for it the first time, so don't bother trying it again.)

 

Please note that copies of the Dense Vision Shrine and Karsten Hamre albums that include the bonus DVD (ltd.500, PAL format) are dwindling. If you want one, don't wait any longer. All FFS releases can be purchased directly from the "Releases" page using the Add to Cart buttons at the bottom of each release's details.

 

Here is another recent review of Mystified's "Passing Through the Outer Gates," by Caelicus Pugna!

 

Thanks to Misha, director of the New Age Program at 90FM WWSP (Wisconsin), for playing tracks by Aspectee and Secret Druid Society in their 9/5/2010 show (alongside Mister Vapor, Robert Rich, and Steve Roach).

 

Thanks to Bill Fox, host of Thought Radio, for playing a track from Mystified's album during their show on 9/4/2010.

 

Secret Druid Society has uploaded a video to YouTube that features the full version of the track, "Phobia (Stones Are Moving)": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxgR-sKb_rs

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 3 . 2010: Thanks to Galactic Travels for including tracks from Secret Druid Society and Mystified in their 9/2/2010 playlist.

 

 

 

 

 

9 . 2 . 2010: Thanks to the folks at Kicks Extreme Radio 106.7 FM (Antwerp, Belgium) for including tracks by Aspectee and Karsten Hamre in their 9/1/2010 playlist. Tracks from other albums released on FFS may appear in future shows, so check out their website and, if you're in Belgium, tune in on Wednesday nights!

 

We are still hearing from folks who received promo packs that they have arrived. Reviews will come rolling in over the next couple of months.

 

 

 

 

 

8 . 29 . 2010: Absolute Zero Media Magazine's review of Mystified's album has been linked to from Mystified's album details under "Releases." There are a few reviews at that AZM link, so you must scroll down a little. Incidentally, Frederic Arbour of Cyclic Law did not create the album artwork for Mystified. (He did the music mastering.) Eclipse Media created the album artwork, incorporating David Demaret's "Burning Souls" painting (seen on the secondary cover).

 

A couple of days ago, we received more photos of the sculpting (in progress) of the "Tentacle Box Set" for Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set. The box appears to be mostly complete, but there remains much work to be done. Until Corinne begins to cast the boxes, we will not know how many copies of the box set edition there will be. As we have said several times before, if you are even a little bit interested in this set or the box set edition of it, we highly recommend that you subscribe to the newsletter on the Contact page of the FFS site. Sign up or miss out!

 

All 6 current releases on FFS are available on eBay right now, with starting bids of only $0.01 each and no reserve price! Yes, we sometimes offer crazy prices for fun (and profit). Click on the link below to view all current auctions... 

 

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=dark_music_domain

 

 

 

 

 

8 . 26 . 2010: Tracks from Mystified and Secret Druid Society appear in this week's edition of the Aural Apocalypse podcast: auralapocalypse.wordpress.com. One track from each project have also been added to the rotation at Astreaux World on Live365.com: http://www.live365.com/web/index.live?tm=0548 (mostly ambient). Damned By Light (e-zine) has posted a review of Aspectee's "Morben," rating it 8.5/10: www.damned-by-light.com/reviews/241.html. Reviews of the other albums on FFS will be posted by DBL in the near future. (Please check the Releases page for links to all known reviews.)

 

 

 

 

 

8 . 22 . 2010: Zelest's Asylum has posted the first review of Mystified's album, which can be found at the link under Mystified's release details. Very positive preliminary feedback is being received from reviewers who are just starting to go through the albums we have sent them. Reviews and airplay will begin popping up in the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.

 

We have also posted some additional images and photos of Mystified's album - again under the album's details on the Releases page. Please let us know if you experience any glitches with those links.

 

Demo submission information has been updated as well. Please read through it carefully if you are considering submitting a demo.

 

 

 

 

 

8 . 17 . 2010: Promo packs are beginning to arrive at their destinations! Old fans of Mystified are thrilled to death (figuratively speaking, of course) with the new album, and new fans are discovering Mystified and Secret Druid Society for the first time! Radio Frei Europa (Live365.com) has already added tracks from Secret Druid Society's album to their program, and they will likely soon add Mystified as well.

 

Magazines, ezines, radio stations, streaming radio, and podcast hosts around the world have already been mailed numerous copies of the new releases on FFS ... and we aren't even finished yet! If you would like a copy of an album for review or airplay, and you have not been in touch with us in the past, drop us a line at info@FirstFallenStar.com!

 

 

 

 

 

8 . 14 . 2010: Secret Druid Society's "Restless" arrived just a few days after the release date. That album and Mystified's "Passing Through the Outer Gates" are available for purchase right now directly from the FFS Releases page (there are "add to cart" buttons underneath each individual release), or through the Dark Music Domain e-shop here in the USA. (Because of the content on the FFS Releases page, it may take a moment for the PayPal shopping cart window  to pop up, but it will if you just give it a few moments to do so.) Through tomorrow (8/15), Dark Music Domain is offering 13% OFF all catalog items (26% OFF all Melek-Tha items) in celebration of Friday the 13th, so you may want to stop by there and check the 8/13 news entry for details on receiving the discount!

 

Right now, we are in the midst of sending out a rather large number of copies of both albums for promotion through magazines, ezines, radio stations, and hosts of streaming radio/podcasts. As is typical, it may take weeks or months for reviews and airplay to become available. (Organizations offering such services are always backed up with albums waiting for review or airplay.) Thomas of Mystified has, however, already begun to receive praise from music fans. With permission from those fans, we have posted the feedback. The link is available under Mystified's release on the FFS Releases page.

 

Any magazine, ezine, radio station / program host, or host of streaming radio/podcasts who has not been in contact with us regarding receipt of FFS releases for review or airplay is encouraged to contact us at info@FirstFallenStar.com. We are always looking for more ways to promote our artists!

 

Demos are always being accepted, as are requests to participate in the Eulogy Series! Please email us at info@FirstFallenStar.com for more details, but be prepared to send out your music on CD-R. We are not fond of downloads, and MySpace links to old, previously published music are not acceptable (because we need to know what your music sounds like now).

 

Melek-Tha fans should note that, just yesterday, we received another set of photographs from Corinne Crowe, the sculptor who is sculpting the Tentacle Box Set for the "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" release. It is gradually nearing completion, but there is much more work to be done on the entire set! You must subscribe to the FFS newsletter on the contact page to be kept updated. We do not anticipate a release date anytime sooner than late 2011, as fantastic projects such as this one take time.

 

 

 

 

 

7 . 31 . 2010: Mystified's "Passing Through the Outer Gates" (Eulogy Series, Vol.1; ltd.500) is in stock and available for purchase directly from the "Releases" page on this site, or from Dark Music Domain (USA). The packaging is amazing! Featuring silver foil embossed lettering on the front panel of the DVDigipak and a custom coffin-shaped die-cut hole, the factory did an amazing job in production! This is truly "premium" album presentation! You really do need to SEE this album and hold it in your hands to get the full effect, so we will try to get some actual photographs up on the FFS site as soon as possible! In the coming weeks, the album will undoubtedly be available through other shops and record labels around the world. The artist is selling copies of the album as well. He is, incidentally, in the exact same city as DMD/FFS.

 

Secret Druid Society's "Restless" is still delayed with no word just yet. Please see the 7/27 news entry below before you place an order through FFS or DMD.

 

IMPORTANT: One of our customers notified us that the FFS site was very slow to add items to the shopping cart. We are looking into the problem. Yes, you can add items to the shopping cart, but it does take a few extra seconds longer than it should, so you may get the impression that nothing is happening but we assure you that it is. Just give it a few seconds. For faster shopping, visit the Dark Music Domain e-shop.

 

 

 

 

 

7 . 27 . 2010: Mystified's "Passing..." is due to arrive here from the factory on Thursday (7/29) - just two days from now! Secret Druid Society's "Restless" has been delayed just a bit, but may very well be available next week. Therefore, we have made both albums available for purchase as of today! They can be purchased directly from the "Releases" page on the FFS site, or through www.DarkMusicDomain.com.

 

If your order includes only Mystified's album, it will be shipped to you this week.

 

If your order includes both albums, we will wait to ship until next week.

 

 

 

 

 

7 . 21 . 2010: The factory has informed us that they are behind schedule in completing production of Mystified's album. Apparently, the entire production run had to be shipped to another facility just for the silver foil-embossed lettering, and then shipped back! Of course, none of this surprises us. There are always delays, no matter the factory or the packaging.

 

We have posted the link to Connexion Bizarre's review of Aspectee's "Morben" on the Releases page. The author wrote an excellent, and rather insightful and detailed, review of the album, ultimately rating it 8/10! Connexion Bizarre has informed us that they will soon publish the review of Karsten Hamre's "Through the Eyes of a Stranger."

 

 

 

 

 

7 . 15 . 2010: Reviews by The D Side (Italian e-zine) of Aspectee, Innfallen, and Dense Vision Shrine have been added to the respective details for each album under the "Releases" page. The review for Karsten Hamre has been delayed and will be linked when it becomes available.

 

Production of the Mystified and Secret Druid Society albums was initally set for completion by today, but there have been delays - as is always the case for every record label dealing with every disc factory. We are keeping the release date set as July 31, though, as we should still have the albums here by that day, if not before. Yes, July 31 is a Saturday. If that seems unconventional to you, we ask you: Is there anything about experimental music that is conventional?

 

 

 

 

 

7 . 08 . 2010: The Releases page has been updated in full with tracklistings, descriptions, album images, and song clips for Mystified's "Passing Through the Outer Gates" (Eulogy Series, Vol.1) and Secret Druid Society's "Restless"! There were some delays at the factory that pushed back our anticipated release date, so we have now set it for July 31. With no further delays, the albums will actually be shipping out to customers, magazines/ezines, and radio stations before that date! All First Fallen Star releases are available for purchase directly from our Releases page! There are "Add to Cart" buttons under each album.

 

We have also tweaked the info for Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set, pushing it back a bit. At this point in time, the mastering of the bonus CDs is in progress (with the main 12 CDs left to be mastered) and Eclipse Media (who created graphics for the other volumes previously released) will begin the album artwork very soon. We recently received the first photos of the sculpting of the "Tentacle Box Set" (in progress) from the sculptor, Corinne Crowe, who is also the creator of the Cthulhu statues you see at www.CthulhuStatues.com. (No, we won't show you the photos of the box set! It's going to be a surprise!) The "Tentacle Box Set" is actually somewhat box-shaped, with tentacles reaching up from the bottom, up the sides, and across the top. (The tentacles give the appearance of grasping the box itself, dragging it down into the depths!) The tentacles are fully sculpted in 3 dimensions - not simply etched in the side of the box, not drawn or painted. And we must reiterate that this is NOT a wooden box set. Corinne is creating an original sculpture from which a mold will be created. From that mold, copies of the sculpture will be cast in resin (plastic, for all intents and purposes). We know of no other record label or musician who has attempted such a feat, and Corinne is an excellent artist, so fans should note that this remains a long-term project. The album (both formats) may very well not be ready for release until late 2011. Sometime in late 2010 or early 2011, we will begin taking pre-orders (payment in full) for both formats. We do not currently know how many copies of the box set will be available, or how much they will cost. If you definitely want one, or if you just want to be kept up to date on the status of this album, we highly recommend that you visit our Contact page and subscribe to the newsletter!

 

 

 

 

 

6 . 09 . 2010: Reviews by DarkLife Magazine (Switzerland) of the Dense Vision Shrine, Karsten Hamre, Aspectee, and Innfallen albums have been linked (under each album's respective details). The links will take you to a batch of reviews, through which you will have to scroll (rather easily) to find the individual reviews for our releases. Reviews from DSide Magazine (Italy) should be coming soon!

 

 

 

 

 

6 . 05 . 2010: Mystified's "Passing Through the Outer Gates" and Secret Druid Society's "Restless" both experienced some minor delays, but we are now just days away from getting both sent off to the factory for production. Expect a release date sometime in July! Both albums are limited to 500 copies. Secret Druid Society's album will be in standard digipak format with a booklet. Mystified's album will be in an A5 digipak, with a cover panel featuring silver foil stamped text and a coffin-shaped die-cut hole. "Passing Through the Outer Gates" is Volume 1 in the Eulogy Series!

 

Copies of the albums will be sent to numerous magazines, e-zines, and radio stations / streaming programs for review and/or airplay. (Heathen Harvest, unfortunately, has chosen to shut down operations and Gothtronic will do so later this year!) If you work / write for such an organization, please email info@FirstFallenStar.com to discuss the possibility of receiving copies of our releases.

 

Melek-Tha's "H.P. Lovecraft, Volumes 1-6" set is still in progress. Music mastering and artwork are in progress right now. We are still planning on a late 2011 release date. Pre-orders will be taken, but not yet. There are no plans to trade the box set edition, or sell it wholesale, to any shops or record labels, so if you want to purchase this edition, you absolutely