morgenstern

morgenstern's dark music consists of strange, hypnotic loops, distorted power electronics and heavy death industrial tunes. deep drones with occasional samples are slowly transformed into a quiet wind tunnel groan with sporatic choes of thumps and bumps from far off objects in the background. the music flows into a rythmic tribal drum ceremony where various pitches of wind noise through a pipe are layered in while electrodes snap, a rythmic helicopter sounds and firecrackers pop. war torn screams and cries are blended way into the background. tribal powerelectronic-rhythms & dark ambient: from ceremonial processions to hypnosis and hysteria, being relaxed on the outside and at the same time restless on the inside.

morgenstern was founded in '93 as the solo project of andrea börner, who was also a member of the legendary project 'ars moriendi' (1990-95). she's still a part of the ambient project 'templegardens'. the recording of 'zyklen' was actively supported by p. münch (synapscape) and a. schramm (asche) and recorded / processed within the cycle of one year.

morgenstern discography. 2.2k1:
2001: cold. cd. ant-zen
1999: zyklen. cd. ant-zen
1998: morgenstern. c-90
1996: split with asche. lp. ant-zen. sold out
1994: split with mandelbrot. c-90, fich art.

morgenstern . cold . cd . ant-zen act118

tracklist: cold, horny being, hypnotized, blow away my reason, insight, interlude, hinrichtung durch raum und zeit (re-edit), combat zone, eye, over

the listener is drowning slowly inside morgenstern's frightening atmosphere and once he dives into it, he's lost in a vibrating and bassy drone of tribal power-electronics & dark ambient, full of coldness and thorns. heavy death industrial tunes are layered in while tortured vocals are dominated by corrosive industrial clatters. bass-riddled cavernous drones ensure beautiful low-end rumbles and subtle machinery beats. aurally piercing textures containing a distorted surrealistic edge.

morgenstern was founded in '93 as the solo project of andrea börner, who was also a member of the legendary project 'ars moriendi' (1990-95). she's still a part of the ambient project 'templegarden's'. two fellow members of ars moriendi/templegarden's provide supporting roles on this 'cold' - a. schramm (asche) and p. münch (synapscape).

morgenstern . zyklen . cd . act88

tracklist: anfang/ende, hymn, soar, ravished, not am sein, stormy battle ode, rake, rodion's dead souls, welt, ende/anfang
everything has a beginning and an ending and it starts once again.

reviews

black 16.
nach mehreren split-tapes bzw. einer split-lp mit asche liegt mit „zyklen“ endlich das lang erwartete debütalbum von morgenstern vor. morgenstern ist ja vor jahren ebenfalls wie synapscape, asche, m.o.a.t.a.-omen und templegarden’s als vermächtnis der industrial-punk-band ars moriendi entstanden. das besondere an morgenstern ist, daß hinter dem projekt eine frau steht und dies ist ja im industrialbereich mehr als selten. der sound von andrea börner war in der anfangszeit sehr tribal orientiert, ging später mehr in die dark ambient-richtung und mit der vermischung dieser elemente will sie beim hörer eine art hypernoiden zustand erzeugen, was einen gleichzeitigen zustand von hypnose und hysterie bedeutet. und genau dieses gewünschte ergebnis wird an hand von grollenden loops, finsteren samples, verfremdeten bläsern und treibenden drums bzw. percussions erreicht und als beispielgebenden track für das ganze album möchte ich „stormy battle ode“ anführen, wobei der titel viel über den gesamten sound aussagt! unterstützt wird andrea börner auf dieser cd von andreas schramm alias asche und beim artwork bzw. dem lederoptik-booklet hat salt mal wieder ganze arbeit geleistet. für leute, die apokalyptischen und atmosphärischen dark-tribal-death-industrial hören wollen, ist somit „zyklen“ ein pflichtkauf und den eher mystik-ambient orientierten hörer empfehle ich das immer noch aktuelle templegarden‘s-album „culture vs. nature“. wer mehr über morgenstern bzw. die anderen genannten projekte erfahren möchte, kann im black 12 und 13 bei der fortsetzungsgeschichte „das vermächtnis des doktor ars moriendi“ nachschlagen. (m.f.)

totentanz
"zyklen" is the debut cd of morgenstern, a solo-project founded in 1993 by andrea börner, member of templegarden and ars moriendi. this record has been done with this assistance of member of asche and synapscape. quite an unknown project inside the ant-zen stall, morgenstern had come to my ears with its track on the "ant-hology" sampler, which was a very death industrial minded track. this feeling has been confirmed by "zyklen", which differs from the present production of ant-zen, with his very slow track and dark minded tunes. morgenstern's sound on "zyklen"is very interesting, as it seems far more industrial than many other bands. the atmosphere is very monotonous and dark. many loops are in the background, and the distortion comes from the sound, not from its volume. many songs are rhythms-less, combining very laid-back dark melodies with many industrial drones. this could be compared, in a way, in a less rhythmic deutsch nepal, as the noises used here are very corrosive and original. some tracks are a bit faster, with the tribal "stormy battle ode" or the great (and maybe one day club-classic) "rake". the tracks are quite long, the listener drowing slowly inside morgenstern's atmosphere. it seems that there is no real hope nor joy here. everything goes by cycle, and with the end of each song, you can feel a new one taking you once again into a different landscape. contrary to many present industrial act, morgenstern's purpose is not to crash your ears. there is no rhythmic noise tempest here. this is far more intelligent and, perhaps, mean. this is a re-writing of death industrial with the noises and the visions of today. as the beautiful cover art of s. alt, morgenstern's music is soft and tempting, but full of sadness and thorns.

spectrum, issue 3
in regard to the cover i must say tha s.alt never fails to impress with his flair and eye for design, gaining darkly appropriate imagery out the most unlikely subject matter. in terms of sound, scrapping, throbbing, droning aurally piercing textures are used in a way which mixes both death industrial, dark ambient and subdued power electronic elements. for a ball park comparsion the most obvious would be stratvm terror and selected more low key elements of brighter death now (but having a cleaner sound production that the latter). "anfang/ende" encompasses sinister electronic noise manipulations running between low drone and mid ranged probing sounds being both confronting and relaxing. "hymn" is much more of a death industrial vibe that retains a distant pounding sound structure and haunting cavernous elements that includes a sewwping treated like choir vocals. noise looped elements open "soar" and distant (engulfed) human creaming give off a suitable apocalyptic vision of peeking into the feiry abyss of hell. after about the 3 minute mark the track morphs into a looped tribal/industrial pound fest that is spwpt in and out of many cryptic regions until the conclusion after the 10 minute mark. restless distorted beats and undercurrents are the flaour of "ravished" containing what seem to be vocals but are so beyond distorted they simly add to the clatter (which incidentally reminds me of mental destruction) with the following "not am sein" is heavily looped with subdued and relaxed distant factory clatter containing a hypnotic surrealistic edge. dreamy drones and atmospheres solidify early in "stormy battle ode" but from the title it is clear that this will soon be allot noisier. slipping into the background the dreamy elments sit below a gradually building structure of more corrosive drones, tortured vocal wails and mid paced industrial clatter (only to periodically float up to the surface). "rake" is a ceremony of distant rhythmic beats and intermixed vocals snippets that rise into a total distorted noise/power electronics cacaphony and would seem to suit the title of the preceding track. haunting and sweeping textures, choir vocals, bass riddled cavernous drones ensure that "rodion`s dead souls" is the darkest track an offer coming across as a highly cinematic piece of dark ambience/& death industrial. "welt" offers up a less dark but just a sorrowfully haunting cinematic piece interspread with distant chants and ritualistic beats. not that all of the darker elements are containted at the start of the album the corrosive textures and demonic vocals of the final track ("ende/anfang") give rise to the vision of passage out of hell being rendered unpassable as the angels above lament the soul`s damnation. very dark indeed.... morgenstern is credited to feature one andrea boerner who is also a part of templegardens and a previous member of ars moriendi (assistance is also provided from members of synapscape and asche) ultimately coming up with a solid and stunning offering. as a final note it great to see a female that can mix it with the best when it come to dark corrosive atmospheres.

ultime atome
profondeur insondable du pourpre, majesté presque animale de ces chardons déployant leurs épines au dessus du vide : le visuel réalisé une fois de plus par stefan alt est parmi les plus somptueux du label même si l'on doit se contenter du traditionnel boîtier plastique comme support. un design glacé pour la musique glaciale d'andrea börner dont c'est ici le premier véritable album, après quelques k7, un très atmosphérique split lp en compagnie de asche (cf ua # 6) et surtout une participation déjà lointaine au combo ars moriendi, connu pour son electro indus jusqueboutiste. c'est clair, " zyklen " garde un sérieux penchant pour les sonorités perturbées, voire plongées dans une tourmente incompréhensible. du coup, sa parution en ce début d'été 99 semble plutôt incongrue, tandis que nos platines prennent leurs premiers coups de soleil. ca ressemble un peu à un de ces conflits saisonniers auxquels on ne s'attend jamais, comme une mauvaise blague de saint médard, en quelques sortes. ne se laissant aucunement déstabiliser par quelque impondérable que ce soit, on range donc précipitamment l'écran total pour se laisser porter soudainement au cœur du cœur de cet hiver imaginaire ; pour y découvrir, contre toute attente, le plaisir des gerçures, craquelant corps et âmes, et goûter à l'envoûtement provoqué par ces rythmiques, semblables à des bris de congères suramplifiés. car c'est bel et bien l'univers des permafrost tout entier qui s'ouvre sur dix morceaux, complètement déshumanisé – les voix et chants ne sont que des songes – mais captivant pour qui ose passer outre les premières engelures cérébrales. une précision d'importance : malgré le caractère supposé féminin de la dite andrea börner, il ne faut espérer ici aucune remontée de testostérone : les possibilités d'ouverture avec la belle n'en sont que plus réduites. de quoi couper court aux fantasmes à la mord-moi-le-nœud des opless et consort…remarquez, il n'est pas interdit de tenter la traversé de la sibérie septentrionale à poil pour avoir une chance de l'impressionner !

orkus, juli/august 1999
rituelle trommeln wummern aus den abgründigsten tiefen der hölle, finstere beschwörungsgesänge schweben über einem meer aus dunkel grollenden soundscapes, und monströse noises versuchen den letzten rest gesunden menschenverstandes aus dem gehirn zu schmirgeln. das cd-debut des projekts morgenstern ist wahrlich nichts für schwache gemüter oder warme, romantische sommernächte. andrea börner (ex-ars moriendi, templegardens), p. münch (synapscape) und a. schramm (asche) zelebrieren hier wüsten doom-industrial, dark ambient und ritual der besonders bösen sorte, der sich problemlos sowohl in der allabendlichen endzeitmeditation als auch bei industriellen clubnächten bewähren sollte. durch ein gutes gespür für intensive stimmungen und die komplexen soundstrukturen ist morgenstern auf alle fälle auch ein tip für den ansspruchsvolleren industrial-hörer,k der neben noisigen „dance“-rhythmen auch wert auf mystische stimmungen à la raison d‘entre oder puissance legt.

bad alchemy, nr. 34
ein eiskalter wind bläst einem bei morgensterns zyklen ins gesicht. es ist ein wind, auf dem geisterstimmen reiten, eine wilde jagd, angepeitscht von verzerrten powerelectronic-schlägen. ein röhrendes didgeridoo übertönt das heulen der verdammten. noch ist diese infernalische dimension durch eine membran von unserer alltagswirklichkeit getrennt. aber hinter diesem vorhang schüren immer drängernder und hypnotischer die stammestrommeln den blutrausch von nächtlichen kreaturen, die an ihren ketten und den riegeln zu unserer welt rütteln. immer hysterischer wird der chor der krächzenden lemuren auf der schwelle ins diesseits. die wächterin am höllentor, die ungerührt ins inferno lauscht, das allmählich in sich zusammensinkt, während die tribal-beats die dämonen-tänzer erneut in trance versetzen, heißt andrea börner. von 1990 bis 1995 hat sie bei ars moriendi erfahrung mit der „anderen seite“ gesammelt. heute streift sie mit templegardens durch die schattenzonen unserer dekadenten seelenlandschaften. schauerromantik und fantasy, eine „schwarze romantik mit alpträumen von grauenhaften ungeheuern, lebenden toten, bösen magiern, schwarzer magie und unterirdischen labyrinthwelten“ (b. kling) liefern die tapeten und möbel für die grüfte unter und die fluchtburgen und ufos über den banalität von aldi bis zdf, aus der sich miss venus & mr. lucifer hinausträumen.

black, sommer 1999
nach mehreren split-tapes bzw. einer split-lp mit asche liegt mit „zyklen“ endlich das lang erwartete debütalbum von morgenstern vor. morgenstern ist ja vor jahren ebenfalls wie synapscape, asche, m.o.a.t.a.-omen und templegarden‘s als vermächtnis der industrial-punk-band ars moriendi entstanden. das besondere an morgenstern ist, daß hinter dem projekt eine frau steht und dies ist ja im industrial-bereich mehr als selten. der sound von andrea börner war in der anfangszeit sehr tribal orientiert, ging später mehr in die dark ambient-richtung und mit der vermischung dieser elemente will sie beim hörer eine art hypernoiden zustand erzeugen, was einen gleichzeitigen zustand von hypnose und hysterie bedeutet. und genau dieses gewünschte ergebnis wird an hand von grollenden loops, finsteren samples, verfremdeten bläsern und treibenden drums bzw. percussions erreicht und als beispielgebenden track für das ganze album möchte ich „stormy battle ode“ anführen, wobei der titel viel über den gesamten sound aussagt! unterstützt wird andrea börner auf dieser cd von andreas schramm alias asche und beim artwork bzw. dem lederoptik-booklet hat salt mal wieder ganze arbeit geleitet. für leute, die apokalyptischen und atmosphärischen dark-tribal-death-industrial hören wollen, ist somit „zyklen“ ein pflichtkauf und den eher mystik-ambient orientierten hörer empfehle ich das immer noch aktuelle templegarden‘s album „culture vs. nature“. wer mehr über morgenstern bzw. die anderen genannten projekte erfahren möchte, kann im black 12 und 13 bei der fortsetzungsgeschichte „das vermächtnis des doktor ars moriendi“ nachschlagen.

flesh & wire, issue 3
this is morgenstern‘s first full-lenght solo release on germany‘s ant-zen label, although the project was originally formed in 1993 as the solo project of andrea börner, who previously released a split lp on ant-zen under this moniker with asche. she‘s no stranger to death industrial and dark ambient music, having previously been a member of cult project ars moriendi, and currently a member of ambient outfit templegardens. for the recording of zyklen she was actively supported by members of asche and synapscape. and god bless ‘em, the results are pretty damn good. gritty ambient industrial ans subdued power electronics takes this album (as the press release informs us) „from ceremonial processions to hypnosis and hysteria, being relaxed on the outside and at the same time restless on the inside“. not a bad summary, really. after „anfang/ende“ opens the cd with drunken and distorted hogh-pitched ringings, „hymn“ gets down and dirty with the excellent juxta-position of angelic vocal samples, and a menacingly slow and oh-so-tantalising ultra-deep deathindustrial beat heavy on the distortion. the tension in this track is incredible, and it‘s almost worth buying the whole cd just to hear it. „soar“ starts with some beautiful low-end rumbles and subtle machinery beats, but they are spoiled by cliched and unnecessary scream samples. the rest of the track features very impressive crunchy tribal pwer electronic rhythms. „ravished“ is pretty standard noisy industrial with buried distorted male vocals. „not am sein“ is more experimental drone and „stormy battle ode“ muffled and hypnotic tribal-sounding industrial with an interesting ritualistic chant sample. „rake“ features 7 minutes of menacing lo-fi death industrial beats, very similar to megaptera side-project negru voda. the last three tracks are more subdued, but just as unnerving. „rodion‘s dead souls“ is jarring experimental ambience with dramatic backward-playing horns, while „welt“ is dominated by relaxing choir loops, and quietly swirling beats. the final track „ende/anfang“ is a short outro of thick ambience with that funny little ritualistic chant again. i have been endlessly impressed with what material i have heard from ant-zen, and this cd is no exception. „zyklen“ is a wonderfully effortless release, testament to morgenstern‘s experienced ear for rich death- and ambient-industrial. we can wait with bated breath for the next offering.

the new empire
darkness unfolds from an endless void. standing in a foggy corridor feeling the machine working underneath. zyklen by andrea börner was created in corporation with p. münch (synapscape) and a. schramm (asche) and recorded within the cycle of one year. dark ambience fill with harsh and hypnotising loops. distorted speech. dark industrial soundscapes. one for your darkest days or simple relaxation after being home from a grand day out. (falstaff ). rating: coolness 8 / 10.

re:mote induction
morgenstern is the project of ex-ars moriendi member andrea börner and this is the first cd release, zyklen. andrea has been most recently reviewed on this site for her participation in the templegarden project. two fellow members of ars moriendi/templegardens provide supporting roles on this album - anders schramm (asche) and phillipe münch (synapscape). over its ten tracks, zyklen shows some of the influence of its past but forges a strong sound for itself. anfung/ende starts with low bass, a slow spiral of streaking sound pulling us into hymn. soaring voices in potential praise, crunching sounds simulate beats - vibrating and bassy. an air of dreaminess pervades the suggestion of a dark atmosphere - something natural against something generated. but it seems we have moved on are now into soar, a mutation from hymn. with soar the crunchiness becomes electronic vibration. the voice also changes, increasingly masculine - praise becomes despair. after a minute or so soar falls - a dark hole rolls through our hearing - rumbles and muffled cries. tribal percussion emerges, with something of an electronic distortion. waves of sound lap in the background returning to something of a gentle soaring. feeling some sort of hypnotic effect i reach for the volume control and turn it up a notch, willing to fall under the spell bleeping pulse of sound - shifts in pitch, a test. grinding lines dominate while periodic beats are laid down. bleeped pulse is now a warning siren. the beat gains domination and voices can be heard to synapscape. uncomfortably building towards your complacent corruption. by the end of seven minutes you have been ravished. by contrast something about the female voice in nod ain sein and the way it is manipulated reminds of some of the harsher spk material. the sound is like a cardboard wheel with a black and white spiral spinning, spinning. the constant crackle as primitive as that imagery. much more subtle than ravished but certainly unsettling feeling like a dream sequence stormy battle ode is full of slow motion sounds buckling as the waves crash against us. a voice projects itself from a crackling source before being consumed by the dance of night beats. flames crackle confirmation and motion continues - caught up in the moment the witness can not resist. night passes in the fever of eight minutes and you are drained. then the tapping rain comes and the anguish of the aftermath is all you have left. kathom-thomthom, kathom-thom-thom a steady thunder of beats. rake plays in the same field as some of the material by holocaust theory that i have heard. a harshness before the beatless atmosphere of radion's dead souls - a long drawn out journey of awakening. bearing memories of a templegarden. the hollow echoing of organ and a dull vibration open welt. layering up we gain the faithful clatter of wooden beats and the roll of hands on skins. the sounds construct a place, a residence for these moments of thought. easily a highlight. in final conclusion ende/anfang comes in contrast to anfang/ende. an invocation of ending.

flesh & wire magazine. australia. summer 99
this is morgenstern's first full-length solo release on germany's ant-zen label, although the project was originally formed in 1993 as the solo project of andrea borner, who previously released a split lp on ant-zen under this moniker with asche. she's no stranger to death industrial and dark ambient music, having previously been a member of cult project ars moriendi, and currently a member of ambient outfit templegardens. for the recording of 'zyklen' she was actively supported by members of asche and synapscape. and god bless 'em, the results are pretty damn good. gritty ambient industrial and subdued power electronics takes this album (as the press release informs us) "from ceremonial processions to hypnosis and hysteria, being relaxed on the outside and at the same time restless on the inside." not a bad summary, really. after 'anfang/ende' opens the cd with drunken and distorted high-pitched ringings, 'hymn' gets down and dirty with the excellent juxtaposition of angelic vocal samples, and a menacingly slow and oh-so-tantalising ultra-deep death industrial beat heavy on the distortion. the tension in this track is incredible, and it's almost worth buying the whole cd just to hear it. 'soar' starts with some beautiful low-end rumbles and subtle machinery beats, but they are spoiled by cliched and unnecessary scream samples. the rest of the track features very impressive crunchy tribal power electronic rhythms. 'ravished' is pretty standard noisy industrial with buried distorted male vocals. 'not am sein' is more experimental drone and 'stormy battle ode' muffled and hypnotic tribal-sounding industrial with an interesting ritualistic chant sample. 'rake' features 7 minutes of menacing lo-fi death industrial beats, very similar to megaptera side-project negru voda. the last three tracks are more subdued, but just as unnerving. 'rodion's dead souls' is jarring experimental ambience with dramatic backward-playing horns, while 'welt' is dominated by relaxing choir loops, and quietly swirling beats. the final track 'ende/anfang' is a short outro of thick ambience with that funny little ritualistic chant again. i have been endlessly impressed with what material i have heard from ant-zen, and this cd is no exception. 'zyklen' is a wonderfully effortless release, testament to morgenstern's experienced ear for rich death- and ambient-industrial. we can wait with bated breath for the next offering. reviewer: david tonkin

asche / morgenstern, split lp. ant-zen act 40

lim. 523, foldoutcover + 4 postcards, deleted

tracklist:
asche: invasion, another crowd ov manmashine, drill-exp., emplastix
morgenstern: david's edge (conjuring intro), into the great glacier, relaxatio II

the part of asche contains the soundtrack of their video-performance to monstrate the human exploitation in that industrial apocalypse: a sterile ambient atmosphere changes into structured chaotic noise-patterns. these are the first new recordings by asche after their cd re-release on functional. morgenstern's track one is inspired by the fascination role ov david at the 'lost boys' movie. track two gives another impression ov pornographia's 'winterworld': a ceremonial procession in an ice-desert. track tree contains a remix which was originally released on the tape 'hypnotischer zustand' on fich art. it is a psychoanalytical term, meaning the relation between hypnosis & hysteria: being relaxed on the outside and restless on the inside at the same time.

reviews

intent
here is a little review for you out there over these two artist who share an lp off of ant-zen. first off is morgenstern. their side starts off with a deep, drowning drone with occasional samples chimed in of schoolground children singing some sort of typical childhood song. this then begins to slowly transform into a quiet wind tunnel groan with sporatic echoes of thumps and bumps from far off objects in the background. electric hisses of soft static accompany and grow stronger as a "friday the 13th" type beat gradually fades in. later, the music flows into a rythmic tribal drum ceremony where various pitches of wind through a pipe noise are layered in. these wind noises soon become dominant over the drums, following afterward is a distorted sample of a man's unintelligible voice talking. by the end of the side the music becomes aggressive and energetic, yet in a sort of tranquil and relaxing way. asche: time is born and begins ticking. soft high pitch drones float out. you drift slowly through space as you watch and listen to a nearby satellite communicate with tones of bleeps and whistles. the crackle of the turntable needle adds to the far reaching effect. a mid-pitched drilling begins as wind chimes and bells clatter in the background, played by a hollow space drift. a repetitive, shrillish, stuck horn in traffic sounds with tangled, distorted and sick human voices sampled in. sounds, noises and grunts become more abundant, less processed and blended together more chaotically. later, a rythmic helicopter sounding whop starts to circle above head. electroids snap and firecrackers pop. war torn screams and cries are blended way into the background. a thumping wash machine, low end structure of haze comes around after awhile with a high tone looped beat layer on top. combined together they make a very predictable rythm that demands your attention and groove. gradually, it becomes louder, less structured and agressive. the side ends off where it begins...your lifecycle time is ticking and soon will end with the clock. both artists display their impressive talents and this lp is definitely recommended on picking up. recently skimming through a catalog and saw that both these artist have solo tapes or cds out too. anyone know about these? i can find the titles, but am too lazy right now to go searching. any reviews on these would be great.{ss}