WAERLOGA RELEASES

WAER008
Full length CD, 12 Tracks

The third chapter in the "Za Frûmi saga". This is dark fantasy (Dark ambient) music with dialog in orcish and the language of the dark elves.
The booklet is 20 pages and contains manuscript (translated into English) and story. More than 20 actors helped out creating this unique dark fantasy experience. This CD is a step back to Za shum ushatar Uglakh but also a great step forward in production. All that love dark fantasy, orcs, dark elves and atmosphere should own this highly recomended CD. In the begining of the booklet one can easily read up on what happened in chapter 1 and 2.

Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Baurukat (Imprisoned)
3. Margim iz za kala (Escape from the keep) » Listen to MP3
4. Bartomat ishivosh (Riding away)
5. Fashati » Listen to MP3
6. Shum narvogtar (Great defeat) » Listen to MP3
7. Immra
8. Interludium 3
9. Za shrak (The gathering)
10. Za shapog (part 1) (The revenge)
11. Za shapog (part 2) (The revenge)
12. Outro

Reviews of Shrak ishi za migul (click highlighted text for full review)

"This album I thought was made for Tolkien nerds but I was so wrong thinking that. The mix, the master and the SOUNDS are so incredible I find no other word than magnificent!"..."5 out of 5 stars."
- Ivan Racheck - Chain D.L.K

"All you readers need to know about this CD is that the music and story is done by masters and that this is a masterpiece!"..."I thought about giving this CD 6/5 but I am not allowed to do it so 5/5 it is!"
- David Purdie - Musical zone Japan and Radio Rivendell

"The history is perfect and aided by sounds of bonfires, swords nailing in the ground and hitting against others, musas and, mainly, wars; battles and more battles treated about a spectacular form, taking care of and measuring at any moment the used intensity of the sounds and effects to obtain the suitable result, in such a way that the listener feels that she is in the middle of the scene."
- Fernando O. Paino - Mentenebre

"It had been so long since we had visited Uglach's world, we had almost forgotten how bracing it was, what a dangerous and vicarious thrill it was to ride alongside the Orcs in battle, to grieve the dead, to drink and sup, and to luxuriate in the epic and majestic sounds of the mighty Za Frumi!!"
- Aquarius Records

"Love this album! Or Hate it! The music Za Frûmi create stays with you -- it is dark, fun, and wonderful! A must for all that love dark fantasy! Rate: 19/20"
- Irma S. Mandel - Spirit of metal

"The sound of the orcs intertwined with ageless song proves an original combination. I'm definitely proud to play the band's creations on my station!"
- DJ Raven - KBGA College Radio Missoula, MT, USA

"Over 20 actors helped Simon Heath (Atriurm Carceri) and Simon Kölle (Musterion) complete this masterpiece. A fluteplayer, singers and others were brought in to make the third chapter a unique experience. And unique it is! There is NOTHING like this out there, period."
- Malignant Records

"Song number seven you can really jump filled with joy, because ‘Immra’ (with a woman singing) is directly the best song that Za Frûmi ever has released (and that says a lot). Melancholia and dark, mystical forces in one!"
- Gothtronic

"The duo Simon Kölle and Simon Heath are the ones behind Za Frûmi. They are sound artists with class. The atmospherically sounds are filmatic and summon up inner pictures of what happens. The fingertip feeling for creating illusions is total. In addition to that they use music in a way that’s not long behind the most skillful film makers."
- Mikael Mjörnberg - Joyzine

"These CD's are indeed challenging providing a rewarding escape especially if listened to in their entirety but they should not be approached as Tolkien proper (the events do not take place in Middle-earth or are even assumed to).They are competent recordings in that one is enveloped by a unique world of theatre in which the orc takes centre stage and their martial society which has held fascination for many readers both within and without Tolkien's works."
- Michael Cunningham - Amon Hen (UK Tolkien Society´s Journal)

Full Reviews:

Chain D.L.K - by Ivan Racheck:
5 out of 5 stars
This album is very impressive!
Simon Kölle (Musterion, Abnocto) and Simon Heath (Atrium Carceri, Abnocto) are the masterminds behind Za Frûmi.
This is Za Frûmi´s fifth release on Waerloga Records and the third in the “Za Frûmi saga”. The band has two brilliant branches. One consisting of atmospheric, dark ambient, fantasy inspired instrumental music called “Za Frûmi Legends”. And the other is the “Za Frûmi saga” which deals with orcs. It’s music with dialogue in black speech but on “Shrak ishi Za migul” also the language of dark elves.
In the 20 pages big booklet of “Shrak ishi Za migul” (Gathering in the mist) one can read up on the story and everything said on the CD is translated to English in there.
It’s not only dialogue but also extremely good atmospheric fantasy music too!
The music sounds like some of the best soundtrack composers out there. Always with their own sound and stile. I am stunned actually by this album. Normally I hate dialogue and I don’t care much about radio theatre but here it’s more like seeing a film in a new cool way. The film that plays is one of the darkest and most magical in the history of filmmaking. But hey! Wait. I have to remind myself this is no soundtrack to an existing film. But still they have had over 20 actors involved in creating the album.
This album I thought was made for Tolkien nerds but I was so wrong thinking that. The mix, the master and the SOUNDS are so incredible I find no other word than magnificent!
The fact also that the two members have one solo project each which are some of the best in their genres make me believe the two Simons could make possible any music genre great. I cannot wait for them releasing another collaboration called Abnocto. According to the bands myspace site they recorded that project 60 meters under the ground!
The two Simons are crazy but that’s what so good!
The combination of electric and acoustic instruments gets under your skin and whisks you in to a split tempo, split personality of rough and smooth, wet and dry, sugar and salt anomalies of what one might witness when, well running outside, through the trees, in dark corridors of a haunted castle, walk among ruins, fight great battles, hide in the dark and sneak into a human inn. Great tunes!

Musical Zone Japan and Radio Rivendell - by David Purdie:
This the third chapter in the “Za Frûmi saga” is something I have been waiting for in years now. The buzz around this CD hyped me up as I for the first time put it into my CD player. This is the best CD in the bands orcish saga so far, no doubt about that. The sounds are so good I get goose bumps all the time and the music is masterfully written.
The story is deep this time and if I had any problems with the early ones that would be it. Now when that is gone and the story has many layers everything is like a great film.
I want this film to get an Oscar! And I have not seen any pictures except the strange and weird artwork and the cover. I can only suspect the artwork are pictures of the shaman with a mask or something. Very weird and intriguing.
All you readers need to know about this CD is that the music and story is done by masters and that this is a masterpiece!
Some people might say that this CD is too much radio theatre. I think Za Frûmi walk on a rather thin line but as they have other branches of the projects and also great solo projects, they can go all the way. Za Shrak is the craziest of all the songs and I am blown away. Also “Fashati” is extremely moody and in one place in it two of the creatures step into an inn. Simon Heath and Simon Kölle are such magicians when it comes to sounds that they create a perfect picture with the sounds as one hear they sneak in and later on sneak out. The humans are always folly, stupid or brutal in the story.
On Immra we here Antonia Simonovich sing a beautiful song which is haunting and very unique. Immra is one of the dark elves in the story and they also have an own language. Everything is written in the big booklet and in there one can easily follow what happens. One can also read about the first and second chapter so people don’t need to buy them.
Can I say anything bad about this release? No I cannot do that. I love it and I can’t wait to hear it again and again and again. It’s so rich one can listen to it 100 times without hearing it all. I am not exaggerating here folks!
Okay, I realize some people will hate the CD and the idea. Some stupid people will say it’s not music (without knowing much about music history and theory) and they will keep on listen to the same things as everybody else. Za Frûmi will be remembered 20 years from now as they stand out. The ones that don’t hate it will love it to death!

I thought about giving this CD 6/5 but I am not allowed to do it so 5/5 it is!

Mentenebre - by Fernando O. Paino:
7,5/10
Originally in spanish.

“Shrak Ishi Za Migul” is the fifth work of Za Frûmi, a set made up of two great ones in fantasy music and Dark Ambient, Simon Kölle and Simon Heath.
In “Shrak Ishi Za Migul” you hear acoustic, instrumental music with a context inspired by the fantasy world that J.R.R Tolkien created in his famous stories. Like the Zarzuela once was like (note: music, song, dialog) within this album a history between different charachters and many-colored races is narrated. Among them we can emphasize with the Orcs over all the others, although others like the dark elves take part. On the other hand appear several subdivisions of races like Goblins, one of the races is called "Dagalush", as ugly as the orcs, but smaller than the orcs.
Also an appearing Goblin-like creature is the race known as "Kapul", they are a little greater than previous mentioned and the rarest ones. Thanks to the sky that 90% of the population in the world are humans. The charachters in this CD must undergo very much. In most songs one can hear horror shouts. In order to develop this fantasic history the fundamental language used is the orcs language. That language create the framework. In the booklet one can read a translation of what is said. Without the translation one might not now if what was said was spoken military or about roasting a red deer.
The history is perfect and aided by sounds of bonfires, swords nailing in the ground and hitting against others, musas and, mainly, wars; battles and more battles treated about a spectacular form, taking care of and measuring at any moment the used intensity of the sounds and effects to obtain the suitable result, in such a way that the listener feels that she is in the middle of the scene.
The origin of Za Frûmi goes back to year 2000, the band appeared before the international market with its first launching, “Za Shum Ushatar Uglakh”, just by looking at its cover one can allready be making an idea of the content of the CD. In the title page appears the image of an orc perfectly adorned for the battle. Within him this and other personages summon up life, conforming a singular history in each one of their songs.
The second delivery of the saga with the name of “Tach” made them well-known, that contains of nothing less than 17 songs with effects recorded in castles, forests and caves to give a greater realism to its sound.
On the other hand, Za Frûmi decided to make a parenthesis in this saga to give to light two denominated acts called “Legends”, both purely instrumental, but with a narrative value in text.
The second of the Legends acts is dedicated to the incredible history of two vampires, giving a result of one of the most recommendable discs of this impressive set. It also emphasizes the artistic beauty of fantastic style that presents/displays their covers and the well-taken care of edition that the Swedish label Waerloga carries out.
With the begining of 2007, the third delivery of the interrupted saga arrives back to our hands after six years of waiting. A true wonder that I recommend to all the lovers of the world of Tolkien and roleplay games in general.
The two creators can be very proud of their work, although they are not close to inexpericed.
On one hand, Simon Kölle maintains a parallel project in the other well-known formation Abnocto, of which a debut soon will arrive. In addition to this and Za Frûmi, the composer got powers left to make a solo project titled "Musterion", published by Horus CyclicDaemon. On the other hand, Simon Heath is as Kölle a member of Abnocto and also has its own solo project, "Atrium Carceri", that is published by Cold Meat Industry.

Za Frûmi deliever a message to the average Earth:  To always travel is fantastic if it is done in good company.

Aquarius Racords:
It's been a long wait, but now, after 5 years (note: 6 years), we return to the ongoing saga of Uglach and his band of Orcs. You heard us, Orcs! We know some of you have been waiting like a kid at Christmas for the next installment. But those of you who are new to the wonderful world of Za Frumi, are in for a treat. An entire world, a wild cast of characters, most of them Orcs, the entire drama played out like a radio play, complete with the sounds of battle, music, and most importantly dialogue. Yep, dialogue. Except for brief passages in Dark Elf, all delivered in actual Orcish (aka Black speech).
Where as chapter 2 was heavier on the music with much less focus on the story and thus less dialogue, chapter three is all about the story, tons of action, loads of dialogue, all printed in the cd booklet too so you can follow along. And it's not necessary to have heard the first two chapters to get into chapter 3, as Uglach recalls the events of the first two chapters at the beginning of the disc (although the speech is in Orcish). The music is cool too, heavy on the brooding dark ambient, with rumbling drones, and haunting melodies, simple martial drumming, epic sweeping strings, occasionally the music slips into a more sort of
Renaissance Faire sort of folk, but as the majority of the story is a tale of death and destruction, war and revenge, the music is suitably dark.
And even if you have no interest in the fate of the Orcs, or the life of Uglach and his friends, or the story at all, purely as a sound document, Shrak Ishi Za Migul is a captivating listen, equal parts, radio drama, soundtrack, field recording and high concept art piece. So good.
          It had been so long since we had visited Uglach's world, we had almost forgotten how bracing it was, what a dangerous and vicarious thrill it was to ride alongside the Orcs in battle, to grieve the dead, to drink and sup, and to luxuriate in the epic and majestic sounds of the mighty Za Frumi!!

Spirit of metal - by Irma S. Mandel:
Rate: 19/20
This strange album is done by two very good composers from Sweden. Both of the members have very cool solo projects but Za Frûmi kick some serious ass! I am well aware of the fact that some people do not like dark fantasy and orcs. This project is not for all people.
I have always enjoyed the group's ability to successfully experiment with different musical styles into a good base of dark ambient fantasy music. One of the most appealing parts of Za Frûmi´s very cool sound has always been the acoustic sounding instruments and the druming! Always with hints of orchestral film music and I don´t mean the boring orchestrations but the intense ones of Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer. Don´t get me wrong as Za Frûmi don´t really sound like any of the two mentioned but they got hints of both.
Shrak ishi za migul is the third chapter in the bands saga about a group of orcs lead by Uglakh. The greatest leader in all the world of Za Frûmi (see a map of it in the bands web page). The orc party always get into trouble and the story is really acted out extremely well with the help of great actors. Just listen to Erik Bolin as Tarlyn Luen! Next time I want to know more about the actors, but I guess Za Frûmi will not give us more info.
Sound fx, music, dialoge, and compositions that are very well thought out! That´s what this album is all about. Not an album to take lightly. This is peak material from the two Simons, and those (myself included) who feared we'd heard this bands best work in the past will be gratified by the strong showing here. Za Frûmi blends Celtic tunes and instruments with elements of soundtracks, horror and radio theatre with a great deal more success than was heard on "Tach - chapter 2", and it reignites my interest in hearing where Za Frûmi takes thier music next!
Shrak ishi za migul succeeds on every possible level, and in the process not only pays Tolkien the ultimate tribute, but stands as a major milestone of whatever genre this really is (Dark ambient, fantasy, film music, radio play or darkwave) and everyone involved with this project.
The two Simons awesome talent is also shown in the artwork. This time the booklet of shrak ishi za migul is strange and very cool. Very good work with colours and light! Maybe it could have been more pictures but the text (translation of everything spoken in the language of the orcs and the dark elves) is made up in a great way. The cover and back of the album is beautiful art worthy of being presented in art shows in New York and Paris.
Love this album! Or Hate it! The music Za Frûmi create stays with you -- it is dark, fun, and wonderful! A must for all that love dark fantasy!

KBGA College Radio Missoula, MT, USA - by DJ Raven:
Za Frumi's music is like none other! Dark, atmospheric, hypnotising, and unique. The sound of the orcs intertwined with ageless song proves an original combination. I'm definitely proud to play the band's creations on my station!
The album is very heavy on the orcs and i like it. The crisp album art on shrak ishi za migul is perfect. I love the musical soundscapes of Za Frûmi the best. What a neat concept.

Kulturen (and maybe other publications) - by Roberto Fogelberg Rota:
Originally in Italian and translated by Roberto to Swedish and after that to English.

A royal feast.
Thoughts about Za Frûmi's “Shrak ishi za migul”.
It is not often I listen to something that's not classical opera, hard rock, romantic or film music but Za Frûmi's trilogy and Legends 1 and 2 are really good modern operas. They can appeal to many and definitely appeal to me. “Shrak ishi za migul” is one of the bands most funny and skillful pieces. It's not only music but an opera like film music should be mixed with sound effects and dialogue. Simon Kölle, one of them behind the group, is a music composer that should fit perfect in the world of film and it's (to say the least) strange that SF (Svensk filmundustri) not are inspired by this excellent film creator.
The film genre that stands closest to Za Frûmi is without a doubt fantasy. In “Shrak ishi za migul” we tag a long adventures evil creatures, that we know of from films such as “Eragon” (It's strange the dragon Safira was not given a price during the Oscars) and Peter Jackson's “The Lord of the rings” trilogy, known as the orcs. In their language. Tolkien was more than a fantastic storyteller a genial linguist and with the help of his skills, knowledge and fantasy created languages from scratch to the different races. The race of the orc, so often ridiculed and who's only part in the film was to be murdered by the heroes, had in book by Tolkien attempts to go into their psyche to find different sides of their personalities. The language of the orcs are often deep and spoken rather slowly and only from the throat (I hope nobody will be angry but I see many similarities with my notion of Danish and dialects from southern France) gives me the feeling of power and with time makes us want to know the end of the story. As so often with Operas, to mention a example Jancek's “Makropoulos case”, the most important thing is not to follow what happens but how it happen and the different shifts and turns in rhythm, sound effects of duels and more.
“Shrak ishi za migul” is an action album, exciting, but on occasions there are classical very melodic parts as in the case with “Bartomat ishivosh” or in the English translation “Riding away”. Or “Fashati” (“Villages”) the most beautiful piece in the album with melodies that change in rhythm and breaks off with speech and not with song. An approach that Simon Kölle and Simon Heath was not the first to create. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder's “The magic flute” (“Die Zauberflöte”) has that to. The shift's in melodies make “Shrak ishi za migul” not only skillful musical pieces but an example of the epic tales that make us remember the ancient Nordic poems such as Beowulf and the tales of Ragnarök.What is even more interesting – no valuation what so ever – is that Kölle and Heath try to explain evil forces.
The only possible negative thing about this music is that in difference to rock and roll it cannot be played with just a few instruments and sound recordings. It would work as an choreographed ballet. Maybe something for the Stockholm Opera house or Dansens Hus.

Malignant Records:
Really fascinating stuff here and a must for Lord of the Rings enthusiasts. Za Frumi has painstakingly created an elaborate musical and narrative creation centered around a wayward group of orcs and their adventures in deep forests and mysterious castles. Using theatrical dialogue and spoken entirely in orcish, this plays out very much like a film (or, rather, radio play), only sans the visual aspects. Dramatic atmospheric sounds, rhythmic drums, natural recordings, and a continual stream of grunts, guttural growls, and gravelly orc vocals are only only a part of this CD. Seeing as how we’ve never carried the previous 2 Cds in the series, we come into it mid story line, but some background is given in the liner notes, and really, the story line is sort of secondary until you get the prior two Cds, which we hope to get shortly. This is the extremly awaited third chapter in the Za Frûmi saga. Over 20 actors helped Simon Heath (Atriurm Carceri) and Simon Kölle (Musterion) complete this masterpiece. A fluteplayer, singers and others were brought in to make the third chapter a unique experience. And unique it is! There is NOTHING like this out there, period. Not so cheap, but considering the work that went into it, and the design, it certainly is justified.

Gothtronic - Beautevil:
7/10
The continuation of Uglakh his adventures sounds more like spoken word than its predecessors. There is not much space for music on this CD. Therefore it’s not easy to grade "Shrak Ishi Za Migul", because fans of the fantasy tale, with orcs and dark elves, will be pleased with the end result. The tale is explained in English in the notebook, but the spoken language is not understandable for (normal) people ears and is therefore not easy to follow. For people who expect music there are only some moments that will enlighten them. Only at song number seven you can really jump filled with joy, because ‘Immra’ (with a woman singing) is directly the best song that Za Frûmi ever has released (and that says a lot). Melancholia and dark, mystical forces in one!

Joyzine - by Mikael Mjörnberg:
Originally in Swedish

This ladies and gentlemen might be the strangest album that ever been reviewed by Joyzine. A mixture that can get the most complexed noise releases appear as enormously straight forward and easy to understand. "Shrak ishi za migul" is in a way noise even though at the same time a soundtrack and radio theatre.
Why is it strange? Za Frûmi here tell us the third chapter in a story about a gang of orcs and their hardship in a distant fantasy world. The dialogue they and their adversary’s use are long and very verbose. And it is present in their own language - black speech. For those of you, including me, that’s not so familiar with fantasy terminology can I emphasize that it sounds like the unintelligible grunting portrayed in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. With other words it’s hopeless to understand anything. I had problems even though the translation to English can be found in the CD-booklet. It’s hard to be wholly absorbed.
Because of this Za Frûmi should be something only for the most inveterate nerds, the ones that have made the trouble the language of the orcs. But that’s fortunately not the case. If you ignore that something can get lost when told in a unintelligible language the story is indeed dramatic. The duo Simon Kölle and Simon Heath are the ones behind Za Frûmi. They are sound artists with class. The atmospherically sounds are filmatic and summon up inner pictures of what happens. The fingertip feeling for creating illusions is total.
In addition to that they use music in a way that’s not long behind the most skillful film makers. "Shrak ishi za migul" might have been the soundtrack to one of the Lord of the rings films. The handicraft is awesome. But as a full length CD the concept can be a bit tough when the theme is so obviously directed towards a little click of deeply initiated.

Amon Hen (UK Tolkien Society´s Journal) - by Michael Cunningham:
'Tach' (2001) and 'Shrak ishi za Migul' (2006) CD

Za Frûmi is the musical creation of Simon Heath and Simon Kölle and the two CD's under review are actually Chapters Two and Three of a trilogy. Za Frûmi in the context of the CD's may be outlined as a world in which, '...the spirits are constantly interacting with creatures in the wilderness and in ancient places. The righteous spirits are called "Frûmi" and the evil called "Ari"'. The primary actors in this world are orcs, Ologs and Uruks which makes for a very challenging listen as the music is interlaced with dialogue spoken in Orkish; but it is a language derived by both Simon Heath and Simon Kölle rather than extrapolated from Tolkien. However the environment Tolkien's orcs inhabited together with clues to their brutal society and language has greatly influenced not only Za Frûmi but also the myriad of Orkish representations found in other genres such as gaming and literature.
The CD's may be seen to resemble concept albums in that they both contain a narrative of sorts which unfolds in a progressive manner from the intro to the outro although their form is more of that of a play in which all dimensions are made as 'real' as possible. 'Tach' is formed around a steady progression of percussion and ethnic instruments what this achieves is an evocative background layering upon which the adventures undertaken by a group of orcs is recounted through dialogue and sound effects, such as the rasping of swords or a blizzard. The CD's are constructed in the form of theatre; the orcs are convincingly voiced and their world is part-formed through background sounds through which the listener may complete the picture, as it were, with their imagination. For a project of this nature to succeed it needs to be approached in a mature and professional manner and these factors are cognizant in both CD's. Swirling atmospheres surround the actors driven, in parts, by rumbling percussions which on occasion add a tribal flavour to the dark ambience. The world of the orc presented here conveys a lingering melancholy and constant struggle. The final CD of the trilogy, 'Shrak ishi za Migul' continues with the ominous themes but the dialogue commands more of a presence than with 'Tach' and to some degree it may be seen as a part of the instrumentation as the tonations and accents benefit the mood of the story. 'Shrak ishi za Migul' flows with a greater dark ambience which instils a chthonic atmosphere to the proceedings. Yet this CD feels more accomplished in respect of its formulation and execution. A track called, 'Immra' is a stunning arrangement containing a haunting female vocal that elicits an entrancing piece complete with sound of rain and the distant chimes of a bell. It is in such an evocation of atmosphere that Za Frûmi are more than capable.
These CD's are indeed challenging providing a rewarding escape especially if listened to in their entirety but they should not be approached as Tolkien proper (the events do not take place in Middle-earth or are even assumed to).They are competent recordings in that one is enveloped by a unique world of theatre in which the orc takes centre stage and their martial society which has held fascination for many readers both within and without Tolkien's works.