The Moon lay hidden beneath a Cloud
Encyclopedia
The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud (styled The Moon lay hidden beneath a Cloud) was an Austria
n musical duo composed of Albin Julius
and Alzbeth. Their music reflected their deep fascination with myriad aspects of European medievalism
including ritual
, clerical chants and the daily experience of the peasantry.
, hurdy gurdy
, and Hexenscheit. Alzbeth was the primary vocalist for the group and often sang traditional songs in numerous archaic languages including Middle High German
, Latin
and Old French
. Julius provided distorted and backup vocals.
When performing live, the band often played in old churches, fortresses, medieval prisons and theatres that provided an appropriate atmosphere for their static, militaristic performances.
Early on, the band provided no official photographs or any more information outside of a Swiss mailing address found inside of the albums. The band rarely appeared live or granted interviews. No songs were ever given official titles. After their split, both of the duo were considerably more vocal and promotional images were released.
With each subsequent release the band presented themes traveling further into European history and becoming more martial
, choral and bombastic in approach, culminating in their final album; the largely World War II
-inspired The Smell of Blood but Victory (1997).
In 1998, the duo, also a couple, parted ways and recorded no new material. All of the group's music was released on their own Arthur's Round Table record label and distributed by World Serpent Distribution
.
. This has subsequently become Julius' main project after the split. Julius has since played live and released some Der Blutharsch covers of TMLHBAC material that he has claimed was originally intended for Der Blutharsch.
Alzbeth did erect an official TMLHBAC website and has said that she will be releasing material by a musical project of her own.
In 2000, Alzbeth released a book after the duo parted ways. This hard-back and cloth-bound book included lyrics, photographs and references for the historical themes used by the band.
In 2004, likely spurred by the bankruptcy of World Serpent Distribution and the subsequent out of print status for the band's entire catalogue, Alzbeth announced through her mailing list that Julius and she had decided to rerelease their back catalogue in some form in the future.
site as well as web archive not accessible as of 07.03.08
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n musical duo composed of Albin Julius
Albin Julius
Albin Julius is an Austrian martial music and industrial artist; his primary musical project is called Der Blutharsch.Julius founded the history-themed, folk-based ensemble, The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud...
and Alzbeth. Their music reflected their deep fascination with myriad aspects of European medievalism
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
including ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
, clerical chants and the daily experience of the peasantry.
Overview
Their music combined modern electronics, tape loops and samplers with medieval instruments such as the shawmShawm
The shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
, hurdy gurdy
Hurdy gurdy
The hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin...
, and Hexenscheit. Alzbeth was the primary vocalist for the group and often sang traditional songs in numerous archaic languages including Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
. Julius provided distorted and backup vocals.
When performing live, the band often played in old churches, fortresses, medieval prisons and theatres that provided an appropriate atmosphere for their static, militaristic performances.
Early on, the band provided no official photographs or any more information outside of a Swiss mailing address found inside of the albums. The band rarely appeared live or granted interviews. No songs were ever given official titles. After their split, both of the duo were considerably more vocal and promotional images were released.
With each subsequent release the band presented themes traveling further into European history and becoming more martial
Martial music
Martial industrial, also known as martial music, is a music genre originating in late 20th century Europe. It often borrows musically from classical music, neofolk, neoclassical, traditional European marches and from elements of industrial and dark ambient.-Origins:The genre name military pop was...
, choral and bombastic in approach, culminating in their final album; the largely World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-inspired The Smell of Blood but Victory (1997).
In 1998, the duo, also a couple, parted ways and recorded no new material. All of the group's music was released on their own Arthur's Round Table record label and distributed by World Serpent Distribution
World Serpent Distribution
World Serpent Distribution was a British record label and music distribution house formed in the 1990s by David Gibson, Alan Trench and Alison Webster...
.
Post-Split
At the same time as the recording of The Smell Of Blood But Victory, Julius released material on a then-side project he called Der BlutharschDer Blutharsch
Der Blutharsch is the primary musical project of Austrian musician Albin Julius.-History:...
. This has subsequently become Julius' main project after the split. Julius has since played live and released some Der Blutharsch covers of TMLHBAC material that he has claimed was originally intended for Der Blutharsch.
Alzbeth did erect an official TMLHBAC website and has said that she will be releasing material by a musical project of her own.
In 2000, Alzbeth released a book after the duo parted ways. This hard-back and cloth-bound book included lyrics, photographs and references for the historical themes used by the band.
In 2004, likely spurred by the bankruptcy of World Serpent Distribution and the subsequent out of print status for the band's entire catalogue, Alzbeth announced through her mailing list that Julius and she had decided to rerelease their back catalogue in some form in the future.
Albums and EPs
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud | CD |
| 1994 | Amara tanta tyri | CD |
| 1995 | A New Soldier Follows the Path of a New King | CD |
| 1996 | Yndalongg | 10" |
| 1995 | Kostnice | 7" |
| 1996 | Were You of Silver, Were You of Gold? | 12"/CD |
| 1996 | Madhr | 7" |
| 1996 | A Night in Fear | MCD, featuring Deutsch Nepal Deutsch Nepal Deutsch Nepal is the solo industrial/dark ambient project of Swede Lina Der Baby Doll General .- Works :Under the name Deutsch Nepal, Lina has issued eight studio albums and a 7" as well as contributing to various compilations including a split CD with In Slaughter Nativesand another with The Moon... . |
| 1997 | Untitled | 7" |
| 1997 | The Smell of Blood but Victory | 2xCD box including a CD 5" and poster limited to 2000 copies. Disc 1 was rereleased afterwards. |
| 1999 | Rest on Your Arms Reversed | CD, collection of all material on limited releases, all bonus tracks, compilations and unreleased material. |
Compilations
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Knights of Abyss | CD |
| 1996 | ON: The World and Everything in It | CD |
| 1996 | Palace of Worms | CD |
| 1996 | Terra Serpentes | 2xCD |
Other
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Book of Lyrics | Hard-backed, cloth-bound book. Limited to 777 copies. |
Official
- Official The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud site
site as well as web archive not accessible as of 07.03.08