Give Frederick Von Hamilton credit for consistency. All of his many recordings under the Vampire Nation moniker, and all of the tracks on each LP, follow the same basic formula: heavy, downtempo beats entombed in sepulchral Egypto-Arabian melodies — always served up with a heap of pseudo-history. Case in point: VN's ninth LP takes its title from "the legendary Queen Calafia, the Black Amazon Queen after whom California was named [who] reigned supreme over the original settlers of California (known as the Black Californians in historical circles). Left unmentioned is the fact that Calafia was the invention of 15th century author Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, who thrilled his contemporaries with fantastic tales of brave knights in the New World. If you're down with Fred's trip, you won't be disappointed by Calafia. If, however, like me, you yearn for signs of growth, or at least diversity, then you may happily do the laundry while this plays, sublime in the knowledge that you won't miss much.

Contact Information:
Hexagon Records
POB 42303
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
USA
http://www.vampirenation.us

Other recordings by Vampire Nation:
Dead City Diary (2003)
Eternal (2002)
Cosmos (2001)
Wise-Ta-Nech (Pre-European Africa) (2001)
Coph Nia [The Hexagon Chronicles] (1997)

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