Category: Dark Ambient

Owl, the solo project of Valborg frontman Christian Kolf, delivers an overwhelming piece of music. Post metal, ambient and doom meet and alternate in one massive track, clocking off at 22 minutes. The track was written and recorded in eighteen hours over three days, which definitely explains the organic flow of the whole thing. In a way, this track feels like a concept album, revolving around dark and haunting emotions. Calm ambient and modern classical passages make way for intense pieces of doom inspired metal and vice versa. For fans of decent narrative music, this is certainly a must-have, and that includes sludge metal aficionados.

Stonemule - Dystopian State

metal / hardcore

Polder Records

Speaking of sludge metal fans, they might as well throw their ears at these noise makers from Koksijde (Belgium). What Stonemule delivers is a massive blast of hardcore infused stoner metal, laced with grunge and doom and flirting with the extreme. How they do that? Well, first of all by a solid background of drums and bass, then by face melting riffing and finally by having three vocalists showing of their respective talents in singing, growling and screaming. The result is quite impressive, a blast of sheer energy. Eventually, they top it off with excellent musical skills by flashing some delicious solos. Nice work.

Ritual King - Earthrise

psychedelic rock / doom

When Planets Collide

Speaking of delicious guitar work, here is the new EP by English stoner rockers Ritual King. On 'Earthrise' they come up with three energetic songs. 'Ideology', 'Tides' and my personal favorite 'But Anyway' are uptempo psychedelic blues rock tunes that seem to come right from the early seventies. The jam-calibre is very high on these, making them all perfect candidates for live performances on sun lit (and probably smoke filled) music festivals. I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys appear on Desertfest, Up In Smokes and everything else stoner rock related in the near future.

Wykan - Solace

psychedelic / doom

A strange and bewildering piece of psychedelic doom metal, inspired by both old school doom and black metal, this debut by Canadian act Wykan is certainly something special. On one hand you get the classic riff worship, supported by methodical drums and clean vocals. Yet, on the other hand, there is that cold, eerie and vile atmosphere of extreme metal, enhanced by screams, growls and occult imagery. Needless to say perhaps but this EP is so varied that it almost sounds like a split-release. This is intriguing, to say the least and I am already extremely curious for what this act comes up with in the future.

Soft Science - Undone / I Don't Know Why I Love You

shoegaze / dream pop

Test Pattern Records

Hah, I doubted this single for exactly four seconds. I didn't know what to think about the jangling guitars at first, but then, when the rolling bass and the propelling drums came in, I became interested. Then the vocals of Katie Haley and I was sold. Now, Soft Science has a place in my shoegaze folder where it appears alongside acts like Belly, The Cranes and Slowdive. 'Undone' is my favorite here but 'I Don't Know Why I Love You' is in no way inferior. Both are energetic dreampop tunes, there is very little else to say about that. So get them, on April 6, if you're a shoegazer. Of not, check it out as well.

Maff - Melañiña

shoegaze

Then, where you're in a good shoegazing mood, you certainly have to give Chilean collective Maff a listen. I remember being rather impressed with their 2015 album. Now they return with a five track EP, blending shoegaze, dreampop, post rock and noise rock into another heap of delicious atmospheric rock tunes. In fact, opener 'Act 2' might soon prove to be one of my favorites in that genre. I love those howling, lingering guitars and that almost industrial beat. And then there are still four more awesome tunes to go. So yeps, shoegazers of all ages, you definitely need this one.

Nostalgist - Disaffection

post punk / new wave

Some more eighties inspired music comes from Seattle residents Nostalgist. Their music reflects the dark corners of that era, the one where The Cure, Killing Joke and Joy Division ruled. However, Nostalgist has also been listening to bands like Deftones and Alcest and they're not afraid to throw some distorted guitars into the mix. The result is a brilliant EP, containing six gloomy tracks which perfectly combine these two styles, or eras. Actually, I'm quite impressed by this effort. I didn't know this kind of awesomeness was still being made today. I'm sure that the old school goths will easily appreciate songs like 'Pendulums' and 'Present Tense'. Highly recommended !!!

Amusement Parks On Fire - All The New Ends

alternative rock / shoegaze

Saint Marie Records

English art rockers Amusement Parks On Fire return with a three-track EP which is as simple as it is brilliant. Opener 'All The New Ends' blends post rock with britpop as only the British can. 'Temporal Rinse' is a drone ambient creeper Godspeed! You Black Emperor wished they had recorded. Finally, 'Infernal Flame' picks you up and drags you to the dreampopping dancefloor where you will gaze at your shoes for what feels like hours and hours. To be honest, apart from the name I didn't really know these guys. Now I'm a fan. They only needed three songs to convince me, isn't that neat?

Grift - Vilsna Andars Boning

neofolk

Nordvis

Hailing from the lonesome woods of Scandinavia, Grift delivers two enigmatic neofolk songs. This Swedish poet/songwriter has been around since 2011 with several albums and a split-record with legendary act Drudkh.

On this two track, he comes up with two acoustic songs. I think fans of acts like Sol Invictus, Wardruna and Darkwood can easily appreciate these stripped down folk sounds. 'Bortom Berget' is my favorite on this two track, a solid neofolk track about nature and culture.

Giovanni Verga - Sylphic

experimental / ambient / noise

Unexplained Sounds

A more haunting and otherworldly musical view on solitude and loneliness comes from composer/experimentalist Giovanni Verga. With field recordings, no-input mixers and other kinds of sound manipulation, Verga created an alienating ambient adventure, on that delves deep into the avant garde. The line between music and incomprehensible noise is very thin. There are howling wolves, industrial soundscapes, vocal samples and mysterious drones but there are also tiny hints of melody. And obviously, there is this allover gloomy atmosphere which makes you imagine alien worlds and underground tales. Awesome

TRI:.OBYTE - STAR ⠃⠊⠗⠞⠓ KIC 8462852

ambient / noise / experimental

Speaking about sounds from alien worlds, this album certainly is an interesting one. With a mix of dark ambient, cosmic noise and tales about UFO sightings, this album takes you to new dimensions. I can easily see this music as the soundtrack for new episodes of the X-Files, or any other sci-fi series for that matter. Opener 'Some Kind Of Reflective' is haunting ambient gold and the rest of this record graciously follows it example, except maybe 'Visitation'. This one doesn't just take you to outer space, it places you right on the operation table in one of those abduction stories. This is a great release, certainly recommended.

Bloodkry - Dark Paradise

dark ambient / drone

Even more darkness comes from Finland, where Bloodkry reveals a new EP. 'Dark Paradise' contains four tracks, beginning with the hypnotic title track. I love the percussive elements in this one, it feels likes descending into an underground industrial complex. 'My Shelter' is a bit more friendly, melodic but also glitchy and unusual, like a post rock track that's falling asleep. 'Nowhere' is my favorite track here, a genuine dark ambient piece that brings many of the great names to mind. Closer 'Don't Forget Me' eventually comes up with repetitive industrial beats, along with hypnotic drones. Awesomeness.

Kloob - Remarkable Events

ambient / electronic

Dani Kloob has been making music for twenty years, from underground dance tunes to atmospheric ambient. With this album, he seems to investigate where ambient turns into dark ambient, balancing on the edge between the two. The result is an immersive ambient album, minimal but rich in both sound and atmosphere. 'Remarkable Events' is a perfect album to play late at night, warmly tucked in bed, reminiscing about your life. It will guide you into pleasant and adventurous dreams. I can't pick out a favorite track, because that's a hard thing to do with this kind of minimal music but rest assured, this is definitely worth your time.

Widow's Peak - Graceless

death metal

Right, time to blast some relentless death metal through my speakers. Here is Canadian horde Widow's Peak and their suffocating debut EP 'Graceless'. That title fits the load quite well. This thing is raunchy, filthy and gore, a blend of death metal, hard & grindcore, complete with deep growls, harsh screams and pig squeals. Fans of Aborted or Cattle Decapitation will undoubtedly get a hard-on from this stuff. I don't but I'm old, don't mind me. I know for sure that contemporary death metal, deathcore and metalcore fans will absolutely adore this. So, if you are one them, you'll have to check this out. Period!

Cult of Extinction - Black Nuclear Magick Attack

black metal

Sentient Ruin

We end this edition of Brieviews with one of the most menacing, unpredictable and chaotic releases I have heard in a while. German extremists Cult Of Extinction release a thunderous tape, loaded with a filthy and vulgar mix of death, black, grindcore and whatnot. Quite often driving on inhumanly fierce tempos, this four track aims for nothing less than your rotten soul itself. The result is a massive cesspool of noise, hammering and screams that will drain the last bit of hope for humanity out of your miserable life. I think I made myself clear. This comes highly recommended only to the most seasoned extreme metal heads out there.

Serge

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Brieviews 38

14/3/2018

Mixtaped Monk - Northern Eye

post rock

Indian multi-instrumentalist Mixtaped Monk returns with a beautiful, melancholic and immersive EP, dedicated to a dear friend of his who is battling cancer. On this EP you will find four tracks, each one balancing on the edges between downtempo electronics, experimental ambient and post rock. As usual, with this talented young man, that results in nice, friendly but somewhat stubborn music that has the power to both get stuck in your head and serve as background music for a nice get together with friends. Obviously, I can only applaud these efforts, especially when they sound this professional and unique. Definitely recommended.

Onhou - Onhou

doom / sludge / psychedelic

We stay in the downtempo regions but move towards the extremes with Dutch horde Onhou and their self titled two-track EP. On this one, you will find two ten minutes lasting tracks, both being outstanding pieces of psychedelic drone doom. The whole thing sounds a bit like Conan or Yob on LSD, and I quite like that. The music is harsh, dark, aggressive and as immersive as quicksand. It's also slow, very, very slow, yet hints of melody and tonnes of atmosphere keep the the tracks interesting, not only for a good listen by for several listens in a row. This is a dark entity with a bright future.

My Secret Safe - Storytelling

metalcore

Hailing from France, My Secret Safe delivers solid metalcore, compleet with the djenting riffes and the brutal vocals. On the other hand, you might also see this as nu-metal on steroids. Either how, this EP features an awesome intro and five harsh and brutal metalcore tracks. Now, I'm not really a metalcore fan but I can definitely appreciate the melodic passages in songs like 'Disruptive' and 'The Cure'. For fans of the genre, this is a high quality must have, one that also proves that the use of electronics in metal is no longer frowned upon. So, extreme youngsters, this is a must-have.

Alaska Gold Rush - And The Sky Dives Again

folk / alternative rock

Formed around a guitar, a voice and a set of drums, Belgian duo Alaska Gold Rush are about to release an intriguing EP. They seem to be influenced by American folk music but also deliver a great dose of alternative rock. That results in acoustic rock songs that bring acts like Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom and The Posies to mind. The EP contains six tracks, each one a gem in its own term. Although the songs can be surprisingly heavy, they are also warm and emotional. So yeah, this might something interesting to discover.

Things That Aren't There - Slow Down

post rock / shoegaze

Surfing on the waves of post rock, shoegaze and downtempo electronics, we find English duo Things That Aren't There. They could have chosen a better name because I couldn't find a bandcamp, soundcloud or facebook link to add to this brieview. However, I did find three amazing pieces of music in which slow, atmospheric music comes to life in a breathtaking way. Opener 'Slow Down' mostly takes on the electronic approach but 'Neon Cross' is a brilliant piece of post rock, one Mogwai wished they had written. This stuff really is great, perfect enough to send you over to Spotify and check it out...

Circus worlD - The Deceiver

alternative rock

For five good old fashioned alternative rock songs, we turn our attention to Circus WorlD and their brand new EP. Opening with the infectious song 'High', this EP brings us right back to the nineties and its raw but melodic garage rock sounds. What I like most about these songs is the dark rock edge that they seem to showcase. In one aspect, because of the guitars and drums, this brings me back to the alternative rock scene of the nineties but the vocals bring those awesome dark rock and new wave bands to mind. The opener is my favorite track, closely followed by the awesome 'Kill Their Sons'. Nice stuff, surely recommended.

The Divided Line - Paramnesia

progressive rock

This EP by Canadian progressive rock album The Divided Line suddenly went from "not bad" to "wow", halfway through opener 'Breathe'. I was a bit sceptical at first but then the mix of Tool, Deftones, Incubus and Russian Circles fully opened. Now I can't seem to get enough of this sound which somehow brings the progressive underground to the level of arena rock. In six songs, these Canadians clearly show their skills and talents as a modern day melodic rock band. They also never seem to lose their cool, never take things to the extreme and never tone down on quality. So if you're into progrock, you need this.

Adonai Atrophia - Metahistory

dark ambient

An immersive piece of dark, mystic ambient, courtesy of Bulgarian one man act Adonai Atrophia. While opener 'The Infinite She' gently lures you in, 'Al Awwal' brings out the haunting darkness and uneasy atmosphere that make dark ambient such a mesmerizing genre. From there the album easily maintains its grasp on the listener while guiding them along eerie soundscapes and fearsome percussion. The album contains eight tracks, with the harsh and intense 'Malah Ga-Mavet' being my favorite. Dark ambient aficionados can easily trust this release to deliver the angsty goods, I'm absolutely sure about that.

Barrel Blood - Midwinter live improvisation

experimental / avant garde / classical

Armed with violin, cello, their voices and an array of electronics, American quartet Barrel Blood brings strange but soothing experimental music. This EP contains three tracks, all improvised and recorded live. In all, you'll have over half an hour of musical experimentation that sounds both unusual and intriguing. There are hints of classical music, ambient, folk and avant garde but the whole still maintains a coherent and certainly narrative atmosphere. Fans of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Dark Ensemble or Kuro will definitely appreciate this music and I think even jazz fans will like it. Neat stuff!

Black Strike - 132

stoner rock / alternative / metal

Belgian alternative metalheads Black Strike have been listening to a wide array of heavy duty bands. Throughout this short but explosive three-track EP, all kinds of acts come to mind, including Alice In Chains, Channel Zero, Soundgarden, Kylesa , Monster Magnet and even Rage Against The Machine. Opener 'Rat' clearly draws the stoner rock card while 'Tiger' delivers some awesome rap metal. Closer 'Hunt' goes full grunge rock on our asses. So yeah, this is a surprisingly varied EP from a band I'd certainly like to hear more from in the near future.

Funeris - Baleful Astral Elements

funeral doom

Argentinian one man project Funeris delivers solid and sluggish funeral doom, seemingly inspired by the neverending vastness of the cosmos. On this album, he brings five lengthy tracks, plus one intro, with a deep, dark and massive sound, complete with deep growls. Fans of acts like Evoken, Until Death Overtakes Me and Shape Of Despair can easily trust Funeris to come up with the torpid and tormenting music they love so much. Personally, I love how the drums take this music to almost industrial levels, especially in my favorite track 'Through The Vast Cosmic Plains'. Funeral doom must-have!!!

Without Dreams - Funeral In The Infinity Of Cosmos

funeral doom / ambient

Don't go away yet because I found another funeral doom gem on that exact same bandcamp page. Without Dreams is a project that goes heavy on the ambient sounds but also comes up with the beloved distorted and droning guitars and the deep, guttural grunts. Here the tracks are even longer, all over twenty minutes, but they never seem to go stale. On the contrary, Without Dreams adds heaps of melody, piano and keyboard to the typical doom sound and I can only applaud that. So you'll have all of that and the usual depressive atmosphere. This really is funeral doom delight.

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Atrox Pestis - Hewn by the Hands of the Damned

10/3/2018

dark ambient

Cryptus

Well, it's Saturday noon and I don't feel so good. In the aftermath of a long lasting flu attack I'm still often plagued by headaches, nausea and fatigue. My resistance towards viruses and bacteria is still very low and since it is already been going on for several weeks, the whole thing is making my quite depressed.

On the other hand, I'm not one to procrastinate very often, especially not when there are heaps of albums to be reviewed. A day like this one is perfect to check out the dark, low, slow and obscure. In that aspect, this new Atrox Pestis album is a perfect companion for this dreadful day.

Atrox Pestis is Grant Richardson, also known for harsh ambient/noise project Gnawed. The music on this album can easily be described as dark ambient. It's minimal, lingering and gloomy, more or less a calm mishmash of soundscapes and drones. In four lengthy tracks, Atrox Pestis guides the listener along a gallery of foreboding, impending and eerie noises. Comparisons with acts like Atrium Carceri, Desiderii Marginis and Inade appear frequent, which is not a bad thing in this case. It just means that we are dealing with high level dark ambient.

Everything about this record looks and feels like the glory days of dark ambient, when labels like Cold Meat Industry, Cold Spring and Equilibrium music frequently delivered stunning soundtracks for depressed souls and tormented minds. 'Choking on the Waters of the Firmament' is my favorite track here but that is not an easy choice to make, not with this level of musical murkiness. So, obviously, for fans of dark ambient and ritual industrial and whatever you want to call these styles today, this is a highly recommended album, no doubt about that...

Serge

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Uruk - I Leave A Silver Trail Through Blackness

10/2/2018

dark ambient / drone / experimental / noise

Consouling Sounds

Uruk was an ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia, situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates river, on the dried-up, ancient channel of the Euphrates River, some 30 km east of modern Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.

Uruk is also the name of several musical acts, from psy trance to black metal and dark ambient. Not to be confused with Uruk-Hai by the way. The Uruk we're about to dig in to is a cooperative project, formed by Massimo Pupillo (Zu, Triple Sun) and Thighpaulsandra (Coil).

The album is one 38 minutes lasting track, which basically is a massive array of drones, soundscapes and eerie samples. The overall feeling is dark, challenging and at times a bit uneasy but it continuously manages to remain interesting. This is one of those long, narrative dark ambient anthems I love so much. For a writer like me, music like this is extremely welcome. It showcases scenery, storylines and events, which is very inspirational. Fans of Coil can easily trust Uruk to deliver the goods and the atmosphere they crave so much. I suspect the same goes for all dark ambient and drone fans out there. So yes, this is another highly recommended album from a highly trustworthy label that Consouling Sounds is.

Serge

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Brieviews 36

8/2/2018

Operant - Harnessed To Flesh

industrial

Berlin based duo Operant delivers an EP that immediately made me twist the volume knob to blast-levels. It opens with an impending piece of electronic dark ambient before entering the realm of rhythmic noise in 'Be A Boy'. Side A ends with a pounding harsh ambient piece, 'Chancellory'. Side B invites you to the heavy and dark dancefloor, blending noise with techno, resulting in the infectious 'The Sacrifice Of Meaning Power' and the chaotic frenzy of closer 'Dead Realities VII'. Fans of everything between Contagious Orgasm and Imminent can easily appreciate this. (S.)

Wild Mighty Freaks - Guns 'n Cookies

nu metal / hip hop / metal

French weirdos Wild Mighty Freaks come up with a fusion between hip hop and metal. Personally, I would just throw this in the nu-metal genre, as I do with all rap metal. I don't mean that as a bad thing, on the contrary. This is a highly infectious EP, well executed and with plenty of groovy riffs. Furthermore, I bloody love the ragga-induced 'Freaks' and the dark and angry 'Empty Skies' is one of the best hip hop tracks I've heard in the past nine years or so. Nah, for real, this shit is surprisingly good. I wouldn't mind of Wild Mighty Freak become the next big thing in the nu-scene. (S.)

Bongthrower - Demo

stoner doom / sludge metal

Now available for your wicked stoner parties: Bongthrower, another band that has weed fanatics' favorite tablewear in the bandname. Much like Bongzilla and Bongripper Bongthrower delve in the world of stoner doom and sludge metal. These Germans deliver thick doom riffs, crusty vocals and sheer power, combined with a low, sluggish tempo. This surely is something for fans of bands like Conan, Dopethrone, Yob and so on. My personal favorite here is 'Bongthrower', which also shows a bit of the psychedelic side of this band, but rest assured, if you love stoner doom, you will absolutely love these guys. (S.)

Ecloss - Diluvienne

black metal

Diluvienne, released on January 26 by French atmospheric black metal project Ecloss, is a magnificent, surreal and thoroughly terrific EP, that has on the quintessential structure of its omniscient sensibility the vehemently overlooking serenity upon which its melodies rejuvenate so ostensibly the peaceful eternity that dwells around the flexible frontiers of its everlasting and magnanimous eloquence, that seems to revolve around a sleeping conscience, that fully comprehends the mortifying exasperations of human transience. With beautiful and exceedingly poetic melodies, that virtually has all the necessary predispositions to expand the sonorous

elements of its sagacious and vividly spontaneous sensitivity all over its universe of demanding intonations, Diluvienne presents to its audience a mature, whimsical, cohesive sentimentally realistic and marvelously artistic atmospheric BM work. With wonderful harmonies that can lead you to an imaginary world encircled by the shadows of a permanent desolation, Diluvienne is the perfectly envisioned sonorous conflagration for this sinister, but exceedingly pleasant journey, made entirely on elegant and sophisticated melodies, that exposes on the peripheral parameters of its principles all the hidden beauty of a mystery inserted at the most fantastic abysses of the human conscience. (W.)

Valiant - A Timeworn Oath

black metal

An amazingly fantastic EP, that understands and penetrates deeply into the realm of atmospheric black metal, A Timeworn Oath is a thoroughly poetic, charming, serene and philosophic state of the art work, with pervasively dense and beautiful melancholic ballads, where an eternal winter sorrow dilapidates into the heart of the listener the despondent rumors of prominently defying silent whispers, that revolves around an increasingly tense, but peaceful interior darkness. With five tracks – As Echoes of Dreams, Distant Lands, Oath to Destiny, Forlorn Shadow and In the Midst of Worlds –,

this EP is a fantastic, lucid and poetic sonorous everlasting declamation to the universe, with all the sincere odes of ordination and vividly sagacious harmonies, that makes this work so ostensibly brilliant. With greatly devised, ascendant and almost medieval melodies, Valiant has created a lugubrious, but marvelous masterpiece, with this half an hour long EP. Definitely, a majestic and fundamental work, that will enchant the genre’s audience. (W.)

Tides of Emptiness - Tides of Emptiness

black metal

A greatly devised work, Tides of Emptiness, an EP released by the eponymous American project from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 31, is a formidably marvelous exemplar of a sound that preserves tradition, expanding its formula to a groundbreaking level of subtly genuine aggression, but without renouncing to a modest degree of delusional atmospheric tension. A little more than thirty six minutes long, the album has three very extensive tracks: Her Body in Ashes, the homonymous Tides of Emptiness and Finality of Existence. With rough guitar lines and a conspicuous brutality that dilapidate each and every furious stigma of its hostile harmonious

sentences, the sound of Tides of Emptiness is deeply consistent and thoroughly reverberating. Rearranging in more crude patterns the sinister excellence of the genre, the group exposes at the sonorous horizon of its lancinating artistic patterns a cataclysmic sobriety, upon which every ghost that lives by the shadows of its harmonies should die, or accept the volatile integrity of its fate, at the request of a rhythm that disperses fatality in each and every one of its notes. (W.)

Vindorn - Perdition

black metal

A fabulous record released by German black metal act Vindorn, Perdition has seven tracks: Masquerade, Ansiktet, Panie Diable, Rozhodnutí osudu? Trest, Eros hemlighet, Vanmakt and Vládcové. With a sonorous fury and a convulsive energy perfectly able to suppress all the nefarious vicissitudes of the general melodic limitations usually heard in the genre, the dark and rude authenticity of the artist showcases a creative domain that not only enables him to perfectly devise a very singular style, but also infuse its own sagacious elements of aggressive dissonance within the introspective sensibility of the music.

While honoring tradition with a fabulous ordeal of acrimonious excellency and wisely restrained rhythmical barriers, Vindorn deflagrates at the epicenter of the harmonious convergences of his expressive splendor the uplifting urgencies of melodies amazingly conceived at the height of a true black metal insurgency. (W.)

Obscure - Zero Dawn

metal / stoner rock

Finnish stoner metal quintet Obscure deliver a riff-loaded debut EP with three groovy and heavy songs. They seem to blend metal with stoner rock, which rarely is a bad combination. Opener 'Zero Dawn' is a hard hitter, reminding me of something between Channel Zero and Mastodon. 'Low Low Down' takes on a more vintage hard rock oriented approach. Closer 'River' seems to combine the two. Not a bad debut but one that shows a few challenges for this band. For me, there are a bit too much vocals which sometimes overrule the great hard rock riffs. Like some say, "less is more". Less vocals leaves more

place for air in your lungs and thus generates more power. Other than that, I don't think I have a lot of advice for these guys. They have been going to setbacks and delays releasing this EP but they pulled through. Now all they need to do is rehearse, write, rehearse, play live and rehearse again. They have the talent, it just needs to bloom. (S.)

Ossian Smith - Sleepless Town

rock

Ossian Smith is a young Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist, influenced by everything between David Bowie and Soundgarden. He and his band deliver a five track EP with highly enjoyable rock tunes. In fact, the whole thing just puts a smile on my face as a big part of my youth seems to flow by. Bands that come to mind include The Scabs, Lemonheads, R.E.M... My favorite track is 'Jimmy Roux' and my least favorite is 'Rainmaker', but even that one is a pleasure to listen to. Just good old fashioned rock 'n roll with loads of energy and a very bright future if you ask me. (S.)

Servants Of The Apocalyptic Goat Rave - Queen Of Darkness

black metal / hardcore techno / industrial

Svartlava

I have to let my sister-in-law listen to this. She is a hardcore techno fan. You know, Neophyte, Angerfist, Drokz... that kind of stuff. Her six years old son is slowly becoming interested in what they call 'Yeng-yeng music' after hearing Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' on the radio. A few weeks ago I played Therapy? for him and he loved it. Next step is black metal, just for fun. Then, they can both listen to this bizarre and turbulent release from Servants Of The Apocalyptic Goat Rave, a project by Jason Köhnen & Jurgen Desmet with vocals by Baseck. Hardcore techno and breakcore mixed with chaotic black metal,

that is the recipe for this unique output. Of course, that techno escapade by Morbid Angel often comes to mind but here it's brilliantly executed. In that, perhaps it's not even such a bad idea to compare this to Zeal and Ardor. Both acts successfully managed to put two seemingly incompatible genres together. So yeah, this is unique and undoubtedly comes highly recommended, not only to my sister-in-law but to all extremists with an open mind. (S.)

Babalith - Gramatique du Ciel

experimental / ambient

Sombre Soniks

Portuguese Ritualist ambient act Babalith returns to Sombre Soniks with a dark, droning album which is loaded with voices. The result is a strange and somewhat alienating epos that speaks to you in many different tongues. Fact is, sound gave birth to communication, even way before languages have been developed. That is probably why this amalgamation of vocal efforts is so fascinating. It takes you on a odd trip through history, through the occult and through your own DNA. This comes highly recommended for fans of Diamanda Galas and dark ambient aficionados alike. Check it out, it's something unique... (S.)

Dark Archive - Cultivate Our Blood in Aeon

black metal

Dark Archive is a satanic black metal band from Finland, founded in 2016. The duo wanted to bring something fresh into the scene but their path was rough and full of setbacks. However, stubbornly the original members continued their blackened journey which leads to this jawdropping piece of work. I don't know if it is really fresh and renewing but the music here is massively varied and highly impressive. In fact, bands that have come to mind while listening to this include Immortal, Cradle Of Filth, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Mörk Gryning and Limbonic Art. And with that, I do actually mean all the best parts

from these respective artists. I stopped following all these bands quite a while ago but Dark Archive makes me hungry for blood again. Opener 'Cultivate Our Blood In Aeon' and 'Godfear Eradication' are brilliant pieces of late nineties inspired black metal. 'Unohda ei ikinä' is pure and utter chaos, dressed in immersive extreme music. I'll leave the other two up to you, but I'd definitely recommend this thing. (S.)

Limbs - Body Without

shoegaze / post punk / noise rock / black metal

Euhm, wait. Is Limbs four bands combined? These guys, hailing from Manila, Philippines, throws a wicked piece of work on the bamboozled market. Their music certainly don't fit one box. It's shoegaze, it's screamo, it's post punk, it's math rock and it's black metal, and that is just the first song. The only constant seems to be the energy blasting out of these complex and intense songs. 'Fever Fawns' is my personal favorite on this album but I'm sure fans of outrageous music can easily enjoy everything Limbs create. Besides, the EP is free for download, so there is absolutely no reason not to check it out. You'll be pleasantly surprise, I promise you. (S.)

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Urs Wild - The Black City

23/1/2018

dark ambient / electronic

In July I reviewed an album by Swiss producer Urs Wild (read), titled 'The Hidden Universe'. I was quite impressed by this effort, which I had discovered through the wonderful Unexplained Sounds radio show.
That same show recently provided me with Urs Wild's newest effort, 'The Black City'. Once again, I was impressed and curious towards the rest of the album. Long story short, here I am, engulfed in gloomy electronic soundscapes and a pitch black atmosphere.

So yeah, I guess another review is due

The album opens with the track 'Darkworks' and I must say, the flag covers the load perfectly. No need to gently lure the listener in, Urs Wild immediately delivers sonic grimness from a very high level. In a way it feels like a slowed down version of Scorn delivering the basslines for an array of drones and soundscapes, plus the atmosphere of Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore. "Doom ambient" would be a perfect tag to describe this music. 'The Well Of Sounds' gracefully follows its predecessor's example, showing basically the same deep electronic bassline which gives the whole thing a conceptual feel.

The entire album lasts for over an hour, with four songs taking up more than ten minutes. However, if you listen from start to end, there is very little that tells you that you're listening to a next song. As I mentioned before, the whole thing truly feels like a concept, or a soundtrack for either a dark sci-fi movie or a film noir. I can imagine a track like 'Underforce' lingering on throughout a Blade Runner scene. I wouldn't mind either, on the very contrary. What a delightful slab of dark drones this is. Raison D'Etre would be proud of Urs Wild.

Anyway, before I slip into writing a song by song description, allow me to recommend the hell out of this album. Urs Wild certainly knows the scene and he definitely knows how to produce excellent dark ambient albums. 'The March Of The Guardians' shows how easily this artist can cross the line between ambient and noise without losing the eerie, impending atmosphere. So yes, dark ambient aficionados, I think you need this album in your collection, even more than his previous one.

Serge

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DunJIN - The Conqueror Worm

18/1/2018

ambient / dark ambient / drone

As often happens in the past few months, I spent two hours of last Sunday listening to a livestream of the Unexplained Sounds Group. Every week, founder Raffaele selects a bunch of tunes and the rest of us gather in a chat room, being amazed about the seemingly endless possibilities in ambient music. Sometimes I click on the bandcamp links Raffaele provides and bookmark the respective releases for possible future reviews. I know, it's cheating a bit, especially since there are still over 3000 mails with promos to be checked. Yet, as you know, Merchants Of Air is about being positive about quality music and this surely is quality music.

DunJIN is a one-man experimental act from the Northeast of England, according to the artist a place which is cold, dark and beautiful. Those elements certainly appear in his music. He also claims to be influenced by acts like Earth, Mogwai and Jesu but you won't really hear that here. Instead of post-rock/metal, the six tracks on this album range from haunting dark ambient and humming drones to impending noise experiments. For me, that is just as good and just as welcome on my new Magnat speakers. Sorry, I wanted to brag about those things a little.

The album opens carefully as opener 'Ligeia Writes...' slowly lures you in. Once inside, 'The Tragedy, "Man"' shows you the way and shortly after the masterly dark ambient anthem 'A Blood-Red Thing That Writhes' turns the whole thing into something epic and brilliant. With an overwhelming array of drones, soundscapes and deep percussion, this massive track is an atmospheric masterpiece, nothing less. Obviously this is my favorite one on the album. Here, perhaps, the earlier mentioned influences come shining through.

By now, we're halfway through the album and I'm not planning a song by song description. I mean, this is a drone/ambient album with plenty more aural delight still waiting to be explored. Title track 'The Conqueror Worm' is another one of those massive anthems, this time driving on slow but steady drums. Again, it's harsher than most ambient music and it contains some more of those post-elements. Of course this album comes highly recommend to all you droners out there. This is one hell of an album, no doubt about that.

Serge

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Brieviews 34

9/1/2018

Vhorthax - Nether Darkness

death metal / black metal

Iron Bonehead

An interesting black metal EP, full of sinister and crudely afflictive melodies, in the best style of the genre’s old school, Nether Darkness has powerful and distinctive guitar lines, that ostensibly create an atmosphere of doom and demise. With rapid and crudely hostile, almost agonizing melodies, Vhorthax gets really close to what is known as blackened death metal, although they maintain their style more aligned with traditional BM. With pragmatic virtues that showcases a group in the complete command of its technical skills, the harmonies of this EP displays a world of good old fashioned black metal, with aggressive guitar lines, and a permanently lugubrious atmosphere. With six tracks – Altar I - The Mass, The Levitating Tomb, Stabat Mater, Thy Foul Graal, Crushing The Vessels Of Trinity and Altar II - The Descent of the Martyr –, Nether Darkness is a formidable EP, that has a tremendous amount of dark fury, delivered at the perfect intensity to reach the highest peaks of the black art.

Solip - Without

post rock / shoegaze / doom

An energetic, skillful and wonderfully captivating EP, full of great scale harmonies, Without, by Solip, an American group from Oakland, California, is a pretty reflexive, poetic and sensible work of art, ostensibly built on the axis of a profoundly philosophic and quiet serenity. With four tracks – Adaptation, Held In Place, The Burning Car and No Gomorrah – perfectly tied together by a formidable sense of unity, the purity of their sound is proportional to its intensity. With the logical propensity to wander above the dense fibers of their own fragile melodies, that seems to gravitate delicately over the everlasting rainbows of invisible, but palpable

delightful universes of sensitive compassion, the music of Solip seems to be the sonorous configuration of a reasonable moment of beauty, doomed to be ephemerons at the pretentious highlight of its infinite vastness.

Electric Hobo - Valkoinen Ratsu

drone / noise / experimental

This side project from Finnish act Junkyard Shaman delivers three psychedelic drone trips loaded with feedback, noise and shrieking vocals. The result is a one-man version of sludge doom bands, something between the haunting musicality of Amenra and the guitar noise insanity of Skullflower. Don't expect any tempos, percussion or soothing chamber music. This is harsh, intense and exorcising music that only those who understand this genre can appreciate. Yet, for them, this EP surely is a highly recommended gem. Best to be played loud, that's for sure.

Democide - Omen

electronic / psychedelic

Under the motto "experiments with techno", Democide ended last year with a two song + two remixes EP. Opener 'Lethe' is a gloomy, immersive and atmospheric track, thriving on breakbeats and soundscapes. 'Vanguard' follows that example and seems to add a touch of psytrance. The remixes are just as interesting, especially the last on, for 'Lethe'. This is a formidable dark electronics tune, one that can easily fill the dark dance floors. So my advice: check this out. If you like your beats broken and dark, this stuff is an absolute must-have.

Gurt - Skullossus

sludge / doom

The UK sludge metal scene seems alive and kicking and this Gurt-vehicle is a perfect example of that. With monstrous riffs, thundering drums and howling sludge vocals, Gurt rage like madmen. While most sludge metal bands cause some hooded head-nodding, these guys guarantee moshpits, crowdsurfing and beer throwing. Yep, this is party-sludge, the "grindcore of the doom scene". Fans of everything between Dopethrone, Slabdragger and Iron Witch can easily trust Gurt to deliver the filth, the noise and the overwhelming sound they crave so much. Party on !!!

Neraterrae - The Nhart Demo[n]s

dark ambient / noise / drone

This album by Neraterrae contains remixes and reworks of his early work under the Nhart moniker. In nine rather short tracks, the artist seems to balance on the edges between dark ambient, noise, death industrial and drone. Personally, I think I would and will place it in my noise-folder, where acts like Gruntsplatter and Deathpile roam. With shrieking sounds, vague rhythms and eerie soundscapes, this album is probably not suited for everyone but seasoned noise-adepts live for stuff like this. I am damn sure that most of those people will absolutely adore this album. So yeah, this comes highly recommended, if you dare...

Day Before Us - Nihil Interit

dark ambient

Rage In Eden

This album got lost in my mailbox for a long time but I'd still like to push it a bit. I've reviewed his work in the past and I have always loved what I heard. Not surprising since I'm a dark ambient fan. Yes, this is dark ambient, laced with neoclassical music and a cinematic atmosphere. The production quality is excellent. The music is well varied, giving each track its own identity and the whole thing a conceptual feel. There are beautiful vocals and strange, eerie soundscapes. I think fans of acts like Penitent, Raison D'Etre and Dark Sanctuary will easily appreciate this album. So to them, this comes highly recommended.

The Veldt - Thanks to the Moth and Areanna Rose

shoegaze / dream pop

Shoegaze / dreampop pioneers The Veldt deliver a solid EP with five new tracks and two remixes. As per usual, you can expect overwhelming guitars, dreamy vocals and an overall sound to lose yourself into. Furthermore, as atmosphere is concerned, everything about this EP seems to come directly from the soul. It's deeply emotional music that will make every fan of acts like Slowdive and Cocteau Twins burst out in joyous tears. The Veldt have been doing this for decades now and they still find room to improve and surprise. So naturally, this is a must have for all shoegazers.

Novaria - EP1

progressive rock / metal

Heading from Amersfoort, The Netherlands, Novaria delivers four quite strong songs. Initially, this was a one-time studio project but apparently Novaria is being turned into a full band. Personally, I think that is a great evolution. These tracks deserve a stage and an audience. Fans of bands like Katatonia, Anathema and Paradise Lost will undoubtedly appreciate songs like opener 'Into Nothingness' while Evergrey fans will adore the brilliant 'Blindsight'. I'll leave the other two songs up to you but I promise, if you're into atmospheric and progressive metal, you'll probably want this one.

Centripetal Force - Eidetic

thrash metal / progressive

Xtreem Music

A very peculiar blend of thrash metal and progressive hard rock that you need to focus on multiple times to truly let it sink in. These three songs by Italian band Centripetal Force bring some unusual acts to mind, including Mekong Delta, Thought Industry and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. With surprising hooks, melodic vocals, tempo chances and bizarre twists, this EP will either blow your mind or go mad. My advice? I don't know. Think for yourself for once, these guys do that and they've come up with one of the most mind boggling metal releases I've heard in a while. Weird but awesome...

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Moloch Conspiracy - The Burned Temple

6/1/2018

dark ambient

Cephalopagus Records

I like to spend my nights either writing something or watching documentaries. Usually, I combine both of them. Parts of my book have been written while I was watching documentaries about space, ancient religions or pre-Egyptian societies. Sometimes I wonder how much of the ancient pagan rites and religions are still alive today. Somehow they seem like musical genres, left behind and almost forgotten but still alive and well in some corners of the world.

'The Burned Temple' by French dark ambient project Moloch Conspiracy somehow reminds me of that question. It tells the stories of ancient hidden rites to the Gods of Persia through different eras. The temple is burnt down, many disciples have been murdered but the survivors and their descendants still perform these rituals, far away from the blind eyes of most humans. Just like musical genres, spirituality never fades away.

Musically, this album is a very nice gem. Inspired by those ancient rites and assumedly to acts like Raison D'Etre, Atrium Carceri and Inade, Moloch Conspiracy delivers six lingering dark ambient tracks. For a debut, this is very well done. These gloomy soundscapes and minimal versions of percussion or melody can easily satisfy every dark ambient aficionado's appetite. Opener 'The Gaols' immediately sets the tone. Nog long after, 'Baal Sacrifice' becomes my personal favorite.

Not an easy choice to make, by the way. I am pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of this album. It's very comparable to some of your favorite Cold Meat or Cold Spring releases. 'Voices From The Adytum (Feat. Earthborn Visions)' is another brilliant piece, balancing on the edge between dark ambient and noise, and quite often blatantly crossing it. I guess it's safe to say that 'The Burned Temple' is an excellent dark ambient, one I can only recommend.

Serge

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Martyria - Martyria

29/12/2017

ritual ambient

Malignant Records