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Various Artists - Dark Ambient Vol. 14

22/9/2017

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dark ambient / drone / ambient / experimental 
Sombre Soniks
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The Sombre Soniks label returns with edition fourteen of their bi-annual compilation series, simply named 'Dark Ambient'. Usually, for these compilations, the acts within Sombre Soniks stable create new and exclusive tracks, based around one certain theme. This time, the label asked the project to create a soundtrack for an imaginary horror movie. In that, pretty much all of these acts have succeeded very well. 'Dark Ambient 14' is loaded with dark soundscapes, haunting field recordings and eerie atmospheres. When you purchase 'Dark Ambient Vol. 14' for £1 or more and you will receive an exclusive bonus mini-compilation as well.

Front Sonore opens the whole thing with an old school dark ambient track that reminds of acts like Raison D'Etre or Sephiroth. Over the haunting soundscapes, a sirene slowly lures you into the music. Next up is Cousin Silas and his long winded, gloomy track 'Quatermass Has A Late Breakfast'. This 30 minute track is perfectly suited as soundtrack for a shortfilm, perhaps one about the aftermath of war, or something like that.

Øystein Jørgensen -delivered a minimal track, called 'The Event'. Again, this is perfect soundtrack material, this time for something post apocalyptic perhaps. Scott Lawlor's 'Dark Autumn Dreams' is another huge track, forty minutes this time. Druhá Smrt imagined something in a medieval or ancient European setting while Uzbazur seems to dwell in abandoned factories or caves where strange creatures lurk. 

I'm not really planning a track by track review for this album but the quality and the level of variation on these first six make me realize something. It's been seven years since Sombre Soniks released the first edition of these compilations and many of the acts appearing on number 14 have been on previous editions too. I have been on them with my own project, Misantronics. My exclusive track 'Usher's Crypt' is on this compilation too.

But what I noticed throughout the years and throughout the compilations, is how most of these acts have grown. Druhá Smrt, Taphephobia,  sp3ct3rs, Grist, Babalith,... all of them are becoming indistinguishable from their predecessors like Svartsinn, Raison D'Etre, Lustmord.... The fact that Svartsinn is on this compilation, tells a great deal about the quality of the whole thing, not only this compilation but the entire Sombre Soniks label.  

So of course I will recommend the hell out of this album, not because I'm on it, but because this is a perfect overview of the current state of dark ambient and its related genres. I'm proud to be on this one and I'm proud to be a part of this amazing stable of artists. So go ahead, purchase this album now. It's definitely worth it since there are literally hours of music to be found. Now if you'll excuses me, I'm going to play it again and dwell in the haunted worlds of Sombre Soniks...


Serge

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