The Noctilucant Bandcamp page is one of my favorite artist pages to peruse every-so-often due to the variety of music that’s offered. From the natural & organic compositions of House Of The Maker, the industrialized noise arrangements of Sonic Oscillations, various collaborations with other Dark Ambient artists, and the ominous ambience of flagship behemoth, Noctilucant, there is too much not to love and dive into at any given time. Back in April, Noctilucant released the winter bound album, ‘Amongst The Snow And The Shadows’ and this icy cold endeavor is quite the adventure in not only Dark Ambient music, but also the perils of seasonal imagination.
“The Flashlight Was Heavy In My Hand” proceeds with nightmare-like intentions, as dismal whispers and sound effects paint a vivid picture of a dark and perilous world. Gloomy drones and synth tones attune to the dynamics of this gruesome track as the malevolent ordeal continues for nearly eleven minutes. “Amongst The Snow And The Shadows” is full of creepy soundscapes and field recordings, but the frozen landscape begins to take shape with this track as the path towards desolation continues. Haunting narrations and the crackling of a moonlit fire are predominate, although a searing drone pulls its weight by creating a nice wintry tone. “The Boundless Ashen Horizon Awaits” is a thirteen and a half minimalistic drone, with bizarre synth tones and more harrowing narrations. The perfectly placed field recording makes the listener feel as if they are traversing a snow covered terrain in the darkest of nights with unknown forces of evil causing havoc on a seemingly endless journey. “Of Black Wings And Winter Nights” features the smooth but eerie sounds of masterful piano chops and grim soundscapes in the background. The addition of natural field recordings ensures an organic aura throughout. Every once in a while, ghastly whispers can be heard, adding a particular bleakness to this awesome track. “Counting The Hours” has a space ambient feel, even though the cracking sound of burning embers secures this song within the winter elements. The synth melody is supremely arranged and adds another dimension to this amazing album. “A Sight Containing Only Death” begins with a glowing drone and an interesting percussion beat that is soon followed by an obscure synth melody. As the percussion fades, layers of soothing drones come about and bring forth ghostly soundscapes that are downright horrifying. Again, haunting narrations provide an esoteric storyline that fits in perfectly. The final track on the album, “Some Kind Of Solace”, commences with deep modulations and reverberating drones that include distorted soundscapes and peaceful piano chops. The song winds down to a grinding drone that continues for a minute or so before finally fading out.
Noctilucant is quickly becoming one of my “go-to” artists for impulsive dark ambient music. ‘Amongst The Snow And The Shadows’ pushes the boundaries of the genre and impressively applies soundscapes, field recordings and effects in a way that that generates a lot of interesting track details. In turn, there is a lot of replayability with Noctilucant recordings and this album is one of the best so far. I highly recommend checking out this album from the link below, as well as the rest of the Noctilucant catalog. While you’re on the Bandcamp page, give a listen to the many other wonderful projects as well, as they are top notch listens.
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Links:
https://noctilucant.bandcamp.com/album/amongst-the-snow-and-the-shadows
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