MUUR’s bombastic approach to dark ambient creates a new level of ritualistic obscurity with ‘Bod’

Although the term Dark Ambient has a clear definition of what it represents on the surface, the genre goes much deeper than the aesthetics of droning soundscapes and eerie field recordings. From the early beginnings of analog synthesizers to the inception of electronics, field recordings, narrations, Gregorian chants, and acoustic instruments, dark ambient has developed into an intriguing, multi-layered spectacle that crosses multiple genres and appeals to a wider audience than ever before. MUUR takes all of this in stride and presents ‘Bod’, a fifty one plus minute dark ambient ritual that will equally appeal to fans of Sunn O))), Phurpa, and Neraterræ.

The track begins with some ominous ritual sounds with a slow introduction of haunting whispers, chants and electric guitar chords. In the background banging drums can be heard and slowly get louder as they coordinate with the main riff of the song. At around the twelve minute mark, the drum beat turns into more of a tribal pattern as the fluidity of the track increases. Several minutes later, the music gives way to some breathtaking Gregorian style chanting that creates vocal-like ambient texture that isn’t rivaled by many artist in the genre. At the thirty minute mark, the tribal-like drum patterns make their way back into the mix, along with a few field recordings that provide the sensation of a climactic ritual observance. This is soon joined by the low-end tones of an electric bass and guitar with the same style riff as in the beginning of the song. More chanting is introduced, as if the high priest of the dark is presenting a sacrificial offering to the gods. With just twelve minutes left in the song, all of the instruments and soundscapes come to a halt and give way to a harsh guitar tone as if the sacrifice has been completed and the offer to the gods has been accepted.

‘Bod’ offers a very unique insight into the future of ritualistic dark ambient music. If you like the harsher, more experimental side of dark ambient, this just may be the recording for you. The many types of unique, atmospheric expressions offered on this album are very well put together and thought provoking. The Cyclic Law Label has picked another superb artist to add to their lineup and this one shouldn’t be missed. Please support MUUR by clicking on the link below and downloading ‘Bod’ and enjoy the ritual ambience that it provides.

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Link:

https://cycliclaw.bandcamp.com/album/bod

The ‘Path Through The Realm’ Is more Adventurous At The Direction Of Haxan Dreams

Blazing a path of more than just through a realm, Haxan Dreams has created a soundtrack that could accompany any adventure, whether it be through an enchanted forest, an icy cold winter storm, or the grim hollowness of a desolate mountain trail. The music on ‘Path Through The Realm’ is simply stunning and is more or less a cinematic dungeon synth masterpiece. However, this album is so much more than that. As I listen to these arrangements over and over again, I’m quickly reminded of a time when these musical preparations greatly existed as intros, outros, and the occasional filler tune on many black metal albums from the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Album opener, “The Realm” has some great dungeon synth keyboard parts that are accented by low-pitched (and barely audible) spoke word narrations. “Mountain Passage” has a very old-school vibe to it as well as some nice classical arrangements embedded within. The backing ambient track would also be amazing to listen to on its own. “Forest Of Idran” is the first song on the album that has that classic black metal intro vibe to it. The arrangements of the instrumentation is so compelling and dark, as if the composer is writing of a journey to be met with demise. Continuing on with the elements of black metal misery type intro’s, “Love And The Abyss” starts off melancholic but counters that emotion in the end with uplifting keyboard melodies. “Battle Of Twin Mountains” is an ideal spiritual piece that includes some tribal beats and bells. Just as the title suggests, this track seems as if there is an engagement in battle that takes place in the mountainside. “Dance Of The Coven” contains some tribal vocal elements that work well with the crescendo of the music. It’s almost as if a tribe of mountaineers have claimed victory in battle and are then displaying their ritual dance to claim praise to their high lord. Album closer, “To Dwell In Darkness” is an eleven minute long opus that shows a return to the elements of true old school dungeon synth and provides the final gateway to cross into the realm as set forth at the beginning of the album.

Haxan Dreams has created a very mature dungeon synth recording that mixes several elements of other musical genres and ventures into tribal beats with narrations and chanting patterns. Of all of the great DS albums that have been released this year, ‘Path Through The Realm’ is turning out to be one of my favorites so far. Support this wonderful album that is out now on Dungeon Deep Records by clicking the link below.

Link:

https://dungeonsdeeprecords.bandcamp.com/album/path-through-the-realm

Hiemal Paints A Vivid Reminder Of Infamous Nuclear Disaster In ‘Ashen Winter Of Chernobyl’

It’s no secret that modern day humanity loves a good disaster story, especially if it made it’s ways to the annals of history at the expense of hundreds (or even thousands) of lives, or if the monetary value was so high, that it would take decades for companies to recover from them. Just a few off the top of my head that I can recollect are the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Bhopal gas spill in India, sinking of The Titanic, the Pan Am/KLM Tenerife Airport disaster of 1977, and most famously, the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. The Chernobyl disaster painted an extremely grim picture of how government & society – at the time – dealt with downplaying an incident of such a magnitude, that many lives were lost, a complete city was left in ruins and never to be inhabited again, and the cancerous fallout still lingers in survivors of the incident to this day. There have been many fictional and non-fiction movies and TV shows, and musicians that have become a sounding board for the incident in popular culture. However, none of them have quite hit home like ‘Ashen Winter Of Chernobyl’, a near two and a half hour-long monument by Hiemal.

The forty two minute long album opener, “Ghost Town” tells a dreary story of life in Pripyat after the last of the city’s population abandons for safety. These smooth, spacey drones sway back and forth in an eerie pattern as if you’re along in the sunless city, patrolling the streets to ensure the evacuation process has completed successfully. “Chernobyl’s Shrine” is a twenty six minute long, extremely bleak drone, that has a very calm and demeaning wintery vibe, as if you’re standing in one of the desolate parks looking out into the nothingness and holding your hand to catch the snow. Only it’s not snow but the traveling ash from reactor number four, less than twenty miles away. Next is “Falling Ash Over The Exclusion Zone” and it continues with the same atmospheric standard as the previous track. Knowing what this album represents, this track is especially relaxing and frightening at the same time. The final epic song on the album, “The Forests Claim Back Pripyat” is a heavyweight anthem coming in at over forty five minutes long and represents the many years of solitude the city has gone through and the only inhabitants allowed are that of Mother Nature. As the ash fades, and the smog gives way to sunlight, natural growth takes over Pripyat and reclaims its territory.

Hiemal have created a wonderful story that tells the harsh reality of mans mistakes and the disappointment of never recovering. ‘Ashen Winter Of Chernobyl’ is well written and produced and the atmosphere on this album is simply stunning. Support this outstanding artist and download this album by clicking on the link below.

Link:

https://hiemalambient.bandcamp.com/album/ashen-winter-of-chernobyl

Woodland Crypt’s Haunting Vision Conjures A ‘Gateway To A Forest Forgotten’

When I look back over the dungeon synth albums that have been released this year, it is truly impressive on how the genre has grown and the ways the music has branched out into many sub-genre’s. On Woodland Crypt’s latest EP, ‘Gateway To A Forest Forgotten’, the music takes us on a gloomy, deep forest adventures that has a cold, winter synth vibe to it, while maintaining elements of fantasy synth. This is quite an impressive feat for an artist that only has a few releases so far. The six tracks contained on this album are uniquely impressive and push the boundaries of traditional dungeon synth, almost crossing into the realm of post-dungeon synth.

“Sacred Glen” is an excellent choice as the lead off track as it exposes a particular calmness while traversing the gateway to the forest. “The Barbarian (Gûndabar’s Theme)” blasts right into a fantasy keyboard part that shows signs of aggression and commitment for the journey through the forest. The journey begins to slow as “Mausoleum Of Moss” provides a bleak atmosphere with some slight field recordings to give just enough atmospherics to set a gloomy precedence for the next track. “The Green Man” is an eerie song filled with lush keyboard tones and the occasional high-pitched accent that leans more toward traditional dungeon synth music. “Yule Festival” is a hymn filled with melancholy and crackling fire field recordings and contribute to the overwhelming sense of togetherness once reaching the final destination in the forgotten forest. “Return To The Mountains” closes out this astonishing album with an epic display of minimalistic synths and ambient droning.

Woodland Crypt has succeeded in constructing a meticulous album full of forest hymns that fit right in the ever-so-growing dungeon synth community. When a listener can don a pair of headphone, kickback, press play and let the music take them on a soulful journey, then the artist has reached a remarkable status. Although Woodland Crypt has only released two albums so far, they show signs of limitless potential and I’m looking forward to many more releases by this great talent. Join in on the journey and download ‘Gateway To A Forest Forgotten’ today!

Link:

https://woodlandcrypt.bandcamp.com

‘The Mist Between Mirrors’ Provides A Safe Haven For Dealing With Anguish & Isolation

Ambient music is a truly powerful art form. It has the ability to open your mind, emotions, and inner consciousness to take you to another realm, albeit temporarily. Even though many genre’s of music have that same capability – especially music with lyrics that the listener can relate to – ambient, due to its longer song compositions, can take the listener on a complete escape and then a return to reality with a renewed sense of vigor. The Dark Ambient juggernaut known as God Body Disconnect has made a career out using this platform for segregating the conscious and unconscious minds and then filling them both with a storyline of chaos and hope. On latest effort, ‘The Mist Between Mirrors’, we’re taken on a slow motion journey filled with disappointment, isolation, anguish, & despair and given the tools to combat those feelings with an outcome of ambition and desire.

Opening track, “Grief Of The Living” has an intro filled with field recordings taken from every day life and they are all thrown together in a way we can relate to. A short narrative describes the emotional state of the protagonist and the situations that he is dealing with, along with possible negative outcomes. With so many choices to be answered, soothing drones take over to put the listener in a meditative state in order to become one with the protagonist. “Binding Years” has a harsher, industrial-like ambient sound at first and then soothes into a dark reality filled with lush guitar tones. The next track, “The Longer I Dream, The More Disconnected I Become” has the effect of calming rain with distant thunderstorms, while opulent keyboards and pianos provide a melodic adventure. “Where Our Ghosts Disappear” is a beautiful track filled with soulful droning tones that finally provide a sense of hope in this story for the protagonist. The next song, “The Existence Of Stars” continues the emotional campaign as the song slowly builds in volume in the first half and then slowly fades in the second half. “Old Feelings Always Return” is a short track, that although calming, gives the listener a sense that the protagonist has doubts about his new found hope and is unsure if dealing with his struggles in this way is the correct thing to do. The final track on the album, “Another Lullaby From The Abyss” begins with some low end droning and water-based field recordings before erupting into some transcendent vocals and finally ending with elements of warm cinematic ambient.

God Body Disconnect is one of those rare artists that can actually take you on a beautiful – but dark – cinematic adventure without any visuals and very minimal vocals and spoken words. Although GBD has only released three albums on the Cryo Chamber Label, veteran status has been reached as these albums are meticulously crafted and elegantly produced. I look forward to many more releases by GBD and am excited for what they will bring to the dark ambient community. Show your support for this exceptional release by clicking on the link below.

Link:

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/the-mist-between-mirrors

Hexelwir Deliver A Flawless Medieval Score For Dark Enchanted Times

From the deep, hollow forests where dragons sleep, to the kings mighty castle on an oceanside plateau; to the villages where younglings are pilfering goods from the local market, to the halls where knights proudly practice their craft, and to the mystical lands where witches conjure up spells to bring back their dead, Hexelwir’s ‘Manifestation Of Forgotten Souls’ runs the gamut Of audible damnation and provides the soundtrack for which these territories tell their story of war, peace and survival.

Musically, this album is much more than a product of the dungeon synth genre, it’s a score to an imaginary story set in a fantastical medieval times that adds multiple layers of acoustic instrumental passages, haunting field recordings, dark ambient textures and the occasional black metal vocals to provide a sonic layer of morbidity that mixes extremely well amongst the lighter, more traditional dungeon synth tracks. “Silent Night In Transylvanian Forest” begins with soothing choir-like vocals and some nighttime field recordings before easing into some spooky keyboard arrangements with the occasional evil laugh that can be heard in the distant background. “My Trees Are Your Coffins” takes you deep in the woods in the middle of the night with black metal-like vocal narrations (that seem to be backwards) and distant screams. An acoustic guitar passage eases in about halfway through the track and closes it out in that fashion. “Fire In The Night” is probably one of the lighter tracks on the album that reminds me of an after-battle party song, where everyone in the village is gathered at a central location and drinking until daybreak. “The Land Of Fire And Steel” is another track with traditional dungeon synth elements but also contains black metal style vocals, as if an Order of Chivalry are being prepared for battle by the Knight’s Commander. “Dark Medieval Ceremony” is a twisted track containing screeching vocals, choir-like chanting and layered dark ambience with a touch of sinister field recordings to add to the overall grimness within. These are just some of the standout tracks on this amazing recording that presents a story meant for the dark imagination.

Hexelwir’s fourth album is an extraordinary album that contains elements of dungeon synth, dark ambient, black ambient, tribal & medieval beats and atmospheric folk music. Even though firmly rooted in the dungeon synth genre, this album is sure to garner more fans from other musical genres as well. The album art is amazing, the production is spot on, and for fifty five minutes, your mind will be taken on the most satisfying journey like never before. Please click on the link below and support this fascinating artist:

Link:

https://hexelwir.bandcamp.com/album/manifestation-of-forgotten-souls

Melanohelios Finds Warmth On The Brink Of Infinite Space

The struggles of fathoming time and space are real and the theme for a lot of space ambient releases is to expose the elements of deep space to the point where certain aspects are justified for exploration. Typically in most releases, there is an introduction of calmness before journeying to the outermost regions of the unknown. There, the music becomes darker with obsidian themes, usually resulting in a harsh ending with no turning back. However, on the latest recording by Melanohelios called, ‘VII: Warmth Within Endless Emptiness’, the cosmic ambient adventure takes us in the opposite direction.

Album opener – the near twenty minute long, “Void” – slowly builds into a dreadful flight of the unknown, that at first seem hopeless and endless for the protagonist. By the end, deep drones provide optimism for the mission at hand. Continuing on with “Inner Self”, morbid field recordings and industrial-like soundscapes provide an additional nightmarish spectacle that once again abolished all hope of success. “Fathoms” is twenty eight minutes of purgatory for the protagonist as the transition to light space is upon him. During this reasonably lengthy blackout period, we hear heavy breathing as he can only hope and wait out the middle-ground terror that is providing the safe passage to warm space. “Warmth” and “Warmth II” is the culmination of light space travel and the successful completion of the mission and/or the arrival at a safe destination to an Earthly environment where the scenery is alive and two way communication between beings exists.

As with all of the previous Melanohelios albums, there tends to be a well thought out theme that encompasses each track, that takes the listener on an unfathomable journey. ‘VII: Warmth Within Endless Emptiness’ is an exceptional story that is told well by a voiceless protagonist. Not only is the name – Melanohelios – a cool name for a dark ambient artist, but the logo has to be one of the best of the genre! Initially, one would think this would be a black metal album based solely on the logo, and although black metal & dark ambient do have similarities, this is strictly ambient art at its best! If dark, space ambient is your thing, it doesn’t get much better than Melanohelios so click on the link below and support this amazing artist!

Link:

https://melanohelios.bandcamp.com/album/vii-warmth-within-endless-emptiness

Nameless King side project, Halberdier, deliver dark fantasy debut in ‘To Return Victorious’

Dungeon Synth fanatics that are familiar with the works of Nameless King know that it is full of medieval, mellow song structures and contains elements of acoustic arrangements. Although a bit different from your typical DS album, it is firmly rooted in the genre and last months ‘Disciple Of The Dark Sun’ is one of my favorite DS releases of the year so far.

Halberdier is conjured from the same mastermind that created the aforementioned project, but this time fantasy-style keyboards and esoteric-themed arrangements battle to the forefront to make ‘To Return Victorious’ another DS album of the year contender.

First of all, the preparation of each track is extremely smooth and well thought out and blend seamlessly into the next as if the whole album is telling the story of a great King’s warrior returning to his kingdom. Additionally, the production element is fantastic! Even the low end bass keyboard tones that are present in a few songs are heard equally in the mix. Just like traditional old-school black metal, I know production is not an element of success or even a focus of attention half the time. In some cases, Dungeon Synth is the same way and fortunately – for both genre’s – there is a time when great production does and doesn’t work. In this case, it’s a prominent feature of this album! Some stand out tracks include, “A Wretched Sleep In The Rain”, “Fear In The Horsman’s Eyes”, and “A Proper Burial For The Fallen”.

I really hope this is a first of many albums to come from Halberdier. This is an exceptional DS album without having over-the-top quirky elements and without also straying far from the path. These ten tracks are so absolute, that the album will be on repeat before you know it. Please support this amazing up and coming DS artist by clicking on the link below and downloading ‘To Return Victorious’.

Link:

https://halberdier.bandcamp.com/releases

Linnea Discovers The Perfect Balance Between Dark & Light On Latest Release

Linnea is an ambient artist that often rides the fine line of creativity. One would wonder if she is a light ambient artist that dabbles in dark ambient or vice versa. Whatever the case may be, there is such a soothing and harmonious effort to her songs that you’ll find yourself often stuck in the gray – trying to decide if you should reach for the dark or the light.

On her latest monumental recording, ‘Finding Light In The Dark’, we can safely come to the conclusion that Linnea is an all around gifted ambient artist that can pretty much take her craft wherever she wants. On the near twenty three minute long “Fierce Onset Of Wintry Malaise”, droning keyboards shift from the background to the forefront taking the dreary blackness with it. “Finding Light In The Dark” is a beautiful track filled with synthesized orchestral patterns that is the polar opposite of the previous track, showing just how versatile this album really is. “The Aloneness” is perfectly titled, as it matches the music and gives the listener a sense of confinement, abandonment & restraint on society. This track is very minimalistic compared to most of the other tracks on this album but is probably one of my favorites, as it also has a very similar post-dungeon synth vibe.

In closing, this six track (over sixty seven minutes) collection will take you on a back and fourth journey through the darkest and light, but as the title suggests, will end on a bright note. That is a good thing though, because Linnea has successfully provided us with the soundtrack to our conscious, struggles, desires & demons and in the end provides the coping mechanism for how we deal with them. A big thanks to Scott Lawlor for recommending that I listen to this as it has been a wonderful experience and I am now a fan. Please show your support for Linnea and check out this album at the link below!

Link:

https://linnea1.bandcamp.com/album/finding-light-in-the-dark

Inoriand Sends A Chilling Reminder Of How Bleak ‘Silence’ Is In This Post-Dungeon Synth Oeuvre!

When it comes to music, specifically extreme forms, the term “post” is sometimes misunderstood and in some cases, way over used. However, when we look at the basic definition of a music genre that has the term “post” attached to the front, it really means that the music it rooted in that genre, but then branches out to explore other realms that may be rooted in other genres, or not at all. So my first thought when I heard Inoriand’s latest outing simply titled, ‘Silence’, was that if there ever was a time to coin the sub-genre Post-Dungeon Synth, this is the album that would start the clock.

‘Silence’ is definitely rooted in dungeon synth as the standard sounding keyboards are ever present. However, they are used in a very bleak and non-conventional way that presents an icy cold presentation of dungeon synth in a twisted approach with an almost dark ambient feel to each song. The nine tracks are simply titled, “Silence I – IX” and are arranged in a way that they transition smoothly from track to track. Most of the songs are very minimalistic with minor arrangements that add to the overall obscure feeling to the album.

When it comes to esoteric dungeon synth, Eldest Gate Records has just the lineup of great artist to maintain that integrity. Inoriand has a handful of great albums but ‘Silence’ takes the cake as their shining moment. I hope they continue to leverage this momentum and produce more albums of this nature. Check this album out and support all of the bands on Eldest Gate Records, as you will not be disappointed!

Link:

https://eldestgaterecords.bandcamp.com/album/silence