Friday 22 November 2013

Dark Review - Atrium Carceri - The Untold

Review of Atrium Carceri "The Untold"

By Casey Douglass

 


Atrium Carceri’s albums are my absolute favourite to kick back and relax to. I used to listen to so called “new age” music for that purpose, and while I did find it relaxing, the airy-fairy lightness was so saccharine, it made me feel at risk of becoming diabetic.

I first stumbled across Atrium Carceri on last.fm, having searched for some dark ambient stuff. One of the tracks immediately reminded me of the music from the Silent Hill film which I adored. I quickly bought his first three albums and the love affair began.

That doesn’t mean that I have taken to all of his albums. I bounced off some of them and really became attached to others like Phrenitis. I view that as a good thing. It shows that there is some variety to what he produces, rather than them all being the same.

The Untold is his latest release, and certainly follows in the same vein. Eerie footsteps mingle with deep white-sound rumbling. Vague voices speaking strange languages argue in the distance, but in the most unjarring way. The sounds of slithering and rustling as the music ebbs and flows, the odd piano sounds adding to the dark undertones of the unknown vistas conjured in the mind.

That is what I truly enjoy about his work. With his horror soundtracks, I have mentally journeyed through abandoned cities, across desolate landscapes, and ventured deep into the earth with something unseen and gurgling accompanying me. I have also fallen asleep, which might mark me as some kind of psychopath. I don’t know.

The Untold is well worth a purchase if you are already familiar with his work, or other dark ambient artists like Lustmord. If you haven’t heard anything in that genre, Atrium Carceri is the best place to start, in my humble opinion. I did.

Rating: 5/5

Atrium Carceri's Website can be found here.