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.
