Dark Music Review – Archives I-II

Review Written By Casey Douglass

The Archives collection is a look into Atrium Carceri's archived audio files from the last 10 years.

This album was created using audio recorded during 2005-2015 and consists of B-sides, forgotten tapes, tracks that for one reason or the other did not make it onto one of the Atrium Carceri albums, or tracks that were in circulation but needed a remaster.

All material has since been re-edited, reworked, remastered and merged into two seamless tracks. The Scandinavian recordings of cold meets the post apocalyptic undertones of America as it was worked on in Oregon, USA out of the Cryo Chamber Studio, with material from both countries.

Archives I-II is a great introduction to Atrium Carceri for those that might not have heard any of the previous albums. It is also a great re-introduction for long-time listeners that have grown to appreciate Simon Heath’s multi-layered, high quality soundscapes. Archives I-II features many of the things that make Atrium Carceri, well, sound like Atrium Carceri. Field recordings, menacing drones, eerie clanks and rattles, as well as the odd ear-worming melody and inventive beat. Archives I-II serves up a veritable banquet in its two tracks, both in and around forty minutes in length.

It’s usually about this point in a review when I zero in on a few tracks I particularly liked, or talk about the images created in my mind by the dark sounds, but I don’t think long descriptions of extended tracks like these would make for very exciting reading. What I can say is that both tracks have a good variety of soundscapes and tones. As an example, track one gets started with a wind-like noise and some chimes, backed by hollow sounding notes and some staticy grain. There are some distorted tinkling sounds, clanks and rattles, the buzz and hum of radio interference, voices in conversation at a distance, drones, piano, reversed speech and gravelly footsteps, all within the first fifteen minutes! That isn’t even covering everything heard either.

Whether you’ll like the album or not will probably come down to how you feel about experiencing different soundscapes for shortish periods before things move on to the next. The soundscapes all flow very well into each other, the impressions created varying in light and dark, and always seemed to stay interesting. If you like a typical dark ambient track to create a space and evolve or populate it over the next x amount of time before moving on, you may find the variety and pace of Archives I-II a little too fast for your liking. Personally, I enjoyed this kind of “whistle stop” tour of some of the sounds and creations of Atrium Carceri, so it is with this in mind that I give Archives I-II 4.5/5, a worthy addition to any dark ambient library.

You can visit the Archives I-II page on Bandcamp at this link.

I was given a free copy of this album to review.

Album Title: Archives I-II

Artist: Atrium Carceri

Label : Cryo Chamber

Released: March 22, 2016

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Dark Music Review – Onyx

Review Written By Casey Douglass

3 veteran producers in the genre, Apocryphos, Kammarheit & Atrium Carceri, collaborate on this behemoth of an album. Each utilizing each others strengths to bring forth a dark and emotional ride through distant memories.

Onyx is a soundscape journey related to the reflection of dispirited memories and obscure sorrows felt by mankind. With the multitude of techniques used by each artist, it also reflects the rich history of the dark ambient genre and how it has progressed through the decades.

The signature analogue darkness of gargantuan caves of Kammarheit is combined with the sacral and emotional layering of Apocryphos and the rhythmical bass throbbing and isolated pianos of Atrium Carceri. This album was created by cross linking 3 studios in Oregon (US), Pennsylvania (US) and Umeå (Sweden). It took over 3800 lines of studio notes to finalize the album.

3800 lines of studio notes sounds like a heck of a lot of collaborating to me and it has certainly paid off with Onyx, a dark ambient album that is the perfect home for the atmospheric tracks nestling in its bosom. Each track fits in snugly with the others and all together, they serve to create an emotive and sinister soundscape that is a pleasure to listen to.

The Tracks

Immemorial – A muted rain-like sound is joined by a heartbeat-like beat and cold piano notes that give the impression of sound-waves resonating back to the listener from lichen-covered tombstones.

Ones Atop the Unknown – A repeating distant melody with reedy swells of sound and a reactive drone that seems to embrace and amplify the effect. It conjures a feeling of being stuck at midnight in a musty study as the embers in the fire place slowly wink out, darkness and the hot air mingling as the moon watches on through condensated window panes.

Night So Close to the Tongue – Another track that feels muggy and close, strings and chimes playing in a phantasmal room of mourning, creating a bitter feeling of melancholy.

A Lonely Strain – A dark echoing space populated with delicate notes that hang in the air against harsher vibrations and swells. Brings to mind what it might be like to watch a lone will o’ the wisp floating through a desolate cave network.

Aphotic – Eerie metallic resonances are joined by a fast paced repeating rhythm, a lot like a clock running far too fast. This lends the whole track a kinetic feeling of dark energy, the other aural elements, such as vocals and drones all underpinning things in a great sounding soundscape that expertly carries its own momentum.

Cavern of Igneous Flame – This is an aptly named track, the opening sounds giving a great impression of a flame-filled cavern, but with the added bonus of the possibility of some creature dwelling at the back, the impression of massive lungs breathing adding an ominous flavour to the soundscape.

Onyx – Delicate strings and a light drone create a mournful feeling before being joined by a pleasing beat that carries everything along. In places the track sounds like a hive of industrious bees before a melody change just after the midpoint where a few more notes come into play.

A Pale Sign Revealed – Rattling and vibrating notes dance with strings and higher tones in a slow-paced soundscape that haunts and escalates into another melancholy swirl of mist-like emotion. The gentle guitar melody is really rather nice too.

Avenoir – A similar track to the first, muted rain and cold piano notes providing a great shortish track to play out the end of the album, giving the ghosts previously conjured a nice soundtrack to walk home to.

Thoughts

It has taken me a long time to review Onyx, in no small part because my first exposures to the tracks often left me drifting off to sleep. That is in no way a criticism, I was feeling more unwell than usual and Onyx is a particularly mellow dark ambient creation. Staying awake, of course, gave me a far better understanding of what was going on.

As I have said in some of my track analysis, a good number of the tracks create claustrophobic, muggy feelings, placing the listener in a calm environment, but one that seems pregnant with possibility. I could definitely see myself listening to Onyx looking out through a frost-tinged window as night rolls in. It has that kind of cold beauty to it.

I give Onyx 4.5/5, the track composition and bitter soundscapes a great accompaniment for quiet introspection, or sleep in my case.

Visit the Onyx page on Bandcamp at this link for more information and check out one of the tracks below:

I was given a free copy of the album to review.

Album Title: Onyx

Album Artists: Simon Heath, Robert Kozletsky, Pär Boström

Label: Cryo Chamber

Artwork: Simon Heath, Pär Boström

Mastering: Simon Heath

Release Date : 8 September 2015

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Dark Music Review – Absence of Motion

Review Written By Casey Douglass

Album blurb: Alphaxone is back with his third album on Cryo Chamber, a truly moving experience with smooth reverbs, multi-layered ambience and intricate subtle compositions. Alphaxone sets a new bar for himself when it comes to production quality, recommended for spacefaring audiophiles.

It didn't take much listening to Alphaxone's Absence of Motion before I came to see the title as a little inaccurate; the soundscapes and compositions therein seemed to me to carry a great amount of motion, subjectively at least. Never one to let titles or track labels get in my way however, I let my own dark narrative form from track to track, embarking once more on yet another dark ambient safari.

The Tracks

Intro – Bird song and what sounds like falling rocks, accompanied by a hanging airy drone and distortion get the album off to an interesting start. The various sounds gave me the impression of what it might be like to walk into a hidden valley somewhere in a mountainous region, the sounds of footsteps aiding this impression magnificently. It seems however, that it is a valley that is as much aware of the listener as the listener is of it.

Appearance – An insectoid vibration joined by muted thumps, whistlings and skitterings as the listener espies the denizens of the valley for the first time, strange and fleeting in the mist.

Long Eternity – Digital artifacts, much like those seen in badly error-corrected video, flicker in dark caves that loom in the distance, a deep drone and tinkling chimes energising the air with strange notes. This track has a melancholy tint, and the tonal quality seems to change near the midpoint.

Space Continuum – Crickets and whistling are joined by effects that sound a little like wind, all hinting at a vast space within the cavern system that lies beyond that cave. A resonant tone sounds near the midpoint, flutish in sound, creating the impression of space shifting, like the glinting sun picking out the edges of some strange spacecraft in an area that had otherwise looked empty.

Dark Geometry – A dark drone with distant rasping sounds. A blending of the soundscape that gives a prolonged “Ohm” effect. The spacecraft sits in deepest black, all strange energies and angles. Notes give the impression of it beginning to come alive with lights.

Celestial – Wind chimes and another fluty sound meet with a thrumming noise. A high-pitched ringing like that of a finger run around a crystal glass joins, all creating the impression of activation or initiation.

Inner Horizon – A water/static sound is accompanied by footsteps and chittering birds. The spacecraft blinks out of existence and now you find yourself in a strange alien desert, a looming drone and strange noises your reward.

X-Land – A vibrating bass and rattling rhythm meets more digital/electronic sounds as the listener meets the natives of this new and strange location.

Close – A bass tone switches between each ear as rippling ruffles buffet the listener. You are led to a strange and wonderful tent, therein bid to lay down, the sound of strange breezes toying with the canvas lulling you to sleep amidst a pleasing drone.

Thoughts

Absence of Motion is a dark ambient album that revels in creating an absorbing sense of space and location, the various drones, chimes and ambient sounds painting the soundscape in some very alluring dark colours. The tracks are tinted with the taste of the alien, the exotic, and also the familiar in the sense of the few sounds that seem familiar, such as birdsong and wind chimes. However you look at it (or should that be listen), Absence of Motion certainly takes the listener on a mental adventure, no matter what the nature of the images conjured in the imagination might be. This, for me, is something that I prize highly above anything else and I am happy to find another dark ambient album that achieves this so fully. It's with this in mind that I give Absence of Motion 4.5/5.

It is also at this late stage that I realise that the title, Absence of Motion, might just as easily refer to how little movement the listener will make while relaxing and drifting off to this musical creation.

Visit the Absence of Motion page on bandcamp here for more information and prices.

I was given a free copy of the album to review.

Album Title: Absence of Motion

Written and Produced: Mehdi Saleh

Label: Cryo Chamber

Mastering and artwork: Simon Heath

Release Date: 25 August 2015

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Dark Music Review – Azathoth

Review Written by Casey Douglass

In 2014 Cryo Chamber got some of the most prominent dark ambient artists together to synchronize their studios during a year of collaboration creating the album Cthulhu in tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. With Azathoth Cryo Chamber double the effort with a 2 CD release follow up. No less than 20 artists has been working for the last year to synchronize and co-create Azathoth. Azathoth is a collaboration NOT a compilation. Azathoth is an Outer God in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors. Azathoth's precise appearance is only hinted at throughout the Mythos, and indeed may be unknowable by mortal beings. It is described as occupying a position outside of the universe, where it is attended by a cohort of alien servants.

Cthulhu, the collaboration mentioned in the album description above, is probably one of my favourite dark ambient albums of all time. Its one massive track took the listener from the stormy waves, deep under the sea and back again, dragging something eldritch along for the ride. You can read my review of Cthulhu at this link. With this in mind, Azathoth had me wondering if I would find another mind-blowing favourite to add to my collection, another Lovecraft infused dance with the abyss. Featuring the work of a whole host of dark ambient artists including Atrium Carceri, Aphaxone, Randal Collier-Ford and Ugasanie amongst many others, Azathoth had every chance of being something very special. Did I find my shadowy bride or was I left jilted at the alter? Read on to find out.

Tracks / Thoughts

Rather than the usual collection of anywhere from 6 to 10+ tracks, Azathoth comes in with two mammoth tracks: the first of around 55 minutes, the second just breaking through the one hour mark. I did begin to write quite in-depth descriptions of each track but abandoned that when I realised it would make for a wall of text and would probably not be the best way to approach things. I've decided to give a general overview instead, having spent a good amount of time with Azathoth and relaxed to it on a number of listenings.

The first thing that I would say is that both tracks are fairly smooth dark ambient compositions, containing flowing drones and ambient sound recordings that I didn't find too jarring. Of the two tracks however, “Azathoth 2” has a few sections in which there are some quite harsh sounds: an example being what sounds like someone throwing a pebble at a rocky floor and it shattering. It almost felt like being poked in the chest. I can imagine this will only be an issue if you fancy using Azathoth to doze off to however, but not everyone is as strange as me in that respect I am sure.

The sounds contained in the tracks all serve to take the listener on a dark journey towards things that are hard to give words to. I felt like I spent most of my time roaming roughly-hewn rock tunnels in the earth, some segments dimly lit and dripping with water, others black as pitch with air so thick that it is hard to walk through, let alone breathe. There are audio effects that sound like something breathing and flying past in the gloom, there are others that give the impression of industry at a great distance, like creeping past some vast cavern containing strange creatures delving in further into the ground. Voices mutter and mumble, sounding like they are on old radio-sets far away and bassy rumbles hint at the shifting of colossal forces.

For me, Azathoth is a meditation on the rock-paved abyss, gradually falling through the world until finding myself in some other place, an other place with strange denizens and a strange atmosphere that scythes away the concerns of everyday life, replacing them with more primal themes and motives. If you couldn't guess, I very much enjoyed my time listening to Azathoth and happily give it a rating of 4.5/5.

Visit the Azathoth page on bandcamp here for more information and prices.

I was given a free copy of the album to review.

Album Title: Azathoth

Album Artist: Cryo Chamber Collaboration

Label: Cryo Chamber

Mastering and artwork: Simon Heath

Release Date: 6 October 2015

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Dark Music Review – The Old City OST

Written By Casey Douglass

This 15 track soundtrack by Atrium Carceri was composed for the Narrative Philosophical game The Old City. Soothing string like atmospheres, distorted drones and brooding atmospheres carry the listeners throughout the album.

I always felt that many of Atrium Carceri’s tracks depicted what it might be like to wander through a strange city. Now, in the guise of The Old City OST, that impression has become concrete as it is the soundtrack for a game which features just such a city. Sadly, I have yet to play the game, but this soundtrack has been on my permanent rotation for a good few weeks now.

The album starts with “Intro / Menu” which is one of my favourite tracks. Distorted piano is backed by a soft drone. Haunting vocals really evoke such a feeling of melancholy that even re-listening to it while I type this has made my eyes prickle. Other emotive tracks are “Childhood I” and “Childhood II”, compositions that make great use of notes that mimic a slow music box, some notes lagging behind the others slightly, others in perfect harmony, with some quite epic vocals intoning around them in “Childhood II”.

Not all of the tracks are melancholy or so emotive however. Some sound more primal, like a force of nature. The 10+ minute track “Leviathan” is a rumbling string-infused piece that certainly hints at something large and unseen, yet possibly not hostile. The brief track “Underground” echoes with a thrumming movement and is a more jarring soundscape.

Other tracks create great rhythms that lace the gloomy backgrounds with melodies that get stuck in your mind. “Journey Home” is a great example of this, featuring a great 3-note hook that the rest of the soundscape can easily hang from.

There are no tracks that I disliked, they all have their own charm and unique take on the audio theme of the album. Some are longer, more subtle journeys, others are short interludes of grief or nostalgia, like the sun breaking through a sky scarred by the clouds of a nuclear winter. This is an album of murk that has a tenderness to it brought through by the clever use of piano and vocals. I can only hope that Atrium Carceri does more soundtrack work as this is a fantastic album for any dark ambient fan’s collection. With this in mind, I give The Old City OST 4.5/5 and heartily recommend it!

Visit The Old City OST Bandcamp page here for more info.

I was given a free copy of the album to review.

Album Title: The Old City OST

Artist: Atrium Carceri

Label: Cryo Chamber

Written, Produced and Mastered by: Simon Heath

Released : 3^rd March 2015

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Dark Review - Tomb of Empires

Tomb of Empires Review

Written By Casey Douglass

 

I always feel that reviewing dark ambient albums often reveals more about the psyche of the reviewer than the actual content of the music. I also find it a great creative exercise in stretching the vocabulary and conveying the imagery that often comes unbidden and makes a lasting impression. This is also the reason why dark ambient music is often in the background whilst I create my own worlds.

As a consequence, this review of Tomb of Empires, a 4 split release featuring different 4 different artists in the dark ambient scene and released by Cryochamber, is almost a journal of my impressions and feelings as I encountered each track for the first time. You will almost certainly have different images appear in your mind and other sensations and feelings in your body.

“We welcome some new faces to the label with this 4 split release between some of the more mysterious and sacred sounds of the dark ambient scene. With the chaotic sounds of former CMI artist Foundation Hope, the mysterious enlightenment of Alphaxone, the distortion drone heavy Coph`antae Tryr to the fresh and inviting bass rumbles of Council of Nine, this is one dark journey of soundscapes delving deep into humanities history.”

I will look at each track in turn:

Chimes of the Unfortunate - Council of Nine :

This track starts with a deep and foreboding sound that made me prepare for it to get deeper and deeper. A short while in, it gains some lovely higher pitched sounds that turn the whole thing around and makes it feel light and airy with, for me at least, a sense of sadness in the background.

Mysterious – Alphaxone :

Starting with a deep resonance that mingles with other lighter melodies and noises, Mysterious gives the impression of a derelict space, yet not a hostile one. There are rumblings and muted noises and at one point a rapid tinkling noise that conjures images of greenery or fauna struggling to survive in some ruins.

Comprehended - Coph`antae Tryr :

A rising fanfare looms nearer with this track, a catchy hook that entwines with other instruments to peel away the structure of your eardrum and pierce your mind. It hints at majesty that has faded and vanished into the past where only a few might still remember it even existed. Think ancient artwork painted onto walls smothered with ivy and doused in darkness.

Near to Nothing - Alphaxone :

Echoing architecture punctuated with the impression of movement and strange life.

Nothing to Near - Coph`antae Tryr :

Nothing to Near features some gentle audio hiccuping that serves to jar you into the awareness that you might not have been paying full attention. Its deep beginnings growing and intermingling with other sounds as the medley builds and peters out.

The Kind - Foundation Hope :

This is quite a boomy and jarring track, when compared to the others at least. It seems full of discord and as it progresses takes on a sound like a swarm of demonic bees intoning names you can’t fully imagine or comprehend.

The Beacon - Foundation Hope :

This track seems to be one of the more simple on the album. By simple, I mean it seems to have fewer layers of sound than the others, or it is just how it appears to me. It also features a wonderful whistling segment which conjured the image of a lone survivor whistling whilst walking through a decimated city in an attempt to connect with others, or just to let him or herself know that they are still there, still human.

Blood Lit Skies - Council of Nine :

The album ends with the longest track of the bunch at just over 12 minutes. It has a light and airy thrumming quality and in one place seems to depict the sound of wind and rain, to my ears at least. It is a fantastic and gentle end to the journey through the other soundscapes that this album conjures, a way to come back to the real world with a soft landing rather than a full combat roll.

Thoughts :

Tomb of Empires as a whole is a very smooth ambient album, from my own viewpoint at least. It doesn't feature the harsher aspects that some other dark ambient creations contain but is still great at conjuring hefty mental impressions. It arouses a background feeling of sadness and gloom but with areas of light and air, much like sunlight shining into the darkness of a tomb through some aperture in the ceiling.

This leads me on to the cover image which I have to say is one of the most well-picked I have seen in some time, even to the extent that it coloured what images were likely to arise in my mind as I listened to the album.

I give Tomb of Empires 4/5. As I said above, it takes you on a relatively peaceful journey and evokes periods of oppressiveness and airiness with equal ease, for which it is to be commended. The reason it didn't get a 5 is just down to my own personal taste when it comes to my dark ambient listening. I enjoy more oppressive soundscapes where you feel that you only come up for air after long intervals. This, compared to the ones that inculcate that feeling, was a bit tamer in those regards. Still an excellent listen though, and probably a great starting point for someone who might be less familiar with the sounds of the dark ambient genre.

Visit here and here for more information and purchasing options.

I was given a free copy for review.

Album Title : Tomb of Empires

Artists: Foundation Hope / Council of Nine / Alphaxone / Coph`antae Tryr

Mastering and Artwork: Simon Heath

Label: Cryochamber

Released: 28^th October 2014.

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