Atrium Carceri - Ptahil

[Click on image for official Atrium Carceri website]

Country - Sweden

Composer - Simon Heath

Released - February 2007

- Tracklist -

1. Quarantine (feat. Antonia Simonovic)

2. Entrance

3. A Place to Call Home

4. Observatory

5. Memory Leak

6. Reincarnation Chamber

7. A Path Through Remembrance

8. Static of the Kapnobatai

9. Reborn

10. The Council of Seven

11. Meltdown

12. Inside the Womb

13. End Titles

- Review-

It was just a matter of time until I reviewed an Atrium Carceri album. This will be the first of hopefully many, so I will start on my personal favorite AC release, Ptahil. I've always felt this was a masterpiece of Ambience, it seems grittier than AC's other releases, not saying that they are not good (oh no far from that), but Ptahil was primarily the album that got me into this genre (good start hey?).

Where to start...

Compared to much of AC's other releases I feel that Ptahil is much more experimental and  conceptual. The music covers a wider range of styles from seamless industrial ambience ('Entrance'), beat driven dark electronica ('Meltdown') and even a little bit of , and i am just guessing here, middle-eastern folk ('Quarantine').  Captured sound is stringent through the thick layers, leaving no gaps in the music. The virtual sound is distorted enough to give an almost grungy texture to the music and the reverberation also helps give a fuller and thicker wall of sound.

Simon I know has put so much effort into this album, and I feel that Ptahil is his opus.

Virlyn - Man Asleep

[Click on image for official Virlyn website]



Country - Belgium

Composer - Frédéric Vanderlynden

Released - April 2013

 

- Tracklist -

1. Cephei

2. Ran

3. Lilith

4. Dawn

5. Mirror Pt. 1

6. Kristal

7. Swan

8. Descent

9. Lorelei

10. Cult

 

- Review -

I been wanting to review this album for quite a while now, this is like a diamond-in-the-rough find such as that Brambles album I reviewed a while back, Something I would have never found if it wasn't for my virtual best friend Bandcamp.

 

Virlyn seems much more ethereal than most projects, It isn't thick with atmosphere, but it still pushes down on the listener. It seemingly has a lighter airier tone, like floating within the stratosphere kind of atmosphere. The music seems to flow easily throughout the layers, and doesn't give away too much at all, giving the composition almost a malleable affect. A swarth of guest musicians and singers add their own special touch to the music, be it Violins, Cellos or Saxophone. The music benefits from these stylistic cues and it all works towards that lighter tone I talked about earlier.

 

Ever since listening to the album Notes for the Synthesis by The Seven Mile Journey, I have had a soft spot for stringed instruments (Violin, Cello, Double Bass etc..). This albums hits that spot well, but not perfectly, however overall this was an enjoyable album that I urge the rest of you to listen to.

Cities Last Broadcast - The Cancelled Earth

[Click on Image for official Cities Last Broadcast page]

Country - Sweden

Composer - Pär Boström

Released - June 2009

- Tracklist -

1. Cornerstone

2. Antenna

3. Bascule Bridge

4. Railroom

5. Deadpost

6. Cella

7. Architecton

- Review -

Another difinitive album of quality Dark Ambient, and this one has been around for quite such a while, it's gathered a cult following. From the mastermind who gave you Kammarheit, Pär Boström has excelled again with his unique new project, Cities Last Broadcast, giving us chilling distorted sounds of his closest inspirations.

This album uses no synth work, no keyboards, no instruments at all. No, this is completely distorted sounds, be it originally the sounds of a subway, railway bridge or busy road, They sound completely different when given the Boström touch. Seven creepy crawling soundscapes give insight to a world after, a post-apocalyptic land long forgotten by humanity. Of course I cannot review this album by means of musical capability, there is no music, but in terms of sound shaping and layering, The Cancelled Earth is benchmark. Thick with atmosphere, it either drifts through the listeners head, or smothers them, and if you survive this album, well Stockholm symdrone sets in and you'll crave for more.

Unfortunately, there isn't anymore, Pär Boström has only released one album under this moniker, and not much has been heard since. But this only adds to the mystery of this musical dimension.

A must for any Dark Ambient fan. Or any fan of sounds.