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Unearthed – Week 49
New releases
It’s a great week for fans of dark underground music: a lot of new records have just dropped. I haven’t had time to listen to everything from start to finish yet, but I’ll do my best to pull together our usual weekly list of recommendations.
First up is Subsystem Decay from Kristof Bathory & Blakmoth. If you’re into dark sci-fi atmospheres, rich analog drones, and deep cinematic pads, this one won’t let you down. Easily one of my favourites this week.
Ritual ambient releases are relatively rare, so they’re always welcome here. The latest is Oastar by O Saala Sakraal. Built on drones, choirs, and drums, it “weaves six aural ceremonies designed to open liminal sonic spaces where the residual wounds of Christian dominion may begin to heal,” as the Bandcamp page describes it.
Slow, melancholic themes blended with distorted feedback and noise form the backbone of Birds Drink My Blood from Born Erased. It’s punctuated by aggressive percussion, creating a record that ticks all the boxes for ambient, drone, industrial, and noise.
It’s an especially good week for ritual ambient fans, as there’s another release on the list. Ring of Spheres by Wolfskin runs for over an hour, and with very little time on my hands I couldn’t make it through the full record — so I’ll quote the Bandcamp page instead: “The album unfolds as an extended act of meditation and initiation. The gongs act as both instrument and symbol: circular, radiant, resonant, their sound waves describing the eternal cycles of creation and dissolution. Electronic textures weave through them like invisible currents, mapping a vast stellar architecture of sound.”
Beyond the Mountains of Sorrow from Rojinski moves from a beautiful, melancholic opening into a more sombre ending, holding onto the atmospheric sound you’d expect from him all the way through. The album is free to download on Bandcamp.
Above the Polar Vortex is a new release from Dronny Darko — should I say more? Even if I should, I unfortunately can’t yet; at around 90 minutes, it’s another album I haven’t managed to finish. But you should (and I will too, once exams are out of the way).
Let’s move on to a more aggressive record. F1RST°DEGREE by FABRIKER [101] is heavy, industrial, harsh, and unnerving. Just what you need if you’ve been missing the industrial reviews in Unearthed.
My review of Relics of Ancient Voices by Torus Dome is a bit late — it came out on November 29 — but I still wanted to include it in this week’s list because it’s a beautiful work. It’s a spiritual, transcendental kind of dark ambient, built on slow-moving soundscapes, subdued drones, and melancholic, choir-like pads. I loved every minute of it.
The last one arrived just as I was wrapping up the reviews: Live at Planetarium Erkrath by Martin Stürtzer is a dark/space ambient release recorded live at the planetarium on November 8th, 2025.
Mixtapes
Nacht Radio Show, featuring Ashtoreth & Stratosphere, Desiderii Marginis, Gdanian, ProtoU and others.
Unearthed – Week 48
With the exam period approaching, I unfortunately have less time to cover new releases. Still, you can expect a few short reviews, and I’m also working on some bigger things — the first interviews are coming to Hypogeum! The debut one will be with Entrópia Architektúra, a Hungarian band whose genre-defying rock I can’t help but think of as ritual. If for no other reason, just so I can include them here…
But now, let’s get back to our usual dark ambient releases.
New releases
Nihil Impvlse crafts bleak, isolationist soundscapes from industrial noise and deep drones on his new album The Great Filter. The resulting post-apocalyptic atmosphere offers a powerful reinterpretation of both industrial and dark ambient music.
Substak’s EP Natura Non Constristatur is filled with low, distorted drones and eerie crackles — a slow-burning soundtrack for long winter nights.
Another Parts of the Comet is a new EP from Hungarian artist Star Shaped Chimney. It’s a strange and original mixture of dark ambient atmospheres, space ambient soundscapes, spoken world samples and pulsating drones.
Mixtapes & Playlists
The latest 'Nacht' Radio Show featuring Aindulmedir, Coil, Dahlia's Tear, Argyre Planitia and many others.
The carefully curated Frozen In Time playlist for November is now out on This is Darkness.
Unearthed – Week 47
New Releases
“More than a decade after the seminal release of Lacrimae Mundi, Croatian ritual ambient pioneer TeHÔM returns with Lacrimae Mundi Remixed, a transcendent new offering that gathers together the crème de la crème of the dark ambient, ritual, and post-industrial realms.”
With artists like Inade, Raison d’Être, Atrium Carceri, and others reinterpreting the original tracks, this is absolutely a release not to be missed.
Ben Powell (Llyn Y Cwn) has joined forces with Christopher Olson (Standard Grey) under the name The Grey Lake, releasing their self-titled album on 21 November. Rich, dark soundscapes and slowly evolving, dense textures await anyone ready to submerge into the grey waters.
Amdusias by 72PILLARS is a unique experiment born from the collaboration of nine artists. Each was given a different noise sample and tasked with crafting their own interpretation of Amdusias. The original noise album is free to download.
Primal Era Worship has recently released his second album, quickly becoming one of my favourites among the new offerings. Boldly digital and futuristic, it showcases another facet of the dark atmospheric genre we all love. Glitching cybernetic soundscapes and thumping machinery playing tribal rhythms can all be found on this record.
The Bull of Phalaris from Insectarium & The Black Monolith has been re-released. A very limited CD edition is now available, and bonus tracks can be accessed for free if you know where to look… (don’t worry, it’s perfectly legal).
Another collaboration arrives from Apocryphos and Penumbral Aethyr. Their new album, The Erosion of Innocence, offers a calm, sometimes soothing atmospheric journey. Highly recommended.
And finally for this week: Acéphale by VORTEX, a superb ritual ambient release. The album takes its title from a secret society founded by Georges Bataille in the 1930s. VORTEX founder Marcus Stiglegger is a scholar, filmmaker, soundtrack composer, and specialist in Bataille’s philosophy. Musically, the album weaves eerie field recordings with haunting bass or violin melodies, rhythmic noise, and ritualistic percussion, guiding listeners on a deep sonic journey.
Mixtapes
The usual 'Nacht' broadcast from Mark O’Shea, featuring The Grey Lake, Ajna & Onasander, Kammarheit, Kristof Bathory, Svartsinn and others.
Dark Ambient Soundscapes from The Kult of O:
Hypogeum mixtape #4
Here’s the latest Mixcloud set for the long autumn nights, and the cold days, too. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, enjoy the warmth and sunshine, but don’t miss the great music from Peter Bjärgö, Svartsinn, Aindulmedir, TROUM, and more.
Unearthed – Week 44
New Releases
Let’s start this week’s column with a bang: the re-release of And The World Will Perish In Flames by DAYOFWRATH is an uncompromising black industrial album. According to the label, it “is a descent into pure Black Industrial, raw, hostile, and apocalyptic” – and I have nothing more to add.
I’m a bit late introducing Trepaneringsritualen’s new album, but it’s not to be missed. A Diadem of Fire doesn’t disappoint – the unmistakable mix of metallic percussion, distorted growls, and screeches never fails to impress me. Hopefully, it will do the same for you.
Ghur is a new album from Sublimatio Mortis, a Canadian duo consisting of Chris of Undirheimar & Mo Masaya de Kemet. Recommended for fans of slow, subterranean soundscapes, drones, and throat singing.
For those looking for something more melodic and melancholic, check out An Expression Of A Poetry That Was Lost by MOLJEBKA PVLSE. This record has it all: warm drones, fading melodies, and an aura of mystery. My personal favorite of the week.
Continuing with another melodic release, Memory of Light from Starterra is a new album by Chris Bryant (S1gns Of L1fe), taking you on a galactic journey with cinematic space ambient tracks.
Cryo Chamber recently released another compilation, Tomb of Iconoclasts. Featuring both well-known artists and new names, it’s well worth a listen.
Another recent release is Ashes by Lambwool. Inspired by the artist’s experiences in Ukraine following the outbreak of war, it uses field recordings from news reports to create a deeply personal and unsettling album.
Finally, another entry from my ever-growing list of albums to explore: Lost Within Loss by God Body Disconnect. Thirteen melancholic soundscapes, sometimes half-buried under dense textures and huge reverberations. Perfect for a rainy November evening.
Mixtapes
The Halloween special from Mark O’Shea, featuring Dahlia’s Tear, Grey Frequency, Raison D'être, and more.
This Is Darkness is back with a playlist for October.
Phobos festival 2025
Phobos Festival has been around for quite a while, but somehow I’d never managed to attend it until now. This year, my wife and I decided to change that. We packed up the car in Budapest and set off on a long road trip to Wuppertal for the event. Our first stop was Prague, where I couldn’t resist leaving a little trace of my presence in the form of a sticker.
The Young Gods live at Budapest
Happy to share with everyone near Budapest that another great show is coming up: The Young Gods. One of the most iconic acts in the industrial scene will be performing at A38 on March 11, 2026. See you there!
Hradby Samoty festival in Bratislava
From their website: “Hradby Samoty (Walls of Solitude) is a festival which focuses on audiovisual projects from genres such as dark ambient, dark folk, drone, industrial and noise.”
The festival will take place in Bratislava on November 14–15. Lineup:
Friday
- Trepaneringsritualen
- Zero Kama
- Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio
- Inade
- Blind Ruler Cursed Land
Saturday
- Xiu Xiu
- Troum
- African Imperial Wizard
- Frett
- Paregorik & Violet de Valor
Unearthed – Week 41
Mixtape
Nacht Radio Show 2025. 10. 02. – The usual weekly mix from Mark O’Shea including Pavor Nocturnus, Ugasanie, Tineidae & Sole Massif, Onasander and others.
The Kult of O dark ambient – Oneirich brings you an hour-long mix of Inade, Atrium Carceri & Herbst9, Umbrarum Tenebrae and more this week.
Albums
Apocryphos' 2016 album, Stone Speak, explores the cultic spaces of death. It mixes recordings made in cemeteries and ghost towns with slow, deep drones and ambient elements.
Brooddark's first solo album, Overvoltage, is out now. It features futuristic, industrial drones and a dark, soundtrack-like, powerful sci-fi sound.
For those who like a more melancholic, dreamy sound, I recommend the album Night Moss by Teahouse Radio and Skeldos (Pär Boström and Vytenis Eitminavičius).
A similar style is Ronny Engmann and Karina Dorin's album Never Sleep Again, a dark/deep ambient based on vocals and experimental soundscapes.
Finally, I want to recommend an album that sits a little outside the usual Hypogeum territory. Still, with Pär Boström’s name attached, readers can be sure the music — sometimes edging into winter or dungeon synth — will resonate here. I’ll wrap up this week’s recommendation with Star Lore (2023), from Boström’s project Aindulmedir.
Hypogeum mixtape #3
Along with the cool and rainy autumn days comes the third Hypogeum mixtape, featuring music that fits the gloomy mood from The Haxan Cloak, ProtoU, Raison d'Être and many others.