Unearthed #13 (part 2)
Okay, so this took much longer than expected. Sorry for the delay – exam period, job searching, and other stuff left me with very little time and energy to write posts. I’ll pick up the rhythm in February…
So the first post of 2026 is actually the last one of 2025. You can read part 1 here if you missed it.
Releases
Let’s start with Compendium from Hiemis. It’s a compilation of previously released tracks (plus a new one), but it’s definitely worth listening to as a complete album. Deep, slow, and contemplative dark ambient with subtle ritual elements. Favourite track: Atraxas.
Transcendental Frequency by Torus Dome is a short album – or a very long track, depending on how you look at it. A half-hour journey into the depths, featuring “haunting drones, illusionary ambience and suggestive industrial soundscapes.” Deep, dark, and immersive throughout.
Aurora’s Breath Volume 2 is a long, experimental, atmospheric release (a single track running over an hour) by Scott Lawlor and Ingrid Narval Faolán. Ingrid is a gong player, so a sound bath is very much part of the experience – though definitely not the usual happy, vibey new age kind.
Pleroma is a consolidated body of work by The Black Monolith, spanning the last two years. It brings together tracks from various compilations along with some previously unreleased pieces, all remastered and assembled into a strong album well worth a listen.
Mixes
Another excellent dark ambient mix from Winter-Light label owner Mark O'Shea. This time it’s available on Bandcamp, with the option to pay any price and download it.
You should also absolutely check out the Frozen in Time playlist for December over on This Is Darkness.
And finally, The Kult of O’s favourite dark & ritual ambient tracks of 2025: