Unearthed #17
A Woman Under the Influence by Her Menacing Pet is not only a great dark ambient album with its disturbing drones and haunting sounds, but it’s also available as a name-your-price digital album and includes a copy of Avocado 1970, a DIY digital zine focused on dark ambient/experimental music, underground labels, and visual art. And if that’s still not enough, your payment for the album will be donated to Farmaste Animal Sanctuary, a farm animal rescue operation.
Haunted Forest by Overclouds is a slow, experimental, dark ambient album with plenty of spoken word (by Shane Beck). They are “guiding you through a disturbed mind that has gone numb,” and that sums it up perfectly.
Sphäre Sechs released its seventh studio album, Nebular Resonance. Eight tracks of dark cosmic ambient by Martin and Christian.
Morwyn - The Vengeance of God is a collaboration between Dodenskald and Philippe Blache. An immersive, dark cinematic release based on a novel by John Cowper Powys that was originally titled Hell. Even without reading the book, it sounds like a proper tribute. Highly recommended.
Another collab: Inade and Troum released TO PAN EON on the blessed day of March 1. It’s such a wonderful album that I don’t even want to write anything more. Go and listen. Now.
A new album/track from Torus Dome: Shadow Haunted Chambers is an extended version of the “Shadow Haunted Chambers” track taken from the Invincible Order album.
Deceptions of False Light by Dead Angel Ensemble (Shane Beck and Olik Nesnah) is “the tale of the obliterated soul, a wasted life destroyed by dead empathy,” as they say in the release notes. It’s a long, melancholic journey through bleak soundscapes, accompanied by spoken word, slow drones, and occasional strange noises.
Let’s move into the realm of noise. An Exceptional Occurrence Of Dread by Mortum is an album that merges the heaviness of death industrial with the atmosphere of dark ambient. George Thuroczy uses custom-built hardware to create a “raw, unmediated transmission of analog darkness” – and he does it with great mastery.
Star Shaped Chimney released Deadly Cellar, a two-track horror/dark ambient album featuring analogue synths and cinematic compositions.
Let’s finish this Unearthed with a ritual, neo-shamanistic album: Avàvâgo Zamran! by ARROKOTH. It features four long, ceremonial tracks (or perhaps it's better to call them acts), played mostly on flutes, gongs, and hand drums, with added vocals. These pieces can accompany any mind-altering activities – or can even be such activities themselves.