Ambient

The EP, Split, and Single Post Part I [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By El Cuervo on December 23, 2019 in 2019, Ambient, American Metal, Belarusian Metal, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, English Metal, Heavy Metal, Icelandic Metal, Polish Metal, Post-metal, Scottish Metal, Speed Metal, Synthwave, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Thrash Metal, Ambient, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Speed Metal, Synthwave, Technical Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 41 comments

Did you miss some crucial EPs, splits and singles in 2019? We’ve got you covered, chumbo.

Hwwauoch – Into the Labyrinth of Consciousness [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By Dear Hollow on December 18, 2019 in 2019, Ambient, Amor Fati Productions, Black Metal, Drone, International Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 34 comments

“I’m beginning to see a trend as 2019 draws to a close: I like me some weird-ass black metal. And, boy howdy, has 2019 has been a weird-ass year for it. Prolifically, having released a new album from each of its equally weird-ass projects by means of several record labels, the Prava Kollektiv has released quality atmospheric black metal en masse: the frostbitten cosmic stylings of stalwart Arkhtinn, the dark ambient maws of the appropriately named Voidsphere, the eerie and empty musings of Mahr, and the hellish and malevolent tones of newcomer Pharmakeia. But the subject of today’s tragically overlooked album is the latest thing your cat typed walking across the keyboard: Hwwauoch.” Say again?

Örnatorpet – Vid Himinsenda Review

By Dear Hollow on November 13, 2019 in 2019, Ambient, Black Metal, Dungeon Synth, Nordvis Produktion, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Synthwave, Black Metal, Dungeon Synth, Folk, 21 comments

I have nothing against Dungeons & Dragons. I do, however, have an issue with the one kid who kept me from lesson planning by ceaselessly listing off statistics of his paladin and barbarian like I was supposed to know what the fuck he was talking about. I have a resentment toward the game thanks to that kiddo, unfortunately, so I’m already prejudiced against the relatively new genre of “dungeon synth.” While it began very ambitiously, taking cues from Medieval and Renaissance music and fantasy literature, bearing a black metal aesthetic, its role as a challenging and world-building style of dark ambient has been demoted as mere soundtracks of D&D campaigns everywhere. Örnatorpet seeks to add to the dungeon synth genre, hoping to whisk listeners away to a “forgotten realm, an arcane age.”” Dungeon lounge muzak.

Drifting in Silence – Away Review

By Emya on November 2, 2019 in 2019, Ambient, American Metal, Drone, Labile Records, Non-Metal Metal Things, Reviews, Ambient, Drone, 10 comments

“Metal music and ambient music share a lot in common. In the same way that non-metal listeners think, ‘Gee, what is that hellish noise?’ when they hear metal music, many consider ambient music to simply be noise reserved for elevators or dentist office waiting rooms. In other words, the genres of ambient and metal both have a history of being mistakenly classified as ‘not real music.’ Of course, the genre of metal is incredibly vast and nuanced and cannot be generalized in this way. Nor can ambient.” Kindred musical spirits.