A CROWN OF LIGHT - 'The Clearing' CD (Eibon Records)
A Crown of Light is a collaborative project between American artists Brandon Elkins (A Crown of Amaranth) and Robert Hunter Osgood (Conversations About the Light). 'The Clearing' is a laid back Dark Ambient record with some experimentation, some Concrete Music soundscapes, and some noisy electronics. But predominantly the album unfolds in a calm, and ominous manner, with various organic samples and vocals limited to just one song. An intriguing project to watch out for.
The mystery of the ancient and puzzling magic Sator square is evoked through five dark tracks. Amon (Andrea Marutti) is and established Dark Ambient project and Nimh (Giuseppe Verticchio) is a well-known and eclectic alchemist of electronic-ethnic-acoustic-ambient sound mixtures. Together they have produced massive magmatic sounds mixed with the technologic and synthetic vibrations of oscillating sinewaves and with frosty isolationist timbres programmed through fluxes of information written in binary code... Echoes of breathless and confused human activities falling into decay, the dark and deep sound of earth's abysses, scoriae of electric buzzes and synthetic microsounds, the warmth of subliminal melodies. Gatefold digisleeve.
UK 12£
Europe 13£
World 14£
QUANTITY
CAUL - 'Hidden' CD (Eibon Records)
Caul's 5th and possibly darkest album. A massive comeback to bleak, dense and hyper-obscure Dark Ambient: soundscapes for a never ending journey, magically crafted by a musician whose talent is immense. One single track, one hour. Digifile.
UK 11£
Europe 12£
World 13£
QUANTITY
CONTROL - 'Natural Selection' CD (Eibon Records)
2003 album from this legendary U.S. Power Electronics / Harsh Noise unit, headed by Thomas Garrison (Exsanguinate member and label boss of Misanthrope Studio). Concrete and abrasive songs, consuming and devastating sounds, evolving and mutating noise. You're your aspirins at hand. "Natural Selection" has a direct approach with "in-your-face" PE cuts. CONTROL is here to crush you. Superb album presented in a digifile.
CONTROL - 'The Means To An End' CD (Eibon Records)
Redefining the concept of aural aggression. Structured, multi-layered, hyper-complex Power Noise. Sharp like a surgical scalpel and powerful like a demolition hammer, the music of Thomas Garrison's Control adds a new meaning to the abused "Power Electronics" definition. The only good way to describe "The means to an end"? A fierce beast constrained (temporarily...) in a steel cage, far too small to contain its natural aggressiveness. The cage won't last forever...
GRUNTSPLATTER - 'The Eulogists Assembly' CD (Eibon Records)
Bringing "Death Industrial" to new, never before experienced levels, US noise manipulators Gruntsplatter throw us in a deserted, abandoned, otherworldly land where the only sounds come from agonizing machineries, abandoned to their inevitable rusting processes – construction, concretion, abrasion, decay. A flow of energetic noise bursts mixed with dark ambiences, a new sensational chapter in the Gruntsplatter saga.
IGNIS FATUUS - 'In Our Mad Bliss' CD (Eibon Records)
Back in 1998, Ignis Fatuus released one of the most impressive debut albums ever - "The Futility Goddess" (Cold Spring). Their astonishing mixture of neo-classical, ambient, wave (with amazing vocal contributions from SWANS singer Jarboe) gathered a load of positive feedbacks from everywhere. Now, Ignis Fatuus strike back with "In our mad bliss". Dark, warm, rich, gloomy music that transcends boundaries and defies definitions. Fairy-tinted musical scenarios, impressive female vocals, a sensual and seductive journey through a gently illuminated nocturnal world.
LUASA RAELON - 'The Poison City' CD (Eibon Records)
“Welcome to the poison city. A place where nuclear radiations colour the sky with green clouds, mutating vegetation suffocates the sun and asphyxiating miasms coming from abandoned toxic wastes endanger life...”. LUASA RAELON is one of the most interesting realities of US dark ambient/death industrial scene, combining low-rumbling drones with extemporaneous noise bursts to create a pretty personal and recognisable sound.
MAATH - 'No Survivors For The New World' CD (Eibon Records)
Debut album from this Italian artist. Based upon the concept of coma, sleep and suspended animation, "No Survivors For The New World" gently brings you through a dormant world, where dreams flow freely around you, leaving a coloured trace in the cold and dark void. Melodic dark ambient of the finest kind; round, deep, mesmerizing. Are you ready for your new world? Presented in a beautiful digisleeve.
Like in the good and old tradition of Maeror Tri or Final, this Swedish act headed by Mathias Josefson, brings us liquid dark ambient based upon manipulated guitars and e-bows. Clear but dark layered drones, swathed in heavy bass, and journeying through layers of rippling reverb. Needless to say, a very good late-night listen for those who like trips into sonic, haunted dreamworlds.
MOURMANSK 150 - 'Triumphant Over Your Remains' CD (Eibon Records)
Power Electronics / Harsh Noise at its highest, most violent, intense and roughest levels. Take the roots of good, healthy, sane old-school industrial and mix them up with a modern approach to power noise. These ingredients define what long-standing French act MOURMANSK 150 will harm, kill, topple and destroy. And they shall stand, triumphant over your remains. 13 untitled slabs of violence. Digifile.
NEVER KNOWN - 'On The Edge Of Forever' CD (Eibon Records)
The Dark Ambient (and earliest) project of Andrea Marutti (Amon). The 4th full-length in the Never Known saga, and this time it's even better than before... Deep melodies, rumbling drones, the new edge of forever... Digipak.
NORDVARGR - 'Re-Awaken' CD (Eibon Records / Code666)
Revamped, remixed, remastered and expanded version of the long time sold out cult album "Awaken". Thick, massive and utterly dark soundscapes of true black ambience coming from one of the founders of the now legendary Swedish industrial scene. Drones, strings and voices of the dead join forces in the cavernous cellar of Bohult. Comes in a stunning digisleeve with inner sleeve.
UK 11£
Europe 12£
World 13£
QUANTITY
NOTHING - 'Silence Came In, Filling Jagged Spaces' CD (Eibon Records)
Fourth full-length album from Jason Walton (Circadian). A disharmonic journey through the mid-world spheres. Fragments of corrupted melodies melt with post-nuclear tribal rhythms. Quiet semi-silences turn into crystal-clear ambiences, then suddenly leave space to bursts of noise. Shamanic-like chants evolve into caressing violins, then fall into pits of ultra-droning dark ambient. Surreal and ghostly.
NOTHING - 'The Grey Subaudible' CD (Eibon Records)
Nothing has been addressed as a hybrid between Lycia and Raison d'Etre. The American duo merge a healthy dose of Industrial textures with the more ethereal elements provided by monumental keyboard and piano incursions, often with a romantic flavour to them, and whispered mysterious male vocals that turn out quite similar to those of Lycia. The way that the softer and more atmospheric Darkwave elements combine with the harsher tones and intimidating Industrial material proves to be highly original and innovative, especially when they get around to fusing both together. Digipak.
"Underwater passage" is based upon underwater recordings taken in 2006 by Zairo (Where), which were then treated by Massimo Magrini (Bad Sector). These recordings were taken using special sensing microphones attached to an abandoned telephone cable running on the seabed at -40m. They were then processed with particular demodulating treatments, resulting in a complex and rich ambiental monument, with strange clicks, impulses and a lot of movements. Definitely far from the usual concept of dark ambient, "Underwater passage" shimmers with cutting mid / high frequencies bursts. Digipak.
UK 10.50£
Europe 11.50£
World 12.50£
QUANTITY
SELAXON LUTBERG - 'Cold House Of Love' CD (Eibon Records)
Selaxon Lutberg are debutants on Eibon, but have a long back-catalogue behind them already. "Cold House of Love" brings together Dark Ambient and Post Rock, in a particularly sad and icy-cold mood. Ten minimal soundscapes based upon emotional sounds made with guitars, piano and heavily processed field recordings. A journey through subtly disquieting ambient music. Presented in a very nice 6-panel digifile.
SVARTSINN - 'Devouring Consciousness' CD (Eibon Records)
Debut album from this Norwegian Dark Ambient legend. Imagine a crossing between Amon and Lustmord, enriched with some dreadful melodies here and there. An orgy of bass frequencies, an apocalypse of drones, a black resounding monolith. Those who are in love with gloomy ambiences won't be put to bread and water. Experience the depths, if you're brave enough... Digifile.
Northaunt mastermind Harleif Langas gives voice to a less dark and oppressive journey with "Exit lines", and explores the thin boundary between ambient (not necessarily dark....) music and spacious post-rock. Deep drones and sparse melodic guitar lines, "skeletal" structures and subtle noises. Appealing to both the Constellation-freaks and the courageous (and open minded) dark ambient travellers. Digisleeve.
VANESSA VAN BASTEN - 'La Stanza Di Swedenborg' CD (Eibon Records / Radiotarab / Noise Cult / Cold Current Productions)
Vanessa Van Basten is a strongly emotional sonic magma that absorbs and metabolises different sonic influences, from the introspective metalcore / heavy Postrock of Jesu and Neurosis to the experimental metal drones of Sunn O))), from Lycia and Slowdive melancholy-driven soundscapes to the cinematic melodies of Morricone and Badalamenti. Astonishment, meditation, psychotropic medias, cynism and human misery. Welcome to the Swedenborg Room. Outsized digisleeve with printed inner sleeve.
7 years after their acclaimed debut 'The Creatures Of The Wind', Where (Zario of organic ambient project Olhon and Darvulia) return with 'Wererat'. Utilising field recordings taken in sewers, this release revolves around the idea of rats conquering the earth. Hyper-obscure, deep, cavernous Dark Ambient and Drone for followers of Lustmord, Thomas Köner, Kerovnian or Amon. Highly recommended!
