[2011] irr. app. (ext.) / Nurse With Wound - 4 Orphans

After Angry Electric Finger 3, 4 Orphans is the new collaboration between these two bizarre figures of the sound collage/dark ambient scene, although it's somewhat of an irr. app. (ext.) album mostly, considering it's based around old Nurse With Wound arrangements, along with the weirdest things the former could come up with in order to spice up the surreal vibe of the album. As usual, artwork by Matt Waldron.

Buy it directly from irr. app. (ext.)'s Bandcamp here.

[2011] Torture Corpse/Architeuthis Rex - Ignorance/Daemon

Architeuthis Rex returns this year in a split with the paranoid, trance-inducing, dark ambient project known as Torture Corpse. 4 songs, three full songs on side A belonging to Torture Corpse and a longer one on side B, belonging to Architeuthis Rex, both following a tribal, psychedelic sound evoking wilderness and ashen, forbidden territories. Released under the niche label Stunned Records, dedicated mostly to noise, drone and dark ambient artists with abstract leanings.



Currently out of stock at Stunned Records.

[2010] Architeuthis Rex - Dark As The Sea

Sunken civilizations, inhabited by fearsome creatures and forgotten, devout cultures subdued by eons of tectonic and oceanic chaos. Architeuthis Rex (the monicker used by the italian artist Antonio Galluci) does it best to manifest all these obscure dreamworlds evoked by the immensity of the sea, in which bizarre entities come back to life.




Buy it directly from Utech Records here (scroll down).

[1978] Univers Zéro / Art Zoyd - Live at Theatre du Taur, Toulouse, France

A somewhat rare bootleg of a 1978 show in France, in which Univers Zéro and Art Zoyd shared the stage and even played songs together. This bootleg recording is not complete though (some songs are missing), but what most would look forward to hear (a collaboration between both bands) is present in Complainte.
Aside from that, this bootleg has songs from Univers Zéro's Heresie era, and Art Zoyd's first album played live; it's not the best recording ever since the mic pans from channel to channel and there's a few other flaws, but even then it's worth having, particularly for Univers Zéro's Jack The Ripper, excellent live rendition of one of their most famous songs.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]


Unavailable for purchase.

[1976] Art Zoyd - Symphonie pour le Jour où Brûleront les Cités (2008 Reissue)

One of the few still existing bands that formed part of the legendary Rock In Opposition movement, which also managed to remain somewhat fresh after all these decades. Art Zoyd's debut already shows some of the traits characterizing bands like Magma and Univers Zéro: dark, gospel-like choruses, with a prominent strings section (mostly heard in Univers Zéro) and a strong jazz influence. While it's not as noticeable in this album (their first), it shows some of the dark ambient leaning that will later give them relevance within the french scene.
Comparatively speaking, Univers Zéro and Art Zoyd share plenty of traits, although the former delved more into avant-prog rock than the latter, which focused mostly on electronic arrangements. As with the other members of the Rock In Opposition original lineup, it'd be a sin to overlook.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC Part 1 Part 2] Updated!


Currently unavailable.

[2008] Joe Preston And Daniel Menche - Cerberic Doxology

Trance-inducing drone/dark ambient from two experts in the subject. Joe Preston in one hand, main pioneer of the drone-doom scene (back when Melvins was churning out really slow, heavy stuff, and at the very beginnings of Earth), sole member of Thrones, and early collaborator of Sunn O))) for two of the best albums that band has ever released (the White sessions) and the Oracle EP. And Daniel Menche (also from Oregon), a prominent noise/dark ambient artist who has collaborated with several musicians related to the experimental scene, highly prolific on his own as well.
The two of them provide vocals for this bizarre album consisting on a single 20min track, whose layers constantly intertwine and blur along with the subtle droning soundscape. This intonation could seem slightly similar to Sunn O)))'s Decay[NIHIL'S MAW] and Decay2 [The Symptoms of Kali Yuga], or Sunn O))) & Altar's Akuma no Kuma (he actually provided vocals for this one), except there's barely any other instruments aside from the droning vocalizations. Quite an intriguing album, reminding of primal landscapes and massive prehistoric monuments of unknown meaning.

Download it here [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Anthem Records here.

[2006] Khlyst - Chaos Is My Name

For what it seemed to be a one-off recording (although confirmation is still needed), Khlyst is a twisted reminiscence of Khanate's Things Viral era with a strong free jazz/noise vibe, an absolute portrayal of insanity. Tim Wyskida, James Plotkin and Runhild Gammelsæter, two parts Khanate and one part Thorr's Hammer, are the ones behind this bizarre recording, which touches upon the darkest places of the mind. Wyskida's percussion really adds up a lot to the atmosphere, from his arrythmical drumming during every odd song, to his sparse crash and gong on every even song. The same could be said about Plotkin, a veteran in dark ambient and guitar/bass mindfuckery.

Stephen Kasner (Utech Records) did the artwork

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Hydra Head Records here.

[2011] Æthenor - En Form For Blå

What was already shaping up on Faking Gold and Murder as a free improv/dark ambient ensemble comes in full force in En Form For Blå, with an added touch of abstraction. O'Malley, Noble, O'Sullivan and Rygg teamed up again in Norway to record this album which heavily hints to the norwegian avant-jazz/experimental scene, which is acknowledged in the linear notes. The guitars and synth improvisation has much more focus than in previous albums, in which it was kept low key to emphasize on the field recordings and vocalizations (in the case of Faking Gold and Murder).

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Boomkat here.

[2008] Runhild Gammelsæter - Amplicon

Runhild's (Thorr's Hammer, Khlyst, Sunn O)))) first solo album, following the theme of death and rebirth described in biology terms, and chaotic vocals breaking the opressing silence imposed on every song. Tore Ylvisaker (Ulver) remixed this album, comprised of captivating and menacing vocalizations in equal proportions.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2001] Tactile Gemma - Tactile Gemma

Back when I was younger and I had barely started going to highschool (10 years ago), I became obsessed with the local metal subculture, and considering mine never really had a strong representation of the genre, it was a breath of fresh air to bump into new, exciting bands from other places from time to time. It was back then, however, when I discovered a band completely outside of the metal genre, that marked a before and after in my music appreciation.
Tactile Gemma was featured on several metal magazines back then as a side-project of the vocalists from The 3rd and The Mortal and Atrox, and it was sort of expected to offer a similar vibe akin to these bands, that is, gothic/prog metal with weird touches here and there. Like many of us back then, I was wrong. Tactile Gemma is one of the most unique, weirdest bands I've encountered, and while it could be classified within darkwave/trip-hop, Ann-Marie and Monika Edvarsen's vocals were way too out there, shrieking and screaming in a way only singers in the vein of Diamanda Galás and Catherine Jauniaux are capable of doing.

The band released only one album, which I learned about through the name of Psychedelic Heavenly Voices. Nowadays is simply known as Tactile Gemma, and it has remained on hold since then. This is truly hypnotic music, which shows how talented these musicians were. Season of Mist took pride on the fact that they released this album even though they're "strictly a death/black metal label". I don't see what's the big deal about that to be honest, but whatever floats their boat.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Season of Mist here.

[2008] Z'EV vs PITA - Colchester

Another Z'EV collaboration, in this case he teams up with Pita (KTL), which has released plenty of solo albums and collaborations with other musicians of the experimental scene. This is a live recording of a Colchester (England) show from 2006, in which Z'EV focused on the live percussion improvisation while Pita worked on the foggy, sonic atmosphere surrounding the stage. Incredible sounding material.

Download it here [V2][V0]

Sold out at Editions Mego.

[2010] Stian Westerhus - Pitch Black Star Spangled

Stian Westerhus' (Jaga Jazzist, Monolithic) second solo album and latest release is a departure from the seemingly abstract noise of Galore into a mystical realm of disjointed melodies and bursts of noise dabbling into the shadows, without ever abandoning an aura of uncanny beauty. Don't Tell Me This Is Home is the softest song in the album, before turning into the unsettling chaos that is Pitch Black Star Spangled, the longest track in the album, which is kept until the very end. Quality release.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[2010] Jarboe - Primal Baroque Experiment

Latest CDr from Jarboe, composed mostly of low-key vocals with droning, dark melodies, a bit unlike her previous releases, in which her vocals and dark poetry were the main highlight. Exclusive release from her official label site..

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from The Living Jarboe here (Product > CD/CDr).

[2009] Æthenor - Faking Gold & Murder

Latest album of this supergroup formed by Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Khanate), Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo, Mothlite, Ulver), Krystoffer Rygg (Ulver) and Vincent De Roguin (Shora). Following the ideas already present in Betimes Black Cloudmasses, this time the drones and free jazz drumming are used as more of a background expressive element for David Tibet (Current 93), which joins the group for another session of his occult chants and poetry. Big favorite of 2009, this album shows a different side of the regular abstract music present in their previous releases.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from VHF Records here.

[2008] Klangmutationen - Schwarzhagel

Utech release of this malaysian quartet whose name is actually the zone from where they hail (Klang) and merely a german coincidence, this time the free jazz present in their first albums (Session Zero) gets much faster and laced with noise, turning this album into an opressive, dark experience. One of the finest Utech releases.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2008] Æthenor - Betimes Black Cloudmasses

Second album of the trio conformed by Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Khanate), Daniel O'Sullivan (Mothlite, Ulver) and Vincent De Roguin (Shora), starts out quiet and slow, with blasts here and there, and then turns into a full-blown free jazz arrangement (brought by the collaborators Nicolas Field and Alex Babel, who also joined later in Faking Gold and Murder), while a tense atmosphere is sustained by the main trio until the end. This is the first album featuring Krystoffer Rigg (also known as "Garm" from Ulver) in vocals and sound processing, and he'll become a main part of the crew for the next albums.

Download it here: [V2][V0]


Buy it directly from VHF Records here.

[2005] Black Boned Angel - Supereclipse

First album of this well-known Campbell Kneale project (Birchville Cat Motel, Our Love Will Destroy The World, and many, many others), it's also their most approachable release, since it's split into three tracks instead of the 1h monolithic slabs that characterize the next releases of this drone-doom metal project.
 Heaviest and slowest than most bands of its genre, it features mostly guitars and bass, with the heavy thumping drums of the second and third track. Definitely worth a try.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Currently sold out on 20 Buck Spin.

[2006] Æthenor - Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light

First release of this great collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Khanate), Daniel O'Sullivan (Mothlite, Ulver) and Vincent de Roguin (Shora), which was part of the main lineup at the time. Together they've released a series of albums under VHF Records, taking the most abstract side of their past influences and mixing them in a sonic melting pot, taking it to close territories of albums such as Nurse With Wound's Spiral Insana and the like. This is an (almost) beat-less album, in which the soundscapes are left to exploration and constantly grow and shrink for the listener, painting a darker, more abstract mental picture than O'Sullivan's side-project The Stargazer's Assistant (which was conceived a year after Æthenor). On the first manifestation of this band, field recordings manipulations are the main highlight, leaving some of the subtle melodies surround and overwhelm the listener.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from VHF Records here.

[2003] Nurse With Wound - Salt Marie Celeste

 

 An hour-long drone track, apparently commisioned for an exposition, it's also one of Nurse With Wound's more known drone albums. Sounds like a ghst ship aimlessly floating into the ocean, with the occassional wheel turning and creaking. It's perfect to achieve that kind of atmosphere, and definitely not to leave it in the background while doing other stuff, seeing as it can get quite frightening at times.

Download it here: [320]

[2006] Nurse With Wound - Shipwreck Radio: Final Broadcasts

And here we have it, the final release of the Shipwreck Radio sessions.Only one CD, three tracks, with the last batch of transmissions from their radio show at Lofoten, consisting of recordings in the island of Utvær. Perfect way to end this series.

Download it here: [320][V0]