Here are the dark ambient albums that we at This is Darkness have been listening to this month – some are new releases, but a few are older gems we’ve just (re)discovered.
Please check these out by clicking on the Bandcamp link next to each review (or by clicking on the BNDCMPR link at the bottom of the page), and please consider supporting the featured artists. Enjoy!
Spacecraft – Skyscapes
I’m a huge fan of Mumbai based Spacecraft – their ambient / drone music providing a much needed tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of every day life. With soaring soundscapes and delicate, multi-layered textures, Skyscapes is another wonderful release that provides the listener with the perfect soundtrack for a spot of introspection, meditation, or simple relaxation. Very highly recommended for fans of space ambient, or those looking to chill out. Stunning.
SPIRIT RADIO – Distract’d by a Kaleidoscope Salesman
Every now and then an album comes along that simply blows you away. Distract’d by a Kaleidoscope Salesman is one such album – blending together elements of dark ambient / drone, classical music, folk, and eerie field recordings to create something very special indeed. This is an album to lose yourself to, with each and every listen offering something new, as the swirling, evolving sonic soundscape carries you with it. Simply wonderful.
Shadow Echo Canyon – A Daymare Reality
The latest release from Italian dark ambient / drone musician Shadow Echo Canyon is another outstanding EP of emotional, thought provoking music that grabs the listener by the throat and doesn’t let go. With an oppressive vibe and chilling undertones, this is not an easy listen – but that’s kind of the point, and the music is more powerful because of it. In these days of disposal music, it’s great to have an artist such as this who is making music that means something. Fabulous.
Michael Scott Dawson – The Tinnitus Chorus
The Tinnitus Chorus, the gorgeous new release from Michael Scott Dawson, is a twelve track album of soothing ambient, featuring evocative subtle field recordings, and beautiful soul-stirring melodies. With collaborations from a number of different talented musicians, this is an album that creates a wonderful sense of nostalgia and life affirmation, perfect for unwinding to on an a rainy afternoon. Absolutely amazing.
Esmam – We Lost The Green, Not Hope
Esmam is a Bangladesh based dark ambient musician who creates music with depth and feeling, with movements of hope and despair in equal measure – providing the perfect soundtrack to this complicated thing we call life. Fans of moody, melancholic dark ambient will love this album, but it is highly recommended for anyone looking for something emotive and reflective. Gorgeous.
Rafael Anton Irisarri – FAÇADISMS
FAÇADISMS, the new solo album from Rafael Anton Irisarri, is released on the 8th November, so I’m a little ahead of things – but the first track, Control Your Soul’s Desire for Freedom, is available already, and I’ve had it on repeat play for the last few weeks… so I thought I’d share this now while I impatiently await the full album. Featuring Julia Kent (cello) and Hannah Elizabeth Cox (vocals) this is wonderful, powerful stuff, and definitely one to check out if you like evolving drones and a sense of impending doom. Stunning.
CrAwE – PrimalStar
Regular readers will know that I absolutely love everything CrAwE releases – the incredible music he creates using bowed guitar & bass, complimented perfectly by synth work and field recordings, is quite simply breath-taking, and never fails to affect me. I cannot recommend this highly enough – if you like drones, dark ambient soundscapes, and a sense of general foreboding, then you quite simply have to buy yourself this EP. Seriously awesome.
Guentner | Spieth – Valenz (GALÁN / VOGT Rework)
Now, this is very cool! Galán and Vogt have taken a track from the wonderful album, Overlay, by Markus Guentner & Joachim Spieth and remixed / transformed it into something equally – if not more – amazing. The essence of the original track can still be heard, but here it is given a different, edgier sound and feel. This is one of those tracks that is so good you wish it would never end. Very highly recommended. Spectacular stuff.
Uniform – Nightmare City
Uniform are an industrial / industrial rock trio, so I was more than a little intrigued when I received a copy of this dark ambient / drone release – a companion piece to their American Standard album that is essentially the same record devoid of the rock elements. The end result is four deliciously dark tracks that combine elements of dark ambient, sonic soundscapes, and post-industrial and are well worth checking out! Magnificent.
Pestzone – Leng
Inner Demons Records continue to release dark ambient, drone, and noise albums of the highest standard, and this new 7 track release from Pestzone is no exception. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the music of Leng is bleak, sinister, and unearthly – conjuring up visions of disturbing otherworldly domains and dimensions, populated by hideous creatures and forgotten ancient gods. This album is an absolute must have if you are a fan of the darker, more ominous music of the genre. Delightfully menacing!
Ugasanie – Heart of the Swamp
Originally released in 2023, Ugasanie‘s incredible album, Heart of the Swamp, has just been rereleased on Dark Odyssey Records and is also available on CD for the first time. This is an album of gorgeous dark ambient / drone, with multi-textured music that perfectly evokes the sprawling lakes, vast swamps, and dense forests of Belarus – where reality meets myth, and tranquillity meets darkness. Remarkable.
Insectarium & The Black Monolith – KYKEON
The Slithering Black Records label releases music of the highest standard, and this album from Insectarium & The Black Monolith is the perfect example of that. A collaborative effort from two of the genre’s finest musicians, the music here combines elements of dark ambient, drone, and post-industrial music, resulting in an album that is wonderfully dark and disturbing and positively dripping in atmosphere. This is one of those albums that you can’t stop listening to, because – quick frankly – it’s so damn good. Marvellous.
xxu & uxx – [channel]
Combining elements of dark ambient / drone with darkwave and ebm, this latest release from xxu & uxx is a genre defying album that will appeal to those who are looking for something a little different. With evolving drones, electronic glitches, and haunting vocals, this is an album that gets under your skin from the off, and keeps pulling you back to it after it’s finished playing. I’ve had this on repeat play since I first heard it, and I’m going to be playing it for a long time yet. Amazing.
The Deep Bleed – Escape the Seventh Circle
Wow. This 20 minute track from The Deep Bleed is another awesome release from Inner Demons Records, and one that has made a big impact on me. Described as “… a journey through mental illness…” this is a powerful and emotionally charged dark ambient / drone piece, with an underlying sense of helplessness and despair running through it from start to finish. This is one of those tracks that needs to be listened to on a pair of headphones for the full effect, and doing so results in an audio experience that is simply astounding. Incredible.
M.B. – S.F.A.G. 31.11.1981
New on the ever awesome Eighth Tower Records label is the latest in their Italian Post Industrial Classics Collection – S.F.A.G. 31.11.1981 by M.B. (Maurizio Bianchi). Originally released on cassette in July 1982, this is an album of reverberating noise and dissonance that is almost hypnotic in nature, and provides the listener with a challenging yet rewarding audio journey into the unknown. Very highly recommended for fans of the more experimental sounds of the genre. Wonderful.
Click on the below image to go to this month’s This is Darkness playlist on BNDCMPR, which features 1 track from each of the above albums:
