Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit IX
Until dawn do us part
Am brennenden nördlichen Firmament
Shadows over the barren land
Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit VII
Ode
Landschaften ewiger Einsamkeit VIII

December. Horrible month. Dark nights a drawing in and the temperature dropping to below freezing. Thoughts that it will only get worse compounds matters. Wrap up well. Multi layers of clothing get put on. The heating bills go through the roof. Depression sets in. That’s without even thinking of the annual farce called Xmas and New Year celebrations still to go through. At least I’ve still got my music to cheer me up. There’s nothing like a sunny happy recording to blow away those December blues.

Vinterriket & Northaunt’s latest is not that recording. Firmly entrenched in the frozen barren wastelands these seven tracks paint a snow filled picture landscape that sends chills down the spine just listening to them. Both artists have released works of dark ambience…with perhaps German act Vinterriket being the slightly less maudlin…but put both together and you get a panoramic view of utter desolation where the sun never shines and suicide is the easy option out. These sound sculptures are immensely dark and gloomy. Even when they lighten up with a bit of melody you just know they’ll bring the faint taint of euphoria crashing down to earth with a massive thud. A smothered cold hope with no means to escape the on coming darkness. Ambient music for a Prozac pill popping nation suffering from seasonal affective disorder.

Then again you wouldn’t expect anything else from these artists. They’ve forged out their names on creating this style of epic transfixing atmospheres for aeons and with this release they’ve cemented those hard won by reputations. Strangely the Flood the Earth website states that this has been deleted…which mildly put is criminal…so you’ll probably need to search far and wide for a copy. Although not a bundle of laughs you’ll be rewarded with a classical example of the finest dark ambience released this year.

ANM