Dead Man’s Hill – Inner Journeys Through The Living Temples Of Water (Album – Noctivagant)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Ritual, Cinematographic.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Belgian musician/artist Bart Piette strikes back with a new opus of his project Dead Man’s Hill. The title of the work is an indication of what it’s all about; a conceptual work dedicated to the spirits of water. The album was conceived by meditations and shamanic journeys into and through four sacred Springs in Belgium and the UK (Glastonbury). So four tracks have been composed.
Content: You can feel the inspiration of meditation and water coming through this work. The atmosphere has something mysterious; dark, but also relaxing while field recordings accentuate the visual strength of the work. The tracks have been accomplished with delicate sound treatments and a mix of darker noises and metallic, icy sound treatments. You’ll also notice passages with deep, resonating vocal effects.
+ + + : You perfectly feel the concept of the work emerging at the surface. It’s a Dark-Ambient production, which has something prosperous. You can dream away and in a way meditate although a few passages sound like announcing a nearby disaster. Dead Man’s Hill brings different sensations together. I like the way Bart Piette has built up these tracks. From Eastern atmospheres emerging at “White Spring” to the more delicate and yet very dark “Chalice Well/Red Spring” to the icy sounding “Hertebron”, this work has a lot to offer.
– – – : The work has something atypical, which is probably due to the mix of influences. It needs a few more listens to realize Dead Man’s Hill has achieved a great work.
Conclusion: An exciting concept for a styled and atypical Dark-Ambient opus.
Best songs: “White Spring”, “Chalice Well/Red Spring”, “Hertebron”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/deadmanshill
Label: www.nvagant.com / www.facebook.com/nvagant
About Dead Man’s Hill
Dead Man’s Hill is the ritual and dark ambient project of Belgian musician Bart Piette. Discogs traces the project to the limited cassette “Fighting The Cancer” in 2003.
War Office Propaganda issued “We Will Live For Eternity” in 2005 and the CD “The Demons Of Death” in 2006. “Dog Burial” followed on Old Europa Cafe in 2007, “Songs From The Forthcoming Apocalypse” on Midnight-Productions in 2008, and its second chapter, “Transformation”, on the same label in 2010. Steinklang Industries released “Spirits” in 2010 and Kristallblut Records “Cycling Between Sun And Moon” in 2012. Piette self-released “Crossroads” in 2016.
The project also appears on the three-way split “The Circular Shades Of The Equinox” with Shibalba and Deathwalk, issued by Zazen Sounds and reviewed here in the same week as this album. “Inner Journeys Through The Living Temples Of Water” came out on Noctivagant in 2021, and Discogs lists “The Sacrifice” in 2022 and “Born From The Black Cauldron” in 2025.
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