Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Dark-Ambient, Ritual.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This collaborative work features Ukrainian Sasha Puzan aka ProtoU and Swedish Stefan Sandberg aka Oljus. ProtoU is a familiar project from the Cryo chamber roster while Oljus released a few self-released works and the Cryo Chamber collective work “Tomb Of Ordeals” (2019). This work has been introduced as inspired by Vikings. Mattia Giovanni Accinni (Chaigidel) and Thomas Langewehr (Ager Sonus) contributed as guest artists.

Content: The debut track leads the listener throughout a ghost-like sphere featuring whispering voices. Quite progressively we discover heavy, bombastic, and uplifting drones creating a Ritual effect. Some passages are more inhibited but always haunting. The last part of the album has been accentuated by mysterious sounds. A very specific aspect of the work is that there are 7 songs each featuring a duration of 7 minutes.

+ + + : “Mørketsland” moves a step further than the ‘classical’ Cryo Chamber production devoted to Cinematic Music. This work sounds as the right offspring between Dark-Ambient, Cinematic, Ritual and even Drone. The production sounds ultra dark and ghost-like. I even dare to say it’s probably one of the darkest productions ever released by the Swedish label. “A Howling Gale” is a brilliant exposure. The bombastic effect of drones even creates a transcendental experience. The last part of the work sounds more mysterious because of the addition of flute sounds, strings, throat singing ao. Both artists are simply complementary while the guest artist inject a true bonus.

– – – : I don’t have true minus points but it feels like this duo can even do better.

Conclusion: “Mørketsland” is a great piece of music for dark souls.

Best songs: “A Howling Gale”, “Wall Of Thorns feat. Ager Sonus”, “Spirit Of The Water”, “The Summoning”, “Hall Of Serpents feat. Chaigidel.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/protoudrone / www.facebook.com/oljusbilder

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com / www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

About ProtoU & Oljus

ProtoU is the dark ambient project of Ukrainian artist Sasha Puzan, a regular contributor to the Cryo Chamber roster. Oljus is the project of Swedish artist Stefan Sandberg, who has issued a number of self-released works and took part in the Cryo Chamber collective album “Tomb Of Ordeals” in 2019. “Morketsland” is their collaborative album for Cryo Chamber, introduced as inspired by Viking themes, with guest contributions from Chaigidel and Ager Sonus.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, Dark-Ambient.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Since 2014, each year we get a “Cryo Chamber Collaboration”-album. It always consists of a collaborative- and conceptual production between label artists paying tribute to the work of H.P. Lovecraft. This latest production has been released at the end of 2020 and features the following artists:Neizvestija, ProtoU, Dronny Darko, RNGMNN, In  Quantum, Dead Melodies, Atrium Carceri, Keosz, Northumbria, Beyond The Ghost, Wordclock, God Body Disconnect, Randal Collier-Ford, Hilyard, Council Of  Nine, Dahlia’s Tear, Lesa Listvy, Creation VI, Aegri Somnia, Ager Sonus, Ruptured World and Alphaxone.

Content: The work features two extended pieces from 70 and 69 minutes. “Yig 1” is more diversified featuring buzzing noises, passages with slow rhythms, vocal effects, dreamy atmospheres, and field recordings. It’s a pure Cinematographic sensation, which becomes even more explicit on “Yig 2”. We here get an abyssal sensation featuring low sound resonations and progressively evolving into a total ‘film music’ approach refined with piano parts.

+ + + : This collaborative concept remains a unique experience, but also a true tour de force set up and masterly lead by Cryo Chamber’s owner Simon Heath. The common thread of this work is the dark atmospheres reflecting a pure Cinematographic style. It’s a collage of different parts, which all together create a sonic osmosis. I personally prefer the first disc “Yig 1”, which is more diversified and also a bit darker. You don’t really get the feeling listening to tracks of one hour; there’s enough variety resulting in different passages, which are now refined and then rougher. This is the perfect release to accompany a visual performance.

– – – : Even if the production is diversified, there however is a monotonous sphere hanging over the work. I’m missing highlights.

Conclusion: This album once again stands for the true spirit of Cryo Chamber; Cinematographic music around a conceptual theme accomplished by the artists of the label roster.

Best songs: “Yig 1”.

Rate: (7).

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, dark-cinematographic.

Background/Info: Thomas Langewehr became a very prolific artist since he set up Ager Sonus. One year after his excellent “Necropolis”-album he is already back on track unleashing his third official solo-full length, which is inspired by the legendary cult of Mithras. 

Content: The sonic universe of Ager Sonus hasn’t changed that much. “Mithra’s evokes the mystic sensation of ancient cultures and mythical cults. One of the Ager Sonus’ main characteristics is the use of authentic instruments, which clearly inject an intimate touch to the work. Piano keys sound like lost in an endless space while other neo-classic influences inject a melancholic feeling to the work. The last part of the album is absolutely impressive for the extra ghost-like feeling, but still for a kind of solemn sound creation.

+ + + : Ager Sonus has something unique lthough it clearly remains driven by dark-ambient and cinematographic influences. But there’s a delicate and intimate approach, which makes it different, like the creation of a real sound DNA. “Ritual” is an absolute masterpiece, and I also have to mention “Banished” for the addition of spooky, whispering voices.

– – – : Ager Sonus remains fascinating although the effect of surprise is a bit lost. You now know what you can listen to so in the end it becomes a little bit predictable. It’s not my favorite Ager Sonus work although both final tracks are masterpieces.

Conclusion: Mysticism from Ancient civilizations remains the artistic muse to the creation of Ager Sonus.

Best songs: “Ritual”, “Banished”, “Dawn”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/agersonus

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, dark-ambient.

Background/Info: This album is not a compilation, but a collaboration between numerous Cryo Chamber artists. Atrium Carceri, God Body Disconnect, Dronny Darko, ProtoU, Kolhoosi 13, Neizvestija, Northumbria,
Apocryphos, Randal Collier-Ford, Dead Melodies, Flowers For Bodysnatchers, Ager Sonus, Council Of Nine, Kammarheit, Gydja, Creation VI, Darkrad, Aegri Somnia, Ugasanie, SiJ, Alphaxone and Keosz have all contributed to this work, which took them over a year to accomplish “Shub-Niggurath”. It’s a conceptual work inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. Cryo Chamber already released previous Lovecraft tributes as a collaboration between label mates on “Cthulhu”, “Azathoth”, “Nyarlathotep” and “Yog-Sothoth”.

Content: “Shub-Niggurath” features 2 albums. It’s impossible to know what has been the real contribution of each artist, but one thing becomes rapidly evident: it’s a truly Cryo Chamber work. The influences and especially the dark-cinematic approach are easily recognizable. Each disc features a long duration track. The work is driven by the strength of the dark atmospheres and their visual appeal. From nihilistic landscapes towards cellar music, the work is joined by passages with drones, slow rhythms and an impressive arsenal of subtle noises, scratches and other sound effects.

+ + + : This kind of album featuring an endless list of artist is a real ‘tour de force’. It’s a fascinating concept, which I think would be interesting to realize how this album took shape and what have been the inputs of the artists. Next to the way it has been accomplished the album also reveals exciting passages and I here especially refer to low sound vibrations, the detailed format of the work with its endless number of sounds and noises, but most of all the baleful atmosphere recovering this tribute to the Master of fantasy and fiction.

– – – : Some passages are a bit long in duration and monotonous, but globally speaking there’s a real flow running through his work. I personally prefer the first disc although the final part of the second disc sounds pretty cool as well.

Conclusion: I don’t know other labels other than Cryo Chamber releasing this kind of conceptual work. It’s not only about a conceptual theme, but also about a label, which seems to be a real ‘family’.

Best songs: “Shub-Niggurath 1”.

Rate: (7½).

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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German artist Thomas Langewehr had a few ideas in mind when he was in search of a band name. He finally translated one of these names (cf. ‘soundfield’) into Latin and Ager Sonus was born. This dark-ambient project got signed to Cryo Chamber and released impressive music inspired by mystic fields related to Ancient Egypt. The newest work “Necropolis” confirms the talent of this musician, which I personally consider as one of the most talented ‘new’ artists in the genre.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you give us some information about your music background and the way you got in touch with dark-ambient music, which finally brought you to set up Ager Sonus?

Thomas: I am mainly a drummer, playing in a punk/hardcore-band, but there was always another side of me that wanted to get out. I was already a fan of (dark)-ambient music for a few years and at one point I just decided to actually try to make my own music. Eventually I started releasing the music to the internet. I always wanted to set up a solo project, mainly for videogames, so I saw this as a way to get some practice and maybe connect to people.

Q: So you wanted to compose a dark-ambient sound, but did you’ve specific references and criteria when composing your music?

Thomas: Well, I only knew I wanted it to be dark (lol). If you listen to my older releases you can hear that they were not very elaborated. They were multi-layered, but not comparable to what I deal with today. I also didn’t connect storylines in any album (until “Tartarus”), I always have a theme I focused on, but every song stood on its own.

I do not listen to other music or artists to get a certain tone I want to achieve, I just sit at my computer and lay down the first few ideas, or added field recordings, manipulate them and then the ideas for the further composition come from that.

Q: Your work is inspired by the mysticism of the Ancient Egyptian culture. What fascinates you in this subject and how do you create your music around this theme?

Thomas: I was always fascinated by Egypt on multiple levels: the architecture, their view about death and what happens to you after it. But also their perception about the gods, the country itself, their tombs and temples… Kind of hard to put it into a short answer. There’re multiple aspects of their mythology that can get your mind running wild. I tried to ‘show’ the world I imagined via the sound; big, oppressive temples, dark, tight, tomb scenarios and vast landscapes.

Q: Your new work “Necropolis” is characterized by powerful and overwhelming blasting sounds at one side and impressive little noises and sound manipulations at the other side. Tell us a bit more about the production and the evolution from “Book Of The Black Earth” towards “Necropolis”?

Thomas: For “Necropolis” I knew I wanted to put in a lot of current and ancient music instruments from around that area and era. Starting out I had no idea how that would sound like in an overall mix, but I am very happy with the end result. I took the ‘Persian scale’ into account and had chords or note progression build upon that, to give it an oriental feel. If I succeeded or not only the listener can tell. I am not a trained piano player and am still learning how to play it, so it was quite of experimenting.

I added flutes and sitars on “Book Of The Black Earth”, but not that much. I don’t have real professional equipment or experience with it so I recorded all kind of sounds. I learned a lot during the writing of “Book Of The Black Earth” and it just took me a step further. I recorded different types of ‘dirt’ and other stuff and put it in tracks either unchanged or manipulated so you would not get that it even was dirt. I like these small little touches that give depth to a track, to pull you a bit further. As for the overall sound, as mentioned in the previous answer, I tried to convey this feeling of being lost in these ancient places and used long notes representing the vast and seemingly endless landscapes of Egypt.

Q: I noticed that one of your favorite dark-ambient artists is Atrium Carceri so I can imagine it must have been really special to get signed on Cryo Chamber? Did you get the opportunity to speak- and exchange some ideas with Simon Heath?

Thomas: Oh, you have no idea! I pestered Simon for almost 4 years I think (lol). He is such a great guy, even though he did not pick me up as an artist for a long time, we talked a bit about each album I sent him. He always gave me great feedback, he always listened and that is something you rarely find in a human being, so I always knew, if I’d to join a label, it could be only Cryo Chamber, which is also the label where most of my favorite artists are signed.

Q: Some dark-ambient artists are using authentic/traditional instruments in their work, which often reinforce the mystic/occult/ritual side of the composition. Is it an idea you would eventually improve on further releases? What brings the future for Ager Sonus?

Thomas: For “Necropolis” it made sense to me to use all those instruments, it really gives it an ‘authentic’ feeling, which I think wouldn’t have come through if I had just used drones or dark soundscapes. I think the mix really made those two albums work. I don’t know if I will use ‘real’ instruments on my next release; I also have not yet decided what to do next. I have a lot of ideas and a theme in mind, but I am currently experimenting with a few new tools/plugins I bought recently, so it could take some time. Aside of this I’m looking forward for possible collaborations with other artists, which is an idea I’ve been always open for.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, cinematographic.

Background/Info: After having released the very successful debut album “Book Of The Black Earth”, Thomas Langewehr aka Ager Sonus strikes back with his second solo album. He again explores mystic fields related to Ancient Egypt.

Content: I already enjoyed the debut album of Ager Sonus and “Necropolis” only confirms the potential of this artist. The opening cuts left me breathless for the powerful blasts and mysterious atmospheres supporting the tracks. You rapidly feel like entering a danger zone, which is simply created by icy sounds, iron noises, humming voices and vibrant sonic waves. “Necropolis” reflects a world of loneliness where the listener will have to face his fears.

+ + + : The opening cuts are absolutely brilliant. The icy atmospheres have been built up crescendo until you get the impression being imprisoned in a dense sonic web from which you can’t escape. Thomas Langewehr reveals himself as a truly sound alchemist who discovered the secrets of the ‘ancient’ artists in dark-ambient music. I’m not that surprised he claims to be inspired by artists such as Lustmord, Atrium Carceri ao. This work is not only about the dark atmospheres, but also about an intelligent and well-crafted composition achieved with numerous little details and manipulations you better can enjoy by using headphones.

– – – : I’m really convinced by the great writing skills of this project so don’t ask me for minus points. The only little thing is that the best tracks and the truly climax of the album is the first part while the final part remains great, but without similar highlights.

Conclusion: After the successful debut work, Ager Sonus has surpassed himself unleashing an outstanding piece of dark-ambient music. This is for sure one of the most talented newcomers in the genre from the past few years.

Best songs: “Valley Of The Kings”, “Shards Of Umm El-Qaab”, “Abu Simbel”, “Deciphering Hieroglyphs”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/agersonus

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, experimental.

Background/Info: This is what I would call a typical release on cryo Chamber featuring several projects from the label roster. It also is the third chapter in the “Tomb”-series based upon druidic history.

Content: You can hear each artist took care to accomplish a poignant piece of music. It’s maybe hard to find back the ‘druidic’ concept, but the dark-ambient and experimental approach is rapidly coming through. Field recordings and dark sonic vibes have been mixed. From the sophisticated and experimental work of ProtoU to the dark abyssal universe of Aegri Somnia to the pure haunting cinematographic world of Dead Melodies to the overwhelming sound treatments of Ager Sonus and the nasty sound darkness of Creation VI this opus has a lot to offer.

+ + + : I have to admit this is the kind of work you have to discover in the right circumstances. You’ve to relax and simply listen to the music without being occupied with something else. It’s the perfect way to catch the real depth of this work. It doesn’t sound like a compilation, it’s more like a conceptual release around one single theme. All tracks make sense, but I maybe have a little preference for the final track by Creation VI revealing a kind of sonic web that is progressively possessing you. I also have to mention the opening cut by ProtoU, which is the most sophisticated one.

– – – : My single regret is that I can’t find any single link with the conceptual theme of the work. I think it would have been more appropriated to find some ‘ritual’-minded bands.

Conclusion: This is not a regular compilation and yet it’s a kind of compilation. Here already starts the confusion, which will be only accentuated by the work of the artists.

Best bands: Creation VI, ProtoU.

Rate: (7½).

Bands: www.facebook.com/protoudrone / www.facebook.com/Aegri–somnia-489456297863916 / www.facebook.com/thedeadmelodies / www.facebook.com/agersonus / www.facebook.com/sixcreationsix 

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Book Of The Black Earth’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Read the review of ‘Book Of The Black Earth’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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