Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Cinematic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is one more collaboration between Swedish artists Simon Heath (Atrium Carceri) and Pär Boström (Kammarheit). This new opus comes two years after the “Colossus”-album. The work wants to explore ‘both a barren surface of enormous structures and ancient underground passageways’.

Content: This work invites listeners to dream but also to dive into the dark, imaginary, universe of both artists. Low sound frequencies have been mixed with multiple field recordings and manipulated noises to accentuate the darkness of the production. I noticed a passage with a kind of sacred, mystic,-like chant while other passages are driven by a slow cadence.

+ + + : I missed a climax at the previous work but got it at “Apparatus”. The last part of the work is featuring a few sonic pearls leading the listener into a state of ecstasy. “Stellular Glypts”” is a title with a magic touch featuring mystic chants and intimate darkness. The ominous sphere has something really powerful and even addictive.

– – – : The last part of the album is great but the very last song rather sounds as an anticlimax.

Conclusion: Atrium Carceri and Kammarheit reveal a true chemistry resulting in a fascinating work.

Best songs: “Stellular Glypts”, “Stirring”, “Mechanism”.

Rate: 8.

Artists: www.atriumcarceri.com / www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063521439906 / www.kammarheit.com / www.facebook.com/kammarheitofficial

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

About Atrium Carceri and Kammarheit

Atrium Carceri is the dark-ambient project of Swedish artist Simon Heath, who founded it in 2003 and debuted with the album “Cellblock”. Heath also owns and runs the Cryo Chamber label and released the solo album “Forgotten Gods” in late 2023. Kammarheit is the project of fellow Swedish artist Pär Boström. The two have collaborated repeatedly, including on the 2017 album “Echo” and the “Colossus” album two years before “Apparatus”, which followed on Cryo Chamber.

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

There’s that much to say about Simon Heath. The Swedish artist and label-owner (Cryo Chamber) has been involved with numerous music projects and has collaborated with multiple other artists. Atrium Carceri probably remains his most famous and renowned project which he set up in 2003. Twenty years later, by the end of 2023, he released the new album “Forgotten Gods”. I consider the work as one of the best Atrium Carceri-albums in history; mixing Dark-Ambient and Cinematic influences together with a Ritual input. I asked a few questions to Simon about this absolute masterpiece. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Forgotten Gods” was released by the end of 2023 which means twenty years after Atrium Carceri’s official debut-album “Cellblock”. Can you draw up the balance sheet of this incredible sonic voyage?

Simon: It’s been a while since I produced “Cellblock”; that album serves as a good introduction into the project and was conceptually a bit more to-the-point with its framing. “Forgotten Gods” is so far down the Atrium Carceri rabbit hole that I purposely needed to anchor it to my very first albums both in the themes and in the production style. Hopefully that will be recognizable to a few fans

Q: How much of the ‘young’ Simon Heath do you still recognize in “Forgotten Gods” and how did you see the evolution of the project when it comes to concepts, writing, sound production, recording techniques etc?

Simon: I think conceptually things have drifted a bit away from traditional physical horror and more into cosmic- and philosophical terror, which is to be expected as we move beyond our world and into the real one, truth is terrifying.

Q: “Forgotten Gods” took me by surprise. I got the impression you ‘reinvented’ Atrium Carceri although the sound remains familiar to ‘earlier’ productions and influences. How do you perceive this album and how did it saw the daylight?

Simon: I very much wanted a different more distorted and more cult-like atmosphere on this one to represent the heavy feeling of exploring deep underneath the cities. To feel the weight of the earth and hear the reverberations of ancient stone temples and abandoned sewage halls.

Q: What inspired you in the concept of the album which takes the listener away in a mysterious and ritual exploration of the underworld beneath our cities?

Simon: It’s very much a continuation of previous albums but ties in a bit more conceptual with “Metropolis” and “Cellblock” than to “Codex”.

Q: How did you transpose the ideas of the concept into sounds and songs? What have been the different stages you’d to go through to achieve “Forgotten Gods”? 

Simon: Those that know me know that I produce a lot, but also delete a lot. I sometimes have a subtractive approach to production. On this album I deleted at least half of the tracks that were meant for it, and then started working my way up to the finishing point again. Some of those tracks weren’t bad necessarily, but they didn’t fit into the sound or concepts I was exploring and some of them interrupted the flow from track to track.

Generally this is an approach I like to use, to not emotionally get attached to my own material because it can cloud my judgment of what works or does not. It’s an easy trap to fall into if you put 50 hours into a track, to delete it and feel like you sat there 50 hours in the studio for nothing, but at the end of the day it wasn’t for nothing because deleting that track made for a better album. 

Q: You clearly like working and composing together with other artists -which in a way also became a trademark of Cryo Chamber. Why are these collaborations that precious and important to you? And is there any specific artist you would like to work with?

Simon: I do love collaborating with people, it’s a good time to geek out with like-minded people and also a good learning experience to be able to share techniques and learn from other artists. Well I always love to work with Pär Boström of Kammarheit/Cities Last Broadcast/Aindulmedir/Trollslottet as we have a very good balance where my more sterile- and technical- and his chaotic- and artistic production styles work to bring us out of our comfort zone and create something  neither of us would be able to pull off solo.

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

Cyclic Law celebrates its 20th anniversary with a label sampler, “Cyclic Law’s 20th Anniversary Label Sampler”, featuring exclusive material from 22 artists on 20 tracks.

On the release you’ll find material from Ajna, Ascending Divers, Ashtoreth, Beckahesten, Curse All Kings, Desiderii Marginis, Funerary Call, Kammarheit, Leila Abdul-Rauf, Neraterræ & Dødsmaskin, New Risen Throne & Corona Barathri, Nordvargr, Øjerum, Shedir, Shrine, Sophia, Sutek Hexen, Taphephobia, Visions and Vortex.

The release will be out on December 21st as a double CD Edition of 500 copies in gatefold digisleeve with a 180x120mm poster.

You can pre-order the release right here.

Since its inception in 2002, Cyclic Law has been active in the fields of ambient, experimental and industrial soundscapes. Next to the label there is also Cyclic Press, a publishing house releasing high quality art books by international visual artists and on top it’s distributing various occult and esoterica publishing houses. The third panel of Cyclic Law is Cyclic Law Mastering which offers audio mastering services open to any style of music, but with a wider knowledge of all styles of electronic music, from ambient to techno.

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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Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Dark-Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Swedish musicians Simon Heath (Atrium Carceri) and Pär Boström (Kammarheit) have already worked together on past works. “Colossus” is driven by forgotten civilizations resulting in seven songs.

Content: This is an extremely dark sound universe carried by deep, vibrating sound waves accentuated by cold strings. Power has been infused by a few epic blasts.

+ + + : This album, first of all brings two masters of the Cinematic/Dark-Ambient genre (already) together. The tracks have been progressively built up, but always feature a hostile and tormented atmosphere. This is not an album to get in a happy mood, but that’s not what lovers of this music genre expect. “Colossus” has a haunting sensation which is masterly created by a perfect balance between the different elements of the composition. I like the vibrating sound waves which makes me think of an imaginary inferno while the epic sound treatments have a strong, dramatic touch.

– – – : The album is missing a total climax, but you’ll be never disappointed.

Conclusion: “Colossus” is a perfect ambassador to represent the sonic universe of Cryo Chamber: tormented Cinematic music. 

Best songs: “Colossus”, “Subpulse”, “Vaults”, “In The Black Stone”;

Rate: 7½.

Artists: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063521439906 / www.facebook.com/kammarheitofficial

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

Cryo Chamber released “Colossus” on 15 February 2022, digitally and on CD. The seven tracks are “Subpulse”, “The Earthen Fortress”, “Colossus”, “Interwoven”, “Vaults”, “In the Black Stone” and “Quietude”. Heath and Boström wrote, produced and performed the album together, Heath handled artwork and mastering, and Boström wrote the booklet text.

Listen to “Colossus”:

About Atrium Carceri and Kammarheit

Atrium Carceri is the dark ambient project of Swedish musician Simon Heath, who also runs the Cryo Chamber label. Kammarheit is the project of Swedish musician Pär Boström, who launched the separate Bonini Bulga project through Cyclic Law in 2018.

The two had already recorded together with Apocryphos on “Onyx” in 2015 and on “Echo” in 2017, both issued by Cryo Chamber. Both projects also took part in the label’s large-scale collaborative album “Nyarlathotep” in 2016.

“Colossus” arrived in February 2022 as their first album billed to the two projects alone. They followed it with “Apparatus” on Cryo Chamber in 2024. Heath described his working methods in the Click Interview with Simon Heath from Atrium Carceri in March 2024.

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, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This new project is a collaboration between Swedish renowned artist  Pär Boström (Cities Last Broadcast, Kammarheit, Bonini Bulga ao) and American artist Bruce Moallem (God Body Disconnect). ‘The album is presented as two different dreams from the same night. One a nightmarish trip within blurry worlds and one a nostalgic journey about things real and unreal’.

Content: If you might expect a symbiosis between both artist’s respective projects, you’re definitely wrong. This music however remains driven by Dark-Ambient elements, but globally speaking it sounds more Electronic and especially into minimalism. There’s a perfect harmony between field recordings and Electronic sound treatments. It’s an easy going dark sonic sensation, which is moving from dreamy passages to darker parts. The very last cut features a few spoken-like, whispering vocals.

+ + + : We all know Cryo Chamber for the collaborative efforts between the artists, but this one sounds different. It sounds like something totally new and with a very own focus. It’s definitely more electronic than most of the Cryo chamber productions, but it remains devoted to the Cinematographic taste of the label. It’s just a more visionary approach achieved with refined and subtle sound treatments and bleeps.

– – – : The work features 16 cuts, which is cool, but a little bit predictable after a while.

Conclusion: I can only encourage both artists to move on with this promising project, which has something apart from the ‘classical’ Cinematographic productions.

Best songs: “Sing It Like Fire”, “A Sullen Slumber”, “Wing Upon Wing”, “Dressed As A Memory”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/underwatersleeporchestra

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

About Underwater Sleep Orchestra

Underwater Sleep Orchestra is the duo of Swedish musician Pär Boström and American musician Bruce Moallem, formed for the Cryo Chamber label. Boström also runs Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast and Bonini Bulga; Moallem records as God Body Disconnect, and discussed that project in the Side-Line interview Click Interview with God Body Disconnect: ‘The Project Can Be Viewed As A Blueprint To My Life’.

“The Night And Other Sunken Dreams” was released on 29 June 2021 as catalogue CRYO 164, on CD and digital. The CD came as a quadfold eight-panel textured digipak with a sixteen-page booklet. The sixteen tracks were written by both members, with VHS audio treatment by Bruce Moallem, booklet photographs by Pär Boström, and mastering and album artwork by Simon Heath.

The duo continued on the same label with “Insomnolence” in 2023 and “Other Sides Of Nowhere” in 2025.

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.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: After having released three collaborative albums with Atrium Carceri,  Pär Boström (still involved with other projects like Kammarheit, Teahouse Radio, Bonini Bulga ao) he strikes back with a new solo-album.

Content: “The Umbra Report” is totally devoted to the sound of Cryo Chamber; a dark Cinematographic journey mixed with some Dark-Ambient passages. Low, buzzing sound waves create a dark vision. The darkness has been accentuated by ghost-like vocal effects, and also by repetitive tones and loops.

+ + + : Cities Last Broadcast is switching from frightening, Dark-Ambient constructions towards impressions of sadness. You feel lost in an imaginary labyrinth of sonic horror, which is reaching a total climax on, “Stares Back”. This track has a strong visual appeal, which is mainly created by some vocal effects, which have been mixed at the front of the composition. There’s also something to say about the sorrow emerging on, “Antumbra”; the track serving as a perfect final to the work.

– – – : I sometimes would like to hear a bit more diversity in the composition.

Conclusion: Pär Boström is a talented and experienced musician, who exactly knows how to compose poignant Dark-Ambient sounds.

Best songs: “Stares Back”, “Antumbra”, “A Message”, “Conduct”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/citieslastbroadcast

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

About Cities Last Broadcast

Cities Last Broadcast is the dark ambient project of Swedish musician Pär Boström, who is based in Umeå. Boström also records as Kammarheit, Bonini Bulga, Teahouse Radio and Aindulmedir.

The project started with “The Cancelled Earth” in 2009. “The Humming Tapes” followed in 2016 and “Black Corner Den” in 2017, both on Cryo Chamber. Boström then worked with Simon Heath of Atrium Carceri on “Miles To Midnight” in 2018 and “Black Stage Of Night” in 2019.

“The Umbra Report” was released by Cryo Chamber in 2021 on CD and digital, with a vinyl edition following. Boström returned to the project with “Phantasmora” in 2024.

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.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Swedish artist Pär Boström returns with a new album of Kammarheit, the fourth studio full length in twenty years of involvement.

Content: “Thronal” features 8 tracks, which from start on reveals the Dark-Ambient roots and influences of Kammarheit. From the very first seconds of the opening cut you can feel evil forces coming through. Boiling sound waves creating an extremely dark atmosphere create this sensation of solitude and desolation. Low sound resonations accentuate the impact of the work, which is really taking you by the throat. A few cuts are moving into a dark reverie, which is also the way this album comes to an end.

+ + + : Pär Boström takes care to compose his work a meticulous way. The tracks are well-crafted and supported by a dense and constant dark sound approach. I like the low tones the music has been made by and creating this irresistible visual appeal. “Thronal” feels to me as a sonic metaphor to a world in despair; a nightmarish view of abandoned places and lost souls. This visual strength creates an emotional experience, revealing the delicacy of the composition.

– – – : The tracks are somewhat similar; no real lows, but unfortunately no total climax.

Conclusion: “Thronal” is the kind of album belonging to the good-old Dark-Ambient school; a production appealing for Cold Meat Industry nostalgia.

Best songs: “Iron Bloodstream”, “Now Golden, Now Dark”, “The Two Houses”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.kammarheit.com / www.facebook.com/kammarheitofficial

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

About Kammarheit

Kammarheit is the Swedish dark ambient project of Pär Boström, based in Umeå. Active since 2000, the project has released the albums “Asleep and Well Hidden” (2003), “The Starwheel” (2005), “The Nest” (2015), and “Thronal” (2020) through Cyclic Law and Cryo Chamber. Boström also runs the side project Cities Last Broadcast, whose debut “The Cancelled Earth” appeared on Cyclic Law in 2009, followed by releases on Cryo Chamber including “The Humming Tapes” (2016). He has collaborated repeatedly with Atrium Carceri, releasing “Black Corner Den” (2017), “Miles to Midnight” with God Body Disconnect (2018), and “Black Stage of Night” (2019). “Thronal,” reviewed here, marks his fourth full-length under the Kammarheit name.

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, Ritual.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Eight Tower Records selected a fine number of artists to revisit the legendary “Inferno” written by Dante. It’s a kind of imaginary soundtrack to accompany Dante and Virgil on their trip meeting diabolical and demonic figures. Remember the painting of Caravaggio who during early Baroque perfectly represented Dante’s “Inferno” so you here get the music. Notice by the way the digital format features four extra songs.

Artists: Lars Bröndum, Sonologyst & Rapoon, Dead Space Chamber Music, Kammarheit, Mario Lino Stancati, D. Barbiero & C. Bocci, , Samuel Goff, Cobi Van Tonder.

Content: Being an admirer of Caravaggio I’d some painting of him in mind while listening to this work. I think music and paintings together are totally matching. You get the impression to walk in the footsteps of Dante, meeting the most terrific creatures, which are simply coming into mind because of the music. The sphere recovering the work is mysterious and sometimes ominous. Some ritual elements are here and then reinforcing the visual strength of the work. I also noticed some classical sounds like the play of a cello (D. Barbiero & C. Bocci) while some bewitching voices are resonating in the distance (Samuel Goff). I also noticed one track with guitar play, creating a mysterious and somewhat ritual/experimental approach (Gianluca Beccuzi).

+ + + : I think it will be not surprising to affirm this compilation reflects an obscure atmosphere. There’s a strong visual appeal emerging from tracks composed by Sonologyst & Rapoon, Deep Space Chamber Music and D. Barbiero & C. Bocci. It has something disturbing and that’s precisely what creates fascination for this work.

– – – : A compilation is always featuring great songs and other ones. Luckily I think there’s nothing to throw away here, but a few artists clearly can’t compete with the magic composed by others.

Conclusion: This compilation is a freaky, but great ode to the legendary “Inferno”.

Best bands: Sonologyst & Rapoon, Samuel Goff, Dead Space Chamber Music.

Rate: (7½).

Label: www.facebook.com/eighthtowerrecords

About Eighth Tower Records

Eighth Tower Records is an Italian label founded in 2017 by Raffaele Pezzella, who also records as Sonologyst. The label focuses on dark and experimental music and has since expanded into book publishing. “Demonology In Dante’s Inferno” also features Kammarheit and Mario Lino Stancati among its contributors.

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.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Robert C. Kozletsky has been – and still is, involved with different projects (Shock Frontier, Psychomanteum ao) his most renowned project remains Apocryphos. “Against Civilization” is the first ‘new’ solo-album since “Stone Speak” (2016). 

Content: “Against Civilization” is much different, like revealing an artist who explores the cinematic style deeper. The atmosphere recovering the work remains dark, sometimes a bit tormented, but still intimate. The tracks are pretty comparable to each other, creating a dense sonic puzzle with a few highlights. Notice by the way Pär Bostrom (Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast, Hymnambulae) contributed to 2 cuts.

+ + + : I can’t say this is the best work I’ve heard from Apocryphos, but it definitely appears to be the most intimate and personal work to date. There’s a deeper concept behind, but it all feels like an artist who shares his deepest frights together with his audience. So the work has a real visual strength, which is reinforced by the use of field recordings. I like the most obscure side from the album appearing with “Dysphagia”, but especially on “Sunken Eyed Theopanies”. Some sound effects and field recordings have a very subtle touch, like little details accentuating the truly spirit and darkness of the work.

– – – : The album has something monotonous; there’s not that much difference between the tracks so you can get the sensation listening to a single, long during track without that much diversity.

Conclusion: This album totally fits the cinematic concept of Cryo Chamber, but it’s definitely not my favorite Apocryphos work in history.

Best songs: “Sunken Eyed Theopanies”, “Dysphagia”, “Altschmerz”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/apocryphosdrone

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

About Apocryphos

Apocryphos is the solo dark ambient project of American musician Robert C. Kozletsky, also known for Shock Frontier and Psychomanteum. Kozletsky first appeared on Cryo Chamber with the 2015 collaboration “Onyx” alongside Kammarheit and Atrium Carceri, before the solo album “Stone Speak” in 2016 and a further Kammarheit/Atrium Carceri reunion, “Echo”, in 2017. The project has continued on Cryo Chamber since “Against Civilization” with further albums including “Phantoms Received”, “Atrementia” and “Ultimim Saeculum”.

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.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Simon Heath (Atrium Carceri, Sabled Sun ao) and Pär Boström (Kammarheit, Hymnambulae, Bonini Bulga ao) have already worked together on a previous album (cf. “Black Corner Den”) and another one with God Body Disconnect as an extra artist. They also did a few more albums together as Atrium Carceri and Kammarheit so both Swedes know each other very well.

Content: You don’t really get the feeling this album sounds like a side-project between label mates. There’s a true cohesion in the songs, which are mixing the dark-ambient and –cinematographic styles together. The songs have been slowly built up, progressively creating a haunting atmosphere, which feels a bit like announcing a disaster. Field recordings have been added to the writing. Some passages are accentuated by sad tunes leading the listener into an imaginary sadness.

+ + + : The main strength and characteristic of this album is the intimate mood created by both artists. Even if the tracks sound dark and supported with desperate atmospheres, there also is something evasive running through the composition. “A New Constellation” is a brilliant exposure of this inner feeling. There’s a touch of grace running through the album, which finally gave birth to a few beautiful tracks.

– – – : This is probably the best album released between both musicians. It however misses a total climax to speak about a genius work, but there’s magic vibes between Atrium Carceri and Cities Last Broadcast.

Conclusion: There’s strong chemistry between both artists, which resulted in a passionate and very personal production.

Best songs: “A New Constellation”, “Mind Turns To Night”, “Attic And Wormwood”, “All Things Nocturnal”.

Rate: (8).

Artists: www.atriumcarceri.com / www.facebook.com/Atrium–Carceri-376509390774  / www.facebook.com/citieslastbroadcast

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

About Atrium Carceri and Cities Last Broadcast

Simon Heath records dark-ambient material as Atrium Carceri and Sabled Sun, while Pär Boström works under Kammarheit, Hymnambulae and Bonini Bulga, among other names. Both are based in Sweden and release primarily through Cryo Chamber. Heath and Boström have paired up as Atrium Carceri and Cities Last Broadcast before, including on “Black Corner Den” and a further collaboration joined by God Body Disconnect. “Black Stage Of Night” is their latest album together on Cryo Chamber.

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

Hymnambulae is one of the multiple projects Pär Boström (Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast, Bonini Bulga ao) is involved with. Together with his sister, Åsa Boström, he set up this project to compose ritual music. The second full length album “Nausikaa”, released on their own label Hypnagoga Press, is a conceptual work meant as a ‘long-held vision to combine the electroacoustic ambience of Hymnambulae with voice recordings by the Swedish mystic, poet and translator Gunnar Ekelöf’. Even if there’re explicit ritualistic elements running through the work, it also sounds as a fascinating dark-ambient universe revealing a perfect balance between dreamy- and anguishing passages. My curiosity incited me to get in touch with the siblings to know a bit more about Hymnambulae and their latest creation.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Pär, first of all I would like to know what makes Hymnambulae different for you compared to your other projects you’ve been ever involved with?  

Pär: One big difference is how concrete the inner world becomes. To be shared, for us to be able to collaborate, it needs to be more verbalised. Hymnambulae is very specific in its setting and theme. Some things remain on an abstract and intuitive level when I work alone, because I don’t need to articulate all of it, but here even the abstraction becomes tangible. If I look at the project as a map with specific locations, I know that Åsa is familiar with both the locations and their hidden meaning. It enables us to dig deep while also working more efficiently. There is also a slight difference regarding the instruments used.

Q: I can imagine as siblings you know each other very well, but how do you see each other as brother/sister and as ‘artists’?

Åsa: We know each other well, both as artists and siblings: each other’s background, universes and capacities. There is a built-in permanency in our collaboration, based on us being siblings and having similar creative backgrounds. Both Hypnagoga Press and Hymnambulae, are intended as lifelong projects.

Q: What incited you to set up Hymnambulae and was there a kind of initial purpose when it comes to music, influences, composition ao?

Åsa: Hymnambulae was founded in 2008. The first recordings and ceremonies took place at the Summer and Winter solstices. The initial purpose was to make ritualistic music. A ceremonial project combining music, writing, art. We have the same musical background, growing up listening to early dark-ambient, industrial- and classical music. We never intended for it to be a purely dark-ambient project.

Pär: The atmosphere of Armenian flutes, Gurdjieff’s dreamy harmonium, Arvo Pärt’s minimalism, the mystical poetry of Rilke and Ekelöf, were some influences. We wanted lo-fi, ritualistic improvisations, repetitive monotonous soundscapes, analogue tape. We aimed for something timeless. It has evolved, but the original intention is still there.

Q: Your debut album “Orgelhuset” released in 2016 sound a bit different compared to the new opus “Nausikaa”. How do you look back at the debut work and how did you finally evolve towards “Nausikaa”? What’s the input of each other?

Åsa: If “Orgelhuset” represents the present, our ceremonially combined mythologies, a personal mysticism; then “Nausikaa” is more retrospective. The invitation of an important source. Ekelöf introduced us to Western- and Eastern mysticism at an early age. We are both involved in all aspects of Hymnambulae – the music, writing, artwork. Pär has a more well-equipped music studio, so the albums tend to be finalised there.

Q: That brings me to speak about the poetry of Gunnar Ekelöf, which in a way is the concept of the new album. I found out he was rather anarchistic, that he loved the music of Strawinsky and the work of Nietzsche while his work was inspired by multiple influences. Tell us a bit more about the man, your fascination for his work and how you composed the music around his poetry?

Pär: His poetry, travels and concepts have influenced us a lot. The name Hypnagoga Press is a reference to Ekelöf. He introduced us to the term ‘the hypnagogic’. Ekelöf brought us to such specific locations early on. The desert, Parisian attics, Greek countryside chapels. He became a guide to mysticism, French poetry, religious iconography and architecture. To choose other paths.

Åsa: Nomadic paths. Being awake and alone at night, the turning towards in-betweens, the liminal, revelation. The inward journey and liminal spaces are central in our creative practices and our publications. Everything we return with is rooted somewhere else.

Q: How did the writing of this album happened? What have been the different stages and difficulties you’d to go through and what is the biggest satisfaction about “Nausikaa”?

Pär: “Nausikaa” has been growing in the background for many years. “Orgelhuset” probably had to be released first for this to fully emerge. The biggest satisfaction is that the album is published, realised. Having honoured Ekelöf! The album includes voice recordings with Ekelöf reading his poetry, licensed from The Swedish Radio. The main problem we encountered was the limited selection we had to choose from, that some of the poems we wanted to include has never been recorded.

Åsa: This publication has received a much-appreciated support from Ekelöf’s daughter, The Gunnar Ekelöf Society, as well as The Swedish Arts Council. The album doesn’t just impact our musical genre, but also Ekelöf’s heritage as a whole. Previous musical interpretations of his poetry have been through jazz or classical music. Our album introduces Ekelöf to more people.

Q: The album has been released on your own label Hypnagoga Press on different formats; CD, vinyl, cassette and of course digital. What do you like in each of these formats? Do you’ve a favorite one and what’s the point releasing a cassette in 2019?

Pär: I think the cassette format is perfect for our sound, as is vinyl. We reach different people with different formats and it enables us to experiment with packaging which is one of the things we enjoy the most.

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, ritual.

Background/Info: Hymnambulae is a Swedish project set up and driven by the siblings Pär Boström and Åsa Boström. We of course know Pär Boström for his involvement with projects such as Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast, Bonini Bulga and co. “Nausikaa” is the second album by the duo (again released on their own label), which is a ‘long-held vision to combine the electroacoustic ambience of Hymnambulae with voice recordings by the Swedish mystic, poet and translator Gunnar Ekelöf’. The album is available on vinyl, cassette and CD.

Content: The sonic universe of the Boström duo is a mix of dark-ambient passages and something more mysterious and a bit ritual like. We feel like diving into an abyssal universe joined by spoken, ghost-like vocals of an old man. It creates a scary feeling, which is accentuated by the dark tones of the music, but also with some passages featuring piano.

+ + + : Hymnambulae is touched by the hand of a demon. This duo creates a visual world where you get the impression of facing evil forces. But even if the music is dark, it also has something relaxing. There even is a kind of inhibited and very intimate sphere hanging over the tracks. The spooky, spoken words only empower the mystery of the production and are essential in the global production. Pär Boström never stops to take his audience by surprise.

– – – : The songs are maybe a little bit repetitive in their global approach, but you don’t hear me complaining.

Conclusion: “Nausikaa” is a world of isolation creating fear and yet leading the listener into some prosperity. It’s a remarkable dark-ambient production, which I highly recommend.

Best songs: “Dykaren I Drömmen”, “Den Hypnagoga”, “Totemdjur”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.hymnambulae.com / www.facebook.com/hymnambulae

Label: https://hypnagogapress.com / www.facebook.com/hypnagogapress

About Hymnambulae

Hymnambulae was founded in 2008 by Swedish siblings Hymnambulae pair Pär Boström and Åsa Boström as a ceremonial project combining music, writing and art, drawing on early dark-ambient, industrial and classical music. Pär Boström also records as Kammarheit, among other projects. The siblings released Hymnambulae’s debut album “Orgelhuset” in 2016 before “Nausikaa”, issued on their own label Hypnagoga Press, a name taken from a term used by the poet Gunnar Ekelöf. Pär and Åsa Boström discussed the album and the Ekelöf connection in a Side-Line interview.

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-cinematographic, dark-ambient.

Background/Info: Teahouse Radio is a new project driven by Pär Boström. We all know his involvement with Kammarheit and Cities Last Broadcast, but Teahouse Radio is somewhat different. It’s meant as ‘an intimate, hidden therapeutic world between worlds, a place of nostalgia mixed with melancholia, and a way to fight mental illness with music’. The tracks of this debut work were composed in between 2004 and 2017.

Content: Forget Kammarheit and Cities Last Broadcast; Teahouse Radio indeed sounds more intimate. Less sounds and arrangements have been used. The main focus seems to create a very personal sonic inner world characterized by the impact of atmospheres. Kristal-like sounds have been used next to piano- and guitar playing/effects accentuating a state of loneliness and abandonment.

+ + + : The sphere hanging over this work reminds me of Tor Lundvall. It feels like an intimate voyage throughout the mind and fears of the author. Less sound layers have been used and yet you can feel such an overwhelming sensation. Each note has its importance to create a real impact. The album also feels a bit like a paradox; there’s a kind of serenity at one side and yet it feels mysterious and a bit obscure.

– – – : Teahouse Radio for sure appears to be the most experimental- and intimate project set up by Pär Boström so in the end it will maybe not become the most recognized.

Conclusion: I like the idea -or concept behind Teahouse Radio and “Her Quiet Garden’ is an intriguing sonic voyage illustrating the refinement of the artist.

Best songs: “The Elsewhere Sleep”, “Dreaming Splendid Places”, “Unable”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.teahouseradio.com / www.facebook.com/teahouseradio

Label: http://hypnagogapress.com / www.facebook.com/hypnagogapres

About Teahouse Radio

Teahouse Radio is an ambient and dark-ambient side-project of Swedish composer Pär Boström, born in 1982 and based in Umeå, Sweden, best known for the dark-ambient projects Kammarheit and Cities Last Broadcast. Active since 2004, Teahouse Radio is framed by Boström as an intimate, hidden therapeutic world between worlds.

“Her Quiet Garden,” reviewed here, collects tracks composed between 2004 and 2017 and was released on Hypnagoga Press in 2018. Boström returned to the Teahouse Radio name in 2024 with the album “Night Moss.”

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

About Cryo Chamber

Cryo Chamber is a dark-ambient label founded in Sweden in 2011 by Simon Heath, also known for his own Atrium Carceri project, and later relocated to Eugene, Oregon.

The label has released a series of H.P. Lovecraft-themed label-wide collaborations, including “Cthulhu”, “Azathoth”, “Nyarlathotep” and “Yog-Sothoth”. “Shub-Niggurath”, reviewed here, continued that series as a double-album collaboration credited to the full Cryo Chamber roster.

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-soundscape, dark-ambient.

Background/Info: Behind this new dark sonic project is hiding Swedish artist Pär Boström. He got some recognition for his work as Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast and Altarmang. Bonini Bulga is a new and more minimal-like project. The album “Sealed” was originally released in 2017 on Hypnagoga Press on cassette. Cyclic Law has now released the album on CD format.

Content: “Sealed” clearly sounds more minimal-minded than other projects Boström is involved with. It comes close to soundtrack compositions and mainly reflect the effect and impact of a few single sound. Both last pieces are a little bit more elaborated.

+ + + : Bonini Bulga is not exactly the kind of project I’ll become totally fascinated with. “Sealed” is an album you have to discover in the right circumstances. It also has a strong visual appeal so I can imagine a better impact listening to “Sealed” with some visual content on top. Both last tracks are definitely more exciting revealing mysterious sound atmospheres.

– – – : There’s less happening when listening to this album. It’s more the kind of work you have to discover when taking the time for it, sitting in a sofa, dimming the lights and only focusing on the music. I get the impression I was waiting for an apotheosis, which unfortunately never came.

Conclusion: I like most projects Pär Boström is involved with and I even share a great fascination for the Kammarheit stuff. Unfortunately I wasn’t convinced at all by this debut of Bonini Bulga.

Best songs: “Becoming”, “Sealed As One”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Bonini–Bulga-1805438956437951

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

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, industrial.

Background/Info: Italian artist Francesco Gemelli gained some recognition as visual artist, but he also composed music under the Eidulon moniker. Back in 2007 he released the full length “Idolatriae” and now strikes back –again on Malignant Records, with the “Combustioni”-opus on, which he got the help of numerous guests.

Content: An impressive number of guest artists have been invited to achieve “Combustioni”. Nordvargr, Luca Soi (Void Of Silence), Kammarheit, Naxal Protocol and Caul contributed to this work, which is mixing dark-ambient influences together with heavier epic and industrial parts. The vocals of Luca Soi even inject a pure ethereal touch to the industrial heaviness. The tracks have been accomplished with obscure, anguished atmospheres and electronic treatments.

+ + + : This album stands for diversity and certain ambient/industrial eclecticism, which is due to the different guest artists. The compositions reveal a sophisticated writing, which mainly comes through at “Averni Flammas Transivi” featuring Kammarheit. In a different style there’s the graceful “Immanence” featuring the heavenly vocals of Luca Soi while Caul has been featured as well.

– – – : Diversity can be still considered as the main point of discussion. There’s a kind of hiatus between the most noticeable cuts and a few other tracks, which are less accomplished.

Conclusion: The main characteristic of “Combustioni” is the dark sphere recovering the compositions; it feels like a sonic voyage throughout an imaginary inferno.

Best songs: “Averni Flammas Transivi”,  “Immanence”, “A Shimmer In The Void”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.eidulon.net / www.facebook.com/eidulon.music

Label: www.malingnantrecords.com / www.facebook.com/malignantrecords

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

Sweden’s highly productive Pär Boström of Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast and Altarmang presents yet another project, this time under the name Bonini Bulga. The debut for Bonini Bulga, “Sealed”, is available via Cyclic Law records.

The album itself was originally recorded and released in 2017 as a limited edition cassette on Boström’s own label Hypnagoga Press (a label he founded together with with his sister Åsa Boström). The version released via Cyclic Law comes in a remastered and extended version. You can expect 3 new tracks next to the 5 original ones in this edition (which is limited to 500 copies in a special 10 panel, cross fold out digipak).

Fans will notice that Boström’s Bonini Bulga project has a more lo-fi loop minimalistic based approach compared to his other musical creations. You can order this album right here via the label itself on CD (available here) or as a download via Bandcamp (available here).

Check out the album preview:

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!

side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Mørkets Variabler’.

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: Altarmang is a music project set up by Pär Boström (Kammarheit, Cities Last Broadcast ao) and Kenneth Hansson. This debut work was originally released on cassette format in 2016 and on Hypnagoga Records. “Void” has been next released in 2017 as a vinyl on Autarkeia and CD on Cyclic Law. The CD version features both original cuts plus 2 extras.

Content: “Void” is a dark-ambient exposure with some extra experimental treatments on top. It’s a new experience in darkness and isolation revealing spooky sound waves and frightening tones getting the listener into fear. The music sounds pretty stormy, this way accentuating the tormenting atmosphere hanging over this album.

Both extra cuts are a bit shorter, but especially “Salamander” is a poignant piece carried by an oppressive sound atmosphere.

+ + + : “Void” features all requested ingredients to create a successful and terrific dark-ambient opus. It’s sometimes monotonous, but frightening. It especially creates this desperate feeling reminding me of great records from the Cold Meat Industry era. Both original songs of the album are cool, but especially the ‘new’ cut “Salamander” is great piece of music with a divine climax. So this extra cut is really worthy of examination and a bonus for the CD version.

– – – : “Salamander” reaches a great climax, but the next (new) cut is totally different and not exactly a track I would recommend to discover this band.

Conclusion: Altarmang reflects this desperate feeling of solitude, accentuated by the impression of an endless Winter season. This is a cool release although I prefer other projects from Pär Boström.

Best songs: “Salamander”, “Aether”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/altarmang

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

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 ‘Mørkets Variabler’.

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!

side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Echo’.

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 ‘Echo’.

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!

side-line.com

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

Background/Info: Cryo Chamber definitely appears to be under the influence of H.P. Lovecraft. The label already released the “Cthulhu”-collaboration featuring several label artists working together and achieving a great opus.

“Nyarlathotep” is a new collaboration between an impressive number of label formations. The story is about ‘A season of political and social upheaval. Mankind felt as if the world was at a breaking point, but no one wanted to speak of this. Seasons grew hotter. Our faith in the known gods faltered. The timing was ripe for the arrival of Nyarlathotep.’

It has been transposed into music by Kammarheit, God Body Disconnect, Dronny Darko, Ugasanie, Kristoffer Oustad, Alphaxone, Svartsinn, SiJ, Gydja, Atrium Carceri, Darkrad, Flowers For Bodysnatchers, Aegri Somnia, Randal Collier-Ford, Neizvestija, Metatron Omega, Wordclock, ProtoU, Northumbria, Sjellos, Sabled Sun, Council Of Nine, Cryobiosis, Apocryphos, Enmarta and Mystified. Three albums were accomplished.

Content: “Nyarlathotep 1” takes us away for a voyage throughout industrial metal sounds rapidly joined by dark, buzzing noise waves. The sound reveals heavy vibrations and the magic of an Eastern-like flute. We progressively join an imaginary world of obscure reverie, like entering a tenebrous universe featuring spooky voices. It also sounds like a misty sound universe made of disturbing passages accentuated by impressive sonic blasts.

“Nyarlathotep 2” definitely sounds more into the soundscape format. It’s not as heavy, but more into a dense and constant chilling atmosphere. It quite progressively evolves towards harder passages like echoing thunder in the background.

The final chapter and album “Nyarlathotep 3” takes off with a kind of signals from an imaginary, distant planet. It’s pretty astral-minded while reinforced by great sweeps and new buzzing sound waves. It moves towards a crescendo until reaching an absolute climax while the final part sounds pretty oppressive and tormenting, somewhat reminding to the early work of Lustmord.

+ + + : The realization of this work is absolutely amazing and rather unique. This is the kind of concept that wouldn’t have been possible without an artist taking the responsibility to create an interaction between all contributors. Simon Heath has been probably the one that made this enormous project come true. You don’t really have the impression of listening to a mishmash created by numerous artists. The work is pretty compact and homogenous featuring a great 1^st and 3^rd disc.

– – – : The release stands for more than 3 hours of sound and music so you really have to take your time listening to this work in the right circumstances. I wanted to discover the work without interruption, which took me several takes.

Conclusion: “Nyarlathotep” is a great conceptual release based upon an original idea, but it also reveals the ‘family’ approach of Cryo Chamber to unite all bands under the same wings.

Best songs: “Nyarlathotep 1”, “Nyarlathotep 3”, “Nyarlathotep 2”.

Rate: (8).

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

A 190 minute dark soundscape album recorded by 25 ambient artists to pay tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. That is in short what you can expect on the “Nyarlathotep” album which is going to be released September 27, 2016 as a 3CD album set (housed in an 8 panel full color digipak) and a high quality download via Cryo Chamber. Pre-orders for both formats are available now via the label’s Bandcamp page.

The release holds field recordings from the deepest dark corners of 4 continents. The release is a collaboration and huge undertaking involving 25 artists who linked their studios and sound for over a year so that they could work with each other.

Bands involved are: Kammarheit, God Body Disconnect, Dronny darko, Ugasanie, Kristoffer Oustad, Alphaxone, Svartsinn, SiJ, Gydja, Atrium Carceri, Darkrad, Flowers for Bodysnatchers, Aegri Somnia, Randal Collier-Ford, Neizvestija, Metatron Omega, Wordclock, ProtoU, Northumbria, Sjellos, Sabled Sun, Council of Nine, Cryobiosis, Apocryphos, Enmarta.

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!

side-line.com

In 2014 Cryo Chamber got some of the most prominent dark ambient artists together to synchronize their studios during a year of collaboration creating the album “Cthulhu” in tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. It was followed up by the “Azathoth” collaboration album in 2015.

Following “Cthulhu and Azathoth”, Cryo Chamber now announces “Nyarlathotep”. This time 25 artists (!!!) synchronized their studios to create this tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. The album comes as a 3CD set and will soon be available for ordering via Cryo Chamber’s Bandcamp page.

The album will be officially out September 27, 2016. And to wet the appetite (and we’re pretty sure that serious dark ambient fans will be craving for this release) here’s already the list of bands which collaborated on the upcoming release:

• Kammarheit
• God Body Disconnect
• Dronny darko
• Ugasanie
• Kristoffer Oustad
• Alphaxone
• Svartsinn
• SiJ
• Gydja
• Atrium Carceri
• Darkrad
• Flowers for Bodysnatchers
• Aegri Somnia
• Randal Collier-Ford
• Neizvestija
• Metatron Omega
• Wordclock
• ProtoU
• Northumbria
• Sjellos
• Sabled Sun
• Council of Nine
• Cryobiosis
• Apocryphos
• Enmarta
• Mystified

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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, experimental.

Background/Info: Pär Boström who’s mainly active with his Kammarheit project now gets back to his Cities Last broadcast side-project. A debut album “The Cancelled Earth” was released in 2009 on Cyclic Law. Boström now joined this other familiar ambient label Cryo Chamber.

Content: “The Humming Tapes” resulted from the mix of multiple field recordings and dark-ambient music. You quickly get the impression walking throughout a ghost town. This scary trip all takes place in your imagination and is stimulated by the dark sonic universe of Cities Last Broadcast.

The dark sounds and noise treatments rapidly get you in their grip while a few monstrous sound manipulations will scare you. “Glossalalia” reaches the ultimate point of horror, which also reveals a great sound production.

The visual strength emerging from this work is a fascinating experience although the last cuts are more intimate yet still very tortured. Pär Boström experiments with delicate noise treatments injecting a rather unexpected subtle element to his work. It doesn’t take a way that it feels like you are visiting the bowels of the earth featuring some unspoken truth, with some real frightening moments. The boiling sound manipulations accentuate this vision of horror.

+ + + : This work is made of an interesting twist between pure experimental field recordings on one side and an intriguing dark-ambient composition on the other. I discovered impressive sound manipulations and heavy noises. The main strength of the work however appears to be its visual appeal created by tormented sonic atmospheres.

– – – : The debut part sounds more hesitant so it takes a few cuts before you really can experience the dark impact of this work.

Conclusion: The ultimate strength of dark-ambient music is when the listener starts to get confused; this is the point where he no longer can tell the difference between reality and fantasy! “The Humming Tapes” has this magic power giving you the impression to walk throughout an unknown and dangerous black whole belonging to a dark-sonic space.

Best songs: “Glossolalia”, “Electricity”, “Fourth Floor”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/citieslastbroadcast

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 ‘Stone Speak’.

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

Dark ambient label Cryo Chamber are giving away a free Best of 2015 album, titled “Cryo Chamber – Dark Ambient of 2015”, with the labels finest tracks, available as a 1 hour seamless soundscape mixed by label head Atrium Carceri. The release also acts as the label’s Christmas gift to all who supported the label so far.

Says the label: “On this 1 hour+ seamless track mixed by Atrium Carceri, he takes us through his own work of Atrium Carceri, Sabled Sun and his collaboration with Kammarheit and Apocryphos, but also dives deep into the emotional waves of Flowers for Bodysnatchers and Wordclock. Explores the outwordly ambient guitar soundscapes of Northumbria and the occult ritualism of Metatron Omega.”

You can check it out below and download right here. It’s a good way to check out this label and what it has on offer.

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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Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, soundscape.

Content: Last year Cryo Chamber released one of the most noticeable conceptual albums in history of dark-ambient music. “Cthulhu” was a collaboration of multiple artists in the genre accomplishing a phenomenal work around Lovecraft’s famous Cthulhu mythos and Dream Circle.

“Azatoth” is the successor to this impressive work. It again deals with the fantasy universe of H.P. Lovecraft, which has been transposed into dark sonorities by an impressive list of bands. It’s important to mention this is not a compilation, but an amazing collaboration featuring Atrium Carceri, Kammarheit, Foundation Hope, Taphephobia, Alphaxone, Alt3r3d Stat3, Apocryphos, Aseptic Void, Cryobiosis, Dark Matter, Darkrad, Dronny Darko, Halgrath, Mystified, Wordclock, Sabled Sun, Neizvestija, Randal Collier-Ford, Sjellos, Svartsinn, Tarradaemon and Ugasanie.

Each disc features just one single track. The 1st disc featuring “Azathoth 1” will hold you in its grip for almost an hour. It’s hard to imagine how this collaboration took part, but it once more stands for a real coup de force. You simply don’t get the impression this work resulted from the common efforts of all those bands. You’ll immediately get the impression of embarking on a heavy ambient trip leading you to imaginary freaky places. Low sound waves reinforced by overwhelming dark treatments are emerging to the surface creating a dark and frightening sensation.

Multiple sound treatments suddenly emerge like small pieces of a wider sonic puzzle. “Azathoth” stands for the chemistry of dark sounds, but especially for the chemistry between all those great artists. It’s hard to find the real input of every single formation, but I can assure you the impact of their common labor simply will leave you stupefied. This is for sure one of the most ambitious releases in history of dark-ambient music!

Cavernous passages joined by icy chain and humming sounds of imaginary spirits, plus multiple field recordings imprison the listener in a great, but freaky sonic cage from which you don’t really want to escape. You’ll progressively beg for more, just like reading a thriller which you cannot but down until the very end.

The 2nd disc featuring the track “Azathoth 2” will bring you more than 60 minutes of new chilling experiences. The style hasn’t changed and will directly lead you again towards the darkest corners of your imagination. I get the impression of being aspirated by the mouth of an evil force. This composition is carried by low vibrating sound waves featuring a kind of white noises. There’s a very progressive evolution towards darker and overwhelming passages.

This composition is also characterized by a few more accessible parts accentuating some prosperity. The work however remains ultra dark revealing chilling strings and echoing sound treatments.

Conclusion: It simply sounds incredible how this album has been realized while revealing a perfect cohesion between the input all of artists. I guess there’s no better sonic ode to Lovecraft than this work.

Best songs: “Azathoth 1”, “Azathoth 2”.

Rate: (DP:8½)DP.

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, soundscape.

Content: “The Nest” is the first real new studio album of Pär Boström (aka Kammarheit) in 10 years. But Kammarheit already took us by surprise earlier this year by the 6-CD box “Unearthed 2000-2002” while he also contributed to the “Onyx”-album revealing a great collective work featuring Atrium Carceri and Apocryphos (released by Cryo Chamber).

But we now welcome 9 new compositions inspired by ‘a subterranean journey through enormous halls of unfathomable depths’. The least I can say is that it all sounds a bit that way, like the visual transposition of ghost-like images into the simple magic of music. “The Nest” is an imaginary exploration throughout the complex labyrinth of our imagination where emotions got visualized. The composition has this fascinating power to awake our emotional fields.

This is a great exploration of dark-ambient atmospheres, which have been created by a sonic canvas of heavy, vibrating sounds. The low sound manipulations have to be played at a higher volume to catch the essence of the work leading the ambient music freak into a chilling sensation. The work sounds like a frightening rite for the death. And the more this work becomes dark the more it becomes enchanting as well. The sound concept is quite linear, but totally efficient. This is the kind of work that might create a truly paranoia, the work progressively getting pretty tormenting. But that’s still one of the main and required elements to speak about a successful dark-ambient work.

Conclusion: All I can say is that Kammarheit is definitely back, releasing a poignant and freaky opus diabolicum.

Best songs: “Lower Halls”, “Hypogaeum”, “Unsealed”.

Rate: (DP:8)DP.

Band: www.kammarheit.com / www.facebook.com/kammarheitofficial

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

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

In 2014 Cryo Chamber got some of the most prominent dark ambient artists together to synchronise their studios during a year of collaboration creating the album “Cthulhu”. This year Cryo Chamber almost doubles the effort with a rumoured 2CD release follow-up. No less than 20 artists have been working for the last year to synchronise and co-create “Azathoth”. The album is scheduled for release in late 2015.

Note that “Cthulhu” and “Azathoth” are not compilations but collaborations.

The full artist list is as follows: Atrium Carceri, Kammarheit, Foundation Hope, Taphephobia, Alphaxone, Alt3r3d Stat3, Apocryphos, Aseptic Void, Cryobiosis, Dark Matter, Darkrad, Dronny Darko, Halgrath, Mystified, Wordclock, Sabled Sun, Neizvestija, Randal Collier-Ford, Sjellos, Svartsinn, Taphephobia, Terradaemon, Ugasanie.

Here’s a glimpse on what “Cthulhu” sounded like:

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!

side-line.com

Veteran dark ambient producers Atrium Carceri, Kammarheit and Apocryphos teamed up over the past year to produce the album “Onyx” away from prying eyes. Their studios were synchronised over the Atlantic ocean from Oregon (US), Pennsylvania (US) to Umeå (Sweden), taking over 3800 lines of studio notes to finalise the album.

The signature analogue darkness of gargantuan caves of Kammarheit is combined with the sacral and emotional layering of Apocryphos and the rhytmical bass throbbing and isolated pianos of Atrium Carceri.

Says the collective: “Onyx is a soundscape journey related to the reflection of dispirited memories and obscure sorrows felt by mankind. With the multitude of techniques used by each artist, it also reflects the rich history of the dark ambient genre and how it has progressed through the decades.”

The album is scheduled to release in 2015 on Cryo Chamber.

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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, experimental, soundscape.

Content: Pär Boström aka Kammarheit is an artist who gained a huge reputation as the master of dark-ambient music. The man already released a few noticeable albums, but brings us now a real surprise with this box featuring 6 albums.

I first thought it was a kind of retrospective reassembling his previous releases plus some exclusive material, but “Unearthed 2000-2002” reveals 6 previously unreleased albums that were recorded between 2000 and 2002. These records were not exactly meant to be released. Behind this work hides a kind of cure helping Pär Boström during his insomnia. He only shared the music with some of his friends, but years later now all has been finally released.

The 1st album “Shockwork” brings us back to the early beginning of Kammarheit. It consisted of field recordings of an empty factory, which the same night were manipulated and transposed into a dark-ambient opus. You clearly will recognize the main characteristic of the project, which deals with multiple field recordings. It all sounds pretty freaky and yet intimate. It reveals a pure kind of ghost-music where the basis of field recordings has been empowered and in a way brings to life by the addition of electronic sounds and spooky vocal fragments. It sounds pretty experimental and soundscape-minded while spiced by a few industrial sound treatments. I especially like the impressive arsenal of sounds and noises that have been used to create this obscure and desolate sound resulting in a few noticeable cuts and the absolute masterpiece –and title-track “Shockwork”.

“Among The Ruins” is the 2nd disc featured in this box, which moves on the soundscape and cinematographic style of the global work. There’s a great progression running through some cuts, “Maskinpark” being for sure one of the highlights here. There again is a strong visual appeal emerging from this track, which sounds a bit like the imaginary opening mouth of the underworld.

Kammarheit clearly appears to be a sound coming from a distant galaxy, which is the brainchild of the musician’s insomnia. He invites the listener to share his tormented thoughts expressing a freaky vision when you hear the screaming babies in “Self-Destruction & Isolation.” The obscure part of the work also reveals a somewhat melodic approach on “Gork Me.” This album finally gets back to pure soundscape creations, which become reinforced by industrial components and a few blasting sounds on the cool “Skavd Moskva.”

“At The Heart Of Destruction” is my favorite disc from the box. Kammarheit reveals great sound treatments and monstrous sounding manipulations resulting in genius cuts, but especially the overwhelming “Amorphous.” This is an outstanding piece of dark-ambient music, which will leave you stupefied. I also have to mention the mysterious “Morgonspill” and the somewhat ritual inspired “R’lyeh.” You really can feel the loneliness reflected on, “Morning Tower,” which is another great piece of music. This is the kind of album the dark-ambient lovers really have to discover and one of the best hidden secrets from Boström’s creative mind.

The 4th disc “Somewhere Concealed” doesn’t really bring that much new, but you can expect a new fantasy voyage through chilling sound forms. The work again is accomplished by field recordings and industrial treatments. It sometimes becomes pretty experimental, but at the other side, also an intimate and fictive view of the composer’s mind. You clearly can imagine feelings of solitude and despair. The night engulfing a man’s soul with a freaky impression of angst. “Making The First Flower” sounds like a title of hope although it appears to be an expression of despair. “Back To Where The Trees Spoke” only confirms the desolation emerging at the surface of this creation.

Both last albums “The Downfall And The Arising” and “The Northern Hymn” are similar and I dare to say less diversified. Both releases are exploring the limits of dark soundscapes revealing aquatic sounds and dark humming vibrations. The work becomes more experimental and still extreme although totally faithful to the Kammarheit sound formula. I’ve a preference for the last album revealing a few more noticeable tracks. “Dreaming Of the Forgotten Land” definitely is one cut that caught my attention, but where the image of a ‘dream’ rapidly turns into a nightmarish sound experiment. The final cut “Presence Within the Dark” is the ultimate dark creation of this massive release.

Conclusion: This is an essential release for the fans of Kammarheit. You get a total of 43 tracks, which can possibly become a good, but freaky company during a night of insomnia. The night remains a very inspiring moment and it would have been a shame if this work of Kammarheit would have never seen the light of day…

Best songs: “Shockwork”, “Maskinpark”, “Gork Me”, “Amorphous”, “Morning Tower”, “Morgonspill”, “Frigid”, “Back To Where The Trees Spoke”, “Making The First Flower”, “Dreaming Of The Forgotten Land”, “Presence Within The Park”.

Rate: (DP:8)DP.

Band: www.kammarheit.com

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

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