Vacuum Aeterna – Project: Darkscapes (CD Album – Cyclic Law)
Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient.
Background/Info: Vacuum Aeterna is an ambient inspired project from Italy unleashing its debut album “Project: Darkscapes” on Cyclic Law. The work deals with the transposition into sound of ‘a voyage through a fog and humidity drenched enclave of a forgotten ancient forest’.
Content: Vacuum Aeterna creates a dark-ambient universe filled with freaky atmospheres and slow, industrial rhythms. I noticed a spooky-like guitar bringing some variation to the ambient sound. Vibrating tones and deep sonic blasts plus field recordings have been used. Some passages are moving into mysterious, repetitive industrial loops sometimes joined by drones.
Some of the field recordings are featuring noises from the forest, which matches with the concept of the work.
+ + + : “Project: Darkscapes” is a honest debut, which mainly caught my attention for the electronic treatments and heavy sound manipulation. The ambient sound brings the concept of walking throughout a forgotten and ancient forest alive. This forest feels abandoned and hiding dark and maybe murderous secrets. There for sure is a strong visual appeal emerging at the surface. Vacuum Aeterna is not exactly recreating the dark-ambient genre, but this album reveals a unique approach.
– – – : The album is fully enjoyable and featuring a few noticeable cuts, but there’s no real apotheosis. I’m missing passages ending with a climax.
Conclusion: Vacuum Aeterna is a new coming project with a sophisticated dark-ambient approach while using field recordings accentuating the concept of the work. This is a truthful debut so let’s keep an eye on this band.
Best songs: “Liminal Rights”, “Nibela Equinox”.
Rate: (7½).
Band: www.facebook.com/vacuumaeterna
Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
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.
