Ambient/Drone/Etc.

[Draehl]

Ambient, Drone, Noise, etc... These long-winded mixtures-with and cousins-to metal deserve their own thread being different enough and appealing to us in more unique situations and mindsets. This is definitely an experiment as it does include some overlap with other genres, but it may help focus the other threads (black metal in particular) to a somewhat more common consensus.

I've been rather impressed in particular by one-offs/changes in direction from metal acts IE Burzum and Wolves in the Throne Room or side projects like Wardruna (Gorgoroth), Lord Wind (Graveland) and Tribes of Neurot (Neurosis). Also, I'm a bit of a newbie to Ritual Ambient and Dungeon Synth, but will be exploring them more going forward and posting any good shit I find. Here's a handful to get us started:

 

[CiG]

I love Ambient but I hate Drone.
Don't mind some Noise either though that interest has massively waned over the years, occasionally I'll pop on Sloth's noisier stuff or some Nurse With Wound, Half An Abortion, Violent Onsen Geisha or The Gerogerigegege.
Way back when I was in rehab I actually recorded a "Noise" demo, it's not strictly Noise, mostly just free improvisation and some other influences like sampling.

Shameless self-promotion.

https://pustule.bandcamp.com/

But back to Ambient, I thoroughly enjoyed the Wongraven, Spectral Lore and Forgotten Kingdoms links you shared. Especially Spectral Lore which I plan to now get into!
I think Burzum's Dauði Baldrs is absolutely essential listening in this realm of music and to a lesser extent, Fenriz's Neptune Towers project.

Here's a few of my personal favourites for good measure.

(This one was in my top 30 best of 2015.)

 

[J.]

i love Spectral Lore (though the black metal stuff is where it's at), and adore Lord Wind's last two albums.

My recommendation is Steve Von Till's solo folk/noise/drone project Harvestman. Perfect for late night life reflection or some of other sappy shit.

 

[CiG]

Good one. Completely forgot about the great Lord Wind.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i don't listen to a lot of this stuff these days but i used to have a penchant for popol vuh, lord wind, neptune towers, nest's WOODSMOKE, biosphere, some 'martial' ambient like puissance, sophia etc, some darker stuff like lustmord, endura, deathprod, inade etc. and as far as BM crossover goes i've always been fond of vinterriket, early blut aus nord, some paysage d'hiver etc.

of course, nothing beats elend and angelo badalamenti if they count.

 

[Vilden]

I love Dark Ambient and listen to quite alot of it. While alot of 'dungeon synth' can be awkward when done right it can be great. I think more droning (not drone metal) dark ambient focusing on desolate soundscapes. Cyclic Law is probably the best active label when it comes to this type of music.

Some imo essential albums include:
Lustmord - Heresy (not the absolut best but without a doubt one of the most important album and a true classic you should have heard if you like this type of music, really evil sounding)
Various Artists - Nord Ambient Alliance (probably my fav ambient album ever)
Raison d'être - Within the Depths of Silence and Phormations
Desiderii Marginis - Deadbeat
Kammarheit - The Starwheel
Northaunt - Horisont
Ulf Söderberg - Tidvatten
Gustaf Hildebrand - Primordial Resonance
Foundation Hope - Our God is a Consuming Fire

For more lighter ambient alot of what Klaus Schulze (and to a lesser extent Tangerine Dream) has done is great. Tor Lundvall is awsome too.

 

[Draehl]

. Especially Spectral Lore which I plan to now get into!

That's definitely his most ambient work, with much of the rest being bm, but all of it is great.

 

[CiG]

They have annoyingly alluring artwork.

 

[unknown]

I listen to ambient/drone almost as much as metal. One of my favorite finds last year was Locrian's collaboration with Mamiffer "Bless Them That Curse You"

 

[paul545]

Can someone explain the difference between noise and drone and ambient? Not very familiar with these genres

 

[Carpe Mortem]

Noise= Cacophonic audible clusterfuck
Drone= Somewhat logical feedback-heavy minimalist music
Ambient= Laid back muted soundscapes

I'll post stuff later. I'm pretty sure my personal preferences have been made clear though.

 

[Carpe Mortem]

Also will check the stuff out. Fuck, I'm tired again.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

How is everyone forgetting about this masterpiece?

 

[JontRevolting]

I think power electronics fits in this thread also. This Finnish dude Harald Mentor also is the man behind Ride For Revenge, musically speaking a sick puppy.

 

[CiG]

How is everyone forgetting about this masterpiece?

Holy shit you're right! I love Mortiis.

 

[J.]

Yeah mortiis is pretty great. I even like a smell of rain

 

[Vilden]

The Smell of Rain is not so good, but The Stargate is indeed great, very epic sounding and alot better than some of his earlier albums (the first two are the best though). I love the story throughout the album, always makes me picture Chaos Warriors raiding through the warp or something.

 

[JontRevolting]

I brought a copy of 'Song For a Long Forgotten Ghost' recently, it's haunting stuff

 

[JontRevolting]

Playing the last wom album now, this music reminds me of some kind of alien/tech dmt experience.

I can't find a lot of info on this apart from this from Bestial Burst.

" New album that differs from the previous material by being more on the extreme power electronics / noise side of things. This is not a change in style, but a different, more aggressive album that had to be done. Concept of the album takes a Satanic view on ww2, cold war, ww3 and nuclear destruction. Most of the material recorded on analog 4-tracker, so expect more dirt and less clarity this time. "

 

[suckerleaf]