Ishtar - Ombre [EP]

Genre : Instrumental neofolk / Ambient

Here's something refreshing. Ishtar give us a mix of warm clean guitars playing instrumental neofolk, and cold pianos playing some kind of dark ambient. In the end, this short release delivers a deep and rich sound with both those layers. It's completely instrumental and there are no drums either, however it's melodic enough to stay catchy anytime. Some parts are a bit darker, some are a bit warmer. But it's nonetheless a pretty melancholic piece of art, reinforced by some atmospheric sounds like rain and wind. Yes, piece of art, because it's some very good work, melodies stick in one's head, quickly leading to a new listen. Because it's a bit short, yes. We'll be eagerly waiting for more from Ishtar!

Check out a couple songs, dark ambient oriented Le vele dormienti, mi volgo alle nebbie or more neofolk-ish Ho preso il cammino del fuoco e bruciavo nel cuore. And follow Ishtar on Facebook.

Súl ad astral - Súl ad astral

Genre : Post-black metal

Post-black metal, despite being a fresh and growing scene, takes along some really average and boring stuff. That's why it's always useful to mention who stands out in the genre. Súl ad astral does. On a side, it reminds of the bleakest references around, successfully depicting a real void of light, urban-related according to post-black metal's essence. Think to those usual walls of sound, huge tremolo picking parts, blast beats and shrieking vocals. Those ones are not a major element though, as there are big instrumental gaps. The one behind the mic uses a really wide range of vocals, sometimes deep and dark, sometimes emotional and high, sometimes... clean. Rest assured, they shine with quality, just like anything else here, thanks to an awesome crystal-clear production. Crystal-clear doesn't mean it makes things "beautiful" here, I mean... it's dark in any possible way, and perfectly arranged for that matter! Yeah, many approaches to the genre, and despite being quite a bleak monument, Súl ad astral also has some enlightened, soft parts, making it relaxing and chilling at times. Just like it should be, deep and intense, crushing, stunning, relaxing.

To cherish is an almost ten minutes-long instrumental opener, showing a wide part of Súl ad astral's skills. If that was a good experience, why not listening to Amaurosis too? And follow Súl ad astral on Facebook.

Havnatt - Havdøgn [EP]

Genre : Neofolk

Some fresh air here. Really fresh. Probably thanks to norwegian lyrics sung with a crystal-clear female voice. Or maybe because of those clean, soft guitars? Anyway, through that five songs-long EP, Havnatt makes this new approach to neofolk a success. New approach, mainly because it's vocals-driven before being guitar-driven. Some may not like it, but the guitar lines are mostly here to carry those vocals, instead of standing in the foreground. Havdøgn depicts nature like neofolk usually does, but an other way. Maybe this release won't describe cold, snowy forests with rotting trees all around, but more a bright green forest, with faeries flying all around in the sunrays. Well, enough silly comparisons, just give Havdøgn a listen if you enjoy relaxing, slow neofolk strictly limited to guitars and clean, relaxing, ethereal female vocals. No drums here, no big arrangements. But that makes it more natural, didn't it?

Check out of couple of its songs, mind you? For example Prammen and Han som skyggar meg. And follow Havnatt on Facebook.