Coldworld - Melancholie²

Genre : Atmospheric black metal

Coldworld sure sets a perfect atmosphere, with its frostbitten rhythm guitars, melancholic violin lines, distorted and deep riffs... Not to forget the amazing acoustic parts that are perfectly arranged, and let us witness something else than boring, raw black metal. Only letdown could be vocals, which definitely lack emotion, and this is quite sad when such a melancholic atmosphere is set. This is easily forgiven though, and this album will really make you shiver by how rich it is, how deep it sounds, how cold it feels...

Enough words, you'd better give a listen to Tortured by solitude and the unusual, trip-hop influenced Escape. And follow Coldworld on Facebook.

Deep in thought - Dreamscapes

Genre : Instrumental post-metal

Post-metal also have underground bands to dig. And among the average ones, you sometimes come across a jewel. Deep in thought is one of those. At the edge of both post-rock and post-metal, Dreamscapes sets quite a heavy, yet really melodic sound. Being a one-man project doesn't prevent it from sounding amazingly great, with well-written and audible bass lines, powerful chords, as well as very pleasant guitar riffs. Sometimes fast, sometimes soft, sometimes heavy and distorted, it's hard to get bored while listening to this album. All in all, this is what I'd call a very pleasant surprise in modern music, but more than this, it's a perfect deal if post-metal is usually too heavy for you, or post-rock too slow for you. A clever release.

Get a taste with Ignes fatui and the calming, unusual Awash with light, but believe me, those aren't the only good ones there. And follow Deep in thought on Facebook. Dreamscapes is available as a free listen and download on bandcamp.

Walknut - Graveforests and their shadows

Genre : Atmospheric black metal

Walknut is not strict folk black, but it's for sure atmospheric music! Relying on very little vocals and mostly long  instrumental parts, this album sets for deep ambient sounds, a journey through darkened nature and grim woods. Although, the ambient mood is not setup through clean folk parts. Here, things are kept the dark and metal ways, meaning powerful distorted rhythms, yet not too agressive, even quite calm in a way. Vocals are in the same vein, truly strong and deep growls that are hidden in the background, perfectly fitting the album's concept. You will need to enjoy repetitive, deep guitars and lowered, yet fast drums, but if you enjoy this kind of atmosphere, Walknut is really a good listen as it gathers everything that makes great ambient metal!

The midnightforest of the runes is a powerful instrumental track. Also, check Grim woods.

Dornenreich - Flammentriebe

Genre : Atmospheric black metal

Dornenreich is not a strict folk black metal band, and the influences change with every album. However, Flammentriebe features an agressive and melodic black metal, with many violin lines in the background. Here, it's important to mention how intense the album is. Not only in terms of melodies or voice, but everything seem to fit together so well that's it's very easy to get into this release and to somewhat "feel" these songs. Voices are really energic and personal, rather than standard boring black metal shrieks, they seem to come directly from the heart more than the throat. Violin lines are superb, and the other instruments unleash a good load of punch too. Definitely a rich and strong record.

Fährte der Nacht and In allem Weben should be good examples of what I mean. And follow Dornenreich on Facebook.

Vergissmeinnicht - His own strange songs

Genre : (Mostly instrumental) neofolk

Some artists and bands loose their creativity after their first release. However, Vergissmeinnicht's Whispering solitude was just a warm-up, and now this is really serious business. His own strange songs is a pure jewel among neofolk, with all you can ask for in such a genre. Rich, melodic, melancholic, everything's gathered here. The add of a couple drums give a new warmth to the songs, but that's not the only improvement here. Guitar melodies are more complex and deeper, with better structures. The ethereal vocals return with more mastery, they fit better into the music. Ambient sounds such as storm and water are still way too loud, but that's easily forgiven since they're a minor part of the album. And the rest is gone, which is actually a good thing, because it's so pure that we don't need flutes or other instruments anymore.

Evening moon is pure beauty. Existence too. Why are you still reading? Just listen!

Other reviews from Vergissmeinnicht:
   - Whispering solitude

We made God - Fragments [EP]

Genre : Post-metal

Yeah, Ethereal Soundscapes is into new releases, too, and EPs. And even unpopular ones, like this free one from We made God. And Fragments shouldn't be so unpopular, believe me, as the guys return with their usual (and perfectly done) atmospheric, melodic, yet energic and strongly distorted post-metal, and those passionate vocals that are indeed worth mentioning, as they add a real strength to their music! Sometimes ethereal, sometimes agressive, the singer has a lot of passion to give away, even if vocals could have been a bit louder in their mix. The main strength of the band is back too, they're able to melt many kinds of music and atmospheres in a twenty-minutes long record, and one can only enjoy this versatile intensity.

Just listen to first song, Untitled, for a good taste of it, and maybe Drón. And follow We made God on Facebook. Fragments is available as a free download by clicking its title on their website, and if you don't know about them yet, it's definitely a good time and a good way to start!

Other reviews from We made God:
   - It's getting colder

Alda - Tahoma

Genre : Folk black metal / Neofolk

Alda is one more band of the "cascadian black metal" genre, which is actually nothing more than atmospheric black metal with folk elements, yet not pagan nor viking metal. And even though this genre can't stop growing recently, it's mostly crappy bands with poor production or lack of musical creativity which surface. Alda, however, succeed in avoiding those flaws and sets a perfect black metal sound with interesting and catchy chords that sure won't get you bored at all. Melodies and riffs are huge, and those five songs will surely stuck in your head for a while. The folk parts are merged with coherence and cleverness, therefore it's always a pleasure when those are heared, as they don't ruin the intensity of the album, at all. Anyway, the guys know what they do with those, as they're able to play a perfect whole neofolk song lasting eight minutes in this album. Vocals are the usual shrieks mixed with huge reverberation, but they're as good as the other elements, not wasting things anyhow. There are a couple cleans too, which if they're not the best ones ever, are fine enough to suit the album. All in all, let's face it, Tahoma is awesome!

Please check the opener, In the wake of an iron wind, and Tearing of the weave. And follow Alda on Facebook. Tahoma is available as a free download on bandcamp, and to be honest, such an album for free is something you just cannot miss.