ProtoU and Oljus Usher You to the Land of Darkness

Cryo Chamber presents another entry with Nordic themes, this time in the form of a collaborative work between the brilliant ProtoU, and debuting for the first time, Oljus. Enter a miasma of Nordic intrigue and ancient magic with Mørketsland, an ambient excursion of tribal cadence, and imposing kinetic presence.

Translated to “Land of Darkness”, Mørketsland conveys exactly that - dirty gray clouds hang overhead, barely visible beyond the verdant canopy of forest above whose greenery is held aloft upon the shoulders of colossal trees, whose ages are indeterminable. Tribal drums pound loud and deep through the tracks of the album, their dolorous, martial cadence a lumbering, kinetic propulsion drawing you inexorably closer to the rituals and practices within this primordial forest, but never in a hurry, nor in any perceptible rush - rather, this album moves of a whim all its own, slowly drawing the listener into its mysteries. Guest appearances from Chaigidel and Ager Sonus lend their talents to this mysterious and primal journey. Joining the cadence of tribal percussions are the intermittent undulations of throat singing, mouth harps, scrapes of metal, field recordings of wind and storm, and other pads; all of these elements coalesce into a phenomenal work of hypnotic drone ambience and soundscape, accompanied with artwork by Simon Heath - a presentation of top tier quality in which Cryo Chamber excels.

Fans of tribal rhythm, and even nature ambience - albeit this is with a more imposing timbre - will find something to enjoy with this album. Mørketsland is available in CD Digipak and digital format on the Cryo Chamber Bandcamp page.