 | Tracklist:
Paysage d'Hiver
1. Schwarzä Feus 11:08
2. Schwarzäs Isä 10:56
Lunar Aurora
3. A Haudiga Fluag 21:17
Release Date: 2002 | |
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| Summary: It's getting colder. |
5 of 5 thought this review was well written
Bands from Northern-Central Europe tend to be extremely adept at making cold, bleak atmospheric black metal. The reasons for this propensity for quality are not completely clear: one could argue that the region's oft-chilly climate could contribute to the winter-y feel of these bands' music, but there are much colder regions than this area around the globe. Maybe it's the abundance of natural beauty that inspires these acts to create such bleak and lonely soundscapes, but this, again, is not unique to this region. Whatever the reasons may be, it is indisputable that bands like Switzerland's Paysage D'Hiver and Germany's Lunar Aurora are extremely good at what they do: making some of the coldest, most barren under-produced ambient black metal this side of northern Russia.
One might assert that Paysage D'Hiver (the side project of Darkspace's Wintherr) have never released any truly bad material, and their contribution to this split is no exception. Over the course of two 11-minute tracks titled Schwarzä Feus and Schwarzäs Isä, Wintherr (AKA Tobias Möckl) traverses terrain not dissimilar to what frequently appears on many of his other demos and splits. Both tracks incorporate the same ambient backdrop that repeats during periods of quiescence during their durations, accentuating the impeccably frigid, repetitive riffing that composes the bulk of the music. As always, Möckl's vocal performance is absolutely splendid, his bone-chilling, high-register shrieks acting as the driving force behind what might otherwise be relatively bland compositions. While both presenting highly enjoyable experiences for those who have previously appreciated Paysage D'Hiver's output, however, it might be said that the two tracks Wintherr contributes to this particular split are less engaging than and are lacking the immensely powerful atmosphere that can be found on other releases, particularly those such as 2001's Winterkaelte (the closest analog to the work presented here).
However, although Wintherr's side presents two undoubtedly enjoyable, if not slightly sub par, tracks from an act known for its consistently high-quality output, the focus of this split is, without question, the contribution of contemporaries Lunar Aurora. A Haudiga Fluag, a gargantuan 21-minute behemoth of icy riffing, desolate soundscapes, pummeling ambiance, tasteful samples, and incredibly well-executed screeched vocals, may very well be one of the greatest works of ambient black metal in recent memory. It's far longer than most, yet a listener well-versed in this style of black metal will find him or herself thoroughly engaged throughout the entire composition. Relying on a multitude of variations on a single, relatively simple progression, A Haudiga Fluag is markedly less produced and more icy than much of Lunar Aurora's other output, and since it is probably the single best piece of music they have ever written, one may wonder why they do not choose to take this route more frequently. Everything, from the recurring pieces of semi-demented German spoken word samples to the absolutely beautiful central acoustic motif that comes into play near the song's 7-minute mark, Lunar Aurora's side to this split is an inexplicably incredible venture that will be appreciated by anyone with any experience with this particular kind of black metal. Simultaneously bleak, beautiful, heart-wrenchingly sad, frigid, and emotionally powerful, A Haudiga Fluag could very well be considered one of the definitive works of ambient black metal of its time.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
I haven't reviewed any black metal for a very long time, so please be nice :]
Seriously, Lunar Aurora's side is nothing short of breathtaking.
Digging: Old Man Gloom - NO Digging: Old Man Gloom - NO | | | Album Rating: 4
love paysage, gotta hear this
Digging: Wintersun - Time | | |
Dl'ing now. You write some damn good reviews. Please do more!
Digging: Vaura - Selenelion Digging: Vaura - Selenelion
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yeah pos hard
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Thought about reviewing this a while ago. One of my top three black metal splits.
Wouldn't call Paysage's side "slightly subpar", but I agree that the Lunar Aurora track is a bit of a show-stealer. Probably the best thing they've done, actually.
Digging: Bon Appetite - For Emeril, Forever Ago Digging: Bon Appetite - For Emeril, Forever Ago | | | Album Rating: 4
Great review dude. I'm definitely gonna have to listen to this.
Digging: Steamy Ray Vaughan - A Little Bit of Rattlesnake Digging: Steamy Ray Vaughan - A Little Bit of Rattlesnake | | |
Yeah this split is sick
Digging: Mount Eerie - Clear Moon
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kvlt.
| | | Album Rating: 4
kinda pointless with all these indie fags but bump
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Gonna check this out. Great review man.
Digging: Suis La Lune - Riala Digging: Suis La Lune - Riala
| | | Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
thanks for the feedback! and @ Angel, when I called Paysage's side slightly subpar I was, in fact, saying that more in comparison to other (better) O=Paysage releases and to Lunar Aurora's side. they're not bad songs in and of themselves, but they are a bit boring when put up against their nearest analogues.
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Getting.
Digging: Egyptian Art Strike - Egyptian Art Strike Digging: Egyptian Art Strike - Egyptian Art Strike
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gotta get this recently ive been noticing a massive hole in the amount of good bm that i have
Digging: Autechre - Amber
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seems like most people on this site are missing good underground bm, i looked up about 10 bands and didn't even find them on this site.
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the ones who would listen to it generally dont care enough to add them to the database
that being said there are tons of absolutely shit unknown bm bands out there
| | | Album Rating: 4
absolutely true on the shit band
peeps needs to stop being lazy with this indie pop dick and but some krieg on display
| | | Album Rating: 4
I might've heard them and thought they were shit and never added them to the database for that reason. Ya never know.
| | | Album Rating: 4
reviews for shit bands give balance, but yeah I get you
i'm gonna have to put in some work, but yeah it'll get overlooked on this site im sure
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
good review, good split
Digging: Rites of Thy Degringolade - Totalitys Commad Digging: Rites of Thy Degringolade - Totalitys Commad | | | Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
yeah, in general i only add bands if they're actually worth adding
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