Praying For Oblivion + Nerthus -
A Desolate Place
I have known about the act Praying For Oblivion since... a compilation called Apocalyptic Streams (2008). A compilation that opened a lot of doors for me (Go and seek it out!). Praying For Oblivion is a solo act that has been running since 1997, within the realms of power-electronics, industrial, and noise. This one is one of the latest with Praying For Oblivion, and it is also the first time I have heard the act venturing into atmospheric ambient music. And Praying For Oblivion isn´t alone this time! In good company with an act called Nerthus. A German-based dark-ambient act that has been active since 2003, and has been releasing albums on such cool labels as Art Konkret, Audiophob, and even neo-folk label Eis Und Licht.
This album is a collab-album, not a split!. Andrew-Johnathan Seal (Praying For Oblivion) has been doing field recordings, which are reprocessed with additional sound and music by Nerthus. As you can figure out, this is a concept album that works around the atmosphere, aesthetic, and mood surrounding abandoned places. If you take a look at the cover artwork, you´ll notice that we´re dealing with places that have contained a lot of human activity. Places where people have worked and lived. Now the place only shows an empty shell, reminding visitors of days long gone by. A 7-track album, containing 43 minutes of highly concentrated decayed atmospheres. Note for the reader, every track is just called I, II, III etc, etc... A limited 50 copies CD-R, so please be quick!
On the first track, I instantly tell/inform where he/she is. Ever tried entering one such place? You get that eerie feeling that you probably shouldn't be here, and you also get that feeling that the ghosts (spiritual leftovers) are still remaining (for some unknown reason). The entire place screams for the final deliverance, for a big bull-dozer to tear the place apart. That feeling is perfectly described in the first track. Hizzing drones, metallic rumblings, echo sounds through steel tubes... You got it all. Perfect intro.
The second track II has more of a basement sort of feeling. How the sound is transformed when you are in the basement of some abandoned factory. Your hearing gets way more acute for the small sounds, and every sound happening above gets amplified when you are below. Incredible haunting stuff so far!
The third track III, goes from the basement to the empty storage halls. High to the ceiling and lots of.. well space! You almost need those few sounds of... well various birds, building nests. Flickering of their wings, and their chirping bird sounds. A good place to imagine that sort of human activity, especially in a huge sort of warehouse-place. Love how the sounds are here as well, giving the listener the idea that walls can talk (or whisper!). If you have a decent stereo with this, the experience is quite otherworldly.
The fourth track IV goes to the rooms of the various office rooms. Where one could imagine people, talking a lot offcourse. Lots of human voices on this track, whispering and talking through the thin air. Love the way the two artists make a perfect (and unique) fusion of ambient and industrial music, to simply call it dark-ambient would be a dull thing to do. So far, this is more than just dark-ambient.
The fifth track V is where we (might) enter the attic of the building. You can hear how sounds from below, gently move upwards. There is also the sound of wind, how the wind enters the building, and how it locates an exit through the building. Maybee, there are also, air-shafts... moving air and sound through them. To me, it´s almost like every track describes a location in the location. Sandbox ambient anyone, feels like a place for the listener to explore. Getting a nostalgic feeling with this track, thinking of Aphex Twin´s Selected Ambient Works Vol.2 and This Crying Age by Morthond. (which is a good thing, people!).
To further describe this beautiful album would be to spoil the adventure that the album will deliver to the listener. It broadens with every track, a tiny world continuously growing with every second going. It´s like I said, It´s a perfect sandbox album. You can explore every bit here, and the album keeps on motivating you to do that. The sound is... absolutely superb. Recommended listening through headphones, or your stereo-speakers with your vintage CD player. My small speakers work like an absolute charm in my basement. It´s bloody high-quality ambient stuff here, way more than the rest! Be sure to check out the supportive links below!
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Bandcamp (Praying For Oblivion):
Bandcamp (Nerthus):