Hecate vs. Lustmord: Law Of the Battle of Conquest

Since my last podcast was based on the darker side of ambient, I decided this review should go in the same direction. I think I made the right choice in picking this album that came out in 2002. These are both definitely prolific artists on their own. Lustmord is known for his organic, creepy textural ambience. Hecate is known for her absolutely brutal programming. Both bring very dark elements to the table and the mixture works so well. The album starts with the usual Lustmord wall of Evil noise followed by tribal distorted rhythms very typical by Hecate. With a lot of music collaborations, you can usually hear more of one artist than the other. This is a definite exception. It almost feels as if it is an extremely well made mash-up. Both artists really stand out clearly, yet the sounds meld so perfectly together. I highly recommend this E.P. if you really enjoy early industrial (Skinny Puppy, FLA, and a lot of the Zoth omog stuff (leaether strip, etc)), beatcore (Venetian Snares), and/or dark ambient in general. By the end of the album, I felt beat up, worn out, yet yearning for more! It looks like you can preview this entire album at last.fm so definitely give it a listen.

» album @ emusic
» artist profile @ last.fm

Loscil: Submers

This Album originally came out in 2002. When it comes to ominous minimal ambient drone albums, this one is truly a must have. The sounds for the most part are synthetic and have quite an analog feel, but with the amount of sustain on the notes and the layer of effects, they come across as quite organic and natural. This artist plays a lot with alternating rhythms pulsing in and out throughout each track. It almost reminds me of "Steve Reich"'s "Music for 18 Musicians" where patterns start phasing in and out of each creating an almost hypnotic feel. Overall it is dark in nature, but in no way does make you feel uneasy (as least for this listener). I would equate it more with "Biosphere"'s moodiness than with some of "Lustmord"'s more Ambient stuff. Every track on this album is a must listen from the minimal house-esque track "Gymnote" to the dubby track "Nautilus". My favorite track on this album is "La Plongeur", it has a beautiful bass line and great harmonies that cascade in and out.

» album @ e-music
» artist profile @ last.fm