I like atmospheric music, but it's rarely as ethereal as Dark Ocean by Arctica.
This whole album is very aerial and you're never sure if the music is real or if you're just dreaming.
The vocals have an echoey tone. It comes and fades just like some waves.
The piano uses both bass and high-pitched parts which goes well with the singer.
Overall, the tone of this album is cold and quite dark, but it can also be a source of appeasement.
It develops several layers of interpretation which is very promising.
Unfortunately, this is the only realease of Arctica and seeing how it was made in 2017, it may be that the project was put aside.
And to top it all, if you watch it on Youtube, the video of Years Of Silence with a cold sea in the background is perfect.
Impetus is a nice neo-classical album.
It features some varied tunes, although never very turbulent.
Some, like In Between Worlds II or Emotions (Part II) are quite sad and melancholic.
Other, such as One Story of Thoughts or Impetus are lighter, and deliver a shine of hope.
Different instrument appear on this record : piano, violin, cello, but also some more electronic sounds.
Overall the mix is finely made, and lets each instrument bring its own part to the sound.
This creates a quiet atmosphere, letting the subtle feelings of the different tracks glow and express their own quiet moods.
If you want to know more about Sebastian Plano, who is a talented composer and instrumentist, his website can be found here.
Gallowbraid is a one-person band by Jake Rogers, who also plays in Caladan Brood and Visigoth.
It has released only one album, in 2010, but it is an interesting one.
Ashen Eidolon is a melodic/atmospheric black metal album.
The first track, and the one giving the name to the album, is probably the most iconic.
It starts directly into the heavy rhythmic guitars.
No time is lost for adelicate introduction, but it just gives more space to develop the rest of the song.
It's really long and the melody stays in mind.
Then there is a break with Autumn I, which is acoustic and more calm, before going back to the more "black metal" sound with the rest of the album.
To me, listening to this album transports me along with the rhythm and melody, and it's a wonderful experience.
Interestingly, the song Stone of Remembrance features the type of voice which can be heard in Caladan Brood songs.
It must also be noted that, similarly to Caladan Brood album arts, the one for Ashen Eidolon features a lot of nature, going well with the atmospheric tone.
Sometimes, I want to listen to something calming, something nice, something fresh.
Then, I may pick Mort Garson's Mother Earth's Plantasia.
Composed in the 1970s on the Moog, one of the first synthesizer, this records is dedicated to "plants and the people who love them".
This record features a soothing, round electronic sound.
It's a synthesized symphony for plants, giving a nice fresh breeze to the listener.
It's not the kind of ambient music which can be overwhelming.
The melodies are both simple and rich enough to fulfil your heart.
After being forgotten for a while, it has been brought back to attention in the recent years.
I hope all the plant-lovers here will enjoy it.
Vayle Mystery - Doomsday & This is Gallifrey
I don't know Vayle Mystery very much, except for Doomsday and This Is Gallifrey, two musics from Doctor Who.
Doctor Who soundtrack, while not being my favourite one (works from John Williams or Joe Hisaishi still keeps a high position in my heart), has some great themes.
And the guitar and instrumentation work done by Vayle does wonder.
It's a true instrumental piece, loaded with feelings.
And I didn't need to watch the serie to feel the tension in Doomsday, coming to a climax, and then the hope in This Is Gallifrey.
Download links are in the Youtube video description.
Be'Lakor - An Ember's Arc
Be'Lakor is a melodic death metal band which released their first album in 2007.
The name comes from the Daemon Prince of Chaos also known as the Harbinger, from Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
An Ember's Arc begins with an accoustic intro, setting up quite a rapid pace.
It is followed by some more melodic death metal in the middle, with a calm break in the middle.
This is a fine piece, which, without being atmospheric metal itself, will still give such a vibe.
Mamiko Noto - Karinui
This is a very calm and soothing song from the anime Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl in english), sung by Mamiko Noto (能登 麻美子), who is also a voice actress in Jigoku Shoujo.
The song is composed by Masara Nishida and the lyrics written by Hitomi Mieno.
I don't know the anime at all, this is one of those, which I know only from songs I listen.
I really enjoy the tranquility of this song.
I've recently discovered the release Les Ruines de Notre Temps by Yarostan, a band from the french city of Marseille.
It's a screamo EP, released in 2016.
(A follow up album has been released in 2019.)
The first song, Les ruines de notre temps is an opening.
Starting with some voices talking, it then comes to a conclusion with some lonely and distorted guitars, setting the mood for the rest of the EP.
Les coeurs se fanent, the second track begins with some heavy guitars.
It then features some screamo vocals, which don't appear too much in the EP overall.
As an ending, the tempo speeds up, while it gets less heavy, and feature a more atmospheric feeling.
The third song, Aversion / Les cors pour assiéger la nuit, also has got some nice instrumentation.
It is an alternance of heavy parts and more quieter ones, with some vocals sometimes.
As it is the longest track, having some breaks definitely helps catching the breath.
Antarctique is a progression, with a heavy and slow begininning speeding up, before it goes more calm.
Yet the pressure is rising, and we get to a heavy part, which then gets more aerial, while still having heavy drums.
It's a relly nice EP, with both the screamo voices, and the interesting instrumentation.
The album under CC3.0 BY-NC-ND
The artists usually sell physical albums at gigs with a pay what you want/can.
Don't hesitate to reach out to them !
Powderpaint is a colorful two-person band from Brighton (UK).
They've released their latest EP, Powderpaint on June 30th 2020.
It's a pop album filled with synthwave aesthetics.
The tone of the songs is just right, not too bright, while not being sad at all.
This gives it a very balanced vibe.
Artist : Website - Bandcamp - Youtube - Fediverse - Instagram - Twitter