Here are the dark ambient albums that we at This is Darkness have been listening to this month – some are new releases, but a few are older gems we’ve just (re)discovered.
Please check these out by clicking on the Bandcamp link next to each review, and please consider supporting the featured artists.
Enjoy!
If you have a Bandcamp release you’d like to be considered for inclusion as one of our picks of the month , please email richdodgin-tid@virginmedia.com. Bandcamp download codes for albums to be reviewed are always very welcome, but are not essential.
Spanned Canyons – The Only Perfect Way for This to End
This is an album that I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of, and I’m delighted to say that it more than meets my high expectations! With 9 tracks of awesome, electronic dark ambient / drone, featuring distortion, glitches, and some baritone sax added to the mix, the music here is simply stunning. Add to that some subtly blended spoken word, and the end result is a haunting album that delivers from start to finish. This is one of those remarkable releases that stays with you long after it’s finished playing, and fans of experimental electronica will absolutely love this. Incredible!
Wahn – Drifted Vol. 3
The latest album from Wahn sees him continuing to explore and develop his unique sound, producing a delightful album of cinematic ambient with an organic edge, containing elements inspired by IDM and bass, and with an underlying introspective, melancholic vibe. This is refreshingly different stuff, and I found myself drawn back to it again and again, in awe at what I was hearing. Highly recommended for those looking for something inventive, multi-layered, and with real depth to it. Stunning!
Various Artists – Anthology Of Experimental Music From Australia
Unexplained Sounds Group is a label that continues to deliver, and their latest album – the newest release in their Sound Mapping series – is no different. Featuring experimental music from eighteen Australian musicians, this is an impressive album that has something for everyone. Each track offers something unique, but the album has a unified vibe to it, meaning the listening experience is a smooth one – providing the listener with an audio journey through a sonic territory both familiar and alien. Wonderful!
E.U.E.R.P.I. – Warm Waves
Featuring field recordings from a trip to Malaysia in 2024, Warm Waves is an album that pays “… sincere homage to presence, travel, and the emotional resonance of place.” It’s beautifully done – the gorgeous field recordings expertly complimented by added synth sounds and delicate minimalist guitar, resulting in dream-like sonic soundscapes that take the listener with them to other, special places. This is one of those albums for chilling out to, for taking some time to remember vacations abroad, and for reconnecting with yourself. Gorgeous!
Bipolar Explorer – Memories of the Sky
Containing elements of dark ambient and drone, but also shoegaze, dreampop, and post-rock, Memories of the Sky – the latest release from Bipolar Explorer – is impossible to pigeon-hole… and that’s no bad thing! Featuring 22 tracks of brilliantly dark, deep, and meditative music, this album is perfect for sitting inside as you watch the thunderstorm and lashing rain through the window, and contemplate your life and the wider world around you. Simply divine!
Peur du noir – L’orage, à pleines mains
The latest release from Peur du noir is this wonderful 3 track album of electronic dark ambient / drone. The first track is harsh and eerie, with unfolding drones and an uncompromising edge, with tracks 2 and 3 a little mellower in nature, providing a more contemplative feel to them. The contrast works wonderfully, helping highlight the strengths of each track, and providing the listening with a rewarding audio experience. I’ve had this one on repeat play since I first heard it, and I find that I’m still drawn back to it weeks later. Fantastic!
Substak – Drone Day 2025
Made for Drone Day 2025, this new release from Athens-based artist Substak is a subtle, minimalist drone track. With a slowly evolving drone, this is a track to savour – listening to this on headphones, while lying down in a darkened room, is a truly amazing experience. This is very highly recommended for fans of drone, and for those looking for something to ‘zone out’ to. Brilliant!
Jabe Ledoux – Sacred Quietude
Now this is very cool – a 3 track release built around the recording of a car journey, featuring the deep bassy drones of the engine & tires-on-road, as well as the sounds created by some drums being transported in the car. It’s incredible stuff – the resulting music has a drone like quality to it, and I found listening to these tracks was a hypnotic experience. This is definitely one to check out if you are a fan of experimental music, and if you are looking for something a little different from your standard drones. Marvellous!
The Black Monolith / Olik Nesnah – Svarteboken
New on the awesome An Eclectic Collection Of Dust label is this album of dark brooding music from The Black Monolith / Olik Nesnah. “Svarteboken,” means “Black Book”, usually referring to a spell book in Scandinavian folk magic traditions, and the music here does an amazing job of capturing the essence of that – featuring elements of dark ambient, dungeon ambient, and ritual ambient. This is a must have for fans of dark, eerie dark ambient / ritual ambient. Magnificent!
The Black Monolith – Wreathed in Serpents, Crowned in Thorns
Also new from The Black Monolith is Wreathed in Serpents, Crowned in Thorns – available now on the Noctivagant label. This is a wonderfully atmospheric album, built around a series of invocations by Israel Regardie, that “explores the initiatory path of the adept — from the shattering of the ego to the revelation of true will.” With deep drones, dark soundscapes, and ritualistic textures, this is an incredibly powerful album, evoking a real sense of personal reflection and loss. Gorgeous!
Syldag – CYBERILLA
With elements of electronica, heavy synth work, and dark ambient, the listening experience provided by CYBERILLA is refreshingly different – with each and every play of the album offering up something new to discover. Fans of electronic / synth music will absolutely love this album – and those looking for something that isn’t your standard dark ambient fare will also find this worth their time. On the strength of this album, I will definitely be checking out other releases from Syldag. Incredible!
M.B. – Mectpyo Bakterium
New from the ever awesome Eighth Tower Records is this re-release of Mectpyo Bakterium by M.B. (Maurizio Bianchi). With minimalistic, electronic sounds, this album evokes the feel of sterile laboratories, decaying tissues, and viral mutations. It’s brilliantly done, and I found myself drawn deep into the music and losing any sense of time and place as I listened to it. Highly recommended for fans of minimalistic, electronic drone ambient. Awesome!
Matteo Cantaluppi – Inequal
New from Italian producer and musician Matteo Cantaluppi is Inequal, a fantastic electronic ambient album pulling together elements of drone, ambient, and dark ambient. The end result is an album that is simply breath-taking – with music that is haunting, soothing, and melancholic in equal measure. This is a must have for fans of subtle music with depth. Wonderful!
Devil’s Breath – Abandoned by Humans – Adopted by Wolves
Now this is awesome – an album combining elements of dark ambient, industrial music, and drone. This is music that is dark, aggressive, and uncompromising, and it is absolutely stunning – I’ve been listening to this non-stop since I first heard it and still cannot get enough of it. If you like your dark ambient to have an industrial / post-industrial edge to it, then I cannot recommend this album enough. Phenomenal!
Exploding Skull – Coyote
New from Bad Channels Records is Coyote by Exploding Skull. This is an album of minimalistic experimental guitar-based music, with a subtle dark ambient / drone undertone running through it. This is one of those remarkable albums where you can easily lose yourself inside the music, sinking into its multi-layered depths, adrift and away from everything else. Stunning!