Atmospheres from Norway
I realized that I probably listen more to norweigian bands than finnish ones. Weird, but such is life. I’ve mentioned a few times that for some reason atmospheric melancholy elates to me and holding that in mind, we gaze at Norway.
The 3rd and the Mortal was my first touch to atmospheric doom metal. The band has sadly already quit producing music, but the legacy lives on. Long before Nightwish the group gathered classical female vocalist, brutal distortion walls and beautiful harmonies woven together in a complex and multilayered structures. The 3rd is still one of my absolute favourites. Tears Laid In Earth was their first album release and it is one of the purest and minimalistic doom metal albums ever. It had quite crude sounds, but the compositions and atmospheres were solid and clear. Painting on Glass is my favourite album from the group. I have this sort of a ritual when the winter comes - when the world is filled with snow and starlight I lay in my bed and listen to Painting on Glass. It defines winter to me. The whole album sounds like ice on glass.
Ulver is a project that defies categories. Their first album Bergtatt was a metal album with a twist - the vocals were partly guttural growls, but mostly high pitched, clean, boy choiresque singing. The general atmosphere was really distinct and I was instantly in love. The tricksters had other things in mind thought, and the album was followed by acoustic folk, trash metal, electronic experimental music and brooding soundtrack for movie Svidd Neger. They recorded music for William Blake’s marriage of heaven and hell and finally the circle closes with their latest, Shadows of the Sun. It is melancholy in it’s purest form. "Sun is far away, it goes in circles."
