Malignant Records : 2008
Format : CD

Here’s another release that’s gotten heavy play from me that I’m always intending to right something about but never seem to find the time. Wolfskin is a Dark Ambient project of Portugese musician Johan Aernus whose also known for his work in Karnnos as well as the former owner of the Reaping Horde label. At first the release was intended to be a re-release of the limited “The Gather of Shadows by the Setting Sun” CDr, but ended up being a reworking of three of those tracks plus seven new ones.

One of the things that grabbed me about this release from the beginning was it’s disregard for the traditional rules of what Dark Ambient should be. There are definite folk influences and that seems only normal as Karnnos fall under the Neo-Folk banner. Of course the album features the atmospheric drones and dark textures available on any of a thousand ambient releases, but there’s also chanted vocals and ritual drumming. Tracks like “Cart Of Light” show exactly what the genre is capable of, hell, what it needs to stay exciting. There’s also a slight hint of martial elements used as well. Lots of use as traditional instruments are used as well, besides the above mentioned percussive elements, there’s flutes and even bagpipes, that being the one that sold me.

Now there is ‘traditional’ Dark Ambient fare in abundance as well. Tracks like “Rex Sacrorum” or “Throne Of Stillness” deliver the spooky, horror film vibe you’d expect, but then there’s a few like “The Yew Column” where you’re thinking, “Yea, I know this”…ominous, suffocating. And then it comes completely out of left field with the pipes and drumming, martial vocals, the folding and layering of styles that just work amazingly well together where you wouldn’t imagine it could.

Housed in a beautiful digipak of the quality you’d expect from Malignant. Since this release I’ve read that Johan has called it quits giving up the music as well as his label. That’s really too bad, this is genre I love but feel it’s grown stagnant for the most part. We need more releases like this. This release is also available from Itunes.

Websites: myspace.com/wolfskinmusic | myspace.com/malignantrecords