Dark Ambient: Circle of Pines - Dark Water Ponds (2019)

75 / 100

Dark Water Ponds by Circle of Pines is a compelling debut that successfully blends dark ambient soundscapes with the eerie atmosphere of the wilderness.

Circle of Pines is a dark ambient project from Finland with a limited number of releases, all within the Neotantra catalog. Dark Water Ponds is their debut album, released in 2019, followed by only two more albums. This album consists of eight tracks, later archived into a single 66-minute bonus track.

Unlike the Black-Sided Sun album I've listened to before, Circle of Pines feels more like a wilderness offering than a space exploration, although "Down to the Dreamy Sky" seems the most modern with its analog sounds creating a strange psychological atmosphere, like encountering aliens. Additional synthesizers and/or field recordings are also found on "Cove Point," "Cloak of Fog," "Zerfrorenes Glas," and especially "Fissures," which have almost similar intensities. "Cloak of Fog" itself perfectly matches the title and character of a thick fog in an open and silent area.

The rest is the silence and darkness of nature through strong dark ambient melodies, evoking a slightly eerie sensation, such as in "Wasser Madrigal" and "Moosiges Kissen," which are preceded by slow-paced music that feels slightly chilling, namely "Lichen Ritual."

Thus, this dark ambient music stage with a thriller/horror nuance in the wilderness is very suitable for fans of Cryo Chamber, Rojinski, and maybe the Silent Hill game typical soundtracks.

Best tracks: Lichen Ritual, Wasser Madrigal, Cove Point, Cloak of Fog, Moosiges Kissen.

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