Experimental/Ambient: Nacht Plank - Friends Within the Darkness 3 (2024)

71 / 100

A solid closing to the trilogy, more suitable for hardcore noise/ambient listeners than casual explorers.

Actually, I have several draft album reviews, but for some reason, I feel challenged to tackle the final piece of Nacht Plank’s Friends Within the Darkness trilogy. Just imagine—three hours of music broken into 16 tracks! Yes, I had already finished listening to this album, but since I left no written comments, it became a looming burden that I had to eventually face.

This third installment was released in February 2024 and later compiled into a single collection on Nacht Plank’s Bandcamp page, while the separate release is available through the Neotantra label. The cover photo, featuring a naked woman by the seaside taken by Jean Rollin, initially made me expect music that would feel like ecstatic bliss—but in reality, it was laced with experimental touches and electronic beat influences.

The opening track is crucial in building a hook, and Nacht Plank succeeds with Rhodes piano followed by synths and chimes, giving the impression of a retro lullaby. However, distorted beats and noise made it somewhat grating to my ears. The second track shifts to ambient plus field recordings, which is still tolerable. This ambient style also appears in noisier pieces such as “Aminita,” “Troarn (Freiband),” and “Troarn (aeoiu),” which is incorporate reversed or distorted beats.

Meanwhile, “Troarn (Mati-K),” “Ephemerol,” and “Birth (Halifax)” can be considered the main dark ambient offerings, though they never abandon noise/experimental and field recordings. “Troarn (Mati-K)” begins with a sample of a child’s voice—perhaps a subtle signal, easily overlooked by listeners, that the track is heading into darker territory. There are also audio samples manipulated to sound faulty, as in “Winters Thrill,” which comes across as unclear, reversed, and repeated several times. Speaking of synth effects, “A Plants Day in Stages” is the most dominant, making it sound alien-like, while “Croan” is an ambient/synth piece that feels very dry, built on low tones, yet also comes through the loudest.

All in all, Friends Within the Darkness 3 doesn’t betray the series, sticking to its domination of noise/experimental elements, though it certainly strayed from my expectations. While I felt somewhat disappointed, I could still appreciate a few tracks besides the opener, and I’d say this album is recommended for fans of Cryo Chamber, Rojinski, Steve Roach, and Stargazing at Blank Skies!.

Best tracks: “Carhaix (Davis),” “Amanita,” “Ephemerol,” and “Birth (Halifax).”