Ruhr Hunter — Moss & Memory

Moss & memory is knee-deep with dark ritual forest air, you can almost smell the due heavy pine tree, feel the moss carpet under you, feel the coarse bark against your hands. It’s all brought into ever-green existence with a mix of barren acoustic guitar work, epic almost post rock structures, dank ambience, funeral drones and all manner of darkly hazed folk instrumentation. All tipped with atmospheric bird and nature samples, making a truly spine tingling trip into the dark spirit of the forest.

An Owl's Gift is a mix of modified owl’s call, deep bassy synth-rolls which bring to mind John carpenter at his most doomy. Added to by modified stringed interments, giving the feeling of being carried on the night's chilled air, hooked to an owl's talons. You can almost see below you the forest deep green changing, into the ragged network of hedgerow broken fields, but the time certainly is not now. There’s no roads or houses or streetlights to pollute the night's wonder. Denned Earth - Decay and Rebirth, uses the sound of forest downpours, birdsong, ominous droning horn work and brooding percussion. Building up a wonderful feeling of morbid anticipation, like seeing the flaming torches of some strange pagan procession come towards you, through the forest green tangle. Near the tracks half way point it really takes a decidedly creepy tones, as the horn work is replaced by a skin crawling chanted man/animal sound and later on a slow drum beat and haunted whispering. Really dread-inducing stuff! It’s like the procession has now stopped, the leading priest focusing squarely on where you lay hidden in the undergrowth.

Really a unique, atmospheric and epic release that pervades a timeless air. Hell, at times you almost forget you listening to something that's been recorded, it feels like it was born from oak instead. Often it brings to mind the feel of timeless grief and evil not really felt since some of Burzum’s grand and grim forestal moments. And if all this wasn’t enough it comes in one of the original packaging, I’ve seen in a while, a nice dark earth brown art card embossed raven talon circle crows and deer prints. All making this one of the must go and get now releases of this year. To hear samples and to buy direct go here, to become one with the forest dark beating heart.