Published by Davide Pappalardo on April 25, 2018
Neraterræ is the dark ambient/drone project of Italian musician Alessio Antoni, conceived as a mix of the aforementioned genres and death industrial, power electronics elements. It was born in 2009 with the name NHART, and in the same year some tracks dued for three single releases were recorded. Actually, they have never been published until today: Antoni has decided to revisit them, reworking some and remixing the whole of them. The result of this restoration is the digital album The NHART Demo[n]s, self-published on bandcamp.
In this work we have a personal take on drone and ambient music, in which the focus is not only on brooding or eerie soundscapes, but on disturbing noises and stern aural attacks too. The whole experience is menacing and evocative, staying true to the core of the genres here explored, but there are even some surprises during the ride showing a more introspective face of his sound.
If Ø is a majestic and creeping dark ambient affair built on distant loops and field-recordings, Core comes off as a collection of ghostly cascades of droning sounds and sepulchral tones, while End chooses sharp effects and dissonant layers of sound, giving us a static transmission from the netherworld. Its looping mantra develops a hypnotic crescendo full of malevolence and astral atmospheres.
The gift of blindness shows an industrial inspired sound where mechanical rusty effects, ghastly drones and surreal sounds combine into an aural nightmare pulling us into a macabre world in which the death industrial side of Neraterræ music has full expression.
A more delicate and emotive sound can be found in the rework of Rainroom, an ambient piece with orchestral sounds and dreamy drones enriched by a surprising melody full of pathos and melancholy. Piano tones and the sample of a creaky door complete the soundscape, and the same aforementioned elements are present in the next track Eternal travel, an almost ethereal affair reminding us of the more evocative and medieval side of Coil.
Neraterræ unearths with this collection a series of tracks showing his craft in the world of droning dark ambient and just ambient music too. While many tracks have a creepy menacing nature, some of the reworked versions play with different emotions and sounds, balancing the dark with light, showcasing a broad vision of music and a wide scope. We hope this is the start of a new phase for the artist and the development of more works to come.
Label: Self-released
Rating: 7,5