Hey there,

I'm looking for something which I would describe as medieval/fantasy ambient (or as Mortiis once called his sound - Dark Dungeon Music) in the vein of old MORTIIS, the (only) album by WONGRAVEN and LORD WIND.
I also know that there are tons of dark ambient bands out there but most of those I know are not my cup iof tea and rather boring with theri droning, noisy sounds.

What I'm looking for is this synth based folk/medieval inspired music as on Mortiis "The Stargate", the mentioned Wongraven album and especially the latest release by Lord Wind called "Atlantean Monument". I'm more a fan of a bit shorter tracks as such I mentioned "Stargate" and not the earlier Mortiis stuff with songs clocking at about 30 minutes.
It would be best if the songs are even catchy to some point or at least have some meorable meloy inherent.

here are some tracks to better show what I mean:
LORD WIND:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_V6cSYjOmQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfB4WQty0AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr-FCwRVEgE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeCtU8yzft4
MORTIIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFncOuwHwg8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZevwF9AH_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN5RUSNc7Jc
WONGRAVEN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMXC-VnrSQs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbLXPy5hris

Any help would be gladly taken

Thanks,
PengPeng aka Grimgirl

Cant listen to your links at present Peng to hear exactly what you are looking for, but reading your request the first band that came to my mind was Elffor, not sure if you are familiar with them or not but may be worth a look, personally I like and enjoy all his work, maybe Polands Wojnar?

Hmmm, I think I heard at least the name Elffor before but can't remember if I checked their music. What I just read here on their reviews might indeed be sth I'm looking for. Thanks for that!
Wojnar I think I already heard sth from but if I remember it right it was a bit too "boring" and not as moving as for example the Lord Wind stuff, which has a great percussive-like sound making not only your mind come to moving but also floating through your body. Anyway - I will also give Wojnar another try.
So thanks again, Stormm, as you once again helped me with one of my researches

ah, just a short remark: I now remember checking Elffor but though liking the synth work being a bit annoyed by the crappy vocals who appeared now and then. If vocals in this style of music are used I like them more calm, narrating etc. (just like the mentioned Mortiis & Wongraven) Anyway, will give it a second try....

No prob at all Pengpeng, give Elffor a listen he has some great catchy stuff through his work that I think you will enjoy and I will listen to your links later and see if I can rec more, I know more just cant think of them being stuck in work with no access to my collection.

Remembered a few more I have, try Pazuzu, Perunwit and Munruthel, maybe even early Enid, though they are more like Summoning. Would also agree that Eol vocals with Elffor can be abit annoying though, but luckily they do not dominate the songs, and to confuse things even more all the albums have been entirely recorded, as I rem the vocals on the new versions are an improvement. Tracks on his myspace dont do most of his music justice though try these few and see what you think pengpeng -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2F3dpPO ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsbfIooztWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pehVHKKO ... re=related

I would recommend VALAR from Finland. Unfortunately, I did not succeed in finding any Mp3 samplers.

http://www.discogs.com/release/648406

Pazuzu from Austria is your best bet, especially "Awaken The Dragon".

First, a small disclaimer. Most of the bands I will suggest here are black/sympho metal projects but they all have great instrumentals, intro's and intrludes so if the metal tracks are not your cup of tea, be sure to check out their ambient stuff (I cannot stress this enough as I also really love medieval sounding ambient tracks and you'd probably miss out a lot)

Alright here we go:

If you want REAL medieval instruments with a more richer sound, try Haggard. Very talented people in this band who really know their instruments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5VC0wZc9-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc2RT-cHAmg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_HGCDJshto

L'ordre du temple & Nazgul ( both from Italy) are two black metal bands who have produced some awesome medieval themed ambient synth intro's, interludes and outros on their albums. Their black metal stuff is also great but you need to get into the sound as they both have unique vocals and drums...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNzx3N-Atv8 (compilation of ALL the Nazgul intro, intrludes and outros)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUP2HRVIu5o (lordre du temple)

Neptunell is almost exactly like Lord Wind but it is really hard to find, though i was able to get many tracks from an old site of the band a long time ago...you can still find some tracks on Last.fm I think.

Mirkwood & Pazuzu are two ambient side projects from (one of) the Summoning members. (I think some of the demo's can be downloaded from the Summoning site)

Rivendell and Evol also have a very distinct medieval feel

And last but not least...Burzum's two ambient releases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30lt14WQ1w0 (damn this is melancholy in musical form...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZftPfoeBLs0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KfDU1eiPsc

Isengard also has some great ambient tracks :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ44Uop1-d4

Abigor on the 'Orkblut' release has some great but alas, too short interludes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47WxgjHmO-U

How about the band Munruthel?

A band that is completely medieval-worship folk/ambient. Great band, and any release will do, but also has some symphonic/pagan BM on the side.

Thanks so far for your recs. As I'm into BM and the "sub-stuff" (like Mortiis, Wongraven etc.) etc. since the early 90s I of course know Isengard, Burzum and Abigor etc. But thanks for reminding me of them as I haven't listened to that for a loooong time (apart from burzum which is always present )
Also Munruthel is well known to me and I really like them (though some parts are a bit too long as in old Mortiis releases).



THANKS for that! Neptunell is a great new band to me! I found a parent directory page via google yesterday with about fifteen tracks. That's exactly what I'm looking for!

Also Pazuzu is great! I only remebred their "and all was silent" Album, but "Awaken The Dragon" is way better!!!


Me neither I only found reviews which made me interested but there is nothing on the net (myspace, youtube, lastfm) where I could find any stuff.. Too bad...

I also checked Wojnar and Elffor again and must say that I definitely have to give them a second chance. Also very good music!

So - all of you! Thanks, you made the little Grimgirl happy! (of course - I gladly take more recs, hehe)

I had edit my second post yesterday Pengpeng shortly after I posted it adding Pazuzu etc to thr recommendation's, I had also added Perunwit though you might have missed it, if so check out their early stuff as you might be interested in that, unfort I could not find there cd I have last night to see if it was any good as it has been that long since I listened to it! Also try Shambless, as I rem I was not that fond of them to be honest, but their reviews on here are positive and you might enjoy them, another one I forgot about is Arisk Priest, again I have not listened to them in an age but try them out - http://www.myspace.com/ariskpriestband

Glad you like them. Perhaps I didnt look hard enough but never found a way to buy the full cds of this band...

I've got about 18 tracks here:
- Bleak Shade Creeps in Wooded Ravines
- Brother Wind
- Deep Woods of Melancholy
- Encircled by Eternal Winds
- Feast and the Funeral
- Glory Forlorn
- Under Rigid Horns
- Her Sombre Horizons
- Hymn to Wild Woods
- In the Everdying Glades
- Kadonneet Maat (my favourite)
- Mother Night
- Mournful Call Of Shadows
- The Phoenix Moment
- Spirits
- Temple In Silence
- To Sail the Cosmic Seas
- Unlight

If you are missing some or perhaps if you have some others, Id be willing to send them and be happy to receive ones I dont have.

Seeing as you also like BM with medieval synths and atmosphere, I can certainly suggest a not so well known one man band called 'Apotheosis'. It's at times fast, heavy and epic, then relaxing and laidback with great uplifting melodies. Check it out :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrW5oHZyHWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19WJnJsWawY

Dargaard is worth hearing
Members were contributors to Abigor

Dargaard is worth trying. I slightly remember having sth on tape back then in the 90s. Will look around if their music appeals to me. Thanks!

@Braltika:
I found various sites on which Neptunell was mentioned and that all of his stuff could freely be downloaded. Sadly pointing to a site which isn't online anymore. But I foudn some kind of page archive with a parent directory listing various zip files containing mp3s. I guess they are also those who were sanctioned by the artist. The directory is listed as being from 2003. Anyway...

I got alltogether 14 tracks, from which you haven't listed these:
Ages Long Lost
Empires
Once in the Arms of Time

And these tracks from your list I don't have found on that archive:
Kadonneet Maat
Mother Night
Spirits
The Phoenix Moment
Temple In Silence

Oh, and for those reading this thread and also liking this kind of music - here are two recs from me (contributing to my own made-up thread )

So, if you're also into medieval bombast/fantasy stuff, I definitely have to point you towards the band called
L'EFFET C'EST MOI
They are not really ambient but mainly bombastic neo-classic with a great martial atmosphere!
http://www.myspace.com/leffetcestmoi
http://www.leffetcestmoi.it/

and I can also recommend a rather unknown band much in the vein of old Mortiis. It's not brilliant but at least quite enjoyable. Their name's SALTVIND and you can listen to some stuff here:
http://www.myspace.com/saltvind

hah! just discovered another fantastic band myself and I just have to share this with all others who are interested in this kind of music.

The abnd is called INVICTUS and their album "Imperium Paganum" is strongly influened by Lord Wind but has some more bombastic, score-like in it. Great music!!!!

Thanks! Will check this out Grimgirl, sounds very promising, especially to see they are under No Colours Records is enough for me being a fan of this label, most of their releases are quality.

Uruk Hai

hmm, I find Uruk Hai not melodic enough and they are more some kind of droning fantasy soundscapes to me... maybe I heard the wrong tracks?

I also found Blakagir quite ok - not overwhelming, but ok...

Fata Morgana - old Mortiis' side project.

I recommend Vinterriket's compilation "Landschaftsmalerische Klangwelten Synthetischer Tonkunst". The songs aren't that long (the longest are around seven minutes) and should have enough variation, check some tracks out here.

hey PengPeng,

while playing some old games yesterday I suddenly thought of this request from you. I guess being a girl (sorry for the following prejudice ) you aren't into computer (Amiga, C64 etc.) games from the 80/90s, right?
You should try the Soundtracks from some of these games, esp. those from the games "Shadow Of the Beast" (I-III). It's really amazing what music they composed back then when games mostly had 512 KB in total (!!!!). Maybe I love this music only for nostalgic reasons mainly, but I think they somewhat fit really good to your request.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BoOexC2zx8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpcx0UQt4Y8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qipWqOwkceg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INDfzMiA-F4

On the net there are also some pages where remixes of these classic tunes can be found. Not all of them are good, but there def. are some awesome ones (ranging from synth-pop, electro rock to more ambient and even industrial ones). Here are a few examples (the last two being from newer games)which go into the more ambient direction:
http://www.amigaremix.com/remixes/search/71
http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00951/
http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01949/

And there have also been concerts where some of these old tunes were arranged and played by a full orchestra. Absolutely amazing:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... phonic+sha

I know - this all sounds strange but you should at least try them. Oh, and also try the scores from the movies "Legend", "Sorcerer" (both by Tangerine Dream) and "The Dark Crystal" (the evil guy from this movie being the inspiration for Mortiis mask - btw )