Nachtschwarze Momente

"Nachtschwarze Momente" continues in the style of "Horizontmelancholie", which was one of the best Vinterriket releases. This is another quality release, with the ambient side of the band emphasised more than on "Horizontmelancholie"; more synths, less vocals and less guitars. No black metal touches here either, just slow-paced ambient/neofolk. A plus is, that the drums seem to be real and not a machine.

"Durch die Leere der Nacht" has no guitars, but it does contain some percussion and both narrative and whispered vocals. Along with the soft yet dark sounding synths, these create a feeling of gliding though a nightly forest on an August night, perhaps with a fullmoon shining in the sky. Yes, I actually said August, because like just like "Horizontmelancholie", this release doesn't have a cold, wintry feel to it. It's more like gentle while still being dark, consequently making me think of nights in late summer.

"Leblose Sphären" is in the same style as the previous track, yet feel wise even darker somehow and with a touch of hopelessness and relinquishment. The most notable difference to "Durch die Leere der Nacht" is that this track contains some acoustic guitars, which add a bit of melancholy. A very strong just-lean-back-and-let-yourself-disappear-into-the-shadows feeling overcomes me as I listen. Yes, I really would like to just let go... this feels sooo good. A really great combination of ambient and neofolk! Vinterriket's discography is huge and not all the releases are great. However, if one bothers to take some time and dig, you'll find some diamonds - like this one.