I did not know much about Niellerade Fallibilisthorstar, except that they come from Sweden, that five musicians worked on this material recorded between 2001 and 2004 and that they released their debut full length album “Hackelsekista” last year. Their new offering “Hålrum” is released on cd and vinyl, of which the LP I’m dealing with is somewhat abbreviated.
General categories that come to mind when listening to “Hålrum” are dark ambient or ritual soundscapes. The 13 tracks merge into each other, slowly changing accents and moods, with a varied end result. There are slow waves of dark brooding sound, but also seemingly improvised percussive sounds coming from obscure objects and various field samples with a somewhat ethnic effect, especially in the first track. As the record evolves there are also parts with ominous industrial sounds in the Lustmord vein. At times there is loud hammering on metal objects like the Neubauten in their young years.
I find this very pleasant stuff to let myself be carried away. Sometimes I feel like being in a dark forest surrounded by invisible tribes, other times I’m wandering through a deserted mining ghosttown where the wind makes the rusty equipment rattle. Excellent material with a good sound quality, a nice surprise!
