Ancient Tundra is an ambient project from Swift Current, SK, Canada featuring elements of classical music, score music, drones, funeral doom and black metal.

The first album “The Desolation of an Arctic Landscape” was officially released in November 2007 and was mostly a straight dark ambient release incorporating the similar elements of the genre. Often, a tendency of Ancient Tundra was to layer up to 40 tracks of tracks of drone-like snyth on certain sections of songs, to give a sometimes powerful but yet still peaceful and minimalist and often depressive sound, in particular on the tracks ‘Nostalgic Depression', and ‘Triumphant Nature'. There were also two songs on the album which featured vocals, mostly in a black metal vein. The album did fairly well opening up on Dead Moon Records, but later had to move to EEE Recordings due to Dead Moon Records closing down. Upon arriving on EEE, a re-release of the debut album was released on June 6th 2008, this time featuring a bonus track , as well as framed photographs that Skog (Ancient Tundra Sole Member) took, and the handwritten lyrics to ‘Journey Across the Barren Lands'.

Starting in early 2008, Skog began working on the follow-up to the debut and attempted to bring new experiments and progressions to Ancient Tundra. Some additions were the intructions to drums both from a drum machine and also regular sounding drums on a track also featuring guitars for the first time entitled ‘A Silent Void' which uses sound textures and tones similar to the work of Xasthur. Also on the track ‘Across the Valley, Wherein Nature Speaks' guest vocals were applied by Japanese lyricist and ambient artist Kenji Siratori' Additional Guest clean vocals were applied on the album's closing track ‘The Feeble Sickness and Depressive Rot by Hideous(A Dark Fantasy).

The second album “Requiems of a World Lost” ends up sounding more varied incorporating many different elements, and is slated to be released in CD case packaging with Pro-CDr duplication and a 4 page booklet (as opposed to the debut which was released in DVD case) on Novemeber 24th, on Skog's record label ‘Hypnotic Dirge Records' (Immundus, Astral Luminous, Neige et Noirceur, Winds of Sorrow, etc.)

Plans are also in progress for a split album with Dungeons Deep Records' Fjellelv. The material is complete but the album will not be releasded until early 2009. A DVD release, and a shirt design is set to follow in 2009 as well, whildst skog continues ongoing work on Ancient Tundra's third album “La Misere D'un Hermite Oublie, an album which will continue the progression of Ancient Tundra, this time incorporating a funeral doom/epic ambient black metal style throughout the album, whildst still retaining the similar minimalistic approach that was generally used on the earlier recordings. The most atmospheric and accomplsihed Ancient Tundra album yet, when released in Early 2010, it will include a 12-16 page booklet and will be released on Pro-CD.


Source : vilenoise.com