KAMMARHEIT "Asleep And Well Hidden" CD

From The Sekuencias De Culto webzine ( Spain)
From deep within the realms of the superb Canadian label Cyclic Law comes the new offering of this brilliant Swedish act called Kammarheit. This is officially the first album by this very convincing one-man project, though he has already released some material previously in CDr format; to be precise, four discs. Also, Kammarheit took part on the essential and never enough recognised compilation “Nord Ambient Alliance”, also on this same label (see review on these same pages). This is a first edition of 500 copies and comes in a six-panel sleeve with a textured cardboard surface including a poster, and presenting nice black and silver tonalities that help very attractive photographs convincingly going hand in hand with the interpretation of sounds. Once more, Cyclic Law, in this its third cycle, is demonstrating both in terms of luxury presentations and high quality music that is an outstanding and first class music label, with a growing reputation after each new issue.
 
I have been increasingly and constantly listening to this album since I received it a couple of months ago, and from the very beginning I perceived it as too short. This is highly positive, simply because I think this is a consideration based on the fact that the intensity of this music is surpassing and when you appreciate second after second of a release it does not matter its duration, you always feel it short! Six tracks and forty one minutes of music connected with the Dark Ambient style but with more than enough subtleties and masterly treated melodic layers to not simply link this album with restrictive labels. Of course, this is Ambient at its bleakest and darkest definition, but I feel every time I listen to this CD that it offers something more, it goes deepen and adapts the style with a special and personal perspective. The composer delves well enough into real sadness and attractive monotony, creating beauty from pure ugliness, and digging equally inside emotional and harrowing states of mind. This is an album to concentrate on, and that serves the listener when recapitulating his/her dreams and nightmares, visions of a grievous existence not lacking in alluring visions.
 
“Hiding” is the first gate that slowly opens as it subtlety shows its varied sound tools, and droning ambience predominates. This first track provides serenity and static atmospheres and soon dreamy soundscapes appear. Extensive melodies flourish, meanwhile, a nice characteristic, already practised in the compositions included on the aforementioned compilation, is again employed here: sound layers are frequently adorned by cunning minimalist noises here and there while, main melodies gain or lose importance. Later on, and through nearly half of the track the atmosphere intensifies for a moment, and fading weak harmonies return cyclically, even we perceive a feeble impression of sacral loops nearly unnoticeable. “The Ruins And The Serene” is an eloquent title, that defines partly the Kammarheit’s style. Drones are here stronger and the ambience tormenting and darker. Main layers intervene as large and thick tides that come and go as an eternal process with little modifications, except that of a shorter presence like passing fleeting shadows. This second piece is more focused to create states of concentrations, perhaps, like a pleasant mantra. We are now further from the gentler early atmospheres of the album, now “For The Innermost” is a flow of stronger black ambience with the sporadic presence of short interludes where intensity decreases and metallic-like distorted instants emerge from nowhere to provide even more restlessness.
 
Turn the volume up and you will perceive vibrating low frequencies, which are the strong tools of the next, under the title of “The Poignant”. It creates a void where spectral sounds have its place, like falling eternally into a spiralling infinity. At least this is how I perceive their interventions, like desperate voices of the unknown, expressions of unnamed beings. The shorter track of the album, but with no doubt one of my favourite compositions. From the active spaces of the previous, towards the latent and dormant condition of “Epitome”, a cold and nearly ethereal piece that seems to evolve lifeless, but that contains an inherent force revealing tranquil layer-melodies almost unappreciable, and a rather sinister evocation. “Dreamhours” starts the last eight minutes of this great recording with a soothing sound stratum over which the composer adds different drowsy atmospheres. All is calmed down, some are nearly unappreciated due to their soft presence, and others show real melodies, misty and blurred.
 
What I mostly like of this project is the capacity of offering desolated landscapes through the power of beauty, portrayed in varied forms, and by hypnotic ways represented in monotonous sound expressions. The wide range of possibilities is only appreciated increasingly after a reiterative listening, and I think one of the main virtues of Kammarheit’s music is the possibility to evade reality, and to invent a new one that obviously is built over the ruins of the previous. It is equally evident the inducing power of this music, as the composer tries to offer it as a medium of inner concentration and meditation.
 
Well, enough said, I just wanted to end commenting that this has been mastered by Peter Pettersson (Sophia/Arcana) and that I hope to hear more soon of Pär Boström and his creature in the near future.
 F. Paco González

From the Twilight Zone webzine (Italy)
Kammarheit introduces its six inner dawns, darkambient slopes and sources photographed with true tones and solemn diffusions. The music of Swedish Pär Boström lingers on bewitched and magical details, like the birth of an energy, the journey of a vocation, the flight of an instinct, the reproduction of a spell, the passage of a tradition. Ruins and the environment of Scandinavia once again prove themselves to be a fertile soil for these refined atmospheres, as the origin of ancient and sage cults, and always appreciated source of inspiration. We experience from the first track the impact with this arboreal ambience, visited by different effects and rustles, flown over by lunar omens, observed by obscure presences. Powerful cyclic overlapping influences, "Asleep and well hidden" is the mirror of rotating seasons and the witness of invisible metamorphoses. All is quiet but all is changing in these tracks, all is born again carrying eternal symbols and proof of immortality. Precious material to muse upon and to elevate the spirit; another splendid darkambient portrait by the shining Canadian label Cyclic Law. The solitude of spirituality.

From the Heimdallr webzine (France)
KKammarheit is the Swedish project of Pär Boström. Already known for his participation on the 'Nord Ambient Alliance' compilation, this unipersonal formation renewed their confidence with the Canadian label Cyclic Law for the release of a full length debut album 'Asleep and Well Hidden'. This homogeneous dark ambient album is composed by six pieces where abandoned, desolated and dark soundscapes combine with minimalist waves of drones, organic sounds to create a dreamy, melancholic and post apocalyptic ambiance...
The atmospheres are quite close to Raison d'Etre and Kammarheit's compositions would perfectly suit images of lost, abandoned, ruined places... Mastered by Peter Pettersson (Arcana, Sophia) this CD is limited to 500 copies and comes in a luxuous six panel textured cardboard sleeve illustrated with a few very suggestive black and white photos... and a 9" by 15" poster as well. Like the two previous Cyclic Law releases, 'Asleep and Well Hidden' benefits of a particular care relative to the artwork and packaging. A pure captivating dark ambient album recommended to those interested in a journey into their darkest dreams... Nathalie F. Summer 2003

From the Funprox webzine (Holland)
Cyclic Law, the fast upcoming label from Montreal, delivers another dark ambient gem. Cold Meat is really getting competition. Kammarheit, a project of Pär Boström from Sweden, was already present on the Nord Ambient Alliance compilation. This official debut album was mastered by Peter Pettersson (Arcana, Sophia). "Asleep and well hidden" is filled with desolate ambient soundscapes, full of melancholy and solitude. The mood is comparable to Raison d'Etre or Lustmord, with a more minimal sound, consisting of deep drones and stretched out dark tones, taking you to a shadow world of ancient ruins, barren lands and rumbling machines. The album is very coherent, if offers serene brooding music for about 40 minutes, fine melancholic background music. It is minimal and monotonous, but not boring. Nothing very innovative here, but very pleasant to listen to if you appreciate melancholic dark ambient.

From the Ortus Obscurum webzine (Sweden)
KAMMARHEIT is a project by a Swedish guy named Pär Boström. The project was born in March 2000 as a way for Pär to express his feelings for dark ruins and desolate places. The project eventually evolved into for escaping the realities of the modern human world and all of its burdens. "Melancholic harmony" is something central to KAMMARHEIT's music and often the themes for the tracks derive from stillness, darkness and melancholy.
Review:
Hiding and Dreamhours remind very much of the last two tracks on RAISON D'ÊTRE's Enthralled by the Wind of Loneliness but even though a parallel between the two projects exist, KAMMARHEIT's ambience is deeper and more minimalistic with less serene elements. The basis of the music are some really dark drones which gives it a very dense feel. Recent albums I have heard which I find can be sorted into the same folder as Kammarheit are DENSE VISION SHRINE's Magic and Mystery and SLEEP RESEARCH FACILITY's Nostromo. Those of you who have heard the Nord Ambient Alliance compilation CD will also know what to expect here. KAMMARHEIT's music is excellent to just have in the background while relaxing with closed eyes. It is homogenous and it almost completely lacks noisier sections or elements of shock. No vocals emerge from the music, nor is there any violent percussion, just a seeping flow of dreamy ambience. Carefully as a spider's web, the music unfolds and soon the listener finds himself trapped in the middle of it, halfway through dream and reality. I think the strength of KAMMARHEIT lies in that they have a certain golden formula in their music, it not being too minimal, nor too extravagant. Small musical events are placed in the foreground, yet there is always a very rich feel to the music and it is excellent to just have in background while lying down visualising. Another parallel which can be drawn to RAISON D'ÊTRE is the use of screeching metal sounds. Much of Asleep and Well Hidden resemble the final tracks on RAISON D'ÊTRE's The Empty Hollow Unfolds. KAMMARHIET may benefit from some more originality, yet it must not in any way exploit their sound since the atmosphere generating ability of their music is absolutely brilliant. I presume their music will appeal to fans of very minimal, obscure, yet not too noisy Dark Ambient. Ectonaut.

From the FluxEuropa webzine (U.K.)
KAMMARHEIT "Asleep And Well Hidden" CD Cyclic Law 3RD CYCLE
Kammarheit (the work of Pär Boström) delivers a dark ambient soundscape conjuring a melancholic dreamland. The shadows and cold atmospherics suggested - and achieved - by the drones and rumbles have a particularly brooding and distinctly Nordic quality. Asleep And Well Hidden was mastered by Peter Pettersson and is released on Frédéric Arbour's Cyclic Law label.
RIK - 11 May 2003