Review: Skotógen - Of Shadow Landscapes

Artist: Skotógen

Album: Of Shadow Landscapes

Label: SeeHear Recordings

Release date: February 2025

There seems to be a veritable flurry of new names in the dark ambient scene lately, doing much to counter the naysayers who keep repeating that the scene is dead, and Skotógen is the latest such act to join the fold. The anonymous artist behind the project does so with a very interesting debut album, featuring a cover photo that could've easily been on an early Thomas Köner album, and track titles that consist of names of some of the coldest, most desolate places on the planet. In fact, the artist (known only as VOID) openly states that his intention is to showcase the haunting beauty of the extreme icy North and South, although the tracklist features only one place from the Southern hemisphere, perhaps understandably given its geographical remoteness.

If you were expecting a minimalist approach to dark ambient, however (like I was), you'll probably end up quite surprised. While there is definitely an icy vein running through this album, Skotógen's approach to dark ambient has a decidedly cinematic quality to it, while still paying homage to the wonderful nothingness of the North. The composing process makes use of all the classic ingredients of dark ambient: eerie synth passages, bass drones, whispering voices, howling winds, field recordings and more. Luckily, the artist doesn't try to cram all of his influences into each track, but rather prefers to focus on singular moods, giving the album a dynamic quality that is often sorely lacking in similar releases. Just as importantly, and perhaps countering the general trend, the album doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in at a mere 29 minutes across six tracks. This works wonders for more cinematic tracks such as Ittoqqortoormiit, whose pulsing rhythm and increasingly enveloping wall of sound strongly reminiscent of Triangular Ascension just wouldn't work as effectively in a longer format. The music never feels rushed either, though, as exemplified by the album closer Arrival Heights, whose slow crescendo and careful build-up of energy into a monumental finish makes the track sound much longer than its 3:37 running time would suggest.

Of Shadow Landscapes is a pretty powerful statement for a debut album, and one that should position Skotógen on any dark ambient fan's radar. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does offer a fresh take on the genre in a pretty big way for someone who is just starting out. There seems to be a lot of potential here, and it'll be interesting to see which direction the artist will choose to develop his next releases in. In the meantime, Of Shadow Landscapes has enough replay potential to keep us entertained.

Rating: 8/10