Immundus : Haunted Memories reviews

Immundus is the solo endeavor of Bruno Duarte who has been recording under this banner since he moved to Norway (originally from Portugal) back in 2003. During these past seven years he’s released two full-length albums, one EP, a 3’ single and has appeared on numerous compilations, but let us focus in on his second album, ‘Haunted Memories’ from 2009, which is surely one of the finest ambient records I’ve heard in recent years.

Bruno labels his music as ghost ambient, which will surely raise an eyebrow or two, but once you hear it you’ll definitely understand. His brand of ambiance carries a creepy and otherworldly sentiment, which at least to my ears sounds like it’s been partially influenced by classic 70’s/80’s horror movies and perhaps even some video game music. Therefore, the music is considerably more melodic and diverse from track to track and since the album only runs for forty two minutes it’s also obviously shorter than most ambient records. It is however definitely dark ambient music and you can surely listen to this album while relaxing, sleeping or reading, though you might feel yourself drifting to a different world and leaving behind your current whereabouts.

It’s Immundus’ goal to transport the listener to the darker side of life and through these ten songs he surely does do that. I’ve listened to this album a few times with the lights out with a few candles burning and the atmospheric effect as been quite colossal to say the least. It really gives me that feeling that something might be out there and when I feel those hairs on the back of my neck rising I can’t help but wonder if I’m alone or someone else is in my apartment with me. There are also some samples thrown in to his work like water dripping, chains being dragged on the ground, indistinguishable voices, children’s laughter, music boxes, violent winds and so on, which all add to the experience wonderfully. I’ve also often times detected a sense of beauty within this record, which perhaps is just one of the many factors that’s kept me coming back for more.

Immundus’, Haunted Memories is without doubt a work of genius in an otherwise overcrowded and often times stale genre that only has a few true standouts. I’ll make it simple though, if you like dark ambient music, this is the record to hear. Go h(a)unt a copy down soon.

Haunted Memories begins with great ambient sounds of howling winds, creaking and rustling leaves. The scene is set and I am transported to Immundus’ dark and eerie world via Entering the Domain. That is a perfect title because you are not just listening to a piece of music here; you are entering a different world. A world of the mind, the imagination and one that is sinister, dark and haunting. We all have that place in our mind and Immundus knows how to find it.

As soon as Hall began, I was taken back to my younger days and a film I loved, Fright Night. I could see vampires, dark alleys and a chill went up my back. There is a constant ghostly sound throughout this soft and, dare I say, beautiful track. It may be sinister, it may be dark but it is an amazing creation. I especially loved the strings that come in and accompany the ghostly sound.

Whispering Walls kicks in with a very deep, guttural and extremely eerie sound. Sitting here in a dark room listening to this had me looking over my shoulder several times. It is fantastic how the ambient sounds, Immundus has incorporated in this track, really set a scary atmosphere and send my imagination wild.

Dining Beside an Old Corpse follows Whispering Walls very well starting with that gloomy humming sound that does make me feel slightly uncomfortable. Then this sound of static comes in. This is great stuff! So much sound, so much to flip the mind over into its darker depths. The string piece that gently comes forward is absolutely delicious in its cheerlessness. I can really imagine sitting at a huge dinner table, in a large candlelit room. There I am in my gothic clothing sharing a meal with an old corpse. What is Immundus doing to me? Whatever it is I am hooked! I love the way Dining Beside an Old Corpse ends, almost like death has come upon me…the sound of trying to tune in and then nothing.

It gets scarier people! I am sure in From the Depths I heard Satan growling out at me. From the Depths lives up to its name. It is very eerie, very sinister and a total creep out. The music is heavy on the bass and those magical ambient sounds, which Immundus seems so great at delivering, are there floating round to drive your senses crazy. Oh my God! I just had a screaming moment. The end of From the Depths is AWESOME! All I will say is listen to this track alone, in the dark and with the volume at a good solid level. Prepare to be terrified.

Can I go on? Will my heart take this trip?

Lured Into an Abyssic Maze creates the sensation of floating or drifting. I think this track is magnificent and great for closing the eyes and falling into the mind. It keeps to the eerie sensation and deep bass but it is more relaxing than terrifying. The beautiful haunting sound is back, too. You certainly could be lured away to some deep corner of your mind with this one.

The Descent opens up with more great ambience. There is a very subtle creepy sound every so often that I am sure are bugs running about the place. The odd drip of water does nothing to ease my discomfort at this vision of creepy crawlies running around my dark room. As The Descent moves along, I notice my heart has started to beat that wee bit faster, which is strange. There is something very unnerving about The Descent, which I cannot quite put my finger on. If you have the same experience when you hear it, please let me know.

Chains of Hate comes booming in. Another deep and dark track with the great ambient sound of chains. Immundus always delivers what it says in the title. My mind takes me to the Tower of London and I see squalor and desperate prisoners all praying for the sweet mercy of death. Perhaps this is because I am a student of history, have visited the Tower often or just love the darker side of our world. Whatever it is, Immundus is the talent that has created a piece of music so powerful it can transport me to a different place and time. Oh, there goes Anne Boleyn to have her head removed – wake up Tom!

Dementia follows Chains of Hate very well indeed, as if they are actually part of the same piece. The howling wind – an empty mind perhaps – then the joyless sound of the music box, which is very spectral indeed. I see an old man sat in his rocking chair lost in the chaos of his own mind – his dementia. The music is so emotive and dark and my mind is buzzing. The scratchy sound of children laughing is very spooky. Is this the dementia sufferer remembering his childhood?

Haunted Memories closes with Escape. This track sticks with the heavy bass, haunting and eerie sounds, which travel round the mix. There is something strangely uplifting about this rather stripped down number. The music is rather delicate compared to the ghostly sounds. Escape is a beautiful close to an enchanting album. I drifted back to my past, my memories, my old friends and people I once knew and loved. It ends brilliantly with the sound of a large door closing. Amazing!

If you have not guessed, I love Haunted Memories. It is so clever how Immundus has created an album that is more than just music. Haunted Memories is a journey to the depths and darker parts of your mind. The way Immundus ends Haunted Memories, with that sound of a door closing, is so clever. To me it is the door closing on my dark mind, which I spent forty-two minutes exploring, with the help of Haunted Memories.

I highly recommend giving Haunted Memories a listen and do it alone, in the dark and with the volume up, or better still, wear headphones. You will soon disappear into your own dark mind.

by Pal Reviews (US)

Norwegian ambient artist Immundus brings on a chilling atmosphere like a gray winter morning. A strong wind and creaking timbers usher in the haunting synths of album opener, Entering the Domain. The song's atmosphere and approach conjure images of a foreboding house in a horror movie. Slightly more lighthearted synths lend an atmosphere of wonderment and discovery on The Hall. An additional layer of trepidation and mystery is added by a flickering violin.

However, the horror movie style falls to the wayside starting with the stripped-down and icy darkness of Whispering Walls. Subtlety reigns supreme as feedback and a low-droning pulse pave the way for a lonely violin, which mourns the loss of its master, Erich Zann.

Even more stripped-down and emotionless in their slowly shifting, foggy movements are the next two compositions, From the Depths and Lured Into an Abyssic Maze. What mysteries must lay deep within the dank earth. This creates a cold, dark minimalism that is reminiscent of some Cold Meat Industries project. Shimmering Xylophone synths and murky dungeon sounds seep like a magickal lights of cavern walls on The Descent.

For me there is a certain nagging problem I have. The way Immundus uses synths and the visual imagery created by their soundscapes plants dreams of the stillness of deepspace and slowly drifting astral bodies but Immundus grounds them with earthbound sounds like rattling chains, blowing wind, creaking boards, dripping water, etc.

So these two mental visions conflict in my mind. The only song to truly embody this with out textural strife is the final track, The Escape however this fails in the end as samples of a child's laughter is closes out the track.

Immundus is haunting and interesting in some respects and cold and distant in others. At its best it is chilling and eerie. However, more often it fails to truly connect with me.

Norwegian ambient artist IMMUNDUS presents what can only be described as the epitome of the dark ambient genre. From the opening notes of his second offering, "Haunted Memories”, his audience is dragged within another realm, within a sense of solitude and indeed bringing forth our past, and half forgotten, haunted memories.

“Haunted Memories” presents ten tracks, all holding their own part in a larger story. From the uncomfortable tonalities of “The Hall”, using the unease of minor motifs that progress to include beautiful and yet haunting strings, toward the chilling “Dining Beside An Old Corpse”, which for me personally brought up the imagery of Susan Hill’s “The Woman in Black” and Eel Marsh House.

Immundus’ music is meant to be listened to alone; it is a soundtrack to a ghostly story that you create yourself. Immundus is brilliant at what he does; his creativity and imagination all translate throughout this record. From the dark artwork of the album, toward the darkness inside, the themes interrelate and connect.

The chilling winds achieved at the beginning of “Dementia” create imagery of a lone being traveling through the aesthetics presented on the cover art. The creepiness is followed by a melody which reminds one of being a child, followed by that of manipulated children’s laughter, (which is perhaps the most uncomfortable sound of all) always underlined by a constant ambient progression beneath.

“Dementia” is indeed the climax of this album’s horror theme.

From entering “Haunted Memories” through the first track, we leave to the finale of “Escape”, a piece that screams melancholy rather than dismay. Immundus has achieved a great depth within this track, a perfect close to a fantastic record, which becomes the soundtrack to what is inside of us.

“Haunted Memories” is available through Hypnotic Dirge Records and is for anyone who enjoys the best of horror in the dark ambient genre.

by Voltage Media (AU)

Immundus offer something extremely unique with his dark ambiance that is "Haunting memories".

Very atmospheric and haunting all at once it makes your hair on your neck stand on end.... the eeriness about the album makes you feel like your in your own personal horror movie.

More soundtrack based than something you dance to, this album offers something different from the everyday bounds of music writing, it's composition at it's darkest and most unique best.

If you appreciate your music on all levels or you simply want to explore a new one then this album is the right choice. It's carefully thought out down to the last pin drop. It gets the heart racing and the mind pumping. This really is, dark ambiance at it's horrifying best.

Aus der Kälte Norwegens kommt der in Portugal geborene Immundus mit seinem aktuellen, zweiten Werk „Haunted Memories". Der Albumtitel ist dabei wirklich Programm, denn Immundus hat sich dem Dark Ambient verschrieben, wie er bedrohlicher und eindringlicher kaum sein könnte.

Haunted Memories" klingt wie der Soundtrack zu einem imaginären Horrorfilm und ist eine musikalische Meisterleistung, denn zu kaum einem anderen Album bauen sich vor dem geistigen Auge des Zuhörers so viele gruselige Assoziationen auf, wie zu diesem Werk. Geisterhafte Stimmungen, düstere Soundscapes, psychotische Geigenklänge, eine mystische Grundatmosphäre, der Horror scheint unmittelbar greifbar und schleicht sich unaufhörlich in das Unterbewusstsein, verstärkt durch brillant platzierte Samples aus dem täglichen Alltagsleben.

Das Zusammenspiel zwischen all den genannten musikalischen Merkmalen wie auch die klangliche Ausprägung sind perfekt und hinterlassen in der Tat eine zutiefst verstörte Psyche, so dass „Haunted Memories" nicht weniger ist als ein Meisterwerk dieses Genres. Wer Kontakt zu Immundus aufbauen will, der nehme Kontakt unter: www.myspace.com/immundusofficial auf.

---translated by google---

From the cold of Norway who was born in Portugal Immundus comes with his current, second book "Haunted Memories". The album title is really program, because Immundus has dedicated himself to the Dark Ambient, as it could hardly be more threatening and more insistent.

"Haunted Memories" sounds like the soundtrack to an imaginary horror film is a musical masterstroke, because at almost any other album to build on in the mind's eye of the listener so many creepy associations, which to this work. Ghostly moods, dark soundscapes, psychotic violin sounds, a mystical atmosphere of reason, the horror seems to immediately grasp and constantly creeps into the subconscious, reinforced by brilliantly placed samples from everyday day life.

The interplay between all of these musical characteristics as well as the phonetic expression perfectly, leaving in fact, a deeply disturbed psyche, so that "Haunted Memories" is nothing less than a masterpiece of the genre. Who wants to establish contact with Immundus who I contact at: www.myspace.com / immundusofficial.

by Obliveon Zine (Germany)

What Immundus’ sole member Bruno began with his first album he now takes to another level with “Haunted Memories”. This disc is truly a tour de force of utterly creepy and haunting Dark Ambient. This time, however, the level of not only the songwriting has risen but that of the overall production.

The mix on this sophomore disc is far superior to Immundus’ first album and the glossy and impeccably designed digipack it comes in is by far one of the nicest presentations I have seen from Hypnotic Dirge Records. ‘Dirge has high standards to begin with, but they’ve out done themselves this time.

Getting back on track: As always there is a story behind Immundus’ albums. They are, in fact, all concept pieces. Bruno still isn’t telling us what that concept is however. He wants you, the listener, to come up with your own version of what the music he has created represents. He has his own story, but that is just for him. You’ve got to come up with your own. Which is not going to be hard. “Haunted Memories” is filled to overflowing with creeptastic atmospheres and lilting synth lines that pull up all manner of beasties from the subconscious.

While the album spins these haunted memories of our own are loosed on our conscious mind. Truly unpleasant emotions, only half remembered, go marching across ones imagination and we are only give respite once the disc stops spinning.

The new release from Immundus titled “Haunted memories” is a nice piece of ambient sound work and dark ambient movements. 10 tracks in all that will really send chills and thrills down your spine, a perfect mood setting experience from start to finish.

The feeling from track 1 through 10 is like your watching someone’s nightmare or late night chiller movie.

Every song has a sound track feel from start to end. Immundus aka Bruno Duarte takes his time in crafting these pieces for the listener and really melds the ambient with the macabre sound.

He most certainly knows what he is doing here.

This is music for fans of such other spellbinding artists like; Coil, Controlled Bleeding, Vidna Obmana, and Raison de Etre.

Make sure to check out tracks 1, 3, 5, 8, 10. These really sent a shiver up and down my spine……loved it….can’t wait for more.

by Mykl Neufeld aka Ambient Portal (US)

I was eagerly looking foward to reviewing the second opus when this was delivered through the door, and I was waiting for the right moment to be alone, and that happened to be on 1st May, at 3.30am, in complete darkness via headphones.

And that is when I listened to the new release from Immundus. Allow me to begin.........Firstly, lets concentrate on the lavish artwork and packaging.

This time around, the new release "Haunted Memories" has the art work that it greatly deserves. What looks like an old barn, in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by isolation, and the landscape completely devoid of all human contact. The art work also has a "grainy" "soft focus" black/white image which adds to the atmosphere. Also the digi pak packaging is brilliant, this is all down to Depraved Designs who has done a fantastic job on this release.

As soon as you place the cd in your deck and press play, there is the sound of eerily howling winds and creaking doors. This is all done in the best possible taste, which sounds so real, and "flittering" from speaker to speaker, and the atmosphere has just begun!!!

As a result, the album sucks the listener in from the first picosecond including a dream like state, where the mind is taken on an obscure and bizzare journey through a weird and twisted nightmare, replete with eerie landscapes and improbable lifeforms. (Of this you get a sence from the album cover also).

There is not a dull moment on this album, and I have to say that there is such a massive difference here compared to the 1st release. Not that I am critisising it of course, but what I am trying to say is that with "Haunted Memories", it is so much more professional in every sence of the word.

Not just with the art work, but the recordings sound much more dynamic. Immundus certainly know how to create atmosphere, with dark nights in misanthropic isolation. This will tickle the the morbidity of the more cryptomaniacal listener without a doubt, and turn them perhaps into untranslatable fanatics, unable to communicate their calliginous visions.

The neo~classical touches are echoed by the themes explored an elegantly illustrated in this album, dealing with the more tenebrous, disturbed, nostalgic, and Gothic aspects of the Romantic: morbid romantic obsession, dreamlike visions, spectral memories, turbulent emotion and tragic loss, and finally death. All in all you cannot go wrong with this release, and I reccomend this to anyone who listens to Dark ambient/Neo~classical/Dark Dungeon/Darkwave/Gothic and atmospheric soundscapes.

A brilliant album, produced by a genius brain with a fevid imagination and an endless capacity for invention. Already I cannot wait to hear what Immundus will come up with next.

''Presenting Dark Ambient from Norway'' is one Immundus line that describes precisely what to expect while listening to the latest album, Entitled *Haunted Memories*.

Beginning at Chapter I with the track title 'Entering The Domain' you straight away begin to have a sense of the dark and macabre with the gentle, Yet eery sounds portrayed throughout the entire album.

An exceptional creation of music to satisfy even the most critical of Dark Ambient fans, 'Haunted Memories' will leave you with a chill down your spine, Exactly what Immundus sets out to achieve with all his music.

by Dark Mourning Promotions (UK)

It’s immediately clear from the beautiful artwork of "Haunted Memories" that this release by Norwegian ambient/experimental artist Immundus is a creation characterised by imagination and attention to detail. It follows on from 2008’s debut "Torments", continuing in the same dark and evocative vein that caused critics to liken Immundus to both a soundtrack composer and a storyteller, yet adding further adventurousness and subtlety, marking a progression of which the artist is understandably proud.

The dark ambient sounds with which "Haunted Memories" presents us are striking for their non-conformity; there seems to be a template for create unsettling ambient sounds at the moment, but Immundus is far freer with his compositions, resulting in a genuinely interesting output. Opener "Entering the Domain" is a perfect exercise in scene-setting, with its freezing tones and eerie atmosphere, created via the medium of creaking timbers and a deep, alien drone. Choir synths lend grandness, and the overall feeling is rather Lovecraftian, as if something immense, unknowable and unbelievably dangerous is lurking just around the next Arctic corner.

"The Hall" also utilises found sounds to disturb the listener’s peace, but seems unable to settle into one direction, and changes in pace and effects are rather disorienting. It is with the sparse, subtle "Whispering Walls" that Immundus really hits his stride, hinting at insanity with a very light touch. "Dining Beside an Old Corpse" is equally effective, with a harsh electronic buzz interfering with the extremely deep drifts and string synths which otherwise comprise the track, suggesting an awkward interface between the human and the natural, the technological and the just plain mystical. After some calm, if not calming, haunting pulses and cresting synths on "From the Depths" and "Lured into an Abyssic Maze", "The Descent" offers the creepiest moments on the album, with the skittering of unknown feet combined with distressing tones and a weird, electronic breathing.

The madness crests with the perturbing "Dementia", which introduces laughter, the final conclusion to the listener’s slowly-building fear. It’s a cleverly structured album, managing to sustain interest and threat throughout, while still providing plenty of relaxed, glacial passages that will satisfy the listener who is content not to engage the imagination, and expects a soothing experience from their ambient music. Whilst still not entirely mature, Immundus’ sound has plenty of potential, and there are a number of sophisticated passages on this album. "Haunted Memories" reflects a very dedicated delving into the darker corners of the mind, and throws up an amazing range of imagery and emotion, considering that its component parts are genre staples. A rewardingly different journey for the ambient traveller.