Horizons Northaunt

Trondheim, Norway's Hærleif Langås has been making atmospheric dark ambient as Northaunt since 1996. The project's early sound mixed environmental sounds with sparse, haunting melodies, creating chilling soundscapes to match the bitter Norwegian tundra. The project's first two albums (2001's The Ominous Silence and 2004's The Barren Land, both issued by Fluttering Dragon) featured delicate, spacious acoustic guitars by Ketil Søraker, but subsequent releases were primarily Langås solo efforts. Northaunt's third album, Horizons, reflected the shift away from melodic elements and toward pure, minimalist soundscapes. The album was released by Cyclic Law in 2006, after which Langås concentrated on other projects, such as Non Ethos, Therradaemon, and Mulm. However, Northaunt toured with Søraker (as Taphephobia) and Svartsinn in 2009, issuing a split CD-R during concerts. Northaunt and Svartsinn also released a split album titled The Borrowed World in 2013. Northaunt returned to Cyclic Law in 2015, issuing the double album Istid I-II. Limited CD-R Night Paths was released by the Last Bleak Days Records in 2017, and was soon followed by Istid III (on Glacial Movements) in 2018.