(Neofolk, Dark Ambient, Neoclassical) Amber Asylum - Sin Eater - 2015, MP3, 320 kbps

For 20 years now, the quartet from San Francisco has been known for an introspective, abysmal mixture of neo-classical music, Dark Ambient and Doom spanning all genres. Kris Force' exceptional talent has impressed such diverse artists as Neurosis, Swans, Jarboe, Monte Cazazza, Sol Invictus or Lux Interna, some of whom have collaborated with the creative head for several years.
On "Sin Eater", Amber Asylum's first studio effort in six years, the four musicians combine the ominous energy of their drum- and bass-heavy albums "Garden Of Love" (2005) and "Still Point" (2007) with the lushest string arrangements in the band's history. The subject matter of their Prophecy debut is the cleansing ritual of "sin eating". Kris Force explains: "it still exists as a death ritual where the Sin Eater consumes a meal or 'corpse cake' that is passed over the body of the deceased or laid on the chest. The meal represents the sins of the deceased and once consumed by the Sin Eater the sins are released thereby allowing the soul to rest in peace. The album speaks of this process of taking on the pain of others to set them free."