H₃BO₃=>Chamber Sessions: TOP2025 of Chamber Dark Scene

10. Deux Minutes Infinies “Dvi Minutės” (neofolk | Lithuania/Switzerland, Pro Stata Records)

The international project Deux Minutes Infinies was founded by Lithuanian vocalist Agota and Swiss multi-instrumentalist and composer Guillaume in the early 20s. Agota is best known for her work in the project Sen Svaja, with which she released three full-length albums on the known Lithuanian label Dangus. The project also features Moldovan percussionist Vlatios, who lives in Switzerland. In 2025 the trio released several singles, followed by their debut full-length album called "Dvi Minutės". The album features 10 compositions of excellent Lithuanian neofolk, featuring Agota's beautiful vocals in Lithuanian and the high-quality performances of Guillaume and Vlatios. It's an excellent, light, lyrical work with folk melancholy and a Lithuanian charm. Lithuanian folk scene has established itself within the neofolk niche as a separate phenomenon with its own scene, labels, and festivals and continues to delight the audience with great music and interesting events.

09. An Danzza “Encantadas” (medieval neofolk | Spain, Self-Released)

The Spanish band An Danzza formed in 2004 in Madrid, releasing their debut album in 2010. Andrés handles the music, and Haydée provides vocals. Haydée also featured in metal projects in the mid-2000s. As of 2025, An Danzza's discography includes nine full-length albums and has performed alongside such folk acts as Germany's Corvus Corax, Italy's Emian and others. The Spaniards themselves describe their creation as a "fantasy music project", inspired by such artists as Loreena McKennitt, Enya, and Mike Oldfield as well as the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The duo's tenth album “Encantadas” was self-released in 2025. The Spanish act present listeners 11 medieval folk compositions in Spanish in the best traditions featuring Haydée’s magnificent female vocals. There are both rhythmic dance compositions and lyrical ballads. A good example of how medieval music should be made correctly and efficiently.

08. Draped in Shadows “Forgotten in Moonstone (Sonata 1)” (neoclassics | Germany, Uralte Herrschaft Productions)

Draped in Shadows is a side project of German composer Sven, known for many dungeon synth projects, but most notably for his main project Murgrind. Draped in Shadows' first recordings were released in 2019 on Sven's own label Uralte Herrschaft Productions. As part of this side project, Sven combines neoclassical sounds with sound experiments and oldschool dungeon synth. The new album, titled "Forgotten in Moonstone (Sonata 1)", consists of four long compositions on which the German recorded his six-day piano improvisations. The result is very atmospheric and mysterious. The experimental element appeared later, when raw versions of these compositions were released, accompanied by dark ambient and raw dungeon synth. This is the kind of music that should be listened to in complete silence, with eyes closed. Each one will imagine their own images, visualize their thoughts in their heads and form their reflections into pictures. The result is a powerful deeply emotional album from the German. In my opinion, the raw versions with background crackles and noises sound much more interesting.

07. Darkwood “Verlorene Welt” (dark folk | Germany, Heidenvolk)

Darkwood has long been a well-known and respected project in the dark folk scene. Their performances at leading festivals of the neofolk scene in particular and the dark scene in general have long been a favorite among many fans of acoustic dark music. Henrik's debut album was released in 1999 and since then the German has released 10 solo full-length albums, several collaborations, EPs and two compilations. His acoustic compositions with slight percussion elements with lyrics in English and German have long been a favorite among fans of dark folk. The new work, the eleventh in Darkwood's discography, is called "Verlorene Welt" and fully lives up to expectations. Recognizable vocals, melodic acoustic compositions, English and German lyric. Everything is there, everything is at its best. Another great solid album from Darkwood. One of the best of 2025 on the dark folk scene.

06. Gea Wildwood “Timeless Tales” (neofolk, ethereal | Italy, Self-Released)

Italian composer, songwriter and vocalist Gea Wildwood unveiled her music to the world in 2025 on her Bandcamp page, immediately followed by a full-length album titled "Timeless Tales." The album features nine tracks in the genres of ethereal, angelic neofolk, featuring ethereal notes and beautiful female vocals. Light atmospheric compositions with vocals dominance create a tender atmosphere. As I listened to each song, images of nature came to mind: endless forests on the mountain slopes, the vast expanse of ocean water, the endless clear blue sky. The project's music reminds Florence and The Machine’s interpretation from the Game of Thrones soundtrack, at others sounds similar to Blackmore's Night’s music and sometimes reflects the ideas of Dead Can Dance. A very impressive debut.

05. Antinoë “The Fold” (neoclassics, ethereal | Spain, Dark Essence Records)

The Spanish project Antinoë was formed in the first half of the 2020s, influenced by the atmospheric side of the 1990s black metal scene. As a result of this influence, Antinoë's debut album was released in 2023, featuring acoustic versions of compositions by such black metal giants as Emperor, Burzum, Mayhem, Satyricon, Darkthrone and others. In 2025 the Spanish artist presented her own compositions in a neoclassical piano style with ethereal elements and airial female vocals. The material is very strong, truly reminding the piano opuses of early black metal (such as those found on at least the first albums by Ulver and Dimmu Borgir), yet Antinoë also has her own peculiar style and sound. An excellent album for lovers of atmospheric piano.

04. Rome “The Tower” (dark folk | Luxembourg, Trisol)

Luxembourg's Jérôme Reuter, as part of the Rome project, has been very active in recent years, both in terms of releases and concerts, including in war-torn Ukraine. Therefore, the release of five full-length albums in 2025 wasn't entirely surprising. Of all the new albums "The Tower" is the most melodic, less experimental and more memorable. Personally, for me, it's more emotional. Rome's classic dark folk and Jérôme's vocals are hard to confuse with other artists, so I'll simply say that all of the Luxembourger's new albums are worthy of both a top position and a playlist. However, I'd still like to highlight other projects in the top 10 of the dark chamber music. The album is very high-quality and stands out even by Rome's own standards.

03. Aeldergeyst “Werde” (neofolk, dark folk, medieval neofolk | Germany, House of Inkantation)

The German project Aeldergeyst was founded by Alexander and Babett, members of another folk project Waldtraene. "Werde" is the duo's debut work and shares some similarities with their main project, but there are still differences. Aeldergeyst moves toward a dark folk sound with occasional use of medieval neofolk, while Waldtraene focuses more on pagan themes. The excellent material with intertwined female and male vocals and lyrics in German, sounds cool, cohesive and interesting. A solid debut for the German duo, which can be considered as the other side of Waldtraene, darker and more mysterious.

02. Armadura Del Durmiente “Por La Belleza Del Acto” (dark folk, neofolk, martial industrial, dark ambient | Spain, Mots Music)

The young Spanish project Armadura Del Durmiente was founded by Esteban in the early 20s and its debut full-length album "Por La Belleza Del Acto" was released in 2025. A fascinating blend of dark folk and neofolk with elements of chanson, Spanish-language lyrics and industrial percussion create a unique atmosphere that combines dark mysticism, romantic etherealism and medieval motifs. For the album Esteban invited vocalist Ruth, with whom he previously collaborated on a 2022 album as part of her project Mann of Seasons, Cela, the frontwoman behind Reserva Espiritual De Occidente, and vocalist Juan José. Considering that Esteban himself performed the vocals, the album features alternating female and male vocals, which adds a great variety to such projects. The industrial opuses in the second half elevate this work to one of the best of 2025 not only in the neofolk scene, but also in industrial music. A very powerful debut.

01. Palodine “Bedlam in the Badlands” (dark country | USA, Self-Released)

It happenedso, that in 2025 the top 10 chamber music charts were filled with projects from Europe and the only American duo reached the top position. I'd noticed Palodine for a while and kept an eye on them, waiting for that day. And now the day has come. The band was founded in 2007 by Whitney and Michael and released its dark country debut that same year. By 2025 the project had released six full-length albums, followed by a seventh "Bedlam in the Badlands". The blend of dark country, neofolk and occasional rock elements is handled with a high level of professionalism, conceptual clarity and quality. Whitney's female vocals sound authentic and create its own unique charm. The album strongly evokes the atmosphere of rural American backcountry. A perfect project, which for some reason never became popular, although Palodine's work is no worse, if not better, than its European colleagues.

Other honorable mentions: Alphabet, Auri, Faun, Kalandria, Lōwli, Steineiche, Tithing, Tomas Raae & Eline Hellerud Åsbakk