Endura was a dark ambient

Dark ambient

Dark ambient is a subgenre of ambient music that features foreboding, ominous, or discordant overtones. Although it had its roots in the 1970s, Dark ambient emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with the introduction of newer, smaller, and more affordable Effects units, synthesizer and sampling technology...

 band that was active during the 1990s

1990s in music

For music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....

. The band had only two members, Stephen Pennick and Christopher Walton. The name of the band comes from the Cathars' practice of ritualistic fasting

Fasting

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...

 to speed death.

History

Pennick and Walton met in early 1993.

Walton was "once chased out of France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

" after showing videos of hardcore violence and pornography

Pornography

Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...

 at an industrial music

Industrial music

Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...

 festival. He has referred to himself as a misanthrope

Misanthropy

Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...

.

Style

Endura mixes elements of ambient music

Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...

 with tribal rhythms, chants, moans, and sounds effects such as rattling chains and echo

Echo (phenomenon)

In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the direct sound. Typical examples are the echo produced by the bottom of a well, by a building, or by the walls of an enclosed room and an empty room. A true echo is a single...

es. Their style has been described as "combining synthesizers reminiscent of Tangerine Dream

Tangerine Dream

Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...

 with (un)healthy doses of Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...

, H.P. Lovecraft, and psychedelic drugs", "absolutely haunting and dark", or simply "Neoclassical

Neoclassical (Dark Wave)

Neoclassical Dark Wave refers to a music genre within the Dark Wave movement. It is characterized by the use of ethereal atmosphere and angelic female voices but also adds strong influences from classical music. Neoclassical Dark Wave is distinct from the academic art music form known as...

". Walton has stated that Pennick has more melodic talent while Walton himself is more conceptual.

Partial discography

Year	Title	Label	Notes
1994	Hexe	Enlightenment Communications	as AbRAXAS, cassette only
1994	Dreams Of Dark Waters	Nature & Art
1995	Dark Projections From An Ancient Nature	Psychotic Reactions	cassette only
1996	The Dark Is Light Enough	Allegoria
1996	Liber Leviathan	Aesthetic Death
1996	Black Eden	Red Stream
1996	Ard Inn Ar	Old Europa Cafe	cassette only
1997	Great God Pan	Misanthropy Records/Elfenblut
1998	The Watcher	Red Stream
1999	Elder Signs	Red Stream	double CD set