Near Earth Orbit – LCFR (Digital/CD Album – Solar Lodge)
Meanwhile, Artaud Seth and Ashley Dayour have been active as Near Earth Orbit (N.E.O.) for more than ten years and have built up an impressive discography. With this latest work, they once again delve into dystopian themes that, unfortunately, seem to be drawing ever closer to reality. This time, the focus lies on controlled chaos, manipulation, and rebellion within an authoritarian world order, inspiring the duo to craft nine compelling tracks.
Musically, the band remains faithful to its distinct and idiosyncratic style: dark and often obscure, with guitars and electronics perfectly balanced and reinforcing one another with remarkable intensity. All of this is crowned by a charismatic voice that is impossible to ignore. N.E.O. does not necessarily impose a message upon the listener, yet a powerful sense of urgency and energy radiates throughout both the music and the vocals. The result is an overwhelming experience in which Industrial influences and epic arrangements guide us into a seemingly endless universe of terror. Several tracks also incorporate subtle EBM elements, particularly within the bass lines, further enhancing the aggressive and unsettling atmosphere. At times, this evolves into a truly Cinematic experience, though the band consistently maintains a perfect equilibrium between all these influences.
As far as I am concerned, this stands among the band’s strongest and most polished albums to date: a complete concept work, accompanied once again by strikingly dark and artistic artwork. (Rating:8).
Listen to “The Purge”:
About Near Earth Orbit
Near Earth Orbit, also known as NEO or N.E.O., is an experimental apocalypse goth rock project founded in Berlin, Germany in 2015 by Artaud Seth and Ashley Dayour. Artaud Seth also leads the gothic rock band Merciful Nuns and runs the Solar Lodge label, while Ashley Dayour is also the singer and guitarist of Whispers In The Shadow and a member of The Devil & The Universe.
Near Earth Orbit released its first two albums on Solar Lodge in 2015: “End Of All Existence” and “Trans Neptunian Objects”. “Mission E.D.E.N” followed in 2016, “A.T.O.M.” in 2017, “Artificial Intelligence” in 2019, and “Outerworld + Innerworld” and “M.A.S.S. Extinction” in 2020. The band previewed its next album, “Echoes of the Future”, with the “Hypersonic Asylum” video single in 2023. Near Earth Orbit now returns with “LCFR”, released on Solar Lodge as a digital and CD album.
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