Skrika – Fifth Nature (Album – Cryo chamber)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Ritual, Cinematographic.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: “Fifth Nature” is the debut album of British artist Monty Adkins under the Skrika moniker. It’s a conceptual work and also ‘the first of a series of albums set in the far distant future. Over centuries, failed technological attempts to restore balance to the Earth have left it blackened and its ecosystems fragile. Its population is divided between the Lemmites who think that further synthetic biological intervention is the answer, and the Atom Priesthood who worship the purity of nature.’
Content: This album has two sides. Both debut tracks and the final cut are characterized by impressive vocals’ production mixed with field recordings, sonic blasts and horror-like Electronic sounds. The vocals are mixing some kind of liturgical chants, throat singing techniques, spooky choirs and amazing male chants. Both remaining tracks are more into a Cinematographic approach featuring fragmented vocals (or samples) and Electronic sequences.
+ + + : Both debut tracks, but especially the opening one (cf. “Black Earth”) left me breathless. The production of the vocals –but first of all the talent and technique of the singing, is absolutely amazing. “Apokrytein” takes off with magic male vocals, which have something bewitching and ritual-like. But next to the vocals you’ll will notice elaborated and intelligent music connected with Dark-Ambient and Cinematographic genres. It’s an overwhelming production, which also injects diversity to the Cryo Chamber label roster.
– – – : I can’t say there are avoidable tracks featured, but the more Cinematographic cuts, can’t convince me in a similar way.
Conclusion: Skinka sounds to me as one of the greatest revelations in the wider fields of Dark-Ambient/Cinematographic/Ritual music. This album is simply impressive.
Best songs: “Black Earth”, “Apokrytein”, “Flight Of Souls”.
Rate: 9.
Artist: www.facebook.com/skrikasoundstudios
Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com / www.facebook.com/CryoChamber
About Skrika
Skrika is the dark ambient project of British composer Monty Adkins, who started it at the beginning of the April 2020 lockdown and spent about a year shaping it. In the Side-Line interview Click Interview with Skrika: ‘I Want To Create Something That Has A Really Strong Sense Of Sound Design’ Adkins explained that the name is the Swedish word for “scream”, chosen with a nod to Edvard Munch, and described his earlier path: “A long time ago now, I started off as a composer of acousmatic music, so recording, manipulating, and designing unusual sounds has been in my DNA for a good while.”
“Fifth Nature” was released by Cryo Chamber on 20 July 2021 as catalogue CRYO 179, on CD and digital. Monty Adkins wrote and produced the five tracks – “Black Earth”, “Apokrytein”, “Mechanics Of Desolation”, “Seventh Extinction” and “Flight Of Souls” – with vocals by Girilal Baars and Peyee Chen. Erdem Helvacioğlu mastered the album and label owner Simon Heath provided the artwork.
Cryo Chamber went on to release “Soludenia” in 2022, “Vyeltyra Vortex” in 2023 and “Betrayal Of Caerimar” in 2025. Adkins has also taken part in the label’s collaborative albums “Tsathoggua” in 2022, “Rhan-Tegoth” in 2023, “Juk-Shabb” in 2024 and “Ithaqua” in 2025.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
