In less than 7 years, this is the seventh album by Scottish artist Alistair Rennie as Ruptured World. After the “Shore Rituals” album (2021), this is the second work in the “Rituals” series. The composition revolves around dark, floating, Cinematic music on the one hand and a more pronounced astral-Ambient influence on the other. You will hear a lot of field recordings in the background as well as trumpet passages that are more prominent. “Void Rituals” is a beautiful and artistic work. (Rate:7½).

Listen to “Canticle For A Dying World”:

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/track/canticle-for-a-dying-world

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Cinematic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Based in Berlin (Germany) Russian native Sergey Gdanian unleashed the third full length album of Gdanian.

Content: The work takes off with an intro cut announcing an intimate, sonic, travel throughout Cinematic space fields and Dark-Ambient music. The tracks have been meticulously built up resulting in elaborated pieces featuring subtle, little, bleeps, astral atmospheres, menacing deep tones, bewitching rhythms and drones plus passages with speeches. Notice by the way Ruptured World, Atrium Carceri and Dead Melodies each contributed to one cut.

+ + + : I experienced this new work as the most accomplished and elaborated one. The sphere is hostile and mysterious creating a strong visual appeal. But I’ve been mainly impressed by the elaboration of the tracks. The work has been composed by an impressive sonic canvas featuring multiple sonic details you would better listen to by using headphones. The album features several brilliant cuts.

– – – : The intro- and last cut both are the ones which can’t convince me but all stuff in between sounds magic!

Conclusion: Gdanian has accomplished a true tour de force which sounds a bit atypical but absolutely poignant and overwhelming.

Best songs: “Tunnel Builder”, “Underground Complex”, “The Ritual feat. Atrium Carceri”, “Searching For Prey”, “Mechanical Gods feat. Dead Melodies”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/gdanianmusic

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Alistair Rennie strikes back with the sixth album of his sonic alter-ego Ruptured World. It also is the fourth work in the “Planetary”-concept series, this time entering ‘a  domain of ultimate strangeness—an alien eco-system of forested peaks and escarpments that conceal a raft of secrets in the hidden valleys that lie among them.’

Content: Ruptured World brings a mix of Cinematic atmospheres and storytelling. It sounds pretty astral with a weird, sci/fi-inspired theme as the main source of inspiration. Sound-wise there are passages reminding me a bit of early Electro-Ambient pioneers.

+ + + : This is a truly a unique work for its storytelling aspect which is however never dominant. That creates an intriguing sensation accentuated by the retro-Ambient space atmospheres of the music. There’re also noticeable subtle bleeps and wafting strings. The conceptual theme of the work is permanently coming through.

– – – : A cool work by this underrated British artist which is however not the most accessible one.

Conclusion: “Xenoplanetary” is a strange travel through unknown, imaginary, spaces. You get the sensation of watching a movie without images…

Best songs: “The Telekinetic Amassment Of Being”, “Emergency Thought – Cast Distance Messaging”, “The Magnitude Of Luminiscence”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.rupturedworld.com / www.facebook.com/RupturedWorld

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Cinematic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: One year after the excellent official debut-album “Submersion”, Russian artist Sergey Gdanian strikes back with this new opus.

Content: “Induction” moves on there where the previous album stopped. The work is characterized by Electronic sound treatments creating a kind of signals lost in a distant space while low sound resonations are emerging. I noticed relaxing parts. The last track features label mate Ruptured World, here you will notice spoken vocals. 

+ + + : Gdanian is a somewhat atypical project from the Cryo Chamber roster. The sound remains devoted to Cinematic- and Dark-Ambient music but it’s accomplished in a different -and more personal way. I like the atmosphere supporting this work for its overwhelming sound production and intriguing aspect.

– – – : I experience more magic at the previous album, “Induction” maybe missing an apotheosis.

Conclusion: Gdanian remains a fascinating project injecting diversity to the Cinematic roster of Cryo Chamber.

Best songs: “Main Block”, “Veins Of The Planet”, “Strange Signals”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.gdanian.com / www.facebook.com/gdanianmusic

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Cinematographic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Right after the “Planetary”-series of three albums, Scottish artist Alistair Rennie strikes back with his fifth official album. This album reveals a different concept, and that ‘contemplates the enigmas of the sea and brings a world of oceanic mysteries to the threshold of our understanding.’

Content: This album holds on the music influences of previous productions, but also reveals new, interesting ideas. Taking off with a kind of piano play lost in an endless dark space, the work is progressively moving into mysterious atmospheres created by obscure sound treatments and a few spoken passages feeling like the voice from beyond the grave. Field recordings featuring animals and voices, but also elements of nature are emerging at the end of the work.

+ + + : This work has something minimal and even a bit intimate. The visual strength of the songs is an easy, noticeable element. I like the way the dark sound composition has been mixed with spoken passages and different field recordings getting a kind of animation into the work. You can easily notice this album has something conceptual or at least built up around a theme.

– – – : There’s no track to throw away, but I’m maybe missing that track, which should make the album unavoidable.

Conclusion: This album is a poignant production, which has something relaxing and yet disturbing.

Best songs: “The Whale’s Mouth”, “The Merman”, “Radio Signature Interludium”, “The Silencing Tide”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/RupturedWorld

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, Dark-Ambient.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Since 2014, each year we get a “Cryo Chamber Collaboration”-album. It always consists of a collaborative- and conceptual production between label artists paying tribute to the work of H.P. Lovecraft. This latest production has been released at the end of 2020 and features the following artists:Neizvestija, ProtoU, Dronny Darko, RNGMNN, In  Quantum, Dead Melodies, Atrium Carceri, Keosz, Northumbria, Beyond The Ghost, Wordclock, God Body Disconnect, Randal Collier-Ford, Hilyard, Council Of  Nine, Dahlia’s Tear, Lesa Listvy, Creation VI, Aegri Somnia, Ager Sonus, Ruptured World and Alphaxone.

Content: The work features two extended pieces from 70 and 69 minutes. “Yig 1” is more diversified featuring buzzing noises, passages with slow rhythms, vocal effects, dreamy atmospheres, and field recordings. It’s a pure Cinematographic sensation, which becomes even more explicit on “Yig 2”. We here get an abyssal sensation featuring low sound resonations and progressively evolving into a total ‘film music’ approach refined with piano parts.

+ + + : This collaborative concept remains a unique experience, but also a true tour de force set up and masterly lead by Cryo Chamber’s owner Simon Heath. The common thread of this work is the dark atmospheres reflecting a pure Cinematographic style. It’s a collage of different parts, which all together create a sonic osmosis. I personally prefer the first disc “Yig 1”, which is more diversified and also a bit darker. You don’t really get the feeling listening to tracks of one hour; there’s enough variety resulting in different passages, which are now refined and then rougher. This is the perfect release to accompany a visual performance.

– – – : Even if the production is diversified, there however is a monotonous sphere hanging over the work. I’m missing highlights.

Conclusion: This album once again stands for the true spirit of Cryo Chamber; Cinematographic music around a conceptual theme accomplished by the artists of the label roster.

Best songs: “Yig 1”.

Rate: (7).

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, cinematographic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: After the albums “Exoplanetary” (2018) and “Archeoplanetary” (2019) Ruptured World moves on its conceptual voyage, which now ‘chronicles the search and recovery mission as it travels through space to its intended destination of Proxima Centauri b in the Alpha Centauri star system’.

Content: The new opus clearly moves on there where previous works stopped. The tracks feature narrative passages like documenting the concept of the work, which however remains driven by the perfect symbiosis between dark-ambient and cinematographic music. The narrations have something intriguing –especially because of the deep timbre of voice, but the music is also progressively moving into darkness. Some delicate piano treatments are achieving the production.

+ + + : I’m not affirming there’s a message behind this opus, but the feeling I got is a kind of relaxing darkness. You can feel a kind of hidden danger, which is sometimes accentuated by the narrator –especially when there’s a countdown, but you still feel confident and zen. I especially enjoyed the darker pieces “Zone Of X” and “Standard Logic Unit GX GX 33 Zero”, but the main strength of the work is its compact and cohesive format. Everything sounds right and the production has something meticulous!

– – – : The best tracks of the work are right in the beginning and that’s maybe a pity as the final part is missing a truly climax.

Conclusion: This Scottish artist already revealed interesting stuff, but this album clearly appears to be Alistair Rennie’s most accomplished and sophisticated work.

Best songs: “Standard Logic Unit GX GX 33 Zero”, “Zone Of X”, “Pre-Launch Deep Space Mission Brief”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/RupturedWorld

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-cinematographic, dark-ambient.

Background/Info: One year after the debut album “Exoplanetary”, Scottish artist Aleister Rennie is back on track with a new opus inspired by his compatriot, Dr Archibald Macrae of the Transatlantic Institute of Archaeological Investigations who in 1936 made a critical discovery, recovering an array of materials compiled by his colleague and mentor, Dr Marian Tarknassus, who has disappeared five years earlier while working on the mysterious ancient scripts of the ‘Pictish Ogham’.

Content: The main characteristic of the work is the introduction of every track, which is created by fragmented narrative parts of the main protagonist of this concept. It’s a kind of guideline, which is always evolving into dark, cinematic sound layers made of astral sound treatment and sequences, field recordings, cold strings and weird piano playing. Sometimes evasive, but mainly mysterious the work reveals 9 tracks.

+ + + : Listening to “Exoplanetary” sounds a bit like discovering a sonic documentary or short film. The concept is interesting and definitely intriguing because of the global atmosphere recovering this opus. It has something atypical, definitely creative and diversified. The fragmented speech extracts are mysterious and increase the mystery supporting this work.

– – – : I noticed a few less convincing cuts, but especially “The Grim Repasts Of Cullen Shores” left me unmoved.

Conclusion: Ruptured World clearly tries to bring something different to the cinematographic music genre. I think the best is yet to come, but what I’ve thus far is enjoyable.

Best songs: “The Revelations Of The Cipher – Deciphering The Pictish Ogham”, “The Haven”, “The Aura Of Drostan’s Well”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/RupturedWorld

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, dark-ambient.

Background/Info: Ruptured World is a new sonic project driven by  Alistair Rennie. This Scottish artist is also an author of ‘Weird Fantasy and Horror Fiction’. I found out he’s mainly writing short stories for magazines. This debut album is about an imaginary space mission to Proxima Centauri B.

Content: The main sources of inspiration clearly seem to come from astral themes. The work reveals an obscure, cinematographic approach regularly joined by mysterious transmissions. The music has something wafting, but always covered by an obscure sphere. It creates a sensation of loneliness and despair, mainly accentuated at “Future Cries Of No Tomorrow”. There also is an intriguing piano-kind passage running through one of the tracks.

+ + + : I like this project, which in a way enlarges the sonic horizon of Cryo Chamber. It’s still dark and devoted to cinematographic music, but “Exoplanetary” also has something different and, which you rapidly can differentiate from other albums in the genre. The global approach is somewhat different and very easy to distinguish from other artists. I also like the work for its visual appeal and global atmosphere of despair. The passages featuring the transmissions are one of the main characteristics.

– – – : The tracks are rather similar to each other and that’s maybe why it’s hard to find a total climax among the tracklist.

Conclusion: Ruptured World is an interesting and stimulating new comer, creating a cold and prosper sound universe.

Best songs: “Future Cries Of No Tomorrow”, “The Voyage Of Tarknassus”, “The Bright Communion Of Primal Energies”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.rupturedworld.com / www.facebook.com/RupturedWorld

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com