Album: Umbrosyne
Label: Cyclic Law
Release date: December 2024
I've always found musical collaborations intriguing, especially in the field of dark ambient, which is a notoriously introverted genre when it comes to the creative process. The latest such example is the brainchild of Empusae, the long-standing Belgian dark ambient project, and Onasander, the Italian maestro whose recent standalone debut full-length left me impressed. As Empusae is known for using rhythmic/industrial elements in his particular brand of dark ambient, and Onasander is on the more modern/cinematic side of the genre, it quite frankly didn't seem to me like the most obvious of collaborations, so I was more than curious to hear the end result.
Gazing at the visuals and the tracklist as I pressed play, I came to realise that this collaboration is more than just a joint project by two dark ambient artists - every facet of this release is about a symbolic representation of duality. The cover art depicts a semi-formed, melting human figure (whether in the process of construction or deconstruction depends on the interpretation) in front of a background of deep space, a timeless representation of contradiction between microcosm and macrocosm across many forms of art. Furthermore, the human figure is unmistakably modern in design, whereas the background has a texture more akin to an aquarelle, creating a sense of contrast in time as well as space. The album and track titles themselves are all portmanteaux, each merging two Ancient Greek words into singular neologisms. The music follows this same principle - whereas odd-numbered tracks are driven by synth-laden passages creating an airy, flowing atmosphere, even-numbered tracks contain subtle rhythmic elements that give a more concrete backbone to the melody and thus a more cinematic overall vibe. That's why the album's sound is difficult to pinpoint in a satisfactory manner; it definitely carries some DNA from the golden age of Cold Meat Industry (owing largely to the way rhythm is used) while the rest is unmistakably modern dark ambient with a cosmic edge. Despite the average track length extending beyond 8 minutes, the tracks feel shorter than they are, which is testament to the songwriting (but also collaborating) abilities of the artists behind this work, and I particularly appreciate the fact that the compositions are given enough time to breathe and develop rather than just being looped ad infinitum, as is often the case.
While I do not believe that a strong concept is a quintessential component of a quality piece of art, it certainly renders an album more immersive, especially when the music is great in its own right. Umbrosyne doesn't break much new ground sonically, but it combines familiar elements in unexpected ways that are sure to draw you back for repeated listens. It's a fully fleshed out work that mesmerises through more than just its sound, and provides a very visual - almost synesthetic - experience which fans of cinematic dark ambient are guaranteed to appreciate.
Rating: 8/10
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