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Hello all! I'm getting a late start to mixcraft this year, but this first offering should appeal to some old school fans on this forum. It's a celebration of mid-90s trance, angling into the lighter side of Goa trance in a few places: Full details on my site: https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-elysium/ Here's the thread from last year:

Fair enough.

I hope you realize Filteria didn't invent shit. At least Xenomorph has his own style, the story telling (not this album specifically but in general).

nope, xeno is not a better artist than filteria. you can tell pretty easily by the sounds crafted. Xeno seems to not care much about sound design, while filteria would spend a year on a kickdrum.. And as far as vision go, i mean, comon. Filteria basically invented neo goa. abode of the damned was pretty nice. well mixed. but sound design leaves alot lacking. negative time didnt remind me much of mfg.. but the 2nd half of the track was allright!

I LOVE that they returned to what we LOVE (their first 3 albums) and updated some of their best songs with contemporary remixes, beautiful sound/melody work, and no singing that distracts and robs the music of its fun, visionary, and imaginative feel, essence and divinity. This is one of the biggest, most positive album surprises from IM since.. I don't know. It's been decades. When you do something that turns people off so many times, people lose interest and can overlook or arrive late to something special. In this case, a re-invigoration of old-stool translated to new-skool Goa-Trance greatness! This REMIX ALBUM has numerous songs and moments of pure magic and beauty, fire, heart, and spirit = GOA TRANCE 😍❤️ Praying this is a sign for something wonderful to come (such as a brand new Goa album at some point with all new Goa musical masterpieces in follow up to their first three albums. REBORN is a huge step in a positive direction either way.

Hi all! 🫶 Not active as I used to be, but from time to time I get back here to check new Nhjo music annoucements! 🙃

So unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have probably heard of RA, the goa trance project by Christer Borge-Lunde and at various times Lars Lind. 4 years since the release of 9th, RA is back to impart some light, wisdom, and laughter once again only this time it’s not goa trance, but rather a collection of ambient, downtempo, and chilled out goa grooves. Of course this isn’t particularly something new as RA has released a hand full of songs like this, one of my personal favorites being Light Receiver off of 9th. However, I can honestly say I have never heard anything like Unearthly before in my life. So where to begin? "Faith is to believe what we do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what we believe." Floating Shrine of Inanna - This track serves as an intro of sorts with wonderful vocals provided by Christer’s sister (I love saying that) Marthe who will make another appearance in the next track. Some nice little percussion work and strings set the mood for this album and it may come as a little surprise. Unearthly is very light, uplifting, and positive unlike some of RA’s darker heavier goa trance. I get the sense that the storm of the previous albums have passed and we are left with a heavenly blue sky with the shining sun warming your heart, even as winter approaches for us in the northern hemisphere. Rain No Water - Once again, Christer’s sister helps out on this jaw droppingly gorgeous ambient piece. Guitar sounds, filtered pads, and strings make this one a standout track for me. It dips in and out of melancholic, yet euphoric moments. Ascend - Is it December 21, 2012 yet? If this is what we get to listen to when we ascend, then bring on the end of the world because this song is full of bliss. This song is also one of a number on this album with a four to the floor beat, but there is absolutely nothing heavy about it. The rhythm is as light as a feather. Shift - “To jump across space and travel in time..." Arguably we are back in familiar territory here with eastern melodies and trippy soundscapes. This is more like the RA we know and love. The best part of the song comes around the 6 minute mark when the bass line starts shifting around and the originally developed melodies start changing ever so slightly. Lifethread (Serene mix) - So yea, this is a downtempo version of Lifethread from Shaltu released earlier this year. It’s amazing how when you break up the beat and slow the tempo down all the intricacies of the various melodies become this dense subtle explosion of little sounds. Highly creative stuff, nicely done. Lightspark - Can the vibe get any more positive? This song has a little more pace to it once again shifting back to a dance beat. For some reason I feel like it would be really easy to call something like Lightspark cheesy but as the whole theme of this album seems to be about faith and believing in the unbelievable, I find it difficult to not just give in to the positivity this song creates. Even a cynic like me has a soft spot that likes to be tickled once in a while. Unearthly - This one more of less continues the vibe of the previous song but mixes in some tension filled arpeggios underneath soft piano like melodies here and there. The chord progressions later on in the song are just so blissful. I’ve never heard an artist capture quite the mood this album does. I have a hard time describing it. At times it sounds like video game music but it holds such hope or maybe empathy. Celestial Slice - The final song on here is more downtempo with acoustic guitar thrown in and a simple yet effective clap/snare on every other beat. I could listen to this song all day long, what a way to finish off a brilliant album. Unearthly is one of the most genuinely exciting albums I’ve heard in a while and it lies in part due to Christer’s insistence on creating layers upon layers with loads of harmonies. It doesn’t always work perfectly, it’s a somewhat flawed very human album, but I think that was really the point of Unearthly. If To Sirius and 9th are the spirit channelings of the 6th density being known as RA, then Unearthly is RA himself. Love and light, thanks Christer. (and Christer’s sister too )

하이. 접니다. AZ NHJO HYENNRO(아즈 노흐즈오 현느로)입니다. ARTIST: The Superman ALBUM TITLE: Tanzen Musik A1 GENRE: PSY/GOA NIGHT CLUB TRANCE MUSIC PRODUCER/COMPOSER: The Superman WORLDWIDE RELEASE DATE: 20240422 ALBUM DESCRIBE: The Superman Project start at 2023/12/26 at Seoul, South Korea. The Superman's New 2024 April Albums released. Total 15 Tracks very danceable Russian, German, USA, UK, France style Goa/Psy Night Club Trance tracks. For Home, Club, Party, Driving etc. The Superman project can make All kind of musikc etc ROCK/HEAVY METAL/PROGRESSIVE ROCK, METAL/ELECTRONICA GOA/PSY FULL ON TRANCE and CLASSIC, POP, K-POP, J-POP , GERMAN POP, RUSSIAN POP, ELETRONICA, ETC Big Thanks. 1. The Superman - 1. Tanzen Musik 1 <- Russian German style dance trance tracks. Composed and Arranged by The Superman 2. The Superman - 2. Tanzen Musik 2 <-Some Yahel like style trance trakcs. Composed and Arranged by The Superman 3. The Superman - 3. Tanzen Musik 3 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 4. The Superman - 4. Tanzen Musik 4 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 5. The Superman - 5. Tanzen Musik 5 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 6. The Superman - 6. Tanzen Musik 6 <- Some SST: Shiva Space Technology like style dance tracks. Composed and Arranged by The Superman 7. The Superman - 7. Tanzen Musik 7 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 8. The Superman - 8. Tanzen Musik 8 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 9. The Superman - 9. Tanzen Musik 9 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 10. The Superman - 10. Tanzen Musik 10 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 11. The Superman - 11. Tanzen Musik 11 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 12. The Superman - 12. Tanzen Musik 12 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 13. The Superman - 13. Tanzen Musik 13 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 14. The Superman - 14. Tanzen Musik 14 Composed and Arranged by The Superman 15. The Superman - 15. Tanzen Musik 1 (145 Edit) Composed and Arranged by The Superman Hallo. My recently works 15 tracks. BPM: 130.4 STYLE: MELODICAL NIGHT GOA/PSY TRANCE. - Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/album/tanzen-musik-a1/1743143686 - Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m8l8VXrd2DmyR72ORyVYTjHgObhi3ArlI&si=gzAmGbHPPGjPmlR2 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6Z8zmnJIAOo2M1OebTrSmv?si=ukr72CygT06Rc0Y3ns6HOg - Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0D2NSJ2XS?ref=dm_sh_rJQyuR88fdGGutAkiBHynaX60 - KKBOX: https://www.kkbox.com/my/en/album/-nc5MNAINWEdbYYzaL - Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/album/359634245 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgSXimcrjviB5L6gL5IZWsw https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B0CY5353G8/더-슈퍼맨-the-superman www.soundclick.com/thesuperman <will be more tracks https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557930361224 < My The Superman facebook page. new release and informations. cafe.naver.com/thesupermanr <My The Superman cafe in naver.com WORLDWIDE DJ/PERFORMANCE BOOKING WELCOME. mail to nhjohyennro@naver.com thesupermannr@gmail.com AND WE WANT RELEASE CD, If you interest my this works email to me. And We seek team. We can Quality trakcs and vocal and compose and arrange technology. Big Thanks www.aznhjohyennro.com <at 2024 December www.thesupermanr.com <at 2024 December nhjohyennro@naver.com thesupermannr@gmail.com This pic is my recently my pic at my studio, room. and the other one is my this new release album pic. thanks

NHJO my man! What's up? I'm in Seoul at the moment. Wanna meet and maybe collab on some sick ass tune? I'm in Gangnam tomorrow, hit me up. Let's remix some old Astral Projection track.

Xenomorph Netherverse 2024 Suntrip Records 1 Sinister Contours 9:17 2 Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) 8:03 3 War In Heaven 8:35 4 Negative Time (-L Di/-Dt Mix) 8:20 5 No Beginning No End 8:39 6 Nebula Of Souls 7:47 7 Subdimensional Anomaly 8:38 8 Abode Of The Damned 8:46 9 Netherverse 8:38 So Mark Petrick comes in 2024 with Netherverse, his fourth album and the one to accompany 2023's superb ep "Negative Time". Is it any cop? "Sinister Contours" telegraphs Petrick's self-evident intention: he is for sure following the left hand path. This means a heavily arpeggiated track with a threatening minor melody. There'll be no easy upliftment on this album; and no cheese! But isn't the whole gothic darkness thing quite cheesy? Well yeah, if we are talking Twilight movies with aristocratic pretty boy vampires who bling in the sunlight, or perhaps campy Tim Burton style goth-lite. But we are not talking that here. No easy joy, no happy endings, on this sinister path, but plenty of eerie and other disquieting feelings. A "Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix)" is probably my favourite track on the album. Here we seem to be on a space ship on a quest for a new home and we dive deep into a black hole, or something like that, indicated by the "our sun is dying... we are dust" sample and another spaceship sample (Petrick is a master of the appropriate sample - he really tells stories with his samples, which are carefully chosen). We sense here how cosmic Xenomorph's vision for this album is. The production quality on this track has to be heard on a good hifi to fully appreciate it - mindblowing. EPIC! A+++ "War In Heaven" starts off with a simple four-note melody that summons up fairy tale horror, but at the half way mark the track shifts up a gear and achieves take off with sawing synths. The "war in heaven" sample states succintly Petrick's apparent philosophy that the tension between good and evil is the propulsive force that drives the universe. A dance floor monster! A+ "Negative Time" is from the accompanying ep of that name. Plenty of pretty tinkles and juddering synth melodies here make for a track that is almost progressive trance - a more mellow track than the ones that preceded it, quite blissed out and dreamy. A "No Beginning No End" is an ourobouros in both concept and in big swirling melodies. These melodies do seem like spiralling nebulae. At 3.15 it turns darker with some delightfully chewy bass 303 and then the spiralling begins again, growing out of the darkness. Another epic trancer with massive melodies. Petrick has worked hard on making these melodies as echoing and big in scale as possible. A "Nebula Of Souls" - I love this slightly more minimal track. It features mysterious vaporous synths at the start, which are utterly beautiful and uplifting in a creepy way. There's a whap-whap sound that continues throughout, giving propulsion; it builds to a grinding climax and then ends on moody cello - simply stunning. A+ "Subdimensional Anomaly" starts with twinkling synths (lots of those sounds on this album) and then builds towards twisting leads against a stumping beat. There's a lovely sense of calm and observation behind this track. A "Abode Of The Damned" is as dark as its title, beginning with a sample about a graveyard and its ghosts. There's a great climbing bass arpeggio that kicks things off and then we have minor key choirs so beloved of dungeon synth and black metal and used quite regularly on Cassandra's Nightmare. This track could easily have been from that first album. At the four minute mark the bass goes into double time and here comes the growly acid that slowly morphs into long pads. Yo party people, are you ready to chew your tongue off and lose your shit? I'd love to see what this track would do to a dancefloor. A+ "Netherverse" - the come down track. Vaporous spacey synth, twangy echoes, a slow beat, eventually builds to the expected long and melancholic pads. I'm a huge fan of sloa Goa, but this is not an especially outstanding example, coming across as an unfinished fragment, and is the least good track on the album for me. B So is it any cop? You betcha it is. What I particularly liked about this album is that Xenomorph has not stood still, unsurprisingly perhaps as so many years have passed. This is a unique lighter and more cosmic album in his discography. Terrifying, eerie, haunting, sinister, at moments, but also full of cosmic beauty, Xenomorph's vision achieves maturity here. It seems that his albums are all quite different, despite there being strong similarities (not least the superb production and sound quality of all of them). I characterise them like this: Cassandra's Nightmare 1998: cinematic horror trance Qlippoth 2003: spirit possession Demagoguery of the Obscurants 2007: the conspiracy album Netherverse 2024: cosmic darkness and light In this fourth album, it seems to me that Petrick goes scifi and reaches for the stars, seeing the dialectic between light and darkness, matter and antimatter, creation and destruction, as the cosmic turbine that powers all. His vision has become epic and fully realised by this point it seems to me in that it appreciates all, including the disgusting and repressed, and values all equally. A divinely balanced cosmic vision. Does such a vision appeal to you? It is a bit early in the year, but I have no doubt that this is already one of my records of the year. Actually, my only strong criticism of this album and the ep is the cover art - weak in both cases. Finally, I am inspired to look back over his oeuvre as the body of work that triggered an entire (sub-)genre: darkpsy. You could argue against this notion, pointing out the other great dark Goa albums that helped ignite darker psychedelic trance: Sandman's Witchcraft, Orichalcum and the Deviant Orichalcum and the Deviant, Cydonia Fear of a Red Planet, UX Ultimate Experience, and so on. This would be correct: all played their part. Nevertheless, nothing was nearly as dark and scary as Cassandra's Nightmare and it remains the keystone album. So Xenomorph's latest album deserves to be seen in this wider context as part of the genre that his first album kickstarted. Amazing what can come out of watching a few horror movies and being open-minded enough to meld trance with the gothic, industrial, and metal. ~*~

hmm. i think surely he was one of the first to popularize and create neo goa. And he certainly has his own style, his first two albums were kind of meh even though they did have a huge impact on the scene. But he really got into his own with his third album, and to my knowledge there is no other artist that share a similar sound and style. I realise you dont like him at all and thats ok but at least Try to be objective tracks like filtertraces and perpetually delayed voyage are completely unique to his personal style.. But lets agree to disagree, also the thread isnt about filteria so enough about him 😃 And i like Xeno, just not this album that much.

Hmm, you're asking difficult questions here. That friend of mine who introduced me to both goa trance and Impulse Tracker gave me his entire sample library (most of which was quite useless tbh) and I couldn't in any way tell where all those samples were from. I do remember we found some websites with useful sample packs, so there's the source of most of the sounds in my tracks. Of course I couldn't tell which synths and drum machines the sounds are from; I did rename all of my samples for the sake of organisation, so the original file names are lost to time. There are some hints in some of the file names, but of course you have to remember that back in 98/99, I had absolutely no idea what words and numbers like "acid", "juno", "303", "909", and so on even meant. They were all just useful sounds to me

We're getting close to the end now, this is track 10 and it was finished in mid-February 1999. Here is where I started experimenting with adding in a bit more complexity, at least from a technical point of view. I can't really pinpoint any specific artist influence here, but that synth solo that comes in at around 5:45 is definitely a nod to the Hallucinogen track "Demention". Of course I took it quite a bit further, and I clearly remember I managed to crash Impulse Tracker when writing the solo, so something about it got lost in the crash.

Xenomorph - Netherverse (2024) Suntrip Records 1. Sinister Contours 2. Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) 3. War In Heaven 4. Negative Time (-L Di/-Dt Mix) 5. No Beginning No End 6. Nebula Of Souls 7. Subdimensional Anomaly 8. Abode Of The Damned 9. Netherverse It's so interesting to read the comments here. I found the the Negative Time EP (2023) fairly monotonous, lacking the visceral, dynamic energy of Mark Petrick's previous albums. A brief recap, Cassandra's Nightmare (1998) was like Goa chapters in a horror film. It took risks and showcased a new approach to Goa. Qlippoth (2003) was more mature and provocative. Demagoguery of the Obscurants (2007) was a concept album reflecting the uncompromising, tragic [old world] vision of the elites (the dark ones via cabal) phases ending with Nuclear Winter. Years later, Xenomorph singles began appearing on Suntrip comps. Petrick's style was more contemporary, less hard edged, technical, more melodic and smooth. It was with Suntrip that I felt something powerful, raw, daring, and organic just did not cross-over that made this artist so brazen, unrestrained, and impressive. Fast forward to Netherworld (2024), the first main album by Xenomorph in 17 years. 1. Sinister Contours starts with strong atmosphere and a solid beat. The synths and samples are catchy, dark (not heavy dark) fun and danceable. The gritty synths in the third minute are catchy too, coupled with tight mixing despite the fairly simple sound design. The second act transitions at 4:15. Little soundscapes fly by as we catch our breath. An oriental synth arrives at 5:53, coupled with supporting synths, darker samples, a throbbing bass line. These elements are good! I like the ice cold ambient at 6:05. By this point however, the oriental sound design has grown repetitive as it crossed the sixth minute. The first two acts were substantially more interesting, fun, arresting, dynamically mixed, and punchy. The last act is too repetitive, as if stuck on a tape loop until breaking out at 7:48 that sounds better before falling prey to the same issue. The third act deserved to be exciting, punchy, developed, fun, and memorable, as any third act should compliment the first two, but it comes across as lazy and pales in comparison, as if the artist threw in the towel, and that's disappointing. I was really into this song beforehand and thought it was good/great, darkly sleek, fun, and danceable despite the simple beat, bass line, and more mainstream-friendly (without being commercial thankfully) sound programming. The song inspired me to listen to the opening track, Prognosis on Demagoguery of the Obscurants (2007), confirming that this artist can produce some of the strongest tracks from start to finish when he commits his mind to doing so. B- 2. Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) is MUCH BETTER than Sinister Contours IMO, and my top, if not one of my top favourites here. I LOVE the ominous opening, the raspy samples (that somehow work with the), atmosphere and synths. I LOVE the space astronaut sound accent effects (end of first minute), and the sound/melody work is excellent. The song gets richer, more tasty and delectable as it progresses. This is a great example of duality, rather than pure dark-evil-- combining darkness with light. Then a key change at 3:30, and the song does possibly the most beautiful, transformational thing I've ever heard from this artist to date, completely elevating the journey into cosmic, transcendental realms of growth and development before sliding back into the dangerous void. Sure the beat and baseline are pretty standard, and I'm okay with that. It's everything on top of it that's riveting and so unexpectedly strong, evocative, and enjoyable! This (more balanced in duality) song is so innovative, catchy, and welcome from what I'm used to hearing from this artist. It's less hard hitting (beat-wise, synths, grit) than his other songs, and I'm okay with that. Even a transition in the fifth minute gifts us more jewels via sound/melody work. Maybe the second half of the last act could have emphasized more edgier synths, but I'm nitpicking. This is such a well done song. It's imaginative and beautifully helmed from start to finish. Excellent track! A- 3. War In Heaven is a return to harder hitting, darker content with catchy sound/melody designs. This is closer to what I thought the opening track was going to be like from start to finish. I notice some cross-over sounds that remind me of Demagoguery Of the Obscurants (2007) which I love. The sound/melody work is crisp and energetic, though somewhat simple in arrangement, complimented by voice samples and plenty to engage my mind. The music improves as the song progresses. I love the blinking little synth effect at 4:03 (I wish that reprised just once more later) and how a voice sample transitions to catchier terrain. This has punchy (danceable) synths, and I love the little dynamic sound/progression at 5:12. I'm a sucker for catchy transitions to new surprises, sound/melody work, mixing. The contemporary meets nostalgic sound compliments. The last act brings everything together like a dark albeit less dark (than previous albums) approach coupled with melodies had A Nightmare on Elm Street had a Goa song. That said, I feel as if the music is just a bit restrained in power, rawness, grit, and delivery, as if the artist is fairly reserved to unleash his greater potential via fiery power. All in all, I enjoyed the smooth, fluid production, sound engineering, and delivery. Great track! B+ 4. Negative Time (-L Di/-Dt Mix) starts strong. We get a synth lead that breaks through like a tidal wave (beautiful effect) at 0:57 followed by more complexity. The first act is catchy, though repetition starts to sink in just before things shift at 2:40. We reach an interlude at 3:30 via voice sample that sounds like Lance Henriksen in one of his intriguing character roles. I like how the tone grow darker in the fifth minute. The song's synths remind me of the third album to some degree. The third act merges fresh ideas, good mixing and melodies. The end of the sixth into seventh minute features key changes, however they (here) combined with the sound design (arrangement) made the song feel more conventional and formulaic. But that's not make or break despite the song losing its sharp edge in the final moments. Nonetheless, I admire the dualistic rather than being dark-evil approach. I think there could have been more of a finale (edgy climax) towards the end. Otherwise, another great track! B+ 5. No Beginning No End starts promising, for about a minute. The dark tone is decent along with the sound at 1:03, though the synth at 1:30 wears thin along with the second and third minute. The synths around 3:33 is catchy via grittier (something this album lacks), but it's quickly discarded for a more conventional approach going forward, and this is where I start to lose interest. The predictable, redundant sound design builds up before climaxing into a conventional, repetitive, and uneventful final act. This song began with so much potential. Even its title sounds dark and intriguing, but the direction is generic (formulaic), redundant, and forgettable. More fire, grit, variety, complexity, kickass stomping energy and complexity, atmosphere, and just a better more contextualized song to the album would have been wonderful. And is it me or does this feel and sound rushed? The more I listen to it, the less I like it, and the more turned off I am. This artist is way too talented to release stuff bordering on selling out. C 6. Nebula Of Souls starts great like a dark fantasy. I like the atmosphere, enchanting sounds and synths. The first act builds nicely. Little squiggly sounds mingle with soundscapes in ice-cold moving atmosphere. There's a recurrent synth that works. It grows delectably grittier, rougher, more aggressive, and less restrained as the song progresses. That said, the song follows one set path, direction, and conceptually, is pretty one-dimensional. But it packs some of that rough edged rawness I miss. Again though, the structure and sound design grows repetitive, albeit more powerful and emphasized, and I feel like we needed this... something with more visceral and aggressive. Why not add this intensity to a more dynamic, varied, and elaborate storytelling chapter? Doing so could have produced an album selling super song. In Act 3 the synths fall to the back as slow ambient notes carry this across the finish line, and while I appreciate the change, I feel like this was an opportunity to incorporate something more exciting and revelatory to spruce up the finale which otherwise feels somewhat melancholy and anti-climactic, especially after the welcome, harder edged albeit predictable structure/drection. B 7. Subdimensional Anomaly opens with soft ambient, inviting us into the ominous fold. The bass line stands out for once. I like the evocative feel, synths, and key changes, especially the lead synth in the second minute that's accentuated by soundscapes, following a voice sample, stronger energy. Now we're gliding across the dark terrain, though a little more involvement via arrangement (sound programming) would have spiced up the forth minute. The song's second half maintains the catchy synths, combining fresh touches, samples, and punchy synths that remind of Mark's third album that works well here. The ambient notes compliment the last act, reflecting sadness and contemplation. The second half of Act 3 however could have incorporated more spice, intrigue, and development like the song's first two acts. That said, I admire the artist's more pensive direction. B 8. Abode Of The Damned as with Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) showcases stronger storytelling throughout. The first act builds intrigue, acknowledging the underworld (the Great Below) conveniently excluded from modern academia, as it does not fit in with established associations, hence fiction-fantasy / folklore / conspiracy / advanced ancient civilizations, technology, Shiva, Krishna, etc. The first act is dynamic, offering a variety of tighter sound engineering. The second act has more grit and energy, a thumping beat. I love like the tone, evocative feels, gritty synths, distinguishing acts, and voice samples. But the second half of Act 3 could have gone deeper to more magnetic degrees. That said, this is easily one of the best songs on the album, and my favorite song since Dying Sun. Great, excellent work. B+ / A- 9. Netherverse is an ambient-influenced downtempo number. The first half... we're floating in space, cold atmosphere. No beat. The eerily intriguing opening works well for the first minute. Not longer as not much happens. A synth arrives in the second minute as I start to grow impatient, hoping things will improve. A slow kick drum enters the third minute. It's okay albeit plodding. Again, I wait for this to turn into a powerful, downtempo gem, but the interlude in the forth minute leads to more of the same. There are some nice notes and key changes in the fifth and sixth minute, but to my surprise and dismay, the song ends soon after-- just when it was starting to get interesting and warm up! I would have loved if the artist developed this into a more memorable downtempo gem, condensing the best of the three acts (cold atmospheric-ambient opening, beat, notes, key changes) into the song's first half, before diving deeper into memorable greatness in the song's second half. Act 3 felt like it should have been Act 2 in story so that we can enjoy the feels develop into something more developed narratively, structurally, and more substantial, satisfying, and whole. I like the pleasant feels. Unfortunately, the song feels underwritten, underdeveloped with ideas and execution, and underwhelming. I was left wanting more, and should never feel indifferent or disappointed at the end of a Xenomorph album, especially after 17 years. Furthermore, this is the album's title track. You'd think it would be more memorable and sublime. C+ CONCLUSION So few dark Goa albums release now days that I want to savor what I like here until something better comes along. Its been 17 years since the last Xenomorph album. Mark's work has grown more contemporary via Suntrip comps. If you like this style coupled with some cross-over elements from his third album, you'll probably like this. I like it more than his work on Suntrip comps and find numerous tracks ( 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 ) enjoyable, good and occasionally great. Constructive criticism and feedback: Let's get this out of the way since I like this artist and album enough to end on a positive note. This 4th album by one of my favourite artists did not exceed my expectations like his last two albums. Tracks 5 and 9 feel like write offs. They're underwhelming. There are a some repetitive segments in Sinister Contours among a few other songs that could have been tightened up, as mentioned above. These moments upset an otherwise fun song, though dance floors are generally more forgiving. The overall album is less ambitious, less technical, less dynamic, less hard-hitting, less punctuated, less involved, provocative and unpredictable, less gritty, explosive, powerful, daring, and risk-taking, and less advanced via mixing/sound programming-- his third, more industrial Psytrance album really impressed me outside of the polarizing four songs with vocals. His previous albums felt more organic, unconventional, determined, raw, gritty, rough, chaotic, and unrestrained, and I miss that-- the magnetic, technical wizardry, moments of dark surrealism, build up, climax, awe, inspiration, innovation, evolutionary developments (at times), and complexity. I was listening to his third album this week, noticing how even the second half of its third acts improve, growing edgier, more engrossing in the last two minutes. His sound engineering and how far he took things in the third album was amazing. That's not the case here regarding the second half of the third acts that feel similar (a bit repetitive) to the first half of the third acts. The more mainstream friendly approach often works when it's not conventional or repetitive, but also (at times) feels like more Xeno-lite (not to be misinterpreted with light). I would have loved more complexity, catchy developmental arrangements, advanced mixing, sound designs, atmosphere, variety in baselines, beats, textures, details, accents, and a great closing song that doesn't wait for the second half to grow interesting before ending soon after. The good news is that Netherworld (2024) features a healthy amount of good and great songs. It's smooth, very melodic (at times), danceable, and easy to digest. It combines light and dark well via dualistic sound/melody designs. There is some atmosphere (great when present). Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) impressed me the most (my wife's favourite song), followed by Abode Of The Damned, Negative Time, and War In Heaven. These songs feature some really catchy synth work, mixing, dynamics via developments, and direction, and that's no knock against tracks 6 and 7 that are entertaining more or less. Even the first song is reasonably solid, though less memorable which leaves only two songs I didn't care for. I like that Mark Petrick's style isn't saturated in bleak, nihilistic dark/evil like his previous albums. Times have changed. We evolve. Well some of us anyway. The praise: "work smarter, not harder" probably makes more sense after 17 years, but how can one not compare the 4th album to the last two considering how top tier-- Qlippoth (2003) and Demagoguery of the Obscurants (2007) represent some of the best dark Psy/Goatrance albums ever released. This artist set the bar so high that not even he can top it. My suggestion is to give this a couple listens and decide for yourself. I like to listen to an album enough to identify the songs by titles, for them to form an identity in my mind like characters in a story, each it's own creative world, but that's me. One way of seeing it... we could have NOT gotten a forth album at all, and now we have something to talk about, which at least brings more energy to the forums! Also, thank you Mark Petrick and Suntrip Records for making a new Xenomorph album happen after all these years. While far from what I consider superb, there IS some superb work here, and plenty solid work in general for me to enjoy. Cheers! Favourites - 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 Least favourites - 5, 9 ... the latter could have been so much more satisfying and engaging with more time in development, and the album is more deserving than having formulaic fillers like track 5. B Stream the full album on Suntrip's YouTube

Hands down my favorite Trance producer. Draeke, please DAT all this and release it.l Its not psy in terms of goa, but such amazingly dreamy trance, it litterally feels like a cup of strong Valerian Root Tea, if ure in the right mood, and on headphones. Ive dozed off to him lots of times, Trains especially. Anyway, nuff intro: here is my two favorites, but there are plenty plenty to be found elsewhere and also mostly on youtube. Shame he aint been released yet and it sounds like a project fit for Batma- I mean Draeke sry. lots of D5 vibes and other stuff going on, truly a master.

Central Rishon Kaledioscope Retox just the best trance there is. sadly alot has disappeared from youtube over the years.

i think it sounds very good, probably the best so far tbh! the key changes around 5:50 mark and onwards are very nice, again reminds me of something that i cant put my finger on right now.. oh yes now i remember. similar key and key changes are in this track aswell, by solarforce. ( -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04jXxZhzxfA- ) can you give a bit more information about the samples you used? and from what synths they were sourced? for such things as kick, bassline, hihats, leads etc. would be interesting to learn where you found all the samples at that time (98).

Interesting to see how tastes can differ, I listened to all the tracks and like this one better than most posted before, though it does sound a bit empty, but the sounds and melodies sound more mature than most tracks before in my opinion. The melody at 3:30 sounds simple but very good, and I like the last part of the track.

Yeah, listening the the album now, track 2 is impressive. Track 6 however, getting praise in the reviews but I found that melody in the second half a bit out of tune, sounds like it doesn't fit right, too bad because the track itself sounds very interesting. Track 8 is one of the best. It's a very good album, though I agree that in some tracks, sequences are too repetitive. I agree with a comment above regarding samples, Xenomorph has always been a master at this, the samples are always well chosen and positioned a the right moments. Regarding the mention of Filteria, I am glad Xenomorph is just a better artist in my opinion, he makes tracks that sound more coherent and harmonic, with vision.

Agreed, and I can't understand the negative thoughts above. Especially since there's such a variety of tracks, some of which are so old-school. Adobe Of The Damned reminds me of when I first listened to Cassandra's Nightmare and Sandman's Witchcraft and is my favourite track here. @astralprojectionwe've chatted before about how we both love MFG's Project Genesis sound, you are on a different planet to me if you think Dying Sun is "horrible"!

This album seems to polarize. 😄 For me it is the best new goa album for a long time. It has something of neogoa of the 2000s. 🙂 I remember we booked Xenomorph for a party here in Berlin in 2014. He played a 2 hour liveset. Most of the crowd get bored of his dark sound. People came to me and ask me when he is coming to an end. I think with his current new music the crowd will dance like mad. Maybe this is the reason his new music is more melodic. And possibly he listen a lot to Filteria and similar in the last 17 years. 😋 Every track here has his own signature. Track 2, 3, 4, 5 are pure killers!! And as a DJ I say this tracks will work very good on the dancefloor. 8/10!

Super track with good production and lovely smooth and delicate synths. I don't know the track and I don't have time to help you search, but for what it is worth the style reminds me of Cass v Slide. Around the millenium Christopher Cutbush and Peter Martin were known as Cass v Slide and they did similar sounding melodic and gentle prog tracks and remixes; the style is similar.

Next up, track 8. This one was finished in early December 1998, and it's the last track I finished that year, before taking a break from making music. I kinda remember I was running out of ideas around this time (evidenced by a bunch of unfinished tracks). This one takes some initial influences from the Transwave/Helium title track, but of course I put my own personal spin on it. Perhaps the most positive track in the collection (no cheese here in any case) and it has a nice groove to it, if I may say so myself

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you didnt offer a youtube link, i think its pretty common these days to offer a place where you can listen to the album you are reviewing. or is that just me? i dont know where to check it out, i dont have spotify or apple music or all that jazz. if i listen to something these days its going to be youtube. the quality there is good enough for me. most of the time. here is the whole album. look forward to seeing whats up with it. edit: it didnt take long to realise this sounds nothing like xenomorph. this sounds horrible. i dont even make music anymore and can come up with better sounds than this. wtf. Guess it all went downhill after that terrible "Gamma Draconis" comp.

I'm just starting to learn about mastering and in the past it seemed just a little daunting, being so far outside anything I had experience of combined with all the talk of it being a field best left to highly skilled specialists with lots of experience. Since then I've read tutorials and have the basic ideas and techniques now. What surprised me is when I started to watch the spectrum plots of some of my favorite Goa tracks (some of RA's beautifully mastered sounds for example), they were pretty much just totally flat across the whole spectrum, at least at the important parts of peak activity in the tracks with the most instruments playing at once. Now, adjusting EQ to give a flat response for the key parts of a track seems really straightforward to me. There's so much talk about making sure the music sounds good across a range of different sound systems, but surely if the spectrum is flat, it's flat, and it leaves room for the listener to adjust the EQ to fit their listening environment. I guess if I were trying to master some rock music recorded live and needing to correct for anomalies in the recording environment, it could get more complicated. When 99% of the sounds are coming from software synths, surely you're most of the way there to begin with once you get the mix where you want it? I know about compression to increase loudness and I do use it on some of my sounds as well as filters to stop frequencies clashing but I do most of that as I go and not really as part of a separate mastering step. On some tracks I will look at just a little compression on the master channel to make them a bit louder. Is there more to mastering than I am seeing, or is it really this easy for Goa trance?

Falls short of the previous level he's held. I'm personally very unsettled with basic/simple type of melody work where a given pattern is repeated to exhaustion. Now that could be a choice as a matter of fact, but I find the sort of solution unimaginative and lackluster. And unfortunately there's quite a bit of that here.

I doubt youtube's algos have much interest in something as niche as "goa trance" and its different flavours. In any case, that track has already broken the 1K plays mark, and I'm baffled.

Next up the, ahem, "creatively" named track 7. Finished in mid-November 1998, I can't really pinpoint any specific artist and/or track influence for this one, so in that way it sounds very much like myself. The bassline is something that could be called "proto fullon" (without being blatantly fullon in any case) and somehow at least to me the track sounds simultaneously both groovy and melancholic. The title translates to "snowfall", and 17 years old me must have felt very clever when coming up with those intercaps XD

Super beat in this track; I'm not so keen on the melody that comes in at the 3 minute mark because it sounds nintendo plasticky, but otherwise this is a winner Astral Projection-style track and I appreciated the breathing sounds at the end - nice touch. It strikes me that mastering and pressing to vinyl in this era helped to make early Goa sound less like arcade games because all the sounds became a bit warmer, more organic, more delicate.

Hi my friends. I try to help with posting news. There are some users who don't like the amount of good music I post. However, the administrators gave me a vote of confidence to help the forum. This way you can always count on me and as much as possible I will do everything to make the forum grow. Big hug to everyone. 🤩

Supersillyus - Imaginary Friends Limited Edition 12" Teal Vinyl Pre-order Supersillyus.com | Bandcamp Limited Edition 1/400 Teal Vinyl record.Individually hand numbered and signed! Experience the adventure of Imaginary Friends the way it was written.... as two monstrous 20 minute seamless audio escapades. Featuring the truly frame-worthy cover artwork by Chris Bohlin. 12" 140 gram vinyl 33rpm. This is a limited run. Only 400 will be made. Purchase will also include a digital download of the seamless 2 track version of the album. (will be sent to your email address on or after April 12) Records are manufactured by Deep Grooves in the Netherlands. They tout themselves as being "the greenest vinyl plant on the planet" and they did a fantastic job with my last album, "Charade." Please note this is a pre order. Please expect about 16-20 weeks to receive the record. Due to the recycled vinyl aspect of the manufacturing process final coloration may vary slightly. Thank you so much for supporting this project!

Only T7 and half of 8 are ,,neighbour friendly", and the title track by default. O:)

Lol ok. Was just trying to be polite I guess I'll take it elsewhere. Peace

Only 11 votes? Come on lurkers, show your support for our shrine to the best, most mind expanding music this side of the multiverse!

Two track-by-track reviews of Netherverse have been posted now, would love to see yours too. I'm surprised you didn't enjoy this EP, in my mind the quality is equal to the album.

A long-awaited album by the master of dark goa & psychedelic trance! We got a taster of some of these tracks in Xenomorph's ZNA Gathering 2019 set (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN3N1BEkHB8) and finally five years later the new album is released. However, not all the tracks from that performance, such as the amazing Atrocity Archive, were released on either the recent EP nor this album - hopefully another release is upcoming. Further, a few of the tracks are mixes of existing released tracks with very minor changes. Why do I love Xenomorph's music? 1) A huge part of why I like psychedelic music overall is its ability to create powerful atmospheres. Xenomorph is almost unmatched at that. His tracks tell stories ranging the whole spectrum of darkness from apocalyptic hopelessness to unhinged lunacy to stony-faced esoterica. 2) Xenomorph's melodies are very strong. Classic tracks like Abominations are surprisingly melodic. The combination of dark storytelling talent with melodic payoffs does much more for me than most later darkpsy. 3) Lastly, Xenomorph kept forging a unique path, each album is novel and just so different to what anyone else was doing at the time. It's no surprise that he's gained many fans with this uncompromisingly creative approach. 01 Sinister Contours This track's name describes it perfectly. The first half feels like an intro to the moment when the sinister contours really kick in at around 5:00 with tense eastern melodies, croaking acid, and spooky samples. The main lead is brought back in and the tension just ratchets up and up with so many intertwining ominous layers. A build up which we might anticipate leading to a break down actually leads to the addition of an off-beat clap along with an echoing foreboding sound at 6:55. A driving new melody starts emerging and and at 7:45 most layers drop away leaving this new theme. The pressure release ultimately happens at 8:00 when a cheeky goa melody drops! At this point I have a huge grin on my face. Despite how much I love this track, some aspects seem a little overprocessed for my taste, such as the main lead when it first comes in. The break at 6:50, which was previously understated in the ZNA Gathering clip with just the clap added, now also brings in another layer which makes that section a little crowded - maybe my headphones need upgrading. 02 Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix) A fantastic song already released on the Gamma Draconis compilation. I didn't do a detailed comparison but it sounds like the bassline has been thickened and some minor tweaks have been made (the original track did have poor mastering for some reason), otherwise everything is the same. The storytelling of the sense of melancholia about the dying sun is beautifully expressed. 03 War In Heaven This one is a cool change of mood and pace, and recalls industrial/EBM artists like Velvet Acid Christ and Hocico when they have dabbled in trance. Less of the high-tech psy leads or Xenomorph's signature menacing atmosphere. The focus is more on danceable high energy with a gothic touch that can actually end up sounding euphoric. The interlacing arpeggiated melodies at 4:00 are absolutely gorgeous!! 04 Negative Time (-L Di-Dt Mix) Again, it says this is a mix but the version sounds pretty much identical to what was released in the Negative Time EP. The track takes off like a rocket with a bouncy bassline, and at 0:55 comes a massive and absolutely delicious lead. Then a slower response section with more metallic sounds, which finally runs out of energy at 2:40. Suddenly to be replaced by another massive resonant lead, mirrored by a shimmering second melody, I could listen to this section all day as the modulations sound so nice. A series of acid melodies slowly build up the energy back to a metallic section, it's clear we're heading for something big. At 6:40 there's a spine-tingling breakdown leading to a very old-school goa climax! 05 No Beginning No End Not such a fan of this track personally, feels like it's perched between the styles of the last two tracks. Lots of interesting ideas but not structured with the urgency of previous tracks nor with any real stand out sections. The only dud on the album. 06 Nebula Of Souls Yet another change of style, this track is more of a slow-burner compared to the others and evokes the mood of hopelessness and weirdness most similar to the Qlippoth album. Intriguing start feels like being in a space station drifting through freezing space. Again the title is fitting. At 3:00 a crunchy growling lead starts to takes the fore. The track builds up in intensity until at 5:45 a sad stringed instrument melody comes in. I can see why for some fans this would be the top pick of the album, it's easily the darkest track here. 07 Subdimensional Anomaly Time for another more trancey track, but with a pensive mood. Big sweeping pads and a lot of more subtle layers over the top take us all the way to 3:00 where we get a radiant psy lead along with a big snappy snare. The track doesn't evolve in any major way from here but doesn't need to. It's absolutely beautiful. 08 Abode Of The Damned This one heavily reminds me of Cassandra's Nightmare, still my most loved Xenomorph album. The first half has the twisted horror style with a playful array of spooky squelchy sounds. The second half breaks out into powerful melodies that just get better and better on top of a pumping bassline. The melodies aren't particularly memorable however unlike the previous track. 09 Netherverse Wow a rare psybient track from Xenomorph, this one also wouldn't have felt out of place as the last track on many oldschool albums. The first half is deeply atmospheric and intriguing, similar to Koxbox's Searching For Psychoactive Herbs. Unfortunately the change of direction that feels like it's coming at some point never does arrive, besides a small modulation near the end. Still an enjoyable track but could have been more. Overall, there's a large variety of styles here, and at first I think this makes the album as a whole difficult to comprehend. It's harder to fully appreciate tracks 7 and 8 after you've just listened to the nightmare tour de force of Nebula of Souls. After repeated listens I really appreciate the quality of each track and there's only one that I feel is weak. Perhaps the biggest surprise is how euphoric a few of the tracks are, especially Negative Time, one of the least dark songs Xenomorph has produced. But still has that signature intensity and urgency and I love it. I'm a sucker for the big psychedelic leads used and production level is high as you'd expect. I expect the range of styles is due to the long time period this album took to put together, and my only disappointment is we didn't see more new tracks instead of a few minor mixes of existing songs.

Listen to it again!

Not a review but more of a first impression comment; I was listening to it for free a few days ago on 1 jbl flip 5 bt speaker while making food (not tripping, not smoking, mind you) .. And after my very good impression of his EP a few days before that... I felt bored and unimpressed by it, underwhelmed as I had too high hopes coming into it.. and concluded at it's end that I only felt the album from that little melody (..) and especially from track 6, Nebula of Souls and onwards .. At the last track, is where I turned it off half-ways to sit down and eat. I bet it's much better than my first impression.

Wow John, your most thought provoking review ( if you can call it that) so far, reading this gives me great pleSure and reassurance the road to the 5th, still rocky, with a wobbly wheel, but lucky I got a spare! I never appreciated xenomorph fully until after this, however invokes something different every time, you summed it up with free will, kind of wish more would understand this concept, in Hollywood we had movies like devils advocate,for the youngins labyrinth, that introduced me to this, then of course Clive Barker and Lovecraft who define the true dark arts, amazing how concepts like satanism have been inverted and embraced in Hollywood, yes people if you watch netflix and all that stuff, you are a Satanist, be careful who you pray to, technology god pretty powerful as is the money and sex god, however xenomorph is his own egregor I shall pray to till the end of time, as above so below... Hell yeah! And man the new album is killah, just hope can get Cassandra on cd some day to complete the collection, play them all at same time!!gonna be something there John I know it, kind of like the puzzle box! And gonna read that book you mentioned, Nice to see you still kickin bro, miss your reviews, see you in the 5th

Fuck yes! The build up starting at 2:45 with the acid lines, epic!

I'm sorry, but this is a very worthwhile follow up to IFO. It's goa through and through with Headspin, Modulation, and Moon In Your Window being my favorites. The only track I wasn't floored by was Universe 13 and even that wasn't as bad as people said. And Seven Sisters fools you into thinking you're in cool down mode with a gentle downtempo finish when out of nowhere the screeching acid leads tumble in like a glittery shower. Well done. Just my two cents.

I just run across this once again and laughed so hard... Thanks again Tsotsi, it was pleasure reading / watching this review. Review master MDK has a serious competition.

Store: https://mamomamrecords.bandcamp.com/album/galactic-rave Release Date: 2023-12-31 Label: Mamomam Records Catalog: MAMOMAM025 Genre: Full On - Psytrance Artist: Jaraluca Title: Galactic Rave - Jaraluca Tracklist: 1. JaraLuca - Talisman (145 bpm) 07:42 2. JaraLuca - Time For Limit (145 bpm) 06:50 3. JaraLuca - Galactic Rave (145 bpm) 08:32 4. JaraLuca - Revival (145 bpm) 07:25 5. JaraLuca - Frantic Tales (148 bpm) 08:32 6. JaraLuca - Space And Time (145 bpm) 06:20 7. JaraLuca - Mechanotronic (Remix) (147 bpm) 09:46 8. Spiritual Squish - Full Power (175 bpm) 07:28 9. JaraLuca - Home (100 bpm) 07:20 Mamomam Records is proud to presents 4th JaraLuca's studio album - Galactic Rave ! "In the cosmic expanse, where stars sparkled like rhythmic beats, the Galactic Rave unfolded. An ethereal dance floor suspended in space, it drew beings from all corners of the universe. Galactic Rave became the cosmic anthem, each track a portal to a different dimension. As the beats resonated, celestial bodies and otherworldly entities moved in harmony, creating a mesmerizing spectacle of colors. The music became a universal language, fostering unity among beings from diverse realms. The final track released a burst of energy, echoing through the cosmos, as the attendees dispersed, carrying the essence of the Galactic Rave with them. Galactic Rave etched its legend in the cosmic archives, a testament to the power of music to unite and transcend boundaries across the universe." This album contains 9 songs, including 8 previously unreleased ones, and one of the songs is a remix from JaraLuca's previous album - The Prologue. Most of those tracks have been written even 4 years ago, and finally they will be available for everyone after release. The album also contains one song also written and produced by Łukasz Zając as his next musical alias - Spiritual Squish and it is a blend of Hi-tech, goa trance and melodic psytrance style at a tempo of 175 bpm!! 8 of this tracks has been tested on many dancefloors many times ,and it works perfectly!

Daze of Our Lives (extended) is just rereleased with 2 additional tracks. Check out here: https://filteria.ban...-lives-extended thank you for the support and all the reviews Best regards / Jannis

RA - Unearthly Altar Records 2012 1. Floating Shrine of Inanna 2. Rain No Water 3. Ascend 4. Shift 5. Lifethread (Serene Mix) 6. Lightspark 7. Unearthly 8. Celestial Slice RA is one of the leading pioneers of Goa-Trance. Christer Borge-Lunde of RA is also known for producing some of the best chill tracks in the past few years, mainly on elemental compilations by Altar Records. Unearthly is the latter with all new songs. It's the first downtempo album by RA and one of 2012's best albums! 1. Floating Shrine of Inanna is a beautifully optimistic, harmonious piece with catchy female hymns. Initially I thought it could have developed a little more. On return listens, I find it just right, a song that gets better with repeat listens. The strings in the second half are creatively utilized and reduce the sense of repetition. The warm mood and atmosphere, violin, and various other instrumental sounds add to the immersive, downtempo feel. This is a great opening track. A- 2. Rain No Water is an ambient driven epic that's floating, contemplative, dreamy, and evocative. The first half to two thirds is pure gold, magic. Sometimes I feel like it goes on for several minutes longer than necessary; that it could have ended at around 7:47. In the end, that's probably a nitpick. The song oozes with passion and beauty. It's like a masterful opera track for ambient. Overall, this is a wonderful song filled with love and light. I could easily see it complimenting a great scene in a film. A / A 3. Ascend begins with a sample of living in the present, NOW. I love the opening sounds; they fit the track title perfectly. The mid if not uptempo song reminds me a little of those upbeat, infectious tunes from those futuristic F-Zero racing games for Nintendo. The overall track sounds eons apart, more natural, harmonious, and well orchestrated. The ambient support is fantastic, and oozes life into the digital body. My hesitation to give a solid A relates to how engaged I am from beginning to end. I love how optimistic and positive these tracks are. A- 4. Shift is more Egypt/RA-influenced. This is more psychedelic and combines creative, tasty sound/melody combinations. At least one layer music is manipulated to create an energy-like, skipping (I don't know what I'd call it) wormhole (?) effect. It's very catchy! The Goa influence (touches?) work extremely well. The song keeps moving, developing. It's arresting throughout. Excellent work. A 5. Lifethread (Serene Mix) is a chill version of Lifethread on the Shaltu compilation. The song has an intriguing opening and some beautiful ambient to boot. I like it a lot more than the uptempo version that felt too safe to me. I simply find the synth work catchier on the other tracks, comparatively speaking. Nonetheless, the warm, emotive touches stand out. The lighter approach brings balance to the less light numbers (before and after this one). I can't help but find the other songs catchier, but this adds variety, has some great elements, and is a welcome song to the canon. The last third develops nicely too. B+ 6. Lightspark has more energy than the previous tracks. It's more dynamic too! Once again, the ambient is different and supports the catchy synths. I love the first half of this song; it's refreshingly gripping. I like how the song develops, growing catchier as it moves forward. Unfortunately I find that it begins to feel a little repetitive around the fifth (to 5:50) minute, just before the interlude. The song felt more zippy and tight leading up to the 5th minute. The interlude is very good as well as the beat's return. To me, the last act could have stood out more and incorporated greater development, as it grows a little repetitive to me (again) by the seventh minute. The song's homogenous though; it's very nicely composed and some may prefer the song this way. I love the tempo and the accents on and around the beat. This is another solid number. I simply expected more based on the first half. B+ 7. Unearthly is another Chill-esque number that's fairly upbeat. The kick drum produces more of a dance-friendly feel and atmosphere. The ambient notes and harmonies are pleasant and catchy. The key changes are nice too and support the piano. Towards the end, an almost mini-climax or rush takes place. I wonder if this was intentional. The rising sound effect of a particular sound enhances the track, as it leads up to new ground and as the horse continuously gallops. I'm a huge fan of the melodies too; they're emotive and contemplative, beautiful and gripping. They develop in arrangement which is one of the artist's many talents. To me this has more variety than the previous two tracks; it keeps my attention more, due to a greater sense of development. Great track. A- 8. Celestial Slice is another beautiful gem. The song begins with a magical and floating opening. The ambient produced has a surreal feel that for me, enters the realm of fantasy. I love the melody/sound work throughout this song. The interlude is seamless and gripping, connecting a gentle flute to the fluid whole. The song has a feel to it, as if its been crafted to near perfection. It's full of emotion and harmony, and makes me feel hopeful, optimistic and loving. The flute segments, and the song's progression and development is beautiful. This is a terrific song from beginning to end. Well done! A Unearthly is beautiful, engaging, imaginative, and magical downtempo album. This is easily one of the best downtempo (chill) releases of 2012 along with Akshan's The Tree of Life, and few others from the ones I heard. Unearthly has some wondrous, magical numbers. The songs develop in ways similar in spirit to Goa-Trance. Some evolve more than others. Some of the evolutions I find catchier than others, but everyone will have their favorites. It's a rare treat from some of the most talented artists, a downtempo album full of catchy, innovative numbers. At times, melodies comes across like feelings oozing into the songs. Furthermore, the album has soul. There's even a few infectious mid-tempo tracks to boot. If I were to be more critical, constructively speaking, I'd say that Lifethread (Serena Mix) and Lightspark, though good, are the least strong (magical, memorable) tracks on the album, to me anyway. They're more or less interesting and add variety. All in all, Unearthly is a gem. Highly recommended. Favorite tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 A- Sample / Order http://www.altar-records.com/ra.html http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ra+unearthly

Haha.. Yes, it's like blue lightsabers.

Oh, plz do and give a report on it here that would be highly interesting. About the Album, I don't have any cents on it. Heard it once some many years ago and never returned

I was very surprised to hear so many cheesy / boring melodies on this album. Tracks 5 6 7 and 8 just make me sleepy, the little that is interesting is consumed by the average melody work. The rest are pretty good, especially Rain No Water and Shift are definitely the RA quality you'd expect, but that's not saying much since it's basically 3/7 tracks that are good. I found it really average, which is unfortunate because the uptempo albums chiller tracks are really good. I mean I see where they were going for here, it's a little reminiscent of Vangelis, or older synth music, but it just doesn't pull it off in an interesting way to me - so the more RA sounding tracks are much better.