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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!

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, provocative, and dark/evil. Demagoguery of the Obscurants (2007) was a concept album reflecting the old vision of the elites (dark ones) via numerous phases, ending with Nuclear Winter. Years later, Xenomorph singles began appearing on Suntrip compilations. Petrick's style was more refined and contemporary, less hard edged, more melodic and smooth. As much as I like Suntrip, I felt something powerful did not translate over that made Xenomorph so unfiltered, brazen, and unrestrained. Fast forward to Netherworld (2024), the first main album by Xenomorph in 17 years. Shit has it really been that long? 1. Sinister Contours starts with a strong kick drum, dark atmosphere, sound bits and synths that remind me of Demagoguery of the Obscurants (2007) to some degree. I like the dark Goa (sound/melody) work, though structurally the beat and bass line feel a bit repetitive. The synth via transition in the third minute open the door for more creativity, grit, and development, the latter fairly simple programming-wise. The tone is good, and I like the contemporary, modern approach to dark Goa here. I like how the middle act breathes before introducing oriental sounds and samples, adding intrigue. This segments felt a bit repetitive to me when crossing the seventh minute, and could have benefitted from more complexity via mixing and variety in arrangement. The last act gets more interesting via end of the seventh minute, but I felt the repetition in ideas before and after. Even the last minute is less than stellar. I feel like the artist could have incorporated more, surprised us, and evolved the second into third act, as well as the second half of Act 3 more tightly. This is a solid song that lacks the power of the opening track, Prognosis on Demagoguery of the Obscurants (2007), and I like it. 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- / A 3. War In Heaven is a return to harder hitting, darker content a la Sinister Contours. I notice some cross-over sounding synths early on that remind me of Demagoguery Of the Obscurants (2007). The sound/melody work is crisp and energetic, complimented by a voice sample, though somewhat simple in arrangement. The music improves. I love the blinking little synth effect at 4:03 (wish that reprised later) and how a voice sample transitions us to catchier elements. This has a jumpy (danceable) synths, and I love little dynamic progressions via 5:12. I'm a sucker for catchy transitions to new surprises, sound/melody work, good mixing, and like the nostalgic albeit contemporary synths approach. The last act brings everything together, like a dark albeit less dark (than previous albums) nod to his third album 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, and delivery-- as if the artist is fairly reserved from unleashing more fiery power. I thought this delivered stronger than the opening, and I enjoyed the smooth, fluid production and delivery. B+ 4. Negative Time (-L Di/-Dt Mix) starts strong. We get a great tidal wave synth 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 many 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 and some really good melodies. The end of the sixth into seventh minute feature nice key changes, though the music here grew conventional. Nonetheless, I admire the dualistic rather than being dark-evil approach. I think there could have been more of a finale (climax) towards the end, as the final moments aren't as memorable. I like this song and found it better than Negative Time on the EP. B+ 5. No Beginning No End starts promising, though grows monotonous. I like the sound at 1:07., the dark undertone, the synth at 1:30 and the grittier sound at 2:35. This segment soon grows repetitive though until 3:18 where we transition to 3:30 (my favourite part) before more layers pile on. The forth and fifth minute's pile on arrangement/direction is where I lose interest. Structurally it feels so conventional, repetitive, and uneventful to me (more mindless than mindful), and I feel this relates to complaints. A voice sample transitions the third act. Here the energy picks up via climax, but the arrangement and delivery of the climax feels similar, redundant, and lackluster. I would have loved more variety, edgier synth work, mixing, provocative ideas, evocative feels. The song feels like it could have spend more time in production, or being replaced by something stronger. And is it me, or does this song feel rushed? I'm not saying it's bad, but decent to FAIRLY good is the best thing I can say about it. B- 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 here actually stands out for once. I like the evocative feel, synths, key changes, especially the synth lead in the second minute. It's excellent and accentuated by soundscapes following a voice sample that initiates stronger energy. Now we're gliding across the dark terrain. The music is good, though a little more involvement via arrangement would have spiced up the forth minute. The second half maintains the catchy synths, coupled with another voice sample. This opens the door to those punchy synths that remind of of Mark's third album (works well here). The song's less intense approach is well placed. Another complimentary synth joins ambient notes in the last act, reflecting sadness and contemplation. I think the second half of Act 3 could have developed a little more, creating more intrigue like the song's first two acts, and I admire the artist's more pensive, thoughtful 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 evocative feels, gritty synths, and overall structure. The second half of Act 3 could have stood out more, but offers some refined synths that compliment. While nothing groundbreaking, this is easily one of the best songs on the album, and my favorite after Dying Sun (Sol Aeternus Mix). B+ / A- 9. Netherverse is an ambient-influenced downtempo number. The first half... we're floating in space, atmosphere. No beat. Not much happens. A synth arrives in the second minute as I start to grow impatient, hoping things are going to get going. 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 is a nice key change to the tune in the fifth and sixth minute (IMO the best part of the song), but other than that, not much happens. The song ends just as it begins to show potential in what could have been Act 2, but is rather the second half. I wish the artist developed this into a more powerful, memorable downtempo/Goa gem. In the end, it feels underwritten and underdeveloped. I was left wanting more. C+ CONCLUSION So few solid dark Goa albums seem to release now days that I want to savor what I like about this forth album until something better comes along. Its been 17 years since Mark released an album. His work has grown more contemporary since crossing over to Suntrip compilations. If you like this style coupled with cross-over elements from his third album, you'll probably like this. I personally enjoy it more than his songs on Suntrip comps, and find numerous (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8) fun to listen to... while others (Tracks 5, 9) feel like write offs, fairly underwhelming. The result is dark, contemporary album that's less ambitious in programming, less dynamic, brazen, provocative, unpredictable, powerful, gritty, and risk-taking while showcasing many of those elements to some degree. It's smooth, very melodic (at times) that I like, danceable, and easy to digest. Simply put, the album did not exceed my expectations, but met them more often than not. I like that Mark Petrick's style isn't saturated in dark/evil to the degree of his first three albums. Back in the day that was amazing, but that was then. I would have liked the several repetitive areas and shortcomings in sound engineering to be improved. Some songs feel more inspired, passionate and satisfying, while few others could have used more refining. His other albums felt more organic, determined, rough, chaotic, and unrestrained, and I miss that, moments of awe and innovation that make me go WOW. Nonetheless, the smooth, contemporary, and dark Goa approach here showcases healthy sound/melody designs, darkness and light, fire, heart, and spirit. It's just simpler where (at times) I wish it was more involved, pushing the envelop as Mark's previous albums did. Netherworld showcases many of the artist's signature elements, and at times feels arguably lite. I love the idea of showcasing duality over evil/dark. I'm simply encouraging improvement in areas that could have been better to produce more memorable songs around the ones that are already memorable for a future album release if possible. It's a solid album and I would have loved more awe, developmental arrangements, variety in baselines, beats. Have fun with it. 17 years later. I imagine work smarter, not harder makes more sense than ever. The sound engineering, simply put is simpler. It's less dark, less wild, less fiery, less dynamic, less unpredictable, less textured, and less groundbreaking. But that's compared to some of the best dark Psy/Goa albums ever released. Mark Petrick has set the bar so high that its bound to disappoint some. Netherworld (2024) sounds ALMOST a bit too refined and clean (opposite of raw) for its own good, but that's what makes it so fluid, smooth, and digestible. I enjoy what works-- the dark, danceable Goa sound/melody work (I find irresistible at times), atmosphere-- around 80% of the album. Could a few songs have benefited more time in development? Maybe. Certainly the last one. I don't know the backstory on production. I just know IMO what I think sounds good or great, and what could have been better. All in all, I totally get those of you who like it, and the several constructive criticisms too. But I'm enjoyng what I like about it for the most part. My suggestion is give it a couple listens and decide for yourself. I like to listen to an album enough to be able to identify the songs, but that's me. Here's 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. Cheers Favourite tracks - 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 Least favourite tracks - 5, 9 ... the latter could've been amazing with more time in development. B Stream the full album on Suntrip's YouTube

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).

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!

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.

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

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!

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 )

i can kinda see where you get MFG from here i guess? But unfortunately the kick+bass ruins it for me after a few more listens now, i think its not my cup of tea at least. the sounds are way too simple (the music is decent, but sounds not so much). and i absolutely hate the kickdrum and especially the bassline. damn near sounds like 'init patch' of any virtual analog VST, with unison and lots of stereo imaging whats the 2nd best track from the album in your opinion?

It was just my first impression. I haven't even listened to the full album yet but the sound of it threw me off. I'll give it a few more listens 🙂

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.

^ im thinking the reason might be in the title, family of LIGHT, that the 'open hihats blasts your ears with piercing frequencies' n' ''ear piercing tones.' & 'katana blade of high frequency screech' creates that LIGHT on a massive trip.. 🤪

yes, i agree, i don´t find etnica/pl/cc unlistenable, far from it, but the production of a lot of their work is too harsh when you are in a psychedelic state, in another state it isn't a big issue because i like their work (until 2000) so much, and thank you for mentioning the katana's, my next trip is going to be a bad one 😁im going tot have the feeling that the music is going to chop my head of talking about family of light, of course it's a disappointment after ifo because that album was so special and psychedelic, one of the true classics family of light has less quality songs, less psychedelic elements and les story telling its still a good album, still much better than lot's of random goa trance albums, but not a classic

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.