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Artist: Reflection Nebula
Album Title: I
Release Date: 17 February 2017
Label: Self-Released
Tracklist:
01. Phenibut
02. Ethanol
03. Phenazepam
04. Sulpiride
05. Risperidone
06. Methadone
Reflection Nebula (2010-present) is quite an unknown force in the ambient realm that deserves more attention. Starting off in the IDM scene with quite accessible, beat driven music while keeping the emotional vibe Reflection Nebula is known for. When I first heard his most known album from 2013 Ekhar I was totally blown away by the exquisite space ambient music this young man can birth. Able to lift you up and take you to the darkest reaches of the universe or possibly a journey from within.
This recent album, I, is that of a vast endeavour wherein a heavily medicated astronaut is lost within his own universe he has created. One of decay and searching for a way out of his madness, drifting past glorious vistas of stars, the pillars of creation not far in the distance, trying to reach a meaning behind all this.
Peaceful guitar-based drones creep up on you and die down into a calm slow melody before eventually building into a heavy sludge/doom riff on the last part of the third track “Phenazepam” surprising you from this quiet descent into the ether. Colorful and subtle melodies leave you with a vivid imagination running wild about the mysteries of beyond.
The balance between light and dark in this album is perfect, when it becomes more intense there is still a sense of calm, maybe because of the medication you are on, making you are able to go seamlessly from different sets of emotions.
There is a lot of room in this album to reflect but also enough going on to keep you curious as to where this all will go. Seldom does this album let up near the end introducing heavy guitar riffing that deconstructs all sense of being at peace, sonically serving you the massive expanse that is space. This young man is surely to go far in his career if he keeps this up and I hope to hear more from Reflection Nebula in the future.
Review written by: Tom Necklen
Rating: 9/10
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