I’ll keep it short this time, for I will politely ask you to search the .net, or to read one of the reviews I did in the past (links below), to check out everything ‘behind’ the project Alphaxone and its human entity behind it, Mehdi Saleh. Once again, this album was totally written and created by this guy from Iranian soil, and released via long-time partner Cryo Chamber. And in the very same vein, the mastering duties, as well as the truly stunning artwork, have been taken care of by this label’s owner Simon Heath (the guy behind e.g. Sabled Sun or Atrium Carceri, amongst others).
Anyway, The Infinite Void turns out to be a ten-tracker; I mean, it’s a cohesive aural journey divided into ten individual yet strongly related chapters, which clock almost one hour. It continues the ‘known’ procedure, i.e. an oppressive and gloomy form of Dark Drone / Ambient stuff, injected by futuristic space-elements and related samples. This sounds easy to explain, but Alphaxone surpass this description.
Actually, the ‘space’ thing has nothing to do with (often funny, and therefor ridiculous) bleeps or electronic experiments. It’s the atmosphere that breaths an untouchable vastness, like the borderless universe, permanently expanding, seemingly empty and timeless, yet filled with uncountable hidden treasures. And of course, the vocal samples from aeronautic (radio-frequency-taken) sources add another cosmic-oriented reference. It’s the long-stretched monotony (and monotone does not mean ‘emotionless’ or ‘dull’ – at all!), the harmonious waves of ambience, the droning surfaces and the mesmerizing movements that define the unphysical and dreamlike immensity that characterizes Alphaxone’s ‘space’ profile.
But above all, the whole story gets immersed in an ocean of undulating marvel, veiled in a nebula of awe and apprehension. Through crepuscular, doom-laden soundwaves and dismal rumbling drones, The Infinite Void traverse an expanse of sonic spheres, generated via multiple-layered synth adaptations and carefully manipulated textures. Dusty noise, like a broken television or a turbulent sea that you hear from behind a think window, decolors the few light-bearing glimpses at the horizon, fortifying the listening experience created around those slowly-levitating synth-lines and the deeply-reverberating flows. Besides, many tones and tunes from different angles, subtle and humble, are prudently woven within this fragile aural lattice. It’s hypnotizing, even paralyzing, yet somehow meditative and elucidating at the very same time. The whole permanently grows, softly then again fiercely, cautiously interacting with humble fades and wanes. Raising up out of the abyss, then again fading away in oblivion, floating around in an infinite void where mankind needs to find its future existence.
As said, I wanted to keep it brief and concise this time. But it’s easy to conclude: those trusted with Alphaxone will adore this next epos; those who didn’t know this cinematic project yet: give it a try; it’s characterizing Cryo Chamber majesty once again!
https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/the-infinite-void
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/alphaxone
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/alphaxone-0
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/alphaxone-1
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/alphaxone-xerxes-dark