This record is Cosmic Revelations by Italian cosmologist PHANTASOS – aka the talented Francesco Torresi, whom I would guess has a strong pedigree in multiple music genres besides metal because this, his second album with the project, is a damned sight far away from typical. Sounding like a cross between a shimmering dreamscape and the aural representation of astral travelling, it’s a concept album about that exact thing – a journey of out-of-body experiences, and a one-way ticket to the center of the self. The nearest sonic descriptory approximation I can make would be a carefully woven blend of atmospheric black metal and gentle, cinematic synthwave; similar to the also excellent Abstract Void but not quite as “energetic” (if you don’t know Abstract Void and your ears prick up at the “atmospheric black metal” part of that statement and assume the synth elements will be an add-on, then hold your fucking horses right there, son. Remember the 30-70 split thing? Yeah. Cosmic Revelations is something different).

Ostensibly a synthwave album with cinematic qualities, black metal vocals and a couple of fuzzed-out guitars lurking deep in the mix and rearing their heads at key moments, this ain’t for the elitists. It even ventures into solid EDM territory with arpeggiators and uplifting, yearning melodies that would make any aspiring trance producer jealous. And you know what? It shouldn’t work, but it does, and (for the most part) exceptionally well too – largely due to Francesco‘s clear experience and compositional skill. Regular readers probably know I’m not usually a fan of overly polished sounds or anything “pretty” in my black metal. The rawer and more obscured the better in my opinion; to the point where if you can barely hear what’s going on you’ll probably find me jerking off to it somewhere (figuratively, at least. I listen to most of my music travelling or at work, so it’s hard to get a little privacy). However, this is done so well you can’t help but enjoy it.

Jumping right in (this did drop a few days ago now and is available for you to listen to in full at your leisure, so I don’t need to do too much of a breakdown), as soon as opener ‘Ancestral Light Before The Black Void’ begins resonating from your speakers it sounds like ambient sound and field recording techniques may have been implemented (a thought that arises not only at the calming tones of a wind chime here, but at later on at the “tapping a pencil on various metal objects” sound during ‘Enter Into The Astral Plane’). I’m not sure if these sounds are synthetic or not. Still, they certainly add a more organic feel to proceedings, albeit briefly as the track soon surges into the slow, epic unveiling of uplifting chords and melodies that will carry you across the first two compositions. All is well, all is nice… and then the record really kicks off on third track ‘The Fall Of The Nebolos Goddess’. The percussive pace picks up as proceedings get progressively darker; the guitars become more prominent and synths often retreat into drones and choral arrangements, before returning to the fore in glittering, diaphanous sparkles. It’s the best track so far, yet paradoxically the first time you notice that the rhythm guitar tone could be a little better. It’s not too bad, needs a tweak.

From there, the album evolves beautifully into its wondrous creation. ‘A Melacholy Poem Of First Oneironaut’ is as a satellite shooting said verses off into the expanse of space; ‘Reflection Of Astral Portal’ is almost transcendent and a wonderful example of the artist’s juxtaposition of saccharine melody and harsher elements (although admittedly also a touch too long), and ‘The Galactic Blue Wind’ is alien mechanisms bathed in pale hues that start bright and then transform into the darkest shades on the album. The last two tracks then neatly wrap things up with ‘Enter Into The Astral Plane’ transcending all realities and ‘Eternal Last Dance’ providing a final guitar-driven howler – probably the “blackest” track on the album.

In summation: a great record for those up for a little experimentation. Delightful cinematic qualities, harsh vocals that remain unobtrusive and act more as a guide through the celestial realm the album places you in than anything else. There’s a lot of space; not dense, but not empty, and it’s remarkable how well Francesco achieves his goal of creating an aural depiction of the concept at hand. Do you need at least some prior appreciation of electronic music to enjoy this? Not really, but if you hate that sort of thing you’ll likely not be into this. Elitists will undoubtedly run as far as they can get from it, but for everyone else – ascend into the firmament and experience one of the year's more unique and compelling releases thus far. Open your mind… and receive the Cosmic Revelations.