Sounscapism Inc.
Afterglow of Ashes

I know Bruno A. from some of the different projects he has been involved with, I have reviewed some of them. For the project Soundscapism Inc. it is the fourth album, and the most ambitious yet according to the press sheet. The cover is pretty cool, and the album itself contains eleven tracks and a live bonus track to end it. The question is of course if the album is as interesting as its cover, if it is nearly that it should be a treat.

This is an album that doesn’t quite fit those catch-all descriptions of genres we usually use as it is varying between more poppish, electronic, post-rock, maybe some metal, it is an album that shows some fresh ideas. I think Soundscapism Inc.’s soundscapes vary between the nostalgic and the fresh and modern. It is quite varied and dynamic too; the production is good and that the low-key vocals are sort of kept in the background fits the style really well. Thanks to the variation I think Soundscapism Inc. gets away with the quite long playing time as well.

I like this one, it is a strong album with strong tracks and immersive sound. Usually I tend to play Sims on my Xbox when writing and listening to the albums I review, but it was harder with Afterglow of Ashes as it is one of those albums that you actually listen to thanks to its dynamics and creativity, that is not the most common of albums I get to review. I am not sure that any of the songs themselves stand out as hit songs as the strength of the album is the entirety of it. It hits the spot and it is quite enjoyable to listen to, despite the fact that I cannot pick out a favourite track as they are all good. If I were to make one slight remark it would be the bonus track, I think the album can do without that – but you can always stop it after the eleventh track if you don’t want to play it.

Afterglow of Ashes is certainly an album that is worth checking out, I have enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it slowed down my gaming progress. It is not often you hear artists that actually dares to be a bit creative, in a way it is probably an oddity as most music artists just copies what others have done. Sure, it is done here as well but in a way that gives a fresh impression and as that is pretty uncommon it makes for an enjoyable album that is well worth listening to.

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