From Bandcamp, they are a “Man-made astro-metal odes to solitude in nature, life and the consciousness within and beyond. Ad astra. “III” is part three of a three-part journey from the below to the above and beyond. A rough but positive ode to life, nature and living in tune with your consciousness. Veritas in natura est.” “Andromeda” is the first song, and it features some nice melodies out of the gate, but there is also a sense of tension hanging in the background. Slowly, it morphs to more sonority with the advent of distorted guitars, and in come very high-pitched Black Metal vocals that are really unlike anything else I have heard before. The combination of harsh vocals with a strong sense melody is quite striking.

“Asymptote” reminds me of being in a field at night, gazing into the secrets of space and marveling at the starts. The spoken words are in a different language (German?), but they are very matter-of-fact and even border on angry at times. “Long Way Home” is more hardened, but there is still a good deal of melody. It’s one of the more ardent songs on the album so far. “Nebulae” is another atmospheric offering, with calm and pretty tones. The vocals provide the aggression, but the music flows with a natural and gentle breeze. “Neptun” is another relatively smooth offering but there are moments of emotion that could be considered to be firm, especially with the advent of distorted guitars and drums.

“Solaris” is a short three minutes, and there are moments of wonder and reflection in the music, even know the guitars and vocals are fairly aggressive. If you can isolate the music from the vocals, it is quite charming. “Spirals” slows things down so that you can appreciate living in tune with nature. Again, the backbone is very melodic, even know the vocals are harsh and grating. This combination just seems to work very well. “The Hunter” has a full, rich sound from rounded guitars and again, C keeps the melody flowing with the contentious elements. “Void” closes the album, and it has another hardened sound. This time, the sweet melodies take a bit of a back seat to the aggression.

Overall, this was a fantastic album. The unique sound of the vocals comes from the high snarl he gets with his voice. It almost squeaks. The music is aggressive when it wants to be, and quite melodic at other times. The entire album gave me a sense of wonder, and considering what is out there beyond the skyline, a sense of insignificance.