Atmospheric Black Metal band COSMIC BURIAL formed in Germany recently. As is often the case with bands in this genre, they keep a lot of information about the band to a minimum. I did discover that "...To The Past" is the solo artist's second full-length offering, and contains four tracks. V.V. calls it "ambient, atmospheric music for the dreamers about space and time."

"α Centauri A" leads off the album. It opens with solemn but easy listening key notes and a nifty little melody. Though the guitars create somewhat of a wall of sound, they are also melodic in their approach. No vocals are present but the song does give you a certain feeling...definitely some longing elements and the uneasy feeling you have when starting out on a new, uncharted venture. The songs grow in length from track to track. "α Bootis" begins with an almost jovial melody...the journey is proving to be easy so far. Though in foreign territory, you breathe a sigh of relief that all is well. The power behind the guitar riffs swell into a thing of beauty by the half-way mark. The sound drops at the half-way mark to just some ambient, delicate melodies, before returning with a renewed purpose through the end.

"α Carinae" is a twelve-minute opus, opening with a bit more vigor and potency. It waxes and wanes between soft, pretty passages and harder ones with more resolve, but the melody line stays constant throughout. The thirteen minute "α Canis Majoris" closes the album. Dreamy, solemn melodies abound here. Through the half-way mark, you get the feeling that you are outside of your galaxy staring wondrously at the tens of thousands of galaxies that are out there in deep space. The sight is so gorgeous that it almost brings tears to your eyes, and you wish you had someone to share it with.

Though only four tracks long, the album left an indelible mark on me as an outside listener. V.V. takes you on odyssey through the Milky Way and into the beyond, seeing things that no one has ever seen before. For about 40 minutes of your life, time stops, your consciousness fades away, and all you have left is a fleeting moment (in the grand scheme of your life) to enjoy the music here, and ponder the meaning of your existence.