Shadowcaster

Originally conceived as part of an elaborate presentation that includes a flashing strobe to go along with elements of binaural audio, this group of seven pieces is loosely inspired by Alexander Scriabin’s great unfinished, experimental, synesthetic composition Mysterium. But while Scriabin’s piano work is sampled in the beginning, the music progresses into darker electronic territory, akin to Frontline Assembly and the solo work of cEvin Key. At the end of “The Venus Cloacina,” there are sounds of war and dulcet synth strains with bits of Carmina Burana in the vocals, giving the song a chillingly nostalgic air. At times the music sounds a bit like Laibach, only less exaggerated and more based in darkwave IDM, and not so obviously tongue-in-cheek. As a whole, Mysterium Umbris is enjoyable even separate from its intended context.