OXYD LARVA ALBUM ALIENS PRODUCTIONS RELEASE: NOVEMBER 23, 2007 REVIEW: JANUARY 2, 2008

To begin with, allow me to make some introductions. Oxyd is the project of Lord Sauron and Ryby who also operate under the name Disharmony. Ryby runs Aliens Productions who specialize in a uniquely dark electronic vein of music and while Disharmony opt to produce very intense albums that are almost psychotically inspired, Oxyd is much more film noir in nature. At least the previous two albums have been.

Not so the case with this new one "Larva". One feels as though they are prowling the jungle floor with "Larva", exploring all the diffuse elements of a rich biosphere. Here and there sunlight hits directly but by and large, one must navigate in the murky half-lit quasi twilight arena Oxyd have fashioned. There is the directly functional "Traveller" which contains some wonderful violin sampling or is it playing over our maestro's synthetic swells and crests. This one even is somewhat up-tempo in form... the sort of thing Delerium have struggled their entire career to achieve, and the balance isn't even sullied by syrupy female vocals. "The Frozen Moon" with much gusto lifts one up upon a hill and allows you to look over the lush green world "Larva" effortlessly summons. Beautiful washes of sound caress the ear and whisper their siren song.

Actually, there are no vocals on "Larva" but they would distract from the riveting plethora this stream of conscious surrealistic work delivers. One complaint I have with Sauron and Ryby's new work is this: too bloody short. This thing could have been a double album and I'd have been enthralled no less than I am with this single disc of colourful aural exploration. That something like this has come from such a grey and concrete place as Slovakia impresses me even more; when Phil Westen titled his debut solo album "The Escapist" I saw the parallel, but our two heroes here ought to have christened their new work "Escapism" because "Larva" will take you places, it will stamp your passport eagerly and give you access to a world beyond any you would have expected.

PETER MARKS