AMN Reviews: Beyond the Ghost – The Desolation Age (2021; Cryo Chamber)

Beyond the Ghost (Pierre Laplace) returns for his third(?) album, this one imagining a war-torn Europe of the near future, with nationalist armies, cyborgs, and drones issuing in a new dark age. Sonically, The Desolation Age is a modern take on the late 70’s work of Kosmiche pioneers, such as Klaus Schulze. Many of the tracks involve ominous layers of synth accompanied by sequenced beats and rhythms. A handful of other instruments make smaller contributions, with guitar being one of the easier to pick out. Both spacious and propulsive, this is cinematic sci-fi ear candy that makes one yearn for Laplace to be able to work on a movie or video game soundtrack that gets him wider exposure.