Cranioclast
Iconclastar

THE REVIEW

The double CD "Iconclastar" by Cranioclast represents a fascinating sonic and visual exploration, inspired by an artistic concept that is as unique as the music that accompanies it. The album draws from a series of photographic images created without the use of a traditional camera, but through sheets of glass layered with materials and fluids, which are then treated as negatives. This experimental process not only mirrors the sonic approach of Cranioclast but amplifies it, weaving the visual and auditory into an immersive and disorienting experience.

"Iconclastar" stands as a work that defies conventional classifications. The Cranioclast have crafted an album positioned between the ritual and dark ambient, with an industrial touch permeating every track. The sound textures, expertly curated, build a complex and layered soundscape that evokes the atmospheres of proto-isolationism, a subgenre that would later develop in the ambient music scene. The album is divided into two parts, respectively titled "green" and "blue," which together should form a single long ambient-industrial symphony. However, surprisingly, it is the second part, "blue," that emerges as the most powerful and evocative. Here, Cranioclast achieves a perfect balance between the dark and the sublime, offering a sonic narrative that is as unsettling as it is captivating. Despite the differences between the two halves, "Iconclastar" stands out as a cohesive work, where every sound is calibrated to create a meditative and hypnotic experience. The sonic environments seem to challenge the perception of time and space, catapulting the listener into a parallel dimension, where every note and every noise melds into a dark and profound sonic ritual. "Iconclastar" is an album that cannot be missing from the collection of anyone who appreciates ambient-industrial music.