Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six

With a name like Combative Alignment I was initially expecting an album along the neo-classical/ neo folk/ and/ or power electronics tangents - yet of course such expectations were not to pan out.

Thus with further investigation, it was discovered the project is of German origin and that the album’s ritual infused dark ambient style aligns with the general sound & direction of Loki-Foundation label, of whom incidentally released the group’s previous LP.

As for "...And Outside Glows The Red Dawn", it is split into 6 untitled parts that all flow together as a single coherent piece of tensile evolving atmospheres. From the opening piece a foggy hallucinogenic ambience quickly unfolds, which is complimented further with sections of ritualistic drumming. Likewise the fluidly of the sub-orchestral sound layers gives of a subtle droning quality, yet on numerous listens the material is not half as calm as it initially appears. The trick here is the depth and breadth of the sound production is such that it allows new sonic textures & elements to be discovered on each subsequent listen.

As a debut full length for the group this is an excellently constructed & executed album & having been issued on Malignant Records is indication of a high calibre of release. Although the label releases only a few albums each year, of what slim pickings that are available, they are consistently of top notch quality in respect of both sound and design packaging. Without doubt Combative Alignment’s album is worthy of investigation and yet another feather in the cap for Malignant.

RJS