Totem Owl
Tellus Sinks
Infra-Saturn
Exo
Flesh Treasury
Dark Grammar
Possessed Constellation
Theriomorphic Heralds
Skeletal Sphinx

For the debut album of Zoät Aon from Finland, this is indeed an impressive listen that is likely to turn heads in a positive sense. Melding some classic stylistic slants of the dark ambient genre with some quite old school ritualistic elements, this manages to be a buoyant release within a sea of similar sounding projects.

Specifically where "Star Autopsy" excels is with its broad and crystalline sound palate, where in more then a few instances had my mind leaping towards making comparisons to Inade – one of the heavyweights of the genre. Melding spheres of cosmic radiance (swirling & morphing sonic textures), and more earth bound ritual elements (thighbone trumpet, chimes, spare percussion and archaic voices etc) the tapestry of sound is diverse, varied and constantly evolving across the interlinking 9 tracks & 66 minutes. Some later album tracks like ‘Dark Grammar’ might be slightly over cooked with a couple of repetitive & cliqued deep space sounds, but a minor gripe really in an overall sense.

Whilst the album cover alludes to Crowley derived inspiration, this is done in a pleasingly subtle fashion, leaving listeners to ultimately draw their own conclusions. For this factor alone this is far better then those albums that feel the need to berate listeners with quasi mystical intellectualism. Thus with a simple but classy tri-gatefold sleeve (black card with silver print), it solidifies the overall impression of a project to keep a keen eye on.

RJS