Cryo Chamber

Collaborations are a trademark, or better: one of the trademarks, when talking about Cryo Chamber. Being one of the most impressive and open-minded labels within the worldwide (Cinematic) Ambient genre, Cryo Chamber released tens of albums that actually are a partnership of two, or more, Ambient artists from all over the globe. I am not talking about splits, but about mutual efforts, in which different musicians join forces in order to create something new, a symbiosis of their individual craftsmanship, canalised into a unique result.

I do follow ProtoU as from the early years. More specific, Simon Heath once introduced me to this Ukrainian project by means of the debut Lost Here (FYI: Cryo Chamber released a split shortly before this one, with Dronny Darko, but I did not hear that one back then). Anyway, you can read in my reviews that I was, and still am, intrigued by this lady’s unique project.

I am not going to introduce this project anymore – I did it a couple of times in the (recent) past (links: see below). But let’s be sure that I am always somehow aroused when I notice that Alphaxone did release something new. Just in short, FYI: it is an outfit by Iran-born musician Mehdi Saleh, very closely related to the mighty Cryo Chamber label.

Robert C. Kozletsky was a known artist in Psychomenteum, but that project did split up, unfortunately, a while ago. He also collaborated in the high-profile collaboration Kerrstillingskozletskynyströmpetrus, with Stephen Petrus, John Stillings, Larry Kerr and Peter Nyström, and he’s part of the Shock Frontier line-up as well. But I think his best-known outfit will be his solo-project Apócrýphos, which he started almost a decade ago.

Cryo Chamber is an American label (from Oregon, to be more specific) that focuses, as stated on their Bandcamp page, on high quality dark ambient with a cinematic edge. The label is run by Simon Heath, sonic and visual artist, and the guy behind acts like Sabled Sun, Atrium Carceri or ‘legendary’ (sadly defunct) Za Frûmi. And within the Dark Ambient genre, Cryo Chamber for sure is (one of) my favourite(s) worldwide.

About one year after the grandiose recording Particle Void, also released via mighty Cryo Chamber, the duo Martin Stürtzer and Christian Stritzel return with their fourth masterwork. It was a coincidence, or a prophetic omen, but the day before label owner Simon Heath did send me this album’s download link, I had listened to Particle Void once again because I just felt like. Karma or not, but it made me aroused for some (understandable) reason.

About one year after the grandiose recording Particle Void, also released via mighty Cryo Chamber, the duo Martin Stürtzer and Christian Stritzel return with their fourth masterwork. It was a coincidence, or a prophetic omen, but the day before label owner Simon Heath did send me this album’s download link, I had listened to Particle Void once again because I just felt like. Karma or not, but it made me aroused for some (understandable) reason.

In our countries, we see Iran as an exotic area, far away from our (narrow-minded) (capitalistic) ideas and thoughts. But their musical scene, well, is not known. I do know some hands full of bands / projects (often anonymous, cf. religious fundamentalism – no further comment) that dwell within the (Black) Metal scene (and hey, there are some truly underestimated yet worthy and excellent recordings from Persian soil!), yet there is a small / vivid (delete as appropriate) Ambient / Experimental / Drone scene too.

Well, when it comes to Cryo Chamber, I am very often enthusiastic about the projects involved and their releases. Some of the better Ambient artists release their material via this label. So does Atrium Carceri, which actually is the main project of the owner of Cryo Chamber, Simon Heath. With this project, Simon created some hands full of fine and stunning stuff in the past, always taken care of with eye for detail, diversification and soul.

This is not my first review for Alphaxone, a project by Mehdi Saleh, who originates from Iran. You can find out some enthusiastic descriptions for Echoes From Outer Silence or the collaboration with ProtoU, called Stardust, both released via Cryo Chamber; and I did refer to this project in my reviews for the compilations Heresy and Visions Of Darkness too. If interested, you know where to find it.