A swift introduction. The A Thousand Reasons project was formed fifteen years ago by some Simone Sut aka Zimon, who did have his musical roots within the Rock and Metal scene. He used to be, or still is, a permanent or session member in the likes of Overunit Machine, Goot, or Scarecrown (with that ‘n’ indeed). Anyway, under the moniker of A Thousand Reasons, Zimon did record some material throughout the project’s existence (with some stuff being re-released recently via the strongly upcoming Mist Label).
Enter 2025. Simon Sut wrote and recorded some new stuff, which got finally gathered under the working file Ashes. It’s the successor of Fragments (aka Fragm3nts) – the latter also being the first physical release on Machine Tribe Recordings, the very same label that takes care of the compact disc release of this newest work. All music and the concept were done by Zimon, who took care of mixing and mastering duties too, as well as the visual design activities (with artwork duties done via N.B.S. Imagination). With assistance of another underestimated yet highly qualitative (mainly Noise-oriented) label LOUDsilence, one will have a digital opportunity as well; the CD edition is foreseen for a later moment, i.e. July 2026, and will contain two bonus tracks, if I am correctly informed.
Ashes is a six-track work, lasting for three quarters of an hour. The six pieces clock in between five and twelve minutes.
The journey starts with Unprocessed, which offers a bizarre mixture of Electronic Music styles, Psybient, Industrial, Noise, Drone and the likes. It’s an experimental approach, very interesting and challenging. Around a spine of reverberating ambient ‘melodies’ - filled with delusive bleeps, frenzy electronic elements, rough-edged drones and cosmic sound-sculpting - an uncomfortable Chill-Out attitude (indeed, ‘chill’ and ‘discomfort’ at the very same time), like a protean existence, develops and unfurls.
Quantum (Version 2) delves deeper into an abyssal swarthiness, initially minimalistic in execution, and slowly evicting towards doom; an immeasurable darkness injected with spots of blinking illuminations. It’s a calm episode, including piano and some IDM’ish beats. As from half of the composition, these IDM-alike references, and some hints of Comfy Synth, seem to wipe out the greyness, turning the dark shades into a huge expanse of soft shimmering.
The minimalistic title track continues this archetypical voyage, and comes with subtle waves of Dark Ambient (mind the cinematic texture), some field-recorded elements and bassy drones.
The Shining (Version 2) too has that nihilistic, minimal approach, and still it’s rich, even subtly copious in atmosphere. The eerie synths and piano create a mostly dense, even horrific atmosphere. The aural atrocity makes me think of an abandoned hospital somewhere in the middle of nowhere, where lost souls dwell around, waiting for redemption that never will come.
Rlyeh then again is an in-depth immersive piece, and sequent to the title it indeed exhales a Lovecraftian abhorrence. Injected with scarifying rumbles, some harsh drums / metallic beats and ominous industrial fragments, the result is vertiginous and dazzling.
The album ends with the longest ‘song’, Vecna, which clocks almost twelve minutes. Opening with abstract samples (a clock, well done) and hypnotic sound-waves, Vecna eventually morphs into an intricate play of uneasy and confronting noise-designs. Distant and murmuring soundscapes, field recordings, industrialized effects, dark-toned ambiences, shifting drones and rumbling, reverberating beats, it’s all mingled into a complex yet intriguing sound-collage that repels and attracts at the very same time (and to my opinion, it is the most worthy-possible completion for this strange and unusual yet fascinating and involute recording.
This album is a unique thing within the world of Ambient Music. It is both minimalistic and experimental at the same time, subtly balancing in between both ghostly and dreamlike territories. It’s full of complicated details, despite a certain nihilism behind the performance. A nice surprise…
https://athousandreasons.bandcamp.com/album/ashes
https://loudsilencedigital.bandcamp.com/album/ashes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to3khOe7PiQ