ORBITAL SOUL SYSTEM – Nightwing

Opener NK-12 is instantly immersive, with hissing synths reminiscent of an opening airlock and binaural surround evoking the stomach-drop of zero gravity. These sounds are foundational to Nightwing and, whilst at times overly repetitive, they scaffold its thematic material.

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There is an urgency transitioning to second track Into The Abyss, which serves as both alarm and entry point. Fuzzy, chugging guitars emerge from the gauzy opener in opposition to a clear, relentless beeping high above the harmonic bed. There's a tension between what's safe and what's unknown, and the question of whether or not to take the leap of faith builds in a graded ascent. Computer beeps become melody, become backdrop to the cosmos. Blast beats hit, the decision is imminent. Jump? No! Jump? No!

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In direct juxtaposition, Enclosure follows a long history of humans seeing the ocean and the cosmos as two sides of the same abyss. Density of harmony is replaced by density of movement, and organ sounds elicit the spacious warmth of an old cathedral. There's a moment to breathe, until a persistent beep takes you out of church and back onto the ship. You are alone. You know who you are. It's not just cinematic, it's visceral, it's survival: a warm internal dialogue vs the unforgiving world outside.

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The Last One continues wading into the sea. Burbling water, whale call and vocaloid distortion make it feel like you're focusing from the depths of a pool you can't climb out of. Transitions from heavily filtered vocals to a whisper showcase the beauty of the Russian tongue, the flicker of the vowels, while a lilting violin mimics the warmth of the human voice. Nothing is scary because nothing matters. It is here that the beeping synths become grating, detracting from the otherwise shimmering atmosphere. 

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80s disco synths make for abrupt but danceable transitions. Tsiolkovsky draws heavily on early darkwave and derives its name from the complex rocket equation, which accounts for a spacecraft's mass constantly changing as fuel is burned. Lyrically, it is an ode to the almost miraculous tenacity of scientists who chase the most fleeting of sparks, underpinned by a bassline with a quintessentially mid-century jazz quality. Drums propel the track from potential energy to kinetic. The second half is the ascent: rounded droplets of melodic percussion trickle around the solidity of human drive until the snarls emulate the roar of an engine. The ship has taken off. 

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The album's second half is a jagged portrait of humanity and our unending fascination with projecting our internal worlds onto the stars. In The Wanderer, beautiful piano references a long tradition of Russian classical composition, again likening skies to seas, this time seeing the fight against potential (but unconfirmed) monsters in the depths through a child's eyes. The vocals are the centrepiece: intentional, strong growls with an unbidden yearning as they call out for the

friend that must also be out there. The breaths in this album are only ever temporary. You must keep moving to survive.

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Title track Nightwing is the battle companion to NK-12. Instrumentally dense and confident, it shapes the intensity of death metal into the narrative of 'kali yuga', the final age in Hindu mysticism; what would contemporarily be referenced as the end-times. It moves from battle cry into contemplative, acid-tinged spirals. Maybe the world will end, maybe you will find a way through; it doesn't matter, as the wall (of sound) rushes up and swallows you whole. There is no choice on whether to jump anymore. There is only running at the enemy with your teeth bared.

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Savage is a juicy electronic transition into the closer, 42, presumably a nod to Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Low-pitched screams desperately articulate the same questions about purpose and higher beings as the cult novel. "Strange answer? Strange question!" The conclusion is deliberately absurdist because the proposition makes no sense. The track is a culmination of the preceding 40+ minutes: the hiss of the airlock, guitars moving with the momentum of human progress, the warmth of sustained synth chords, the discordant hum of questions remaining unanswered. Perhaps the process of uncovering the options, proposed and left cryptically unresolved by Orbital Soul System, is, in the end, the whole point.

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SCORE 8/10

Reviewed by Charlie Fern

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