Málverk (“painting” in Icelandic), the latest release from talented illustrator and composer Alex Storer, takes listeners on a vast epic sonic journey, traveling down ebbing and swelling waves of sound evoking eerie volcanic arctic vistas and retro-futuristic space art.

This is music for landing experimental crafts on ice covered moons at the edge of the Kuiper Belt. Immaculate pacing draws the listener into the slowly building Labyrinth of Sleep. Swelling organ tones collide with sharp twinkling synths as a lead melody slowly becomes more dominant while harmonies merge in and out.

The momentum gained carries through into the more driving Sideral Time, with fuller and sharper bass and drum tones dominating in the second half and punchier synth melodies. This is a listening experience that feels fully three dimensional with tones and sonic colors coming from all possible directions.

Melodic transitions frequently arrive mid song, as themes carry between tracks to create a fairly seamless listening experience.

The title song Malverk makes its distinct presence known however, as bouncy mid range tones step forward at the outset to make the contrast clear. A distinctly different feel permeates, with a harder edge to its groove than previously encountered.

The closing 13 minute composition, Stellaris contains multitudes, with multiple movements that flow and transition seamlessly. Alex notes that it is an “homage to the work of space artist David A. Hardy” and leads the listener on quite the epic journey before a funky bass line takes the reins.

This is a heady instrumental album, a truly cohesive whole that demands to be listened to in completion.      DCC