| Dive into heavy, score-like sonic worlds and dream of lands unseen with Ukrainian force IGNEA!
The 10-track concept album, ‘Dreams of Lands Unseen’, reflects the life of Ukrainian photographer and documentarian Sofia Yablonska, known for traveling to very distant corners of the world while documenting the lives of tribes and natives, which was especially dangerous and uncommon for a woman of her time. Sonically, IGNEA creates a captivating masterpiece which resembles, thanks in part to diverse genre-influences, an epic soundtrack-like experience.
Producing, mixing and mastering was helmed by Max Morton (Jinjer, Morton) whilst Dmitry Kim managed engineering and drum production. The track “Daleki Obriyi” is only one of two songs on the album sung in Ukrainian language, honoring their home country and mother tongue. Implying distant horizons, the album’s subject, Sofia, is now far away from modern human civilization. Brutal death metal rhythms and shouts crash together with catchy synth passages, representing the beauty of the islands.
Ready to move on, Sofia sails to the next country – spending so much time on the water, it becomes her “Incurable Disease”. Carried away by the gleeful synth-sounds of the sea and turbulent, pounding waves, it creates an extraordinary voyage. Songs like “The Golden Shell” and “Opiumist” – the latter featuring Finnish vocalist Tuomas Saukkonen of Wolfheart – are an ode to Yablonska’s experiences she gathered in Chinese culture. Cheery eastern melodies and brutal growls create the atmosphere of a heavy trip. On “Nomad’s Luck”, restless guitar riffs mixed with powerful deep shouts create an ominous sound – a symbol of the constant questioning of one’s lifetime. |
