Customer Reviews

Magnificent Void

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've read a number of reviews for THE MAGNIFICENT VOID, both good and bad, and I felt that I would like to add my voice to the crowd. I will start by saying that I own more than a dozen Steve Roach CD's and that this is one of my favorites. That being said, I will also add that it is not a typical Steve Roach tribal offering.

Roach's signature sound is the undulating tones that wash over and through you as you listen. Often these 'drones,' as I refer to them, are the underpinnings of complex rhythms, aural textures from nature, and on rare occasions - vocal tribal chants. Roach is the master of the ambient medium and has produced an impressive catalogue of absolutely stunning works.

On THE MAGNIFICENT VOID, Roach has stripped away many of these textures, leaving a vast field of his signature 'drones' to fill the empty spaces. Gone are the links to the Earth, to nature and to mankind - thus the name of the album. That being said, it is truly remarkable how varied and complex even these simplest of sound patterns can become. This album is, to my mind, the quintessential example of "space music." While listening, I often visualize long journeys in deep, uncharted space. This album would be the ideal soundtrack to video montage of images from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Steve Roach has explored and revisited this theme of complete emptiness on several discs, notably his 2002 release DARKEST BEFORE DAWN - a single 70+ minute exploration of utter emptiness. However, in my opinion this CD is the best example of space music available.

Summary; if you're looking for tribal, I would recommend EARLY MAN or WORLD'S EDGE, but if you want to explore the vast reaches of deep space, this is the finest example available.

Humans are facinating creatures. We deliberately eat hot chili peppers, even though they bring us pain and tears. We drink fine wine, even though it gives us heartburn and makes us dizzy. And some of us listen to dark-ambient music, even though it freaks us out and haunts our dreams.
This was my first dark-ambient disc. I have a few single d.a. tracks and snippets from sampler albums and have heard much d.a. on the Hearts of Space radio show. So I thought I was prepared for this journey into the void. Seldom have I been so wrong.
I lowered the lights, lit some candles, cranked up the surround sound and layed back. "This oughta make for some nice, trippy images," I thought.
What followed was 70 minutes of awe, a little uneasiness, and occasional jolts of terror. Good terror, like a good 'ol horror flick. This music doesn't simply let you listen, is holds you hostage. Energy crackles, etherial voices that aren't quite voices, sudden slams, and Mr. Roach knows how to use dissonance in the most beautiful way possible.
As for the technical quality of the disc itself, I was impressed. This is one of those recordings that make me glad I've invested in a quality sound system. There's tons of deep deep deep bass on this disc. A subwoofer or main speakers with verrrry good bass are necessary for the full effect. And I recommend listening in Dolby Pro Logic or Pro Logic 2 surround sound. It will enhance this disc tremendously. Two channel stereo sounds good too, so if you don't have surround, don't sweat it. The music will still retain its artistic intent. Headphones are a good idea too.
Now all I need is a girlfriend with musical tastes as progressive as my own to cuddle up with when I listen to this disc. It's like a monster movie for the new millenium.

I will not mince my words on this album: it is the finest release by one of the world's leading innovators in music. THE MAGNIFICENT VOID marks a watershed moment in electronic music history and once again ups the ante for all artists working in this undefinable genre. Roach is able to convey a sense of emptiness while also maintaining a strong feeling of peace. No matter how dissonant or abstract the music becomes, it feels as if it is speeding towards a remarkable climax. Since the music is beyond definition, I can make two statements that are certain:

1) "Infinite Shore" is one of the most incredibly beautiful and powerful pieces of music I have ever heard... when listening to this piece through headphones, it literally feels like you have floated out into an endless ocean, staring at the expansive galaxy of stars above. Simply incredible!

2) "Altus" is the musical equivalent of Heaven.

Having said that, this album will not be for all tastes and may even turn some people away. However, it becomes more rewarding with each listen and is the best album in the dark ambient/space music genre I've ever heard (and probably will ever hear, unless Roach tops himself again).

The Magnificent Void is a modern ambient classic by the master of the genre,the very talented and prolific Steve Roach.The album can be viewed as a dark ambient/space music album.The Magnificent Void in my opinion is what Tangerine Dream's 1972 album Zeit would sound like today if it had been released in 1996.Anyhow,regardless of comparisons,The Magnificent Void manages to exert a sound of its own,much like all of Roach's albums,which is a very good quality if I do say so myself.The album opens with the wonderfully titled,"Between The Gray & The Purple",where you can immediately feel the overall ambience of the album,relaxing yet haunting enough to keep you interested from beginning to end.This continues on track 2,"Void Memory One",the first of three brief interludes,and immediately spills over into track 3,"Infinite Shore",my personal favorite on the album.It is on this track that the strongest,most vivid washes of "Void" induced ambience engulfs you,evoking vivid images of a literal,"Infinite Shore",a shore that you don't want to leave,but of course,the music moves on,taking you to track 4,the "Cloud Of Unknowing",where you float for a seemingly eternal amount of time,when realistically,it has only been around 10 and a half minutes,10 and a half minutes of pure,uninterrupted bliss.After leaving the "cloud",another "void" memory is induced on track 5,"Void Memory Two",followed by yet another one,this time,the final,on track 6,"Void Memory Three",which leads you over to "The Magnificent Void" itself,(track 7),escorting you through the darkest regions of the "Void",where the sounds of shimmering bells,most likely synthesized,entrance you as the rising and falling synth guides you along to the final piece,track 8,"Atlus",which is the most quiet sounding and relaxing on the entire album,while also ranking as the longest track on the album,clocking in at 20 minutes,which is a good thing,the longer,the better,as is the case with Steve Roach's recordings.It is a perfect way to end a masterpiece of an ambient album.This is one that you will not want to end.My personal advice is to listen to this album at night,in an enclosed room with the light off.This is a perfect place to start if you are new to Steve Roach's music.If you like this album,I strongly recommend you try Tangerine Dream's Zeit album,you will enjoy it,I promise.I highly recommend "The Magnificent Void" for all ambient/space music fans.Enjoy!

2 words : Infinite Shore

Folks, this song alone is worth the price of admission. I swear I was transported to some isle in the middle of a distant ocean bearing witness to life outside our solar system for the first time.

Of course, the entire album is good ... I just had to share my favorite. Wow.

Like an earlier reviewer, I also bought Roach's Void at the same time as Lustmord and Rich's Stalker. I agree with the previous reviewer that Stalker is unbelievably moving, but unlike him I resonated very strongly with Magnificent Void. It is rich with subtlety and fullness--as if the universe were belching forth from the void in super-slow-mo. Not as image-inducing as Stalker was, it is rather a deep unfolding of the mystery in its own time. I can understand where the detractors might come from based on its slow progression, but it really works for me.

This is undeniably one of the greatest electronic ambient recordings of all time and quite possibly Steve Roach's masterpiece. Here he has taken the dark, probing atmospheres of his breakthrough DREAMTIME RETURN work to the next level, by creating synth textures that are far more intense than that former work. "Infinite Shore" is simply one of the most beautiful pieces of music Roach has ever put together, "Cloud of Unknowing" is a quasi-melodic waltz of despair and yearning and "Void Memory Two" is a menacing masterpiece of shifting metallic drones which builds to a truly awe-inspiring climax. The title track is equivalent to being transported through a wormhole, with its brilliant combination of sampled Tibetan horns and twisting electronic textures. Truly on par with the best work of Klaus Schulze and Brian Eno, this is a monumental recording that belongs in a basic electronic music library.

I experienced this disc in a dark house with some incense burning and my stereo at just the right volume.Being perfectly relaxed I on went on the 70+ minute journey of sound with an open mind and at least a little excitement building inside of me.I felt an incredible loosening inside of me thats hard for me to express or describe....it really shook me mentally,spiritually and musically and has since become a true favorite.There is nothing to compare this music to....dark yet textured,effortless yet so full of tones and sounds that can indeed carry you to places you have never(or don`t want)to go.
Haunting but beautiful,Steve Roach with this disc has made his mark on recorded music.A sonic journey to the true depths of inner space and beyond that flows through you,making you not a passive listener but part of the music.
I never expect to have the same experince again but one thing is for sure....I`ll never forget it.A worthy addition to anyones collection.

Searching recently for some more dark ambient that closely resembled Thomas Koner's extraordinary Teimo/Permafrost (T/P) in feeling, I happened to stumble upon this album. It sounded nothing much like koner at all. But it FELT like koner, and oh boy was I delighted to hear it.

This work, much like T/P, drips with thoughtful, lonely noises. It induces an overwhelmingly brooding and contemplative atmosphere, taking the listener on an exploration of some of the more remote and exotic places in the universe, if one allows it.

I mentioned that it does not sound like koner, and this, to an extent, is true - if you really listen. To many people who just don't get the genre, they will both sound like dull drones and noises, without much else going on at all. This point of view has about as much validity as saying that a motorbike and a car are for all intents and purposes the same thing, as they both have engines and roll along the ground. Koner has a much more earthen organic sound. The sound of desolation, and the beauty therein. One is reminded of the immesity, power and loneliness that can be seen in nature and the universe. He has a very sampler-based and processed found-sound style. Steve Roach on the other hand uses many more synth sounds. He makes much use of ethereal pads and odd synth constructions to achieve the unique sounds on this album. And it just happens to feel a lot like koner. Or koner feels a lot like roach. Whatever.

So what does this album conjure up in my mind? Funny thing that. The first time I heard this album, it was at a friends house. I had no idea what it was, and immediately I said "this sounds like being in the middle of nowhere out in space. Like in the big voids between galaxy clusters. What is it?" Hearing the name, I couldn't agree more that this is the best name for the album. It gives you just that lonely feeling, like being far out in the depths of space, with odd barely visible glows of remote galaxies set agaist an inky black sky. Not an evil sound, just a dark, pensive sound. Enjoy the empty oddities of the Void.

The inner-silence of the soul, and answer to all my questions of who am I, where was I before I was born, what will I be one billion years from now?

Music is the language of the soul. Steve Roach speaks it fluently and eloquently.

You do not have to be a fan of ambient (or indeed electronic) music to appreciate that this recording will help you transcend beyond the limits of the physical world and face certain fundamental questions. Especially the final magnificent track 'Altus'...when my soul bobs upon vast flexing muscular waves of primal sound.

Steve is a seer, shaman, prophet of a music I believe is intensly 'human' and necessary for this plastic, wrap-around designer age we have the misfortune to find ourselved in. He talks the language of a future where mankind finally realises it is one with every other living creature; and we are the yarn of the very fabric of cosmic matter itself. Too much hyperbole? Steve's music does this to me.

Five stars are not enough...try a universe of them.