Randal Collier-Ford - The Architects

Randal Collier-Ford is a dark ambient producer who has made many strafes forward to avoid any sort of standards within the field, and shoot more towards experimentation and freedom of sound to form his latest album, The Architects. From his involvement with several other projects including The Temple of Algolagnia, Mors Universa, Grey Light Shade, and even Black Sun, Ford wanted to dive into something that could serve as a general medium for themes such as spirituality and philosophy. This is basically his attempt at trying to reach a new musical level; to prove to himself that he can go where he wants musically through experimentation.

And, through mental exercise, he would bring us what would be his first release on the Cryo Chamber collective. The Architects is an eight track album that spans a little more than fifty minutes, but tends to dive right into mechanized sounds as much as it does deeper based synths and their lighter and brighter cousins. What is made from this assemblage of sounds are tracks that seemingly take not only from dark ambient textures, but even the slightest IDM influences (I would think that Eye of the Watchers would be a very lovely example of that).

Soundtrack design hits heavily with the thirteen and a half minute song The Return, as the drone structure slowly evolves to incorporate such a deep blast of noise. And, as if it's playing off an older record, there is always a static filter rummaging through all the other sounds and echoes that build upon within the album. 'Twas a nice a lovely touch that I did not admire so much as enjoyed.

But, perhaps the track that I enjoyed most out of them all would be the subliminally charged Void, which serves as the final track. Playing off what sounds like reversed samples, whispers, and glitching out voices, the song, more or less ritual, has this lovely way of making you question your sanity from time to time. It's just one of those songs where you perk your eyebrow up as you listen, look above and ask yourself, "Was that from the song, or my own imagination?" When a single track can inspire such nervous reactions, you know it's playing with you on a great psychological level.

And though this producer has only started to stumble around in these ominous fields since 2012, I think he's got the hang of it more than others thus far do. He doesn't stick to conventions, and maybe that's the result of coming in from a new perspective and not one that's been drowned and oppressed through the thoughts and strict denial of others. Whatever the case, he's done good, and has a respectable place within the core of the dark ambient world. Feb 02 2015