Tyler Milchmann - Miracle

Tyler Milchmann’s latest self-released single, Miracle, is a somber meditation on mortality and the transient nature of existence. The solo Ukrainian electro-industrial artist’s characteristic style blends swelling neoclassical orchestral arrangements, operatic vocals, melancholic synths, and chuggy metal guitar (played by Jaro of Jaro Sound, who also handled Miracle’s production, mixing, and mastering). The compositions on display here are more streamlined and less “busy” than some on Tyler’s first two albums, Strange Days and Die Leiden, and the vocals have improved dramatically since his first album, where they were a bit too muted. Like previous releases, Miracle features both German and English lyrics, but leans more heavily towards English. 

The mournful title track opens with dreamy, sampled strings suffused with sadness and threatens to become maudlin, but well-timed shouts and strategically-placed distortion yank it back from the precipice on which it precariously teeters. “Miracle Interlude” is a very short piece with a tinkling piano intro that segues into a foreboding sustained note, building tension before evolving into a celestial outro. 

Following “Miracle”’s thematic treatment of the sudden loss of a loved one, “Geh auf!” is a semi-mythical account of a hero’s premature journey to the underworld. The foreboding piano is complemented by sorrowful brass notes, and the organ melody that kicks in about a minute into the song sounds like some kind of demented, carnivalesque nineteenth-century ballroom music. Although it’s a B-side, “Geh auf!” is, nevertheless, the track I find myself listening to most often.

The digital album is available via Tyler’s Bandcamp, and, as usual, the €5 EUR  purchase comes with an artbook by Darina Medoeva.