Tucson, Arizona based talented sound explorer Nathan Youngblood has released his debut album "Asunder" in October of 2007 on steveroach.com label. Even if few years passed already, this CD deserves my little examination. Influenced and guided by his master, Nathan reveals on "Asunder" deep drone atmospherics divided into six compositions. Opening "Vesper Nest" sets immediately the darker mood for the whole album with its immersive drifting soundscapes spiced by various location recordings. Very slowly evolving and shifting wall of drones overlaps to the next piece, "Kanashibari", with less organic, but more intense and monumental sound. Like some desert storm, recalling the fear and the beauty of the mother nature. Sonic drama at its finest level! "UmbraSphere" features some ultra mysterious soundscapes, sounding pretty spooky to me, but the second part of this piece shifts into peacefully aerial washes leaving all tension behind. Another truly magnificent epic! Strange industrial/noise effects and rumblings color the deep resonating drone on "Shearwave" and guide us into nearly 20 minutes clocking adventurous and frightening alien vistas. "Flume" traverses directly into beautifully intoxicating natural ambience, hauntingly warm and mesmerizing! Minimal, almost static drone on "Underland" closes quietly the album. "Asunder" shows enough varying elements to please all fans of darker desert ambience, really nice work, Nathan!!! Extra points are awarded to Nathan for the cover artwork nicely displaying vast atmospherics and also to Steve Roach for his production, mastering and drones and waves on "Kanashibari" and "UmbraSphere". By the way, there are also some plans for Nathan's collaboration with John Vorus, which makes me really curious, but this project is moving quite slowly. Anyway, as always I stay tuned for more...

Richard Gürtler (Jul 03, 2011, Bratislava, Slovakia)
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