A captivating concept album from Manitoba-based artist The Primary Phase Principle, Collapse Of The Sightless Age pairs a compelling sci-fi narrative with atmospheric and dynamic electronic productions. Ranging from the industrial, distortion-friendly mystique of opening track “Unearthing The Core” to the eerie piano-touched haunts within “As Foretold,” the album excels in crafting a variety of soundscapes befitting of the release’s cinematic fervency. Earth’s future is the setting, following environmental collapse. Humanity has taken underground, and is fully reliant on “the Machine.”
The mystery of this “Machine” and humanity’s hope for understanding and survival is chronicled across two albums. Echoes of the Mechatronic Age released last February, and is now followed up by with Collapse Of The Sightless Age. “Influences for this concept include The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster, Isaac Asimov’s robot stories, and Thief II: The Metal Age,” the artist explains, while also noting Nine Inch Nails and Tangerine Dream as musical influences.
Within the narrative, the New Mechanists play the role of uncovering the truth behind the powerful, elusive “Machine.” In that context, “Return Of The Mechanists” moves aptly from eerie trickling into a more triumphant melding of gargling distortion and clanging guitars — perhaps showcasing the hope apparent in seeking the truth. Album finale “A Bleak Sort Of Hope” also stirs in its eclectic structural drive, enamoring in both optimistic piano-touched serenity and more foreboding industrial vigor. Collapse Of The Sightless Age is a riveting conceptual success from The Primary Phase Principle.
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We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
