I was not familiar with Sven Phalanx, but the Bandcamp page tells me that he hails from musician from Frankfurt, Germany and also recorded under Schattenspiel (Neoclassical / Ambient), Schwarzwald (EBM / Industrial) and a "collaboration with Andreas Davids that has been reinventing the space-ambient-pop genre." He also performs with the likes of Hypnoskull and Imminent, so I went into it with some idea of what I may be in for. The label explains that "‘Navigation’ brings together 5 darker songs that fit together perfectly. Distorted vocals and creaking ambient sounds combine to create a dark atmosphere and create images in the mind of the listener.” Sounds like a good time, so let's dive in.

We kick it off with "Tunnel System," and all I have to say is "holy sawtooth wave, Batman!" This is a ton of sawtooth drone that shifts enough to keep it interesting. “Father & Son” keeps the synth going with some rhythm built in. "Echoes of the Shaman" moves in a different direction with sweeping synth waves, guitar, and processed voices buried in the mix. This is really good. "Infinity" is a brooding number with more gritty analog than you can shake a stick at. "Zerstörung" closes it out with a more orchestral number with whispered vocals. If you like it cinematic, this will be up your alley.

Overall, this was a nice ride, and there is a lot of variety, even as the heavy drone holds it together for a sense of continuity. Well done, and well worth checking out if you like your drone dark. This album weighs in at around 21 minutes and is limited to 42 copies.