For some, space is a vast expanse of unexplored terrain. “The final frontier” that begs for adventurers to strike forth and discover the secrets within the expanse of the cosmos.

Apothic Gloom, the artist behind Pittsburgh based Cosmic Black Metal/Dungeon Synth project Formalhaut, is perhaps not one of those people. On the projects latest release, Bleak Black Void, the vastness of space is explored and mused on in a way that is more reflective of William Shatners first voyage in the stratosphere. Writing for Variety a year after his flight, Shatner recalled what seeing the darkness of space was like:

“When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold . . . all I saw was death. I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing.”

I don’t know how Shatner feels about genre-pushing Black Metal or Dungeon Synth, but I must imagine that if he sat down to listen to Bleak Black Void, he would feel a kinship with Apothic Gloom. The samples, programmed drums, and synths play at a sense of melancholy and vast emptiness both figurative and literal.

The listener is taken on a three track narrative out of the safety and comfort of the stratosphere and into an emptiness that resides just beyond the borders of our world. At times the synths almost feel like traditional dungeon synth, like on the second track Advancements Into The Innominate. Drones are utilized to create the sense of space that looms through out each track, especially on Inevitable End, the final track of the release.

But what kept me locked in was the vocals. The heavily distorted, terrifying vocals.

The demo opens with a sample that sounds like post-WWII propaganda from the US, telling of the launch of a V2 Rocket into space and sending back a photo of the earth. The sample gives way to a repetitive drum machine that faithfully drives the track forward, and the synths and drones lay on top in a thick spacey mix as AG shrieks “THE UNIVERSE WANTS YOU DEAD,” again invoking Shatners words after his flight.

Track two gives us a nearly up-tempo approach. The drum rhythm is jazzy, and for a moment you might ask yourself what the hell is happening. And then the shrieking begins anew. This track takes us off, away from the safety of earth. There is no longer a small blue dot behind us, and we are savoring the speed and the newness of space. In many ways this track sounds like a demo from European metal band Archivist, blended with unique elements of dungeon synth.

The demo concludes with Inevitable End, an atmospheric track with no vocals and no drums. Our vessel has depleted its fuel reserves. We are floating in the blackness of space, we are accepting what we imagine will be a peaceful death. However the final sample on the track may not permit us such a happy ending.

Clocking in barely over 12 minutes, this demo is digestible for anybody and a really fun listen. As a lover of narrative works in music, this feels like a three act play written by Isaac Asimov boiled down to its most essential parts. Give it a listen and get lost in the Bleak Black Void.