Review by TheOneNeverSeen on February 4, 2024.

I've learned about this relatively unknown band thanks to a fragment of "A Dream of Earth" used in a "Try not to headbang" YouTube video (yeah, the best way to find new music, I know). I instantly liked the "dum-dum, dun-dun" piano part and decided to check the band out. And, as you can see, I did not regret it.

"The Xun Protectorate" is truly unique, not only in terms of the sound ("prog-technical death-black-industrial-ambient-something else-metal" would be a way of characterizing it), but also in terms of its hypnotic, engrossing atmosphere. While I've heard many albums that successfully created the feeling of facing the unknown, battling aliens or circling desolate planets in a spaceship, the mixture of emotions this album conveys is absolutely stunning. Most songs have a mysterious feeling to them ("The Tragedy of the Awakened One", "A Dream of Earth"), while some are rather anxious and frustrated ("Liberator", "The Tragedy of the Awakened One"). The uneven vocals also contribute to this diversity. I love the contrast between the growls of "The Tragedy of the Awakened One" and "Visions of Nehaya", melodic singing in the end of "Death of the Timekeeper" and transcendent voice, accompanied by female vocals on "A Dream of Earth".

The riffs of "A Jhator Ascension", "Death of the Timekeeper", "A Dream of Earth" are immensely catchy and beautiful. The rest of the songs are also more or less consistent in terms of quality. Personally, I didn't enjoy "Liberator" and "Toward the Devouring Light" as much, since they seemed a little too long and not as exciting to me, but, when listened to alongside the rest of the album, they don't sound particularly bad.

The abstract lyrics, despite not being exceptional, generally fit the album's atmosphere and are also enjoyable in and of themselves. My favorite lyrics must be the ones of "Death of the Timekeeper" and "A Dream of Earth" (the lines "There’s no heart in the chest of a droid/No life in the deep of the torrid void/Denied the concept of linear time/No dusk or dawn nor bells that chime" and "Hidden within and lingering for all the centuries gone by/Now open up to this unraveling/It tells the tale of what you are" are simply awesome).

In conclusion, I highly recommend everybody to experience the odd atmosphere of "The Xun Protectorate". Such a curious blending of genres, filled with contrasting feelings is definitely worth getting familiar with.

Rating: 9 out of 10