When I heard 8-bit and metal, I just got exited. Being a gamer myself and a metal fan, this just needed to be heard. To be honest, I had no idea what this would sound like. I mean, you know what to expect from 8-bit, like the old school video games that made simple sounds in different tones, and of course you know what metal sounds like with its distorted guitars. Now I may be oversimplifying this a little. I can’t wait to actually hear what this 4th Next Life album sounds like.

Before getting into the music, I quickly want to state I dig the album cover which is basically just the image of a computer chip. A cover that makes sense and makes you even more curious about what’s inside.

Title track ‘Guru Meditation’ is the one that makes the first impression. It’s short and fast, and almost exactly what you would expect from the genre. It’s a nice combination between guitars and 8-bit electronics. It sounds like a battle between both during the faster parts. The end is really well done, with a fade out in white noise, a sound that makes you want to know what’s next.

‘The Beyond Perception’ is the first level of a classic video game. It has more cleaner and higher pitched electronic sounds in it and therefore leans more towards the sound of a video game.

It goes fluently into the next song, ‘Prophecy Come True’. The beginning has an alien like sound effect to it. Or another way to describe it would be the sound where they usually put the visuals of a raindrop falling in water and creating small circles around it. This song could be your boss level.

‘Alive’ starts with a very vibrant sound at the beginning. The song is lighter, higher pitched. And as the song title says: much more alive. I like the very subtle sound of the metronome at the end of the song.

‘Strength I’ starts all mysterious with a very low note. On top of that, there’s a higher melody. Later, it bursts into action with distorted guitars. This format continues until the end of the song. Near the end, there’s a ‘doorbell’ sound. First it’s in the distance, then it’s louder and you want to get away from it. But then you don’t, because you want to know what’s next.

In ‘Part Human’, Next Life made the electronic melody sound like it had something to say. Almost words on top of the distorted guitars. I think the title of the song also helps you to think in this direction. The combination of all the different sounds and the title just makes sense. 

It’s incredible how many details there are in this album. It’s fast, it’s strong, it tells a story and it does this with the most detailed electronic sound effects. It all matches. Even though this album is fully instrumental, absolutely no words, I still feel like I understand what each song is trying to say. To create that kind of effect, you need to be very passionate about the music you create. You have to know what every sound does and what it creates. To some it might sound chaotic, to others it might sound creative. But this, my friends, is a piece of art.

Release date: August 21, 2020
Label: Fysisk Format
Tracklist:

1. Guru Meditation
2. The Beyond Perception
3. Prophecy Come True
4. Alive
5. Strength I
6. Part Human
7. Astral Emenation
8. Infinite Karmic Repetition
9. Dexterity II
10. Apocalypse 19
11. Slow Drive
12. Eternal Twilight
13. Intelligence III