new-music

VIDNA OBMANA’s TWILIGHT REDUX 2 REVIEWED

Posted on September 25, 2025November 3, 2025 by dirkserries

VITAL WEEKLY REVIEW :
If you wonder how deep the vaults of Vidna Obmana are, I have the same question. I’ve known Dirk Serries, also known as Vidna Obmana, since the first day he started as a short-lived noise project, and now, 40 years later, he surprises me with yet another triple CD of music, comprising 16 long pieces recorded from 1995 to 2002; only four of these have been released, three on compilation CDs and one on a very limited 7″. I heard one of these four, so, for all I know, all the stuff I never heard before. By the mid-1990s, Serries had a clear vision of what Vidna Obmana should sound like, utilising “Atmospheres, various flutes, overtone flutes, percussion, rhythm programming, dreampipes, recycling, and abstract mutations, as well as voices,” and expanding on these ideas. Massive, sustaining ambient pieces, long flowing paths, lots of sound effects, processing those acoustic sounds. Sometimes there’s a bit of tribalist rhythm, nothing too much in your face, except for the first part of ‘Recoils In Anger I & II”, which is something of a distraction, but working very well as a counterpart for the rest of the album. The use of voice in ‘Shaking The Surreal’ is something I haven’t heard before in Vidna Obmana’s music, but maybe I simply forgot. Otherwise, it is a very coherent collection of very typical Vidna Obmana pieces. I am wondering why they have not been released. They are as good as any from that time, and I can imagine a well-known name like Vidna Obmana being swamped with requests for a compilation track in those years (the compilation as the starting point for any new label). After three solid hours of musical head spacing, that’s one question I had, the other being: how deep are these vaults? What’s more to come? How many more 3CD sets can we expect – you may not find the answer in Vital Weekly, as Vidna Obmana outlives us.

DE SUBJECTIVISTEN REVIEW :
Inmiddels is het geweldige Poolse Zoharum label ook begonnen aan imponerend vierluik rondom de Vidna Obmana compilatie Twilight Of Perception (1996), die 10 niet eerder uitgegeven tracks bevatte en geen gewoon overzichtswerk was. Toch bood het een mooie instap in de wereld van Vidna Obmana, die op toonaangevende wijze de wereld van dark ambient, al dan niet met drones, industrial en tribale geluiden, vorm heeft gegeven. Begin dit jaar verscheen deel één van al en kreeg je in totaal 3 cd’s met in totaal 23 tracks, die samen drie uur en een kwartier duren. Er stonden slechts 3 tracks van het oorspronkelijke album op, de rest was afkomstig van wat er nog op de planken lag, exclusieve bijdragen op vroegere compilaties, labelsamplers en magazines. Bepaald geen kliekjes, alhoewel kliekjes ook meestal prima zijn. Datzelfde geldt voor het tweede deel Twilight Of Perception Redux Volume Two 1995-2002, dat wederom 3 cd’s telt met in totaal 16 tracks van bij elkaar dik drie uur lang. Slechts 1 track komt van de oorspronkelijke compilatie en nog 3 andere tracks hebben eerder op andere compilaties gestaan. De rest is nog nooit eerder uitgebracht. Het is bijna niet te geloven hoeveel hij nog heeft liggen en van hetzelfde hoge niveau als zijn reguliere albums. Hij laat hier weer fantastische atmosferische ambient horen, die hij middels elektronica, (boventoon) fluiten, percussie, ritmische programmering, dreampipe, gerecyclede en abstracte geluiden en zang tot stand heeft gebracht. Met dit vierluik brengt hij gewoon al meer uit dan de gemiddelde muzikant uitbrengt. Het is een must voor de fans en wederom een prima instapwerk om deze legendarische muzikant te leren kennen.

VER SACRUM REVIEW :
Twilight of Perception Redux Volume Two è molto più di una semplice ristampa o di un’operazione d’archivio: è una cartografia sonora del sottosuolo creativo di Dirk Serries, meglio conosciuto sotto lo pseudonimo di Vidna Obmana, uno dei nomi più enigmatici e coerenti dell’ambient europeo. Con questa seconda parte del progetto Redux, dedicata al periodo 1995–2002, l’ascoltatore viene invitato a esplorare una fase di transizione e consolidamento dell’estetica obmaniana, in un periodo in cui l’artista belga si muoveva tra minimalismo atmosferico, tribalismo meditativo e sperimentazione elettroacustica. Il lavoro di raccolta e sistematizzazione operato da Serries qui assume i tratti di una vera e propria curatela filologica. I brani, originariamente sparsi in compilation oggi introvabili, singoli a tiratura limitata o pubblicazioni su formati minori, vengono qui riuniti con ordine e rispetto cronologico, accompagnati da un’attenta rimasterizzazione e, soprattutto, da un commento personale dell’artista, che offre uno sguardo intimo sulla genesi e l’intento originario di ogni traccia. Non si tratta, però, di un’antologia fredda o museale: Twilight of Perception Redux Volume Two è un oggetto vivo, profondamente narrativo, che restituisce l’evoluzione di un linguaggio sonoro ormai pienamente maturo. La raccolta comprende tre CD – ciascuno con una propria micro-identità pur restando legato all’insieme – e funziona tanto come compendio quanto come supplemento alla discografia ufficiale di Vidna Obmana. Si ritrovano in questi lavori rari le linee guida di quegli anni: il lento e meditativo sviluppo delle texture, la predilezione per i suoni naturali (flauti, percussioni trattate, field recordings), il dialogo tra drone music e ambient rituale. Molte tracce portano con sé la forza di un tempo sospeso, in cui l’ascolto diventa quasi un atto contemplativo. Altre, più rarefatte e sperimentali, documentano la curiosità esplorativa di Serries verso la manipolazione del suono, la spazializzazione, la disintegrazione ritmica. Il tutto è confezionato in un digipack a otto pannelli, con un’elegante veste grafica curata attraverso le fotografie di Martina Verhoeven, la cui estetica sobria e meditativa si sposa perfettamente con l’universo sonoro del musicista. La scelta grafica non è casuale: la fotografia agisce come estensione visiva dell’immersione uditiva, suggerendo paesaggi interiori e tempi dilatati. Twilight of Perception Redux Volume Two si rivolge tanto agli appassionati di lunga data quanto ai nuovi ascoltatori desiderosi di esplorare la produzione storica di un artista che ha fatto scuola nel campo dell’ambient. È un’occasione rara per riscoprire materiali altrimenti perduti, e per comprendere – attraverso queste tessere sonore – l’evoluzione silenziosa ma inarrestabile del linguaggio di Vidna Obmana. Questa raccolta non è solo un atto di recupero: è un rituale di memoria sonora, che celebra l’importanza del dettaglio, del tempo lungo, del suono come esperienza totalizzante. Un’opera che ci ricorda quanto, nella musica ambient, anche il silenzio tra le note possa essere pieno di significato. Consigliato chi ama Brian Eno, Steve Roach, Robert Rich e i territori più meditativi della musica elettronica sperimentale. Un ascolto obbligato per i cultori della deep ambient e per chi cerca nella musica un luogo da abitare.

KRAUTNICK REVIEW :
Als Vidna Obmana – oder hier: vidnaObmana – geht Dirk Serries andere Wege als auf seinen aktuellen Solo-Alben: Diesen Ambient generiert der Antwerpener nämlich nicht allein mit der Gitarre, sondern allein mit einer Vielzahl anderer Instrumente, zudem lässt er es zu, seine himmlischen Soundscapes auch mal von leichten Rhythmen zu begleiten. Dieser zweite Teil der „Twilight Of Perception Redux“-Reihe weicht vom ersten dadurch ab, dass drei Viertel der 16 auf drei CDs verteilten Tracks bisher unveröffentlicht waren; beim ersten fiel die Quote weit geringer aus. Die Entstehungszeit zwischen 1995 und 2002 ist dabei beinahe unerheblich: Legt man die Alben auf, taucht man ganz im Hier und Jetzt in der Musik ab.Diese Sorte Ambient kommt zwar wie gewohnt ohne konkrete oder gar wiederholte Melodien aus, aber definitiv nicht ohne Harmonien, die Serries hier mit unterschiedlichen Mitteln erzeugt, die man wiederum beim besten Willen nicht ermitteln kann, weil er sie alle verfremdet. Aufgelistet sind in der Info: diverse Fujara genannte slowakische Hirtenflöten, Obertonflöten, Percussion, programmierte Rhythmen, ein Instrument namens Dreampipe, seine Stimme sowie recycelte und abstrahierte Mutationen. So vage wie diese Liste hält sich auch die Musik. Der Opener mit dem programmatischen Titel „The Returning Voyage“ etwa klingt nach Neoklassik, also Streichern, und die kommen hier gar nicht zum Einsatz. Hier erklingt zudem auch gleich eine Art Schlagzeug, dezent nur.
Obschon diese Sammlung in der Mitte der Neunziger erst einsetzt, erinnert „Urban Dislocation (Alt. Version)“ an zweiter Stelle mit seinen noisigen Drumsounds an die Ursprünge von Vidna Obmana. Jene Sounds begleiten zudem beklemmende Harmonien, die einiges Unwohlsein auslösen; diese spannende Sorte Musik ist auf dieser Sammlung damit abgehakt, der Rest gestaltet sich wieder entspannender. „Somersaults“ etwa ist eine fernöstliche Atemtherapie, die zunächst mit dezidiert angeschlagenen Glöckchen hypnotisiert. Ein nervöses Rascheln liegt über den wunderschönen Soundscapes von „Subliminal Storm“, und wunderschöne Soundscapes bilden auf dieser Sammlung den Großteil der Musik. „Recoils In Anger I & II“ weicht davon ab, es klingt elektronisch, nach Synthieeffekten, indes kein Bisschen nach Ärger. Das Rascheln kehrt nach der Hälfte von „Shaking The Surreal“ zurück, dafür beginnt es ungewöhnlich, nämlich mit Tribal Drums und sogar Stimme. „Towards The Haze (Siren V)“ bietet gefühlt nach Stunden ebenfalls dezente Drums, die im Verlauf leicht an den Motor-Rhythmus von „Stripped“ von Depeche Mode erinnern, inmitten dieses vertonten überirdischen Lichts.
Ebenfalls etwas aus den milden Sounds heraus ragt „The Embrace In Motion“ mit Klapper-Percussion, „The Ceremonial Storm“ hingegen ist genau das, mit Regenmacher und schamanischen Sounds. In „The Surreal Expansion I, II, III“ regnet es mittendrin, während die Musik wie Wellen schwappt; das überlange Stück endet cineastisch-überirdisch. „Path Of Distortion/The Primary Seeker“ beginnt stressiger, als es der Rest des Albums ist, mit einem modulierten rhythmisch variierten Sound zu den Soundscapes. Die zweite Hälfte wiederum bietet Sounds und Harmonien wie aus einem Horror-Score. Der Titel des letzten Stückes, „Blur“, passt zunächst, aber spooky Klopfgeräusche unterbrechen die diffusen Sounds bald.
Serries rief Vidna Obmana – auf Serbisch, відна обмана, eine offensichtliche oder optische Täuschung – vor 40 Jahren mit dem eher im Noise zu verortenden Album „The Ultimate Sign Of Burning Death“ ins Leben, veränderte die Ausrichtung bald ins Sphärische und ließ es kaum 20 Jahre später zugunsten anderer Projekte ruhen, vornehmlich Fear Falls Burning. Gegenwärtig müht sich Serries darum, die unzählbaren Aufnahmen wieder zugänglich zu machen, daher rührt auch der Anlass für diese Compilation, die sich überdies löblicherweise bei Material aus Serries‘ Schublade bedient und die die alte „Twilight Of Perception“-Reihe fortsetzt, die sich seinerzeit bereits auf Unveröffentlichtes fixierte.

CHAIN D.L.K. REVIEW :
4,5 OUT OF 5 STARS ! Not all time capsules come with dust and rust. Some emerge polished, glowing, and humming softly to themselves, like they never really left. “Twilight of Perception Redux Volume Two” is just such an artifact: a sprawling, meditative excavation of Vidna Obmana’s less visible sound-world from 1995 to 2002, restored and re-presented with the care of an archivist, the ear of a composer, and the slightly haunted energy of someone who once recorded music under moonlight. This triple-disc set isn’t simply a box of forgotten tracks – it’s a sonic constellation made of outtakes, alternate versions, and long-lost compilation contributions. These are fragments that refused to stay silent, now woven into a cohesive listening experience by the hand of Dirk Serries, who not only remastered them in 2024 but curated them with the sort of attention one might reserve for dreams that once meant something important, but were never fully understood.
Listening to these tracks is less like pressing play and more like opening a portal. There are no choruses to hum here, no rhythmic high-fives. Instead, there’s immersion. Drift. Decay. A slow-breathing ambience where flutes echo like the memory of wind, percussion shuffles through the fog, and the boundaries between organic and digital blur into glimmering irrelevance. The music doesn’t demand your attention – it seduces it. Tracks like “Tapestry of Dust” stretch past the 20-minute mark, blooming like sonic mycelium beneath your skin. “Urban Dislocation (Alt. Version)” pulses with subtle unease, while “The Embrace in Motion” and “Blur” offer fleeting glimpses of melody that feel as if they’re retreating even as you approach. This is ambient music not as decoration but as infiltration – a slow, careful takeover of your inner monologue. The kind of album you don’t finish so much as emerge from, a little disoriented and vaguely grateful. What sets this release apart isn’t just the length or rarity of the material. It’s the sheer intimacy of the sound-making. Flutes (particularly the fujara and overtone varieties) intertwine with processed textures, while dreampipe drones, recycled noises, and gentle rhythmic programming breathe together like elements in a living biome. Even the titles – “The Edge of Everything”, “Path of Distortion”, “The Surreal Expansion” – suggest a kind of mystical cartography, as though these aren’t compositions but coordinates. Everything was recorded and mixed at Serenity Studio in Belgium – an appropriately named headquarters for such delicate sonic work. And while some tracks previously surfaced in obscure formats or long-deleted compilations, most appear here for the first time, freshly dusted and remarkably present.
It’s tempting to frame this release as a “collector’s item”, and sure, it is. But more importantly, it’s a space – a vast, slow-moving environment you can enter again and again. Like a lucid dream where gravity is optional, or a desert storm where each grain of sand is whispering something just for you.
Vidna Obmana’s work has always nudged the border between ambient and sacred. In this Redux, that spiritual undercurrent feels even more pronounced. The music doesn’t just fill a room – it transforms it into a temple of lost futures and quiet revelations.
Twilight may be a metaphor, but here it’s also a technique – fading, layering, remembering. And perception? Well, that’s optional.

GONZO CIRCUS REVIEW :
‘TWILIGHT OF PERCEPTION REDUX VOLUME TWO’ compileert verder waar het eerste deel ophield. Opnieuw drie bomvolle (180+ minuten) cd’s nooit eerder uitgebracht of moeilijk te vinden Vidna Obmana-materiaal, zorgvuldig samengebracht, geremasterd en in een niet toevallige volgorde gezet. Serries’ majestueuze elektronische soundscapes, drones en loops – er was toen nog geen sprake van de elektrische gitaar als voornaamste instrument – worden hier verrijkt met allerlei exotische fluitinstrumenten zoals de fujara en wat (tribale) percussie links en rechts. Het uitgesproken ritmische ‘Recoils In Anger I & II’ doorbreekt de flow en zorgt net als de stemmen in ‘Shaking The Surreal’ voor een aangename afwisseling. Merkwaardig wat er allemaal nog aan exclusieve topkwaliteit in ’s mans kasten en schuiven ligt uit die wel heel erg productieve periodes; Er komen trouwens nog twee delen.

ONLYDEATHISREAL REVIEW : Belgian Vidna Obmana and Polish Zoharum continue their joint effort to unearth rarities and unreleased tracks from the former’s archives. Where the first installment in this series spanned the years 1990 to 1998, this second compilation starts from 1995 and ends in 2002. Again, the format is three CD’s, each with over an hour’s worth of music. So, in total, around three hours and fifteen minutes of ambient is what’s on offer here. In contrast to the first installment, Volume Two also consists largely of previously unreleased tracks. I find this worthy of mention from the bat, considering how vast Vidna Obmana’s catalogue is – if you’re a fan, don’t bother looking through your collection to see which tracks you’ve already got on other releases. Most of these you won’t have. Ambient of a serene and harmonious kind is still the order of the day here. The tracks have grown in length: where Volume One had 23 tracks, Volume Two has 16 tracks, clocking in at about the same running time. This means Vidna Obmana and sole member Dirk Serries have better time to develop and evolve ideas within the tracks. There are some other changes, too. Whereas Part One, at least according to how I recall it (I admit: I didn’t revisit the entirety of it for this review), was largely sans dominant percussive elements, here they are at the fore and core of many tracks. Looped, repeating, vaguely ritualistic and/or tribal percussive patterns give a bit of tangibility to many tracks. If I’m not mistaken, instruments such as flutes and reeds of various kinds have a more pronounced role here and there, lending the music some degree of tribal/ethno ambient vibe. However, for the most part, Vidna Obmana remains Vidna Obmana between the two volumes. This means long, drawn out layers of peaceful, serene synths washing over the listener like waves of some cosmic sea. Undulating, pulsating subsurface layers give depth and substance to the music, whilst various echoing, rattling, droning layers in the background add variation and active elements. Concepts, themes and motifs evolve and emerge slowly, languidly in the lengthy pieces. Sadly, my one major issue with Volume One remains on Volume Two. Sometimes there are long silent sequences between the tracks. This breaks the flow, interrupts a seamless and continuous stream of music, which I believe would serve this kind of music best. But apart from that, Twilight Of Perception Redux Volume Two is a fine release. Personally, I’m preferential towards less percussion in my ambient, which makes me partial to the first volume. But this issue of personal taste notwithstanding, the second volume matches the quality of the first. I must also mention how well these tracks, created over many years and sessions, go together. There are no chafing seams here. Summa summarum, the second volume continues the high quality of the first volume. I’d go so far as to say that for the casual listener, this can already be now called the essential series of releases to get from the Belgian project. Take that with a grain of salt, though: I admit I’m no expert on Vidna Obmana; at best my knowledge of the project and its recordings is spotty. But, yeah, anyhow, good stuff.

DARKROOM REVIEW :
Nonostante lo storico progetto del belga Dirk Serries abbia messo fine alla propria attività nel lontano 2007, dopo ventitre anni di onorata carriera, non si ferma la massiccia opera di ristampe dal passato e di raccolta/pubblicazione di materiale inedito o raro, che di certo non manca ad un artista che ha realizzato, sia come Vidna Obmana che come Fear Falls Burning e col proprio nome, una mole di musica davvero enorme. Dei volumi della serie “Twilight of Perception”, collezione di rarità ed inediti, ne fu pubblicato uno solo in formato fisico (il CD del ’96 targato Projekt, ma per la divisione Relic), cui ne seguirono molti altri esclusivamente in download, per una decina in totale. La polacca Zoharum, che si è occupata di tante ristampe di Vidna Obmana, aveva già rilasciato lo scorso anno il primo volume di “Twilight of Perception Redux”, maxi-raccolta divisa in ben tre CD di rarità ed inediti rimasterizzati del periodo 1990-1998. Il secondo volume segue il medesimo schema, con altri tre dischetti racchiusi in un digipack a sei pannelli, ma con estratti recuperati dal periodo 1995-2002, anche questi rimasterizzati, per oltre tre ore di ascolto complessivo. Serries è gran maestro della materia ambient come ben sappiamo, e nel suo lavoro regna assoluta un’alta qualità che ritroviamo anche in quel materiale che non ha trovato posto nelle uscite degli anni d’oro, come ben dimostrano tutte le sedici tracce complessive dell’operazione. Nell’abbondanza dell’offerta, non mancano né quei tribalismi dal sapore esotico ed orientale tipici della scrittura di Dirk (“The Returning Voyage”, “Subliminal Storm”, “Shaking the Surreal”, “The Ceremonial Storm”…), né le altrettanto caratteristiche ambientazioni ampie e radiose (“The Edge of Everything”, “Towards the Haze”…), così come le tessiture dal più elevato tasso filmico di grande effetto (“Horizon Beyond”, “The Delayed Reflection”…) e quelle coltri misteriche abilmente orchestrate per tingere d’arcaico un suono mai ridondante (“Tapestry of Dust”, “Blur”…). Benché si tratti di recuperi di materiale “secondario” riferito ad un preciso arco temporale, il livello dei contenuti di questa corposa raccolta vale decisamente il prezzo d’acquisto, specialmente per i più accaniti estimatori e completisti dell’opera del celebrato ed importante autore belga.

MUSIQUE MACHINE REVIEW :
4 out of 5 stars rating !! Twilight Of Perception Redux Volume Two 1995-2002 is the next in a series of CD compilations from Poland’s Zoharum. Each release in the series serves up a selection of rare and unreleased tracks from Euro ambient pioneer Vidna Obmana, aka Belgium’s Dirk Serries. This three-CD set takes in sixteen tracks, and as you’d imagine from such a collection, we get variation in both the tone/atmosphere, moving from pared-back ambience, all the way through to detailed/rhythmic-edged ethnic ambient works.
The three-CD set is presented in an eight-panel digipak. It features an effective mix of pink texts- underlaid by close-up monochrome photos of the leaves of decaying plant life. Just like all of the growing catalogue of Vidna Obmana reissues on the label, we get a nicely moody/ lightly arty and uniform look to the packaging.
Compared with the first volume in this series, which featured twenty-three tracks, we only get sixteen here, meaning the track run times are often longer on this three-disc set, and as I touched on earlier, a fair bit of sonic/ mood variation.
On the first disc, we move from “Urban Dislocation (Alt. Version)”- which creates a disorienting/ uneasily grim air- with its layers of forlorn/ wavering mid to low end ambient tones, snapping half-buried beats, and foreboding drones. Though to the warbling ‘n’ warming locked drones, hazed skittering rhymes, and almost piping ethno denseness of “Subliminal Storm”.
The second disc goes from slowly gliding n’ glowing ambient pitches, shaking/ rattling rhythmic tones, and mumbled male voice flow of “Shaking The Surreal”. Onto the epic twenty-three minutes of “Tapestry Of Dust” which is a slowed ‘n’ shambling blend of drifting vibe simmer, buffeting texture rub, and general low-key tonal unease.
On the third disc, we open with taunt but steady tabular trails, mysterious shaker drift, and wavery drones of “The Embrace In Motion”. Moving onto shimmering water tones, moody feedback glides, and building percussive detail/ groove of “The Ceremonial Strom”. With the disc playing out with the track “Blur” which finds slow-mo drone pitch unease meeting sparse/ eerier rhythmic elements, which initially sounds akin to steady light night knockings of the last train.
Twilight Of Perception Redux Volume Two 1995-2002 is another fine and varied collection of tracks from one of the masters of the euro ambient form. As always, I’m very much looking forward to the next release in Zoharum reissue series.

ROCKERILLA REVIEW :
Il genio tormentato è partito per l’ultimo tour.
L’archivio di vidnaObmana è davvero stupefacente. In due nuovi tripli cd il musicista belga ha raccolto ben trentanove brani per la durata complessiva di oltre sei ore di musica. Il primo volume raccoglie per lo più brani già editi su raccolte introvabili. Come Within Whitering Memories apparsa originariamente sulla musicassetta Fairy Tales & Myths (1990, 3Rio Art Tapes), o la parte conclusiva della meravigliosa suite che apre l’album capolavoro Passage In Beauty (1991, Decade), Awaken In Floating Colours – Composition 5 (Ending), pubblicata dalla Projekt di Sam Rosenthal sulla compilation From Across This Gray Land, n° 3 nel 1992. Si tratta in alcuni casi di raccolte che hanno aiutato a definire i confini di una scena in evoluzione, in grado di mettere insieme diversi stili dell’universo elettronico come l’imperdibile The Sombient Trilogy della Asphodel: vidnaObmana è presente sui primi due capitoli della serie, con Equal Distance (uno dei rari brani del musicista belga dove è presente la voce) su The Throne Of Drones, e con Flat Earth sul doppio cd Swarm Of Drones, entrambi pubblicati originariamente nel 1995. Nel complesso si tratta di brani che aiutano a capire il passaggio della musica di vidnaObmana dai primi esperimenti in ambito ambient fortemente caratterizzati dall’immaginario post-industriale, alle distese sconfinate delle opere space-ambient della metà degli anni 90.
Solo quattro, invece, le tracce presenti su Twilight Of Perception Redux – Volume Two 1995-2002 già pubblicate in passato: tre su altrettante compilation e una su un raro sette pollici della Klanggalerie del 2002, Isolation Trip/Path of Distortion.
Incredibili la qualità degli inediti. Non si spiega davvero come un brano della portata di Tapestry Of Dust non sia apparso su un album di metà anni 90 del musicista belga. Per non dire della suite in tre parti The Surreal Expansion I,II,III, un bagno di ambient stellare a gravità lunare.
Da quando Dirk Serries ha ripreso ad osservare il cosmo con il naso all’insù pubblicando nuovi dischi di musica ambient accanto a quelli della sua oramai avviata etichetta free-jazz (A New Wave Of Jazz), deve essersi accorto che l’interesse per la musica di vidnaObmana era tutt’altro che svanito. Nel mese di maggio del 2024 ha così rimasterizzato le ventitre tracce finite poi sul triplo cd Twilight Of Perception Redux – Volume One 1990-1998. E sorte analoga è capitata alle sedici contenute su Twilight Of Perception Redux – Volume Two 1995-2002, ripulite e rimasterizzate durante lo scorso mese di ottobre. Un ascolto che vale come un’immersione rigenerante.

SIDE-LINE REVIEW :
A few months ago, we were fortunate enough to discover the first part of this remarkable Vidna Obmana anthology. This second chapter offers 16 tracks that can be considered forgotten or previously unknown, many of them originally appearing only on compilations. These pieces were recorded between 1995 and 2002.
For anyone familiar with Dirk Serries’ work under his sonic alter ego Vidna Obmana, this will come as no surprise. The music presents a serene yet at times mysterious fusion of ambient and cinematic soundscapes, occasionally supported by slow, deliberate rhythms. Field recordings and an array of effects drive the atmosphere, while subtle string arrangements add an extra soaring quality. The tracks unfold gradually and, as is often the case, tend toward extended durations—sometimes a bit too long for my taste. Vidna Obmana’s work remains inexhaustible, and this series of albums is undoubtedly a gift for all admirers of his art. (Rating:7).

THE MIGHT OF STARS SUBLIME

Posted on September 1, 2025November 3, 2025 by dirkserries

On April 28th the German AUDIOPHOB label released Dirk Serries’ newest ambient album THE MIGHT OF STARS SUBLIME. Available through the label and directly from the artist over at his bandcamp here. Reviews will be added below the photo and bandcamp link. Enjoy.

VITAL WEEKLY REVIEW :
This time, I will refrain from expressing my surprise about Dirk Serrries returning to ambient music, playing guitar with lots of effects, and such, because there are a few of these albums, and it’s a steady stream. If Serries is on a roll, there’s no stopping him. His improvised music side is nice, even when, most of the time, not my thing. I always preferred his work as Vidna Obmana and Fears Falls Burning, and these days doing a crossover between those previous projects. There are the highly atmospheric, sustaining patterns of Vidna Obmana, without the refinement, coupled with the rock-like guitar drone approach of Fear Falls Burning, but without the rock context, if you get my drift. The previous release had a bit more of a crumbled approach, almost like aliens playing the residue of a guitar, but on ‘The Might Of Stars Sublime’, the guitar returns to being a guitar and even howls like a drone-rock guitar e-bow solo. Here, too, the element of sustaining plays a significant role
in the music, with the five pieces ranging in length from seven to ten minutes. Each of these is a well-rounded composition, and the five pieces are alike, yet different. They’re from the same composer, who nailed his approach down and sticks to the plan. Of course, Serries understands the need for this approach; to make an atmospheric album most enjoyable, it is essential to have no distractions, no out-of-place elements, and to do what he does best: play this kind of music. Whereas the previous release reminded me of Manuel Mota, this new one reminds me mostly of Dirk Serries, and that’s also (!) a great connection. Another refined work!

AFRICAN PAPER REVIEW :
Mit “The Might of Stars Sublime” veröffentlicht der belgische Musiker Dirk Serries sein erstes Album auf dem Leipziger Label Audiophob. Aufgenommen mit elektrischer Gitarre und Effektgeräten, bewegt sich das Werk im Spannungsfeld zwischen warmer, vielfarbiger Klangschichtung und rauen, körnigen Texturen, oft mit einem spürbar melancholischen Unterton. Die Stücke folgen einer reduzierten, aber harmonisch fein abgestimmten Struktur, in der melodische Elemente zwar angedeutet, aber nie vordergründig ausformuliert werden. Stattdessen entfaltet sich eine Musik, die gleichermaßen geerdet wirkt und doch in eine andere Dimension zu führen scheint. Der Titel, inspiriert von einem Zitat Goethes, scheint auf diese Spannung zwischen Größe und Zerbrechlichkeit, zwischen Sternenglanz und Stille zu deuten.

NITESTYLEZ REVIEW :
Put out on the circuit via the German Audiophob label on April 25th, 2k25 is “The Might Of Stars Sublime”, the most recent album by long standing producer Dirk Serries who has – according to Discogs stats… – more than 130 solo album releases under his belt using his real name alone, with a multiple of multiple involvements in groups, bands and projects as well as other aliases used since the 80s not accounted for. An impressive discography which sees its latest sequel, a five tracks and roughly 45 minutes spanning CD album, venturing into emotional, highly dramatic Synth Ambient landscapes with the opening tune “A Soft Glow” which moves to and fro like bright beams of sunlight over harsh, mountaineous terrain on a stormy, semi-clouded day followed by the deeper, more nocturnal, yet not less dramatic “Evocation” which, despite being less spiralling, for us evokes faint memories of Tangerine Dream’s score work for the 1977 movie “Sorcerer”. Furthermore “Carved Into” Oscillation” brings forth a calm take on post-apocalyptic Dark Ambient melancholia with fine morning mists floating over scarred landscapes and future battlefields whereas “Form Reversal” enters a realm of shimmering Ambient hopefulness and ethereal beauty before the final cut that is “The Stars Sublime” waves goodbye in a most comforting, and probably most classic and soothing Ambient manner with its soft ebb and flow of tonal shifts and a basically naturalistic overall feel which also might speak to fans and followers of (Neo)Classical music for a reason. A highly recommended journey into Ambient and Deep Listening Music as well as classic Synth compositions for those who know. Go check!

KRAUTNICK REVIEW :
Heimlich wie die Kraft der Sterne bedient sich Dirk Serries für den Titel seines neuesten Albums (obwohl das zum Zeitpunkt der Niederschrift bei dem vielbeschäftigten Antwerpener vermutlich nicht mehr zutrifft) „The Might Of Stars Sublime“ bei Johann Wolfgang von Goethes Gedicht „Glück der Entfernung“. So poetisch wie der Titel ist auch die Musik, möchte man sagen. Dieses Mal hat sein mit der E-Gitarre erzeugter Ambient mehr Modulation als auf anderen Veröffentlichungen dieser Art, man ist beinahe geneigt, zu sagen: mehr Tempo, was bei beatlosem Ambient natürlich etwas schwierig zu ermitteln ist. Strahlende Schönheit liegt ihm ebenso inne wie beklemmende Spannung. Die Musik auf diesen fünf Tracks bewegt sich mehr, die Modulationen geschehen wahrnehmbarer. Auf vergleichbaren Alben strecken sich die Tonlagenänderungen bisweilen in den mehrstelligen Minutenbereich, hier geschehen sie wahrnehmbarer, expliziter. Rasanter wäre das falsche Wort, weil man den Bereich des Ambient hier nicht verlässt, dennoch hat sich das Tempo hier erhöht. Aufgrund der Sounds, die Serries hier und überhaupt generiert, erwartet man das komplett Verlangsamte, und fühlt sich dann, wenn er sich etwas flotter bewegt, quasi überrumpelt. Es entsteht eine Art Beklemmung, ein Unbehagen, wenn das, was den Hörenden ansonsten entspannen soll, unerwartet Spannung erzeugt. Und schon ist man gefangen von den Sounds hier. In „A Soft Glow“ klingt Serries‘ Gitarre wie zwei Orgeln: eine generiert eine deckende Soundscpae im Hintergrund, die zweite im Vordergrund in anderer Tonlage eine Melodie. Hier entsteht der Eindruck erstmals, alles sei zu schnell, obschon es immer noch sehr langsam vonstattengeht, wie Serries seine Gitarre und die Effektgeräte bearbeitet. Man ist verunsichert, fürchtet einen Angriff, als bäume sich da etwas in der Musik auf, um den unbedarften Hörenden zu attackieren, doch dies geschieht nicht, Serries hat das Biest unter Kontrolle, vermutlich windet es sich deshalb so vergleichsweise ungestüm. Für „Evocation“ wechselt Serries die Ausprägung der Sounds, hier klingt die Gitarre wie ein unbestimmtes Instrument in einem nebligen Hallraum, ebenfalls leicht beschleunigt variiert. Anders in „Carved Into Oscillation“, da nimmt Serries das Tempo erstmals heraus. Hier klingt die Gitarre wie dunkler Atem, bald cineastisch, warm, weich, beruhigend, und die Anflüge von Unbehagen sind verschwunden. Mit „Form Reversal“ kehren sie zurück, denn das Stück erhebt sich bedächtig schlängelnd aus dem Abgrund, es entwickelt einen Rausch und ist beinahe melodiös, so wie der Auftakt. Das Quasi-Titelstück „The Stars Sublime“ kommt komplett ohne den Fuzz aus, ohne das Diffuse, ohne Drones: Die Gitarre ist weitgehend klar gespielt, die zweite Ebene erinnert abermals an eine Orgel. Bill Murray erzählt den Teetrinkern RZA und GZA, dass er vor dem Schlafen Kaffee trinkt, damit er dann schneller träumt, und so wirkt „The Might Of Stars Sublime“ ebenfalls ein wenig: Es ist alles etwas beschleunigt, damit man schneller entspannt. Aber wie gesagt, lediglich im Vergleich zu anderen Arbeiten von Serries, für sich gehört ist dies immer noch chillig-schleppendes Gitarren-Drone-Ambient. Schön und entspannend, wenn es im Hintergrund läuft, und umso spannender und detailreicher, wenn man die Konzentration darauf lenkt. Und während man dies liest, hat Serries 393 neue Alben herausgebracht.

EXPOSÉ REVIEW :
Like its title implies, The Might of Stars Sublime is less a disturbance and more of a step into the floating ambient direction, yet still full of fascinating textures and beautiful looping structures, created using a similar template of electric guitars and a massive number of effects. This one found release as a CD on the German Audiophob label, which specializes in ambient / industrial / experimental music. Like ZDII, the five tracks herein have no cadence or beat, they just flow from one idea to the next, though in a softer more discrete way; there’s nothing really abrasive here, just a gentle flow of sculpted dreamy sonic loops that the listener can immerse themselves in. The five tracks are around ten minutes each give or take a few, and have legible titles that are at once descriptive and inviting, like “Carved into Oscillation,” “Soft Glow,” “Evocation,” or the title track, each perhaps a journey unto its own, offering patches of light and shadow, flowing and muted tonal colors, all within a swirling eddy of textures and graininess. One might find The Might of Stars Sublime to be an easier journey with less of an overt industrial feel, a bit more melodic perhaps, expressive though still shrouded in mystery.

VER SACRUM REVIEW :
Con The Might Of Stars Sublime, il suo debutto per l’etichetta tedesca Audiophob, Dirk Serries firma un ritorno che è anche un’uscita: un allontanamento dall’umano per abitare la rarefazione cosmica dell’ascolto puro. Qui la musica non racconta nulla, ma assorbe tutto. Limitato a 300 copie, il disco stesso è già un oggetto di ritiro, un frammento per iniziati. In un’epoca ossessionata dalla moltiplicazione, Serries sceglie la sottrazione radicale: una serie di brani che non cercano il centro, ma orbitano pazientemente intorno a un vuoto generativo. È ambient, sì — ma non come sottofondo: come orizzonte. Un orizzonte che si muove lentamente, troppo lentamente per lo sguardo frettoloso, ma perfettamente visibile a chi ha smesso di cercare. Il titolo stesso, The Might Of Stars Sublime, non è una metafora: è un invito a perdersi in una vertigine luminosa che non abbaglia, ma seduce con lentezza. Serries lavora per erosione. Ogni suono pare levigato dal tempo, come se provenisse da una fonte che ha suonato per eoni, fino a diventare pura presenza. Non ci sono accensioni, non ci sono cadute: c’è una stasi che pulsa, che respira con un ritmo disumano e necessario. Il minimalismo che pervade l’album non è scelta stilistica, ma atto esistenziale. I suoni si distendono come linee di forza invisibili, tra tensione e abbandono, tra l’eco e l’origine. La grandezza evocata non è teatrale: è cosmologica. Una vastità che si fa prossimità intima, come quando il buio di una stanza coincide con la notte stellata. E proprio qui si annida la forza del disco: nella capacità di evocare un altrove che non è fuori, ma sotto la pelle. Il brano finale, “The Stars Sublime”, è più che un culmine: è una soglia definitiva. Lì Serries chiude il cerchio, o forse lo dissolve. Si tratta del suo brano più trasparente e profondo, un eco affettuosa a quel Microphonics XXIII – there’s a light in vein, ma con una luce più rarefatta, meno terrestre. Non è nostalgia, ma trasfigurazione. Non memoria, ma riemersione di un sentire arcaico, assoluto. In The Might Of Stars Sublime non c’è spazio per la comunicazione, né per la relazione. È un disco per chi ha scelto di non partecipare, per chi ascolta non per sapere, ma per sciogliersi. Serries non ci accompagna: ci abbandona gentilmente in un paesaggio dove tutto è lento, distante, eppure inesorabilmente vicino. È musica che non chiede attenzione, ma sottrazione. Che non vuole essere capita, ma contemplata. Un’opera isolazionista, radicalmente aliena al tempo comune. Una preghiera muta verso un cielo che non risponde. Ma che continua, ostinatamente, a brillare.

SALT PEANUTS REVIEW :
The Might Of Stars Sublime is Serries’s solo electric guitar
album that expands his minimalist ambient music, now with a motherboard
of analog pedals and often colored with delicate, noisy, and distorted
effects. The album was recorded at Serries’ home studio between July and
August 2024, and its title is taken from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s
poem «The Bliss of Absence» («…Powers eternal, distance, time, / Like
the might of stars sublime,…»). The five pieces were created
spontaneously and are expansive, accumulate to a bigger whole, and enjoy
a rare kind of nocturnal, deep space harmonies. The last one, «The
Stars Sublime», suggests the most beautiful and peaceful territory of
this journey.

AMBIENT LANDSCAPE REVIEW :
Dirk Serries’ latest excursion serves up soft, layered, sculpted loops combined with floating textures which meld into deeply flowing melodic tones as five distinct aural pathways forge an ambient landscape along a serendipitous sonic journey.
It presents the listener with a calming and sustaining collection of beautiful atmospheres (with an occasional, subtle, feedback-oriented growl).
Mr. Serries, while still (undoubtedly) striving for the next rung on the ethereal ladder, has perfected the craft of guitar drone-scaping (along with layering effects) and has cemented his “star, sublime” into the annals of outstanding ambient axe-men. Standout tracks (for me): Carved Into Oscillation & A Soft Glow.
In a word . . . “Wonderful!”

SPONTANEOUS MUSIC TRIBUNE REVIEW :
Tego artystę i dark ambientowy wątek jego twórczości nie trzeba na tych łamach komukolwiek przedstawiać. Muzyk, który kilka lat temu twierdził, że ambient to przeszłość, zdaje się w ostatnim czasie dostarczać coraz więcej nagrań w zadanej estetyce. Wszystkie je namiętnie śledzimy i rekomendujemy trybunowym fanom. Dziś produkcja domowa z lata ubiegłego roku. W kategorii dark ambientu taka, którą zwykliśmy określać mianem wzorcowej dla tej stylistyki.
Pośród pięciu opowieści żadna nie ma oczywiście początku ani końca, płynie soczystą strugą gitarowego ambientu. Pierwszą z nich tworzą trzy wątki – krystaliczny ambient, warstwa codziennego kurzu i brudu, wreszcie basowa struga o zaskakująco kojącym zabarwieniu. W drugiej odsłonie narracja zdaje się być bardziej mroczna, płynie z głębin bezkresnego oceanu. Z czasem rozmywa się, odsuwa w cień. Otwarcie trzeciej historii jest ciepłe, niemal relaksacyjne. Rozbudowana warstwa szumu stawia jednak znak zapytania i skutecznie dominuje w dalszej części utworu. Czwarta część wydaje się sprasowana, matowa, przefiltrowana przez grubą kotarę teatralną. Szorstki flow ma jednak nieoczywistą intensywność. Wreszcie finałowa, łagodna, pożegnalna meta ballada, z nowym wątkiem, który brzmi jak nagie struny gitary. Smutna opowieść jednocześnie narasta i rozlewa się coraz szerszym korytem. Potem umiera w dalece metafizyczny sposób.

GONZO CIRCUS REVIEW :
Op ‘THE MIGHT OF STARS SUBLIME’ (fraaie titel overigens) zijn ritmes absent, en volstaan een elektrische gitaar en analoge effectpedalen om grootse, epische kathedralen van geluid, laag per laag, op te trekken. Het eindresultaat is niets minder dan gelukzalige trance.

AUDIOVISUAL OHLSEN OVERKILL REVIEW :
“The Might of Stars Sublime” ist ziemlich genau, was das Coverartwork von Serries‘ Gattin Martina Verhoeven verspricht: eine traumhaft schwebende, sanfte Entrückung in atmosphärische Ambient-Transzendenz. An- und abschwellende Flächen aus Gitarren- und Effektklängen, pur und schnörkelos schön, schmeicheln das Ohr und die Seele. Scheinbar simpel und doch voll profunder Tiefe. Dirk ist hier ganz in seinem Element und erinnert an einen lichteren Zwilling von Justin Broadricks Soloprojekt Final. Wunderbar!

JAZZ’HALO REVIEW :
Regelmatig duikt materiaal op van Dirk Serries bij andere labels. Dit is zijn debuut voor het Duitse Audiophob. ‘The Might Of Stars Sublime’ staat voor scenografische soundscapes zonder extreme actiemomenten maar met eerder introspectief karakter en een tikkeltje magisch realisme. Een bijwijlen sombere toonaard hoort daarbij. Kortom, een eigen systematiek van Serries om verhaallijnen met minuscule wijzigingen op te bouwen. Ook te omschrijven als gitaar ambient maar wel degelijk à la Dirk Serries. Opgenomen in zijn “home studio” vorige zomer in de loop van de maanden juli en augustus en uitgebracht als digipack met foto’s van Martina Verhoeven.

ROCKERILLA REVIEW :
L’estate del 2024 Dirk Serries l’ha passatta a guardar le stelle. Quindi con la sua inseparabile sei corde ha cercato di di descriverne la natura. Il risultato è raccolto nelle cinque lunghe tracce del suo ultimo Cd, The Might Of Stars Sublime, appena pubblicato dalla tedesca Audiophob. Un suono elettrico che si trasforma fino a rendersi irriconoscbile: tra le mani del musicista belga il feedback controllato diventa una sinfonia di microsuoni. Le cinque tracce del cd sono legate quasi senza soluzione di continuit. Minime variazioni inducono in stati di meditazione che trasportano i neuroni su orbite stellari. Cinque brani di ESTATICA AMBIENT MUSIC.