HIBERNAL

I have been a fan of Mark R. Healy's work ever since I heard his debut 'The Machine', and every new release is an absolute delight. Mark has created an artform which is always fascinating, interesting, and never fails to engage the listener. As well as being a musician, Mark is an acclaimed science fiction author (I highly recommend his series, The Reach), and with his albums he combines his love of two very different artforms to create audio films with a cast, perfectly accompanied by his music. His music and the words combine to create a world in the future, and this time we are involved in the story of a bounty hunter who is looking for the person who killed his lover in a car crash.

Mark understands his own strengths and weaknesses, so brings in voice actors to bring the characters to life. Spencer Cannon has returned in the lead role this time, someone we last heard on 2020's 'Relic', and we quickly become invested in the story, his loss, and his final repentance. I have no idea how Mark manages to provide a fully formed and fully developed story in so few words, yet he continually does so, and then brings the world to life with his music which is perfectly paced for the job at home. It is a symbiotic relationship, with the words making the music more meaningful and the music bringing the world to life. Sounds effects are utilized to make this a true dark story for the ears, and one can easily visualize what is taking place behind our eyes. Each of his albums requires the listener to sit with headphones and allow themselves to be taken into Mark's word, with enough time put aside to listen from start to end as this cannot be dipped in and out of. Yet another mastercraft in storytelling.

This one isn't an album of prog rock, maybe it must be called "prog literature". I've being' waiting "ages" for the music to start, and then I realized: THAT was all I will get!!! Two girls telling a story, with background sounds and occasionally a brief musical interlude that is more ambient than melodic. OK, it's a nice story they tell, but "Prog rock"? Not really. I went to check out other "Hibernal" albums and found that some are just "instrumental", other ones tells a story but has music on them. This one seems to be the most text-centric of them all. I can see the experimental goal of this project, but definitely "not my dish".

Mark Healy is going through a prolific phase at present and following on from two albums released in 2020 we already have another in 2021. We are back in a future post-apocalyptic world, but this time instead of synthetics we discover people fleeing the infiltrators, machines hidden beneath human skin. This tells the story of two sisters attempting to escape the war zone, and the journey they take to do that which is both physical and emotional, as there is also a time of self-discovery. Mark's releases never sound like albums, they are short audio plays for the ears. This is just 38 minutes long, yet somehow the story is complete, and we see fully rounded characters, with perfect accompaniment from music, which is sometimes simplistic, others far more dynamic. Mark uses different instruments to create soundscapes, and somehow always manages to get the perfect actors to take on the roles. Here we have two performers who have not previously been on a Hibernal release, Sandra Osborne and Angela Tran playing the parts of Imogen and Maddie, and they are immersed in the roles, as are we the listeners.

There have been many notables associated with the following quote, including Mark Twain, but whoever said this, it is a truism, "I didn't have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one." The writing of a short story is incredibly hard as there is so little room to bring everything to life, and yet somehow Mark manages to portray a new world, provide a cogent storyline, and gets us invested in the characters, all in just 3600 words. A large part of that is the music that is very much part of the overall movie of the mind, along with excellent production and performances from those involved. I only listen to Hibernal albums when I have the time to do so, when I know I will not be disturbed, as once the film has started it has to be watched through to the very end. Anyone who enjoys science fiction, here combined with the perfect soundtrack, then Hibernal is one of the most interesting and indispensable acts around.

When I first came across Mark Healy and Hibernal, I found myself transported into the world he created with his debut album 'The Machine', and since then have looked forward immensely to each new release. Mark is also a science- fiction writer, and here he combines that with music, creating stories which are compelling, and the music is an equal part of the overall piece. With this album we are back in the world of the synthetics, set in the future after the war with the humans. Mark has an incredible touch with words, and I kept this album to one side until a time when I knew I could give it my undivided attention, as this needs to be played on headphones with no distractions whatsoever.

It is the story which makes the music come alive, or is it the other way around? They are symbiotic in nature, and one cannot imagine one without the other. Mark has used a few different voice actors over the years, but the one thing they all have in common is the gravitas and personality they bring to the performance. This never comes across as a small low budget effort, but is incredibly visual and feels more like a major cinematic release. I only play Hibernal albums when I know I will not be disturbed and can listen to the whole piece from one end to the other, and this is exactly the same. Somehow, Mark has the ability to conjure up a whole new world, fill it with characters, provide an intriguing storyline, deliver music which is hugely important to the end result, all within 47 minutes. It is not necessary to have heard any of Mark's other albums prior to this one, so why not start here? This album, along with all his others, are available on Bandcamp for stupidly low prices, and for anyone who loves both science fiction combined with the perfect musical accompaniment, this is essential.

I first came across Mark Healy at the time of his first album as Hibernal, 'The Machine', and every new release since then is something I look forward to as a major event, and I am yet to be disappointed. What Mark is doing with Hibernal is bringing together his love of post rock music with his innate art of storytelling (he is a well-known author who has published multiple books and short stories, with subjects ranging from post-apocalyptic, dystopian and cyberpunk to space opera). The line-up for this album is the same as the last, 2017's ' The Dark of The City', where Mark is joined on the musical side by Rowan Salt, with the story being told by the same two actors, Scott Gentle and Faleena Hopkins. In fact, all four were involved in the second Hibernal album back in 2014, but there was a larger cast that time.

As with all his albums, this has also been released as a music-only project, but for me it is the combination of the music and the parts being played by the actors which make this what it is. Whenever I get a new Hibernal release I ensure I have time to sit and listen to the whole thing in one go, as I immerse myself in the world being created, the music adding to the storyline and the storyline lifting the music to a new level: it provides the understanding and background one needs to get the most out of it. As a fan of science fiction, and progressive rock music, having both of them combine together in a way such as this is something compelling. The music is keyboard-based, repetitive in the background, with melodies coming over the top. It feels incredibly cinematic, as this is a film for the ears as opposed to a soundtrack, and I found myself really "seeing" the storyline and understanding the struggle.

As with all his albums, this is on Bandcamp (and he has a daft offer available at present to get all his releases for a very cheap price indeed), and fans of his books, science fiction in general, or who want to discover what can happen when the music and actors really do rely on each other, then check this out.

𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱

For an album that has recently come out, this album had grabbed eyes with it's staggering album cover. Unfortunately, the interesting electric riffs and spoken word vocals don't work for me. The story is intriguing, a story of two astronauts played by Scott Gentle and Faleena Hopkins. Thankfully, that's one of two elements that actually improve this album for me. The story, and the production. Mark R Healy is quite an interesting fellow but he has definitely done better works than this before. If I'm going to listen to a Hibernal album, I'm going to listen to 'After The Winter'.

Overall this album wasn't incredible, it was cool narration over some interesting music. Unfortunately, I don't find this kind of music to be incredibly engaging so this won't receive a high mark.

Mark Healy's post rock project "Hibernal" has made some decent sci-fi concept albums through the years, and continues to do so. Since 2013, he has released 8 full-length albums including "Beyond", his latest album to date, in January of 2020. This album consists of 8 tracks, all of them reaching between 6 - 8 minutes. The sound on this album tends to move away from the guitar-heavy post rock sound and leans more towards an ambient and electronic sound. However, the story telling method that he uses on his Hibernal albums continues to use voice actors doing both narration and role playing as before.

The story on this album deals with two astronauts, voiced by Scott Gentle and Faleena Hopkins, who experience a strange reality glitch when trying to travel through hyperspace, with a twist in the plot towards the end of the album. Mark has used these two voice actors in previous albums, and they do bring a nice dramatic feel to the story as the long instrumental sections float along, staying away from the guitar heaviness of Hibernal's past few albums, and this time staying in more of a constant beat with flowing synths and laid back guitar atmospheres.

Mark is not the only instrumentalist on this album. As in some of Hibernal's past albums, Rowan Salt also helps out on instrumentation, though it's not really clear who does what. Mark's strengths lie mostly in storytelling, and this is proven by his plotlines and the fact that he has written many novels with cyberpunk themes. The story on this album is definitely not so involved, but that keeps the listener both intrigued by the easy to follow plot line, and also works to keep from distracting from the cinematic feel of the music.

The first four tracks tend to follow a steady beat with an even flow, not much change between the tracks, and also the music is more atmospheric and not really connected to melodies as much as it is to creating a consistent soundscape. The music becomes more experimental and exploratory from "Canopy of Stars" to the end of the album. Also, the story becomes more intense at this point, and those that are into the story will definitely be listening intently.

Listening to a story in this manner is not my preferred way of listening to music, mainly because, just like most average movies or books, once you have watched or read it, the element of surprise is gone. The same thing applies to me with this story/music album. The music is just not interesting enough to be played for its own sake, its not really that cinematic and expressive until you near the end of the album, but even then, it is a bit subdued and flat. The story itself is great for a single listen, but there just isn't enough there to make me want to keep coming back to this album. Sure, there might be some that enjoy the more electronic feel of the music on this album, but to me, it just isn't interesting enough as each track in the first half isn't diverse enough and in the second half, after the first listen, just isn't intriguing enough to keep me coming back. Basically, when all is said and done, the album just falls into the average range and doesn't really entice me to want to listen to it again.

Mark and Rowan are back, and again the story revolves around just two characters, both played by actors who have previously been involved with Hibernal. Scott Gentle took the lead in 'Replacements', while Faleena Hopkins took a minor role in both 'Replacements' and 'After The Winter', but here things have been changed as Faleena is very much the lead. This changes the dynamic, as the script is always in the first person, so the switch to female was surprising and caught me off guard. As with the previous album there appears to be more music, which is many places is quite dramatic, and whereas I normally "see" Mark's stories in full colour, this feels far more black and white, as if it is a classic Hitchcock. Or at least if Hitchcock was directing films that would normally be called science fiction. In terms of timelines of the Hibernal world, this has more in common with 'Replacements', but more of a parallel universe to that one as opposed to the same vision.

There is an almost hypnotic state to the music, as it takes control of the senses and drags the listener into a new world, one where Moreeno the cop is undertaking a relentless search for the creature that killed her partner. By chance she comes across her new partner during the evening, and together they finish what had started a few weeks before. I still find it incredible that in so few words Mark can create a picture of Carson City ? I feel I understand both it and its underbelly, and can envisage what the characters are seeing when the final act is played out.

The post rock riffing combines with Pink Floyd stylings to create a musical soundscape that is at times at the forefront of what is happening, creating the dramatic when there are no words, and at others falling into the background so that the actors are centre stage. This isn't a concept album, nor it is a spoken book, but something that is different from both and instead is a musical radio play for the ears.

This is Mark's fourth full album (the previous three are also available in music only forms), and the fourth to which I feel I need to recommend at the very highest level. Go to his page on Bandcamp, pick any of these at random, then sit back and enjoy the experience. I can promise that you won't be disappointed.

The synopsis of this album is "A man who transfers his thoughts and memories to a synthetic body in order to survive an apocalypse seeks to return to his human form". Yes, yet again we are in the world of Mark Healy, which is bleak and post-nuclear war, some time in the future. Rowan Salt has again joined Mark by providing bass, and it is interesting to note that Faleena Hopkins, who portrayed Sabel in 'Replacements' is back again, this time as Arsha ? the first time that one of the actors has returned. There are only two characters in this story, down from four last time and three in the debut, but in many ways, this is possibly the most compelling to date.

When listening to Mark's cinematic visions I have sometimes wondered which author he most reminds me of, but there was no debate on this one, as to me this is Stephen King and the wastelands encountered on the journey to The Tower. But, as always with Mark, there is quite a twist. If we consider this to be the third in a loosely connected trilogy taken from the same world view, albeit at different times, this is the one furthest in the future, and the one that seems to have the most music within it. There are few words in the script outside of the conversations that take place between the Arsha and the lead character, Brant, and his post rock Pink Floyd inspired soundscapes perfectly capture the mood.

This is the perfect combination of two quite different art forms, that of music and of a script spoken by professional actors, so that one enhances the other to make something so compelling that once it has started, nothing else exists. At the end of this album I felt it was more complete than 'Replacements', one where this particular chapter had come to a logical conclusion. There were questions I wanted answered, and I did want to know what happened in the future, but I also felt that the story was concise and ended in a better fashion than the last one. Compelling, enthralling, imaginative and exciting, Hibernal.

Hibernal return in 2017 with yet another brilliant and original concept album 'The Dark of the City', and this might be their best one yet.

If you've never heard one of these albums before, it could best be described as a cross between an audiobook, a concept album and a movie soundtrack. An original script acted out by professional voice talent is accompanied by a collection of songs that function as the score. It truly is something original and unique.

'The Dark of the City' follows the story of a cop carrying out a relentless search for the creature that killed her partner. Set in a cyberpunk-ish city 'Carson Bay', the atmosphere is conveyed by sound effects, the synth-driven score and some incredible acting.

The songs are shorter and the pace of the narrative is ramped up in comparison to earlier albums, and that suits the story perfectly. This is a taut sci-fi thriller that features an incredible twist at the end. You won't see it coming.

Give it your full attention for an hour in a dark room and you'll find it really is like stepping into another world. Highly recommended.