Peter Gagliardi - Pandora Unlocked: Interstellar Black

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Peter Gagliardi’s Pandora Unlocked: Interstellar Black mixes deeply engaging synthscapes with emotive melodies and ear-catching sonic combinations to weave a tale of cosmic fear, heart-rending pain and hope against the growing darkness. Peter Gagliardi uses a synthesizer’s ability to create intense auditory imagery in service of imaginative, carefully considered compositions that combine into a symphonic whole.

Like a great orchestral piece, Pandora Unlocked: Interstellar Black mingles each sound into a nuanced, interlocking whole. Peter Gagliardi utilizes all of the synth elements like a traditional composer as he orchestrates the album. The music vaults to the stars, pulls us down into fear and captures deep loss and pain. Each different synth sound is used to add tonal colour or textural elements that, when combined, produce a sonic voyage through impressions and emotions.

Peter Gagliardi composes melodies that expressively drive themselves into my heart as they unfurl on Pandora Unlocked: Interstellar Black. Each melody has a crafted feeling to it, carefully created to explore emotions and sensations. There’s a heartfelt quality to each melody that draws me deeper inside the story, allowing me to explore the feelings that it generates in me. Like much of the album, I feel the melodies touching me at a visceral level.

Storytelling through music is a skill that I respect and Peter Gagliardi definitely possesses that skill. As the album unfolds, it effortlessly takes me with it on a journey across galaxies. I can lose myself within the music, allowing it to wash over me and transport me to another place and time.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

‘Prologue: Dark Leviathan” comes to life as textured, silken synth flows out into vastness while medium-high, roaming synth drifts with the solar wind. Gentle, broadly sweeping synth shifts as a subtle hiss fills the background while steady, low sound slips past.

Light fills the music, synth chords swelling majestically, tinged with shadow as lush synth flares above enfolding chords, touched with minor key moments. The bass impresses with its cosmic power as colossal drums throb. Glistening, elevated notes glow while synth chords add a noble strength.

Tragedy suffuses the main melody as open-voiced, mysterious synth is touched by rumbling bass. Textured chords with an organ-like quality exude darker emotions to contrast with angelic synth before the track fades into space.

A scraping pulse moves into space as portentous sound shifts to open “Premonition.” Heavy, punchy drums join the grinding sonic pulse as it shapes the track. A hi hat bursts along with rippling, choral voices that create a warm tide. Pipe organ-like notes climb while the guiding drums and tumbling bass shift.

Fragile, chiming notes echo and carry a beautiful melody that trails with lacy delicacy as vibrating, medium-high synth moves in aquatic ripples. Worshipful choral voices call out as the drumbeat scuds smoothly as bass darkness touches it. Feathery synth chimes in again to create tenderness in contrast to the weighty drums before the track falls silent.

“First Winter Dreams” starts off as hard-edged sounds slash and bubbling notes rise while air sweeps. Dominant bass forms an uneven pulse as aquatic notes trickle. Icy chimes sparkle to skillfully paint in cold light. Soft-edged synth sings a floating and contemplative melody above the steadily throbbing bass pulse. Trumpeting synth weaves a victorious melody as raised sounds shimmer.

The main melody tinged with minor key shadow as cooling sensations permeate the music. A different but no less massive bass pulse looms as brushing drums hiss and high, spectral synth floats. An enigmatic synth melody delineates a distant landscape as chiming notes add wintry light and the bass hits hard. Glinting light flashes from chimes as the stentorian bass pulses and wind guides the track into silence.

Broad-sounding, soothing synth climbs as vast breathy sound drifts and distant tapping echoes to begin “Path to the Galactic Wastelands.” Bluff bass rumbles to add muscle as wide-sounding, gleaming synth spins out a slow arpeggio and raised chimes shine intensely.

Piano-like notes tremble while open-voiced synth fills me with a pleasing sense of obscured mystery. Crushing drums impact as sharp-edged, effulgent synth opens in sublime vistas.

Hollow synth vibrates while an ancient, chanting voice calls out and clashing drums create dramatic tension. Metallic notes rattle through as synth flares and dark bass threatens as chimes flicker. Spectral notes flow out into space and quiet.

“Beyond The Wilted Nightlands” commences as a steady synth drone moves behind plucked strings that slowly tremble into the darkness behind them. A glockenspiel carries a tragic melody, making me ache, as the drone continues. The glockenspiel radiates soft light as the drone is cut by clean notes glimmering above it.

Pizzicato strings create a textured motion above the shadows below. The main melody is tenderly caressing and pained. Strong illumination flares from high synth and angular notes cut with precision. Medium-high, full-sounding synth carries a hurting melodic pattern that touches my heart. The glockenspiel exudes a feeling of deep melancholy.

Luminous synth clouds swirl, encompassing the track with their enfolding glow while aggressive sounds slash in. Climbing synth chords are warm, but minor key tinges create uncertainty. Very high notes wheedle and the low end lifts all the other sounds above it. Radiant medium-high synth lifts upward to contrast with the lurking threat below it. Fragile glockenspiel cries out and high notes pour out brilliance before the track ends on an tenebrous drone.

Menacing bass is touched by an ancient-sounding stringed instrument that sends dazzling notes out into the shadows to open “The Burning Darkness.” The hammered dulcimer has a metallic, rippling quality as another plucked string instrument plays rapid notes. A trembling, digital-sounding pulse is joined by harp-like strings rushing in a tumbling cascade while chimes leap in.

Battering drums add muscled strength as twisting synth carries a wildly intertwining melody, effectively filling me with urgent feelings. Darkly towering bass keeps up a sinister flow and rough edged synth climbs. Elevated chimes skip with a brushing lightness as rounded, harp-like notes fade away.

“Future In Distress” begins as deadly sensations emanate from sweeping bass and growling, hard-edged synth. A warning emanates from a tidally flowing synth that adds luminosity. Medium-high, sunlit synth carries a melody that enjoyably holds out hope against looming danger. Drums guide the music with a hollow thud while open-voiced sounds echo.

Intimidating drums throb and clash while rising, diamond lit synth crescendos. Distorted, radiant synth carries a sonic gyre that cuts through the increasing intertwined intensity that flows all around it. Colossal strength fills the low end as gritty, illuminating synth carries a yearning melody as drums throb and fade away along with harsh gritty sound

Agitated, razor-sharp synth vibrates into open space and becomes a repeating, hypnotic pattern as “Cyber Cinematics” opens. Nasal-sounding, minor key synth carries a well-crafted melody that fills me with dread and triumph in equal measure, feverishly shining as the beat scatters below it.

The broken beat creates intense motion as squelching sounds move in the distance. A luminescent synth pattern adds speeding motion and the drumbeat drives on. Nervous energy seizes the twirling synth pattern as the jumpy drums give way to surging organ notes.

Broken beats urge the track on and the nasal-sounding synth melody weaves haunting strength. Sharp clawed synth tears through as black voids reach from below and silence falls.

“Embracing Another Dungeon” begins as densely wobbling bass supports flashing chimes rippling in a hypnotic pattern. Varied, trickling chimes swirl in the midst of an ethereal cloud as the bass increases in intensity.

Worried tension thrums through the chimes in a compelling manner as drums add shape. Widely twirling arpeggios wind up as metallic percussion rings out, adding a technological quality. Giant bass pulses with rage held in check as rough, heavily trembling synth moves.

Nervous chimes shimmer tenuously and the hammering percussion joins bursting drums over surging bass. Layered percussion creates dynamic motion above growling weight. Broad arpeggios ramp up an unsure feeling as drums add form. Bass throbs in short bursts while haunted, angular synth slips above it and silence falls.

Shifting bass tones slide into open space as tranquil, melancholy synth glides past to start off “Sorrow Over A Great World.” Raised notes touch with feather-light motion above the richness below them. The high synth melody pierces my heart with its melancholy gentleness as a harsher pulse trails below it.

The chimes are tender but pained, tinged with troubled emotion. Minor key notes flit while dense bass slips past below and an agitated, distant sound contributes masked fear. Jagged synth throbs in bursts while shadows creep in from below. A rough pulse lacerates while horror begins to intrude on the tentative chimes that still flicker lightly. The track ends on a warmer and more encouraging note as high notes skip quickly past.

“Cryoh Wound” comes to life as propulsive bass pulses rhythmically and chiming notes flicker in a filigreed pattern above it. Enfolding synth vibrates while the drums and bass add insistent strength. Towering, active bass slides in rough walls to become shivering and dangerous feeling as gritty sounds sweep.

Pipe-organ like synth distorts as the bass pulse becomes angry and hectic below the wonderfully regal melody. Giant drums explode with huge force while effulgent, surging synth flares and the initial rhythmic pulse returns again. Glimmering synth dances out in a twinkling pattern, shaped by the heaving weight below it as the organ-like, noble notes fade and the track ends on washing sound.

Stygian bass moves below medium-low, heavy synth that drops in lugubrious lines to create portentous emotion as “Architects of the Last Days” begins. String-like synth slowly arpeggiates in full-sounding lines.

The bass has a lurking quality but the glistening, string-like synth carries a melody that wraps me in soothing emotion as it unfolds. Bubbling arpeggios add texture as monumental bass forms a supporting ground below them. Flaring synth intertwines as metallic, bell-like notes echo above it.

Buoyant chords are carried by the massive bass flow underneath them. Shiny synth carries the diaphanous melody as it trails along above the dominant bass weight undulating below it. A glow permeates the highest notes as muscled bass pulsates and serene synth rises. String-like notes trickle past and the track ends in meditative calm.

“Epilogue: Memories of Orion” opens as starry pinpoints of light float out into openness underpinned by a soft, airy rumble. Slow arpeggiating notes slip past in a galactic blanket as triumphant synth carries a flowing line that is melancholy and wistful while the slowly trickling arpeggiation moves.

Acoustic guitar carries a melodic pattern that hurts and dreams nostalgically as flickering synth above it slides past, full of loss and need. The main synth melody draws me in and creates acute sensations of yearning for times gone by before everything ends on cosmic shine and breathy float. I feel that this track is the ideal album closer, encapsulating the emotional tenor of the music.

Conclusion

Pandora Unlocked: Interstellar Black feels like a symphonic work to me, rather than strictly an album in the modern sense. It has depth, richness and detail in that reminds me more of classical compositions than a series of loosely linked tracks. Peter Gagliardi has produced music that takes hold of me and refuses to let go, in the best way possible.