Review: Apocryphos & Penumbral Aethyr - The Erosion of Innocence

Artist: Apocryphos & Penumbral Aethyr

Album: The Erosion of Innocence

Label: Cryo Chamber

Release date: November 2025

2025 has blessed us with numerous collabs, but this latest one was exceptionally promising from the very moment it was announced. Apocryphos (currently the main project of Robert C. Kozletsky, also of Psychomanteum fame) and Penumbral Aethyr (the recently kickstarted side project by Nicolas van Meirhaeghe of the long-running Empusae) are both dark ambient stalwarts in their own right, which makes this team-up all the more formidable. The Erosion of Innocence is the first full-length album this recently forged collaboration has spawned, and on the surface of it, it ticks all the right boxes, including being adorned by another exceptional artwork by the talented Christel Morvan and released by the dark ambient powerhouse Cryo Chamber. So, now we know that all the best ingredients are there, but is the final product as good as the sum of its parts?

The answer is an unequivocal yes. The Erosion of Innocence doesn’t mince words (or shall I say notes?) and instead flings its gates wide open from the very first seconds. In fact, the opening track Cradle of the Sickness is one of the most powerful dark ambient pieces I’ve heard in recent years, oozing with atmosphere and transporting the listener straight into the decaying remnants of a high-tech civilisation. The cyclical, imploding bass that provides the backbone for the track and the highly processed electronica that simmers in the background with varying intensity are eventually joined by a rumbling melodic drone that completes this sheer masterpiece. The rest of the first half of the album expands upon the theme introduced by the colossal opener in more detail, as the listener is acquainted with the ruins of the formerly technologically advanced world and the laughable arrogance and presumption of the society that had built it. However, do not mistake The Erosion of Innocence for a mere post-apocalyptic sci-fi album that are a dime a dozen these days; even though the world depicted here is a futuristic one, as with any great cinematic work, the messages it conveys have a universality to them that spans across ages and are uncomfortably applicable to our own time as well. The second half of the album goes into somewhat calmer, more pensive waters, as wonder and unease give way to introspection, nostalgia and the sad realisation of what could have been. As evidenced by the length of the last three tracks that revolve around the ten-minute mark each, the duo doesn’t rush anything and gives the material enough space to breathe, using careful dynamics to achieve the desired effect via looping drones and glacial, but powerful shifts between moods. As the chiming bell of the last track Where Order Once Slept slowly concludes the journey, there lingers a glimmer of hope that lessons can be learned from others’ excesses and that there is a future, perhaps not exactly bright, but worth the effort of being reached anyway.

While the album as a whole never quite manages to replicate the sheer genius of its first track, The Erosion of Innocence is nevertheless a powerful statement and a fine lesson in cinematic dark ambient, combining the very best of both individual artists’ talents to create a release of remarkable drive and depth. With a running time of more than one hour, it’s neither easy listening nor simple to take in, but I've found it an excellent companion for long walks or rides through this civilisation of ours in all its contradiction and imperfection. An instant addition to the 2025 AOTY list.

Rating: 9/10