AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Serries' productivity as Vidna Obmana has been so constant and wide-ranging that many of his earlier works have almost been lost along the way. Subterranean Collective addresses this need by means of a creative re-release of three discs that originally appeared in the early '90s but were long out of print: Echoing Delight, The Spiritual Bonding, and Parallel Flaming. Rather than simply remastering and repackaging the original albums, however, Serries instead chose to weave tracks from all three together into a new form over two discs' room, including an attractive unreleased rarity, "Lifting Charm," along the way. As such, Subterranean won't satisfy the complete, hardcore fan who must have everything as it first appeared: the running order is completely rearranged, a number of tracks from the originals are missing, and Serries himself worked on new arrangements and sonic elements for many of the songs. That said, nearly everyone else will find much to enjoy among these discs. Subterranean is truly a collection of deep, haunting pleasures, touching on everything from rhythmless, pure ambient sound to intertwined work that combines that with a variety of instruments worldwide (shells, rainsticks, and didgeridoo are only some of his materials used). His range of collaborators on the original releases is practically a who's who list of artists with similar talent and scope, including Djen Ajakan Shean, Robert Rich, and Steve Roach. Indeed, Roach's first recordings with Serries form part of the collection, including the wonderful "Challenging Boundaries," with a mesmerizing flute (or its equivalent) keening across the low echoes and soft electronic bed of the song. Overall, Subterranean is both an informative look back and a refreshing new experience, as good a place to start for those unfamiliar with Serries' work as it is a necessary release for those already captivated by him.
- Ned Raggett

A shining retrospective of Vidna Obmana's finest moments.
A collection of dark ambience culled from several elusive early-90's releases, this two CD set is a shining retrospective of Vidna Obmana's finest moments. Although he draws unavoidable comparisons to Steve Roach, Obmana stands as a worthy and obvious collaborator. He's seldom considered Roach's equal; however, the two artists' connection is undeniable. This collection supports any argument that Obnana's work should be judged on its own merits. Each track rises from some dark place of melancholic solitude. This is the music of dreams, offering visions of a vast beyond without benefit of explanation. Roach, Robert Rich, Aloi Die and Djen Ajakan Shean contribute atmospherics and percussion, yet it's Obmana who deserves the bulk of the credit. In the past, Obmana's main problem has been one of consistency. For every excellent track he delievered, there were two others that failed to gain access to the cosmic void. But with 143 minutes of flawless, transportive soundscapes comprising this collection, it's finally possible to discern the stars on Obmana's celestial canvas.
-Mark Burbey

9.4 out of 10 Gathering some of Vidna Obmana's best tribal-ambient panoramas, Subterranean Collective distributes selected tracks from Echoing Delight, The Spiritual Bonding and Parallel Flaming across two discs. 17 preternaturally exotic soundscapes are culled from 1992-1994, during the height of VO's ethereal/primitive phase and feature collaborations with such notables as Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Alio Die, and Djen Ajakan Shean.

About halfway through its journey, "The feather cycle" shifts from drifty sheens to more-ominous moods brought on by thumping waterdrums and whispery accents. Ephemeral tones stretch across rhythm-free "The empty night" like gauzey curtains riding on a celestial breeze. The tranquil evening atmospheres and choral-like flows of "Nocturne" are embellished with crickety textures and other faint animalistic essences, then light pseudotribal percussion.

Crystalline droplets lead into the darker zones of "Spatial Prophecy;" brooding darkness swelters, sometimes illuminated by shining strands of spectral audiomotions and faraway spirit voices. The first CD closes on almost-12-minute-long "Triangle of dawn," whose gaseous billows arise to change shape in ever-so-slow-motion. The track dissipates to a near-nothingness of swampy locational sounds.

Disc two plunges directly into the grumbling didge-clouds of "The spiritual bonding" from which various vapors flow, eventually being adorned by methodical beats and shamanic touches. Long, multi-layered strands of silky synthsounds ride the gleaming breezes of "Echoing Delight" (15:03), spattered with thumping drumskins and clattery accouterments. Low poundings merge with chittery highs within the spectrally glimmering fabric of "Fleeting space."

Grittier and more active, the synthstreams of "Earth dangling" (4:00) churn in a whorling tempest of didgeridoo and drum. Robert Rich spreads a hovering layer of slow flute notes across the chasmic expanse of "From the Stepping Stone." Previously unreleased though assembled from Parallel Flaming's sessions, "Lifting charm" fills more than 12 minutes with pattering drum sounds sprinkled throughout gorgeously swelling tone-strata.

I don't throw around hoaky advertising adjectives like "must-have" very often... but Subterranean Collective earns my hearty endorsement by sweeping me back to Vidna Obmana's most-primordial explorations. I believe these neoprimitive-meets-ephemeral audiovisions sound even better today; particularly if you're not fortunate enough to already own any of the source discs, this is a 9.4 must-have collection from the masters!
Thanks to Sam at Projekt for unearthing these lovely pieces.