This is the first part of a five-track opus about the war on Ukraine and proceeds will go to the Ukrainian cause.

Musically I wanted to integrate elements of progressive rock like Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, and Our Oceans. I enjoy their focus on good melody and sparse open arrangements over technical prowess. I wanted to make this piece of music progress through different movements like classical music instead of the standard verse, chorus, and verse formula which always the listener to be taken on a journey.

As for other influences I've also included some more technical metal influences in there like "Meshuggah" and "Car Bomb" for the heavier sections. I've been informed by a few musician friends that the track is very reminiscent of Tesseract's material also even though I don't listen to them much (I do enjoy them though).

And finally to give it another timbre to push away from the "prog" genre entirely I've also been inspired by the sounds and compositions of French-Canadian Synthwave artist "Le Matos". Their music gives me a nostalgic yet melancholy feeling whenever I listen to their music and they've become one of my favourite new artists in the past few years.

Their music has made me enjoy electronic music again after so many years of cut and paste musical pieces that have plagued the scene for decades now.

Their artistry and innovation haven't moved me this much since the Israeli Psy-trance act "Infected Mushroom" released their second album "Classical Mushroom" back in the late 90s/early 00s which included many wonderful compositions inspired by other genres of music.

Dean Thomson - Writer, Engineering, Mixing and Produced
Anthony Dahl - Lyrics and Vocals
Stephen Krigbaum - Guest Guitar Solo
Alex Rooney - Guest Guitar Solo

ми стоїмо як одне ціле ~ we_stand_as_one

Part 1 (The Beginning and the End)

Bandcamp

The Beginning and the End, Pt. 1

This small ditty/idea was my first attempt at composing the Synthwave sub-genre that was popular in the late 2010s and well it still is.  The intro reminds me of Nine Inch Nails amusingly and the main melodic idea ended up being somewhere between Synthwave and Psy-Trance.

Into the Dimension of the Wave

This track was written in under two days as a friend wanted to know how quickly I could churn out a track.  The mix isn't done, the arrangement and melodic ideas could definitely be improved - but I do love the vibe of the track.

Also if anyone noticed - Steven Wilson seems to be harmonising with the main melody. Good ol Ghostwriter ;)

The Sunrise of the Psychadelic Mind

The first release for Melbourne Progressive Rock outfit Transience which I was member of and was there during the writing process that created the bands unique sound.  I'm personally proud of this EP playing wise - I actually enjoy it more than the album release which is also my Soundcloud.  

The songs on this EP compared to the main album release I find are more experimental and progressive, but the track Recreate is a catchy rock masterpiece.  Enjoy

Transience EP

Recreate

Memory

I wrote a lot of psy trance through the 00s.  I was heavily influenced by a lot of early Infected Mushroom (Classical Mushroom/BP Empire era).  

Though you can clearly hear my progressive rock influences through and through. The track was written back in 2005 on an AMD 3800+ (I think) and Cubase 3.

Death Is A Bitch (2005)

This track was written during a long lapse of depression.  I got a hold of Ziltoid the Omniscient when it was released and I was truly inspired by it. I was also listening to a lot of Porcupine Tree as well.  

This track was written before the advent of Superior Drummer.  So the drums were from Reason re-wired into Cubase and programmed in Cubase.  A lot of the mellotron/choir patches are Reason.  The synth guitar was my own concoction of a Korg synth re-wired through the screamer in Reason and Guitar Rig. 

The mix is terrible unfortunately, I had no monitors when I did this song and my mixing skills at the time were terrible - but a great song anyway.

All Things Are Possible (2008)

The final track on this EP.  This song was heavily influenced by Sevendust.  Home had been released around the period of this recording if I remember correctly.

Ripe Entity - 1998



One of my friends wanted me to go through an old friend's FL Studio track and try to make it sound like a normal song. The original track was a mish-mash of ideas but no real theme. So I grabbed the most notable melodies from it, altered some notes so it was less atonal and this is what I wrote. My friend said make it wobbly - I responded well I don't listen to Dubstep - but sure why not. So I gave myself a limited time for about two hours to create something. The sounds could better - the drums could be more interesting. But it was all for a friend :)

On a technical side: Cubase 7 x64, Alesis V49, Omnisphere, Z3ta+, Battery 4, BBE VSTs, Nexus and the Korg Legacy Collection were used to create the song.

The machine was an i7 4770k, 32gb RAM running Win 8.1


Compositions, Ideas and the Neverending Void of Creativity

The Two Hour Step

Grit is a new studio re-work of a track I first released with my band Alpha State under the title Alpha State. The core progression and melodic feel are still intact, but this version leans harder into weight, punch and precision.

Where the original Alpha State recording was more open, atmospheric and demo-like in its dynamics, Grit tightens everything up: drums are more defined and forward, guitars are thicker and more saturated, and the low-end is cleaner and more controlled. The arrangement trims the excess, builds more deliberately toward the peak, and gives the vocal and lead lines more space so the hooks land with greater impact.

It’s essentially Alpha State rebuilt from the ground up—same DNA, but evolved into a heavier, more focused and modern version.

Reworked in 2025 from my original Alpha State track, with updated production, mix and arrangement.

Grit (2025)

“Judas Kiss” is a new studio re-imagining of a track I originally released with my band Alpha State. The core riffs, vocal lines and mood are still there, but this version pushes everything into a tighter, more focused space.

Where the original Alpha State recording feels raw, live and loosely swung, this take leans into a heavier, more controlled groove. Guitars are thicker and more layered, drums hit harder and more precisely, and the low-end is cleaner and more defined. 

It’s essentially Judas Kiss rebuilt from the ground up: same song, same DNA, but with a modern production, more punch, and a darker, more cinematic atmosphere.

Originally written and recorded with my band Alpha State, re-recorded and produced in 2025.

Judas Kiss (2025)

“The Quiet God” drifts in as a slow-burn, nearly 7-minute piece that starts in fragile, spacious ambience and gradually swells into a dense, mid-tempo wall of sound. At around 102 BPM in a dark minor tonality, it moves like a slow tide: evolving pads and atmosphere first, then heavier rhythm and harmony stacking on top until it hits a huge, saturated climax before easing back into space again. Originally written for a band called The Fading Hour, this release is the original, unedited prog version—long-form, dynamic and uncompromised, before any arrangement cuts or simplifications.

Sonically it sits somewhere between modern progressive rock, post-metal and cinematic industrial-ambient: long, repeating motifs that slowly morph; layered textures that blur the line between guitars and synths; and drums focused on groove, weight and forward motion rather than showy fills. The track leans into melancholic, widescreen harmonies and subtle dissonance, with industrial-tinged pulses and post-rock-style crescendos that keep pushing the tension higher before everything finally dissolves back into space.

For fans of: atmospheric prog, darker post-rock/post-metal builds, industrial-flavoured electronica and moody, cinematic ambient soundscapes.

The Quiet God

A six-minute reimagining of Yoko Kanno’s “Beauty Is Within Us” from the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex soundtrack, this cover leans into the track’s slow-burn melancholy and cyberpunk atmosphere while expanding it into a more cinematic, modern mix. It opens with a restrained, spacious build, then gradually layers denser harmonies and textures, pushing the original harmony into wider stereo space and deeper low-end weight before resolving back into a softer, reflective outro. The arrangement keeps the haunting core melody at the centre, but surrounds it with evolving ambient beds and dynamic swells, emphasising contrast rather than sheer loudness so the emotional peaks feel earned rather than forced—a respectful homage that feels like an alternate, more expansive timeline of the original.

Is Within Us (Yoko Kanno/Scott Matthews Cover)

This new version of “All Things Are Possible” which I wrote in the late 2000s takes the original idea and stretches it into an almost six-minute arc that builds slow and steady into a big, cathartic climax. The arrangement breathes more than before: spacious, atmospheric sections give the core motif room to sit, then gradually stack into denser layers, making the final payoff feel earned rather than sudden.

The production leans into a wider stereo image and tighter low end, with clearer separation between melodies, ambience and rhythm, so every layer feels more defined while still glued together. Harmonies and textures are pushed a little further into cinematic territory, giving the track a more modern, immersive feel without losing the hopeful, emotional thread of the original version.

Overall, it plays like a refined, grown-up reimagining of the song—same heart, same hook, but with deeper dynamics, bigger atmosphere and a more confident sonic footprint.

All Things Are Possible (2025)

“Recreate” is a return to one of my earliest songs with Transience, rebuilt from the ground up with where my ears and head are now. This new version keeps the emotional DNA of the original—those themes of starting over, breaking down, and rebuilding yourself—but expands everything around it: wider guitars, deeper low-end, more detail in the atmospherics, and a more dynamic, deliberate arrangement. The quieter sections breathe more, the heavier moments hit harder, and the transitions are smoother and more cinematic, turning what was once a snapshot of a past era into something sharper, more focused, and fully realised. It’s both a nostalgia trip and a reboot: the same core song, recreated with the benefit of time, better production, and a clearer sense of who it was always meant to be.

Recreate (2025)

A haunting reinterpretation of Right Where It Belongs, this cover preserves the song’s introspective melancholy while deepening its atmosphere through cinematic textures and immersive sound design. The minimalist piano and subdued rhythm create a sense of suspended tension, gradually enveloped by ambient layers that evoke isolation and introspection. Vocals carry a raw, intimate fragility—whispered at times, almost fading into the reverb-drenched background—drawing the listener into a blurred boundary between reality and perception.

The mix balances warmth and detachment, expanding the original’s emotional space with evolving pads, granular noise, and spectral stereo depth. The result feels like a lucid dream collapsing into distortion—faithful to the spirit of the original but reimagined through a modern, immersive lens.

Right Where it Belongs (NIN Cover)

“BB is Stranded” is a melancholic, cinematic reimagining of BB’s Theme from Death Stranding. The track leans into the original’s fragile lullaby feel while pushing it into a more atmospheric, immersive soundscape—blending intimate vocal-style phrasing with spacious pads, slow-burning harmonies and subtle rhythmic movement. It’s a tribute to the weightless, lonely mood of the game’s world, focusing on emotional build, texture and space rather than sheer density, turning the theme into a reflective, standalone piece.

BB is Stranded (Death Stranding Cover)

The aim is to break the boundaries of genres by integrating numerous styles of music from jazz, metal, electronic, progressive rock, and ambient soundscapes.

Grahf (Dean Thomson) tries to break the tropes of music composition and the formulas that have been put in place in modern music history over the past century.

Grahf

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