The last words of this review are: “something glorious.” That’s a perfect succinct 2-word summary of this record.
Burton Bell does an album of all clean singing that incorporates elements of Sisters of Mercy, Fear Factory, Ministry, The Cure, Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave, Type O Negative - - and rounds it out with a Terence Trent D’Arby cover. I guess anything truly can happen.
“Apocrypha” by Ascension of the Watchers is a sly, poignant, low key enchantment of layers and secrets. With soft breath and simple charms, the music lures you into the comfort of its embrace.

In full disclosure: my first listen breezed right by. I barely noticed it. My first critical thoughts were, “Eh, I guess this was OK,“ and, “Was that that Terence Trent D’arby song?” But throughout my second listen, I was repeatedly ensnared by the best phrases and moments that had washed past me the first time. On the third pass, I was eagerly anticipating and cherishing the great parts in each track. Maybe it was just me - - or a symptom of my universe during that first play - - or maybe this is what it takes for this album’s wonders to reveal themselves. I relate this story to warn you, the listener, to keep at it; don’t dismiss this one out of hand, if the first impression fails to impress you. For me, “Apocrypha” went from “meh” to masterpiece.

This is a supergroup consisting of Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory) - vocals, guitar, John Bechdel (Ministry) - keyboards, and Jayce Lewis – drums, backing vocals, programming. It’s unclear at release time how much the individuals will focus on this project in tandem with their others, but reading between the lines, I get the impression that they realize how special AotW is.

All three of these guys are best-known for their high-profile Industrial Metal projects, using melodic blunt force trauma to inflict their message. In more full disclosure: Ministry and Fear Factory have both delivered some of my all-time favorite albums. The drums here are still heavy as hell, but there are also chiming strummed guitars, congas, spoken-word and saturated choir samples, effects, and synths. Burton’s voice is historically often like a hammer, whether it’s his shouting voice or his clean melodic, but here he employs a number of other instruments, some delicate, some softer, some still as edgy as his most brutal implements from Fear Factory or GZR, just growl-less. I’d never have known that he was capable of delivering such genuine emotion, tenderness, and open-hearted grace - - but this album is full of surprises.

One of the most beautiful tracks on the album is “Honoree,” which begins with lovely artificial harmonization of his voice, like Imogen Heap’s computerized a capella in “Hide and Seek.” Every song on the latter half of this record is a banger, even the “Stormcrow” instrumental. “Honoree,” “Ghost Heart,” “The End is Always the Beginning,” the title track, “Cygnus Aeon,” and yes, that fucking cover of Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Sign Your Name,” are the highlights of the album. I’ve mentioned the latter a few times, but - - even in a review - - I’m hesitant to say too much. Ascension of the Watchers have taken ownership of this semi-forgotten sultry 80s Pop hit and made it their own, stripping away everything except for a lonely acoustic guitar, Burton’s lead voice, some breathy backing vocals, and some light electric guitar touches and barely-detectable percussive noises. The result is an irresistible wide well of pathos, drawing the listener fully into the sweet sadness at the song’s core. At face value, it would seem to be a novelty cover, but it’s played straight-faced, and ends up as something glorious.