Detailed Reviews [Himmelaya - 2025 - "Lost Horizon"]

Prolusion. The multinational project Himmelaya was instigated by UK musician Marc Swordfish (Astralasia), following an inquiry by Jochen Oberlack of German label Bellerophon Records. Swedish artist Britt Rönnholm is also named as a contributor, although I understand other musicians have been involved as well. When the project was finalized, and given the name "Lost Horizon", the end result became a double album of music, which was released through UK label Fruits de Mer Records in the summer of 2025. With a double CD of additional bonus material added to the retail editions of the album.

Analysis. The album description describes how this album was intended to be a celebration of the German Krautrock tradition first and foremost. Initially planned as a purebred instrumental venture, the scope was broadened as the creation process took place. With the voice and vocals of aforementioned Rönnholm being a central feature in many of the compositions. By plan, chance or accident it isn't really the German krautrock tradition that is my main association when I listen to the material here. We do get creations that revolve around drones, repetitive patterns and suchlike though, and a few instances of some clear associations towards Tangerine Dream are very much present too, but there is another facet to this production that rather caught my attention. Flowing, gliding and elegant synthesizer, keyboards and guitar textures are defining features of the sound, mood and atmosphere throughout, and they are explored and delivered in a manner that reminds me of Hawkwind more than anything else. And then Hawkwind as they came across in the 1980s first and foremost. But rather than being a strictly dominant aspects throughout, in this case it is more of a subtle but recurring element, one that creates a distinct impression with me as a listener and that probably defines a lot about the album to boot, but not to the extent that you can say that this is a Hawkwind inspired production. It is more a case of Swordfish and his various collaborators making use of similar sounding elements as Hawkwind explored back then in order to create both subtle as well as more overt cosmic layers and dimensions to the landscapes explored. These are used in several different and different sounding contexts, making good use of both light toned and subtle as well as more expressive and overt 60s psychedelia alongside 70s progressive electronic music and combining these expressions with the flowing, Hawkwind style instrument details. In addition to a little bit of a flirt with ambient music along the way, and a one off venture into an exotic sounding, Eastern and world music inspired creation. We also get one song that, to my mind at least, came across as a landscape that exist somewhere on the halfway line between Hawkwind as of 1985 or thereabouts and Billy Idol's controversial album "Cyberpunk". We do get a couple of exceptions towards the end though. The more stylized and distinct sounding 'Komets Berättlse' and 'Nimbus Thitherward' draws my associations in a very different direction altogether, with Trey Gunn and his project Quodia from a couple of decades ago being my main reference point for both of these compositions. Including a little bit of a Crimsonian detail towards the end of the latter of these. As with just about everything I have come across from Fruits de Mer Records, this is a most solid production on all levels. The compositions are well put together and executed, the mix and production is done right, and everything is in balance (and arguably occasional moments of planned unbalance).

Conclusion. I don't know enough about the Krautrock tradition to be able to safely state this album's draw towards that fan demographic, but for those with a general affection for cosmic and otherworldly sounding ventures explored in an elegant manner there is a lot to like and love about this production. With my main impression being that those who love and treasure 80s era Hawkwind as well as progressive electronic music of the kind that Tangerine Dream explored in the 1970s and 1980s may be something of a key audience for this double feature.

Progmessor: August 2025
The Rating Room