Universus

Universus
Studio album by
Released26 April 2013 (2013-04-26)
GenreDrum and bass[1]
Length69:46
LabelViper
ProducerKarl Thomas
ShockOne chronology
ShockOne
(2009)
Universus
(2013)
A Dark Machine
(2019)

Universus is the debut studio album by Australian producer ShockOne, released on 26 April 2013 through Viper Recordings.[2] It contains collaborations with Metrik, Reija Lee, Phetsta, Kyza and Sam Nafie. ShockOne toured Australia in promotion of the album.[1] It reached number two on the Australian albums chart.

Background

[edit]

Karl Thomas described the "loose theme" of the album being "the lifespan of our universe", going on to say that he realised this was the theme "halfway through writing the album". He elaborated, "The term itself, 'universus', actually means everything right now. It's dealing with, as humans, our perception of reality and how we deal with the universe that we're in."[2]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[3]
The Sydney Morning Herald[4]

Will R. of Sputnikmusic described the album as "what the heavier variety of electronic music can do at its best" and wrote, "shockingly, almost the entire album is a pleasant and fun listen, even if it doesn't ever go too far below skin-deep", pointing out that "Lazerbeam" sounds like a Skrillex track and "Crucify Me" a song by Pendulum.[3] The Sydney Morning Herald's Douglas Fry stated that it is "a loud and brash arrival, to be sure [...] but to call it unsubtle would be inaccurate" as it "revels in the power of cone-destroying bass, thundering percussion and soaring melodies, without choking out the light and shade elements that make ShockOne such an impressive producer".[4]

Track listing

[edit]
Universus track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Singularity (The Monochord of Creation)"1:17
2."Chaos Theory"5:11
3."Harmonize"5:11
4."Home" (featuring Reija Lee)7:13
5."Big Bounce"4:48
6."Lose Control"6:01
7."Crucify Me" (featuring Phetsta)5:26
8."Universes" (featuring Phetsta and Reija Lee)5:31
9."Lazerbeam" (featuring Metrik and Kyza)4:23
10."Infinity's Silence"6:02
11."Relapse" (featuring Sam Nafie)5:03
12."Age of Enlightenment"5:02
13."Light Cycles (Prelude)"1:44
14."Light Cycles"6:54
Total length:69:46

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Universus
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 2

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "ShockOne is back in storming form, with his killer debut album Universus". GCMag. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Pilven, Jack (22 April 2013). "Everguide ShockOne Interview – April 2013". Everguide. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b R., Will (29 April 2013). "ShockOne – Universus (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b Fry, Douglas (9 May 2013). "Universus". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Australiancharts.com – ShockOne – Universus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 July 2023.