Cosmograf - The Unreasonable Silence (2016)

"The Unreasonable Silence" is the sixth studio album by the British progressive rock project Cosmograf, featuring multi-instrumentalist Robin Armstrong, released in June 2016 on Gravity Dream Music.

The album tells the philosophical and psychological story of a man named Martin, who has withdrawn from society, obsessed with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and attempts to explain the silence of the universe (the concept of the Fermi Paradox). The themes explore loneliness, paranoia, mental illness, and the existential search for meaning.

Like many of Cosmograf's works, the album sounds like a true radio play or film soundtrack. The musical scores are closely intertwined with sound effects, radio excerpts, and voiced dialogue.

The sound combines heavy guitar riffs, spatial keyboard textures, deep basslines, and emotive solos. The album is characterized by its high dynamics, ranging from quiet, unsettling acoustic moments to powerful, aggressive prog metal.

To realize this ambitious concept, Armstrong enlisted the help of numerous renowned musicians from the progressive scene, as well as voice actors.