I love the sound of cello. It is probably my favorite string instrument with its deep chesty profound sound. So when I learned Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Musk Ox, Leprous) solo album is cello based, and before knowing whether any metal is involved or not, I was curious to hear it. In short, I like Within Worlds, but don’t expect Apocalyptica or even Winds. There is no big symphonic stylization on the album or any metal undergirding for that matter either, but sitting through 40 minutes of this music, it captures your imagination, soothes, and never becomes self-serving or boring.

Track by track reviewing is never my favorite approach, but with Within Worlds it is particularly futile. The album is music of love, the sound which can be alternatively fitting in the tiny chamber room or on an endless windswept plane. String instruments, not just cello alone, are the centerpiece on Within Worlds, as Raphael Weinroth-Browne manages to coax polyphony of strings on the album. There is the long sliding bow ridden cello, serving mostly as the lead. The shorter pulsating string pinching sound serves as rhythmic foundation, and lower contrabass is the anchoring basement. Starting at the lower pace, From Above sees somewhat of a beat and string pulse, with a touch of synth, and Tumult I and Tumult II almost race while clapping along. Electric pulling of bowstring on Tumult II adds to the tension. The album thus rises to an apogee midway, but shimmers out in a cold rain of Fade (Afterglow), coming a long way from where it started on Unending, with finale Unending II freezing everything out in a tragedy.

Absolutely not metal, and not even post-rock, Within Worlds will amaze instrumental purists. But to diletants, like me, it was a very pleasant experience to just sit in the dark car, vegging along, while rolling on a dark highway listening to this music. Giving this a numeric quote is just as stupid as reviewing it track by track. Listen and make up your own mind.