By: Anand Harsh

Following a tough period of introspection, and a public rebranding that saw his sound shift dramatically, Stephen Burke emerges as Siren with an achingly epic, post-apocalyptic opus in the form of the 18-track monster, Afterworld. Slated for a January 26th release, the mammoth record is a departure from the melodic dubstep and lush electro-house of past studio work. Instead, this collection of vignettes that tell a larger story have Siren experimenting with growling subs, wild strings, and a glitched-out palette of incredibly vivid works.

"A Mirror to the Past" barely scratches the surface, but its multitude of looks give fans an understanding that something drastically different is happening here. If he's not already writing the movie for this score waiting to happen, something is wrong. This picturesque production ranges from the most beautiful downtempo you've ever heard, to raging glitch-hop, to indie-pop vocals that shake you to your core. An Asian influence can be felt in the beginning, but it soon melts into subsonic bliss. Burke is pouring his heart into every single one of these songs, and it absolutely kills me that I can't share the album, in toto, being a week away from its drop.

I don't make these comparisons lightly, but this album has the cinematic and conceptual scope as an album by The M Machine, the emotional depth and vocal prowess of Crywolf (hear his latest album Cataclasm), and the prodution chops of Haywyre. That's good company. The bottom line is, his fan base is about to triple, and the rebranding has worked. He's not just another bedroom producer churning out cookie cutter pop tunes for the dance floor. This is serious music for serious fans.

We couldn't be happier to have Siren join melodic bass gods Illenium, Said The Sky, Fractal, and the aforementioned Crywolf at The Untz Festival from June 2-4 in Mariposa, CA. By the time June rolls around, fans are going to be frothing at the mouth to hear these tunes live. As our fearless leader, Avi Gallant, put it, "I can't wait for Siren to blow everyone's mind at the festival.