Futurecop! brings another epic release to his veteran status with his brand new album Voltrana.

This comes after the anticipated release of his music video for his brilliant song We Belong (Feat. Parallels). Futurecop started off as a project in 2006 by Manzar Iqbal and, with help from his friend Peter Carroll, has since gathered a huge fanbase and has hit the right spots for those in the synthwave scene. Futurecop has evolved into a more experimental territory with the previous release by giving a more ambient style. We have kept our eyes on Voltrana and we have finally found the time to review it.

Intro gives us the ambience mixed with the simple synthwave we all know and love which then leads into We Belong (Feat. Parallels). Star (Feat. Computer Magic) adds more of a kick as it progresses into a more guitar orientated sound. Leslie Cheung is the second song featuring Parallels and adds a brief kick before leading into the solid instrumental Finding Shaolin. Breeze (Behind Waterfalls) experiments with funky bass and slick drum beats. Parallels appear again on Edge of the Universe to a more ambient and relaxed tone. Forgotten Summer floods the bass through whilst continuing the relaxed vibe. The acoustic guitar adds a beautiful texture to pair with Ayumi Sasaki’s vocals on Shinjinmei.

Zen 4040 is another instrumental with the same vibe as the previous ones. Parallels bow out from the album with their fourth and brilliant appearance on This Moment Forever. NINA lends her vocal talents to one of the albums emotional highlights with Fade Away. Siamese Youth joins the roster of guest appearances with the chilled and catchy Let Go. Futurecop ends the album with two more songs; Whispers of Tao that’s so relaxing you’ll melt into your chair and Only from Mud (Can A Flower Bloom) which adds to the mixture of progressive and ambience that makes his album stand firm.

Voltrana sees Futurecop continuing to experiment with a more ambient sound and once again pulls it off. This new sound is refreshing to a generic synthwave record and sees Futurecop sticking to his roots whilst dipping into fresh genres. Voltrana is a giant album that is such an impressive listen from start to finish.

– Matthew Clewley

Ultimately, the 15-cut Voltrana is one of Futurecop!’s best albums and definitely the synthwave pioneer’s grandest statement.

– Vehlinggo