Symbiotik are back and they have brought something truly special with them! Desert of Contrast, now celebrating its tenth anniversary, is a powerful and beautifully reimagined version of one of the most personal and spiritual concept albums you will ever hear. This is a journey through the seven ages of man, from birth all the way to what lies beyond, and every step of the way is filled with meaning.
The husband and wife duo, Rob on lyrics and Rowena on production, have poured their hearts into this project. Originally created as part of Rowena’s master’s degree in 2014, the album has been brought back to life with richer production, expanded instrumentation, and a renewed and powerful sense of purpose.
At its heart, Desert of Contrast is rooted in faith and shaped by their Christian beliefs, yet it speaks openly and honestly to anyone willing to listen. The project began with A Million Angels, a track that sparked the entire album’s direction and grew into a fully realized concept inspired by classic storytelling in music. Influences from iconic 90s sounds blend beautifully with their own unique style.
A decade later, Desert of Contrast is more than an album. It is a meaningful and lasting artistic statement!
Listen to Desert of Contrast (10th Anniversary)”
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“Symbiotik’s “Desert of Contrast (10th Anniversary)” is this epic concept album tracing the 7 ages of man from birth to beyond death, can you paint a picture of the overall vibe and what listeners can expect on this rerelease?
The overall vibe is world fusion/new age. You can expect a journey through a life from birth to death and beyond
As a husband-and-wife team with Rob on lyrics and Rowena producing the music, how did your dynamic shape the storytelling in tracks like “A Million Angels” and the title track?
We work together in perfect harmony! Rob hears the vibe of the track and writes some awesome lyrics to match it. Our first song on the album was a million angels and we just shaped the album from there. Desert of contrast came last and we just had a topic and got to work!
This started as Rowena’s masters degree project back in 2014, what’s the backstory on bringing it back for this 10th anniversary edition, and how has your perspective evolved since then?
Obviously the production quality has improved since then with the addition of more instruments and VSTs in the studio. We wanted to reimagine the album as we felt it had such a powerful message, we could do it more justice second time around.
You draw inspiration from 90s icons like Michael Cretu and Enya, how did those influences seep into the sound of “Desert of Contrast,” especially with its spiritual undertones rooted in your Christian philosophy?
Both myself and Rob used to listen to such artists and you can definitely hear the Gregorian influence from ‘return to innocence’ by enigma in that track. EBay did some spiritual stuff too particularly ‘how can I keep from singing’ and these vibes definitely shaped our sound overall. We also introduced instruments not present in those influences to give our own unique sound.
“A Million Angels” was the spark that kicked off the album, walk us through that “just felt right” moment and how it set the tone for the journey from birth to eternity.
We wrote the song and we were both just thinking this could be the start of something incredible. We both sat down and brainstormed ideas that would work with this song and it was Rob who came up with the concept. He lived in the era of concept albums, dark side of the moon etc and knew what could be done.
The title track nods to Gandhi defeating a mighty army with peace, what drew you to that story, and how does it tie into the album’s broader theme of life’s contrasts?
So that story is one of great significance as he showed how peace can end a war. We definitely need more of that nowadays. We wanted to include it as it is culturally significant too. Life’s contrasts are mainly Jesus walking through the desert but we felt we could modernise it with that story. I’m sure Jesus would’ve appreciated it!
Recording in your home studio sounds intimate, were there any standout moments or challenges in capturing that profound narrative arc with just your usual tools?
Just the joy of producing all round. I really get into the zone when I’m in there.
With Jesus Christ at the heart of Symbiotik’s philosophy, how does that faith weave through the 7 ages of man concept, making this more than just a musical journey?
We are trying to convey Christian faith in a way that can be widely accepted. Jesus has done more in our lives to help us get where we are now than anyone could ever imagine.
What makes “Desert of Contrast” stand out in today’s scene, and why does this milestone release feel so significant after a decade?
It was as we always believed our best ever album. It had everything in it that both of us had to offer. We literally put everything on the line, our hearts, everything to make this album what it is.
You’re already cooking up a second album, without spoiling too much, what’s next for Symbiotik, and how does this rerelease fuel that momentum?
We have a second concept that follows on from this one. We just have the fire in us to do this and our rerelease has definitely rekindled that fire.
