I had not heard of Ascanio Borga before receiving this disc, but evidently he is one of a sizable group of Italian experimental musicians. According to Afe’s website, "Xenomorphic, Ascanio's latest offering on Afe, literally evokes something with a strange form,’ something unfamiliar that appears alien to us, defying our logic comprehension, and therefore generating tension, disquietude and even anguish in us, but it represents something terribly vital and dynamic at the same time, something whose possibilities are still unknown." The opening track, "Xenomorphic," is almost 18 minutes long and consists of three movements, which are not delineated. The first section is an odd mix of guitar solo, noises, and atmosphere. Imagine if Yngwie Malmsteen (in a toned down way, of course) collaborated with Legion. However, it then starts to get a bit repetitive. Granted, Borga brings in elements here and there to vary the soundscape, but it just isn’t enough. It isn’t until about 15 minutes in that it begins to be interesting again, but by then it had collapsed under its own weight. "Equilibrium" is much more engaging making use of varying dynamics and sparse use of elements such as wind chimes to draw the listener in. This is more atmosphere than anything else, but it works. This then transforms into a bit more involved track, with sawtooth wave synth washes and what sounds like a talking drum that slowly evolves. "Apnea (The Hollow Mind)" is the longest track on the album at 29.48. I have to admit that once the guitar comes in at about 24 minutes, it kind of wrecks the nice hypnotic feel it had going for much of the track. The guitar solo thing just doesn’t work for me. For me, the standout track is "Raw Ground," which is a nice track of noisy drone. Here the guitar works because it is heavily processed and just blends into the mix rather than sticking out. This is synergy. Overall, I have to call this one a mixed bag. When it is good, it’s good, but at other times it just doesn’t work. This disc weighs in at 71.41 and it’s limited to 150 copies in a nice oversize sleeve.