Prepare for impact — Robert Ratcliffe, boundary-pushing musician and sci-fi visionary, dropped his explosive concept album, ‘Chronicles of the Residuum: The Age of Destruction’ on 30th October 2025 to chime in with World Audio Day which honours storytelling through sound. Bold, cinematic, and unapologetically epic, this extraordinary albumplunges listeners into a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious warrior, Anku, escorts a child through the ravaged landscapes of the Residuum—caught in a battle that will determine the fate of time and reality itself.
Crafted over a decade on a humble twelve-year-old laptop, Ratcliffe’s magnum opus is fuelled by sheer imagination and passion, weaving together his love for music, sci-fi, fantasy, and pop culture into a groundbreaking sonic odyssey. Inspired by legendary concept albums like Jeff Wayne’s ‘The War of the Worlds’ and Rick Wakeman’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’, Ratcliffe blends orchestral grandeur with pulse-pounding electronic elements—drawing influence from Hans Zimmer, The Prodigy, Leftfield, Orbital, Aphex Twin, and The Future Sound of London—to forge a visionary soundscape unlike any other.
This multimedia epic transports audiences deep into the Residuum, where war rages against the terrifying Ashe Moz and Anku must protect the First and Last child Unagu while unravelling the mysteries of her own shattered past. From decayed cathedrals to abandoned underground cities and floating islands, ‘The Age of Destruction’ is more than an album—it’s an immersive narrative of survival and hope.
The journey begins with the first single ‘Escape from Port Fallen’, an adrenaline-fuelled fusion of skittering drum and bass pulses and soaring cinematic synths. As raiders storm Port Fallen to rescue Unagu – the music captures the urgency, heroism, and heart-wrenching sacrifice of a desperate mission. With each beat, the stakes rise, setting the tone for the epic adventure to come.
Ambitious and with sheer bloody mindedness, Ratcliffe enlisted many industry titans to bring his incredible vision to life; collaborating with Grammy award-winner David Donaldson, voice artist John Cavanagh, and David and Jesse Peterson, creators of languages for Game of Thrones and Dune. Magic: The Gathering artist Igor Kieryluk elevates the visual storytelling, while Nick Halkes, manager of The Prodigy, lends his expertise to the project.
The first album in the Chronicles of the Residuum series, ‘The Age of Destruction’ audaciously dismantles the boundaries between music, fantasy, horror and sci-fi—crafting a sweeping, futuristic, immersive album experience that demands attention via cinematic storytelling and music that takes you on a journey through a pulsating dance and ambient soundscape.
The Residuum is calling. Are you ready to step into the unknown?
The Album On Spotify
TRACK LISTING:
1: Prologue (Myth of Creation and Destruction)
2: Escape from Port Fallen
3: Storm Flight
4: The Fog
5: Lizards of Death
6: Mirror of Night and Day
7: Cathedral of Time (Part 1)
8: Cathedral of Time (Part 2)
9: Floating Gardens of Giilas Iim
10: Eye of Ronayosho
11: Dream within a Dream
12: Knights of the Mem Ittarai/The Prophecy
13: Dead City
14: Nest of Ghovzakh
15: Attack of the Iksi’e
16: Return to the Broken Palace
17: City of Echoes
