Prophecy is the third solo recording by Sydney-based Laurence Pike, a drummer/composer who plays in PVT, Liars, and Szun Waves. Like so many artists, Pike was forced to confront the question of how to engage creatively in a time of crisis caused not only by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also Australia’s deeply destructive bushfires. He found purpose in solo playing and his own unique approach to sampling and sound design, improvising acoustically on drums and conjuring multi-textured sonic landscapes in which nothing is obvious, and every track is wholly different. Synth tone colors, sparse cymbals and electronic percussion, voice-like parts (“Death of Science,” “Ember”), and other elements float in and out, often grounded in a steady yet subtle rhythmic motion (“Heart of Sky,” “New Normal”) and hazy harmony (“Prophecy,” “Rapture”). At the center of it all is a curious and somewhat dark blend of man and machine.