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Synth Music Direct (UK)
The opener 'Gravity' simply has to be
a homage to 'Exit' period TD. The sound palette and compositional style
are spot on for that era. Indeed the whole track is just perfect. Notes
are struck and left to fade into the distance. A slow beautiful flutey
melody drifts through the ether. A sequence starts up. Another melodic
sequence bubbles to the surface taking us back to those heady days when
our heroes still had something exciting to say. This second sequence gains
in power all the time whilst a stonking lead line hits all those musical
pleasure receptors (ooh err missus!). We even get some recited foreign
text as in 'Kiew Mission' (I think!). It all works so well. A wonderful
way to start the album. The title track, at almost half an hour, is a real
epic. Tranquil pads waft from the speakers then a casual Eastern sounding
lead line can just be heard. Enter a tabla type rhythmic sequence and it's
instant 'Hyperborea'!
Another sequence falls into formation. The backing swells and things
become increasingly syncopated. This is rapidly turning into another
cracker, but they are not finished yet as another sequence bursts forth
and the excitement level goes up yet another couple of notches. There is a
definite moodiness to the lead lines; a sort of edgy melancholy which when
contrasted with all the powerful pulsations makes things even more
effective. We get an explosion through which the pulsations surge, like
fighter aircraft through a ball of flame. Some more sampled speech gives a
sinister twist. A bass beat strikes up and in its wake the sequences morph
to give a more optimistic feel, enhanced by some lovely soft pads. In the
seventeenth minute the sequences start to subside, we get some manic
laughing then distorted echoing utterances. The mood changes once again as
a tinkling sequence emerges from watery effects like air bubbles rising
from a diver far below. There is a delicate beauty to it all. Backing
drones create a contrasting melancholia. A more percussive sequence
enhances an already excellent passage of music still further. A slow
thoughtful lead glides above the pulsations taking us to the end of
another excellent track with many a twist and turn along the way.
'History' explodes onto the scene with vast reverberating fizzing stabs of
sound. Sampled text calls out to a crowd on more than one occasion,
relieving important events from the past. The tension builds and builds
embellished by Jarre type electronic whooshes. The pace quickens as an
insistent rhythm drives things forward along with a lovely thick bass
line. A little melodic motif skips over the top. This is excellent body
moving stuff. A sharper lead line cuts through the air. Ethereal pads and
a more delicate sequence bring some contrast nearer the end but overall
this is a non-compromising track full of power and attitude. With a track
called 'Sequenced' there are certain expectations but it isn't until the
third minute that the expected rapid note runs burst through. They are
well worth waiting for however as my hands are soon beating out time on
the table, being taken along by the mounting excitement. Things become
increasingly syncopated until just before the half way mark where the
energy level subsides a little only to make things seem even more ball
breaking when the vast wall of notes reappear.
'Dive' appropriately starts with a drone that seems to go deeper and
deeper until it is replaced by ominous dark pads. You can almost feel the
vast weight of water above you. A tinkling loop shines through the
blackness like a laser, bass pulses getting the heart to race. Thick
mournful pads make a fleeting appearance then wallop, sequences and
rhythms start to surge forward faster than I could take them in. An almost
anthemic lead completes the picture. Wordless female vocal colouring
momentarily adds a little softness before we surge forwards once more.
What an awesome way to finish what is I reckon the best Pyramid Peak album
yet. (DL)
Dave Law, 2007
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