This
is a self-produced and self-released
disc containing 7 tracks, most of which
are fairly long (only the intro was
under 5 minutes). The case and CD artwork
look nice enough, although the fancy
font that was used makes the song titles
nearly unreadable. This was obviously
a case of something that looked great
on the monitor but didn't translate
well to the printer.
I
had to listen to this disc more than
once to form a solid opinion. It's easy
to recognize the phenomenal and it's
easy to recognize crap, but it can be
tough to get a feel for anything in
between without a few spins.
The
sounds and textures are pretty deep
and rich, and this disc is much more
enjoyable using headphones. Those of
you with five-dollar Radio Shack stereo
systems will probably want to skip this
one because you won't be able to appreciate
it. The use of samples is tasteful and
not excessive, which is something that
can be a serious problem in industrial
and its tangential genres.
Although
primarily instrumental and ambient in
nature and something that is likely
to fade into the background, this disc
is hard to stop listening to once it's
playing. There's an immersive flow to
it that I can't quite describe and that
you won't be able to appreciate without
actually hearing the disc, and it's
something you really won't get into
until about the third listen.
Although
the disc flows smoothly, the spoken
word portion of "Soldier's Eye"
is a disruption that feels out of place.
On a 10-point scale, I give this disc
a 6.5, which would be a 7.5 if that
annoying bit of "Soldier's Eye"
were to disappear. Although this isn't
a stand-out disc and doesn't have any
'listen to over and over' songs, it
has found a place in the rotation. There's
definite potential here and future releases
will be worth checking out.