OUT IN THE DARK

A bit of a holding pattern for the Swiss group. Here they attempt adding a guitarist to the mix again, but Dale Hauskins doesn't leave terribly much of an impression, albeit a bit more than Urs Waldispühl. He gets a resonable solo on the end of "Nocturnal Flight", then seems to disappear off the map. I'm guessing he was more of a guest musician than a full-time band member. And I get the feeling Roland Ruckstuhl didn't much care for guitarists horning in on his territory, as this is yet another wall-to-wall keyboard extravaganza.

As with ELEMENTS, this one's certainly not groundbreakingly innovative music, but that seemed to possess a lot more spirit and panache than this. "Wintertime Nights" is a bit of a throwaway, and the songs on the A-side are all adequate if unremarkable (though the title song is rather good). The high point is definitely the three-part "Strange Meeting" cycle, the most ambitious piece the band yet attempted. It features a vibrancy and energy I find rather lacking in much of the rest of the album, and is very nearly the equal of the longer pieces from ELEMENTS.

In short, a pleasant enough diversion, but of chief interest to those who really, really, really liked ELEMENTS. Like me.