AION

As other reviewers have pointed out already, this DCD album is an acquired taste. Together with Spiritchaser it is the album that has cost me most effort to learn to appreciate. It is made up of short pieces with dominating medieval overtones; it's also very short and feels a bit fragmented and underdeveloped. Nevertheless I prefer the concise format to the stretched out improvisations of Spiritchaser.

Even though the short pieces are very delightful, the obvious highpoints are the songs lasting 3 or more minutes: the sad but soothing Song of Sibyl, the psychedelic goth of Fortune Presents Gifts and Black Sun and the Arabian Radharc. However, pieces like As The Bell Rings and The Promised Womb feel second rate and have no place on a short album like this.

An album of 36 minutes can be long enough for me, but only if everything is perfect. With a good 25 minutes of excellent music this album doesn't have enough cuts for 4 stars.