DEPARTURE FROM THE NORTHERN WASTELAND

Michael Hoenig was recently off from a stint with Tangerine Dream as a fill in for Peter Baumann, who had left the group for the first time. Hoenig played live for TD and after Baumann returned, he again was band-less and headed into the studio. Departure From the Northern Wasteland was the result. You can tell that he was not just playing notes with TD, he was taking them. This solo album couple be described as a close relative. There is a lot of Rubicon-like music here. That doesn't make it a bad album, IMHO, it's quite good. It just makes it derivative. The sound is a little sparser than TD's work. Hoenig wouldn't release another solo album for another 9 years, but I wish he had released some more.

I played it as I wrote this review and my opinion of it hasn't changed. I rate this album a 3.5 rounded to a 4 as it is enjoyable but if I'm in the mood for this type of music, I usually reach for Tangerine Dream.