MAELSTROM

The band calls "Maelstrom" the missing link between "Borrowed Atoms" and "Planets In The Wires".They also say that this album is to travelling what "The God Of Electricity" is to bad weather. So yeah this is a cool album to have on when your driving and it's one of their shorter albums at 56 minutes. Released in 2002 but recorded in 1999. We get mellotron but not as much as usual, quite a few guitar excursions though.

"Part One" is spacey without any sort of rhythm as faint sounds come and go. It all seems to get louder after 9 minutes. Sequencers before 13 minutes with lots of mellotron too. Spacey sounds follow and it all sounds so peaceful after 14 1/2 minutes. Guitar before 21 1/2 minutes and it sounds great. It settles back before 25 minutes although we get some clanging around 26 1/2 minutes.

"Part Two" like the first part is very spacey early but with mellotron this time. It settles back and we get some intricate guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. Organ after 7 minutes as things get really spacey again. Electronics 10 minutes in then some tasteful guitar arrives before 14 minutes although it ends in a passionate manner at 16 minutes.The guitar is back before 20 minutes then it stops around 26 minutes as the song winds down. Mellotron late.

Gotta give this 4 stars and maybe they should have called this "Travelling" instead of "Maelstrom" which it isn't.