EPILOG

Anyone with an ear who's heard even a fragment of this album, should not be surprised that it occupies the coveted "second position". It is with a certain amount of shame and regret that I have only recently come to appreciate its perfection; having the good fortune to borrow it from a friend. An enormous amount of tension released only by a few shafts of filtered sunlight leaves me feeling a little uncomfortable for the duration of this album...but I like that. It is a dark and stormy journey and the absence of vocals or a stitch of narrative leaves one bobbing about on the sea in a small boat with no-one to talk to. The absence of vocals also, no doubt because of the compositional consistency and the highly dynamic mood swings, gives one the impression that the entire album is a single through-composed piece; the track breaks being largely unnoticeable. Technically, it's difficult to find a flaw here; all players contributing sterling performances. The production is excellent and (as others have said) somehow manages to contrive a very "late-70's" quality which draws one in to an even deeper level. That this album was recorded in 1994 (arguably one the lowest periods for contemporary music) is remarkable in itself but that it should turn out to be such a progressive gem is inexplicable. Four and a half stars.