WOLVES OF THE GODS

VANGELIS meets HACKETT? Indeed, BJORN LYNNE's music has the quirky, zany quality of HACKETT's guitar play and showcases some of VANGELIS' best electronic soundscapes; but it is less pastoral than most of HACKETT's material and it rocks the way VANGELIS never did. "Wolves of the Gods" is an excellent example of LYNNE's art. Although the music on it is not very complex, Mr. LYNN is an all-round artist who handles all instruments equally well (he plays all except the drums on this album). He also has a knack for composing catchy melodies which he manages to dress up as million- dollar productions. Because he cannot live by his music alone, he also writes computer games in his spare time, but please don't write him off as a 'drum-machine operator'. As this album proves mightily, his music is anything but.

The "Prologue" with its horn-like intro has an almost classical feel to it. Among other good tracks are "Shapechanger", a pulse accelerator with superb sound effects; "The Ghost Warriors of Caluz" an eerie tune with crimsonesque overtones; and the 10- minute epic "The Beckoning Sea"; this one is a slow cooker that turns into an infectious rocker with screetching Celtic pipes and a most catchy hook.

But the pièce de résistance is "Palimak's Revenge". This one is a killer and showcases BJORN LYNNE's most 'progressive' material. It starts with simple guitar notes and ominous sounds in the background; but the listener is soon blasted with time changes and some virtuoso guitar play upon a tapestry of whirling keyboards. After a few minutes of this frenzy, the music slows down considerably, with only the beat remaining (keeping the listener on his toes). You know something wicked is about to happen. Like an omen, a little boy's laughter then softly comes in - a nasty, devilish little laugh that makes your skin crawl - while the bass is mounting and throbbing ever louder, until the whole thing explodes into veritable musical fireworks - a real ground shaker in 7/8, replete with twirling, scorching, distorted guitars and dramatic, soaring keyboards. This track alone would be worth the price of the CD, but the whole album is a real treat. This is adrenaline-packed cyber-rock.