Go a little overview:
- Out of the Body: wolves howling ahead of a bombastic opening with heavy drums, synthesizer and guitar firefighter ... hackettienne. The production is somewhat reminiscent of the heaviness of some tracks ELO. And this composition could well also serve as soundtrack to a fantasy film of the Hammer. The tone is set.
- Wolflight: balalïka few notes on a menacing growl. Then the classical guitar arrives, accompanied by very cinematic strings again. We at aa right to folkisante ride like Steve Hackett made regularly for thirty years, with harmonious vocals. Returning to drum rolls, a raging electric guitar comes in. Many moods change. A piece very "modern prog".
- Love Song To A Vampire: opening on classical guitar trills, then stretches the song with a great chorus so "Court of the Crimson King", so see what I mean.
- The Wheel's Turning: a fairground organ recalling the distant Please Do not Touch introduces popisante pearl richly arranged, recalling once again the Jeff Lynne productions.
- Corycian Fire: zither, duduk, percussion and oriental sounds, mixed with synthetic layers served on a monolithic beat that evokes "A Life Within A Day", the first track of the disc Squackett adventure with Chris Squire (who plays on a piece here).
- Earthshine: classical guitar composition, reminiscent moment by the harmonies of the intro to The Blood on Rooftops. Three minutes of simple happiness.
- And in the Loving Sea, are the 12 strings that invite to the party, with great vocal harmony. Even a simple walk, but beautiful. The production is sublime.
- Black Thunder Celtic atmosphere with mandolin and fiddle overlooking a heavy riff like a stone circle. Steve gives us here his side "rock" dark, with furious solis.
- Dust and Dreams: Hispanic and oriental guitar strings, the journey continues. The rhythmic swaying battery darbuka, very "Middle Eastern" takes us to the land of the Arabian Nights. And above, Hackett delivers a soaring solo, distant relative of those Steppes and Spectral Mornings.
- Heart Song: another typical piece HACKETT while feeling and musical convolutions. Not the best of the album, but still a beautiful piece.
- Pneuma: a nylon string guitar solo with virtuosic series of trills. Joli.
- And we end with Midnight Sun: a ride consensual pop that unfortunately falls a bit through the "FM rock" who poisoned a time the great Steve directory. But this tiny bad taste can not tarnish a disc that has undoubtedly be one of the best and most consistent of all of its author discography.
Like the dreamlike atmospheres, film old and well done prog?
Do not let the cover, Mr. Hackett is in great shape.
Note on the note: this disc is beautiful, but I still give him 5/5 not because of the slight decrease regime that accuses the end. It must be that I can distinguish this album of what total success for me, for example, the last Steven Wilson - Hand.Cannot.Erase. How to tell the difference between beautiful, gorgeous, awesome ... when there are only 5 points?
