Ancient Technology Cult Architects of Heresy Play: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi   Download: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Illuminatrix Pt 1')

A crashing start has become something of a Jim Kirkwood trademark recently so it comes as no surprise that he begins this, his latest side project album, in similar fashion. The opener is called 'Illuminatrix Pt 1' and initially, apart from the opening couple of seconds, is quite a departure for Jim being mainly made up of rather windy flute sounds (though with attitude). The next main feature is some most fantastic drumming full of energy and menace. Indeed this is some of the best rhythm programming Jim has ever done. We surge forward with incredible force, a wonderful lead making the whole effect even more exciting. There is a short interlude in the fifth minute for a wordless female vocal sample. A melodic sequence starts up a minute later and we really begin to motor once again. The drums return joining with the sequence resulting in a typical Kirkwood blitzkrieg of sound. More lead lines skim off the thunderous pulsations- incredible stuff! In the thirteenth minute all rhythm departs and we enter a strange world of fizzing effects, dripping water and the occasional animal / bird noise. It sounds a little tropical actually.

More wordless vocal samples can be heard then a sequence starts up once again. As expected this is only the start to the excitement as a similar fantastic drum pattern as we had earlier also returns and once again I am in Heaven - or should that be Hell! 'Thunder Perfect Mind' takes us to another weird world full of phantoms and various un-natural phenomena. Two high register sequences start up; one fast and the other slow, weaving around each other creating quite a trance like state. 'Illuminatrix Pt2' starts abruptly in the middle of a slow brooding sequence mixing with disturbances from the underworld. This departs after a minute and the mood changes radically on the back of a lovely cello sound. All is now calm but with quite a heavy dose of melancholy. In the third minute we get the sound of some Eastern wind instrument (again, not typical of Jim's work). A slow pulse starts up and a bell sequence. Normal service is soon resumed as out of this atmospheric section a brooding bass sequence emerges, then another more melodic one. The various sequence lines seem to be battling against one another but the melodic one seems to win out, coming to the surface and really starting to blast forward. The cello keeps making a return from time to time and works perfectly against the sequence as it goes berserk! More great drum programming is also brought to play but they are much more subtle than on the opener. The sequences morph wonderfully around each other for quite a while with lovely lead detail coming and going, constantly changing. What a fantastic track this has turned out to be!

In the seventeenth minute the flute returns and we are back to atmospherics. Angelic vocal samples start up along with some really cool rhythms. It's a bit like Enigma but with a most definite Kirkwood twist. Again Jim is trying out a new idea and incredibly successful it is too. And it gets even better as deep fizzing blasts are also brought in adding quite a heavy dose of menace to proceedings as we get into an awesome groove that got my whole body moving. Yet more sequences are deployed and the excitement increases still further. In a few years time, looking back, this could be seen as a very important album in Jim's discography. It is where he starts to move on so as not to become 'stale'. Many artists try to do this but end up alienating the existing fans. I can't see that being the effect here. Sure, he is re-inventing himself but he is keeping the core spirit and style that has gained him such a cult following. (DL)

There follows a second review of this album provided by one of SMD's first ever customers and owner of what is probably the most complete collection in existence of Jim's work.

This release by The Ancient Technology Cult is another CD to add to the evergrowing Jim Kirkwood collection. It consists of two very long tracks and one shorter track. The first of the long tracks 'Illuminatrix Pt1- Where The Dark Flowers Grow' opens the disc with a loud crash that immediately makes you jump. Following this is around two minutes of wailing, presumably by heretics? A drum sound takes over and develops into a superb drum sequence. This becomes very powerful and is very reminiscent of some of the sequencing of Tangerine Dream from 'The Park is Mine' or 'Flashpoint'. Some of the more typical Kirkwood lead synth is then introduced at around the four and a half minute mark A sudden change to Heavenly voices follows for a short intermission before a very richly textured deep bassy sounding sequence takes over.

This section is very like Synco at their best. This sequence will seriously test your speakers or headphones if listened to at a reasonable volume , which is recommended to this CD anyway. There is an interplay between this sequence and Jim's synth throughout this piece , with the sequence holding the attention. At the halfway point of thirteen and a half minutes slow ambient music takes over with some animal sounds transporting you to an Amazon jungle. A mournful cry introduces a new sequence with more Heavenly voices, which are then replaced by the drum sequence from earlier in the track. Some very doomy organ sounds interweave with the drum sequence until just after twenty one minutes when a new sequence takes over, this coming to an abrupt end with a loud bang. The final two minutes of the opening track are a slow closure to what has been a dynamic opening track. The second track 'Thunder Perfect Mind' at eight minutes is rather short for a Jim Kirkwood composition. Again it starts with a bang and develops into a very melodic sequence which is overlaid by some slightly discordant piano sounds. This track is more like some of the older Kirkwood material.