Dean De Benedictus
A Lone Reply
Compact Disc / 10 tracks / 78.39 mins

In the sleeve notes Steve Roach and Robert Rich are thanked for inspiration but even if he hadn't mentioned them it would have been obvious that this is where Dean was coming from on this album. We get underway with 'Avenging ilfaited Visions' and the sound of chimes. Ethereal pads gently join with the metallic tones. Drums are added in slow complicated rhythms, flutes being played over the top. Its certainly tribal sounding. 'What the Wind May not tell you' appropriately makes use of windy sounding instruments and could easily have been by Steve Roach. Its like being alone at night on top of some mountain. 'As the Ocean Emptied' again makes prominent use of ethnic drumming backed by some perfectly pitched pads, the leads being played on flute type instruments. The images are ones of ancient civilisations performing rituals or struggling to survive.

'Bilagaana weeps in Quiet Memory' (doesn't go in for snappy titles does he!) is a relaxed meditative number with some lovely lonesome flute playing. 'Imminent Core' on the other hand is a much darker number initially made up of shifting drones but then in complete contrast a repeated ringing melodic motif strikes up. Its as if someone is trying to communicate over a great distance. There's nothing ethnic about this number its much more cosmic sounding and is my favourite track so far. Its melodically very simple but its this simplicity as well as the combination of sounds chosen that gives it its appeal. 'A sense of home the sky Remembers' is also of the cosmic or maybe even aquatic variety of ambient music with piano detail low in the mix. It reminded me of watching a gently swelling sea with the rain coming down from a leaden sky. Nearer the end of the track the piano stands in isolation with loads of sustain to the notes - rather beautiful, if you like that sort of thing.

'Embraced' is not too dissimilar to the previous track but without the piano. 'Soil of Our Consonence just within Reach' (Heavens!) marks the return of an ethnic sounding flute. Overall though I wouldn't really say the track has a tribal feeling to it. I don't know how to categorise it actually. There are all sorts of noises in the background. Again I am reminded of the rain but I'm sure many of the other sounds are supposed to be animals. There are even the occasional angelic vocal touches. A slow melody is looped combining with everything else to form a rather intriguing number. 'Alter Being' to start off with is a superb dark growling number, its a bit like some of Robert Rich's more brooding works. It made me think of strange alien creatures appearing out of a haze of wind blown sand. At around the three minute mark however the mood lightens but we still remain very firmly in droning ambient territory. Another excellent track. 'Places I will never See' begins with more gentle flute but at the three minute mark the sound of children playing can be heard in the background. Simple plucked melodies are played over the top giving an optimistic edge to what had been, up to now, quite a melancholy piece. Thunder can just be heard in the background. At around the half way mark the track changes dramatically and returns to gentle pads underpinning a slowly played flute and this is how the track and CD finishes. Its an album which starts off with very ethnic stylings but as the album unfolds many more areas of ambient music are visited, all rather successfully. (DL)

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