Andrea Priora Dazzles of Destiny Play:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track 'Beyond My Ice (2004 Mix)')

Andrea Priora composes a very accessible brand of EM like a cross between Andy Pickford, Bekki Williams and Asana. He has collected here a series of tracks especially for the more "typical" SMD customer in mind, each one running into the next. Don't be put off by some of the "mellow" sounding track (or even album) titles. I am not saying that there aren't tender moments here but for the most part this collection represents the more powerful side of Andrea's work.

We kick off with a wonderful sequence emerging through thick drones augmented by no nonsense drums. There is even a spot on mellotron lead line in there to complete the picture. 'Dark Angel' is an excellent start to the CD exemplifying what this album is all about- a wonderful combination of infectious melody with powerful rhythms. Don't worry 'Neuromantic Visions' doesn't have the slightest resemblance to Spandau Ballet! Instead it is another wonderful stab of powerful EM mixed with a heavy dose of Jean Michel Jarre. The melodies are simply exquisite being played on both conventional synth and piano. 'NOH Main Theme' increases the melodic intensity still further with devastating virtual electric guitar riffs giving even greater bite. The leads that accompany it all are almost anthemic. 'I'm Coming to You' is very much a continuation of the previous number, another fantastic piano lead doing the business.

'Beyond My Ice (2004 mix)' uses piano melody once more which mutates into a synth lead line. The drums are a combination of Dave Barker's 'Shrine' and Otarion- in other words pretty powerful stuff! The juxtaposition of this with the delicate melodies is simply exquisite. 'Deep Inside Your Soul' combines lovely flutey synth with a steady drum line whereas 'Moonvelvet' uses gentle ethereal pads; soft mellotron; spoken vocoded text and moderately paced syncopations which got my feet tapping and head nodding. The momentum is carried forward on the back of a rapid sequence as 'Megacity 2169' gets underway. A slow but mean bass loop adds a little menace, as indeed do the lead lines. 'Magic Moments' has some 'curious' samples at the beginning, sort of dreamy orgasmic! The pace then starts to quicken, lead duties once again being handled by the Tron. 'Waiting for the Dawn' initially combines the sound of a storm; more vocoded text and virtual guitar. The drums again build in typical Otarion style and it isn't long before we are hurtling at quite a pace. It's one of those tracks that would be perfect for travelling at high speed down the motorway. The chiming of a clock takes us to 'Slinky Like a Cat' and we get straight into a rather cool groove with lead lines that would have been very much at home on an album by The Glimmer Room. We float to 'Pa Xi Loung' on the back of tranquil solar winds. Initially it's all rather orchestral but it isn't long before the synth drums and sequencer are deployed along with some wordless choral synth stabs. The whole thing has a rather cinematic feel.