Divinorum
Talisman
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(Excerpt from track 'Biochemical Structure')
CD / 11 tracks / 71.28 mins

Divinorum is really a pseudonym for Bjorn Lynne. Last month we reviewed his fantastic new album 'Colony'. It has proved to be one of the most popular CDs we have featured lately and as I write this is flying high in our charts. Anyway this prompted me to re-investigate Bjorn's work. I didn't even know of his Divinorum albums until a couple of weeks ago. This one seems to date from a couple of years back and is the most powerful of his works I have heard to date. Maybe even more powerful than 'Colony' but it is in quite a different style. Where as 'Colony' had prog elements around the edges this CD features a Dance / Trance leaning on many of the tracks. After a while though you hardly notice this and just go along with the immense energy. On the opener 'The Human Male' for instance we initially get cosmic sounds followed by a scintillating fizzing sequence then POW! In comes an incredibly powerful dance oriented beat but with almost axe man guitar in the background. This is meant to be played loud - VERY LOUD! I played it on the PA we use for concerts cranked up most of the way in my little office - probably did me long term damage but what an experience!

We then get a very funny vocal sample telling us 'The Human Male is an Unstable Creature' in a rather upper crust female accent. I'm not into dance music too much but I just loved this, it blows everything away- a real steam roller of a track. And know what? It might be an amazing track but its not the best. Now 'Kubla Khan' is even more awesome. This time the dance leaning is much less pronounced. A relatively bright fast sequence starts up, an absolutely fantastic conventional EM rhythm winding round it. Got me drumming away to it like a crazy thing. The pace is slowed but then more guitar machine guns from the speakers- its simply devastating. If this was played at Jodrell Bank the dome would probably collapse around us. Tracks like 'Time Machine', '13' and 'Freespace' do have slightly greater dance leanings but really its not too much and the more you listen to them the more they begin to sound like heavy EM. The title track is fairly similar but this time has an added dose of Eastern promise in the use of samples and one of the rhythm lines.

Initially 'Silver Sun' reduces the pace somewhat, the rhythms and leads are still superb but not as intense, more chugging I suppose. 'Space Precinct' is more like a dance / heavy metal hybrid! It rocks the foundations and the electric guitar lead is simply wonderful. It could be the 'single' from the album. 'Dissolve' is another track which is a little slower but the rhythm has a mean edge over which a lovely looped melodic lead line bounces. Things then become rather tranquil as we float into the only track on the album completely devoid of rhythm 'd'- all rather spooky and atmospheric. 'Biochemical Structure' could have been right at home on Synthetik's 'Abstract' album. The vocal samples talk to you in a scientific sort of way and the rhythms are also similar to those Kevin used. Actually if you are into Synthetik or even Asana you should really go for this though it is as if their music was given steroids. To sum up- pure power. The dance beats might put some off but that would be a pity. (DL)

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