Kelvin Smith Galaxy Gate

'Darkly Splendid' is a much more sprightly excursion, propelled by sequencers with Smith adding rhythm guitar and further layers of sequencing and keyboard enhancement with hints of melody added to the mix. 'Silver Sand' is a more sedate, meditative piece with gentle washes of melody. Notes are born and allowed to fade gradually before a simple but evocative melody is repeated giving way to minimalist improvisations extended towards the eleven minute mark. 'The Mystic Eye' is a miniature clocking in under 2 minutes which juxtaposes tranquil, almost subliminal, ambient washes with occasional ominous bell tolls. 'Passing Through Amenta' is more rhythmic and strident with dramatic repeated phrases which fade into an increasingly minimalist finale punctuated with two note bursts. 'The Last Sun' is laden with atmosphere and a strong sense of wonder is sustained through choral effects and long resonating notes. Smith brings on the sequencers for the first part of the title track and sustains a repeated anthemic motif which then gives way to a more tranquil section before the sequencers return, this time heavily echoed and resonated. 'A Circle of Stars’ returns us to Smith’s forte, the cosmic, uplifting emotional sonic vista, ideal for meditation. Track 9 'Silence' is exactly that, it runs for just 46 seconds and is enigmatically subtitled 'the void'. Finally, 'The Hidden Light' is a gently shifting Ligeti-like piece which eschews melody for atmospherics.