Chris Franke Perry Rhodan (Pax Terra)

Showing my complete ignorance of science fiction books, it was news to me that this album was composed as a musical reflection to accompany one of the most successful sci-fi book series ever with over a billion books being sold worldwide over 35 years. "With Pax Terra, Christopher Franke takes his audience on a fantastic musical voyage through the faraway worlds, galaxies and universes of the Perry Rhodan books" the sleevenotes proclaim. The plain looking cover doesn’t look inviting, but the booklet contains plenty of off-world imagery together with a fair amount of information, including what must be the most potted version of Chris Franke’s musical career imaginable. Musically, well what can I say? Lots of that orchestral fayre what Chris currently revels in, plenty of regimental rhythms and fanfare flourishes, Sonic Images in the truest sense of the word. Hardly a sequence in sight, and but for a sprinkling of sampled snippets from years gone by (‘Encore’ in the main) the past 25 years may as well not have existed. Everything sounds like a chase through futuristic corridors or accompaniment to laser filled spaceship battles. Exactly as intended of course, and undoubtedly executed with a complete mastery of this genre. Overall, an album that leaves me as cold as the Space it is portraying. A dust gatherer for completists. (GG)

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