Haral Neis Planet of the Three Suns Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Arthos Dance')

I must get my prejudices out of the way early here. I opened the inlay card before playing the CD and saw a photo of Harald Nies – in classic earnest guitar hero pose! I tend not to enjoy guitar-centred EM, it's just too often like instrumental prog rock to these ears – and that's not my bag at all. I feared the worst, but felt duty bound to slip the CD into the drive.

We open with 'Planet of the three suns'. Burbling arpeggios and a rich pad are set into immediate motion, closely followed by tightly played guitar arpeggios. Beats build and the track has real energy already – but it sounds like Rush! BY the 2 min mark we have a squealing guitar solo, which is closely followed by the kind of synth solo you'd expect from Wakeman or Moraz. BY the 3.30 min mark the track calms, but guitar soloing is still to the fore. More synth arpeggios open 'Zen in 8', it recalls 'Force Majeure'-era TD. Vast analogue pads swell and piano adds detail, subtle beats add solidity – I'm feeling happier for the moment! Some beautiful and subtle solos come and go before the inevitable 'axe' work, which I feared, comes and spoils it for me. The synth backing could be the basis for an excellent up-beat synth track, but the guitar is mainstream rock guitar.

The mood is mellow as 'Nightscene' arrives with blues-like guitar 'licks' and a vast pad. And that's it really! Clearly Harald can really, really play guitar and just improvises over the rising and falling pads. The standard of musicianship is very high indeed. A classic low register sequence opens 'Arthos dance', it is soon joined by white noise percussion and 'tron choir. Again I'm really impressed by Nies' feel for EM and musicianship, but as ever I'm waiting for the guitar. And it comes and is overdriven and very, very rocky. I had high hopes for 'Moog is rising again' – perhaps the guitar would be slain by the venerable Doctor's machine? Glorious synth arpeggios, with the filter opening in the classic fashion, rise and are joined by a Vangelis-like brassy pad. So far and so evocative. Snatches of synth melody and halo's of burbling notes add gorgeous detail. This is great! And no guitar!

'Ionian Sun' opens with clipped guitar tones and a thick analogue pad. The guitar work here sounded more modern and seemed to gel with the synths, perhaps it was the echo treatment, or perhaps it was the lack of showy soloing – whatever it worked better, the guitar adding a hypnotic feel to the track. This was a beautiful and thoughtful track. 'Doric Morning' opens with a twisting, resonant bass drone. A percussive sequence builds alongside symphonic pads. Overdriven guitar soling is added, mellows in tone and then returns – but always remains as the 'feature' sound. 'Sundown of all suns' is suitably subdued as it opens with massed pads. At the 3.15 min mark we get structure added via an arpeggio and mournful synth melody. A blissful mood is maintained as the pads drift beautifully. Guitar takes over melodic duties and solos for a while. We move back to synth-based melodies for the closing 3 minutes of the track. The opening to 'Sun-Pearls' sounded very Vangelis to me, with pulsing sequence, swelling pad and splashing percussion. Beautiful synth string lines are added. Choral washes pulse through the mix, adding to the Vangelis feel, and the track just continues. We close with 'Lydian Sun'. With synth sax, mellow pad and Guitar licks I felt we were in Miami Vice all over again! The central distorted guitar and heavier drums section was especially evocative of Mr Hammer.