Shamall
Influences
Wow what a brilliant double CD! I wondered what Shamall had been doing lately, the answer is working on his best album to date and with the quality of his back catalogue that is really saying something. The problem is, if I was to do my usual track by track review and do each justice it would take up half the magazine. I will therefore have to content myself with picking out the highlights. Many of the tracks run into each other so even though it might seem that there are a lot of tracks on the album most of them are really just different sections of the whole. Musically what can you expect? Well, it is an album of two halves or rather two discs. For a start this is no sequencer album. That isn’t to say sequences aren’t used but we aren’t talking of using them in the retro context. The main elements here are superb rhythms and fantastically infections melodies which will be playing over and over in your head long after the CD is out of the player. The melodies can be aggressive, beautiful , melancholy, romantic and even a combination of all four in one track. The production throughout couldn’t be better. The first disc concentrates on more conventional EM rhythms (though more powerful than most) and the second is more dance orientated.

‘Imagine’ gives a brief introduction then the rhythm starts to build, there is a short sequential interlude and the beat picks up again. Next we have the four part ‘The Long Way From Hell to Heaven’. It starts gently but by the time the second part arrives the drums hit home and a brilliant, out of this world, sequence is added. By the time we reach part three an absolutely blistering electric guitar lead takes centre stage and in combination with the rhythmic pyrotechnics blows everything away, just certain to get your head nodding (at least). With part four the guitar departs but another fantastic lead line replaces it, continuing with the very dramatic nature of the whole piece. The second best track on the album. An almost mechanical rhythm forms the backbone to ‘Rhythm of Light’, the ringing of a distant bell adding greatly to the atmosphere and depth of the track. ‘Influence’ uses an effective piano melody (similar to that on the theme tune to the TV series 999). The beat really kicks but my favourite bit is the Hammond Organish lead sound, wonderful. This track is good on first listening but the more plays it is given the more it will get under your skin. Hardly surprising Shamall is proud enough of it to make it the title track. ‘Outer Space’ begins suitably cosmic then a rumbling sequence is used as a cushion to a lead sound similar to the one I loved so much on the previous track. ‘Left and Right’ has more great cosmic effects at the beginning then a rhythm ‘with attitude’ rumbles forward, the cosmic effects blasting through it and the main steam roller rhythm leaps forward, play loud, very loud. The synth guitar is given full axe man treatment - awesome, bloody awesome. The best track on the album. fans of New Age music will already have taken the CD out of the player but if by some amazing chance they haven’t this will certainly finish them off- poor dears. Even out- powers anything on Shreeve’s ‘Legion’ and as for ‘Meat Eater’ a mere dance of the fairies compared to this. Having played this track ten times over I force myself to get on with the review. ‘After Dark’ develops into another rhythmic number but with loads of emotion issuing from every note. The talent on display here is really quite out of order but that seems to be the way of the world. Some like myself are creative dunces whilst people like Shamall seem to have so much it can only be thought of as unfair in the extreme.

‘Sahara Winds’ starts the second CD superbly. The rhythmic sound used is new to me but it is spot on. The production as usual is outstanding. I suppose the melody and flute brings to mind the Middle East but with a Western slant on it. ‘The Voyager’ parts one to five begins with a superb sequence. A piano melody is placed over the top and a deep bass rhythm drives it along. The sequence becomes more ‘squelchy’ and is allowed to stand on its own before an additional fast sequence joins it and the rhythm returns. Another melodic line is brought in, absolutely beautiful. The sequence starts to swing from one speaker to the other and back again, stabilising then increasing in intensity. During all this the beat keeps driving the track forwards and the melodic sequences shift and change keeping the attention at all times. The wind blown pipe loop near the end of the track is particularly effective. ‘Caravan to Groovania’, and ‘Criminal Dilemma contain a series of infectious rhythms one after another. If these don’t get you gyrating round the house nothing will. ‘Intercalationed Tension’ is wonderfully moody and builds to be an uplifting piece, as usual with great lead lines.

So even just mentioning the highlights this is a very long review. No doubt some people will prefer the first disc to the second and vice versa but throughout the quality is just spellbinding. Just for fun though, first time you play this CD play tracks four and ten from the first disc, back to back, at the maximum volume your system can cope with. If the house is still structurally sound afterwards you will be a very happy, if somewhat exhausted, person. (DL)

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