Syn Skyline Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Skyline Part 2')

After a brief journey away from the Berlin School for his previous album 'Orange' Syn returns to full in yer face retro territory for this one! A deep drone combines with wonderful lush mellotron sounds right from the first second of 'Mellotropica'. And very aptly titled it is too because if you're a fan of the tron you should be in heaven here as basically it is the lead instrument, often being layered with one line on top of the other in an ever shifting mix, for the full twenty-four minute duration! Both 'Phaedra' and 'Epsilon in Malaysian Pale' kept coming to mind. I could say that it is a tad over indulgent but if you love the instrument you might have wanted it to go on for even longer. 'Skyline (Part 1)' initially has a much darker feel to it. At just over a minute into proceedings a very good melodic sequence starts a steady pulse. A playful lead line weaves around it lightening the mood considerably. Percussive splashes are added bouncing off the first sequence then a second falls into formation increasing the excitement still further. Things come to a lovely conclusion with relaxing ethereal pads.

'Distant Visions' uses an ominous pulsating deep drone, gradually increasing in intensity, to form a very brooding atmosphere. Solar flare type sonic effects fly over the top and the mellotron returns giving a feeling of melancholy. Things get even better when some gorgeous flutey synth is added. 'Psytopia' features yet more intense tron which mixes with deep sighing pads to create an epic sounding beginning. A sequence slowly rises through the thick soundstage. It's as if bubbles are rising through steaming lava. A lead line meanders over it all like molten rock escaping from the volcano's summit, winding its way down the mountainside. A second sequence comes and goes as it surges to the top of the mix only to descend again into the cataclysm. This time it's as if the sun shines through the smoke from time to time only to be obscured again as more ash is hurled into the sky. What an excellent track. My favourite on the album and in my opinion one of the best Syn has done. Loads of whooshing effects herald the beginning of 'Skyline (Part 2)'. It isn't long however before a sequence can be heard cutting through a thick dronal backing. The mellotron, of course, makes a re- appearance and for a while it is if it is battling with the pulsations.