BY THE DARK OF LIGHT

I first got acquainted with Shaun's voice while he was singing in the "K2" project and their strong album "The Book Of Dead". His Gabriel-esque type of voice was a kick to investigate a bit deeper into his own music.

And this album is pretty much of his own; since Shaun plays all the instruments (except on one track). More than a "Genesis" album, this one is very close to Peter's solo work and probably therefore is not so appealing to me.

Compositions are average and highlights aren't that many (if any). The first symphonic piece is the excellent instrumental "Friends" which features some very good guitar work and identifiable synthesizers (hi Tony).

At times, Shaun's keyboards play is reminiscent of Emerson as well ("By The Dark Of Light", "Run To Fall" or the closing Crazy for instance). Unlike his work with "K2", this album is mostly instrumental which can upset some of you (myself included) who were probably expecting a more lyrics-oriented album.

"Victory" is another instrumental, fully neo-prog, even heavy. So far, this album is far to fulfil my expectations. Little variations, lack of catchy melodies, same rhythm throughout most of the songs. This is what's available so far.

The whole album has a slow and heavy beat; and "Sing My Prayers" is just one out of many songs of this type. Drumming is dominant (but since Shaun used to be a drummer, there is no real surprise). This album sounds rather dull to my ears and is a complete disillusion.

The problem when you are on your own to create an album from A to Z is that there is no one to give you some sort of guidance or back you up if you are short of inspiration. And it is a major problem with this release. It is a collection of uninspired tracks. Not bad but hardly interesting.

Two stars.