TRIPLE RIPPLE

When it comes to releases, Ander Helmerson could hardly be accused of swamping the market. Having released his début album "End of illusion" in 1981, just one other set ("Fields of inertia" from 2002) comes between that album and this 2010 release.

Although nominally an album of 5 tracks, Helmerson insists that this is in fact a single piece running to 53 minutes. He took several years creating the album, initially in the composition phase, then in putting a band together that he felt included the best musicians available to him. By this time, the nomadic Helmerson was based in London, UK so this album was mixed in the Abbey Road studios. Interestingly, there are no guitars at all on the album;, keyboards, bass and drums completing the line up. I am not sure why this site shows a vocal credit to Adrian Thurston, there are no obvious vocals here.

For convenience, we should consider the album via the five tracks, while bearing in mind that they each form 20 per cent of the whole. The opening "Touchdown" sets the album off with considerable vitality, complex time signatures supporting a diverse range of keyboards sounds. As with "End of illusion", I would compare Anders' keyboards style with that of Patrick Moraz, both being strongly influenced by jazz/fusion while remaining committed to rock tenets.

According to Anders, the title track/section is three songs merged into one. There is an ELP flavour to this track, the frantic drumming being in the Carl Palmer style and the horn like synths being of the type favoured by Emerson. "Yoda's dance" maintains the enthusiastic tempo, with chorale synths adding a further dimension to the sound. The brief "Helix of Eternity" forms a link section into the closing "The Search of F", a 14½ minute piece.

While "Triple ripple" is clearly composed to symphonic standards, it will probably appeal mostly to those with a leaning towards fusion. The music maintains a relentless pace throughout, the changing time signatures simply marking new passages, not tempos. To this end, the album is for me rather lacking in moods. The dexterity and talent of Helmerson and his fellow musicians is undeniable though, and the album is highly enjoyable.

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