THE CASTLE

After a promising intro, an almost symphonic sounding overture, this album then settles into derivative electronic music that delves into numerous styles. The Alley leads us through a snoozefest of generic electronica, the type hundreds of keyboard noodlers were creating for every new age record in th eighties.

After that, we are treated with pale imitations of Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk and the like, with some fair solos over the top. But nothing to get too excited over. The last few tracks bring us back to some classical overtones, and almost make the album worthwhile. But unfortunately, it is not enough to undo the damage of the middle of the album.