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Scott Mosher's second official release represents a definite progression from the fine "Ambient earth" of some five years previously. The brief opening "Upon the frontiers of infinite night" immediately places us in a much harder, more rock orientated environment than the Tangerine Dream like electronics of the debut might have led us to expect.

The second track though is even more surprising, as it features the first vocals to appear on a Mosher track. Tom Corso, who sings on about half the songs here, adds some decent vocals to this the title track. The track is awash with synth rhythms and pulsating guitar belying the "progressive electronic" tag he appears under here. The song is on one level simplistic and pop, while simultaneously offering a mix of prog metal and electronic trance. The drums here sound genuine, but as no specific credit is given it would seem they are programmed. Elsewhere on the album, it is more apparent that the drumming is electronic.

"Human: machine" has strong similarities with Arjen Lucassen's "Star one" project, the heavy keyboard driven rhythm also being reminiscent of Porcupine Tree's more recent albums. Likewise, the following instrumental "A season of fire" rattles along in a cacophony of sound. It is only when we reach the fifth track, "Attillon sunrise", that the album pauses for breath. This gentle, reflective synth piece has much more in keeping with the ambient new age sounds of Tangerine Dream and Rick Wakeman.

"Re-define" finds Corso sounding more than ever like Geddy Lee of Rush, the lyrics also being suitably mystical and Rush like. At times though, the rhyming pattern can be a little stretched and ordinary (humanity/duality/reality/ideology/symmetry).

"The dreaming eye" returns us to the style of "Human: machine" with distorted spoken vocals and upbeat synth bursts. Most of the tracks here run to around six or seven minutes, offering plenty of space to develop them to the full. "Sometime after midnight" utilises that room through a fine blend of synth and guitar, the mood fluctuating between quick loud bursts and atmospheric waves.

"The promise of truth" is the most ordinary track here. It has the power of its peers instrumentally, but it feels like it is a pretty conventional AOR rock song, devoid of character. "Shores of a cosmic ocean" is an onomatopoetic title for a drift into new age waves of sound, while "Infinity burns" is a shorter loud repetitive dirge which leans towards post rock.

The album closes with the longest track Mosher has recorded up to this point, the 10 minute "Sorrow in a world of darkness". The slower pace brings out the melody of the vocals well here, the track bringing together the constituent parts of the album in a fine final flourish. Once again, my only minor grumble is the repeated use of fade (which even appears during the track here). This track cries out for a monumental and climactic finish, not the disappointing soft wind down it features.

This is another fine album by Scott Mosher, which sees him making a great effort explore new areas and not simply to rest on his laurels. Do not be put off or unduly influenced by the "Progressive electronic" sub-genre which accompanies this album, this will appeal to a wide range of prog fans, and especially to those who enjoy prog metal with plenty of keyboards. In all, it represents a major leap forward by Mosher, whose talent both in terms of composition and performance warrant much greater recognition than he has received to date.

This album can be downloaded free from the artist's website (see the link on Scott Mosher's ProgArchives page).

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