ELEMENTS

4.5 stars. Imposing Elements indeed. Well we are graced with another steller album from Dean Watson who offers up more of that synth / guitar led music in the Jazz / Metal / Fusion style. I had the honour of getting this cd straight from the man himself as he dropped it off at my work after hours a couple of weeks ago.

"Past Present" is a top three for me. I love how this starts with the sparse piano followed by a beat as synths join in. Such a great sound here. An atmospheric calm arrives 2 1/2 minutes in then it picks up and gets heavier. Guitar too, and we get what sounds like mellotron late to end it. "16 Feet Below" has bass, a beat and keys standing out early. Some intricte guitar too. A change before 1 1/2 minutes as it turns darker. Nice. Synths wash in then it kicks in with mellotron like sounds. Keys to the fore 3 1/2 minutes in. "Underpass" has piano and cymbals to start as other sounds join in. The guitar after 2 minutes turn into riffs before 3 minutes. The keys become prominant when the riffs stop.

"Push Too" opens with vibes as synths and bass join in. The guitar starts to rip it up after a minute as contrasts continue. "Pendulum" is a top three with that relaxing intro that sounds so good. This theme will come and go. Beautiful stuff. "Depth Charge" is my final top three tune. Heavy riffs to open as background synths roll in. It does settle back. Some nice guitar before 2 1/2 minutes. It's almost euphoric before 4 1/2 minutes. Riffs are back late. "Of Age" has lots of synths with bass and a beat. The guitar replaces the synths. "New Resolution" is the longest track and the closer. It's laid back with crisp drums and spacey synths. It does pick up before 2 minutes.

I do prefer his debut but I wouldn't be surprised if most will claim this is Dean's best. Regardless of opinion we get another killer instrumental album to enjoy.