MAELSTROM

The band calls "Maelstrom" the missing link between "Borrowed Atoms" and "Planets In The Wires".They also say that this album is to travelling what "The God Of Electricity" is to bad weather. So yeah this is a cool album to have on when your driving and it's one of their shorter albums at 56 minutes. Released in 2002 but recorded in 1999. We get mellotron but not as much as usual, quite a few guitar excursions though.

"Part One" is spacey without any sort of rhythm as faint sounds come and go. It all seems to get louder after 9 minutes. Sequencers before 13 minutes with lots of mellotron too. Spacey sounds follow and it all sounds so peaceful after 14 1/2 minutes. Guitar before 21 1/2 minutes and it sounds great. It settles back before 25 minutes although we get some clanging around 26 1/2 minutes.

"Part Two" like the first part is very spacey early but with mellotron this time. It settles back and we get some intricate guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. Organ after 7 minutes as things get really spacey again. Electronics 10 minutes in then some tasteful guitar arrives before 14 minutes although it ends in a passionate manner at 16 minutes.The guitar is back before 20 minutes then it stops around 26 minutes as the song winds down. Mellotron late.

Gotta give this 4 stars and maybe they should have called this "Travelling" instead of "Maelstrom" which it isn't.

Again the title of this Radio Massacre International, 2002, "Maelstrom" is stronger than the music it proposes.

More than once innocuous and once more the Tangerine Dream resemblance starts around minute 12+-, and from there the idea of sounding like Radio Massacre International kind of music turns out like Radio Mellow incorporated does the TD.

Two 28 minutes compositions (each), full of "dreamy" textures, accompanied by sequencer pulses and the inevitable swirling guitar solos. Music composition wise there are no new proposals, in turn this band could be considered (if you are willing) true followers of TD's legacy, therefore this release could kind of fit in your Progressive Electronic collection in that same proportion.

The best part of this release, is when RMI sounds like RMI. Their true nature seems more inclined to surface in their semi Dark, drone like atmospheres, which in this record seem to work as overtures or closures for their stubborn and unimaginative TD's or ASHRA's renditions. The first 12 minutes will make my point crystal clear, but market wise, I can bet their followers would not be so thrilled.

Now, if you, like me, are kind of bored with these endless repetitions of TD peak era styling and musical idiom involuntary/voluntary repetitions, well avoid it at all cost and spend your bucks on Tim Hecker if you were expecting a real Maelstrom (inevitably for me Edgar Allan Poe's short story is my referential point) , or on TD's or Ash Ra Tempel's 70s works, from where this UK trio were totally touched and inspired.

***3 "for their very loyal followers and some" PA stars.