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Prometheus - Spike (Twisted Records, 2010)
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Templar^
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
105
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382
Posted : Sep 7, 2011 13:37:35
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Prometheus - Spike
Twisted Records, 2010
1. Fast Train
2. Triplets
3. Blue Tubes
4. 2010
5. DarkStar
6. Rush
7. Rhythm, Circuit, Echo
8. Taylors Machine
9. Colt
10. Datcha
Benji Vaughan is a very busy man. He got fully involved in Younger Brother with his friend Simon Posford, where he brought his creativity to a whole new level, plus also created the "The Zap - Big Bang" album with grampa Raja. However, he did not forget about his flagship project and after many significant delays he finally released another album as Prometheus. Originally it was supposed to be a purely chillout album, but with the passage of time Benji changed his whole concept and made some more faster tracks. This time he decided to experiment. Just this word is enough to make avid fans of a certain style shake in fear and if we add to this promotional statements before the album's release that there will be techno and electro influences - well then, then it is something to be feared by many. Fortunately, the devil is not so bad as he is painted, although we did not get another perfect album full of memorable bombastic tunes, but rather just a pale substitute of the great Prometheus sound we got used to so much throughout those years.
After hearing the album I felt that Vaughan tried to bite off more than he could chew - of course in the eyes of his fans, including mine. First he seriously raised the bar with his previous albums, which are bursting with timeless tracks, just to get away from it later on. Eventually we got an album quite different from the earlier releases, which is obviously the most positive aspect, because in the end how long can you do the same thing over and over again. At the same time I have this irresistible feeling that he put emphasis on the wrong moments. Something is not right while listening to this CD, something does not fit. I am tempted to say that it sometimes smells like something cooked up by Kino Oko, which may surprise even more those who had frequent sessions with the albums "Robot-O-Chan" and "Corridor of Mirrors." People more accustomed to Prometheus' discography remember however that the author of the aforementioned album previously did not avoid this type of vibes, the evidence being his early works released on various compilations. The album is closer to another project of Benjamin, The Zap, rather than the previous albums, which at their time made a great impact on the psychedelic trance music. Either way, the beginning is very nice, because "Fast Train" is a psytrance track and most importantly a track with a theme alluding to the title. Vaughan's moving train reminded me of another, quite similar track called "Trancesylvania X-Press" by X-Dream, who also used the theme of this means of transport in the psytrance convention. "Triplets" firmly let his foot from the gas pedal. Throughout the whole track we are witnessing formidable sonic performances by Benji and Prometheus' trademark bass already, but as a whole thing it is somehow very sluggish. Same with "Blue Tubes" and "2010", which include several new attempts at the issue, but in reality they do not lead anywhere and seem pale in the face of other tracks by this artist. And that's almost half of the album already! The situation changes dramatically with the advent of "DarkStar", in which Prometheus seemingly recalled what all of this is all about and thought to himself that it would be good to throw in some real killer onto the scene. The track instantly gives the whole album a fantastic kick, so it is worth being tested on a good sound system with properly juiced up volume, as well as during a trance party. Benji with his innate elegance mixes the trancefloor edge, seemingly contradictory moods and different vibes, leading to the culminating moment and also boiling of the senses at the same time. Added to that we have a killer bassline. Yes, I definitely needed that right from the beginning and here we had to wait until the fifth track. The boring "Rush", where one can yawn a lot, is a major disappointment after its epic predecessor, while the happy and quite well-built "Rhythm, Circuit, Echo" might as well be something that Grzegorz Magnuszewski (Kino Oko) could pull off some time ago. The end of the album, specifically the last three tunes, strongly emphasize the primary idea behind this album regarding the creation of a purely chillout CD. Beautiful, atmospheric downtempo tracks, with emphasis on "Datcha" with its melancholic piano, fully demonstrate this artist's talent. There is room for sonic emotions, thoughts and reflections. It is a pity that these tracks are so short and were not given more space at the expense of the weaker ones from the earlier parts of the disc.
It would be very bad if this was the last album under the flag of Prometheus, as the whole thing is too soaked by The Zap influences and lacks a serious edge to it, which is something I find untypical as far as Benji's brilliant music is concerned. It's hard to blame Benji that he wanted to try something new, but at the same time he fell pray to his own success he fully deserves due to his significant productions, underlined with a very thick line by his previous albums. I realize that this record will often be accompanied by comments like: "Who needed this album?","What is this?" etc. It is more for home listening at home, rather than a party album, although also in this case one can squeeze a little bit out of it, an example being an unconventional floor-burner entitled "DarkStar", which is probably something one cannot dislike. The album is good, I liked it despite its significant shortcomings, although bearing in mind previous efforts of Prometheus, it is quite pale. It is not a disappointment, but it certainly could have been much better. I emphasize: much better.
Templar / http://www.psytrance.pl
Links:
http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/twi/twi1cd038.html
  www.ektoplazm.com/2011/panta-deus - download for free Psytrance.pl's 10th anniversary compilation featuring 100% Polish psy-music (goa, prog, dark, full-on, chillout): Artha, Sundial Aeon and many more
www.psytrance.pl - Polish psytrance website |
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freakOnTrip
Started Topics :
0
Posts :
72
Posted : Sep 9, 2011 16:58
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this album is my favorite from all prometheus albums:
psychedelic, sophisticated and positive
boomboom
"....Lama tashiti li.....?" |
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