Having played the ‘full’ version of this album so much I wasn’t quite sure how to go about reviewing this as obviously I already know the music quite well, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at just how well this stands up on it’s own. It is also easier to hear just how many different styles are being used throughout, and while I’m not a fan of some of the electronica style keyboards that are used in one section, there is still plenty of Floydian and rock influences going on that makes this a genuine delight in its’ own right. What is interesting to me is that this isn’t nearly as dark as it appears to be when listened to with the words, which just goes to show how much presence is put into it by the performance of Scott Gentle. But, the presence is still there and the result is an album that I thoroughly enjoyed playing, as it has much more going on than many instrumental projects I come across. It’s not whizz bang in terms of notes density, but is all about feel and a strange future worldly emotion. Somehow the science fiction feel comes through on this, even there are no verbal clues.
So, a solid piece of work, but to get the full picture then one has to get ‘Replacements’. Of course, if you already have that album then you should get this one as well.
www.hibernal.bandcamp.com
