This album is a dark mood work, each track constructed in a similar, complementary way to the others. Its appeal should be wide, ranging from Industrial addicts in need of something softer & more relaxing, to New Agers who have had enough saccharine prettiness and wish for something a little more earthy, while still maintaining it's pacifying feel. It might even appeal to those into World Music, as it seems to have a different Ethnic motif for each piece. It could be a moody, non-dance version of "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts", although much, much darker. "Invocation" is a slow, deep-hued fanfare with muddled BLADE RUNNER Oriental voices in the background, and sketched around the edges with interesting percussive shimmers which give it a little 'edginess'. "Palms Crossed In Sorrow" comes next, a track which begins initially with slow, passive synthesizers & marimbas like scatters of percussion before picking up tempo into a short, slow, hypnotic dance piece which collapses into a Rain Forest analysed through Western eyes-like piece. It calmly moves along on a convincing, atmospheric tuned percussion sequence, creating a sense of timelessness, of African evenings gathered around open fires. "Romanz In Moll" is another dark piece carried along on duel looped patterns while piano paints abstract-yet-moody pictures in cold wire. It drifts through the cobweb-filled vaults of memory which must harken back to childhood, although not necessarily the listeners. "In The Dying Moments" is a haunting piece, brought into existance on distant factory horn fanfare. It's a calm drum-machine rhythm held in a dark warm stew of sound through which jagged shards of noise thrust, including a cross between Monks chant & a call-to-prayer. "In Flagrante Delicti" - perhaps the best-known track on this album due to it's release on both the CD & video packaged as "Tyranny Of The Beat" - nestles nicely amongst an album of similar tracks. If you haven't heard it, it's a moody piece (as all are here) with distinctive cello & operatic voice which reaches for the heavens, in such a way that it both warms & disturbs you - a song of aching want, of tragic loss - immensely beautiful. This version is longer than the "Tyranny" release with a 2½ minute intro. "Alocasia Metallica" has an Oriental feel to it with gamelan & flute, a warm beat piece with a brisk tempo which demands nothing from the listener, giving instead a feeling of being enveloped in timeless magic. At one point it becomes a little harsher, yet soon folds back into it's calm self again. "Necropolis" is a non-beat piece of drifting music, sad yet telling of an unavoidable inevitability. It's actually taken from the soundtrack of the film "Necropolis, Amphibians & Reptiles", and is said to feature amongst it's instruments, toads & crows! "The Garden Of Earthly Delights" is an odd piece which has a backmasked feel to it, although I imagine it is the New Guinea flutes. It has a loose & strange rhythmic feel to it, which builds up larger & larger before finally dying away. The album closes with "The Doctrine Of Eternal Ice", perhaps the most composed, Western sounding piece, yet giving an image of the cold heart of Russia with it's deep male voices & glaring bright moments. The central drum pattern is pushed along with what sounds like chimes, cymbals, found percussion and all manner of startling instruments. A haunting album, both beautiful & disturbing. The moods here are dark but seductive. This is a gentle album - not for those who like extreme noise, but, if you want something lighter, then this is well worth your money. As a coda to the above reprinted review, the music from this album was later used as the soundtrack for the film "Dead Calm" which was the first step on REVELL's career which took him to Hollywood, where he worked on films like "Hand That Rocks The Cradle" & "No Escape", fading successfully into a bland characterless soundtrack composer limbo. A great pity as this album, above and beyond anything else SPK did showed a dazzling brilliance. If you don't own a copy, then put it to the top of your "Must Own" list - your life just wont be the same! Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.