Wonderful CD. I just bought it so I am still getting into it but it's a lil different than some of the other CDs. It doesn't have as many vocal-tracks as some of the other CDs. You will find some ethnic voices in here and some whispery female vocals like typical Enigma releases, but not as many tracks like "Gravity of Love" or "Return To Innocence". As much as I like those tracks, Enigma has evolved in this album into something darker and more minimalistic. It's somewhat an extension of "Voyager", but it has influences from many of the other Enigma CDs as well and some other artists.

I would say this Enigma's lease pop-like album. This is definitely a sound that is a bit more experimental, dark and sometimes remind me of some progressive house music and downtempo..a much more downtempo release i'de say. You wont find that many uplifting tracks on here, which is okay, it's nice to have some variety. But this isn't depressing music either. It's reflective, escapist music, similar to Amethystium (a Norwegian producer who produces music similar to Enigma, though mostly instrumental). It's also reminiscent at points to Tangerine Dream's music, with some awesome guitars. But I wouldn't say it's the right kind of music to meditate to.

Sounds quite floaty and spacey, almost like your floating endlessly in space or some void. Picture a CD made up of more of Enigma's more ethereal, ambient and instrumental sound vs. the pop-like vocal stuff. There really isn't one particular track I like, it's just a great album through and through.

Last edited by Spirit5 on Sep-28-2006 at 04:04

Hmm it's been getting pretty mixed reviews, I liked most of previous Enigmas albums so I'll definitely give this a listen.

"Goodbye Milky Way" is the only track that I enjoyed.

The rest of the album is pretty crap if you compare it to Enigmas previous work.

quote:

Originally posted by zoric "Goodbye Milky Way" is the only track that I enjoyed. The rest of the album is pretty crap if you compare it to Enigmas previous work.

As much as I love Enigma's previous work, this is just a change of pace...something darker and more mysterious. I don't think it's crap, it just requires you to listen more intently and think of it as a slightly new direction for Enigma. It's almost like how BT went with his latest album "This Binary Universe"...something more experimental and ambient. I've been an Enigma fan since 1998, and I own all of Enigma's albums, and I personally think it's a nice change of pace. I got kind of tired of Enigma's more vocal based tunes, the instrumental stuff is just amazing. Nice that artists can evolve and progress their sound in a direction that isn't just trying to sound really pop-like, as this album as I said is probably Enigma's least pop-like...which isn't a bad thing. It really takes a few listens to get into it. I mean it's no "MCMXC A.d" but it is better than Voyager IMO.

Last edited by Spirit5 on Sep-27-2006 at 14:17

quote:

Originally posted by Spirit5 As much as I love Enigma's previous work, this is just a change of pace...something darker and more mysterious. I don't think it's crap, it just requires you to listen more intently and think of it as a slightly new direction for Enigma. It's almost like how BT went with his latest album "This Binary Universe"...something more experimental and ambient. I've been an Enigma fan since 1998, and I own all of Enigma's albums, and I personally think it's a nice change of pace. I got kind of tired of Enigma's more vocal based tunes, the instrumental stuff is just amazing. Nice that artists can evolve and progress their sound in a direction that isn't just trying to sound really pop-like, as this album as I said is probably Enigma's least pop-like...which isn't a bad thing. It really takes a few listens to get into it. I mean it's no "MCMXC A.d" but it is better than Voyager IMO.

great comment.
*went to check out the album*

After a few listens I love it, probably my second favorite Enigma album after MCMXC, there's not really a song that I don't like, and I really like how most of the songs have a trancey feel to them. Definitely not crap.

quote:

Originally posted by Igaryok After a few listens I love it, probably my second favorite Enigma album after MCMXC, there's not really a song that I don't like, and I really like how most of the songs have a trancey feel to them. Definitely not crap.

Yeah I think it's up there with MCMXC AD, probably Enigma's third best album. The first I think is MCMX AD obviously, and the second is The Screen Behind The Mirror...because it had some awesome tracks and was very suspensful, esp the use of the Carmina Burana (O Fortuna) by Carl Orff. I liked the way it flowed. The other CDs I don't like as much (had some really good tracks, mixed in with some rather weak ones IMO), though I love "Return To Innocence" and "TNT For The Brain" on the other CDs, and a few more downtempo and ambient tracks like "Morphing Through Time" or "Shadows In Silence". But I am an Enigma fan through and through, though I'm not a huge fan of Michael Cretu's singing, but on this CD it's tolerable. Okay here's how I rank them...

1. MCMXC A.D.
2. The Screen Behind The Mirror
3. A Posteriori
4. Le Roi Est Mort Vive Le Roi!
5. The Cross Of Changes
6. Voyager

Feel free to disagree...

Last edited by Spirit5 on Sep-28-2006 at 05:20

1. Eppur si muove
2. Feel me heaven
3. Dreaming of Andromeda
4. Dancing with Mephisto
5. Northern lights
6. Invisible love
7. Message from IO
8. Hello and welcome
9. 20.000 miles over the sea
10. Sitting on the moon
11. The alchemist
12. Goodbye Milky Way

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I thought it have a similar, subtle feel as Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi after the first listen. I definatly liked it. The first track sounds like a slowed down, old-school trance track, Enigma style.

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quote:

Originally posted by eulerfx I thought it have a similar, subtle feel as Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi after the first listen. I definatly liked it. The first track sounds like a slowed down, old-school trance track, Enigma style.

I think the similarities to that album come with the fact that this album was largely dealing with space and or other dimensions. Some of the tracks on that CD definitely had a feeling like your in space or some really bizzare dimension or plane of existence. For example..."Morphing Through Time" evokes images of space. "Shadows In Silence" does as well, but also other tracks like "Almost Full Moon". They also evoke images of the depths of the ocean, esp "Shadows In Silence", but at some points, you feel like your in a mystical cathedral with fog pouring through from the outside or late at night, with the moon shinning through...really other-worldy. "Beyond The Invisible" and "TNT For The Brain" definitely have another dimension feel to it as well..very other-wordly, and some of the others have a more wordly and somewhat inspiring feel, like "Child In Us", "Why" and "Prism Of Life".

What I like about Enigma's music is that it can be really earthy and inspiring, and also very ethereal and detached, sometimes at the same time. Like tracks such as "Age Of Loneliness", or "Beyond The Invisible" and a few tracks on this album...combining ethnic voices to make it sound not always earthy...but very other-worldly. It's definitely has a variety of emotions all gobbled up into a complete package, and I like the way that Enigma has definitely has gone in a concept or theme approach, even more so in this album than others. Most of the songs seem to have something to do with space, and with the last track "Goodbye Milky Way", gives hints about the message that Enigma was trying to get across. Every Enigma album seems to have a message but often time it is hidden in a wash of sound and emotion...which is cool. This music makes you think, leaves stuff up to the imagination, and this is what makes Enigma...Enigma.

Will be checking this out - I've got every album apart from 'Voyager' and love them all.

If this album reflects enigma's more ethereal side as suggested it will be great - the spaced out tracks on previous albums have acted as a short break between the uplifting moments. Will be interested to have a whole album of it.