In The Labyrinth "Walking On Clouds"

This album consists of eleven magnificent tracks combining influences from Turkish, Hindi, Medieval, Oriental and traditional Nordic music in a soundscape clearly progressive and symphonic. One main feature is the mellotron and the extraordinary way in which it has been mixed in with traditional instruments is incredibly enhancing to the world-music sound of the album.

The CD starts off with Kali, initiated by an introduction featuring classical strings, then picking up on lucidly India inspired melody that is performed in an arrangement combining unto perfection percussion and sitar, woodwinds and electric instruments. Add to this the mellotron and you can imagine for yourself! This track is interlaced with Mahatma, a title that saves us from having to describe the music itself. I'm under the impression that the main theme has been played on mellotron. Also there's a powerful bass, some excellent electric guitar work and towards the end, sitar supported by some fantastic mellotron backings. It links up with Over the Wall, which is a beautiful ballad combining traditional Nordic music with percussion and oriental instruments including sitar. Wonderfully sung together with the ever-present mellotron, Bliss!
The forth number which is titled The Caravan from Sheeba, has a very classical introduction and a melody merging together both Turkish and European cultures, it's timbre being crystal clear, with a lot of mandolin and excellent orchestration. This instrumental is hooked up with Birka, where the minor Asian influences are maintained, the instrumentation featuring traditional oriental instruments, violin mellotron and exquisite flutes and choirs. Neither has this composition any ending and passes over into Lop Nor, which despite being the most contemporary track doesn't loose contact with the traditional setting. But I especially wish to point out the classical guitar and strings. Wonderful! Fantastic! Possibly the one track of the album expressing the strongest influences of European culture.
Then we return to melodies with Turkish orientation, the next track being Dervish Dreams, which is a composition with hypnotic rhythm and boasting a wide variety of traditional oriental instruments, also including a well contributed performance by flutes.
A very different sort of track is Golgonda, typically Hindi and once again with the fascinating and wells embracing mellotron in the background. This composition is connected with Gates of Oneiron, a beautiful melody from the royal court of India and with a part of the instrumental section deriving from an original recording made by the same band in 1978. Vocally "In The Labyrinth" reminds me of Steve Hillage on his oriental influenced records, but the songs are sung even more brilliantly on this album!

The title of the next track Chandrika, defines this piece perfectly, with a great performance by sitar and percussion. The album ends with Walking On Clouds, which is linked up as a following of the previous track. This instrumental is very contemporary, with keyboards and choirs playing a prominent part, naturally not missing out on the involvement of the mellotron and also carrying a beautiful electric guitar solo presented with a personal and intricate sound.

A gold medal to this majestic record!

Conclusively, an album that enriches the current progressive scene with a virtual fusion of cultures, making it an authentic jewel indespensable for lovers of good music!

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