Shamall - This Island Earth CD

Review: "....Released in 1997, this album carried on the good work of "In Search Of Precision" with another helping of Shamall's magic. The title track opens the album and features a quite superb chorus and unlike his earliest works, manages to keep the tension and excitement riding high throughout the piece (even during the quieter sections), which means that the listener's attention is less likely to wander during these sections. "Living World" offers another enjoyable tuneful offering before "Terramagna" sees him trying out a (for him, at least) new style, that of melodic techno/trance. When allied to Shamalls natural penchant for big sounds the effect is, as you can doubtless imagine, little short of overwhelming and that is very much the case here.

"Earthchild" has an appropriately child-like feel, mainly due to the music box-type sound that interlace in this piece and "Natural Balance" benefits from some skilled and effective classically-styled piano. The classical elements are given full rein during "Human" which is extremely symphonic. The skillful layering of the various sounds makes for another dynamic but less bombastic piece than is usually the case.

More tasteful sax work marks "Marching Time" with it's alternating quieter and up-tempo sections before the latter stages of the album see the guitar coming more to the fore with the final two tracks both allowing some impressive axe work to take the main share of the limelight. Starting with the uptempo "Desert Song", which also mixes middle eastern motifs into the equation (always a winner with me, that!) and continuing with the closing "One Step Back To The Roots" which ends the album with a slightly bluesy feel, mixing accoustic and electric guitars and leaving the electronics very much as a secondary consideration.

The concept of this piece is pretty important, in retrospect, as the subject of influences was to be the driving force behind the mighty 2001 double offering "The Book: Genesis", as well as being the title of the following album (not that it was so obvious on when listening to the tracks included therein!!).

Like any Shamall album, you know what to expect here and although the tracks dont always reach their full potential there are far more hits than misses on this one...." (c/o Carl Jenkinson)