“The Exodus Wave is another very good album from the gang of Sequential Dreams in the vein of TD's Seattle years”
1 Telemetry 4:38 2 Subspace Breach 3:16 3 Pleiadian Prophecy 6:57 4 Interstellar 5:27 5 Wavefront 4:14 6 The Arcbuilders 5:56 7 Countdown to Launch 6:24 8 Quantum Theory 4:32 9 The Exodus Wave 6:15 10 Booster Separation 7:06 11 Mission Objectives 3:47 12 Arcflight 5:56 13 Hibernation in a Virtual World 9:18 14 Approaching Terra Nova 4:32
(CD/DDL 78:21) (V.F.) (Electronic Rock)
2017 kicks off the year in a very rock way for Borders Edge Music and the interplanetary band Sequential Dreams which throws its 6th album THE EXODUS WAVE! Flanked by his last known accomplice, Bernhard Beibl, Ron Charron also encircled himself of the Californian synthesist Chris Pearre (Synthesist) and of Arend Westra of the duet Parallaxe whose album I had appreciated well; Breaking The Laws of Physics released in December 2015. Since the very beginning of Sequential Dreams, Ron Charron tries to get his music closer to that Tangerine Dream with a good electronic rock shaped between the roots of the mythical German trio of the 80’s and those of the years of hard electronic rock of the Seattle era. If every album moved closer to its purpose, this one hits the bull's eyes!
After a short ambio-cosmic passage, Telemetry sets the tone with an energetic rhythm where Bernhard Beibl shows that he is still has this fire with his guitar. Sometimes very rock and other times rather soft or hopping like a light electronic rock, the music breathes of freshness in the permutations of its phases. If the guitar of Beibl is biting, Ron Charron's piano is very melancholic and both instruments paint mutually the phases of a structure in movement. Always influenced by stories of the cosmos, the music of this last album of Sequential Dreams is unfolding like a soundtrack of a sci-fi movie. Thus, 14 titles for 78 minutes propose so a very structured EM which leaves no room to improvisation nor to long passages of ambiences which are rather inserted in the intro, either into short phases of each title, to feed better the intensity of the structures which are always in movements, with a few exceptions. When we also find 14 titles on an album of 78 minutes, there is good chances that the structures are fed by similar approaches. But we have to approach it like a big sound mosaic where the hard rock flirts with the soft rock wrapped of good electronic effects. The music goes well between the ears and Ron Charron takes a jealous care of giving to it an amazing way of turning it into totally short unexpected phases. Subspace Breach is the perfect example with an intensity embroidered in the heaviness from where pops out a really nice movement of gleaming sequences. Sequences which sparkle and lap innocently before being snatched up by riffs of guitar and solos which sound very David Gilmour. We so guess that Ron Charron is in the guitar. The movement of the rhythm reminds me enormously those of 220 Volts with phases of rock and some little quiet ones where the percussions are nervous and the sequences are crystal clear as the spatters of water on a mirror. Ron Charron inserts effects of drama and intensity here and there, adding some more of weight to his story of global disaster. Like in Pleiadian Prophecy which proposes a slower rhythm with good synth effects. The percussions are very good and the sonic envelope which surrounds this title is equal to all that surrounds the 78 minutes of THE EXODUS WAVE. Still here, Bernhard Beibl's guitar is very furious.
Interstellar is more in the ambient and intense kind with very good synth solos. It's the quietest title here and it’s also the title which exploits the most the charms of the synth. Wavefront proposes a long ambio-spherical introduction a la Rubycon before taking a rather rock tangent with a rhythm which flounders and spits effects of jerks under the bites of nervous percussions. While a line of sequences adopts an oscillating structure, Beibl's electric six-strings spits riffs and solos which get embraced by nice layers of voices. More elements which fill the electronic rock anthems of each track here. The Arcbuilders takes also some time to take off. And when it's done, we are entitled to a good movement of sequences a la Franke. The rhythm is lively with a Pink Floyd guitar. The introduction is knotted in suspense while the rhythm which follows is a pale imitation of a good e-rock. With Countdown to Launch we are in the lands of Mars Polaris, to say the least of the introduction with its loops of guitars which remind of U2. The structure of rhythm is as light as that of The Arcbuilders, but with more electronic effects and this even if the guitar dominates the ambiences and of Countdown to Launch. With its sibylline envelope and its rhythm which goes up and down, such as in the Flashpoint years, Quantum Theory unites the many phases of the long Tangerine Dream odyssey for a so short title. The title-track allies romance and lively rhythm with biting guitar riffs and unbridled percussions of which the crazy race is subjected to beautiful affectionate layers. Between a heavy rhythm and moments of ambience, The Exodus Wave is at the image of the album. The same goes for the blazing Booster Separation which still proposes some Bernhard Beibl's good solos. Mission Objective and Arcflight propose good electronic rock which go very easily between the ears while Hibernation in a Virtual World is the most progressive title here. This is a very good one with good ambiences! Approaching Terra Nova ends this last opus of Sequential Dreams with a lively and jerky rhythm which rocks between its liveliness and its heaviness. A title which reflects the whole dimension of THE EXODUS WAVE which is for an audience found of E-rock with a good brochette of lively and mordant titles and always well structured to which one listens without too much difficulty. Like in the time of Rockoon and of the TDI years…
Sylvain Lupari (January 14th, 2017) *****
Available at Borders Edge Music