Reviews - “Mantle”

“Mantle” review from the Hypnos.com forum before it fried and had to be re-built!

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"Just listened to Mantle last night, and it is wonderful. Tracks are just the right length, flowing so

smoothly into one another, that you reach the end of the disc without even realising it. Steve

Roach, though his presence is there, stands back in the shadows and lets Parnham's material

shine, enhancing it subtly, to the point where one is not sure of the depth of his contribution. This

is most definitely a unique release, and Parnham's vision of dark, deep ambient music is intricate,

mysterious, and entrancing. The structure of the album is refreshing, with each track making its

statement, drawing you into its world, then shifting ever so subtly to the next world. I found this to

be a breath of fresh air, because as much as I enjoy listening to ambient and dark ambient (it

comprises most of my music collection) even my favorite artists often let a track trail on too long

(even if that is the point, I realise)...This album almost takes you through like a pop album, except

here, instead of candy-coated catchiness, you are plunged into a magical, cavelike world

permeated by shifting clouds of well-honed detail. The steveroach.com label is showing great

promise right out of the starting gate, and will hopefully bring many more artists like Brian

Parnham to the awareness Steve Roach fans."

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