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Artist: E-Mantra Title: Stapanii Timpului Record label: Suntrip Records Release date: 25.08.2018 Tracklist: Total runtime: 66 minutes Intro: I dont think he needs an introduction but I'll do it anyway in case you were living in a cave for the past decade. E-Mantra is Emanuel Carpus from Romania and he has been making goa trance since early 2000s. He gained notoriety in the scene with the release of "Arcana" in 2009, and his sound is described as being profound, dark and melodic. I never could get into his music... up until now. The Review: Cover art: First things first- the cover art. It's absolutely and insanely good. I was never as impressed by any cover art as I was by this one. Made by Pieter Pan (lol). 7/7 1. Rusalka: We get thrown right into the fray. No easing into the album. The track starts with ice-cold, echoing, industrious sounds which remind me a lot of Pigs In Space. The track has a great, brooding psy-trancey drive that is contrasted by clear melodic goa effects. The track really peaked my interest for the album because it didn't show off too much and it didn't slack of in catching my attention either. 7/7 2. Ghost In The Mist: One word can describe this track: Alarming! It is notable for being acidic and pretty dark. Reminds me of Morphic Resonance's style a little bit, minus the volatile temperament. We are still in the plains- the track doesn't oscillate much. Steadily cooking you with 303. It is good but not the highlight of the album. 5/7 3. Ravenmocker: Oh man, the flow from @2:45 onward is so good. Has a great rhythm, drive and cooking ability- so much so that I can already imagine the people that are on psychedelics on the dance-floor being deep-fried by this track. In the fourth quarter of the track enter Etnica spaceship beep-boop sounds, followed by crazy screeching acid- culminating into a decent crescendo. 5/7 4. At The Foothills Of Kogaion: Warped voices lead the tempo of the track while the acid builds up around them. We get a little ray of sunshine near the end of the track which is a welcome addition but it is plagued by same repeating vocals and by this point they started annoying me even though I enjoyed them at the start. This feels as the second dance-floor oriented track on this album. 5/7 5. Typhoon's Wrath: Great dance-floor cookage again, very psychedelic but unremarkable. Follows the formula of previous tracks. Does its job. 4/5 6. Rise Of The Dacians: I really enjoyed this one. It's a bit warmer and lighter, and it is a welcome change after the acidic carnage we suffered through before it. Ethereal, echoey, atmospheric melodies in this track are signature E-Mantra. 6/7 7. Terp Muronivid Aivlsa: A highlight of the album. Track isn't as overwhelming as were the middle 3 tracks of the album, but it is still pretty heavy and in the spirit of the album. Feels very well planned and carefully crafted. Flows well and is catchy. @6:25 onward is absolutely brilliant and closes the track on a perfect note and impression. 7/7 8. Amorok Rising From Black Sea: I just love it when an album ends with a down/mid-tempo track, especially when it is as creative as this one is. In the beginning we've got some Koxbox' funky vibe going on. @3:25 it goes very serious and dark again, with these threatening and penetrating alien sounds. Very entrancing and groovy. And then it fades into silence. Great ending to the album. Love it to bits and it is my favorite track on here . 7+/7 Final rating: Great 6/7 You can stream and buy the album on Suntrip Records' bandcamp: https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/ Or main site: https://www.suntriprecords.com/release/cat/SUNCD51/