Miraculix - The Arrival

[Lemmiwinks]

 

1. The chosen one

2. Scary things

3. Hold them back

4. Blow it up

5. Eclipse

6. Defend the base

7. Search and destroy

8. Diablo

9. They have arrived

 

 

First of all, I have to admit that to this date I've STILL never gave Detonator a listen *bows his head in shame*. So I can't compare this to his debut album... I say this mainly because I've heard some people say that compared with the 1st album this was a major dissapointment. Well, for me this is one of the better albums of the year! It's night pumping trance with a lot of scary spooky atmospheres.

 

In The Chosen One Miraculix has also put in that epic-feeling during breakdowns à la The Misted Muppet (this is really becoming a trand these days...) but here the overall feeling is much darker. But contrary to The Misted Muppet, Miraculix didn't use this trick in EACH of his tracks.

 

Scary Things has an even darker atmosphere with a scary sample "Have you ever had a dream where everything seemed so real that once you wake up it's not a dream. It's reality. There is nothing you can do about it." That would sure scare me shitless if I heard it during a night set while tripping hard... Although this track is more on the minimal side, it has less melodies so I don't like it as much.

 

Hold Them Back is less dark, more party-oriented. Near the end it has some nice 303s, kindof reminds me of oldschool.

 

Blow it up is the one I like lease on this album, it has a dark melody but it's kindof childish, reminds me a bit of 1200 Mics - WWW

 

Eclipse has an interesting synth melody which is followed by the bassline (kindof like in Etnica - VCO ) I like that effect, and then some spooky melodies come in during the second half of the track. Although as a whole, this track isn't really one of my favorites either.

 

Defend the Base ahh this one's more to my liking, it feels more powerfull than the other tracks till here (which doesn't mean that the others aren't dancefloor oriented, just that this one is even more powerfull than the others). The track begins with a sample :"Security has been breached. All system alert" then a stylish alarm goes on (not the rave type, it's really interesting). Then it slowly builds up around that alarm noise. The breaks are really neat in this one, I like the melodies a lot. This one also reminded me of The Misted Muppet's style: there are nice melodies during the breaks, but they don't continue once the bass picks up. That's a bit dissapointing.

 

Search and Destroy is a complete change from the rest of the album: this is morning style, with a LOT of oldschool influences. Need I say that it's my favorite track here?

 

Diablo turns back with a bit of darkness although it's lighter than the other tracks before Search and Destroy. It has a nice melodic bassline, although a bit simplistic. Kindof reminds me of the "usual" full-on.

 

They Have Arrived is the mandatory downtempo track... and not a very good one... personally I could've done without... Sounds like a normal track played with the pitch at -15%.

 

Conclusion one of the better albums of the year without being exceptional either. I haven't listened to Detonator so I can't compare it to his preveious stuff (I've heard people say that this is a big dissapointement when compared to the debut album). Sometimes it sounds really good, other times it's a bit simplistic. But it's defintley dancefloor-oriented so I guess that even the more simpler tracks will work well in a DJ set. 8/10

faves: 1 (!), 3, 6, 7 (!!)

[Guest Rain]

I must say it is a good album if you don not focus to much to the miraculix we are used to know... still you can hear the shy dark melodies like battle of the future buddhas could have... (not comparing miraculix to battle to avoied misunderstandings, just refering to a small part of interpretation)...

This an album I would like 1000 times more if he didn't use always that typical morning fullon bass line cause the psychedelic sounds are very high quality in this album...

[seraph]

Yes, this is pretty good album. I even find it as one of the better ones last year and certainly best full on album. It has liquid sounds and very good production and through whole album you have some alienated feeling which is really good for a full on album. He doesn't tend to smash you too much with that bass line and he is at the same time pretty musical. My favourites : THE CHOSEN ONE, ECLIPSE, SEARCH AND DESTROY, DIABLO...8/10

[Gnome]

Ah......3/10 compared to the music he made in 2k-2k2

[Neophyte]

Ah......3/10 compared to the music he made in 2k-2k2

211255[/snapback]

I agree entirely!

 

Compared to Detonator, this album is a steaming pile of alien shit!!

 

I used to be a huge fan of Miraculix before this album was released. This disappointed on SO MANY LEVELS. There is no powerful acid-synth presence as was the strength in Detonator. In fact, I'd say all of the sounds are washed over with an indistinct, faded quality. The samples are BEYOND cheese. It's obvious he did them all himself.

 

DO NOT BUY THIS.

[Alek]

Yes... I have to agree also with Gnome and Neophyte... it's sad to listen to this after Detonator. Just my oppinion of course... but I think I will give it another listen now...

[electronist]

Mr. Hammarström has created a nice album...