Geometry of Loss by Nigel J Moore: 16th March 2008

Just about anyone who has remotely heard of Mystral Tide has been eagerly awaiting this release! I for one have been anticipating more of MT’s mature ambient electronic sounds - and I was not disappointed. The project is a trio of CD’s - value indeed!! Album one features the main GoL work with the second CD being a collection of tracks that “did not make the main album” or are live versions of some of the tracks. I must say that the quality of the second album is up there with the main one. The third disc is a compilation of re-mixes of a selection of Mystral Tide tracks by various artists – and this is another gem in its own right.

However, this is a review of the main CD and as such will be containing my comments to Album One – Geometry of Loss

Track 1 REDUX – has a lovely piano and strings intro…a trademark sound of MT. More melodic piano work as the track develops and then the drum line makes an entrance and the whole track comes alive with a rich ambient quality. I have to say that there is a definite move here (and on some subsequent tracks) towards the classical line…..but expertly mixed with synths, drums and lovely sweeping pads. I have heard Redux prior to it’s inclusion on GoL and have liked it from the word go. A lovely opening track to get this new album started.

Track 2 FORTY 8 – Some nice mixing work brings in Forty 8 and the first vocal sounds make their entrance. A harder drum line that sits very well, but again the wonderful pad work sets this track off for me. I like the way this album is mixed – all melting into each other – it works really well.

Forty 8 dissolves nicely into Track 3 FORGET – More piano work introduces this track. The first of the full vocal tracks on the album. A first venture into lyrics – at least as a full length track – from Ivan…..and it works well.

Track 4 CONTRIVATION – More strong piano work introduces this track. More of Ivan’s very own style of lyrics! A nice slow ambient build up leads into a fusion of piano and synths. This is my style of sound and MT brings it off in his usual polished way – excellent.

Track 5 AS THE WREATH FALLS – What can I say about this track that hasn’t already been said!! Since the release of the album Ivan has put this track to video which has enhanced the music even further. This is my favourite of a very, very strong choice. I just love the way the pads and piano meld together with the piano taking over the lovely melody line. The vocal work that feels to me rather like a Gregorian chant style is sublime – and then the “dirty” guitar stabs are introduced and they really do fit in well. This is a masterpiece, the signature track - nothing less.

HOXIAN PARALLEL - takes over seamlessly and there is a different feel to the beat. The track starts at a pace percussion wise, then the synth taps out the first melody. The whole thing gets really gets going at 1:43 with the introduction of another fast synth line. The spoken vox gives this a sci-fi feel and works well with the surrounding theme. The track comes to an end with some nice pad and piano work – straight into

TOMORROW (HERE RIGHT NOW) - with nice pads and synths working with the piano. The female vocals are excellent. This is sounding like a main stream professional album in every aspect. A lovely tune which is beautifully sung by the vocalist.

Track 8 AN AUTUMN CONFESSION – This track has a classical feel to the opening, and the superbly worked piano is in its full glory once again. A very strong feature of the whole track. Plenty of pad work to give the piano depth gives this track a nice full feel

Track 9 CONTRA-DICTION – This track has a bit of everything!! Vocals, arps, lovely piano work, melodies – and it all comes together into a track that has been remixed by several artists. Fine praise indeed!!!

Track 10 SECTION 111 – Another track that I have heard prior to the album release. This has more of an electro feel about it…….without losing the ambient style. Good piano work once again and good use of spoken vox. This mixed with the arp style synth and military sounding percussion (in parts) add a new dimension to the album theme.

Track 11 ACUTE IN NIL - Another catchy melody on the synth and Ivanesque vocals!!! There are quite a few arpeggio synths on this album….and I love them!!!!

The album is brought to a close with AN AUTUMN REALISATION – A lovely track that is full of the MT sounds that make this work a pleasure to listen to. Nice choir like pads in the background cushion the ever excellent piano melody. The soft percussion that is introduced carries the track along at a nice pace. Everything blends together to produce a fine ambient melodic finish to what is a very, very good album.

Overview

Geometry of Loss is steeped in a glow of ambience and melodic piano work with some classical undertones. Mystral Tide introduces a step change in his music with each release. Not only the quality of the tracks, but also with the professionalism of the production. The mixing that blends each track together is excellent.

There has also got to be a strong mention for the artwork. The best from Ivan – by far!! There is a 3 sided pull out sleeve that contains all the lyrics and is as professionally produced as any mainstream album artwork. A nice touch too is the numbering of the albums in a sort of restricted production fashion! It makes you feel fortunate to possess one!

It is easy to see why this album took so long in the making. There is a feel about it that oozes class – something that should be up there with mainstream stuff and available in music stores.

A short, punchy overview such as this cannot do the album justice – it just has to be heard to get the full feel of the music. I just hope that my words will encourage people to get it, enjoy it and see for themselves!

Whirlpool of Souls by Seventh Circle: 15th March 2003

Ambient and occasionally Delerium-ish, the CD doesn’t care for much repetition (which is a good thing), and keeps moving through many progressions. Using mostly electronic grooves as the main focus, there are some nice points with the piano and electronics taking the attention of the track. Some creations and combinations make the music quite spooky and emotional at times. The transitions between songs are liquid and gapless, and the whole CD melds together extremely well. Many of the tracks are even club worthy. This is good music that tiptoes on several different genres in many tracks.

However, the random happy hardcore transitions and beats occasionally drop the strength that the constantly progressive songs have. At times it borders a Paul Oakenfold-like feel. As well, some of the mixing needs to be a little more fine-tuned, since it actually dampens the power of some pieces. Some cool layers are turned too low, instead favoring something more dominant approaching in the progression. As much as the progressive music is a positive, some beautiful pieces are not repeated, and are only given one moment to shine and nothing more. More expansion would benefit the songs, but if sole creator Ivan Bullock wishes to be constantly progressive, then so be it, as the music does not get boring at any point.

Interesting notes: Mystral Tide is one person (Bullock), who creates all of his music in a “tiny Tokyo studio”, but hails from Australia. He uses a computer, guitar, and a few samplers to create his music. Also, The track “Lucid” has an ambient style rip-off of “Freedom or Fire” by Fear Factory, but with a different transition at the end.It’s strange, because that riff dominates the beginning of the track then never resurfaces, but it does show how diverse some of Bullock’s influences are. You can hear periodic tributes to Bullock’s influences in the background every now and then--if you can get past some of the beautiful layers. Check out www.mystraltide.com to learn more about this artist.

Best Track(s): Regression I, II and III

Rating: 6/7

Whirlpool of Souls by Oz Music Project: 15th March 2003

With an opening that could easily be mistaken for some sort of mellowed out Cradle of Filth instrumental, the latest release from Mystral Tide, “Whirlpool of Souls,” was released by Zeitgeist Records in 2001.

The innovation of Ivan Bullock, who was originally classically trained in violin before making the dramatic leap across into the field of electronic music, W.O.S is a stunning example of Australian Darkwave Electronica. Gothic meets dance in a selection of dramatic compositions, complete with all the compulsory elements expected of each genre; the peaks, troughs and accented beats of classic industrial, and the dark, haunting melodies expected of most gothic artists, with the added bonus of traditional instruments such as the piano to give the music a truly unique feel.

The Regression series of songs are particularly striking in their simple beauty; quiet, sinister, evocative – they strike deep within and leave the impression of falling, being lost, and alone. In listening to these songs, one can almost imagine running around in some sort of surreal fantasy computer game – W.O.S has all the trapping of a Doom soundtrack, but is infinitely better as Bullock’s striking energy comes raging through, pounding at the senses in a harmonious cacophony of industrial, medieval, classical and experimental melodies that are a feast for the imagination and senses alike. Surprising really, when one considers the minimal equipment used to record the album.

Artists capable of such a striking first release are few and far between, but W.O.S is a clear demonstration of Bullock’s incredible passion and imagination. A exceptionally well constructed continuous melt of fear, beauty, and pain - no industrial/electronica collection should be without it.

Dani L

Whirlpool of Souls by Darksonus : 11th March 2003

Sounds: 4 of 5
Vocals: 3.5 of 5
Composition: 4 of 5
Overall Rating: .766

Mystral Tide release their Whirlpool Of Souls, which is a brilliant mix of soundtrack elements, trancey beats and synths, pianos, and orchestral sounds that perfectly combine to create one of the finest Darkwave albums released in ages.

A piano intro kicks off the album. "Sinner" combines lush melodies, dark synth basslines and a slow driving beat that are reminescent of a fantasty film soundtrack. "Isolation" kicks off with the EBM; evil sounding synths and basslines emerge with whispered samples and strings that create an atmosphere not unlike what dismantled do. "Regression I" is an interesting, yet sorrowful piano melody over an intricate set of beats and synths that let the human soul release. "Persevant" enters with samples of horses and some light vocal tracks until a hard rock beat comes in and it goes all EBM again. Next up is "Distant," which sounds more synth based in its sounds except for the spooky chanting and pianos that give way to a dark trance style sound, which builds up using textures and heavy sounding pads which create its mystic mood of uplifting darkness. The next track, "Regression II," completely changes the mood and goes for a more ambient chilled type sound with fuzzy guitars, which contrasts nicely with the darker type stuff. "Force" goes back to the heavier, more soundtracky feel of the earlier songs but adds a more dark and apocalyptic element to it which eventually explodes to nothing. "Regression III" is another piano piece, but a lot less dark and more uplifting and content with itself. "Creation" has a very upbeat new-breed/trance sound to it which shows how intense Mystral Tide can be if they want to be. The album ends with a return of dark ebm/coldwave crossover with guitars in the background--rather uplifting but still cold and dark at the same time. The B-side remixes are quite cool too; they change the atmosphere of the tracks to something different, like showing them in a different aspect or emotion.

A very good and impressive underground release.

This CD contains excellent composition all the way through. This is exactly the kind of thing there should be more of. The choirs and orchestral sounds remind me of that of Will or Yelworc, but more modernised. There are hardly any vocals and I'm rarely a fan of instrumental music, but the whole album works perfectly without them. A very good and impressive underground release. Long live Mystral Tide and Zeitgeist Records.

Whirlpool of Souls by Electroage : 6th March 2002

Mystral Tide is a project from Ivan Bullock, an Australian currently living in Tokyo who delivers here a very intriguing album. Whirlpool of Souls is perhaps the middle point between darkwave and EBM, with an hint of ambient and classical; giving an unique and engaging work of electronic music.

Whirlpool of Souls has an undeniable soundtrack-like persona, and this albumâs facet is where resides the strength behind Mystral Tide. The melancholic piano of Abandoned opens the album, rapidly followed by a superb Lucid mixing orchestral movements with a distant EBM groove. Removed is the perfect representation of Mystral Tide movie-like ambiences, atmospheric synths are floating around whispered speech samples, melancholic piano and guitar echoes. More classical oriented and beautifully rendered are the three parts of Regression; while Isolation and especialy Return lead more toward technofied EBM with melodic piano and a subtle dose of ambient.

The whole album is a tenebrous affair, where smoky ambiences and electronic rhythms collide together for a surprising result. Even more surprising regarding Bullockâs minimal equipement used for the album, and Whirlpool of Souls just suffers from a sligthly unequal mastering and post-production.

Rare are those artists who are making such an impression with a first album, but behind Mystral Tide there is a true musician who isnât afraid of breaking genreâs boundaries. The music is superbly crafted and the continuous melted ambience of beauty and fear makes of Whirlpool of Souls an impressive work of electronics.

Whirlpool of Souls by New Empire : 3rd February 2002

An album made in Australia, recorded with minimal equipment in Tokyo featuring danceable EBM and almost classic, melancholic arrangements done with piano- and guitar-sounds is something special I'd say and so it is my task to bring this unknown "Dark Wave & EBM"-act from Tokyo to the light. The musician is not Japanese - Ivan Bullock doesn't even sound like it. : A very intensive track is "Sinner" with the hectic piano and the soundtrack-like, epic synthy-layers. Only a very soft rhythm in the background makes up a fragile skeleton for the oppressing, powerful music.

Followed by the breathtaking Isolation. It's a sad fact that the production of the album is a little bit too silent, because especially this track lives of the driving beat. Almost Jungle-like technoid beats combined with an enormous bombastic sound of synthetic strings and again a piano. The dark speech-sample is a perfect addition and makes the whole track really a killer.

A very wild and loud track is called "Perseverant". Bombastic sounds like choirs and the pressure of a galloping beat combined with samples of horses and only whispered voices make it my favourite on the album.

A silent, melancholic track is "Creation" with some rattling and whiling sounds, string-arrangements and a sadly dripping piano.

Finally the album holds two rare and unreleased tracks (well, I guess if you consider the level of reputation of this project, all tracks are rare·) as add-on. The whole music appears instrumental. No disturbing vocals here. If there are vocals in the tracks they are hidden between the sound. Like distant whispers, used like an additional instrument and not to shout some meaning into the world.

Wow, this album is good! It is really a joy to listen to the complex, atmospheric and catchy sounds of Mystral Tide. How the different real instruments are mixed with the electronic part of the music is unique and the whole sound appears homogenous and perfectly balanced. The sound is warm, dark, almost "European" and maybe you can find the influences of a megapolis like Tokyo in the technologically interpreted melancholy of the music.

A sad, brilliant masterpiece. And don't wonder: the CD has 16 tracks but there are only 15 songs. Track 14 is 29 seconds of silence so it doesn't count. I also substracted one point in the rating because of the below average production.

Coolness: 10/10
Rating: 5/6

Forged by Gods of Music/Ian Smith : 5th November 2001

This track personifies a waking nightmare. The opening build for nearly a minute, with those whispered scary voices, before the breathtaking drums kicks in, makes you feel that there is something coming, something horrible, something you would rather not see.

But in true horror movie style, you can't run and hide, you just have to sit and wait. And boy does it come, when those drums come in make sure you turn your stereo up nice and loud. This is a track to be played at MAXIMUM volume.

Superb guitar licks and sweeping synths abound as this track builds and builds for an all too quick 3 and a half minutes. Then the nightmare is over and the outro, at an audacious 2 minutes long, leads you back to calmer places. Yet still those haunting voices taunt you. Mellow synths calm the pace down and slow the heart-beat. Having heard the album I know where this leads..... This is a masterful piece, the quality and depth shine through.

Beasts (now titled Perseverant) by Gods of Music/Christopher Burke : 11th September 2001

Wow. These are the first 3 letters that come to mind. I'll repeat that in case you weren't paying attention - WOW.

I haven't heard anything this impressive in the darkwave genre in a very long time, or in any genre for that matter. I went into this song thinking it would be your standard, overly pretentious, moody mp3.com teenager. Thankfully, this preconception was bloodily ripped out of my mind by Mystral Tide.

"Beasts - closed gate version" starts out appropriately eerie with some wonderful synth textures, a great delayed vocal sample talking about death and hell (I know it sounds corny when you read this, but it works perfectly in the song). Fade in a great beat accompanied with perfectly executed synthesizer work, and at around 1:10 you are flung headlong into the main body (or corpse) of the song.

This song is more along the genre lines of EBM than Darkwave, in my humble opinion. And I think an even better adjective is a more aggressive version of Coldwave. But let's not beat around the bush with labels. It doesn't matter. What matters is that this track seriously kicks major tail.

The only minor complaint/suggestion I have is with the vocals that come in at 3:22. They are too far back in the mix for me to hear what is being said. I think it would sound best if these were either more towards the front of the mix, or left out entirely. This is only a slight quibble, and certainly not a major issue.

So, to cap it all off, "Beasts - closed gate version," is definitely a winner, and one of the best tracks I have heard in a long time by anyone, big-name acts included. So do yourself a favor and download this song while I'm downloading some more of their music.