My review of "Painting In The Dark" CD by Steve Roach

[richardgurtler]

Steve Roach "Painting In The Dark" CD

"Painting In The Dark" CD, released on Timeroom Editions on December 31st, 2016, is that kind of album, which keeps on growing on me with every new listen. Two years have passed already and now I feel I want to express some of my feelings about this masterwork. Recorded at the Timehouse and Eagles Nest, Baja Arizona, the splendid cover art is delivered by Steve Matson, who has already contributed his immersing moving abstract paintings to other Steve's works such as "Fade To Gray", "The Delicate Forever" or "The Delicate Beyond". As usual, the mastering is controlled by Howard Givens, while additional credit for graphic design goes to Sam Rosenthal.

Almost 18-minute epic "Threshold" ignites this monstrously transporting journey with mesmerizingly flowing and ebbing drone stratums, continuously gliding into an awe-inspiring vertexes of rather monochromous, yet abundantly blossoming sonorousness. Eternal horizons unlock its gates, the verge is crossed and gracefully expansive magic is fully unfolded. Pure aural elixir is served here! The following piece "I See Now" carves perpetually helixing imageries, piquantly twisted and intensely interacting with vigorously transcendental visuals. Aural alchemies and optical canvas reach ultimate equilibrium! "Painting At The Edge" tranquilly drifts into the deepest ends of magnificently sweeping celestial realms, where utterly infinite warmness persistently commingle with delicately nuanced glimpsing meridians and intangibly permeating ephemeral fragments. The track title of this opus couldn't fit more precisely! "Orbit Of Memory" is another amazing composition masterfully displaying its name. Constantly moving spirals quietly bridge with inconspicuously percolating cinematic vistas and glimmeringly evanescing stillness. With balmily dronescaping, prodigiously expanding, meticulously undulating and exquisitely entitled "Rapt In Moonlight" I am again entering the sonic Eden, what a beauty!!! Although I don't like to use any comparisons in my reviews, this masterpiece really sounds like a virtual join effort featuring two iconic Masters of deep atmospheric bliss, Steve Roach and Max Corbacho. It's a pity this composition is not longer than a 6 and a half minutes. But anyway, bravo, Steve!!! 13-minute closer "Phosphene View" incorporates some intriguingly distinctive sounds, guarding in vague distances, yet titillatingly engulfing, and carefully reinforcing immensely soaring scenario.

Steve Roach keeps vital all his creative wizardry, propelled on 74-minute "Painting In The Dark" by magnificent essences of eonian driftscaping. These sonic meditations allow each listener to connect deeply to the oasis, where the Master shares his nocturnally spirited insignias of sheer atmospheric splendor. "Painting In The Dark" offers a massively enveloping and thrillingly resonating listening experience, obviously a must-have album!!!

Richard Gürtler (Jan 22, 2019, Bratislava, Slovakia)