GALACTIC ANTHEMS: Subterranean Transit

This release from 2005 features 67 minutes of dynamic electronic music.

There's a considerable amount of power and authority in this music. Half of that vitality comes from the demonstrative percussion that propels these tracks, but a fair degree is directly attributable to Adams' epic compositions and his robust performance.

The electronics are potent and captivating. Stalwart keyboards pummel the audience with sweeping chords and dynamic expressions. Nimble fingers evoke invigorating melodies from the keys. This stuff is deeply rooted in progressive sensibilities, so the riffs are complex and vibrant. Contemporary electronic stylings are employed too, generating expansive textures and haunting cycles, but the bulk of the tuneage is comprised of commanding keyboard intricacy.

Combining such glorious melodies with charismatic rhythms only enhances this music's magnetic appeal. The percussives are epic and engaging, thrilling to experience and dazzling in their vigorous stamina. Some of the tempos are flavored with tribal mien, but only if those tribes exist in some far-flung future realm that has escaped holocaust and flourishes in utopian manner.

The theme of this release is underground transportation, explaining the drive of these vivid tunes. If a darkness is discernible among the compositions, it can be attributed to this subterranean sentiment, not any ominous intention.

The CD finishes up with a 19 minute composition, "Europa Mission", that displays a more sedate side of Adams' output. Here, icy tonalities tremble across a velvet sky, generating a desolate soundscape that is full of scientific promise. The ambient track possesses a noticeable intensity of the awestruck variety, conjuring frozen fields and swirling oceanic depths.

A winner by any standards.