maroko, May 25, 2008
Phenomenal debut album from Miranda, the former queen of goa trance hailing from Sweden! Quality music all the way, far from revolutionary, just five star general goa trance, and then some. Well crafted and uplifting melodies, far reaching and wide soundscapes, old school samples about alien life forms and hallucinogenic substances, before those began to plague each and every psy trance related release, amazing breaks and energetic climaxes, with an obligatory downtempo tune, and you have yourself a true to the heart gem, which is obviously chained to the basics of the goa trance spectrum, but very successful in avoiding cliches and trivial traits of the often somewhat formulaic releases. More or less all the tracks, with the exception of the chilled out number Weightless, follow the same path, but the opener Steps To The Stars, Labyrinth and the title track Phenomena are just a notch above the rest. A must for old school lovers, but I would also recommend this album to those who would like to try and get a quick glimpse at what is the whole old school frenzy about, as well to those who are new to the genre. Some other acts you'd want to try out if you are looking for some flat out great, straight up old is gold goa trance, are Etnica during their prime, pre 1999 period, Total Eclipse and Transwave.
4.2/5 (