Search - Magic Affair :: Omen: Story Continues

Great Oldschool.

Phil Shaffer | Fort Worth, TX | 02/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great CD, and a bonus if you can find the double CD adition, with remixxes from Plus Staples. I also recommend a single they released in 97' called "Night of the Raven". Hard to find (didn't even see it here) but gab it if you see it! Was lucky enough to catch it when it first came out."

Dark but fascinating, amazing audio quality

marc_h | 06/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Initially I acquired this album because I liked "Omen III" and "Give me all your love", two plain dancefloor tracks (ironically, now I like them least of all tracks on it...). Interesting enough, this album's real qualities are found in different aspects. This album mostly succeeds in creating a very dense and gloomy atmosphere, even though it "overachieves" and comes across as pretentious in places both through lyrics and production. The majority of the cd draws heavily from the early 90s dancefloor genre and most of the tracks have rap elements, there are some unexpected gems to be found on it - some rather trance-fused songs and especially the outstanding synth instrumentals stood out to me. The track order is generally excellent and tracks flow nicely, with the notable exception of "The Commutation" > "Omen III" which is the perfect opposite of elegant.Interesting tracks on this cd include:"The Commutation" - The powerful, anthemic opener on this cd. Along with its dark melodic composition and strong tension between the single instruments and samples, it features a fantastic arrangement, and a climactic structure that gives it a strong cineastic touch. Too bad that the main single apparently had to come next on this album, a 180° turnaround to plain happy pseudo-mystical dancefloor music that feels like a slap in the face and spoils the atmosphere that has built up so far."Homicidal" - This fast-paced track combines strong hip-hop/rap elements with complex synthesized percussion over a dancefloor beat into one powerhouse of cold brooding atmosphere. The sole letdown are the particularly pretentious lyrics on this track which only just fail to convey the threat and anger they are all about."Fall out" - One strange but atmospheric creation. This is a pure synthesized instrumental track with many ambient elements and a stunning out-of-phase bass drum effect - Another outstanding quality about this album is the brilliant engineering and mastering job (an expected strength for musich which is mainly synthesized of course). Great mix, perfect tonal balance, a strong but not overemphasized bass, crystal clear treble and excellent use of stereo effects make this album a pleasant listen on any kind of hifi equipment.If you do not mind dancefloor (though it might sound a bit stale six years after the peak of its popularity), if you like music that creates a dense, gloomy atmosphere, and if you own good gear that will faithfully reproduce the level of detail contained on this album, prepare to be fascinated."