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In Ben Reynolds latest album of guitar wizardry, he takes his guitar straight out into the netherworld, using distortion to turn its sound into spiritual, spacey siren calls, like mysterious sonic monoliths beckoning you out into the cosmos for further exploration. The album opens beautifully with "Bard's Vision Over Stinking Fire" as Reynolds stirs his tones around in the air, leaving sonic striations of guitar haze. The next song, "Castle Amorous," is just as moving, as Japanese-sounding drums rumble below cries and sighs from the spirits embodying the guitar and other strings. It's a very evocative piece, reminding me of moments in spaghetti westerns when the hero reaches the precipice above his final destination and looks out over the town in the valley, preparing for the final showdown and climax. Unfortunately, the vocals in the next song, "Chief Giant," takes Reynolds in a direction that might not be as fortuitous, as hermit-like moaning and laughing atop the guitar gives the song a Dredd Foole or less primal Skaters-like feel. Considering how cultivated and pure Reynolds' even most exploratory songs are, the brutish sounds don't feel like a good fit. Luckily the rest of the album leaves the hermit to be pounded by the "Giant" and takes us back into the realm of spirits and space. In "Consciousness Hut," a keyboard chord creates a choir of the converted as a soft bassline conjurs up old souls and lets their dreamy feedback wisp around the room. "Freedom Walls" is perhaps the closest thing to traditional folk, however it's a very experimental piece as Reynolds has a heyday with the song's tempo, organically speeding it up and slowing it down with each passing stanza. It sounds not unlike an organ grinder being cranked at an ever changing pace, creating a very dizzying effect. With this release, Reynolds shows the scope of his guitar playing is wide and his experimental nature will continue to lead him into new, unique sonic terrain. It's a great, soothing, spiritual listen, however I hope he'll still find the inspiration to do more dexterous exploration of traditional folk and open tunings as he started in Oh Joy and Beyond and his two collaborations with Andy Jarvis.

Ben Reynolds at Amazon & Insound