Search - Troika :: Kingdom of the Sun

... and realm of good music ....

Russell J. Grasso | Massachusetts, USA | 08/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't be misled by the grammar school artwork or esoteric title, this is top drawer Arkenstone. This Troika outing is melodious, symphonic, profound and dramatic relative to Goddess and Shaman. (The liner notes indicate Arkenstone is the composer and Troika is the performer). This is an entirely different music to those previous releases. It has more of the feel of say "Spirit of Olympia", "Quest of the Dream Warrior" and "Another Star in the Sky".Not really "Arkenstone in Space" as I first contemplated, he resorts to many ancient Earthbound instrumental voices, folklores and musical skits. Nevertheless there is good material here which improves on each listening, as good music often does. It is not until the final Plutonian track that the music takes on an electronic space tonality.There is an irrestible urge to parallel this work with Gustav Holst's "The Planets" - and with good reason as both speak to the mythology of planet nomenclature rather than try to bring us spacebound. Here there are entries for the Sun, the Moon and Pluto, which are absent in Holst's work. However, Earth is missing in both solar system series efforts, showing the emphasis on astrology over astronomy. Furthermore, KOTS is sufficiently symphonic that it could feasibly be set to Holst-style orchestration.I only wish the album art would have taken the musical content more seriously. Your friends are likely to say "This is really good, what is this?" and you will unfortuneatly, emnbarassingly have to show them the CD liner, at which point they may question whether it is intended for ages 8 and under.The first and third tracks representing the Sun and Mercury repectively are upbeat. The Sun's "The Chariot" is a forward driving, building, triumphal, flashy piece which opens the CD. All cuts are very pleasing to the ear, diverse in nature, well orchestrated and have a well-proportioned combination of melodic content and supporting rhythms and effects."

Very good, though not outstanding

Jesse Gordon | United States | 03/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The latest effort from David Arkenstone's Troika outfit (Arkenstone composes the music, the band enhances and performs it) did not immediately grab me, as did previous albums. The music is competently performed, but it seems to be lacking a certain underlying energy that was present, say, on Shaman. It took three or four listens to make an impression on me, and while I certainly wasn't disappointed, I wasn't overwhelmed either. I suppose it would be safe to say I found KOTS a little too abstract for my tastes.The included booklet contains some nice text by Jacqueline Mitton describing the solar system, though I got the impression it had been written for children. Highlights include a renamed track, "The Blue Titan," that had previously been showcased under the Elektrik Sky name, as well as the final track, "God of the Shadows," which seems to recapture Troika's earlier potency quite well.Overall, a good effort."