The Exodus Wave is the eighth album from Sequential Dreams, a project conceived by Canada-based electronic music composer Ron Charron, who also releases albums under the name Kuutana as well as other projects. Comprised of fourteen compositions spanning an intensely-packed and lengthy seventy-nine minutes, the album was composed and performed by Ron, who plays keyboards and synthesizers on all tracks as well as electric guitar on several. He is additionally joined by ex-Tangerine Dream member Bernhard Beibl on a few of the compositions, who also plays electric guitar on a few tracks, including “Telemetry”, “Subspace Breach”, “Pleiadian Prophecy”, and “Booster Separation”.

“Telemetry” opens with spacey signals and digitized gurgling effects, which are accompanied by an arrangement of vintage sequencers and dynamic drum programming. Definitive of the Berlin-School style of electronic music, elements of progressive rock are also present on this track, as well as throughout the rest of the album, in which potently expressive and powerful electric guitar riffs serve as the lead ‘voice’ on many of the compositions. “Subspace Breach” follows next, bringing images to mind of solar winds and orbiting satellites, before slipping into “Pleiadian Prophecy”, a piece that begins with haunting wordless voices that seemingly echo throughout the cosmos. Featuring additional keyboards and synthesizers by Chris Pearre, the name of this piece suggests a reference to the intriguing mysteries surrounding the Pleiades constellation, which has played a notable role in many world religions and ancient mythologies. Winding things down a bit, the beautiful “Interstellar” ensues with a Pink Floyd-esque atmosphere, which is characterized by drifting, howling guitars and moody chord progressions. Conveying a sense of floating and weightlessness, one perhaps gets the notion of slowing approaching an interstellar destination as a distant horizon comes into view. Following it up is the equally compelling “Wavefront”, which opens with an encompassing, gravity-warping wind tunnel effect, before leading into a dynamic arrangement of sequencers, drum programming and electric guitar. My favorite piece on the album is quite easily the eighth track, “Quantum Theory”, which also seemingly bears the strongest influence of classic Tangerine Dream, with even some of its vintage synthesizer effects mimicking that of their Stratosfear album. Arend Westra lends keys and synths to the next track, “Booster Separation”, a somewhat foreboding piece that deftly interweaves an almost gypsy or middle-eastern melody into its framework of electronic programming and rock guitar. Closing out the album is “Approaching Terra Nova”, a classic travelling electronic-space composition that imparts scattered celestial voices throughout.

Bearing many hallmarks of 1980’s-era Tangerine Dream albums in particular, Sequential Dreams also explores similar philosophical concepts and musical territories as Mark Dwane, whose recordings are likewise based upon themes of ancient legends and great cosmic mysteries. Adventurous music for mind-expansion that perhaps suggests a longing to find our place in the greater scheme of things, The Exodus Wave traverses a convoluted landscape that is both terrestrial and intergalactic. This is another outstanding album in the ongoing Sequential Dreams saga, and is simply a must-have for fans of Tangerine Dream, Mark Dwane, progressive rock and electronic-space music! ~Candice Michelle

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