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While everyone has been going mad over the 'other' Peter Spilles sideproject Santa Hates You (myself included, of course!), you'd be doing yourself a grave disservice if you were to overlook his work under the Imatem banner which, in some respects, sees Spilles resurrecting the sort of otherworldly mood that graced Pitchfork's best works back in the 90s. On this second release Spilles casts his net once again & is joined by a number of guest vocalists, some well-known & not so well-known, of whom Ronan Harris no doubt bears the biggest responsibility for the album reputedly selling by the bucketload in Germany! Each guest also provides their own lyrics & each one sticks to what they know, thus Harris' contribution is a typically uplifting affair, Deviant UK's Jay Smith (who seems to get everywhere!) weighs in with a song about dark sexual matters & Absurd Minds' Stefan Grossman's contribution is full of typically ambitious if slightly clumsy philosophical musings! While Spilles himself sings only on the closing 'No One' the album as a whole is given a nicely cohesive feel by his superb melodic & rhythmic work which works particularly well during the punchy & infectious 'Conquer' which also boasts a superbly assured performance from Jinxy (Frau Spilles to you!) while the title track is an excellent instrumental full of synthleads of such grandeur that they're nigh on irresistable! Elsewhere Sara Noxx weighs in with her recognisable spoken style which is either annoying or endearing depending on one's mood (always best sampled in small doses, I've found!) while Jan Revolution provides a suitably uplifting accompaniment to the excellent 'Blind Alley' & Sven Friedrich's sombre tone works equally well on the reflective 'Escape To Follow' which offers further proof that Spilles is a dab hand in writing music that fits the respective voices to a tee which is another point in the album's favour. It's certainly an excellent album from start to finish, deceptively powerful & brimming with stacks of excellent melodic work that makes for a must-have album.
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