Prolusion. MINDMOVIE is the creative vehicle for German guitarist and composer Achim Wierschem. He’s been an active musician for 35 years, and in progressive rock circles he may be best known for his long tenure in Flaming Bess - a band that was formed back in the ‘70s. "An Ocean of Dreams" is his first venture as a solo artist, in which a score of musical friends from all around the world contribute to fulfill his compositional dreams.

Disc 1 ()

TRACK LIST:

1.  Theme for an Imaginary Mindmovie 7:52
2.  Planet Passion IV 4:16
3.  Mekon Peppers 4:33
4.  Secret Lies 5:21
5.  Dark Tower 5:22
6.  Journey through the Outlands 5:32
7.  Moonmaiden 4:37
8.  Just the Thought of You 5:14
9.  On the Floor 5:21
10. Holy 4:08
11. A Space Based Utopia 5:35
12. Mahe 5:58
13. A New Kind of Man 5:04
14. Is It a Dream 6:06
15. For the One's We Love 4:50

SOLO PILOT:

Achim Wierschem – various instruments
With:
Gregor Hilden – guitars (3, 7, 13, 14)
Jef De Corte – piano (6, 8, 10, 15)
Artie Q – vocals (8, 14)
Mike Pearse – vocals (4)
Andres Rexach – guitars, sitar (2)
Peter Figge – keyboards (6)
Hans Wende – bass (6)

Analysis. A solo album by a guitarist... In this day and age that won't cause many to raise an eyebrow; that the musician in question may be an unknown entity won't get much of a reaction either, I presume. Hundreds of such productions see the light each year, by guitarists in metal bands alone. This one slightly deviates from that norm though - this musician isn't a member of a hard rock or metal outfit for starters. Despite that, the major reference as to the overall sound of this production will be a familiar one: Joe Satriani. The compositions here aren't as elaborate as his works by far, but the emphasis of melody over technical virtuosity is pretty similar, and the overall sound of the soloing is pretty similar too – especilly if compared to the dreamier of Satriani's excursions. As this for the most part is an instrumental affair, there's quite a lot of soloing to be found on the album. And Wierschem stays put in the melodic and atmospheric realms of guitar soloing, most of the time; a few shredding passages are almost obligatory, but these don't appear with any form of regularity, although a few select sequences are spread throughout this disc. In terms of style this is a rather mellow excursion as far as instrumental guitar-dominated albums go. Despite the Satriani references mentioned above, this is a production that mostly stays within general rock parameters rather than hard rock or metal. The stylistic expression as such resides somewhere between Satriani's "Not Of This Earth" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall", where floating, space-tinged synths in the back of the mix as well as an emphasis on clean or lightly distorted guitars for non-soloing purposes may remind listeners of the less complicated excursions by the latter. The main downfall of this album for some potential buyers will be this last nugget of information I presume: If I were to use one word to describe the musical contents of this disc it would be radio-friendly. The songs are slick and smooth, and the overall dreamy atmospheres created lack an edge many will expect from such a creation. On the other hand, audio feinschmeckers will undoubtedly find this to be a nice piece of work to play on their high end stereo systems. It is a very well produced and mixed affair, combining instrumental clarity with a captivating warm sound – a combination that even for me as a general music lover rather than a sound enthusiast was an intriguing experience.