More than merely an album, HaloDim is an aural journey from Wings Of An Angel [the producer] and Mercury Waters [emcee]. The production and emceeing throughout the album are truly original: hip-hop aesthetics, ethnic sounds and ethereal soundscapes meet in a truly inventive and extremely interesting piece of work. The introduction, ‘Choir Of Misery’ starts the album off with an incredibly beautiful, melancholy soundscape, yet it has an undeniably warm sound which is present throughout the album. The second track, entitled ‘Darkened River of Happiness’ starts of on a seemingly positive vibe, but soon turns into deep, thought provoking prose accompanied perfectly by an evolving, ambiguous work by Wings Of An Angel. Shards of reverberating ethnic sounds and delicate touches throughout make for even more interesting instrumentation, to which Mercury Waters delivers his distinct style of intelligent beat poetry. For ‘Father Time’, the production sound gets darker still - the introduction sets an eerie vibe for the track and a complex rhythmic section propels the track from start to finish. Mercury’s verses are astounding, and the sung hook works extremely well. The track features scratches by Dacalion which really take the piece to the next level – they compliment the existing sounds perfectly. An equally dark work by Wings Of An Angel, ‘Blood For Sale’ starts with a chilling sample before morphing into a dark, moving instrumental, yet the drums and pulsing bass line keep your head nodding throughout. ‘My Sweet Darkness’, one of the best tracks on the album I may add, has a twisted, uneasy mood to it, with sonic textures that work their way in and out of the track, but it is also surprisingly relaxing. Mercury Waters’ flow on the verses is equally laid-back, and the hook is extremely thought provoking itself. ‘Faint Sunlight’ is an incredible piece of instrumentation by Wings Of An Angel, with some truly astounding, and very organic drum programming. An Arabic string instrument wanders the piece, like a perpetual search for hope. The track is actually a memory of Wings Of An Angel’s experience of guarding the Israeli-Lebanese border, while sitting completely alone inside a watchtower. The various sounds he heard from Lebanon and Arabic radio stations he listened to while guarding were a very significant influence, as well as the emotionally crushing experience itself. The title, ‘Faint Sunlight’, is reference to the views Wings saw day after day, when the night ended and the day began: an uplifting moment - time after time, seeing the faint sunlight raises above the horizon. The seventh track, ‘Execution’ is an interlude and is an extremely atmospheric and wonderfully dark piece that acts as a perfect transition to the next track. Even though it’s an interlude, the harsh, echoing sounds used and the jarring dialogue at the beginning make this stand out. ‘Travelling Beyond Reality’ is a sombre tale of a troubled girl, told by Mercury Waters over an eerie, ambient production. Mercury adopts a spoken word-like delivery for this track, which really helps convey the rather morbid subject matter, and connotes a distinct feel of sorrow. HaloDim is an incredibly cohesive piece of work with a largely ethereal mood, and every track is filled with an undeniable heart-felt passion, but this is extremely apparent on the next three tracks, which are an aural monument to those who fell during the holocaust. ‘In Memory Of Those Who Haven’t Survived’ is the first of the three tracks and starts of as Mercury Waters reading a sobering list of details of people killed during the Holocaust. This acts as great prelude before the main track builds and explodes into a raw poetic outburst. The aggressive sounds and intricate drum work that builds up then slowly fades mirrors Mercury’s Delivery perfectly. The next track ‘Flowers Of Tears’, also starts off with holocaust details, dictated by Mercury Waters but then blossoms into an uplifting, melodic beat driven by an outstandingly funky bass. ‘Lord Shall You Save Us From Thy Evil’ is the eleventh track, the last of those in memory of the holocaust. It is a re-worked and processed Gospel song. The track is in great contrast to the previous track, but does not sound in any way out of place. ‘Night Owls’ has an ethereal, yet very soulful sound over which Mercury Waters and guest Abb-D recount of the curious goings on after dark. Abb-D and Mercury’s voices and respective styles contrast beautifully, and of course fit perfectly over the long, sweeping sounds of the beat. The introductory section of ‘Free Exploration’, acts as a sort of interlude. A catchy bassline starts the piece, with a jazz trumpet that rises out of a swell of dark pads, before the drums of the main track fade in. ‘Free Exploration’ has very sinister, yet laid back feel to it, very emphasises by Mercury Waters’ effortless flow. Mercury’s intricate lyrics [which parallel a first person view of a homeless jazz musician] and incredibly poetic word play give way to a fluttering saxophone section, before launching back into the more sinister sound of before. A truly fascinating piece, and one of the many highlights of the album in my opinion. ‘Black And White’ is an incredibly soulful piece. Again, Mercury Waters’ adopts the relaxed style that is second nature to him. This is perfect over the dense, rhythmic section of the track and the beautiful vocal sample. ‘Alabaster And Mahogany’ starts with a gentle, romantic, sound and then fades out into a raw, passionate sound with a propelling beat. As the track progresses, it takes an evermore melancholy path [both lyrically and sonically] before breaking out into a synth-driven instrumental section. The track concludes with the soft, melancholy piano with which it started. A vocal sample forms the focal point of the track ‘Charlotte’, a gentle instrumental production by Wings Of An Angel. Ethnic percussion sounds are juxtaposed against the soothing vocal, creating a very original work. ‘Utopian Erotica’, the penultimate track, begins with an interesting piece of dialogue over a mellow beat which then morphs into the second part of the track. A vocal sample gives way to a sensuous saxophone and a hard hitting drum pattern for the second part of the piece, with Mercury Waters pouring his outstanding metaphor-heavy vocals over the majority of the track. A perfectly fitting end to an amazing album, ‘Qiyaam al-Lay (The Night Prayer), is a dedication to peace on earth, and in the middle east. The track has the night prayer sung over some extremely interesting sounds. Delicately processed, yet still organic drum sounds fill the track; intricate patterns trip in and out of fills and finally fade out to a powerful, thought provoking end to the album. The track actually continues, and at the end there is a hidden poem delivered by Mercury Waters, with some processing and vocal effects. As a whole, HaloDim is nothing short of amazing. The way in which so many, and such varied influences are combined to form a perfectly cohesive body of work is genuinely fascinating. The album is also accompanied by some superbly fitting design work, on the covers and on the disc itself, and each track is accompanied by a short poem that often gives more insight into the piece.