Seasoned hard trance champion Carl Nicholson has certainly put the graft into this project, not only with the numerous years honing the musical content, but direct interaction with his fans in the form of physical CD’s and branded USB mail outs. My first encounter with Carl’s music was through Tidy / Nukleuz anthems such as ‘Times Like These’ and ‘Blueprint’. It’s great to see the aforementioned both get superb updates (alongside Redrive) and reigned in ever so slightly for the more mainstream trance floors! There are 12 solid tracks on offer here and a great consistency across the board! My personal picks would have to be the unbelievably anthemic ‘To The Flame’ with legendary rave vocalist Niki Mac, and ‘Reactor’, which not only utilises that classic sample that we all know and love, but includes some fantastic synth textures throughout. All in all a polished album that not only demonstrates Carl’s musical maturity but his ability to call in the favours from his numerous friends on the scene! Essential Listening.
4/5
Reviewed by Nick Coles
