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Ambient Den – Ambient Den (2025)
Review:
Ambient Den represents a dedicated project for like-minded musicians Ben Craven, Tim Bennetts and Dean Povey. Their new self-titled LP is collaborative writing effort and leans heavily on progressive rock themes from the 1970s, while allowing a showcase of stellar composition and playing skills. Along the way, it seems as if the three principles are having lots of fun. “Future History Part 1” gives the listener a brief taste of what’s to come. The atmospheric keyboards by Bennetts and the clean guitar tones remind me of the interaction between David Gilmour and Richard Wright on Pink Floyd’s Endless River. The leap into “For All Mankind” is logical. Craven, who produced the album, is a master at guitar tone, blending lap steel, distorted Fender Strat leads, and his cosmic flair with Bennett’s ethereal keyboard sounds. Povey’s percussion is seamless and supportive. The musicians also provide powerful harmony vocals supporting the lyrics of travel and cosmic discovery. “For All Mankind” allows Bennetts and Craven plenty of room to stretch while supporting the narrative. “Provenance” is a snarling six-minute instrumental centered around Craven’s multitracked Fender Stratocaster and touches of lap steel guitar. Bennetts’ osolating synth backing complements that steady backbeat of Powvey while hi spiabo fills evoke space travel. “Earthrise,” with its churning synth rhythms and propulsive drumming, is a good vehicle for Bennetts and Craven’s vocals. The song is foreboding yet lyrically offers signs of home and progress for man. The mid-section acoustic guitar solo and piano passages add touches of suspense before the song takes flight again with a solo, leaving the listener amazed and satisfied. The 16-minute epic “Terraforming” climaxes the musical journey. There are touches of swirling Hammond-like organ, growling lap steel guitar, blistering Fender lead work and dazzling acoustic guitar. The drumming is varied and powerful, aptly supporting the song’s dynamics while giving space to the lap steel/organ face-off. The sound reminds me of “Echoes” by Pink Floyd, which modern production touches. “Future History Part 2” brings the album in for a landing. The wah-wah guitar leads, ensemble vocals, and synth horn stabs paint an upbeat image. Indeed, Ambient Den waits until the last song to put forth a rock pop song; however, it fits the theme of the album and shows the versatility of Ben Craven, Tim Bennetts and Dean Povey. — somethingelsereviews.com
Track List:
01 - Future History, Pt. 1
02 - For All Mankind
03 - Provenance
04 - Earthrise
05 - Terraforming
06 - Future History, Pt. 2
07 - For All Mankind (Single Edit)
08 - Earthrise (Single Edit)
09 - Terraforming (Single Edit)
10 - Future History, Pt. 2 (Single Edit)
Media Report:
Genre: prog-rock
Origin: Australia 
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.3.0 (UTC 2013-05-26)
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