As a musician, 5 stars. As a listener, 3 stars.
Kramer Drummer | Mill Creeek, WA United States | 08/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Here is another hidden treasure in the vast assortment of music produced today for the brainless generation GM-TV (Garbage Music-TV). I also own Rondat's other CD called "On The Edge" and Ephemeral World is different in the sense of musicality. It is more a display of technique more than a display of musicianship. The influence drummer Dirk Bruinenberg has in this masterpiece is obvious, but apart from the "feel good" riffs that are very 80s I think this CD is just Ok. Although Dirk is an awesome drummer I think he is very robotic, almost super human - there is not a lot of groove or feel in his playing and that makes the whole CD feel very technical and soul-less. But please don't get me wrong, the songs are very well composed and executed. They are just not songs for the average listener that is not a musician. As a drummer I am very aware of what works and what doesn't work for mortal listeners (i.e. people that don't play any instruments) so from this standpoint this CD is not as good as "On The Edge". On the other hand, if you're into dissecting parts and trying to figure out how in the hell they can memorize and play all those parts, that's the CD for you."
Music can't get better than this
electricphase | Mexico City | 09/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Of the 2,300+ CDs that I have, Ephemeral World is one of the best. This is one of the most incredible rock instrumental music I've ever heard. Drummer Dirk Bruinenberg (ex Elegy and Adagio), as usual, plays phenomenally well crafted drum patterns that are only made possible in dreams (believe me, I'm a drummer myself). Bass player Patrice Guers from Rhapsody of Fire has tremendous groove and skill. And, as expected, Patrick Rondat is simply amazing. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but Steve Vai, Satriani, Dream Theater or other bands of 'the genre' could only dream they could play something as amazing as this. This is pushing the envelop to the very limit in terms of musical dexterity and beauty. Get it while you can. Hat's off to Rondat, Guers and drum maestro Bruinenberg. If you appreciate high quality non-mainstream music, then this has to be an absolute must in your CD collection."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1