ASTRAL MAGIC – DANCE OF DESTINY (Bandcamp) (ltd. ed CD/ DL) (2025)

“Dance of Destiny” could prove to be one of Santtu Laaksu, the man behind Astral Magic’s most powerful releases, especially in the mid-section of the album, beginning with ‘We Plunge into Chaos’, the first of a trilogy of prime cuts with the ESP song ‘Transmission Psi’ plunging into Robert Calvert era Hawkwind with aplomb and taking us back to the finest days of Steve Hillage, and the 8:35 of ‘Slumber of the Ancients’ played at a lethargic but compelling pace (I was reminded of classic Groundhogs at one point) with dark swirling, swishing and fluttering synths; so atmospheric. The mix of instrumentals, sung and spoken, as on ‘Transmission Psi’ and ‘Zen Tepi’ works well, giving the impression of a “Space Ritual” kind of trip, the whistling synths and pensive organ juxtaposing the heavier guitar bass and drums work nicely on the latter. After ‘Open the Portal’, the up-tempo introduction to the title track, which features a Moog solo by Santtu’s son Anton, there is another 8-minute plus piece called ‘Distortion in Space-Time’ that has an Eastern kind of vibe. “Dance of Destiny” ends with a thoughtful ballad ‘Last Days of a Time Cycle’ giving the mind a chance to calm after a fantastical trip.