Myths And Legendsby David Arkenstone

This album is mostly to my great liking. Its songs, inspired by ancient cultures and legends (as is often the case with David Arkenstone,) are full of lovely sounds from bells and chimes to soft acoustic guitar, and some darker-sounding instruments I can't even name (though I think a very large xylophone may have been involved) in some of the more Egyptian-themed tracks. Then, creating even more depth, are the "Mysteries" versions of the album's songs on disc-two. Between the warping, twisting sounds and the electric guitar soloing, here's a true psycho-spiritual beauty to the track "Daughter of the Sun (Mysteries.)" My favorite songs from this album are "Song of Sheherazad," "Daughter of the Sun," "Daughter of the Sun (Mysteries,)" "Across the River," "Temple of Isis" and the ever-immersive "Oceanus." The latter is very helpful in my meditations, as it sympathetically takes me to a very deep state of consciousness where my mind's power is at its most directly-accessible.

I find this music very helpful for spiritual practice of all kinds, and it also makes great background.

I would give this album five stars, except for the tracks where there's talking going-on. There are one or two tracks, I think "Legend of Bell Rock" and "Tree of Life (Mysteries)" where someone or other (maybe Arkenstone himself) is telling a story. I think the latter is part of "Robin Hood." I find this pretty distracting and if I do buy this album, I won't be wanting copies of those songs. Lucky for me, I can pick and choose as I please! I also wish that some of the tracks weren't so "bouncy" in places. Arkenstone likes to do those "build-up" songs that start out nice and calm, and increase the speed and the number of instruments being played until you feel like you're riding a Jeep through the depths of a jungle somewhere in a safari-hat with a machete in your hands. I much prefer the mellower things that he has to offer.