No matter the artist, one should be a bit wary when checking out an album that comes hot off the heels of another or comes out during a dense release period. It is probably unfair for me to say that Pangaea Ultima needed more time, but every minus on this album could presumably been avoided with more time either being critiqued or written. The positives far outweigh the negatives, mind you, but when a few tracks are able to bring down an otherwise stellar release, it needs to be addressed.

Roughly three quarters of Pangaea Ultima is airy and thoughtful. The medium-low brooding synth drones that make up the meat of "Endless Caverns" keep the listener directed while quickly moving arpeggios and phased and panned layers grow to give the song the large scope it needs. The delayed synth "beat" and faux hi-hat on "Planetwalk" work well with deep synth drones and slowly moving, mid-range swells. Although not working with a similar scale as "Endless Caverns," "Planetwalk" has a dense, lush feel that adds weight while staying grounded. Steve's Goblin influence can be seen quite easily on "Nemesis." The arpeggio dance over sweeping synths that takes on a guitar feel is a great tribute to the Italian rockers. If that weren't enough, the envelope filter on the bass throb is basically lifted from the Suspiria soundtrack. While his influences are out there, the title track rocks along with a Talking Heads meets John Carpenter type of enthusiasm. There is a lot of gorgeous, lush synthesizer music to enjoy here. It's well recorded, and sounds great.

"What's up with the other quarter, you picky asshole?" The synth line in "Deep Time" takes a very odd turn in it that just doesn't sound right. And it doesn't sound wrong in a good way like Tony's rip in Black Sabbath's "Under The Sun." This ends up being most of the song, too. The other elements that come in make this feel like half of a club song with the other, richer half nowhere in sight. "Logotone" plays in a very similar fashion. The lines that don't work paired up with club sounds and thinness stick in my craw in general, but stick even more so when they're so out of place on the album.

Steve Moore can evoke many thoughts and mental visions with his synthesizer soundscapes. Pangaea Ultima may be a bit more sparse on the layers than those artists going more dark ambient than straight synth, but what is there needs to be heard. Personally, this album lost quite a bit because of two tracks, but it's still very solid, highly enjoyable, and definitely recommended.