An Accident in Paradise

by John BushBuoyed by "L'Esperanza" and the title track, two outstanding examples of straitjacket trance, Väth's album debut is a solid collection balancing straight-ahead trance-techno with a few tracks of more overblown ethno-ambience. Even the latter frequently works better than expected, as on the percussive atmospherics of "Ritual of Life" and "Caravan of Emotions." Without a doubt, Väth excels when he keeps the artistic concepts at a minimum and the energy at the maximum.