That isn't an overstatement. I was in the tail end of my high school journey, and my music life was centered mainly around rap (hey, I was 17) and hard rock. Aside from the rare excursion into classical, I'd never ventured far from those genres. But, one day I was in my favorite music store, and they had this big display for an album called "In The Wake Of The Wind." When I asked about it, I was told that it was a New Age album from a guy named David Arkenstone. The display featured a big map of a fantasy land, and there was an associated contest going on with it. Well, I thought, what the heck? Let's give it a whirl.

Almost ten years later and I'm still whirling. After hearing "Wind" I was hooked. The music had such passion to it, and the soundscape he created was almost visible in its intensity. I was swept away with the music, caught in the fantasy that Arkenstone was creating, and on pieces like Overture I could practically feel the salty spray of the waves on my face and the wood of the tilting deck beneath my feet. He really just blew me away. And from there I was an Arkenstone fan, buying each CD as it came out, and getting his past works. Those led me to other New Age CDs, and now my collection is bulging at the seams. This one album helped to open my eyes to what music could really be. It truly changed my life. If you want to be taken on a journey yourself, I highly recommend this CD. Do yourself a favor and buy it today.

David Arkenstone enjoys what I consider a 'secretive' popularity. Few people would recognize the name, but his music is pervasive. Primarily known for his electronic works, 'In the Wake of the Wind' represents his first attempt at a work that is, for the most part, acoustic. It is also his forst try at producing a coherent album rather than a simply collection of disparate pieces.

He presents two suites, each based on an adventure set in a fantasy world where Andolin, a young man, sets out on a journey to rescue his world from the tides of entropy. The suites are closely related, by both the story and the intertwining musical themes that Arkenstone uses to get his ideas across.

While interesting in places, and generally pleasant to listen to, this is not remarkable music. Thematically, it owes a great deal to Aaron Copeland, and structurally it is reminiscent of Kitaro's 'Silk Road.' Not that the work is 'borrowed' in any sense, but it makes no unique contribution. And it lacks the compelling qualities of the other two composers. This is pure symphonic pop, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

I do like listening to it, but I tend to think of 'In the Wake of the Wind,' as the musical score for a film that was never made, rather than as a serious musical effort. It is, however an impressive display of Arkenstone's mastery of the arcane art of production - the sound is excellent and seamless throughout - something that is very tough to achieve when one is trying to balance acoustic and electronic composition.

The first time I heard of David Arkenstone was this past summer when my high school band director gave us the music for our show this year. We performed Voyage of the Stardancer: Overture, Stardancer, Lion's Breath, Morning Sun on the Sails, Through the Gates, and Sailing. It's not the usual music you hear a marching band performing, but it worked. As the season went on, I grew to really like the music, and wanted to hear more of it. The CD has completly different versions of the songs. The melody is all the same, but all the selections are longer and have a different feel some of the time. I actually like the versions on the CD better because they're softer, and more relaxing. You can usually hear the Irish background in the music, but it comes out really clear in Through the Gates. If you even slightly like the feel of Irish music, you should definatly listen to this! It's so awesome, and so worth getting it.

With his third album, "In the Wake of the Wind", David Arkenstone has decided to move from the simplistic melodies of his previous albums and enter more complex compositions. In the process, he invites the listener to enter a journey, a journey created both by the marvelous harmonies of the album and by the imagination of the listener.

Listening to Arkenstone's albums, it's easy to notice that he likes to make each album unique and different from the last one. Each of his albums has its own sound, and it's this that makes his music so ecclectic and powerful. With "In the Wake of the Wind", Arkenstone has created an album different from its two predecessors. One of the biggest differences has to be the complexity found in the album; instead of long, drawn-out notes and melodies, the songs use more involved and dynamic beats as well as more complex harmonies and rhythms. Another major difference is the number of instruments used; it's difficult to tell whether the instruments are real or digital (Arkenstone reportedly creates a lot of his music with his Mac computer) but the difference musical sounds ranging from guitars to strings to flutes is incredible and adds a lot of character to the songs.

But probably the biggest difference has to be the flow of the songs. Unlike the first two albums, "In the Wake of the Wind" demands the listener to listen to it in one shot. Like the excellent soundtrack to "Princess Mononoke", the songs are better heard in the context of the entire album; but instead of a movie, the album allows the listener to create a story using his imagination. Sometimes the music is so moving it's difficult NOT to let your mind drift. I myself found my imagination wandering during certain songs, and these songs are forever linked to the resulting daydreams I had. Arkenstone's music is just that incredible.

All in all, "In the Wake of the Wind" has to be called one of the essential Arkenstone albums. While some of his later albums are acquired tastes, "In the Wake of the Wind" has the kind of touch that appeals to everybody. So come and take a journey through music and the mind. Take that journey with David Arkenstone.

When I first heard this CD, I was immediately entranced by its soothing and flowing music. At times when feeling stressed out by the days activities, I would play this music to help me kick back and relax. David's music gets the imagination going and at times you can almost feel as if you are carried away on some journey; sailing to a place where none have gone before. I would recommend this CD to anyone who wants to try David's music for the first time. His music has left an impressin on my mind and perhaps it will leave an impression for you as well.

If you are someone that is cautious about buing a CD that you've never heard of before, then this is one that you should not have to worry about at all. You'll immediately come to like the music and will want to buy more of David's music. Right now, I have about seven or eight of his CDs and am continually buying more of them. I hope this review is helpful for you to buy music by David Arkenstone.