INFERNO PRESS: REVIEWS Page Three (Q though Z):   PARAGON Magazine: Scott describes this project as "Ambient, Progressive, Melodic, Heavy, Rock." I agree with all of the above, except "heavy". Even the heavier tracks on this CD aren't really heavy, but I guess it all depends on what your perception of heavy is. For the most part, this is very much electronic progressive. My suggestion to Scott would be to lighten up on the synth keys, as they give the album an overly sci-fi/80's feel. Also, more energy would make the album much better. Some instrumental parts are entirely too drawn out, and become boring to listen to. Scott has definitely achieved the ambience he was looking for, but it's just a bit too much if your looking for music to wake you up. 3/5 - Gina   PILGRIM WORLD (Tetsu Hamanaka) Inferno is the third album of U.S. guitarist/synth player, Scott Mosher. In 2001, I purchased his previous cd called 'Virtuality' from his place, and I got into the synthetic and powerfully driven neo-cyber metal music presented on that album. What Scott Mosher has established on his music is very unique and electronically driven powerful rock and metal music. Basically, the album of 'Inferno' follows the footsteps of what Scott has started in his music career. Okay, my first impression about Inferno was not as huge as what I heard from his previous album in my honest opinion. Some people might not agree with this, but I thought that Scott tried not to go over the top this time. Instead of making his music intricate, he rather stayed playing and composing his own materials more accessible and heavier. Of course, the sound production and all instrumentation handled by himself are peculiar and done very well without doubt. I can not explain this well, but some songs on 'Inferno' did not grab me instantly, nor blow me away as much as Virtually did. Probably, he's taking "less is better" approach than packing various things too much. That was my minor anxious why I could not get into this album as I did on Virtuality album, while listening to the cd in the beginning. Nevertheless, the music goes getting tighter and agressive enough to get me into the music played on Inferno. Esp., the middle part of cd gets fascinating, due to his intelligent arrangement and compositional skill. In addition, the most tracks on the second half of the cd are exciting enough. What I have been most impressed with Scott Mosher's works is the way of using synthesizers and crunchy guitar onslaughts. Primarily, he is a guitarist, but I enjoy the way he handles the keyboards with very nice synth tones and epic sound walls. Indeed, he is the master of creating lush synth soundscapes and atmospheric world. Overall, what he has done here is another great winner. Somewhat, people find the common denominators and similarities between Scott Mosher's works and Ayreon, or let me say Rush. Well, I understand their point, but Scott is not following what Ayreon or Rush has created. Scott has definitely his own sounds and style, so please do not worry about it. Strangely, some deep synth-drenched sounds remind me of a classic electric prog group, Tangerine Dream as well. As many people who are supporting independent prog metal know that Scott has been really working so hard for his music to get recognized. I also think his music needs to get support and recognized well in the near future. I hope he would continue being steady for making his unique atmospheric flavored cyber prog metal. If you have never tried out his music before, Inferno is a good start point to appreciate his music for someone who likes both crunchy heavy guitar sounds and atmospheric synthetic soundscapes.   QUINTESSENCE FANZINE: Scott Mosher (U.S.)- "Inferno" (2004 The Ambient Mind) Returning is this musical genius from New York with another slab of etherial madness. The shortest of his three releases, "Inferno" still chalks-up over an hour of brain-teasing Progressive Metal/Ambient and Gothic substance. Scott Mosher like the band Christopher is the American equivalent to Devin Townsend. Scott plays various instruments and is a damn wiz in the studio. If you're familiar with Devin's projects like the Devin Townsend Band, Physicist and Infinity, then throw in some Pink Floyd, Rush, Dream Theater and Yanni for how far out this guy can go. There's even a little bit of Trance and Techno thrown in without absorbing the Metal/Ambient style. There's some vocal parts and there's alot of moodier interludes of just music and an aural soundscape in the background that flows through your brain. You need headphones when you listen to this to get the full effect and all the nuances going on; just absolutely incredible and the songwriting is enigmatic in every way, shape and form. There's nothing like this out there in the scene. There's only a slight handful like Christopher, Braindance and VLE that I know of and none of them even sound remotely close to what Mosher pulls off. This is also a good thing since this type of music needs to be heard and the more bands that have an identity, the better.   RE-GEN MAG: Inferno is a frustrating album, especially upon first listen. Subsequent listens will no doubt allow the listener to warm up to Moshers compositions a bit; that is if that initial spin of the disc doesn't turn them off. Mosher's work is rooted in the soundscapes of early, and mid-90's ambient purveyors Orbital, The Orb, Sven Vath, Synaesthesia, and then filtered through 70's prog-rock (Rush, most obviously). And herein lies the problem with the album as a whole: the confluence of the two influences and styles don't quite gel and are bit off-putting to the ear. After the first three or four tracks, once you realize the direction Mosher is taking his music in, you might begin to enjoy the easy-going, New Age-y trip Inferno is apparently on. Or, it may just continue to irritate you. The influence of prog on the ambient music scene of the last couple decades is an obvious one; one only has to listen to Pink Floyd's Ummagumma or Rush's 2112 (among others) to hear the seeds of what FSOL or The Orb would later mold into a genre all their own. And obviously, the early works of sonic pioneer Brian Eno would play a large role, too. Unfortunately, knowledge of those influences alienates on Inferno. The pleasant, if somewhat hoary, electronic rivers that each tune begins to take you down are sonically dammed once the Alex Lifeson-style guitar riffs and warbles begin to fall in place. Even Mosher's vocals sound somewhat like Geddy Lee's. Tracks like "Ghostland"* and "Look into You"* in particular uncannily channel Rush. Occasionally Mosher cranks it up a bit, throwing Dream Theater-style guitar and drum crunch, like in the title track and "Engines of Industry."* When Mosher sticks squarely to his ambient/coldwave influences, he manages to create some moderately interesting work. "Descent"* wouldn't sound out of place on Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works album, and "Dark Sun"* (arguably the best track on Inferno) manages to build into a moving, and energetic climax that leads one to think that Mosher might have be better suited for film composing. Overall, Inferno remains a frustrating album with its uneven mix of prog and ambient influences. Some may find the album an ingratiating experience, especially fans of Dream Theater, Rush, or even ELO. Anyone else might find themselves scratching their heads before moving on.   ROCK IT! MAGAZINE: "Inferno" is already the third CD by multi instrumentalist Scott Mosher. All instruments on this release are played by Mosher himself. Unfortunately the drums sound as if they come out of a computer and so don't help the sound of the CD. On most songs Mosher adds vocals done by excellent singer Todd Corsa. Onto music, imagine a mix of progressive rock like QUEENSRYCHE mixed with ambient music you might use for meditation. And it works surprisingly well. I especially enjoyed the monumental songs "Exile" and "The World Fades To Gray" and even the ambient techno remix of "Season Of Fire" is something you should listen to. The sound is o.k., but could be better, especially the drum part, but everybody who's able to ignore this and futhermore is open to experiments should have a try. You can get more information at: theambientmind.com/inferno or at: ninja@mindspring.com. VERDICT: Thumbs up! (by Christoph)   ROUGH EDGE MAGAZINE: Once I see the word 'ambient,' I start to get a little freaked out. Generally speaking, I don't care for ambient music although I'm sure I've thrown the word around in a positive sense in a few CD reviews. As such, I proceeded cautiously with Scott Mosher's "Inferno." Anyway, "Inferno" is Scott Mosher's third album. I have not heard his first two CDs but I can only guess they sound a lot like "Inferno." "Inferno" features heavy melodic rock songs and instrumentals. As I was casually listening to "Inferno" unfold before my ears, I could hear little snippets of the sound and style that made bands like Styx (many of the keyboard parts) and Rush ("Left Behind") so big in the '80s. Additionally, I hear something that makes me wonder what prog-rockers Shadow Gallery might sound like if they mined the '80s hard rock sound. The constant underpinning of ambient electronica gives the music a modern edge that could hardly be dreamed of in the '80s. The swath of ambient electronica is never overbearing which is a good thing in my book. The solos are aggressive and daring and seem to be propelled by the driving rhythms. The lyrics generally offer socio-political commentary on the state of affairs of a world driven by the military-industrial complex, corporate greed, loss of consumers' choices and decision-making power, as well as a broad underlying sense that all the external forces in the world are too oppressive for one to survive in. There are a few interpersonal songs to keep things from being too overly political but these songs, too, show a sense of being overwhelmed by those things out of the protagonist's control. The re-mix song at the end of "Inferno" is unnecessary; on the good side, it's nowhere as bad as the techno re-mix that pollutes the end of the Ö And Ocean's album "A.M.G.O.D." I was initially going to award "Inferno" with only a two-and-a-half chainsaw rating; however, I decided to go with a three chainsaw rating because in the end "Inferno" plays out like a fully realized concept and that's often hard to find/see/hear these days. (3/4 guitars, by Chris Kelter)   SEA OF TRANQUILITY: After rereading my review of multi-instrumentalist Scott Mosher's second CD, Virtuality, I realize I may have been a bit harsh on the guy. But Mosher still suffers from a bloated sense of self worth. Just peruse the liner notes to his latest CD, Inferno, which describe the album as "something resembling a fortuitously fleeting glance into the mind of a canine-endorsed, distinguished, compassionate, brooding, flippant and non-British gentleman." Whatever. Inferno expands upon the synthesis of symphonic rock and ambient soundscapes Mosher established on Virtuality without having to rely so heavily anymore on Ayreon and Rush influences. Quiet keyboard passages segue to riff-tastic ryhthms and the Geddy Lee-meets-Jon Anderson-and-Ace Frehley voice of singer Todd Corsa is used more often, more strategically and with greater discipline on Inferno than on Virtuality. The nine-minute melancholic epic "Exile" stands out as the album's highlight, followed by the synthesizer-propelled rocker "Look Into You." Mosher plays all guitars, keyboards and percussion, with assistance from "bass dawg James." The music tends to get samey after an hour, but at least Mosher tosses in a funked-up, dance-worthy remix of Virtuality's "Season of Fire" at the end to bring Inferno to a blazing finish. As with Mosher's previous discs, beautiful packaging and crisp sonics help lift a mediocre record up a notch. 3.5 stars (M. Popke)   SPULIT: 7.5 / 10 When the north-american Scott Mosher released "Virtuality" back in 2001,the world of the electronic music certainly became richer since it's a very well conceived album, allying the ambient music to a very solid and powerful Rock matrix. "Inferno" follows the same line of its predecessor, maybe leaning more to the Rock edge and its explosive feature. This is an album which lets its emotive element flow freely and where the melody gets emphasized and is extended all over each reproduction of extensive and futuristic worlds. However, a poor vocal performance keeps prevailing in some tracks, thus lowering their flame. It's the case of INFERNO which right at the beginning dives into hell at a breathtaking speed. Once there, DARK SUN introduces in a majestic way this electronic subworld, adding to it a remarkable epic dimension. The excellent electric guitar work turns the instrumentation more solid and efusive. Some vocalized tracks come next, which create the core of the album but without bringing something really new. The exception goes to EXILE which reveals the will for a more complex and developed structure, always in an industrial and mechanized but warm and colourful context. ENGINES OF INDUSTRY stresses even more this tendency and reaches the climax of this work, in an uncommon intensity in this musical style resulting from the strong and powerful rhythmic section, surrounded by boiling textures from the keyboards and the guitar. LOOK INTO YOU brings back the vocals and a funny approach to Rush. At the end, THE WORLD FADES TO GRAY does a complete conclusion in a long summary with more than 11 minutes, very representative of all the album. Scott Mosher proves, once for all, that he is one the main leaders in the fusion of ambiental electronic music and Progressive Rock. It's still missing, however, some more diversity between the tracks in this work. Anyway, it's a must for all who identify themselves with these musical genres.   TOMBSTONE REVIEW: If I am not mistaken this is the third album of the man and while I haven't heard the previous two albums I have to ay that I am at least intrigued to look for them. His progressive rock is enhanced with some ambient sounds and there's an amazing atmosphere through out the album. The man has an ear for melodies and most of the songs are very good. The vocals could use some improvement, since I found the singer to be a bit limited, but the music is very good. There's excellent use of keyboards and some interesting guitar work and the songwriting is high above average. There's an electronic feeling throughout the album and I strongly believe that with a full band things would greatly improve. If he can find band members who share his vision then we'll have a very promising progressive rock band with the potential to release some amazingly good albums. After all the man is a great songwriter. Besides the vocals he also needs to improve a bit the production, but this is not so much a problem. For more info head to www.theambientmind.com Rating: 7/10   TRANSCENDING THE MUNDANE: Scott Mosher is back. The intelligent and extremely talented musician is back to his home on Long Island and back with his best album yet. Scott played in a few bands in the nineties (Brom Bones and Horsemeat) before beginning his solo career with 1995's Ambient Earth. This album was instrumental and as the title suggests, mostly ambient. For his sophomore release (Virtuality), Scott recruited vocalist Todd Corsa, who sang on about half of the songs. Corsa's Geddy lee meets Geoff Tate style added a new dimension to Mosher's progressive writing. Inferno is a great follow up to Virtuality. Corsa plays a slightly bigger role as Inferno is more song oriented. The title track features his most expressive performance yet and the uptempo pace and superior drum programming make it Scott's heaviest offering. "Dark Sun" allows Scott's intricate keyboards to take center stage. Next is "Mindfield," the peppy keyboards and percussion, along with Corsa's vocals are a great match for early nineties Rush. "Left Behind" is the catchiest song here and Corsa's melancholy delivery adds yet another dimension to Inferno. "Engines of Industry" is an instrumental but it's a heavy, guitar oriented song which prog metalheads will love. "Ghostland" is yet another awesome tuen, Corsa sings with some different but very cool sounding tones. Inferno is the best of both worlds. There's plenty of progressive instrumentation but it's also more song oriented, with half the tracks running less than five minutes. Easily one of the best progressive discs of the year and a new level of greatness for Scott Mosher. Album Score: 9.5 out of 10 (Brett Van Put)   UNRESTRAINED MAGAZINE: I' ll be honest I've neglected this record for a while now ­ months on end to be exact ­ and I don't really know why. Maybe the name turned me off? Whatever the reason, I never got around to listening to it, no matter how many times Scott Mosher dropped me an e-mail re: a review, coverage, etc. Eventually I got around to listening to his work for a review this issue and boy do I wish I had heard this a few months back. Inferno is a wonderfully sculpted world that Mosher has created, a world built on progressive rock, spacey-metallic sections, lush soundscapes and intelligent lyrics. While the instrumental passages (lots of great keyboard and guitar work) are dynamic on many levels, vocalist Todd Corsa also adds his own dimension to the music (shades of Geddy Lee and Geoff Tate are apparent) as well, something that has allowed what could have been just an ambient record to shine and draw the listener in. In my mind, Mosher has brought a more a Blade Runner-esque world to the forefront, yet with delicate precision stripped that world of its grimness and despair for a realm where passion and dreams take flight. This record needs to be heard as a whole to really take in his magic. Okay Mosher, when does the next album surface? I'm on board and ready to go! <A. Bromley> -8-   UNDER THE VOLCANO: Scott Mosher is a one-man art/music collective. In his latest CD, he combines Progressive Space Rock with a booklet of stunning visual art. The music is a blend of early Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schultze sequences with Metal-based guitar work. Vocalist Todd Corsa, has a great voice, but his singing comes across a bit cheesy; I'm used to heavy effects on Space Rock vocals, like the chorus of 'Ghostland.' Mosher's art depicts industrial settings on Hellish alien landscapes... too bad I'm stuck with this little CD booklet. Together, the package is quite impressive, marking Scott Mosher as a man of extraordinary talent even though he isn't a household name.   ULTIMATE METAL FORUM: Multi-instrumentalist Scott Mosher melds ambient and progressive space rock into an experimental and, at times, compelling sound. Inferno is the latest of Scott's three albums, its predecessors being by Virtuality and Ambient Earth. All these albums have explored similar themes of man's impact on the Earth, and all have employed a successful fusion of rock and electronics to convey their message. The songs are varied, often using repetition of themes to great effect, but without relying on traditional structures, or becoming boring. The rock moments are solid, my only complaint being the vocals, which can be out of tune, and not entirely fitting with the otherwise serene mood. The electronic sections are steeped in atmosphere, with great melodies and well chosen synths. Despite a contemporary feel to the tracks ? accentuated by the drum machine - there are definite nods to prog's indulgent heyday with Moogs and other such synths. This all makes for an impressive self-release. Good quality production, professional presentation and artwork ? also courtesy of Scott Mosher himself all make for a very impressive solo effort. The music has clearly had a lot of attention paid to the writing, and manages to hold your interest throughout a lengthy CD. Recommended for those that like their rock atmospheric and memorable. - 7/10 - Russell Garwood   REVIEW FROM NANCY: Track 1: Descent - Very cool opener. Has a cinematic feel, a sort of Jurassic Park element to it. Very dramatic. Track 2: Inferno - I like the vocal melody. It's very clear that Scott Mosher is not a fan of the power plants. And Corsa has some moments of vocal aggression. Track 3: Dark Sun - Love the instrumentals. They always tell some kind of story Or I should say...I hear the story being told. Well, the story that I get out of it. I like the layering of sounds, with this low bass sound happening throughout. Track 4: Mindfield - I instantly like this title. I really like this song. I like how it starts out. It has a throw back sound to the 80's, but there is something different about it. I like the vocal melody. This one I listened to over and over. At 1:31, I like the change there, with that bass sound going on. Track 5: Left behind - One of the more emotional songs on the album. There is an alluring sense of sadness with this one, as the lyrics state. Track 6: Exile - And as the intro starts, the mood is somber. I actually thought this was going to be an instrumental. I like 1:37-1:55, there is a good energy there. But wow, the lyrics are very deep. I can relate to them. I recommend a sober listening experience with this one or you will be tripped out, especially when you hear a voice saying "Standing at a window, on the far edge of the world, seeing from a distance"..etc. Track 7: Engines Of Industry - When the guitar comes in at 0:46, I immediately think of Fates Warning, A Pleasant Shade of Gray 3. Not a bad instrumental. Track 8: Look Into You - I really like these lyrics. That's all I have on this one,. Track 9: Ghostland - Lyrically I think of RUSH"S Subdivisions. This is a catchy tune. I like the guitar solo. Track 10: The World Fades to Gray - This is most emotionally charged song on the album. A very personal song to the artist. A great sense of loss is present as I read the lyrics. The melancholy fills the room when I play this one. The opening melody foreshadows what the mood of this song is going to be. And as soon as Todd comes in, there is something in his vocal delivery that captures the sadness of the lyrical content. All instrumentation going on throughout the song is reflective of this sad emotional element And the guitar solos are just crying and crying and crying. This is a chilling song. Track 11: Season of Fire - Another instrumental that does not fall short of the Scott Mosher signature trademark....an ambient, cinematic, grandiose, storytelling, mind escaping journey through a few minutes of time. I like this one. And the graphics are something to be commented on. The theme of the orange and red colors obviously captures the title of this album. I really like the graphics on page 4 and 9. Actually page 4 reminds me of a scene from the movie "Queen of the Damned." BUT.... page 2 is just horrible to even look at. It's hard to believe that we tainted our waters like that. And of course the centerfold page graphic, (sorry guys there are no women in this one) is an awesome creation. Anything with the solar system has my attention!!