...Hence appeared Slowrun, and had played its unheralded beauty _Prologue_ for my ears, and all I could do is close my eyes and float on ether; for this is one of the most gentle and beautiful shoegaze / atmospheric / post rock albums out there. Purely instrumental, yet one that speaks with its vibrant and colorful guitars and their many tones, shapes and flavours, all portrayed exquisitely, finely tuned to pierce through even the coldest of human emotions, ignite passion and joy and warmth even in the midst of the black-hearted amongst you -- this album needs no human language but that of music; the language of angels, language of the sentiment, language of the soul.

And so they play, these angelic presences in the form of guitar strings, some piano keys, a set of drums and a series of simple yet effective compositions, carrying on their fragile backs the burden of inherent melancholy; the pulsating heart of the album, its very core.

The result is a breathtakingly beautiful album, surprisingly interesting and profoundly relaxing; the alpha and the omega of emotional, thoughtful and unique form of rock music showcasing its most beautiful facets and its sheer power over us, humans.

_Prologue_ is a transcendental experience, echoing through its frequencies the likes of Klimt 1928 (minus the vocals, of course), The Angelic Process (minus the extreme edges of the latter) and even the Dutch shoegaze prodigy Hypomanie, who has released a couple of brilliant albums in the last couple of years.

These Finnish masters of the craft, Slowrun, have provided us with one of 2013's highlights in the form of this little artful, masterful gem of an album.