It took me a few listens to get into this album. My first impressions was that it is a little bit generic; all atmospheric reverb and no real substance. In a way, I still think this is partially true, but I've come to recognise that War is as brilliant as Timewave's first album, Solar System (see my other review).All the structures, tricks and timbres he employs are bog standard trance fare, but his tendency for understatement (for trance, anyway) and judicious selection of elements renders his creations worlds better than the competition. For example: serious trance fans (i.e people who think Above & Beyond, Armin, Sean Tyas etc are cheesy beyond belief) have long bemoaned the prevalence of ridiculously extended breakdowns in the genre, each one trying to tug heartstrings harder than the last. "Signs of Hope" has a huge breakdown, but it feels more like a tense ambient interlude than a contrived attempt at inducing euphoria. However, it still manages to do this, in a fairly understated way, a beautiful fluttering melody slowly gaining power before engulfing the listener totally. This kind of mature execution sets Timewave apart from the candy-coated shit which saturates the market today. The flow of the album is also spectacular; unlike most trance producers, Timewave is able to successfully chart a range of tempos without the whole thing feeling like a disjointed mess. From beginning to end, its strong hooks, spacey atmospheres and crisp perc lines are a joy. However, I still have one major problem with War. If I were to take half of the tracks on this album, and switch them with half the tracks on Solar System, the result would be negligible. Timewave is a supreme talent, no doubt, miles ahead of most, except for perhaps Solar Fields. But for me to really revere him, some artistic development is required. That's a tough ask, of course; the past few years have left me doubting whether trance can truly develop any further, or whether it's reached a horrible cul-de-sac, where producers like Timewave either classily repeat history, or names like Sean Tyas repeatedly rape and pillage it. Is there no one out there willing to incorporate some new techniques and ideas into the genre in an intelligent, credible way (i.e. not shitty electro-house hybrids?). I'm not sure, but for now, I'm mostly satisfied as I listen to Timewave's grand, cosmic ideas unfold before me.