David Cross/Robert Fripp: Starless Starlight

Variations on a Crimson theme.

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When you find out that this whole album is based on a couple of soundscapes from Robert Fripp, you might be forgiven for thinking it might be a little self-indulgent and lacking in focus. However, it’s enjoyable and never fails to hold the attention.

David Cross and co-producer Tony Lowe have developed Fripp’s ideas into a coherent pathway of music, which is both soothing yet also edgy. In this respect, Cross reflects the way in which King Crimson always presented themselves, being both engaging while distant.

The way in which Cross’s violin excursions take Fripp’s original thoughts and turn them into a regime of emotions is not only an exercise in virtuoso excellence, but also spirited.

Cross has the knack of never allowing technique to overshadow his compassionate desire to keep everything warm and inviting. It also serves as a template for what could be live variations. Truly progressive./o:p

Malcolm Dome

Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term "thrash metal" while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021