I’ve come to terms with the fact that the linear progression of Anjunabeats albums has been nothing but an ever-increasing line of quality and stealthily mixed productions. It is almost hard to believe that the ethereal “Air for Life” single & brilliant “Tri-State” album were only the foundations for this group’s amazing efficacy at administering the hottest new trance songs of the years gone by. The 5th Anjunabeats Volume is unique, relative to its predecessors. For one, it is the only Anjunabeats volume with two discs; purportedly, this was because the DJs had just *too many* fantastic tracks to condense into one disc! And I thank them, heartily. Secondly, in my mind there has been a mad dash in the summer of ’07 for “Top Trance Album.” `Progressive’ notwithstanding, my top three picks are A State of Trance 2007, Nightmusic Vol. 2 and Anjunabeats Vol. 5. But for the purpose of this album, how do Above and Beyond compare?

The first disc is a ferocious and supersonically engaging journey through soaring trance which individually and collectively leaves me breathless. Picking out this track or that track seems futile since it really cannot be done in good conscience. Throwing conscience to the wind, however, a few tracks to look out for on Disc One are “Zeppelin,” “Remember September,” “Spacelift,” and “My Name Is Jacques.” Despite the superb track listing, “Needs To Feel” simply WHIPS this album into fine shape, and the “Wippenberg” remix is just awesome. It’s been mentioned before, but Disc One has a bit more of a progressive-uplifting vibe, wherein every piece of the puzzle fits perfectly. About halfway through the mix the tone becomes slightly sinister, as if the tracks had been mixed with a serrated blade. These men are musical architects, without question, and I especially like the incorporation of such monstrous bass – the kind of stuff that vibrates walls and shakes bodies. Very mesmerizing. Disc One is an absolute winner, is *exactly* the type of stuff you’d be expecting from A&B after Anjunabeats 4 (only a bit harder, deeper), and is sincerely good competition for Nightmusic Vol. 2 and “In The Club” on ASoT 2007. The entire CD is a delicious meal for the ears, but hold the check – dessert’s on its way, and this feast is far from over.

Disc Two relocates Above & Beyond into more familiar waters, rivaling the superb progression that distinguished Volume 4 from *its* predecessors; the similarities end there, however, and much more intriguing is listening to a new sinister form of uplifting trance. These “paradoxical” sounds genuinely garnish harsh criticism, but not from me; A&B simply move their reliability into slightly choppier waters and I find myself much more engaged with Disc Two than with Disc One, as well as any of the previous Anjunabeats releases. Again, *all* the tracks are Anjuna-worthy, but several distinctly stand out – including “Shapes,” `DJ Shah’s Savannah Remix’ of “One Night in Tokyo,” “Oceanic” and A&B’s own “Home.” I would think that the exploration of the deeper, darker side of “uplifting” trance would be risky business, and perhaps it is indeed for those lacking Above and Beyond’s unmistakable talent. In my opinion, some of the sounds could be accurately classified as Steve Lawler-esque Armin van Buuren – quite the paradox, one would assume, until it has been listened to and calculated! This is one of the very few albums that are so fantastically engaging that I do not bother to mark time – before I know it, the disc is over but the orchestration is imprinted on my brain – similar enough to Thrillseekers’ Nightmusic Vol. 2, CD 2. Anjunabeats 5 ends as strongly as ever with A&B’s `Respray’ of “Never Gone”>”One Wish”>”Suru.” Suddenly, you’ll yearn to start the journey over again; I guarantee it.

And so, while the transition between purist uplifting trance to uplifting trance with a slightly sinister twist may be vexing at first, Above and Beyond are able to pull off an Anjunabeats volume which is the best in the series, bar none. Fans of The Thrillseekers, AvB’s latest and of course the other Anjunabeats catalogue will adore this mix, and come time to rate the “[Trance] Mix Album of the Year,” I think AvB and A&B will be in strong contention with one another. But it’s about time Above and Beyond got the type of recognition that van Buuren gets in the Electronic media. DJ Mag didn’t deem Above and Beyond the “Saviours of Trance” for an illegitimate reason – Experience this reason for yourself. You’ll be quite pleasantly taken aback by what you find contained within these two circular pieces of plastic. That is… pure, unadulterated visionaries in this tumultuous subculture we all revel in the midst of.

-James Woodruff