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Labyrinth | 
| Artist: Juno Reactor
Label: Metropolis Records
Category: Music
Buy New: $15.98
Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 92104
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 80346
UPC: 782388034623
EAN: 0782388034623
ASIN: B00031TXCC
Release Date: October 26, 2004
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Conquistador I | | • | Conquistador II | | • | Giant | | • | Wardogs | | • | Mona Lisa Overdrive | | • | Zwara | | • | Mutant Message | | • | Angels and Men | | • | Navras |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Since the release of "Shango" in 2000, Juno Reactor has been involved in many projects including the production of several tracks for "Matrix: Reloaded" and "Matrix: Revolutions", as well as a greatest hits comp, "Odyssey 1992-2002". "Labyrinth" has nine tracks, two of which are songs from the Matrix movies. It'll rule the dance floor with its trance style elements and hard hitting beats.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 One of my favorite Juno Reactor albums May 10, 2008
cebus
I read most of the reviews, and interestingly, I think every single song was mentioned as favorite of someone, which is testimony to the great versatility of the album. You know it's a truly awesome album when 9 people can each pick a favorite track that is different from the others.
With that said, I'm disappointed I based the order of my JR purchases on the average rating each album received on amazon. I listened to a good amount of Beyond the Infinite, so I decided to first get Shango, then Bible of Dreams, then Gods and Monsters, and now Labyrinth. While I like all the others, thus far, I am liking Labyrinth the most.
I'd just like to point out a couple things. Several people don't like the song, Giant, but I love the way it sounds. It is a bit repetitive, but it sounds really cool in my opinion. I also like every single track a lot other than Angels and Men. It's not that bad of a song, but it just doesn't do much for me.
So, definitely go and get this album because you're bound to find something you really like on here, and there's a good chance you'll really enjoy this entire album as I do.
Fantastic Album! February 22, 2008
Richard Mayfield
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This album is EPIC, and by far one of my favorites! It starts off with a quiet, haunting melody with some very impressive spanish guitar, and then crescendoes into the second track, and that explodes with energy!
The percussion for Giant (track 3) is absolutely fantastic, and sounds like the basis for the Burley Brawl track on the matrix soundtrack.
Wardogs is also very good.
Mona Lisa Overdrive is the infamous "Highway Scene" music from Matrix Reloaded, without the mix by Don Davis.
Zwara is easily my favorite track on the CD. It starts off with a compelling percussion track, then the bass line fills in, and the intermittent chanting of "Zwara!" gets the adrenaline flowing.
Mutant Message is a little weird, but still neat if you give it a good listen. Angels and Men is another quiet song, but very soothing. It is something one could meditate to.
Navras is the "Super Burley Brawl" music from Matrix Revolutions (again, without the addition by Don Davis). This is the longest, most epic track on the CD, but there is about three minutes of a quiet lull in an otherwise thrilling song.
Overall, a great CD, I highly recommend to all!
He's still got it... June 27, 2006
M. Randall (Allen Park, MI)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After all these years Juno Reactor is still able to bring something new to the trance plate and not repeat himself. Labyrinth is full of tribal beats, ethnic vocals and oddly enough - a touch of rock and drum & bass. Throw in the unmistakable Juno Reactor trance beats from time to time and you've got one damn good CD.
You'll notice this album has a much more cinematic and epic feel to it then previous albums... Ben Watkins truly is a master at what he does and continues to evolve and change.
 Juno Reactor goes hollywood February 18, 2006
carbonclump (USA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Where Bible of Dreams was subtle and enjoyable, Labyrinth sounds much more like a movie soundtrack, which seems to be the goal. The old downtempo/trance style has turned into a aggressive sound designed as sci-fi action movie background music. While it seems a lot of people like this, I feel like Bible of Dreams was more inspired and original. The music is still enjoyable and polished, and the guitar work is great, but seems over-the-top at times and a bit "hollywood." Congratulations to JR for the work on the Matrix soundtrack, but I wasn't planning on a soundtrack disc when I bought this. Matrix itself was an excellent hard cyberpunk sci-fi theme taken to similar "hollywood" levels which made it more appealing to the masses.
I guess they've been moving in the direction for a while, as Shango still had some subtle trance elements of BoD but introduced songs like "Masters of the Universe" which had the hollywood soundtrack feel. So its probably just my fault for not really liking the direction that Juno has gone with this album. I'm still a fan and enjoy the disc.
Uh...huh January 27, 2006
KTK
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
The style of Juno Reactor underwent a somewhat drastic change with "Bible of Dreams". Ambient techno gave way to full-on tributes to various forms of "organic" music, with a little techno at the ready. But here, in the latest addition to the Juno discography, the guys just don't seem to be trying as hard. Compared to "Bible" and "Shango", the efforts heard here seem rather cartoonish. Let's not ignore the fact that two of the songs on this disc were actually reused from their earlier work in the "Matrix" films. It's like when a guy digs up a really good essay he wrote a while ago, touches it up a little, and submits it for a separate assignment. I mean, the two songs in question are pretty good, but it's still a little weird. Let's also remember that this is the shortest Juno Reactor album I've ever come across. Four of the songs are less than six minutes long. Does that sound like Juno to you? Even if a song's bad, I can appreciate them for making it long. Generally, this album didn't sit as well with me as did the others.
Well, I guess I should start at the beginning.
1) Conquistador, Part 1 - 3/5. A quiet beginning. Some female voices sing a ballad or lullaby amongst a soft guitar tune. For the most part, it's pretty calm, but it gradually builds to a climax (albeit a climax that's only a little louder than the rest). In the last minute, some faint percussion pops up. It grows more and more intense, filling the listener with anticipation as to what's about to happen, before it suddenly takes us to...
2) Conquistador, Part 2 - 4/5. Like the "Nitrogen" duo in "Shango", I'm kinda lost on why the guys gave these songs the same name...although I can understand this better than "Nitrogen". I think they're trying to tell a story with these two. Despite the buildup at the end of "Part 1", the transition to this feels rather abrupt. It's got the Mexican, but say bye-bye to the ballad/lullaby; that's been replaced by dark, heavy, techno-ish rock (or rock-ish techno). They've also brought back the throat voice that's familiar to anyone who's listened to "Badimo", spouting some really crazy-sounding lyrics. Very crazy. You'll laugh. Then cry, 'cuz it's over so soon. Or cheer if you hated it.
3) Giant - 2/5. I can barely endure this piece of work. Or should we say, lack of work. I'm theorizing that Watkins and crew just got lazy and slapped this thing together simply to keep up their nine-song pattern. I don't mind repetition if there's a really good tune involved, and here...well, one out of two ain't bad. Oh, wait a sec, it is. There's a synth-like tune that kinda sounds like farting if you listen for it, and it goes on and on and on, before we get some lyric that sounds like "inside", although it's most likely not English. That's all; farting, "inside", farting, "inside", farting, "inside", all culminating in a big steaming pile of poop. Ick.
4) War Dogs - 3/5. Better. A throwback to the Middle Eastern style. To my knowledge, we've got men's chanting mixed in with woodwind, guitars, the usual synth wave, and craziness abound. The actual sound is hard to put into words, so it's better just to end it here. Not too hot about it nonetheless.
5) Mona Lisa Overdrive - 4/5. What you see here is a remix of the famous "highway chase" music from "The Matrix Reloaded". If you've already seen that movie, I won't bother describing the main tune for you. If you haven't...then you don't deserve the satisfaction! Anyway, they've added in some chanting, since that's what they do, and shortened the whole thing to four minutes and forty-five seconds. Now, this irks me; the original mix was over ten minutes long, and it ruled. What irks me even more is that this isn't as varied as the other version. It's got that great techno melody that any "Matrix" geek should recognize, but that's about it. It's like: percussion --> melody --> percussion --> melody --> chanting --> percussion --> et cetera. It doesn't even have an impressive end. By itself, it's still one of the better on this album, but I can never listen to it without thinking back to the highway chase.
6) Zwara - 3/5. I THINK this is supposed to have an Indian feel to it. It's really just techno coupled with Indian chanting, though, with a little rapping (!!!) midway through. Don't worry; it's Indian rapping (like that'll calm you down). Well, the tune's actually really cool, but what brings this song down is the end. At the approximate 4:45 mark, the chanting female gets a solo, and she really goes berserk. I don't know; maybe she's supposed to sound like she's having an orgasm, but either way, it's really off-putting. However, if you want to hear something REALLY ridiculous, wait until 5:35. The song just gets hilarious at that point. You'll wet your pants, either from laughing or freaking out.
7) Mutant Message - 4/5. "Greetings. We come in peace...NOT!" Up until now, every song here was a mix of Juno Reactor and a chosen style. "Conquistador" was Juno + Mexican, "War Dogs" was Juno + Middle Eastern, and "Giant" was Juno + poop, but "Mutant Message" is seemingly Juno + nothing else. Not a bad thing, actually. A strange alien-sounding voice is followed by the standard choir humming. We soon shift to a rather un-Juno-sounding piano melody. It all sounds very harmless for a while, and that's when they getcha. I will go no further. But I will be very distrustful of UFOs. Why? 'Cuz I'm a weirdo.
8) Angels and Men - 1/5. It sucks.
9) Navras - 4/5. Unlike "Mona Lisa", this hasn't been "remixed" from its alter ego in the "Matrix" trilogy; it's 100% the exact same as it was heard in the end credits for "The Matrix Revolutions". A HUGE choir shouts out Sanskrit quotes taken from the Upanishads. After this, we hear something that I think is piano. Really dark, heavy piano. Listening to this, you'd think it was Armageddon. Then, we go to the usual techno synth (boy, I'm typing those two words a lot) with the usual chanting. The middle is very quiet, reminiscent of the boring "Solaris". This song fortunately ends the same way it started; it's really a musical palindrome. After the quiet break, the piano again, the techno synth again, and the very last part is comprised of only the chanting. "Labyrinth" may not be up to par with their previous work, but at least it has an ending worthy of Juno Reactor's great name. I'm talkin' to you, "Shango".
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