The "Chill Out" album was a major influence on Namlook, and the lyrics on "Talk To The Stars" pay subtle homage to The KLF - they're taken directly from an old KLF Communications press release sheet that listed a number of "facts" about the "ambient house" genre.Although slightly dated in parts, The Fires of Ork is still a wonderful listen, and sought after for a reason.

Ambient goes philosophy, and you cannot say which supports the other more in this case. This really is exceptional music, music that transcencds itself to reach the spheres of philosophy - I venture to say that, having studied philosophy for two semesters, and being in awe of Friedrich Nietzsche lately. Friedrich Nietzsche is the author of the work that is being recited on the central track "Gebirge" - the work in question is Nietzsche's "Thus Spake Zarathustra", and what we can enjoy here is chapter XXIII The Child with the Mirror. As the title of the track suggests, this is a massive piece, despite its Spartan layout. You are made to feel the existential loneliness of Zarathustra / Nietzsche in the cold, indifferent and yet ultimately consoling mountains, the all-knowing eagle watching from even farer above and shrieking, shrieking. You have left the swirling "Fires Of Ork" to enter the pure mood of sobriety in the "Gebirge", to tersedly invoke the stars there (where else?), contemplate "The Facts Of Life" after having come so far, having been cleansed, and return to the pounding fires that you came from. It's a demanding journey which is worth the while, because it leads you back to strength. No doubt we can stand in awe of the musical artist who made this possible, just as well as Nietzsche!

I remember hearing one of the Fires of Ork tracks on an old Logic Trance compilation CD and loving the "Blade Runner" samples. Eventually picked this one up in the R&S/Apollo version and I feel that the real gem on the disc in "The Facts of Life"--twenty minutes of lovely synth and beats that would not be out of place on Biosphere's "Patashnik." Maybe not the most timeless release on FAX, but certainly a must for Biosphere fans and Namlook addicts.

Just note that you will like this album if you're fan of a darker ambient districts. For others which are more into melodies and nice atmospheres - better skip this one. This is an minimal ambient journey.

Pardon my lack of eloquence, suffice it to say this album is utterly fantastic. I've been trying to track it down for literally years and finally succeeded. It's well worth all the effort. It's simply amazing. What can I really say, musically, about the collaboration of two of ambient electronic music's greatest producers? Listening to this album conjures up fantastic mental images, and you won't want the journey to end. I'm sure every person who's listened to this has had their own unique experience with it. I doubt I'll ever get tired of listening to it. The packaging should come with a warning label, "Fires of Ork" is addictive and mind-altering.

This release is easily in my top 10, maybe even my top 5. This music is, how can I put it... a total farking TRIP. The exquisite range of styles and energy levels exhibited is at once jarring and thrilling to behold. Sometime during track 4, I started thinking, "Christ this is good! Now what were the other tracks like?" and was suddenly struck by the incredible contrasts between the preceding tracks, and how damned good each track was. I suddenly realized how utterly impressive this piece was, shuffling me from one level of hyperspace to another without me even realizing it. And then, THEN, in a final culminating completion of the circle, I'm in the middle of track 5, gleefully watching the subtley yet sharply yet evoked visualizations being carved into my mind's eye, when I suddenly realized that this track was a reprise of track 1, and very similarly so. I was shocked to realize that it had been only about one hour ago that I heard track 1 -- because, well, it seemed more like 10 hours. If you ever see this, do not hesitate to get it.