“The Gate opens with the 18-minute “Deux ex Machina,” a beautiful cross between Schmoelling era and Haslinger era Tangerine Dream. This track is in two parts, “Emergence” and “Brainwave.” After loads of energy build up throughout “Emergence,” a wonderful laid back transition is set up as it flows into “Brainwave,” which starts soft but then builds to another great crescendo as powerful synths stab into the air. Fantastic stuff. “Hubris” is a brief unassuming little number that bounces along playfully yet with purpose. When the kick drums come in, I’m head-bobbing and toe-tapping right along. Beautiful electronic wind chimes come floating in and I’m very much hooked. The fluty synth lead toward the end is also a plus. Plinking percussion makes a nice change of pace as “Catharsis” starts. The lead synth line in the early going on this track is especially good, followed by staccato notes that move things brightly forward. The six-part epic conclusion is “Transcendance,” with a crashing single synth note that rings out and repeats, in similar fashion to TD’s classic “Sphinx Lightning” from Hyperborea, although the timbre of the sound is quite different. After “Gate” makes a soft beginning, “Metamorphosis” has a strong sequence that picks up the pace just right. Again, TD references are unmistakable. ESP’s duo is made up of Jacek Spruch and Mark Ashby, both members of Tangerine Dream’s international fan club, so the end result is not surprising, but it is surprisingly good.”