New Zealand’s ambient New Age guitar instrumentalist Baz Mantis has released his second studio album titled ‘Pieces Of Daylight’ On this multi-textured album, Mantis explores mainly esoteric themes, interpreting them subjectively through the medium of music. The opening track, Empyrean Peregrination is an epic 11 minute piece, translated as its name suggests as a "heavenly journey", reflecting the experiences of an out of body traveller who finds themselves taken to a place of pure serenity and peace to discover a forgotten part of themselves before being gently returned back to their body. The second track on the album, ‘Orcas In Orbit’, refers to the cross cultural primordial beginning of all things, from out of the waters of the deep becomes that which manifests eventually as life on the living library Earth. The cryptic whisperings interspersed throughout the track resonate in different measures across the duration of both albums, and develop an ongoing theme which aligns itself with ancient perceptions regarding the source of the human soul and its place in the spiritual hierarchy of All That Was, Is and Will Be upon this planet and beyond… ‘As I Lay Down’, at four minutes in length, describes the final four minutes of life in a physical body before the return of the human soul back to the realm of Spirit – a peaceful passing which is filled with sentimental reflections and a partial life review where the soon-to-be departed soul ponders momentarily on what could have been, what decisions incurred subsequent consequences and how, mostly, the persons life was not all that it could have been when compared to the opportunities which were presented throughout their life. The soul remembers those who were close and loving and regards them highly, yet the inescapable “if only…” or “just what if…” consumes their thoughts until the final detachment from the physical body occurs and the soul soars free, accompanied by a compassionate and welcoming fleet of those who have gone before, who lead the new arrival deep into the unseen realms and, momentarily, away from our perception. Concurrent to the release of 'Pieces Of Daylight', Mantis' music also features on 'The Wishing Well Sessions - Meditations For The Integrated Soul', a collection of guided meditations featuring the voice and crystal singing bowls of fellow New Zealand spiritual teacher and healer Kerry Thomson.