Label: The Laser's Edge

Tracks:

1. Anamnesis - 9:11
2. Paper Moon - 6:44
3. The Crucible - 7:31
4. The Last Rose of Summer - 3:23
5. Gnostalgia - 10:17
6. The Reach - 10:59

Musicians:

• Brynjar Dambo, keyboards, glockenspiel
• Aage Moltke Schou, drums, percussion, glockenspiel
• Sylvia Erichsen, vocals
• Johannes Saeboe, bass
• Jacob Holm-Lupo, electric, acoustic, & classical guitars, vocals, yboards, bass
• Ketil Vestrum Einarsen, flutes, recorders, melodica, keyboards

Guest musicians:

• Simen Haugberg, oboe
• Oystein Vesaas, vocals

Third album of these Norwegian masters: an indispensable album for me. Maybe the best of their career and at this moment one of my two or three favorite albums of this decade so far.

The style evolves from the previous one "Ex Tenebris" improving it and coming to a composition and interpretation level that does not have anything to envy to the best groups of the 70's. They continue with a more electric sound than in the first album, where the passages of contained anger of the previous album finally exploit here, creating some parts plenty of strenght and violence, that contrast with the exquisiteness and sensitivity that prevails in the album.

Again, there is a total change of line-up in this album, from the previous one only Jacob Holm-Lupo and Sylvia Erichsen remain who, by the way, performs a

really spectacular work with his angelical voice. The other founder, Jan Tarig Rahman, is not yet in the band but certainly there is no less creativity, just the oppositte. It seems that Holm-Lupo is the real brain behind the group and it is not so important if in every album there is a musicians' total change.

In some tracks almost they reach perfection. The impressive "The Reach", very progressive and variated, with a very symphonic interlude and a powerful climax that makes one chill; a track which lyrics included to the beginning and final, must belong to a traditional song. I say this because the nu-metal band Korn included exactly the same in the song "Shoots and Ladders" of their first album. Then, the melancholic "Gnostalgia" is, of an incredible beauty, specially the instrumental parts with Gothic ambience, with oboes, mellotrons, acoustic guitars, and flutes. The instrumental "The Crucible", with medieval and Gothic beginning, and very rhythmic, progressive and Celtic climax with powerful and delirious flutes. And the beauty of delicate, melodic and folkie "Anamnesis", where already we can hear important explosions of power contrasted with soft classic and Gothic passages. The rest are the most symphonic "Paper Moon", with great work of the divine Sylvia, and the precious pastoral "The Last Rose of Summer", in the vein of Anthony Phillips.

Definitively, for me, indoubtly, a must.

Rating: 9.5/10

Ferran Lizana