Not
quite the seven year gap between albums this time - just the five... as
I noted on my last review for KARNATAKA. Though in their defence the
group had all moved on (as they had done previously!) but this time the
phoenix has risen faster - perhaps they have learnt from the
experience...
This
is a good album; a very good one if the previous one were not taken
into account, which was (imho) a far superior album, this one is too
'samey' and hasn't really progressed, as a result a sense of d'j' vu
pervades.
Ian
Jones and Enrico Pinna have managed to maintain the status quo and the
shrewd addition of Hayley Griffiths cements this, as she has a very
similar style to her predecessor, Lisa Fury. We even have the uilleann
pipes making a return.
Whilst
this all might sound overly negative, I do feel that after THE
GATHERING LIGHT this group would struggle to surpass this epic. And I
stand by this; but any group having gone through the transition that
KARNATAKA has been through would inevitably struggle, but here they have
done something that is close to being miraculous - the sound, the
direction and the feel is identical - in fact was it really a lapse of
five years?
I just hope this reincarnation remains stable and can make the natural progression to their next release...
However, like the predecessor, I will play this a number of times and hopefully it will grow on me.
Karnataka
has been around for more than a while. As with other bands orbiting
around the Celtic folk-influenced mellow prog aesthetic, this band has
been doing their work at a steady pace - releasing very pleasant, if not
very pretentious albums once in 3-4 years, getting the response of
their small but quite loyal fan base...
...
until now, I hope. I have to admit, Secrets Of Angels is a smash. Being
familiar with Karnataka's music yet still having other favourites in
this scene, I expected an atmospheric, mellow album with discreet folksy
nuances - what we get here is much, much more than that. Of course, we
still get most of Karnataka trademarks, like excellent vocals and a nice
atmosphere, but boy, what an energy!
Ever
since Road To Cairo kicks in, songs bombard us either with sheer
energy, or in their calmer moments, with very beautiful vocal melodies
that catch your breath anyway. Music is all very colourful, never
succumbing to the snooze factor which hangs upon many such releases.
Besides the opener, Poison Ivy, Forbidden Dreams and Fairytale Lies seem
the brilliant highlights of this very strong selection of songs. They
all utilise the same weaponry of killer melodies, but when things work
so well, there's no need to change.
And
at last, we have the title epic - this in all honesty, is one of the
best new music pieces I've heard in recent years. Here's everything
Karnataka is about - Celtic intro, haunting harp sequences, achingly
beautiful, versatile singing melodies, brilliant performance... And it
all is connected by elaborate composition skill that goes from mood to
mood, dynamic to dynamic.
To
put it short, this is an exceptional, near-perfect release from
Karnataka. Very accessible (could even be used as toe-dipper into prog
for Celtic music crowd), but very refined, flowing with creativity. 4,5
stars from me, rounded up to 5 and I think we have a very strong
contender for the-best-album-of-the-year throne.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT GONZO:
 | Secrets of Angels CD - £9.99 |
 | The Gathering Light CD - £9.99 |
 | Storm CD - £9.99 |
 | Delicate Flame Of Desire CD - £9.99 |
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