Cover by the amazing Ed Unitsky only deepens my sorrow, for it's a truly stellar package. If there's one thing that Anima Mundi can do flawlessly, it's create incredible instrumental passages. Virginia Peraza is most certainly one of my favorite keyboardists, and one of the best in the business, too.
She has an incredible way of creating keyboard lines that are bobbing, spacey, epic, sublime, and unexpected all at the same time. On this album, she is no different. In fact, I'd say she goes out on a limb a few times, but always succeeds. The guitarist, Roberto Diaz, is also a magician with his instrument. Soulful solos by the bucketful are the name of the game, and an almost exploratory vibe is felt throughout the album.
Again, drummer Jose Govin and bassist Yarroski Corredera impress with their performances, too. This group of musicians are an amazing unit that works like a well-oiled machine. Yet, with the addition of the new vocalist, I can't help but be slightly disappointed.
Emmanuel has a good voice that is nearly the opposite of Carlos'. While Carlos had huge range and a soaring style that left my knees quaking, Emmanuel has more of a rich, mellow sound that feels almost jazzy at times. This is okay, but I have three problems with it. First of all, Emmanuel as has been pointed out by other reviewers does not have a commanding control of English. His enunciation is very poor at times, and he forgets parts of speech at times, too. This becomes distracting, thought I do admit it is not as bad as I feared it would be.
It is there, though. Second, his voice does not fit the music. Anima Mundi is all about soaring melodies and spacey vibes, but Emmanuel's voice doesn't fit this mold at all. Like I said, he jazzy, not proggy. Lastly, I feel that the vocal melodies have suffered.
Carlos was always taking the incredible music and blowing it through the roof with his pitch perfect, stunning vocal passages.
Emmanuel seems to get by, just barely. The vocal melodies come off as awkward to the point where you just want him to be quiet so we can get back to the fantastic music. I don't say this to be cruel: I just want to be honest. Overall, though, this is still an excellent album. The music is still inspired, and the theme of human hearts as interconnected lamps of love and enlightenment is intriguing. But I hope Emmanuel can work on his voice and on his English. I think he has promise, but I just don't know how he can compete with his predecessor.
All in all, however, this is a great album still. Now Anima Mundi has a new vocalist Emmanuel Pirko-Farrath and this is a fact that could make them even better. But to begin with I'll tell you that Eammanuel's vocals are His voice is far away from being a bad one, but the problem for me lies in his accent. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a snobbish kind of guy that looks for the 'perfect english'. Being from a country that doesn't have English as its main language Brazil I struggle myself to not have a heavy accent.
Now you are a tireless pilgrim in this forest of twisted roots… who will carry the flame in your chest You are the lamp for all and you. Come to the Lamplighter House Walk to the lighted human house You are being so close coming from far I bring the light to the human house, to the human house. Light the lantern of your heart Light the lantern of your heart, heart. Call her endless, call her star, the dream child behind the mask Space, her garden of glowing games: purple and green, blue, gold silver and red.
Call her dawn, call her truth, the highest secret for me and you Creatures traveling her endless story, millions of faces, golden rays, tales of glory. No one saw her birth, a rite of fire oceans of stars, each form of life Her thoughts becoming in every single mind Listen to the tales from Endless Star.
Once the world grew from her skin, her eyes watched far beyond the gleam to our distant globe Once we heard her voice that arrived, telling the tales from Endless Star in timeless songs. Call her endless, call her star, the dream child behind the mask Call her dawn, call her truth, the highest secret for me and you. Their eyes reflected all past glory and memories Have maybe they returned? Why must we stay far from what is close and loved? Silence told us all.
A tree was a seed dreaming, hidden in the realm of soil Where does truth lie down? They are in a good vein of Yes, Wakeman, Tchaikovskiy and Borodin, with magnificent keyboard pads, synth passages and great guitar solos? Sorry to say but my favorite Anima Mundi singer is still Carlos Sosa. However, if the previous albums should be commented as "We are the Light", then the "Insomnia" can be commented as "We are the Dark". My beloved pieces from the previous albums were magically and calmly developing, while the "Citadel" grabs you hard and drags you along.
Yes, it is dark and very bold. One should have strong guts to turn the band in the totally different direction? To my opinion - "Insomnia" is a great concept album with sometimes "Canterbury" moods and sometimes modern and avantgardish turns. The skill of magnificent playing by Virginia Pereza on keyboards and Roberto Diaz on electric and acoustic guitars is still impressive.
Yaroski Corredera on bass and Marco Alonso on drums and great saxophone even increased their skill and reached impressive sound. By the way, Aivis Prieto made a good job in the album as well, his voice is nicely fitting the concept of the album while singing complicated and sometimes weird melodies. Compared to the previous albums the "Insomnia" does not "impress you during the first listen", however I wanted to listen to it again and again.
I'm not sure that Anima Mundi will further follow the direction of "Insomnia", but am absolutely sure that further on they will reach another level of music. They already did! And it was very brave and unexpected experiment. Life around us is not that bright and funny, and life of progressive rock musicians especially in Cuba is not funny at all.
To my opinion this album is worth to be rated 4,5 stars, however due to the unexpected and bold decision to produce it I will rate it with 5 stars. In fact the only way one would know this is Anima Mundi is by looking at the disc. Firstly because there is another new lead singer, their fourth in the last 4 albums. But mostly because the style of this album has taken quite a turn away from the band's prior symph style.
Not to say this album does not provide some great symphonic moments- it does. So I would rate this album 3. As a footnote, I think the new lead vocalist is quite good, in fact better than his 2 predecessors.
But still, with my expectations so high for this release, I can only think of it as a slight disappointment. On Jagannath Orbit the sound is more in the carat symphonic rock tradition than their debut CD. And there are a very pleasant and subtle contributions by guest musicians on clarinet, bassoon, bagpipes and digeridoo. The long and varied first compsoition We Are The Light close to 18 minutes turns out to be the way to Progheaven: first mellow with piano and soaring keyboards, then alternating between swinging, bombastic, dreamy and a mid-tempo featuring wonderful work on vintage keyboards Hammond, Mellotron, Minimoog , wah-wah guitar, Yes-like bass and vocal harmonies and a breathtaking final part with sumptuous choir-mellotron and sensitive electric guitar, goose bumps.
The other six compositions two instrumentals also deliver lots of excitement. Like the strong guitar work including biting wah-wah in Toward The Adventure. A spectaculair break with guitar and keyboards, again wonderful vintage keyboards and wah-wah guitar in the long and compelling instrumental Rhythm Of The Spheres. And splendid Minimoog flights, choir-Mellotron and a Progheaven Grand Finale with fiery guitar and lush keyboards in the final track Sanctuary.
A big hand for this Cuban progrock formation, these guys have perfectly used the six years between their first and second album, highly recommended. Review by FragileKings Prog Reviewer. I'm not sure what I missed in between but Anima Mundi went from a spiritual and uplifting symphonic prog band complete with a didgeridoo to what sounds a lot like a heavy prog band.
This album features some pretty darn heavy guitars and more Hammond organ catch the organ solo in "Flowers" that references Genesis. The mood is dark, generally speaking though there are some lighter and some almost whimsical parts. Certainly though, this album has lost the floating-on-a- spiritual-high feel that "Jagannath Orbit" had.
The title track, and parts of "Somewhere", "Flowers" and "Train to the Future" are so heavy and muscular that this doesn't seem like the same band. I like that!
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