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SOL DE MEDIANOCHE
Tracklist:
Spehiroth; Hermits; Xiongmao; Wendigo; Duet for Hang and Bass; Mama Todorka; Ishak the Fisherman; Eight Touts; Midningt Sun; Xiongmao II; Abaddon's Bolero
LINEUP
Roberto Santamaria: Keyboards, accordion, Turkish saz, 12 string guitar, dulcimer, glockenspiel and many more
Manel Mayol: Flute, didgeridoo, backing vocals
Mireia Sisquella: Saxophone
Marta Segura: Lead vocals
Alan Chehab: Electric bass
Renato Di Prinzio: Drums
Guest Musicians:
Pablo Tato: Electric guitar (8,9)
Andres Oleagui: Electric guitar (3)
Victor Estrada: Spanish guitar (9), theremin effects (4)
Branislav Grbic: Violin
Pepe Andreu: Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo
Marta Riba: Backing vocals
Nuri Sabate: backing vocals
Marie Weckesser: Backing vocals
Moi Perez: Tibetian chant, harmonics
Luis Blanco: Vibraslap
REVIEW
Amarok is a band from Spain that has been making music since the early 90s. Their name means Wolf in the Eskimo langauge.
In their 17 years existence they have released 7 studio albums. All their releases are known for the many ethnic and folk influences. And the first 6 albums are all sung in Spanish. But now the band has teamed up
with ProgRock Records and released their 7th studio album called Sol de Medianoche or Midnight Sun.
Here all the familiar elements are present: all kinds of ethnic and folk instruments and sounds. But the band is very progressive and always looks for new ways to bring their music. So on this album,
besides Spanish, several songs are sung in their local dialect Catalan and some even in English!
When you hear the album, your first thought will be it is a folk album rather than a prog album. True, the folk sound is very on top. But the more yo listen to the album, the more layers and details yo
will discover. Of course the Spanish/Catalan vocals emphasise the folk influence greatly. I must say it was a real experience for me to listen to this album.
A lot of instruments are used to create their trademark sound as well as a lot of guestmusicians. But the result is a very interesting and highly entertaining album, with a great production. It is a
delight to listen to the music. Marta Segura has a beautiful voice and even though I do not understand what she sings about, her vocals are very captivating. The Spanish language is always filled with emotion and
that is definitely one of the strong points of this album.
Each song is an adventure, although some almost frighten you at first, like this unearthly growl at the beginning of Wendigo. But don't let these things scare you off, as it is always followed by some
beautiful music. Or listen to small instrumentals like Duet for Hang and Bass, where you find the band has put a lot of thought in performing their music. Excellent stuff!
Although I do find numerous progressive elements in the music of Amarok, I must emphasis the folk/traditional influences dominate the overall sound. Nevertheless I do recommend this album to all who are
tired of the repetative albums of some of the 'established prog bands', as this is definitely different. Different and very good.
Score: 7/10
Marcel Haster - February 2008
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