Fuck yeah, I've been looking forward to this full-length since I heard the band's last EP, and sure enough this record delivers in fine form. For those unaware, this Portuguese act creates absolutely gorgeous compositions using only violin, bass, acoustic guitars, and soaring female vocals. There's no percussion at all, so everything is incredibly spacious and laidback, but certainly conveys a poignant atmosphere. They don't layer the vocals, though I think they should consider it simply because I imagine vocal harmonies would be astounding with such beautiful music. However, the guitar harmonies are superb, generally based around a classical guitar styled performance, but presented in a darker and more creative fashion. "Chasing the Rainbow's End" is a bit quirkier and slightly more complex in the guitar department, with some spiraling runs that throw in a few dissonant note choices as the violins cut in sparsely for brief swells. "O Cinzel do Tempo" places more emphasis on the bass and the vocals, experimenting with the mix as well as the panning, as only the left channel guitar comes in with some great sliding harmonic riffs prior to the right channel guitar stacking on later right before the violins fade in. "As the Storm Chants" is similar to "Chasing the Rainbow's End" in its atypical runs and staggered tempo, almost lending a funky sort of progressive classical vibe to the piece at times!? The recording is absolutely pristine. Everything is warm, dense, and perfectly clear, and there's a lot of subtle detail to the mix. The guitars are hard panned, so the way the different guitar lines interact with one another become even more curious in headphones. The bass could probably stand to be slightly louder, but the violin sounds wonderful and weaves between the guitars effortlessly. The vocals are also perfect. No complaints. This stuff sounds excellent. The CD comes in a sleek glossy digipack with a great photo of withered, mud-coated hands reached for a bright yellow flower on the cover, and similar images appear throughout. Most of the lyrics are in English, with a few songs in Portuguese, and tend to be fairly dark and open for interpretation: "Unveiled, the carnival of illusions crumbles hastily as once was wrought. Of all deception, nothing lasts. Lament silenced laughter, grievance froze motion, the landscape twisted and embraced permafrost. We, its children, weep, singing tunes in its name, appalled with the reality that remains." This band absolutely deserves a great deal more attention. I could imagine this material being well respected by any number of music fans as long as they're open to anything that's emotional and moving rather than something easily pinned down into a genre, which is impossible to do with this band... and I think that's awesome. Highly recommended.
[Eqvilibrivm]
Running time - 38:46, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Sil?ncio Intemporal, The Wheel, O Cinzel do Tempo]
Eqvilibrivm Mvsic - http://www.equilibriummusic.com
