RINGS OF EARTHLY LIGHT

After listening to (and falling in love with) Eris Pluvia second album, I knew I had to look for their debut. I had not great expectations, since the time apart between the first and the second CD was ´only` 19 years (!). Also two key members also had left the band during this time, so I was supposing this work would be quite different. And it is, although some similiarities are easy to find too.

Released in 1991, Rings of Earthly Light is an excellent album that is very hard to label. Their music is a unique blend of 70´s symphonic prog, folk, jazz and baroque music put together. There are not too many albums (prog or otherwise) that you´ll see two such different instruments like sax and recorders being played along in the same CD, often in the same track. The results are surprisingly good, giving the group a very distinctive sound. Although they are from Italy, they sing in (heavily accented) english and they don´t sound like most prog bands from that country. Their music is quite varied and interesting, with some fine melodies and tempo changes that shows at least some familiar influences (Gabreil-era Genesis, Jethro Tull and PFM are the obvious ones).

All the tracks are very good, and the opener, the 17 minute suite bearing the album´s title is surely a highlight Vocals are not expectacular and I wish they sang in their native language, but they probably wanted to reach a broader audience. However, Alessandro Serri gives a convincing perfomance as a singer. Production is very good. Again my only complaint is the album´s short running time. It leaves the sensation of longing for more too soon.

Conclusion: an excellent work. Even if I still like their second CD more than this one, Rings Of Earthly Light was a brilliant start and a very nice addition to my collection. A 90´s gem, no less. Let´s hope they don´t take so much time to relase another one. Rating: 4 strong stars.