1492 - CONQUEST OF PARADISE (OST)

Vangelis continues here to produce flamboyant New Age albums. The crystal clear sound is practically irreproachable. Inspired from his marvelous "Mask" album, which is clearly detectable on tracks like "Hispanola", he still makes here mythological, majestic and grandiose atmospheres: there are omnipresent male & female choirs creating refined church ambiences, in a slightly catchy & accessible manner. The temptation to compare this record with the Era's stuff is big: only the choirs have a little resemblance, so that Era's tracks are much more pop and less refined. Vangelis' floating, loaded & melodic spacescapes here are always magical, grand, graceful, elegant, celestial and VERY ethereal. The overall rhythm is slow, so that this record is very relaxing, and the tracks are not dark. There are some complementary exotic & acoustic instruments and Middle Eastern chants, so that this record does not sound too artificial. The music is not very complex, but the beautiful atmospheres are professionally made. This album generates respect and recollection; it induces many pleasant emotions. This record is the soundtrack of the "1492: Conquest of Paradise" movie, but you do not have to watch the movie to fully appreciate the music. A perfect climax is reached at the end of "Hispanola": those powerful & ethereal voices through intensely floating keyboards and echoed string instruments are absolutely spine-tingling. The wonderful "28th parallel" is just celestial, as reveals the brilliant combination of harp, choirs, floating streams of keyboards and echoed piano.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!