REIFICATION

Syrinx is a French instrumental project formed by musicians from diverse tendencies united by the common need to create something new in an artsy manner -something they label as metamorphic music. The album "Reification" bears a patent mystic vibe to it, and that means that they successfully blend the sonic colors of their compositions with the concept behind them. Their sound is quite chiarobscure, built on main melodies, orchestrations and tonalities that seem to be born out of the misty ambiences from dew- wet forests in an autumn evening. The lyrical sections feel somewhat sinsiter, while, in contrast, the scary passages bear a melancholy texture that keeps them from becoming overtly creepy. It is incredible how the acoustic guitar, being the least loud item in the instrumentation, leads so effectively the nervous development of the main ideas and the subtly complex links between them. The organ solos, the synthesizer washes, the powerful rhythm duo, all of them have an undeniably punch to them, yet the acoustic guitars' arpeggios, leads and strums seem stubbornly stuck on the center stage. The most wonderful thing that Syrinx accomplishes is a perfectly polished sense of ensemble, but it's not their only wonderful achievement: great melodies, captivating atmospheres, efficient balance between all moods that successively build up the continumm of each track. Each compositional piece has a Spartan structure to it, but the instrumentation goes beyond playing them and becomes a real arranging tool, which sets a dialectics of extra composition. The namesake opening piece fills the album's first 17 minutes, clearly defining the band's ideology. The sonic panorama is enriched by controlled yet ambitious expansions of the basic motifs, never getting into the excessively self-indulging thing. The sense of control doesn't work opposite the musicians' creative freedom, but as a complement to it. 'Emanescence' and 'Le Vingtieme Cercle' have each a shorter room for expansion, but this small detail doesn't stop them from including a notable set of rich variations and mood shifts. The atmospheres are, in comparison to the opening track, a bit more colorful without letting go of that special mysterious vibe that is intended to fill the whole album, sound by sound, second after second. That is particularly true for the eerie interlude of 'Le Vingtieme Cercle', to put a random example. 'Orbis Ubique', with its 14 ¾ minute span, offers a more ambitious strcture, not unlike 'Reification', albeit digging deeper into the most somber side of the band's musical vision. Perhaps this is the main reason why it stands out as one of the definitive highlights of the album. A special mention has to go for the very, very creepy synth solo that emerges like something out of the underworld. Finally, 'L'Hypostase des Archontes' reincides on the album's overall essence, although with a more explicit dynamics, which is no doubt due to the special dose of energy provided by the rhythmic section. The drum input during the concluding climax has to be the most impressive performance delivered by Philippe Maullet, and indeed, he helped his partners to shine at their respective instruments especially for this section. This track is another amazing highlight, but this section has merits of its own. An incredible ending for an incredible album - "Reification" is a progressive classic for the millenium and Syrinx is a name to be included in any good prog collection. 4 to 4.5 stars for this album!