MAGDALENA

Very nice and refined music, essentially beautiful melodies played with symphonic instrumentation.

Not unlike another Japanese bands as MUGEN or VERMILLION SANDS, MAGDALENA uses classical music influences with keyboards and guitar important presence, adding a female almost operatic singer, Megumi Tokuhisa. Precisely, here is a weak point, IMHO: she sings (in Japanese) like Kate Bush, but sometimes her voice seems strident, distracting attention from beautiful music.

Three longest tracks are the highlights, but melodically the whole album is impeccable. If you are searching for very refined symphonic music and don't care about shrill or excessively sharp voices, you'll find this album very enjoyable.