TRÄNSI

The same year ''Fear & Anxiety'' was released the Japanese trio participated also in the compilation "Progressives' Battle 1992 ".In 1993 though drummer Yumiko Saito left Ars Nova and was replaced by Akiko Takahashi, member of the New Wave/Avant-Garde bands Nothing Inside and Danball Bat.The following year Ars Nova returned with their second full-length attempt ''Transi'', released again on Made In Japan Records.

The Japanese ladies followed the same formula as with ''Fear & Anxiety'', a 6-track album of bombastic, keyboard-driven Symphonic Rock with a fair dose of melodies and a huge amount of virtuosic themes.Keiko Kumagai uses a variety of analog and digital keyboards, inclusing organs, church organs, Mellotrons and multiple synthesizers to produce the appropriate mood for its case.The style of Ars Nova is still grounded in the E.L.P./RICK WAKEMAN Symphonic Rock category, but this time they colored their sound with darker and more sinister atmospheres akin to DEVIL DOLL or GOBLIN.The performances remain excellent with Kumagai being the central figure.Superb edgy synthesizers and haunting organ sounds supported by huge Mellotron waves and some delicate harsichord in rich arrangements with a very dynamic rhythm section offer modern rock symphonies of nice quality for all lovers of technical listening experiences.The themes are complex and adventurous with a few smoother passages added for good measure, highlighted by the excellent self-titled track and its changes between horror atmospheres and more elegant and Classical-based textures.

Recommended to the audience of both vintage and modern Symphonic Rock, ''Transi'' is certainly a music heaven for all fans of majestic, keyboard-driven soundscapes with tons of virtuosic passages.