A FINE STORMY WEATHER

By the time of the ''Limits'' release Jose Luis Pacheco had already left Dracma and Eduardo Camblor had taken his place.In early 95' Mellow Records asked them to participate on the Genesis tribute album ''The river of constant change'' and the band did so, covering ''The Light dies down on Broadway''.As with the first album, the second one was already prepared at Jan Cadela Home Studio in early 96' with new drummer Rod Oliveira in the place of Camblor and bassist Jordi Planas also in the line-up, but never published on Mellow due to lack of communication.In search of a new label Dracma signed with Musea and the new work ''A fine stormy weather'' saw the light in June 96'.

The second album of Dracma offers longer and elaborate compositions of Neo/Symphonic Prog with mid-70's GENESIS vibes and still obvious MARILLION hints.The guitar texts are somewhere between STEVE ROTHERY and STEVE HACKETT with many interesting solos, while the keyboards have a nostalgic 70's feeling at moments with organ and pianos appearing here and there, while the synth parts remain a dominant force of Dracma's music.Highly atmospheric passages and melodious soundscapes remain among the band's preferences and there are also some uptempo runs with richer musicianship, based on angular synthesizer flights and sharper guitar runs.The pieces have also a fair dose of breaks, leading from more energetic themes to lyrical, laid-back textures with a sensitive edge.On the other hand everything in here seems unoriginal and recycled, while Jimenez'es voice remains highly accented, although his singing has a very moving touch overall.The most positive aspect though is that Dracma's compositions are definitely good, well-worked and often intricate with light symphonic movements and strong, memorable ideas.

''A fine stormy weather'' is a great listening for all fans of Neo/Symphonic Prog, who don't mind the lack of a strong personality in their menu.Extremely balanced album with few highlights but plenty of good moments.Recommended.