VENI VIDI VICI

1. "Adagio" (0:56) "strings" á la Wolfgang Amadeus. (5/5)

2. "Veni, Vidi, Vici" (7:56) powerful drumming but too much Emersonian bombast. (13/15)

3. "Gradus ad Parnassum" (13:55) (26/30)

4. "Tower of Thoughts" (5:01) power drums, bass, Mellotron, and piano create the opening for this before Magdalena enters sounding like HEATHER FINDLAY or CHRISTINA BOOTH. Impressive fretless bass play. Speed changes and power chords are interdispersed before a new motif is introduced in the third minute by the organ and piano. Were it not for the proportion of classically-informed keys, this song could come straight off of a MAGENTA album. (8.75/10)

5. "River of Tales" (3:12) solo classical-styled piano ballad supporting Magdalena (and Nisse)'s voices. Beautiful on all counts. (9/10)

6. "Juxtapoint" (4:16) two chord synth intro which is quickly joined by active drums and bass. The keys, drums, and bass all show off a bit before slowing down to support Magdalena's vocal. The recording sound here is a bit out of balance--maybe the "jusxta"position that Pär Lindh is trying to "point" out. Amazing guitar speed of the soloist in the fourth minute. For me, the drums here are just too over-the-top--otherwise, this is a pretty good song. (8.75/10)

7. Le Grande Chambardement (2:13) 8. Adagio con flauto et clavicembalo (0:54)

9. "Hymn" (4:55) a beautiful, church-like choral vocal arrangement opens this song before church organ and solo female vocalist take over. Chorale chorus with stark violin solo precedes full-rock combo with thumping bass and drums backing a synth solo. Violin gets the next solo over the full rock arrangement before synth closes out this section, yielding to the returning female vocalist and her organ and choir support. Excellent song! (9.5/10)

10. "The Premonition" (7:34) now we've moved into RICK WAKEMAN territory--complete with the flaws that Rick has become known for in his too-stereotypic composing and soloing styles. The performances are all impressive, there's just too much bombast--several times it even makes me cringe. Once the music settles into a pocket, after the first round of vocals, it has a great sound and mix for the keyboard and guitar soli. The Hammond organ soli here sound more like KEITH EMERSON than Wakeman--and the alternating church organ give it the feeling as if Keith and Rick were duelling a bit. "Orchestral strings" get the next solo in the smooth seventh minute. Despite the bombastic opening, this one is quite nice--and memorable. (13.25/15)

Total Time: 50:52

Overall, the more aggressive prog approach--especially the hyper drums--don't work as well for me. Also, the sound/engineering mixing is off on a few songs. In my opinion, the best material on this album comes from Pär Lindh and Magdalena.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music--not quite up to the brillance or clarity of Mundus Incomperatus or Gothic Impressions but still worth your time and attention.

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