IN LIMINE

In Limine is FINISTERRE's undoubtedly most matured and intricate work and combines multiple music genres as classical, jazz, folk, modern electronics and rock. Overall it's a very beautiful and elaborate album involving many different instruments, although it might take a few listens to get into the extensively used sudden shifts between quite different music styles. I was listening to ISILDURS BANE's The Voyage not long time before this one and since that one is the closest comparison that come to my mind, my first impression after a few listens was that here the combination of all this styles does not sound that homogenously as on their album. This one here is a bit more incoherent and the styles are employed more in parallel to each other rather than really merged. The integration of the classical instruments into the rock environment is not quite as perfectly done as it was on The Voyage. But that's in fact the only minor flaw I can quote about this album and nevertheless it's IMO one of the best albums done in the 90's and very close to a masterpiece. And although the music is much in the spirit of the great 70's masters like P.F.M., BANCO and LE ORME, FINISTERRE managed to find their own style and this piece of work does not sound derivative at all. I'll try to go a bit detailed through the individual tracks:

IN LIMINE

After a very short prog-ish intro the title track starts with a kind of mix between folk and Crimson-esq music with two different alternating melodies, after about three minutes there is a second part with keyboard followed by some sax and piano and on top of that there are as well some electronic effects included. The track finishes with a section in a more symphonic rock vein. Already quite a lot of different styles during these seven minutes. Really breathtaking!

XXV

Next one is a very nice acoustic and mellow one with flute, acoustic guitar and vocals in english sounding quite soft, beautiful and almost free of accent. In between there are some sections with piano or Mellotron. A very beautiful song!

PRELUDIO

This is a very atmosheric track in a slightly dark mood with ethereal synths, whispered vocals, some sax and piano playing as well some electric guitar later on. A rather unique and unusual but nevertheless very nice one!

IDEENKLEID LEIBNITZ FREI

Very strange title and indeed the strangest one but as well one of the highlights. It's a quite weird jumping between free-jazz sections with very expressive sax playing, acoustic classical ones with flute, piano and more laid-back bar jazz with keys, drum & bass. The track ends with a quite sudden free-jazzy chaotic finish. A really impressing song and not easy to digest!

HISPANICA

This one is offering some recreation from the exhausting previous one starting with soft cello and violin, followed by some keyboards and soprano sax and developing into a folk-ish, quite typical 70's Italian Prog song involving flute and Spanish acoustic guitar. The final section is changing into a slower tempo and adding some piano playing. A not very intricate, but very nice song!

INTERLUDIO

In this interlude a quite simple melody is been played in repetition and multiple voices using flute, acoustic guitar and something like a bassoon (probably keys) are layered on top of it.

ALGOS

That's another highlight of the album and to enjoy it fully, one should like both classical and jazz music (Well I do!). The introduction is pure classical slow piano playing, then there is a more jazzy keyboard section, followed by a rather folk-ish one. Thereafter a quite extreme shift in style happens towards more modern electronic music with sounds like bubbling and whistling followed by a final part again in a more classical vein with violin and soprano sax. Wow, all this in only 13 minutes, again something really not very easy to take but in some way fantastic!

ORRIZONTE DEGLI EVENTI

This one could be described as a folk influenced Progrock song involving piano, electric guitar and as well some electronic sounds. For sure the one with the highest rate of rock elements. Again an excellent track!

SUMMARY:

In Limine is a fantastic album involving multiple styles and instruments and with some more homogenity and coherence it would be a masterpiece. But without any doubts it's a great piece of work, a big effort of the band and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone liking good music no matter which genre and to any open-minded prog fan. For sure it should not be ignored as an essential album in Prog. 4 ½ stars would be a proper rating in fact!