SECRETS OF ANGELS

Karnataka is a Welsh progressive rock band formed in 1997 by Ian Jones, Jonathan Edwards and Rachel Jones. The project was augmented by Paul Davies and Gavin Griffiths. The name Karnataka was chosen from a suggestion by Ian. Karnataka is the name of an Indian province in which Ian stayed for some time in the mid of the 90's. Karnataka is strongly supported by the Classic Rock Society and released a total of 5 studio albums, till now, "Karnataka" in 1998, "The Storm" in 2000, "Delicate Flame Of Desire" in 2003, "The Gathering Light" in 2010 and "Secrets of Angels" in 2015.

It's always a pleasure to discover a band out of sheer curiosity and to find them exceeding all my expectations. Karnataka is one of those bands that I hope we'll be hearing always more about. Actually, Karnataka is one of those bands that despite has been some momentous line up changes throughout the band's history, Karnataka have always managed to keep an amazing uniformity and quality into their music. None of their albums are in reality weak works.

So, "Secrets Of Angels" is the fifth studio album of Karnataka that was released in 2015. The line up on "Secrets Of Angels" is Hayley Griffiths (lead vocals), Carloenrico Pinna (vocals, lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars), Çagri Tozluoglu (keyboards and programming), Ian Jones (vocals, bass, bass pedals, keyboards and programming) and Jimmy Pallagrosi (drums and percussion). "Secrets Of Angels" had also the participation of Troy Donockley (Uillean pipes and low whistle), Seána Davey (harp), Rachel Van Der Tang (cello), Clive Howard (viola) and Lynn Cook (violin).

"Secrets Of Angels" has eight tracks that runs for an hour and is comprised of seven average lengthy tracks and one 20 minute opus. With musical themes that harkens to its title, "Road To Cairo" picks up right where "The Gathering Light" left off stylistically, with a slight shift only to adjust to Hayley's vocal style. With a wicked time signature backed by an Arabic scale, the band begins a great musical journey. "Because Of You" opens as if it will be a gothic ballad with a lush piano intro, but soon delivers to a symphonic cacophony of bliss with huge power chords and a great vocal performance from the new vocalist Hayley Griffiths, making her first appearance. This is probably the most radio friendly track on the album. "Poison Ivy" is a song of pain and agony. Haley's voice gets really aggressive here. It's sung with conviction with the band in the background as a perfect complement. It has a typical sound with low symphonic keys and all the moves except for low riffing guitars. It has also an elaborate orchestration. "Forbidden Dreams" is a sprightly rocker with a hugely memorable chorus that it certainly will become as one of the sing along favourite for fans. It opens up with a haunting piano line and soon becomes enhanced with cymbals and light percussive elements. This is one of the most emotional tracks on the album both instrumentally and lyrically. "Borderline" is one of the darkest and heaviest tracks on the album that begins with a heavy dark and brooding intro before going to a straight away progressive hard rock composition. The solo lead vocal work is complemented by lush harmonies in the choruses. The great performances of guitar and keyboards further extend the song. "Fairytale Lies" begins with a vocal interlude that develops with rich instrumental arrangements, vast guitar excursions and lush harmonies. This is a glorious concoction with tumbling keys and a striking string arrangement, topped off by great lyrics and an astonishing vocal work. This is a master class track in mood and atmosphere. "Feels Like Home" is a pretty and touching ballad. The way that it develops is compelling. As the song goes on, more and more layers are added to the music and vocals. Beautiful vocal backing tracks overdubbed the song ending in a cascade of harmony vocals. This is possibly one of the best ballads the band has ever created. "Secrets Of Angels" with over 20 minutes long, closes the album as a return to Karnataka's folk roots with pipes, acoustic guitar, gentle singing and a Celtic feel. It returns to the band's sound on "The Storm". The sound develops into a robust arrangement drawing on the previous themes on the album. This epic is a great number that works perfectly well with the contributions of Troy Donockley of whistle, Uilleann pipe and the lovely Celtic harp. In reality, Karnataka have shown to be masters of longer pieces before.

Conclusion: "Secrets Of Angels" is a melodic and beautifully crafted symphonic album with a striking production and an excellent sound quality. It clearly demonstrates the significant development of the Karnataka's sound. "Secrets Of Angels" is a triumphant work of Karnataka. Wonderfully melodic and hugely dramatic without being in any way corny, varied in feel yet somehow effortlessly cohesive, beautifully recorded and mixed, and very sympathetically mastered. It's probably the best sounding album of the band. The material is very strong and managed to both tread new ground and sound like "classic" Karnataka at the same time, which isn't a simple thing to do. I think that "Secrets Of Angels" is a must have for all fans of the melodic and symphonic prog rock. So, I only can easily recommend "Secrets Of Angels".

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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