review by:
TekkNoir
2004-10-10

This is the first solo record for Vittorio Vandelli, founding member and composer of Ataraxia, in which he plays guitar and of which he produced some of the albums. On this cd neo-classical and medieval folk has been turned into a modern coat and musically poetic images are presented invoked by the poem ‘The rhyme of the ancient mariner’ of the romantic 19th century poet S.T.Coleridge. This poem represents the perillous journey of a sailor, which turns into a odissey of sin, death and rebirth until the achievement of wisdom, a status closely related to pain and sadness as the individual becomes aware of the tragic condition he finds himself in as a human. For Vittorio Vandelli making this record was a personal sublimation of a profound spiritual existential experience in his own life and he felt that the only way to go further in life had everything to do with making this record. Musically what you hear as a listener is intense and tranquilizing at the same time. Also, one has to think of Ataraxia more than once ofcourse. Ambient atmospheres and accoustic guitars play their wonderful game and the vocals are of a almost otherworldy beauty. This however is not the only thing this record has to offer, as timeless ballads, sonatas and hypnotizing songs are also there, directly followed by grotesque and spatial ethereal compositions. The music is hard to grasp in words and to describe but it is modern and yet of timeless quality. Industrial moments and guitars are not feared either, and even someone like Anne Clark comes to mind while listening to Fransesca Nicoli’s voice reciting the lyrics of ‘A Sadder and Wiser Man’. This record is in every meaning of the word: fantastic!

9/10