Anyone familiar with the prominent Gothic/Ethereal stars Ataraxia have heard the talented compositions of Vittorio Vandelli.  As a member of Ataraxia he has performed around 200 live concerts all over Europe and Latin America.  He has also been a key member throughout the numerous releases by this famous band.  His latest endeavor is to take this vast experience, coupled with his many talents to create his solo project.  September, 2004 marked the release of his debut solo work A Day of Warm Rain in Heaven on the Equilibrium Music label out of Portugal. With his close ties and foundation in Ataraxia, it's easiest to compare his solo work to much of what was released over the past several years with this group.  The classical guitar provides much the foundation for his music, but includes everything from classic, acoustic, electric and synth guitars, along with various keyboard pads and other elements to create a wide variety of musical styles all sprouting from the classical foundation.  His music should definitely appeal to fans of Ataraxia along with various other neo-classical groups and related genres. I am excited about the potential from this solo work and welcome any additional side projects or related works with such talent.  You can listen to selections on the Ethereal radio show here or visit the Ataraxia website for soundclips and more information.

A Day of Warm Rain in Heaven - Review I was really surprised when news of this solo work came out.  I was pleased to hear the beautiful musical renditions contained therein once I put this CD on for the first time. Since I first put it on, I've had a hard time taking it out and have been enjoying this album immensely. The lyrical content is based on the poetic imagery of The rhyme of the ancient mariner by S.T. Coleridge.  The music presents a sweeping canvas and backdrop for this interesting opus.  On top of the magnificent musical compositions we are presented with another member of Ataraxia in the form of the talented and very unique vocals of Francesca Nicoli.  Her vocals range from angelic and heavenly sounding to deep and pronounced.  She really brings out a unique personality in the vocals to capture the feeling of the lyrics in such a unique way.  I really think the mood and feelings of the original writings come forth quite clear. With all of that being said, it's really the music and compositions presented by Vittorio that are at the heart of this work.  The listener will hear heavenly ethereal works one minute and then be taken to the bombastic industrial tones the next.  But all of this is done through smooth transitions as if you were on a theme ride with each track telling part of the overall storyline.  The album begins with "Farewell farewell, thou wedding-guest" with beautiful orchestrations and spoken word that build and finally ebb and flow, fading into the instrumental piece "Beneath the lighting and the moon".  The music varies slightly through the next pieces at times with talented vocals as described above and other times with pure instrumental wizardry. The title track has quickly become a favorite of mine with it's unique driving force that isn't really pounding or dance-friendly, but just sweeping and majestic with it's minimal percussion and the various synths and guitars becoming the melody that carries the piece.  This seems to mark a turning point or a climax in the album as the subsequent pieces begin to wrap up the story and the beauty fades with the final stunning notes of "Sails in the sun". I don't know what more I could say about this album.  The music is perfect in so many ways and high acclamation should be given to Vittorio for his work.  Francesca's added vocals are very nice and bring new life to many songs and help bring out the further visualization of the story behind the music.  Her accent is quite strong in some of the spoken word pieces, but is still intelligible and I'm sure that to some that adds a bit of romantic quality to the music. Overall another beautiful masterpiece I can highly recommend to fans of the softer gothic/ethereal related genres. Rating: 4.5/5

Website: http://www.ataraxia.net/ Label: Equilibrium Music