A lot of Ataraxia's fans have been worried about their prolonged silence, being their last studio-album, Kremasta Nera issued in 2007, even if they proposed some new tracks, partially included in their brand new release have already been performed on the occasion of some live concerts, but after the issue of a precious collection, Oil In Canvas, including an elegant photographic book, this long wait could be said finished as well as totally paid by a very good release, the 23th added to their rich discography. Their sound has turned into something totally different from stylistic gardens full of dark roses' bunches, planted in relatively recent releases such as Paris Spleen, so that I'm glad to ascertain they've not make the usual mistake, i.e. a certain stylistic repetitiveness, bands with a distinctively recognizable sound like Ataraxia's one normally make as well as I'm glad to notice they've not be submitted to minimalist flatteries! In Llyr, the Gaelic name of the notorious instrument used by bards and Greek lyrical poets whose shape seems to have been inspired by the arch drawn by swans' neck, the darkest side of the band has been mitigated by their renowned interest in shamanism and therapy music, being both elements blown into the record through the narrative trick of telling the story partially inspired by Celtic traditions, pagan myths and feminine celebrations of Nature, whose main character is Siqillat, a fictitious Persian healer travelling across different ages and places while changing his semblances and even their sound appears more luminous and 'narrative' than previous acts as well as enriched by Celtic elements. As usual, their way of composing and performing is just apparently plain as if the listener dwells upon the rich complexity of instrumental (you could recognise 12 guitars, sitar, gamelan, flutes, keyboards, bells, santoor, tablas, boghdan and many other percussions, whose important role in the line-up together with the astonishingly wide-ranged voice by Francesca Nicoli is probably one of the most prominent property of Ataraxia's textures ), he/she could easily understand and appreciate its stature.

There're some tracks such as the title-track and the initial Siqillat where the band seems to brush their 'trademark' sound up, but I personally prefer tracks such the dark-tinged (maybe the darkest parenthesis) Quintaluna or Payatry Mantra where the energy and the impressive vocal extensions ' even in the most 'static' performances she's able to confer an ethereal sense of movement to the composition throughout a wise use of staccato bowing'¦) by Francesca are so evident than someone (including myself) could think other female vocalists took part to the recording sessions! Other evocative sublime peaks have been reached by the very long suite entitled Evnyssien, whose vibrant alchemy is based on appreciable arpeggios by Vandelli and enriched by dreamy and delicate flute inserts as well as by the entrancing closing track, Borrea, another interesting example of the perfect balance between the ethereal smokes coming from the musical pot of Vandelli, Pagliari and the percussionist Spaggiari (recently joined to the band) and the sublime voice by Francesca. Llyr is definitively both close to the enlightened and close to perfection!