Ataraxia - Lost Atlantis CRUEL MOON INTERNATIONAL

Italy’s icy Ataraxia continue to layer atmosphere upon atmosphere of operatic “ambient” music into one numbing, tension-filled but unmistakably beautiful soundscape. I must warn my readers that, even those of you who can appreciate “a little” classical or opera influence in modern music should approach Ataraxia with caution, as Francesca Nicoli’s emboldended voice might all but smother you with it’s glass-shattering falsettos. Francesca Nicoli is a stunningly beautiful woman and, more often than not, her voice is as cool and graceful as she is. Ironically it was the male vocal duet “Hydra Hyali” that caught my ear from the last Ataraxia opus, Historaie and unfortunately they(programmers/percussionists/guitarists Giovanni Pagliari and Vittorio Vandelli) don’t return to the microphone this time. Another big irony in the fate of Lost Atlantis is the fact that the vocals might be too extreme for the majority of HELL FROST’s audience. They soar like an albatross at times, skimming layers of ancient atmospheres in the most EPIC way imaginable, and at other times, more subdued they seduce your ears like a luxurious she-demon singing a rapturous melody. But alike Historaie they also can get a little “rough”. Opera purists(how strange it is that I would ever make reference to such in a magazine as HELL FROST....) will however find her omnipresent and thundering falsettos to expertly walk the line between classical and ambient. Ataraxia are of Italian origin though you may agree there is a more “Greek” atmosphere to these songs. Many of them(“Aperlae”, “Dolphins”, the title track, and “The Land of Sand of Gold of Ruin” especially) will set a picture in your mind full of crystal blue waters, towering pillars, and rapturous bare-breasted mermaids gracing the scenery. The music, being mostly synth-based, is impressive and sets a very authentic and mythological mood that is nothing short of epic. The moods seem to be(overall) more “light” than “dark”, though there is a definite “evil” to Ataraxia isn’t something I can listen to more often than once every few months, but this CD alone will add significant variety to your collection. (no timespan available) 81/100.