3654 DAYS

Swiss band CLEPSYDRA (not to be confused with the British or the Italian band of the same name, both of which appeared in 2000s) was formed in 1989, and with the release of their debut album "Hologram" they quickly rose to prominence in the early '90s becoming quite the popular feature in the European prog scene, often described as the Swiss version of Marillion. The band folded in 2003, but following a decade long hiatus they returned in 2013. One year later they marked their return as an active band by releasing the limited run box set "3654 Days", featuring remastered versions of all their four studio albums from their initial phase of activity, with bonus tracks, and a booklet, chronicling the history of the band. The set was released through the Swiss label Galileo Records. From what I understand, the CDs in this box set have also been made available as individual releases. For the record, I will have to add that I had a minor role in the production of that box set, and while my role as a reviewer is to be as unbiased as possible, a personal involvement in such a production merits mentioning, due to the possibility of bias.

Clepsydra's first phase of existence has been covered in full with the release of the box set "3654 Days". Just about all known history of the band has been collected in a booklet, and all four studio albums are a part of the package, remastered, and with bonus tracks, filling up just about what remains of free space on these CDs. The box set as such comes across as a product made for fans of the band, old and new alike, a product that gives them everything they want to know and hear about the band's first period of existence, presented in a stylish, well made package. With some splendid artwork as a part of what you pay extra for, if you go for the box set rather than the individual albums. For those not familiar with this band, I'd recommend fans of bands like Marillion and Pendragon to try out Clepsydra for size, and then to start with the albums "Fears" and "Alone".