VOIVODE DRACULA

Karda Estra is a project that has been deep in my mind and musical tastes for some years ago; it is one of those bands that I really like because of its unique and original sound, which hardly can be compared to another one. The talent of Richard Wileman, this English composer who is the brain behind Karda Estra, is unquestionable, a man engaged with the music, responsible of his compositions and actions, which is reflected in the music that he, with his female guest musicians produce.

In 2004 Karda Estra released one more album; the title is "Voivode Dracula", as you can imagine that classic Bram Stoker's book works as an inspiration of this album. One more time music and literature work together. If you are familiar with Karda Estra, then you know that it is instrumental music, there are no lyrics in the composition, but in the booklet you will find fragments of the novel that can be related with each of the five songs performed here.

The first song is the title track, a long composition that almost reaches ten minutes. The atmosphere since the beginning gives a sense of terror, a dark and nervous mood which perfectly reflects what the novel suggests. The music is beautiful, that classical symphonic sound that is always present in KE's music can be listened since the first seconds. There are some short but evident changes within the track, reflecting the mood of the novel's character and context, I mean you can create images in your mind and let the music take you to another place.

"Lucy ? Festina Lente" represents another character, and you will notice it because the atmosphere is different from the previous song. Here the piano introduction and later those haunting female vocals will take you inside Lucy, you will feel part of the person so you can understand her behavior and fears. I love the way the music transmits several things, how come an instrument, a note, a sound, can share emotions; it is the composer's and musician's fault.

Now your mind will travel to "The Land beyond the Forest" so prepare yourself to this dangerous, but quite adventurous journey. Quiet, be careful with your steps and decision. This is what the music is telling me now. That dark atmosphere created in the beginning can scare you if you are not prepared, but once you are used to it, you can walk alone and discover everything around you. The piano, acoustic guitar, drums and all the wind instruments in special gather together and produce beautiful sounds, spectacular game of colors and textures, all united in one single track.

"Mina" is a beautiful composition that starts with a delicate piano sound, and then a clarinet appears and later will be joined by those angelical female vocals. Within the eight minutes you'll hear some minor but constant changes, the structure is always changing but the essence is the same. One minute before the song ends, there is a major change where the music rises from the ashes and explodes as a giant. Seconds later, it slows down and returns to that soft classical sound.

The last, and longest song of this album is "Kisses for Us all". Female vocals that can be either cautious or scary start the piece, later a piano and the other instruments appear, the whole album show some parts where the music sounds like an orchestration, but we have to remember that there are only seven musicians involved here, so their work is really outstanding. There are some moments that may sound repetitive, moments where the atmosphere is the same, but that is essential for Karda Estra's music, once it caught your attention, you will not stop until the whole album finishes, at least that happens to me. This long composition is also excellent, because it will take you to several passages of the novel, it won't let you go until the end, because will be expectant to what's next.

This is another example of the quality of Karda Estra. They are always working to release great albums, which to be terribly honest, are not for everyone's tastes. I love Voivode Dracula, I love it since the first time I listened to it, in fact I loved Karda Estra since the very first song I heard. That is why I support Richard and put my grain of sand writing these reviews.

I invite you to listen to this band, any of their albums is guarantee of good music. This time I will give four stars to Voivode Dracula.

Enjoy it!

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