THE MAD MONK AND THE MOUNTAIN

Aah, the important thing in such minimal lineup project is that it shouldn't sound empty, it shouldn't sound that just one man is sitting there. Which "The Mad Monk and the Mountain" fortunately doesn't sound and I'm glad for that.

The sound is very lush, "duet" of voices in Two Lighthousekeepers sounds very dramatic, only guitar line is mostly quite monotonic for my taste (yes, it helps to create an atmosphere of interesting introduction to the story - I have a feeling that it's more story than music though). Tilting at Windmills starts in a calm approach, with the guitar (and later guitars) capturing me with it gentle beginning, slowly progressing, being faster and faster, before finally climaxing. It's a long song, but certainly not a boring one, even it's basically study of one repeated theme in its second part. The Ends of the Earth is Irish flute themed one (actually I can find many similarities with atmosphere of Irish music - not the funny type one, but more melancholic instead) with ethereal vocals. There are many layers in this song.

And the story is slowly continuing.

The Mad Monk and the Mountain is a moderated storm of music. Again, graduating type of song, even this time I think I like it more than Windmills. It's more thrilling and tasty. Caradon's Surprise - Who's surprised ? I certainly am, even I should be accustomed to encounter this kind of interludes. This word exactly describes what it is, pleasant little song which links two parts. In this case, two wilder parts. Nice contrast. The House on the Rock is actually a very beautiful piece of work. Complex, more complex than the rest of this album starts in a style that "The Enid" or some South American Symphonic Prog band (Quaterna Requiem) could use, it shifts four minutes later into more "rocky" (like sandy or perhaps windy) and second half is similar to Windmill and title track.

4(+), Being mostly instrumental, it's more demanding for your imagination to work the story out, but I think it's a fine album and I can give it heart-warming rating. Three stars is too low and I don't feel like giving the best rating, while there are few flaws present.