STILL SEARCHING

The second album of Arcansiel was released simultaneously with the first album in 1990 but still sounds great today. This is stuff for fans of Genesis with Peter Gabriel but there's also some pop influences. The music is gentle, romantic and delicate. It's almost unbelievable the duration of the opening track is more than 20 minutes. You'll hardly notice it, "I'm still searching" is full of mood swings and great melodies that stay in your head once you've heard it. The rhythms are quite original. Only the rhythms Saga uses on their first albums are comparable with this. Especially the keyboards are played in the staccato form. Some excerpts do sound a bit too technical but soon it changes into an emotional climax. Mark Kelly or Mike Oldfield comes to mind when hearing the creepy keyboard melodies on the first two tracks. "Your only treasure" is a nice ballad with great solos from guitar and saxophone towards the end. The sax seems to fit to the sound of Arcansiel perfectly, sometimes it seems John Helliwell is a member of this band. Every instrument is played very well, just listen to the great guitar solos and drum parts. Maybe the voice of Marco Galletti does sound a bit thin every now and then. A better mix could solve this. There's a jazz approach to the final track "empty pages" just before the melodies from the first track return to close the circle. When compared to the first album the production is a lot better and the songs are more accessible. To my humble opinion this is a good album with great symphonical moments. I don't know if the band still exists but I do know Arcansiel recently re-recorded some of these songs for a compilation album.

Well probably this is the only one that is really worth to buy from the beginnning to the end...apart from the bad mix, this suite in the neo-prog vein sometimes is characterized by some original and interesting melodies at the tenor sax and a good symphonic "support" too, thanks to a few lush keybords.Nevertheless I should have preferred a diverse approach during their electrical/ acoustic excursions:certainly such melodic lines are pretty dynamic, but a more "fusionesque" sound, in the vein of bands like Eris Pluvia, should have been much better in my opinion...never mind, cause the suite is often powerful and "convincing" as well, in a lot of breaks through at least, especially when the guitars are overlapped. The romantic sound, which is closer to the "Gabrielesque" spirit of the early IQ and Marillion, is quite memorable anyway; and to me it makes the present album deserve also a major score!Unfortunately- afterwards-Arcansiel were not able to be "progressive" in the same manner: perhaps the reason is that the new singer had got a different mood and style, in the vein of such hard rock, unlike the founder Marco Galetti. But that was a different story...good, sometimes an excellent addition to any prog collection, even though the label "Contempo" was too much small to let the band think of bigger things!!

It's very good CD from Italian Neo-prog band ARCANSIEL. The very beginning evokes COLLAGE and MARILLION in listener's mind...Despite vocalist's accent and the obvious hand-madeness of the whole record, it sounds very good, with surprising saxophone wonderful solos and great guitarwork.Opening 21-minute epic "I'm still searching" leads a listener through a gallery of moods and shifting pictures - can be compared with best Italian Neo acts!!! Other tracks are less complex and of a "songy" nature, reminding me of my favourite Clive Nolan's project - SHADOWLAND!

Enjoyable and overlooked record, non-essential, but recommended for Neo-Prog/ melodic prog/GENESIS+MARILLION-inspired prog fans.

Arcansiel's debut album was promising and I must say that this follow-up just keeps on with the promises.

The wonderful epic "I'm Still Searching" holds every aspect of prog that pleases me : nice vocal harmonies, great musicianship of course, subtle and light instrumental passages, very powerful keys, a touch of fantasy with some pleasant sax which will lead to a jewel of a song. Well, it is actually a piece of over than TWENTY minutes. And extremely pleasant ones.

It is a bit of a shame that this band does not have more exposure on PA. Almost no review for none of their album while "Arcansiel" truely deserves some attention. I tell you : at the time of release, this album is far much better than any which the Italian prog dinosaurs produced. Do not remain in doubt. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

There are of course some Genesis-like moments ("Trespass", "Foxtrot" with "Supper's Ready" flavour). But like in their first release there won't be any obvious attempt to sound as Gabriel. The similarity will remain in the musical parts. Not the great riff or solo ones. No, Arcansiel plays in the division of the subtle and sweet ones. And I just believe it is great. You'll have to listen to these good and gentle sax parts here. Do it and tell what your feelings are. I am absolutely found of the mood of this track. Beautiful music, I tell you. Even brilliant.

The remaining parts of this album are of course under the shadow of this superb symphonic track. "Angel of March" is more on the harder edge, fully neo-prog. The song is repetitive almost during its whole lenght. Only the last two minutes will bring some variety. Again, great sax part. Very pleasant song.

The rock ballad "Your Only Treasure" has a catchy melody and, again, the duo sax / guitar is just great. But I guess that this is just what prog is all about : provide EMOTIONS (I guess you already know that I am found of these...). The closing number sounds pretty much like an ... IQ song but you'll have to add again some great sax breaks to get the full picture.

I like this album very much and I will rate it with four stars. It is definitely their best album and I strongly recommend it to you. Do listen to it, please. And share your views as well.

This is a gem of the neo-progressive rock from the 90s, a very good second album from Arcansiel. This album is like a neoprogressive version of Nuova era, their sound and production is about the same although Arcansiel is firmly rooted in neo-style in the vein of Marillion.

The first song, I'm still searching, is the best and longest song, over 20-minutes and is one of those rare songs that actually keeps you interested for the whole time. Fantastic melodies keeps coming on and on all those 20-minutes. A song that I still enjoy so many years after I bought the album. One of my all time favourites.

Angel of marsh is another good one, not as good as the first but still really great melodic neoprog with emotional vocals.

Your only treasure is not as progressive but full of emotions and melodies, really good one.

Empty pages continues in the more melodic vein and closes the album although this one is probalby the weakest one on the album, good but not great.

Arcansiel's Still searching is a hidden gem of the 90's neo-progressive rock and one that I always enjoy playing. The opening 21-minutes is fantastic.

One of the unfairly unnoticed neo prog bands from Italy is for sure Arcansiel, they heleped the neo prog scene to develop in the '90s and I think they worth to be investigated for their fantastic second offer Still searching, issued in 1990. I know this album for 20 years and every time I'm returning to it, I find new and new delights in the music, one of the albums from neo zone that I have a soft spot. Musicaly speaking they are not far from Marillion fame or other english neo prog bands from late 80s to early 90s, maybe at some point that are similar with Fancy Fluid also from Italy and contemorary with Arcansiel. Still searching is a mature release with very fine moments, the guitar/keyboards interplays are fantastic melted with synphonic/neo prog passages of the finest calibre. Is enough the opening little monster piece clocking around 22 min I'm still searching to see that Arcansiel was a very promissing band in this field. Very good are the vocal parts, Marco Galetti voice is quite fine for such music. All in all a very worthy release for neo prog fans, I think Still searching is among the best kept secrets in neo prog zone not only from Italy but in gneral. For me 4 stars easy, and recommended.