KARDA ESTRA

The album opens with the 5-part 17-min. suite "Surrealisms", which is possibly the best piece of this album.Wilemann insists on producing impressive and dreamy soundscapes, blending light Progressive Rock with Classical and Soundtrack Music and the result is often a cinematic experience full of ethereal female voices and classical instruments.This particular suite contains also hints of Folk music at moments, that sound quite delicate and make it even more complete and balanced.The following short 2-part ''Miniatures'' is an attempt of Wilemann on Chamber Music with the use of classical instruments, propably more of an academic interest.The last piece is the 6-part 30-min. ''Soundtracks'', which unfortunately spoils the album's balance so far.The title characterizes perfectly these six pieces, which sound actually like soundtracks for different films than a complete arrangement and additionally this kind of music is very far from any enviroment related to Progressive Rock.From spacey synthesizers, acoustic crescendos and bombastic Orchestral Music to Gothic and dark moods and an Avant-Garde minimalism, Wileman's talent on producing a variety of atmospheres is undisputed, but as a piece this is very far from an essential listening.

Great addition for anyone tracking down anything close to Soundtrack Music, but not of major interest for a Progressive Rock fan.A few rock elements and tons of atmospheric soundscapes, which are hard to follow through as a whole.

So don´t get fooled by the label of symphonic prog. There is very little prog in here, few symphonic parts and no rock at all. But again, the music itself is not bad. Like I said before, if you like suave, delicate instrumental soundtracks you should check this out. But don´t expect anything more than that.

Rating: definitly this one ois for the fans and collectors. 2 stars.

It is dreamy, it is atmospheric, as always it is incredible and when one is in the mood to be reflective there is little that hits the mark as perfectly as this. www.kardaestra.com

This album hasn't been released on CD, but instead has been made available at www.bandcamp.com where the purchaser can pay as little as ₤1 to download the album in whatever format they wish. Richard has also provided details there of who plays on what song, who assisted in the composition etc. It is the perfect accompaniment to a darkened room and a large glass of malt, or do as I did which was listen to this at night on the deck looking at the stars with the moreporks (our local owl) adding their own eerie voices to proceedings.

Clocking at only 28 minutes, ''A Winter in Summertime'' could have been easily a great film score due to his Avant-Garde atmosphere and very orchestral sound.Much influenced by ENNIO MORRICONE, Wileman decided to use the same approach on his otherwise rock musicianship and the result is an album close to the likes of later-era HOSTSONATEN, GOBLIN and NIKLAS BARKER.Most of the tracks feature sonic soundscapes, credited to the female choirs or wordless vocals, virtuosic acoustic guitars, electronic loops and haunting piano lines along with some viola parts, creating both a frightening and ethereal atmosphere.A deep and doomy rhythm section is also present on these tracks.The electric guitars are used sporadically and mainly in a background role, despite having an evident KING CRIMSON vibe.The rest of the tracks, actually a pair of them, are pure Avant-Garde/Orchestral pieces with a very grandiose and dark atmosphere with slow and deep arrangements, performed by Wileman on keyboards and programming, sometimes supported by acoustic sounds.

Perfect effort for a film soundtrack but definitely not everybody's cup of tea.Nevertheless, ''A Winter in Summertime'' is not an album for everyday listening, it requires a specific mood linked with deep, orchestral and atmospheric instrumental echoes.Overall recommended.

'Chronoclasm I' Light washes of acoustic guitar and vocals contrast with melancholic oboe and dark bass.

'Transmissions' A slightly heavier piece due to the presence of electric guitar, the second track offers typically lovely and engaging music.

'Fifty Below Zero' Lively yet low, this third bit of music has beautiful female vocals with astute compositional twists.

'Eternity Station' Keeping the expressive, opiate nature of what has come before, Karda Estra adds gnarling electric guitar heaviness, juxtaposing that with fairy-like beauty.

'Girl in a Spaceship' Taking a jazzier countenance, 'Girl in a Spaceship' is akin to the bossa nova greatness of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

'Sea of Tranquility' This piece is more nebulous and lacks the captivating nature of the previous tracks- still, a nice tune.

'The Sky Below' The dream is interrupted here- something about this doesn't appeal to me. I'm not sure if it's the tones (which sound unnatural) or the lack of flow. A few brief sections are, as usual, exquisite, but as a whole, the piece lacks flair and cohesiveness.

'Radiance' This chord progression is not attractive to me, and I feel this track could have been better off without the minimalistic drumming. Admittedly, the album has begun to lose my attention at this point.

'The Doll's House' Languid piano leads into more airy melodies. The abrupt harpsichord section seems tacked on without reason.

'The Celestial Lounge' Using harsher guitar tones in the beginning, this piece suddenly becomes reliant on acoustic guitar and the usual wind instruments. The transitions remain difficult to follow. It reminds one of the folky side of Gentle Giant or Mike Oldfield.

'Invaders from Venus' The album returns to easygoing, upbeat jazz.

'Chronoclasm II' The final piece is a spacey conclusion.

Okay, so that's not an entirely fair description of the music contained on this album. Richard and his band have created more here than just something to go to sleep to - the lovely acoustic guitars, the haunting vocals, the gorgeous strings, and so forth - they all combine here to create some truly beautiful instrumental music. Texture is the name of the game, melody rears its head with fair frequency, and this album starts pleasing from the first moment until the very last.

This is my fourth Karda Estra album, and it combines the soothing aspects of Constellations and Eve with the otherworldly aspects of Weird Tales to create something that's not quite as haunting as the latter, but still beautiful in an eerie, fragile way.

There is nothing on this album to really shock or offend, in fact this album, despite the above description will not really surprise the listener at all, especially if you have listened to the works of this project before. This is not a bad thing, the band has mixed things up a bit but remains completely recognisable as themselves and nobody else.

Ultimately this is an album that is very relaxing. The kind of album that, when you want a bit of music to accompany you on your journey to dreamland, you might think of. Not quite a lullaby, per se, and definitely good for more than just falling asleep to - but peaceful.

Wow, words almost fails me when trying to describe this music because this band is pretty unique. Wow........ This is not an easy review to write.

Karda Estra is building soundscapes and sound sculptures on this album. That by the means of both acoustic and electric instruments. I get some Aranis vibes here and that is a good start point for me. But Karda Estra is a lot more symphonic than Aranis. Hence, they are in the Symph Prog genre. But they have a lot of avant-garde and some new-age elements in the sound sculptures they have created on this album. The mood is sometimes dark, but always mellow and pastoral. It is like Genesis at their most pastoral. That and mellow, pastoral Rock Progressivo Italiano. Add a lot of classical music too. Karda Estra is in essence a chamber orchestra with a wide variety of instruments. Oh, that does not make them a chamber orchestra then. OK, replace that with a baroque orchestra playing a gig in one of the great French cathedrals. But don't believe this album is an easy listening album. It is not.

The quality of the music is great throughout and this album has become a firm favorite in my office and in my home during the last week. I love their sound and I love their sound sculptures. The music is also as challenging as a vertical rockface. A nice workout for anyone's brain, that is. This is definate an album you should get.

4 stars