AETHER

Very nice release from this brazilian symphonic band Aether. In their second release they prove they learned a lot and the overall feeling is very good. There are some great guitar work that reminds od Camel and Pink Floyd, while the keyboards and rhythm section has a more jazz rock feel on most of the songs. The production is quite good and the artwork is beautiful. I feel the songwriting department needs a little boldness and more inventiveness. Still the music is very pleasant and interesting. The only real downside on this album are the vocals: they are ok but nothing more, the band would gain a lot if they had a real singer with the same vocal potential as the instrumentists. Unfortuynatly this is something rather common in a lot of bands that have a very strong instrumental work (should they get rid of all lyrics and become a instrumental only essemble? Certainly they have the chops to do so, if they wish).

Inner Voyages Between Our Shadows is a good album and Aether is a promising group. I´m looking forward to hear their next work. If you´re into 70´s symphonic rock with some strong Camel a Floyd influences, you should give it a try. 3 stars.

The brazilian Camel has finally arrived!

Usually, when you talk about the major progressive rock acts from the 70's, some bands just seem to be, somehow, forgotten by people, just because they didn't have a flying piano during their live performances or because they didn't sold millions and millions of album or because they didn't have hundreds of copycats back in the days. Camel is one of those bands.

Although that may be true around the world, at least in this part of the Equator Camel is a fairly popular band among progheads and had surely been influential in this sunny land, as Aether can attest with their releases so far. In their debut, the band Aether shows us that they are heavily influenced my Camel's music in many aspects, from being mostly instrumental, to the type of singing (almost monophonic) and to the ethereal guitars and synthesizers. Also, in some degree, they seem to have some Floydian influence as well. However, unlike other modern bands who look to the 70's prog acts for inspiration, their music do not sound derivative.

There is, however, one big problem with this album: some songs sound way too generic. Don't get me wrong, the album is, overall, great, but some songs just sound like the generic 90's prog, like the songs Whales and November. Maybe that happened because they intended to make a broad approach, experimenting and trying the different aspects of their music instead of focusing in just some chosen few. That may be it, because this debut lack some focus, it seems to be everywhere.

The highlights go to: Millenium, Autumn, Kings & Knights, The Altenburg Suite and The Woods.

Grade and Final Thoughts

Being one of many prog bands that came to life in the 90's in Brazil, Aether was able to deliver a solid debut with great overall quality, but still a bit raw and lacking focus. That would be fixed in their next release, but that is another story. For a very good release like this one, i think 4 stars is a fitting grade.

I remember I wrote a review on their debut album, which was rather weak and amateur effort. With this one AETHER got much better; it’s like another band! Imagine CAMEL-influenced Prog with long epics, fusion-leaned instrumentals, fiery guitar/keys interplays and some obvious PINK FLOYD/ALAN PARSONS hints, and you’ll get the idea how AETHER sounds like. They are still a bit amateurish, sometimes they lack tenacity and inner power, but I’m pretty sure they know how to achieve it. Being far from masterpiece, nevertheless this is a solid release in its own nature, and I can recommend it to all CAMEL/FLOYD lovers (well, don’t expect THAT much though ;) ).

Honestly I'm kinda shocked a bit with all these positive reviews. I appreciate efforts of the band, but lets face it - this is DIY self-made product with cheap programmed instruments, lame arrangements and new-agy attitude. A little PARSONS/popppish CAMEL/FLOYD thrown into it, but nothing more. Avoid, if you like something more interesting and care for quality of the record.

I owe tho this one to keep the rating growing! A mellow and romantic amalgalm of brasilian school, Mike Oldfield influence mixed with a "new agey production" but still it never failed to keep my attention and pleasure in the listening. In some ways it reminds me of a "lighter" Tempano, this venezuelian outfit i truly love. Even if it's a collection of songs from various periods, one would hardly notice as there is a sense of unity to the whole record. Hands up!

Nice surprise when this first reached our ears , being hotly recommended by the local prog store, who unbiasedly lives in Brazil 4 months of the year. The prog tradition there is very reminiscent of their attitude , a blend of creativity, passion and relaxation . Most Brazilians are so laid back , no wonder they have only soccer and sex on their minds. Aether features the uniquely melodious guitar stylings of Vinicius Brazil, whose Hackett/Latimer/Falsini style is even more aquatic , very upfront and cascades boldly through some very Camelesque material. The bassist is also a great player (very common to most bands from this country) and both keyboards and drums complement the arrangements well. But the "Guitarra" really steals the show, worth checking out , as this is a pretty original take on the genre. There is also an abundance of atmospherics of all types , very soundtrackish (generally a very good omen of quality)and a deliberate interest in creating astounding sounds and gorgeous melodies. The material has a hard to describe warm Halloweenish/gothic feel , as if a group of Celts and the girl from Ipanema decided to unite their talents !!! In ending, its the originality of their style and their sound that truly deserves praise. Definitely a band to watch. 4 cariocas

3.5 stars.This is a collection of songs this band has done over the previous twenty years.Yet there is a surprising unity in this record.The band says "Each song represents a musical vision of an image,a moment or a situation". There is the "Altenburg Suite" consisting of songs 8-13,which is a symphonic vision of one of Germany's old castles.There are also two trilogies."Whales","Trinidad Island" and "Ocean" make up one,the other is "Autumn","November" and "Woods".This is primarily an instrumental album save for two tracks.And one of them "A Bright New Day" really sounds like the MOODY BLUES to me.One of the guys plays a synth guitar which sounds pretty cool on "Trinidad Island" and "November".There are some orchesteral movements and some sampling(like birds and children playing)on this record, as well as some amazing piano and organ on "The Lake".What i find interesting and rewarding, is listening to this album with the title of the song in mind,and trying to see what you hear.

I can't remember how I discovered AETHER, but I'm glad that I did...

This, their second album, shows how they have developed and matured, so often it's the second offering that is inferior, not in this case.

Whilst slightly ragged at times and tending to over extend some of the tracks, they are all well worth listening to. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh but the production aspect could do with some improvement... A downside unfortunately lies with the same keyboard sound being over used.

Good flowing melodic passages that demonstrate that the group are working well together and have a good understanding. Nothing overtly intricate but easily moving from one theme to the next, one track to the next.

Certainly an excellent addition to any collection. 4 stars.

AETHER (Greek) - Is the real quintessence of all possible energy; the Uneversal Agent which is possible for all energy manifestations of the material, psychic and spiritual worlds. One of it properties is the Sound.

This is basically a "best of AETHER" album of songs they have recorded over the last 20 years. Therefore it has become a superb album. Most songs are merely instrumental pieces, but there are magnificent vocals of ALBERTO CURI on "A Bright New Day" and "Kings & Knights". AETHER is also known as the "Brazilan Camel". Not hard to make this comparison once you've heard their music. If you like CAMEL and PINK FLOYD there's a big chance you will like AETHER as well. I see this album as a great introduction into Brazilian Prog- and symphonic rock!

Some other great Brazilian bands in the prog-rock scene worth checking out are: INDEX, TARKUS, SOLIS and TEMPUS FUGIT.

I only know this Brasilian four piece band from their tribute to the amazing 3-CD The Odeyssey Project, I wrote about them: "Aether from Brasil is the warm and pleasant final act on this 3-CD. They sound traditional with strong echoes from the neo-progressive movement with music that ranges from swinging with fluent electric guitar to dreamy with soaring keybards and mid-tempo with exciting synthesizer flights. The end is beautiful with sensitive acoustic guitar."

Well, after listening to this second album by Aether I can almost repeat the abovementioned musical analysis! The focus is on the wonderful, very flowing and warm guitar work, strongly evoking Steve Rothery and Mike Holmes (especailly the guitar sound on Dans Le Parc Du Chateau Noir), the album is layered with often compelling soli. The keyboards are tastefully colouring the music (strings, church-organ sound and some fine soli on synthesizer). It's a pity that the vocals are not in their native language because the music would have sound more emotional, now the vocals are a bit flat and you can hear the accent easily. And at some moments the atmosphere in the compositions is a bit similar, it's no coincidence that, in my opinion, the most captivating and alternating track is the cover A Night On Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky) delivering great bombastic eruptions and many strong breaks and accellarations. Nonetheless, this is a beautiful neo-prog inspired album that will please the fans of early Marillion and IQ and bands like Clepsydra.

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