EARTHLY PARADISE

After being gifted a couple of years ago with a copy of EPIDAURUS' "Earthly Paradise" I could finally solve a mystery that haunted me since the late 70s: those heavenly mellotron tunes and marvelous vocals heard in 'Actions and reactions', the opening track for this timeless gem. Now, I'm quite sure that one of my long life problems has been solved and I may rest in peace, well, not too soon; I still want to hear this song many times more.

I know little about EPIDAURUS: only the album itself, the bio herein and some clearing reviews, but the main perception comes from their quaint symphonic sound. Their music alternates cool and peaceful parts with others full of vigor and splendor: catchy, nice, and beautiful. Eager to have in hands their second album, released a decade and a half later to check if they kept this incredible atmosphere.

Apart from the song mentioned above, one of my favorites in the progressive scenario, "Earthly Paradise" offers still another jewel, the surprising 'Silas Marner', this time plenty of flutes and acoustic guitars sounds, interchanging with dream-like vocals.

'Wings of the dove' is quite hearable even not being original for bringing a typical British prog sound of early 70s, most noticeable from bands like CAMEL or YES. 'Andas' blends symphonic and jazz, making the band looks like its contemporary krautrock acts, although a bit disappointing. 'Mitternachtstraum', the ending track, is nice and weird, with many pleasant touches of space-rock and experimentalism, even with dull and repetitive passages.

A fine output, doubtless, where the first two tracks overtop in a way that the entire album is honestly an excellent addition to any prog collection.