DIRGE

More lovely, densely orchestrated prog from Mr. Sirius, featuring the incomparable voice of Hiroko Nagai. Weirdly, she sounds eerily like Barbara Streisand here at times (as on "Love Incomplete"), yet it does work for the music.

As with the previous album, there are moments of blistering fusion mixed in with the symphonic beauty. Opener "Fanfare/Legal Dance" is rather in the Ain Soph/Kenso mould, and should appeal to fans of those bands. On the other hand, the achingly beautiful instrumentals "A Land Dirge" and "A Sea Dirge" display Miyatake's synth, piano and classical guitar techniques to a most stunning effect.

The 21-minute "Nile For A While" suite is probably the band's finest hour. Starting with mesmerizing tribal percussion, it continues on a journey of lush orchestrations and Ain Soph-ish fusion-prog passages, with Nagai's powerful singing voice tying it all together expertly. Definitely one of the stronger Japanese releases!