DIRGE

Mr. Sirius left behind a masterful prog treasure, but fortunately ''Barren dream'' was not his last official release.A second album followed three years later and this time he (along with Hiroko Nagai and Chihiro Fujioka) decided to hook up with two more members: Bassist Hidehiko Muraoka and guitar veteran Shigekazu Kamaki, former member of Orpheus and future leader of Kehell.The new work of the group was entitled ''Dirge'' and it was released in October 90's on King Records' Crime sublabel.

Nobody would expect that Mr. Sirius would return with a flawless and shining release like ''Barren dream'', as these types of albums see the light one in a thousand times, but ''Dirge'' is also a great work, full of excellent interplays and majestic soundscapes, despite sounding a bit unfocused compared to the debut.The music follows more or less the same vein, containing excellent Symphonic Rock with vintage inspirations, supported too often by Fusion touches.In fact the new guitarist has a tremendous soloing ability, very close to ALLAN HOLDSWORTH's style, offering bombastic and highly virtuosic moments.He pairs nicely with the acoustic textures of Miyatake, who's delicate flute work remains one of the band's trademarks.Again Hiroko Nagai prooves to be one of Mr. Sirius' biggest weapons: Pleasant, non-accented and clear English vocals are delivered between the furious interplays and the powerful breaks.The cinematic Classical influences of ''Barren dream'' are also present with an THE ENID-like grandiose approach through the use of synths, Mellotrons and acoustic guitars.The most important difference with ''Barren dream'' is the inclusion of a very long epic.The 21-min. ''The nile for a while'' is a great example of technical Symphonic/Fusion, most of it contains adventurous interplays, Classical references and emphatic, rich textures with violins, organ, flutes and electric guitars in evidence, sounding a bit like OUTER LIMITS.The different themes are sufficiently connected to each other, offering varied moods, while the dicreet Canterbury flavor is apparent through the more Fusion parts.And last but not least, the performance of the rhythm section is impressive and solid with plenty of complex plays.

Another winner by, propably, the best Japanese band of the 80's.Super-tight musicianship, that changes from complicated and technical playing to atmospheric, cinematic textures in a blink of an eye.Highly recommended.