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Novela - Paradise Lost CD (album) cover

PARADISE LOST

Novela

 

Symphonic Prog

3.04 | 12 ratings

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apps79
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars King Records supported the next work of Novela by releasing an EP containing ''Requiem'', a brand new Symphonic Rock composition.The same track, divided in three parts, would appear a few months later on Novela's third effort ''Paradise lost''.The album was released following the announcement of the departure of bassist Yoshiro Takahashi, who went on to form the Hard Rock band Action!.He would take also guitarist Mototsugu Yamane with him.

Energetic and bombastic Hard Prog was again Novela's proposal and the first few tracks are delivered in short forms of fast-paced Hard Rock with driving guitars and lots of keyboards, featuring complex breaks, high-pitched vocals and powerful rhythmic parts.The sound is mainly based on the angular electric guitars, the few organ waves and the use of synthesizers, which offer a nice pompous edge to the music despite their rather synthetic sound.By the middle the music becomes more complicated and progressive with ''Ruins'' being a nice example of Hard and Orchestral Rock with E.L.P.-like keyboard acrobatics, atmospheric Classical breaks and mascular riffs.The centepiece of ''Paradise lost'' though is the 3-part, 15-min. long ''Requiem'', another strong Symphonic Rock piece in Novela's list of epic compositions.A gentle GENESIS-like intro with a poetic mood will leave its place to the bombastic execution of Egawa on synths and Mellotron, while the second, all instrumental part is a big surprise, sounding somewhere between KAIPA and FOCUS, featuring crying guitar solos, powerful orchestral Mellotron strings and a heavy rhythm section.Third and shortest part is close to the sound of LE ORME and THE NICE with a romantic, Baroque-inspired organ performance by Egawa.The last and propably the best Novela epic composition.The next few tracks show the band returning to its Hard Rock/Proto-Metal roots, showered by lots of symphonic keyboard work, bursting tons of energy through the raw vocals, virtuosic guitar moves and punchy synthesizers.

While ''Paradise lost'' contains maybe the least progressive Novela material to date, ''Requiem'' is possibly one of the best Symphonic Rock pieces created by a Japanese band in the 80's.Recommended for this magnificent track and the high level of energy of the group in the rest of the album.

apps79 | 3/5 |

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