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If all the comparisons of this band to Marillion are
indeed true then I can only say how happy I am to have waited
until their newest and fourth release Nostimon Hemar on Musea.
I sure don't hear anything like the afor mentioned band. I
hear a cohesive and musically inspired concept work that hearkens
back to days when Fish wore short pants. This is a thematically
and, more importantly, musically unified work based on the
struggles of Odysseus to return to Ithaca. The band sees this
tale as an allegory of current events in the world. Draw whatever
conclusions you will about that but draw this conclusion on
this new release, it's very, very good and will continue to
draw you in even after repeated listenings.***
Lead vocalist Ima has a rather restrained range for a
female vocalists but she is emotive and experienced enough
to do a lot with what she does have. Occasional spoken verse
in Greek and English augment the theatrical quality of this
engaging music. This band sound very Italian to me, but what
do I know, right? I haven't heard any of their previous releases,
but this is more like Alphataurus, and Museo Rosenbach, maybe
even a bit of Magenta and IQ. What I am saying here is that
this is a great, keyboard heavy neo/new prog metal disc.***
Keyboardist Alix sounds like she used vintage keys for
this. There are endless passages of Hammond organ, non-polyphonic
synths and not overtly digital sounding Mellotron. Just when
it begins to get just a bit samy sounding the story takes
a sinister turn which allows a lot of instrumental interplay
by the band that result in a few almost fugue like passages
(well…..kinda). Through "Polyphemus" and the following "Circe"
and "Tiresias" Alix utilizes common variations and ties these
great tunes together conceptually. "Nissos Sirinon" is the
closest thing here to an epic at 9:11 and it is also the emotional
and musical highlight of this release, with chugging guitar
against regal Mellotron sounds. Gaining tempo and intensity
as it goes on it careens up against Kosta Savvides's nuanced
acoustic guitar again and again in a crashing finale. This
is a band of very good players for whom frequently changing
and complex passage present no problem yet they never play
in a flashy manner simply to draw attention to themselves.
The bands rhythm section is locked into the heavier parts
of this epic work and there is never a wimpy or cheesy moment.
Guitarist Savvides grinds away at the appropriate moments
which should keep fans of progressive metal and nu-metal happy
enough.***
After the first track "Anakroussis", the last three,
"Calypso", "Phaeacia", and the final, triumphant "Ithica"
do the best job of meshing the essence of the poetry that
inspired this great album and the music that this band is
capable of producing.***
This is a story of struggle and this music is definitely
filled with that energy and drive. This is an excellent and
refined disc. I hope La Tulipe Noir will continue to keep
Greece and the rest of us supplied with music of this quality
from time to time.***
RATING 4.5/5
©Thomas Karr April 15, 2006
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