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The Ancient Veil - The Ancient Veil

Artist:	The Ancient Veil
Title:	The Ancient Veil
Label:	Mellow Records 280
Length(s):	60 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1995?
Month of review:	02/1996

Line up

Alessandro Serri - voice, guitars
Edmondo Romano - tenor and soprano sax, alto recorders
Assisted by various people among which:
Massimo Tarozzi - drums
Gianni Serino - bass
Antonella Trovato - oboe
Marco Fadda - drums, percussion, tambourine
The Willow Quartet
etcetera

Tracks

1)	Ancient Veil	7.09
2)	Flying	3.11
3)	Feast Of The Puppets	2.08
4)	Creature Of The Lake	4.17
5)	Gleam	4.15
6)	Walking Around	1.25
7)	The Dance Of Elves	1.52
8)	You'll Became Rain Pt. II	2.08
9)	Can You Feel Me?	4.05
10)	Dance Around My Slow Time	5.25
11)	Night Thoughts	7.13
12)	Landscape And Two	4.36
13)	New	2.45
14)	Talking Frame	8.27

Summary

No history so far. Well, I found out that this band is the same one as Eris Pluvia and it seems this is a title that is selling quite good.

The music

After a while it becomes clear that this in one way a very varied album, sometimes folkish, sometimes jazzrockish but always lyrical and subtle and on the other hand the album lacks fire (which is not so strange), but also a versatility to make it all come out right.

My main problem is with the vocals on this album. Especially in the first track they are at times off key and the vocals are accented and the articulation is a bit slurry. Especially for an album like this it is very important that the vocals are alright, because they cannot be drowned out by the occaisonal electric guitar.

Most of the melodies on this album are non-obtrusive and laid back and remind me of a more folky and up-beat Renaissance or Flairck with vocals.

There's a lot of saxophone and flute involved on this album and in this they are certainly comparable to for instance Celeste.

Better tracks on the album are 6 with a choir and intricate harmonies, 7 with a good violin part, 10 is a an overall good track with a very good melody, while 12 evokes very well the desolation of the Bolivian highlands with only Bolivian panflute played on this track.

Conclusion

As a whole The Ancient Veil focuses on depth, melody and atmospere rather than drive. Some parts of this CD are fine in my opinion (e.g. 6, 7, 10 and 12). My biggest problem with this album is that it is usually too easygoing and the tracks have little in them to be remembered. As a whole the album is not strong enough to compensate for this, but I wonder how the album would have sounded with Italian vocals. Probably a lot better.