When I held the new CD from the Italian band Eris Pluvia in my hands, I had to think about the days you could only buy vinyl records. Third Eye Light is the second album of Eris Pluvia in twenty years, after their debut Rings Of Earthly Light. It has also been released in a gatefold sleeve like most albums in those days. Only this time the size of the sleeve is similar to the size of a compact disc. The music on this album also reminded me of the vinyl era. A large part of the album consists of mellow music reminiscent of Genesis during Trespass (1970) and Nursery Crime (1971), especially the acoustic guitar parts and the guest performance of flutist Roberta Piras. The interaction of guitar and flute sounds very relaxed. Rain Street 19, Somebody Cares For Us, Peggy and Sing The Sound Of My Fears brought me back to the golden age of prog rock music and that also applies to the performances on the electric guitar in the vein of Andy Latimer (Camel). Fine examples are the opening piece Third Eye Light, Shades and Fellow Of Trip. However, Fixed Course is a very contemporary track, because the heavy guitars on this fine instrumental tune could not be heard on the albums recorded in the seventies. In fact prog metal wasn’t even ‘invented’ then. The lyrics are sung in the English language, but it’s easy to say that they’re not sung by people who usually speak English according to the heavy accents. Maybe it would have been better to sing in the Italian language. For me the vocals, mostly done by guest appearances, are the weakest parts on Third Eye Light. Unfortunately none of the singers are strong performers. This is a pity, because good vocalists would have lifted the quality of the album to a higher level. However, there’s enough quality left on the second album of Eris Pluvia. The samples on their site made me realize that the sound of the band hasn’t changed much in the past two decades, but I hope we don’t have to wait another twenty years for a new Eris Pluvia-album. This new album made my hunger for more music related to the great era of prog rock even bigger. ***+ Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
