The previous album of Nautilus When Time Is Just A Word (2024, see review) was a really good album which I "rewarded" with ***+ ; however their new album A Castle Full Of Secrets, their tenth studio album by the way, is far better as it features sheer wonderful guitar solos and melodies galore all over the album. The sound of Nautilus is a wonderful mix of Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Alan Parsons Project, Klaus Schulze, and Ash Ra Tempel with the guitar work of Martin Ludwig as centre point of their music. A Castle Full Of Secrets is an instrumental album as well as a concept album and again the theme of the album is inspired by the French science-fiction author Jules Verne. The lyrics/ story of this new album of Nautilus are based on the 1892 novel The Carpathian Castle and lots of times the music on this album really sounds cinematic indeed. Smoke Above The Castle features David Gilmour-like goosebump guitar solos, while a track like Vampire Cathedral is the most electronic piece of this remarkable album, as it is overloaded with driving synthesizers. Time For A Change is a beautiful up-tempo track, while Misty Morning Lights is almost 100% cinematic with wonderful melodies and of course again outstanding guitar work by Ludwig. However, Nautilus saves the best for last as In The Last Days Of Empathy is truly the absolute gem of this album. Just put on your headphones and marvel at the brilliant guitar picking by Ludwig, as he delivers the guitar goods in this song brilliantly; goosebump solos and melodies galore that make you want to press the repeat button over and over again. In The Last Days Of Empathy ends this extraordinary album in a more than brilliant way. So melodic guitar lovers, this is a true buy or die album indeed. Play it loud on your headphones and you will be blown away for sure. Highly recommended indeed! **** Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
