|
I've waited too long to write something about this, but I'm still
undecided as to whether this is a bold and refreshing experiment,
or an overwrought failure. Book of Sand has some truly inspired
moments; great bombastic swells of Centurion Conquest followed by
sequences of interminable boredom. "Conquest" captures the
imagination early on, but subsequent tracks follow with diminishing
returns. Part of the shtick of this album involves the integration
of heavy metal guitars mixed with a Roman Symphonic…of sorts.
Frankly, the classical elements of the music stand well on their own,
and any attempt to create cross-genre appeal are lost in the clashing
cello-guitar moments that mar the experience. Nevertheless, I can
see fans of the Pink Floyd concept album finding a place to
enjoy in this album; maybe not all the time, but certainly for a good
deal of it.
My personal relationship with the album seems to keep getting jerked
between summary dismissal and a desire to laud it as the next big
thing. One thing's for certain: the product on the whole is in great
need of refinement. The concept maintains its stylistic consistency
for the most part, but for something lacking in lyrical narration,
I think that a video accompaniment to the musical story is certainly
in order. DVD is the real medium needed for this music, and with
the proliferation of 30GB iPods, we may not be far removed from
that day. MTV (rot in hell) may have ruined video, but the key to
its revival is in the palms of millions of hands right at this very
minute.
On another note, Tarantula A.D. are quite an event to see
live. They hold the audience breathlessly captive for nearly an hour
with a passion and energy not present on the album. So while the studio
offering may not grab your attention, the stage event is certainly
worth seeing.
-JD
Track Listing:
1. The Century Trilogy I: Conquest
2. Who Took Berlin (part i)
3. Who Took Berlin (part ii)
4. Sealake
5. The Century Trilogy II: Empire
6. Prelude to the Fall
7. The Lost Waltz
8. Riverpond
9. Palo Borracho
10. The Century Trilogy III: The Fall
Check out more
reviews
 Talk
Back
e-mail the chief
Like this article?
e-mail
it to a friend!
|
Tarantula
A.D. 
