Eric Neuteboom in Progvalhalla writes
PAX ROMANA – And The Dance Begins Again (***1/2 of 5 stars)
I bought this CD (the successor of the debut CD Trace Of Light from 2005) during the Symforce III festival in the Dutch city Tilburg. The keyboard player is a member of Kataya that performed on that festival, you can consider his band Pax Romana as a side project. I was a bit familiar with their sound because of the triple-CD Tuonen Tytar on which Pax Romana deliver one song.
Their music on And The Dance Begins Again contains a lush instrumentation that range from a wonderful vintage keyboard sound (frequent Hammond and Mellotron layers), violin, tenor saxophone and sitar to Grand piano, acoustic guitar, ‘lap steel guitar’ and ‘slide guitar’ and the hurdy gurdy. And we can enjoy a lot of variety in the pleasant song that are arranged very elegantly: from dreamy with emotional vocals, twanging guitar and piano or an intense guitar solo with mellow Hammond organ of soaring violin-Mellotron to fat bluesrock with Bruce Springsteen-like vocals or an acceleration with a beautifully build-up violin solo.
On the entire album I am impressed by the strong interplay of guitar and keyboards and the pretty eclectic musical approach, don’t expect progrock like ELP, Marillion or Porcupine Tree, this is prog that scouts the borders between several categories, those who love vintage keyboards and alternating prog will be pleased by this wonderful album!
PAX ROMANA – And The Dance Begins Again (***1/2 of 5 stars)
I bought this CD (the successor of the debut CD Trace Of Light from 2005) during the Symforce III festival in the Dutch city Tilburg. The keyboard player is a member of Kataya that performed on that festival, you can consider his band Pax Romana as a side project. I was a bit familiar with their sound because of the triple-CD Tuonen Tytar on which Pax Romana deliver one song.
Their music on And The Dance Begins Again contains a lush instrumentation that range from a wonderful vintage keyboard sound (frequent Hammond and Mellotron layers), violin, tenor saxophone and sitar to Grand piano, acoustic guitar, ‘lap steel guitar’ and ‘slide guitar’ and the hurdy gurdy. And we can enjoy a lot of variety in the pleasant song that are arranged very elegantly: from dreamy with emotional vocals, twanging guitar and piano or an intense guitar solo with mellow Hammond organ of soaring violin-Mellotron to fat bluesrock with Bruce Springsteen-like vocals or an acceleration with a beautifully build-up violin solo.
On the entire album I am impressed by the strong interplay of guitar and keyboards and the pretty eclectic musical approach, don’t expect progrock like ELP, Marillion or Porcupine Tree, this is prog that scouts the borders between several categories, those who love vintage keyboards and alternating prog will be pleased by this wonderful album!