a r t i s t : Centuria
t i t l e : Dreams And Feelings
d a t e : 2000
l a b e l : Black Flames
g e n r e : Darkwave
r l s. d a t e : Dec/2007
t r a c k s : 09
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 58,2 MB
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The debut album by Poland's melodic heavenly vocals band
Centuria is entitled Dreams and Feelings. Lead vocalist Anna
Wojtkowiak provides the central texture to the album with solo
and layered English lyrics and vocalise soaring above the
richly arranged keyboard instrumentals. The band is also
comprised of D.a.n.y (drums, percussion, samples) and Jaroslaw
Baran (keyboards, guitar, samples). The album is distributed
in America by Projekt and drew our immediate attention from
first listen.
From the news release, "Centuria is a new and extremely
interesting band that breavely explores dimensions of music
and sound that were relatively unknown before. A sense of
taste, that you have never met before, inspired by many kinds
of music, let the young beginners compose an unusual record,
unique in sounds, deeply emotional, sensual and original.
[Taken from the lyrics of the second track "Tristia",] Dreams
and Feelings is a well chosen title. Centuria means the music
of your soul; there is no room for metal agressiveness here,
although some associations with Fula, The Gathering or Liv
Kristine occur to the listener immediately. You can find here,
a feeling flawless beauty, fragility, sweetness and
inspiration. This is truly unusual music--Heavenly Goth--which
has a certain something. The band has existed merely for a
year and a half and this debut album was recorded in their own
studio and produce by themselves."
The album opens with the upbeat and higly melodic track
"Bewitched," in wich Anna's vocals draw the listener into the
rest of the recording. The rhythmic keyboard introduction of
"Tristia" immedately reminded us of Fula (review), however,
this track opens into a lushly arranged vocal masterpiece.
Crisp percussion underscores arrangement of the solo verses
and multi-tracked choruses while rhythmic keyboard scales,
reminiscent of the introduction compliment the metal-edged
instrumental bridges. Evocatively sung, the lyricless
"Forgetfulness," rich with soaring vocalise, demonstrates
Anna's range, power and virtuosity as well as the
instrumentalists' skills across a broader range of genres from
new age to heavy metal. In contrast, the sweetly sung track
"Fabella" is a well arranged upbeat and highly accessible
pop-oriented tune. Lush with layers of harmony vocals, Anna's
stunning solos break through now and again further enticing
the listener.
Unlike the tracks that precede it, "Omen" is an agressive
metal-edged, but highly rhythmic track, with contrasting
layers of sweet vocalise alternating with an almost-spoken
lyric. Tender keyboard textures add to gentle lead vocal line
of the atmospheric track "Apocalypse" before the agressive
second part of the track develops into its full splendour
illustrating Centuria's musical virtuosity. "The Awakening" is
the album's one gentle--almost lullaby--ballad. Sung sweetly
over a symponic keyboard-based arrangement, it illustrates the
softest side of Anna's vocal range.
We especially enjoyed the way that Anna's lead vocal broke
through the instrumentals of the lush symphonic arrangements
of "Heaven and ..." Listeners will fully appreciate her talent
as Anna's lead soars to the highest notes--reminscent of Annie
Haslam--on the album. The album draws to a close with the
short but progressively-arranged "Dytyramb." A blend of
orchestral rock and classical keyboard-based arrangements are
complimented by Anna's stunning vocalise.
Centuria's album Dreams and Feelings is indeed a tremendous
band with enormous international potential. The album is
readily available from Projekt and we fully expect broader
availablility as critical acclaim continues to build.
Certainly worth a trans-Atlantic journey, Centuria's debut
album is a must listen!
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01-Bewitched [04:56]
02-Tristia [06:07]
03-Forgetfulness [06:53]
04-Fabella [05:00]
05-Omen [04:41]
06-Apocalypse [04:59]
07-The Awakening [04:05]
08-Heaven and... [05:25]
09-Dytyramb [02:36]
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44:42 min