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Nightales - The Voyage

Artist:	Nightales
Title:	The Voyage
Label:	Mellow Records MMP 316
Length(s):	62 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1997?
Month of review:	03/1998

Line up

Mark Walczak - keyboards, bass
Ken Lotz - drums, keyboards
Ben Jaeger - guitars, keyboards
with help of Rachel Ziegert (oboe), Kara Higdon (flute), Mandy Gelhaart (clarinet), Jason McKinney (bass clarinet) and Terry Michaels (acoustic 12-string)

Tracks

1)	Departure	3.51
2)	On The High Seas	10.05
3)	Morning Light	2.36
4)	Eventide	8.46
5)	Wandering Moon	3.08
6)	Endless Days	6.31
7)	Distant Encounter	7.24
8)	Conflict	9.02
9)	Remembrance	3.28
10)	The Voyage Home	7.43

Try a sample of the album in MP3 or RealAudio

Summary

The last names of the many of the people may suggest a Germand band, but I suppose this band hails from Milwaukee in the States, at least that was where the recording was done. They delivered a concept album (surprise). From the booklet I conclude (I'm not sure) that some of the people in the band has something to do with the band Paragone, which according to my information was a...German band.

The music

The Departure of the album is a rainy Camel-like track with percussive piano and a soft wailing guitar, reminding one of stormy nights. On The High Seas also contains quite a lot of guitar and again has a distinct Camel ring. This however is not the moody Camel of Harbour Of Tears, but the jazzrockish one of Moondmadness, although the moodiness creeps in somewhat after the middle. The basswork is rather pronounced, quite fluent, and the keyboards lay down the groundwork for the melody, while the drumming is quite relaxed. The guitar plays the main themes, but strangely enough the music written by the non-guitarists, Lotz and Walczak. After the quiet Morning Light, the band returns with the bouncy Eventide. This track is rather similar to On The High Seas, but with keyboards dominating. The sounds that have been chosen and the easy-going tempo make this not one of the highlights of the album. The addition of the piano at the end is tasteful. After another keyboard interlude we come to Endless Days. As on most of the tracks on this albums, the drums make the music sound like the sea: rollers, breakers, only the occasional seagull is missing. Distant Encounter is pregnant with mellotron in the best of traditions, laced with acoustic guitar and build on a longing melody that rises to great heights in the end with the addition of oboe, flute and clarinet. Chilling. I still wonder whether more power would have driven this song to even greater heights. Just over nine minutes is Conflict with pronounced percussion and dark keyboard sounds with the return of the guitar, a thunderous duel at sea and ending with the macaber March Of The Dead. Remembrance sees the return of the horn section, quiet, but also reminiscent of Philip Glass (not neurotic though). The closer The Voyage Home combines in its opening low sounds (I was thinking of stand-up bass, but it does not occur in the instrumentation) with keyboards, after which the tempo picks up.

The artwork is not so good. Being rather trite it does not live up to the music.

Conclusion

Great melodies, great playing and good compositions. Highpoint is Distant Encounter, weakest track is Eventide. At first there seems to be a prominent Camel reference, but since the keyboards slowly take over the album, there's less of that later. One negative point is that although the music is beautiful, they could have included a little more bite.