Feast of Silence

Feast Of Silence是Vas自In The Garden Of Souls之后最新作品（不计其间乐队成员Azam Ali与Greg Ellis各自推出的个人作品），也是他们的第四张专辑。与之前乐风如出一辄的三张稍显不同，Feast Of Silence带来了些许变化。一是首次把guitar，bass，cello乐器等带入以往只有民族乐器的阵容中，例如雾气般的In Our Faith和氛围化的同名曲Feast of Silence，类似Mark Knopfler的吉他拨弹跃于各色民族声响之上，成为推动乐音前进最主要力量；另外，女主音Azam Ali首次用上英文创作语义明确的歌词，如明显带有商业单曲素质、甜美悠扬的The Reaper and the Flowers，以及前面两首吉他主导的作品，也算是迎合大众的亲切改变吧；最后，Azam的唱腔中保加利亚的传统咏唱风格用得较往次明显，比如Izgrejala就完全是首保加利亚式的合声歌谣，而伴随专辑的商业化，她的歌唱技巧也加入了更多流行色彩，是否瑕疵，见仁见智。当然，只有当Greg飆劲的敲打与Azam飞溅的击弦和咏唱在Mandara、Moksha、Kali Basa等曲中如怒熖般翻腾时，才是Vas的音乐最为璀璨辉煌的瞬间。 by Adam Greenberg Feast of Silence is the fourth album from world fusion duo Vas (vocalist Azam Ali and percussionist Greg Ellis). The range of instrumentation as well as vocal technique have been expanded thoroughly since their previous albums. On the vocal end, the first things one will notice are the new use of English lyrics here and there, and more importantly, a sudden reliance on Eastern European stylings. The polyphony is decidedly Bulgarian through portions of most of the songs, alternating with a collection of other styles. Indian and Middle Eastern sounds flow easily and beautifully from Ali, often with some pattering accompaniment on what sounds like an udu or a ghatam, perhaps. Touches of guitar and bass are also new to the sound of the duo, but stay largely in the background, giving Ellis the ability to stand at the forefront with an array of percussion. African drums can be heard from time to time, but the bulk of his work appears to be in the Middle East and the subcontinent, with some cymbals heard here and there. While there's a wealth of sounds here, the palette is almost overused at times, running dangerously close to falling into pure new age, rather than ambient world fusion. Regardless, it's an enjoyable listen, just be careful for Ali's long notes. Arise, for flower again will the fears that spin around. But fear need not to fill a heart that is home bound. All songs produced and arranged by Azam Ali and Greg Ellis except Moksha, produced and arranged by Greg Ellis and Feast of Silence, produced and arranged by Azam Ali and Tyler Bates. String arrangements by Greg Ellis. Engineered by Greg Ellis. Mixed by Greg Hunter, Greg Ellis, and Azam Ali. Assisted by Daniel Kresco. Recorded at Atman Studios, Los Angeles, May-December 2003. Mixed at Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, January 2004. Mastered by Steve Hall at Futuredisc. Technical support and advice - Dan Pinder. ● Amrita (Churning the Sea of Milk) Composed by Azam Ali Azam Ali – voice Greg Ellis – percussion Tyler Bates – guitar, keyboard drones Pejman Hadadi – tombak Deepak Ram – bansuri ● In Our Faith Composed by Azam Ali, Greg Ellis Azam Ali – voice Greg Ellis – percussion Cameron Stone – cello Tyler Bates – guitar Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass ● Mandara Composed by Azam Ali Azam Ali – voice, hammered dulcimer Greg Ellis – percussion Deepak Ram – bansuri, voice ● Izgrejala Traditional, from Bulgaria Arranged by Azam Ali Azam Ali – voice Greg Ellis – percussion Maser Musa – oud ● Moksha Composed by Greg Ellis Greg Ellis – percussion, hammered dulcimer Cameron Stone – cello Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass ● The Reaper and the Flowers Composed by Azam Ali Azam Ali – voice Greg Ellis – percussion Cameron Stone – cello Tyler Bates – guitar Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass Brent Meyer – bouzuki ● Bardo Composed by Azam Ali, Greg Ellis Azam Ali – voice Greg Ellis – percussion Cameron Stone – cello Tyler Bates – guitar ● Feast of Silence Composed by Azam Ali, Tyler Bates Azam Ali – voice Tyler Bates – guitar, keyboards ● Kali Basa Composed by Azam Ali, Greg Ellis Azam Ali – voice, hammered dulcimer Greg Ellis – percussion, hammered dulcimer Cameron Stone – cello Greg Ellis’ percussion instruments includes – udu, nagara, frame drum, mridangam, ghatam, cajon, chan chan, kharkharba, talking drum, rig, dumbek, tapan, sabar, toms, symbals, bowls, zils, shakes, gongs, bells. Absolutely no rhythmic loops, programs, or sequences used.