Karnataka - 'Requiem For a Dream'

As before, Ian Jones is still the main man and his latest female vocal partner is an exotic lady of Cypriot descent by the name of Sertari who had previously been recording as a singer-songwriter. By my count, she’s the 4th singer in the band among many line-up changes over the years and it has been eight years since the last Karnataka album so there is some lost time to make up for. Sertari’s immediate predecessor, Hayley Griffiths, came to the band from the cast of Riverdance / Lord of the Dance and Hayley has also recently released a slightly schizophrenic double album of rock and folk music and she’ll be out on a UK tour in October of this year to promote it. With the exception of the epic title track, there is less of an overtly Celtic feel to this new Karnataka opus, other than hints of a slight Dolores O’Riordan inflection in Sertari’s vocal on the opening track. Sertari really is an intriguing singer. She’s excellent throughout and certainly adds personality and intrigue to the mix.

That opening track, ‘All Around the World’, is one of two 11-minute songs on the album and it is a signature piece. The tick-tock spoken intro amplifies the clock imagery in the album artwork and the eco-doom theme becomes clear from the lyrics long before we get to the short Greta Thunberg sound-bite that’s embedded in the song. Despite the subject matter, this is an uplifting song with a buoyant bass line, soaring layered vocals and an absolutely delicious wall of musicality including swirling keys and pin-point guitar interventions.

The other 11-minute song is ‘Forgiven’ and it starts off in a similar vein to the Within Temptation song of that name but quickly finds its own course and depth, supplemented by some subtle Omen-style Gregorian chanting, before Luke Machin’s guitar sets a course for the stratosphere. Other than Jones and Sertari, all of the other musicians are billed as ‘special guests’ but Machin’s playing is an absolute highlight.

Of the “shorter” tracks, only the delicate ‘The Night’s Dance’ comes in under six minutes whilst the haunting ‘Sacrifice’ also has a gossamer beauty and a delightfully melodic extended guitar outro. ‘Look to the East’ continues a familiar direction for Karnataka; the band name is drawn from the Indian region of that name and they’ve previously had songs such as ‘Road to Cairo’ which also draws on Eastern imagery.

One of the most intriguing numbers is ‘Say Goodbye Tomorrow’ which starts ominously with a tolling bell and distant thunder, but just when you’re thinking “here comes the rain again” it kicks into a delicious almost 80s synth rhythm with an enchanting vocal from Sertari and authoritative guitar work from Machin. As excellent as this and the other shorter tracks are, the sweet ‘Don’t Forget My Name’ is actually the song that lingers easiest in the mind after a couple of listens.

Of course, the whole album is building up to the monumental 25-minute excellence of ‘Requiem for a Dream’ itself which reprises the climactic catastrophe theme but somehow retains both optimism and positivity. It gets off to another ominous sounding start and includes several mournful Celtic passages featuring Nightwish collaborator Troy Donockley and his omnipresent uillean pipes as the track passes skilfully through many different phases before adding a tick-tock bookend. There is a real prime-time Marillion feel to the keyboards and bass at times and even some Rothery-esque guitar flourishes but Sertari also shines and this is a real statement piece that amply demonstrates the excellence of the overall effort.

I believe this album has been some time in the making and even features contributions from former members. However, it seems that Rob Wilsher has subsequently joined the band on keyboards and will join Jones, Sertari, Machin, and drummer, Chris Allan on a good-sized UK tour throughout September 2023 which crosses the border for dates at The Ferry, Glasgow and Kinross in early October, with Rockfiend scheduled to attend the latter.