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Total Time: 56:34
STYLE: Progressive / HOME TOWN: Salem, MA Visit the Coven 13 Get Coven 13 GIG INFO Coven 13 |
 1998 I. Carnival Ride II. Fallen Angels III. Red IV. Dianne V. Book Of Shadows VI. And Oh, How I've Wanted You VII. Ophelia's Lament VIII. Haunted .ra .mp3 IX. Tell Me X. In Heaven XI. Hold On XII. This I Know XIII. I'll Be Watching You |
| Issue
#23
Oct.
'00 October. A chill is in the air as the harvest season bears down upon us. Bringing with it haunting visions of nature’s death, and within that death a rebirth. For untold centuries this seasonal cycle has been celebrated in a variety of ways. These ways have transformed themselves over the course of time into various cultures, the most notable and withstanding being that of Halloween and the images conjured forth; Ghosts, Goblins, the Undead, the Unknown... Enough. Open your mind and ears to the music of Coven 13, a band from Salem, MA that have released the CD Book Of Shadows (side note: Released long before the same titled sequel to The Blair Witch Project). Discard their extravagant live shows - which feature a Dark Carnival type troupe of dancers, juggles, and fire eaters outfitted in Gothic renaissance period style clothing - giving their music a eerily haunting, goose pimple inducing presence. And finally, let go of any preconceived stereotyping… Book Of Shadows is Progressive/Theatrical Rock of the highest caliber. With Amanda’s Classical trained and inspired piano playing (as impacting as early 70s Elton John – and used just as distinctively) setting the tone for Teisen’s soaring vocals that emote with the power (that most mid 70s Prog/Art Rock bands wish they could’ve had fronting them) needed to propel the songwriting and storytelling flow of the disc with haunting overtones of the love/life reflections that are as intertwined as the life/death contrast/marriage of the Autumn season --- Majestic in splendor! Opening the disc is "Carnival Ride", a Tempest style march with Teisen’s Carny barker vocals urging us inside as he tells us "wear a mask/but your soul can’t hide" and "it’ll be the finest ride of your life". So grasped are we by the hypnotic lure of the promised magic of the unknown possibilities that we eagerly enter. And, we are not disappointed. Once inside, the enchantment of the Disc expands with track #2 "Fallen Angels" a stunning achievement in vocal and instrumental/piano arrangement that perfectly captures, presents, and relates the narrator’s take on love and existence that is above that of mere flesh. The questioning, reasoning, and acceptance that a higher force propels the soul of mortal man is laid out in an ever-expanding composition that takes you to the spiritual point it is meant to represent. Harkening back to the days of elaborately crafted music extravaganzas of such Prog. Rock acts as King Crimson, Yes, Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, and early Genesis (just to name a few), where each song played as an act in a play, and the play being that of the LP. Coven 13 allows Book Of Shadows to unfold in much the same manner, while the Disc can not be labeled a "concept" album in so much as there is no direct story, there is a definite connection/ "concept" at work here. We can feel it as we are sucked into the painful aching vocals Teisen delivers to the heartfelt pangs of Amanda’s powerful piano note fingering that falls with grace and fury during "And Oh, How I’ve Wanted You", a song that wrenches the emotions of unrequited love from the deepest parts of the soul. "Haunted" gives the same treatment, but in a much more mystical setting, to that of the fairy tale love lost situation most of us have either experienced or thought to have experienced in our lives. To expand further would only dilute the rest of the disc to that of a one trick pony. Make no mistake; Book of Shadows is not a one-dimensional project looking to cash in on a controversial slant using an accessible music style as a catalyst. Love, God, heaven, lust, tortured souls, unrequited love, spirituality, death, rebirth, magic, belief and disbelief - all the standard song fare; it’s all here and all conquered in the Progressive style that died in the 70s. A rebirth of Artistic Rock that embraces the Classical genre in a fashion that allows for Theatric interpretation. Simply dismissing this as Goth schlock would be a grave oversight. The artistic achievement of Book Of Shadows touches our heart, caresses our soul, and penetrates our brain.... As the harvest season celebrates nature’s death, Coven 13 celebrates the soul’s rebirth. Celebrate with us. Coven 13
– Book Of Shadows
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