The D Side (Italy)- World of Dreams - October 2003
Beltane come
from a very far country and they know their job. Their music mixes up
ethereal, gothic and darkwave sounds with electronic nuances dominated
by the powerful voices of Karina Eames and Sophie Horwood. You can slip
from positive to negative poles in the space of a second through melancholy,
desire, hope for redemption and metamorphosis: this is what Beltane music
can express. If I'm forced to see some musical influences (without intentions,
for sure) I can say there are some Stoa, Dead Can Dance and Love is Colder
than Death echoes. The mastermind of the whole project is Paul Handley:
"World of Dreams" is the second band CD and it has been totally
self produced. The artwork is very accurate and show signs of a great
attention for music aesthetic: every single side of the production has
been analyzed and cared in any particular in order to transfer the main
theme of the album (the concept of beauty) in every fragment of it. And
each sound, percussion or vocal has got such an high expressiveness the
result of this experiment is simply impressive. Beltane differences from
other ethereal band like Cocteau Twins or the bands I've named above,
for the fact they give an high relevance to their lyrics: So not just
vocalization but a real inner experience, which touches different elements
and vivisect the concept of "Beauty" also connecting it to paganism
and existentialism. It's very difficult to make a selection of tracks:
this opera is so homogeneous that taking off any dowels of the mosaic
would just impoverish it. But I can't help myself to highlight songs like
the amazing intro "A Distant Place", the visual and charming
landscapes of "Alluring & Intrigue", the crepuscular organ
played in "World of dreams" which nearly clashes between the
gothic guitar and synth sounds, the sense of helplessness in the melancholy
of "On the fly", the energy expressed by the violin in "Fly
to Thee" that sounds so alive through the Wasteland made of keyboards
and guitars, the bittersweet and fascinating darkwave of "Tomorrow's
creation" will spell you and the powerful end featured by "In
the Shadow of Night", with its conclusive dichotomy of sounds
—-|-|-» If you like the gothic,the ethereal or the so-called
"heavenly voices" genre don't deny yourself the possibility
to hear something different from the usual 80s bands, the Beltane propose
from their far Australia a magic which will spell and enchant you capturing
your body and soul in a embrace you'd never want to get out
DJ Fabi - www.thedside.it
Goth Nation Magazine - World of Dreams - August 2003
The Gothic genre itself is a problematic one: when Brisbane alternative
music store Rocking Horse removed the "Gothic" label from its
racks several years ago, it seemed to be a comment on its declining popularity.
The subsequent explosion of sub-genres has instead proven that this all
encompassing term has now come to refer to a much smaller proportion of
music played in goth clubs than ever. Beltane are one of the rare acts
not still hanging over from the late eighties (not that there is anything
wrong with that!) to fit this record industry term. They are Gothic with
literariness, mythology and merging beautiful and heavy sounds. "World
of Dreams" Is heavily impacted upon by the literary lyrics that are
beautifully sung by two female singers, Karina Eames and Sophie Horwood.
Classic bands like the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance influence Paul
Handley, the primary composer and instrumentalist on the album. These
influences both constitute and lead Beltane's atmospheric sound in a new
direction. Moving from gentle vocals, piano sounds and violins to heavy
electronic sounds, guitars and impassioned harmonies, many of the songs
are quite long; but the way in which tracks like "A Distant Place"
and "On the Fly", among others, build means that they become
all the more satisfying as the song progresses. For its emotive violin,
though, "Fly to Thee" was the most enjoyable of the longer tracks.
While I appreciate depth in lyrics, at times the poetic lyrics-which generally
read well on paper- do not work aurally, particularly in slow tempo moments,
serving to distract the listener from the music rather than compliment
it. Perhaps I am too accustomed to hearing Elizabeth Frazer's "not
quite words" over this type of music! For those whose CD collection
stopped growing along with dwindling releases from more traditional goth
acts Beltane may prove to be a variation on a familiar theme, merging
the best elements of goth rock, with the electronic programming that contemporary
goth favours.
Michelle Smith www.gothnationmagazine.com
Beltane "World Of Dreams" (Skinnys Web Zine) - June 2003
Gothic electronica, angelic harmonies and heavenly whispers feature on "World of Dreams", the third release from Adelaide's Beltane. The brainchild of producer/writer/man of many talents Paul Handley, Beltane have been around since 1996. The deeply introspective and philosophical Handley finds inspiration in Nietzsche, paganism, theatre and the experience of being Human, among other things. This is reflected as much in his lyrics as his richly textured programming style. An acknowledgement of the adaptation of Gorky's work appears in the sleeve notes (in reference to track "Onward and Upward"). Nietzsche's "On the Nourishment of the Spirit" has also been quoted on the inside cover. It's all about atmosphere, vocals and programming. The principal singers on this album are Karina Eames and Sophie Horwood. Sophie Horwood's vocals are clear and expressive and she really shines on the discordant yet poppy "Foreign Shore" and the esoteric "A Distant Place". Katrina Eames (who has been with the band since 1997) does her best work on "Fly To Thee" and "Tomorrow's Creation", with their mystical themes and haunting melody lines. Some beautiful violin work by guest musician Belinda Gehlert has been artfully woven in with the elaborate synthesizers to further enrich the brooding, deep feel of this production. Overall, the album has a foreboding (almost funereal at times) ambience to it and it comes as no surprise to find that Paul Handley composes music for dance theatre, when not caught up in all things Beltane. If you're looking for a soundtrack as backdrop for your next Beltane celebration, light candles, pour yourself a glass of wine, settle in with a copy of World of Dreams and let the vocal beauty of Eames and Horwood carry you away.
Bec Stafford www.skinnysmusic.com.au
Beltane - World of Dreams - Primary Website - June 2003
For those who haven't heard of Beltane they hail from South Australia the home of many interesting and excellent musicians. The bulk of the music and words are created by Paul Handley and mostly vocalized by Karina Eames and Sophie Horwood plus a host of other musicians create a Pagan Goth sound. This is their 3rd release of this act, unfortunately not being able to hear their previous releases, makes it hard to see the progression. What I liked about this release is that here we have real vocalists and a plethora of musical instruments being used appropriately. I hear keyboard bells mixed with guitars, with violins, and very synthy sounds blending together very nicely. Some of the vocal lines however need to be worked on as it seemed some vocals weren't meshing as well as they should have and some of the sound samples were a little bland. This aside, Beltane take you for a journey into their World of Dreams and it an excellent ride!
Andrew http://primary.edw.com.au