Cyril is back with a nice surprise for us.
We have to note, first, that it's not the guitar hero alone that plays on this record but a real band with different musicians credited on the back cover.

Once the cellophane film cautiously taken off (or feverishly ripped off, as the case may be) and the CD played on, here's the shock. Our friend has changed. He no longer plays instrumental like on his former records, two voices appear. One with a Death Metal pattern (with sometimes, real growls!) in the background and an operatic feminine voice, really high toned. Cyril now operates in the "gothic/neo classical" style, as he says.
I wouldn't dare telling which side is prominent as the mix is so subtle and harmonious, wonderfully performed.
Should I have to make a clear split, I'd say that tracks like The Castle Of The White Shadow or The Call Of The Banshee are more "gothic" oriented while Smile Has The Death or The Eternal Promise are brilliantly classical. To enforce this, Cyril delivers his personnal vision of George Friedrich HAENDEL's La Grande Sarabande in D minor for guitars, too beautiful for words.

The change is not prohibitive at all. Don't worry, Cyril still plays astonishingly well, with this sharp and dainty inspiration he always had. He keeps on demonstrating us that a virtuoso doesn't always play beyond the speed of light and that technique is nothing without the feeling. And that genius goes well with restraint.

Even if the lyrical voice, sometimes heavily declaimed, is not your fix, listen up to Smile Has The Death and you'll feel, like I did, the mysterious link between Cyril and a certain Wolfgang Amadeus M. and his famous Concerti for guitar. "Classical" musicians are on top of Cyril's "special thanks". In addition to MOZART and HAENDEL, are mentioned BEETHOVEN and BACH, followed by more modern names as Patrick RONDAT or SYMPHONY X.

I cannot but encourage those who are sensitive to pure beauty to give a chance to this album. You won't be disapointed.
Metalefice, 24.09.2008