TACERE – Eras Reveries

Finland’s Tacere hasn’t been around for very long, but in their short musical career the quintet has released five promo CDs, with the seven-song Eras Reveries being the most recent. All the work trying to get noticed by the music industry has paid off, as Tacere is currently recording their first full-length album, due for release in 2006.

Tacere describes their music as being “uncomplicated” and “atmospheric.” While the music is definitely atmospheric, saying it’s uncomplicated might be underestimating things. Eras Reveries is a CD you can enjoy on first listen, but on subsequent listens you’ll notice things you didn’t hear previously. Even after several spins, this CD manages to maintain a level of freshness.

Like many other European bands, Tacere uses two vocalists: Karri (who is also credited with guitars and programming) and Helena (Tacere apparently doesn’t believe in surnames). Karri sings in a couple of different styles on Eras Reveries: a ‘normal’ tone at times, a Death-style growl at others. His regular singing voice is a little flat, but his growl is pretty good, even though it can’t touch the ‘masters’ of the genre. On the plus side, his growl is actually intelligible, which can be a plus.

Helena has a pleasant voice, and can hit the high notes without squealing. Her voice is easy on the ears, but you help wishing she was featured a bit more throughout the songs here.

Getting back to the subject of atmosphere, a handful of the songs on Eras Reveries manage to invoke a good sense of it: “Autumn Rain” uses classical instrumentation and the sounds of (surprise) rain and thunder to draw you in. The title track is quite moody as well, effectively transporting listeners to another place for seven minutes. The band makes good use of subtle sound effects, instrumentation, and voice effects at various places within the album, giving people a lot to digest when listening.

At the same time, don’t think this is the sort of music you’d listen to in a drawing room with a maid hovering nearby with a teapot while you admired some works of art … Tacere can be heavy when they have to be. There are a lot of good riffs and solid guitar work on Eras Reveries, and a couple tracks have nice fast-paced momentum. Some well-placed keyboards also spice things up. Eras Reveries has enough depth to appeal to the ‘high-brows’ and to those who want to bang their heads without giving themselves whiplash. Just think of Tacere as a heavier, less pretentious version of The Gathering, and you’ll have an idea of what to expect from their music.

“Tacere” is an Italian word that means “be silent,” or less subtly, “shut up.” With Eras Reveries, Tacere shows that their music is worth hearing.