Karnataka, a band hailing from Wales, can be described as nominally belonging to the prog/folk genre. Their roots trace back to 1998, but only Ian Jones remains from the original lineup. The band was formed with the intention of blending traditional Celtic music with progressive rock. Despite their reputation for longevity, Requiem For A Dream marks only their sixth studio album and comes after an eight-year hiatus since their previous release Secrets Of Angels in 2015.
Similar to Mostly Autumn, a band they’re occasionally compared to, Karnataka have had some stellar female talent singing in the band, from original member Rachel Cohen, before she joined The Reasoning, through to Anne-Marie Helder before she and a few others left to form Panic Room. Then Hayley Griffiths, who discovered her six-year tenure in the band had expired when Ian Jones announced on social media in 2017 the band were going into hiatus. Since then, Karnataka have reawakened from their hiatus and have now added Sertari as vocalist. Five years into the band, she makes her recording debut on Requiem and, much as I admire and respect the vocal prowess of the three aforementioned females, it’s hard to imagine any of them topping Sertari’s gorgeous vocal work on this new release.
Requiem .. is probably Karnataka’s most ambitious album to date, with the music exploring themes relating to personal adversity, loss, despair, climate change and eco destruction. As they say, “We’re reminded of the fragility of Sagan’s pale blue dot, floating in a sea of stars.” Dare I describe this as a concept album? I’m unsure whether it is, but the themes addressed all point in a particular direction .. “a beautiful world dying and tinged with fear, yet grasping for hope” they sing.
The album begins and ends with the whispered words ‘tick-tock’ to remind us the clock’s ticking when it comes to remedying how we treat the world before ‘All Around The World’ begins with a message of hope and Karnataka lay their standpoint down “..we know in our hearts this is wrong, now we stand together all around the world”. Not many bands open a new album with an eleven-minute number but they make it work with lush soft soundscapes and some exquisite playing from the band, with Luke Machin laying down some fabulous guitar work, something he repeats right the way through the album. Sertari’s voice conveys the message superbly and her vocals are a high point of the album.
The tracks ‘Sacrifice’ and ‘Forgiven’ have already been ‘road-tested,’ Karnataka having performed both tunes at 2022’s New Day Festival, which this reviewer witnessed, and they were well received. ‘Forgiven’ has a spiritual vibe surrounding it, with the Latin chanting asking God for forgiveness a nice touch, and it could become a stage favourite. ‘Say Goodbye Tomorrow’ is a more up-tempo number with some divine guitar and synth touches in the middle, and a shorter version could almost be a single. ‘Don’t Forget My Name’ is a touch more melancholic but with Luke Machin again all over it on guitar.
The title track ‘Requiem For A Dream’ is a twenty-five-minute epic. A slow evocative intro over what sounds like flames burning introduces a lengthy piece of various tempos and moods but all with the same message, a warning about our not taking climate change seriously “..we keep dancing in the rain, blinded by the storms that rage”. This is another song likely to become an onstage favourite.
All the things with epitomise Karnataka are captured on this album, ambitious songs, great playing and intelligent lyrics. The music is slick and not complex, and while it might not attract the prog fan who likes his/her prog a little more adventurous and ‘out there on the edge,’ nonetheless, Requiem is an album of which Karnataka can be proud.
