Arcane Dimension: Tribal Dance Series, Vol 3: Dance of the Dark Faerie

San Francisco based Arcane Dimension formed in 2004 and have four albums to their credit, their latest being Tribal Dance Series, Vol 3: Dance of the Dark Faerie. That is quite a mouthful and like the music this one is a bit of a tough nut to crack.

The band members are Nicole Fortuna (dance, theatrical performance), Jarek Tatarek (electric and acoustic guitars, guitar violin, programming), Teresa Camp (vocals, keyboards, dance and live choreography), Jared Marill (bass guitar) and Radha Romero (dance and theatrical performance).

The band classify their music as "tribal fusion and avant-garde metal". While I agree on some aspects of the tribal fusion and avant-garde tags, I am not so sure about the metal label although it is hinted at occasionally. The music is quite dark and heavily orchestrated, especially the first track "Dance Of The Dark Faerie". It starts out mellow before the song flows into some lush symphonic bits without ever reaching a dramatic peak. This type of music is ideally suited for that big climax which, alas, never came. Still, not a bad song though. In the darker toned "The Stones That Sing", the spacey synths and ambient keys make things a little more interesting. Some pretty acoustic guitar and bow work adds to the package. I suppose the 'dark wave' label would be applicable here. The band goes for a sparser sound in "Dark City" with some added world/tribal elements, particularly in the drumming. With "The Ghost" and "Entwined In Starlight" the music takes on an exotic Eastern sound with the latter featuring some spicey Eastern flavoured guitar work.

The band plays well and there is nothing wrong with any of the songs per se, but I did find myself losing interest towards the album's latter half. Maybe more vocals would have helped. I have the feeling this music comes across more effectively in a live setting where all the band members are fully utilized in a full out theatrical performance. For now, Dance Of The Dark Faerie earns three stars.

Track Listing:
1. Dance Of The Dark Faerie
2. The Stones That Sing
3. Shapeshifter
4. Dark City
5. The Ghost
6. Enchanted Quest
7. Entwined In Starlight
8. Gateway To Your Imagination
9. The Ritual

Added: September 17th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2177
Language: english

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