Customer Reviews

Feast of Silence

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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I've followed Vas haphazardly for some time now, from the days when they were true minimalists, focused on Azam Ali's expressive voice and Greg Ellis's percussion work. The strong Medieval and Middle Eastern flavor was haunting as Ali created her own language to express emotions both plaintive and ecstatic. Their work gradually filled out and became increasingly complex and then, suddenly, they stopped recording. Sometimes the connection between love and creativity takes a long time to break and heal over.

Feast of Silence marks an overcoming of differences. Ali and Ellis work so well together that it's a bit of a relief to see that they have managed to find a new accommodation. Even more interesting it the fact that the music is a genuine departure for them in the midst of Ali's traditional stylings experiments like 'In Our Faith' appear. The music is mostly acoustic, but it dances on the edge with occasional electronic tidbits. In addition Ali steps over into the use of actual lyrics, revealing and underlying poetic spirit in work like 'Feast of Silence.'

For most of the cuts they work together. Each also has a track without the other - 'Moksha' (Elllis) and 'Feast of Silence' (Azam Ali). If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be Izgrejaia, which is one long joyful effort. Joining the two leads are Tyler Bates one guitar and keyboard, Pejman Hadadi on tombak, Deepak Ram on bansuri, Cameron Stone on cello, Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass, Naser Musa on oud and Brent Meyer on bouzuki. Far more musicians than they usually work with.

I hope this presages more albums to come from an innovative pair that have created their own musical niche.

I have been curious about Vas, namely their new album "Feast of Silence". I first came across the album a few months ago in the used cd bins. I was immediately intrigued by the album cover. I have been putting off buying this album until I read a review of "Feast of Silence" in Outburn magazine. I was intrigued since I enjoy Dead Can Dance's music and Vas has been compared to the now defunct DCD. I bought a copy of "Feast of Silence" over the holiday weekend. I am glad that I did. I found the music to be spellbinding. There were times on this album I felt like that I was listening to Dead Can Dance and other times I thought I was listening to Enya but she was singing Middle Eastern music. Vas' music is an interesting mix of Middle Eastern, Indian, and new age music. I quickly fell under the spell of Azam Ali's vocals who reminded me a little bit of Loreena McKennitt (a little bit) and maybe Enya too. She has a beautiful voice. Greg Ellis' arrangements complemented Azam's vocals. This is my first Vas purchase so I can't really compare this album to their other music but according to the editorial review, this album is the first time that Azam sings in english. I can only imagine how amazing her singing voice is when she is singing in other languages. All of the songs on this album is a real joy to listen to, choosing a favorite song on this enchanting cd would be too difficult. I felt like I was taken on a trip around the world while listening to "Feast of Silence". I recommend this for anyone, Dead Can Dance fans or not.

I have been a long-term fan and observer of this Californian duo, and was excited to purchase their latest album. While being let down a bit by their previous release (In the Garden of Souls), I have to say Feast of Silence is my favorite one thus far. This recording blends the instrumental and vocal talents perfected by Ellis and Ali over the last decade and really shows them off in true form. My favorite piece is the title track itself; take a listen and you won't be disappointed. To quote John Diliberto of NPR's Echoes, "This is the type of music that turns living rooms into temples." I couldn't have said it better myself, John.

I've been a fan of Vas since I bought their third release, "In the Garden of Souls" a few years ago. It is has been far to long for me between releases, but the wait was worth it. This album is incredible. It is not only my favorite Vas album, but one of my all time favorite CDs.

The music is moving and rythmic with soaring female vocals. The vocals are from the soul, real and honest but somehow perfect at the same time with true emotion and depth. Most of the songs are without words (she sings in toungues), but on this album, she sings some words for the first time. I was worried that this wouldn't work, but it does and really expands their sound. In terms of instrumentation, the sheer myriad of instruments used on all their releases, including CD is mind boggling.

My favorite song is "Amrita (Churning the Sea of Milk)" which starts off slowly and then builds in a dramatic way. I also really like "Izgrejala" with its unique harmonies.

Azam Ali is amazing at vocal layering. Her harmonies on this album are perfect and her voice is as emotional as ever. I'm not sure how she conveys so much with her voice, but she can sing a single note and bring me to tears.

For fans of Vas' previous works, I highly recommend this CD. If you are a newcomer and you are wondering where to start, this is a great jumping off point for their amazing musicianship.

First of all, a special thank you to Chelle, my best buddy on the net. She purchased this album for my birthday, from my amazon wishlist. I am forever grateful to have discovered Azam Ali, VAS & Niyaz through Chelle. ;-) Since receiving the CD in the mail yesterday, I've played it twice. Both times were mesmerizing and captivating. I absolutely LOVE "Feast of Silence". Nothing better could've come from this album, seriously. The tribal, ambient and wordly sounds in the recording are incredible, and I had to indulge by listening to the CD twice in a matter of 24 hours. A few, excellent artists come to mind when I listen to "Feast of Silence". These are them: (Loreena McKennitt, Lisa Gerrard, Dead Can Dance, Diane Arkenstone, Ofra Haza). Because of Azam's remarkable, versatile voice, she can sing any style of music and do no wrong. I already have her "Portals of Grace" album, and the extractions from the "Elysium for the Brave" CD, but they aren't as great as this title from VAS. Azam Ali and Greg Ellis make a fantastic duo and I'm so proud of them for working together for so long. Hope they never stop! Greg is a very handsome man and so talented. Without his percussion work on the album, it just wouldn't sound the same. Just the cover photo alone sold me right away. I'm attracted to albums when they have attractive covers...so this helped me a lot in my choice for a wishlist item.

As I write in all my reviews, I look for sound quality. For "Feast of Silence", the sound is excellent. Unfortunately, the album is shorter than I thought, although...the songs are long. But all really great albums are too short. ;-) As I mentioned earlier, Azam reminded me of Loreena McKennitt and Lisa Gerrard (of Dead Can Dance) throughout the CD. And, I didn't expect Azam to sing such moving, versatile pieces of music. She can certainly put her own style into virtually anything she sings. "Feast of Silence" is a must-have for anyone's music collection. And at least I know to classify the album under "World"...as sometimes it's hard to classify such a masterpiece. There aren't any favorites on "FOS", because they're all super. The title track is just as stunning as the rest of them. I can't stress enough, how good this album is. You must have it!

Artwork is beautiful throughout the package. There is only 1 photo of the duo inside the booklet, but the entire layout has a beautiful design. The disc itself is a dark terra-cotta (almost brown) in color, with black "lacey" artwork in an Indian style. It's very nice. I don't know if the CD was only housed in a jewel case everywhere, but mine is. Visit the Narada site and check out more info on Azam Ali and her music (solo & collaborative). You won't regret it.

Tracklist:
01- Amrita (Churning the Sea of Milk) - 6:08
02- In Our Faith - 7:05
03- Mandara - 6:23
04- Izgrejala - 3:52
05- Moksha - 4:59
06- The Reaper and the Flowers - 4:22
07- Bardo - 10:16
08- Feast of Silence - 7:17
09- Kali Basa - 6:47

Of all the VAS albums, this is my favourite, and an interesting evolution. The writing, song arrangements, production, the ambience, everything. And of course, above all...the beautiful angelic voice of Azam Ali. Every time I play this album for someone, they say "oh my God, who is that singer?" Greg Ellis' rhythms are brilliant here, very haunting and hypnotic, and not overdone as sometimes is the case with this type of music. The song Mandara floored me from the first time I heard it. The structure, the tension buildup, and the amazing vocal performance are just breathtaking.

Also great is Azam Ali's other project Niyaz, which has a more Middle-Eastern/Persian influence along with some electronic samples.

Azam Ali has a voice of silver. It's the thread that wavers through this vaporous musical landscape. She can be pure and angelic, or bewitching and earthy. She explores the lower end of her register, flirts with Bulgarian music, sings in otherworldy English and her own invented tongue--flavored with her native Farsi. Greg Ellis is the muscle behind the sound. His drums patterns create almost danceable song structures and sacred atmospheres with his gongs. More traditional rock instrumentation--guitars and bass--float along with flutes and spoken Indian boles. In many ways, the compositions on this "Feast of Silence" are tighter than on previous albums, which were almost-too 'samey'. With "Feast," they come into their own. If "Garden of Souls" was dreamy, this is more hallicinatory and opium-fueled. Exquiste exotica.

I found Vas thanks to Amazon's penchant for suggesting based on other purchases, and am I glad! I was hunting for music to use in belly-dance class either for routines or warm-up. I had just ordered Greg Ellis' "Kala Rupa", having fallen in love with the copy my teacher used in class, and got a couple Vas suggestions. Impulsively I bought two and have been very happy, in class and in the car. The music is satisfyingly exotic to an ear trained in American music, yet vivid and accessible as well. 'Feast of Silence' is stunning, moody and alternately soothing and invigorating. Well worth the impulse!

I have been listening to this one for several days now and must admit that I am impressed with it. It shows that this duo have grown quite a bit and it comes out almost as good to me as Ali's solo work. There are only a few brief moments on here that I just can't make it through (namely "the reaper in the flowers". sorry folks but this is boring). The Bulgarian vocal arrangements are particularly wonderful, as is the touch of Indian flavor on the third track. Azam Ali is reaching new levels as a vocalist on "Feast of Silence" and Greg Ellis is also coming up nicely...

Azam Ali also makes her English debut with this album, and does so fairly nicely. It's not a constant onslaught, as I had thought it might be, but it is there.

If you have not heard Vas before, and enjoy world music with deep classical undertones then this might be something you should check out. Azam Ali's voice is simply glorious.

The latest from Vas is their greatest yet, i find absolutely no flaws in this album. I enjoyed most of all; the two songs sung in english (which is a new development to their albums.) Azam Ali has the perfect voice (not to mention goddess-like physical beauty) and Greg Ellis plays percussion louder and harder than on their earlier albums. This CD makes you happy, and sad at the same time, which is always a good thing. Buy it now or forever be enslaved to the transiency of pop culture and pop music!