Customer Reviews

Karma

5 star:		(143)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wow! Wow! I can't hear this CD enough!

I started listening to Delerium through the side-door: I'm no fan of Front Line Assembly or much of Leeb and Fulber's other work produced under various names, including Delerium.

Then a friend leant me the awe-inspiring Semantic Spaces. Shortly, I got ahold of Karma. And it's been stuck in my Rio player for six months now, and I've no plans to remove it any time soon.

It's hard to write about something that sounds so beautiful: words don't do it justice. But imagine ethnic beats, electronic sophistication, angelic lamentations, and ethereal landscapes, and you might get an idea of what this album sounds like. If you're at all a fan of Semantic Spaces, or Enigma's early work, you'll definitely enjoy Karma.

I listened to this CD in a booth at the CD store, and was instantly blown away. The tracks "Enchanted" and "Silence" really got into my soul, with different sounds from world music, an awesome beat, wonderfully blended female voices. "Silence" esp. was haunting, incorporating a beautiful chant/requiem at the beginning. Since I've had the CD, I've listened to it often. It seems I have a new favorite off the CD every week. Right now it is the final track, "Til the End of Time." Extremely haunting and dreamy, I have never heard a female voice so beautiful or so well-mixed since I heard the track "Szerelem" off the English Patient soundtrack -- one of my favorite albums. Pay attention to the beautiful names of the songs themselves -- "Enchanted," "Twilight," "Euphoria" etc. They really say a lot about the mood and ambiance of this amazing album.

This was my first delerium cd, and it served as an excellent introduction to new-era delerium. I like all the other cds of the duo, but this is still my favourite. it is probably the most tribal album of theirs, and it is vocal without being a cheap poppish attempt to make money. It has quite a variatey of styles, ranging from ethereal trance/new age (twilight) to ambient/dance pop (but not forced) songs like euphoria (firefly) and silence. the details are below.

1:enchanted- I LOVE kristy thirsks voice! it is so sexy, when she comes in with her oohs and aahs. this song is tribal, ambient, poppish, and a little ethereal. So angelic.

2:deunde- When I first got this album this was my favorite song. it has a great powerful beat, some sampled chants, and a great vocal job by camille. It almost makes you feel like you are in the aboriginal outback, but it is still pop influenced.

3:twilight- an ethereal tranceey instrumental track with some chants. very pretty and inspiring.

4:silence- outstanding song. it has monks in the bigenning but after about 1:30 sarah mclachlan comes in, and starts singing. piano is interlaced through parts of the chorus and there is a nice piano solo at the end.

5:forgotten worlds- very otherworldly, you can see why they put the title there. the song takes you to a long forgotten temple and awakens it and brings you inside. it only starts out dark, then it begins to glow. Chanting in this one too.

6:lamenation- definitley tribal, especially during the first three minutes or so. then it gets really pretty. too bad it has such a long introduction. a little weak, could have been on semantic spaces.

7:euphoria (firefly)- two slightly slow instrumental somgs make way for a dancey pop song. this was the first single from the album. it is catchy and danceable. if you heared and liked other poppish songs like silence or deunde you'd probably like this.

8:remembrance- one of my friends claims to have heared this on the radio, but I never knew it was a single. (or is it?) this starts out with some woodwinds, but about 1:00 in this song comes to life with chanting monks and then gets spacey and synthesized after about three minutes, and then the chanting comes laced in with the spacey sounds. very interesting.

9:wisdom- a short song, but still welcome. yay, more thirsk! This song is a little like enchanted, but less tribal sounding.

10:window to your soul- this is not at all even hinted with pop. it is a piece of mood music, very relaxing, and inspiring. and even though it's around 10 minutes, it dosent drag on. it keeps you listening. it starts out dark, but dont skip it, after about two minutes you will be on your way to a very peaceful place. this song has chimes, synthesizers (of course) and chanting. REALLY pretty.

11:til the end of time- this is probably the weakest song on the cd. it is a lot like wisdom, but slower. vocals, too.

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You need this in your collection! there is a little something for everybody, but you will probably end up liking it all. :)

From Enchanted:

'Prowling in the night Hiding 'neath my fright Manipulate my sight - thief'

From the haunting opener of children singing amidst mundane chimes and chilling lyrics by Kristy Thirsk to the angelic female singing of "Wisdom" and "'Til the End of Time", this CD is just too good for words. I've had it for [a few] yrs now and it still sounds new to me.... Sarah McLachlan, Kristy Thirsk, Camille Henderson and Jacqui Hunt definitely contribute to this celestial album which is close to becoming a masterpiece for the ages with ethereal sounscapes of sensual new age/trance beats; not to mention Gregorian style chantings of actual monks, made infamous on songs like the Egyptian "Rememberance" and the Middle Eastern "Lamentation". I extend my thanks to "Euphoria (Firefly)", however, which became my introduction to Delerium from hearing it through the Pure Moods II compilation. And while I'm undecided about which Delerium album is to be my favorite, one thing is for certain:

I will be cherishing this album 'til the end of all time.

This is highly recommended.

Karma by Delerium is an unusual mix of worldbeat, new age, techno-folk and just good music. Consider putting Lisa Gerrard from Dead Can Dance and Tori Amos into a studio with Enigma, Andreas Vollenweider and Jean-Michel Jarre, and you might get something like this. This is the kind of album you put on repeat mode for hours at a time and never grow tired of hearing. It cries out for sensual dancing, it screams for mood lighting. It's lush. It's electric. It's primal.

I consider "Karma" one of the greatest albums to date in the ambient genre. Rhys Fulber and Bill Leebs brings on some of the best female vocalists to accompany their haunting music such as Kristy Thirsk and Sarah McLachlan. Their vocals really elevate Delerium's music to a pinnacle of greatest in electronic music. I didn't think "Semantic Spaces" was all that hot. The album relied on too much gregorian chants which made that album come off sounding like an early Enigma cd. On "Karma", Bill Leebs and Rhys Fulber brought in female vocalists to breathe new life into their songs. Although it has taken 3-4 years for "Silence" to break radio, the song still sounds as fresh as I first heard it back in '97. This song proves that Sarah McLachlan and electronica music goes hand and hand. Is it any wonder that this song is a favorite for djs to put on their mix cds? Jacqui Hunt does a fabulous job on "Eurphoria", one of my personal favorite tracks on "Karma". Her vocals adds such depth to the haunting melody, sends chills down my spine. Kristy Thirsk does an equally magnificent job on "Enchanted", "Wisdom", and "Til the End of Time" (my favorite song by her on the album). I can't choose which Delerium album I love more, "Karma" or "Poem", both albums are classics to me but I will say that "Karma" is what got me into Delerium to begin with.

In all honesty, I'm fairly new to the new age genre. I only first discovered an interest in it about a year and a half ago, with the purchase of Enya's Watermark album. Since then, I have also discovered some very talented artists like Vangelis, Loreena McKennitt, Sheila Chandra and personal favorite Enigma. One thing about all of these artists is that their music has truly stood the test of time. In addition, they've been known to transcend their genre from time to time, often adding in new elements not before seen in the world of new age. However, there is one more artist that could very well be the most innovative of them all. That is Delerium.

Delerium is a side-project of the FLA industrial pioneers Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb. When I first heard that, I expected this to be harsh, crunchy, synth music - and maybe the cover suggested a hint of darkwave. But, surprisingly - and pleasantly so - this is actually very beautiful pop music. Like Enigma, Delerium combine many different elements of music into one: choral passages, dancebeats, chanting and a few other surprises as well. But I think the main part that stands out are the gorgeous, emotive female vocals - coming from an impressive roster of Sarah McLachlan, Kristy Thirsk, Jacqui Hunt and Camille Henderson. The feeling of listening to McLachlan coo out the chorus of "Silence" is breathtaking alone, but Thirsk's high-pitched pop-oriented voice is probably my favorite of all. The three songs she appears on: opener "Enchanted", the upbeat "Wisdom" and the haunting "'Til the End of Time" are all top favorites of mine - along with the chilled "Euphoria (Firefly)," a song that gained popularity as lead single and through the Pure Moods CD collection. Actually, there is not one bad song off this album.

In retrospect, I'm very glad that I bought this. Delerium are quickly becoming one of my favorite artists, and I look forward to hearing more of them in the future.

10/10

Ok. I'm an avid Rock n Metal listener.. I never listen to pop, techno or that other sh*t.. I was looking for some "mood" music similar to that Deep Forest CD i was given as a present 10 years ago.. I found this CD among others (which i will also review when i get the time).. I downloaded wisdom.. then the entire cd.. This is what i would call 'perfection'. The mix of soothing vocals and worthy music is incredible.. One thing to say, whatever music you usually listen to, you need this CD in your collection..

Here's my song-by-song:

1. Enchanted - Amazing opening song.. Amazing.. I love that woman's voice (Thrisk).
2. Duende - More tribal.. great singing in this one.. Don't know who though.. (Camile i think)
3. Twilight - One of the instrumental songs on the CD.. A bit trancy.. Good.. but not the best..
4. Silence - Ok you know this song already (Oakenfold 2000 remember) Already heard it like a billion times. This version is better than the Oakenfold version tho.
5. Forgotten Worlds - Another instrumental. Very enchanting.. you feel like you are in another world..
6. Lamentation - Also an instrumental. Very oriental song.. The second half of the song is way better than the first.. Its a little weak cuz of the long intro..
7. Euphoria (Firefly) - Very poppy.. Plus Thrisk's voice is nicer.. That being said, overall great song..
8. Remembrance - Another Oriental song.. Very Egyptian at first.. then the synths come in! I love this song.. LOVE IT
9. Wisdom - First Delerium song I listened to.. my favourite off the CD.. Great singing by Thrisk..
10. Koran (AKA Window to your soul) - Another Arabian song.. Starts off with a couple of verses from the Holy Koran.. I kinda like this song..
11. 'Til the End of Time - MORE THRISK!!! Slower than wisdom and not as good but still worthy..

My favourites off the CD:

Wisdom, Enchanted, Duende, Euphoria, Til the end of time, Remembrance and Koran..

Its pretty obvious that you have to get this CD by now.. When you listen to it tho, dont skip any tracks, i know that some instrumentals fail to grasp you and you find yourself skipping the rest of the track in the middle but try not to do that. One other thing i have to add, this album will let you experience moods you did not even know existed.. AMAZING WORK..

[...]

If you ask me.... no question. This album released in 1997 by the two boys of Delerium (Bill Leeb/Rhys Fulber) still sounds as innovative, inspiring and amazing as it did when I first heard it 8 years ago.

No single album in my collection (of over 300 CD's) of different types of music (from trance to hard rock to pop) has blown away people like Karma. For example, I travelled Europe in 2000 and during one of my many stops in the beautiful Swiss town of Gryon I played Karma in the "lounge" room of our hostel. Approximately 6 songs in, I had two women who looked absolutely astonished and mesmermized! The one finally asked, "Who is this.....? I have to know..... this is the most beautiful music I have ever heard!"

That is the kind of effect Delerium has. If you are reading this review in hopes of finding ethereal, ambient, mood, eclectic style music with a little dance thrown in, look no further. Karma will make your life better, simple as that.

Also grab Semantic Spaces which is a close second behind Karma.

I'm absolutely wild about Enigma's music and have searched to the ends of the universe for music similar to or possibly even better than them. My gold at the end of the rainbow was found when I heard "Karma" for the first time. It is sensational from beginning to end. I haven't been moved by an album like this since Enigma's first release nearly 10 years ago. The wonderful female vocals surrounded by chant, ambience and techno beautifully come together here. Sara Maclachlan is incredible on "Silence", possibly my favorite song on the album. This CD is a definite must have for Enigma fans. But right now, "Karma" is the champion album in the ambience-techno category in my opinion. You WILL be moved by this, I sincerely promise you.