Rajna - The Door of Serenity
2002 / 52:03 Minutes / 12 Tracks / Studio
Release Date: June 25, 2002 - Holy/Projekt
Produced by: Rajna
Website: http://site.voila.fr/rajna

Reviewed by Matt Rowe on August 22, 2002

There is a state of musical bliss that is attained when the music that we are listening to becomes one with the consciousness of our being. This is not a hard thing to achieve. As a matter of fact, we do it all the time. Put in a CD that is pure magic and you're transported, for the time being, to a state of spiritual oneness for lack of a better way to describe it.

The extraordinary talents of Dead Can Dance brought this sense to many during their reign as the essential 'soundtrack of the soul' progenitors. The exquisite vocal beauty of Lisa Gerrard added dimension to the tonal extravagance that was DCD. In their departure, and perhaps, their arrogance that none could possibly pick up the baton and complete the race that they had begun, they must have been totally unaware of the potentially greater Rajna.

Rajna, a duo of such power that I must only listen to this disc in parts for fear of merging with the tranquil spiritual aethers. Just kidding, of course, but this provides you with the sufficient effects that Rajna can accomplish with their soundsphere. It is revolving with every metaphor that I can conjure up. It is religion, air, and dreams. It is visitation with your inner self. And it can be other things given the chance. Like a drug, this music can have alternating effects.

Rajna have created a stream of ethereal sounds with the use of traditional and exotic instruments coupled with the use of synths. Merge in the (what words can I use here to describe the unearthly voice of Jeanne Lefebvre) multi-dimensional and extremely capable vocals talents of Jeanne and layer in the exotic Euro/Eastern musical components and you have an album of such incredible capacity that it could be other than what it is; a doorway to another plane, a key to inner exploration. I'm not even going to comment on other applications. I'll leave that to your fevered imagination. But I bet this disc could be your vehicle to that destination.

Instrumentalist Fabrice Lefebvre provides the range of musical explorations created by old world instruments. Picking up where DCD left off at their peak, Rajna have escalated the advancement of the style by exploring vast uncharted musical terrain, painstakingly mapping the results of aural involvement and releasing the whole as a sketch of spiritual ascendency with an accompanying soundtrack.

The heavenly spheres of "Djalambo" and its epilogue, "Djalambo (epilogue)" are exceptional. My CD player detected a 12th track not indicated on the CD that played a beautiful and haunting vocal piece. Every track is a sonic delight that takes you someplace else with enough diversity to equip you for every circumstance.

DISC

For a recording of this nature, it is a must that production be at its highest quality. To effectively fold each instrument and vocal into each other to form the purity that this disc exudes is a requisite essential and is beautifully accomplished here. You'll be pleased with the way the production was handled.

PACKAGING

I was sent a disc sans the artwork and inserts so comments here are not applicable to the actual state of the final release. I invite Holy/Projekt to send me a final release copy to update this area.

THE FINAL SAY

What can I say that hasn't already been said concerning this disc. The artistic approach to the tracks are unmatched by any standard that I have heard as of yet. I didn't think that anyone could surpass the art that was DCD's standard...but I was wrong. Rajna is THE logical replacement to the ethereality that was DCD. If you enjoyed Dead Can Dance (DCD) then go further with Rajna.

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