3.5

Release data:

Catalin – First Breath
CD, AD Music, 1999

“First Breath” is the debut album by Catalin Marin, of which the overall sound carries distinct flavours of Vangelis. The nice booklet contains several Biblical phrases, which lends a certain evangelistic feel to the whole release.

The 44:44 minutes are split in eight attractive pieces of which “Opening” strongly ventures in the symphonic oriented electronics of the Greek master, nicely topped by choral textures.
Ethnic vocal snippets show up occasionally between the properly rendered sonic mixture of Vangelis (“Mask”-period) en hints of Michael Cretu’s Enigma-project on the other pieces.

The best track on the album is the “Treasures of the Deep”, which fits nicely along the mature symphonic works of Frank Van Bogaert.

All in all, “First Breath” is a tasty and well produced release creating a pleasant, moody atmosphere that lots of Em-fans will love.

Website: www.admusiconline.com