Exordium [Import]

Exordium [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
2003 mini album from the Dutch metal act features 6 audio tracks, 'Line Of Thoughts' (Instrumental), 'Beneath', 'My Choice', 'Glorifying Means', 'The Evil That Men Do' & 'One Day I'll Fly Away', plus a DVD (all regions/Pal) with 'My Choice' (video clip), making of...'My Choice', studio recordings, slide show & artwork. Limited book version with song lyrics & photos. Transmission.

Tracks:

Ave Spes Nostra [Antiphon]
Mi Aty Atya Isten [Notre P, Dieu ...]
Veni Domina [Antiphon]
O Mundi Domina [Antiphon]
Fuit Virgo [Alleluia]
Vox Clara, Ecce, Intonat [Lo, a Clear Voice Resounds]
Omnes Unanimiter [All Nations of the World]
Dum Medium Silentium [Alors Que le ...]
Primo Tempore Alleviata [In Earlier Times]
Speciosus Forma [Fairer Than the Children of Men]
Novum Decus Oritur [A New Splendor Arises]
Letentur Celi [Let the Heavens Rejoice]
Salvator Noster [Notre Bien-Aim..]
Az Idvnten [Le Signeur ...]
Novus Annus Adiit [LA Nouvelle AnnApproche]
Exulta, Filia Syon [Communion Hymn]
Liber Gerationis [The Genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-16)]
Gaude et Letare [Antiphon]
Exordium Quadrupalate [Entonnez Ce Motet ...]
Isten, Td [Nous Te Louons, Notre ...]

Customer Reviews:

Surpassing Beauty.......2004-01-14

This was purchased on a whim, but has become a favorite, one that I have given to several friends & family members. We listen to it year-round, not just during the Christmas holidays. The singing is sublime, and the women's voices so perfectly attuned that it sometimes sounds like only one voice. This is one of the very few recordings I own that I can use just as background music, or for falling into sleep & (sometimes rapturous) dreams, or for paying rapt attention when I have the time. The chants are deceptively simple, but unfold complexities when listened to carefully. To my ear, this recording approaches perfection.

Doesn't sound like Chirstmas.......2001-12-22

I purchased this in a effort to expand my Christmas collection. I had great hopes for this album because of its title. I am not rating it mediocre for the recording or preformance. The women's voices are beautiful, the chants are lovely. My problem is that there was nothing to distinguish to the untrained ear that these chants were focused on Christmans. Though I read a bit of latin, I couldn't follow the words well enough when they were sung to feel this was "Christmas" music. For a lover of Latin chants, this would be a terrific album. But for an amateur, this is rather unaccesible.

Average customer rating:

After Forever Is Out To Impress
Short, but sweet.
My Head Hit the Floor...
Even with 6 songs, it's still amazing
Doesn't shine as brightly as Decipher

Exordium
After Forever
Manufacturer: The End Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Invisible Circles
Prison of Desire
Decipher
The Phantom Agony
Mother Earth

ASIN: B0001HAIU4
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Tracks:

Line Of Thoughts (Instrumental)
Beneath
My Choice
Glorifying Means
The Evil That Men Do
One Day I'll Fly Away

Customer Reviews:

After Forever Is Out To Impress.......2006-06-16

Closing in on the bands that are fronted by female vocalists comes After Forever. Singer Floor Jansen is aiming to make fans of the Finnish band Nightwish and Within Temptation her own with her dynamic style and vocal prowess. On this EP you will find some solid Melodic Dark Metal for not only does it feature Floor's amazing voice but is also includes the darker vocals of Sanders Gommans. The group has grown musically from their last work with departed guitarist Mark Jansen (who is not related to Floor in case you wondered) and began the groundwork on this CD which best serves as an introduction to the coming album "Invisible Circles". Of the 6 tracks four are original compositions and two are cover renditions. There is a great instrumental piece in "Line Of Thoughts" and the single for the CD "My Choice" is a wonderful number that might give Nightwish a run for its money if it gets any airplay in areas that feature this stuff. Floor is a classically trained Soprano and she belts out the notes on the CD with apparent ease. The included covers were interesting as a great version of Iron Maiden's "The Evil That Men Do" is delivered with finesse. It was also nice to see a non-expected Maiden tune be used rather than the standards that everyone does. On "One Day I'll Fly Away" we see an R&B track get the Symphonic Metal treatment and sounds pretty good considering. This tune was sung by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge and I think I will stick with Floor on this one. Joining Sanders and Floor in the group, the members are rounded out by Lando Van Gils, Andre Borgman, Bas Maas, & Luk Van Gerven. I think we are going to see some great things from this band and if you are fans of Metal fronted by the powerful female presence this is right up your alley.

This EP length CD comes with a bonus DVD and it offers you a little more insight into the group along with a video and a making of. There is a good clip that shows various stages of the band and a lot of artwork to enjoy. I would have liked to see some live footage since the CD itself was so short, but the chance to observe a little more was nice.

Short, but sweet........2005-07-17

After Forever, even though I have only been familiar with them for a little over a year, grew very quickly on me. As soon as "Exordium" was released, I knew I had to get it (from samples of other songs I heard online). The only problem that I think "Exordium" has is that it was too short. This is good, because it made me want more. The reviews that I read that I feel are most effective take each song and break them down by ratings, so I will use that method.

1. Line of Thoughts [Instrumental] - 4/5 - My favorite part of After Forever, of course, is Floor Jansen, the female vocalist. This is a very good energetic instrumental, but it lacks her voice. A good transition into "Beneath".

2. Beneath - 7/5 - Yes, 7 out of 5. This is my favorite track on the CD. It starts out kind of slow and mellow, and of course, her voice is amazing. It picks up in the chorus with the heavy guitar riffs and her voice rising above. After the chorus, she goes into a sort of fast-paced rap-singing or something... It's not rap, but it kind of sounds a little hip-hoppish. Then there are some newscasts from different countries (in different languages) reflecting violence, with heavy riffs still present in the background. Then it goes back into the song.

3. My Choice - 4/5 - This is a pretty good song, but it lacks something, not sure what... I think it's just the chorus I don't like that much. It just feels like something is missing. However, the only reason this song got 4 out of 5 instead of 3 out of 5, is because of one line in the song, which I feel is the best part of the entire CD. When she sings, "A choice without the illusion... That luck is for sale, `cause I have all that money can buy!!" Not much more to say about it.

4. Glorifying Means - 5/5 - This is a very good song... But the one thing I don't like about After Forever, as a whole, is the screaming male vocals. Grunting, grinding... Whatever you want to call it. I really don't like that. But even though there are some grinding parts in this song, the music, and Floor's voice does more than make up for it.

5. Evil That Men Do - 5/5 - This may sound bad of me being a metal fan and all, but I never heard the original version of this song by Iron Maiden. But, I can say, whatever it sounded like, this song probably did it justice. The only thing I don't like, is when she keeps saying, "Leaning on a razor's edge... Yeah..." Maybe I'm just picky about the music. But this is a very, very good song, I especially like the ending. Then again, for me, it's all about the voice.

6. One Day I'll Fly Away - 6/5 - I know this is also another cover, but I'm not going to even try to guess, because I would probably be completely wrong. I had heard it several times before After Forever, I think it was even in the movie "Moulin Rouge". Anyway, this is a great song, and it's the perfect way to end the CD.

The CD, although short, is worth having, especially for metal, goth/opera fans. This CD was very low on the growling male vocals, so I liked it a lot. I hope this review helps you.

My Head Hit the Floor..........2004-07-15

...When I heard this long EP/min-album. It's excellent. Neo-classical metal. It's hard and symphonic and Floor Jansens voice is to freaking Die for. I first heard her sing on "Space Metal" by Star One. And I knew I had to check this band out. Unfortunately this is the only album I could order through where I work, I'll have to check the net for the rest I suppose, but I shall. This band is telented! I love their cover of Iron Maiden's (ROCK!) "The Evil that Men Do." And this comes with a DVD which has their music video for "My Choice" as well as pictures, liner notes/lyrics, a making of my Choice, as well as a Live Performance of their Iron Maiden cover. Freaking awesome!

Even with 6 songs, it's still amazing.......2004-06-23

Being the only After Forever disc I could afford at the time, I bought Exordium after hearing comparisons to wonderful acts such as Nightwish and Within Temptation. And wow, was I impressed. Floor Jansen's voice is so amazing, she's right up there with Sharon Den Adel and Tarja Turunen in terms of flexibility and emotion. The rest of the band is also great, don't get me wrong, but Floor is what keeps the band entertaining.

Exordium is a 6-song mini-album that consists of four original songs (one instrumental) and 2 covers. In addition, a DVD entitled Insights comes with it, featuring a music video, live footage, documentaries and other miscellaneous recordings.

The album begins with the lovely instrumental "Line of Thoughts", which demonstrates the strength and talent of the musicians (minus Floor) and lasts for 2:15. That track eventually bleeds into "Beneath", whichfeatures some of the best songwriting I have ever heard, and is also a very focused song, dealing with the concept of street rage. Following this epic is "My Choice", Exordium's single and mellowest moment. This is a great song and has a lot of replay value, it deals with the endless choices we are required to make in our everyday lives. "Glorifying Means", an agressive song about drug abuse, features a nice contrast of Floor's operatic voice and beastly male growling. Next is the Iron Maiden cover, "The Evil That Men Do". This is one of the most well-executed Maiden covers I have heard, Floor just finds a way to fit in so perfectly, it would be interesting to see her on stage alongside Bruce Dickinson. The "One Day I'll Fly Away" cover is also a strong point of Exordium, it is a great song for them to do a cover of, as it fits so well with their style of songwriting.

The only reason I didn't give this 4 stars is because it is short. But it is still excellent. If you like After Forever you may also like (this also works vice versa): Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Epica, Edenbridge, Macbeth, Theatre of Tragedy and the Gathering.

Doesn't shine as brightly as Decipher.......2004-05-24

Decipher, the CD After Forever released a couple of years ago, blew me away from the first notes. To say that Floor Jansen's voice is outstanding is to understate the matter. She is stunning. And the songwriting on Decipher is equally as captivating, with a few of the songs giving me the chills.

On Exordium, however, Floor doesn't seem to have the same vocal range. She doesn't hit the stratosphere with a few notes like she did on Decipher. Plus her voice seems strained somehow, like she's trying to sing over the music but having a harder time doing so than she did on Decipher.

That's most noticable on one track -- the cover of Iron Maiden's "Evil that Men Do." There, the music is a spot-on copy of the Maiden classic but Floor sounds like a singer in a local bar band rather than the awesome vocalist that she is. To my ears, she just doesn't have the oomph that Bruce Dickinson has -- which is odd because on Decipher Floor's voice had all the range and power needed to pull off the Maiden vocal.

The other cover -- Nicole Kidman's "One Day I'll Fly Away" from Moulin Rouge -- is equally as disappointing. One would think Floor could have bested Nicole, who admittedly isn't a singer at all, but I don't think she does. The track just doesn't sparkle as it should.

Frankly, Exordium as a whole doesn't shine as brightly as Decipher did. I'm not really sure why. Maybe Exordium isn't representative of the CD to come, Invisible Circles (which I don't yet own because it's extremely hard to find in the States). Or maybe I'm not listening to it correctly. I don't know.

The bonus DVD, on the other hand, is interesting. It's a music video for "My Choice," but it's also a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the music on Exordium. Even though the musicians speak in Dutch, just seeing the members of After Forever laughing, interacting and working on their respective musical tracks is fascinating.

I briefly considered giving Exordium three stars but I couldn't make myself do it. Even on their mediocre days, After Forever is still superior to virtually any other contemporary band one cares to name.

If you're a fan of After Forever from their previous two CDs, you might want to wait until the full album (Invisible Circles) is released in the states to see what the band is up to these days. If you're new to After Forever, I'd strongly recommend starting with Decipher (if you can find it).

Tracks:

Line of Thoughts [Instrumental]
Beneath
My Choice
Glorifying Means
Evil That Men Do
One Day I'll Fly Away

Tracks:

My Choice [*][Multimedia Track]
Making of...My Choice [*][Multimedia Track]
Studio Recordings [*][Multimedia Track]
Slide Show [*][Multimedia Track]
Artwork [*][Multimedia Track]

Album Description

2003 mini album from the Dutch metal act features 6 audio tracks, 'Line Of Thoughts' (Instrumental), 'Beneath', 'My Choice', 'Glorifying Means', 'The Evil That Men Do' & 'One Day I'll Fly Away', plus a DVD (all regions/Pal) with 'My Choice' (video clip), making of...'My Choice', studio recordings, slide show & artwork. Limited book version with song lyrics & photos. Transmission.

The Guitar Music of Meyer Kupferman, vol. 1: Echoes From Barcelona

Average customer rating:

Kupferman the survivor
Anderson Rocks Kupferman

The Guitar Music of Meyer Kupferman, vol. 1: Echoes From Barcelona
William Anderson , Oren Fader , and Joan Forsyth
Manufacturer: Soundspell
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000BKDL
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Customer Reviews:

Kupferman the survivor.......2000-10-29

I regularly return to the music of flamboyant Meyer Kupferman. After thinking that I know what flamboyant gesture he'll do next, that I've heard it all before, I discover a disc like this one, where guitarist William Anderson proves that Kupferman endures. Four of the five pieces stand out as examples of top-drawer Kupf. Through a Glass Darkly (solo guitar) has nothing extraneous; Strumming (solo guitar) consists of 3 miniatures culminating in an epiphany in strumming; Poetics 3 (for 2 guitars) is bluesy and bluegrass--dueling banjos, or like Bela Fleck and the Flecktones; and Exordium (for the unlikely combination of guitar and piano) is almost apocalyptic. Echoes From Barcelona is a bit over the top for me, but I admire his idea of creating a big 15-minute surrealist-flamenco that time-trips to the Spanish Baroque.

Anderson Rocks Kupferman.......2000-10-14

Meyer Kupferman is known in the jazz world as much as the classical world. He is America's most prolific composer, having written dozens of symphonies, ballets, hundreds of chamber music pieces. Less known, to date is that he has written dozens of fabulous pieces with guitar. The performer of this collection of guitar pieces by Meyer Kupferman is William Anderson, who is quite well known for his recordings and concerts in Europe, the U.S., Latin America and Japan. One of the works on this recording, entitled Through a Glass Darkly, was dedicated by Kupferman to Anderson. Anderson has been one of Kupferman's major advocates on the concert stage. My favorite works on this recording are Poetics 3, for two guitars; and Exordium, for guitar and piano. For the guitar duo Anderson is joined by his long-time duo parter and friend Oren Fader (the other guitarist in Anderson's ensemble, Cygnus). Poetics 3 is in two movements, the first movement begins with lush, impressionistic harmonies (Messian-like), followed by a long, bluesy melody. The second movement is electric, with powerful ostinati figures bouncing between the two instruments. In Exordium, for guitar and piano, the piano begins with delicate rapid passages that gradually build to a cataclysm. Pianist Joan Forsyth plays exquisitely, and Anderson is one of the few guitarists who have the dynamic range to match a piano, with its tons of string tension. Through a Glass Darkly, for solo guitar is a deep, and often dark exploration of contrasts. Kupferman wrote it after recovering from major surgery in 1988. Echoes From Barcelona is a 15 minute guitaristic tour de force, taking aspects of spanish guitar music and flamenco and weaving them into a bizarre musical fantasy. The opening track is Strumming--which is rollicking, rock 'n' roll with a quiet interlude in harmonics.

Average customer rating:

MMC Orchestral Miniatures, Vol. 3

Manufacturer: Master Musicians Col
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000004AGA
Release Date: 1997-05-13

Tracks:

Clockwork
Energetic Transformations
Adagio
Fairmont Ov
Exordium
Etesian Zephyrs/Fog Of Clusters
Assembly Of Shapes
Fog Discovered
Scattered Mists And Dark Sidewalks
Look, See
Hyacinths

Average customer rating:

a mixed bag
Uninspiring

Codex Speciálník

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000025XD5
Release Date: 2000-04-18

Tracks:

Exordium quadruplate; Nate dei; Concrepet; Verbum caro
Tria sunt munera; Videntes stellam; Reges Tharsis
In natali domini
Sophia nascitur; O quam pulchra; Magi videntes
Congaudemus pariter; En lux immensa
Magnim miraculum
Nobis est natus
Salve mater gracie
Christus iam surrexit; Terra tremuit; Angelus domini; Surrexit Christus
Presulem ephebeatum
Paraneuma eructemus
Presidiorum erogatrix
Pneuma eucaristiarum; Veni vere illustrator; Dator eya; Paraclito tripudia
Terrigenarum plasmator
Pulcherrima rosa
Chorus iste
Bud' buohu chvala cest
O virens virginum
Kyrie Petite Camusette
Gloria Petite Camusette
Tota pulchra es
Credo Petite Camusette
Ave pura tu puella
Sanctus Petite Camusette
Ave Maria

Amazon.com

What century are we in? You may ask that when you hear the first 10 seconds of this very unusual recording of music "from a Prague manuscript c. 1500." Strange, too, is the title, which is the name of this "special songbook," one of the oldest surviving collections of Czech renaissance polyphony. The attention-getting opening piece is an example of a multiple-texted motet in which several sets of words are sung at the same time. But the textual chaos of this anonymous work is quickly followed by more refined works--the familiar "In natali domini," the haunting "Magnum miraculum," the exquisitely tender "Salve mater gracie," and the heartbreakingly beautiful "Presidiorum erogatrix," to name only four of many. Some of the pieces here are original Czech works; others are "imported" from well-known European composers, such as Josquin and Agricola. The four male voices of the Hilliard Ensemble submit for our approval another of their trademark flawless performances--and leave us with only one choice: we have to have it. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

a mixed bag.......2002-03-12

Like many of the Hilliard Ensemble's ECM discs, there is a passionlessness and stylistic homogeneity about much of the singing here that makes it quite an effort to get through much of this disc in one sitting. David James's affected countertenor in particular gets tiring on the ear. But the reason why this still gets 4 stars is that this is a fascinating collection of widely divergent pieces, from tangled Ars Nova polyphony through shimmeringly beautiful, more static mid-15th century pieces such as John Plummer's "Tota Pulchra Es" and the gorgeous anonymous "Magnum Miraculum", all the way through to the more familiar Renaissance masters like Josquin and Agricola. The Hilliards' reading of the Josquin warhorse "Ave Maria" is slow, empty and totally lacking forward momentum: you wonder why they bothered recording it if they were as bored with it as they sound. But they save their most vital performances for the astonishing anonymous "Missa Petite Camusette", which alone justifies the exorbitant ECM price. Whoever this composer was, it was no hack. The original Ockeghem melody is masterfully treated in rich, imitative textures, full of yearning melodic flourishes, and slow moving, but poised harmonies based on the cantus firmus. If you prefer your Renaissance polyphony artificially flavoured with Kenny G, stay well away from this disc. If you want a fascinating tour through the polyphonic backwaters of the Renaissance, get this.

Uninspiring.......2001-02-18

There is some beautiful music here, beautifully performed. The problem is that none of it is as truly haunting as such music can be at its best. Istead, the disc feels a bit too much like an academic exercise: going through an overly long selection of pieces without paying enough attention to the cumulative emotional effect.

If you are new to sacred early music this is not the place to start. For that, I would recommend "Perotin" also by the Hilliard Ensemble, or some Hildegard of Bingen (particularly "A Feather on the Breath of God"). For something a bit more challenging try "Mnemosyne" by the Hilliards with saxophonist Jan Garbarek.These will give you a much better sense of how a single disc from this genre can provide a moving listening experience.

Exordium
Average customer rating:
Exordium
After Forever
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002549QO
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Album Description

Average customer rating:

Exordium

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000QJLPHM
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Album Description

The Zac Hurren Trio is one of Australia's most exciting young Jazz combos. Led by Zac on saxophones, the trio explores a contemporary Australian Jazz sound inspired by the likes of Scott Tinkler, Dale Barlow, John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. Zac is an exceptionally gifted and unique saxophonist, composer and improviser and combined with the incredible talents of Eugene Romaniuk on double bass and Sam Bates on drums - they create an explosive new Australian sound. Jazzhead. 2007.

Average customer rating:

Exordium

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000066HOU
Release Date: 2000-08-10

Tracks:

A Prophet's Return
The Ashes of Empire
Thistles in Winter

Average customer rating:

Exordium
After Forever
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002549PU
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Album Description

2003 mini album from the Dutch metal act features 6 audio tracks plus a DVD (PAL/All Code) featuring 'My Choice' (video clip), making of 'My Choice',studio recordings, slide show & artwork. Transmission.

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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