Search - Gala :: Gregorian Dance

As a fan of Enigma, I didn't like it!

Armando M. Mesa | 02/19/2000

(1 out of 5 stars)

"One of my favorite sounds in the world are Gregorian chants mixed with electronic soundscapes, so when I give an album as this such a low grade you can bet there's a good reason for it. First of all, aside from the fact that I think Gala's "Gregorian Dance" is a low quality Enigma-rip off (I listened to it on good headphones - eek!) the Monks don't even sound deep and mysterious - infact they sound like they were taken from a recording of a recording and as someone who has listened to alot of Gregorian chants in their natural form, these sound quite faked and unconvincing. Overall, there is no real melody to the songs, just a bunch of beats and chants that are there for I guess "atmospheric" purposes. That would be okay if I could get into what "atmosphere" they were trying to convey, as it didn't come off as medievil and avant-gard, as the music was to uppy poppish to blend well with the darker or somber sound of Gregorian chants. There's also this guy that comes in one of songs doing some Fabio-esque talking, very humorous actually!However, there are other cds that blend this style nicely which I would highley reccommend any day over this that I myself enjoy much more.Besides Enigma's "MCMXC a.D." - the master and innovator (and best) of this genre, their is a beautiful cd by Mike Oldfield called "Songs of Distant Earth" (some of the most beautiful monk chants in this one - a must have),Pilgrimage's "9 songs of Ecstacy" (more female/nun type chants - but also quite excellent) and Era's "Era" album (not excellent as it lacks identity but it's certainly better than this).I consider "Gregorian Dance" to be just a part of the Gregorian chant bandwagon jumpers who came shortly after the Enigma craze, not a serious artist who simply drew a little bit of influence in their sound and helped to expand this genre."

An In-betweener...

Armando M. Mesa | Chandler, AZ | 02/08/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, there is no doubt this artist or group was trying to capitalize on the monk-chant, ambient dance fad of the early 90's. Comparing Gala to Enigma is like comparing a Nissan Pathfinder to it's twin the Infinity QX4 SUV. In one package you get the standard amenities while in the other there are numerous refinements. However, for someone who is not that picky will enjoy either groups for the music in general itself and will not pull apart or lose sleep over which is better. Truth be known that when Enigma came out with their first cd they too were criticized for using sacred Gregorian chants without permission as well as using other samples or similar sounds from groups like Soul II Soul for the club-dance beats. Gala by no means cannot be held up to the high calibre of style and originality that Enigma encompasses. It still does not make the cd unbearable to listen to..."

Very nice album

12/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"maybe Gala is not so good like Enigma,gregorian,amethystium or
delerium but still sounds great."