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Reviews

Vermilion Sands — Water Blue
(Musea FGBG 4293. AR, 1987/1999, CD)

by Mike Ohman, Published 2000-05-01

Water Blue Cover art

Lush keyboard-oriented symphonic prog bands with pretty female vocals were two-a-penny in 80s Japan. Vermilion Sands gave themselves a bit of distinction via their unusual (for a Japanese band, anyway) British Isles folk influence. They even open their album with a version of the traditional Irish ballad “My Lagan Love” (which was also used as the basis of Horslips’ “Fantasia”). But unlike British or Irish bands working in this mode, Vermilion Sands add a thick layer of keyboard orchestrations. Also notable is the influence from Renaissance. Other Japanese bands working in this style could also be said to have Renaissance influence, but not to this degree, surely. Which is not to say they’re an out and out clone, at least not of the Starcastle ilk, but it is pretty obvious from where their style aside from the folk influence derives mainly. How much you like them will probably be determined by how much you like Renaissance. This new Musea issue includes all tracks from the original Made In Japan album, plus their contribution to Musea’s Seven Days of a Life CD, the previously unreleased studio track “In the Night of Ancient Tombs,” plus 1996 live versions of “The Love in the Cage” and “In Your Mind.” Apparently, the CD contains everything currently available from Vermilion Sands, and is probably definitive, since the band appears to have broken up.

Filed under: Reissues, Issue 19, 1999 releases, 1987 recordings

Related artist(s): Vermilion Sands

 

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