Has anybody given this a listen yet? I got it recently. And I must say I'm impressed. This album may lack the spirit of CREID, but it does not have the annoying vocals of that album and the arrangements are superb. Even the Nisan theme is nice here, and that's saying a lot, coming from my lips, 'cause the original is one of the very few musical pieces that I hate with a passion. I particularly liked the arrangements of the opening theme, as well as that of my personal favorite - Prison of Sleep and Regret. And yet, with all these outstanding arrangements comes only one, but very dire disappointment - The Beginning and the End. Unfortunately, I feel they have completely ruined this beautiful piece of music. I don't know if it's because of the instruments or lack of male vocals, which were sort of a driving force of the original version. What is missing is the ethnic feel, the power and divine grandeur the original track conveyed. Though as a standalone track I guess the arrangement is still nice.
So those of you who have listened - what are your thoughts? I'm especially eager to hear your impressions, Wolf Kanno