SOPHYA DREAM ALBUM PANDAIMONIUM RELEASE: APRIL 4, 2003 REVIEW: MAY 23, 2003

The Israeli duo of Sonja Rozenblum and Idan Karutchi first impressed me in 2000 with their debut record "The Age of Sophya" and now that they've become a trio (thanks to new member and bassist The Haze) Sophya have truly created an album of amazing content. Subtle drum programming on most of the tracks accentuates Sonja's stellar voice and the song writing! - oh, the song writing capabilities that this band has reached are nothing short of a crepuscular zenith.
Their first album had a bit of a disjointed feel to it but with "Dream" the band have created a shiny gem of undisputed quality. The songs are confident in their arrangements with powerful intent clearly underlining tracks like "Captive Beauty" and "Restless Nights". Much like Poland's God's Bow and Fading Colours, Sophya utilize their ability to draw the listener into their own world with undeniable success. You really feel as though you're there when Sonja sings lines like "Here I stand alone again, hanged on the cross of faults". You can feel those nails hammered into your own flesh by virtue of her stunning delivery. Musically, Sophya incorporate all sorts of unusual instrumentation into their work and they keep the tempo down which is a wisely shrewd move on their part. Thank the stars they refuse to pigeonhole themselves unlike a great deal of other bands who happily slit their own throats by indulging genre-isms.
On top of all this, the album is good and long, which gives us a chance to get to know what Sophya is all about and what they intend to make known. This band has me completely spellbound with this release and I doubt anything will ever break the chain.

PETER MARKS