Will-o-the Wisp
A Gift For Your Dreams

It is said that there never existed a worse scoundrel than Stingy Jack in all of Ireland. It seems that his debts, incurred at the numerous pubs where he regularly went to get drunk, were so colossal that they drove him to offer his soul to the devil just to erase them and keep on drinking. Not even when the devil came back to collect what he was owed did he give in; on the contrary, after luring the creature to climb a tree, he carved a cross into the bark, thus preventing it from coming down unless it left him alone. The infernal being agreed to the cunning trickster's request and returned to its own realm, leaving the triumphant Jack to relish in his swindle's success.

Despite appearances, these words are extremely relevant if we want to talk about a "Will of the Wisp" (ignis fatuus), as this Irish folk tale happens to be one of the most well-known attempts to frame, in purely folkloric language, the phenomenon of eerie spectral lights that for a long time have provided ample material for picturesque stories of ghosts and goblins, intertwining tradition and fantasy and thus manifesting, among others, in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy literature with the "corpse-candles" in the Dead Marshes north of Mordor, in the decadent art of pre-Raphaelite Arthur Hughs through the painting "Will o' the Wisp" and in music with the much more recent Will-o-the Wisp, who, since 1997, have been crafting four excellent examples of mellow symphonic progressive embroidered with skillful psychedelic touches and nostalgic folk sounds.

"A Gift for Your Dreams", dated 2007, shows significant changes in the Athenian lineup compared to the past and, when considered before an actual listen, they fuel a certain alarm in a long-time fan. Some of the key elements that contributed to creating that characteristic warm and deliberately "dated" sound of tracks like "Elbereth" or "Rings of Time" are missing, leaving us without the enveloping Hammond of Dina Nassi, the flute of Nikos Chalikias, and the sweet voice of the second singer Sofia Rapti. Even the excellent drummer Nikos Manousopoulos is replaced, which certainly doesn’t help make the prospects less disastrous... Yet the unthinkable happens.

The guitar of veteran Takis Barbagalas takes the reins of the situation and leads both old and new companions toward unimaginable goals. The initial howls produced by the strings introduce the clean and powerful voice of the usual Angelos Gerakitis ("Nature Boy"), who, maybe thanks to the absence of a female counterpart by his side, unveils a higher and incredibly versatile tone, enriched by impeccable English pronunciation. But the guitar feats of the album are yet to begin: scratching duets with Costas Pagonas's bass ("Serpent's Kiss"), calm but perfectly fitting rhythmic bases supporting the flute by guest Amalia Kountouri, now engaged in carefree twirls ("Fairer-than-a-Fairy"), now in mystic and reverent anticipation of the violin and its melodic fury ("Flying with Witches"), languid chords and velvety arpeggios, reminiscent of the certain sound qualities of Anthony Phillips, that caress the compositions as if they were delicate flowers about to bloom.

The longer episodes see the valuable contribution of guest keyboardist Vagelis Stefanopoulos, who, through the use of the organ and piano, weaves romantic and reflective atmospheres, punctuated by the intelligent use of sticks and brushes by the new drummer Kostas Kostopoulos, but also, when the time is right, overshadowed by the lethal violin of yet another guest, Tasos Papastamou ("The Night Twined the Hours"). Angelos’s singing returns to amaze, whether he adorns melancholy and resigned clothes ("Inward Reflections"), or whether he rages in a fierce lament, so beautiful and poignant it gives chills throughout the entire duration of what might be the highest point of an already extraordinary album ("Sliding Down at the Shades of Mind"), finally closed by the single version of "Nature Boy", this time sung by the mild and harmonious voice of Markela Dounezaki.

But after all this... What happened to Jack? Well, the clever fraudster discovered, to his utmost surprise, that the gates of Heaven would never be opened to him, so he returned to the lord of the Underworld to beg for a place warmed and lit by those imperishable flames. The devil, still offended by the previous encounter's setback, refused his request but provided him with a lantern with an inextinguishable flame inside, so that the spirit of the wretched scoundrel could wander for eternity near marshes and cemeteries, inspiring stories, works of art, Halloween pumpkins (Jack o' Lantern) and, evidently, names of prog bands.