About the album
“Under Dark Skies” bears the name of a cycle of poems of Debelyanov, among which are most of his popular ones, as well as lesser-known verses. Although the songs in the album sometimes leave this cycle, its title represents best its mood, as well as the mood in Debelyanov’s poetry. It evokes tender and at the same time sad melancholy, which along with the melodiousness of the verse determined the choice of poet whose works to turn into music, not that I ever thought about working on someone else’s poems. Risking to provoke a sarcastic smile on the reader, I did dream many of the themes in the album, along with the whole second song. Naturally, not in the same way and probably not in the same arrangement – once we awaken memories of dreams vanish as quickly as summer rain.
The arrangement of songs is determined by the feelings which the poetry rouses – in the lyrical parts it is soft, and I have relied on instruments such as harp, strings ensemble and choir. The other pieces of the “Under Dark Skies” jigsaw are progressive rock instrumentals, which I believe recreate the same feelings albeit in a different way.
The first and last song form the frame of the album. Its concept is a combination of the plotline, formed in the verses in between, recreating the life of the poet, his poems, and last but not least that I dreamt most of the themes. And because Debelyanov was a follower of E.A. Poe(which a poem named “Nevermore” clearly shows) and because he believed that all is “but a dream within a dream”, perhaps that is the best way to recreate his verse into music.
The style of “Under Dark Skies” can be defined as progressive rock and the album is likely to appeal to aficionados of the genre. It is directly influenced by the music of Alan Parsons Project and their album based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, as well as from the late Fish period of Marillion (Misplaced Childhood, Clutching at Straws). I do believe, however, that I have created something new and original, have copied no-one, and have built upon the already heard. Another thing I have not strived for is to follow the commercial verse-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus structure, and if this is what you expect from the music you listen to, you may be left disappointed.
I also believe I have improved musically, and consider all comparisons with my previous work, “The Genuine Confessions of dr.jekyll and mr. Hyde” inappropriate. While it was a collection of songs with a frame that did not fit equally well to each one, in “Under Dark Skies” every song is created with a thought for the whole and is stylistically consistent with the rest. I hope the album to be more attractive musically, something that would confirm my progress as a musician.
I have to thank Petteri Aartolahti and Jan Kuipers for the invaluable help and critics they gave in the process of creating the album, as well as Felix Drott, who is responsible for the cover art. Last but not least, I’d like to thank all who listen to my music and have supported me through the years of progress.
“Under Dark Skies” is a work created with a lot of effort and attention to detail – you could even say that during the last eight months I have been breathing that album. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.
Velislav Ivanov