"British prog rock doesn't get better than this......this is karnataka... - Rick Wakeman -
Three years in the making, this one-track opus from the prog multi-instrumentalist succeeds in capturing the majestic, oceanic essence of the planet’s mightiest mammals and their pelagic domain. synth washes open up the 40-plus minute voyage, adorned with nimble guitar work and slick percussion, before rocking into a pan-pipe-toned synth-scape, a looming nautical atmosphere conjured up by fluid electric chops and propeller-rotor effects.
nods to joe satriani and guitar shop-era jeff beck propel things via a martial drum beat, before an acoustic interlude and crescendo founded on robust prog keyboards. a final run into open water by the aquatic leviathans sees sun-kissed spanish guitar and vocalisations, before the climactic vangelis-like synth recession into the vastnesses of the deep".
- record collector magazine - Tim Jones
...enrico pinna's electric guitar passages and solos are awe-inspiring
- musical discoveries - russ elliot
"...indeed guitarist enrico pinna is a particular star throughout: his roots lie in jazz, but here he has risen admirably to the challenge posed by such dense material, providing a virtuoso performance of david gilmour-esque proportions.
- where worlds collideshis solo on "forsaken" is set to become a classic progressive rock "moment".....
"not many guitar players move me these days! ritchie blackmore & jeff beck can still do this! enrico pinna is another: his solos on karnataka's new cd - the gathering light- are brilliant!
his solo on 'serpent and sea' from karnataka's new album 'the gathering light', is one of the greatest solo's of all time, passion, drama and emotion ...this solo is perfect!"
- graham elks -
...but for me the real revelation is enrico pinna's guitar playing; prog guitar at it's finest, with occasional echoes of steve hackett or pendragon's nick barratt, but a symphonic style that's still his own"....."pinna's guitar is immaculate throughout if sometimes too close to well - trodden gilmour - esque territory, the solos executed with almost military precision. but i am sure - in the world of prog - this will be duly noted and lapped up by the faithful."
- get ready to rock -
...karnataka are back with a cracking album...musically, it's got hooks in the guitar work, choruses that will stick in your mind and have you humming them at your desk...this is a release i recommend you seek out and enjoy..."
- powerplay magazine -
...enrico pinna furnishes every track with radiant and towering guitar parts that sing of andy latimer, steve hackett and david gilmour but laced with his own musical personality..."
- dprp - dutch progressive rock page
The deft and dexterous fretwork is a highlight throughout this accomplished release but never does pinna rest on his laurels, utilising the whole collection of his musical skills to hook the listener in to his fantastically realised world. when required to let loose with a touch of rock guitar this guy can riff with the best of them, leaving me in mind of the great instrumental guitarists like satch, beck and there are even hints of zappa like inventiveness but, to me, it is the acoustic interludes and more laid back guitar pieces that really showcase what enrico pinna is all about as a guitarist.
the genius of this music is that it draws you in to the journey of the leviathans, as a musical release it must be listened to in one whole bite to appreciate what the artist is trying to achieve. the slow, methodical synth interludes seem intended to help you envisage the ponderous, slow moving world of these massive water bound beasts. the superb classical guitar pieces deliver further nuances to this intricate album as they segue from quick paced to ethereal and wispy, it is an ever changing sea scape of musical ideology.
the vocalised sections can seem slightly at odds with the rest of the album but added in to the spanish guitar sections they add something rather than detracting. the album flows throughout to an impressive ending where the music takes on layers of intricacy to become something almost orchestral and very moving as you picture these majestical creatures venturing further into the unimagined vastness of the ocean depths.
if you don’t like instrumental music, this release will, in all honesty, not change your mind but, for those of us who gain pleasure from such music, enrico pinna has produced something of a minor masterpiece. complex and deep but with an earnestness that has to be heard to be appreciated, ‘the dream of the whale’ is a piece of music that will move and comfort you in equal measure.
- lady obscure - martin hutchinson