Portrait

Enniskillen brothers Pat and John McManus (one time members of '80s metal trio Mama's Boys) are joined by keyboardist Jonathan Czerwik to form the core of this London-based collective.

Celtus trade in the kind of pseudo-mystical, ethereal soundscapes and haunting reverb-drenched melodies that are shifting by the bucketload these days. Portrait is the follow-up to the their well-received debut, Moonchild, which established them as a force to be reckoned with. Tour dates with Sheryl Crow and a well-received appearance at WOMAD have further boosted their profile, leading to a prediction in Billboard that "they have the potential to be one of the biggest bands to come out of Ireland . . ."

More song-based and less impressionistic than the first album, this is undoubtedly immaculately produced, well-presented stuff. Celtus are not, however, immune from the new-age synth doodling and drum programming that bedevils the genre; some of the songs here suffer from an overdose of such embellishments. The lyrics to the opener 'Two Worlds', give more than a clue as to where they're at philosophically: "High upon the edge/ I can see the sun's eternal flame and I have crossed the wild just to be with you." 'The Awakening', an instrumental piece recorded at Abbey Road studios with a 14-piece orchestra is also suitably cinematic, while the opening bars of the current single 'Wide Awake' strongly recall Enya's multi-tracked vocal textures.

The vocal harmonies are possibly the strongest point here with John McManus' emotive delivery to the fore, especially on the plaintive 'Believe' and the epic closer 'Cathedral'.