I think Vangelis is best known for his fascination with space exploration. In the eighties he turned his attention more earthly moods. Soil festivities is very much that: an earthly celebration of nature. This is all about the small life on the ground, so expect some dark sounds on this record.
I read that this can be combined in a trilogy with two albums coming out the next year: Invisible connections and Mask. I don’t understand that, to be honest. These three albums are all very different. Invisible connections is almost jazz, and Mask adds choirs to the already bombastic soundscape. Both of them are not very concerned with what happens on the ground.
I really like the artwork though. The great diving beetle lives in fresh water in Northern Europe and Asia. It can fly quite well, but also regularly takes a dive in the water. It is very big, growing to about 35 mm. As a predator, with that size it is even able to attack small fish.