|
Review:
|
Here’s another stunning progrock project by Finnish
progrock magazine Colossus and French progrock label Musea
entitled Dante’s Inferno – The Divine Comedy – Part 1, it
even surpasses all previous projects, including the impressive
3-CD box Kalevala, incredible! This box delivers 34 progrock
bands from all over the world on 4 CD’s and a 80 page booklet
with information about the line-ups, the vintage instruments
and websites, embellished with lots of pictures and paintings.
-
CD-1 (71 minutes): What a pleasure this CD starts with
Nuova Era, in my opinion their instrumental contribution
is the best this acclaimed Nineties rooted Italian formation
ever made: a melodic and dynamic sound between ELP and Ars
Nova featuring wonderful keyboard work (Hammond, church-organ,
synthesizers and Mellotron) and in the final part powerful
saxophone play, this begs for a new album! I am also delighted
about Little Tragedies (ultra-bombastic progrock with flashy
guitar and keyboards and an energetic rhythm-section), Lady
Lake (varied sound between Focus and Camel with beautiful
Mellotron and Hammond waves and exciting electric violin
play), Nemo (from compelling to bombastic outbursts, topped
by strong theatrical vocals and tasteful work on Hammond,
Mellotron and wah-wah guitar), Nexus (a bit more dubdued
with an important role for the emotional vocals and synthesizer
flights) and Flamborough Head (very melodic and varied with
wonderful keyboard colouring along tasteful work on guitar
and flute). The other bands are also worth listening: pleasant
progfolk with warm female vocals, flute, acoustic guitar
and halfway a surprising Korg synthesizer solo by Yesterdays,
an unique, bit experimental sound with opera-like duo vocals
by Greenwall, a strong build-up with emotional vocals and
powerful Hammond and electric guitar by Atlantis 1001 and
Colossus Project (obvious Seventies sound with lots of Hammond
waves and sparkling Minimoog runs). -
CD-2 (65 minutes): A blend of known and unknown bands
with strong appearances by Count (bombastic neo-symphonic
sound with good duo-guitarwork (including a long moving
solo), Willowglass (wonderful, from mellow with soaring
Hammond, flute and warm 12-string guitar to bombastic with
mighty Hammond and Mellotron), Wicked Minds (sensational
Uriah Heep inspired sound with lots of breaks delivering
swirling Hammond, fiery and biting wah-wah electric guitar
and a Minimoog-Hammond duel), Ars Nova (great musical ideas
and exciting, bombastic work on keyboards and heavy guitarplay
by 3 guitarplayers) and Matthijs Herder (from Holland):
between dreamy and compelling with a beautiful Mellotron
sound and sensitive electric guitar that reminds me of fellow
Dutchman Jan Akkerman. The other tracks are all on a decent
level: a sound between The Flower Kings and Gentle Giant
with the distinctive clavinet and strong solo on synthesizer
and guitar by Brighteye Brison, an experimental sound with
a wide range of instruments, including bombastic choir-Mellotron
in the end by Garamond, pleasant symphonic rock with violin,
piano, church organ, guitar and synthesizers by Il Castello
Di Atlante and finally varied progfolk (between dreamy with
flute, acoustic guitar and warm vocals and bombastic with
Hammond, howling electric guitar and a synthesizer solo)
by Groovector. -
CD-3 (55 minutes): This disc delivers a lot of variety
and a wide range of atmospheres: heavy and bombastic with
blistering guitar, spectacular synthesizer flights and emotional
Spanish vocals by Entrance, experimental with a flamenco
guitar intro and a wide range of instruments by Advent,
a sparkling solo on the Grand piano by the Contrappunto
Project, between mellow with flute/mandoline and sumptuous
with Moog/choir-Mellotron by CAP and ELP-inspired by Ozone
Player. My favorite moments are the tracks by Sinkadus (compelling,
typical Skandinavian climate with bombastic Hammond and
Mellotron, a wonderful part with volume pedal guitar and
flute Mellotron and a conclusion featuring howling guitar
with lush Hammond and Mellotron), Nota Bene (jazzy undertone
because of the Fender Rhodes electric piano and guitar sound
and an exciting break delivering swinging piano and moving
guitar) and Viima (wonderful duo-keyboards and sensitive
electric guitar). -
CD-4 (55 minutes): After more than 3 hours listening
to this huge box set, I was very curious or this final disc
would succeed to keep my attention. Well, it did! The first
two bands are unknown but very promising formations from
Italy: Armalite alternates between Seventies Genesis and
early Marillion with warm native vocals, a lush keyboard
sound (lots of Trons) and fiery electric guitar and Corte
Aulica delivers a dynamic, alternating and melodic sound
with sensitive electric guitar and exciting Minimoog work.Then
multi-instrumentalist Raimundo Rudolfo (plus guest musicians),
I love his blend of classical (violin, cello, guitar) and
bombastic symphonic rock (Mellotron, church-organ, Minimoog
and powerful electric guitar), embellished with pleasant
Spanish vocals. Next is an interesting duo: keyboardplayer
De Rossi (using an array of vintage keyboards) and former
Rustichelli/Bordini and PFM member drummer Carlo Bordini,
we can enjoy inventive keyboard-driven prog, from swinging
clavinet to a great final part with the choir-section of
a Memotron and a fat Minimoog sound, goose bumps! Tempano
their music is a kind of avant-garde sound collage, very
atmospheric with propulsive drum beats and lots of instruments.
Nathan Mahl presents a very strongly build-up contribution,
from dreamy with tender piano and a slow rhtyhm with Camel-inspired
guitar and Mellotron to a bombastic part with Hammond organ
and fiery guitar.
Finally the acclaimed Swedish band Simon Says, for
me their composition turns out to be one of the highlights
on this 4-CD box: lots of shifting moods (from tender piano
with warm vocals to intense bombastic eruptions with Mellotron
and bass pedals), captivating musical ideas (with the vocoder
and a sitar), exciting breaks and solos (flashy synthesizer
with pitchbend) and a mindblowing final part with a strongly
build-up guitar solo and sparkling piano, again goose bumps!
-
\ My conclusion: not to be missed by any serious symphomaniac!
www.progwalhalla.com
|
