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"For his seventh solo album, Alex Carpani offers us a progressive masterpiece at the crossroads of genres."
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5/5
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Alex Carpani, the Swiss-Italian keyboardist who needs no introduction, lost his way a little on “L'Orizzonte Degli Eventi”, which mixed virtual guitars with uninspired progressive. He bounced back two years later with “Microcosm”, more adventurous than its predecessor. Now he's back in 2024 with a new concept, illustrated by a cover featuring a giant octopus greedily grabbing a schooner, while military planes streak across an ominous sky.
The album is made up of two large tracks entitled 'Amnesiac' and 'Good And Evil', both clocking in at over 28 minutes, each divided into nine tableaux. A gamble where every second has to be exciting, and fortunately they are! Alex Carpani has managed to digest his progressive influences and integrate them into a melting pot of genres: hard rock, jazz ('As Light Return', 'Stillmess And Ecstasy', 'Masquerade'), pop and symphonic ('Part Life') sequences constantly pass the buck. “The Good Man” oscillates between the hot blast of volcanic guitars and the wind of keyboards in a sea of agitated sound, particularly on ‘The Edge Of My Mind’. And when, on 'Mystical', the organ embarks on an improvised fugue launched by rigorous Gregorian chants and relayed by the pounding of the drums, we can tell that Alex Carpani has spared no expense in bewitching us.
Alex Carpani's willing and generous vocals are as poignant as ever, sometimes reminiscent of Frank Bornemann's Eloy, but with an Italian accent. The artist intervenes only at key moments in his sonic plot, avoiding overloading his compositions with lyrics and letting the music express itself. He is, however, assisted by Valentina Vanini, a mezzo-soprano singer whose enchanting flights of fancy open up a symphonic, even opera dimension, and revive the grace of pure emotion expressed in the prog field by Annie Haslam (Renaissance).
On his seventh album, Alex Carpani regales us with a successful long-haul voyage open to all winds. To date, this is the best opus of a true progressive rock aficionado, establishing himself as one of the genre “s most exciting modern standards. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Amnesiac: On A Train - 2:10 02. Amnesiac: Perfect Chaos - 4:41 03. Amnesiac: Flashbacks - - 1:30 04. Amnesiac: The Edge Of My Mind - 3:57 05. Amnesiac: Diamond In The Rough - - 1:55 06. Amnesiac: Past Life - 4:21 07. Amnesiac: Heart Calling - 2:51 08. Amnesiac: As Light Returns - 3:42 09. Amnesiac: End Of The Day - 4:41 10. Good And Evil: Lost Frequencies - 0:57 11. Good And Evil: The Flow - 4:13 12. Good And Evil: P.T.S.D. - 3:52 13. Good And Evil: Stillness And Ecstasy - 2:15 14. Good And Evil: Flirting With Darkness - 4:11 15. Good And Evil: Mystical - 5:39 16. Good And Evil: Leaving The Path - - 1:32 17. Good And Evil: Masquerade - 2:42 18. Good And Evil: Everything Falls Into Place - 3:09
LINEUP:
Alessio Alberghini: Saxophone Alex Carpani: Chant / Guitares / Claviers Bruno Farinelli: Batterie Emiliano Fantuzzi: Guitares Giambattista Giorgi: Basse Valentina Vanini: Chant
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READERS
3.7/5 (7 view(s))
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STAFF:
5/5 (1 view(s))
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