By Monk
Given that we’re used to doing it ourselves – after all, we invented terms such as “glunk” and “Überverse” – I love it when I open a press release and find a brand new descriptive which I have not previously encountered. In terms of this, the debut album from Italian melodic/power metallers, my eyes were drawn to the word “magniloquent” as one of the PR terms used to draw our attention towards considering its contents for perusal… well, it worked and I immediately clicked the little arrow at the end of the submission go see if it lived up to such a grandiose assertion…
In the interests of full and proper disclosure, the entire descriptive for ‘Poetica’ reads: “Catchy music, but not cheesy. Magniloquent, but not tawdry. Technical, but not complex. Modern, but not pimp. And powerful, above all.” And, I have to say that, by and large, I have to agree with most of the points mentioned in said quote – even if the English translation is slightly on the dodgy side; at least the music, to a large extent, isn’t equally so.
To coin an old advertising phrase, ‘Poetica’ does everything it says on the tin and is exactly everything you would expect from a melodic/power metal opus, and especially one from an Italian band. It’s filled with beautifully crafted songs, interspersed with suitably atmospheric interludes, delivered with precision and an insightful knowledge of the genre, paying homage to PM precursors such as Blind Guardian and Savatage.
It’s only problem, and I think that it largely lies in the production, is that its first half comes across as anodyne and antiseptic, staid even. Outside of the occasional snatch of oomph in Ivan Adani’s vocal, there is a distinct lack of genuine passion for what is being laid down, which is a real pity, as there is a fuckton of potential in the songs that is criminally unrealized. Said songs are decent exemplars of the genre, and the guys definitely know what they are about – and Adani does have a genuinely good voice, with a decent range, more than capable of drawing out all the overlooked nuances in the finished product.
There are some really good moments, such as lead single ‘Soul Revelation’ and the epic duet ‘Memories Of You’, which would easily stand alongside anything to which countryman Alessandro del Vecchio has put his name in the last two decades: but, is that enough to retain the listeners’ attention? Well, hopefully, as the second half of the album is where it really comes to life, especially on the appropriate ‘Rage’, with its punchy, staccato riff and Teutonic metal-style chorus – and, all of a sudden, the guitar is front and centre, where it should have been from the beginning!
To paraphrase a famous football analogy, ‘Poetica’ is an album of two halves, reminiscent of a higher league team facing lower division opposition in a cup tie and imagining they can coast through to the next round, before suddenly realizing they need to up their game in the latter part of the match to ensure victory. And so it is with Stranger Vision: it’s as if they struggled to find their feet in the first period, before being giving a serious pep talk about getting their shit together before the audience get bored and fuck off back to the pub (when it re-opens, of course!). The result is a narrow win, salvaged by an injection of much-needed sonic firepower – not to mention balls – into the likes of ‘Before The Law’ and ‘Defying Gravity’, which help salvage a respectable result.
- ‘Poetica’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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