TALE OF A DARK FATE

This Italian instrumental band -- whose name means Poison Tree -- released their debut Le Radici del Male in 2013. Being inspired by European horror films, they share quite a lot in style with the classic act GOBLIN, which is not a bad thing at all. The new album has an English title, though most of the one-word track titles are in Latin. Curiously, Tale of a Dark Fate claims to be an "Opera in two acts". I find that a bit phoney and misleading for a totally instrumental work with no any other textual level than the pretty abstract track titles. But of course it doesn't matter either, and it may encourage listeners to form a dramatic whole of their listening experience. To imagine the "opera" inside their each individual minds. The leaflet contains black & red drawings for each track (in the style of the front cover), and they're very fine.

There's a brief prelude that somehow makes me think of the instrumental openers on The Alan Parsons Project's albums. The tracks follow each other seamlessly, which is nice (though the 14-second 'Interval' of silence is quite unnecessary. Didn't the band know there are operas in one act too?). Right away 'Morpheus', the second longest track (6:14) on the album, shows the band's strength in full steam. The highly democratic band sound is powerful and clear, just like in the case of Goblin. The compositions are dynamic and especially taken as one entity this work is full-blown progressive rock. Another good reference would be the instrumental concept album Halloween (1977) by the French classic band PULSAR.

It goes without saying that the atmosphere in this music is full of dark suspense. It indeed would suit perfectly to a horror film by someone like Dario Argento. I'm very glad that the music avoids stepping clearly into the heavy/metal territory. However, if I was to choose, there would be some more serene sections amidst all the intensity. Also I'd prefer to hear more of flute, since the flautist is one of the core quintet. A little more CAMEL-like softness here and there would have made this a masterpiece. But the whole is an excellent prog rock product anyway. Definitely I give my strong recommendation for listeners of instrumental prog with a dense atmosphere. Let's see... 4½ stars, why not round it up for the fine layout.