SILENCE BETWEEN SOUNDS

Silence Between Sounds is the third and strongest album (as of 2021) from the Italian progressive rock band Karmamoi released in 2016. Due to various changes in the band's line-up the album took over two years to release. This allowed the band to harness the opportunity to create music that displayed even more elements of progressive rock then they have ever done before. The band consists of Alex Massari on guitar, Alessandro Cefali on bass, and Daniele Giovannoni on drums/keyboards. If you haven't noticed, this incarnation of Karmamoi doesn't include a permanent vocalist. Therefore, Karmamoi has opted to bring in various female vocalists who participate on separate tracks. This decision made by the band adds a unique element to the music as the vocalist display distinct qualities depending on the track while introducing various vocal styles. In addition, this is the first time Karmamoi has involved other instrumental musicians in the creative process. The album features instruments such as the cello, piano, flute, and clavinet which simply allows Karmamoi to expand their musical possibilities at a greater degree than before. Producer and engineer Mark Tucker who has worked with bands such as Jethro Tull was an important part of the album's creation, working closely with Daniele as co-producer and mixing engineer. This allows the album to receive a noticeable improvement in terms of production when compared to their previous albums. Silence Between Sounds explores the concept of attempting to understand the reasons behind human failure. Karmamoi has said it was an interesting and challenging theme that the band felt they were ultimately able to capture within the music found on the album. Within the fifty-one minutes of music found on this album, Karmamoi is able to create a compelling journey for the listener that is full of twist and turns while introducing an atmospheric yet heavy sound that is executed remarkably well.

The album begins with the track entitled Silence Between Sounds & Nashira which also happens to be the longest track found on the album. There is a mixture of more delicate atmospheric sections in combination with more guitar orientated sections that add an interesting dynamic to the piece. Throughout this almost eleven-minute track, there are various sections that work quite well that contain impressive instrumentation and melodies from the entire band. However, at other points the melodies don't seem to work as well as the band intended. One such example can be found at the six minute and thirty-eight second mark where the vocals and the instrumentation coming from the rest of the band don't seem to mix all that well which unfortunately results in a disjointed chorus. Nevertheless, it doesn't bring down the track as a whole as the entire piece contains an overwhelming majority of positive attributes rather than negative. The track ultimately concludes with a beautiful dream-like section that features a wonderful guitar solo at the end. The next track, Atma, is truly mesmerizing as it remains to be a high point of the album. As it builds, the same vocal melody is repeated as different instrumental sections are introduced. Vocalist Hellena sings in a very different style when compared to vocalist Sara Rinaldi who sang on the previous track. Nevertheless, it works especially well. In fact, Atma happens to give me a particular Pink Floyd feel within its atmospheric tone while containing some wonderful guitar solos reminiscent of David Gilmour's style. The piano sound the band chose to use within this track fits the music perfectly as its tone is melancholy yet hopeful. Up next is the guitar-led piece entitled Siro which is quite impressive. Alex Massari's guitar work throughout is especially superb as he performs various melodies impeccably. Siro is surely one of the heaviest tracks found within the band's catalogue as it contains various metal-orientated riffs and melodies. A splendid instrumental! The next track, Martes, includes some of the most beautiful vocals found on the entire album. The entirety of it is genuinely magnificent as the band displays their understanding behind having high and low points throughout to keep the listener intrigued. Plato's Cave is up next and is perhaps the proggiest moment found on the entire album. Sara Rinaldi's vocal delivery is particularly great here as her vocals feel especially Radiohead inspired. In addition, at the seven minute and forty-seven second mark Emilio Merone performs a fantastic keyboard solo which happens to be quite rare on a Karmamoi album, resulting in me being particularly surprised when hearing it for the first time. Lost Days is the next track which interestingly can also be found on the band's second album entitled Odd Trip. It seems to have been completely rerecorded with new vocals and instruments. When compared to the version found on Odd Trip, this is unquestionably an improvement. The rerecorded version contains a great deal of emotion and power in addition to a further impressive instrumental backing. The last track, Canis Majoris, is yet another proggier moment found on the album. Similar to Plato's Cave, vocalist Sara Rinaldi does an impressive vocal performance with it feeling particularly Radiohead inspired yet again. The drumming from Daniele Giovannoni is performed tastefully with notable flute melodies coming from Lara Bagnati. The track then culminates with a terrific reprise of Canis Majoris's opening but now performed with increased momentum and energy.

Silence Between Sounds is a particularly impressive album within Karmamoi's catalogue as each track excels with numerous breathtaking vocal melodies and head-banging guitar riffs. There is a mixture of sounds offered that when combined make this album truly shine as a unique fragment in the larger world of progressive rock. Furthermore, I hope to see the band revisit the ideas that were present on this album as they continue to write music into the future. The atmospheric yet heavy sound created on this album fits the band's music exceptionally well while also being noticeably melodic. This is certainly an excellent addition to any progressive rock collection!

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