MADRI SENZA TERRA

I was drawn to this band when I read Marty McFly´s review of this album. it seems quite good, and I was intrigued by the strange combination of Italian prog, heavy guitars (bordering the metal) and arabic rhythms, but that´s exactly what you get here. Abash comes from Puglia, Italy, and this part of the country might have a strong arab influence over the years, for their music sounds quite natural and convincing, even if the combination seems odd. But it does work. Madri Senza Terra is their third offering and shows the group in great shape and inspiration.

While the instrumental parts are very effective and obviously having excellent musicians, the band´s strongest point is their singer Annarita Luceri: her voice is simply beautiful, strong and capable of singing virtually everything, from slow poignant ballads to the heaviest rockers without losing its beauty and uniqueness. A great find. Of course all of that would not work as a whole if they didn´t come up with good songs to match their brilliant musicanship, but fortunatly they are able to write very good stuff. Not only all the tunes are very good, but quite varied too, showting how versatile they can be both in songwriting and in perfoming the material.

The mixture of several sources is very well balanced, with further elements like folk and a little jazz added here and there for good measure. But the fine melodies, the eastern rhythms, the crunching guitars and prog keyboards are the key to understand their sound. Of course Luceri´s voice steals the show every time she opens her mouth. However, their instrumental prowness should not be taken for granted, enhanced even further with the help of the right production and a very strong tracklist. There are no real highlights nor downers, but if you want just one song to show all their potential in one, then go straight to their second track Niuru Te Core. It quite sums up their proposal in just five minutes of power and beauty.

Conclusion: a very nice surprise!! One of the most interesting albums I heard this year and a great promise in the already strong italian prog scene. Very original and still very familiar. Great tunes and nice perfomances. If you´re a fan of melodic prog 9with a little edge on it), then you cannot miss this one.

Rating: 4.5 stars. Highly recommended!!!