MCM EGOFUTURISMO

The third album from the Italian band Ego. I have neither heard their first two albums or their fourth album which a highly esteemed reviewer from the Italian team is raving about. I interviewed Ego many fullmoons ago and they comes across as a band with a great future.

It is nice that this is not their last album because I would then have written them off and banned any new albums from them entering my home. MCM Egofuturismo is a blend of ELP like symph prog and fusion. Where most crossover ELP/fusion albums has some quality and melody lines worth listening to, MCM Egofuturismo is sorely lackigng this. The end result is a shopping mall muzak album. Or at best; a movie soundtrack which just rolls on in the background while the hero saves the world. The sound is plastic fantastic.

There are a couple of good melodies here. The rest of the album is just as annoying as being exposed to muzak over the tannoy at the local IKEA while my better half is arguing with me if we should buy red, white or blue pillows to the sofa (blue, please). I am not amused.

2 stars

Powerful Italian band trio from Varese, settled in 2005 with Pier Caramel on keyboards/flute, Daniele Mentasti on bass and trombone and Sergio Ianella on drums.They offered two privately-pressed releases, the self-titled 2005 debut and ''Suppurtatio Annorum Mundi'' from 2007, but it wasn't until 2008, when Ego became widely known with the album ''MCM Egofuturismo'' because of the Mellow Records interest in them.

While the trio claims to be influenced by the Classic Italian Prog school, they definitely have a more modern, contemporary approach on their music.The piano-based instrumental parts along with some delicate synth-driven solos and passages have a strong LE ORME vibe with a bit of a romantic sound overall.The majority of the album though is modern Symphonic/Fusion Prog, played with passion and an excess of energy.Caramel's synthesizers, piano and organ is constantly in a battle with a dynamic and solid rhythm section, offering moments of extreme technique and high virtuosity.Flashy passages, complex breaks, dissonant parts and a strong amount of solos are always in program.These sounds are sometimes enriched by light flutes, performed by Caramel.And despite the high level of virtuosity, the album remains a pleasant listening throughout.However a couple of flaws are present as well.The longest track ''Dinamiche & Alterazioni'' is a piece of Horn Rock/Jazz-Rock /Fusion with a very sweet atmosphere, obviously very far from the whole atmosphere, while the lack of any serious melodies tends to create a slightly monotonous soundscape.Still the interesting material is more than the average one with most of the tracks containg great moments.

A great album for fans of fiery, keyboard-driven Symph/Fusion and definitely a decent listening for the rest.No more or less than a solid recommendation.