EVANESCENZE

This CD sounds far from original, complex or adventurous but I love the 24-carat symphonic rock sound on this album! Most of the compositions contain a pleasant climate featuring warm Italian vocals and wonderful work on the keyboards, evoking early IQ and Pendragon, mid-Genesis and Banco (also because of some vocal parts). The colouring of the songs is great delivering fat synthesizer flights, sensitive piano, organ waves or howling electric guitar. The climates often sound bombastic but also mellow or swinging, layered with great work on the keyboards and guitar, very compelling!

When I looked at the track list, I couldn't be more perplexed: eighteen songs for a mere forty-five minutes of music!

I had truly appreciated his last album which contained three compositions (of which two epics). I am not saying that long songs are per se better, but the band developed such good ideas that I was maybe expecting a similar follow-up.

The music from this album ranges from atmospheric to Italian symphonic but the very short six tracks (the longest one clocking at less than 2'40") don't leave the time to discover each individual song of which "Ascesi" is my favourite one (this guitar solo is just so wonderful). Some fine and emotional vocals in "Prima Di Partire confirms that Milton Damia is a fine vocalist and adds a lot of emotion to Doracor music.

"Evanescence" is a pleasant album to listen to. No track is weak, but little jewels aren't plenty either. The only long track is the closing number (made of two parts): just over ten minutes of a musical kaleidoscope: ELP, Italian prog, some heavy passages, lots of synthesizers and an AOR type of sound are the mix. But since the first part of this song is divided into four distinctive sections, one can hardly consider this a one piece unit.

This album is somewhat middle of the road: not too bad, not too great. A good album: three stars.