LINEATEORICA

After several line-up changes and almost twenty years of honing their craft, 2014 finally sees Italian band Lineateorica properly enter the R.P.I scene with a promising 25 minute self-titled EP, and the results already suggest a band to start keeping an eye on. One thing that makes the band instantly stand out is that none of the members play keyboards, definitely a strange decision considering the grand tradition of keyboard sophistication present on endless beloved Italian prog classics! It's not to worry, though, as the band have an exciting, energetic and thoughtful set of compositions to offer listeners here.

Tightly written pieces favouring expertly executed instumental flourishes instead of bloated soloing with heartfelt vocals is what Lineateorica excell at. Fiery acoustic guitar and guest flutist Luca De Marchis help bring a vintage 70's Italian prog flavour, but much of the band is about a contemporary sound played with surety and maturity.

`L'ipocrita' opens the E.P with a slow-burn hypnotic intensity. Dreamy Pink Floyd-like mellow passages weave around faraway flute, sighed group harmonies and searing electric guitar runs inside impossibly tight and twisting tempo-changes. Nello D'Agonstino's voice rises and falls throughout the piece with a passionate instensity, and the track gets the disc off to a fine start. `B- Friend' is a brooding rocker with nice spiky lead electric guitar heaviness over acoustic-led verses perhaps like recent Porcupine Tree works. Nello's voice takes on a snarling theatrical roll in a few spots, and there's a nice extended instrumental build in the second half overloaded with danger thanks to some galloping bass, strangled guitar attacks and a relentless drum-beat.

`Non c'è Più Veleno' is a catchy, confident and slightly melancholic tune that seamlessly jumps back and forth in tempo, with trilling flute, ragged electric guitar soloing and punchy drumming that sounds like a call-to-arms. `Un'altra Avventura di Kohn' is also a lesson in contrasting sounds. The vocals are sadly reflective and full of wounded longing one moment, then domineering the next. Uneasy acoustic guitar turns reckless and forceful, and wistful flute suddenly unleashes in a ferocious darting manner, in the best vintage Italian prog tradition.

Lineateorica should be very proud of what they've delivered here. It's a shorter album full of charismatic vocals, melodic tunes, exciting playing and dangerous instrumental passages, that you just want to keep playing over and over. The possibilties of what the band could achieve on a proper long-play album is very promising and exciting.

Three and a half stars! This E.P gets the band off to a great start, and I feel the best is yet to come!

Lineateorica come from Rome and their roots date back to the early nineties when Daniele Lausdei and Alessandro Milza formed a band called Praetermittel to play original compositions along with covers of bands such as Jethro Tull or Marillion. Later they changed their name into Lineateorica and in 2005 recorded a first demo, Adesso. In 2014, with a renewed line up, they finally self-released an eponymous official debut EP featuring four properly re-recorded tracks from their old repertoire. The current line up features Daniele Lausdei (bass), Andrea Giuliani (guitars), Simone Serra (guitars), Roberto Ciai (drums) and Nello D'Agostino (vocals) plus Luca De Marchis on flute as a special guest. Although there are no keyboardists involved in this project, the band successfully managed to weave a fine musical fabric with a perfect interaction between all the instruments blending prog, folk and melody. This promising EP sounds fresh, rich in ideas and it is really worth listening to...

The opener "L'ipocrita" (The hypocrite) features a brilliant drumming and sudden changes in rhythm and atmosphere. The music and lyrics describe the inner struggle of a cynical man who conceals his goals. In some way he wears a mask of hypocrisy that can blot out his feelings but now he needs to get rid of it. The price to pay is high but his reward is freedom...

The following "B-friend" describes another inner struggle. Every day you have to make some choices but you can't stop growing up even when you realize that you can't change the world... Then comes "Non c'è più veleno" (There's no more poison), a track full of energy that tells of a broken friendship and of the therapeutic role of forgiveness, of faded photographs, timeless memories, doubts and obsessions, sounds and colours... "Set your words free from resentment / There's no more reason that can push you back again...".

The complex "Un'altra avventura di Kohn" (Another adventure of Kohn) concludes this interesting work. It's a beautiful piece featuring hermetic lyrics about hope. There are no liner notes to explain who Kohn is but he seems a man in trouble who gets help from a woman called Anna, a kind of angel, maybe a nurse who can speak to his heart... "Every time you try to go further / You know there's Anna / Who takes you by the hand...".

On the whole, a really good work!