NANODROIDS

Quasar H7 come from Isernia and took shape in 2012 on the initiative of Francesco Cipullo and Luigi Rinaldi. Their music is a brilliant mix of prog metal and jazz with reminiscences of classical music, sense of humour and passionate energy. After a hard work and some live performances on the local scene, in 2016 they self-released an excellent debut album entitled Nanodroids, recorded at Queen's Academy Studios in Isernia with a line up featuring Eleonora Moro (vocals), Francesco Cipullo (keyboards), Luigi Rinaldi (guitar), Michele Milano (drums) and Francesco Coja (bass). According to the band, it was conceived as a conceptual work with a fantasy plot half way between history and science fiction... Anyway, there's no storyline to follow and the lyrics are used just to add colours to the musical canvas, as you can guess from the album cover...

The excellent opener "Nanodroids" is a kind of manifesto of the band's approach to composition and blends prog metal with classical music and jazz with flamboyant energy and bold, original combinations. It starts by a spacey intro and heavy electric guitar riffs, then keyboards begin to weave classical arabesques alternating with electric guitar solos. As the rhythm calms down a classical piano solo passage follows and leads to an operatic choral part in a crescendo that ends... in a funny jazzy outro!

"Zantesuken" is another blow of energy and pyrotechnics with the voice of the jazz trained singer Eleonora Moro coming out of the dark and taking off to the sky for some vocal acrobatics and somersaults into the void without net... The following "Liquid Reflections" is an articulated track full of changes in rhythm and atmosphere. There are even short passages mixing prog metal with Broadway musical hints and hard rock riffs while the vocals evoke psychedelic visions emerging from the void of an inner world where dreams rule and you can fly with the black wings of a swan over an ocean of fire...

Next comes the evocative "Going Home", a calm, dreamy piece where vocals are used just like a charming instrument... Then, the following "Embrature's Return" blends a strong jazz flavour with AC/DC electric impulses before veering elsewhere. Eleonora Moro showcases here her mastering of different vocal styles going from scat to heavy metal with an excellent theatrical approach...

"Vita Fugge (Caphemba)" starts by a sound of harpsichord, then mixes opera and heavy metal with the soprano vocals flying in the air over fiery guitar solos and punching rhythms, trying to stop the circling movement of the hands of a clock... The closer "Time Around The Clock" starts by mysterious Oriental flavours, then you can hear a bizarre quote from "Pop Corn" by La Strana Società that leads in another direction. There are operatic passages, classical piano solos smothered by aggressive electric guitar riffs and a sense of constant change hanging on until the end of the album...

On the whole, a very interesting debut work!

In 2012 in Italy was born one of the most intresting bands I've heared in last years in prog rock/prog metal realm with strange band name and even stranger art work. Is Quasar H7 and their superb only album releases named Nanodroids from 2016.

Formed by guitarist Luigi Rinaldi and keybordist Francesco Cipullo in 2012, in very short time they gain attention on italian scene and the Nanodroids saw the light in 2016 featuring besides the two mentioned top performance by female vocalist Eleonora Moro, drumer Michele Milano nad Francesco Coja on bass.

Now, the music is to me very very intresting and well played. A mix of prog metal with prog rock moments and some jazzy parts aswell integrated in overall sound, the result is super, I'm thinking in some way or other to americans District 97, specially in vocal department.

According to the band, it was conceived as a conceptual work with a fantasy plot half way between history and science fiction, the intriguing art work show that.

All pieces are excellent, with the opener title track Nanodroids a progmetal/rock opener with intresting guitars/keybords all the way. Zantesuken is another full eargasm tune with some splendid jazzy vocal passages, provided by jazz trained vocalist Eleonora Moro, who is fiting very well in the musical context, really awesome.

Liquid Reflections is a prog metal delight, some spectacular moments here, just have to listen to this beauty, changes in tempo, all is here to be a solid one track.

Going Home is a calm dreamy tune with nice vocals all over. Embrature's Return is as expected anothe top notch tune , Moro's voice is simply great.

Vita Fugge (Caphemba) - a prog metal tune with operatic vocals and really solid passages, guitars are quite intresting.

Time Around The Clock is the ending track, as expected, the musicianship is top, some classical piano, guitars, all is here with changes in tempo.

All in all a one hell of a great album by this totally unknown band, they desearve a far better view, they simply are among the most intresting bands and albums I've heared in last years. Goes recommend, similar in parts with another excellent band District 97. 4 stars easy, really good from start to finish.