MADAME ZELLE

Once more Conqueror's line-up meant to meet some further shakes.Guitarist Mario Pollino had been a member of the band before ''Sprazzi Di Luce'', replacing Tino Nastasi, but only for the first time he headed to a studio recording with the group.Daniele Bambino was replaced at the dawn of 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi, who spent about six months with the band, before leaving his place to Gianluca Villa.This core recorded the fourth full-length album of Conqueror ''Madame Zelle'' at Ludnica Studio in Santa Teresa di Riva with Ottavio Leo as a sound engineer (he helped the band on guitars in the previous EP).It was released in 2010 on MaRaCash Records and marked another concept work by the band.Who the hell is Madame Zelle though?No other than Margaretha Geertruida Zelle aka Mata Hari, the Dutch dancer who was accused as being a spy during during World War I.

More or less Conqueror's style remains grounded in modern Symphonic Rock fields, however there are a few new introductions in their sound.Firstly there are some Ethnic touches during the listening and generally the folky content of the album is quite pronounced compared to the previous albums, propably to advance Mata Hari's connection with exotic and Ethnic dances.Second comes the constant use of Sabrina Rigano's flute, which is another reason the album tends to the Symphonic/Folk Rock side.Do not expect though something close to Prog Folk, the music is still 100% Symphonic Rock with dominant keyboard passages and ethereal melodies, while the rockier sensibilities appear once more in the more guitar-based parts.Simona Rigano's voice is again the absolute trademark of Conqueror: Crystalline, flawless and absolutely efficient singing.''Madame Zelle'' contains long, instrumental themes with beautiful guitar melodies, varied flute work, either with Classical or more traditional acoustics, and bombastic keyboards.The excellent production reveals the sheer dynamics of the album, which moreover contains lots of careful interplays and complex passages.But melody and groove still remain Conqueror's main elements in this new effort.

Another solid work by one of the best Italian bands of the recent era.Nice concept, solid music and pretty amazing vocals.No less than strongly recommended...3.5 stars.