TIME VOYAGER

Time voyager is the 7th studio album of Barock Project, its best to date as we could read it here and there? With Detachment in 2017, we were already talking about artistic achievement. It must be said that with its 75 minutes, which corresponded to a double album in the era of vinyl, its imposing pieces and the participation of the extraordinary Peter Jones, this album had impressive airs, looks like the Physical Graffiti of the symphonic prog, without being exempt from one or two weaker moments, which were not prohibitive to consider it as a major success of the Italian group. In comparison, Seven Seas two years later, seemed less progressive, more like modern RPI with acoustic or pop-rock passages, therefore more direct and collected. Time Voyager, an ambitious concept-album addressing the theme of time travel, returns to a more extensive and complex prog. Placed in the introduction, "Carry On" takes up what has helped make the personal and recognizable style of the combo led by keyboardist Luca Zabbini, blissfully fusing Kansas, ELP, Jethro Tull, Styx, baroque and symphonic music into a heavy-metal Prog exalted and generous. The originality of «Carry On» is found from the first measures in this slight similarity (involuntary?) with the theme of «Lieutenant Kije/ Romance» of the illustrious Prokoviev, some beautiful notes that will be found on the other two most developed pieces of the disc, from the same vein as «Carry On», the majestic «Voyager» and the conclusive «Voyager's Homecoming», as a musical leitmotif underlining the conceptual nature of the project. Titles such as "An Ordinary Day's Odyssey" or "Lonely Girl", to aerial melodies, true balms that calm the pangs of life, bring a superb and refined lyricism to this explosive and sunny mixture, well anchored in the tradition of the transalpine prog. The ability of these young musicians to assimilate their great musical culture and use it in a unique way reinforces the attractiveness and power of these bushy but never boring parts. With such talent, they can afford anything, dare anything. Marco Mazzuoccolo's electric guitar can exhale sobs, like the cry of a forsaken love ("An Ordinary Day's Odyssey") and a few minutes later, facetiously, imitate the eternal sound of Brian May's one (on the very baroque "Morning Train"). As a worthy heir to Keith Emerson, Luca Zabbini dazzles us many times with his demented interventions on the Hammond organ; and his moog solos are not left behind (the virtuosity of the one in "Voyager" rises to the level of a Jordan Rudess). Alex Mari sings and enchants us with a biting voice to the timbre between that of Dennis DeYoung (Styx) and Jean Pageau (Mystery). Luca Zabbini replaces him on three tracks, including the dreamlike ballad "Shibuya 3 A.M. ", magnified by this kind of magical melancholy-melody that could have been composed by John Wetton. The drummer Eric Ombelli participates more than ever in the compositions by co-signing four songs with Zabbini and signing alone, in a mostly acoustic atmosphere, the peaceful «Kyanite Jewel» in which he supports, in addition to his drums, the guitars (acoustic, electric, bouzouki) and singing in a very convincing way. For all this, we are in relatively known terrain compared to the rest of the discography of Barock Project but a perfect production and orchestral arrangements even more accomplished and grandiose (played on synths by Zabbini) make a difference and already put Time Voyager in front of the others. However, the innovations are elsewhere. In these heavy and deep sounds of space synths à la Vangelis or reminiscent of the B.O of Tron Legacy by Daft Punk on the epic "Voyager," which testifies as much to Zabbini's most sincere affection for space electronic music as for the most symphonic prog. In the violin of "The Lost Ship Tavern" (4:40), a sailor rock song that awakens something in our hearts from the liveliness of the oceans, the euphoria of nature. In the typical heavy-funk rhythm of Toto on «Summer Set you Free» that Luca Zabbini co-signs with Marco Mazzuoccolo. In the Greek musical interlude played at bouzouki by Zabbini himself on «Voyager», decidedly the top of the record, perhaps even of the whole work of Barock Project. In the jazzy intro and the solo of saxo on a «Propaganda» once again close to Toto. In the chorus of "Mediterranean" that may surprise us by evoking the famous solo synth of "Impressioni di Settembre" (PFM), which would be to forget a little quickly that Zabbini participated in the studio and on stage with the genoese group not long ago. For all this, Time Voyager is surprising and inexhaustible, with a richness and diversity never put in default. There is nothing to add or subtract from it, nor even the two or three pieces in the second part of the disc that may seem a simpler structure, less progressive. Their enchanting melodies are also able to whisper in our ears and fly around us for a long time, which is the best way to embellish dreams. The festive "Voyager's Homecoming" wraps up this immobile journey through time and space, "crossing the darkness of the past and the uncertainty of the future." Time Voyager is like a huge bright spot where much of the progressive rock of the last 40 years seems to converge, highlighted by a very current sound and energy. You have understood, two decades after the beginning of his career Barock Project delivers with Time Voyager his best album to date, a monument of a dimension to make expand the universe.

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