APOCOLOKYNTOSYS

Oh,my God!13 years already in 2010 since this album has been released and not a single trace of dust on it!That's for sure the sign of timeless value!I remember with emotion when I discovered this album,it was,of course,in the period when DREAM THEATER prog metal influence was present to no matter what new band in the genre was trying to made it's first steps!The comparation with the American idols comes imediatelly in my mind,it's undoubtedly,but I cannot say that APOCOLOKYNTOSIS is a clone of IMAGES AND WORDS,even the simililar musical ideas are dominating on this album!Well,just look at the age of the musicians in the band,they were extremelly young and ambitious,and the fruit of their work-regarding their age-is simply stunning!We have also here a very solid prove thet a huge talent can produce a good album,even if the main ideas are not too original,but the fact that they have such notorious models like DREAM THEATER ,is noble for them!DE LIUGI hs a warm and very pleasant voice and the ferocious playing of the long instrtumentel portions of the song are proving the great ambition of this very talented musicians!The compositions are well structured and the production is excellent,the opening THE EYES OF UNIVERSE is very spectacular and has all the ingredients of a good prog metal song-brilliant musicianship,wonderful melodic line and great rhythm changes-a trully inspired choice!The title track is a blastering instrumental composition,where there are many moments of musical wizzardry comparable with the 2;-43'' minutes that changed the prog metal music-I speak here about the instrumental portion from the masterpiece called METROPOLIS-DREAM THEATER!!! Oh yes,it's important to mention the impressive technical aspect of EMPTY TREMOR trully outstanding from the very beginning!I think that now in 2010 this band doesn't exist anymore ,because Liverani is seriously involved in other projects like TWINSPIRITS-his top priority for the moment and KHYMERA.Anyway,this album is an excellent one,an album considered by many the perfect DREAM THEATER-IMAGES AND WORDS clone.But I like it!!! 4.5 STARS for an outstanding debut!

One of my fav musicians from prog metal zone ever are for sure the italians from Empty Tremor. the first two albums released by this band are excellentm being among the best in this genre, at least for me. The first album was released in 1997 and is named Apocolokyntosys. Well, this is in same league with the best of the 90s prog metal, and I mean Images and words, Carved in stone by Shadow Gallery and so on, the influences are also present on this album but is no clone for sure. What impress me every time I am listning to this first offer is how strong musicianship is, the keys and guitars are very well melted together, nice complicated shift, moods, lots of tempo changes, as might be a prog metal album. Also the singer is great, even has that LaBrie tone, Giovanni De Luigi knows very well to sing, from mellow sections to much more rockier, a good singer. The first piece is for sure my fav - The eyes of universe - is simply killer, one of the best I have ever heared in prog metal, great ideas and top notch musicianship + a great vocal passages all over. The rest of the pieces are aswell strong with no weak moments. All in all a not so well known band and album in prog metal field and is a damn shame, but belive me this guys knows bussines, specially the first two albums (this one and Eros & Thanatos) are excellent and recommended albums to all prog metal listners, worth every second. For me an easy 4 stars, nothing compares to old prog metal, the one made in the 90s.