2

Aggressive, almost metal-like rock and sophisticated vintage Italian prog - not something you'd expect to see in the one sentence, nor the two styles mixed together on an actual album! But young Italian band Bornidol make it work perfectly, and the results are conflicting, challenging, but absolutely addictive! Although the title of this proper debut album `2' might be taking into consideration an original EP from an earlier version of the band back in 2007, there's an interesting alternate way to interpret it. The band take both the Seventies sounds of classic Italian R.P.I bands and set it against heavy grooving modern hard rock music, these two forces butting heads and locked in constant battle with each-other, and the intense cover art perfectly captures that!

Opener `Mezzaluna' is the most straightforward track on the disc, a snarling heavy rocker with lashings of Paul Gatti's whirring Hammond organ throughout, and he delivers a bold, boisterous lead vocal as well. `Demoni' also features pummelling drums and plodding slab-like heavy riffs over Hammond organ grinding. Instrumental `Prologo' is a solo fuzzy and moody classical Hammond interlude, leading right into `La Temesta', with its mix of careful ambient synth atmospheres, constantly building drums and droning sighing harmonies that more recalls Polish prog-metal band Riverside than anything Italian.

But with glistening pretty piano, spiralling Moog and a wounded romantic vocal, `War' is the first of several pieces scattered around the disc that actually come across as a gutsier take on a style that popular younger modern RPI band Unreal City deliver. `War' and `I Banchettatori di Corte' are quickly bombarded back and forth with devilish Hammond and David Garletti's fiery drumming, with nicely strangled guitar soloing from Massimo Colosio a highlight as well. There's plenty of emotion throughout `Sognare...Viaggiare...', an introspective and very melodic tune that again reminds of Unreal City, with a confident lead vocal and subtle playing that reveals a sophistication and maturity that the band can achieve when they tone down all the bluster!

`2' is sure to be a controversial Italian release, likely to be as loved as it is dismissed by different groups of listeners. Purists (older listeners?!) may be horrified at the heavy rocking youthful ballsy power added to some fine vintage Italian prog flavours, but that danger, that unpredictability is exactly what many true RPI fans should hope for. At this point, Bornidol are not quite nearly as ambitious as Italian artists and albums that twist and distort the established RPI traits to thrilling results, but listeners will still discover what a wonderfully confident and defiant statement of intent to do things differently `2' is.

Three and a half stars rounded up to Four for a very exciting and promising new Italian band!