APOFENIA

There have been 7 years between the release of their latest album and the new one. The band had the contribution of Alessandro Corvaglia and Jenni Sorrenti to sing on some tracks and 2 sax players. The songs have been carefully re-arranged re-recorded many times until the band was completely satisfied with the final product. The music is full of long instrumental sections and songs even though they wanted to tell stories about life, dreams, and nightmares. The first song starts with an ambient intro followed by a metal riff with keys in the background and gaining in intensity where the guitar takes his spot. There some repetitive and addictive drums part with a world music and space atmosphere. They stretch out the song to the limit here. This is a big instrumental opener. "Alétheia" is another impressive instrumental song with some beautiful choir arrangements that take you to another world. "Mushin" is another long song showing the talent of singer Jenni Sorrenti ending like a firework with electronic effects."Apogeo" starts again in an ambient intro before every musician reunites into a full orchestra with another short metallic guitar part and a rhythm change that has that Haken vibe. That song is the most complex of the album, another instrumental with some great guitar/keys interplay. "Un Nodo All'anima" has two sides. One is a lighter atmosphere with some flamenco style of music and the second is a heavier section with some electric guitar. The two keyboards players in this song display some incredible playing and the vocals are really spot on. The last and longest track display a flourish ending to a beautiful album that every prog rock fan should listen to.

Apofenia, a beginning stage of schizophrenia? Eh, this can't release me anymore. When producing their albums, why do so many artists thematically deal with psychiatrical respectively psychological issues, well even mental disease sometimes? Self-experienced? I can't believe. It must be the mysticism around that so much the more. Contradiction and unity of brain and soul, coincidence concerning reality, dream, cognition. Something essential and fascinating in general. Now standing to reason, trying to be more concrete, going a step further, how does it come to such a beautiful result music-wise? Who will be able to answer that? Are they trying to define their specific border between genius and insanity? Non lo so.

Okay, at least when it comes to the musical output, there's no problem at all when trying to get close to this album. The band, situated not far away from Rome, is offering seven ambitious tracks here, nearly every crossing the 10 minute mark. Coincidence or not, it also took seven years, the debut yet came out in 2012. Anyway, the line-up almost stays, solely former singer Marco Marini is not aboard anymore. Instrumental parts are dominating, but for two occasions they have invited Alessandro Corvaglia, yeah, the voice of La Maschera Di Cera. Bravo, a good move. Meets my taste for sure, and the extravagant Un Nodo All'Anima for example marks the proof.

Mushin on the other hand, Trip Hop inspired a bit, includes a beautiful heart-wrenching vocal contribution by Gianna 'Jenny' Sorrenti. Yep, sister of Alan. Regarding the mix of English and Italian lyrics not straightaway, but no reason to complain really. Apogeo means arriving at a new peak, yeah, that should be the goal all along. This applies to the soaring electric guitar in between at a minimum. Conclusion: skillful and entertaining heavy progressive art rock featuring some symphonic leanings, in the stretch of around 78 minutes. Masterful? Time will tell. This means IL GIARDINO ONIRICO have produced an album of real extent and depth. 4.5 stars so far.

"Apofenia" is the third studio album by Il giardino Onirico and was released in 2019 on the independent label Lizard Records with a line up featuring Stefano Avigliana (guitars), Dariush Hakim (keyboards), Ettore Mazzarini (bass), Massimo Moscatelli (drums, percussion) and Emanuele Telli (keyboards) plus the guests Alessandro Corvaglia (vocals - from La Maschera di Cera, Delirium), Jenny Sorrenti (vocals - from Saint Just), Jenna 'Sharm' Holdway (vocals), David Morucci (sax), Claudio Braccio (sax) and the choir Fuori dal Coro. In my opinion, this is a mature and refined work, enriched by the contribute of many prestigious guests, full of inventiveness and fresh ideas combined with vintage sounds and psychedelic flights that the colourful art work by Marco Marini tries to describe on the cover and booklet. The title refers to the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things...

The long, hypnotic opener 'Onironauta' (Oneironaut) is a beautiful instrumental track where the band "resolved to go with bold entreaty whither no man had gone before, and dare the icy deserts through the dark to where unknown Kadath, veiled in cloud and crowned with unimagined stars, holds secret and nocturnal the onyx castle of the Great Ones", like Randolph Carter, the protagonist of H.P. Lovecraft novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. To be honest, I don't know if the work of the American writer was a source of inspiration for the band, but in my opinion the dark, mysterious atmosphere of this piece perfectly fits the subject matter...

The excellent 'Scivolosa simmetria' (Slippery symmetry) features the vocals of Alessandro Corvaglia and tells in music and poetical words of a haunting, obsessive desire that turns into stone, a thought that becomes a prison between dream and reality, delirium and magic. It starts by a frenzied instrumental passage, then the vocals evoke fiery dances upon coloured petals and magic symphonies as the protagonist tries to escape from the dangerous vortex of an ecstatic, suggestive dream that could lead to death...

'Alétheia' is a long, dreamy instrumental track that starts softly and evolves in a crescendo of psychedelic fantasies and Latin echoes, with a good sax and electric guitar work. After a sudden stop in the middle, there's a second part that veers to calmer musical landscapes. The title refers to a philosophical term that means truth or disclosure but also factuality or reality...

The title of the following 'Mushin' refers to a mental state that is achieved when a person's mind is free from thoughts of anger, fear or ego during combat or everyday life and features the guest vocalist Jenny Sorrenti. It's an ethereal, reflective piece sung in English with a slow pace, a spacey atmosphere and a touch of electronica that deals with spiritual issues like time, love and inner knowledge...

'Apogeo' (Apogee) is another track with a strong spacey atmosphere that in the first part could recall Pink Floyd while in the middle section, with a good sax work, is more aggressive and closer to King Crimson. The last part is a wonderful crescendo where the rhythm seems to take off for the outer space... In fact, the title refers to the point in the orbit of a heavenly body at which it is farthest from the earth...

'Un nodo all'anima' (A knot in the soul) starts by an acoustic guitar arpeggio and the soaring vocals of Alessandro Corvaglia in the forefront. It's a beautiful piece that goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere with hermetic lyrics evoking dreams to hold, time spent running after appearances and the desperate need to connect mind and soul to avoid the blades of a deceitful destiny that could hurt you. Mediterranean influences, powerful melodies, flamenco sketches and heavier passages are blended with gusto and personality... A wonderful track!

The long, mysterious 'Lacrime di stelle' (Star tears) ends the album with a melancholic mood and mystic, Oriental flavours. Here the voice of the guest Jenna 'Sharm' Holdway is used just as a charming instrument to add colours to the musical canvas and put a spell on you in a starry night filled with memories and lunar visions...

On the whole, a magnificent work full of nuances and excellent pieces!

Review Nº 717

Il Giardino Onirico is an Italian progressive rock band that was formed in Civita Castellana in 2008 and it's based near Rome. The band was founded by keyboardist Emanuele "Vastitas" Telli from Consummatum Est doom metal band, guitarist Stefano Avigliana, bassist Ettore Mazzarin from Pioggia Sporca rock band and drummer Massimo Moscatelli ex-Anomal Essence member. Thus, the musical background of the band is really wide and varied as each member has preferences for different genres. So, each musician brought different backgrounds and ideas to the band. The spectrum of their music ranges from prog rock, prog metal, metal, doom, soundtracks, fusion, jazz, electronic and avant-garde.

The band started to develop the first demo composition named "Complesso K", released in 2010, which is a shifting suite filled with a variety of visions. After the release of "Complesso K", Il Giardino Onirico begins to compose new material and in 2012 they released their first full length work, "Perigeo", an ambitious heavy edged prog rock album that is suitable in order to reach for many fans worldwide. In 2013 they released their second full length work, "Complesso K ? MMXIII", which is no more than the re-work on the ideas of their demo "Complesso K". Finally in 2019, they released their third full length work, "Apofenia". So, seven years have passed between the releases of both full length works.

The line up on "Apofenia" is Stefano Avigliana (guitars), Emanuele "Vastitas" Telli (keyboards), Dariush Hakim (keyboards), Ettore Mazzarini (bass guitar) and Massimo Moscatelli (drums and percussion). "Apofenia" had also the participation of Alessandro Corvaglia (vocals), Jenny Sorrenti (vocals), Jenna "Sharm" Holdway (backing vocals), Fuori Dal Coro (chorus vocals), David Morucci (saxophone) and Claudio Braccio (saxophone), all as guest artists.

After the excellent results of "Perigeo" and "Complesso K", the band from Lazio reaffirms its epic and space oriented instrumental atmospheres. This is an album with many guests to embellish the album already full of fascinating sounds with modern prog symphonic atmospheres, at times pulsating and majestic, at times visionary and ethereal fed by the double keyboards by Emanuele Telli and Dariush Hakim. All this shows a talented band that makes a remarkable contribution to the great tradition and regeneration of the actual Italian prog rock scene. This is a forceful, melodic and emotional progressive rock work with epic prog instrumental atmospheres, space mattresses and plenty of symphonic, full of life and vigor and with the quota extra originality and drama that gives this album a very special tone of its own.

The opener "Onironauta" shows the band's preferences for long pieces. It's an atmospheric instrumental with a slightly Eastern mood and with some dark atmosphere. It has a spatial atmosphere that is gradually broken and that tension in crescendo stretches the song to the limits. "Scivolosa Simmetria" is a more technical and faster song where the time changes are continuous. The voice of Alessandro Corvaglia offers a good performance and guitar and keyboards create high level melodies and riffs, between the symphonic moments and the more technical evolutions. "Alétheia" is another instrumental with beautiful chorus arrangements and with a jazzy feel. With almost thirteen minutes of refined catchy music, here lies the secret of the music of Il Giardino Onirico. It has spatial arias and delicate rhythms that support the melodies with an excellent emotionality. "Mushin" is another long track that showcases the talent of one of the guest singers, this time the sister of Alan Sorrenti, Jenny. In ten minutes the track changes its connotations as the minutes pass touching different types of sounds from electronics to Math Rock. "Apogeo" has more ten minutes of instrumental music, always entrusted to the sustained guitars of Stefano Avigliana. It begins in an ambient before a full orchestra, metal guitars and rhythm changes appear, all with personality. "Un Nodo All'Anima" has again the malleable voice of Alessandro Corvaglia. The track has two phases, the first one is made in a soft ambient style and the second one is heavier with electric riffs and keyboards performing amazingly and vocals on point. "Lacrime Di Stelle" is a carefully constructed, evocative and dramatic long track. It's intoned beautifully by Jenna Sharm Holdway because there are no lyrics. The last and longest piece provides a majestic end to a beautiful album that every prog rock fan should listen to.

Conclusion: "Apofenia" is a very welcome return of this Italian prog band, which after seven years proposes a modern work with original sounds and very well arranged pieces. The symphonic basic direction of the album is lush and very colorful with occasional hints of drama, pathos and bombast. "Apofenia" is a fascinating album full of emotions, which still shows cinematic traits. The album is made up of very long but never repetitive pieces. The many guests also enrich a work that is already valid by itself. The saxophone contributions and the vocal parts support the album very well, especially the vocal work of Alessandro Corvaglia whose rough voice fits perfectly well into the concept and Jenny Sorrenti's beautiful voice. "Apofenia" is an album that I would recommend for the freshness and quality of its sound.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)