ASYLUM

Despite being a fairly new band the Italian neo-prog band ART still remains extremely obscure with very little info regarding its history and plans for the future. This Bologna based band debuted in 2016 with "Planet Zero," a tale in musical form that narrated a blind alien using advanced technology to monitor the lifeforms and inhabitants of a faraway world called "Planet Zero." The band suffered the loss of two band members after the release of album #1 but regrouped and forged ahead. By 2019 the band that featured Denis Borgatti (vocals and piano), Enrico Lorenzini (keyboards), Roberto Minozzi (guitar) welcomed new members Diego Quarantotto (bass) and Ivano Zanotti (drums) as well as two world-famous guests, Stef Burns (Alice Cooper, Huey Lewis and the News, Vasco Rossi, etc) and Vince Pàstano (Vasco Rossi, Luca Carboni etc.).

This new lineup released the band's sophomore album ASYLUM in 2019 which continued the concept and theme of the blind alien story. Like the debut, ASYLUM features nine tracks but play a tad longer at nearly 50 minutes. Once again the band employs the basic genre format of neo-prog with melodic hooks that include the expected synth-layered atmospheres, passionately delivered vocals and Steve Hackett inspired guitar sweeps. While the debut employed moments of heavy prog and progressive metal, a trait that modern neo-prog has adopted in the 21st century, those moments were rather unpredictable and only occurred on a few tracks with the majority of the album floating on a dreamy space rock mode with a few tracks verging on AOR radio friendly hits. Likewise ART also added moments of new wave which to my ears sounded most similar to 80s albums from New Order but none of that is to be found on ASYLUM.

In fact ASYLUM is a much stronger and more consistent album in every way showcasing ART's maturing as a band having found the right chemistry with the new members. This is a much heavier album than the previous one and starts out right out of the gate with choppy heavy guitar staccato stomps that alternate with keyboard runs. This album employs a much more frequent use of dynamics that range from dreamy and pacifying to the more ambitious and energetic however add to that the melodies and the songwriting are both much improved with more memorable hooks and guitar solos that fit more snuggly in the context of the musical flow. On the debut there was a sense of awkwardness in how certain moments progressed but on ASYLUM the band had come of age and crafted a very professional sounding album. Even Denis Borgatti's vocal style seems to fit in better this time around although it doesn't sound like his octave range has expanded in the least.

"No Way Out" bursts onto the scene and delivers a nice rotisserie effect of instrumental interplay with varying motifs that usher in the main storyline which finds the alien succeeding in his adventures. Unlike the debut that had many sleeper moments, ASYLUM doesn't let up and when it does delve into the mellower aspects of neo-prog it doesn't drop the ball on interesting percussive beats or intricately designed synthesizer effects. Borgatti also found ways to add nuanced inflections to his singing style which makes up for his lack of range. In a way the instrumentation picks up the slack. The album is very well produced and features a rather Porcupine Tree type of mixing job. Some of the electronic effects used as supplementation are also rather brilliantly woven into the mix. While guitarist Roberto Minozzi sticks to heavy riffing mostly on the album, at moments he does let loose and delivers a ripping guitar solo. "The Doctor" features the most dynamic solo on the album.

A step up in pretty much every way, ASYLUM delivers not only an improved interplay between the musicians at hand but finds each part delivering a much improved quality of playing as well. Add to that the compositions flow together perfectly this time around and are of a higher caliber. The guitar riffs are more inventive as are the keyboard parts. The creative difference between the first album and this one are reflected in the debut's amateurish cover art while this one actually looks more like a melodic prog album cover. I'm not sure what happened to this band as they seemed to have disappeared after the release of ASYLUM which is too bad because they were just hitting their stride here. Of course several years between albums in nothing unusual these days so it's quite possible a third installment is underway.

There is so much incredible music being served up globally, that even for a seasoned researcher like the Rogue, it becomes arduous to keep up with the avalanche of releases and more often than not, some get relegated to the "later folder". It can occasionally cause a huge surprise when something just knocks the mind sideways, as is the case for this Italian band, from beautiful Bologna whose second album improves greatly on their debut which I found enjoyable. "Asylum" is a killer issue from 2019 that pushes all the pleasure buttons, knobs and levers that I adhere to, in a very modern setting that I am sure will garner interest from the community. Lead singer Denis Borgatti expresses himself in perfect English, no accent at all, as if schooled in Canada or the US, and a style not too far removed from Midge Ure, offering power, subtlety and hitting all the levels with apparent ease. In fact, in analysing the instrumentalists, I detect a strong Ultravox feel moulded into a more progressive slant and I loved it from the get-go (Ultravox kept me fed when prog was pretty much dead). Guitarist Roberto Minozzi has razor sharp technique, Enrico Lorenzini adding voluptuous ornamentations on a variety of keyboards, while the rhythm section tandem of Diego Quarantotto on bass and athletic drummer Ivano Zanotti power the percussive motors expertly. The style is compact, punchy, hugely melodic, expertly played and sung neo-prog with a contemporary twist.

For the sake of mixing up the usual track-by track method that I advocate, relying instead in groups of levels of quality instead. Let's start with the absolute winners first, get them out of the way. The final three tracks are thorough jewels that just scream out quality, as well as consolidating as a suite. A wretched merciless anthem of despair and a plea for survival or healing, "Asylum" slams hard emotionally, a balancing act between control and freedom. A place of possible reality or unspeakable horror. A prefect set-up for the tremendous "The Box", kicked off with a soft and majestic vocal, as well as a slashing guitar riff straight out of classic the Fixx, a rosy synth that leads into a volatile maelstrom of sound and fury. And back and forth, the arrangement goes, where it will end, nobody knows. A safe house, a hideout? Best piece is the last, "Hide the Light" is the epitome of what has gone on here, a deliriously addictive melody, a final plea for liberation, beautifully sung by Borgatti, a majestic guitar rant, adorned with lustrous keys, a rumbling bass and a timekeeper drum pattern that sweeps away the glare , as if a long awaited solar eclipse had come to take us out of the despair.

The opening and longest track here "No Way Out "starts out like a bombastic and throttling powerhouse of raging riffs, shoved along by predatory drum patterns that would awake a jungle, suddenly halting into a dreamy piano sequence, where the suave vocals seek to enchant, all within the confines of melodies that attract attention. The mighty chorus deals with insanity, perhaps explaining the title, a twisted straitjacket synth tying up any hope of escape. The build up is truly first-rate stuff. A superb opening salvo. The following synth-laden piece is the shifty "Black Mist", slit open by some sizzling guitar hacks, the tremendous lead vocals carrying the ebb and flow, the pulsating beat relentless, and a memorable overarching chorus that stick to the brain like epoxy. Wicked corkscrew guitar solo (guest Stef Burns maybe?).

Then, there are a series of very good pieces which for the majority of the remaining tracks presented here. The third number "B.Case" is the second lengthiest piece and as such , offers a selection of contrasting segments from staccato fretboard mayhem to serene vocal observance, with some dollops of swerving synths loops, dabs of electronic details and a monster rhythmic pulse , a menace recalling the afore mentioned Ultravox as well as Killing Joke, with big, meaty and solid pounding. The swift axe solo and the twinkling piano finale are splendid. The more sombre "Seven Stones" shows off a more brooding side, again emitting a slight "Vienna" sound, a concrete, urban late-night feel, and a repetitively plaintive axe solo that is all emotion and restraint. A childlike voice suggesting delirium ices the cake. When dealing about this kind of subject matter, a title such as "The Doctor" should evoke dread and it does, in rather frosty terms, the vapour emanating from Borgatti's lips is an image difficult to erase, tortured voice in a room of cracked mirrors and multiple eerie voices within the padded walls, a gut wrenching and acidic guitar solo adding to the absurd tautness. Where are we? "Room 46" is a white room, ascetically decorated with senseless wires and monitors, commemorating glumly the opioid victory over the hapless patient's patience and failing resolve. The instrumental mid-section equates with a body struggling with the bonds that keep freedom at bay, bouncing off the metallic chair and onto the floor, ready to surrender. The finale is a Floydian expanse flush with white flags of submission, only a thin flutter of hope for a possible escape.

A must have prog album, modern tightly wound neo-prog but unfortunately, it seems to have been a last hurrah, as the band has fallen off the radar. Maybe they will be paroled soon and free to join us again the safe haven of the prog community.

4.5 safe houses