Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

THE KEY

Amaze Knight

Progressive Metal


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Amaze Knight The Key album cover
4.00 | 8 ratings | 2 reviews | 25% 5 stars

Write a review

Buy AMAZE KNIGHT Music
from Progarchives.com partners
Studio Album, released in 2013

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Imprisoned (Shadows Past) (10:26)
2. Restless Soul (8:58)
3. Heartless (9:47)
4. Liberation (The Reflection) (8:54)
5. Liberation (A New Day) (9:34)

Total time 47:39

Line-up / Musicians

- Fabrizio Aseglio / vocals
- Christian Dimasi / guitars, vocals
- Max Tempia / keyboards
- Matteo Cerantola / bass
- Michele Scotti / drums

Thanks to windhawk for the addition
Edit this entry

Buy AMAZE KNIGHT The Key Music



AMAZE KNIGHT The Key ratings distribution


4.00
(8 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(25%)
25%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(50%)
50%
Good, but non-essential (25%)
25%
Collectors/fans only (0%)
0%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

AMAZE KNIGHT The Key reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Italian band AMAZE KNIGHT was formed back in 2010 by Christian Dimasi (guitars) and Michele Scotti (drums), shortly after joined by Fabrizio Aseglio (vocals) and Matteo Cerantola (bass). They hit the recording studio in 2011, and with the aid of Max Tempia on keyboards assembled their debut album "The Key", which was made available as a free download in 2012.

Progressive metal is the name of the game by this Italian quartet, and following fairly closely in the tradition of veteran band Dream Theater at that. Although this band does have a bit more going for them than many other bands described in such a manner, the fact that their compositions are a tad more structurally sophisticated than many other bands exploring this type of progressive metal arguably the most important part of it.

Amaze Knight have a fairly good lead vocalist in Fabrizio Asegli. He's got good control of his voice, and is able to convey gentler moods as well as more powerful and dramatic ones without resorting to more uncontrolled modes of delivery. His English needs a bit improvement if this band wants to hit the international scene in a big way, but a fine lead vocalist that avoids the siren shrieks or other modes of expression vocalists may opt for when out of their range one way or the other.

Drummer Scotti and bassist Cerantola are both quality acts from what I can tell, and guitarist Dimasi is an able and talented guy catering for frail textures, dramatic solo runs and grinding riffs all with the same ease, and combines well with rhythm section and keyboardist both. Recording keyboardist Tempia does a good job as well with the various modes of keyboards utilized. From wandering frail piano textures and majestic supplemental organ textures to symphonic backdrops gentle and supplemental in scope to rich, layered impact constructions.

Multiple themes and plenty of alterations in pace and intensity are trademark features of the material Amaze Knight have crafted for their debut album. Grinding riff cascades supplemented by symphonic backdrops or intense organ, light and elegant guitar solo runs backed by subtle keyboard textures or harmonizing with more upfront and energetic ones of a similar mode, slow and majestic passages as well as uptempo, compact and driving ones. But always with room for sequences of a more careful nature too, plucked gentle guitar passages with or without careful keyboard details, standalone wandering piano motifs or smooth inserts with more of a cinematic nature to them. And with the concluding composition Liberation (A New Day) we're also treated to a fine example of how to gradually develop a song from a frail, ballad-oriented initial phase to a rich, majestic and fairly dramatic ending.

Italian band Amaze Knight have made themselves a fine, high quality debut album with "The Key", featuring five epic length or close to epic length compositions that explores the grounds first made popular by Dream Theater, without becoming too derivative. As this album has been made available as a legally free download, those who tend to enjoy music of this kind should know their visiting time.

Review by Second Life Syndrome
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Sometimes, there are albums that I really want to give a higher score, but part of me keeps this from happening. Amaze Knight's debut album, "The Key" is one such album. There is so much good in this album, but there is also much that needs polish. This is a debut album, after all.

I think the best way to convey this album's value is simply to list the good and bad, so here goes. First, the good: These musicians are absolutely outstanding in every way. I was blown away by the technical ability and also the maturity in restraint that these guys display here. The compositions are incredibly well structured, and the songs are genuinely interesting. Each and every one. The music shows off a huge range of eclectic influences---this impressed me a lot. I hear some Riverside, some Haken, and also the more common Dream Theater influence. Yet, I also hear a purely classical influence (shown especially in the fantastic piano), some rock progressivo Italiano (which makes sense since they are from Italy), and some neo-prog atmospheres. This seems like a ton to put into one album, but these guys completely pull it off flawlessly. Musically, this album is top-notch.

Now, the bad: I have a major issue with the vox on this album. Don't get me wrong: the singer is talented and, with a little work, could be great. However, these guys have a serious handicap with the English language. Misplaced modifiers and missing articles are just the tip of the iceberg that really drags down my enjoyment of this album. It irks me all the more because the concepts in the album are quite savory, and the theme of the liberation of the human spirit is something I really appreciate: Yet, I can barely make out the lyrics. Honestly, the album features far more instrumental portions than vox passages, but I still cannot forgive these errors. I also feel like the singer needs some more practice in singing with such complex music. However, overall, I think that more work with the English language and just more practice in general could yield some acceptable results.

In conclusion, Amaze Knight's debut effort is certainly worth your time and will certainly surprise you. There are some rough edges, but I think these can be ironed out eventually.

Latest members reviews

No review or rating for the moment | Submit a review

Post a review of AMAZE KNIGHT "The Key"

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.