LAMANAÏF

Lamanaif is a chilling slab of exotic prog-metal that started out as a theatre project recording by university students, based on that perennial source of artistic inspiration, the human condition! Firstly, it is apparent that, as a soundtrack, this is music for both the eyes and the ears! It's even packaged like a bigger jewel case DVD . The metal music obviously serves as the propellant for the story, as the lead vocals take a large part of the arrangement which otherwise is a guitar centric approach with solid rhythmic foundation. Lead vocalist Esteban Vidoz sings fast and hard when needed, with abilities to be light when dictated to by the crew. On occasion, he throws in a few growlier moments (on "In Stabile"), all in Italian. Guitarist Simone Bianco is the main melodic focus, with classic riffing as the main weapon, only occasionally venturing into soloing. Bassist Matteo Florian provides some harder edged low end tremors, aided by some effect pedals while drummer Simone Sossai pounds fiercely.The pieces can thus vary from spooky to brash, moody to punky, but all in all the tracks flow with a certain similitude, invariably as a part of a greater whole. Admittedly, this kind of prog- metal or 'Nu metal' as some like to call it, is not entirely my thing, as it lacks those structured atmospherics and solo platforms that I happen to enjoy.

I am pretty sure that as an audio-visual presentation, this wold have a much greater impact. But as a purely musical offering, there is still some highly interesting details that creep into earshot on a regular basis, erasing some of the steam-roller like monolithics. Unsurprisingly, the two longer pieces the 7 minute "Girotondo" and the 6 minute "L'Amami" are the core sound beacons, covering various levels of discovery. The title track also goes through a series of emotions that literally drip with passion. The super cool bass line introduces the heavy pulse of "Girotondo", a terrific workout with tons of squealing effects, hushed manic vocals and angrier voices later on. Vedoz sure can spit out a torrent of carefully expressed lyrics, his backing vocals veering towards genius, except when he screams. Bianco applies a few sustained lead guitar licks, which comes across as both refreshing and moody, amid all the pandemonium. This is a fabulous track!

"Insonne" is cloudy dreamy, as if some soporific Italian take on Pink Floyd had taken hold, though in a heavier mode, with some modulated lead vocals, effect-laden at times. This is probably closer to being a somewhat standard ballad, with a nice axe solo to boot, drenched in a boat-load of atmospherics and a mostly passive beat. The power does kick into bloom, quite a successful ditty.

The afore-mentioned "L'Amami" is another oddball highlight, a more traditional heavy rock piece that chooses to exude almost unbearable angst, courtesy of the outright insane vocals, dripping in measured folly, a theatrical reading and as such, another tour de force. When Vedoz starts screeching, I sort of feel creeped-out, as I find such premises kind of puerile and totally unnecessary. But it's part of the dynamics, so I get it!

Interesting addition, certainly quite original in terms of sound and context but a more symphonic style would have elevated this to a higher level of acceptance, in my humble opinion. In all fairness, this needs multiple visits to really sink in, as the first impression is bullying.

3.5 eternal men

Italian band LAMANAIF was formed in 2008 as an art project seeking to combine the traditions of the theater with music. "L'Uomo Infinito" is their debut album, released by the Italian label Lizard Records in 2013.

Progressive rock that incorporates elements from hard rock, punk and metal, arguably even with a brief nod towards grunge, is what Lamanaif provides us with on their debut album "L'Uomo Infinito". A well produced brew of progressive rock with a strong alternative flavor to it, and while not directly comparable in terms of overall style, I'd guess that those who enjoy listening to bands like The Mars Volta might be a likely audience for this band, and an album that merits an inspection by those with an interest in progressive rock that explores this style from an alternative point of view.

This Italian quartet was formed by university students back in 2008 with the goal of mixing music and theatre. Judging by the pictures in the booklet and the CD case looking like a DVD case (at least my copy does), they do like to emphasize the visual aspect of what they do. This is their first and so far only album. This was released on the Italian label Lizard Records, which has released some interesting prog albums in the last few years. The vocals are in Italian and sound both like some vocals in RPI but also more metal-like as well. The music itself is generally prog metal but with some punky energy here and there. They also make room for some more subdued moments.

Like Nu Metal and Post Metal there is not a lot of guitar soloing here (but there is some). There is some use of wah-wah (both on the guitar and bass) and some percussion at times. They sound almost like a keyboardless, Italian version of The Mars Volta but less experimental and noisy. The album begins with the short opener "L'ipnotico salto" which has some nature sounds and didgeridoo being joined by tribal drumming and wah-wahed bass. The singer makes some animal-like noises as the guitar shows up. A scream is let out and away we go. "Rane" is in melodic prog metal territory. Sometimes there is a riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden. "(In) Stabile" features some versatile singing (mostly multitracked) while the music is more punk sounding than the previous track.

In contrast to what came before, "Magnolia" is more acoustic and laid-back in the verse sections while the chorus section is heavy with the most aggressive vocals on the album yet. Great varied drumming in this track which adds a lot. The title track is a highlight. Love the main riff; simple but effective. Features tom-tom centred drumming and varied but emotive vocals. Some good crosspicking on guitar with a delay effect at one point. "Girotondo" is another highlight and the longest track at 7 minutes. Nice Tool-like basswork in the beginning. I like the vocalist's "whacka-it-whacka" noises he makes (along with a high-pitch squeal). Harder-edged and more mellower moments throughout the track, both in the music and the vocals.

"Puzzle!" opens with some wah-wahed bass and jazzy drumming. Then it goes into more punky territory with playful vocals. Some goofy sound effects at one point. "Insonne (Pavor Nocturnus)" is a ballad which is also the most straight-forward metal song on the album (despite it being a ballad). It includes a traditional guitar solo. "Un amore Chirurgico" is a short track with what sounds like a film projector and some spoken word. Ambient guitars play soundscapes which leads directly into...

"L'Amami," basically another straight-forward metal track with very emotive Italian singing. "I/O" closes the album starting with a bit more spoken word and the sound of rain. The verses are very punk sounding while the chorus is more metal oriented. The singing does not sound like either punk or metal though. This is an album which I enjoy the more I listen to it. A very good debut album that hopefully leads to more albums in the future. Recommended to those who enjoy the harder edged variety of prog but who also enjoy Italian vocals. I will give this a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.