LAVORI IN CORSO

This is D.F.A.'s first full length album as their first recording "Trip On Metro" was really a six song demo tape. It was that demo tape that Alberto Piras (the singer for DEUS EX MACHINA) listened to and was impressed enough to produce this album, and also sign the band to his label. I can't tell you how much i've enjoyed this record. This is one of those recordings that I delight in listening to carefully in order to hear all the intricacies and complexities. I just tip my hat to the drummer, guitarist, bass player and the mellotron / synth / organ player. Bravo !

"Work Machine" opens with a strange sound before the angular guitar comes in right off the hop. Drums, bass, vocals and organ join in. The vocals by the way (despite some English song titles) are in Italian. Check out the gorgeous spacey section before 2 1/2 minutes. It still stays fairly laid back until 4 1/2 minutes. Guitar follows. This is so good ! It's dreamy again as guitar plays so tastefully. Great sound after 6 minutes as it sounds like ANGLAGARD playing. "Collage" opens with raw guitar and aggressive vocals. Organ and drums join the fray. It pretty much stops 1 1/2 minutes in before guitar and organ come back in style. It calms down again with some nice guitar. Full speed ahead 3 minutes in. Vocals follow. The organ is killer, especially after 5 minutes. Guitar grinds away and then tears it up with more great organ joining in. "Pantera" is light and jazzy to open with melloton coming in. Vocals and a powerful sound before 1 1/2 minutes. A guitar solo a minute later. They're really going at it 4 minutes in. It calms down to such a pleasant sound 5 1/2 minutes in as keys play on with distant sounding guitar melodies. It's building to a full sound 7 minutes in. Vocals are back before 8 minutes. Spacey synths to end it.

"La Sua Anima" is a mellow instrumental of gentle acoustic guitar and flute. Synths and mellotron 1 1/2 minutes in. "Trip On Metro" is uptempo and complex. Some nice bass before we get a guitar solo 2 minutes in. A collage of intricate sounds 3 minutes in. Angular guitar and some mellotron after 3 1/2 minutes. One of my favourites on here. "Space Ace Man" as the title suggests is spacey early with some great soaring guitar. Heavy drums 1 1/2 minutes in as spacey synths wash in. The guitar, bass and organ impress. The guitar lets loose 5 minutes in. It settles a little and then kicks back in. The guitar is lighting it up again before 6 minutes. A calm after 7 minutes and then the guitar returns before 8 1/2 minutes. Some good contrasts on this tune.

"La Via" is the 16 minute closer. It's pastoral with bass and synths to open. Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in as the sound continues to be dreamy. That changes 3 minutes in as drums, guitar and organ crash the party. Check out the guitar and organ 5 minutes in. It's spacey again 6 1/2 minutes in before kicking back in a minute later. Vocals 8 1/2 minutes in with some amazing sounding guitar to follow. A calm 10 minutes in to the end with some almost spoken vocals 12 minutes in. I really like that final passage.

This band is criminally unknown if the number of ratings for their albums on this site is any indication. Please check this band out. As Finnforest mentions, their new one "4TH" will be near the top of the best of polls for 2008.