REALM OF POSSIBILITIES

Moonshine Blast. Remember the name. These Paris based guys published last year their second record, Realm of Possibilities, which I honestly consider one of the greatest pieces of music of the decade. I decided to take some time to write a review, listening to the album several times, even watching some live performances of the band, and the more I listen to Realm of Possibilities, the more I'm sure I had already took a step closer to a musical masterpiece. The band proves to be able to play different genres, putting pop, grunge and psichedelia into a solid prog rock work, almays remaining loyal to their own style, finding their voice in an ocean of established artists, playing their own music with courage and awareness. There are even moments aimed to prog metal, as the heavy Strangled, built on a strong groove which I found myself handbang on several times, and songs with clear and poppy melodies, as Only You and No Exit: the most soft tracks of the record, even though some some good grunge riffs played with the bass. Grungy rhythms come back in songs as Fractal, which goes through different times signatures and a wonderful keyboard crescendo. Keyboards parts are curated by the singer Nicolas Duke, who has an incredible vocal extension and ability, feeling perfectly comfortable with each of the melodies the band plays. Sounds really good even in the most difficult tracks of the record: Cruel Immission, the most well written song of the record - starts in 7/8, goes in 4/4, ends in a wonderful crescendo - and The Cell, a sixteen-minute-long song built on psychedelic synthesizers and misterious keyboards, whose structure sent my mind back to Porcupine Tree's Anesthetize, in some parts. PT's influence is evident in much of the grooves the drummer Thomas Zecchinon plays, Gavin Harrison-like syncopath hits are recognizaible, especially in the two parts track Liquid Feels - don't understand why it's been divided in two, 'cause the whole thing works fine together. This is probably the weekest moment of the record, where Steven Wilson's passages and grooves kill their originality. The album ends with the beautiful acoustic ballad Where the Wind Blows, which wins the prize for the best lyric. Anyway, the highlists of Realm of Possibilities, for me, are the title track opener, a perfect overture for this amazing muscial journey, where Duke's voice, melodies and bass rhythm are at their best, the pounding Under.Control. (super heavy) and Broken Arrow, a poppy song that bounds Peter Gabriel's melody with Big Big Train'structures. As I said, remember about this franch band: they can easily play different genres, build complex structures and powerful melodies; their sound is recognizable, strong, original and accessful. They draw from monsters as Pearl Jam, Porcupine Tree, Big Big Train, Nirvana, Pineapple Thief, Mr.Mister and many others, keeping their own style. Realm of Possibilities is an incradible record, not perfect, but a good starting point for the future. Moonshine Blast is a young and talented band: we're going to hear them more often in the next years. And I can't wait for it.

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