THREE WISE MONKEYS

Best known for his work in Italian progressive metal act Twinspirits, bassist Alberto Rigoni has also been building an impressive body of solo material over the past few years. Three Wise Monkeys is Rigoni's third observation, and although it may be relatively uncommon to see solo releases from bassists in progressive rock and metal, he demonstrates plenty of technical prowess and compositional talent here. Showcasing a host of guest musicians, as well as plenty of slick basslines and catchy riffs, Three Wise Monkeys is a recommended purchase to fans of melodic progressive rock and metal.

While most of Three Wise Monkeys falls under the banner of melodic progressive rock/metal, Alberto Rigoni exhibits a pretty eclectic style throughout this album. Fusion-styled grooves, riffs pulled straight out of the melodic metal textbook, and odd-metered prog sections blend together into a style that's actually pretty distinct. Half of Three Wise Monkeys is instrumental, while the remaining portion features the vocal talents of Göran Edman and Jonas Erixon. This provides a nice balance between more technical-edged progressive tracks and melodic hard rock tunes, and although the flow of the album is a bit disjointed, the entire observation is well-composed and flawlessly executed. Alberto Rigoni's basslines are especially captivating; I wish more bassists would play with this kind of soloistic prominence. There are definitely plenty of solid tunes here, but I feel that Rigoni shines his brightest in an instrumental setting.

As a whole, Three Wise Monkeys is the sort of album that is objectively well-executed and solid, but doesn't quite make my blood boil. With a bit more stylistic consistency and stronger melodic choruses, I could see Three Wise Monkeys being one of the year's more memorable releases. As it stands, though, this is a very good effort that is just on the brink of greatness, and I will definitely be curious to check out some of Alberto Rigoni's other solo material. Three Wise Monkeys may not be perfect, but it's a fun listen that fans of melodic progressive and hard rock should enjoy.