TRIMEGISTO

Italy's RUNAWAY TOTEM kicked off their career in a purportedly ZEUHL styling with this album, Trimegisto, and to be quite honest, at least to my ears, it's more of a 'metallic' or heavy prog adventure with this one. Throughout the (mainly short) songs on this record, hints of Sympho-Prog, an element of Spaciness, and maybe even a smidgeon of R.I.O. can be discerned - this can be taken as an eclectic and original melding of sub-genres. The album opens ominously enough with a whispered vocal backed by a low-register synth burble. Within seconds, the energetic rhythm section enters the scene with a vengeance, complete with shredding guitars and obscure synth interjections. When the foreign language recital begins, it's all so processed that you'd swear the aliens have finally arrived to tell us the news (good or bad, who knows ??). Tempo's chop and change every few bars comfortably enough not to baffle enthusiastic listeners. Possible faults may be a lack of texture and contrast - it's full-on most the way through and a consistent listen. My favourite pieces on the album are the longer cuts, the near-7 min 'Segreto tra le Mura' (with its relentless, circular, fuzzed out Bass riff and aggressive drumming) and the 11min+ 'Lapis Exilis' which features hypnotic chants and plenty of room to jam out. The Bass Guitar and Drums stand out majestically, always a finer point for me. Most should find this album engaging and worthwhile. 4 stars.