TRIMEGISTO

This is the first Runaway Totem album and the second I heard after Esameron from 2007. Again I listened to this at least five times for free on the band's website. Not as good as Esameron but still a good album. The music here sounds like a cross between Zeuhl and '90s 'alternative' rock. What an interesting combination! The vocals(in Italian) go from almost punk to operatic. The bass playing can be almost funky; sometimes there is a slap- bass feel to the playing. It's clear the bassist does not use a pick.

"San Giacomo de Compostela" starts with some whispering. Later there is what sounds like a monster. Some bell sounds get sped up. "Sancta Sanctorum" has some 'chipmunk' vocals with a marching beat. The last two or so minutes of "O.T." has a hypnotic synth part with a nice groove. The female vocals here remind me of Eskaton. Some chanted male vocals as well. Both the sound and title of "Mekanik Ritual" is very Magma-esque. Some Kobaian-sounding talking with minimal electronic percussion. Both male and female vocals. I'm not fluent in German but I think "Ein Tag in dem Hous von Hermann..." translates as "One Day in the House of Hermann". Very atmospheric song which reminds me of '80s Art Zoyd. "Esseri Periodici" has some sax but no one is credited with playing it.

I have given myself the assignment of listening to this band's albums on their website. I can only assume that they get better after this. It's rather strange that there would be a band from Italy influenced by Zeuhl in the early '90s. In the near future, when I'm not so broke, I can see myself buying one of their CDs. But not this one. Good effort, but I already know they can do much better than this. 2 stars.