L'UOMO INFINITO

This Italian quartet was formed by university students back in 2008 with the goal of mixing music and theatre. Judging by the pictures in the booklet and the CD case looking like a DVD case (at least my copy does), they do like to emphasize the visual aspect of what they do. This is their first and so far only album. This was released on the Italian label Lizard Records, which has released some interesting prog albums in the last few years. The vocals are in Italian and sound both like some vocals in RPI but also more metal-like as well. The music itself is generally prog metal but with some punky energy here and there. They also make room for some more subdued moments.

Like Nu Metal and Post Metal there is not a lot of guitar soloing here (but there is some). There is some use of wah-wah (both on the guitar and bass) and some percussion at times. They sound almost like a keyboardless, Italian version of The Mars Volta but less experimental and noisy. The album begins with the short opener "L'ipnotico salto" which has some nature sounds and didgeridoo being joined by tribal drumming and wah-wahed bass. The singer makes some animal-like noises as the guitar shows up. A scream is let out and away we go. "Rane" is in melodic prog metal territory. Sometimes there is a riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden. "(In) Stabile" features some versatile singing (mostly multitracked) while the music is more punk sounding than the previous track.

In contrast to what came before, "Magnolia" is more acoustic and laid-back in the verse sections while the chorus section is heavy with the most aggressive vocals on the album yet. Great varied drumming in this track which adds a lot. The title track is a highlight. Love the main riff; simple but effective. Features tom-tom centred drumming and varied but emotive vocals. Some good crosspicking on guitar with a delay effect at one point. "Girotondo" is another highlight and the longest track at 7 minutes. Nice Tool-like basswork in the beginning. I like the vocalist's "whacka-it-whacka" noises he makes (along with a high-pitch squeal). Harder-edged and more mellower moments throughout the track, both in the music and the vocals.

"Puzzle!" opens with some wah-wahed bass and jazzy drumming. Then it goes into more punky territory with playful vocals. Some goofy sound effects at one point. "Insonne (Pavor Nocturnus)" is a ballad which is also the most straight-forward metal song on the album (despite it being a ballad). It includes a traditional guitar solo. "Un amore Chirurgico" is a short track with what sounds like a film projector and some spoken word. Ambient guitars play soundscapes which leads directly into...

"L'Amami," basically another straight-forward metal track with very emotive Italian singing. "I/O" closes the album starting with a bit more spoken word and the sound of rain. The verses are very punk sounding while the chorus is more metal oriented. The singing does not sound like either punk or metal though. This is an album which I enjoy the more I listen to it. A very good debut album that hopefully leads to more albums in the future. Recommended to those who enjoy the harder edged variety of prog but who also enjoy Italian vocals. I will give this a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.