III (VIAGGIO NEGLI ARCIPELAGHI DEL TEMPO)

This is the Delirium album many point to as the one to have, but I would not readily agree. Lead vocalist Ivano Fossati has now been gone for two years, and the band is still working on finding an identity.

Opening track Il Dono starts with syrupy string arrangements that elicited an audible 'uh oh' from this reviewer the first time I heard the album. Title track has some nice sax work from Martin Grice (not as prevalent as the previous album) but is hampered by a shrill chorus. It settles into a nice piano jam with first album style vocalizations and flute that give the first indication that this is still Delirium. Some cautious sax echoes of Bloomdido style Gong riffs are in there too. Side one ends with Dio Del Silenzio, an acoustic guitar driven song that fully sounds like older Delirium, with cadence and melody hearkening back to the Fossatti era, hampered only by unnecessary strings and an indifferent sax solo. Some flute on this one would have been a better choice.

Side two begins with a delicate 12 string guitar and synthesizer before the string arrangements overwhelm the proceedings. (La Battaglia Degli Eterni Piani). Once the strings cut out, a flute and guitar jam takes over but soon the strings are back creating a slight Starsky and Hutch vibe that isn't what they'd hoped for.

A nice nod towards subtle Gentle Giant vocalizations are a treat on side two before strings, wah guitar and sax create an unintentional prog homage to Shaft. (the drums through a ring modulator is a nice touch). Thunder crashes, rain comes down and the syrupy strings take us into the finale, Ancora Un'alba, an inconsequential 'orchestra with band accompaniment' denouement to side two.

Overall, this is a fairly dark album, like a richer but creepier version of Van der Graaf Generator, which is a decent comparison. They are a more complex version but perhaps not for the better, as some more of the specialness of Delirium has faded. But it feels like the band is unsure what direction to head in, so they tried several things to see what works. My original notes i just found said "Proto string infused doom riffs with Shaft soundtrack meets Hatfield and the North." Hmmm. Perhaps this is their version of their King Crimson Red album. They've hit 1974, been through a ton of change, and are looking forward and backward at the same time. But the strings really get in the way of the whole proceedings and generally hinder rather than enhance any songs they are on (most of the album). Not a bad album by any means, but my least favorite of the first three. In a word: Uneven.

3 stars