4

While I definitely end up saying this quite a few times, it's still no less true that I am quite appreciative of whenever I end up getting requested to review a barely known album like this, gives a nice change of pace from my regular listening and can often feel like it leads to some pretty enjoyable listening experiences. Metronhomme's 4 is yet another situation where this rings true, being a fun, pleasant instrumental prog album that captures a lot of the spirit of past prog acts while having their own bit of identity to it, particularly in the electric guitar tone having quite a clean, modern sound. Furthermore, the piano acts as the instrument that underpins most elements of the album, forming the core rhythmic backbone most of the time, but also breaking into more catchy, melodic territory to make it quite memorable in places as well. That's not to discredit the contributions that the rest of the band make to this either, as they all work in tandem to form the sound of the band, the peaks in intensity being full of energetic, groovy basslines, with the synths working to create a rich atmosphere that makes it all a good listen even during the slight lulls that occur from time to time. This is certainly an important thing in general, but especially for these sorts of albums that sometimes can feel as if they have the common pitfalls that a lot of modern prog can have.

From all the tracks here, the one that easily stands out the most to me is Blow-Up Automatic Chiodi, and it's almost all because of the acoustic guitar that's introduced in the 2nd half of the song. I love the way it not only introduces a different sound to what the listener has heard on the album up to this point, but also evokes a mysterious tone that separates it quite strongly from anything else here. Similarly, L'uomo Ombra is another standout for feeling so energetic and exciting, becoming almost explosive near the end, with the way it falls into almost complete silence before rising up dramatically is without a doubt one of the best moments to be found here. On the other hand, while the more bombastic moments are definitely more memorable and fun, it's the more understated, elegant moments that hold everything together more consistently, especially in terms of the drumming, having a nice bit of flair while maintaining a solid rhythm, playing off the piano remarkably well to establish a series of rhythmically interesting tracks for sure, particularly with Ortega. While I do find this a bit unmemorable at points without enough moments that really stand out to me and "wow" me in any particular way, this is nonetheless a very solid, well put-together album that I've happily listened to quite a few times at this point. Interested to see this band's other output for next time I want this sort of style of prog. Definitely worth a listen for those who are into some melodic, atmospheric instrumental prog, as it has a lot of the hallmarks that can make that music so enjoyable.

Best tracks: L'oumo Ombra, Blow-Up Automatic Chiodi, Salt

Weakest tracks: Hapax, R.I.P. Brian Diy

(Don't take my 3 stars here as a sign that I even slightly dislike it, as said, I find this to be quite a good album that certain people would definitely enjoy)