ETERNITY ENDS

Eternity Ends is the second full-length release by Italian prog-metallers Time Machine. It came out in 1998, just one year after the band had released its fourth recording, the EP Shades of Time. The band's line-up underwent some changes in the space between the EP and Eternity Ends, which is not unusual for Time Machine, considering how they changed singer on every single album they ever released! Long-time guitar player Ivan Oggioni stepped down and was not replaced on the new album. Vocalist Morby also left the band, and was replaced by Nick Fortarezza. The rest of the line-up is unchanged, with Nick Rossetti on drums, Joe Taccone on guitars, and mastermind Lorenzo Dehó on bass. Stefano Della Giustina is also listed as a full-time band member on the record, after having featured as a guest on the 1997's EP. Alessandro de Berti (from Italian prog-metallers Enrico VIII) guests by contributing acoustic guitars.

Eternity Ends is hands down the best album Time Machine have released in their entire career. Already the previous EP Shades of Time had shown that the band had found a more convincing and mature way to express their musical ambitions, leaving behind the complex and over-fragmented sound of the origins in favour of a more accessible, chorus-based approach that still retained sufficient progressive depth. The process of maturation of the songwriting continues ? and reaches its highest point ? on Eternity Ends. The music falls squarely into the melodic prog metal camp, but it does not lack originality. Inspired by label mates Angra, Time Machine incorporate in their sound refreshing Mediterranean and Latino influences, and a strong melodic allure that draws from the Italian singer-songwriter and pop tradition. The use of percussions, sax, and acoustic guitars add further intricacies and depth to their sound. Importantly ? and this is a major improvement over earlier albums - Time Machine never lose sight of accessibility, by keeping the song structures lean and linear and by giving the right weight to choruses in the compositions.

Another strength of Eternity Ends lies in the quality of the band's line-up. Nick Rossetti is a very good drummer. Already on the EP Shades of Time, his addition to the band had brought a more assured and virtuoso performance but also a vastly superior drum sound compared to previous records, and the new album is all the better for it. Nick Fortarezza, the other new element of the line-up, is a powerhouse. He has range and power, but also expressivity, something that many prog metal singers often lack. His performance on songs like "I, the Subversive Nazarene", the title-track, "I Believe Again" and "Behind the Cross" are nothing short of breath-taking. Also, Fortarezza's vocals have that typical Italian pop flavour that greatly contributes to giving a sense of originality to the material.

The album is centred on the persona of Jesus Christ and is divided in 12 songs. There are really no weak spots, but some tracks nevertheless stand out above the rest. After two short instrumentals, "I, the Subversive Nazarene" properly opens the album, and what an opener that is! The song is a robust, powerful mid-tempo graced by some fantastic vocal melodies by Nick Fortarezza, not too obvious but yet very catchy and memorable. The title-track is a bit more of a grower, but on repeated listens shows all its beauty. It has a nice Latino flavour thanks to some tasteful percussion work by Rossetti, and features three excellent guitar solos (two electric, one acoustic) by Taccone, Oggioni (the band's former guitar player) and de Berti. "Behind the Cross" is a grittier piece that, after an unusual start (with a Goblin-like keyboard motif), develops into an epic, powerful mid-tempo.

I kept last "I Believe Again", which is undoubtedly the best song of the album. Co-written with Angra's singer André Matos, this is one of those pieces that are so good that can define a whole musical career. Unsurprisingly, it has a marked Angra flavour, especially if you listen to the version sung by Matos (not included on the album, but on the EP Secret Oceans Pt 2 released in the same year). I love the onion-like structure of this song, with the verse bookending the track and the bridge and chorus in the middle. All three parts sport fantastic vocal melodies by Fortarezza, especially the atmospheric bridge and the ethereal verse. The tasteful use of Della Giustina's sax adds further layers of atmosphere to this beautiful ballad. If you can only listen to one song written by Time Machine, this is the one you should look out for.

Eternity Ends is Time Matchine's crowning achievement. It's a great album of melodic progressive metal, with a distinct Italian / Mediterranean feel. It's original, inventive and skillfully played. It has memorable songs, including one of the best prog metal ballads ever written. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is one of the hidden gems of progressive metal, and if you are into this genre, you ought to give it a try!