INFERNO

"Inferno" is the first instalment of the highly ambitious series of albums based on Dante's "Divine Comedy". This is a very different TD project in several ways. First,the classical influences that have surfaced occasionally on TD albums over the years are here dominant and even though only keyboards and percussion are used,they manage to create a large and orchestral soundscape causing some people to label this as "electronic opera" and that's where the other major difference comes in:the vocals. 98% of TD's material has been instrumental,the only exceptions being "Cyclone" in 1978 and "Tyger" in 1987,so vocals are not a usual occurance on a TD album but this time they have really gone for it in a big way. "Inferno" contains no less than 7 singers! And the result has to be said to be nothing less than remarkable. The harmony vocal arrangements are fabulous and the skill to write for voices from musicians who are not used to it is both surprising and astonishing. You'd never guess this was an instrumental band with a very limited experience of writing music for voices. The lyrics are as ambitious as the music, coming in no less than four different languages,English,Italian,French and Spanish! That would be the only complaint about this album since it makes it difficult to follow the story since it's doubtfull that the average listener is fluent in all four langauges. But that's just nitpicking since this is such an extraordinary musical achievement and it's safe to say that "Inferno" is not only unique in the TD catalogue but in the history of modern music. This album is something very special and completely out of the ordinary,so much so that categorizing it becomes both impossible and ridiculous. "Inferno" is a jewel of tremendeous creative achievement and the only possible comparisons are the great classical choral works,certainly in what is loosely called popular music,there is nothing like it.