L'ULTIMA ILLUSIONE

Euthymia is a new RPI project (born 2008) which attempts to reinvigorate the "rock opera" paying special attention to the lyrical themes. The have done a spectacular job of creating something grand sounding here. Big, bold, and dramatic, the band and their collaborators tap into some classic RPI traits without trying to live in the 70s. In fact if I were to pick some reminiscent bands I would point to modern projects like Plurima Mundi, Mario Cottarelli (for the keys), Minstrel (for the dramatic themes), and Phideaux. And as Todd mentions Conqueror is in this realm as well.

This is a keyboard oriented affair sans guitar and the keyboard sound immediately recalled past Beppe Crovella projects, so I was not surprised to see he produced this. The synths have a rich and velvety modern sound filled out by smooth bass shadowing. Top notch playing follows through to the drumming. The tracks have ample variation but there are repeating motifs that hold together the conceptual feel nicely. The stories are told in grandeur by very good male and female vocalists alternately, and also by sections of spoken word narration. This is one of those few albums where I wish I knew Italian. Honestly 98% of the time I don't care because I'm here for music, not words, and I consider the human voice just another beautiful instrument. But in this case I could discern that the lyrical themes were a big part of the experience. The highlight here is simply the sweeping melodies which enrapture you more with each listen. The long centerpiece "Oblio" is an enchanting showcase for elegant vocalist Chiara Raggi. The vocalists work well with the large, sophisticated synth sound, which is an interesting mix of bombast and restraint. It is not excessively wild or gritty which typically is my thing, and thus my personal rating is lower than yours might be. I can certainly understand those who rate this higher, it is a very high quality project.

Bottom line this is an absolutely gorgeous symphonic progressive treat that will thrill fans of all prog-rock stripes, but especially those who love the "refined" side of things. It is another solid entry in the new RPI Renaissance of the last several years. 3 1/2.

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