EUTHYMIA

The concept deals with a young man, who has a romantic approach to life, but soon becomes uncertain about his life's point of view after meeting a stranger, who was determined to change all of his proven-wrong illusions.It is divided in six acts, which function as bridges between storytelling, interludes and instrumental Progressive Rock of the E.L.P./LE ORME/TRIADE keyboard-led tradition.Of course the Italian flavor is more than evident, all lyrics are written and performed in Italian and the melodies are typical of the sensitive side of Italian Prog.The first half is heavily driven by spoken texts, slightly improvised backgrounds on organ and synths with a few bits from tight, keyboard-based Prog, featuring instrumental virtuosity and grandieur.The second part of the third act, the long ''Oblio'' seems to be the turning point of the whole album.This is beautiful, sentimental but also dramatic Symphonic Rock with an excellent performance by Raggi on vocals and various sections, ranging from flashy, DORACOR-like parts to more sinister themes, mostly performed on organ.The structure of the album somewhat changes from this point on.More music and less spoken words with the piano and keyboards in evidence, offering Classical nuances and old-school keyboard pyrotechnics, the combination of organ and synths works very nice.Another highlight is the melancholic closer ''Morte'' with the romantic vocals of Raggi and the intense, farewell keyboard section.

Euthymia's sound should work extremely well on stage, I am more than certain for that.On tape some of the concept's magic is lost, as the listener should have knowledge of the Italian language to fully appreciate the story.Put this aside and you still have a fine, keyboard-led Symphonic Rock album for worldwide distribution.Essential for fans of LE ORME, LATTE E MIELLE and MINSTREL.

The short opener, 'Prologo', sets the atmosphere and features narrative vocals that quote a passage from 'Demon', a poem by Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter Mikhail Lermontov. An evil creature is lurking in the dark, looking stealthily at a beautiful girl... 'I will fly to you and I'll be your guest until the bright dawn comes, and I will send golden dreams to your eyelashes of silk...'. The following 'Ouverture' is conceived as an instrumental introduction to the opera and anticipates some themes that will be developed as the opera unfolds.

The first act, 'Atto I', is divided into four sections: 'Illusione 1' (Illusion 1), 'La percezione del vuoto' (The perception of void), 'Illusione 2 (Illusion 2)' and 'Pensieri' (Thoughts). A boy takes his sweetheart back to her home after a night spent together. It's almost dawn and after a last kiss the boy walks away, happy. Since he met her everything has changed in his life... After a narrative part the rhythm takes off and you can hear for the first time the melodic singing of Chiara Raggi. The music and lyrics evoke hypnotic promises and sweet love dreams, the boy can perceive the void in the distance that separates him from his girlfriend, dust of enchantment and unreality... 'Listen to the call of the night...'. Then the narrative vocals come back to describe the meeting with a strange character, an old man dressed in black. The old man takes the boy by the arm... 'Do you really think she loves you?' - He asks. Then the unknown man disappears and the boy thinks it was just an illusion. A dreamy, meditative instrumental part concludes the first act.

'Atto II' is divided into two sections, 'La paura' (Fear) and 'Un segreto inconfessabile' (An unspeakable secret). The man in black reappears. He speaks again to the boy and warns him: his sweetheart betrayed him and she does not deserve his love, so pure and faithful. She has to pay for that!Then the mysterious man conjures up a vision and the boy can see his girlfriend in the arms of another man. He's scared, he can't believe his eyes. Tension rises, there's an evil magic in the air and now narrative and melodic vocals interact while the music evokes a kind of Sabbath... 'Open your mind / Set your fantasies free / I will show you an unspeakable secret...'.

'Atto III' is divided into two sections, 'Disperazione' (Despair) and 'Il siero dell'oblio' (The serum of oblivion). The boy looks lost, in dispair. The man conjures up another vision and promises to the boy gold and many other things... 'I'm the antidote, I'm the cure for the illness that is devouring you... My powers are extraordinary... You will own everything that is real and everything that your fantasy will be able to conceive / You will forget pain, death and in exchange you will obtain eternal life and happiness...'. Then the soaring vocals of Chiara Raggi bring a bit of lightness while the boy's thoughts slowly begin to fall in the vortex of senses. Transparent as silk, the serum of oblivion begins to work... 'To die, to sleep, maybe to dream...'.

'Atto IV' is divided in two sections, 'Rifiuto' (Refusal) and 'Luce nell'ombra' (Light in the shadow). Astonished by the magic of the man the boy asks him what he wants in exchange. 'Nothing but the soul of the one who betrayed you...' - answers the man. But the boy refuses, he does not want to become slave of some evil illusions, he has to read the truth right into the eyes of his beloved girl but... 'There's no art. To find the mind's construction in the face' (the quote is from Macbeth by William Shakespeare). The day after in morning the boy wakes up and run to his sweetheart. He's pale like ghost, he loves her but he can't see through her heart... The music here is sweet and dreamy. 'Please, tell me the truth... Beware! He's waiting in the shadow...'.

On 'AttoV' - 'Tradimento' (Betrayal) the music is tense, there's an impending sense of tragedy, there are some dark organ passages and a frenzied rhythm. At dusk an uninvited guest visits the girl... The last act, 'Atto VI' - 'Morte' (Death) is dark, haunting. The melodic vocals reveal all the fragility of the girl's soul. She's victim of her vanity, she can't resist to the evil enticements, eventually she succumbs to temptation. At dawn they find the boy dead at his desk. He's still holding a pen in his right hand, a paper in his left. On the paper just a bunch of words, his last love poem, his last illusion... On the whole a really good album with a nice Gothic atmosphere.

Books, fiction, opera, plays, theater, are words that one can easily relate with progressive rock, since so many bands have shown their enthusiasm towards these topics. Here, Euthymia also took an imaginative offer and put it in their debut album called 'L'Ultima Illusione' which can be described as a rock opera. So feel comfortable and enjoy the 50+ minutes this Italian band share.

In the album we will find 14 songs, most of them are short tracks, while only two are above the 6 minute mark. In the 'Prologue' we will listen to a man speaking for a minute, opening the gates to 'Ouverture' a track where keyboards lead and show that special Italian symphonic flavor. This one is an instrumental track. The first act of this opera begins right away with 'Illusione 1', a one-minute track with a narrative voice over a piano. 'La prcezione del vuoto' has a kind and gentle sound, soft symphonic rock with female voice and a friendly tune. 'Illusione Part 2' has once again the male narrative voice, but this time softly accompanied by bass lines and drums. This first act finishes with 'Pensieri' a delicate piano oriented tune which is full of melancholy that may bring you some nice memories.

The second act starts with 'La Paura' which has a faster and more intense sound, the keyboards make an electronic-like tune while drums play and the narrator puts a tense atmosphere. When you think you are still listening to the same song, 'Un segreto inconffessabile has already started, continuing with that strange, tense sound created in the previous track. I like that sense of chaos that is created here, and how both voices are combined in order to produce different emotions and nuances. These two songs are a strong point of the album, in spite of its short length.

Third act begins with 'Disperazione' the voice of the narrator s even more dramatic, and it is perfectly complemented by the bass, drums and keyboards that sound as background. The chaos is also present here, along with the evident symphonic prog. And it is remarked in the start of 'Oblio' which is the longest composition here reaching more than nine minutes. Bombastic keyboards in the beginning, which then are softened by female vocals and the other instruments. After four minutes the music changes, it slows down and begins to build up a new structure; the sound is soft but dark and tense; while the seconds pass it is progressing little by little, increasing the intensity until it reaches a climax at 7:23 and drastically changes with the entrance of symphonic keyboard. This songs is really good!

A new act consists of a couple of tracks: 'Rifuto' and 'Luce nell'ombra'. The first one is only the narrative voice, the first half without any other element, while in the last minute we can appreciate soft noises as background. The second one is practically a ballad, with female voice, piano and a very soft and delicate mood at least for the first minutes; later it becomes a bit more emotional and with some rockier slices.

'Tradimento' alone reflects the fifth act. This song takes again the keyboard oriented sound, making a symphonic tune with a solid bass and drums base; this track shows the talent of the band and the music let our imagination fly, putting images in our minds and showing the success of the opera rock. The narrator returns in the second half, creating the colors and textures necessary. The album finishes with 'Morte' which is the final act and the second largest song. The first moments are female voice accompanied by piano, a nice and soft drums rhythm and some keys as background; it has some changes but overall the sound is the same. It is a nice ending for this nice albu,

A great effort by Euthymia, an album that RPI lovers should dig, but definitely not the best in our collection. My final grade will be 7 out of 10.

Enjoy it!

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.

On its website, the band stress influences from legendary bands like: Premiata Forneria Marconi, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Arti & Mestieri, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Yes . The band features vocals, keyboard, bass and drums, evoking the classic progressive sounds of the seventies. "L'ultima Illusion", they said, is a triumph of the mini moog and synthesizers.

From now on, we can get a clear idea of the musical line that the album has. The lack of guitars recalls the sound of ELP, with the predominant sound of keyboards and synthesizers. In "L''ultima Illusion" is quite the same, the keyboards take the lead role of the work and guide us from start to finish, with that "old" sound that I personally love.

The Italians takes the rock opera to the extreme, in which a great part of the time, an actor tells the story (spoken), while the music only helps to create a certain feeling or ambient depending on the act. At first listen I found disconcerting that after each piece of music, they include an entire track dedicated to telling the story and set aside at least a leading role, to music. And this is one of the points I'm sure many people will not be too much attracted to this album. This is not an album that can be heard while you're doing something else, since it doesn't flow continuously. You have to hear it carefully and keep handy for those who do not know Italian, the booklet accompanying the album in which the story is written.

In general, the story centers on a lovelorn boy who begins to have visions and visits from a mysterious man, who tries to persuade him, that his girlfriend is cheating him with another man. From there, a flood of feelings inundate the boy and take him to make an important decision about the trust he has for his girl. The album is divided into 6 parts (feelings of the protagonist), which are: illusion, fear, despair, rejection, betrayal and death.

It's amazing for me that the music reflects with a lot of exactitude each of these feelings and evokes them in you, while listening to the album. After an opening where you can immediately appreciate a mix of their musical influences, the "illusion" begins, where the narrator spoke with a love and hope tone. This is the only part in which the music is hopeful and happy, because after that the confusion of the protagonist begins to take action. The second act: "fear" is pretty scary because of synthesizers and the aggressive and fast female vocals. In the third act, "despair", we can feel the protagonist's confusion, not knowing where to go, the keyboard that guides the song leads us to a maze of thoughts and doubts that gradually become clearer when listening to the best song on the album: "Oblio" an orgasmic 9 minutes piece, thanks to the voices and symphonic work, without a doubt the climax of the album. Halfway through the song there is a slight pause, to enter into a crescendo that reminds me to Phideaux in his later works.

The last part of the album since the fourth act, turns to be the best in terms of emotion, "Luce nell'ombra" is a truly beautiful song with some peace and quiet, trying to give us a little clarity in the story. The "betrayal" returns us into the endless roller coaster of emotions in the work, with much more jazzy tones. The "death" closes the album with cryptic sounds that combines perfectly with female voices and lead to an unexpected ending that leaves the story final to the interpretation.

In conclusion, this is a great album if we grade it as an entire piece of art with the full story. At times one would like that the music could flow more freely, but is clear to me that the goal of the band is different and they have succeeded magnificently, using music to convey the story and evoke the feelings experienced by the protagonist in all who hear it.

Original review on spanish at: rockateca.com

From the band's website, the above statement accurately represents the debut of EUTHYMIA, "L'ultima illusione." The album is a progressive rock opera, which is centered around two lovers, who eventually crumble under suspicion and doubt. Musically, the work is fairly diverse, in a symphonic vein with--as typically seen in many Italian productions-- very strong melodies and emphasis on drama. You won't find any of the crazy school of RPI in this one, as it is quite traditional. The instrumentation emphasizes keyboards very heavily, with a solid rhythm section behind. No guitars grace this work, however.

This is a rough translation from the band's website:

"The music pays homage to the classic sound of international progressive rock, but especially Italian progressive rock. The band is inspired by the works of THE TRIP, PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI, BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO, and ARTI & MESTIERI. A tribute that, although faithful to progressive ideals (especially liberty and courage), it does not imitate but reinvents, with contemporary sensibility, the lesson of one of the most creative periods of pop music.

"The debut album of Euthymia is a rock opera that mixes the best traditions of progressive rock with theatrical and literary dimensions. Echoes of PINK FLOYD, THE TRIP, EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER, ARTI & MESTIERI, KANSAS, and KING CRIMSON return in an arcane and mysterious story, with suggestions of Shakespeare. The formation of the band--the classic ensemble of voice, keyboards, bass and drums--evokes the progressive sounds of the 1970s, both Italian and foreign, without losing vision of the present, including new technology."

For my part, the influences I hear especially include BANCO for the keyboard emphasis, tempo changes, drama, and strong melodies; and ARIES and CONQUEROR for the strong female vocals and rich, modern sound.

Overall, this is a strong debut for Euthymia. The overall experience is enhanced by accessing the website, which contains the entire libretto. I look forward to more works from this classy band. Three+ stars.