CREAZIONE

I think it is telling that this is the fourth time that I have listened to this album today (admittedly, this also makes it the fourth time I have ever listened to it, so I cannot claim to be an expert on it) and yet what do I have stuck in my head? King crimson. Clearly, then, this is not an instantly attention-capturing soul-gripping album. Possibly, it could be a 'grower', but somehow I doubt it. Do not misinterpret this rather negative introduction to mean that I hated or even disliked this album, in fact there were moments of great beauty within it. This is, then, a slightly above average prog album, from a band with more than enough talent, and a decent amount of potential. The big problem here is that it is simply too chaotic, confused, and jumbled for its own good. At times, one might be tricked into believing that this is an intentional effect; for example, in the opening track 'memorie', perhaps it has been done to evoke a sense of the tangled mess that memories can become. But, even if this is the case, I feel its execution was unsuccessful. For one thing, the jumbled nature of the track detracts from the fact that, at over 12 minutes long, we are in prog epic territory here. Instead, one is given more a sense of multiple 30-second long tracks glued together. And this confusion runs through the album. Even in the style of instrumentation, there is something of a clash, with the guitarist half the time imagining himself to be in a metal band, whilst the keyboardist does his best impression of Keith Emerson. It doesn't fit. But there are moments. This isn't a band without talent, and there are, in virtually every song, moments where they do come together coherently, and manage to pack something of an emotional punch, making this an album not without some merit. The problem, then, is that one is ultimately left feeling that one has listened to a long series of little pieces of music by a collection of talented individuals, rather than an album by a great and cohesive prog band. Given more time playing together, maybe this will improve. Certainly, not a band to dismiss totally when it comes to whether to check out their other releases. As a result, I give this album 2.5/5, rounding up to 3.