L'ULTIMA ILLUSIONE

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!

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