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░ ██ ██ Artist: FEM ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Sulla Bolla di Sapone █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-18 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Fading Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ If youÆve been getting the itch to hear some new █
█ rock progresivo italiano that goes all out to give █
█ you mountains of synths, crunchy guitars and █
█ Hammonds, and the high standard of vocals that █
█ weÆve come to expect from RPI bands, youÆve █
█ stopped at the right place. I present to you Forza █
█ Eletromotrice, or FeM as they more commonly call █
█ themselves. With their debut full length record, █
█ Sulla bolla di sapone, FeM delivers a lengthy █
█ feast of symphonic prog based on the story ôOn the █
█ Soap Bubbleö by Kurd Lasswitz. Interestingly █
█ enough I was introduced to their EP a couple of █
█ years back and pretty much dismissed it as being a █
█ bit bland, but my-oh-my am I glad I got a second █
█ chance with this Milan-based quintet. While their █
█ sound certainly is richly influenced by their █
█ forefathers (Banco, PFM, and Le Orme), the songs █
█ are convincing, masterfully performed, and █
█ emotional as they present a complete album that █
█ maintains a wonderful flow while effectively █
█ incorporating prog, fusion, and classical. █
█ If youÆre anything like me you wonÆt have to dig █
█ deep into this album to really get into it; right █
█ from the start FeM dives in with a trio of pieces █
█ that waste no time in going all out. ôIl giardino █
█ delle consuetudiniö shows us right from the get go █
█ that this is a powerful group as they deliver an █
█ assault of blaring Hammonds, jazz elements, and a █
█ catchy chorus that youÆll find yourself humming █
█ along to. As the album seamlessly flows into █
█ ôMicrogenö 1 and 2 the band shows that they can █
█ swing from in your face guitars and keys to a █
█ latin feel and an epic outro replete with choirs, █
█ swirling synth leads and a pounding dirge █
█ featuring powerfully high vocals. █
█ Just as quickly as FeM can get explosive they can █
█ also surprise you with subtle, beautiful tunes █
█ such as ôIl mondo bianco opaco,ö a romantic piano █
█ piece that shows off Alberto CitterioÆs knack for █
█ both delicate melodies and technical runs, nicely █
█ augmented by a soft synth pad and glockenspiel █
█ interjections. Much further down the road in this █
█ album I was excited to hear ôRiflessioni,ö a piece █
█ that almost feels like an intended follow up to █
█ ôIl mondo bianco opacoö (which it might █
█ intentionally be for all I know). Moving from █
█ flutes to piano, acoustic guitar and glockenspiel, █
█ the melodies are simple, yet powerful. █
█ ItÆs always hard to choose favorites on a good █
█ concept album, but if thereÆs a particular section █
█ of Sulla bolla di sapone that comes to mind, itÆs █
█ right around the middle of the album, starting a █
█ little more than half way through the instrumental █
█ ôIl signore dei pensantiö and ending with the █
█ close of the following song, ôProcesso alla █
█ verita.ö What caught my attention about the former █
█ is the fantastic execution of dark, cinematic █
█ brass interwined and doubled with lead guitar that █
█ painted a very powerful musical image before █
█ flowing to what is perhaps the most distinctly █
█ Italian sounding piece on the album: ôProcesso █
█ alla verita.ö The interplay between choir vocals, █
█ instruments, and solo voice is brilliant, and the █
█ flawless transitions from tron and moog to organ █
█ and brass are magnificent as they receive █
█ effective support from bass and guitar riffs. As █
█ the piece moves towards the finale it becomes █
█ absolutely menacing as the shouts of ôSacrillegio! █
█ Pazzia!ö continue to ring in our minds while █
█ Sabbatini delivers the final repeated lines ôEcco █
█ il tempo del Microgenö over dense atmosphere of █
█ swelling synth bass and swirling keyboard lines. █
█ In the end, FeM is simply an an amazing group of █
█ musicians where each player really delivers on █
█ their end of the field. The rhythm section shows █
█ Borsati and Buzzi to be a strong duo, whether itÆs █
█ BorsatiÆs powerful groove thatÆs demonstrated █
█ right from the top of the record or BuzziÆs ultra █
█ tasty bass licks that really shine on █
█ Reviviscenza.ö Colombo shows head-spinning █
█ riffing on songs like ôIncontro con i saponiani,ö █
█ however his true power lies in his ability to █
█ subtly lay down meaningful lines that support each █
█ and every piece whether they are his █
█ distinguishable fusion interjections or well █
█ arranged chords filling in the background. On █
█ keys, Citterio proves himself to be a forced to be █
█ reckoned with in the prog scene. The closer, ôE il █
█ mondo scoppiera,ö is proof of his clever and █
█ effective arranging and playing as he provides █
█ nuanced arrangements jumping from Hammond to █
█ glockenspiel and an arsenal of analog synths which █
█ culminate in a powerful Mellotron theme that █
█ recalls just a bit of GenesisÆ ôWatcherö intro but █
█ in a much more delicate context, really █
█ capitalizing on the contrast of quiet to make █
█ each chord shift count toward an introspective █
█ closure of Sulla bolla di sapone. Let us not █
█ forget to mention once again the contribution of █
█ SabbatiniÆs stellar vocals, blending the Italian █
█ tradition of the likes of Banco with a sense of █
█ modern expression that youÆll find familiar if █
█ youÆve been listening to contemporary RPI bands █
█ like La Conscienza di Zeno and Barock Project, █
█ culminating in a captivating theatrical ride. █
█ With Sulla bolla di sapone , FeM certainly finds █
█ itself among the high quality symphonic acts of █
█ their countrymen and leaves me anxious to hear █
█ more from them in the future. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Il Giardino delle Consuetudini 5:12 ░
░ 2. Microgen 2:47 ░
░ 3. Microgen (Parte 2) 3:06 ░
░ 4. Il Mondo Bianco Opaco 2:32 ░
░ 5. Consapevolezza 2:41 ░
░ 6. Incontro con i Saponiani 2:06 ░
░ 7. Nella Cittα 6:15 ░
░ 8. Il Signore dei Pensanti 5:25 ░
░ 9. Processo alla Veritα 5:18 ░
░ 10. Riflessioni 2:55 ░
░ 11. Il Peso della Conoscenza 4:56 ░
░ 12. Un Viaggio Lungo un Istante 4:02 ░
░ 13. Reviviscenza 2:51 ░
░ 14. Ritorno al Giardino 5:57 ░
░ 15. E il Mondo Scoppierα 4:13 ░
░ 60:16 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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