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░ ██ ██ Artist: o.R.k. ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Soul of an Octopus █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-07-18 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: RareNoise Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Following on the heels of 2015Æs captivating █
█ Inflamed Rides, the members of the powerful █
█ collective O.R.k. ù lead singer Lorenzo Esposito █
█ Fornasari, Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin, █
█ Marta Sui Tubi guitarist Carmelo Pipitone and King █
█ Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto ù were primed to █
█ deliver an even more potent statement for their █
█ sophomore offering. Coming off of a triumphant █
█ tour of Europe and South America, they were █
█ charged to take things up a notch. And so it was █
█ with Soul of an Octopus, their second recording █
█ and RareNoise debut. This one finds the four █
█ kindred spirits dealing in even deeper waters. █
█ ôAfter Inflamed Rides we did around 30 shows in █
█ Europe, Argentina, Chile and Mexico this year,ö █
█ says Fornasari. ôThat definitely helped us to █
█ reign in our sound and get to a more focused █
█ mutual vision. So all the pieces from the new █
█ album represent an honest and effective picture of █
█ who we are as O.R.k. right now.ö █
█ Because of the presence of drummer Mastelotto, it █
█ would be easy to draw comparisons to King Crimson █
█ for this project. (The opener ôToo Numbö in █
█ particular has a kind of Discipline vibe in its █
█ interlocking ostinatos that create a hypnotic █
█ latticework pattern against FornasariÆs menacing █
█ vocals). One can also hear traces of such █
█ artistically inclined groups as Pink Floyd in █
█ ambitious tunes like ôScarlet Water,ö ôJust █
█ Another Bad Dayö and the extraordinary ôCapture or █
█ Reveal.ö But O.R.k. draws on a myriad of other █
█ influences throughout Soul of an Octopus that █
█ encompass prog-rock and even bits of opera, as can █
█ be heard in FornasariÆs dramatic and wide-ranging █
█ vocals on tunes like the intense closer ôTill the █
█ Sunrise Comesö and the epic ôDirty Rain.ö Says the █
█ native of Bologna, Italy, ôI got a degree as opera █
█ singer, but when it comes to my music I try to █
█ forget what I've been taught. When I find myself █
█ working on new material I prefer to improvise and █
█ sing without thinking what to do or where to head █
█ to, at least that's what I do in first place.ö █
█ On the extreme opposite end of the dynamic scale █
█ from the operative sweep that he delivers █
█ throughout Soul of an Octopus, Fornasari takes a █
█ more intimate, close-mic approach at the outset of █
█ the poetic ôHeaven Proof House,ö recalling the █
█ enigmatic whisper vocals of the late Leonard █
█ Cohen. ôSince I think at myself as a composer and █
█ producer first and then as vocalist, I get my █
█ brain to rethink the whole structure and listen to █
█ my vocals as a producer would do,ö he explains. ôI █
█ tend to give my vocals the same importance I'd █
█ give to any of the other instruments composing the █
█ whole structure.ö █
█ Innovative Italian guitarist Pipitone is █
█ prominently featured on ôCollapsing Hopes,ö which █
█ opens with some gutbucket acoustic blues guitar █
█ and gradually builds to a slamming wah-wah fueled █
█ six-string onslaught. Says Fornasari of his O.R.k. █
█ bandmate, ôCarmelo has received multiple awards █
█ from music Italian critics because of the way he █
█ plays acoustic guitar. He makes his strings bark █
█ and scream like the most ferocious electric piece █
█ of guitar and a second later he makes you cry with █
█ the most intense clean arpeggio.ö █
█ Fornasari further describes the process that he █
█ and his O.R.k. bandmates took on this RareNoise █
█ release: ôWe usually start the process from guitar █
█ or bass riffs, I assemble a rough structure and █
█ send it over to the other guys. This collaborative █
█ back-and-forth process across the miles is very █
█ effective in our case. Nonetheless, it usually █
█ takes weeks or even months before a piece gets to █
█ its final shape. We don't follow any pre-defined █
█ plan though. One of the most intriguing elements █
█ in music is the most unpredictable too ù once you █
█ release new stuff you never know how people will █
█ react and interpret your sound and words.ö █
█ While Fornasari has also been involved in other █
█ projects for RareNoise Records (he was on OwlsÆ █
█ 2011 release, The Night Stays, BerserkÆs █
█ self-titled 2013 debut and Obake's three RareNoise █
█ releases including the very recent Draugr), he █
█ considers O.R.k. to be the focus of his artistic █
█ endeavors right now. ôI love Berserk! and Owls but █
█ I see them as collaborative side projects while █
█ O.R.k. is actually my main band. ItÆs the one █
█ which best represents my vision in music and the █
█ one I'm dedicating most of my of time and energy █
█ to.ö █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Too Numb 3:54 ░
░ 2. Collapsing Hopes 4:38 ░
░ 3. Searching for the Code 4:02 ░
░ 4. Dirty Rain 5:06 ░
░ 5. Scarlet Water 4:13 ░
░ 6. Heaven Proof House 4:25 ░
░ 7. Just Another Bad Day 4:10 ░
░ 8. Capture or Reveal 4:48 ░
░ 9. Till the Sunrise Comes 5:20 ░
░ 40:36 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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