Mystere De Notre Dame - Mystere De Notre Dame

Year of Release: 1997
Label: Music Is Intelligence/WMMS
Catalog Number: WMMS 109
Format: CD
Total Time: 42:46:00

I've got another scorcher order coming in shortly, and I've been ranting and raving over the big guns, and leaving out some of the lesser known bands, that have been taking a back seat ... so here is one of those lesser known bands ...

Judging by the members' names, I'm pretty sure this is an Italian band, but one very different from the usual Italian prog outfits we are used to ... I've noticed that most Italian bands are warm, melodic metal bands with screechy singers ... this band is one of the more technical, colder bands that I've heard from that country ...

THE STYLE:

Very progressive, very difficult to pinpoint a similar sounding band, which always makes me think of the word "original," and that's always a good sign ... I'd have to say this is mostly a product of pure "progression," meaning that the music is always changing, never staying still for a moment, but not so that you get tired of it ... it is well calculated, because when they speed it up, they bring it right back down again with some slightly warm melodies ... but the interesting thing is that every song sounds different ... as if they are not able to run out of ideas so easily ... another band that has this quality off the top of my head is Heaven's Cry, very original, very hard to describe ...

THE PRODUCTION:

Not bad for an Italian product, but you can still hear that "empty guitar" sound that the Italian producers are noted for ... I still can't figure why they don't want the guitars to stand out, even though they may be the focal point of the band ... this disc wants to be heavier, but they held it back somewhat, not as bad as I've heard in the past from other Italian sounds ...

THE SINGER:

Again, not bad as far as Italian singers go, and although he is not afflicted with the dreaded Italian singer curse as I refer to it, he still has just a bit of a screech, almost like the guy from Seven Signs, average and listenable ...

THE BAND:

These guys pride themselves on time changes, tempo changes, etc. ... and at times can be very technical ... they are well schooled in the art of progression... I would have to say that the drummer stands out the most here, probably because the drums seem to stand out the most ... I would have the guitar stand out, but I'm not turning the knobs so I didn't get my wish, but the guitarist is quite good ... the keyboard player is interesting as well, because even though he does not seem to be a virtuoso, the choices he uses for sound are used as a backdrop instead of a solo instrument ... the interesting thing about this band is that sometimes you feel as though you are listening to this music right inside the famous Notre Dame Church, and I'm not sure why but I think it has to do with some of the eery sounding keywork ...

THE COMMENTS:

As I said, this is an interesting band ... if anyone had a problem with it, I would have to say it's the singer, who is really pretty good, just a little screechy at times, but not enough to make the disc unenjoyable ... I wouldn't rush right out and get this, but for those of you who enjoy pure progression, and like it done with some originality instead of a clone band, this is a good choice ... it's a little more colder than what I'm used to, but overall there is enough warmth to make me happy ... very well done for what it is ...

Tracklisting:
The Absurd (4:03) / Mystery House (7:16) / Nik Dyom (4:04) / Dominus (6:08) / Jeerotondo (4:47) / The Question Mark (5:56) / Out Of The Row (7:14) / Re-Absurd (1:47) / Amaranto (2:31)

Musicians:
Ruggero Cesana - vocals and guitars
Joe Lacquaniti - guitar
Roy - bass
Gianluca Scassa - keyboards
Luciano Marinetti - drums

Discography:
Mystere De Notre Dame (1997)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin IT

Added: July 25th 1999
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri

Hits: 2447
Language: english