A Spirale
Agaspastik

Deconstruction of all previously expressed concepts of musicality.

Music that is not easy to approach, that of A Spirale, composed of Mario Gabola on alto sax, Massimo Spezzaferro on drums, and Maurizio Argentano on guitar.

The A Spirale are a Campanian Power Trio dedicated to experimental jazzcore that does not rely much on rhythmic impact, deafening noise, or instrumental technique, but rather focuses its sound exploration on the search for the deconstruction of every form of harmonic balance and not putting limits on the atonality and crazy experimental eccentricity of this latest “Agaspastik”, released in 2009 by Fratto9/Under The Sky.

The Cryptic sound alchemy of the trio is an impressive cauldron where the crudest avant-garde fusions of the last years: ambient, noise, free jazz, impro rock, screeches, and almost industrial hums, vibrations and electromagnetic reverberations in continuous evolution, a continuous interchange between irksome genres, all difficult to assimilate or categorize, a whirlwind of cerebral noise that reaches its peaks in “Kaluti” track number six of this album.

It seems, indeed, to witness the nocturnal journey of a submarine under cold, hostile, and misty ocean depths.

Music that makes you perceive ethereal and unexplored dimensions, distorted and amplified images, like that of ocean depths, a submarine, or the destructive force of nature, be it water, fire, or earth.

There are also jazz rock moments with a strong impact, although relegated more to a simple demonstration than to true examples of real musicality. “Black Crack,” “Calco” and the explosive start of “Tersicore” which eventually implodes on itself on an electronic beat.

But the hard and pure shell of A Spirale emerges strongly and is measured in pieces like “Naja Tripudians” or the spectral “Suriciorbu”, eight minutes of obsessive and purely instinctive noise, where the three instruments continuously intersect creating a neurotic, spasmodic and deeply disharmonic sound architecture: the screech of sax and guitar notes, the drums resolved in a cynical beating of cymbals or hi-hat, a sickly and multiform minimalism, and for this reason, in its own way, highly engaging and disturbing.

I strongly advise against it for those seeking completeness, a stylistic mark, or precise and fairly delineated songwriting in music, but for everyone else, the listening experience could be exciting, provided you enjoy this “Agaspastik” without exaggeration and without wanting to “understand” or “label” it after the first listen.