Devil Doll
Eliogabalus

THE REVIEW

Mr.Doctor, alias Mario Panciera, is the founder/singer/motionless engine of the mystical Devil Doll. Unique in its kind (what kind?), I will limit myself to expressing my opinion on him: "Served". Mr.Doctor is the man who does not ask; he is the man who receives praise from everywhere; he throws crumbs at us, and we are his pigeons; his secret is to seduce the listener in every way! From fascinating men, one expects such derivatives, and "Eliogabalus", his second album, is no exception; indeed…

Divided into two tracks, about twenty minutes each, the album presents itself as a collage of very confusing themes and interludes, all over the place, but after the initial three or four listens, it will completely overwhelm us, like no album had ever done before!

Needless to say, for works like these, one must have a certain "open-mindedness/madness", also to manage the innumerable facets that the band flaunts: space interludes in full dreamlike vein, gothic interludes, original classicisms, symphonic rock, piano solos, lyric choirs, and even ceremonial bands, psychedelic trips, and refined techniques. It's also useless to be frightened by the absurd times because, I assure you, you will wish it never ends; the genius of the plots is so well structured and fascinating, as in every Devil Doll album, that the listener is prevented from hitting the "next" button and more inclined towards the "rewind".

An important element is also the lyrics. Mr.Doctor himself explains that the music heard is only a consequence of the lyrics and I can assure you they are of a very high level of intensity and reflection.

Another element (sorry if there are too many but I can't avoid it) is the very peculiar singing that the leader makes full use of, making the album and the entire band unique on the world stage. Called "sprechgesang", it is a very captivating mix of spoken-sung, if performed with mastery, but also not very digestible on first listens. To give you an idea, I've attached two very interesting samples of the only two tracks on the album: "Mr.Doctor" and "Eliogabalus", what imagination…

Although the recording is dated 1990, it is very precise and well done, never out of time, and, above all, with an estimable mix.

Compared to the first album "The Girl Who was... Death", the band is more organic, creative, and free. The legendary "church choir" is also introduced, increasingly used in subsequent albums.

I recommend this album to everyone; don't let yourself be bored by genre tags; I would not recommend it instead to the "loffi" who listen to real classical music, you might be frightened by so much occultism.