DGM
Misplaced

THE REVIEW

During my search for new sound experiences, amidst my forays into Italian progressive music, I stumbled almost by chance upon this interesting entity called "Dgm", discovering a small treasure of emotions, full of creative ideas and characterized by a constant search for musical solutions of quality and great emotional impact.

Dgm is a group formed in our Italy in 1994, widely considered by many as the Italian answer to those musical ensembles made in the U.S.A. that became famous for combining the sharp sounds of Heavy metal with the stylistic sophistication of progressive rock; nonetheless, it would be very reductive to consider their music as a mere personal reinterpretation of what had already been done years before by various American progressive metal groups, which brought this genre to the fore between the late eighties and the early nineties; in reality, splendid albums like "Dreamland" or "Hidden place," released respectively in 2001 and 2003, stand a mile apart in quality from much of the trash produced in the States during the same period or even today, and they give us reason to believe that Dgm is a solid reality of its own, boasting its own artistic personality.

The excellent preparation of the individual members is more than evident, given the technical complexity and variety of some compositions contained in "Hidden place" where the instrumental parts flirt more than once with fusion only to return to the fast riffs typical of "power metal." The "impact" experienced when listening to this "Misplaced" (2004) is also very positive, with the album as usual being of excellent craftsmanship and supported by an outstanding production aimed at highlighting the explosive energy of music without compromise, dynamic and powerful yet at the same time refined and sumptuous. This time, the path taken by the band is radical, the progressive elements are still present but slightly sacrificed to make more room for genuine and direct power metal; however, the group does not lose its unmistakable style; listening to them, one can still recognize them, thanks also to the gifted vocal cords of a divinely-inspired Titta Tani, splendid guitar work (Diego Reali), and keyboards (Fabio Sanges), which again will not shy away from engaging in "fierce duels to the last note", and a rhythm section that admirably does its duty, as in previous works Fabio Costantino on drums and Andrea Arcangeli on electric bass are busy laying the foundations on which the eight compositions contained in "Misplace" are built.

The beautiful "Living on the edge," the opening track, unleashes a dynamism and lyricism that does not leave the listener indifferent, catapulting them into a sonic chase with continuous growth in intensity. Full of classical references is the choral and evocative semi-ballad "Still believ," filled with exquisite keyboard phrasings and orchestrations that embellish this song splendidly interpreted by a convincing Titta Tani. "Is hell without love" and "Perennial quest" are two tracks launched at full speed with indiscriminate use of double bass as "power" tradition dictates, that will undoubtedly excite fans of the genre and others alike.

The sixth studio release by Dgm is, to conclude, a heterogeneous work, an articulated progressive metal built on captivating and inspired melodic solutions, a work that sometimes exceeds in the pompous and fast atmospheres of "power" without, however, being tiresome to those who have not made such sounds a rule of life, thanks to its freshness and genuineness and the excellence of its compositions, direct and immediate, managing to unite admirers of different styles, embracing a broader range of listeners. And let's face it, seeing Italian artists throw themselves into the fray with success on terrain now thoroughly covered by their overseas colleagues can only please us, arousing a pinch of satisfaction and tricolor pride.