Marco Salzano

Founded on the percussive sound of the Hammond and the screeching timbre of the Moog, the suite (futuristic yet childlike allegory of militarism) is one of the cornerstones of the trio. Amid violent and irregular martial sections (Eruption, Iconoclast,…) some lyrical and sorrowful glimpses open up (Stones of Years, Battlefield). It closes with the mocking march of Aquatarkus. The rest is good, with the solemn and baroque The Only Way (Lake's vocal peak) followed by the hypnotic and square Infinite Space.

One of the great concept albums of progressive rock and the zenith of ELP. The centerpiece is the hallucinatory circus allegory of the fantastic "Karn Evil 9": a dazzling show of violence, human tragedies, sex, and rock’n’roll. The "brave new world" is the society of the spectacle, "The show that never ends!". The musical performance of the three musicians is breathtaking, and the interplay between keyboards, bass, and percussion reaches the stratospheric levels of the suite "Tarkus". A masterpiece!

From the very cover, with the three heads in one body, it’s clear that this is the LP where the individual personalities of the trio harmonize best. The mysterious “The Endless Enigma” is a perfect minisuite. “From The Beginning,” a laid-back ballad with a Latin flavor from Lake, is rightly one of their most beloved pieces. “Hoedown” is a lively and sunny instrumental. “Trilogy” is beautiful as well, and how could it be otherwise when Lake sings a romantic melody with Emerson on the piano?