Three years into the twenty-first century, the Crimson enjoy the crazy show put on by the schizoid men.

The title "The Power to Believe" almost seems to evoke a hypothetical concept that began with the first album, for which despite everything we still have a great ability/power: hope.

The expressive urgency of Sir Robert Fripp led to the composition of these eleven tracks, to which were added Adrian Belew's visionary lyrics, fully in the style of the work. Cold work, apparently of sterile sound experimentation, with guitar loops that have characterized them since Discipline, combined with the riffing of a revisitation of Red in the digital era.

The CD contains a bit of metal, a pop that is not pop, electronica, and ambient music; they are nothing more than rhetorical instruments devoid of their original meaning, and this perfectly balanced (or almost) mixture of sounds becomes the bearer of our optimistic and very naive message, human light through modern mechanization.

The a cappella intro, with Belew's synthesized voice, opens "Level Five", the rock Grand Guignol, guitars, synth, Warr guitar (by Trey Gunn) and real and sampled percussion (by the excellent Mastellotto), causing a controlled explosion, but with a very strong sound impact. "Eyes Wide Open" is the hypothetical single, a beautiful and velvety song that soothes the atmosphere previously created, although Belew's hermetic text is a prelude to the (lyrical) themes of the album. "Elektrik" and "Facts Of Life" are two other sound experiments, but they sound somewhat twisted on themselves; the first is an instrumental in crescendo built on a guitar loop by Fripp, the second is a track that follows the canonical song form but is rich in instrumental dissonances and vocal games in the singing, supported by strange and highly elaborate guitar sounds.

The heart of the work is reached with the second part of "The Power to Believe" (in all respects the first), in which we have electronic percussion, a return to soundscapes perfectly employed here, and absolutely intriguing raga-rock rhythms. The discussion continues with the fantastic "Dangerous Curves", articulated on electronic 4/4 beats, progressively framed by the work of the instruments until the final explosion, symbolizing the frantic race of modernity, which inevitably crashes against the rocks of human nature, which cannot be overlooked.

"Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With", a tongue-twister title that reveals the irreverent nature of Belew's lyrics, a philippic against consumerism and the stupidity of mass mechanisms, set to music according to musical schools born from King Crimson, with a quasi-industrial pace and pre-chorus reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails. The work concludes with the third part of the title track, a nocturnal bass-guitar instrumental, in which the phrase from the intro echoes, disjointed, leaving space for the outro, which finishes the album as it began.

In conclusion, a pleasant and almost never heavy work, the experimentation is almost never self-indulgent or so heavy as to undermine the musicality of the work, which, after the two previous works, is no small feat. A beautiful album also because it is inscrutable to the modern music scene, which thrives on grandiose neglect of detail, which is instead the main strength of this latest effort by the greatest prog band of all time.

A must-listen at least once, as the natural continuation of a musical journey never stuck in itself.

Tracklist Lyrics and Videos

01   The Power to Believe I: A Cappella (00:44)

02   Level Five (07:17)

Instrumental

03   Eyes Wide Open (04:08)

04   Elektrik (07:59)

05   Facts of Life (intro) (01:38)

06   Facts of Life (05:05)

07   The Power to Believe II (07:43)

08   Dangerous Curves (06:42)

[Instrumental]

09   Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With (03:17)

10   The Power to Believe III (04:09)

11   The Power to Believe IV: Coda (02:29)

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Other reviews

By Elephantalk

 Only one band reflects this last idea: King Crimson, who release their latest work: 'The Power To Believe,' the Masterpiece of the 21st century.

 The album leaves a great satisfaction at the end of the listening. A true masterpiece... Because, besides being well-crafted, it perfectly ties together many genres, like Metal, ambient, and especially avant-garde.


By March Horses

 Robert Fripp and his genius remain dazzled by the heaviness of the distortions, the crazed synthesizers, the industrial-electronic instrumentation.

 The King we always knew is missing, failing in both areas with this work, which ends up being manneristic, inconclusive, unfocused.


By JonnyORiley87

 One of the best Rock albums of the early 2000s, also proving the famous saying 'old hen makes good broth' to be true!

 The beautiful riff and sharp solo battle between Belew and Fripp, with no holds barred.