King Crimson
The Power to Believe

In times like these, heavily influenced by the daily drama of the infamous "Corona Virus," an album by King Crimson from 2003 came to my mind with a very significant cover, unfortunately, eerily close to current moments: I am clearly talking about "The Power To Believe."

Without dwelling too much on the intriguing yet complex history experienced by the ever-genius and enduring Robert Fripp's band in its various phases between breakups, reunions, and so on, let's immediately say that in this work the lineup is presented with very respectable elements: the various Greg Lake and Pete Giles from the original (and legendary) 1969 lineup are replaced here by the excellent guitarist/singer Adrian Belew, the versatile bassist Trey Gunn, and drummer Pat Mastelotto.

From this umpteenth reincarnation of the band (prophetically renamed as "King Crimson VI", actually active since 1999), thus emerges a very colorful album where Progressive Rock, Fripp's authentic trademark, leaves room for furious attacks of Heavy Metal, electronics, and even Ambient music, as we will see later.

It starts with the short vocal piece "The Power To Believe I: A Cappella" that leads into the powerful "Level Five" which literally revs up the "crimson engine" with a peak represented by the beautiful riff and sharp solo battle between Belew and Fripp, with no holds barred. But the engine revs suddenly drop with the imaginative ballad "Eyes Wide Open," led by an electronic arrangement that takes it to explore worlds rather close to Ambient music, only to rise again forcefully with the instrumental "Elektrik" which decisively takes the stage for an irresistible crescendo thanks to the usual two beautiful guitars of Belew and Fripp.

After the umpteenth instrumental interlude of "Facts Of Life: Intro," the ferocity of the ensemble knows no rest with the aggressive "Facts Of Life" that once again showcases the formidable compositional skills of Fripp and company. "The Power To Believe II" is yet another instrumental track in which electronic Ambient sounds, percussion, and vaguely tribal references intertwine, with the guitar here taking on tones very similar to those of any electric violin (listen to that masterpiece "Larks' Tongues In Aspic" to understand it all).
Another instrumental track that arrives shortly thereafter is "Dangerous Curves," which begins with an initial mellotron attack followed by a crescendo of synthesizers almost in Disco Music mode and ever more incisive and powerful percussion, almost intending to dazzle the listener.
We then return to the pulsating Rock of the furious "Happy With That You Have To Be Happy With," characterized by a powerful rhythmic base and a Fripp-marked guitar solo fast but sharp enough to make this track one of the best of the so-called "platter."

The two instrumental codas of "The Power To Believe III" and "The Power To Believe IV: Coda" essentially close a work that, as in the best tradition of the Crimson Kings, might not be easily accessible at first impact, but with repeated listens grows significantly, to the point of being able to be considered, without much fear of contradiction, one of the best Rock albums of the early 2000s, also proving the famous saying "old hen makes good broth" to be true!