Luca Turilli
The infinite wonders of creation

What a pity!!

The first thing I feel when listening to Luchino's new CD is pure regret. As a die-hard fan of the six-string virtuoso (even if he's not that virtuous), the album doesn't seem 100% Turilloide: slow and melancholic rhythms, no "Zecchino d'oro" refrain, present but not over-pumped choruses, guitar not highlighted. I discard it and see something is wrong... not even the cover is very Turilloide... no dragons, no "mighty warrior," no swords, no "dark tower of ayss," nothing of the sort (though it’s still flashy). It is important to make some essential premises anyway:

1. First and foremost, Lucone not only played and composed all the guitar parts, but also played every piano line, an instrument he started studying several years ago but had only recently resumed. The problem is that, focusing too much on the keyboards, Dr. Turilli gave much less importance to the guitar, resulting in monotonous riffs always played around pauses, and solos can be counted on one hand. Old Luca also composed every instrumental score, work which in Rhapsody was mostly handled by Manuel Staropoli, the keyboardist's brother. Even this little job succeeded well, although not excellently. Mostly the orchestral parts, despite being fundamental and always appropriate, end up being redundant and verbose.
   
2. Secondly, it is to be noted the (almost omniscient) presence of the talented singer Bridget Fogle. Although very prepared and touching, each composition of the Illirut (Turilli backwards) was designed for the old friend Olaf, who had already sung in previous masterpieces. During recording, Olaf himself couldn't sing the higher melodies, until he fell ill with psychosomatic (studio anxiety) and Luchino, desperate, as he had deadlines to meet, hired the nonetheless valid female singer. However, his absence is immediately felt, and even though Bridget's admirable voice fits perfectly in some tracks (the first "Mother Nature" above all), the atmospheres result totally different, more played on melancholy and drama. Surely, a more sunny and powerful setup like Olaf's, who on this CD reaches the peak of his career's emotional charge, would have made the atmosphere a bit (much) more epic and brilliant. Excellent tracks like "The Miracle Of Life" or "Angels Of The Winter Dawn" (where Olaf indeed sings) are the clear proof. On the lyrics level, the concept, set in the present (and completion of the trilogy started in 1997 with "King Of The Nordic Twilght" and continued in 2002 with "Prophet Of The Last Eclipse") exalts nature and earth, threatened by human greed and arrogance.
   The CD, however, flows quickly and without too many claims, alternating excellent tracks like "Cosmic Revelation" (classic Turilli title) and others much more boring "Mystic And Divine" (another big Turilli title).
   
3. And finally, we reach the title track, which as tradition is always excellent, full of pathos and meticulously curated choruses, proving Turo as an objectively creative and sometimes brilliant artist. Certainly a well-crafted CD, even elegant in some findings, but which deviates, for me too much, from the more grandiose, fast, and technical atmosphere of previous works. A CD that many will like, finding in the new Turillino a more mature and versatile artist than the old one, but which will be less appreciated by the die-hard fans (like myself) who will see instead an artist who hasn't managed to express himself at 100%. A respectable 4 for one's favorite artist can still be given, in the assurance that the next album will truly be ultra flashy. Then there would be the edition with fantastic excerpts (truly magnificent) from "Luca Turilli's Dreamquest – Lost Horizons," released these days, but that's another story, for another night, for another era...