Mastedon
Lofcaudio

"Lofcaudio", the second album by Mastedon, the project resulting from the collaboration of brothers John and Dino Elefante, was released in 1990. Various musicians, more or less important and known, participated in it, including guitarist Stef Burns (ex Y&T), singer and guitarist Dave Amato (ex Ted Nugent Band and future REO Speedwagon) and many others. The record perfectly combines Progressive Metal with AOR, and features lyrics clearly inspired by White (or Christian, if you prefer) Metal.

It starts with "Holiest One", a well-crafted song, with beautiful verses and an equally beautiful chorus, a good solo, and a finale in full Prog style. The next track is "Life On The Line", one of the best songs on the album. Compared to the opener, it’s more "mysterious," if you can call it that, and better in terms of atmosphere created, and it boasts a remarkable chorus, as well as a great guitar solo. Much more cadenced is the following "Run To The Water", which represents a slight dip in the quality of the album but is still very good. Another very beautiful song is "When It All Comes Down", very well structured with an excellent Prog solo and a catchy chorus. The next "Taken Down Below" is also pleasant, even if, unlike the others, it doesn’t make much of an impact, although it is pleasant to listen to. A vocal intro leads us to another of the many gems of this album, the short "Stampede". Except for the already mentioned vocal introduction, this song is entirely instrumental and easily sticks in the listener's mind thanks to a simple riff repeatedly played throughout its 2 minutes and 26 seconds. It is followed by the best track on the album, the legendary "I'm Living For You", which strongly highlights the AOR heart of the group, especially in the chorus. Also noteworthy is the guitar solo, which, although not very virtuosic, creates an evocative atmosphere. Even the songs after "I'm Living For You" turn out to be very enjoyable, as demonstrated by "Thief In The Night", where the piano and guitar parts are very good, "People Of This Time", opened like "Stampede" with a vocal intro and featuring a chorus as simple as it is impactful, and the final "It Is Done", slower and more cadenced than the others but always very enjoyable.

This "Lofcaudio" is a very beautiful and enjoyable album, and as can be abundantly deduced from the track by track analysis, it is very difficult to find a single weak point throughout its duration. The actual score is 4.5, but I happily round it up to 5, as the few flaws in this record do not at all undermine its overall value.

Despite this, it remains a (sadly) very unknown masterpiece.

Tracklist

01 "Holiest One"
02 "Life On The Line"
03 "Run To The Water"
04 "When It All Comes Down"
05 "Taken Down Below"
06 "Stampede"
07 "Livin' For You"
08 "Thief In The Night"
09 "People Of This Time"
10 "It Is Done"
11 "Shine On" (bonus track)

Line-up

Dave Amato - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitars
John Elefante - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Tome Bowes - Lead Vocals
James Dean Longacre - Lead Vocals
Bob Carlisle - Backing Vocals
Tony Palacios - Guitars
Dino Elefante - Guitars
Michael Thompson - Guitars
Stef Burns - Guitars
John Andrew Schriener - Keyboards
David Raven - Drums
Phil Rowland - Drums
Mack Jack - Drums