Mythology
The Castle Of Crossed Destinies

LA RECENSIONE

We needed Black Widow to uncover these mysterious Mythology, a group from German-speaking Switzerland whose members hide under enigmatic pseudonyms. Everything, from the name to the graphics to the concept, based on Italo Calvino's book “The Castle of Crossed Destinies,” refers to an iconography dear to the dark progressive of the '70s. And indeed, listening to this “The Castle Of Crossed Destinies”, the impressions are confirmed by the music. We find 3 mini suites of about 10 minutes: the first is the title track that showcases Mythology's agitated qualities where the "doom" guitars are prominently featured. The voice, however, is weak and too strained, even if the interpretation partially compensates for these shortcomings. The second track “Missed Chances” is another long composition (perhaps the most inspired of this work): we still find sharp and incisive riffs of the electric guitar but also more calm and jazzy moments with a sax reminiscent of Van Der Graaf Generator in the spotlight. After the short “The Moon” and “The Emperor,” it's the turn of the long (11-minute) “The Emperor” (the title once again brings to mind Van Der Graaf). The beginning is calm with acoustic guitars in the foreground: then the music slowly evolves. In the second part, synths and typical prog atmospheres predominate. The voice (a recurring problem in all Italian prog of the '70s), as mentioned, somewhat undermines the result here too. It's a shame because the final product could have been packaged better. The closure is entrusted to “Don’t Be Afraid.” Ultimately, perhaps there are no exciting compositional peaks, although the album is not to be despised. “The Castle Of Crossed Destinies” I believe will, however, appeal to those who love bands like Atomic Rooster and Black Widow.