VIII Strada
Babylon

The second album by VIII Strada is released, a group that had already made a name for themselves with their 2008 debut "La leggenda della grande porta". The new work is titled "Babylon" and immediately establishes itself as a worthy follow-up to its predecessor: it is a rock-opera and kind of a concept where all the tracks are interconnected yet remain autonomous. The theme of the concept revolves around the conflicted relationship of a couple with all the issues that arise from it. After the first album, VIII Strada received significant recognition, leading to a tour with the legendary Patrizio Fariselli from Area on keyboards.

Instrumentally, we are faced with a group of incredible caliber boasting a great keyboardist like Silvano Negrinelli, who is also the composer of the music. The rhythm section, consisting of bassist Sergio Merlino and drummer Riccardo Preda, is powerful and cohesive, while the talented Davide Zigliani gives the sound clear hard-rock connotations. The singer Tito Vizzuso has an excellent voice, while the lyrics are never trivial and harken back to the most inspired era of Italian prog. The group's sound is well-structured and solid, denoting the perfect instrumental maturity achieved.

The first track "Ombre cinesi" is illustrative of VIII Strada's sound: the settings are cinematic and dramatic, characterized by continuous rhythm changes with keyboards prominently featured: the sounds combine classic symphonic progressive from the Italian school with clear prog-metal influences. In "Preludio a Eclypse" the atmospheres are less tense and more calm, while "Eclipse Anulaire" is divided between tense hard-rock moments and others that are delicate. In "Deguello", lyrical and poignant, there's still beautiful keyboard work. "1403. Storia di Firenze" tells the story of Teresina and is another example of heavy-prog. The title track, the longest at 10 minutes, is also the album's highlight and shows us the perfect degree of the musicians' interplay: the music is fragmented: at times aggressive, at times more serene and atmospheric. "Slow" continues this epic journey into the protagonist's mind. The concluding "Ninna Nanna" incorporates surprising fusion elements.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of prog-metal; however, we are dealing with top-tier musicians who certainly deserve to be followed. This album "Babylon" is highly recommended for lovers of bands like Pain Of Salvation and Dream Theater, but it might also appeal to those who love classic Italian prog.