Deus Ex Machina - Cinque - 2002
intro
Deus Ex Machina is one of the best bands of these last ten years and a band that has contributed essentially to keep very high the artistic level of the modern prog-rock. On my opinion, it’s a group that has pushed and that has given some precious prestige to the modern italian prog-rock school, but with the drawback of not being understood by the simple prog-rock listener because of its complicated musical philosophy. Therefore they always have taken the smallest part of cake and bands such as Finisterre, DFA or H2O have taken advantage of that, leaping up and jumping onto the progressive crowd. Something similar to Anglagard or Landberk’s case in northern Europe.
review
Nevertheless, this supreme band is still alive and kicking, and carrying out even more talented work than ever, leaving astonished the poor progressive aficionados. A work that follows all the italian band’s rules and that goes further with some superb rhythm experimentation, the typical and great vocal work by Mr.Piras, the connection and the perfect mixture of such a different musical elements. With an excellent musical curriculum vitae they match harmonic ideas like RIO or Jazz, defining a kind of music that moves inside a vanguard dream world.
“Cinque” is one of the best records that DEM has ever conceived. It’s a CD that picks up, with an excellent sense of synthesis their purest musical thoughts. “De Republica” was a great album that surprised a lot the public and made people get to know them, however in spite of its greatness the record repeated itself quite a lot , I mean that, in my point of view, it was a bit too long. The good records don’t need to be the ones that last 13 hours. In this fifth album the italian band have achieved to put together all their talent in a shorter course letting the music flow naturally. That gives you the chance of repeating the audition several times a day if you wish.
The musicians are: Alessandro Bonetti (violins), Mauro Collina (guitars), Alberto Piras (vocals), Alessandro Porreca (bass), Fabricio Puglisi (keys), Claudio Trotta (drums).
We can find eight songs that somehow prove once more that they are some kind of masters that generate some master music. A work that has to be tasted and consumed with delicate manners, enjoying its aroma and rhythm as it was a glass of a magnificent scottish whisky. There are a lot of sensations enclosed that makes you disconnect from reality crossing towards a moor of sharpen edges mixed with colorful flowers.
conclusion
You have everything here. You have progressive rock, soul, funky, RIO, jazz, classical music, whatever you want. That will make enjoy the fans of the band very much, if you haven’t enjoyed it yet. For the people that don’t know them please get your mind fed with this master piece.