Customer Reviews

Cinque

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What a nice surprise. My recent foray into the world of 70s Italian progressive rock led me to a newer band, Deus Ex Machina. Their latest album, _Cinque_, is one of my favorite purchases of late.

In many reviews you'll read concerning Deus Ex Machina, the singer Alberto Piras is always a big focus. And rightly so. This guy is one of the most stunning singers I've heard in rock or metal or anything. His approach to melody is a little bit similar to Area's legendary Demetrio Stratos, although his classical precision and histrionics set him apart. Honestly, when I heard that Alberto Piras' voice had five octaves, I figured it was just a publicist's fantasy. Hearing him proves he's the real deal.

This is my first exposure to the band, so I can't comment on how this album (the band's first stateside release) compares stylistically to the band's other work. I believe they have four studio discs and a live album. _Cinque_ is heavily jazz inspired, and the compositions feel loose, with a spontaneous energy recalling improvisation. At the same time, there is an ineffable tightness because the music is so brilliantly put together. The individual instruments often play with their own fully linear, independent phrases, but the consonant integrity of the composition is never sacrificed. THAT is harmonic complexity, and it honestly blows the mind. And if someone can transcribe these songs with all the right time signatures, they deserve a medal.

I found the album difficult to get into -- not for any of the normal reasons though. Instead, it was because I found it difficult to concentrate on the totality of the band's efforts rather than just listening to an individual musician. Often, it was because I kept getting lost in the drumming. The drummer Claudio Trotta's impossible integration of weird fills and completely whack sense of time never ceases to amaze me. This guy doesn't really groove...he sometimes behaves like another lead instrument. The bass player Alessandro Porreca alternates between bobbing around the guitars and keys and whirling around the drums. Keyboardist Fabrizio Puglisi is a pure jazz virtuoso, while guitarist Mauro Collina brings a splice of classic hard rock into the band for interesting variation. His solos are random, strange, and wonderfully amusing. Truthfully, everyone in the band is blessed with absolutely hyper-godly chops. After many listens, I was able to sit back listen to the _band_, and I was dazzled. The instrumental interplay is so tight the band may as well be an alien creature with eight arms and a single brain (two legs too). There is also some violin playing throughout, for a bit of a King Crimsony feel at times. The talent it must take to compose this music is just insane. I can't even imagine how you would play this live. (I would say the same for King Crimson's latest incarnation, i.e. the albums _Thrak_ and _The ConstruKction of Light_).

"Uomo Del Futuro Passato" begins with a stoner rock riff before breaking into a dynamic playground of surreal atmospheric jazz and frenzied fusion-esque explorations. (The keyboard solo is seriously killer.) "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram" is about as normal as this CD goes -- it is mainly played on acoustic guitar. The guitar solo is fuzzy and awesome. And by awesome, I mean totally sweet. "Rhinoceros" is a non-stop, odd-metered maze of instrumentation. "De Ordinis Rationale" is an array of the band's ingenious arrangement with Piras crooning like a maniac. The violin playing on "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II" sounds like something out of an Italian horror movie, and keep listening when the song goes quiet. After many minutes of silence, you are treated to some fun jamming.

Sadly, my weak descriptions aren't going to come close to describing the my personal response to hearing this band play. Oh, I'd love to see them live. _Cinque_ is an outstanding jazz-prog album, and probably my most pleasant surprise of 2002.

Deus Ex Machina honors the Italian progressive rock tradition with this compact: excellent and complex songs with lots of time signatures and very well interpreted lyrics by its singer, Alberto Piras, who sings songs in Latin and Italian! If you look for comparisons in the American progressive rock scene, I would say that this band's sound is between the extreme experimentation of Thinking Plague and the energy of Boud Deun. If you really like high quality progressive rock, with a sense of innovation and fun, buy this disc. You won't regret it.

Musicians

Alberto Piras: Lead Vocals, Words

Alessandro Bonetti: Violin

Fabrizzio Puglisi: Keyboards

Mauro Collina: Guitars

Claudio Trotta: Drums

Allessandro Porecca: Bass

Special Guest String Quartet on "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II"

Where else would you find on one CD:

1) A manic fusion of early 70's Mahavishnu Orchestra/Return to Forever, modern classical and a touch of blues with a manic operatically trained lead singer vocalizing in Latin?

2) Songs whose subject matter runs from Rhinoceros to the sun asking the earth how it's enjoying life ever since the humans went away (I'm not making this up) and theories of order?

Nowhere else but this offering from Italy's Deus Ex Machina!

From the moment Alberto Piras opens his mouth, you know this is not going to be breezy happy-slappy pop material. His over-the-top operatically influenced style may not be to everyone's liking, but one thing is certain, he is unique and original! To sing over the top of music this dense and complex is no easy task, but Alberto really handles it with great style and flair. Having witnessed DEM live, it also appeared he was having a lot of fun with it too.

But a lead singer does not define a whole band, and it's certainly obvious that DEM have plenty of top-notch musicianship to go around. Especially notable are Alessandro Bonetti's alternately plaintive and spooky violin melodies, Fabrizzio Puglisi's thick warm analog keyboards (mainly Hammond B-3 and Rhodes with some synths) and Mauro Collina's searing guitar (a nice blend of RTF period Bill Connors, blues and some tasty acoustic classical stylings) and a manic rhythm section that just doesn't quit!

Despite the obvious complexity of the music, DEM have not so much simplified their music, but have left more open space in the arrangements, more breathing room if you will. The opening cut "Convolutus" being a prime example, beginning with some beautiful classical guitar, then gradually building with that plaintive violin intertwining with the vocals just before kicking into 5th gear midway through with Collina's searing guitar then winding down to a thoughtful conclusion.

Other highlights include the funky and flat-out rocking "Rhinoceros", the bluesy acoustic romp of "Uomo del Futuro Passato", the left of center funky with spooky violin of "De Ordinis Ratione" and then to cap it off, the neo-classical stylings of "Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II" with a special guest string quartet.

There's only one thing that irks me on this disc, and that is the pointless inclusion of muddled sounding snippets of rehearsal tapes with the band working through fragments of songs and bantering in Italian. Although one could argue that this little bit of audio-verité puts a human face on the band, it just seemed rather unnecessary.

For those wondering "what the heck is that Piras dude singing about??", the CD booklet was kind enough to include translations of the songs into Latin, English and Italian.

Deus Ex Machina may not be everyone's cup of cappuccino, but for those who have an ear for the adventurous, you can't go wrong with Cinque.

This albums is a masterpiece! The singer ALBERTO PIRAS and the virtuoso analog keyboard player FABRIZIO PUGLISI are from another world! This guy PUGLISI, is something else, combining the spirit of Keith emerson, Jan hammer, Joe Zawinul, Bobo Stenson, Herbie hancock and Chick Corea, and being himself a professional jazz pianist, he can beat them all! MONSTRUOS! If you are into Mahavishu Orchestra, Frank Zappa, Area, then you will love this band and this record. Watch those Italiaans, and keep eye on another Italian progressive fusion band, DFA, discovered by Deus Ex machina's singer Alberto Piras.

I picked this up based on the Cunieform review... as usual. Cunieform is on the money with descriptions. Anyway... I LOVE THIS ALBUM! I was thinking about Mahavishnu Orchestra and then I was thinking about Gentle Giant and man.... the list goes on and on! These guys can lay down some super melody and rhythm and top it off with some fine singing. The vocals on this one are amazing. The music behind is even better. If you are into any of the canterbury bands of the late 60's and early 70's or if you like jazz fusion... CHECK THIS ONE OUT!

There is no shortage of excellent Italian progressive albums and this 2002 release by Deus ex Machina is no exception - come to think of it, many fans regard this as their finest album. What is even more exciting about the release of a recording like Cinque is the fact that there are rock groups out there still willing to experiment.

The lineup on Cinque includes superb vocalist Alberto Piras (vocals are in Italian), Alessandro Benetti (violins), Mauro Collina (electric and acoustic guitars), Alessandro Porreca (electric bass guitar), Fabrizio Puglisi (Hammond organ, Moog and ARP synthesizers, electric piano, piano), and Claudio Trottoa (drums and percussion). In addition to this core are Luigi Savino (bass on Luce), Fabio Cocchi (violin), Nicola Rosso (viola), and Enrico Guerzoni (cello).

These guys are all top shelf musicians and are capable of some staggeringly complex ensemble work and abrupt metric shifts. I especially appreciate the fact that the keyboardist is not afraid to use tone colors associated with classic progressive rock and there are some fantastic mini-moog and Hammond organ solos, along with some sound effects on (what sounds like) an ARP 2600. The vocalist is also worth singling out - he has a powerful voice and can cover an extraordinarily wide range without straining unnaturally. Although he uses some vibrato, the quality of his vocal is rich and full and he favors a "straight" tone. While some folks have compared his style to Demetrios Stratos (of Area) I really do not see any direct similarities between the flamboyant and wild approach of Demetrios (which borders on yodeling at times) and Alberto's comparatively restrained style.

At least in terms of the compositions however, these guys do sound a lot like Area and the tunes consist of a fine mixture of progressive rock, jazz rock, and a smidge of the European avant-garde. The emphasis however, is on the jazz rock/prog rock and their use of the avant-garde reminds me of the material Banco was recording in the late 1970s (Di Terra, 1978 for example). Their use of dynamics is pretty impressive, which ranges from all out rave-ups with the entire band going full steam to the delicate sonorities of a string quartet (Olim Sol Rogavit Terram II). I like the fact that these guys are not afraid to cut loose and there is some incredible improvisation on the album.

This Cuneiform Records release is pretty good and features the lyrics to each track (in Italian, Latin, and English). While on the subject, the lyrics are well-written and thoughtful. The sound quality is fantastic and each individual instrument can be heard with crystal clarity.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable album of proggy jazz rock with enough twists and turns that it should keep folks thoroughly entertained. I thoroughly enjoyed this album and would recommend it very highly along with 1978 Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano! (Area, 1978).