TRACK LIST:

1.  La Diversita di Avere Un'Anima 7:53
2.  Giallo Oro 12:04
3.  Il Testamento dell'Uomo Saggio 6:55
4.  Cor Mio 5:12
5.  La Fine Del Mondo 14:50
6.  Cosmopolitismo Centimetropolitano 11:56

LINEUP:

Maurino Collina – electric & acoustic guitars 
Fabrizio Puglisi – analog keyboards
Buonez Bonetti – violins
Claudio Trotta – drums
Porre Porreca – basses
Alberto Piras – vocals

Analysis. I am inclined to think that DEM’s closest brothers in style are their compatriots Arti E Mestieri and DFA. Besides, I find no weighty reasons to argue about theirs belonging to the Italian wing of the progressive rock genre but, nevertheless, only bands hailing from its central, Anglo-American, branch (which is its source after all) are being named here as reference points. Now, however, I must make a reservation that the ensemble’s influences, meaning those of the artists that are yet to be cited, never obscure their originality of approach to the legacy of the past or their creative personality as such, either. The music on the 6-track “Imparis” CD is essentially electro-acoustic in nature and is overall a confluence of Symphonic Progressive and Jazz Rock, though of the five primary-style pieces, three – La Diversita di Avere Un'Anima, Cosmopolitismo Centimetropolitano and Il Testamento dell'Uomo Saggio – are somewhat richer in elements of the former genre, all consisting for the most part of intense, as well as texturally dense, arrangements, additionally revealing quite a few moves with heavy guitar riffs and the driving organ leads at their fore. Instead, the other two, Giallo Oro and La Fine Del Mondo, have a stronger jazz quality to them, both alternating full-blown, dynamically evolving, maneuvers with much gentler passages that are usually dominated by the electric piano. Kansas, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever all can to a certain extent serve as points of comparison regarding each of the said compositions, but the influence of the former band outweighs those of the other two on the more symphonic pieces and vice versa regarding the jazzier ones, both of which, though, include some Gong-evoking landscapes, too. When playing the organ and the piano keyboardist Fabrizio Puglisi reminds me of Steve Walsh and Chick Corea in approach, respectively. Violinist Buonez Bonetti’s work brings to mind something halfway between Jean-Luc Ponty’s and Robbie Steinhardt’s. Maurino Collina’s parts can be reminiscent of Kerry Livgren’s (when the man provides heavy riffs in particular) or Al DiMeola’s, though it’s clear to me that he is originally a blues guitarist and there are quite a few corresponding patterns on the album, also. Purely instrumental arrangements cover about two thirds of the recording, but nonetheless each of the tracks has enough room for Alberto Piras to show what a superb as well as unique vocalist he is. As for the other peculiarities of the compositions, La Diversita di Avere Un'Anima, Il Testamento dell'Uomo Saggio and Cosmopolitismo Centimetropolitano all for the most part appear to be so very multi-layered in texture that it’s often hard to notice who of the musicians plays first, second, etc, ‘violin’ there, if you catch my idea. Even the parts of bassist Porre Porreca and drummer Claudio Trotta are normally different from each other, so instead of providing unison leads (which form what can only be labeled as a bottom end) the rhythm section actively participates in diversifying the music, too. The finale of Il Testamento dell'Uomo Saggio sounds in some ways like Kansas, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti are jamming together and has a distinct oriental fragrance to it. The closing track, Cosmopolitismo Centimetropolitano, is worth praising for its eclectic, positively open-minded arrangements, but specifically for the outstanding live performance by each of the players. Giallo Oro and La Fine Del Mondo both rather often slow down their pace, creating quasi atmospheric fusionesque landscapes which, yet, almost endlessly change their outlines, never repeating each other. The first of these pieces stands out for its mid-section, the music in which can be described as an exceptional complexity married with dynamism as well as angularity which, in turn, relates to RIO. Finally, Cor Mio lies almost entirely within the art-rock idiom and is additionally the sole track in the set that has an acoustic guitar in the arrangement.

DVD
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TRACK LIST: 

Paris live concert (60 min):
1.  Rhinoceros 
2.  La Diversita di Avere Un'Anima 
3.  Giallo Oro 
4.  Dove Non Puo Errserci Contraddizione 
5.  Il Pensiero Che Porta Alle Cose Important
6.  Drum Solo 
7.  Cosmopolitismo Centimetropolitano 
Interviews (29 min): 
1.  DeM Speak 
2.  Fabrizio Plays 
Extras (42 min): 
1.  Paris Backstage 
2.  Excerpts from Manresa 
3.  Excerpts from Chapel Hill 
4.  Excerpt from Italian TV 
5.  Ad Montem Video 

LINEUP: same

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Related Links:

Cuneiform Records

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