Short Reviews [Ego - 2014 - "Sistema"]

The Italian band EGO was formed back in 2005, and has been around in various constellations since. They released their self-titled debut album "Ego" in the year they were formed, and four more studio productions have followed. "Sistema" is the most recent of those, and was issued through the Italian label MaRaCash Records in 2014. Just where to put this band in terms of style as they appear in 2014 is something of a challenge. Throughout the album a clinical, almost ‘80s sound is a distinct feature, in material that on one hand seeks to incorporate the dramatic keyboard movements of bands like ELP, but on the other employs sequencers, electronic rhythms and effects in a manner and sound comparable to Tangerine Dream as they appeared in the early ‘80s. The combination is an odd but compelling one, vibrant and energetic yet strangely odd. Personally I was most taken with the two creations revolving more distinctly around rhythms, Crotalux Atrox and Via Del Cairo. Concluding the CD is a 10-minute long classical symphony, performed by keyboards and with bass, drums and guitars added to select sequences. An impressive creation, but one where the rock instruments felt out of place and detrimental, especially the electric guitar. Compelling yet odd is probably the best description I can give this production, where ELP meets Tangerine Dream, or the other way around, in a fairly clinical and ‘80s-sounding kind of way, with an epic-length digitally performed classical symphonic composition concluding the CD on a rather different note altogether. If that description comes across as an alluring one, this is a CD you most likely should give a spin.