Detailed Reviews [S & L - 2001 - "Eternal"]

Note by VM: Here are some original notes (in quotes) I just took directly from the album's booklet:

"Lino Esposito uses: Ibanez electric guitars, Yamaha acoustic guitar, Marshall cabinets and amps, Peavy amps, Digitech pre, Rocktron effects; Salvio Schiano uses: Korg Trinity, Korg 01/Wfd, Roland D50."

Note by VM: Hey, is it so necessary that any listener should know what kind of instruments and amplifiers, etc, etc musicians use to create their music? On the other hand, listing the musicians and bands influenced on composing the music by S & L, like in this case, looks really justified. Thus, you can at least guess already what musical cocktail these guys wished to prepare for you with this album. They're honest - at least about who their idols are.

"Lino Esposito would like to thank: Dream Theater, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Deep Purple, Steve Morse, Kee Marcello, John Norum Europe, Toto ...

Note by VM: Next to this follow the names of ordinary people, except, maybe, Giovanna to whom Lino sent via the CD booklet the next: "My love, "Heaven" is dedicated to you!". A bit strange, though: why Lino has decided this time to quote Heaven (this is a song from the album) since most of the words in general, being quoted, have a contrary meaning.

Salvio Schiano would like to thank: Mic Michaeli, Kevin Moore, John Lord, Europe, Dream Theater, Toto, Giant.

Note by VM: First - Europe, then - Dream Theater: it sounds like this in some ways: (first) pop music, (then) progressive. I see the S & L guys have quite polar tastes in music, so it's time to taste their own one.

Both S&L masterminds and co-leaders' capabilities - compositional or technical - can't be compared to most of their idols. Only Europe and its members look really appropriately in the S&L testimonial lists, being for some reason listed together with all other musicians who are real Giants (except Giant from Salvio's list: have never heard of this band). All this, however, doesn't mean the S&L debut album is bad. All in all, these Italians perform all instrumental accessible blend of Symphonic Hard Rock and real Progressive Metal that is much better than anything created by Europe (and Asia too). By the way, if I'm not wrong, there was a US band America in the 1970s; all right, at least I exactly know of Alaska. Africa, Australia and Antarctica also would be good names for new bands or, at least, for the same Asia further albums titles, all of which, as we know, begin with the letter "A". Back to S&L and their music, I won't call it refreshing (let alone innovative), though I find it quite original on the whole, despite the presence of a dozen bands in both the S&L testimonial lists. While few tracks on the album are obviously of Prog'n'Hard category, most of them, however, contain at least a few episodes that probably anyone of 'prog-brothers in pen' would consider as truly Prog-Metal arrangements. As I said, although the music of S&L isn't complex, it actually consists of quite diverse structures. Here we have approximately as many heavy as symphonic elements, though all of them are owned by the Neo Progressive sub-genre. I am sure this album can be potentially one of the most commercially successful Musea releases of this year (at least!!). If correctly reviewed by most of progressive reviewers and supported by an appropriate advertisement in several strong magazines of Prog (beginning with Progression, of course) "Eternal" will amaze not only most of the lovers of Metal and Art (Symphonic) 'parts' of Neo Progressive, but also many thousands fans of semi-progressive instrumental music performed by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and the like.

VM. June 14, 2000